In the meantime, I had to call him. Even if I ended up getting the phone slammed in my ear, I didn’t care. I had to at least try. I wasn’t too surprised when I got his voicemail. Hearing his voice gutted me because I missed him so much.
“Hey Max, it’s me…uh, Jessica,” I started. “Listen, I noticed you and Piper haven’t been around all week so I’m hoping you’re both all right…and…well—” I sighed into the phone speaker, “—I’m calling to say how sorry I am, for letting what my sister thought…heck, for letting what anyone thought…stop what was happening between you and me. It was weak and pathetic, and I am so ashamed I demonstrated such a lack of character and fortitude.” I took a deep breath, willing myself not to break down in tears. “Anyway, I’m really sorry and…and…” I wanted to ask him to come back, but I didn’t want to beg. I also kept thinking about what Samantha said, about a man like him not easily getting over my actions. “And I just hope you can—”
Beep.
The voicemail cut me off and I hung up my phone. I knew I could have called back to finish my sentence, but I really hadn’t had any idea how to tie up such a raw and rambling message. So I decided to leave it be.
I left the message at 1:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. He didn’t call back that day or that night.
The next morning, as Natalie and I were leaving the house to walk to church, I saw him and Piper pull into his driveway. Piper gave a quick and friendly wave before running inside, as if we still saw each other every day, and Max eyeballed us, gave a brief chin lift, and just kept walking.
“Well, I guess that’s your answer,” Natalie said as she gently touched my forearm. I tried forcing some kind of smile or acknowledgement of sorts, but everything hurt too much. “Oh, I’m sorry, Shortcake.” Her voice sounded like it was going to crack. “I hate seeing you so upset.”
I just nodded and took her hand in mine. “C’mon now. We’re going to be late.”
Chapter Five
Later that day
“So this is date number…what?” Natalie asked as she made herself comfortable on my sumptuous four-poster bed.
“Technically, number three, I…think,” I said with hesitation from inside my walk-in closet, trying to decide on what to wear. I had two guilty pleasures in life: books and clothes, the latter being indulged ever since Sam renovated last year and insisted on bumping out the back of the house to extend the bedrooms and closet. I had thought it wasn’t going to be worth the money, but I had been wrong. It was a stroke of genius.
“What do you mean ‘technically’?”
“Well, I don’t know if I should count the first one, which was take-out with my sister and Kyle over blueprints. Then it was a concert at Wolf Trap and dinner at La Vie en Noir.”
“Fancy schmancy. It’s the tastiest kibble in town too. He obviously wanted to make a good impression,” Natalie mused, then after a couple of beats called out, “What’s taking you so long? You’re usually so decisive!”
“I know, I know,” I muttered as I sifted through my clothes on the hangers. I huffed and came back out, only to catch Natalie rubbing her cheek against one of the throw pillows. I held my bottom lip between my teeth and silently chuckled.
“Should I leave you two uh-lone there, kitten?”
“Hush now,” she playfully bit back. “I just love the feel of satin on my skin. I can’t help it. I’m a sensualist at heart.” She lifted her head and gave me the once-over. “Why are you still wearing your robe? Pierce is picking you up—” she lifted her phone and squinted at the screen, “—in less than an hour.”
“I know that, Nat,” I answered while wiping the stray hair away from my eyes. “I’m at a loss.”
I was at a loss because I didn’t want to go, but after Natalie witnessed Max blowing me off this morning, she insisted I keep the date because, as she said, “If for no other reasons than to ensure that a) you don’t mope around all weekend and b) there’s a chance Max catches you going out with another man and, hence, can ‘eat shit and die’ for all eternity.” Natalie always did have a way with words.
My friend sat up, scrunching her nose while scratching the top of her head, looking more like a confused kitten rather than one of my best friends deep in thought, especially with her short, black hair sticking straight up on one side. Suddenly her eyes and smile grew wide, followed by a knowing smirk.
“I get it now—it’s your third date and you’re wondering if he’s going to try and sleep with you. That’s the conundrum, isn’t it?”
“Um, I can assure you, while this may be our third date, there will be no sex at the end of the night,,” I stated. “This was barely going to be a date at all, remember?”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that.”
“Right, well, that’s still a lot of pressure to put on a bra and panty set, don’t you think?”
“Well, not if it has that built-in underwire thingy.” She winked.
I rolled my eyes and leaned my weight on the doorjamb of my closet door. “Not helping,” I said. “I should call and cancel. This is ridiculous.”
“Don’t you dare!” Natalie ordered as she got up on her knees and scooted up to the edge of the bed, then sat back on her haunches. “Look, I know he’s not doing it for you quite as much as Asshole Viking down the street, but from what you’ve told me, Pierce is a good-looking, successful guy who’s into you. A man, may I add, who hasn’t been dicking you around all summer just to give you a half second of a chance and rescind it moments later.”
“That’s a fair point.”
“All right then.” She seemed pleased with her logical argument. “So are you going to give him a chance?”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Sure I will.”
Natalie squinted at me again. “Uh-huh.”
I narrowed my eyes right back at her. “What?”
“You’re all closed up! Jesus, you’re going on a date, not for a colonoscopy.”
“He really is a good guy,” I insisted, not sure if I was trying to convince her or me. “And he’s the type I usually go for: tall with dark hair, clean-cut, chocolate-brown eyes, and dimples.”
“Okay, great, so, that makes your wardrobe selection for tonight easy: sexy undies and your favorite fuck-me dress. Right?”
“Right. Absolutely,” I answered through gritted teeth. It sounded like my jaw had been wired shut.
Natalie stared, blinked a couple of times, then threw her body back on the bed and roared with laughter. Her feet went straight up too, kicking wildly like a toddler’s.
“I’m so glad I can amuse you.” I wasn’t even trying to disguise my irritation. Some of the many decorative pillows fell off the bed and I immediately grabbed one and started hitting her with it, which only made her laugh even louder.
“You laugh like a donkey!” I yelled while giggle-snorting myself. “How is it possible you’re a math specialist and you have all this drama trapped inside you? It’s not natural!”
Natalie ripped the pillow out of my hand. “Okay stop! You’ll ruin all my good work!” she said while wiping the tears from her eyes. “And I’m not redoing your hair.”
“All right, all right,” I acquiesced, putting my hands up in surrender, backing away. “You’re right.”
“And be glad I was a drama geek as well as a math club star back in high school,” she said while using her fingers to comb her own hair back in place. “Otherwise you’d have to pay top dollar at Bellini’s Salon down the street for the makeup and blowout I just gave you.”
I plopped next to her on the bed. “He really is a nice guy.”
“So you keep saying. So what’s the problem?”
“Nothing. He’s…great. He’s smart, really good-looking. I know I gave her hell for her reasons, but my sister loves him for me.”
“Awesome, so let her marry him and Kyle and they can a
ll move to Utah together.”
I snort-laughed in response. “Ha! If she were marrying any other man besides Kyle, a male harem would totally be in her future.”
“She was quite the man-killer in her day. Such a shame.”
“Anyway, Pierce has been the one pursuing me, so you’re right. I’m giving him a chance.”
“Awesome! Then you two can have a double wedding, like the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice.”
Immediately my mind conjured the dreamy, picturesque scene for me: Colorful, tiny springtime blooms wrapped in satin ribbons, an archway made of twigs and white twinkle lights. I’m waving to our guests wearing a simple but elegant Regency-inspired wedding gown in an ivory raw silk, complementing my creamy, freckled skin tone quite well, if I may say so myself. My sister is stunning in her similarly styled dress, with its lavender silk taffeta that perfectly complements her eyes. A horse-drawn carriage awaits; my groom’s hand reaches down to assist. The sun is behind his head so I can’t really see his face, but it doesn’t matter. This is my new husband. I love him with every fiber of my being. I place my small, delicate hand in his, and he takes hold. And just like that, as his mammoth hand surrounds mine, my breathing is easy again. He’s got me. He pulls me up, and the sunshine is temporarily blinding, but when the black and yellow spots fade, my eyes finally come into focus.
It isn’t Pierce. It’s Max.
He’s dressed in a vintage, dove-gray morning suit, with his dirty-blond hair combed back and his goatee trimmed. Both his hands cradle my face, the pad of his thumb caressing the apple of my cheek.
“Thank fuck, you’re finally mine.”
“Jessica? Jessica?” Natalie practically yelled while shaking my shoulder.
I blinked a couple of times, taking in my surroundings, actually surprised that I was sitting in my bedroom instead of in that wedding carriage.
“I guess I got a little lost in my head there, huh?”
Natalie’s hazel eyes grew large, and then she snorted a laugh. “You could say that again. Where’d ya go there?”
Then it hit me that I was getting ready for a date with Pierce, not Max.
No, Max was the one who had said he had wanted to “own” me, something I had craved hearing from a man for as long as I could remember, but he couldn’t accept my apology. I knew I had screwed up, and Lord knew I owed him a debt I could never repay for saving my sister, but I couldn’t have room in my heart for a man so closed off and unforgiving.
I had to let Max go, for good this time.
“This is ridiculous.” I jumped off the bed and back into my closet. “It’s been several dates. I’m going for all-grown-up sex kitten!” I grabbed a black deep-V-neck dress and my favorite suede leopard boots, the ones I bought but never wore because I thought they were fabulous but too much somehow. The dress was cut so low I couldn’t wear a bra with it, but it was formfitting enough that one wasn’t needed. So the only lingerie I could put on was a very lacey, barely there bikini panty in red. I shimmied the ensemble on and sauntered out of the closet.
“Holy shit,” Natalie muttered. “You look…”
“What?” I asked, as I looked down at my outfit, wondering if I went too far. I was starting to lose my nerve.
“You look fiercely amazing,” Natalie said.
My shoulders dropped and I let out a relieved sigh. Just then, Nat’s phone began to ring and the face of Rhen, her “stress reliever”—as she liked to call the latest guy she was dating—came up. He had spiky black hair like Natalie’s and he also had sharp, angular features, along with a sarcastic wit rivaling hers. Sometimes opposites attracted, but I knew that, for Natalie, she needed someone who could easily handle the regular servings of smart-ass she dished out. My friend may have played it cool, but I didn’t miss the gleam in her eyes when his face appeared on her screen.
“Miss me, stalker?” she said into the phone. I couldn’t hear what he said, but it made her genuinely laugh, which automatically made me like this guy even more. “Yeah, yeah, I’m leaving soon… Wow, impatient much? Me too.” I listened to their conversation for over forty or so minutes, frankly more interested in her love life than mine. And I don’t care what she said, she was into him. Big time.
She eventually hung up with a huge grin on her face, and then looked up to see me smirking at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.” I grinned, walking her to the door. “Just happy for you is all.”
“Oh no.” Natalie waved me off. “Don’t give me that look of yours. Rhen and I are not serious. We’re a step above fuck buddies. In fact, that’s exactly what we’d be if I wasn’t living on a teacher’s salary. But I love to eat and I like going out to dinner, so we’re dating, and that’s it.”
I chuckled. “So you’re in it for the food, is that what you’re trying to snow me with today?”
She narrowed her gaze but still had a trace of a smile on her lips. “That’s the story we’re going with, Shortcake. Got it?” She opened the door only to find Pierce standing there with his hand up, ready to knock.
“Well!” she exclaimed. “It seems my timing is perfect. You must be Pierce.”
He quickly recovered, offering a handshake to Natalie, all the while staring at me. “Pleasure to meet any friend of Jessica’s,” he said and I blushed.
“Good to meet you as well,” she replied as she shook his hand and then laughed. “He’s a goner!”
He gave my friend a lopsided smile, but something seemed off in my gut about it, like he had practiced in the mirror. I brushed away the thought. Maybe you’re just looking for things to be wrong with him because you wish it were someone else taking you out tonight instead.
I forced a smile onto my face. Although, who was I kidding? I knew right then and there, sexy underwear or not, I wasn’t sleeping with him tonight or any night.
“You’re right. I’m quite taken with your friend. But it is nice to meet you.”
Natalie’s gaze darted back and forth between the two of us. “All right, well, y’all have fun!” She maneuvered past Pierce and walked out. Now, I had a chance to focus my full attention on my date.
He really was handsome: hair so black it almost looked blue in the light. He kept it short, but it still had a slight wave. He was wearing a dark-green corduroy blazer with a chambray blue shirt and dark-washed denim. The minute I registered he was wearing jeans, I worried my bottom lip between my teeth and smoothed down the skirt of my dress.
“I overdressed for our date, didn’t I?”
His eyes slowly inspected me from head to toe, lingering a beat or two right at the V of my outfit. “Absolutely not,” he insisted. “You’re perfect.”
I blushed again. “Let me get my coat.” I grabbed it off the rack.
“It’s actually warmer than I expected it to be this time of year,” he said, so I left the coat behind. Then, as I closed and locked the door, I turned to find his outreached hand.
“Shall we?” he asked.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I placed my hand in his and the first thing I noticed was that his hand was smooth. Like satiny, silky smooth, like a baby’s bottom. No calluses. His skin was almost as soft as mine and, for some dumb reason that made my heart sink.
“Is something wrong, Jessica?” he asked as we walked to his car and he opened the door, just like a gentleman.
I gazed into his dark brown eyes. He looked genuinely concerned, and I realized whatever I was thinking had been written all over my face.
I heard the roar of a motorcycle engine being revved up but not going anywhere. Startled, we both looked over and there was Max, along with a couple of other biker guys. The others gave chin lifts and half salutes, offered a perfunctory glimpse our way, and then hauled off on their Harleys. I half expected Max was going to follow, but he just stayed in place on his bike, staring at us. Even though we we
re a couple of houses down from where he was, I swear I could feel the jealous energy radiating off of him in waves. He turned off his bike’s engine and tore off his helmet, not looking away for a second.
“A friend of yours?” Pierce asked, with a bit of an edge to his tone.
“Uh…” I stalled. “He’s my neighbor. I used to watch his daughter after school.”
“He has a kid? Huh, takes all types, I guess,” he scoffed.
And just like that, a somewhat-okay date went right down the toilet.
“Yes, it does take all types and he happens to be one of the good ones when it comes to parenting his daughter.” I could feel my blood racing. I couldn’t remember ever getting this angry so quickly at someone – and I wasn’t done.
“But you took one look at him and judged his parenting abilities based on what? The fact he rides a Fat Boy? Or is it because he’s covered in tattoos? Who are you to judge anybody?” My heart was beating right into my eardrums. I took a step closer and poked my finger at his chest, repeatedly. “I mean, weren’t you the kid who had to work his way through school to pay his way? I thought you would understand the pain that comes from being an outsider.”
Tears pricked my eyes and a breeze blew through. I looked off to the side and rubbed my arms to warm myself.
He was completely gobsmacked by my outburst and I couldn’t blame him. It was still a totally jerkwad thing for him to have said, but whoa, I don’t ever yell at people like that.
“I tutored guys for beer money and girls for dates back in school,” he answered, trying to bring some levity to the situation. “My parents weren’t rich but we were hardly hurting either. Is that what Kyle told you?”
“No.” I wiped the tears away. “I assumed when he told me you tutored your way through school. Guess it sounded more…I don’t know…honorable than tutoring for T and A.” I examined my boots, not knowing what to do next.
Girl Breaker Page 8
