More to Us Page 14

  "That works." I set my empty water bottle down. "I haven't been eating well this week, and as strange as it sounds, I'm kind of craving a pile of vegetables."

  "It's not strange. I get the same way after eating like shit for a few days. My body craves the good stuff, like it knows it needs it. My brothers think I'm crazy, but whatever." He drinks his water.

  "They're not into working out like you are?"

  "They work out, but not like me. And they don't give a shit about their diets. Nash eats better than the other two but that's only because Callie cooks for him. She's a really good cook. She cooks all our Sunday dinners. By the way, do you want to come to a Wheeler Sunday dinner sometime? They're every other week and the whole family has to show up or we get yelled at by my dad."

  "I don't know if I'm ready to meet your whole family. That's a lot of pressure."

  "You got nothing to worry about. They're gonna love you. And I told you, my dad already likes you." He hops off the back of the truck and stands in front of me.

  "You're just saying that to be nice."

  "No. I mean it. He really does." He helps me down from the truck, then kisses me. "Let's get some dinner."

  "Oh, um, I forgot to tell you. Amber's out with Matt tonight."

  "Is that her boyfriend?"

  "Yeah. So my apartment is empty if you want to go back there later." I smile. "Maybe watch some TV. Or do other things."

  He grins. "I could skip the TV. Let's hurry up with dinner."

  We get some food and take it to a park. Then we go back to his house so he can shower and change clothes. His dad isn't there, but I'm not going to risk having him catch Austin and me making out, so I remain in the living room and watch TV until he's ready to go. Then we drive over to my apartment.

  I'm not sure what's going to happen tonight. I'm not ready to go all the way with him, but if I were ever going to do it this soon with a guy, it'd be Austin. I trust him and already consider him a friend. We have so much in common and I like him more each time I see him.

  I don't know how this happened. I came to Chicago vowing to not have a boyfriend, and within a week, I have one. And the scary part is, he's someone I could see myself with in the future.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Austin

  Kira is in the bathroom taking a shower while I wait here on the couch. We just had one of the best dates I've ever been on and I have a feeling it's about to get even better. We're finally alone, just the two of us, in her apartment, where we can do more than kiss. I'm not saying we're going to have sex, but we can do more than we did in my truck or at my house. At least here, we won't be interrupted.

  I like this girl way too much. At first that freaked me out, but now it doesn't. She's seriously the coolest girl I've ever met, and the hottest, so it makes sense that I like her this much.

  Every time we go out, I learn something new about her. Today I found out she loves the outdoors as much as I do, which is a huge deal because I can't be with a girl who doesn't like the outdoors. I've tried dating those girls and it doesn't work. I am who I am and I spend a lot of time outside, so if the girl doesn't like that, then it's no use even dating her.

  When I asked Kira to rollerblade, I thought she might say no. Just because she's a gymnast doesn't mean she likes other sports. But it turns out she loves rollerblading and she's really freaking good at it. When she was racing me, I had to work to keep up with her.

  I also like that she eats like me. A lot of girls don't like the fact that I'm careful about what I eat. I actually had a girl get mad at me once because I didn't order pasta when we were at an Italian restaurant. She picked the restaurant, even after I told her I don't eat a lot of carbs, and then she got mad at me for ordering chicken. She said a guy shouldn't care about his diet, that I should just eat anything, and yet she only went out with me because of my body. I know, because she told me so after I wouldn't agree to take her out again. How the hell does she think I got this body? It's not from eating whatever I want, that's for sure. If she'd actually tried to get to know me, she would've found out that I'm not always that strict with my diet. I splurge at least once a week, usually on the weekends, and if I really want something, I eat it.

  Kira and I are so similar in the way we eat that when we went to the grocery store to pick up dinner, we ended up getting almost the exact same items from the salad bar.

  We have so much in common and get along so well that it almost seems too good to be true. I'm a positive person by nature, but when things are this good, I sometimes get this nagging feeling it won't last. I haven't had that feeling yet and hope that I don't, but I just started dated Kira and there's still a lot I don't know about her.

  "Is there anything good on?" Kira comes out of the bathroom in a pair of cutoff shorts and a cropped t-shirt, her hair wet. Even with wet hair and no makeup on, she looks hotter than girls who spend hours getting ready.

  "I was just watching the sports update," I tell her. "Any reason why you keep your TV on the floor?"

  She laughs as she sits next to me. "Because Amber and I don't know how to attach it to the wall. We got one of those wall mount things but we don't know how to put it up."

  "I can do it."

  "You can?" She sounds surprised. "You know how?"

  I chuckle. "I do construction for a living. I've put up walls, built rooms onto houses. So yeah, I can hang a TV on the wall."

  "If you would, that'd be so great. No rush. Whenever you have time."

  "I could do it tomorrow. I'll do it when I pick you up in the morning. It shouldn't take long."

  "You're awesome." She hugs me.

  "Awesome enough to get a kiss?"

  She smiles and says in a flirty tone, "Or more than that."

  I don't know what that means but I'm eager to find out.

  She kisses me and I kiss her back and that's all it takes to break free what we've been holding back all week until we could finally be alone, without interruptions.

  She yanks my t-shirt up and I rip it off and toss it aside. Our kisses turn hot and heavy, pausing just long enough for me to slip off that cropped shirt of hers. She isn't wearing a bra, and my already rock-hard erection gets even harder seeing her breasts, then feeling them, my hand gently squeezing them as I kiss her. She's making these soft sexy moans as I touch her. Fuck, that turns me on.

  She lies back on the couch and I lie over her, my mouth covering her breast, making her writhe beneath me, rubbing against my crotch. It's only been a month since I've had sex but I want it so bad right now it's like I haven't done it in years. But it's too soon, not for me but for her, at least I think it is. I don't think she'd want to do it this soon.

  A few minutes pass and I bring my mouth back to hers, shifting off her a little so I can undo her shorts. Her stomach muscles clench and I stop. "No?"

  "Yes." She pulls me back to her and kisses me, her stomach relaxing as I slip my hand down her shorts. I go to that spot girls love, circling it with my thumb as I slide two fingers inside her.

  "Oh, God," Kira moans, arching into my hand.

  I've barely started and she comes, which is the fastest I've ever had that happen. I smile, pleased with myself for getting her there in record time.

  "Let's go in the bedroom," she says, trying to sit up.

  I move my hand to her waist and look at her. "Are you sure? Because we can wait. We don't have to do this tonight."

  "I can't wait." She glances down at my jeans, straining from my erection. "I normally wouldn't do it this soon but..." Her eyes go back to mine and she's breathing fast. "I'm so turned on right now, I really don't want to wait."

  I smile. "Then let's go."

  Just as I'm about to get up, I hear the front door unlock. Kira hears it too, and freezes.

  "Get up!" she whispers. "Hurry!"

  As I stand up, the door opens and a girl walks in with a guy right behind her. I'm assuming the girl is Amber, Kira's roommate. She's taller than Kira, and thin, with shoulder-length blo
nd hair.

  "Oh," she says, stopping abruptly, bumping into the guy behind her. He puts his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place while they both stare at me.

  "Hey." I give them a wave. "I'm Austin."

  "Yeah," Amber says, sounding nervous. "We know who you are. You're kind of famous."

  I laugh a little. "Not really, but thanks."

  She glances around the apartment. "Is Kira here?"

  Her arm shoots up over the couch. "Right here."

  I look down and see her pointing to the floor and mouthing the words 'my shirt'.

  I reach down and grab it and toss it to her.

  "Something wrong over there?" Amber asks. She's smiling now, realizing what we were doing.

  "Nothing's wrong," Kira says, her voice strained as she struggles to put her shirt on while lying down. "We're fine."

  Amber laughs. "You need some help?"

  "No!" she yells. "Just stay where you are! What are you doing here? I thought you were out with Matt."

  "I was. I mean, I am. He's here with me."

  "Great," Kira mumbles.

  I have to laugh. Her face is bright red. I don't know why she's so embarrassed. It's not like they caught us having sex. And if they had, I wouldn't care. It takes a lot more than that to embarrass me.

  "I'm guessing you're Amber?" I say to her.

  "Yeah." She walks into the room. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself."

  "And I'm Matt," the guy says, closing the door. "Amber's boyfriend."

  I go around the couch and am about to extend my hand but then remember where it was just minutes ago and shove it in my pocket. "Nice to meet you."

  "You too," Matt says. He glances at Amber to say something but she's staring at my chest, and I realize I don't have a shirt on. Her jaw is dropped, like she's never seen a guy who works out as much as I do.

  "Amber." Matt nudges her.

  She startles, her eyes flicking back to my face. "Yeah, nice to meet you."

  Matt laughs and says to me, "No offense, but I kind of hate guys like you."

  I nod. "I'll get my shirt." I find it draped over the couch and put it on.

  "How often do you work out to look like that?" he asks.

  "About an hour a day, but I also work construction, which is like working out all day."

  "I tried working construction a couple summers ago but got fired after a week." He smiles. "I totally sucked at it. I didn't know what I was doing. I can barely use a hammer. Amber won't even trust me to hang their TV."

  "Austin's going to put it up for us," Kira says, popping up from the couch. She yanks her shirt in place as she races over to stand next to me. "He's going to do it tomorrow. He said it shouldn't take long."

  "That's great," Amber says to me. "Thanks."

  "Sure. And if you need anything else done around here, just let me know. I can fix most anything."

  "I seriously hate you, man," Matt says, smiling.

  I laugh. "Sorry. Just trying to be nice."

  "Why is your hair wet?" Amber asks Kira.

  "Because I took a shower." She rushes out the words, still embarrassed. And I can tell from the sly grin on Amber's face that she's going to make Kira even more embarrassed.

  "You took a shower at eight o'clock?" Amber asks. "That's an odd time to take a shower." She eyes my hair, checking to see if it's wet.

  "Austin and I went rollerblading," Kira blurts out. "That's why I took a shower. I was sweaty."

  Amber suddenly looks serious. "You went rollerblading? Are you sure you should've been doing that with your—"

  "Yes," Kira says, glaring at her friend.

  "But that's a lot of—"

  "I had fun," she says, cutting her off. "Austin took me to this trail and it went through the woods and around a lake and..." She pauses, still glaring at Amber. "I had fun, okay?"

  Amber keeps her eyes on Kira but doesn't say anything.

  What the hell's going on here? The two of them are obviously angry with each other, but why? Because Amber didn't want Kira to go rollerblading? Why would she care?

  "Rollerblading is another thing I suck at," Matt says, breaking the tension in the room. I wonder if he knows what's going on with those two.

  "So what are you guys doing tonight?" Amber asks, her anger suddenly gone. But I feel like it's still there and she's just trying to hide it. That sly grin appears on her face again. "Or were you just planning on hanging out here at the apartment?"

  "We didn't really have plans," Kira says. "What are you guys doing?"

  Amber answers. "We're gonna go have a drink, then go to a late movie."

  "You guys want to come with us?" Matt asks.

  I look at Kira to answer. If Amber and Matt hadn't shown up, I'm pretty sure Kira and I would be having sex right now, so if they leave, are we still going to do it? Or maybe them showing up ruined the mood. It didn't for me, but now I'm thinking maybe tonight's not the right time. Kira said she normally doesn't move this fast, which makes me wonder if she was only suggesting we do it for my sake, because she thinks I expect it.

  "You guys think about it," Amber says. "I have to go get my sweater. That's why we're here. I always freeze in the theater when they crank up the air conditioning." She grabs Matt's hand, and the two of them go down the hall to her room.

  "I'll tell them we're staying here," Kira says to me. "We don't need to go out."

  "Are you sure? Because I don't mind going. It'll give me a chance to meet your roommate. And that Matt guy seems cool."

  "Yeah, he's nice." She glances down the hall, then back at me. "But what about..." she lowers her voice, "continuing what we were doing?"

  "Do you really want to?"

  "Do you?"

  "I asked you first, but yeah." I smile. "And for the record, the answer to that will always be yes for me. But I don't want you doing this because of me. There's no rush, so if you want to wait until tomorrow, that's fine." I laugh when I see the surprised look on her face. "I'm kidding. It doesn't have to be tomorrow. It could be Sunday. Or Monday. Tuesday's a ways off, but I could do Tuesday."

  She laughs, but then gets serious again. "Actually, I think I do want to wait. Amber kind of ruined the mood and I just..."

  I hold her hand. "You don't have to explain. I told you, it's fine. For now, we'll just keep doing what we did earlier. You good with that?"

  "Yeah." She looks to the side. "That was uh..." She smiles, a big wide smile.

  I laugh a little. "I'll take that to mean you liked it."

  "Did you guys decide?" Amber appears again with Matt.

  "Yeah," I answer. "We decided to go."

  "Great!" She looks at us both. "A double date! This'll be fun!" She motions to Kira. "But you might want to put a bra on."

  "Amber!" Kira swats at her.

  She laughs. "What? It's true. You can't go out like that. Your boobs are huge. Those things need to be contained."

  "Oh my God," Kira says, folding her arms over her chest. "You are in so much trouble." She races down to her room.

  "They're like this all the time," Matt says to me. "Fighting one minute. Hugging the next. They're like sisters."

  "It's true," Amber says. "I've known Kira forever. Although she and I fight way less than I fight with my real sisters."

  "How many sisters do you have?" I ask.

  "Two. One older, one younger."

  "I have three brothers. All older."

  She smiles. "Yeah. I know. The whole city knows the Wheeler brothers. But your brothers all have girlfriends, right?"

  Matt looks at her. "Excuse me, but I'm right here. Your boyfriend? Remember?"

  She laughs. "I'm just asking. Not because I want to date them. It's just a question."

  "Yeah, it better be," he says kiddingly as he puts his arm around her. Then he says to me, "Amber and her friends talk about you and your brothers all the time."

  She playfully hits him. "Not all the time. You're exaggerating." She turns to me. "I have some friends
at school who are kind of obsessed with you, but now that you and Kira are together, they'll have to find a new obsession." She turns back to Matt. "Which is why I asked if his brothers were single."

  "Yeah, right." He gives her a kiss.

  "I'm going to go see if she's ready," I say, not wanting to watch these two make out. I go down to Kira's room and knock on her door. "Kira, you almost ready?"

  "Yeah." She opens the door, now wearing jeans and a loose see-through black shirt with a black tank top underneath. "Did they say where we're going?"

  "No." I go in her room and shut the door. "So are we just going for drinks with them or do you want to go to the movie?"

  "I don't care. Whatever you want to do."

  "I'm not sure if I want to go with them to the movies. Are they gonna be all over each other?"

  She gives me a funny look. "No. Why?"

  "You said they're always going at it. That's why you never let me come up here. Although now that I've met them, they don't seem like they'd be that way. Matt just kissed her but it wasn't like—"

  "I was just kidding. They're not always going at it." She goes to her dresser and gets some earrings, putting them on as she walks back to me. "I have to go dry my hair." She goes past me and out the door to the bathroom.

  Why did she tell me that stuff about Matt and Amber if it wasn't true? Was she just trying to keep me out of her apartment? If so, then she should've just said that, not made up some story about her roommate.

  This is the type of thing that gives me that nagging feeling that this is all too good to be true. I don't like it when people lie to me, or make up stories to avoid telling me the truth. Maybe this thing about her roommate was just meant to be a joke, but it's not funny if she was saying it just so I wouldn't come up to her apartment. I told her to be direct with me and tell me the truth. If she can't do that, this isn't going to last.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kira

  The four of us are at the bar, sitting at a round table that's so small our legs keep touching, but it was the only table available. The place is packed because it's Friday night and there's live music starting at ten. We're not staying for the music. Matt and Amber have to get to their movie and Austin and I might go with them. We haven't decided yet.