Beautiful Mess (20 page)

“Please,”
Bri breathed as her mouth eagerly found his.  They didn’t say another word
for a very long time.

December
arrived, and with it came the beginning of competition season for Bri and
basketball season for Cole.  Bri’s dance practices were grueling, and her
night practices had been extended to four hours.  Cole also had long
practices every day after school, and games on Fridays.  Between their
hectic and conflicting schedules, it was hard for them to find a lot of time to
spend together.  Even their Tuesday night study sessions had been put on
hold until things calmed down a little.  They would talk every night, and
sneak a few texts during the day, but it wasn’t enough.  Life at school
was painful, and if they didn’t find some time to be together soon, they were
both going to go crazy. 

Bri
was in hell.  Having to watch Cole being fawned all over by Serena was
killing her.  To his credit, though, Cole never returned any of Serena’s
affections, and was actually pretty aloof with her.  But still, having to
watch them together at lunch and in the halls really sucked.  Things were
made even worse when Maddie started dating a guy Layla had set her up with,
Corbin Albright, and Bri was now the very awkward seventh wheel in her circle
of friends.  It was hard being sandwiched in between all the happy couples
at lunch, knowing that the other half of her happy couple was across the
lunchroom with Serena, pretending he didn’t notice Bri at all.  Things
really
sucked.

And
finally, to top everything off, Layla, bolstered by her success with Maddie and
Corbin, decided she needed to find a guy for Bri.  She began trying to set
Bri up with some of Devon’s friends, and didn’t understand why Bri so
vehemently refused.  Finally, to shut Layla up and give herself a
reprieve, Bri gave in and agreed to go to the upcoming Winter Formal with one
of Devon’s friends from the football team.  She felt guilty about it, but
she and Cole had already discussed the dance, and decided that going together
wouldn’t be the best way to stay under Serena’s radar.  So she figured
Cole would understand, even if he wouldn’t be happy about it.  Heck, Bri
wasn’t happy about it, but she knew there wasn’t much to be done about the
situation.  Who knew, maybe her going with another boy would precipitate
Cole’s let-her-down-easy plan, and force him to confront Serena, and tell her
to back the hell off.  Because it was obvious that Serena still claimed
Cole as hers, even though he’d broken up with her.  It was beginning to
feel like a hopeless situation.

The
only thing saving Bri’s sanity was Ceramics.  Even though they couldn’t
kiss, they could at least talk and be close to each other.  And
touch.  A brush of a shoulder, the squeeze of a hand.  Not anything
overt, but it was better than nothing.  Bri looked forward to it every
day.

“I
have a proposition for you,” Bri murmured to Cole on Friday.  They were
both working at the wheel, and surprisingly, had a little privacy.

“Mmm,
what kind of proposition are we talking about here?” he grinned rakishly at
her.

“Not
that kind,” Bri laughed, blushing.  “My dad and Summer are going out
tomorrow night, and I told them I’d watch the boys.  I was thinking that
if you wanted to come help me babysit, we could put the twins to bed early and
have the whole house to ourselves for a while.  What do you think?”

“And
your dad is okay with the two of us alone together all night?” Cole asked
skeptically.  “Or is this one of those I sneak in through the window after
they’re gone kind of things?”

“Of
course not!  I told my dad I was inviting you over, and while he wasn’t
exactly thrilled, he couldn’t get too upset because we are just friends as far
as he knows.  Who knew this whole secret relationship thing would come in
handy!  I told him it’d be just like Layla coming over to help me.” 
She grinned triumphantly.

“Whoa! 
You and Layla get together and make out now, too?  Why didn’t you tell me,
and more importantly, can I come next time?”

“No!” 
Bri smacked his arm, leaving a clay smudge on his exposed bicep.  “Layla
and I do not make out, you perv!” she laughed.  “So, are you coming?”

“Hmm,
some time alone with my beautiful girl, who I’ve been dying to hold and kiss
all week?  Hell yeah, I’ll be there!  Angry, rabid wolves couldn’t
keep me away!”

“Good! 
Bring your swimming suit.  It’s supposed to be warm tomorrow, and nothing
wears my brothers out like the pool.”

“Oooh,
and a bikini!  My weekend just got infinitely better!”

Cole
rang the doorbell on Saturday night, and Bri’s dad answered the door.

“Cole,”
Conner greeted him warily.

“Mr.
Donnelly,” Cole nodded.  “Nice to see you again.”

Connor
eyed Cole as he let him in.  “Summer?” he called.  “We’d better get
going.  We’re going to miss our reservation.”

Bri
came bouncing out of her room.  “Cole!  I’m glad you could come,” she
said in her friendliest tone.  She didn’t want to give her dad an excuse
to change his mind about letting Cole stay.

“Hey,
Bri!  I hope you don’t mind, but was I hoping you could help me with some
math homework tonight, since we didn’t get to study this week.”  Cole winked
at her, letting her know he could help keep up the charade, too.

“Of
course.  Come on in.”  She led him to the den, where he was instantly
assaulted by two three year olds.

“Cole!”
the boys screamed in unison as they tackled him to the ground.

As
the three boys wrestled, Bri walked back to her dad and stepmom in the
entryway. 

“Alright,
Pumpkin, we’re taking off.  Call us if you need anything.”  Connor
looked uncertainly into the den.

“We’ll
be fine.  You two have a good time!”  She all but pushed her dad and
Summer out the door.

“We’ll
be home by eleven.  Remember, the boys need a bath, and bedtime is
eight-thirty.  Oh, and don’t let them eat too much sugar or watch too much
TV.  There are some carrot sticks and string cheese in the fridge if they
want a snack.  Oh, and...”

“Summer,”
Connor interrupted.  “Bri knows how to do this, the boys will be
fine.  Now, can we go please, before we’ve no other options but fast food
for dinner?”  Summer nodded and walked out the door.  “Love you,
Sweetie.”

“Love
you, Dad.  See you later.  And try not to let her worry.  I
can’t possibly ruin the boys in one night.”

She
shut the door behind her dad and watched his car pull away, before heaving a
sigh of relief and heading into the den.  Cole had one boy attached to his
leg, and the other on his back.  Bri couldn’t help but laugh at the sight
of them.

“Alright,
Monkeys,” she got the twins’ attention.  “Who’s ready to go swimming?”

Both
boys screamed excitedly, and Bri hustled them off to their room to get their
suits on.  She sent Cole to the bathroom to change, and then went to put
on her favorite black bikini.  She smiled as she remembered how much Cole
had liked it that summer.  When she got outside, the boys were already in
their water wings and chasing Cole around the pool.  Cole caught sight of
her standing by the pool watching them, and swam over.

“Damn,
girl!”  His eyes took her in head to toe.  “I’m not sure I’ll be able
to keep things on a “friendship only” level with you looking like that!” 
He smiled at her appreciatively.

Bri
smirked and slid into the water next to him.

“Well,
if you’re lucky, you won’t have to,” she whispered before dunking him under the
water. 

They
spent the next hour playing with the boys in the pool. Then Bri pulled her brothers
out, got them in the tub, and ready for bed.  She made them a frozen pizza
for dinner, which she knew Summer would disapprove of, and it was time to say
goodnight.

“But,
we don’t want to go to bed,” Logan whined.

“Yeah,
we want to… play with Cole,” Liam managed to protest through a huge yawn.

“Tell
you what,” Cole looked at the boys.  “If you two go to bed for your
sister, and stay in bed, I’ll get you tickets to my basketball game next
Friday.  Does that sound like a deal?”

“For
reals?” Liam asked excitedly.

“You
promise,
promise?”  Logan eyed Cole seriously.

“I
promise
promise.  But only if you two squirts stay in bed and go
right to sleep.”

“Okay!”

“Goodnight,
Cole!”

Liam
and Logan gave Cole a hug, before running off to bed.

“I’ll
go tuck them in, and then I’m going to change real fast.  Why don’t you
get changed and then find us a movie to watch or something.  There’s a
pizza in the oven for us, too, and feel free to grab you a drink.”

After
putting the boys to bed, Bri changed out of her suit and into a pair of yoga
pants and a tank top.  She walked out to find Cole waiting for her in the
kitchen.  He immediately crossed to her and pulled her into his arms.

“Mmm,
I’ve missed you,” he whispered. 

“I’ve
missed you more,” she replied before finding his lips. 

Breathless,
she pulled back.  “Ready for dinner?”

“If
you are dinner, I am going to be the happiest man alive!”  Cole grinned.

Bri
just shook her head, and dished them both up some pizza.  They ate in the
den, snuggled up on the couch, while they watched TV.  When they were
done, Bri took the dishes back to the kitchen.  When she returned, Cole
was watching her intently, and her heart picked up.  She switched off the
main overhead light, and turned on a small side lamp, giving the room a dim
glow.  She sat back down next to Cole, and he turned off the TV. 

They
sat staring at each other for a moment, Bri’s pulse pounding. 

Cole
lifted his hand to stroke her hair, and then cupped her neck with his hand.
 “Ambria,” he breathed her name, before his lips descended on hers. 
He kissed her slowly, savoring her.  His hands explored the curve of her
neck, her shoulders, her arms, down her waist, and rested on her hips. 
With a slight lift, he pulled her onto his lap.  Bri trailed her hands up
his chest and into his hair as their kissing intensified.  Cole let out a
deep moan as he laid her back and trailed kisses down her neck.  He laid
over her, and it was Bri’s turn to moan as he kissed along the neck of her tank
top, up the other side of her neck, to her ear.

“Ambria,”
he whispered, and Bri loved the sound of her name on his lips.  “Will you
do something for me?”

“Mmm,
depends on what it is,” she whispered back, threading her fingers into his dark
hair.

“Will
you tell me about your tattoo?”  Cole sucked on the delicate skin right
behind her ear.  A shiver of pleasure raced through her.

“Um,
right now?” Bri asked, not wanting him to stop.

“Right
now.”

“Really?” 
She pulled back to look at him.  “You’ve got me right where you want me,
and this is what you ask?”

“Well,
if I asked you to get naked, would you?”

“No!” 
She couldn’t help blushing.

“Then,
yes, I want you to tell me about your tattoo.”  He sat up, pulling her
with him.  “And just so you know, we’ll get back to the whole naked thing
later,” he teased, before kissing her quickly.  “Alright baby, whenever
you’re ready.”  He sat back and looked at her expectantly.

“You
know, I never
actually
agreed to tell you anything,” Bri looked at him
dubiously.

“Bri,
I have waited for you to be ready to tell me for months.  I have been as
patient as I can.  I know this is a big deal for you, but if you can’t let
me in, I don’t see much hope for us.”

She
sat silently for a moment.  Cole was right.  If she couldn’t be open
and honest with him, what kind of relationship could they have.  He had
begun to open up to her, it was only fair that she do the same.

“I
got it when I was fourteen,” she began quietly.  “I guess you could call
it the final act of my juvenile delinquent phase.”

 Cole
looked at her disbelievingly.  “You, a juvenile delinquent?  I don’t
believe it.”  He shook his head and laughed.

“Well,
I wasn’t out smoking pot or stealing cars,” Bri clarified.  “It was mostly
skipping class, and hanging out with kids that my dad didn’t approve of. 
I admit, my hoodlum days were pretty tame, but it was a big deal for me, and my
dad didn’t know what to do with me.”

“So,
what brought on this small bout of defiance?  No offence, but you don’t
seem the naturally rebellious type.”

“No,”
she laughed softly.  “It was mainly the fact that my dad started dating
Summer.  My mom hadn’t been gone very long, and it felt, to me anyway,
that he was just brushing her memory aside and moving on without a second
thought.  A new city, a new house, a new girlfriend.  A new
life.  I know I was young and didn’t fully understand, but I felt like he
was betraying my mom, and by extension, me.  It made me angry. 
That’s when my friend Rosa and I decided to stop caring about what our parents
thought.”

“Rosa? 
The one who taught you how to knock a guy out?”