Dana shook out the blanket before throwing it across the couch, tucking it in so it made a nice, smooth bed. Tossing a couple of pillows on top, she turned to look over her shoulder at her brother, Chris. His forlorn expression would have been comical had she not known the emotional trauma behind it. Trying to cheer him up, she quipped, "I'd give you the bedroom and sleep out here, but I don't want to."
Chris simply shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're letting me stay here."
"Stop being so defeatist," Dana chided. "You'll get the severance pay next week, so you'll have money to live on while you find another job. That won't take long at all, with your skills. And as for Stacy, she certainly showed her true colors. You can do so much better than that, Chris." Dana tried to hide her own rage at her brother's now-ex-girlfriend. Rather than being supportive or comforting when Chris had been laid off, she'd told him to pack his bags and leave...the same day.
Talk about kicking a man while he's down!
Obviously, she'd only been with Chris until the money well ran dry. Dana couldn't stand women like her. As she finished setting up Chris's makeshift bed, she turned to look at him again, finding him texting someone with a hint of a smile on his face. She crossed her arms and stared at him expectantly. "Please tell me you aren't talking to that bitch."
Chris rolled his eyes, a sure sign that he wouldn't live in this funk for long. "No, Dana, I'm done with her. You know me. No second chances."
Dana didn't argue, though it was utter bullshit. Chris had a soft heart, and sometimes he was too forgiving. Instead, she asked, "Then who are you talking to?"
"My buddy, Tyler. He got hit today, too, and he wants to hang out for a while. He's on his way over."
Gaping at him, Dana cried, "You gave him my address?"
"Relax," Chris told her. "He's cool, and he doesn't need a place to crash. He just doesn't want to talk at his place because he hasn't told his roommates yet. One of them has a birthday tomorrow, and he doesn't want to ruin it."
"That's kind of him," Dara replied drily, feeling a headache coming on. She barely had room for her brother in her small place, much less some strange guy going through the same bad course of events. But looking at her brother, who had always been there when she needed him, Dara couldn't tell him no. what was a few hours? Besides, she usually got along with Chris's friends. Relenting, she reached for her cell. "Alright, I guess I'll order in because I'm certainly not cooking."
"Get Chinese, and I'll pay," Chris said, sounding excited and young. With less than a year separating them in age, they had always been close, and Dana sometimes forgot that she was older.
In this moment, she saw his vulnerability and smiled. "No, you save your money. I got this." Nudging his head as she walked toward the kitchen to find a menu for her favorite delivery place, she dialed and heard the knock at the door halfway through her order. With the voices in the living room and a lousy connection, she stepped further into the kitchen, plugging her ear as she finished the call. Then, she stepped back around the wall separating the kitchen from the small living room.
And stopped dead in her tracks.
More than once, Dana found herself attracted to and crushing on one of Chris's friends. All of them being so close in age, it was natural. But she had never laid eyes on any of them before that struck her with such an intense desire. The air itself held a sexual charge that taunted her, and her mouth went completely dry as other, more intimate parts grew damp.
He hadn't noticed her yet, and she took the opportunity to really study him, taking in his firm, athletic build, the easy smile he wore across lips that begged for a kiss, the brilliant shine of his silver-green eyes, and the perfectly mussed head of light brown hair that looked as if he'd just rolled out of bed after a good lay.
Dana shook herself, trying to relieve the wanton feeling building low in her gut. Listening to her libido would only cause frustration, under the circumstances. Clearing her throat, she drew Chris's attention first, before the other set of extremely intoxicating orbs fell on her. She didn't miss the way his lips parted slightly and his pupils dilated as he ran a long, hot gaze up and down her body. Sure, she looked good in the tight jeans and V-neck shirt, but she suddenly wished she was wearing one of her clubbing dresses and a little makeup. She hadn't gone out in forever, and all her most impressive outfits were tucked at the back of the closet.
"Hey, Dana, this is my friend, Tyler. Tyler, my sister, Dana, who has kindly ordered some grub to cheer us up," Chris made the introductions.
Dana froze as Tyler reached to shake her hand. Could she handle touching him without melting into the floor? That would be rich - puddling in front of her brother! Forcing a smile, she wrapped her fingers around his, delighting in the warmth and gentle strength of his handshake. "It's nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine," he replied, but his expression strained, and his eyes spoke of something else. The pleasure can be yours later.
Chiding herself for creating fantasies in her head, Dana pulled away, trying not to read anything into the way his hand lingered, his fingers brushing over her palm as he released his hold. Noticing the six-pack in his hand, she pointed and asked, "Should I put those in the fridge for you?"
He nodded. "I can do it." As he moved past her, his gaze fell on her lips, then her chest. Did he purposely rub against her as he moved past her into the kitchen? The way her breasts grew firm and heavy and her skin tingled told her so. She gulped and welcomed the open long neck he brought back for her as she took a seat on the couch.
Chris took the arm chair, leaving the spot beside Dana open. Tyler took it, sides touching, and she glanced at the gap on the other side of him. Okay, if he kept this up, she was going to lose it. Dana could handle one-sided attraction, but if Tyler reciprocated, she couldn't promise herself or anyone else that she cared if she knew him or not, or that her brother was sitting right there. She had to avert her eyes to keep from staring at his lips and wondering how they would taste as he sipped the beer.
She couldn't focus on the conversation, trying desperately to keep her urges at bay. As Tyler laughed at some random joke Chris made, she felt the shiver of delight crawl down her spine and add to the pressure between her thighs. This was ridiculous!
She'd never been so grateful for food when the delivery came, and she fussed about, getting plates and chopsticks and silverware - she refused to look foolish attempting to use the chopsticks in front of Tyler. She knew her brother would try to embarrass her, but he never got the chance as Tyler pushed the sticks away and picked up a fork. "I never learned to use those things. I look like a toddler trying to eat and making a mess."
Did he wink at her? Dana felt like some teenage virgin as butterfly wings batted at her insides. What the hell was wrong with her? Nothing, she decided as she snuck another look at the god sitting next to her. It was just that everything was right about him.
They ate, joking and trashing the company that had laid Chris and Tyler off, and they went through more beer. Dana had never been more grateful that she kept some in her fridge. The night grew late, and she yawned, her brother echoing her with a stretch and yawn of his own. "I should get going and let you two get some sleep," Tyler said, standing and giving Dana a prime view of his ass, which was perfectly framed in jeans that hugged his hips.
"No, man, stay a little longer. Dana, you can go to bed if you want. We'll keep it down," Chris told her.
"It's really okay," Tyler argued.
But Dana shook her head. "You've had a few drinks. Why don't you just crash here so you don't have to drive? It's a small place, but I have an air mattress we can blow up for you." Then again, in her fantasies, Tyler didn't need the mattress because he would spend the night in her bed. And likely not do much sleeping.
