I close my laptop and pad down the stairs to talk to Reis. I need another opinion on what this means before I scream or hit something or call Colt and do exactly what Bria wants.

“Reis.” I shake his shoulder.

He blinks twice, seeing it’s me and closes his eyes again. “Shh. Sleeping.” He tugs the pillow to his chest, and rolls to his side, facing me.

I sit on the edge of the bed and watch him. His sandy brown hair brushes against his forehead. He wears his hair longer than Colt’s, just as messy though. The look suits him. It’s very California surfer. I have no idea why my fingers itch to brush the hair back from his face. I clasp my hands in my lap instead, stifling the urge I feel.

Reis peeks one eye open at me. Then he suddenly pulls me down next to him, snuggling me in against his side. He releases a comforting sigh in my ear. “That’s better.”

As soon as I settle in against his body I feel something stiff at my back. “Ew! Reis!” I jump up off the bed, the comfort I felt interrupted by his rigid body. Gross!

He chuckles and opens his eyes, shifting on the bed to pull the sheet over his waist. “Calm down. I can’t control it.” He’s not the least bit embarrassed.

I roll my eyes and pick up his jeans off the floor. “Put these on.” I toss them at him.

He shuffles out of bed, stepping into his jeans one foot at a time, while I desperately try not to notice the intrusion in his boxers. Gah!

He chuckles again at seeing my discomfort. “Relax, Taylor.” He slips a T-shirt over his head. “I take it you’re not here for a run this morning, considering the state you were in last night.”

“Yeah, about last night…” I fumble with the hem of my shirt.

“Stop. You don’t need to worry. I enjoyed taking care of you. That’s all. Okay?” He steps closer, closing the distance between us. “You feel better today?” His eyes are gentle and probing.

I can do little more than stand there, numb, and nod.

“Good. You want to go get pancakes? You’re probably starved.”

“No, not at that place again. Please.”

He studies me for a second while slipping on his shoes. “That was one of Colt’s girls, wasn’t it?”

I nod.

He hisses a breath out through his teeth. “Damn him. I knew it.” He shakes his head. “If you were mine, there wouldn’t be any of that shit to worry about.” He takes my hand before I have the chance to respond. “Come on.”

Colt

Bria bends seductively at the waist, reaching to the ground to remove her shoes. I tear my eyes away and flip through the papers on the desk. She releases a deep moan in the back of her throat and my eyes flip back to her. She slides the sandals from her feet slowly, one at a time, depositing them by the door. My eyes travel up her legs, then linger on her ass. Black thong today. Damn.

She clears her throat, catching me in the act. I quickly turn back to my work.

She laughs. “It’s okay. You can look.” She comes up behind my chair and places her hands on my shoulders. Her fingertips massage into my neck and scalp.

My eyes drift closed against the pressure. I picture Taylor and my eyes snap open. “Bria, stop.” I stand, abruptly.

She pouts, sucking in her bottom lip.

“I love Taylor.” It spews from my mouth without my permission. I hadn’t even said those words to Taylor yet, and here I was admitting it to Bria.

She shrugs. “Your loss. Again.” She stomps away for her bedroom.

I may not know what I’m doing, but there’s one thing I’m sure of. Falling in love is the quickest way to getting your heart crushed.

My Dad was the perfect example of that. He’d never recovered after my mom’s death. Instead of he’d become a workaholic hell-bent on never feeling a true emotion ever again. I guess I should be grateful that at least Reis doesn’t seem to be following in his footsteps. And I won’t either if I can help it.

Taylor

Reis and Logan sit on the floor of the rec room, battling each other in some zombie video game. MJ and I lounge on the couch alternating between watching the action on their game and having girl talk.  She’d had a case translating sensitive reports from German to Portuguese. When she comments on her absence, I blush realizing I hadn’t even noticed she’d been so wrapped up with the case. I’ve been spending all my free time with Reis.

Despite the hour drive, he’s been here most days after school and stays over on the weekends too. This weekend coming up will be Colt’s third weekend away. His daily phone calls have turned into occasional texts and emails. We’ve only spoke twice in the last week. And even then, I could hear Bria in the background and he cut the conversation short.

Reis drops the controller on the floor. “You killed me.”

Logan smiles proudly.

Reis scoots back against my legs, resting his head on my knees. MJ lifts her eyebrows seductively looking between Reis and I.   I roll my eyes and shake my head. I know MJs thoughts on Reis. She thinks he’s a better choice – less emotionally damaged than Colt, my age, and strikingly normal, without the demands of a fulltime job. That idea is crazy. Even with Colt’s issues, he’s still the one I want.

Reis skims his palm along my calf. His fingertips are feather light and teasing, absently tracing patterns into my skin. It’s innocent, yet sensual at the same time. My heart jumps in my chest. The way his fingers dance over my skin leave a lingering awareness of my ache for Colt, to be touched, held, close to someone. I try to rationalize my reaction, maybe it’s just homesickness disguised as hormones brought on by the too-good-looking-for-his-own-good Reis.

I avoid MJ’s watchful eyes, knowing she’s suspicious of just how close Reis and I are becoming. Over the past few weeks, Reis has become more comfortable around me, his gazes linger longer and penetrate deeper, and his touches and hugs are more frequent. I knew it was all adding up to him having feelings for me, possibly more than a friend, yet I felt powerless to do anything about it. The truth was, I enjoyed his attention. I didn’t want to do anything to stop it.

Instead of looking at MJ and Logan who were now watching me, waiting to see if I’ll stop him, I focus on Reis’ hand slowly massaging my leg.

He gives my leg a playful squeeze, and slaps the top of my foot, breaking me out of the spell. “Let’s go for a run or something.”

“Sure.” My voice sounds thick and unsure.

I follow him out of the room without another glance at MJ. As much as I preached about Colt’s behavior with girls and worrying over him being trustworthy, I knew MJ would call me out for allowing Reis to flirt with me. And I just didn’t want to hear it.

We stop to part at the stairway and Reis waits for me to pass. “Come get me after you change.”

I nod and race up the stairs. I can feel him watching me as I go. Why do I feel like something’s changed between us?

I throw on my shorts, sports bra and tank top and head down to Colt’s room. I push the door open without knocking. Reis stands in the center of the room in his shorts, bare-chested. He’s tan and perfectly toned. Reis smiles at me appreciatively. “Like what you see?”

“Hush.” I brush past him to make his bed while he laces up his running shoes.

I fish the pillows out from under the covers, wondering how someone can get the bed this messy from just sleeping. I straighten the sheet and pull the comforter tight over everything. Satisfied it will do, I stand and turn around to see if he’s ready.

He stands in place, staring at me, his eyes soft and hooded, his mouth slightly open.

“What?” I ask, pulling at the hem of my shorts.

“Sorry,” he chuckles to himself and runs his hand over the back of his neck, “but you have the hottest fucking ass ever.”