Say Nothing... (The Speak Series Book 2) (18 page)

"Let's get you home. You ready?" I ask.

She nods, and I clear my throat to get Vonne and Eli's attention. Vonne has Eli pinned against my car, and if I didn't know better, she looks like she may be trying to eat his face. I give them a few minutes and use the time to get Ari safely buckled into the passenger seat. I slam the door hoping to get their attention.

That does the trick, and they break apart a little embarrassed.

"We're gonna get going."

"Okay, thank you guys for coming. Will you tell Ari to call me?"

"Will do," I say, and she gives me a quick hug. Eli shakes my hand with a pat on the back.

"I'll see you next week then?" he asks.

"Wouldn't miss it. See you then."

Ari sleeps the whole ride home. I park in my usual spot, and she begins to stir when I open the car door. I unbuckle her seat belt, and she opens her eyes with a sleepy grin.

"You okay to walk?" I ask. She nods and shifts in her seat, placing one leg out of the car and then the other. She attempts to stand and gives up.

"Need some help?"

"Please," she says lifting her hands to me. I lean in and wrap her arms around my neck. We stand slowly making sure not to hit the top of her head.

I'm grateful that the walk to her front door is a short one. I kick the car door shut behind her and shift her body so we're standing side by side. My arm is wrapped around her waist, and we take slow steps toward the finish line.

Luckily, she seems to gain her balance the further we get, and we reach the front door without incident. She's giggling as we walk down the hall, and the sound is infectious.

"Why are you laughing?"

She turns to me and wraps both arms around my neck. "I live with a boy," she says with another giggle.

"Do you? Who is he?" I walk us over to her dresser and remove her pajamas from her top drawer. She leans in and begins to kiss my neck.

"A very hot and sexy boy," she whispers between kisses.

"Let's get you changed," I say pulling away a little. She narrows her lust-filled eyes at me and pulls at the hem of her sundress, removing it in one swift move. She unclasps her bra and tosses it on the floor next to her dress.

"Done," she says looking up at me. I close my eyes in an attempt to keep from attacking her.

"Let's get you into bed." Trying to wrestle pajamas on her now will probably be a bad idea.

"Now, we're talking," she says crawling under the sheet. She makes herself comfortable and pats my side of the bed. I strip down to my boxers and crawl in beside her. Her body shifts on top of mine, and she wastes no time crashing her mouth onto mine.

I kiss her back and begin to think of anything but her writhing body on top of me. I can't sleep with her while she's drunk. I'd feel like the biggest douchebag in the morning, but damn if she's not making it almost impossible to deny her.

She pulls away breathless and lays her head on my chest. Her breathing begins to slow and I kiss the top of her head thankful she's the one slowing things down.

"Get some sleep, baby. I love you," I whisper.

"Hmm . . . I'm glad you don't look like him," she mumbles.
The fuck?

"Like who, babe?" I ask before she falls into a deeper sleep.

"Your uncle." She sighs.

The sound of my cell phone ringing startles me out of a deep sleep. I scrub a hand over my face afraid to open my eyes. My head feels like it's been trampled by a stampede of wild horses. Even if I could reach my phone, talking seems impossible. My mouth is as dry as the Sahara. I lick my lips in an attempt at some moisture.
What the hell did we drink?

I remember the glass of sangria then wrestling a few shots of Patrón out of Vonne's hands. She refilled my glass a few more times then everything gets a little fuzzy. Did we sing the Jonas Brothers?
Ughhhh . . . even thinking hurts.

My phone rings again, and I remember it’s Sunday. Dammit, it's probably Alba calling to bitch at me. My parents torture her and don't let her eat until I've gotten there. I crack an eye open and realize I'm almost completely naked. Bits and pieces of last night come flashing back; one of them is attacking Ben. Speaking of which, I finally crack both eyes open cursing my own name. He's not in the room with me. I move to get up and notice a bottle of water and two Advil sitting on the dresser. I unscrew the cap off the water and quickly drink like my life depended on it.

"Morning.” Ben’s voice sounds from behind me. He startles me, and the water goes down the wrong way.

"Good morning,” I choke out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you would have heard the front door," he says striding over. He kneels in front of me, and his hair is mussed and his gray shirt is wet with sweat.

"It's okay, it just went down wrong. Where'd you go?"

He stands and kisses my cheek. "For a quick run. You didn't get my note?"

I look over and the note is tucked under the two Advil. "Sorry, I just woke up, and when I saw the water, everything else was a blur."

He chuckles and starts to remove his shirt. "How are we feeling, party girl?"

I place my hands over my face and groan. I never binge drink like that. "How bad was I?" I ask completely embarrassed.

"Hmm . . . Let me see. Before or after the Jonas Brothers concert you and Vonne put on?”

"Oh, God." An image of Vonne and I slow dancing and singing “Lovebug” comes flashing back. It was one of our favorites, and we used to dream of finding boyfriends to sing it to. Although, secretly we hoped Joe and Nick would sing it to us one day.

"I'm so sorry,” I say giggling nervously. "Was this my handiwork, too?" I wave a hand over my naked torso, and he grins.

"Yeah, you were a woman on a mission, and I wasn't about to wrestle some clothes on you."

"Oh, the struggle," I say sarcastically, trying to stand on my unsteady legs.

"It's definitely real," he says pouting. I crumple up his note and toss it at him. My phone begins to ring again, and he fishes it out of my purse and hands it to me.

"Answer that. I'm gonna jump in the shower. Join me if you want, and I'll wash out that bedhead of yours." I smack him in the arm, and he takes off into the bathroom chuckling.

I pick up before the last ring. It's Alba.

"Hello?"

"Please tell me you guys are on your way. I'm fricking starving, and Mom and Dad are keeping me out of the kitchen until you get here."

I brace myself. "Umm . . .”

"Oh, hell no. You're flaking and didn't even call."

"I'm sorry. I went to Vonne's last night, and she was stressing out about leaving and we started drinking. I just woke up."

"Blah, blah, blah . . . I'm handing you to Mom." I hear her fumble with the phone and tell my mom what's going on. She tells someone to move, that I'm not coming over, and that she’s eating. She's violent when she's hungry.

"
Mija
.” My mom gets on the phone.

"Hi, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. Vonne and I had a little too much to drink last night, and I feel like crap."

"It's okay. You know your sister gets rowdy when she's hungry. If you're feeling better later, maybe you and Ben can come over for dinner. I'm making enchiladas."

My stomach rumbles; those are my favorite. "Okay, sounds good. I'll call you later. Love you, Momma."

"Love you too. Get some rest and lay off the booze," she says with a laugh.

"Ugh . . . Not a problem." I end the call, take the two Advil Ben left for me, and walk over to take him up on his offer. The shower is still running, and I brush my teeth quickly before stepping inside.

He's facing the spray of water, and I take a few seconds to enjoy the view. Small rivulets of water fall down his sculpted shoulders and back. Not being able to stay away much longer, I wrap my arms around his waist and press my naked body against his. He releases a moan as my hands wander across his chest. He wraps his hands behind me giving my ass a squeeze.

"Everything good with your parents?" he asks.

"Yeah, Alba is pissed, as usual, but my mom is fine. She invited us to dinner if I'm feeling up to it later."

"I can whip up something if you want to just stay in and rest," he says.

"That sounds great," I say resting my chin on his shoulder

He turns away from the water and crushes me in his arms. The smell of his bodywash always drives me insane, so I take advantage of having him this close and run my tongue up his neck.

"You smell yummy. Maybe I'll just stay right here," I hum against his skin.

"I don't want you getting sick, so I think you should eat. Let's get you washed up so I can feed you." He cradles my face and kisses my lips, and I quickly try to deepen it.

"I'm serious, babe," he says pulling away. I pout, and he leans in to nip my bottom lip.

"Turn around so I can wash your hair." I do as he asks because if I stare at his naked body any longer, I'll pretend I'm deaf and defile his fine ass.

The cap on the shampoo bottle clicks. I look over my shoulder and he's rubbing his hands together working it into a lather. He grins and twirls his finger in a circle, motioning me to turn around. I shake my head and once again face the wall.

He starts at my temples; pressing firmly, he begins to rub small circles with the pads of his fingers. I groan because it feels so good. He kisses my neck, and I have to steady my hands on the wall in front of me to keep my knees from buckling. When he's done, he wraps a hand around my waist and walks us backward into the spray to rinse.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asks. My eyes are currently rolling into the back of my head; I feel so relaxed.

"Anything," I answer. He walks us forward a few steps, and once again, begins the same process with the conditioner.

"Last night, you said something before you fell asleep, and it's been bothering me."

His hands are still working their way through my hair, so I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on anything he just said.

"Okay," is all I could manage as a response.

He takes a deep breath before asking. "Are you attracted to my uncle?" If anyone could hear what was going on in my brain right now, it would sound like screeching tires before an accident.
What?

I turn around so I could see his face. He looks pained as he waits for my answer.

"Why would you ask that? What did I say?"

He sighs and looks down at his feet. "I won't hold it against you if you do. It's just . . .”

"Ben, what did I say?" I repeat frustrated.

"You were falling asleep, and you mumbled that you were glad I didn't look like him. When I asked you who, you said my uncle. What did you mean?"
Shit.

Note to self: tequila + sangria = Ari having loose lips. I decide on a half-truth. It's the only way I can get out of this without telling him everything.

He still hasn't met my eyes, so I cradle his face to get him to stop avoiding me.

"Look at me." His eyes finally meet mine. "I am in no way attracted to your uncle." He releases a breath I'm not sure he even realized he was holding. "I'm not sure why I said what I said. I blame it on the alcohol, but I will admit that sometimes he gives me the creeps."

Tilting his head to the side, he narrows his eyes inquisitively.

"Really? Why?" he asks shocked. I wrap my hand around his waist and press my cheek on his chest. This time, I'm the one avoiding his eyes.

"I don't know," I say with a shrug. "He's just so intense all the time. Maybe it's because he gives too much eye contact. I don't know, he just does."

"Too much eye contact?" he asks chuckling. The sound vibrates against my ear. He squeezes me a little tighter, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"It's official. Now, I've heard everything. Let's get you dry. I think the lack of food in your system is making you loopy." That was not how I pictured this going, and I'm grateful. If he'd pushed any more, I'm not sure I could have lied.

We finish washing up, and he delivers on his promise to feed me. It's delicious as expected; when we're done, we curl up on the couch together and spend the rest of our Sunday being lazy. I never make it to my parents’ house, and for once, I don't feel guilty about it. Wrapped in Ben's arms is the only place I want to be.