Relentless Habit: O-Town Series

by Karen Renee

  THROUGH THE PEEP-HOLE I saw Brock’s built frame, but not much of his face because his arm was behind his neck and his eyes were downcast to his shoes. Just before I twisted the lock, I heard a sudden downpour outside. Typical. My every instinct was to send him on his way, but now I would feel bad since it wasn’t nice to send him into so much rain.

  I opened the door. “Something you need?” I asked.

  He sighed. “I wanted to apologize and hear your side of the story.”

  That took me aback. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Can I come in?”

  I shook my head. “My roommates are both here. I’d say the courtyard, but the weather...would you mind meeting me at Starbuck’s on the corner?”

  He blinked for a long moment.

  “I can drive you, if you like,” he suggested.

  “Fine. Let me put my shoes on.”

  I closed the door, and no joke, in the short amount of time it took to put my sneakers on, the rain downgraded to a drizzle. Florida weather was crazy.

  In Brock’s Civic, I felt suffocated by the silence. I debated telling him my side of things, but I wanted to look in his eyes when I did. Thinking about that reminded me what a waste this was. No matter what he said or thought about my explanation, I was certain we were a bad idea. However, even if it was only one night together I knew closure was necessary for both of us.

  Walking into Starbuck’s, I veered toward two slouchy chairs. Brock’s warm hand wrapped around mine pulling me up short.

  “What are you doing, Brock?”

  “Gettin’ a drink. What are you having?”

  “Water.”

  He arched a brow. “Really?”

  I nodded. “Can’t have caffeine in the afternoon. Keeps me up and that leads to really bad things for me.”

  His eyes searched mine, for what, I didn’t know and didn’t care.

  He relented. “Got it. Go get us those seats, babe.”

  I turned shaking my head at the ‘babe’ moniker. Either he was optimistic or it was a throwaway. My money was on the throwaway.

  Brock sat down, handed me a water and took the lid off his Venti-sized coffee. He blew on the surface.

  “You didn’t know she was my mother?”

  I dipped my chin at him. “How could I? She gets paid to treat me. It would be a waste of my money and my time to ask her about her personal life. So, no, I had no idea she had adult sons or that you were one of them.”

  His jaw clenched. “So she didn’t tell you to hit that nightclub and–”

  “No,” I interrupted. “I told her my roommates dragged me out to a nightclub. Quite frankly, it made me uncomfortable to be there week after week. It’s hard to resist drinking when it’s so in-your-face at a place like that. I did tell her there was a man who repeatedly showed interest in me. In my last session with her on Wednesday, she had encouraged me to consider a casual sexual encounter.”

  He looked at me askance. “Really?”

  I fiddled with the cap to the water bottle. “Not in those words, but essentially. Help me see I can have sex without being high. Also some psycho-babble about reclaiming my sense of power. But she was not on board with me starting a relationship. So this notion that I helped her get to you or Gabe is ridiculous.”

  He pressed his lips together and nodded. “Gabe’s prone to flying off the handle, and I’m not too far behind him. So, yeah, you’re right. Dad said as much, too, once my temper was under control.”

  “So, I’m sorry for the drama this morning.”

  His head shifted a touch. “Why does it sound like there’s a ‘but’ coming?”

  I shrugged. “I’m just glad we both got closure and can part on good terms.”

  His eyes flared. “Closure? Really? You’re casting me aside that easy?’

  I sipped my water and swallowed. “That’s not how I’d put it. I mean, c’mon. Not many guys want anything to do with an addict.”

  “Former,” he growled.

  I sighed. “It’s constant, Brock. But, whatever. I’m not the kind of girl you take–”

  “Home to meet mom? Well, you’ve already met her, and my Pop too, so you’re wrong.”

  I spun the cap on the small end table, watching it spin. “I’m trying to give you an out, Brock,” I said to the table.

  He raised my chin and his gorgeous blue eyes bore into mine. “No offense, doll, but you’re trying to take the coward’s way out.”

  Jerking my chin from his hand, I capped the water, and stood. “I’m not a coward, Sullivan.”

  He stood and moved into my space. “No, baby, you most definitely are not. So why you want to act like one now boggles the mind.”

  My mouth dropped open, but I closed it because I didn’t trust my temper.

  His arm wrapped around my waist. “We’re good— no, we’re fucking phenomenal together. I don’t care about your past. I care about your future because I’d like it to be with me.”

  My brows knit. “What are you talking about? It was one night, how can you be talking about futures and shit?”

  His head tilted side-to-side. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want another night. And another after that.”

  I bit my lip. “Did you hear the part where my therapist didn’t recommend a relationship?”

  He sighed. “I respect that, but why can’t we take this one day at a time?”

  “Can I think about it?”

  His eyes focused on something behind me. Watching him deliberate was strangely sexy.

  He shook his head. “Gonna take a page from my brother Vamp and his brothers. No. You can’t think about it. Either you’re willing to try for this with me or you aren’t.”

  I wanted to know how his brother could have brothers that weren’t also his brothers, but I had to stay focused. “Any other chick you’d be right, but I’m pretty certain I have extenuating circumstances.”

  His body jerked with humor. “No, baby. You got an extenuating excuse.”

  My eyes widened. “Brock–”

  “You do. Everybody’s got issues, Cecilia. You got an advantage being so aware of your issues.”

  “You’re crazy,” I sighed.

  “Then I’ll be crazy with you.”

  I pressed my lips together hard while I deep breathed. After a moment, I said, “I’m trying to be serious, Sully.”

  “Me too, Sunflower. A day at a time. Surely we can handle that?”

  Part of me thought I should say no, but I was curious about where this could go.

  “Fine. I can handle that.”

  He laughed so loud a group of guys on the other side of the shop glared at us.

  Grabbing my hand, his eyes were still lit with humor. “Pop was wrong.”

  “Okay,” I said trying to take my hand back, but he held firm.

  “You don’t want to know what he was wrong about?”

  My lips quirked to the side for a moment. “Sure you’re gonna tell me.”

  He chuckled. “Pop always said when a woman says ‘fine’ that things are anything but fine. You just proved him wrong. Never been so happy to hear a woman say ‘fine.’”

  I shrugged a shoulder in another effort to get my hand out of his grip. “Never know, your dad might still be right.”

  He pulled my hand to his lips. “Nope. I get my shot with you, it’s all great.”

  With a kiss to the back of my hand, he finally let it go.

  I put it on my hip. “Not to beat a dead horse, but most men shy away from women with baggage.”

  He sat down, sipped his coffee, and since he looked like he would stay awhile, I took my seat again.

  Putting his cup down, he leveled his eyes at me. “Yeah, well I’m not most men, any more than you’re most women. So, you go to regular A.A. meetings or things like that? I’m curious what you do for fun.”

  After I swallowed a hefty swig of water, I said, “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

  He grinned a grin so fantastic it deserved to be
pictured on a Wikipedia page about ‘grins.’ His answer pulled me from my thoughts.

  “Not if I can help it, but my first instinct was to ask if you want to go get a drink, but I realized that’s probably out for you.”

  Chapter Five

  Really Familiar

  Brock

  A look crossed her beautiful face, and I expected her to spout off about not being good enough for me. To my surprise, the look cleared and she gave me a shy smile.

  “Hate to tell you this, but I’m pretty damn boring, Brock. At night, I go to bed early because the WDW expects me to be on time every time. Plus, I’m trying to get a role as Elsa.”

  I shook my head to clear dirty thoughts of sex with her as Elsa. “You work at Disney?”

  A devious smile curled her lips as though she knew my thoughts. “Yeah, but in a gift shop for now.”

  I hadn’t seen the movie Frozen, but since I didn’t live under a rock I knew it was a cartoon musical. “So, if you want to be Elsa, do you sing?”

  She dipped her chin bashfully. “A little.”

  I nudged her knee with mine. “Don’t bullshit me, Sunflower. You want a part like that one, you gotta be able to belt some shit out, I would imagine.”

  She glowered at me and hell if it didn’t make my cock take notice. “I’m working on it, okay? I’m not about to start singing in the middle of a Starbucks.”

  I shrugged. “Elsa would.”

  Wagging a finger at me, she shook her head. “No. Her sister Anna would. Elsa’s all about keeping her cool and not letting people see... it’s why I love her so much.”

  That was telling, and I debated saying my next thoughts, but I figured being open was best. “It’s just like you. You’re doing your damndest to hide from me.”

  “You’ve seen me naked, Brock. I’m far from trying to hide from you.”

  “Not the same, but I’ll let it go,” I said in a low voice and finished my coffee.

  She stretched her long lithe legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles and I wondered if she knew the torture she was putting me through. My gaze was riveted as I admired how bronze they were, and I had to wonder if she hung pool-side during the day, but her question pulled my eyes back to hers.

  “So, what about you? From a little of the breakfast conversation, I gather Gabe’s an undeclared major, but I saw Law Enforcement books on the coffee table at your apartment. Were those yours?”

  From the moment I got close to her over a week ago, something about Cecilia seemed familiar to me. When she eluded me that night, I figured my mind was playing tricks on me. Last night, I hadn’t even thought about it; but something in the way she asked that question poked at my mind. I couldn’t put my finger on what was so familiar about her.

  I realized I was keeping her waiting. “Uh, yeah. Those are mine. I’m in my last semester of classes. Got a summer internship lined up with the University’s campus police force.”

  “Ah,” she said. Most women were impressed by a man planning to enter law enforcement. She sounded anything but impressed.

  My inquisitive nature got the better of me. “You haven’t been arrested before, have you?”

  “Straight to the heavy with you,” she chided. Then she added, “No, but don’t let that impress you. It doesn’t mean I haven’t, uh, broken a law or two.”

  The tone of her voice was the same as it was in my car last night. I knew she was trying to scare me off again. I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Honey, my brother’s an outlaw. Anything you’ve done, it’s not gonna bother me.”

  Her eyebrow arched quickly. “Well, that’s good to know.”

  Tilting my head, I looked at her for a while. “Where are you from? Don’t take this the wrong way, but something about you is really familiar.”

  Her grin was saucy. “Well, after last night, I would say plenty about me should be familiar to you, but I’m from Green Cove Springs, it’s–”

  “Outside Jacksonville,” I finished for her.

  “Yeah,” she whispered.

  It couldn’t be, but I remembered taking a woman out to coffee almost a year ago. I could never let a question go. It was a big reason behind me going into criminal justice. I knew I would be a force in an interrogation room.

  “Your sister live up there?”

  She gave me a long hard look. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  Pop taught us to bite the bullet as quickly as possible. “Don’t freak out, but I got a feeling I took your sister out to coffee late last summer. She drive a truck and go by a man’s name? You’d think I would remember that shit, but I can’t recall what name she went by.”

  Cecilia pressed her lush lips together, and I knew I was right. That was why she was so damn familiar to me. What in the hell were the odds?

  “You took Tennille out for coffee? You’re serious?”

  I opened my mouth and closed it. After a deep breath, I said, “Yeah, but that’s all it was. Thought we would hit it off after I saw her at a biker party, but it wasn’t right.”

  She turned her head to the side and shook it. She turned back to me. “That is weird. Like, Walt Disney himself is laughing upstairs at how weird it is.”

  “Why would he be laughing?”

  She chuckled. “Small world? Hello?”

  I nodded and wondered if this would be her next ploy to push me away. Plenty of women couldn’t stand the idea of dating their sister’s ex-boyfriend. Tennille and I never got that far by any means, but as much as Cecilia tried to shove me away, I could see her latching on to this. If she tried that shit, she was going to damn well think again.

  “What’s next on your agenda for today?” I asked.

  She shrugged and then her face lit like something just occurred to her. “Wait a damn minute. How in the hell did you get my address?”

  I had wondered how long it would take her to get to that.

  With my best impish closed-lip smile I shrugged. “You were right about the small-world element between us. I mean, my mother’s your therapist, how bizarre is that?”

  “So, you got it from Dr. Scibearis?”

  “Not exactly,” I drawled.

  “How about you tell me, exactly.”

  All of this shit was crazy, and that morning was just the tip of the iceberg. After Cecilia stormed off, Pop insisted we give the bitch who abandoned us the chance to explain. However, she hemmed and hawed because she was worried about her patient. Of course, Gabe was scathing when she wanted to run after Cecilia.

  “Yeah. Go. Leave us with Dad. Another day that ends in ‘y’ with you.”

  “Gabriel,” Dad said firmly.

  “What? It’s true.”

  ‘It isn’t,” he clipped out and turned to our mother. “Pauline, if you need to see to that young woman, go. I could tell she was bothered, but if you know her professionally she probably needs your help.”

  Mom left and I narrowed my eyes at Pop. “How do you know what she does professionally?”

  Gabe scoffed. “Who the fuck cares, Brock? I can’t believe–”

  Dad cut in. “Your mother’s been around the last seventeen years.”

  Those words sucker-punched me.

  “What?” Gabe shouted.

  “Lower your voice, numbnuts,” I growled.

  Pop looked between us and sighed. “At the time, you were in junior high and Cary was in high school, and–”

  “What? She was too damned scared to come back? I was thirteen then, Dad. We still weren’t good enough?”

  Pop ran a hand through his silver hair. “I wouldn’t let her back in.”

  “Good call,” I muttered, and I meant it.

  “Not a good call,” Gabe spat at me.

  “And this is why I did it,” Pop said. “Brock and Cary have memories of her, but you don’t. The uphill battle she has with you, Gabe, was tall enough, but with Cary and Brock I knew it would be far worse. No way I wanted your brothers’ anger at her to taint your view of your mother. Clearly, it would have. And
did.”

  Gabe shot Pop a quick glance. “That’s a lame reason to keep her from us,” Gabe said.

  I shook my head. “He was trying to protect all three of us. I get it. But, why’s she back now?”

  Pop twisted his coffee mug back and forth on the table. “After her first approach, she never left.”

  The sucker-punch hit me again. “Come again?” I whispered.

  Pop sighed. “I kept her up to date about you boys. She was at your games, Gabe’s marching band contests, and all of your graduations.”

  I shook my head, beginning to feel as hurt as Gabe appeared to be.

  “And you never thought to tell us?” Gabe demanded.

  “She saw that I was doing a good job, and by then she had her license to practice. She knew coming back so late could–”

  “Bullshit,” I clipped out.

  “Brock, you don’t know the whole story.”

  I leaned toward him over the table. “Don’t fuckin’ need to, Pop. A good woman claws her way back in with her family.”

  “A good woman never leaves her family,” Gabe muttered.

  My eyes slid to him. “Ask Cary about it. I said something like that once and he told me she cried all the time, man.”

  Pop gave a short nod. “She was depressed and back then it wasn’t like it is now.”

  Gabe gave Pop a sideways glare. “So, you’re cool she deserted us?”

  “Christ, no, son. But I couldn’t make her happy and I worried what I’d come home to, day to damn day. Your granny called me the day she left and I knew it was what Pauline needed.”

  I leaned back in my chair. “But you reported her–”

  “Yeah. I did. If she had washed up in the Intercoastal, that would’ve been on me. I wanted her safe and healthy. Part of healthy is being sane.” He stressed the last word.

  Heavy silence fell between us. Our waitress broke it when she asked if we needed anything else. We all shook our heads and she left.

  “Now, it may be too soon, but I ask that you both hear her out.”

  Gabe shook his head. “What is there to hear out?”

  My brother and I made eye contact and I held it for a long moment. “We’ll never know if we don’t try.”

  Cecilia cleared her throat, bringing me back to the present.