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  “That’ll do,” she said, chucking me a pair of chunky, black heels. I glared at them, but grudgingly slipped them on.

  We caught a cab for the four blocks to the club, but I wasn’t going to complain about the unnecessary expense. There was no way I wanted to walk that far in these heels. Stone was waiting outside for us when we arrived, leaning against the wall and chatting with a bouncer. Well…the bouncer was doing most of the talking.

  Briar ignored the line and marched straight up to Stone with a smile. I shifted self-consciously as his eyes ran up and down my long legs in the tight jeans. I felt like a baby giraffe in these heels and hoped I didn’t look as awkward and gangly as I felt. I saw a flash of emotion in his eyes, but he turned to the bouncer before I could decipher it. He said something in a low tone and the bouncer nodded, gesturing for us to go in.

  “No alcohol,” Stone told us firmly as he took our hands and led us into the club.

  “Fine,” Briar grumbled, her full pink lips forming a childish pout. Stone kissed her temple with a small chuckle and gave my hand a squeeze, before leaving to join the band backstage. Briar and I bought soft drinks from the bar and then sat down to watch the band play. They were playing an Australian theme tonight, covering songs from a variety of different Australian bands. The songs ranged in style, from ACDC to Silverchair to Powderfinger and even a bit of Midnight Oil. Donny and Fredi’s personalities on stage were electric and Jamie had some mad guitar skills. Alec charmed the ladies with his smooth voice and flirty grins and Stone looked dark and intimidating from his position at the rear.

  It was nearly midnight by the time they finished playing and when they approached our table, the two guys who’d been flirting with Briar hastily fled.

  “How’d you like us Evie?” Fredi asked me with a grin, sitting on the stool next to me, despite the shortness of her skirt.

  “It was great,” I said with a small smile, fidgeting with my jacket. The heat was up too high in the club and I was starting to become uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take it off though. My camisole was thin and tight and I’d worn one of my new push up bras beneath it. I felt more comfortable with my body now that I’d lost the gaunt look and built some tone, but I was still quite frail looking if you ignored the new roundness to my breasts. I glanced at Fredi’s revealing top and decided that, next to her, no one would glance twice at my pretty, lacy, white camisole. I shrugged off my jacket without drawing any attention and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Fredi,” Donny said a moment later, as he turned to face us. He paused for a moment, his gaze caught on my chest. I blushed madly and fisted my hands at my sides, trying not to give in to the urge to yank my top up to my chin.

  “Yes, Donovan?” Fredi asked with a grin.

  Donny looked up at my face and gave me a naughty grin. “Sorry,” he said, turning back to Fredi, “You want to play some pool? Me and you against Alec and Stone?”

  “Nah,” Fredi said, taking a sip of her drink, “I’m going to go dance.”

  “Me too!” Briar said eagerly.

  “Aww c’mon Winnie,” Donny groaned, flicking a glance to where Jamie was lining up at the bar, “Don’t leave me with Jamie against these two.”

  Fredi and Alec laughed, but Briar glanced at me thoughtfully. “Evie, you can play pool right?” she asked me, knowing that, when they weren’t ignoring me, my brothers had forced me to play all sorts of games with them. The triplets had often used me as a fourth player for pool and Jake, who hated losing, had made me practice for hours for weeks after he’d lost a game whilst partnered with me.

  “Yes,” I said, “I know how to play.”

  Donny looked at me dubiously. “Are you any good?” he asked.

  “Just shut up and play, Donovan,” Fredi snapped, “Anyone is better than Jamie.”

  Donny glared at her, but offered me a hand down from my stool.

  I bit my lip nervously as we found a table and Alec handed me a cue. They explained the rules they followed and Stone broke. He pocketed a ‘big’ and a ‘small’, but chose to pursue a ‘small’ on his second shot. He sunk that one, but missed the next. Donny took the next turn, pocketing one of our balls and setting up another ball for later. Alec took his turn and pocketed one of his off a tricky shot, but sunk the white on his second. I wiped my hands on my jeans and took a deep breath as I retrieved the white. These guys were good and I hadn’t played in a while.

  “You’ve got two shots Evie,” Donny told me with a small smile, watching me closely, “Use the first to set one up and then the second to sink it, baby.”

  I shot him a tentative smile. “I’m a little rusty,” I admitted in a low voice.

  “That’s okay,” he said, giving my ass a pat, “Just do your best.”

  I glanced at the options on the table and moved the white ball into position. I wasn’t going to go for the safe shot. I wanted that blue ball in the middle of the table. I was going to hit it hard and pocket it in the back left corner. I lined up my aim, drew my arm back slowly, then hit it sharply, smiling in satisfaction when the ball snapped cleanly into the hole with a sharp smacking noise. Alec gaped at me and Donny whooped gleefully.

  “Alright! Nice going Evie-baby!” he said, bumping his hip against mine with a grin. My smile grew a little bigger and I tackled the next shot with more confidence. I set up a shot and then used the next to sink it, gaining me yet another go. I missed the pocket by a whisker and it was Stone’s turn again. I turned round to hand him the cue, and found all three boys had been staring at my ass. I turned bright red as I recalled just how form-fitting my jeans were. I looked down at my top and made a mental note to always check there was no one in front of me when I bent over.

  The game went quickly as all of us were fairly proficient at the game and soon, it was at the crucial stage and I was up to shoot. Alec had manoeuvred their last ball to block the path between the white ball and the black, the only ball I had yet to sink. It was in a difficult spot and I was trying to decide which method to use. I could either attempt to ‘jump’ the white ball over theirs…or, I could try to rebound the white ball off one the edges and hit the black. If I tried to rebound the ball, I’d have to correctly align three different points. If I jumped the ball, I’d have to judge the distance of the jump. Jumping the ball could be difficult and if I stuffed it up, Stone would easily pocket his last ball and then finish the game on the black.

  Fuck it, I thought, I’m going for it.

  “What are you doing?” Donny asked me worriedly as I aimed the cue straight, raising my arm backward to tilt the tip down, “Just go for the rebound.”

  I shook my head once and narrowed my eyes in concentration. I took a shallow breath, pulled the cue back and popped the white ball over their red, hitting the black square on and sending it unerringly into the pocket.

  “YES!” Donny cried, picking me off the ground and twirling me around in a circle. He gave me a hard kiss on the cheek, but hastily put me down when Stone glared at him.

  “How’d you guys do?” Briar asked me, coming up behind me and giving me a hug. I stiffly returned it, not yet comfortable with the group’s affectionate touchy-feely nature.

  “We won!” Donny bragged, grinning at a scowling Alec and Stone.

  “Really?” Fredi asked, looking me over curiously.

  Alec smiled and gave me a one-armed hug. “Yeah,” he said, “Evie is actually pretty good.”

  “Yeah,” Donny agreed with a laugh, “Rusty, my ass.”

  “Okay, drinks are on us,” Alec said, taking our orders and heading to the bar with Stone.

  “You play with your brothers?” Donny asked me when they left.

  “Yes,” I affirmed, “The little trips taught me quite a few things. They often needed a fourth person for team games and the next closest sibling, Paul, is four years older than them.”

  “Nice,” Donny said, “What other skills are you hiding?”

  “This and that,” I hedged.

&nbs
p; Alec and Stone returned, but they hadn’t bought Briar and I drinks. “We’re going to pack up the band gear and head off,” Alec explained, “Stone will take you girls home now.”

  “Fine,” Briar said with a smile, “My feet are getting tired anyway.”

  ***

  Stone and Briar walked me to my room and I was a little surprised that Stone didn’t follow me in. Candy was asleep in her bed, so I quietly changed into my pyjamas and slipped under my covers. Stone must have walked Briar to her door, because he knocked on mine less than a minute after I’d settled into bed. He opened the door and glanced at Candy’s sleeping form. He looked back at me and raised an eyebrow. I shot Candy a look, but decided she wouldn’t care, so I rolled to one side and held the sheets up in invitation. The door closed and I soon felt the bed give way as he climbed in behind me. He was still wearing his jeans and T-shirt, but he fell asleep quickly so he mustn’t have been too uncomfortable. I snuggled back into his body and closed my eyes, slowly falling asleep.

  ten

  The third week of semester two was hell. Alec had decided I was ready for more challenging weight exercises and I was definitely feeling the burn. Adding to my physical pain, was the mental strain of slaving away at one nasty essay for Art History. By the Thursday, I was wrecked and I shoved the stupid assignment in the submission box, glad to be rid of it. I glanced at the clock on the wall and decided that I had better put in an appearance at dinner. Candy and Briar had been starting to nag. I’d eaten dinner in my room all week, whilst writing the essay. From what I saw of Stone at breakfast and in bed, I could tell it was starting to bother him too.

  The group was deep in conversation when I sat down next to Stone and I suddenly remembered why. I fought back a groan. One of the aspiring musicians the band was friends with was having a party this weekend. They’d hired out a heap of cabins at a nearby bush ‘resort’ and by the sounds of it, it was going to get pretty wild. I really didn’t want to go, so I was grateful that my phone buzzed with a message before anyone could ask me.

  E, come stay at my place this wknd!

  I stared blankly at the text from Logan. He couldn’t be serious. I felt Stone stiffening beside me and realised he was reading over my shoulder. I shot him a nervous smile and quickly sent my brother a reply.

  Why?

  The reply took a while, presumably because he was at work.

  2 spend time 2gether?

  I thought about it for a moment. I could get dragged to this god awful party…or I could go to my brother’s place, relax, watch some movies and maybe even get to the bottom of his weird behaviour. There was no contest.

  Sounds good, I sent in reply.

  Cool. Will pick u up at 5 2moro.

  I shut my phone and pushed it into one of my jean pockets.

  “Who was that?” Briar asked curiously, shooting a worried glance at Stone’s dark expression.

  “Logan,” I said quietly, “I’m going to spend the weekend at his place.”

  “Oh,” she said, looking a bit disappointed, “So you won’t be able to come with us this weekend?”

  “No,” I confirmed and then added in a small voice, “He’s been acting strange lately. I’m worried.”

  “He’s cheating on you,” Jamie said casually, shoving a burger in his mouth. We all turned to look at him.

  “What?” I asked with a frown.

  “You said he’s been acting weird,” he said with a shrug, “I bet he’s either banging someone else or getting ready to dump you.”

  “You’re such an asshole sometimes,” Fredi said with a laugh, whacking him across the head.

  “Hey!” he defended, putting down his burger, “It’s better she knows now.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I reminded him with a shudder, “Ew.”

  Alec looked incredulous. “Ew?” he repeated, “He had girls all over him and you think he’s yuck?”

  “Of course I do!” I said indignantly, but Donny cut off the rest of my sentence with a hard nudge.

  “Sure you do Evie,” he said with a wink, “That’s why you’re spending the weekend with him.”

  What the hell are you up to Donny? I thought, shaking my head.

  Donny grinned and glanced around the table. “One of these boys need to step up and make you his,” he said with a chuckle, “Otherwise they’d better get used to sharing.”

  He got up from his seat quickly and jogged off with a laugh. The silence at the table was intense and I shivered with apprehension.

  “What-” I started to ask, but Briar frantically shook her head at me, her face a little pale. She glanced beyond me to look at Stone, then grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the table.

  “Where are we going?” I asked her a few moments later, feeling extremely unnerved by what had just occurred.

  “The general store,” she told me with a friendly smile, as if nothing had happened, “I want to get a magazine and some chocolate.”

  “O-kay,” I muttered in confusion, “But, what happened back there?”

  She rolled her eyes, her smile growing. “Don’t worry about it Evie,” she said lightly, “Just boys being boys. I’m sure you know how it is.”

  Sure, I knew boys. What I didn’t understand though, was what had set off the challenge or even just what the challenge was. I was missing a vital piece of the puzzle and no one seemed inclined to fill me in. I shrugged. It was their business and I’d keep my nose clean if they didn’t want me to know.

  The band had a late practice session that night, but I had some work to do so I didn’t go along. Stone didn’t join me in bed afterward and I assumed it was because he didn’t want to wake me. I wasn’t asleep though. I spread out on the mattress and shivered a little. I was used to his warm body beside me. I stared up at the ceiling and wondered why he came to sleep with me in the first place. Eventually, I gave up on trying to sleep and got up to pack for Logan’s.

  ***

  After my last class the next day, I slowly walked out to the car park with my overnight bag to wait for Logan. I paused when I noticed Stone. He was loading a big pile of bags and boxes into the band’s van. I considered just ignoring him and sitting down at his table to wait for my brother, but decided that was cowardly and rude. He was hardly a stranger after all…he’d slept in my bed.

  I made my way over there, stopping beside him and shifting awkwardly. His head turned to look at me and he stood up straight. Neither of us said a word. We simply stared at each other.

  “D-do you need some help?” I whispered nervously. He didn’t answer straight away, his eyes narrowing on my face as they examined my features. I dropped my gaze and eyed the things at his feet. The cartons of beer looked heavy, so I opted to pick up a suitcase instead.

  “Ooof!” I grunted, swaying a little with its weight. The serious, surly expression on Stone’s face cracked and he quickly took the suitcase from me, effortlessly lifting it into the back of the van.

  “That’s Briar’s,” he explained gruffly, then shot me a small wink. I glanced back at the hot pink suitcase and couldn’t hold back a smile.

  “Oh,” I said softly, “I should’ve known.”

  I looked back at the pile and took a step towards a small, navy blue suitcase. Stone shook his head.

  “Jamie’s,” he said. I raised an eyebrow in question.

  “One change of clothes,” he replied, “Rest is bourbon.”

  Ahh, it’s filled with heavy bottles. I looked around at the other bags. There was a small, red tartan bag near Stone’s feet and it was covered in various badges, most of them saying something crude.

  Fredi’s! I thought as I picked it up, only itty-bitty clothes in here!

  Stone’s eyes shone with amusement, as if he’d heard my thoughts. I blushed a little, but stepped forward and daintily placed the bag on top of some stacked cartons of grog. I turned back to look at Stone. Thanks, his eyes seemed to say dryly. I blushed again at how small and useless my contribution was. My eyes dropped
from his face to examine the large muscles in his arms. He certainly didn’t need my help and I’d wasted more time then I’d saved by putting the bag in. I sheepishly looked down at my feet.

  His hand reached out toward me and he tipped my chin upward with one long finger. He opened his mouth to say something, but a car honked loudly and I jumped nearly a metre into the air. I heard Stone growl softly as I turned my head to look at the offending vehicle.

  My older brother had pulled up behind us and was grinning at me through the open window of a snazzy new sedan. My mouth dropped open in shock.

  “Where’s The Beast?” I murmured in awe. Logan had always driven a big, noisy utility. This car hadn’t made any noise when it’d snuck up on us. He must be borrowing this one. There was no way he’d ever give up The Beast.