“Right,” she sniggers, which tells me she knows I’m full of shit.
“No, I just wanted to apologize to her for acting like a douche the other night and thank her for saving my life.” Blackie raises her brows at me. “What? Scouts honor.” I raise two fingers up at her, not really knowing if I’m doing the sign correctly or not.
“You obviously were not a boy scout or you’d know. It’s three fingers.” She chuckles as she sips on her water.
The last time she was in here with Claire, I noticed they were both drinking waters. I’m not sure why you’d come to a bar and not drink, but, hey, I’m not complaining.
“Guilty.” I shrug my shoulders. “But really, I just wanted to talk to her. She seems like she could use a friend.” At this point, I’m just pulling shit out of my ass.
“She has me, asshole.” She reaches across the counter and smacks me on the back of the head as if we’re old pals.
“Fuck! What the hell?”
“Anyway,” she starts. “I’m meeting her tomorrow at Martin’s at noon if you want to meet us there. Come a little late, unless you want her running for the hills when she sees you.
“Yeah, sure.” I agree.
“Alright, Romeo, I need to get home. But I’ll see you tomorrow. And don’t make a bigger ass out of yourself.” She glares at me, reminding me of a reprimanding mother.
“Promise.” She heads toward the door. “Hold up, Blackie, what’s your name?”
“Blackie, really? That’s the best you could do?” She sniggers. “Sierra. And Romeo? Don’t try hitting on me. I’m a married woman.” She waves a hand in the air, making a dramatic exit.
I already knew she was married when I saw the ring on her finger, but it wasn’t her I was interested in. What the hell is wrong with me? I could have any woman in this goddamn place I want and here I am chasing after one who is obviously appalled by me. It must just be the chase that has me going after her. Right. That’s it.
17
Claire
“What do you want, Trevor?” I answer after the first ring. This is the first time he’s tried contacting me since Brady got back to Phoenix. Why now?
“Now come on, Claire Bear. We haven’t spoken in weeks. Don’t you miss me?” He has sarcasm in his voice, which really shouldn’t surprise me since I know he’s not that upset about us being here. If he were, he would have tried harder to get us to stay in Chicago. You know, maybe by not having sex with another woman. Just an idea.
“You never call to see how Brady and I are. Why now?” There’s hatred in my voice. These days that’s pretty much all I feel for this man.
When I started seeing Desiree, I told her about my weird feelings toward my husband. I explained to her that I couldn’t be with someone who could hurt me so bad.
She told me that I was very brave for leaving him because many women don’t leave their husbands after an affair. I honestly don’t understand how you could stay with someone who would cheat on you, but I guess that’s just me. I couldn’t look at him without feeling disgusted. He had touched a woman that wasn’t me and that alone was reason enough for me to leave.
“I want you and Brady to come home this weekend for his birthday,” he says as if it’s no fucking big deal. What the hell is he even thinking? But I have to admit that I’m surprised he remembered our son’s birthday.
“Trevor, that’s ludicrous! Tomorrow is the weekend and we cannot fly to Chicago on a day’s notice.” The truth is, I wouldn’t fly to see him even if he told me a month in advance.
“What do you have going on that is more important than your husband?”
“Why are you doing this?” I whisper into the phone. “We’re not getting back together and I need you to understand that.”
“Oh, is that right?” he asks with malice in his tone. “We’ll see about that.”
He hangs up without another mention of us visiting this weekend. That made no fucking sense, but whatever. I don’t know what Trevor Davis has up his sleeve, but I don’t care to find out.
I am supposed to have lunch with Sierra this afternoon at Martin’s, but suddenly I have no desire to do anything. God damn it. I’ve been doing so well in my recovery, hardly feeling depressed at all anymore, but then fucking Trevor calls and sets me back.
I’m half tempted to go get a new phone and number so he can’t contact me anymore. I can ignore his calls all I want, but he won’t stop.
“Claire, Sierra’s here,” Evan calls from the other room. He has Brady bouncing on his knee while they watch Shrek.
Ever since I told him and Avery that we’ll be living with Sierra come this weekend, he’s been acting a lot different. I don’t think he’s mad that we’re leaving, but he’s been spending every second he has free with Brady. He acts like we’re moving across the country, instead of just across town. I’m sure we’ll see them often, but now they’ll have the privacy I’m sure they’ve missed.
“Hey, sister girl,” Sierra greets me with a hug. Acting as if we haven’t seen each other in weeks when it’s only been a few days. She’s been busy with classes and I know she went out with some of her college friends last night. Being only twenty-two, she doesn’t mind being around all the college mayhem. She’s told me stories of some of the shit her friends from the University of Phoenix have done. Honestly, it’s kind of surprising how many friends she’s made there, considering she lives off campus.
“Hey, you ready to go?” I ask as I bend down to kiss Brady on the head. “I’ll see you in a bit, baby.” He swats at my face, clearly annoyed that I’m interrupting his movie time with his uncle.
“Tell your mama to leave us guys alone,” Evan says as he takes a drink from his Dr. Pepper.
“Awone!” Brady shrills at the top of his little earth-shattering lungs.
“Nice, bro.” I roll my eyes, leaving the two goofballs to their movie.
As we climb into Sierra’s gold Prius, I decide to tell her about my asshole of a husband.
“So, Trevor just called, right before you got here.” I sigh, suddenly feeling stressed out again.
“What the hell for?” she asks as she whips out of Evan’s driveway.
“Sierra! Please don’t kill me. My son needs me.” I chuckle, only half joking. Every time I get in the car with her, I feel like my life is on the line.
“Have I killed you yet? No. No, I haven’t.” Bitch.
“‘Yet’ being the key word.” I roll my eyes.
“Anywho, what the hell did Trevor the Tool want?”
I laugh at her ridiculous name for my husband. But, yeah, he is a tool, so it totally fits.
“He wanted me and Brady to come home tomorrow for his birthday. Who the hell does that? Then when I told him we weren’t getting back together, he acted like I was putting him up to some kind of challenge. Does he honestly think I’d take his cheating ass back?”
“If I ever meet the douche, I swear to God I’m going to wrap my hands around his throat and then shove my tits into his face.”
“Uh, what the hell is the point of that?” I laugh at her insaneness.
“If I don’t strangle him, I know he’ll die from suffocation.” She points down at her boobs. “With these bad boys in his face, there’s no chance of survival.”
18
Claire
“I’ve never had lunch here before. What’s good?” We just walked into Martin’s, luckily scoring a table as this place is crazy town right now. I mean, I know we’re in Phoenix and its noon. But damn, it’s Thursday. Don’t people ever eat at home?
“The chicken Caesar wrap is to die for.”
Knowing I can’t go wrong with that, we both place our orders. As the wickedly handsome waiter walks away, I scrub my hands down my face.
“Are you still stressing out about that douche? Because, girl, he is not worth it,” she says as she tears at the napkin sitting in front of her, forming a pile of paper in the middle of the table.
“What are you doing to that poor
napkin?” I ask, changing the subject unintentionally. But it gets her away from the topic of Trevor.
“Just a nervous habit.” She leaves it at that, making me wonder what she has to be nervous about right now.
Not a minute later, I get my answer in the form of a six-foot drink of deliciousness whom I can’t stand.
“Is this seat taken?” Ryke asks but then sits before we can answer.
“Yes,” I say at the same time Sierra says “no.” Fucking traitor.
Ryke laughs and I want to smack that smug look right off his damn face.
“How’s it going, Claire?” He asks as he looks through the menu. Why the hell is he here and why do I feel like I’ve been set up?
“Uh, good,” I say as I stir my sweet tea. I really should stop ordering this shit because nobody makes it as good as Gino’s East at Navy Pier.
Okay, now I’m using damn tea as an excuse not to think about Mr. Arrogant across the table from me.
“How’s the bar?” Sierra asks him, ignoring the fact that I’m uncomfortable with him being here.
This is flipping Phoenix. What are the chances of him just happening to choose the exact same restaurant as us? Not very good. Which means I’m going to have to suffocate her with my boobs when we leave.
“It’s really good. Ya know,” he starts and then looks at me before turning his attention back to my back-stabbing friend. “There was this attractive brunette that came in last week who kept making googly eyes with me while I was trying to sing and play my guitar. She was a total distraction, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her.”
What the hell? I know my cheeks are now crimson and I’m nauseated. I really need to run to the bathroom before I throw up all over the damn table. Although he deserves to be puked on after the shit he pulled the other night.
Sierra throws her head back in a laugh. “Good-looking, huh?” My fucking friend asks, encouraging him to go on. In the meantime, all I can do is sit and stare at the two of them while they talk about me like I’m not even here.
“Yeah.” He slurps on his Coke. “She had these curly locks and stunning chocolate colored eyes. I don’t think I could ever forget them.”
What is going on here? Right now, I want to strangle them both.
“What the hell are you two talking about?” I don’t know why I ask this, as I know without a doubt that they’re talking about me. I’m not going to admit that I have a million damn little butterflies swarming inside my stomach. I feel like I’m in junior high all over again. But this time, I know that guys like this are trouble.
“You, sweetheart.” At the sound of his voice, I turn my head and catch the wink he throws my way. Damn it. He’s got me all tingly down south and I have to cross my legs under the table to relieve the pressure.
“For one,” I hold up one finger. “I was not making any kind of eyes with you. And two,” I hold up another. “I’m much too old to be playing games with a Casanova like yourself.” I glare at him and at that he laughs.
“Claire, you’re not that old,” Sierra says in response, not helping me at all.
I eye the pile of paper made from her napkin and toss it in her face.
“Bitch!” she yells in the middle of the restaurant, which causes us to receive annoyed looks from other customers.
Ryke chuckles at our childishness. Okay, so I’m not doing a very good job at proving my point here.
“No, but really. How old are you?” he asks, bringing the spotlight back on me.
“Didn’t your mother teach you that you should never ask a lady her age?” I bat my eyes at him, not meaning to flirt, but I know it’s coming out that way. I sip on my tea, but then notice the melancholy look on his face. It’s gone before I can think much about it, but it has me wondering if he doesn’t have his mom either. I decide to brush the thought off.
“I guess she forgot to mention that,” he laughs. “But don’t you think it’s a good idea for a guy to ask, you know, just in case the girl is underage?” He gives me that cocky grin again and I’m hating myself for liking it.
“You’re disgusting,” I say this with a smile.
Our playful banter is interrupted by the sound of Sierra’s phone chirping with a text message. I know I’m a terrible friend, but I kind of forgot that she was sitting at the table with us. All my attention had zoned in on Ryke.
“Shit,” she says as she quickly types out a response to whoever she’s talking to. “I’ve gotta run. Auggie has a temp.”
She stands and grabs her purse off the back of her chair and is out the door without another word. I know she has to be worried sick, as I’m sure this is the first time her baby has ever been ill. But now I’m also super annoyed because I’m stuck here with this sexy, egotistical man. Fuck. How am I getting home now?
Now that we’re alone, neither of us speaks.
“So, uh. She was my ride.” I point my thumb behind me toward the door, breaking the silence.
“I can take you home,” he says sweetly. I have to admit I like this side of him. He’s almost shy, unsure of himself now. I like a confident man, but a vulnerable man is nice too.
What the hell am I thinking? I could never be more than friends with this guy. I’ve got enough of my own shit going on right now. Plus, he’s way too much of a womanizer, even if I were looking.
As turned on as he’s making me, I can not let my guard down.
19
Ryker
We sit in silence as I finish eating my burger and Claire picks at the shell of her chicken wrap. I can tell she’s nervous to be here alone with me, so I’m trying to give her a little breathing room. I know I can’t pursue anything with this girl. She’s not like the other women I pick up for a night and then toss the next morning. No, she’s different, and for that reason alone, this will never go further than this.
“Are you from around here?” She surprisingly breaks the ice.
“Born and raised.” I nod and smile. “You’re not though, right?”
She shakes her head as she looks up from her food. “No, I’m from Chicago. I just moved in with my brother and sister-in-law.
“Did you move here for a job?” I’m being fucking nosey, but for some reason, I want to know all about this girl.
“No, I wanted to be closer to my brother and his wife. They’ve helped me a lot with my son, Brady.” She has a child?
“How old is your son?”
She smiles. “He actually turns one tomorrow.”
I cough into my hand. “What about his father?” I shouldn’t be asking this because it shouldn’t matter. I can tell I hit a sore subject.
“Things didn’t end well with him.” She’s clearly over talking about her ex so I move on.
“You seem close to Blackie.” It doesn’t sound like Claire has been in Phoenix long, but somehow, she’s already established a close-knit relationship with the other spitfire.
“Blackie?” She nearly spits out her tea which has me laughing in amusement. “Yeah, we are.” She smiles and has me uncomfortable under the table. “I’m actually moving in with her this weekend.”
“That should be interesting.” I laugh.
“Uh, why?” She gives me a dirty look. Even the attitude and glares she shoots my way make me hard as a fucking rock.
“You both are something else.” I shake my head. “I like that,” I say as I give her a genuine smile, not wanting to come off as an ass anymore. I think I’ve already managed to do enough of that.
“She’s a married woman, you know?” she says, but I know she realizes I’m not talking about her friend anymore.
“I know she is. I was talking about you.” She blushes, and, damn, if it doesn’t make her ten times sexier. How is that even possible?
“Well, I think we’ve already established that I’m not interested in bullshit.” This girl is endearing. I’m used to women who do whatever the hell I say. Not her. She’s the “take no shit” type.
“Fair enough. I don’t
date. I only fuck.” I stare at her waiting for her response.
She cringes. “Yeah, you definitely will not be fucking me.” She looks around in embarrassment, making sure no one else heard her.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” Lies. But all I’ll be doing is getting myself off at night to images of her.
“Good.” She stands from the table, letting me know she’s done with this conversation.
As we’re walking out to my truck, I grab her by the arm, which causes goose bumps to appear on her soft, silky skin.
“Do you have to get home yet?” I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but I really don’t want my time with her to end yet.
She raises her brows at me in question. “I thought I made it pretty clear that I wasn’t sleeping with you?”
“Yes, you made that very clear.” I laugh. “Look, it’s nice out and I was going to walk Griz at the park. Want to join us?” When she looks at me skeptically, I add, “Just an innocent walk. No funny business.”
When she realizes that I’m serious, she nods her head in response. I silently let go of the breath I was holding, anticipating her answer.
We get to my truck and I’m itching to open her door for her but know that’ll piss her off, so I go around to my side and climb in.
“Do you walk by the lake often?” she asks as she buckles her belt. Usually, when I have women in my truck, they scoot their annoying asses over to the middle seat and practically dry hump my leg the entire drive. I’d rather have her across the cabin from me than deal with any of those flakes, any day.
“I try to take Griz in the morning whenever it’s nice out. It’s a good place to clear your head, ya know?”
She nods her head without saying anything else. This woman really is a mystery and she has me wanting to crack her shell open.
She comes across as a bad ass, but I have a feeling she uses her hard exterior to hide something deep inside of her. I know all too well what that’s like.
Revived (Unexpected Series Book 1) Page 9
