Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 by Nikki Lane (old books to read txt) 📗

“I swear I thought you mentioned something about her the last time I saw you.”

His face winced as I settled deeper into his lap. He was putty.

“Oh, her. We broke it off.”

“Already?”

“Maybe you and I can go out again.”

I leaned into his ear, his face practically nestled into my cleavage. “Maybe.”

“What are you doing after work?” He was getting worked up. I could feel it through his pants. “Maybe I can come over your place for a little bit.”

Two weeks ago, he’d called me a slut. Now, he was propositioning me for sex. The song ended, and I slid off his lap, letting my hand graze his hard-on. He shuddered and readjusted in his seat.

“Maybe some other time,” I said.

The smile on his face dropped. I grabbed the money off the table and walked out of the room.

Chapter Seven

It was nearly seven o’clock at night, and I was still in bed. I was half tempted to call Jacob and cancel our plans for the party that night. I stared at my phone, tangled in my comforter. After I gave Rich his lap dance, the rest of the night at work turned to shit. A few guys had too much to drink and ended up in a fist fight. I happened to be standing near them and got elbowed to the floor. I was now sporting a nice bruise on my arm and a sore ankle. Those were nights when I hated my job.

Jacob texted to tell me he was on his way. It was too late to change my mind now. But it wasn’t enough motivation to get up. And so I just lay there until I heard the knock on my door.

I limped to answer it. “Hey.” My voice was raspy.

Jacob hesitated. “Hey.”

“Come in.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, hobbling away as he closed the door. “I’m just going to jump in the shower.”

His eyes widened. “What the hell happened to your arm…and why are you limping?”

He held my hand as he examined the bruise.

“I had a rough night at work last night.”

“This happened at work?” His eyebrows shot up.

I gently freed my arm. “Sometimes the crowd gets rough. It’s no big deal.”

“Are you a bartender or a bouncer?”

“I’m fine. Really, it’s not a big deal.”

“Sit down. Let me check your ankle.”

I sat on the couch, and Jacob crouched down. He gingerly held my bare foot. My leg flushed with goose bumps as his fingers grazed my skin.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m making sure your ankle’s okay. I’m going to be a vet, remember?”

“I’m not a horse, Jacob.”

“I know. You got way better legs. Not as hairy.”

I smiled as he set my foot back down.

“You can’t go out like this.”

“I just need a shower.”

“Maeve, you look like shit. A shower is only going to make you smell better.”

“Well, thanks.”

He stood up. “We’ll do the party thing another night.”

“But you drove all this way.”

“So, what? I don’t care about going to a party, especially if you’re not going to be there.”

I tried not to smile, but my cheeks betrayed me. Damn blushing. I just couldn’t help it when Jacob was around. And the worst part was he was effortlessly charming. It oozed out of him. He fluffed the pillow and instructed me to lie down.

“Besides, I didn’t drive.” He sat down on the opposite side of the couch and placed my feet into his lap.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “How did you get here?”

“Took the bus.” He grabbed the remote to the television and turned it on. The screen flashed blue.

I scrunched my face. “Why did you take the bus?”

“Uncle Jim’s truck died.” He gestured to the television. “Does this thing work?”

“I only watch DVDs. It’s cheaper than cable.”

He got up from the couch to look through the movie selection. He looked back at me. “What’s wrong?”

I propped up on my elbows. “You took the bus?”

“Yeah, we had plans, and I didn’t want to break them.”

I flopped back down on the couch. I would have felt like even more of an asshole if I ended up canceling on him while he was on the bus.

“Jacob, you could have told me you didn’t have a ride.”

“It’s no big deal.”

If I ever needed to take the bus, I’d probably end up in another state. “How are you going to get to school now?”

He finally found a movie he was happy with and put it into the DVD player. “I dunno. Haven’t thought that far ahead.”

“Well, the semester starts on Monday.”

“Then I guess I’m taking the bus on Monday.”

“Can’t you just call home and tell them you need money for a car?” It wasn’t like his parents wouldn’t send it.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Jacob…”

“I don’t want to go crawling to my parents every time there’s a problem. Is that what you do?”

He already knew the answer to that. “That’s different, and you know it.”

He sat back on the couch and repositioned my feet back on his lap. “I know…but I just want to keep them out of it. Now, can we watch the movie?”

“Okay,” I said, nuzzling deeper into the couch.

* * * *

After the movie, we ordered some takeout and ate on the living room floor, since there was no room to fit a kitchen table in my apartment.

“Sorry about tonight,” I said, taking a bite of sushi.

“What are you talking about? I’m having a great time.” He smiled wide, the dimples imprinted deep into each side of his mouth. “Movie and sushi? It’s like the perfect night.”

“I’m sure you would have had a better time at the party.”

“Why’s that?”

“I dunno.” I shrugged and looked down at my food. “Other people to see and meet. I know you were looking forward to seeing Sarah again.”

Why did I say that? It kind of just fell out of my mouth. I was secretly relieved we didn’t go to the party. I was happy to be here with him—alone in my apartment. Just the two us. Here, I didn’t have to worry about what other