Dirty Toe Drag by Toni Aleo

Chapter Thirteen

Stella

Wes: Something casual but hot. I need you to be able to move quickly but then sit down for a while. So maybe bring a pair of tennis shoes, but don’t wear, like, a tight skirt, much to my dismay. Or anything super low-cut. I don’t want your boobs falling out. Not yet, at least. ;)

I’ve readhis text probably nineteen times, and no matter what, I always laugh and grin like a teenager who’s been asked to homecoming by the star quarterback. Since that did happen when I was a freshman, I know the feeling. Wes, he’s got those feelings swirling deep inside me. And unlike my little-girl crush on the quarterback, nothing compares to the one I have on Wes. I read the text once more, and when I look up at my reflection, I see my cheeks are a rosy color and I’m cheesing so wide. Jeez, he is just so silly.

I look over myself. I left half my hair down in curls along my shoulders, while the other half is in a topknot on my head. I wanted to be able to pull it up if I needed but have it still be super cute if I don’t. I did my makeup with a nude look that pairs well with my lilac crop top, which I covered with a darker purple lacy cardigan and high-waisted ripped-up jeans. In my bag, I have a pair of Keds, but on my feet now are my absolute favorite Saint Laurent Opyum nude heels. They are so… Gah! Perfect! I love them.

I move back from the door, studying myself more than I’d like to admit. He’s seen me done up to the nines and then at work. So really, I can’t impress him any more, but I still want to. I want to take his breath away, like he does me. I can’t help but giggle as I slide my palms along my thighs, thinking of picking on Aiden the other night. He was so ridiculously silly, but it also makes me nervous about how he’ll feel when Wes tells him we’re going to try this out. I know he’s waiting until after our date, but there is no need to. I’d take him to bed right now. Like, this second, and not regret anything. My crush has grown to all-out admiration, and I’m ready to act on it.

“Can you stop staring at yourself and take me to Leanna’s now?”

I meet Emery’s gaze in the mirror. She has her hands on her waist and is completely over me, for no reason whatsoever other than being my little sister. I annoy her by breathing, apparently. But soon, annoyance moves over my face. “Em, I can’t take you. My date is gonna be here in seconds.”

Her eyes widen. “You told Mom and Dad you’d take me. We’re going out to the mall with a bunch of our friends.”

Shit. I did say that. “I’m sorry. I forgot. I’ll make it up—”

“You’re taking me. Tell your date you’ll be late.”

“Emery! I can’t be late when he’s picking me up at home. That’s so tacky.”

“It’s tacky to say you’re going to take your sister and then not take her for some dick.”

“Whoa! Excuse me, it’s not about getting dick. He’s taking me on a date.”

“Whatever. We all know your legs will be pinned back before the night is over, so take me so I can have fun too.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

Then the doorbell rings. She looks at me and I look at her, but then the little shit takes off, and I know I can’t catch her. Not if I want to look nice once Wes sees me, and I don’t want to break my heels. So, I power walk very fast for the door. Unfortunately, we live in a fucking mansion and she is on the track team, so when I reach the bottom stair, she is already throwing open the big door and setting Wes with a look.

“Hey, is, um…does, shit, sorry…um, is this Stella Brooks’s house?”

Emery laughs like a jackass. “I mean, she lives here.”

“Oh my God,” I snap at her. “Sorry—” I start, but then my eyes meet his. Jesus Christ, why does he look so good? He may only be in khaki shorts and a light-yellow collared shirt, but he is so sexy.

“Wait. Aren’t you Aiden’s best friend?” Emery asks before she sets me with a shit-eating grin. Wes’s eyes widen, and I sigh heavily. “Damn, your face is jacked. Does the other guy look worse?”

“I hate you…greatly,” I mutter at her before I hold out my hand to Wes. “Wes, this is my sister, Emery. Emery, this is Wes.”

“Didn’t Aiden say you aren’t allowed to date him when I brought up you were trying to bang him at the wedding?”

I press my lips together. “Um. Wow, that’s exaggerated like no other.”

“No. I said, ‘Stella is trying to bang your best man,’ and after Posey freaked out, thinking it was Boon, I cleared that up, and Aiden told you to quit.”

I blink. “Okay, but he never said I couldn’t date him.”

“Oh. So, if I call Aiden right now to come get me because you aren’t able to take me to Leanna’s since you’re going on a date to bang his best friend, that would be cool?”

I don’t even have to look at Wes to see the terror on his face. I’m sure it matches mine because telling Aiden would end this before it starts. We need this. Hell, I want this. I take in a deep, cleansing breath. My mom would be very upset to lose her youngest child. Emery has a purpose in this world. Not sure if that’s to be a gang leader in jail or a murderer or the first female US president, but it’s fucking something, and I can’t kill her. “Emery, you are very lucky these are my favorite shoes,” I mutter to her. She, of course, grins like she won.

Which she did.

“I’m sorry. Do you mind if we drop her off at her friend’s house?” I ask Wes sweetly. “It’s like ten minutes away in this neighborhood but in the very, very back. Or if you wanna wait, I’ll go drop her off—”

“No, it’s totally fine. We can drop her off. I actually entered through the back. Aiden says it’s faster to the highway.”

“Great.” I reach for my bag that’s behind Emery and sneer, “Get in the fucking car.”

“Yes, darling sister of mine.”

She steps out onto the porch, and I follow, locking the door behind us. I find it very sweet that Wes waits for me and even walks with me down the path. Unfortunately, though, he walks with Emery too. “What grade are you in now, Emery?”

“Tenth.”

“That’s cool. You enjoying school?”

“No. I’d rather stay home and watch Netflix.”

“I hear ya, kid,” he says, reaching for the back door of his truck for her. She climbs in, saying thank you, and he does the same for me.

I smile a thanks, though I am dying of embarrassment inside. Only my sister would crash my date like this. Anyone else, I wouldn’t care. But Wes is, like, Wes McMillan. Hello, he’s a hot hockey player. I’ve never been out with such an accomplished man. All the guys I’ve dated just spend their parents’ money. Not Wes. He has his own. Even the older guys I dated only spent their parents’ money. So yeah, I bet I have a strike against me now. All because of Emery.

When my door shuts, I turn, glaring at her. “I am going to kill you.”

“Bring it. I’ll kill you twice!”

“How could you do this to me? He’s a real man.”

“What, did the others have fake dicks?”

Ah! She makes me crazy. The driver’s door opens, and Wes gets in, his huge body taking up most of the spacious cab. “All right, ladies. We ready?”

“Yup. Yeah,” we both agree, and off we go.

In total silence.

Bless Wes, he tries to make small talk, but I am so embarrassed and Emery sucks at small talk. I swear, each minute is six hours with her one-word answers.

“Do you play a sport?”

“Track.”

“That’s cool. I did track.”

“Neat.”

“What’s your favorite class?”

“History.”

“Why?”

“’Cause everyone we read about is dead.”

Oh shit, seven terrifying words. How nice. I cover my face as I groan silently in my head. Why are you doing this to me, God? Is it because I had improper, unwed, smack-my-ass, sexual thoughts about this man? In my defense, you can’t make a man look that good and not expect those thoughts!

“Well, that’s not concerning at all,” he laughs, and I wish I were one of those dead people in her history books. I feel his gaze on the side of my face, but I refuse to acknowledge him. He may decide to take me back home once we get rid of her. My brother is overprotective, and my sister loves history because of dead people. I don’t know if this winning personality and these good looks can help. Ooh, I still have the cupcakes. Maybe I should pull those out of my bag.

Before I can, though, and by the grace of God, we pull up in front of Leanna’s house. I smack my hands to my thighs and promptly say, “Bye, Emery.”

Alas, my sister doesn’t move. She clears her throat and says, “Wes, can I be honest with ya?”

“Su—”

“Hell no. Get out!”

Wes’s hand comes to my thigh, and I look at him with wide eyes. “It’s fine.”

“Is it, though?”

He laughs as he turns to look at Emery. “What’s up?”

I watch her in the mirror. Her brows lower a bit, and her eyes narrow to slits, and instantly, I know this is about to be bad. “Well, my friend—can I call you my friend?”

“Of course,” he says, all dewy-eyed and completely oblivious to the psycho that is in his back seat.

“Awesome. Like I was saying, my friend, I have been in the car with you for eight minutes now. I even walked with you from our front door to the car. There was a moment when it was just you and my sister alone outside.” She pauses, for nothing but dramatic effect. I know her. I know her ways. “In that time, you have not complimented my sister on how gorgeous she is.”

“Emery!”

But Wes holds up his palm to me in a calming way. “Give her a second. I want to hear what she has to say.”

“Thank you,” Emery says appreciatively as she sets him with a look. “My sister spent most of the afternoon getting gorgeous for you, which I know isn’t much of a feat for her, but she did. She pulled out her favorite shoes, the ones she only wears on trips to New York, to impress you. My sister shouldn’t have to do that. I mean, look at her. But not once did you tell her how beautiful she is. How pretty her eyes are, or even how cool those YSL shoes are. Nothing. You said nothing, and if I were on a date with you, I’d dump you.”

Wes blinks, completely taken aback, and I slowly slide down in the seat, trying to die. He looks directly at Emery. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what she had told you, and I didn’t want to make either of you uncomfortable when I praise her. I figured I’d do it once we were alone, but I can now, if you’d like.”

“Nope. Don’t got time for it. But do better, Wesley. My sister deserves the best, and I watch murder docs for fun.”

With that, my sister jumps out and walks her happy ass through the grass.

“Wow.”

“Yeah,” I agree, but I refuse to look over at him. “You can totally take me home. I’m sorry. This is why I didn’t—”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” he demands, taking my hand in his. “She’s right.”

My lips tip up. “She’s crazy.”

“Oh, that too,” he says with a laugh before he takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “But you do deserve better. I should have dropped to the ground and let you use my body to walk to the car.”

I snort. “Stop.”

“I can totally get a red carpet off Amazon. It’ll be here by tomorrow if I order now.”

“Oh my God, shut up.”

“Or maybe I can rent a horse and we can gallop—”

“Are you done?”

“Nowhere near, but honestly, you rendered me speechless, Stella. Since the moment I set eyes on you. Both back at the wedding and today. Always, really.”

My stomach clenches as my heart starts to race. “Well, that’s a very sweet thing to say.”

“Only the truth, sweetheart. Only the truth.”

As we drive off, I look back at Leanna’s house to find Emery on the porch with that damn shit-eating grin back on her face.

God, she infuriates me, but I’d die for her.