Opposites Attract (The Locklaine Boys Book 2)

by Jessica Prince

  “Devon!” I shouted just as the door flew open. “Oh, thank God.

  “What in the world’s going on?” she asked as I pushed past her, using my foot to push Shady’s hyper little body out of the way so he didn’t get stomped on.

  “Delilah.” Richard’s voice held a warning as he stormed after me. “Don’t do it—” I cut him off by slamming the door just moments before he reached it, throwing the deadbolt and taking several steps back, watching as though I expected him to Hulk out and bust through at any second.

  “Jesus Christ on a cracker,” Devon muttered, rubbing her tired eyes. “Will someone tell me what’s happening? I was having the best Adam Levine dream before you interrupted it.

  “Delilah!” Richard called through the door. “Open up right now!”

  Devon’s now much more alert gaze bounced from me to the door. “Start talking, Del. Why is our neighbor beating on our door in the middle of the night?”

  More pounding sounded as I twisted my fingers together. “I kind of… snuck out.”

  “Why?” she asked incredulously. Before going wide-eyed.

  “I don’t know!” I yelled over Richard’s incessant knocking. “I just… freaked out a little bit.”

  “Fucking swear to God, Del,” Richard shouted. “I will beat this door down and spank your ass until you can’t sit down if you don’t open up!”

  “You freaked out a little bit,” she said in a dry voice.

  “Yeah.”

  “Because you had really, really good sex?” When my only response was a murderous glare, she laughed. “Oh, honey, don’t look so upset, I’m pretty sure the entire floor heard you screaming his name. Hell, I thought he was two seconds from fucking you right through the wall.”

  “Shut up,” I grumbled, wrapping my arms around my waist.

  “It’s a good thing, Del. Women aren’t supposed to freak out about sex that good. Do you have any idea how lucky you are? How rare it is to find a man who can get you off like that? It’s like discovering a unicorn!”

  “Devon!” Richard hollered, drawing my attention to the locked door. “You really want a raise? All you have to do is open the door, and I’ll make it happen. You have my word.”

  The bastard was changing tactics, trying to use my best friend against me. Little did he know there was no way she’d backstab me like that. But then I saw the expression on her face.

  “Don’t even think about it!”

  “And an extra week of paid vacation,” he called, sweetening the deal.

  I gasped in outrage as she bit down on her lip. “I swear, Devon, if you open that door, I’m breaking up with you. And I mean full on best friend breakup where I unfriend you on Facebook and everything!”

  The bitch actually had the nerve to scoff at me. “Please, like you’d do that.”

  She was right, I’d never do that. There was no going back after unfriending someone, everyone knew that. Just another reason having a friend since childhood sucked do bad, she knew exactly when I was full of shit. “You’re supposed to always be on my side!” I whined, stomping my foot.

  “I am on your side,” she responded. “I’ll always want what’s best for you,” she said as she moved to the door. “And right now, I think that’s him. You’re just too scared to realize it.” With that, she twisted the deadbolt and threw the apartment door open.

  Holy hell, my brain said. He looks pissed. Look what you did.

  What I did?! I argued back, because clearly, I was losing my ever-loving mind. You’re the one that told me to get out of there.

  My brain was no help at all. You’re in troubleeeeee…

  “Richard,” I spoke in a calm, soothing voice and held my hands in front of me as he stalked into the room. “Now, let’s just calm down and talk about this—” My words were cut off by a startled shriek as he lifted me like I weighed nothing, and tossed me over his shoulder. “Put me down! You can’t do this!” I shouted, banging on his tight, bitable ass. “This is kidnapping!”

  “Night you guys,” Devon called as he carried me out of the apartment. “Sleep well. And if you don’t mind, have a little common courtesy for those of us who have to wake up early.”

  I used his back to push myself up enough to glare at her while I readjusted my glasses so they didn’t fall off. “You’re dead to me!” I yelled back at her. “You hear me? Dead!”

  “Love you too, babe,” she grinned wildly just before shutting and locking the door.

  “Good to see you again, Delilah,” Collin spoke as soon as we were back inside Richard’s place.

  “Collin,” I lifted my chin as best I could. “Hello.”

  Then I was flying through the air again as the sound of Richard’s bedroom door slamming echoed through the room. I hit the mattress with an oomph and blinked up at him in disbelief. “Did you seriously just throw me?”

  His hands worked quickly as he rid me of all my clothing once again. “I warned you what would happen if you ran this time, didn’t I?” Within the blink of an eye, I was completely naked and Richard was shoving his own jeans down his legs, his impressive erection straining between us. “Looks like I’ll have to make good on that promise.”

  I glared in spite of the fact I grew breathless, hot and achy, at his menacing words. Some secret part of me was thrilled at the idea of being punished by him. However, I refused to play into that part of myself. “Don’t you dare,” I ground out.

  “Oh, baby,” he smiled wickedly as he crawled up the length of my body. Wait… why does he have a belt in his hands? “Don’t worry.” Before I could struggle, he had my hands pinned above my head, the cool leather of his belt wrapped around my wrists. Holy shit, he’d just tied me to his bed!

  He leaned down and nipped my neck before running his tongue along that one spot that made me shiver. His voice was a whisper in my ear. “You’re going to love this. I promise.”

  And boy, had he been telling the truth about that.

  I HAD SEX WITH Richard Wednesday night.

  He tied me to his bed early Thursday morning.

  It was currently Saturday, and while there had been a repeat performance every night since, I wasn’t any less confused about my feelings or what we were even really doing. We had sex. I stayed the night in his bed, enjoying my job as the little spoon. Then we woke up and went about our days as regularly scheduled. With the exception of a few text messages here or there — mainly of the hey, how’s your day going variety — we hadn’t talked about what “we were” or what we planned on doing besides providing each other with copious amounts of orgasms.

  The uncertainty of what was happening between us left me feeling unsettled. So when he hadn’t mentioned seeing me over the weekend, I’d taken advantage of having a solitary apartment so I could do what all girls do and internally freak the hell out all over the place and overanalyze every word that had been said over the past three days.

  It had taken all day long, but I’d completed the OMG! Does he even really like me, or is he just using me for sex phase and had moved on to the well if he’s using me, I can use him right back while I lie to myself and claim I don’t have feelings for him phase. That phase was a much safer place for me to be in at that moment.

  I was settled on the couch, reading one of the thousands of books I’d downloaded on my kindle while Shady lay crashed out in his doggy bed, when the door to the apartment suddenly flew open so hard it crashed into the wall behind it.

  My body jolted with a startled jump so hard I almost dropped my beloved kindle on the floor.

  “Jeez, Devon,” I gasped, resting my hand on my heaving chest. “You scared the shit out of me.” Once my heart rate returned to a healthy level I was able to focus completely on her disheveled appearance. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, the blue that usually sparkled dull, like she’d just been crying. If that, along with the mascara smudged eyes, hadn’t been indication enough, the fact that her nose and cheeks were splotchy was all the proof I needed. Devon, while absolutel
y beautiful on a regular basis, was a very ugly crier. The longer she cried the more swollen her face would get, and the splotches would begin to look like hives if she wasn’t able to get herself under control.

  “What happened?” I asked, standing from the couch. That was when I noticed a grocery bag in her hands. I recognized the contents immediately. “Oh no.”

  “I need a BJ dance party. STAT.”

  I followed her as she stomped into the kitchen, dumping the multiple pints of Ben & Jerry’s onto the countertop without a care. “Honey, talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong,” I coaxed. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d been the one in need of the BJ dance party. Typically, it was me — the one with the soft, gooey center — that got her feelings hurt and needed to blow off steam with loud music, dancing, and enough sugar to kill an elephant.

  “Matt dumped me,” she muttered with a sniffle, reaching up to wipe her cheek with the back of her hand.

  “What?! Why?”

  The laugh she barked out at my question was devoid of humor. “He said that I was holding myself back from him,” she answered sarcastically. “He said he could feel that I wasn’t completely myself with him and he couldn’t be in a relationship with someone he didn’t really know.”

  “Are you freaking kidding me?!” I shouted. “What kind of self-help, Dr. Phil kind of bullshit is that? I’m going to kick his ass!”

  Devon sniffled again as her face crumbled and more tears broke loose. “The most embarrassing thing about it was that he’s right,” she hiccupped. “I was holding myself back. I’m loud, and blunt, and totally inappropriate most of the time, and I didn’t want him to see that side of me because what if he didn’t like me?”

  I pulled her into a fierce hug, squeezing tightly as my own eyes filled with tears. “If he couldn’t have liked you exactly as you are, then he’s a fucking loser who isn’t good enough.”

  She let out a watery laugh and pulled away, rubbing the heels of her palms against her eyes. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t even myself, and he still didn’t like me. Jesus, what’s wrong with me, Del?”

  “Nothing!” I cried vehemently. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You’re gorgeous and funny and loyal and sweet. There isn’t another person on the planet I’d rather have as my best friend than you. And you’re going to meet a man one day that appreciates all of that, one who actually has a backbone and isn’t intimidated by a strong woman. You just haven’t met him yet, that’s all.”

  “Ugh!” she groaned, brushing tangled hair away from her pretty face. “I’m starting to think guys like that don’t exist. Maybe men like Richard really are unicorns, and you got the last one.”

  “No I didn’t,” I whispered, rubbing a soothing hand along her hair. I wanted desperately to talk to her about Richard, tell her how I was still so unsure of what was going on, but tonight wasn’t about me. It was about her, and what she needed right then was an epic BJ dance party with a side of tequila shooters. “You’ll get a unicorn too, I promise. In the meantime,” I moved to the cabinet where we kept our alcohol and pulled out the bottle of tequila, “you set up the music and I’m going to warn our next door neighbor that things may be a little loud for a few hours. I figure if I explain the situation, he’ll be less inclined to call the cops.”

  That finally got a genuine smile out of her. “Don’t lie, Delilah. You just want to go over there and play kissy face for a few minutes.”

  “Pfft. Whatever.” I rolled my eyes to try and hide the fact that she’d hit the nail right on the head. “Just pick some tunes. I’ll be right back.”

  Trying to calm my frazzled nerves at the thought of seeing Richard again, I blew out a breath and shook my hands out before reaching up to knock on his door.

  “Hey, cutie,” he answered with a beaming grin the moment he saw me on the other side of the threshold. Warmth flooded my belly and heated my cheeks when he leaned in a placed a soft kiss on my lips.

  “Hi,” I said quietly, a smile on my lips. Then I looked over his shoulder into his apartment. “Hey, you got furniture! It’s about time.”

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “It’s Collin’s stuff, but it’s still nice. He brought it all with him from Boston, and my brother and cousin helped us move it in today.”

  Collin picked that moment to walk past the doorway and raised his hand in a wave. “Hey, Delilah.”

  I wouldn’t ever admit it in front of Richard, but I kind of dug Collin’s Boston accent.

  “Hey Collin.” I smiled at him as he continued past, followed by two more men who looked freakishly similar. That caught my full attention. Stepping past Richard, I scanned the living room full of people. “Sweet Muppet’s Christmas Carol. There are four of you?”

  The two men I didn’t recognize — although one of them was the spitting image of Richard — burst into laughter just as I heard a familiar feminine voice shout, “Delilah!”

  I spun around to find Navie and a stunning redheaded woman walking down the hallway from the bedrooms. “Oh my God, what are you doing here?” she asked, pulling me down to her level for an excited hug. I wasn’t tall by any stretch of the imagination, but Navie Collins was practically fun-sized.

  “I live next door,” I answered as the redhead took me in with a top to bottom sweep of her eyes. I suddenly felt extremely inferior.

  That was, until she spoke. “You’re absolutely adorable. Has anyone ever told you that?” Cue the furious blush once more.

  “Uh…”

  “I tell her all the time,” Richard chimed in, coming up behind me to wrap his arms around my waist and brush a lingering kiss along my neck.

  “No way!” Navie shouted, her face nearly splitting with the size of her smile. “You two, really? That’s so awesome!”

  Richard just all but peed on my leg in front of his friends and family. What is that supposed to mean? Are we a couple? He wouldn’t do that if it was just a casual fling, right? Ohmygod, my brain really needed to just shut the hell up, already!

  “Honey, come here,” Navie waved at the man who looked exactly like Richard. “Delilah, this is my fiancé Rowan, Richard’s brother,” she introduced with a blissful smile as she looked up at him. He stared at her with just as much adoration. “Baby, this is the florist for our wedding.”

  “Nice to meet you,” he said with a friendly quirk of his lips. “And I’m sorry you’re stuck living next to such an asshole.”

  Richard released one arm from me just long enough to flip off his brother. My awkwardness chose that moment to kick in and I let out a nervous laugh, followed by a snort.

  “Oh my, God!” the redhead shouted. “Adorable! Can I keep you?”

  “Delilah, this is my friend, Pepper,” Navie said, finally giving the bombshell woman in front of me a name.

  “Nice to meet you,” I told her, thinking her name fit her perfectly.

  “And I’m guessing you already know Collin, but that’s Griffin right there,” she pointed at the man with brown hair just a few shades darker than Collin’s and piercing green eyes. “He’s Pepper’s boyfriend and another Locklaine boy.”

  I nodded at the other insanely handsome man in the room, blushing at his kind smile.

  “We were just thinking of going out to grab some dinner,” Navie told me. “You should come with us.”

  “Great idea,” Richard echoed from behind me.

  I moved out of his hold and pushed my glasses up my nose as I turned to face him. “Thanks for the invite, but I can’t. I actually just came over here to warn you.”

  He frowned as he asked, “About what?”

  “Devon had kind of a rough day. It’s called for a BJ dance party so the music’s going to get a little loud.” I cringed. “Sorry.”

  “I don’t know what a BJ dance party is,” Collin chimed in, “but I’d rather do that than go to dinner. Count me in.”

  I shot him a look. “It’s girls only.”

  “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a BJ?” he asked in bewilde
rment, causing to me roll my eyes.

  “Ben & Jerry’s. We’ll be stuffing our faces with ice cream and tequila while dancing to some angry chick music.”

  “Christ, that sounds awful,” he flinched. “I’m out. Guess I’ll be needing ear plugs?”

  I laughed as I nodded my head. “Probably.”

  At the sound of Devon’s loud, “Yo!” we all spun to face the open doorway. “Enough sucking face, let’s get this party started already.” Then she lifted the bottle of tequila to her lips and took a long swig, wincing in pain once she was finished. “Sweet Zeus’s nipples, how many of you are there?!” she shouted, her wide-eyed gaze bouncing between all the Locklaines. “Ah fuck. I just busted an ovary.” To everyone’s credit, they all burst into laughter. I smiled in appreciation. I got Devon. She was basically my spirit animal, so it was nice to see these people seemed to get her as well.

  From the corner of my eye I saw Pepper and Navie give each other a look before turning back to me. “I like ice cream and angry chick music,” Navie said sweetly.

  “And I love tequila,” Pepper spoke up. “Room for two more at this thing?”

  I glanced Devon’s way and saw her shrug noncommittally. “The more the merrier, but word to the wise, this is a dude-bashing party, so there’ll be no waxing poetically about your guys and their insanely awesome tally whackers. Deal?”

  Pepper shrugged. Navie clapped her hands. “Yay! I’ll tell you all about Rowan back when he used to act like a raging hemorrhoid.”

  “Ah, the love of my life, people,” Rowan deadpanned.

  “And I actually Tazed Griffin… twice. The second time was intentional,” Pepper said. “I’m down for some dude-bashing.”