Deserve (3 page)

I haven’t seen him in years, partly due to coincidence,
partly due to a conscious decision on my part to avoid him. Distance has helped
somewhat, but as evidenced by the warmth in my cheeks, I am still far too susceptible
to him.

What you’re feeling is
just nostalgia. Once you see him again, you’ll realize you’re over him.

Reassured by my logical reasoning, I walk toward
Cael’s
room, wanting to let him know about my call. After
graduating, I moved back home, not bothering to look for my own apartment when
I knew I would leave for school again in a few months.

I draw up short at the sound of loud, angry voices coming
from his room. “Shit,” I mutter, remembering that his girlfriend, Rachel, came
over this morning. Not wanting to eavesdrop on one of their frequent fights, I start
to pivot around when I hear my name. I know I should have walked away, but I
don’t, too curious to find out why they are talking about me.

“Don’t bring my sister into this!”
Cael’s
rumbling voice is laced with irritation.

“How can I not? Ever since she’s moved back here, everything
fucking revolves around her. I’m not allowed to stay over because God forbid
the delicate flower finds out that people have sex,” she says mockingly. “I
have news for you,
Cael
. Your sister’s a grown-up.
She knows about the birds and the bees.”

I’m not a Rachel fan, but I nod my head in agreement with
her. My brother has always been protective, but this is a whole new level of
absurdity.

Her tirade continues with her voice getting shriller and more
petulant. “You wouldn’t come to my opening night because your sister had a
cold. We missed my birthday dinner because her car broke down. That restaurant
had been booked for months in advance and you had no idea what favors I had to
call in to get a table! I’m tired of competing for your time,
Cael
!”

I flinch, remembering both occasions clearly. A month ago, I
caught the flu and had to stay in bed.
Cael
made me
soup and babied me, never letting on that he was missing out on his aspiring
actress girlfriend’s performance. Then two weeks ago, my car died when I was
visiting a friend. If I had known he had plans, I would have called the tow
company. Despite what
Cael
thinks, I’m more than
capable of taking care of myself.

Sympathy rushes through me. No woman wants to play second
fiddle to a man’s sister. I could almost smack my brother for being such a
dumbass.

“What the fuck does that mean?”
Cael
roars.

“You fucking figure it out.”

Stomping footsteps start toward the door and I sprint back
to the living room, arranging myself on the sofa as if I had been lounging the
whole time. Pretending to be on my phone, I look up at her noisy entrance into
the room.

Face pinched with anger, Rachel starts to march stiffly
toward the door.

I contemplate not saying anything, but my manners are too
ingrained. “Uh…bye, Rachel.” At the look she throws my way, I wish I had held
my tongue.

When she walks determinedly toward me, I press my back
against the sofa in alarm. We’ve never warmed up to each other, but the look in
her light blue eyes is pure dislike, borderline hatred.

Resting one hand on the arm of the sofa, she bends down, her
sleek, straw-blonde hair falling forward. “You’re nothing but a parasite on
your brother. He may fall for your helpless act, but I see right through you.
You’re nothing but a selfish brat who wants all of his attention.”

I pale at the whisper-soft, venomous words. Rationally I
know she’s talking out of frustration with my brother, but I nonetheless feel
flayed by the heat of her wrath. I always considered myself an independent
person, but maybe I wasn’t seeing the situation clearly. I glance in the
direction of
Cael’s
bedroom, praying for an
intervention.

Her icy eyes harden and her lips curl sardonically. “Looking
to big brother for a rescue again? If you ever want your brother to be happy,
you’ve got to stop being such a spoiled and needy baby.”

She straightens, regarding me with contempt. Without another
word, she spins on her heels and leaves, slamming the door behind her. Until I
see my trembling hands, I don’t realize how much the encounter with her has
shaken me.

His face like a thundercloud,
Cael
strides into the room, his hand scrubbing the top of
his short, black hair.
He scans my face and narrows his eyes. “Did
Rachel say something to upset you,
Mags
?”

Her words still echoing in my brain, I shake my head
vehemently, not wanting to be the source of more dissension between them. Guilt
already sits heavily on my shoulders that I was the cause of their fight.

Am I a spoiled brat
who always expects my brother to come to my rescue? Have I been preventing him
from living his own life?

I breathe deeply, attempting to eliminate the tingling at
the back of my nose.
If
you cry,
Cael’s
going to go ballistic, Maggie.

Expression easing, he sighs and sits next to me, the sofa
sinking under his weight. “Good.”

Pretending ignorance, I ask, “What were you guys arguing
about this time?”

“Nothing. She’s just being a diva because I forgot our
three-month anniversary. Who the fuck celebrates three months of being together?
It’s not like we’re married and I forgot our golden anniversary.”

Romantic my brother is
not
.
“Girls like that kind of stuff. It shows them you’re thinking of them.”

He scoffs, light green eyes flashing with irritation. “I’m
not going to feed into that crap. There are already too many damn dates men are
expected to remember. Birthday. Valentine’s day.”

“That’s a whopping two dates,” I point out dryly. “And you
could easily have your phone notify you.”

“Not going to happen,” he says bluntly.

“If you like Rachel, you’re going to have to compromise,” I
say, mentally rolling my eyes at his bad attitude. I’m not surprised his
relationships don’t last longer than six months if this is how he treats women.

He grunts and I sigh in defeat, knowing it’s the end of the
discussion. “Since my date with Rachel is off, what do you say we go grab some
food at Fung Chow’s?”

My mouth waters thinking about the delicious homemade
noodles at the mom-and-pop restaurant.
You’re
nothing but a selfish brat who wants all of his attention.
Her words stab
like sharp needles under my skin.

“
Cael
, don’t you think you should
go after her and make up?” I don’t think Rachel is the right woman for him—she’s
a little too cold and stuck-up—but if she makes him happy, I’d slap a grin
on my face and pretend she is my favorite person.

“No. She’ll get over it. Besides, you’re going to be moving
to New York in a few weeks. It’ll be nice to spend some time together before
you go.”

“
Cael
—”

“No, if I talk to her, we’re going to end up fighting
again.” He leans back and smiles at me. “Have I told you how proud I am of
you?” he says gruffly, putting his arm around my shoulders.

Immediately, there’s a stinging sensation in my eyes. My
brother rarely talks about his emotions so his praise means more than anything
to me. “Thanks,
Cael
,” I say in a choked voice and
hug him back.

“Come on, let’s go out and celebrate. I’ll even let you have
my fortune cookie.”

“Okay, let me go get changed,” I say, getting to my feet.
Once I’m in New York, maybe
Cael
will be able to
reprioritize his own needs ahead of mine.

And I won’t bother him
with any of my petty problems.

As I pull up to the curb at the terminal, my eyes restlessly
scan for a redheaded sprite. When I don’t see Maggie, I get out of my car and
stand on the walkway. At six one, I can see above most of the fray. The traffic
at JFK is always crazy, but it seems everyone has decided to travel to New York
today.

My gaze peruses the crowd. A boyishly slender figure draws
my eye, but it’s a skinny teenager with a red baseball cap. I check my phone to
verify that I’m at the right terminal.

My eyes sweep the area around me and latch onto the sight of
a woman bent over her luggage. A corner of my lip hikes up in appreciation at
the sight of her luscious ass tilted in the air. I have seen my share of
derrieres, but this one is spectacular. Under the stretchy material of her navy
skirt, I can make out round, firm globes. By my estimation they would more than
fill my big hands. I never considered myself an ass man, but this pretty
backside would make me into a convert.

My cock throbs with interest and I grimace. The contrary
fucker hasn’t shown any life in weeks and now it’s lusting after a random woman
at the airport. I shake my head in self-disgust.

The woman bends deeper, digging for something in a side
pocket and her skirt rides up further, displaying smooth, creamy thighs. Blood
rushes to my dick and I know I will be sporting a semi if I don’t do something
quickly.

I jerk my gaze away, willing my body to behave.
Cael
will kill me if I greet his baby sister with a boner.

At least you know you
don’t need the little blue pill.

“Sean!”

I hear my name a fraction of a second before a slight, but
powerful weight crashes into my middle,
driving an “
oomph”
out of my mouth. Slender arms wrap tightly around my middle, pressing soft
breasts against my ribs. Reflexively, I place my hands on the woman’s small
back, feeling the supple flesh under my palms.

The most delicious scent wafts up to my nose and I take in a
lungful.
Cinnamon and sugar.
It makes my mouth water. On
the heels of my fantasies about the mysterious woman, my cock hardens.

I look down to see a mop of dark red curls dancing in the
breeze and my jaw drops in horror.

Fuck me.
I shift
my hips away.

“Freckles?”

Laughing happily, she pulls back and tilts her head, green
eyes sparkling.
Cael’s
green eyes, I think with a
spurt of guilt.
Pink lips part to reveal small, even teeth.
“Don’t call me that awful nickname!”

I blink to make sure I’m seeing clearly.

This woman can’t be little Maggie! Last time I saw her, she
was a skinny awkward teenager. Her eyes were too big for her little face and
her limbs were too long for her body.

The woman in front of me is gorgeous. The years have softened
the angles of her cheeks and jaw and her eyes are still large, but now they
make a man want to dive in and plumb their depths. Her orange-red hair has
darkened to auburn. The wild curls have been tamed into a chin-length cut that
makes her look like she just rolled out of bed. She is still slim, but her body
has rounded out in all the right places. The little waif has turned into a
siren with porcelain skin and subtle curves that tease and tantalize a man.

“Wow! I didn’t recognize you.” I ease away from her and gulp
when I see what she’s wearing.
A stretchy navy skirt.

Fuck me. I just ogled
and lusted after my best friend’s baby sister.

Maggie smiles widely. “I haven’t changed that much!”

Forcing my disturbing thoughts away, I flick my finger at
her nose. “You still have your freckles!” To my regret, the small smattering of
beige spots has faded. Maggie has always hated her freckles, but I think
they’re adorable.

She pouts and touches her nose self-consciously.

I stifle a groan as I stare at that plush lower lip sticking
out. It glistens wetly, begging to be sucked on.

Rowan, get
your
shit together. This is
Cael’s
sister.

“Uh…where’s your luggage?”

Her big eyes round. “Oh!” She laughs and runs back to grab
her bags. My long strides overtake hers and I reach her luggage before she
does.

“Oh my God!
Cael
will say I’m such
a scatterbrain. But I’m really not! I’m glad nobody took my stuff, but when I
saw you, I ran without thinking. Promise me you won’t tell him.”

I smile at her mile-a-minute chatter. This is classic
Maggie. “I won’t say a word.”

As I heave one of her suitcases into the trunk, I pretend to
stagger from the weight, “Jesus,
Mags
. What did you
pack in this thing? No wonder
nobody
stole this.
Cement bricks don’t exactly sell on the black market.”

Two pink spots appear on her cheeks and she tugs on a red
curl. “Um…books. I needed them for school!” Maggie has always been the biggest
bookworm.

“Of course you did. You do realize New York is the
publishing capital of the world?”

“I get it, Mr. Moneybags.” She rolls her eyes. “But some of
us can’t afford to buy a new collection whenever we move.”

I chuckle, relieved our dynamics are settling back into an
old pattern. Teasing. Sibling-like.

But when she bends down to pick up her carryon to hand to
me, my gaze fixes on her ass again. I curse myself, but those smooth globes are
like my own personal magnets. When she turns to me, I flick my gaze away and
have to fight the blood threatening to flood my face. I don’t remember the last
time I was afflicted with embarrassment, but Jesus, I was almost caught
salivating over her buttocks. I close my eyes, but the image of the succulent
upside-down heart is seared into my brain.

“Thanks for picking me up, Sean.”

I swing my arm around her shoulders and squeeze. “Don’t mention
it, Maggie. I’m glad you’re here. Ready for the big bad city?”

She practically vibrates with excitement. “Yes! But is the
big bad city ready for me?” She raises her little fists and scrunches up her
face fiercely, making me laugh.

This is another thing that has not changed.
Her indomitable zest for life.

“No, I don’t think New York is ready for you at all,” I
tease.

Before I can hold the door open for her, she’s already
clambering into the seat and closing the door closed behind her.

As I walk to the driver’s side, I cuss myself under my
breath.

No more lusting after
Cael’s
baby sister.