Lucas

1 Year Earlier

For the first time in months, I can finally relax. With the stress and pressure of junior year behind me, I feel lighter. Free. 

This year was a big one. The year to impress colleges, not just on my academic merits but on my extracurricular ones. I had to maintain my perfect GPA while leading the team to a state championship, which included working my ass off to stand out to the scouts who came to every game. Scouts who hold the key to a full ride to a Division 1 football program. The only thing I’ve wanted since I threw my first football when I was five years old.  

In the end, I accomplished everything I set out to do, and with any luck, by this time next year, I’ll be weeks away from starting at my top-choice school. All that hard work finally paying off.

Smiling, I let out a contented sigh. Finally, I have time to go out and have some fun. After all, this is my last summer as a carefree high school kid. My last chance to screw around and make bad choices under the pretense that—hey, I’m just a teen doing what teens do.

Ha! Yeah, right. 

As much as I’d love to kick back and relax, it’s not how I’m built. No matter how hard I try to let loose, there’s always this little voice in my head reminding me of everything I’m responsible for. 

Working hard and doing what’s right—it matters to me. My parents made so many sacrifices so my sister and I could have opportunities they never did. So we could become people they could be proud of. 

It’s why I’ve never given in to teen rebellion or the hormone-laced impulses that seem to occupy my every thought. 

Thoughts like what Embree’s warm body would feel like if I let my fingers explore. What her plump lips would taste like if we kissed. Or what sexy noises she would make if I— 

Christ! What the hell is wrong with me? 

Disgusted, I shake my head and push off the bed to go find my phone.

I don’t have time for this, much less for the fallout if I ever let myself go there. Emilia Barrett, or Embree as I call her, is my kryptonite. Just having her in my periphery is enough to obliterate every ounce of control I have. She’s like an addiction I can’t kick. 

My mind knows I shouldn’t touch. That I should never even risk it. But it’s like I’m fighting the inevitable. Even the threat of the rock bottom that would surely follow—the kind that would likely mean the end of our friendship and probably ruin me—still isn’t enough to make me stay away. 

She’s the only thing in this life that makes me want to let go of the self-imposed control I need to exist. Which is precisely why I need to stay the hell away from her.

Damn it! Forget Embree. Think about Becca.

“Hey, Luc, you coming?” My best friend pants into my ear as he answers the call. 

Ben Chelsey and I have been friends since kindergarten. We bonded over our love of earthworms, our hatred of broccoli, and our mutual annoyance at having little sisters who were only a year younger than us.

“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, my brow furrowing at the strange sounds coming through the phone.

“Running,” he huffs between words. “We’re at Emilia’s. Got Jen on my back. We’re racing. Beating the pants off Parker and Emi.” 

Then the fucker laughs, like Embree’s sexy body draped over another guy’s back as they play some stupid game, is funny.

“What the fuck?” I snap into action, yanking on my sneakers, before launching myself down the stairs. Every instinct I have demands that I go break Parker’s face for daring to touch her.

“What man? We’re just having a little fun.”

“Well, stop. Right now. And for God’s sake, stop touching my sister—” Yeah, because that’s bullshit too. “—and get Embree the hell away from Parker. Now.”

“Jesus dude. What the hell is with you?” His raised voice and the muffled shouts in the background confirm the game has ended.

Aware of how unhinged I sound, I try to play it off. “Nothing, man. Hold on.” 

Spotting Mom in the kitchen on my way past, I circle back. There’s no way I’m leaving without telling her where I’ll be. 

“Hey, Mom. I’m meeting up with the guys. Jen and her friends will be with us. If you need anything, call my cell.”

“Okay, honey. Have fun, and remind your sister curfew is still ten o’clock. Summer break doesn’t change that.” She smiles, and I lean down so she can kiss my cheek. 

After a brief nod confirming I heard her, I shut the door behind me and break into a jog towards Embree’s house.

“It’s not you, it's Parker I don’t trust.” I finally answer his question, hoping it’s enough to explain my reaction without revealing too much. 

Parker Lewis is the star wide receiver of Ruby Creek High and one of my closest friends. Or at least he was, before I found out Embree’s body was just wrapped around his. 

It’s a line I need to remind my friends they are not to cross. That, and the fact they should never, ever touch her. Or look at her. Or hell, be anywhere near her.

“Since when?” Ben’s voice is low, like he’s trying to stay out of Parker’s earshot, which I now realize just gives Parker extra unsupervised time with her.

“Can’t talk about it now. I’m on my way. Keep him away from Embree…and my sister until I get there.” I add Jen to the mix so he won’t get suspicious. The last thing I need is for those assholes to know how deep my obsession with Embree runs.

“Fine, whatever.”

With my phone tucked back in my pocket, I sprint the rest of the way. The entire time, I’m fuming over the fact Parker had the nerve to pull this shit. He knows better. They all do. 

Ever since that day three years ago when I made it clear she was off limits, declaring that if anyone was getting dibs on her, it was going to be me. 

I know how messed up that sounds, but hey, I was a stupid fourteen-year-old kid. Embree had just turned thirteen, and I swear to God, she went from looking like my little sister’s friend to this beautiful goddess I couldn’t stop staring at. 

Even then, I knew I couldn’t have her. But I’d be damned if I let any of my asshole friends touch her. 

She was the daughter of my parents’ closest friends and, by default, my sister’s best friend. Being only a year older, I was always close to the girls. We shared the same friends, went to the same school, and hung out in the same places. Somewhere along the way, I took on the role of their guardian and protector. 

But after that summer, my reasons for staying close became so much more than doing my brotherly duty. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to be around Embree. Her smiles and constant laughter fueled the need I had to make her happy. 

Thankfully, Jen was always there to serve as a buffer. An ever-present barrier that kept me from crossing lines I shouldn't cross.

Though I’ve always kept things platonic, my friends should know that threat still stands. Embree is not to be touched, claimed, or approached by anyone but me. 

This incident just proves it’s time I remind them of that.

Because regardless of my intentions, the fact remains—none of my knucklehead friends are good enough for her. 

Arriving in her backyard, I spot Embree, Jen, Nic, and Hannah sitting at the picnic table, talking in whispers. At the other end of the yard, Ben, Parker, and Will, stand together, laughing and cracking jokes. 

As soon as I enter the space, the magnetic pull between Embree and me draws our eyes together. It’s like we’re peering straight through each other’s skin down to the place that holds our souls. 

It happens every time.

Like an out-of-body experience.

No matter where we are or who we’re with, the second we get close, our eyes lock. Like we can’t not look. Like we’re tethered by something neither of us understands. 

Though my feet carry me toward the guys, I can’t help but smile at her. It’s the blush that colors her cheeks that finally forces me to look away. The pleasure I get from knowing I have that effect on her is instantly swallowed by shame. I know I can’t have her, so why the hell can’t I force myself to stop reacting to her this way?

“Hey man, you get that stick out of your ass?” Ben smirks as he slaps me on the back.

“Look, I’ve told you before. Keep your hands off the girls. Jen and Embree are mine. My family. Mine to protect. I know exactly how you all treat the girls around here, and I won’t let anyone treat them like that.”

“Dude, we’re just having a little fun. You need to lighten the hell up.” The free spirit, “yolo” asshole Parker pipes in like he hasn’t noticed how close he is to getting throat punched. It takes everything in me not to swing first.

Stepping into his space, I meet him head-on. At 6’ 4”, I’m a few inches taller, so forcing him to look up at me feels like a power move. 

“Let me clarify this for you, asshole. Have your fun somewhere else, not here, and not with these girls. You got that? That goes for all you fuckers.” Though my voice is low and steady, my tone leaves no room for argument. Having known me most of their lives, they can tell I mean business.

Parker steps back with his hands in the air and that arrogant grin he always wears. “Good lord, if it’s like that, why don’t you make your move already?” He smirks, the dumb fuck loving every second he gets to test me. “I’d be happy to take Becca off your hands if you need the help. Platonically, of course. Bro code and all that.”

“Consider this my move, Parker. Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From the girls. Becca, Embree, and my sister. Matter of fact, you can add Nic and Hannah to that list, too.” I include all my sister’s friends for good measure, keeping my voice even so none of them see how close to the edge he’s pushed me.

“Oh really? Now you’re calling dibs on Ben’s sister, too? And Hannah? Damn. Who knew golden boy Lucas Holt was such a player?” He laughs like this is all one big joke.

“Leave Nic out of this, Parker. Matter of fact, keep my sister’s name out of your mouth.” Ben steps in beside me, his voice edged with warning. “Lucas is right. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, so go dip your dick somewhere else and leave these girls alone.” 

As always, my best friend has my back, even as he side-eyes me with that look that says, What the hell is going on with you?

“Okay, boys, time to put an end to this dick-measuring contest and get back to what’s important.” William Keller, the fourth member of our group, steps between us to break the standoff. “It’s our first night of summer break. So, are we doing this or what?”

The “this” he’s referring to is the annual Start of Summer Break party hosted by Amanda Kline. She’s the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in town, the most popular girl in school, and—according to Parker—every man’s wet dream. 

To me, though, she’s nothing more than a spoiled rich girl who uses her looks and status to manipulate people while feeding off the insecurities of every girl around her. She has zero respect for anyone and even less regard for how her bullshit affects everybody else. 

“Let’s do it, boys. As history has shown time and time again, it’s the only way to start the summer off right.” Ben bounces on his toes as though he can’t contain his energy.

“You all go. I’m staying back with the girls.” I say, nodding toward the picnic table where Embree and Jen still sit. 

It’s the first night of summer, and all I want is to spend a chill night down by the lake. A party surrounded by loud music, teen angst, and a bunch of drunk, irresponsible idiots doesn’t sound all that appealing to me.

“Isn’t Becca going to be there?” Ben asks, his eyebrows raised in a hopeful question. By bringing up my girlfriend, he’s signaling that he wants to go, but won’t if I decide to hang back.

“Hey, Jen, you guys are going to Amanda’s party, right?” Parker yells to my little sister across the yard before I can answer Ben. 

Immediately, my gut twists at the thought of my sister and her friends—okay, fine, my sister and Embree—going to that party and being surrounded by all the drunken bullshit that comes with it. 

“Yep, we’re all going.” Jen smiles, her eyes locked on mine, like she’s daring me to say otherwise. “I already talked to Mom about it.”

It’s a lie. 

It has to be.

There’s no way in hell she talked to Mom. If she had, Mom would have told me.

“You did not—”

“Come on, Lucas. Please. Let’s not argue about this,” Embree interrupts as she stands and walks toward me. 

Her long, wavy hair flows in the breeze, matching the slow, sexy rhythm of her body as she moves. Like magic, our eyes connect, and it’s like I’m caught in a trance. 

“Let’s all go together,” she whispers as she reaches me, standing only a foot away—close enough that I can smell that sweet, summery scent I can never get enough of. “After the year we’ve had and how busy we’ve been, we deserve this. I’ve missed you guys.” 

Then, looking around at each of the guys, she adds, “Plus, with the four of you graduating and heading off to college next year, it’s our last real summer together. This is our last chance.”

In that instant, my body responds as though the “last chance” she’s talking about has everything to do with us. Me and her. My heart starts racing, and a rush of heat rolls through me so strongly I wonder if I’m blushing.  

God, I fucking hope not. 

Worst of all is the pressure building in my shorts as my dick swells, like her words were meant for him—and what she really meant was that this is our last chance to finally get what we want.  

Fuck. Becca. 

Stop being such an asshole and think about your goddamn girlfriend!

“Fine,” I grunt, clearing my throat to shake the gruffness out of my voice. “I’ll talk to Mom. But we only stay until ten, and if there are drugs or if things get too out of control, you two,” I point at Jen and Embree to make myself clear, “are out of there. Understood?”

“Yes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Jen runs up and wraps me up in a hug, but it’s Embree’s eyes I can’t tear myself away from.

The happiness radiating from her face fills my insides with something I can’t even name. All I know is I want to see more of that look in her eyes. I want more of that smile, the one that feels like a sunrise and sunset all wrapped into one. A smile so breathtaking that, for a moment, all I can see, hear, and breathe is her.

“Okay, let’s go,” I say, sending one last threatening glare at Parker before turning on my heels and following the girls to Amanda’s house.

I’m not happy about the plan, but I’ll go.

Because it means more time with the girl who reminds me, there’s more to life than hard work and responsibility.