On My Brother's Bed

Chapter 1

Astrid's POV

I didn't mean to end up in his bed.

It was supposed to be a quick trip upstairs as soon as I returned home for summer. I needed my charger–that was all. But Micah's room was dark, and I didn't want to turn on the lights because I figured he was asleep.

Just take the damn cord and slip right back out. That was what I thought.

I wasn't even trying to wake him. I just wanted to grab the damn cord and slip right back out. Simple.

Except it was otherwise.

Because I realized the man lying in that bed wasn't my brother.

And I didn't realize that until it was far too late.

The room smelled like him, but not quite. A deeper, muskier scent with cedarwood tainted the air. I crept in slowly, half-blind as I dragged my fingers along the edge of the table to guide myself.

The bed suddenly creaked and I froze.

"Micah?" I whispered.

But no answer. All I got was the sound of a slow exhale, and the sheets.

He was facing the other way. His broad shoulders moved under the covers. The glow from the hallway gave me just enough light to see the outline of his body. Bigger than I remembered.

It was toned with a tattoo on his arm–one I didn't recognize.

That was when I started to suspect something was off. But I didn't leave.

I knew I should have. The smartest thing to do was to back out, pretend I never came for my charge, and forget the whole thing. But I stood there like an idiot, staring at the figure on the bed, confused and curious.

And then he turned over.

His face came into light and I saw who it was.

Rhett.

My stomach dropped and my eyes widened.

I had just walked into my brother's room while his best friend was sleeping there.

Oh my world.

Panic flooded into my chest as I backed away, my heart racing.

"Shit," I breathed. And just as I turned to leave the same way I'd come, his eyes flew open. They landed on me instantly.

It took a few seconds before Rhett drew his focus on me.

"Astrid?" His voice was deep, rough from sleep.

I froze in the doorway like a deer caught in headlights. My oversized T-shirt barely covered my thighs with no bra on. My hair was a mess. Great.

"I-I thought this was Micah's room. I didn't know..." I fumbled with the words, my hand still on the doorknob.

Rhett blinked slowly, as if trying to wake up enough to process what was happening. His hazel eyes swept over me again.

"Micah's on a trip. He asked me to crash here while the water heater in the guest room gets fixed and until you're back for summer. You returned late and I slept off. My place is also getting renovated." he finally responded.

That made sense. Micah had mentioned something about going on a trip like how he regularly did. He wasn't the type who stayed home for long.

I nodded quickly, too embarrassed to speak.

"Sorry for the disturbance," I muttered beneath my breath.

I hated that I'd said that. Rhett Rivers didn't deserve any apology.

"You okay?" His voice came, and broke through my thoughts.

I paused and looked at him. I should've said yes. I should've walked out and closed the door behind me. But I didn't. I stayed glued to my spot, taken aback.

It took a beat before I regained my voice.

"Yeah," I said and sighed softly. "My phone battery is down due to the long journey earlier. I needed my charger. I left it in Micah's room before I went back to college last time."

"You left it in here?" Rhett raised a brow as his eyes met mine again.

"Yes. Just to be sure, I used the outlet by the table earlier." I replied.

He sat up slightly, the sheets slipping down his chest.

Muscles. So many muscles.

I felt my throat run dry and my eyes refused to blink. I looked away quickly before I could see enough.

"Go ahead. I'm not looking."

I heard Rhett's damn voice, and that made me glance back at him. Of course, he was very much looking.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Relax, Astrid. It's just me."

That was the problem. It was him.

Rhett Rivers. My brother's best friend. The guy I'd crushed on secretly since I was sixteen. The same guy who used to ruffle my hair and call me a kid.

Now he was lying shirtless in a bed, his eyes watching me from under messy dark hair, and I was very aware of how naked I almost was.

I crossed my arms over my chest, and turned toward the table, trying to focus.

'Charger. Get the charger.' my subconscious voice screamed at me.

I bent slightly, searching in the dark.

"It's on the floor," Rhett said after a moment.

He actually knew where it was and hadn't told me sooner?

The heck.

I reached down and grabbed it. When I stood, my head brushed the table and I winced.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," I said quickly.

Rhett was still watching me as silence stretched between us.

I wanted to turn and leave, but my feet suddenly felt glued.

"You know," he said, his voice low. "you've grown up."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you're not a kid anymore." he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't a kid last year either."

He laughed softly. "No. This is the first time I've seen you in 5 years."

I licked my lips and took a step back. "Well, good night."

"Astrid."

His voice stopped me again.

I looked back to see Rhett leaning forward now, his arms on his knees as his eyes held mine.

"Next time," he said slowly, "don't sneak into a man's room looking like that."

"Like what?" I asked, feigning innocence.

Rhett's eyes flicked to my half exposed thighs and back to my face.

"Like a walking invitation." he uttered.

My breath caught. I didn't say anything because I couldn't.

So I turned and left. My heart was still hammering when I closed the door behind me.

Chapter 2

Astrid's POV

The music was booming so loud I could feel it in my entire body.

I should've turned around when we walked into the house party, but Talia had already pulled me in by the hand, grinning ear to ear like it was her wedding day.

"You need to have fun for once," she shouted over the music. "For goodness sake, you got back to LA just yesterday. Let loose."

Maybe Talia was right. After the awkward charger incident with Rhett the night before, my brain had been fried. I needed this.

I needed distraction, music, crowds. Anything but him.

The living room was packed with sweaty bodies and cups lifted up as cheers followed. A fog machine was going for some reason, and lights strobed across dancing faces.

We were at a frat party Talia had introduced me to.

I tried to relax on a chair, but I felt bare. I couldn't even think of anything.

"Astrid!" Talia shoved a drink in my hand. "Vodka. Don't waste it."

I nodded and took a slow sip. It was strong. Too strong I coughed and laughed at once.

I wasn't much of a drinker but trying it out once a while wouldn't bring any harm. Would it?

Talia grinned. "You're welcome."

When I finished drinking, Talia took my hand and pulled me to the dancefloor as we followed the rhythm of the songs that played.

It was enough to make me loosen myself, to forget about the tension I felt the first time I arrived. I let go of my hoodie, let my hair out of its burn, and I started to enjoy myself.

Then I felt a prickle–like heat sliding down my spine. I turned and saw Rhett.

He was across the room. Half-shadowed in the corner of the staircase. He wore a black shirt over his chest, his arms crossed and eyes pinned directly on me.

Dammit.

My blood immediately ran cold. And then hot. All at once.

What the heck was he doing here?

I didn't even have to ask. He looked furious as his brows knitted tightly. And those eyes–those dark eyes that once looked soft in the glow of my brother's hallway–were now hard and burning.

Rhett Rivers started walking to me.

"Talia," I whispered, grabbing her wrist. "I have to go."

"Wait, what? You just got here." Talia argued, still dancing.

"Now."

Rhett reached us before I could explain to Talia.

"Astrid," he called, his voice low and calm.

Talia stopped dancing and stepped back instinctively.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Micah told me to always check on you. I didn't expect to find you half-dressed and drinking at some stranger house." Rhett answered.

I looked down. For Pete's sake, I was only putting on a crop top and jeans. Nothing wild.

I frowned slightly. "I'm not half-dressed. And you don't get to talk to me like that."

Rhett's nose scrunched up as he scanned around as if something irked him. Then his gaze fell on me again. "Get your things. We're leaving."

"No."

"Now. Astrid."

He didn't shout. His presence was enough. The way people moved aside as he trod closer.

Instantly, his hand curled around my wrist firmly.

"Rhett, let go of me." I retorted as I tried to wriggle out of his grip.

He leaned in. "Do you want me to cause a scene?"

I wanted to argue and push him away. But I knew it'd only felt like pushing on a wall.

I nodded slowly and followed him out.

*

The ride back to the house was silent and tense.

Rhett's hands gripped the wheel tight, his jaw clenched. I stared out the window, my arms over my chest. I pretended I didn't care that he'd just pulled me out of a party like some overbearing...Brother? Friend? Guardian? None of it fit. Because what I felt when he looked at me didn't belong in any of those boxes.

He parked in a driveway and turned off the engine, but didn't move immediately.

The silence sat between us for a moment. Finally, I turned, tipsily.

"What are we doing here?"

No response.

"You didn't have to embarrass me." I added.

He looked at me, his voice quiet but deep. "You shouldn't have been there, Astrid."

"So what? You're my dad now?"

His hand curled into a fist on his thigh. "Micah would lose it if he saw you dressed like that, drinking like that. With others staring."

"Micah's not here." I corrected.

"Yeah," Rhett muttered. "And that's the problem."

I stared at him as my heart pounded.

He wasn't looking at me like a big brother. He wasn't even looking at me like a friend.

He was looking at me like a man trying to hold himself back. And failing.

Before I could think, he moved fast as his hand came up to my face, his warm fingers brushing hair from my cheek.

"You don't get it, do you?" he said, voice tight. "Micah left you in my care. And now I need to watch every movement of yours.

My breath caught. I didn't speak.

He leaned in, just close enough that I felt his breath on my lips.

"The next time you'd go out dressed like that, I'll make sure that will be the last dress you'll find in your closet."

"What?"

Without a word, he leaned in, just close enough that I felt his breath on my lips.

"Say stop. And I will." he whispered.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as my gaze slid down to his lips.

Those damn kissable lips.

I didn't.

Neither did he.

The moment his lips slammed into mine, everything blurred.

Chapter 3

Astrid's POV

I didn't plan on waking up tangled in sheets that didn't belong to me.

Or next to a man whose face I couldn't fully see.

My head banged terribly from how drunk I was last night.

All I remembered was laughter, lights. The feel of a stranger's hand on my hip, his mouth on my neck.

And then sex.

I blinked slowly, my head still pounding. The early morning sun filtered through unfamiliar curtains as a deep, masculine scent lingered around me. My bare skin prickled as the sheet slipped down my shoulders.

Panic crawled into my chest.

My bra was on the floor.

My dress–the tiny black one Talia insisted I wear–was draped over a couch.

Realization hit me right there. I turned to a man's silhouette, face turned away, one muscular arm thrown over his eyes.

I didn't recognize the room.

I couldn't even remember how I ended up here!

What the hell did I do last night?

I carefully slid out of bed, moving slowly and trying not to wake him. The throb in my head wasn't helping at all.

I gathered my clothes, and tugged my dress back on with shaky fingers. Then I stuffed my heels into my bag.

Whoever the heck that was, I would make sure we never crossed paths. Ever again.

Eventually, I got out of the hotel and hailed an Uber.

The ride felt endless. I kept checking my phone, expecting a text from Talia but nothing came. I looked like I'd lived through a tornado of sin and shame.

I didn't go straight home.

I couldn't let anyone see me this way. So I located a store and got into a new dress.

I wasn't sure how to feel. I wanted to be cool with it, and shrug the fact that I'd slept with a complete stranger.

Because damn, that man last night felt so dangerous. It didn't feel like a mistake.

*

By the time I got home, the front door was already open.

I paused. Did Rhett forget to lock it?

I walked in quietly, still barefoot. I made to move toward the stairs when the familiar voices and laughter echoed through the walls.

I tiptoed closer and peered around the corner to see Micah.

My brother stood in the kitchen, a bag on the counter, and a phone in his hand. He wore a wide grin.

Rhett stood beside him. They seemed to be in a deep conversation to even notice my presence.

Rhett looked so calm like any other day.

What the fuck was I thinking?

He looked so damn hot in that T-shirt that almost exposed his abs.

Like he felt my stares, his eyes flicked to me in a matter of seconds, and his smile faltered.

Something flashed in his eyes that reminded me of last night when that stranger touched my waist.

Those eyes...familiar. They looked so familiar. I couldn't remember.

The same warmth. It was the same way Rhett looked at me.

When he lifted his hand to his face, I saw the tattoo on his arm that looked exactly like the man on that bed.

Wait, was I hallucinating?

No. It couldn't be Rhett Rivers. It didn't make sense. It had to be someone else. It had to be.

Right?

Rhett was the only guy with that tattoo and those eyes.

"Astrid," Micah's voice made me flinch from where I stood. "You're up. I didn't come upstairs to your room. Rhett said you were fast asleep."

I flickered my gaze to Rhett and back to Micah, trying to move along with the lie.

"Ah. Yes." I mumbled, forcing a smile. "Barely awake."

"I also didn't tell you I'll be returning today. Rhett picked me up from the airport. Flight was hell." My brother walked toward where I was and hugged me briefly.

Rhett leaned against the rails, his arms folded as he watched me.

"She looks like hell too," he said causally, but his voice dropped an octave.

I glared. "Thanks. You look like a walking headache yourself."

"Alright. That's enough." Micah chirped in with a chuckle.

Rhett's mouth twitched and he gave me a knowing look. "Long night, huh?"

"None of your business," I muttered, brushing past him toward the stairs.

His hand brushed mine for barely a second. My heart jumped.

I turned around, and stared at him.

This time, I saw the same eyes. I knew I wasn't hallucinating.

It was him.

No. No way.

Was it?

"Don't stare too hard, Astrid," Rhett said, his voice low. "You might fall."

I swallowed and bolted up the stairs before Micah could notice.

Once I was in my room, I rested on the door, my chest rising and falling as I tried to catch my breath.

What did I just get myself into?

Memories came in like floods. The frat party with Talia, Rhett's arrival, and how he forced me to the car. Then we pulled up at a spot.

And now I couldn't look Rhett in the eye without wondering if it was his lips I felt.

Goddamit.

I couldn't believe it. It was still difficult.

Rhett wasn't the man I woke up to find on that bed.

For crying out loud, he was my brother's best friend. He only teased me and got protective when I dated losers.

But last night...why couldn't I forget it?

The feel of his lips on mine. His hands on my waist as he spread me open. I couldn't remember much, but I could swear down that I recalled how he thrusted into me like a possessed man.

"Astrid," Micah's voice called from outside.

I gathered myself back together and replied with a trembling voice. "Yes, Micah? Do you need something?"

"No. I just need you to come downstairs for breakfast once you've changed. I'm preparing something delicious." My brother said again. And then I heard footsteps retreating.

I held my chest like I was suddenly having a panic attack.

If my gut was right, if the goosebumps still racing in my arms meant anything–then I didn't sleep with a stranger.

I slept with Rhett Rivers.

And I had no idea what the hell I was going to do about it.