Beautiful (25 page)

She snarled her lip. “Ugh, fine, whatever.”

“What was your number one rule you broke with her?” I asked.

“I started falling for her.”

Wow. So, I see the commitment issue is a common thing with Skylar’s brothers.

“So, you started to like her, and that spooked you?”

Skip looked at Skylar like she had just grown two heads. “I don’t get spooked, Sky. I like having fun, and I’m not ready to be tied down to one girl.”

Skylar glanced over to me. With a reassuring smile, I gave her a wink.

“But maybe you haven’t found the right girl. Maybe this girl might have been the right girl?”

With a roar of laughter, Skip reached over and tapped Skylar on the nose. “Sky, I love you, and I love that you’re worried about me finding love and all that shit. I’m really happy you and Wyatt found that with each other. That’s not me though. I’m not ready to settle down. I want to have fun.”

“So, messing around with girls is fun?”

“No. Fucking them is fun.”

“Ugh! Stop that!”

“Why? It’s the truth. Skylar, surely you know I’m not the one-lady type of guy. That was clear in high school when I was out every weekend with a different girl.”

She shrugged. “I guess I just never pictured you as a man-whore.”

It was then I looked around and noticed all the girls looking over at our table. When the one girl with red hair saw me, she smiled and waved. I quickly looked away and focused back in on Skylar.

“If that’s what you want to call it. I’m honestly surprised Mitch has been with Michelle as long as he has been.”

Oh, shit.
This was not going to turn out good with Skip heading to Austin.

“How long will you be in Austin, Skip?” I asked, hoping we could move on from Skip’s promiscuous ways.

“Two days. Dinner with the family, and then if I can get Mitch out for a few hours, grab a movie or something with him.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing could happen in a movie.

“Excuse me?”

We all looked up at the redhead who had just smiled and waved at me. “My girlfriend and I were wondering if you two would like to join us at our table.”

Furrowing my brows, I stared at the girl.

“You two? Who exactly are you talking about?” Skylar asked.

Skip laughed.

“The two hotter-than-hot guys you’re sitting with. I’m sorry. Are you with one of them?”

Skylar’s mouth dropped damn near to the floor.

“Yes! And how rude to come up and do what you just did. Not to mention, it was rather a whore type of move.”

The redhead turned to me and smiled.

I held up my hands and pointed to Skylar. “I’m with her.”

With a pout, she said, “Pity.”

When she turned her attention to Skip, he cracked up even harder. “Baby, I am nobody’s sloppy seconds. Y’all enjoy your dinner ’cause you won’t be snacking on anything at this table.”

Once the girl walked away, I couldn’t help but lose it. Skylar looked both confused and pissed off.

“Jesus. Did that really just happen? Did it?” Skylar asked with a disgusted look.

“Hey, how about a movie?” Skip asked, changing the subject.

Skylar leaned back and folded her arms. “I don’t know. Will you be bringing a friend with you?”

“No! Come on, let’s go fill our faces with popcorn and candy, like we used to.”

“Y’all go on without me. I’m going to head back to Sky’s to study for a bit.”

Skip looked at Skylar and pouted. “Please? I came all this way to see my baby sister!”

“Fine. But I get to pick!”

Skylar dropped me off at her apartment while she and Skip made their way to the movie theater. The assholes who lived next to Skylar were playing their music so loud that I couldn’t even think straight, never mind the girl upstairs who was walking on her treadmill.

“Shit, at this rate, I’ll never pass this test.”

I gathered up my books and tossed them into my backpack. I left Skylar a note saying I was going to the library, and then I headed out to my truck that I’d parked here before riding with Skylar to practice.

Once I made my way to a corner table in the library, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, peace and quiet.”

Looking at my phone, I reached up and stretched. I’d been here for two hours. Opening up my text messages, I saw Skylar had texted me over thirty minutes ago, and I must not have heard it.

Sky: Out of movies. I want pizza!

I quickly responded back.

Me: In the library. Is this a brother-sister thing, or am I invited? And how are y’all hungry already? We just ate BBQ not that long ago.

I waited for her to respond. When she didn’t respond right away, I assumed she was driving.

“Wyatt? Wyatt Smith?”

Glancing up, I saw two girls standing in front of me. One had blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and the other had brown hair that was long and straight. The way they were looking at me instantly had me on guard.

Why do they both look so familiar?

“Yeah, do we know each other?”

Both of them giggled, but the blonde sat on the table, which caused me to push my chair away from her.

“You’re the new quarterback, aren’t you?” the blonde asked as she bit down on her finger.

Why do girls think that turns on guys?

“I am. Is there something I can help you with?”

The brunette walked up closer. “No, but I bet we could help you with something.”

This is not happening. When did women start throwing themselves at men?

“Oh, yeah?” I asked with a forced smile. “What’s that?”

The blonde twirled her hair with her finger while she raked her eyes over me. I’d never felt so uncomfortable in my own skin before.

“Shell and I both love football. Never miss a game.”

I nodded. “That’s…great. Always glad to have fans.”

“Wyatt, we want to have some fun. A little threesome or maybe even get one of your football buddies to join in.”

I was almost positive my mouth dropped to the floor. “Seriously?”

With a wink, the blonde slowly ran her tongue along the top of her teeth. “What’s your phone number, baby? And we’ll arrange the whole thing.”

Other players on the team had warned me about some girls on campus. They would do anything just to say they had slept with a Baylor football player.

“Sorry, ladies, I’m not the least bit interested.”

The brunette laughed. “Not interested? Are you for real?”

Gathering up my books, I stood and started putting them in my backpack. “I’m very much in love with my fiancée, and I have no desire to be with either of you.”

The blonde jumped off the table, wearing a stunned expression.

“Is it safe to say not many guys turn you ladies down?” I said with a chuckle.

“Your fiancée doesn’t even have to find out. It can be just the three of us. I promise, you won’t regret it.”

Stepping around her, I stopped and looked directly into her green eyes. “Oh, I promise I would regret it. Someday, ladies, when you meet a guy you want to settle down with, ask yourself this. How would he answer you if you asked him the same question? Better yet…would you ask him?”

As I walked away, I heard the blonde say under her breath, “Asshole.”

Rolling my eyes, I quickly headed out.

I’d thought, when we’d left high school, these kinds of games would stop.

Pulling my phone out, I called Skylar.

“Hey! I was about to call you and see where you wanted to go for pizza,” she said.

“I love you, Skylar.”

“Um…I love you, too. Is everything okay?”

With a smile, I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “Knowing you’re mine, everything is perfectly beautiful.”

Skylar

Skip and Wyatt hit it off, just like I had known they would.

Wyatt seemed to be very attentive, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the way Skip had been talking earlier or if something had happened at the library. Whatever it was, he made sure to be touching me in some way or another the entire time we were at Shorty’s Pizza Shack.

My cheeks were burning from smiling and laughing so much. I hadn’t laughed this much in a long time. Skip had a way of doing that. I was so happy he was here.

“Are you planning on making the Marines your career, or do you want to get out when your time is up?” Wyatt asked.

“Nah, I think, for now, I’ll be staying in. I’ve had a lot of changes the last few months, and I see a change in my future with the Corps.”

Lifting my eyebrow, I asked, “What kind of change?”

Skip winked. “The kind I can’t talk to you about.”

“Nice,” Wyatt said, tipping the Coke bottle against his lips.

I began to chew on the corner of my lip. “Skip, you’re not going to be doing anything dangerous, are you?”

He gave me a look that made my chest tighten.

“Oh God,” I whispered.

Wyatt took my hand in his. “I’m sure your brother knows what he’s doing.”

“Sky, I don’t want you worrying about me. You concentrate on school.” He turned his attention to Wyatt. “That means you study. Your number one concern is school. Nothing else.”

Moving about uncomfortably, Wyatt cleared his throat. “Why do I feel like that was directed toward me?”

“Because it was,” Skip said with an evil smile.

Reaching across the table, I hit Skip on the arm. “Stop it. Wyatt and I both know our priorities. Hence, the reason we are waiting until after college to get married.”

Skip huffed. “And sex?”

Wyatt choked on his bite of pizza.

“What about it?” I asked. I was not about to let my brother step over the line when it came to my private life, especially with how he lived his own life.

“Are you on the pill?” Glancing over to Wyatt, he pointed. “And are you wrapping your stick?”

My eyes widened in shock. Opening my mouth to talk, I realized I was stunned into silence.

Wyatt got a drink of water and leaned forward, looking directly at my brother as he cleared his throat. “I appreciate the fact that you’re Skylar’s older brother and that you have her best interests at heart. What I need you to understand though is, I love your sister, and I put her happiness first, above all else. Are we having sex? Yes. Is it really any of your business? No, it is not. We both have degree plans set in place, we’ve talked about our future, and we have started making plans. I’m getting my mechanical engineering degree, and Skylar is getting her degree in history, maybe even moving on to law school. We have our priorities straight.”

Skip sat back and stared at Wyatt. I swallowed hard as my eyes bounced between the two of them.

“It takes a lot of guts to stand up to me like that. You know I could kill you, hide it, and never think twice about it.”

“Skip!” I gasped.

Wyatt chuckled. “I’m sure you could.”

“All I ask is that you take care of my sister. Love her and only her. Keep your dick in your pants, and don’t cheat on her. Always keep her feelings in consideration when you make a decision, and never, under any circumstance, ever have public sex.”

“What?” I asked, feeling my face burn. “Why would you even throw that in there?”

With a shrug, he took a bite of pizza. “I’m just sayin’.”

Moaning, I dropped my head to the table and prayed the room would swallow me up.

Skip stayed for the first football game of the season. I was so glad they played at Baylor. Wyatt had made sure I had the best tickets and that we weren’t stuck in the student section. I wasn’t sure how he had done it, but I wasn’t going to argue. I could see him perfectly. I loved watching him play and loved even more seeing him in his uniform.

“So, your freshman boyfriend is starting quarterback. I’m impressed.”

I smiled and felt the pride bubbling up inside me. “They were going to redshirt him, but their starting quarterback got hurt in practice, breaking his collarbone.”

“Wow. That sucks for him, but it’s good for Wyatt.”

I nodded.

We pretty much filled ourselves up with hot dogs, soda, popcorn, and a giant pretzel, and then we topped it all off with nachos.

“I see your appetite is still the same.”

With a giggle, I nodded. “What can I say? I grew up with two brothers.”