Part 22 (1/2)

”Guys, food's ready,” Ricky hollered from the kitchen.

Parting, Bro and Bradley simultaneously sniffed the air, where rich aromas wafted over them through the air conditioning. Macaroni and cheese, which was Bro's favorite. They always had those supplies handy. He dashed to the kitchen, with his best friends hot on his trail. To make themselves useful, Bro and Bradley set the table while Audrey fetched them all some sodas from the fridge.

For a good long while it was quiet as they satisfied their immediate appet.i.tes by devouring their food. For the second serving, they actually managed to converse a bit as they ate and thanked Ricky so profusely, both during and after the meal, that he blushed.

As they started clearing the table, Audrey asked, ”Where are Sebastian and the guys?”

”Working still. It's early.”

”Guess that means we have the place to ourselves,” she said, and from her tone she obviously had naughty ideas.

Uh-oh. ”h.e.l.l no, Dree! We're not not having a party!” having a party!”

”Oh yes we are,” she countered in a teasing, singsong voice. She s.n.a.t.c.hed her iPhone and started punching in texts.

Bro glared at Bradley, who was was.h.i.+ng the dishes. ”Would you please control your woman? I can't have people over. Bas and Jordan would kill me!”

Bradley glanced at eager Audrey over his shoulder, and then shrugged. ”I know better than to get between that woman and her plans, let alone between her and her phone. Rather you die than me.”

”You selfish p.r.i.c.k.”

Bradley chuckled. ”Come on, Bro. Just a couple of guys and gals. It'll be fine. Where's that reckless spirit of yours?”

”Locked in a closet till I can get a place of my own.”

”Well, well. And here I thought you'd been out of the closet for years.”

”f.u.c.k. You.”

”Sorry, buddy. I'm straight.”

”A plague is what you are. You and that missus of yours.” Bro cursed under his breath as he pictured the havoc a party would wreak on his household. But then he remembered he had been on his best behavior for a d.a.m.n long time, never doing anything bad or breaking the rules for fear of Sebastian sending him back to live with their mom. Of course that was a stupid fear, because Sebastian would sooner die than allow Bro to be sent back there.

Perhaps it was time to live it up a little.

With moderation.

Hopefully.

Chapter 19.

AN HOUR HOUR later the loft was packed. later the loft was packed.

Half were people Bro knew from high school, half were barely familiar faces, friends of friends. Loud ba.s.s thumped and echoed throughout the place, rattling windows, mirrors, and paintings alike. Someone had put a game on TV, but there was no sound, at least not that anyone could hear. People were jumping up and down to the music, and there were drinks pa.s.sed around. From what Bro could tell, the liquor cabinet had not been raided, though he suspected it was only a matter of time. People must have brought their own drinks.

”Who the h.e.l.l are all these people?” Bro demanded of Audrey, who was dancing seductively with a group of her friends. A lot of guys were openly ogling them, but not one walked up to them, content with watching the live show.

Audrey gave the room a cursory glance and shrugged. ”Want me to throw them out?”

Bro closed his eyes. ”No. Just wondering.” Then he closed the gap between them until he was right up to her face. ”Something breaks? I'm totally gonna blame this s.h.i.+t on you.”

Audrey winked, nodded her understanding, and returned to her dancing.

Not wanting to be a stick-in-the-mud, Bro moved off to a group of guys hanging out, and Bradley was with them. Falling into step with his best friend was easy, and soon they were shooting the breeze with a bunch of guys from their high school who had started a mechanic shop nearby.

It wasn't until Bro felt slender arms wrap around his midsection from behind and a half-feminine, half-masculine perfume wafted over him that he realized how much time had pa.s.sed. He whipped around and came face to face with Lacey's lovely visage.

A grin he couldn't suppress emerged, and his mood lightened instantly. ”Babe, you're home.”

Lacey quirked an eyebrow, grinning. ”Oh, is that what this is? I thought I'd taken a wrong turn somewhere, and ended up in a nightclub.”

”Funny, ha-ha.” Bro took Lacey into his embrace, and kissed her sweet mouth. All sound faded away.

Until... the music stopped abruptly, and then, ”What the h.e.l.l is going on?”

Even into the kiss, Bro grimaced at the sound of Jordan's angry voice. He broke away from Lacey and turned to find Jordan, Sebastian, Jack, and Kevin at the door. The time-honored excuse ”I didn't invite them” sprang to his mind, but at least he had the good sense not to say it out loud. Though he sure was tempted.

Jordan lifted his hands, and with his tattoos, piercings, and general bad-boy att.i.tude, he exuded intimidation. ”Everybody, get the f.u.c.k out!”

With barely audible grumbling, people started filing out of the loft in surprisingly orderly fas.h.i.+on. It still took a couple of minutes for the place to clear of partyers until the only ones left were Bro, Lacey, Bradley, Audrey, and Ricky.

Bro walked up to Sebastian and Jordan, half-ashamed of having the party in the first place, and half-embarra.s.sed at getting scolded by his roommates without words. ”Sorry. It was just gonna be a few friends over, but....” It was a lie, and he knew it. ”I've not had any parties here, ever. I just wanted one day to celebrate going to college and-”

”Bro, enough.” Jordan brought up his hand to stop the flow of words. ”I'm not angry you had a party. You've been the best-behaved teenager I know.” Bro was dumbfounded. ”But what I am angry about is you not telling us you were having a party, and I bet you didn't know half the people in here. Anything could've happened, and we were clear across town.”

Bro hedged. ”It was kind of an impromptu thing, you know....” He glanced behind at his girlfriend. ”I missed Lacey so much, and my friends just wanted to cheer me up, and-”

”Whatever.” Jordan waved a hand about. ”Next time you tell us. Then, and only then, can you have your party.” As he walked past Bro, he tousled his hair, making Bro mutter about being treated like a child, but not really being all that emphatic about it. ”I heard that,” Jordan called out from the stairs. ”Next time you let us know, or we'll tell everyone we know the A-word.”

It was a threat, probably an idle one, but Bro still fumed. ”Fine. Bossy b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

”Watch that potty mouth of yours,” Sebastian signed as he, too, pa.s.sed on his way upstairs, but his happy grin was proof positive that though some rules had been broken, nothing was broken beyond repair. Before he vanished around the corner, though, he signed, ”Don't forget to clean up. Teenager's standard punishment for throwing a party.”

Jack snickered as he walked off, but he remembered to make the rock-on gesture and whisper loudly, ”Oops, busted.”

Bro flipped him off, and Jack just cackled more. Kevin was the only one who offered no opinion. Stoic as ever, he merely nodded goodnight to them all and followed Jack.

Only then did Bro exhale deeply and drop down on the couch. ”f.u.c.k me.”

”Is that an invitation?” Bro looked up, startled, and found Lacey smirking at him, all bubbly and happy as a clam. When Bro started to get up, Lacey stopped him by saying, ”Well, it seems you've all had quite a day. Now let me tell you about mine. You will never believe who is going to Peabody with me.”

Bro frowned and glanced at Bradley, who shrugged and looked at Audrey, who smiled with antic.i.p.ation and stared expectantly at Lacey. ”Okay, we bite. Who?” Bro finally asked.

After a dramatic pause for effect, Lacey blurted out, ”Deacon Rake.”

Three pairs of eyes nearly bugged out and three jaws were left hanging.