One Wicked Night

Copyright © 2011 Kelly Jamieson
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

“What? Who?” But he knew there was no fooling Nick. The guy knew him, inside and out.

“You know who. She looks good.”

Tyler’s chest tightened. Of course she looked good. She’d always looked good.

Other than that day…fuck. His stomach still swooped every time he remembered Kaelin walking in on him and Nick and Tracy Brown. He’d known it was risky, doing what they were doing right there in the family room. His parents and Avery had been out, not expected home for hours, but still, the possibility that they could walk in on them had added an edge of danger to the whole scene, increased the thrill factor. And Kaelin showing up hadn’t actually been a complete surprise.

But when Tyler had looked up and seen her standing there open-mouthed, frozen, he’d been shocked at how truly god-awful he’d felt, seeing the hurt on her face, his guts twisting into knots, his heart squeezing painfully.

“She still thinks we’re depraved assholes,” he muttered.

Nick rubbed his forehead. “We are.”

Tyler snorted. “Yeah. True enough.” Then he sighed.

“Actually,” Nick said, “I didn’t get that vibe from her.”

“Of course you don’t. It’s just me. She always hated me. That just sealed the deal.” Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Tyler rushed on. “And what was with the big bear hug?” he demanded before Nick could say something stupid, like some kind of stupid denial that Kaelin had hated him. Because he didn’t want to hear that, or think about that, or feel that goddamn guilt again. “Like you’re long lost friends.”

“We are friends,” Nick said quietly. “I always liked Kaelin.”

“Yeah.” Bitterness edged Tyler’s voice. “I know.”

Nick laughed. “You’re fucking jealous, man! I can’t believe it.”

“I am not.” He scowled.

“Yeah, you are. For Chrissakes, Ty, I can’t believe you still have a thing for her after all these years.”

“A thing?” Tyler laughed. “What the hell does that mean? I don’t have ‘a thing’ for her.”

“Whatever. Come on, we better join the others.”

They went outside. Tyler accepted another drink, only because it was alcohol and he needed it to get through this ordeal. His irritation increased as he found himself continually looking at the doors to the patio, waiting for Avery and Kaelin to rejoin them. He half listened to his mother telling Scott’s parents about the new furniture she’d just bought for the patio, how they’d had to put in a special rush order so they’d have it for the wedding.

God, he just wanted to get this wedding over with and get the hell back to Chicago. Although, there were nothing but problems waiting for him there too. He and Nick were in the middle of a massive difference of opinion on a potential client who wanted to sign with them. A big potential client, huge potential client with lots of money to spend on advertising that could really get their fledgling agency off the ground. Shit.

But he was here for Avery, his big sister, happy for her that she’d found a great guy like Scott. Though he wished with all his heart she and Scott had just eloped. What the hell was she thinking, planning a big family wedding that was torture for everyone? Tyler took a big swallow of Scotch as Avery appeared in the French doors, followed by Kaelin.

His eyes went straight to her. So pretty. So different from Avery. Not the pretty part—his sister was pretty too, he supposed, but in a different way. Avery was all blonde highlights and makeup; Kaelin was a sweep of silky brown hair and big brown eyes. In high school she’d been an intimidating overachiever, top marks, all kinds of academic awards, involved in the student council and about a dozen different clubs and committees. Just like Avery.

Tyler’d been disturbed to find that, as he entered his teenage years and started thinking about girls differently, he’d started thinking about his big sister’s best friend differently. She’d always been at their place, as comfortable as if she lived there. Memory of one morning when he’d encountered her in the upstairs hallway after she’d slept over with Avery had fueled his hormone-driven fantasies for years. She’d been wearing tiny little plaid shorts that revealed her long, smooth legs, which okay, he’d seen many times in the summer, but also a ribbed cotton tank top with no bra. She had great tits, high and full and round with prominent nipples, and the sight had sent him back to his room for a fast and furious hand job.

From his seat in a corner of the patio, he watched her now, smiling and laughing and making conversation with the other guests. Her blue and beige plaid sundress was far from revealing, with its full knee-length skirt and modest straps. But it did show off a lot of smooth bare skin—arms, shoulders, a faint hint of cleavage, the snug bodice hugging her breasts and small waist. She accepted a glass of wine from his dad, earning a smile of approval from him that Tyler’d never seen directed his way. He frowned. Everyone loved Kaelin. So polite, so responsible.

“Would you snap out of it!”

Tyler jerked at Nick’s low-voiced command, and looked up at his friend standing there. He frowned. “What?”

“Everyone’s afraid to talk to you. You look like you’re going to snap their head off if they say a word to you, sitting there scowling like that. Would you at least try to act normal?”

Only Nick would say that to him. Only Nick could get away with talking to him like that. Anyone else, he’d be pounding the shit out of him. With a sigh, he rose and moved toward the others, a smile firmly in place, and made conversation with the soon-to-be in-laws.

More guests arrived, which in a way was good, because it kept his parents too busy playing host and hostess to bug him. His mom was pulling out all the stops. She must have been cooking for days, which he knew she loved, but still, it was a lot. Also a full bar setup outside, torches and lights and candles around the glowing turquoise pool in their backyard.

When he found himself face-to-face with Kaelin, somehow, their glances collided and bounced away from each other. Tyler’s skin tingled. He licked his lips and searched for something to say.