Chapter 17

CHAPTER17

She should probably stop thinking about Bryce, Cayley decided as she rolled over onto her other side and faced the wall, only to sigh when she thought about the look on his face when she asked him why he wasn’t married.

To be honest, she’d always thought he’d be married by now with at least a half-dozen adorable little boys that loved to glare just like his father, but then again, he would probably have to date someone for more than three months to make that happen. Bryce barely dated, and when he did, it was never for long. She’d always wondered about that, not that she would ever admit that she thought about him because she knew better. He couldn’t stand her and she…had no idea why she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

That, of course, turned into her wondering why Sean was walking into her room, glaring at her every step of the way. “You left me to die!”

“It’s late,” Cayley pointed out, watching as he stopped next to the bed so that he could fold his massive arms over his chest while he glared accusingly down at her.

“I demand that you tend to me while I’m on my death bed,” Sean said, gesturing for her to get on with it.

Biting back a sigh, Cayley reached up, grabbed hold of his shirt and yanked him down so that she could slap her other hand against his forehead. “You’re fine,” she said, releasing him so that she could snuggle back under the comforter.

“Fine? I have the fucking sniffles, woman!” Sean snapped in outrage as she lay there wondering, not for the first time, why she didn’t settle on one of his brothers to be her best friend instead. It would have made her life so much easier if she’d picked Johnny or Brian.

God, what she wouldn’t do to have Brian as her best friend.

“Go home. You’re fine,” Cayley murmured around a yawn, beyond exhausted. Between the Winter Festival, which she’d been given a lifetime ban from thanks to the annoying bastard pouting down at her, and dealing with Kevin tonight, she was done for the day. She just wanted to close her eyes and pretend that this day never happened, but unfortunately for her, Sean had other plans.

“How can you be so heartless? I’m dying!”

“You’re fine,” Cayley pointed out, yet again.

“Fine? I have the fucking sniffles!” Sean snapped, reaching down to steal her pillow and leaving her with no choice but to glare up at the annoying bastard.

“Why are you like this?” Cayley demanded, moving to grab her pillow away from him, but he simply held it out of her reach.

“Because you won’t take care of me!”

“Go home, Sean,” Cayley said, deciding that she’d had enough for one day as she turned over and closed her eyes, only to go still when she felt it.

“Please tell me that you’re not doing what I think you’re doing,” Cayley said, telling herself that she was wrong and that he wasn’t really crawling onto her bed.

“I’m making it easier for you to take care of me,” Sean said with a satisfied sigh as he dropped down on the bed next to her.

“We talked about this,” Cayley said as she opened her eyes and turned over to glare at the large bastard that knew that she liked her space.

“And yet, I’m still staying,” Sean said, shifting to get more comfortable.

“I need to get up early for work,” Cayley said, knowing that trying to argue with him would be a waste of time and moved on to physical violence.

“And that’s more important than our love?” Sean asked, not really sounding all that concerned as she did her best to shove him off her bed.

“What love?” Cayley demanded as she continued trying to shove the large bastard off her bed, but God, was he freaking heavy!

“Exactly!” Sean snapped as he shifted onto his side and closed his eyes on a sleepy sigh. “You may tend to my needs now.”

“There is something seriously wrong with you,” Cayley said, sighing heavily as she grabbed a pillow and headed to the living room, resigned to sleeping on the couch tonight.

“Where are you going?”

“To get some sleep,” Cayley said, praying that he took pity on her and left her alone so that she could pass out in peace.

“Can you get me some ginger ale first? I’m ever so thirsty!” came the hopeful demand that had her mumbling, “Fine,” as she tossed her pillow on the couch and headed for the kitchen, only to roll her eyes when he added, “And chicken soup!”

Regretting her decision not to smother him with a pillow when she had the chance, Cayley grabbed a can of ginger ale out of her fridge before shifting her attention to finding a can of chicken soup. Once she found what she was looking for, she turned around and headed back to her bedroom and tossed both cans on the bed with an absently muttered, “Bon appetite,” before she turned around and headed back to the living room and-

“This doesn’t have noodles!”

-grabbed her phone off the kitchen counter and headed to the couch only to keep going when he yelled, “Why don’t you love me?” right around the time that she decided to go find somewhere else to sleep for the night.

* * *

He was playing a dangerous game,Bryce thought as he dipped his head beneath the hot water pouring down on him as he placed his hands against the wall while he tried to get his mind off the small woman living across from him and-

He wanted her.

Christ, did he fucking want her. For so many years, he’d told himself that he needed a fucking break from her, pretended to ignore her, but he was always aware of her. He knew the exact moment that she entered a room and felt lost every time she left. It was fucking torture. Some days, Bryce thought that he would lose his fucking mind and other days…

He remembered the look on his father’s face when his mother destroyed him.

No matter how much he tried, Bryce couldn’t get the image out of his head, the way that he watched as four simple words shattered his father’s world. He remembered all the nights that followed as he struggled to keep it together for his brothers and sister and the mornings that nearly destroyed him. He remembered needing Cayley so fucking badly, but she wasn’t there.

One day, it was his hand that she’d held and his lap that she climbed on when she wanted to read a book, and the next, Sean was dragging her everywhere, making her smile, and he-

Never got over it.

Christ, he was pathetic, Bryce thought with a humorless laugh as he shook his head, wishing like hell that he was able to get over it, but she’d fucking destroyed him and she’d only been six years old at the time. He couldn’t imagine just how fucking badly it would hurt if she did it now.

He should end this now and walk away before it was too late, tell Rory that he didn’t want the house, break his lease, and put as much space as he could between him and the small woman that had a hold on him. It was the right thing to do, but right now, he didn’t want to do the right thing.

He wanted Cayley.

This wasn’t going to end well, but even knowing that didn’t stop him from reaching between his legs and wrapping his hand around his cock and-

Turning the hot water off when he heard movement in the other room. Resigning himself to whatever bullshit one of his brothers was about to put him through, Bryce waited until his erection was a thing of the past before he climbed out of the shower and dried off. He pulled on a pair of boxers and opened the bathroom door only to find the woman that he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about curled up in his bed.

Without bothering to open her eyes, Cayley held up her phone for him. Curious, Bryce walked over to the bed and found himself frowning when he saw all the deeply disturbing text messages that his brother sent.

“There is something seriously wrong with your brother,” Cayley mumbled as she dropped her phone on the bed and shifted to get more comfortable.

“I’ve been saying that for years,” Bryce said, picking up her phone and placed it on the nightstand by the bed.

“I can see why,” Cayley mumbled sleepily as she reached over and stole his pillow, snuggling in closer to his side while he stood there debating his next move.

After a sight hesitation and telling himself that he wasn’t going to regret this, Bryce turned the light off and crawled onto the bed next to her and nearly fucking groaned when she curled up against him and laid her head on his chest with a quietly murmured, “Comfy.”

Feeling himself relax for the first time in a long time, Bryce wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, unable to help but notice just how good she felt in his arms as he closed his eyes, only to open them what felt like minutes later to find his brother standing over them.

Glaring.

“You left me to die!” Sean snapped, only to get ignored by the small woman grumbling as she shifted in his arms. With one last glare at his best friend, Sean turned that glare on him as he gestured for Bryce to move over.

“Not fucking happening,” Bryce said, shaking his head as he tightened his hold around Cayley.

Sighing heavily, Sean walked around the bed, yanked the covers back as he climbed onto the bed, and-

“Ooomf!”

“We talked about this,” Cayley mumbled sleepily as she reached over and shoved Sean off the bed.

“You are the worst best friend ever!” Sean snapped as he stormed off, only to add. “I hate you!”

“He really is high maintenance,” Cayley mumbled as she curled back up in his arms.

“I’ve been saying that for years.”