by Marie James
They both shake their heads animatedly as if egg carton caterpillars are the best thing in the world.
“Good to see you again,” London Cole says.
I lift my head to her, reaching out my hand to shake the one she’s offering.
“Mr. Cole,” I say to their father shaking his hand as well.
My heart flutters at the sight of him. He and Kegan look so much alike it’s uncanny. Their father, although older, bears the same handsome features. I may be able to tell myself that Kegan Cole has no bearing on my life, but it still doesn’t stop the thumping of my heart just being around his family.
“Where’s Mr. Easton?” I knew the baby had been sick, but the girls told me he’s out of the hospital and back home.
“At home with his Uncle Kegan,” London says. My heart pounds harder.
My face must betray my reaction because she winks at me. Oh God. Do they know about Kegan and me?
“Momma doesn’t want him to get sick again,” Anastyn adds.
“Germs are bad!” Lennox chimes in.
“Yes, they are.” I turn back to Kadin and London. “They’re really excited to show you their work. They’ve been super busy girls since school started.”
“I can’t believe how much they’ve learned in a month,” London says with a smile on her face.
Kadin remains quiet as we talk about the girls and how much progress they’ve made. It’s almost as if he’s evaluating me for some reason. I don’t feel uncomfortable, but I just wish I knew what the silent interview was for.
Is he wondering if I’m good enough for his brother?
Maybe Kegan should tell him that ship has sailed. If telling me we need to talk and remaining silent for the next five days is his way of discussing things, then I’ve got no desire to explain myself to him or anyone else for that matter.
I make small talk with the Coles’ for a few more minutes until another student’s family comes up needing to discuss their child. We say our quick goodbyes, and I turn my attention back to the open house.
I’m exhausted by the time the school is cleaned up and back in order. Of course, Amelia didn’t stick around to help, but I didn’t expect her to.
A quick stop at the sandwich shop is the best I can do for dinner, and to save time getting into bed, I eat the whole thing on the way home.
Silence welcomes me when I open the front door. Cindy was here when I left this morning, but she doesn’t seem to be around right now. Against better judgment, I leave the front door unlocked. We live in a nice quiet neighborhood, so it doesn’t bother me. What would bother me, is locking it and having to get out of bed when she comes home drunk later tonight and bangs on it relentlessly, or worse yet, breaks a window to get in.
I smile at the thought of Kegan coming back over and fixing another window. I let myself imagine sitting on the sofa while he takes his shirt off like he did last time. I’d turn the heat up so he’d get all sweaty and delicious while I sit and drink ice cold lemonade.
I shut those thoughts down quickly. Fantasizing about Kegan before I actually slept with him was easy. Doing it after I know what he feels like in almost every position imaginable is dangerous. Those thoughts didn’t lead to me grabbing my vibrator out of my drawer. Those thoughts led to me wanting to call him and invite him over, and that isn’t as simple as it sounds
I kick off my heels in the front entry way and slide on my Monsters, Inc. slippers before heading upstairs and directly into bed.
Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow I won’t wonder about Kegan as much. Maybe tomorrow when I wake up I won’t feel the fear I’ve felt all week that I’m going to lose my job. I don’t, by a long shot, think Amelia is going to back down, but other than the insults tonight about Kegan’s choice in women, she hasn’t brought up the incident in the closet.
I don’t know if I should be grateful or terrified.
Chapter 25
Kegan
I used to look forward to Fridays. The day only came second best to Saturday mornings when I didn’t have to wake up early for work. Somehow, today doesn’t carry the same thrill.
The week has been torturously long, especially when Kadin came to get Easton last night and made sure to tell me just how beautiful Lexi had been last night at the girls’ open house. That little tidbit of information followed me into my dreams and haunted me all night.
I miss her. I’m man enough to admit that. I thought it was the sex and the way her tight body clings to me just before she comes that I was longing for, but as the week went on those carnal thoughts, although still there, turned into more than just a need for an orgasm.
I find myself wondering what she’s doing, what she’s wearing. I’ve wondered, more than once, if she is missing me the way I’m missing her.
I’ve been working with a different crew, starting another job across town and getting them settled. Today is the first day I’ve had the chance to even visit the Westover job. Her car’s gone by the time I pull up at a quarter to eight. I knew it would be. What I don’t know is if she’s been leaving super early all week like she did that first week.
Is she avoiding me? I can’t blame her for not reaching out and making contact; I haven’t reached out to her either. I figured my body’s need for her would dissipate over time, but it hasn’t yet.
“A couple of us guys are going to hit the town tonight,” Tony says meeting me at my truck. “You want to go?”
“Sure,” I reply. Beers with the guys never sounded so good. “Where are we at with this project?” I ask walking up to the construction site.
Tony drones on about the foundation and supply list getting delivered on Monday, and I can’t keep myself from looking over at Lexi’s house. It isn’t until my eyes land on the new window in her den that a genuine smile crosses my face.
I’m debating if this wasn’t a horrible idea after all. Looking around the dimly lit bar, it doesn’t have the same appeal as it used to.
Tony and the guys are chatting and laughing hard at a joke one of the other crewmen said. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t the same joke he tells every time he gets drunk.
I let my eyes wander as I sip on my beer. I got drunk twice last week, and I’ve got no plans to get that drunk again for a while. Eyes that would normally pause on the half-naked women in here, skate over them instead.
I blame Lexi for my tastes changing so quickly. It’s the only explanation for not looking twice at the blonde near the bar. Big tits used to be my thing until I saw Lexi with her top off. I never knew small breasts would be so fantastic. I had always been a ‘the bigger, the better’ kind of guy. Now, all I want is a handful. Correction, all I want is Lexi.
Women with small breasts aren’t my thing; Lexi is my thing.
I pull my phone out and check the time. We’ve been sitting here for hours, and it’s already after eleven. If I call or show up at her house at this hour, she’s only going to think I’m there to fuck her. It’s the last idea I have in my head.
Tony nudges me with his elbow and indicates across the bar. My hopeful heart beats faster as I look over, expecting to see Lexi. I frown when my eyes land on the blonde I’ve been avoiding eye contact with.
I turn back to Tony and shake my head.
“Really?” he says unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
My skin crawls when I smell cheap perfume and feel the warmth of a woman’s body slide up beside mine.
“Hey stranger,” she purrs in my ear as she wraps her arm around my shoulder.
I have to angle my head back to keep from smacking my face on her implants. As gently as I can manage, I lift her arms from my shoulder. I keep ahold of her hand and place it in Tony’s.
She pouts at my rejection but switches gears quickly when Tony raises her hand to his lips. Disaster averted.
I grin at Tony and the way he easily charms women. He thinks he’s God’s gift, but any woman who walks over with her sights set on one man and is so easily passed off to another, isn
’t a woman any man should get involved with. Unless he’s looking for some quick fun, which for Tony is exactly what he’s after. It’s a match made in heaven.
I spend the rest of the evening passing easy women off to the other guys at the table. When they all decide to do a quick bar hop across town, I decline.
I climb in my truck and run through the contacts in my phone. My balls ache from my week long, self-imposed celibacy. My thumb hovers over Lexi’s number. If I go over there now, we’ll have the whole weekend together. If I go over there now, she may slam the door in my face.
I opt to drive over. I’ll make the decision once I get to her house. If her mom’s junky car is there, it will be a definite hell no.
Even though her mother’s car wasn’t in the driveway last night, I couldn’t bring myself to knock on her door. All the lights were off and for the first time in my life, I didn’t want a woman thinking I was showing up for a booty call.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
So I went home… alone.
Rather than run through my contacts to find another woman, I spent an hour deleting women from my phone. As I brought each one up, I spent a few minutes looking at their picture. Not one of them conjured feelings even close to what I felt when I came across Lexi’s picture.
Like the asshole that I am, I took it last Sunday morning when she was sleeping. It was my way of getting things back under control after I willingly spent the night in her bed. I saved it under her contact information, just like I did every other girl I felt was decent enough for a repeat.
Looking back now, I feel like a total asshole, and she doesn’t even know about it. Kadin has always told me when I find the right woman it’d feel like a punch in the gut. I’d meet her, and I wouldn’t be able to think of any other woman.
I don’t love Lexi, by any stretch of the imagination. After meeting her, I seriously wanted to get her naked, but it wasn’t like an arch of light hit her, and I saw no one else. It’s been more gradual than that, but the end is still the same.
I have to talk to her; I need to see where her head is at because this lack of communication and not knowing where we stand isn’t something I’m going to deal with any longer. I need to know one way or the other, so I can make some decisions.
I get dressed with renewed determination. Today is the day I’m going to lay it all out. This will make the second time I’ve done this. The last time didn’t work in my favor.
Chapter 26
Lexi
I hate yard work, maybe despise is a better word for it. If it weren’t for the pride my grandmother had in this yard, I’d pave the whole damn thing so I wouldn’t have to worry about weeds and curb appeal.
I tug the flat of fall flowers closer to me and begin planting flowers them; their frozen winter fate, already sealed. Waste of money if you ask me, but I somehow got it in my head that my grandmother is looking down on me, and this is what she expects. Too bad she’s no longer here to massage my sore muscles away like she’d done every time before when we worked in the yard together.
I’d planned on doing the yard work as a way to avoid my mother, knowing she’d never offer to help. Apparently, nice hands on a stripper are a requirement. I guess reaching for dollar bills is much classier with a nice manicure. I don’t have to worry about my mother though because I woke up yesterday to her absence and a note on the table reminding me how much of a disappointment I am.
The roar of a truck causes my pulse to pick up.
It could be anybody, I lie to myself. I’d recognize the sound of that truck anywhere. I wrinkle my nose in disgust when I realize I’m in ratty sweats and water boots. It’s a far cry from the dress I was wearing last Saturday.
I don’t turn toward the noise until the engine turns off and a door opens and closes.
My mouth immediately waters at the sight of Kegan in his tight t-shirt and form-clinging jeans. Damn, does this man have a set of thighs on him.
“Hey.” I aim for nonchalance, but the high squeak in my voice ruins it. I am beyond ecstatic that he’s here. Jillian told me he’d be the first one to reach out. I wasn’t playing hard to get or anything, but the ball was left in his court when he left last week.
“Hey,” he says walking closer. He shoves his hands down into his pockets. The closed-off behavior sobers my mood.
Silently, we just stare at each other, waiting for the other person to begin. Kegan gives in first.
“We need to talk.”
I nod. I’ve been ready to talk since he left last week, but I’m terrified of the outcome. For weeks I’ve been trying to shove down feelings for him, not allowing my brain to actually acknowledge that I like him more than I have anyone else in a very long time.
I don’t have a very good track record with men. I’d rather avoid them than get my heart broken again, but for some reason, I want to take that chance on him. My pulse pounds in my ears as I try to anticipate what he’s going to say.
“I’m sorry I lied to you about my mom,” I say. “If it’s any consolation, it’s what I tell everyone. The real story is not pretty, so I try to avoid it as much as I can.”
He doesn’t run like I thought he would, rather he sits down on the grass beside me.
“Yeah,” he says. “Your mom… she’s something else.”
I huff a laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
“I hate that you grew up with that kind of hatred.” I can tell by the sadness in his eyes that he's sincere.
“That’s the thing. I didn’t grow up with that hatred. My grandparents raised me from a baby. I grew up in a loving home; it just wasn’t traditional like the one you grew up in.”
I hope I don’t sound bitter because I’m not. It’s a horrible thing to say, but my childhood was better without Cindy in it too often.
“Are you ashamed of her?”
I shrug. “Yes and no. She wasn’t around much growing up to make any kind of impact, but when she did show up, we were miserable. My grandmother would cry when she’d leave again. Not because she was sad she was gone, but because she was happy when she left. She was ashamed that she didn’t want her daughter around.”
“I can see how she would feel that way.” Kegan runs his hands over the trimmed grass but won’t make eye contact with me. “I’m not upset that you tell everyone your mother is dead. I was upset that you lied to me.”
“We weren’t,” I begin but pause. I don’t even know what to say. “There was nothing between us but crazy chemistry when that easy lie fell from my lips, Kegan. I don’t know what we are now, but if I had never spoken that lie and we were back in that situation now, after I’ve gotten to know you, I never would’ve said it.”
“I don’t do lies, Lexi.” He’s adamant.
“Most people don’t,” I agree.
“It’s more than that.” He looks out across the lawn avoiding eye contact. “I was in love once, in college. I met this gorgeous, older woman at the campus bookstore. We hit it off right from the start. Rhonda was everything I didn’t even know I liked in a woman. She was funny, adventurous, secretive. That last part I loved until I discovered why she was so standoffish.”
I busy my hands preparing the next flower to plant. I’ll let him get his story out on his own time and pray he allows me the same thing when it’s my turn.
“I fell hard for her. Even with the scheduled phone calls and not being allowed to go to her house, I just knew I’d spend the rest of my life with her.” His face hardens, and his stare becomes focused on something nonexistent in the yard. “I bought her an engagement ring, planned out a special date. I was going to ask her to marry me. My brother thought I was crazy, but I was in love and couldn’t be talked down. We met at a hotel like we always did, but she was different. I chalked it up to PMS or something, but the feeling wouldn’t leave. I followed her home that night. My gut kept telling me she was cheating on me.”
He runs a hand over his scruff so roughly I’m afraid he’s going to hurt himself. �
�Was she cheating on you?”
He shakes his head no. “No, I was cheating with her.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’d always wondered why a woman as beautiful as her hadn’t gotten married. Even in her early forties, she was gorgeous, a catch for any man with eyes. Even knowing that, I was gutted when her silver BMW turned into the driveway of her house, a family home. Turns out Rhonda, my sexy girlfriend was already someone else’s wife.”
“Shit,” I mutter before I can catch myself. I take his chin in my dirty hand and force his eyes to mine. “I’m sorry I lied about my mom, but I won’t ever lie to you again. It’s not who I am. I have my own story to tell, and I will in due time, but I’m not a liar.”
We sit in silence for a few long minutes. “I figured you were done with me,” I confess. “All, hit it and quit it style.”
Kegan laughs and shakes his head. “If you were any other woman, Lexi, I would’ve been.”
“What makes me different?”
His eyes rake over every inch of my face. The softness in his eyes gives me hope.
“The first day I met you at the school, I was certain you were a sorceress. That’s the only explanation I could come up with when the girls turned into compliant little children the second they stepped through the door of your classroom.”
I shake my head in confusion. “What are you saying?”
“Clearly, Lexi Carter you’ve bewitched me, too.”
“What are you going to do now that you’ve discovered my secret?”
His eyes focus on my mouth. “Kiss you?”
“Are you asking or telling?”
“Both.” He grins. “I don’t know what else you have in your black bag of juju.”
He leans closer to me, and I pull back playfully. “I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, but only if you’re a good boy.”
He captures the back of my neck with a quick hand and tugs me closer to his mouth. “I’ve missed you this week.”
