19. A Bucket List of Troubles

A BUCKET LIST OF TROUBLES

EVERETT

I stood on Hayes's front porch, my arms laden with snacks, surrounded by my brothers. Willa opened the door, her eyes twinkling with gratitude. This girl was a keeper. She'd called in the cavalry, and we'd all come running.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Willa said, her voice low. "He's... struggling."

My chest tightened. Of course he was. I'd seen the hit Hayes took, replayed the way he laid there on the field like he was never going to wake up in my mind a hundred times since. It could have been any of us.

We piled into the house, and Chris's voice boomed, "Willa called and said we needed to come over and pull your head out of your asshole."

I suppressed a chuckle. Trust Chris to cut right to the chase.

Declan, ever the protective older brother, added his own gruff reassurance. "Don't make me smack you upside the head and give you another concussion. We're here to fucking cheer you up."

Ah, older brothers. What would we do without them?

I made my way to the couch, plopping down next to Hayes. His face was drawn, eyes haunted in a way I'd never seen before. It scared me more than I wanted to admit.

"Alright, little bro." I injected as much cheerfulness into my voice as I could muster. "Time for some good old-fashioned distraction therapy."

Isak queued up Mario Kart, and I watched Hayes closely. The reluctance in his movements, the tightness around his eyes, and the unadulterated frustration brewing just below the surface all showed that this went deeper than just cracking his head. He was scared.

I hated to see that in him. He was our little genius superstar. The best of us all. I might be able to give him love life advice, and had, but I didn't have a fucking clue how to fix this utter dread he was going through.

The best I could do, that any of us could do, was to be here for him.

It worked for a little while too. But I noticed the way Hayes struggled with the controller. His fingers fumbled over the buttons, his coordination off. Each time he died in the game, I saw the frustration building.

It was like watching a pot about to boil over. And when it did, it was explosive.

"Damn it," Hayes growled, throwing the controller down. "This is pointless. I can't even play a stupid video game."

I exchanged a worried glance with Declan. This wasn't just about the game, and we all knew it. I wanted to say something, anything, to make it better. But what? That I understood? I didn't really. We'd all had injuries, but, knock on wood or, rather, our advanced tech helmets, none of us had ever suffered a concussion. Plenty of pulled muscles, a few broken bones, and more scrapes and cuts than you could shake a stick at, but nothing that took us away from playing the game we all loved.

I certainly couldn't tell him that it would be okay. The words felt hollow, even in my own mind.

Chris was the one to speak up. "Hayes, it's okay. This isn't your first injury, kid, and it won't be your last. We've all been there. You're still healing. No one expects you to be at the top of any game right now."

I admired Chris's gentle approach, the way he could find the right words when the rest of us were fumbling. It made me think of our mom, how she always knew exactly what to say to soothe our hurts, big or small. He was going to be a great dad someday.

But Hayes wasn't soothed. His laugh was harsh, bitter. "That's the problem, isn't it? I'm not at the top of my game. I'm not even in the game. I'm just fucking... useless."

The rawness in his voice hit me like a tackle. I saw the tears welling up in his eyes, and suddenly, I was transported back to that hospital waiting room years ago, all of us huddled together, waiting for news about Mom. The same helplessness washed over me. What if we couldn't fix this? What if Hayes never fully recovered?

But then I caught Dad out of the corner of my eye. He'd know what to say and do. His voice cut through the tension. "Okay, boys, I think it's time to call it a day. Let me have some time with Hayes."

As we filed out, I paused by Hayes, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We're here for you, bro. Whatever you need."

The words felt inadequate, but they were all I had. I always thought I was good at helping people with their problems, but I think I was simply good at the fun parts. No one came to me for anything really serious. I was the go to guy for... dating lessons.

And, suddenly, all I wanted was to see Penelope, to hold her close and remind myself of what really mattered.

Family. Love. The precious, precarious present.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, my heart already lighter at the thought of her voice. But she didn't answer. Probably just busy working. She and Kelsey were deep into their super-secret sneaky planning for announcing Kels's next album.

So I sent her a quick text.

Sneak away when you can, and I make it worth your time *winky face*

We'd only been able to steal moments with each other in the past few days and... I missed her. Her reply was simply a matching winky face.

I trudged up the steps to my house, feeling like I'd just played a triple-overtime game. The weight of the day—seeing Hayes struggle, feeling so damn helpless—sat heavy on my shoulders. But as I pushed open the front door, all that weight lifted.

Penelope was there, curled up on my couch, smiling at me like she belonged there. Like she'd always belonged there.

"Pen," I breathed, and suddenly I was across the room, pulling her into my arms.

She came willingly, her body molding to mine as if we were two pieces of the same puzzle. I buried my face in her hair, breathing her in, letting her presence wash away the day's tension. And then her lips were on mine, soft and insistent.

In seconds I had us both naked and slipped a condom on. I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in her. But my sweet Penny was still the slightest bit shy about letting me worship her body. She wasn't hiding it from me, she wasn't covering herself up, but the way her fingers fluttered at her side, and the way she held her shoulders forward like she wanted to wrap her arms across her body, were such obvious signs that I still had some work to do to help her believe she was the most beautiful woman in the world to me.

I felt privileged as fuck that she was comfortable enough to give this much of herself to me when it was so hard for her.

"Tell me what you want, Penny." I ran my knuckles down her chin and then cupped it, rubbing my thumb over her pink lips. "Tell me how I can make you feel like my sweet sex goddess again."

She sucked in a breath, but this one was more excitement than trepidation. The sassy inner confidence I knew she had was winning out. "Have you ever... no wait, I don't want to know the answer to that."

"I probably have. I'm open to just about any kink, babe, especially if it's one of yours."

"Oh, ha, it's not even kinky, I don't think." She bit her lip, but there was a fire in her eyes, and I couldn't wait to hear what she wanted to do. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be bent over a table, or whatever, and fucked from behind."

Holy hell. That's my girl. I spun her around and shoved a hand into her hair, and then did exactly what she'd asked for, bending her forward over the back of my couch. I leaned over her and whispered in her ear, "You want this, Penny, because it shows you exactly how little I can contain myself around you."

I slid a hand between her thighs and stroked my fingers over her pussy lips, teasing her. "You should know it takes all my will power not to do this to you every time I see you."

She squirmed and let out the softest, most enticing whimper.

"Make no mistake, I am feral for you." I drew some of the moisture pooling in her pussy and spread it across my cock. "Every bit of you drives me insane wanting you."

In the neediest whisper, she said, "Show me. Show me what makes you crazy."

I nipped at her earlobe and let out a low growl. With one long thrust, I buried myself inside of her. "I'm feral for this cunt, Penelope."

But this wasn't just about sex. I wanted her heart and her soul for my own too. I gently pulled out and made us both groan with fast, hard thrusts. "I'm crazy about your thick thighs."

Her ass jiggled, and the couch moved each time I drove back into her. "I go nuts even thinking about your plump tits."

We were both breathing hard already, and I could feel her pussy fluttering, squeezing me. But I wasn't done yet. "I want to lick and bite and suck on every freckle, every stretch mark, every fucking inch of your body."

Penelope's soft little moans turned into keening, broken only by her gasps. She was close and so was I. "Every day I don't wake up with you in my arms, in my bed, my heart is ripped out of my chest, until I can be with you again."

The words were right on the tip of my tongue. Those three little words wanted out, but I held them in. I was going to tell Pen that I loved her. But not like this, not when she might think it was only about the sex. Showing her I loved her body and showing her I loved her heart and soul were two different things.

"If you don't come for me, right the fuck now, Penny, I might actually lose my fucking mind." To give her that last little bit to drive her over the edge, I smacked her ass. Hard.

"Oh," she cried out, but that surprise did its job and her exclamations turned into a long, low moan as she came. I could feel her pussy squeezing me over and over. It was so much more than I could handle, because none of what I said was an exaggeration. I was absolutely wild about her.

I lost my rhythm altogether and came so hard, I literally saw stars and was maybe a breath or two from blacking out. I leaned over Pen, sucking in breaths, trying to get my equilibrium back so I could make sure she was okay too.

She started giggling. "I can't believe you smacked my ass like that."

Shit. I definitely hadn't planned that, and it wasn't something we'd talked about before. I should have checked with her to make sure it was something she wanted.

Before I could apologize, she laughed again. "How did you know that was on my sexy times bucket list too?"

"I didn't. But I'll remember it for next time."

Later, we lay tangled together on the couch, and Penelope's fingers traced lazy patterns on my chest. She asked softly, "Want to tell me what you were upset about when you got home?"

I sighed, pulling her closer. "Hayes is... not doing great. And I just... I didn't know what to say to him. I'm the guy who always has advice for everyone, and I couldn't find a single useful thing to say to my own brother today."

Penelope propped herself up on an elbow, her eyes twinkling with gentle mischief. "Well, if you were better at advice, I might have found a date to the Grampys. Then where would we be?"

I let out a laugh, some of the tension easing from my chest. "Maybe I was deliberately giving you bad advice so you'd fall for me instead."

She rolled her eyes and grinned at me, and I knew there was a sassy, snappy comeback headed my way, but Penelope's phone buzzed and buzzed and buzzed. Someone was trying hard to get her attention. She reached for it, her brow furrowing as she read the message.

"It's from Neith," she said, sitting up. "She says there's something brewing on FlipFlop with another influencer."

I sat up too, immediately on alert. "What kind of brewing are we talking about?"

Penelope clicked on the link, and it took her to somebody's account profile page. "Apparently, some guy is starting an exposé series on his socials. This pic says he's targeting what he calls 'fake' body positivity influencers."

Pen swiped and a video started playing. I recognized the guy in the video. "Wait, isn't that the guy from the speed dating event? The one you spilled your drink on?"

Penelope's face paled. "Oh god, you're right. It is Odin. He's changed his handle or this is a new account. And look at the comments—people are already speculating about who he might be targeting. Some are mentioning Kelsey and... me."

My protective instincts flared. "I will fucking eviscerate that axemunch. You're not fake. You're one of the most genuine people I know."

She gave me a weak smile, but I could see the fear in her eyes. "But what if?—"

My phone chose that moment to start buzzing incessantly. I ignored it at first, focused on Penelope, but after the fifth call in as many minutes, I grabbed it. "Multiple missed calls from Declan.

A text popped up and it had a picture attached. I opened it to see what he'd sent and then clenched my eyes shut.

It was us, me and Pen. At the speed dating event. Together.

"Pen," I said, my voice tight. "I think Declan knows."

Her eyes widened as she looked at the picture. "But how—" She stopped, realization dawning. "Odin. He must have taken it. This was at the very beginning, before the event even started. Look."

The implications hit us both at the same time. If Declan had this picture, and it came from Odin...

"He might have already posted something about us," Penelope whispered, her voice shaking. "And if he took this beforehand, this was..."

My mind raced. This could blow up into something bad if we didn't get ahead of it. "We need to?—"

A knock at the door cut me off. We both froze, staring at each other. Through the peephole, I could see Declan. He wasn't mad, but his face was etched with worry. "It's Dec."

Penelope's eyes met mine, panic clear in their depths. In that split second, we had to decide whether to face this together right here, right now.

Which was going to be really fucking hard, considering we were both butt naked.