Jaci Burton - Straddling the Line

She had a great body. Nice curves, long legs, and a great ass.

“Are you going to stand there dripping and ogling me, or are you going to get out of your wet clothes?” she finally asked.

“Sorry. My brain cells sank right to my dick when you started stripping.”

She laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment. In the meantime, I’m going to go to my room and take a hot shower.”

“You don’t want to wait while I undress?”

She actually paused to look him over, then said, “Probably not a good idea. See you later, Trevor.”

He liked that she’d pondered the idea. “Yeah. Later, Haven.”

“I TALKED TO ZANE,” TREVOR SAID BEFORE SATURDAY’S game. “He’s coming out to the game today, then we’ll visit after.”

“Really? That’s awesome. I can’t wait to meet him. Does he need someone to sit with?”

Trevor laughed. “I got tickets for him and a few of his buddies from school. I think he’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I just didn’t want him to sit alone.”

“Trust me, my brother is very rarely alone. He’s plenty social.”

She leaned back in the chair and sipped her coffee, studying Trevor. “In other words, he’s a lot like you.”

“In some ways, yeah. In other ways, we’re different.”

“How so?”

“You’ll see.”

Now Haven was very curious about Zane. “I’m looking forward to it. But first, the game, right?”

He gave her a confident smile. “Yeah.”

She waved at Alicia, who was in team uniform colors near the dugout. Haven snapped a few photos of the team in warm-ups, then made her way to her seat.

Chicago started out with two runs in the first, and the Rivers didn’t answer with any offense for the first three innings.

Haven was worried, because it seemed like the Rivers’ bats were cold tonight. But in the sixth, Henderson singled, and Sanchez doubled him home, getting one run in the sixth. The Rivers tied the game in the seventh on a single home run by Coleman.

But Chicago homered in the eighth, and the Rivers put up no more runs, so they lost a close game. She felt bad for Trevor, who went one for four on the day. The loss wasn’t entirely his fault, though, since it seemed as if all the players had mediocre offense.

“Tough loss,” she said after the game.

“It was a close one. If any of us had managed to get just one run, we could have tied the game up. I think we could have won this one.”

She wanted to lean into him, to offer him comfort. But that would be too personal, and she’d already crossed that boundary. “I’m sorry. You all gave it your best.”

A lousy platitude, but it was all she could offer without outright hugging him.

They got into Trevor’s car.

“Where’s your brother?”

“He has to drop the other guys off back at their places. He’s meeting us at a bar.”

“Sounds good.”

They ended up at a vodka bar in what Trevor referred to as the Central West End. It was a great area, perfect for the younger crowd, especially the university set. Trevor found a parking spot and they walked the short distance to the bar.

Inside, the bar was loaded with atmosphere—and people. The place had a wide expanse of windows, so those seated nearby could watch people walking by. Closer in was an incredible bar that touted it served more than five hundred different types of vodka. There was also an attached restaurant that served burgers, chicken, and fish.

Trevor took her hand, then said, “It’s crowded in here. I don’t want anyone to carry you off.”

She smiled at that, and didn’t mind him holding her hand as he zigzagged his way through the throngs of people milling about. He waved at a guy sitting at a table, a very handsome young man in his early twenties, who looked like a younger version of Trevor. Tall, with dark hair cut shorter than Trevor’s, he stood when they approached.

Definitely no mistaking this was Trevor’s brother. And they hugged each other. For some reason, Haven liked the sign of affection between the two of them. It showed they were close. It also made her wish she’d had a brother. Or a sister. That would have been nice.

Especially now, when she needed someone to lean on.

“If you’re going to invite me to a game, you could at least win.”

Trevor cracked a smile. “Smartass. Maybe you were bad luck.”

“Not me. I’m always good luck. You just sucked tonight.”

“That we did.” He turned to Haven. “Haven, this is Zane Mellon, my brother. Zane, this is Haven Briscoe.”

With a wide smile, Zane shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Haven.”

“You too, Zane.”

They pulled up chairs, and Zane signaled for a waitress who looked to be buzzing the place at a thousand miles an hour. “What’s up, Zane?”

Zane held up his beer. “Hey, Rachel. I need a refill.” He looked at Trevor and Haven.

“I’ll have something fun and vodka oriented,” Haven said to Rachel. “What do you recommend?”

“How about a vodka martini?” Rachel suggested. “Pick a country and we’ll bring you a fantastic drink.”

Haven looked at the menu, aghast at the selections. She closed her eyes and landed on Iceland.

Rachel grinned. “Perfect.” She looked to Trevor.

“I’ll have what my brother’s having,” Trevor said.

“Two beers and a vodka martini, coming up.”

“Thanks, Rach,” Zane said.

“I suppose you’ve dated her,” Trevor said.

Zane took a swallow of his beer. “Nah, she’s a friend. She takes classes at Wash U.”

“I don’t know. You two seemed awfully friendly.”

“She has a boyfriend, and unlike you, I don’t sleep with every female I meet.” Zane looked at Haven. “No insult intended.”

“None taken. And we’re not sleeping together.”

Zane looked at Haven like he didn’t believe her. “So you’re doing an interview, huh?”

“Yes. And you’re premed? I had thought about premed, but oh, all the science and math classes.”

Zane laughed. “Yeah, they’re pretty brutal. But I’ve gotten through it and there’s almost a light at the end of the tunnel. At least until medical school starts.”

“You’re going to make a great doctor,” Trevor said.

“Spoken like a true brother. But thanks for the vote of confidence. And hey, have you spoken to Mom lately?”

“Last week. Why?”

“She got a new job at that salon she always wanted to work at.”

Trevor turned to Haven. “My mom is a hairstylist.”

“And a damn good one,” Zane added. “She’s always wanted to work at this trendy salon in Springfield, but according to her, none of the stylists ever leave. They had an opening, and they asked her to come in and interview.”

“Really,” Haven said.

Zane nodded. “Anyway, they hired her and she starts next week.”

Trevor grinned. “She must really be excited. I’ll give her a call to congratulate her.”

“Dad bought her flowers and candy and took her out to dinner to celebrate,” Zane added.

Rachel brought the drinks, and Haven sipped what had to be the best martini she’d ever had. She sat back and listened to the brothers catch up for the next couple of hours.

Trevor was good about letting Zane lead. It was clear he was interested in what was going on in Zane’s life, both academically and socially. How could she have not known about this part of Trevor’s life before? Of course, she hadn’t been involved in his personal life when they’d been in college. Her attraction to him had been all physical. She’d never taken the time to get to know him, to ask him whether he had brothers or sisters, or to find out about his family situation.

They hadn’t been close then.

They weren’t now, either, but she liked spending time with him, liked seeing how funny he was with his brother, how they teased each other. It was obvious Zane adored Trevor, which spoke a lot to Trevor’s character.

“So are you going to grill him hard, Haven, and ask him why he thinks he has to work all the time and thinks he has to be the best at everything he does?” Zane asked.

“I intend to.”

“Good.” Zane finished his beer. “He thinks he’s a superstar.”

“No. I am a superstar. In sports. Just like you’re going to be a superstar in medicine. And shouldn’t you be back at your apartment studying?”

Zane rolled his eyes, then shifted his attention to Haven. “It’s like having another parent around. Always checking up on me. He wouldn’t even buy me beer before I turned twenty-one. What kind of big brother wouldn’t hook you up like that?”

“I’m shocked,” Haven said.

“At what? Me being law abiding and making sure my little brother didn’t get into trouble?”

“Yes. It definitely doesn’t fit in with your exploits in college.”

Zane leaned back in his chair. “Now these I want to hear about. He told us all he studied hard and went to bed early.”

Haven laughed. “He told you that?”

Trevor stood. “Time to go.”

Zane leaned back and crossed his arms. “I don’t need to leave.”

“Then we do.” Trevor took some money out and laid it on the table. “And you definitely do. Get back home and hit those books.” Zane rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Dad.” But he grinned, then stood and clasped his brother close for a hug.

“Thanks for coming, Zane,” Haven said. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Great to meet you, too.”

“Take care, little brother. And hit those books.”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Haven felt wrapped up in all the affection between Trevor and Zane. As they walked to the car, she looked over at him. He had a small smile on his face.

They got in the car and drove off, and she made several mental observations.

“So, what did you think?” he asked as he pulled onto the highway.

“I think you really love your brother.”

He cocked a brow. “And that surprises you?”

“I don’t know. It shouldn’t, I suppose, but I never pictured you with family before. And then you were so adamant about them not being mentioned, so I didn’t expect this open affection between you and Zane.”

“My issue isn’t with Zane. Or with my mother.”

He was in such a good mood, she didn’t want to delve into his father—a topic that would obviously ruin that mood. “Zane’s a great guy. Very smart.”

Trevor visibly relaxed. “Yeah, he is. Much smarter than me.”

“Why do you say that? Just because he chose medical school and you chose sports? That doesn’t make someone smarter. That’s just a different career choice.”

“Trust me, he’s a lot smarter.”

She decided not to debate the issue with him.

“But I can kick his ass in sports.”

She laughed. “Ever the competitor, aren’t you?”

He slid a smile in her direction. “Always and forever.”

AFTER SUNDAY’S GAME—WHICH THE RIVERS WON, thankfully, after losing that tough, close game on Saturday—Haven and Trevor went back to the house to change and get ready for the party at Alicia’s.

“Do we need to bring a gift?” she asked after she’d showered and found Trevor waiting for her downstairs in the living area. She’d decided on a dress, something casual, along with heels, since it was going to be an evening event.

He didn’t answer right away, and she took a moment to admire him. So far he’d dressed pretty casually at the house, wearing either workout pants or shorts, depending on the weather. Tonight he had on dark jeans and a Henley. His dark hair was getting a little long, and the ends brushed the collar. Her fingers itched to wind their way into the thickness of his hair, to brush his hair back from his forehead.

She intensely avoided that urge and brought her focus back to his face, noticing he was staring at her.

“What? Is there something wrong with what I’m wearing? Too casual?”

“Uh, no. That dress is perfect. And, damn, Haven, you have spectacular legs.”

She smiled at the compliment. It wasn’t like she’d never heard that before. She’d dated—casually—since college. Had a few boyfriends, one serious relationship that she and the guy had ended mutually when he’d gone off in one direction and she in another, and she hadn’t been broken up about it.

That had been a while ago—before things with her dad had gotten bad and she’d put all her energy and time into seeing to his welfare. She hadn’t thought about men a lot in the past year and a half.

Now?