Page 30 of Enough Isn’t Everything (Everything Trilogy #1)

As I drove past him, Max’s blood boiled again. “He so wants to fuck you, though. Look at the way he’s watching you.” I looked over at Alfie trying to figure out what his game was, and why he was doing this.

Max turned to face me. “Are you truly not aware how that man feels about you, Lily?” I was stunned by the intensity of Max’s reaction to Alfie.

“Max, all the guys I’ve met that have wanted me, have only wanted my body.”

My mother used to tell me that she saw beauty as a curse sometimes. I often wondered what she meant by that, but I think I was beginning to understand her better now. I couldn’t help how I looked, but I could help how I felt. “Trust me, Max, Alfie isn’t interested in me.”

We sat in silence during the drive back. I think that I gave him something to think about with my self-righteous speech about men. I also noticed that Max never contradicted me on my point about men in relation to himself either.

As we neared the condo, Max reached over and took my hand, sprinkling small kisses over my knuckles. His hand then slid along the back of my seat and into my hair. He massaged circles into my neck as I drove.

Peering at him over my sunglasses, I said, “Is this the female equivalent of a blow job at the wheel?” I teased, trying to divert his thoughts. Max threw his head back with a loud chuckle, and his mood was instantly calmer.

Saffy was up and about when we burst through the door, weighed down from our shopping trip. “Where have you been? I’ve asked Will over and thought we could all go out on a boat this afternoon.”

Coming from the Midwest, Max and Saffy didn’t get much of a chance to see the ocean. Neither did I, come to think of it, until I arrived here. Max disappeared into Saffy’s room, and I went to change for the trip.

I pulled on a red bikini and black shorts and packed some soda and water in a cooler for us. As we headed downstairs to meet Will, Saffy linked arms with me. “Thank you so much for taking care of Max last night, honey. I owe you,” she mumbled quietly to me.

Max heard her and snickered. “Yeah, it must have been a real chore for her.” He gave me a sly smile, and I blushed crimson.

Saffy caught it. “What was that look?” She pointed between Max and me, and he threw his hands open.

“What… what look?”

“The look you just gave her, like some secret smile or something. You’re sick, Max.”

Chewing the inside of his mouth, Max tried not to smile. “Saffy, I’ve come a long way to see you!” He snorted. “You skipped out on me, leaving poor Lily to keep me company.”

Looking at my feet, I pinched the underside of my thigh where my hands were, to stop myself laughing at the guilt trip he was putting on his sister.

Relentlessly, Max continued to make Saffy and I feel uncomfortable. “Then, when I was honest with you this morning, you freaked out, calling me a liar, and now this? Makes me wonder why I bothered to come. My trip would have been awful, except little Lily took me under her wing.”

“See!” Saffy spat at him, “You just contradicted yourself!”

Looking confused, Max raised his eyebrow questioning her, “I did?”

She nodded, pointing at me. “Yup, one minute you were off getting laid, and the next, Lily was keeping you company.”

Max’s eyes were pleading with me, and I wanted to support him, so I gave him a slow nod and blushed. I scrunched my eyes up and pulled my shoulders to my ears as I waited for the onslaught when she found out.

Chuckling as he looked back at me, it was clear he was making Will look uncomfortable. Will rubbed the back of his neck looking awkward at being there. Max turned to his sister. “Listen to me, Saffy, I’m only going to say this once, so you need to listen carefully. I did get laid last night, fact.”

He struggled to keep himself from laughing. “Lily did keep me company. The two events don’t have to be mutually exclusive you know.” My heart stuttered as I waited for the onslaught of Saffy’s response when it sunk in.

I swallowed hard as my adrenaline kicked in, making my heart pound in my chest. Saffy’s head snapped round, and she stared at me silently for what seemed like a very long time, her facial expressions changing from disbelief, shock, horror, disgust, then settling on anger.

Will shuffled his feet, his eyes flicking between us, and he looked like he wished he was anywhere else except here. He seemed thoroughly embarrassed, his eyes darting between Saffy and me several times. I could see him cringe like he was hearing something he’d never recover from.

He was also staring at me as if he couldn’t believe I’d have intercourse with anyone. Of everything that was going on, his face was the one thing I found the most amusing during this whole obtuse situation.

Watching Saffy as she stood digesting Max’s disclosure, I felt myself blushing, mortified that anyone was discussing me having sex.

Her head swung round to Max. “Max Barclay. You manwhore. You screwed my friend, you piece of shit? You fucked my best fucking friend?” Her head snapped back in my direction.

“Lily? Lily! You let my brother screw you?” She pulled her hands up and gripped her hair.

I knew she’d be disappointed with me, but I never dreamed she’d react this badly. I thought she was going to hit me she was so crazy.

Clearing my throat as if to speak, I thought better of doing so. Instead, I stood with my arm across my body holding my other forearm.

Will, who seemed to have recovered from the shock that I’d let a man do things to me, looked bemused and kind of smirked at me.

At one point I thought he was going to laugh, but he started stroking down both cheeks to his chin with his thumb and forefinger to hide this.

Will’s eyes were darting between all of us now, taking in everyone’s reaction.

I was betting that he would think of this as payback for what I did to him yesterday on the way home in the car.