15. Chapter 15

To say I'm in shock over this morning's events would be the understatement of the year. Jesus, not only is she dealing with the death of her twin brother, but her boyfriend too. And then there's her cousin. He caused her to lose her closest people, but his death had an impact on her too. Anger courses through me as I think about how he got off easy. He didn't have to pay for his actions.

Talk about a fucked-up situation. This is the shit you see in movies, not actually live it. Fuck, I can't get the image of her defeated body telling me this story out of my head. Part of me has always wondered why Brynn is as wild as she is, and clearly, she"s living to forget the past and the guilt she harbors. I hope she realizes that she deserves more. She deserves to live for herself, her brother, and her high school boyfriend.

She finished telling me the story, wiped her eyes, and then went on like it wasn't the most tragic story I'd ever heard. Brynn wore her signature smile, her mask back in place, and took us sightseeing for an hour. Leaf peeping through the park, watching a few boats on Lake Michigan, and a selfie in front of ‘The Bean,' before she took us on a white-knuckle ride back to her parents' house in her dad's car.

I still can't believe she stole her dad's car.

Actually, I can.

Brinley Wilder is the craziest girl I know, and the more I'm with her, the more I crave her. Her spunk. Her smile. Her wild side. But there's more to her than that. She's passionate. She's caring. And she's a fighter.

We've been back at her parents' house for an hour. Both of her parents were gone by the time we got here. It's been weird. Despite them requiring that she be here, there hasn't been any real conversation between Brynn and her parents. Now I see why she hates coming home. My parents and I don't always get along, but there are always conversations—I might not like what we talk about, but they care enough to speak to me.

I make myself comfortable in the media room, turning on ESPN, while Brynn goes upstairs to start getting ready for the gala. I still have time before I need to change, so I reach into my pocket to pull out my phone. There's a text message waiting for me.

She's not our girl. She's my girl. Mine.

Resting my head across the back of the couch, I let my eyes drift shut.

Sometime later, I'm woken up by a voice clearing. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I see Nadia, their housekeeper, standing next to me.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Mr. Boyd," Nadia begins. "Miss Brinley asked that I let you know that it's time for you to get ready."

Shaking out of my haze, I drag my hand down my face, standing up.

"Thanks. Sorry about that, I didn't realize I had dozed off. I'll head up now," I respond, reaching beside me to grab my trash.

"Leave it, I have to clean in here," Nadia says. She places her hand on my arm as I go to walk past her. "Thank you for taking such good care of my girl. She's a strong one, but she's still grieving."

Placing my hand over Nadia's, I respond "Always will. She's the best. I just wish she would've told me the whole story sooner."

Nadia's lips slightly turn at the corners, and she nods her head. I leave her standing in the media room and head to the guest suite to shower.

The hot water cascades down my body from the rain showerhead. I let the hot water pour over me. Lowering my head, I close my eyes, but my mind wanders to a place it hasn't gone to before, not fully.

With my eyes closed, I picture Brynn in the shower with me. The image conjured in my mind is so clear, it feels real.

Steam billows around her as hot water cascades down her creamy skin that's tinged pink from the heat of the water. My body reacts to the images playing in my head. Keeping my eyes closed, my hand trails down my stomach until I grab hold of my thickening erection. Wishing my hands were Brynn's, I begin stroking my ever-growing cock. She's standing here, the pink shade on her cheeks growing deeper, eyes growing darker with lust, as she watches me pump myself.

Licking her lips, she slowly slides down to her knees. Running her hands up my thighs, she pushes my hand out of the way. Eyes widening at the size of my erection, she brings her heat fueled gaze up to mine, looking at me from under her lashes. A smirk spreads across her lips as she sticks her tongue out, running it across her luscious lips. Keeping her gaze locked with mine, she lowers her chin, taking my cock in her mouth. A moan escapes her, and I feel the humming around my cock. She doesn't stop until I'm hitting the back of her throat. It's impressive that she engulfed my whole length in one go, most girls have to work their way to the base. Her cheeks hollow inward as she sucks me, bobbing her head.

Her gaze finds mine again, and I just stare down at her. Watching her use her hand to rub her sensitive center while she swirls her tongue around the head of my cock. Using my other hand, I grab the back of her neck, groaning at the sight of watching her coming undone while she brings me to the brink of nirvana. She takes me deeper as my grip tightens, and I'm fucking her face.

A guttural groan leaves my lips as ropes of my cum shoot against the tiled wall. Never have I come so hard from fucking my fist. But it wasn't because of my fist, it was because I pictured my best friend down on her knees, taking my dick.

I'm fucked.

Truly fucked with these feelings for Brynn.

Splashing on a dab of my cologne, I take one last look in the mirror. Brynn didn't tell me what to wear, just that I needed to bring something nice that I'd wear for a game. I opted for a pair of black dress pants, a white shirt, a black bow tie, and a burgundy jacket trimmed in black satin. I adjust my bow tie one last time before stepping out into the hallway. Looking up, my eyes immediately look across the landing and find Brynn standing in the other wing.

My mouth dries. Jaw dropping to the floor.

Not only did I just get myself off thinking about her, but there she is looking fine as fuck. Brynn is wearing a short, long-sleeved, gold sequin dress. Her white-blonde hair is curled in waves.

Perfect for me to wrap around my fist while I watch her take me in her mouth.

And those goddamn legs. Her dress is short, and those gold stilettos make her legs stretch for days. The gold of her dress makes her bronze skin look even more sun kissed. I wonder what she would look like with those golden legs wrapped around my waist.

Shit, Q. Stop ogling your best friend.

I need to get laid. As soon as we get back to campus, I'm finding the first girl who will give me the time of day, and I'm burying myself in her until these thoughts of Brynn leave my mind.

We both stand there for what seems like hours, scanning each other from head to toe and back up. I can't get my brain to function. She's officially made me short-circuit.

"Damn, don't you clean up well," Brynn says first, strutting her way toward me. Her hips sway with each step. "I love when you wear this jacket," she adds, running her hands down my lapels.

"You look beautiful, Wilder." I grab her hands from my chest, holding her out to look her up and down one more time.

She pulls her hand away and does a small twirl, which allows me to get a glimpse at the open back of her dress that exposes her minimal script tattoo that runs the length of her spine. It reads "live a life you will remember," and it's the most perfect tattoo for her. Drool collects in the corner of my mouth. Her long, toned body is mesmerizing, especially in this dress.

"My parents are going to die when they see me, but I don't care." Reaching back, she grabs my hand again. "C'mon, we're going to be late."

I let her lead us down the grand staircase. Nadia is dusting in the entryway when she spots us.

"Oh my heavens," she says, clutching her heart. "Miss Brinley, hand me your phone so I can get a photo of you two. Both of you look like you should be on the cover of a magazine."

"Thanks, Nadia, but if anyone is going to be on the cover of a magazine, it's going to be Q when he gets on the cover of Sports Illustrated."

The two of us spend the next five minutes posing in various positions that Nadia instructs. It feels like we are getting ready for prom instead of attending a gala to raise money for The Asher Bryce Foundation—a scholarship foundation that was created in memory of them.

"Okay, there are lots of options, not that you two need options. You're both beautiful." Nadia hands Brynn her phone back, pulling her in for a hug. She whispers something in her ear that I can't make out, but it's enough to make Brynn pull back and kiss the housekeeper on the cheek.

Nadia pulls away and turns to me.

Wrapping her arms around my neck, the older woman pulls me into a fierce hug before she whispers in my ear. "Take care of our girl tonight. Don't let her get too out of control."

I pull back and give her a wink before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek as well. This woman is like a mother to the girl who holds the key to my heart. I'd do anything to make both women happy. Nadia leads us to the front door, opening it for Brynn and me.

Brynn leads the way to another town car where the driver is waiting to open the door for her. I follow her, my eyes staring ahead at her ass. Brynn's got a good ass. I might be her best friend, but I'm still a man who appreciates a good ass. It's curvy and round, but firm. I can only imagine what it would feel like to grab a handful. She enters the open door as I stride around to the driver's side, sliding into the back seat.

As the driver gets back in the car, I watch Brynn reach into her purse, pulling out the same weed pen she had last night. Moving my hand, I grab the wrist that she's holding the pen in.

"Quinton?" she asks, flinging her head to mine.

"Not tonight." I speak softly. "Use me. Let me be your crutch."

She searches my eyes. She must see the sincerity in them, because she places the pen back in her purse.

"Thank you." She nods with a smile.

The two of us ride in silence, both of us looking out the window as the city nears.

"What should I expect for tonight?" I finally break the silence.

She turns to me, twisting her hands in her lap.

"It'll be a lot of the who's who of Chicago, anyone with deep pockets will be there. We'll be sitting at a table with my parents, the Nelsons, and another couple—the table seats eight. Once dinner is over, the band will start. We can dance if you want, but some of us will sneak off and play games."

My brow furrows before asking, "What kind of games?"

She just smirks, patting my leg. "The wild kind."

I have a feeling tonight"s going to be interesting. I'm not sure that I'm prepared for the events that are about to happen.