It had already been several hours since the scene at the school and I had dove into a bottle of wine as soon as I got home, all by myself, and passed out on my couch. I had no idea why he was here because he had texted me earlier, letting me know he found Piper at home and that he was going to have a talk with her.
I swung open the door and started talking before he had a chance.
“I got your text. I’m glad she’s safe, but then again, I wasn’t that worried. Piper’s a good kid. She may have mouthed off a little, but there’s no way she would want to cause you any real worry.”
He was on my porch, the light shining right over his head, making it seem as if rays from heaven had parted the night sky and shone directly onto him. His scruffy blond hair glowed like a halo. I half chuckled to myself because he looked like a rough-around-the-edges fallen angel. And he was actually smiling for a change, softening his usually strong, angular features. He even had those charming little wrinkles near the corners of his eyes I adored. They humanized him, made him appear mortal after all.
“Okay, so what if you’re gorgeous.” I leaned to the side, making me lose my balance and bumping my shoulder into the doorjamb. Hard.
“Ouch,” I said, rubbing the spot, then looking back at him, surprised to see his eyebrows shoot straight up.
“Oh don’t act dumb. You know you’re beautiful. I can’t stand it when people don’t acknowledge what God gave ’em. Doesn’t mean you have to go ’round bragging. No one likes that, especially God.”
He gave me a panty-melting smile, stepping forward, and took hold of me by the waist. “How much did you have to drink, Gingersnap?”
“Oh please,” I said, followed by a raspberry, sputtering spit all over his face. I wiped it off him. “Sorry ’bout that.”
He chuckled. “Not a problem,” he said while walking me back inside and closing the door. He had his arm wrapped around me and I automatically looped both arms around his.
“Whatryu doin’ here?” I slurred my words into his chest. Why did he have to smell so good? Why couldn’t he stink something awful, like roadside skunk and bad decisions?
“After what happened earlier today, I thought it best not to wait to straighten shit out between us,” Max said as he picked me up and carried me through the house. “Which bedroom is yours?” he asked, but before the full effect of that most enticing thought had a chance to sink into my wine-soaked brain, he interrupted my fantasy train.
“It’s gotta be this one.” He answered his own question, walking into my bedroom.
“Why’s that?”
“Because,” he said while unfolding the covers, putting me down on the bed, and then taking off my shoes, “it’s the most girly, lacey, stuck-in-another-century room in the whole house.” His head slowly moving like a periscope from left to right, he perused my space with a knowing smirk.
“Pictured being in this room a hundred times, and this is exactly how I thought it would look.” The crow’s feet returned as he smiled when his gaze landed on my nightstand. “You even have one of those black antique phones.” His eyes met mine, growing even warmer. He grabbed the edge of the blanket, pulled it up, and then turned off the lamp.
“You’ve pictured being in my room?”
His chest rose and fell with his breath. “Yeah, of course I have.”
“With me?”
His smile now grew wider, beaming. “Yeah, baby. I know you’ve had a few, but try to keep up.”
“But then why…when we…”
He sat down on the bed, his arm resting on the other side of my hip, caging me in. I had just dreamt of him in this bed with me, but even with the lamp off, there was enough light from the other room for me to see he was here but far away, stuck in his head.
“What is it?” I asked. “You can tell me. I hope you know that.”
Now his eyes found mine again. Maybe he was still trying to determine how much he could really trust and I had to wonder what the heck had happened to him.
“I lied to you.”
My eyes grew wide in the dark. “What?”
I heard him let out a frustrated breath. “When I said you weren’t the right kind of woman for me. That you weren’t…” He hesitated.
“Wild enough, is what you implied,” I whispered.
“I said it to piss you off.”
“It worked,” I said, my voice soft and low.
“Yeah, well, that was what I wanted. Or so I thought.”
“What do you want, Max?”
“You,” he answered without hesitating. “I want you, and it’s fucking me up because I’ve never gotten this wrapped up in a woman. You’re beautiful and smart as hell but more than that: I see you. I see all of you. I may not know all your stories yet, but I know inside of you is the princess who needs my protection and the wild woman who owns everything about herself. And any man who can’t see all the kinds of woman you are in the glint in your eye, in the way you move across a room isn’t any kind of real man.”
I sat up, no longer feeling the effects of the wine. “So, then…why do you keep pushing me away?”
He reached out and cupped my jaw, stroking my cheek with his thumb, then threaded some stray hairs behind my ear, the way he always liked to do. “Because you don’t know everything about me. I don’t make apologies for the choices I’ve made, but ever since Piper came into my life and meeting you…I’ve been thinking the way I live may not be the way I want to keep living.
“Whether you’re getting in my face over something you believe in or crying in my arms over something that’s brought you to your knees, you break and mend what’s left of me every time.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but he placed his finger there, effectively shushing me.
“Before you say anything or make a promise you can’t keep later, you need to know I’m not just a guy with a kid and a chop shop. There’s more for you to know.”
“There’s nothing you could say to me that can turn me away,” I said, reaching for his hand.
He gave the sweetest, lightest kiss on the palm of my hand. “I hope so. But it’s a conversation I need you sober for. So I want you over at my place, tomorrow night for dinner. Piper will be at my folks’ and I’ll cook. I’ll lay it all out and then, you’ll know.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to tell me now?” I asked, followed by an involuntary yawn.
He gave a slight chuckle. “Yeah, I’m sure. Sleep it off, okay?”
As much as I was dying to find out what Max had to share, I was never much of a drinker and whoa, this wine had really gone to my head.
“M’kay, maybe you’re right,” I mumbled. I opened my eyes one more time to say goodnight, but he was already gone. I was asleep two seconds later.
Chapter Three
The flavor in my mouth was a cross between sour grapes and dirty underwear, and there was a dull, insistent thud pounding at the base of my skull.
I’d definitely had too much wine last night.
But then I remembered him coming over and what he said: Whether you’re getting in my face over something you believe in or crying in my arms over something that’s brought you to your knees, you break and mend what’s left of me every time.
Then he asked me over for dinner tonight.
And then I recalled my sister was coming home today from New York. In fact, she’d be here within the hour with Kyle.
Both those thoughts were enough to push the alcoholic haze out of my head and me out of bed. Like a little kid, I raced through my room to the bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth and showering. Within thirty minutes, I was clean, blow-dried, dressed, and ready.
I heard them before seeing them, with Kyle in one of his sports cars racing down the street. Usually his carelessness would be enough to set me off, but this time, I was all for it. I was getting my sister back.
“Oh Sam-Sam!” I grabbed her by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
She coughed a couple of times but quickly recovered. “I’m fine.” She took hold of me, giving the once-over. “You look terrific, as usual. Just beautiful.”
I blushed and ran my fingers through my hair, twisting the ends. As far as I was concerned, Samantha was the pretty one, the smart one, and the one with the talent.
“Still can’t take a compliment for shit, I see.” A slight smirk played at the side of her perfectly shaped lips. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and turned to Kyle. “I swear, babe, she came out of the womb tinted pink from embarrassment.”
Kyle gave his bride-to-be a huge grin, shaking his head, obviously amused. “You haven’t seen her for six weeks. You two are acting like you just got back from a tour of duty.”
“I don’t expect you to get this.” Sam squeezed my shoulder, then looked back at her man with an impish glint. “You’re an only child and, hence, inherently disadvantaged.”
“Is that right, darlin’?” he drawled, those bourbon-colored eyes of his dancing as he bit the side of his lip.
“It’s true and so, so sad,” she teased.
Kyle shut the car door and sauntered over to where we were standing. He was just wearing a simple white button-down shirt with jeans and a pair of classic Ray-Ban aviators, but dear Lord in heaven, that’s all he needed. The man had been driving for hours and there wasn’t a hair out of place.
“It’s like he’s not even real,” I muttered under my breath, making Sam cackle and Kyle offer me—his future sister-in-law—a wink.
“Why don’t you two go on and do your beyond-my-understanding sister bonding. I’ve got some shit to do before the meeting with the architect this afternoon anyways. Jess, you’ve got time after the wedding errands to hang with us? I know Sam and I would like your take on what we’ve got planned for the house.” They were building their dream home across the street from our childhood home, so we could still be close.
Kyle and my sister gave each other a knowing glance, then she piped in. “Absolutely! Afterwards, you’ll come out to dinner with us.”
“Oh sweetie, you don’t have to do that. You two should have some alone time. I know Kyle didn’t get to see you all that much and—”
“Nonsense,” she interrupted. “Kyle and I got plenty of time alone in New York. Besides, Pierce will be joining us.”
My eyes grew large. “Who’s Pierce?”
“He’s the architect,” Kyle answered as he followed us into the house. “Pierce Lashing—a smart guy, by the way. He lived on my floor freshman year at Dartmouth. I think he ended up tutoring half my fraternity his whole four years before he ended up at Virginia Tech for grad school. He really doesn’t do projects like ours anymore, so it’s a real coup we got him.”
I pressed my lips together and felt my face and neck get all hot, which also meant they were probably bright pink. “Uh-huh,” was all I said as I walked into the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink? You must be thirsty after such a long drive.”
“Nothing for me, thanks,” Samantha answered while collapsing on the couch. By the time I walked back in, Kyle had lifted her legs and put them on his lap, took off her shoes, and started rubbing her feet.
Her head flew backwards. “Ohmigod, baby,” she whimpered. “That’s soooo good.”
If my face could get any brighter, I’d be looking like I was having an allergic reaction. “Good Lord, you guys. I’m right here,” I muttered, sitting across from them in my favorite leather armchair, the one that had belonged to our grandfather and then our dad. It was perfectly broken in and yet still maintained a beautiful sheen to the tobacco leather. I had the wedding binder in hand along with my treasured Mont Blanc pen, one of my college graduation presents. “May we get started?”
Samantha righted her head, appearing as if it was taking some effort to refocus those lavender eyes back on the tasks at hand. She had a dreamy, almost sleepy expression. But Kyle’s eyes were razor sharp.
“We can do that later,” he said with affection. “You’re joining us for dinner, right?”
I was in the middle of writing a reminder note in the binder but stopped, peered up, and raised an eyebrow at his question. “Um…actually, Kyle,” I hemmed a bit, tucking my hair behind my ear, thinking of how to tell them about Max. Knowing he was going to talk more about the possibilities of the two of us made me smile. Kyle’s gaze fell from my eyes to my grin, not missing a thing. “I promised Max I would have dinner with him tonight.”
My sister swung her legs off her fiancé and onto the floor, putting her shoes back on. “Oh, then just tell him and Piper something’s come up. I really want you to meet Pierce. I think he’s perfect for you.”
I glanced down at the binder. I didn’t have any more notes, but I pretended I did and doodled in the margins. How was it that I could hold my own in front of a conference room full of colleagues and parents, but when confronted by my sister—the person I loved more than anyone on Earth—I shut down at the slightest hint of disappointing her?
“I don’t know,” I said while staring at my doodling. “It feels rude to cancel plans. Besides…I-I like him. A lot.”
“Well, of course you do. He’s a good guy.” My sister seemed to miss my meaning entirely—which was unusual for her.
“What I mean is—” I started, only stopping as we all heard a knock at the door. I saw Max standing on the other side of the glass.
“Oh great!” Sam jumped out of her chair toward the door. “You can reschedule with him now. He won’t mind, right, Kyle?”
Kyle didn’t respond, and I noticed his quiet, making me look up, catching his eye. One glance between us and I immediately knew he got what I meant, even if his woman hadn’t.
And I could’ve sworn I saw wariness in his eyes. His usually smooth brows stitched together and the bourbon color of his irises darkened. He inhaled deeply, making his nostrils flare.
But then Samantha swung open the door and all that was Max flooded the room, so whatever flash of worry had been on Kyle’s face vanished. I froze in my seat, even as I watched Kyle get up and move across the room, welcoming his friend.
“Good to see you, brother,” he said while giving Max one of those man-hug-backslap greetings. Since Samantha was standing right there, Max leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. But as soon as he righted his tall frame, his eyes scanned the room until they found me and only then did the tension in his shoulders relax and those crinkles in the corners of his eyes return as he gave me the warmest smile I’d ever seen from him. My lips parted but I couldn’t speak because one smile from this man had taken my breath away.
“I’m so glad you stopped by,” my sister chimed in as she closed the door, still completely oblivious to the fact that my universe had just experienced a cosmic shift. “We were just talking about you and Piper.”
“Is that right?” He walked straight toward me, his strides long and purposeful, eating up the space between us. I wetted my lips and gulped some air, my head moving farther backward as he got closer.
And then, there he was, in my atmosphere. A hint of musk permeated my lungs, so overwhelming I had to remind myself to, breathe. I took him into my heart and body, his essence immediately feeding my blood like oxygen. He surprisingly brought with him a woodsy scent, like he had spent his life outdoors and not in a garage.
“Only just saw you last night and already I’ve missed you,” he said as he took me into his embrace, the feel of him surrounding all of me. I felt his warm lips skim along the pulse point of my neck, making me shudder. Then he whispered in my ear, “I know we were going to talk tonight, but I couldn
’t wait anymore.”
“Is this really happening? If I’m dreaming again, I’m going to be really ticked off,” I asked, keeping my voice soft near his ear, then moving my head back to meet his gaze.
“This is no dream, Gingersnap. This is happening between us.”
He was on fire for me, with his pupils dilating and their surrounding color almost glowing with their light. And that was when I remembered the dream I had several weeks ago, of a green-eyed warrior prince, the man I was convinced was my soul mate, and how he had descended deep into the woods before I had woken up.
“You have the same eyes as the man in my dream,” I blurted out.
Max responded with a sweet smile as he cupped my jaw and placed a slow, deliberate kiss on the apple of my cheek.
“I better be the only man you’re dreaming about,” he said low in my ear. Just like a kitten, I rubbed my face against his, craving his coarse and edgy stubble.
“Don’t ever shave,” I whispered. “I want you to keep that handsome face of yours…rough.”
His eyes were molten and liquid. “You got it, baby.”
“Um… What the hell is going on here? You are rubbing up against each other like a couple of cats in heat. Jess, are you…are you actually dating Max?”
The harshness of Samantha’s tone made both of us bristle. I broke out of his embrace to get a good look at my sister: both fists on her hips with her lavender eyes blazing hellfire.
“What is wrong with you? Max is one of Kyle’s best friends—a good guy, just like you said—so why are you so freaked?”
She ignored my questions. “How long has this been going on?”
“It hasn’t—I mean—not long. In fact, Max and I were going to get together tonight to discuss the possibilities of…of…”
“I’ve had feelings for your sister since the moment I saw her, right here in this room,” Max said, glaring at my sister. “You remember that day, right? When that shit heel broke in and I stopped him from beating to a pulp and raping you?”
Girl Breaker Page 5
