Obligation, page 6
“Fine. Go.” He stepped aside and held his arm out.
Carissa barged past him and ran down the stairs. Bradley and Cory were still in the living room, talking and laughing. They both looked up at the same time, and Bradley’s eyes widened at the sight of her. She was sure she looked like a hot mess, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything anymore.
“Hey, whoa.” Bradley stood. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She made a beeline for the front door, but Bradley somehow managed to get there before she did.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“You’re in no shape to drive,” he said.
“Yeah, he’s right,” Cory said. He’d stood, too, and now she was essentially trapped between them.
“Then I’ll walk. I don’t care, but I am not staying here.” She attempted to shove her way around Bradley, but he refused to budge.
He held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, calm down. What happened?”
“Nothing.” She crossed her arms, the strap of her bag biting into her shoulder. Her lips trembled with the effort of holding back another wave of tears. She stared in the direction of the kitchen, refusing to look at Bradley or acknowledge her brother.
“Let her go,” Danny said from where he now stood at the bottom of the stairs. “She’s throwing a tantrum, so just let her leave.”
“You’re an asshole,” she spat, losing the fight against her tears.
With all of her strength, she shouldered past Bradley, flung the door open, and raced outside.
Chapter Eight
Bradley glared at Danny, then glanced at the wide open front door. Should he go after Carissa, or beat Danny’s ass for making her cry? He had no idea what happened between those two, but they were very obviously fighting.
“I’m going to go get Tiff. She’ll know how to calm down my sister,” Cory said a moment before he disappeared upstairs.
Danny turned and followed Cory, though Bradley doubted Danny was going to do anything to help Carissa. A split second later, a door slammed shut. Bradley curled his hands into fists, fighting the urge to march up to Danny’s room and give him an attitude adjustment.
Instead, he turned on his heel and went in search of Carissa. She stood next to her car, fumbling with her keys. Oh, hell no. No way was he going to let her drive home. Not only had she been drinking, but she was also very visibly upset, and that was a dangerous combination. He marched up behind her and plucked her keys from her hand.
She whipped around, eyes red and puffy, face tear-stained and blotchy. Yet, she still looked incredibly beautiful. He shook the thought away.
“Give me my keys.” She held out her hand, palm up.
“No. You can’t drive in your condition.”
“Don’t make me hurt you,” she threatened and wiggled her fingers in a give-me gesture.
When he still didn’t hand over her keys, she attempted to snatch them back, but he was much quicker than her. He clutched the keys in his hand and raised his arm above his head. She was a good foot shorter than him, and even if she tried to jump, she wouldn’t be able to reach his hand.
“Give me my keys,” she demanded through clenched teeth. “Now.”
“No.” More than likely, he was destroying any chance he might have had with her, but he didn’t care. He’d much rather her be alive and hate him than dead.
“Please.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I can’t stay here with him. I need to leave.”
His heart splintered at the pain in her tone. “Then let me call you an Uber or something.”
Her shoulders drooped, her bag slid to the ground, and her arms hung limply by her sides. She looked completely broken and defeated. Closing her eyes, tears cascaded down her cheeks, and he wanted nothing more than to wipe them away, to gather her in his arms and tell her everything would be alright.
She sniffled then rested her forehead against his chest. Her soft sobs cut through the otherwise quiet night, and he wasn’t sure how, but his heart shattered even more. What had her and Danny been fighting about?
With a deep breath, he slowly lowered his arm, shoved her keys into his front pocket, and then cradled her against him. She didn’t return his embrace, but that was okay. He didn’t expect her to; he simply wanted her to know that she had a friend in him.
“What the hell happened?” Tiffany darted toward them, her tone full of concern.
“Her and Danny were fighting, and she tried to leave. I took her keys,” Bradley said, not quite ready to release his hold on Carissa.
But then she pulled away and wiped her face with her palms before drying them on her jeans. She looked at Tiffany and frowned. “I really can’t stay here. I’m sorry,” Carissa said.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Tiffany hugged her friend and rubbed her back. “We can leave.”
“I’ll call you an Uber,” Bradley said, leaving the girls alone while he arranged a ride for them.
He wished he could drive them home himself, but he’d been drinking, too. No one in the house was fit to drive, and getting the girls back to campus safely was his top priority. Once he secured them a ride, he slowly wandered back over to them.
“A car will be here in about fifteen minutes,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He glanced down, realizing that he wasn’t wearing any shoes. At least he had socks on.
“Thank you,” Tiffany said.
He nodded.
“C’mon.” Tiffany put her arm around Carissa’s shoulders and tried to guide her back into the house, but Carissa wasn’t being very cooperative.
“I’m not going back in there.” She shook her head adamantly. “I’ll wait out here for the Uber.”
Tiffany sighed and looked to Bradley for help, but he was at a loss, so all he could offer was a lame shrug. Frowning, Tiffany said, “I need to go get my stuff. I’ll be right back, okay?”
Carissa nodded and hugged herself.
“Stay with her?” Tiffany asked him.
“Of course.” When he was alone with Carissa, he said, “Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
Okay then. He wouldn’t push her, even if his curiosity was killing him. He’d assumed her relationship with Danny was rock solid, but he couldn’t have been more wrong, apparently. Despite knowing he was an ultimate jerk for even allowing the thought to enter his mind, he couldn’t deny he was a tad thrilled by this newfound knowledge. If her and Danny’s relationship was on the rocks, he might be able to find a way to wiggle his way in.
He was such a dick. Forcing the idea from his mind, he tilted his head and contemplated his next question carefully. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No.” She shifted on her feet and did a good job of avoiding Bradley’s gaze. “Not physically, anyway,” she mumbled.
Bradley’s eyebrows shot up at her admission. He was relieved to know Danny hadn’t put his hands on her, but he’d clearly caused her other types of pain, and that didn’t sit well with Bradley. No woman, least of all Carissa, deserved to be treated poorly.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Danny,” she said after a moment.
“I can kinda see why you didn’t.” He let out a nervous laugh, but she didn’t so much as crack a smile.
“I never should’ve kissed you.”
His ears rang with her words. “Do you regret it?”
“No.” She exhaled loudly and hung her head. “I liked it. A lot.” She slowly lifted her head and met his gaze.
Her tears had stopped, but she was still visibly upset, so he tried to temper his delight at her confession.
“You’re not mad, are you?” She shifted on her feet. “That I didn’t tell you?”
“I was at first,” he admitted, “but not anymore. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry if this whole thing caused problems for you and Danny. I promise I won’t say anything.”
She let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Trust me, you’re the least of mine and Danny’s problems. And as far as I know, he has no idea what happened last night.”
Bradley nodded and rocked back on his heels, unsure what else to say. He was saved from having to say anything when Tiffany emerged from the house. A moment later, a car pulled into the driveway.
“That must be our ride,” Carissa said.
Once again, he hated that he couldn’t be the one to take them home. His upbringing—and the southern hospitality he’d had drilled into him—had guilt pooling in his gut. The idea of letting them get into a car with a stranger had him on edge.
“If I give you my number, will you text me to let me know you made it home safely?” he asked.
“Sure,” Carissa said. She retrieved her phone and handed it to him. “Here. Put your number in.”
He quickly saved his name and number in her contacts and held the phone back out to her. She took it and slid it into her pocket. Then, with a small smile, she climbed into the backseat of the Uber. Bradley stood outside until the car’s taillights disappeared from his view.
With a heavy breath, he headed inside, which probably wasn’t a smart thing to do when Danny was still in the house. Bradley wouldn’t hesitate to knock Danny on his ass if he so much as uttered Carissa name in front of him.
He opened the door and stepped inside just as Danny rounded the corner into the kitchen. Fully dressed, jacket and shoes on, Danny didn’t say a word to anyone as he strode toward the door.
“Hey, where are you going?” Garrett asked.
“Out.” Danny yanked open the door.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Garrett stood in the middle of the living room, arms crossed.
“Yeah. I need to go blow off some steam.” And then Danny left, slamming the door shut behind him.
“Well, tonight’s been fun,” Bradley said. Exhaustion and worry were weights around his neck.
“It’s usually not like this.” Garrett sighed, raked his fingers through his already messy hair, and sank down onto the couch. “I don’t know what’s going on with those two, but things have been off for a while now.”
Bradley wanted nothing more than to pry every last bit of information he could from Garrett—after all, he was one of Carissa’s best friends—but he wouldn’t invade Carissa’s privacy like that. If she wanted Bradley to know what was going on, she’d be the one to tell him.
“On that note… good night.” Bradley shut himself in his room, set his cell phone on the nightstand, and flopped down onto his bed.
He really wished he knew what was going on, what had caused such a huge fight between Carissa and Danny. Maybe if he knew, he could offer some helpful words of wisdom. Who was he kidding? If he knew, he’d try to exploit the situation to his benefit. Carissa had gotten under his skin, made him want to be the kind of guy he swore he’d never be. Right then and there, he resolved to be her friend and nothing more.
Just as he drifted off to sleep, his phone clucked like a chicken to indicate he had a new text. His brother had changed the notification sound and hadn’t told Bradley. At first, the noise had annoyed the crap out of him, but now he thought it was kind of funny.
He rolled onto his side and blindly reached for his phone. Swiping his thumb across the screen, he squinted at the unfamiliar number. He clicked on it and read the message.
Unknown: Tiff and I made it home. Thanks for everything tonight. I’ll pay you back for the Uber.
Bradley straightened, his heart racing. The message was from Carissa! He quickly saved her number, then typed a response.
Bradley: Thanks for letting me know and don’t be ridiculous. I’m not taking your money.
He yawned and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. Knowing he now had Carissa’s number sent a thrill through him. Not that he could really do much with it—he’d vowed to keep things platonic.
Carissa: You won’t have a choice if I cram it down your throat.
Letting out a surprised laugh, he settled comfortably against his pillows, a huge grin on his face.
Bradley: I’d like to see you try, sweetheart.
Carissa: Still not your sweetheart.
His grin widened, and his fingers flew across his screen faster than he could think about what he was typing.
Bradley: Your loss.
Tiny dots appeared on his screen, then vanished, then appeared again. She was either typing a lot, or typing and deleting and typing something else. He held his breath, waiting and anticipating what she’d have to say next.
Carissa: I’m sure it is. Good night, Bradley.
He stared at the words, unsure what to make of them. Truth be told, he was slightly disappointed; he’d expected something snarky or funny in response. Then again, she’d had a hell of a night. She was probably tired.
Bradley: Good night, Carissa. See you tomorrow.
Carissa: Shit.
Another surprised laugh escaped him, and he shook his head with amusement. If he was confused by her previous reply, he was downright befuddled by this last message. He wanted to send something else, something witty that would hopefully make her smile, but he was at a total loss. So, instead, he let her have the last word.
Chapter Nine
“Hey, Mom.” Carissa walked into the kitchen and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Dinner smells good. What’re you making?”
“Hi, honey. Lasagna with my homemade sauce, fresh garlic bread from the bakery that your father likes, and a salad with veggies from the farmer’s market.” Mom wiped her hands on her apron, then eased it off over her head. She draped the apron across the back of one of the stools that surrounded the small breakfast bar in the middle of the kitchen.
Carissa’s mouth watered, and her stomach grumbled. “Yum,” she said.
Homecooked Sunday dinner was one of the very few benefits of attending college so close to home. Even though she complained about the weekly obligation, and she hated that she couldn’t invite her boyfriend, she secretly liked the tradition.
“Your brother and his friends are outside. So is Cayla.”
Carissa’s heart fluttered at the thought of Bradley being in her backyard. She wasn’t sure what to say to him, or how to act after the events of last night. Danny was right—she had been throwing a tantrum, and Bradley had witnessed the entire, mortifying thing.
“Those two boys… Bradley and Jeremiah…” her mom said.
“Jeremy,” Carissa corrected.
“Right.” Mom smiled. “They’re very nice boys. Extremely polite.” She grabbed a crystal Swarovski vase from the windowsill above the sink and held it out. “Look at these flowers Bradley brought for me. Aren’t they gorgeous?”
Carissa’s eyes widened at the full, colorful bouquet of roses that must have cost a small fortune. “Yeah, they are.” She leaned forward to sniff the flowers. “Need any help with dinner?”
“No, I’ve got it under control.” Mom set the vase back on the windowsill and turned her attention to the oven.
Carissa headed for the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. When she stepped outside, the sun reflecting off the water in the lagoon-style pool nearly blinded her. She shielded her eyes and looked around. Her sister Cayla was lounging on a nearby chair, sunglasses covering her eyes. Was she even awake? Cayla had a bad habit of falling asleep outside. She’d suffered more than one blistering sunburn as a result.
“Hey, sis.” Carissa claimed the empty chair next to Cayla. “How’s school?”
Cayla was a third grade teacher at Harmony Falls Elementary School—her dream job, she’d said when she was first offered the position. Cayla sat upright. “Exhausting.”
Carissa laughed. “Didn’t you just go back?”
“Mm-hmm, and my kids are already running me ragged. I have this one little boy who doesn’t understand the concept of waiting his turn to speak.” Cayla shook her head, but then grinned. “I wouldn’t trade my job for the world, though.”
“I don’t know how you do it.”
Cayla shrugged. “It’s a gift, I guess.” She lifted her sunglasses just enough for Carissa to see her big, brown eyes. “So is that.” Cayla nodded at something behind Carissa.
Turning to look at whatever had Cayla’s attention, Carissa found Garrett, Cory, Jeremy, and Bradley playing basketball on the full-size court Dad had built for Cory shortly after he’d made the high school team.
Carissa’s gaze zeroed in on Bradley. He wore black, Nike basketball shorts and white sneakers. He was shirtless, the gold chain with the cross still secured around his neck, and his tanned skin glistened with sweat. If that wasn’t hot enough, he had a worn baseball cap turned backward. She had no idea why, but something about that look was so sexy, and Bradley owned it.
“You know they’re all my age, right?” Carissa said, forcing herself to stop staring.
“So?” Cayla laughed. “There’s no crime in looking. You have to admit, the view is pretty incredible.” She let her sunglasses fall back down on her face, and she settled in the lounge chair.
Carissa shifted so she could watch the game—or so she told herself. She didn’t care about the stupid game or who was winning. Her sister was right, though. The view was fantastic.
Hoots and hollers sounded from the court, and the guys gave each other high fives. Bradley jogged to the edge of the court, grabbed a water bottle from the ground, and took a long drink. Then he poured the remainder over his head before snatching a shirt and wiping the remnants of water from his face and chest.
Her mouth went dry at the sight, and for a brief moment, she felt like a pervert for staring so intently. There were no doubts in her mind that Bradley was a walking sin, and everything about him tempted her.
Bradley glanced up and caught her ogling him. He grinned, then winked. Her face flushed with heated embarrassment. What she wouldn’t give for a pair of sunglasses right about now. Maybe then she could try to pretend she hadn’t been staring. He gave a small nod in her direction before jogging back onto the court to resume the game.
