The Sweetest Scent Part 22

"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.

"What?" Bro was stunned, and this time he did get up. "You're bulls.h.i.+tting me."

Lacey shook her head, grinning. "Nope. It's the G.o.d's honest truth." She made a cross over her heart.

Bro closed in on Lacey, a storm of concern brewing in him. "What the f.u.c.k is he doing there? Is that gay-bas.h.i.+ng d.i.c.kwad stalking you or something? Did he hurt you?"

"Easy, love. Calm down." Lacey planted a kiss on Bro's lips, and the gesture did go a long way to rea.s.suring him. "Deacon may have been a bully back in high school, but he was okay today. Well...."

"Well-what?" Bro insisted.

"He sure was surprised to see me. He was carrying this stack of papers, but when he saw me, he dropped them all on the floor. He was all red in the face while he helped me and Parker gather everything back-"

"Who the heck's Parker?" Bro interjected, confused.

"Hmm? Oh, right, Parker." Lacey blushed, and Bro had a bad feeling. "He's this guy I met at the admissions office. He's second year. He's fun and smart and-"

"And hot?" Bro bit his lower lip hard, trying to prevent himself from succ.u.mbing to a jealous temper tantrum, though he really wanted to let go.

Lacey blinked and looked a little hurt, but also a little guilty. "I guess, yes. But I'm not into him, or anything. I'm with you." There was a question in her eyes, doubt, and even fear.

Bro couldn't have that, and then he felt guilty. "Yeah, I know you are. I'm sorry. I got a little jealous." He smiled encouragingly. "Tell me about him. And Rake."

Relief and joy lit up Lacey's face, and Bro knew he'd made the right call in not letting his negativity run amok. "Parker plays the piano, and he's totally into jazz. Peabody has a big jazz program. Deacon plays the drums."

Bro snorted sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "Well, that's original." He was unable and unwilling to forget how badly the guy had treated him in high school. In his eyes, Deacon was a bully and always would be.

Lacey looked pensive, frowning. "Maybe it's therapeutic for him. Kind of like boxing. Percussion instruments can help relieve stress, or so I hear. It's nothing to sneer at."

"I wasn't!" Bro countered, his voice rising.

"Of course you were," Audrey cut in adamantly, accepting no quarter, and then took Lacey's arm and guided her to the couch, where she questioned Lacey in a soft, conspiratorial tone, "So, this Parker guy? What's he like?"

Lacey smiled, and Bro gritted his teeth, surprising even himself with the intense jealousy he felt. "Parker's a posh GQ-model type with bleached blond hair, angular features, and a silly British accent. He's s.e.xy as sin and flirty as h.e.l.l. And he's gay too."

By that point, Bro couldn't listen to any more. He whipped around and stomped off to his own room. At least he succeeded in not slamming the door shut as hard and loud as he wanted. His brain itched, his palms were sweating, and his belly was wound tight in knots of uncertainty.

Was Lacey gonna choose that s.e.x-on-a-stick new guy over him?

With the way Bro had been acting, it was a definite possibility. He exhaled heavily, trudged to his bed, and fell down on the mattress on his stomach, burying his face in the pillows and groaning out his frustration.

All these doubts about the solidity of their long-distance relations.h.i.+p were nagging at him. And yet he felt silly about it since Lacey was in actuality only an hour or so away, and she came back here every night. So it wasn't really a long-distance relations.h.i.+p, was it? So... why did it feel like he was losing her?

A soft knock came from the door, and Bro knew who it was. "Come in."

Lacey snuck in timidly, and Bro hated to see her act so skittish. "Bro, I-"

"No, wait." Bro got up and went to her but kept a discreet distance so as not to touch her accidentally. "I'm sorry. You had a great day, and I'm being a total a.s.shole. I'm sorry."

Lacey threw her arms around his neck, and with a contented sigh, Bro hugged her back.

"Parker flirted with me a lot," Lacey admitted, "and I was flattered, but the only thought in my mind was that he wasn't you. I missed you."

They may have seen each other that morning, and it wasn't even very late yet, but for Bro it was as if they'd been apart for weeks. "I missed you too." Then he took a deep breath, knowing this was something they needed to talk about. "Listen, babe. We need to talk."

Lacey pulled back abruptly, her eyes wide in shock. "You're breaking up with me?"

"Jesus, no!" Bro embraced Lacey again and tenderly nuzzled her cheek. "Absolutely not. I'm not giving you up without a fight. If Parker or anyone wants you, they'll have to take you over my dead body. And even then, I'll come back as a zombie and chew their wieners off."

Lacey was shaking in his arms, and he stroked her back soothingly, scared. But then he heard her helpless giggles and relaxed. "G.o.d, their wieners? And you wonder why I love you so much?"

Bro smiled against Lacey's strawberry-scented hair and inhaled. As he grew more at ease, the topic didn't seem so tough to face after all. "This is just the first day you've been there. I've gotta grow a set and take your daily absence like a man. I can't keep getting this whiny and b.i.t.c.hy just because you met a guy." He paused, but then added with a growl, "A guy I don't like at all."

Lacey kissed his cheek and jaw. "You haven't even met him. Parker's a pretty great guy. And he made sure I was never alone with Deacon."

That made Bro step back swiftly. "Rake followed you around all day?"

Lacey gave him a mock reproachful glare. "Come on, Bro. As a first-year student, he had the same orientation I did. You can hardly fault him for that."

Bro shook his head, equal parts miffed and baffled. "I just don't get it. What is it you see in that guy worth forgiveness, let alone redemption? Don't you remember how he used to treat us? The name-calling, the shoving. He dislocated my f.u.c.king shoulder at football practice, and-"

"My dad's in AA."

Bro was taken aback by the strange non sequitur. "What's that got to do with anything? You father's a-"

"Bro!" Lacey chastised softly. "What my Dad was-a mean-spirited, violent drunk-is hardly the point here. He's changed. He's trying to better himself, to wean himself off the sauce. If he can change, anyone can. As far as Deacon's concerned, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"And if he starts his bulls.h.i.+t again? What if he gets physical and hurts you?"

"Then I'll talk to the dean and the police and get him arrested." Lacey reached for Bro again, and he went obediently, like a slave with no will of his own. His girlfriend's magnetism was too strong to resist. "You do remember in the spring at the mall when he apologized for his actions?"

"Too little, too late." Bro lifted his chin in defiance; he didn't want to back down on this issue. He didn't want that jerk anywhere near Lacey, but apparently he had no choice in the matter. Didn't mean he was gonna bend over and take it, though.

Lacey smiled sweetly and gave Bro an Eskimo kiss, rubbing her nose gently against his. "We could all use second chances sometimes, love. The whole time he remained close, but he didn't once invade my privacy or violate my personal s.p.a.ce, or anything. In fact, it looked like he was more afraid of me than I was of him. I don't think he wants anyone to know the kind of person he used to be in high school. Maybe he's trying to make a clean break from his past. You know, kids fall into these predestined roles and groups in high school. The nerds, the stoners, the cheerleaders, the bullies, the jocks."

Why did she have to make so much sense? Bro wanted to grumble but couldn't. Not in the face of Lacey's reasoning and understanding. And she'd deliberately added the last group there, just to get at him. And it f.u.c.king worked too.

"You think I'm being too judgmental. That I don't think Rake could actually change."

Lacey chuckled a little, watching him with her serene, twinkling eyes. "There are only two constants in the universe. Balance and change. Everything tries to find the right balance to keep going, and everything changes."

"Everything changes but you...." Bro sang a line from a recognizable pop tune.

Lacey stared at him flabbergasted, with her jaw hanging open. "You didn't just quote 'Take That' lyrics at me, did you?"

Bro laughed, and shrugged, all mellow. "Maybe. You'll never pry the truth from these lips."