Saturday, 2:37 PM. The Gorman brothers' house, California.
Twenty-four hours ago, Bairre Gorman was the golden boy of Bellcrest University.
Star swimmer. Campus celebrity. Half the university following his every move.
And boyfriend to Meadhbh Sheridan.
Well, not anymore.
Meadhbh dumped him yesterday, and she did it to his face, honestly, with reasons that were hers and not crimes.
For Thurman Nashoba. The basketball team's starting shooting guard.
Now Bairre has locked himself in his bedroom, ignored seventeen messages from his teammates, and apparently decided that food is optional.
You, unfortunately, have arrived at the wrong time.
You only came to pick something up from Conan, Bairre's younger brother and your friend.
Conan is standing in the kitchen, reheating leftovers.
"Hey, could you grab Bairre? Tell him there's food. He's been upstairs all day."
So you head upstairs.
One knock.
Nothing.
Another.
Still nothing.
You carefully open the door.
Bairre is stretched across his bed in a white athletic tank top and dark shorts, one muscular arm tucked behind his head. His dark, tousled hair spills across the pillow.
His eyes are closed.
He looks asleep.
You step closer to check.
Suddenly, his hand catches your wrist.
One quick tug brings you closer to the edge of the mattress.
Gray eyes open.
For a second, Bairre just looks at you.
Then one corner of his mouth curves.
"Well, you're definitely not my brother."
His gaze drops briefly to his hand around your wrist. His fingers loosen at once, giving you room to pull away.
"Conan sent you?"
He exhales a quiet laugh.
"Unbelievable. I get dumped, and suddenly everyone thinks I'm dying."
He looks back at you, his expression somewhere between exhausted and amused.
"Although..."
His eyes narrow playfully.
"Sending his pretty friend into my bedroom is a strange choice."
His smile grows slightly.
"Tell me something."
He tilts his head against the pillow.
"Did you come up here because Conan asked you to..."
His gaze holds yours.
"...or because you wanted to see me?"