Torrid Affair (7 page)

* * *

N
ate parked
in the driveway and jumped out before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt.

“Wait!” I shouted and he looked over at me with his hand on the door. I kicked the door open and stood. Removing his jacket, I handed it over to him. “Thank you.”

A small grin grew on his face as he took the jacket from my hand. He bowed his head and walked toward the house without a single word.

Louisa, Del and I had finished in the kitchen and no one mentioned that Nate and I had disappeared. After dinner, we found our way to the basement where the TV played in the background and Nate and Julian reminisced about the times they snuck out of the house. Delaney sat on Nate’s lap and listened to every word. I, on the other hand, felt exhausted. My body ached and it felt impossible to keep my eyes open.

“Babe.” Julian leaned into me and kissed my cheek. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head slightly. “I think I’m just tired. It was a long day.”

Julian ran his hand up my leg to comfort me. “Do you want to call it a night?” I knew from the tone of his voice he wasn’t ready for bed.

“I’m going to lie down.” I pushed off the couch. Julian moved to stand and I stopped him. “Stay.” I leaned down and kissed his lips softly. “I’m okay. Come to bed when you’re done here. Please don’t rush because of me, okay?” I gave him a reassuring smile.

Julian pulled my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Babe, I can go with you.”

“It’s okay, really. My head is starting to hurt.”

I wished everyone a good night and made my way up to Julian's bedroom. The exhaustion I felt in the basement seemed to disappear once I rested my head on the pillow. I closed my eyes and hoped sleep would come, but it never did. Instead, I stared at the clock on the night stand, tucking my hands under my chin and watching the minutes pass.

Twenty minutes later there was a soft tap on the door before it pushed opened slightly. Nate’s kind eyes greeted me. “Hi,” he whispered. “Did I wake you?” He walked further into the room.

“No.” I shook my head and sat up on the bed.

“You okay?” he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. Unable to speak, I nodded. “I was worried it was something I did that had you wanting to go to sleep.”

I felt a smile tug on my lips. “No. I feel run down, that’s all.”

Nate’s gaze dropped and his hand reached for mine. He ran his thumb across my knuckles. “Do you feel that?” he muttered. I swallowed and an ache grew in my chest. “You do, don’t you?”

I lowered my chin to my chest, unable to answer him. It was as though he was stoking a fire. A fire I so desperately wanted to put out. “Nate . . .” I closed my eyes.

“What is it about you that has me like this?” He asked the question out loud but I knew he didn’t expect an answer. His hand moved up my arm and he twirled his fingers around a loose curl.

My heart felt as though it would explode in my chest at any second. “What are we doing? I’m here with Julian. I’m in his bed.”

“I’m being your friend, Brie. Can we be friends?”

We both knew that friends didn’t hug the way we hugged, nor did friends have an electrical current running through them when they touched. We couldn’t be friends. We should have been enemies. It would have been easier to hate him than to not fall in love with him.  

But we lied.

“Yes.” I sighed. “We can be friends.”

Nate reached for my cheek. His hands were warm and rough around the edges. I wanted them on my body.

This was wrong.

This was insane.

But I didn’t stop him.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to know what was coming next. “Goodnight, Brie,” he said in a hushed tone. I felt his lips on my forehead. How could a gesture so simple have such a powerful effect?

“’Night,” I whispered.

He pulled his hand away from my cheek slowly and stood. I kept my eyes closed until I heard the door close behind him.

I was fucked.

What the hell was I going to do with the pent up emotions in my chest?

I dropped my head back to the pillow, the skin on my forehead still tingled from where his lips had touched it.

I closed my eyes again. In my head, I lived in a different universe where Nate and I were together. When I heard the door open again I didn’t move. I knew it was Julian coming to bed. I faked that I was asleep. He shut the light off and I felt him crawl under the covers. He kissed the side of my head and wished me goodnight. I kept the vision of Nate with me in my head until sleep eventually found me.

* * *

I
woke
up on Thanksgiving morning with my throat on fire, my head clogged, and unable to breathe through my nose. Everything was stuffy. My joints ached when I tried to move. I rolled over to Julian and was greeted by his smile.

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

“Morning,” I croaked. My throat burned when I swallowed.

“Shit, babe. You’re really sick.”

I closed my eyes. It was impossible to breath. “I don’t feel so well.”

“We have to head out to the soup kitchen soon, but why don’t we skip that and sleep in.”

“No.” My throat ached. “I don’t want you to miss a family tradition because of me.”

“Okay.” Julian pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head. “No one will be here, so you’ll have some peace and quiet.”

“’Kay,” I grunted and turned back to sleep.

I
awoke
a few hours later with the sun peeking in through the curtains. My head pounded but the aches in my body had subsided. I diagnosed myself with a head cold as it felt as if I was underwater. Stretching my hands over my head, I yawned and got out of bed. It was eleven in the morning and soon everyone would be back from the shelter. The house was cold and silent, and the wooden steps creaked as I made my way toward the kitchen. Unable to breathe out of my nose had made my mouth dry.  

I scanned the room looking for an empty glass when I spotted a small tray with my name on it.

Brielle,

Sorry you're feeling under the weather. I've left some cold medication out for you. Also, there are peppermint oils in the bathroom if you want to take a warm shower. It will help clear your sinuses.

Love, Louisa

I poured myself a cup of orange juice and decided Louisa’s advice would be beneficial. The congestion in my head was so much that I figured a nice warm shower would help. Pulling aside the shower curtain, I turned on the shower and dabbed a few squirts of peppermint and eucalyptus oil into the corners of the free standing shower before I undressed.

The hot water on my skin felt like heaven. The fragrance of the mint and eucalyptus traveled up to my sinuses and I was able to finally breathe freely. Though my head still felt like as though it was drowning, I began to feel much better than when I first woke.

I washed my hair, then stood under the water for a few more minutes before I turned it off and pulled the curtain back. As I reached for the towel, the bathroom door swung open and I was greeted with Nate’s tall frame. I screamed as I tried to cover my bare body.

“Dude! What the fuck?”

Nate pulled the ear phones from his ears. “Oh, shit.” A grin grew on his face.

“Seriously! Get out!”

Nate’s grin grew even wider. I reached for the tissue box on the vanity and threw it at him. He finally closed the door but it was too late. Embarrassment burned through my body.

I dressed for dinner, did my hair and makeup, and stayed in Julian’s room until they arrived home from the soup kitchen, trying to avoid Nate. Once everyone was home, Julian hopped in the shower and I finally felt it was safe to come out of hiding. Louisa was in the kitchen whipping up dinner, and I helped by setting up the appetizer table.

Delaney was upstairs adding the finishing touches to her makeup, so I had to meet Julian’s aunts and uncles without a buffer. After I greeted each of them, I focused on decorating the vegetables for my crudité to look like a turkey. Nate appeared and reached for a carrot.

“Hi.”

“Go away. I’m not talking to you.”

“I wanted to apologize for walking in on you.”

“Go. Away.”

“Brie, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” He grinned.

“What were you doing home anyway? Everyone was supposed to be at the soup kitchen. And why wouldn’t you knock first?”

“I never go to the shelter,” he stated. “And I did knock. You didn’t hear me.”

“Liar!” I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to look at him. “You didn’t knock.”

“Okay, I didn’t knock.” He chuckled. “Come on, don’t be mad. My brother is a lucky guy.”

My eyes widened as I turned to face him. He was dressed in a navy blue knitted sweater and dark blue jeans. His hair was styled back and his eyes looked almost blue. He licked his lips and I nearly lost my composure.

“I’m not mad. I want to pretend it didn’t happen, so therefore, I need you to turn around and walk the other way.”

“Brie…” His eyes scanned my body.

“Don’t look at me like that!” I slapped his elbow.

“Look at you how?”

“Like you’ve seen me naked.” I grunted through gritted teeth.

Nate chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Delaney asked. She had spent a good hour getting ready and it showed. Her hair was pulled back in a low bun and the brown and gold eye shadows made her eyes pop.

“Your boyfriend is making fun of me for being sick.”

“Babe . . .” She dragged out the word. Her hands wrapped around his waist and she looked up at him with a loving glance. “Be nice.”

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked her and then looked over at me.

Delaney stood on her tippy toes and kissed his lips. “I’ll have a vodka tonic.”

I wanted to know what it was like to kiss him.
“I’m good, thanks.”

Delaney watched as Nate walked out of the living room and toward the kitchen. “God, he has the most perfect ass, right?”

“I’m not staring at your boyfriend’s ass.”

Delaney giggled and laced her arm with mine. “Do you want to go socialize with our future in-laws?”

“Not really. I'm still sick.”

She frowned. “That stinks, Brie.”

“It’s okay. I’m high as a kite on some cold medication Louisa gave me.”

Julian snuck up behind me and kissed the back of my neck. I could smell the liquor on his breath. “You’re so beautiful.” His teeth bit my flesh. “Have I told you that today?”

“Julian.” I pulled away and turned back to face him. “You have family here.”

“I know but it's hard to keep my hands off you.” He tugged at my waist and brought me flush to his body. “Later, I’m going to kiss every inch of your body,” he said in a loud whisper. Delaney giggled and I heard Nate grunt.

“Okay. Well, I’ll go help your mom and aunts in the kitchen.” I turned to reach for Delaney. “You coming?” I didn’t wait for her to respond as I tugged her with me. I noticed that Nate kept his head down, refusing to meet my gaze.

Thanksgiving dinner was filled with laughter as Louisa shared stories of the boys growing up. The food was delicious, and Delaney and I cleaned up the kitchen as a thank you for their hospitality.

By the time I headed to bed, I was exhausted, so I popped two NyQuil in my mouth and welcomed the comatose sleep that would soon take over my body. Julian’s arm looped around my body, my back against his chest as he kissed my neck.

It was then that I heard them. Nate and Delaney. The wall where Julian’s headboard rested was a common wall to Nate’s room. Delaney moaned and their bed creaked.

They were fucking.

Pain pinched my chest. I closed my eyes and hoped the drugs would knock me out, but Julian pressed his growing erection to my lower back. His lips kissed my shoulder with hunger.

“What are you doing?”

“Come on, Brie.” He pushed his pelvis further into my back.

“Julian, stop.” I reached for his hip that had been grinding on my ass.

“I’ve been a patient man—”

“This isn't going to work.” I spun around to face him. “I’m sorry, Julian, but what you want from me I can’t give you because I don't feel the same.” I scanned his eyes. “I don't want to lead you on and give you empty promises. I love spending time with you, but I want to be your friend.”

“Damn . . .”

“I’m sorry.”

Julian scoffed and stood. “Yeah, I'm sure you are.” He grunted and stalked out of the room.

I ignored his comment.

I ignored Delaney’s whimpers.

I ignored Nate’s heavy breathing.

And I ignored the jealousy that grew in my chest.

J
ulian spent
that night on the couch and we drove home in silence the following day. I spent the rest of the weekend catching up on homework and ignoring his calls and texts. Delaney had caught my cold and spent the remainder of the weekend in bed as I fetched her soup and Gatorade. I didn’t tell her that Julian and I broke up; I wasn't in the mood for her inquisition. She spent the weekend ignoring her boyfriend. She said she didn’t want him to see her like this. In other words, she was too tired to put on makeup.

A week after Thanksgiving, Julian and I finally spoke. He’d messaged me a few times wanting friendship; we agreed we would remain friends, and he reminded me I would always have a place in his heart.

Everything was right in the world again.

The semester was coming to a close and there were only a few more buildings to study for my art class. On Wednesday, I arrived at the parking deck downtown, hopped out of my car, and headed toward the Bank of America Corporate Center. It was the tallest building in Charlotte, standing at 871 feet, and had floor to ceiling windows that made it look as if it was all glass.

After hearing Nate with Delaney on Thanksgiving, I didn’t want to look at him. I needed some distance. Once the semester was over, we would no longer be in class together, things would go back to normal, and I wouldn't be green with envy at the fact he had sex with his girlfriend.

I stood on the main street that directly faced the building. The massive building’s long glass windows appeared blue as they reflected the brilliant sky. At the uppermost point, a tower topped the building like a crown. I was writing a few notes on my notepad when I heard him behind me.

“You couldn’t wait for me?”

“Sorry,” I responded but never pulled my gaze from what I was writing. “I wanted to get this assignment done. I still have a paper to write.” I shoved my pen in the crease of the notepad and closed it.

“You’re a bad liar.” A grin pulled his mouth back.

A cool breeze blew and I held my breath so I wouldn’t smell his cologne. “I’m not lying.”

“Yes, you are.” He stepped closer, his body tall and lean against mine.  “I can tell.”

“How so?” My voice cracked.

“Your eyebrows pinch together.” His thumb grazed my forehead. “It’s like you’re forcing yourself to believe the lie.”

“Whatever.” I swatted his hand away.

“Is it because I saw you naked?” His lips pursed and a sly grin overtook his features.

His words caught me by surprise. I needed to be mad at him. I needed to forget whatever I felt for him. This was wrong. In every sense of the word this was beyond fucked up.

“Seriously!” I inhaled slowly to build up any courage my soul could grasp. “I’m pretty sure that the few seconds you saw me were erased once you were on top of Delaney that night.”

Nate swallowed and I noticed his Adam's apple bob. We stood facing one another, his eyes scanning mine. He cleared his throat, brought his face closer to mine and whispered, “Can I tell you a secret?” He didn’t wait for me to respond. “I know it makes me a fucked up person, but it was you I thought of while I was having sex with Delaney. Naked. Wet. Freshly showered.”

I gasped as the emotional roller coaster sped away leaving me a complete and utter mess.

“You have no idea how happy I was when I woke up the following morning and Julian was on the couch. At least I knew he hadn’t touched you.” Nate ran his hand down my cheek, and I felt the warmth of his breath on my skin.

I was paralyzed.

Stunned.

“I can’t erase you from my mind.” His voice was soothing.

I closed my eyes. This wasn’t happening.  This
couldn’t
happen. I thought if I kept my eyes closed that in that moment it wouldn’t be real.
When I opened them again, he’d be gone.
But it wasn’t a dream. My face still burned from his touch.

The fire that he sparked between us, the one I so desperately tried to put out, burned brighter than the sun. I told myself it was a contained fire. That it was a mild crush that would soon pass.

But like Nate said, I was a bad liar.

* * *

T
hursday night
, I arrived back at the dorm from work to find Nate and Delaney hanging out in our room. That was a rare occurrence. Most of the time she was at his place. I threw my keys in the fishbowl and was greeted with Nate’s smile. After our encounter the previous day in class, I couldn’t look in his direction without feeling as though my skin would catch fire, so I avoided his gaze and looked over at Delaney.

“Hey.”

“Just the person we were talking about.” Delaney gave me her widest smile. She stood by the microwave as a bag of popcorn spun around and kernels began to pop.

I hadn’t slept well the night before. My mind kept replaying what Nate said. He had sex with Delaney while he imagined me. She was my best friend. I shared almost all my secrets with her. Yet I couldn’t get her boyfriend out of my head.

I tossed my bag on my bed and fell back on the comforter.

“What do you want, Del?” I covered my eyes with my forearm.

“Nate’s having a house party tomorrow night. I want you to come with me.”

I guessed this was the party Julian had mentioned in his text message earlier. I removed my hand and looked over at her. “No.” I had said yes to Julian when he first asked. Even though we weren’t together, we spent almost every weekend together. But knowing it was at Nate’s house I quickly changed my mind.

“Brie!” She rested her hands on her hips. “You never want to do anything fun.”

“That’s not true. I went to the game with you.”

“One, that was months ago; and two, you left early.”

I pulled my gaze from her and looked over at Nate. We both knew why I left early.

“Come on, Brielle.” Nate sat up on Delaney’s bed. I hated the way he said my name. He cocked his eyebrow and smiled. “Julian will be there. Plus, it’s our Christmas bash. We’ve done it every year since I was a freshman and this is my last year. You don’t want to miss it.” A sideways grin grew on his face. They still had no clue that Julian and I were only friends now. I kept debating whether I wanted to tell him. His tongue ran across his lips and his green eyes pierced me. Thoughts of Julian vanished.

I was a fucking goner.

“Fine.” I tossed my hands in the air in defeat. “I’m in.”

* * *

T
he following night
, I put on the shortest black dress I owned, let Delaney give me smokey eyes, and left my hair wild and curly. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn’t even recognize the person looking back at me.

“Holy shit, Brie. You look so fucking hot! Julian won’t be able to keep his hands off you.”

I wanted to impress a different Wright man. It was crazy to admit, but I wanted to feel desired by Nate. There was no greater feeling than to be wanted by a man you couldn’t have.

It was sick and twisted.

The forbidden fruit you could never taste.

I needed to tell her Julian and I were no longer together. “Del—” My words were interrupted by a tap on our door. Delaney rushed to answer it. Julian strolled into the room wearing a black button down shirt and dark jeans. His messy hair was styled back, giving him the boyish look I had grown to like. But his face instantly changed when he noticed me. His wide smile vanished and his lips pursed.

“Hi.” I walked toward him. My high heels made me come up to his nose.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” His gaze ran up and down my body.

“Doesn’t she look hot?” Delaney asked as she applied her red lipstick that matched her blood red dress.

“Do you like?” I spun around for Julian.

“You can’t wear that,” he snapped.

“What?” I was taken aback. Glancing down at my dress, I saw nothing wrong with what I was wearing. I looked up at him, my eyebrows pinched together.

“Change into something else. I don’t want you going if you’re wearing that.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“You can’t be serious.” I felt my forehead scrunch together.

“Very.”

I stepped closer to him and tickled his stomach playfully. “You’re silly.”

“Brielle.” He pulled away from me. His nose flared as his gaze scanned mine.

“Julian.” I matched his stance.

“You’re really not going to change?”

“No!” I shook my head and crossed my hands over my chest. “My
friends
don’t tell me what to wear.”

“Come on, you two.” Delaney handed me my clutch and coat. “We’ll be late.” Julian walked out of the room first and Delaney gave me a concerned look as I locked our door. “That’s new, huh?”

I knew she was referring to Julian’s jealous reaction over my dress. I shrugged. “Whatever.”

Julian drove us off campus and across town to where Nate and his roommates lived. The small red brick Cape Cod house was packed with stragglers stumbling across the lawn. We had to park a few blocks away and the music could be heard from where we were.

“That’s pretty loud.” I looked over at Delaney and bit my lip.

“This area is known for weekend parties since most of these houses are rented out to college kids who can’t afford to dorm. Most of them are probably at the party now.”

Julian reached for my arm, his grip tightening as we reached the house. Inside, we found most of the furniture pushed to the walls and each room filled with people. The kitchen had been designated as the bar area and the party overflowed onto the lawn. Tables ran across the grass as people lined up to play beer pong and flip cup. Julian’s hand never released mine as we walked through the house looking for his brother.

Nate was in the back den, a red Solo cup in hand. He was dressed in a Santa outfit minus the shirt, his chest bare for everyone to admire.
Including me
. His shoulders were broad, the bicep and tricep muscles impossible to miss. His chest was tight as though he spent hours at the gym.
And then the abs . . .

But what caught my attention was the happy trail that started below his belly button and ran all the way down to the seam of his red velvet pants. Instantly, my body felt as if it were overheating.

“Can you hold this?” I handed my purse to Delaney. Her face was stoic and stilled as she stared at Nate.  I desperately tried to take off my coat. I felt trapped, as if I couldn’t breathe.

“What are you doing?” Julian reached for my hand to stop me.

“I’m taking my coat off. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Don’t take it off.” Julian began to button up my coat.

I swatted his hand away and pulled my coat off my shoulders. Inhaling, I placed my coat on my forearm. “What’s gotten into you?”

Julian looked around, his hand scratching his head before he met my gaze. “Brielle, put your coat on or we’re leaving. I’ won’t stay here and have every man look at you in that ridiculous excuse for a dress.”

My eyes widened. “Excuse me?” From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Delaney pull her gaze away from Nate and land on me.  Her eyebrows pinched together.

“You heard me. Put it back on or we’re leaving.”

I tossed my coat on the closest chair and stepped closer to Julian. This had gone too far. “Let me remind you of something. One, you’re
not
my father. Two, you're not my boyfriend. So you either get over the fact this is what I’m wearing and we enjoy the night, or you can leave.” My hands rested at my waist as I waited for him to respond. Delaney's head snapped in my direction. Her eyes were wide like a deer caught in headlights.

“You know what?” He paused. “Do whatever the fuck you want. I’m not fucking staying here.” Without another word, Julian marched out of the house the same way we arrived.

Exhaling, I turned over to Delaney. “I need a big drink.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “You guys broke up?”

“It wasn't working out. I really wasn't into him. But we remained friends. Or at least I thought.” My last word fell flat as Nate greeted us with his presence. I forced myself to look at anything but his taut chest.

“Where did Julian go?” Nate asked.

“Home.” I shrugged. Nate’s eyes squinted as if he was trying to read between the lines.