by Toni Aleo
“You won’t,” he promised as her fingers dug into his skin, and a certain kind of peace fell over him as a sigh left his lips.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she reminded him, and he looked over his shoulder at her.
“I promise you won’t get slut on you,” he said sternly and she rolled her eyes.
“Whatever. Stop talking to me, please,” she said with a sigh before getting to work on his leg.
Watching as she moved her hands along his thigh, down by his knee and then his hamstring, he admired her beauty and the little wrinkle her nose was in. She was frustrated with him, a normal occurrence. Her shoulders were taut, the veins in her skin visible as she moved her hands along his leg. She was so strong, so gorgeous and…not his.
“So tell me about your boyfriend,” he said, using the word loosely. He could tell she was trying way too hard with the douche. He knew what she looked like when she was in love. He’d stared into those love-filled eyes for months, trying to ignore them, and then ultimately pushing them away.
She glanced up at him and glared. “No.”
“What? Scared I’ll get my feelings hurt?”
“You don’t have feelings, Jordie. You’re allergic to them,” she said simply, her hand digging deeper into his skin.
He smiled, covering the grimace that was surfacing. She did her job great, but she had always been a little rough. “That’s not true. I have feelings for you.”
She paused and looked up at him. “Wanting to fuck me may be a feeling but not the feelings I want.”
He held her gaze. “Oh, you want them all right, you just don’t like that you do.”
“You know nothing about me,” she sneered, tearing her gaze from his. “And you know nothing about my relationship with Liam. He’s a good guy, I like him.”
“Maybe, but you don’t feel an ounce of what you feel when you’re with me.”
She looked back up at him. “That’s a bold, cocky statement.”
“I’m nothing but bold and cocky.”
“And a heartbreaker, a liar, and a deceitful pig,” she informed him and he smiled, not letting any of that bother him. That was old Jordie. New Jordie was none of those things…. Well, maybe a pig because he sure did have a hard-on just from the feel of her hands.
“I always thought you loved the pig in me?” he teased and she glared.
“I did, but the other two, plus the rejection, are a little hard to forget,” she said coldly. “Liam is none of those things. He is sweet.”
“And a fucking pansy. He won’t ever fuck you like I can.”
She didn’t even flinch, she only held his gaze. “Probably not, but at least he won’t break my heart,” she said quickly, her eyes diverting down to the leg she was working on. “And in case you didn’t know this, I’m not looking for a fuck. That boat has sailed. I’m looking for forever.”
So was he, but he wouldn’t say that when she was with someone else. Instead, he laughed before saying, “And you think that asshole is forever?”
“He could be,” she snapped back, and that only made Jordie laugh harder.
“Sugar thighs, if he is your forever, then I don’t know you at all,” he said and she looked back at him. Her eyes were full of so much sorrow and pain that it took his breath away.
“Yeah, you’re right. Because if you knew me, you’d know I thought you were my forever. But you smashed that dream quick, huh?”
That hit him square in the chest, leaving him breathless as she held his gaze. Slowly he sat up, turning out of her hands, unable to keep it in any longer. He had to tell her that she was his forever. Yeah, he’d wanted to wait until doucheface was out of the picture, but she had to know that he felt the same. That he did know, he’d just tried to fight it.
He had to tell her now.
“Kace—”
“Hey, babe, you almost done?”
Jordie held her gaze despite the interruption of Liam. He begged her with his eyes to tell Liam to go somewhere, but when he saw the tears gather in her eyes, he had to look away. Call him a coward, but when that girl cried, Jordie felt smaller than a flea.
“Yeah, fine, Jordie was just leaving,” she said, looking toward the wall. “Let me clean up and I’ll be ready to go.”
“All right, baby,” he said, then looked to Jordie. “She has great hands, right?”
Jordie swallowed his explicit retort and glared as he hopped off the table, grabbing his shorts in the process.
Looking back up at him, he said, “Fuck off, Kelly.”
Well, he tried to swallow it.
“Jordie!” Kacey scolded, but he ignored her as Liam sputtered, looking like a complete doofus.
Jordie then turned to Kacey, grasping her shoulder as her eyes met his, still full of tears. Holding her gaze, he said, “I do know you, and I’m sorry it took me so long to say that.”
Her eyes widened as she shook off his hand, her eyes turning to slits, but the sadness in them still blinded him.
Instantly, he felt incomplete.
She was what he needed to feel complete, but she had a barrier the size of the Great Wall around her heart and he was the one who helped build it.
But what goes up, must come down.
And Jordie was going to bust right through that fucking wall and get his girl.
As Jordie walked out, his shorts in his hands and his shoulders back and taut, Kacey wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and cry. Alas, her boyfriend was standing in the doorway, hopelessly confused. She knew she needed to say something, anything. But not only could she not move for the simple fact she was worried she’d chase after Jordie, but she couldn’t get his words out of her head.
I do know you, and I’m sorry it took me so long to say that.
But really, why did Jordie have to say things like that? It made her hope that he was being true. That he really meant it. But if he did, then why did he throw her to the side the way he did? Why was he messing with her? Fucking with her head!
But really, why did she fucking care!
She had Liam. And he was…
Ugh.
“Um, Kacey, what is going on?”
Drawing in a deep breath through her nose, she just wanted a moment. Just one. To breathe and figure out her next move. A part of her wanted to demand to know what Jordie was saying, the other part of her was scared to know. She knew Jordie, knew what he wanted from the opposite sex, so what the hell was he saying? She just wanted to know, but at the same time, she didn’t. Letting Jordie in again would be a huge mistake. One she couldn’t afford to make.
She needed to just ignore him. Completely shut him out the way he did her. She had a good man who wanted her. She needed to stick with that because Liam wasn’t capable of what Jordie was. He also didn’t make her feel what Jordie did, but that was beside the point. She needed to stay clear of Jordie and try hard to fall for Liam. Her mother would love him, so would her father, she just knew it. She just had to let him in. Stop holding him at arm’s length and enjoy a man who actually wanted her and the things she did. It was so hard to find a man nowadays, and she was getting older. She couldn’t let him go. Not yet. Love grew, it did. And it would for her.
Turning to do damage control, she could not only to see that his face was twisted in confusion but also that he had brought her a bouquet of wild flowers.
Ugh, she didn’t want any more flowers.
Shit, that made her a bitch.
Fuck, she was trying to stop cussing.
Shit!
Shaking away her thoughts, she placed a smile on her face. “Oh! My fave,” she said, coming toward him and taking the flowers. Smelling them, she grinned up at him and then kissed his lips softly. “Thank you.”
She turned, taking them to her desk, where four other bouquets were there to brighten her day. But when her eyes fell to the Snickers that looked out of place, it was what brightened her day. Jordie knew that she loved food. That it was the way to her heart. She a
ctually hated flowers, not that she had told Liam that.
Turning back, she threw him a grin and said, “So I think you’ve filled the quota for flowers this week.”
His brows were together as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I asked you a question,” he said sharply for the very first time.
Her brow rose. “And I’m choosing to ignore it.”
“Why?” he demanded.
“Because I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But I do.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t.”
He gave her a deadpan look and then asked, “So I’m just supposed to ignore the fact that my teammate told me to fuck off for no reason at all, while you stood there almost in tears?”
Kacey nodded. “Exactly. If you want to chase after him and ask him why he said that to you, be my guest, but my issues with Jordie are off-limits.”
“Why?” he asked again. “Do you two have history?”
Letting her head fall back, she sucked in a deep breath and then let it out. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, I think you need to start talking because I’m upset. I feel like you’re hiding something from me, and I don’t like that,” he said impatiently. But didn’t he know that that sentence would have meant so much more if he’d added a few curse words?
She snapped her head back up and glared. “I don’t have to talk about anything I don’t want to talk about.”
He held her gaze, his beautifully sharp, angled face in such twisted confusion. This was the first time she had seen him upset. He was kind of cute. Like a mad little puppy.
“That’s unfair,” he said, his voice calming a bit. “I just want to know the truth. I don’t need details, but when I ask a question, I expect it to be answered. I’d do the same for you. Out of respect.”
She shoved her hands in her pockets and looked away, annoyed. She didn’t want to do this. She knew she was being a bitch because of what Jordie said. But also, if she didn’t want to share about her and Jordie, why did she have to? Liam wasn’t her daddy, but the way he was looking at her, like she did owe him a damn answer, made her realize that this was the way he operated. That if she wanted this to work, she’d have to bend a bit. He was the guy she was hoping would be her forever. The more she looked at him though, the more she knew Jordie was right.
But she wouldn’t let him win. This would work. Liam was her forever.
Ugh, that didn’t even sound right.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Yes.”
He held her gaze. “You and Jordie?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“What happened?”
“That’s details,” she snapped. “And I’m not sharing.”
His eyes went to slits, but then he looked away, sucking in a breath. “Why?”
“Because I’m not ready to.”
“Is he the last guy? The one who broke your heart?”
Her lip trembled as she looked down at the floor, her breathing labored. She had forgotten she had told him that. “Yes.”
When Liam closed the distance between them, she was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Tilting her head back with his forefinger, he looked deep into her eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers.
“I would never break your heart,” he whispered, his breath hot against her lips.
Gazing into his eyes, she knew that he spoke the truth. There wasn’t a heart-breaking bone in his body. He was a good guy. Sweet. Perfect. Everything she needed but nothing she wanted. But what she wanted would always break her heart, and she couldn’t be his victim anymore. Not when Liam was begging for her love. She’d be an idiot to let him go.
“I know,” she whispered back, her eyes falling shut, waiting for his wanton kiss, but it never came.
“I’m sorry I pressed for information. I just don’t want you to be sad.”
“It’s fine, kiss me,” she demanded, but instead of his lips, his thumb traced her bottom lip.
“Kacey, do you know how much you mean to me?”
She opened her eyes and said, “No, but kiss me and show me.”
He smiled. “A lot, and I’m glad you trust me not to hurt you, because I won’t.”
She looked at him expectantly, but he just kept brushing his thumb along her lips, not kissing her, and it felt so forced. Jordie wouldn’t even talk this much, he’d kiss her stupid, letting his body and hands do the talking. Instantly, she was disgusted with herself. She had this good man wanting to talk and be sweet, and she was thinking of a foulmouthed asshole who broke her heart.
What the hell was wrong with her?
“I’m excited to meet your parents. I’m sure I’ll love them.”
“Yeah, they’ll love you,” she said on a sigh. “I can’t wait.”
He sent her a sweet grin and then pressed his lips quickly to hers.
The kiss was over before it started.
No fireworks, bombs, or sparks.
Nothing.
Just a pressing of the lips, and as he pulled back, his eyes bright, he said, “Me neither.”
And Kacey decided that she was unsure how long she could keep trying.
Because no matter how badly she wanted him to be, Liam Kelly was probably not for her.
Kacey was doing everything in her power to avoid Jordie.
Everything.
But it was not working.
Coming out of the shower, she reached for her towel, wrapping it around herself, but when her eyes set on two round, bare butt cheeks, she groaned.
“Do you not know how to cover your ass up?” she sneered when she passed by a naked Jordie as he trimmed his beard. She tried so hard not to check out his buns, the perfect cut of his hips, and the muscles in his back, but she was having no luck at all. His body was a wonderland of muscle and skin—two things that really turned her on. She knew damn well he did this to drive her crazy; he knew she liked him naked.
A lot.
Turning, he leaned his hip against the counter and shrugged. “I never covered up before,” he said it so matter-of-factly¸ it set her teeth on edge. “Not a peep came out of that mouth of yours in the past.”
Glaring, she held her towel tighter to her body because he was, in fact, very right, and she’d also foregone anything to cover up her own body.
Easy access.
“That was back when we were doing it. Now, it’s inappropriate.”
His brows pulled together. “It is?”
Flabbergasted, she struck her hips with her hands. “Um, yes! I’m dating someone!”
“Someone you aren’t happy with,” he said mildly, his gaze not leaving hers.
“You don’t know that,” she snapped back.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone so that you can keep on acting like you do.”
“I do!” she yelled, but he just laughed.
As he looked over at her, his lips turned up a bit as his eyes darkened. “Okay, answer me this: when you kiss him, do you think of me?”
“You’re disgusting,” she sneered. “And you’re delusional. I don’t think of you at all.”
“Yeah, sure.” He scoffed. “Y’know, the sooner you realize that he isn’t for you, the better.”
Her brows actually touched and she was almost speechless. Was he on something? Sputtering, she yelled, “Better for who?”
“Me,” he said, and that time, she was speechless. But before she could even process what he was saying, he cocked his head toward her. “Also your tit is hanging out. Might want to tuck it back in before I touch it,” he said, causing her to look down in horror to see that her tit was indeed hanging out.
“You pig!”
With a naughty grin, he looked over at her, sending chills down her back. “Oh, sugar thighs, remember, you love the pig-like qualities I have.”
When he winked, her resolve almost cracked wide open. Crying out in frustration, she slammed her door and stomped to her dresser to get dressed. She
swore that steam was coming out of her ears! He was positively evil and a royal pain in her ass. All week it had been like that, teasing and picking at her like they were buddies. And they definitely were not. He also kept saying little things like that. The kinds of little things that she practically had held her breath to hear before. But now, he was saying them left and right, and she didn’t know what the hell was going on!
She didn’t understand his game. But she was pretty damn sure she saw him naked more than dressed, and she worked with him for two hours a day. He was always prancing around with his cock out for her to gawk at, causing her, against her better judgment, to be hot and bothered. Thank God, Liam wasn’t putting out because there was a good chance she would imagine Jordie instead of him.
Which was a whole other issue.
She really needed to let him go.
The more time she spent with Liam, the more she knew he wasn’t it. Or maybe he was, but Jordie’s cock was beckoning her to the dark side. She really wasn’t sure, but it was all a fucking mess. Liam was doing nothing for her, and she felt as if she was doing what Lacey had said. She was grasping at straws. Trying to make something work with someone just to keep Jordie away. He knew she wouldn’t cheat, unlike Jordie. She was insanely loyal, but it wasn’t right what she was doing. It also would mean that Jordie would be right, and she hated to allow that. But she had to stop lying to everyone and herself. Because she didn’t love Liam. Not even in the least.
But hell, he was coming to meet her parents that day.
They were coming in to visit since they were dying to see Mena Jane and they still hadn’t sold their house. Apparently Karson and Kacey were chopped liver because all that mattered was their firstborn grandbaby. A part of Kacey was jealous that Karson had given them that precious gift. She knew good and well that her parents would be smitten with all their grandbabies, but she’d always thought she was going to be the one to give them their first.
But she was stripped of that chance.
Letting her head hang, she bit into her lip, trying so hard not to cry as her mind wandered past the closed door and straight to him. Like it always did. All week she had wondered what Jordie wanted to talk about. Would he speak of the baby more? Would he apologize more? She had already forgiven him, not that she had told him that. But it was driving her nuts not knowing what he had to say. She couldn’t even focus on Liam because she sat there and thought up all kinds of different scenarios.
