by Jenna Reed
“It's just a plant,” I claim when she finally lets me get a word in, “I don't understand why you're freaking out.”
“Because it’s not just a plant Travis. Cinnamon got me through some hard nights when you were being a complete ass,” she starts to yell again. “You don’t care about anything, only yourself and getting your rocks off.”
I fight the urge to say something terrible to her about her desire to name things without feelings. I’m a dick, but not that big of a dick.
“You're seriously going to tell me that you're mad at me because I didn't water your plants when you were getting your plants watered by somebody else.”
“Oh,” she says mockingly, “really good analogy Travis and way to change the subject. We were on a break! A break Travis!” My eyes roll without me even thinking about it. She always wanted a break but then God forbid I even looked at another girl during this so-called break.
Sydney and I have been together off and on for the past three years. Ever since I left my hometown Cedar Falls I've been in a string of toxic relationships with insane girls, but Sydney, she has been the tip of the iceberg. I really need to stop fishing for dates in the looney bin.
Don’t get me wrong, she's hot... crazy hot. We are just bad for each other everywhere but the bedroom. So usually we have amazing sex, fight like wild animals, and then take a break. After that, we repeat the cycle. A vicious cycle. One I need to get out of.
This time we took a break because we've been fighting nonstop for weeks. While we were on a break she slept with some guy from work, and he stayed in our apartment for three days while I crashed with a buddy. Then they went out of town together, which she doesn’t think I know about.
“I just don’t see how I could be responsible for the lives of your strange plants,” I say.
Huffing into the receiver she growls, “You just don’t take anything seriously, Travis. It’s just like our relationship. Our relationship is Cinnamon.”
“You realize how insane that sounds, right. I mean, you have to.” I can’t believe she’s being serious right now.
“No, it’s the truth. We’re cinnamon.”
“Okay, we’re cinnamon,” I agree just to shut her up. “So where does that leave us right now? We’re still on a break right? These past two days have just been carnal fun?” I need to reestablish that we are definitely on a break.
“Oh one hundred percent,” she says. “I can’t even look at your stupid sexiness right now.”
“Okay,” I respond unsure how I should take that. She makes my head hurt. Running my hand over my face I take a few deep breaths.
“Call me when you get there,” she says, her voice going high on the end. Seriously, we have the weirdest relationship.
“Okay, bye babe.” Hanging up the phone I shake my head, cause seriously what else can I do? I’m not exactly sure what happened just now, but talking to that woman always turns my brain to mush.
Turning the music up a little louder, I set my phone to vibrate and shove it into my pants pocket. If my parents call me, I’ll be able to feel it. I get lost in the music and try to distract myself from how much I hate driving.
An hour later my phone starts to buzz and I pull it out looking down at the caller ID. I smile when I see It’s my buddy, Grady. He always lifts my spirits. Mostly because he’s about the funniest person I know and every time I see him we have a good time.
Answering the phone, I say, “What’s up buddy.”
“Hey buttercup, how far out are you?” Grady asks.
“A couple of hours still, why? Do you miss my sexy face? We both know you’re dying to get a piece of this.”
“Are you telling me there’s finally a chance! Oh my gosh,” he says in a high pitch fan-girl style voice.
I bark out my laughter. “So you can’t wait to see me.”
“You know it, but also I was wondering if you had somewhere to stay while you’re here helping your family?”
“I planned to stay with my parents. My old room is still free of charge. Probably since they are doubling it as a storage space for construction materials.”
He’s quiet for a minute which tells me whatever he’s going to ask me next probably isn’t going to be something I like, still, nothing can be as bad as Sydney calling me to yell about Cinnamon.
“Travis, I need a favor,” his voice fills with apprehension.
“Let’s hear it,” I say, pulling off the interstate and into a gas station to fill up and get a Red Bull. When he doesn’t answer right away, I add, “You lonely? Need me to come and cuddle with you?”
“No, it’s actually for Nina.”
The mention of his little sister is like having someone pour a bucket of cold water over my head. The carefree, light mood I’m always in when I talk to my best friend, dissolves in a blink of an eye with one simple name. Nina. The only girl I’ve ever actually cared for. The only one I saw a future with. The only one I could’ve imagine marrying. Shaking my head, I try to shake away those thoughts with it.
I felt all those things for her, but she ripped my heart out and tap danced all over it.
“What about Nina?” I ask slowly, doing my best to hide the sour taste she left me with, not that her brother knows anything about that.
“She’s looking for a roommate…” he pauses, and for a few seconds, neither one of us speaks. “Like really bad, and immediately, but only until she can find a permanent one. You would kind of be perfect…” He trails off again.
Grady actually wants me to live with his sister? This has to be a sick and twisted joke.
Part of me thinks yes, I’d do anything to help my buddy out. But another part, a bigger part thinks no way man, stay away as far as you can.
Images of Nina pop into my head. Nina smiling at me sweetly and innocently. Nina closing her eyes right before I kissed her plump lips for the first time. Nina naked, sprawled out and moaning my name underneath me...
No, no… the answer is no, Travis.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, man,” I tell him. “Besides, I’m with Sydney, she wouldn’t like that.” A little white lie won’t hurt anything. He doesn’t know what happened between us. How she used me back then and how I’ve never really gotten over it. Maybe that’s why I date crazy unavailable women. It’s Nina’s fault.
“You’re still with that crazy woman? Don’t you remember the last time you were here she put shaving cream all over my house.”
“I forgot she did that,” I laugh, remembering that night vividly. Sydney might be bat shit crazy, but never boring, that’s for sure.
“Look, Nina’s wanting to go on Craigslist, and as her big brother, I don’t want her to end up with some psycho. I’ve seen what they do to their roommates on Help My Roommate Is A Murderer With A Shoe Fetish.”
“That’s not a real thing,” I roll my eyes.
“It’s close enough. Can’t you at least think about it… for me,” he grovels. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
Immediately a million scenarios run through my head, and every single one of them ends badly, and they just get worse from there. Still I can’t…
“Guys and girls shouldn’t live together, it’s just not a good idea.” God, I sound like a nun. He must be realizing that something is off by now.
“Come on boy scout, you respect me enough not to hook up with my sister. You’re the only one of my friends that I trust enough to allow near her.”
Great, just when I thought this couldn't get any worse. Now I feel like a steaming pile of dog shit. I wish he wouldn’t have said that. If I’m being honest with myself I don’t think I can handle seeing her again. Let alone living with her. Plus Grady sees me as this good guy when I’ve already slept with his sister once.
“Just think about it,” he pleads one last time.
“I will,” I lie, “I’ll call you when I get into town.”
We say our goodbyes and I end the call feeling guilty as hell. Thoughts of the time I spen
t with Nina surge forward. I wish I could say that I haven't thought about her in ages, that I forgot about how she smells like candy, sugary and sweet and how soft her skin is. But that would be a lie. I think about her all the time. Think about what we could have had and what I lost that night at the party.
She’s the one that got away. Slipped right through my fingers like sand and the worst part is that I don’t even know where it all went wrong. I don’t know what I could have done to make her love me. All I know is that she didn’t.
It makes me cringe, knowing that if Grady were to find out, he’d have my balls dangling from the back of his vehicle. He's always been very protective of Nina and I love him for it. He’s a good brother, but I’m just not sure I can be the knight he expects me to be.
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About the Author
Jenna Reed is the pseudonym of the international bestselling author duo J.L. Beck and C. Hallman who write contemporary and dark romance.
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