In the Stars (21 page)

Raleigh and I both look at each other, and we all start laughing. “Yeah ok, I will admit I might have taken a notice to that before when I have seen Eric. Nicholas is a good looking guy, too. You are also very pretty, though, Tara, so you also make out well with this whole family package deal.”

Tara gets a sneaky smirk on her face. “Well Caroline, trust me when I say Eric has taking quite a notice to you as well. Lori even saw it Friday night, and she was not happy about it at all.”

I feel my face turn boiling red hot. The thought that Eric has no question taken notice of me has all kinds of sense overloads going on inside me. “Well Tara, I will just come right out and say it. Your brothers are fucking hot. Like, I might not be able to contain myself around them kind of hot. I have been sex free for way too long now. Since you say Eric already noticed Caroline, you think I could get Nicholas to maybe volunteer and cure that problem?”

I reach over and hit Raleigh in her good arm, and she and Tara just start laughing. “Well, Nick does a lot of traveling, but the next time he is coming around I will let you know.”

“Ok sounds good to me; as long as it isn’t another several months to go.”

I finally speak up. “Wow Raleigh, why don’t you just get Tara to set up a hotel stay for you and her brother in his next location?”

Raleigh rests her hand on her chin, then smiles. “That doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea, Caroline. You think you could set something up Tara?”

“Holy shit Raleigh! Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”

“I am just kidding, Caroline. Well, at least slightly kidding. It is just easy for you, because you just had sex recently. As in very recently, I might add, so you’re not as hard up right now.”

There goes my red face again. I look up at Tara, and she just raises her eyebrow while getting a sly smirk on her lips. “Ok Raleigh fine, fair enough, point made.”

Tara finally shows us the last picture, and it is one of the whole family on the beach. Well, of course this means the men don’t have shirts on, and I know Raleigh and I both just got drool on Tara’s kitchen island. “Son of a bitch, I take that back. I am not kidding, Tara, I must meet Nick.” I on the other hand can’t feel my limbs anymore. I seriously feel like my whole body tingled itself into complete numbness.

Tara is just standing there, laughing at both of us as we stare down at the picture of her family. “Gee girls, you want me to print you each off a blown up copy? Is it safe for me to take this back now, and put them away? Or are you going to claw my eyes out for removing it?”

I turn my eyes toward Tara, but can still see the picture from the corner of my vision. Raleigh reaches down and picks the beach picture up, and holds it to her chest. “This is mine; you can’t have it anymore. Plus, if you keep this in the house with Caroline she might not ever leave for school or work again.” Raleigh then hands the picture over to Tara while laughing, and picks up the other two for her too. She follows Tara to go put them back up. I am still feeling a bit numb, so I don’t make much movement at all.

The vision of Eric’s tan chest, abs, and arms still rolling around in my head—very, very defined chest, abs, and arms I might add. Then there was his tattoo. I couldn’t tell what it was exactly, but you can see it goes up to his shoulder and around to the back. I seriously had the sensation to want to reach my tongue out and lick it. It is just a picture, yet the urge to lick it was so strong. What if the real thing were standing right in front of me now—could I resist? Shit, there I go again; damn Tara and her beach pictures.

Once they get back into the kitchen, I have mostly pulled myself back together. Tara and Raleigh both decide to start up on me about moving in now, instead of waiting awhile longer until the first of December. “Seriously Caroline, what difference does a week and half or so make; why wait? Don’t start on the whole I want to be fair with my share of dues crap, either. I want this, and I know you want to move out of that room, so get on with it. It isn’t like you have a lot of items to move, and need to get together a moving company or something.”

“Yeah Caroline, I know your college wardrobe. You can most definitely fit everything you have there into the back of your Blazer, and be out of there within a couple hours. You already spoke with school about the move, and got everything straight, so no worries there. Tara just said she is more than ready for you to be here. So why wait?”

I look back and forth between the two of them. “Ok fine, I will start throughout this week getting my things together, and by Friday I will stay for my first official night. Thursday evening, I might not even be driving back here at all, since I might be in my typical Thanksgiving food coma mode.”

Tara shrugs her lip up in thought. “Well, since you don’t have much to pack, I expect you to spend your first night here on Wednesday. That way, you know you will get a good night sleep. Leaving you better prepared for your excessive food intake the following day.”

Raleigh nods her head in agreement. “You can’t argue with that logic, Caroline.”

“So, Wednesday it is then. Why even try and disagree with you two? I am obviously not going to win.”

Truth be told, I am actually really excited about moving in so soon. No need telling them that, though. We go on talking and laughing easily with one another. Before you know it, it is time for me to shower and get ready for work, and Tara has to get ready for her dinner with Matt. I can tell she is nervous about the evening with him. Raleigh is a big help, though, because she goes all over the top excited with her let’s super model you up personality. Being as she loves everything in Tara’s wardrobe.

Once we are both all ready, it is time for Raleigh to head back home. My worries about Raleigh and Tara getting along are definitely gone. If anything, I might want to worry about being the third wheel when we are all together.

As I am driving to work, my phone rings. “Hello Raleigh, you miss me already?”

“Caroline, you know I just had to call you. First off, I really did like Tara, and I love her place. I think this will be great for you. Most importantly, though, I have to tell you, I fully understand your confusion with men right now. All I have seen are a couple of pictures, not even the real thing yet, and I am completely on edge. I do believe if I don’t get me some soon, I am going to have to break down and buy me a good ole battery boyfriend. I’m not shallow and I realize looks aren’t everything, but those two brothers of hers—well, who the hell could say no!?”

I can’t help but laugh. “I know Raleigh, and trust me, as far as Eric goes, the real thing is so much better. It isn’t just his looks, though; it is the overall feeling my body gets when I am close by him. I just really can’t explain it. So yes, this is why I feel so confused. I think if it was any other guy I had noticed, they wouldn’t even stand a chance against the way Kyle and I are together. Eric has somehow just thrown my whole being off balance.”

I hear Raleigh sigh through the phone. “I really do hope you can figure all this out, without anyone getting too hurt. That includes you Caroline; you could be hurt as well.”

“I know Raleigh, especially since Tara gave a little about Eric’s ways. Also, like you said, who could resist him—lord knows how many women he has had this same effect on. Basically, a little Taylor Swift I Knew You Were Trouble coming my way. Be safe driving home, and let me know when you get there; ok? Love ya, Raleigh.”

“I will, you be safe too Caroline. Love ya, and I will see you tomorrow at your mom’s for lunch, right?”

“Yes ma’am; see ya then. Oh by the way, I think Sam is supposed to be there too.”

I am pretty sure I hear a little squeal before the phone hangs up.

I WAKE UP in another dazed, hot mess. Thinking, no don’t let it end. I was dreaming of lying on the beach, eyes closed and ear buds on. Don Henley The Boys of Summer playing in my ears while the sun warms my body. Then the warmth falters, and I open my eyes with a squint to a tall, broad shadow standing in front of me. Once my eyes fully focus, I realize the shadow is a man; of course the man is Eric. I sit up straight, hands planted in the sand, as he goes to his knees in front of me. No words are spoken as his hand reaches out and his fingers lightly caress on the underside of my bikini top. He traces the outer shape of my top up and around the outer edge of my breast. My breath hitches, and my eyes close tightly as I feel the warmth rush from my core.

I feel his fingers leave my body, and I open my eyes once again as he is leaning in toward me. Our lips find one another, and my hands reach out and grab around his neck. Our mouths part and he sucks my tongue into his mouth. He pulls me up from my towel, and straddles me onto his lap. I can feel his erection through his swim trunks, and then it stops. This is when I wake. I try and close my eyes to go back to sleep, but there is no way my wound up body is going to allow that to happen. I look over to the other side of my room to see if Piper is in the room. I am in need of a serious release, and, unlike Raleigh, I already own my own BOB. Damn Piper, though—of course she is here.

I get up with a frustrated sigh, and wonder why I didn’t just go ahead and move out Monday. Sunday at my mom’s went great, and Raleigh and Sam really spent a lot of time alone talking. She had a smile on her face the whole time. Even though his wasn’t as obvious, Sam definitely had one going on throughout their time together, too. I spent that evening with Kyle, talking about his band and the show he will be doing Saturday. I have that day off, so we are supposed to spend all of Saturday together. Then, of course, there was the sex before I left to come back to my room, late Sunday evening. It was multiple orgasm sex, while Kyle worked those skilled fingers of his all over my very sensitive everything. The man can truly work some magic, and, once again, I am left confused and frustrated with my mind and body always going in a different direction when I am not around him.

I haven’t seen Kyle since Sunday, so I am going to blame my dream on the lack of sex for the last couple of days. Even though I know this is not really the case. My head feels like a blob of putty being formed and shaped in all different ways, over and over again. Yeah I am a complete mess, and I hate the thought of what my ways might do to Kyle.

Raleigh was right about me not having much to pack. I already had everything done and in my car, other than what I would need out for today. Tara and I are supposed to eat lunch with Adam, and then I have one more class before I head to my new place. After my shower, I take one last look around, making sure I have everything. Then I leave this room for one last time, not even bothering to leave a note or say goodbye to Piper in any way as I go.

At lunch, we all fall into casual conversation about our weekend. I notice Tara doesn’t bring her dinner with Matt up in front of Adam, so neither do I. Since Adam and I both are off work today and no classes tomorrow, we all decide to get together tonight at Tara’s to celebrate the move. Adam said he would bring food for us all, and we are supposed to supply the drinks. “I have my fake ID, so I will stop and grab some after my class.”

I hope I don’t set a bad example by drinking with Tara my first night there. I seriously don’t think this would put me on the good girl list with her family. Tara assures me there are already a few drinks at her house, and, although she doesn’t drink a lot, this isn’t the first, nor the last, time it will happen for her. It isn’t like we can, or at least should, get completely wasted tonight anyway, since we all have Thanksgiving with our families tomorrow.

I am getting ready to take my first bag of stuff into Tara’s house, when Adam comes pulling up and parking out front. He gets out of his car with two pizza boxes, and another container on top of them. I give him a crooked grin, and he just smiles back. “What? It’s Italian; everyone loves Italian. I got a salad too, in case you girls are worried about the carbs or something stupid like that.” I hold my hand out for him to go ahead and walk in. He goes straight to the kitchen island, and sits the boxes down, then opens the fridge and puts the salad inside. He turns around, leaning back on the counter with his oh so adorable smile.

He takes a look around, and walks over to me. “I really like the place so far. Where am I sleeping tonight?”

I drop my bags on the floor and smirk my face up in confusion. “So you seem to be like Raleigh, and already trying to stake your claim on the place. I think Tara is still back in her room; you will have to take that up with her when she comes out.”

He just smiles again and reaches down, picking up my bags. “So where is your room, Caroline? I will take these there.” I point toward the hall, and tell him which door. I watch him as he walks away, and can’t help but smile. I really do like Adam.

I walk back out to get some more things, and as I am approaching the door it swings open for me, and out comes Adam and Tara laughing. “What are you two up to?”

They both just look at me with very innocent expressions. “Nothing Caroline. I really like your room, by the way. I haven’t seen Tara’s yet, though. So I am still undecided on where I am sleeping. I have been told I only snore on occasion, so, other than the possible spooning, you should be safe with me.”