AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Roman is running around behind Miles, kicking the ball between him and two other guys while they train. Thankfully, he hasn’t spotted me, but that doesn’t mean he won’t soon. Somehow, he can always feel my presence no matter where I am. It’s disturbing, really.
“Be careful at the Black Rose,” Miles warns, his eyes darkening slightly, breaking through my thoughts.
I frown. “Why? Have you been there before?” I know why I should be cautious at the Black Rose, but does Miles know, too?
He shrugs, the darkness in his eyes evaporating like it was never there. “I’ve just heard some things about it is all. Just… be careful, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt, especially not after what happened—”
“—to our parents. Yes, I know, Miles,” I interject with a smile. “I’m twenty-one now, so I know how to take care of myself.”
Miles smiles, shaking his head. He reaches up and rubs his hand on the top of my head, messing up the perfectly styled ponytail that took me what felt like forever to do this morning. “I know. I’m just a worry wart, you know that.”
“Hey!” I protest, trying to flatten the flyaway hairs. “Learn to put some trust in me, okay?”
“Okay, sis. I’ll try.”
I point a finger toward the pitch. “How’s practice going? When is the next game?”
“This Saturday,” he says, halfway through the first sandwich. “You’re coming to watch, right?”
I smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Miles has been a massive soccer fan for as long as I can remember. He would always come into my room and talk about his favorite team—from memory, I think it’s a team called Inter Miami, but I could be wrong—and gush about his favorite player. It always made me smile. My favorite moments from summer vacation would be watching Miles and Jaylen kick a soccer ball around the backyard and doing a funny dance whenever they scored a goal. It’s a core memory I’ll never forget, which is why I’m my brother’s number one fan.
It’s only right to return the support when he does so much for me. The least I can do is support him in doing what he loves the most.
I can see Miles’s mouth moving, but I can’t hear what he’s saying because I finally spot the one person who has been on my mind since Friday night.
Jaylen.
He’s standing among a group of members of the team talking, but his eyes are focused on me. The sweat is glistening off his strong, toned arms, making the muscles more defined under the black shirt he’s wearing. I can’t take my eyes off the ink covering his entire right arm. I remember when he got most of those tattoos, wanting to fill his arm with images of fantasy creatures from myths. Now I know why.
Jaylen captures his lip ring between his teeth, shooting a smirk my way.
If it was possible to melt into a puddle, I would be sliding over the concrete and into the grass right now.
Miles clears his throat, forcing me to tear my eyes away from Jaylen and refocus on him. He’s frowning at me. Shit, did he catch me checking out his best friend?
“Ev, were you even listening to me?”
I lick my bottom lip. “Sorry, I was, uh… getting lost in my thoughts. What were you saying?”
“I was saying that you’ll need to come over one night soon so we can watch a movie together,” Miles repeats. “Just like old times.”
I smile, ignoring the way my heart is pounding in my chest because I can still feel Jaylen watching me. “Yeah, sure, that sounds great. Just the two of us?”
Miles shrugs, scrunching up the wrapper of the sandwich he just finished, his mouth full. “Maybe Jaylen, Ethan, and Preston too, but we’ll see.”
My heart stills in my chest. “Jaylen?”
“Yeah. Is that going to be a problem?”
I swallow hard and shake my head. “Nope. Not a problem at all.”
Besides the fact that your best friend is a fucking vampire and I want to rip off his clothes and feel his hard, toned body beneath me even though I shouldn’t. There is no problem at all, brother.
***
“Night, Ry,” I say, turning to my best friend. She has her comforter pulled up to her chin as the ceiling fan spins on high in an attempt to cool the room down. “You don’t mind if I keep my lamp on, do you?”
