Bed Head: A Friends to Lovers Romance (Sugar & Spice Book 1) Read online

  “What happened?”

  She shakes her head and bats her brown eyes at me. “Do you have that rum ready?”

  “Of course. I had the bottle out as soon as I hung up with you.” I take her hand in mine and lead her into the house through the foyer, past the kitchen, and over to the open expanse of windows so we can sit and look over the infinity pool. I know it relaxes her.

  Katie flops down, dropping her messenger bag to the floor, before she stretches out on my extra-large sectional and glances around. “I love the mid-century style of this place,” she mutters under her breath as her head flops back and her dark hair falls like a chestnut colored waterfall over the back of the sectional’s arm. A heavy sigh comes out and fills the quiet space of the sitting room. “How could I have been so wrong?”

  Cubes of ice clink in a crystal tumbler as dark hued alcohol fills the glass to the top of three of my fingers. “What were you wrong about?”

  “Luca for one, life in general for another.”

  “What did that prick do?” I grab the double pour of rum off the counter and for good measure bring the bottle.

  My love for Katie is as long as the day, but I need to guard my emotions. I can’t be swept away by her when she’s like this. She needs a friend, nothing more.

  I hand her the glass and place the bottle on the side table. “Okay, why don’t we start at the shallow end of the pool first. Life is maybe a bit too deep for this hour of the night, or morning,” I correct, checking my cell for the time…still night.

  She takes a deep swallow of the rum before she starts. “Luca is sleeping with another woman.”

  “What?” I demand. “Who?”

  She shrugs. “I wish I knew. He kicked me out too—said we need to take a step back,” she mocks in her Luca is so stupid voice.

  “How far back?”

  Her brown eyes go wide. “That’s exactly what I said.”

  Of course it was. I know you, Katie Evans.

  “What a bastard.” I sit next to her. “You want me to kick his ass?” I’m half joking and half not.

  Katie wiggles her toes under my thigh and snuggles down further into the cushions that are piled behind her, while nursing her rum. Her button nose twitches and the adorable freckles on her face dance in the dim lights of the room. “No, but he could have told me on a better night than when I just got fired.”

  My brows raise in surprise. “You got fired?”

  She rolls her eyes. “The owner is just a jerk. Hates women. Like really thinks we all just exist to serve him. He doesn’t care if customers are pigs to women, either.”

  “So how do you know he’s fucking someone else?”

  “My boss Gary?”

  “What? No, Luca.”

  Her head drops back and she blows out a sigh of frustration, places her drink on the side table, pulls a pillow from behind her, and hugs it to her stomach. Typical Kate Evans security move.

  “He told me. Ugh, Luca and I have been together for so long, maybe I just stopped paying attention to his needs. Maybe I suck as a girlfriend.”

  “Oh, hey now, no. That’s not possible.” I rub her calf. “Don’t you dare sink into self-blame. This is his choice. We’ve been together longer and you’ve never stopped paying attention to us.”

  She shrugs and picks at the piping on the corner of the pillow. “But why was his choice to shove me out of his life, with no warning? I’m so stupid. I thought the asshole was going to ask me to marry him soon. I thought he had a ring and everything.” Her hands fly in the air and fall back to her thighs with a smack, before she buries her face in the center of the overstuffed pillow.

  Why would Luca cheat? Scenarios twist through my head, but first things first. I need to get her through this.

  She plucks the glass from beside her and downs the rum. Eyebrows raised she holds the empty glass out to me.

  I ignore her nonverbal request for more booze. “This is what we’re going to do—first, we are not going to get plastered.”

  She scowls, and thrusts the glass at me further.

  I pull it away, holding it close to my chest, and give her my best authoritative glare. “No. Not tonight.”

  “Fine.” She pouts, melting my heart strings. But she never was a big drinker.

  “Second, you’re going to stay here for as long as you need.”

  Katie’s mouth drops open to protest.

  “Nope. I insist. What kind of best friend would I be if I sent you out into this cruel world? Besides, this house is big enough for all of us.”

  She shoots me an inquisitive look. “All of us? Do you have a girlfriend?”

  Is that concern, jealousy, or just teasing I hear in her tone?

  “Adam moved back in last week. So, there’s plenty of room.”

  “Ugh…that asshole,” she moans. “Worse than a girlfriend.”

  “Yes, yes. My brother is an asshole. I won’t argue you there.”

  She stretches out her form, backward over the arm of the chair, using her feet as an anchor and leverage. She arches her back, raising her perfect tits in the air, not too big, not too small—not that I’m looking—and gazes out of the room to the foyer. “Is he here?”

  I clench my jaw. There’s a love/hate relationship between Adam and Katie and that might be challenging while she’s here. “No, he’s out. Probably won’t be back until the morning. So, it’s settled. There’s room and you need a place.”

  A weak smile drifts across her tired expression as she peers out the window to the night sky. “Why do you always take such good care of me?”

  I sigh. “Katie you know this has never been a one way street. After my parent’s died you were there for me every damn day for a year. I honestly don’t know if I would have made it through that time without you.”

  “Adam was there,” she admits.

  “Adam had his own shit to deal with. Don’t downplay how strong you were for me then. Let me be your rock for a while again.”

  Katie gives me a weak smile and glances around. “I do love this house, so staying might not be a bad idea.”

  I open my hand and wait for her to take it. “Come on, let’s get you settled for the night. Get some sleep and in the morning we’ll figure it out together, when things are more clear.”

  She takes my hand and I can feel the beat of her heart through her palm and fingers. I squeeze and she squeezes me back. The sudden memory of a game we played as kids rolls through my mind… One squeeze. Two. Mimic. Repeat.

  I think we did it just to remind each other that we were still there.

  From the living room I lead her upstairs to the open double doors of the guest suite. It’s hers. Designed just for her when she and Luca visit. Guess it will be all hers now. “There’s fresh towels in the linen closet and toiletries in the bathroom, if you want to shower.” My hand rests on the door handle.

  Katie turns to me, her dark eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Thanks,” she whispers.

  “Anything for you, Freckles.” Her cheek is warm and petal soft when I kiss it before leaving her alone, closing the door behind me.

  Not wanting to leave I lean on the closed doors. The hard wood between us muffles the sound, but I can still hear her crying. It breaks my heart. I straighten and clench my fists together. What a piece of shit. I’d like to drive my fist right into Luca’s jaw. How could he do this to her? No explanation, no warning.

  What an asshole.

  Back in the living room, I grab the rum bottle and pour a generous serving into Katie’s glass. The smooth flavor of alcohol hits the back of my throat.

  Maybe I could get plastered.

  No. I need to stay collected for her. I place the crystal tumbler into the stainless steel sink of the wet bar. The cold of the metal on my curled grip seeps up my arms and mingles with the warmth of the rum. I can talk with some of my contacts this week, see if any of them are looking for an interior designer or even an intern. She deserves to have more. She needs to use her degr
ee, get out on her own, as an individual and not Luca’s sidekick.

  Truly I think he was holding her back. He never really appreciated her talents.

  Her messenger bag still waits on the floor where she dropped it. “Holy shit.” I lift it, stunned by the weight; the thing weighs a ton. “What’s in here, bricks?” It’s not even that big.

  I head back to her room and tap out a quick rhythm on the bedroom door, but it brings back no answer. I dip the handle down and ease the door open. “Katie? I have your—”

  Light spills from the hall revealing her petite frame curled up on the bed, her dark locks fanned out over the pillow—she’s asleep in one of my old t-shirts I keep in the room for her. The worn and tattered edge is up over the curve of her hip and the line of her thigh and ass catches my eye. My cock twitches.

  This is no time for thoughts like that about my best friend and I know it. Plus, we have rules. I should leave.

  But I can see that the bathroom floor is covered with used towels and the shower door’s wide open. “Typical.” I set her bag down on the chaise lounge in the corner before I clean up. The wet, plush material dampens my bare arm while I walk from the bathroom toward the doors.

  “Brody?” she whispers.

  My body freezes mid-step. “Yeah?” I croak as if I’ve been caught red-handed.

  “Can you stay? Just lay with me until I fall asleep, please? Like we used to.”

  I’d do anything for you. Those nights we laid together in each other’s arms before her mom got home from work were the only thing I had to look forward to after my parents died.

  “Yep, right here.” I let the towels drop to the floor and the mattress sinks with the weight of my body as I climb in. Katie turns in toward me and lays her head to my propped up chest. Her freshly washed hair smells like vanilla and lavender and my brain spins from the intoxicating scent. The soft movement of displaced air as I fling the comforter over us from the opposite side of the bed sends the perfume deep into my senses. Soon she’s drawing patterns with her fingertips over my sternum through the material of my shirt and my skin prickles under her touch.

  “Remember when we were kids?” Her voice is filled with a syrupy sweet sleepiness.

  My smile turns up my cheeks in the darkness of the room. “Umm, yeah I think I recall it,” I tease.

  “And in the fourth grade, Tommy Nolan cut my ponytail off?”

  I laugh quietly. “Mmm hmm. You looked like a little Dutch boy.”

  The light sting of her hand slapping my chest is harmless. “Yeah, but you were there for me.”

  “I never really cared for that kid. He was a dick.”

  “You’re a good friend, the best.” She yawns.

  “You make it easy, Freckles.” Katie is as natural to me as oxygen.

  “Can you do that to Luca…what you did to Tommy Nolan?”

  I smirk. “Oh…now you changed your mind?”

  Her cheek rubs against me as she adjusts to a closer, warmer and more comfortable position. “Not really, but then let’s go back to those days, before bad stuff happened.”

  I know she’s talking about my parents dying in that horrible accident. She was always there to get me through that. She’s still there for me on my bad days, too.

  I stroke her hair. “I wish it were possible.” If only it were.

  In not more than a few seconds her breathing regulates, and I’d love to stay, but instead, I slip out from under her arm and cover her back up with the comforter.

  I gaze down at her incredible face. “What am I going to do with you, Freckles?”

  She doesn’t stir and I gather the wet towels from the floor over my arm before leaving the room and drop them off in the laundry.

  Back in my own room, I’m fully aware that the chances of me sleeping tonight are next to none.

  Three

  Kate

  I blink my eyes open from my groggy state to my phone buzzing on the side table.

  Luca’s stupid smiling face stares at me as the phone vibrates. Did he run right out to the wireless store to buy a new phone and transfer the number after I left?

  “Why didn’t you just text me, asshole?” I mutter as the phone continues its dance on the table.

  “What?” I pick up the call, annoyed that he has the audacity to even talk to me, let alone wake me up.

  “Where are you?”

  I scoff as I scramble out of bed and head down the hallway to the kitchen. My olfactory nerve alerts me to the nectar of the coffee gods and I’m in dire need of caffeine. “Why do you care? You wanted me out. I’m out. Go call your new girlfriend.”

  “You’re at Brody’s.” It wasn’t a question.

  Luca can’t see me, but the look on my face has got to be a smug one. “What if I am?”

  “Figures. He’s always around, isn’t he?”

  Stunned, I say, “Some men know how to do that. Stay around.” If he wasn’t going to play fair, how could I be expected to?

  “I’m sure he was ready with open arms. Probably already degraded me all over his social media accounts.”

  Um… Luca is the one sleeping around. Not me.

  “He’s not like that, and you know it.”

  He pauses for a second and I consider hanging up on him. “Listen, you didn’t take anything. Don’t you want your belongings?”

  Just when I didn’t think the man could stun me anymore than he did last night. “Are you being serious? What would you like me to do, rent a magic moving van and take it all away within the hour? Do I even get a minute to process?”

  The phone goes quiet.

  “Luca?”

  “I was giving you a minute.”

  I growl in frustration. What an ass. I enter the kitchen to find Brody standing against the edge of the counter, sipping from a steaming cup of what I know must be green tea. He hates coffee. It’s the only thing that pretty much ever makes me question our friendship.

  “Is she moving in today?” I ask Luca.

  Again, the phone goes quiet.

  I swing my bare feet over the floorboards as I sit at the kitchen counter, and wait for his answer.

  “Kate—”

  I say nothing.

  Brody lifts his eyebrows and tilts his head to indicate he has coffee ready for me. I mouth please and thank you in silent exaggeration, before he slides me over a steaming mug filled to the brim.

  “Are you still there?” Luca asks.

  “I was giving you a minute to tell me the whole truth.”

  Luca sighs heavily on the other end. “I can pack a few of—”

  “No,” I snap a bit too loud and too sudden. Brody pops up from the counter edge. “Don’t touch my things. I’ll make arrangements.”

  “I don’t want Brody—”

  “Goodbye, Luca.” I cut him off and end the call. My coffee can’t wait. Bringing the cup to my nose, I inhale the rich aroma of the fresh ground beans. Brody must have run to the store early, because he rarely has coffee in the house unless he knows I’m coming.

  “Katie—”

  I hold my hand up to stop him from finishing his thought. I just need two minutes to be fully absorbed in the caffeinated glory of my morning nutrients. When I set the mug back to the surface of the marble countertop, I look up to his waiting eyes and wink. “Good morning.”

  The smile that quirks at the corners of his lips is delightful. Brody’s blond hair is slightly mussed, but cute all the same. He’s a breath of fresh air and honestly? I’m glad for a little bed head. It means Brody and I can be real around each other.

  “Good morning. Is that all right?” He means my coffee and not my conversation with Luca. “I’m no barista.”

  “It’s heaven. For someone who never drinks this pleasure in life, you make an awesome cup.”

  That winning smile graces his lips again. “You’re going through a rough patch. You should have some creature comforts.” He grimaces and gives me a familiar sideways glance that tells me he knows what’s up,
but doesn’t want to step on my toes. “Do you want some help getting some of your stuff back at the apartment? Not that I was really listening to your very private conversation.” He lifts a brow.

  I was being a little too loud for a houseguest.

  Brody is sweet, but he’s doing enough. I need to do a better job of not imploding his life too. “I’m fine, but thanks. I’m sure you have work or something I’m keeping you from.” I’d love the support, but I need to be an adult, and I’ve already decided to call Lyla to help me out. There’s no way I’m going back to that apartment to look at Luca’s lying face.

  Brody’s mouth droops with disappointment and he turns to grab an apple from the refrigerator.

  Did he want to confront Luca, be my knight in cropped hair and nice fitting jeans? I discreetly check out his ass, admiring it. It baffles me why a woman hasn’t snatched him up like a prize in her pocket yet. He’s perfect.

  “If you change your mind, I’ll be in my office.” Tea and apple in hand, he leans against my shoulder and pecks my cheek. “You may want to put some real clothes on.” His bright green eyes travel over my bare legs. “Adam will be down anytime, I’m sure.”

  I groan. I’m comfortable with Brody, comfortable enough to walk around in panties and a tee with my hair a ragged mess. Adam is an entirely different being. “Yep, let me let this cup up to reach my blood stream and I’ll do that.” He nods and walks down the hallway to his home office, but before he gets far, I say, “Brody?”

  He stops at the office doors and turns. His feet are bare, and his gray button up shirt half tucked. “Yeah?”

  “Thank you, again.”

  He smiles and winks, before he disappears behind the decorative cherry doors.

  Where would I be without you, Brody Taylor?

  Sadly, the bottom of my mug has appeared. Time for one more cup. I pour it and sip pure delight from the rim as I tap out Lyla’s number and walk back to my room.

  “Hey, Kate.” Her words are muffled. She’s most likely devouring a donut and some ghastly, fast food coffee.

  “Hi. Are you headed to work or class?” I quietly close my door.

  She gulps before she answers. “Early class and then off for the afternoon. What’s up?”