Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) (3 page)

It’s like he knew I needed to hear that. He could be an awesome brother sometimes, when he wanted to be.

Smiling through the tears, I hugged him tighter. Then Mom joined in, her tears soaking my shoulder. “You’re a good girl, Aislinn. You’re not in trouble.” She paused then added, “Not with me anyway. I’ll talk to your school about it.”

I gave her a wet smile. Connor gave me a last squeeze, then let us go. “Thank you, Mom,” I said. “I just did what you and Dad taught me.”

Clearing his throat to end the sentimental moment, Connor rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He was like Dad, not at ease with softer emotions. People who didn’t know him thought he was an insensitive prick, which sometimes he definitely was, but those instances were usually deliberate. For some reason, he’d always preferred that people view him as a prick rather than someone with real emotions.

He nodded his head to himself, glanced at Teagan, and then turned to look back at me. “Why don’t you come to the lake with us tomorrow?”

My eyebrows shot to my hairline. Connor never asked me to go anywhere like that with him. I was Little Sister, forever costing him cool points if he were seen at such a gathering with me. Mom seemed just as surprised as I was. She narrowed her eyes at Connor, and the two had one of their conversations-without-Aislinn. I hated when they did that.

“Connor? Could I talk to you in the other room?” Mom said.

Not even Connor would ignore The Tone. He sighed and followed her into the living room. I could hear them talking, heard my name, but I couldn’t make anything out. Either they were deliberately talking low, or my eavesdropping skills seriously sucked. Sighing, I looked down at the table, then at the man still seated opposite me. He looked a bit uncomfortable, and I smiled slightly. “Welcome to the Munroe House. All the excitement and drama you can handle—more, if I’m honest.” I gave a nervous laugh.

He chuckled for a moment, then sighed. “It’s all right. I have two younger sisters and an older brother. There was never peace in our house, either.”

Well, that explained why he made Connor apologize earlier. He was used to dealing with teenaged girls. Didn’t change the fact it was humiliating.

“It was worse when Connor was still at home, if you can believe it.” I laughed, then grimaced. “Sorry…I shouldn’t tell Connor’s secrets.”

He waved it off and stood. “I’m guessing dinner is over, eh?” I nodded, and he said, “Okay, let’s clean up.”

So much for dinner.

***

Teagan and I worked together, putting away the leftovers. I turned to put another container in the fridge and nearly fell over the monster begging at my knee. For the fourth time. Zver was mirroring my every step. I couldn’t get around the room without either pushing him out of the way or tripping over him, because he was so quiet I forgot he was there.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” I burst out. “Here! Enjoy!” I slapped the plate of scraps down in front of Zver. The dog looked at me, ears perked, eyes wide, his body practically wiggling with the force of him wagging his tail. I couldn’t help but smile at him. Taking my smile as permission, he started scarfing down the food.

Teagan shaking his head, tsking. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

“He’s going to expect food from you every time you eat,” he replied, shrugging.

“Oh.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Oh.” Looking down at Zver, he grinned and walked to the sunroom adjoining to the kitchen. He opened the door and glanced at the dog before gesturing and saying, “Gulyat!” Zver quickly stood and trotted past his master and into the sunroom.

Closing the door behind the dog, Teagan turned and studied me for a long moment. I squirmed under his gaze. Finally not being able to take it any longer, I said the first thing that came to mind.

“Why do you talk to Zver in Russian? It is Russian, right?” I stammered.

He raised an eyebrow. “He was trained with it. Because no one knows Russian, no one will know how to command him except me.”

I was impressed. “That’s kinda brilliant.”

“I know.” He smiled. “I’ve been told that many times.”

“Wow, we really need to work on your self-confidence,” I muttered with a grin.

He laughed and started to reply when Connor walked into the kitchen. His hair was sticking up in every which direction; running his hands through his hair was a nervous habit.

“Now that that’s over with, are you coming with us tomorrow?” he asked me, an edge to his voice.

I bit my lip. I would have to wear a swimsuit in front of Teagan…and Connor’s other friends. Not my idea of fun. Yeah, I had some self-image issues. You try being 5’3” and wear a size 14 and see how confident you are.

“I don’t know, Con,” I hedged. “I mean, I haven’t even asked Mom. She probably won’t let me go.”

Connor waved my excuse off. “Mom’s okay with it.”

“Um…” Acid churned in in my stomach. Could I do this?

Teagan walked over and leaned against the counter next to me. “I won’t know anyone there except Con. It’d be cool if you came, give me someone else to hang with, you know?”

Teagan was asking me to go with them tomorrow. For him. He’d also been watching me since I’d gotten home. This was stirring up a lot of familiar feelings, and that never ended well. But the heat in Teagan’s gaze had nothing to do with my brain. Did it?

Given that Connor never let me hang with his friends, he had been pretty cool concerning Teagan. Usually, when he had friends over, he was all Big Brother, and as a whole they’d actively ignored bratty little sister. There had been those odd tussles after I would leave the room, but then, boys were weird. Fighting one second, best buds the next. And whenever we ran into guys he knew, none of them would hang out. Not even his closest friends.

Then it dawned on me why Connor had been so chill about Teagan. I froze. That was why Connor didn’t have a problem with inviting me along to the lake. I felt sick. God, I was so stupid! Teagan would never be interested in me; I was his best friend’s little sister. Not only that, but he had two younger sisters at home.

Oh jeez. He’d set me in the little sister category as soon as he saw me freaking out at his dog. Little sister…ugh, that was worse than being friend zoned. I felt a lump forming in my throat. I’d never stood a chance.

I swallowed the lump and blinked hard. It was for the best, really. I needed to keep my head focused on school if I was going to get that other scholarship for college. Just a few more months, and if I kept my grades up, I was going to my first choice college on a full ride. I needed this, not just for me, but for Dad too.

“Christ! Ash! Are you going with us or not?” Connor demanded. I jumped as my brother’s harsh voice yanked me out of my thoughts.

I stared at the floor and stayed quiet, debating my options. If I went, I’d have to wear a swimsuit—and Con’s friends would be there, probably with their girlfriends. My palms started sweating. There was no way I would subject myself to that. I emphatically shook my head. No way.

Connor’s face turned bright red, and his hands curled into fists. He was pissed.

“Aislinn, I’m going to tell you one time only. You’re coming with us. You will not fake an illness, you will not lock yourself in your room, and you will not dress like a nun,” he growled through clenched teeth. “Your days as a social outcast are over.”

My face burned. Teagan still stood beside me, watching as the scene unfolded. I had never wanted to leave a place so badly in my life. I started to step around Connor, but he moved in front of me. I stepped the other way, but he blocked me again.

“What are you so afraid of, Ash? You need to make some friends!” He raised an eyebrow, daring me to contradict him.

I hung my head, fighting back the tears building up. “Please, Connor. I just want to stay home, okay?” I pleaded.

He shook his head, unaffected. “No. You’re going with us. Be ready by nine. It’s a two hour drive to the lake.”

I was pissed. I didn’t want to go. Why couldn’t he understand that? “You’re being an asswipe, Connor. I’m not going.”

Teagan straightened up from the counter and rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. “I think it’d be a blast if you came with us, Aislinn. I think you’d have fun, and I’d have another person I know.” Using both hands, he scrubbed his face and took a deep breath. “If you don’t want to go simply because you don’t like the lake, then don’t go.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the counter again. “But if you’re not going because you’re avoiding something, or you’re scared, then you should definitely come. Get over whatever it is.”

I paused. He made sense. Oh, God, a boy made sense! That was scary. I bit my lip, and he gave me a smile that probably had panties dropping in a twenty mile radius.

“So?” he asked. “You coming?”

This was going to be a bad idea, but I nodded reluctantly.

“Thank you! For fuck’s sake, Ash! It’s the lake. What is the big deal?”

I stared at Connor. Was it possible he was becoming a bigger asshole by the hour? And just a little while ago, I’d been thinking he was actually kind of awesome.

Ignoring my brother, I said goodnight to Teagan and started toward the stairs. I was halfway up the first flight when Connor called out after me.

“Ash, don’t you dare forget your bathing suit! I will make you swim in your underwear.”

I tripped and nearly fell on my face. I was going to be wearing a swimsuit. I was going to be wearing a swimsuit in front of Teagan. Oh, God, what did I do to deserve this?

Chapter 3

I stormed up the stairs, mentally cursing my brother. The sound of toenails on the wood floor drew my attention back to the foyer, and I fought to hold in a sigh. I really didn’t need this right now. Zver was sitting at the foot of the stairs, ears perked and tail thumping. I caved. Retracing my steps, I walked back down the steps and lightly patted his fuzzy head. “There. Happy now?”

He stared at me expectantly.

“What?”

It was obvious Zver wanted something; I just didn’t know what. I shrugged and turned away, heading back up the stairs. “Sorry, pooch,” I threw over my shoulder. “I don’t speak dog.” 

Tomorrow’s seriousness weighed me down on the way to my bedroom, enough that I almost missed my backpack and purse sitting outside my door. But…I’d left them in the foyer. There was no way Mom had brought them up; I was surprised she hadn’t yelled at me to put them away. And Connor would have hidden them to teach me a lesson.

I snorted. It wasn’t like he ever put his crap up without being nagged.

I shrugged, picked them up, and pushed into my room, kicking my door shut behind me. It didn’t close, though; it bounced off something scratchy-sounding. I turned to push it closed, and—

Seriously?

Zver was already halfway in. “No.” My voice was firm. “You’re not coming in this room.” This was my only sanctuary. Not even Connor violated it. Well, he’d tried it once. But my retaliation had been epic, including shaving cream, permanent markers, and a blackmail video. He’d agreed to never enter my room again without permission.

Zver stopped, standing in the entrance with his tail banging on the door and his tongue lolling out happily. He took another step.

“No.” I held up a hand.

The dog stopped, his tail going still. Here we go. Jeez.

I kept my voice firm, though my defenses were crumbling. “The guilt trip won’t work this time. You are not coming in my room.”

He lowered his head and heaved a sigh, ears drooping. Wow, I sure called that one. Cue me feeling like a selfish bitch.

It took me about three seconds to cave. “Fine! C’mon in.” I waved my hand dramatically. Zver perked up and moved into the room with a pep to his gait. “Don’t mess anything up, pooch,” I sighed.

Immediately, Zver turned around on my fluffy area rug and lay down. His head settled on his outstretched paws, and eyes closed with a deep sigh. I huffed and threw my hands in the air, trying to not laugh. Unbelievable. I guess I should’ve been grateful the damn dog didn’t take over my bed. Truth be told, I’m surprised he didn’t try. I shook my head as I walked around Zver and stood at my dresser, avoiding my reflection. I scratched my nose, debating my options.

I paced back and forth in my room, clenching and unclenching my hands. Connor expected me to go to the lake with him and Teagan. This was not my idea of fun. I pulled out my phone and dialed my best friend.

Penny was in my class and we had been friends since sixth grade, when her family moved here to take care of her grandmother. While I was generally pretty mellow, Penny was sarcastic, hyper, and loyal to a fault. She was always getting in trouble, and she could smooth talk her way out of anything. We had our share of clashes, but best friends get through everything.

I grinned when she picked up on the second ring. “Whassup, chica?” she chirped.

I paced the room, avoiding Zver’s mass. “It’s bad, Pen.” I took a deep breath. “Okay, not world-ending bad, but bad enough.”

Penny sighed before asking, “So…what’s so horrible that it’s not horrible?”

“Connor is home.”

I could have heard the squeal without the phone. To say Penny had a crush on my brother would be an understatement. Rhythmic background noise caught my attention, and I frowned. Was she jumping on her bed?

Out of breath, Penny shrieked, “You mean to tell me he was coming home and you said nothing to me?” Guess that answered the jumping question. “I should come and wax your eyebrows off!” 

I cringed. “Slow down. I didn’t know he was coming. He showed up today while we were in school…and he brought his roommate with him. For spring break.” I held my breath.

“His roommate?” I don’t know how she did it, but she always knew what was bothering me.

“You know I’ll tell you, but first I need a favor,” I begged.

Her tone was incredulous, as if I could ever doubt her. “Of course, anything!” This was yet another reason why I loved her so much. How many times had she come to my rescue with no questions asked?

I took a deep breath. “His roommate is Teagan. He’s tall, gorgeous, and…oh, my God, Pen!” I knew I wasn’t making any sense, but she was my heart sister. She could translate my silences.

“Oh-kay,” she drug out. “And…?” She could translate, but she refused to read my mind.

“Connor wants me to go to the lake with them, meet up with some of his friends.” I knew I sounded borderline hysterical.

“I’m not seeing the problem here, Ash.” I could see her in my mind, head tilted, eyes narrowed in confusion. “Your brother invited you out. Big deal?”

I stomped my foot. “Dammit, Penny! If I go to the lake they’ll want to go swimming, and in order to go swimming, I—”

“—have to wear a swimsuit,” she finished, then let out a deep sigh. “Look, I have never understood this hang-up you have going on. You’re beautiful, Ash!”

I snorted, eye-rolling implied. “Whatever. We both know that’s not true.”

She swore under her breath, then said, “What’s the favor, baby?”

“Will you come with me tomorrow? I don’t think I can do this alone,” I pleaded.

“On one condition.”

I swallowed. “What?”

“I decide what swimsuit you wear.”

My voice stuck in my throat. “Uh…what?”

“You heard me.” Her voice was smug; she knew she’d won. I heard that tone frequently.

“Fine, be here by eight thirty, okay? Love you!” I hung up. I had to tell Connor Penny was coming with us. I smirked, anticipating his reaction. Oh, revenge, how sweet thou art!

I skipped to Connor’s room—literally—and knocked lightly on the door before opening it. My brother was lounging on his bed, back propped up on his headboard, and Teagan was sitting in the desk chair, straddling it so his arms were resting on the backrest. My throat closed off. I wasn’t expecting him to be there.

Where else would he be, you dork? I thought savagely.

“Nice of you to wait until I said you could come in, Ash.” There was some serious sarcasm in Con’s voice.

I didn’t care. “No problem!” I beamed at him. “I just wanted to let you know we’ll have one more person with us tomorrow.” 

“No.”

I continued. “She’ll be here around seven, since I told her eight thirty.”

“I said no.”

I stood in the doorway, pondering the coming morning. “You know, she’s always hungry at that hour. Maybe we should stop on the way and grab something…maybe doughnuts?”

“It doesn’t matter because I said no.”

“Oh, and she wanted me to tell you hi and that she can’t wait to see you again.” I gave an evil grin at the wild-eyed expression on Connor’s face.

Teagan looked confused…but extremely amused at the exchange. I grinned at him, and my breath caught at the smile he gave me in return. I turned my attention back on Connor.

“So, is this some sort of revenge tactic or something? You’re still going with us.” He narrowed his eyes. “And she’s not coming. End of story.” There was a firmness to his tone that impressed me. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t backing down.

“Either Penny comes or I don’t. Which is it?”

“Aislinn Margaret Munroe, you are not going to blackmail me!”

“Connor Dylan Munroe, I’m only telling you my conditions for going.”

Teagan was watching us like a tennis match, utterly fascinated as his gaze shifted between us. I looked at Connor and sighed, resorting to my puppy eyes. I used them sparingly, which kept him from becoming immune, but this time was absolutely necessary.

“Please let her come? I can’t do this without her.” His face softened, and I added, “I’ll keep her on a leash, okay? She’s my best friend.”

Connor ran his fingers through his hair, then sighed. “Dammit, Ash.” He locked eyes with me for a long moment, debating. “Okay. Fine, she can come.”

I was about to smile in victory when something dawned on me. Penny was gorgeous. And when I say gorgeous, I mean she turned heads everywhere. This normally wasn’t a problem, but I didn’t want her turning Teagan’s head. But she was about 5’6” and model thin with beautiful red hair, fair skin, and deep blue eyes. She also had the self-confidence to work her looks, but she wasn’t a bitch like Tracey. She had never once used her assets to her advantage. Penny was real, and she was wonderful.

On the plus side, she was also madly in love with my asshole brother—I had yet to figure out why. I asked her once, out of curiosity, and she’d muttered something about me being friggin’ blind. Whatever the hell that meant. What I saw was an utter douchebag, but to each their own.

None of this changed the fact that Penny was going to be around Teagan tomorrow. In a swimsuit. It was bad enough I was self-conscious as hell; now I had to compete against flawlessness. I loved her, and she would never hurt me, but facts were facts. Oh well, it was too late to change my mind now.

“Aislinn, would you please not do that?” I jerked back into the present. Connor hated when I zoned out. He said one day I was going to go there and not come back. I blinked and gave him a sheepish look. Teagan cleared his throat, and it occurred to me he’d changed clothes. He was wearing shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt and…

Oh, my God, he had muscles I wanted to run my hands over. Not only that, but I could finally see his tattoo. It was wrapped around his bicep and went up over his shoulder. I wanted to see more.

“Ash? You okay?” Connor was frowning at me.

I nodded my head, unable to speak. Oh jeez, I’d been staring again. It was time for me to go. Now. Before I made an even bigger ass out of myself.

“Okay. Well…I’m gonna go to bed.” I jerked my thumb in the direction of the hallway. “So…night, you two!”

Connor waved me off, but Teagan waved and smiled. “Night, Aislinn. See you in the morning.”

I nodded and flew into the hallway, where I promptly tripped over something large and furry, falling to my hands and knees. Zver had been stationed in the middle of the hallway.

“Shit! Dammit, Zver!” I shifted to sit upright, cradling my throbbing wrist. It hurt enough to have been sprained.

Teagan and Connor came running out. Connor laughed at the sight—me parked on my ass and Zver pinned beneath my legs, flopping around like a fish. But Teagan said, “Zver!” His voice boomed, causing me to jump. “Sidet! Myesto!”

Zver immediately pulled himself from beneath my legs and sat back on his haunches, staring at his owner and waiting for the next command. Teagan patted the dog on the head, while moving to me.

“You okay?”

I bit my lip and glanced at my arm; it hurt, a lot. I shook my head no. “I think I did something to my wrist.”

Connor finally stopped laughing and came closer, watching as Teagan took my hand. He carefully checked my wrist, moving it around and prodding it gently. It could have been broken and I wouldn’t have known. Slice-of-Goodness Teagan was practically holding my hand.

I met his gaze and realized he’d been watching me. I blushed, averting my eyes from his, and refusing to squirm. He loosened his grip on my arm, and as he dropped my hand, his thumb gently brushed over my fingers. My eyes flew to his in astonishment. Had that happened? I was met with a steady gaze and small smile, like he’d just figured out a secret. I wished he’d let me in on it, because I was clueless.

“I think she’s okay,” Teagan said. “It doesn’t look like it’s sprained.” He looked over at the dog still sitting where Teagan had left him. “No thanks to Goliath over there.”

Zver hung his head, his ears drooping down, and he let out a small whine. Great, now I felt about as big as a bug on a windshield. Twice within four hours, this massive hell hound had managed to make me feel like utter crap.

“Teagan, don’t be upset with Zver.” I swallowed hard when both of them swung their attention to me. Connor’s mouth dropped open, and Teagan looked confused. “I think he was following me,” I explained as I stood up. “I left him sleeping in my room, so maybe he was just looking for me?”

Frowning, Teagan turned, watching the furry pain in the ass closely. “He was sleeping in your room?” Teagan turned his attention back on me, brow furrowed as if trying to solve a riddle.

I nodded. “Yeah. He followed me up after I left the kitchen. Why? Is that a problem?” The damn thing probably had a crate or something and was supposed to sleep there. Or maybe Teagan didn’t like the thought of his dog sleeping with anyone else.

Teagan shook his head. “No, it’s just…” He tilted his head to the side. “Well, Zver hardly ever leaves my side, unless he’s checking out a new area. He doesn’t follow other people around, that’s for sure.” He ran a hand through his hair, mumbling about the dog lying in the family room the last time he’d seen him.