Not Enough: Is love ever enough? (The Enough Series Book 1) (3 page)

Shit!
What kind of monster would I be if I denied that heartfelt plea? It is
also true I could use a few more friends or a friend outside of Jeremy’s inner
circle. Turning to face him, I look into his penetrating gaze and extend my
hand, “Ok friend what do you suggest we do now.”

I am shocked when he uses my hand to pull me to him, “Brothers
don’t shake hands,” he hugs me tight.

I can’t help laughing, “You did not just quote Tommy Boy.” He
looks impressed that I knew the quote.

“See Rylee I knew we were made for one another, I have never
met a girl who knew that line.” Great, not only is he insanely gorgeous, but he
also has a wicked sense of humor, I am officially screwed!

“All right funny man, I have to go home to shower and clean-up.
I should also consider acknowledging my brother and his latest playmate before
I take off.”

He raises his eyebrow in question, “Playmate?”

I nod my ahead affirmatively, “Yeah, J goes through girls like
most people go through socks.”

He simply shrugs his shoulders, “Not my style but I know a
lot of men that way.”

We agree he will go pick up lunch while I run home. He also
insists on dropping Boss and I off at home due to my recent injuries.

Looking
forward to the rest of the day, I am smiling inside as Boss and I make our way
through the front door. Not paying attention to anything else, I shut the door
and hang up Boss’s leash before I hear a blood-curdling scream. The scream is
followed by a thundering bark from Boss scaring me half to death.

I take a deep breath and turn around to see what is happening.
Much to my surprise, I find the mysterious t-shirt clad blonde wielding a
spatula like a sword towards Boss. As my fear subsides, I cannot help laughing hysterically
at the situation.

This pisses blondie off as she screeches, “Who the hell are
you? You and your beast better get out of my house before I call the cops.”
Tears are now falling from her big brown eyes.

All I can manage to respond between fits of laughter is, “Oh
lord please call the cops, I am sure they will love this.”

J comes running down the hallway still dripping from a
shower, I assume, and I know I should feel bad for the girl, but she is in no
danger. Boss is calmly sitting three feet away from her waiting on the snack he
always gets after returning home. I eye J carefully as he takes in the situation
and then asks, “What the hell is all the screaming about.”

My laughter now subdued I explain, “Apparently your friend
here is going to call the police on Boss and me for breaking into
her
house.” I emphasize the word her for added effect.

“She also seems to believe that spatula will protect the two
of you from my beast, as she referred to him.” Well, that did it the laughter
has returned, I mean really a spatula that dog probably outweighs her by at
least 50 pounds.

After surveying the situation, J joins my laughing fit before
being interrupted by blondie. “Jeremy, you are not seriously laughing. This
beast could kill me and she won’t call him off,” she screeches in a
high-pitched wail.

I look to J with a smirk, shrug my shoulders, and feign
innocence. I try to maintain a straight face he explains, “Kasey, meet my
sister Rylee this is her house. As for the beast that is Boss. He wouldn’t hurt
a fly.”

He bends down looking straight at my big animal, “Come here
boy, I’ll get your snack.” Boss hops up and bounds over to J who pats his head
and grabs a bone from the jar tossing it to him. Boss trots over to his bed in
the corner and begins gnawing on the bone.

With a roll of my eyes, I mumble, “There the world is safe
again.”

     This has been one hell of a morning so far, but I think
I preferred the sexual tension in Austin’s house to the uncomfortable tension
in here.

I give Jeremy a big smile, “Hey, I didn’t know you would be
here this weekend.”

I decide ignoring the angry female in the kitchen is the best
way to go. I swear if she were a cartoon character, the top of her head would
shoot off and steam would blow from her ears. He pulls me into his signature hug
then looks to his friend and tells her to go put on some clothes. Finally, I do
not need to see any more of that girl than I already have. She hasn’t left much
to the imagination and I do not need the mental image of why she is dressed
that way.

After she storms off in a huff, he releases me while running
a hand through his hair, “I can’t believe you did that to Kasey.” Ah, blondie
has a name.

Shaking my head in exasperation, “J honestly we did nothing
to her. Boss sat down in his usual spot and she panicked. I can’t help the fact
she didn’t know that she is staying in my house. That my dear brother is on
you. After all I didn’t threaten anyone’s dog with a kitchen utensil, that is
poor manners,” I laugh hoping to keep the situation light.

“You are right, I am sorry I should have told her, forgive
me,” he gives me his best puppy dog face.

“Always, you big moron.”

Reality settling back in, I realize I need to go get ready since
Austin will be back to pick me up soon.

“Hey are you going to be around later, preferably without
your friend. I have plans this afternoon. Oh, and don’t worry I will take Boss.
I don’t want her taking a whisk to the poor dog.”

All right, I have played out the kitchen utensil joke, but I
had to throw one more out for the heck of it. He looks at me quizzically before
asking, “Where are you off to that you can take Boss? You had better not be
going to work on a Sunday.”

J gets on me all the time about my lack of social life and
tendency to overwork. He thinks I should be out clubbing and making friends like
he does. Well, probably not exactly in that fashion. I am sure he would blow a
gasket if I paraded different men through here the way he does women. It is a
definite double standard, but not one I care to challenge.

Glancing over my shoulder with a wink, I head up the stairs
towards my bedroom before yelling back, “Nope, not work.”

I race through the shower, throw mousse in my hair, mascara
on my eyelashes, and call it good. Austin and I are just going to be friends; I
don’t need to go all out. Plus, I figure if I don’t feel sexy he won’t see me that
way.

I decide to wear a comfortable pair of dark blue jeans and my
favorite concert tee. The t-shirt is red and white, with a v cut out at the
neck accented with rhinestones. It is snug, but still comfortable. After
slipping on a pair of red tennis shoes, I am satisfied. I grab a hair tie and
my Red Sox cap before heading back down the stairs.

“Come on Boss, let’s go make a friend.”

As I step off the last stair, I notice Austin’s white pickup
pull into the driveway. I hustle over to the closet to grab Boss’s leash and as
I find it, I sense the closet door closing.

“I will lock you in there if you don’t tell me who is waiting
for you outside,” J says playfully while pushing the door into my shoulder.

“Dammit Jeremy Cole, I am going to hang out with a friend,
don’t make a thing of it.” That came out angrier than I had intended. I know J
is only looking out for me as he has always done since our parents died.

“Sorry Ry, I was just messing with you but now you have
piqued my curiosity. I will leave it alone for now if you promise to hang with
me tonight. It seems like I haven’t seen you in months.”

It is true J, and I have been busy lately and have not had
time to spend time together like we usually do.

“I tell you what if you want to spend some quality time
together tonight I am in. But, you have to get rid of blondie.” I do not care
what J does in his private life as long as he is happy, but it ceases to be
private when he brings them here.

With a deep sigh J responds, “I will do what I can, but Ry
she came down with me for the weekend.” She came down with him for the weekend.
That is strange. J never spends more than one night with most girls, and he never
travels with them.

I push those curious thoughts out of my head, leash Boss up,
and head out the door. As I exit, I holler back to my brother, “Text me later
and maybe we can figure something out.”

When Boss and I step into the driveway, Austin hops out and
comes around to open my door. He is such a gentleman who said chivalry is dead.

“Hey best friend,” I say jokingly, “Do you mind if Boss hangs
with us, he was kicked out by a half-dressed intruder.” The confused look on
Austin’s face is adorable making my heart dance.

“No, I mean yeah sure he can come, I like the big man, but
you will have to explain how he was kicked out.”

He takes Boss’s leash and guides him up into the middle of
the front seat, I can’t believe how stunningly beautiful he is. His strong jaw
and angular features are highlighted by the subtle five-o'clock shadow giving
him a bad boy meets boy next-door look. I climb in beside Boss with excitement
and reply, “Deal!” I cannot wait to get an outsider’s opinion on that train
wreck.

As we pull into Austin’s driveway I turn to find about 20
pizzas sitting in his back seat. Nodding in that direction and expressing my curiosity,
“That might be a bit more food than you and I can eat, don’t you think.”

With a half-smile he explains, “I got extra for all the
delivery men and movers who have spent the morning working.”

Who is the guy who catches dogs, bandages strangers, and
feeds the workmen? One thing is for sure, there is more to Austin Black than
meets the eye. I don’t know whether I should run screaming from him to preserve
my abstinence or throw it out the window and take him right here. “That is an
incredibly sweet thing to do Austin. I will get Boss in the house and come help
you.”

It has been nearly
six weeks since Austin practically forced me to be his friend, and I am glad he
did. As I lay here in bed on a Saturday morning, I cannot believe how much
Austin has changed my world. I no longer spend all my free time at work and I find
myself enjoying life. It is all thanks to him; I know.

It is a tad early to be getting up, but I can notice Boss is
anxious to go outside so I carefully slide out of my king sized bed trying to
keep from waking my sleeping friend. After a marathon of comedies on Netflix
last night, Austin crashed here. Somehow, sleepovers have become our norm on
the weekends.

Before stepping into my bathroom, I catch myself starring at
Austin’s gorgeous face as he sleeps and wonder, “
Would it be so bad to take
the chance of falling in love with someone who already makes me happy.”

He has made it clear he would like us to be more, but he
never pushes the issue. I guess I figure he will eventually change his mind just
like Ryan.

I tip toe into my bathroom, relieve nature’s call, brush my
teeth, and throw my hair up into a ponytail before changing into my yoga pants
and a t-shirt. I glance through the door to find Austin still fast asleep and my
heart rates increases at the breathtaking sight. With my mind and heart in
disagreement I head downstairs with Boss in tow.

I stop in the kitchen and start some coffee for Austin, grab
a can of Monster for me, and head to the patio. As I look out the French doors,
I see the sun is beginning to rise so I grab my favorite blanket and decide to
snuggle up on the outdoor couch to watch the sunrise while Boss takes care of
business.

After about twenty minutes snuggled up outside I am almost
asleep when the patio door opens. Turning around, I expect to find Austin even
though it is still early, and he likes to sleep in when he can. However, to my
surprise I discover J standing there with an unreadable look on his face.

“Hey J, what brings you here at this hour?”

With what looks like a combination of anger and shock on his
face he stares at me for a moment, “Care to explain why I found Austin Black in
your bed.”
Oh shit!

“He and I are friends J, no big deal.” J stalks towards me
before taking a seat on the other end of the sofa.

I never told Jeremy that Austin was the new friend I spend
all of my time with. Considering that he is only here occasionally I didn't see
it as important. And truthfully I didn't want to answer the questions
surrounding my friendship with one of the country's most eligible bachelors.

I know Jeremy will support any decision I make. Hell he would
be ecstatic to know I have not written off the opposite sex completely. Although
I have managed to keep my relationship with Austin platonic thus far, it has
taken a serious amount of willpower.

“What is wrong Jeremy? I am a grown woman. I can be friends
with anyone I want.” I find myself angry and defensive because I cannot tell
what J is thinking. He clearly has not been to bed. His eyes are cloudy and the
dark circles tell the rest of the story.

“Oh baby girl, I don’t care who you are friends with I just
don’t want you to get hurt.” The way he says the word friends is laced with
sarcasm and I can tell he does not believe Austin and I are only friends. I
cannot say as I blame him since he did find the sleeping god in my bed. Heaven
knows that does not scream platonic.

He looks at me with his signature green eyes full of love and
it nearly makes me cry. “I know J but honestly we are only friends. I refuse to
date. You know that.”

After a moment I begin to wonder, “J, what were you doing in my
bedroom anyway?”

He lets out a hearty chuckle, “Well I hadn’t planned on
climbing in bed with Austin Black, that’s for sure.”

My eyes go wide with shock, “Oh my god you didn’t, does he, I
mean did he wake up.” My mind races through the various scenarios of my brother
climbing into bed with Austin before I lose my composure and begin laughing.

“Oh, he is awake and let me say I don’t imagine that meeting
could have been more awkward,” he begins laughing too.

“Well, I guess you have a good locker room story now.”

With that statement, J’s laughter subsides merely to be
replaced by agitation, “No Rylee, this story will go no further.” I didn’t mean
to make J mad I was just making light of the situation but now my curiosity is
piqued. What happened up there? Maybe Austin will enlighten me later.

“Ok J, I was messing with you. I am going to go find Austin.”
I give my big bro a quick hug and head inside.

When I don’t find Austin downstairs my heart sinks and I
begin to wonder if he left without saying goodbye. In case he is still upstairs,
I grab his favorite coffee mug and make him a cup of coffee. He takes it black
with a spoonful of sugar.

Just a spoonful of sugar, it always makes me think of the
song from Mary Poppins. There is no amount of cream or sugar that could get me
to drink the stuff. A spoonful of sugar might make the medicine go down but it
sure as hell will not make the coffee go down, not for me anyway.

As I make my way into my bedroom I can hear the shower
running and feel a flash of relief, he is still here. While waiting for Austin
to finish his shower I begin making my bed pulling the yellow and black
patterned comforter up and rearranging the pillows. My room is large with a bay
window overlooking the front yard.

The cherry colored king size bed is in the center of the room
and is flanked by two matching nightstands. I have a matching dresser on the
wall opposite the bed and a large flat screen TV hung above it. The color
scheme is simple black and white with a few yellow accents.

After I finish making the bed, I lay back and turn on
SportsCenter while I wait for Austin. After about five minutes of watching
highlights, Austin emerges from the bathroom in nothing but his pajama pants. He
looks absolutely sinful. His broad shoulders and well-defined pectoral muscles
are divine, but it is the washboard abs and perfect ‘v’ at his pelvis that makes
him drool-worthy.

As he finishes towel drying his hair he looks up at me with a
shy smile, I am sure he can tell I am feasting on his body. “So, I met Jeremy.
Seems like a nice guy,” he says with a hint of mockery.

“I am so sorry Austin, I had no idea he was coming over. And,
I am so sorry that is how you two met.” I sit there fidgeting with my hands a
little nervous that Austin could be upset with me for J’s indiscretion.

As he reaches the bed, I hand him his cup of coffee which he
places on the nightstand before taking my hands in his. With a soft smile, he
melts my fears with his reply, “Thank you Ry, but you have nothing to be sorry
for. It was awkward but it will be fine.” He shakes his head in obvious
embarrassment. “Besides we have met before on the field. Now he has seen a
little more that’s all,” he says with a slight blush.

He pulls me into a hug and the feeling of his chest against my
face causes my heart to do a little flip. I wrap my arms around him, “Are you
sure you aren’t upset, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable here.”

He squeezes me tighter before letting go and pulling my chin
up so I am looking at him, “Ry, I would never be uncomfortable anywhere you
are.”

Just like that, he makes me question my ongoing decision to
remain in the friend zone. With the weight lifted off my shoulders, I smile in
acknowledgement to hide the thoughts swirling about in my mind.

After the current airing of SportsCenter ends, Austin reminds
me that we have a charity dinner tonight and asks what my plans for the day are.
Ready to respond, I hear a knock on the wall, “Everyone decent in there?”

I raise my eyebrows at Austin playfully trying to convey my
plans, which I think he understands, and I start to toy with J, “Oh Austin, God,
more please.”

I am abruptly interrupted as Austin yells over me, “Yeah bro,
all clear, a lot more so than this morning.” I am confused, what was indecent
this morning? One of these two is going to have to fess up.