Being With You (The Redemption Series)

by St James, Hazel

  Susy stood stiff for a few seconds, keeping her arms and hands tucked closely to her chest. Just as Tristan was ready to release her from the awkward hold, she relaxed against him and laid her cheek against his chest.

  After a few minutes had passed, Susy gave a few quick sniffles before patting him with her trapped hand. “I’m okay now, Tristan. Thank you.”

  Even though he was aware that she was ready for him to move his arms, Tristan wasn’t ready to let go. It was probably sending off all the wrong signals, but it felt good to hold Susy’s warm body like this, even if she wasn’t snuggled in tight with her arms wrapped around him.

  Finally, Tristan asked, “Wanna tell me what has you all worked up?”

  Susy took a deep breath that was broken up by stutters and spit out in a rush, “My bitch sister came stumbling into the house late last night after not speaking to anyone for almost three weeks, and my parents take her in, no questions asked. My dad gave her money, food and even told her she could drive my car today. It’s completely in my name, no one has ever given me anything I didn’t earn, and he acts like I’m being selfish when I tell him I need to use it for work! I’m sick of it!”

  As she finished, Susy was practically screaming. The last words were muffled as she buried her face tightly into Tristan’s chest and clutched his t-shirt in her hands. He could feel her body shaking again as she sobbed and felt a burning need to ease her sorrow. Tristan didn’t have any siblings who caused him any grief, but he was well aware of what family drama could do to a person’s state of being.

  With a slight sway, he held Susy tight and kissed the top of her head. “Shhhh, Susy…it’s gonna be all right.”

  She whimpered before pulling her face back and looking up through her tear-soaked eyelashes. “How do you know? What if my life is destined to be like this? An invisible person who doesn’t matter, not even to her own family?”

  Tristan could hear the absolute pain in Susy’s voice as she spoke, and it was such a profound and fitting statement for his own life that he felt drawn to her. The words repeated in his brain, but hearing it come from someone else made him ache deep down inside. He’d felt the same way for a long time, but to hear it come from someone else was pure torture. His insides felt raw as he absorbed Susy’s angst with his own, knowing that he needed to make it stop. For both of them. Just for a little while.

  “Susy…” he whispered right before he leaned down and softly pressed their lips together. Tristan felt her body go limp in his arms as she tipped her head to the side, making it easier for him to reach and giving him silent permission to continue.

  The next kiss was soft, yet firm, and Tristan nibbled on her lower lip this time before briefly backing away. “Tell me to stop, Susy, and I will.”

  Susy pulled her hands free from where they were pressed between their bodies and snaked them as far around Tristan’s neck as her smaller frame could manage. She didn’t answer him, just tugged his face back down toward her and met his lips again with a fervor of her own. He wove his fingers into her long, soft hair and used it to guide her head to the side so that he could move from Susy’s soft lips and trail kisses along her jaw line to her ear.

  She responded by moving her hands down his chest and then smoothly inching them around his waist and into the band of his jeans. Tristan continued to lick and nip every inch of her neck and across to her other ear as Susy carefully untucked his shirt, searing the skin on his back with soft caresses of her fingertips.

  Tristan could feel his own heart racing, egging him on as he pulled Susy’s earlobe with his teeth, releasing a deep moan from somewhere inside her. His primal needs took over instantly and he lifted her off the ground, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Tristan attacked her mouth again with his own, letting his tongue dip inside her warmth, sliding against hers in a sinuous dance.

  Before he realized what he was doing, Tristan had Susy pinned up against the wall in the little private alcove, fumbling blindly for the door handle to Morgan’s empty office. He groaned from deep inside his chest as two things happened simultaneously…the door swung open with a thud and the raging woman in his arms bit down on his lip, bringing tears to his eyes.

  Tristan jerked away, tasting the metallic tinges of blood on his own lip. Shocked by her actions, he let go of his hold on her backside until she was standing on her own. Her blue eyes were wide as saucers and Tristan watched them for signs of where her emotions were. He was more than familiar with the fine line between pain and pleasure, but he would never have expected Susy to test those boundaries. Part of him thought for a minute that she had bit him in anger, panic, or fear…not in passion. Plus, he remembered her jab at him not too long ago about being a guy that needed rough sex…or as she called it, One of them slap ‘em and fuck ‘em guys.

  After watching each other closely for a few moments, Susy closed her eyes and a small tear slipped from the corner. She pulled away from him, backing up in between his body and the door frame. Looking so vulnerable, Tristan reached out to enclose her in his arms again, but she jerked away.

  “Oh, baby…I’m not sure what you thought…” he only partially got out.

  “No,” she sobbed. “I don’t need your pity, Tristan. You don’t want me, that’s fine. You don’t need to fucking sugar coat it. I get it,” she said before one final push of his body and she maneuvered out of his arms.

  Susy was two steps down the hall before Tristan mentally shook himself out of the motionless stupor he was in. “Wait, Sus…hold up,” he called after her and sprinted out to the open dining room to catch her. Stomping her legs hard enough to shake the floor with her steps, Susy stormed away, leaving Tristan smiling at her reaction.

  He should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of a distraught woman like that, but there was no way he could imagine Susy as a fragile flower who needed someone to take care of her problems. The way she was swinging her arms as she wove in between the tables to the front door made her very much not in need of anyone’s care. She looked more like a wrecking ball traveling away and taking down everything in its path.

  Tristan was laughing as he reached her and grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her back into him. “Hold up there, warrior princess,” he said as he pulled her around to face him. Thankfully, the restaurant was empty except for the pair of them, so no one was around to see the scene they were creating.

  If looks could kill, Tristan knew he’d be dead and lying on the floor at Susy’s feet. The fierce glare in her eyes was almost enough to stop his laughter, but he could see the glimmer of fire radiating from her eyes, too, and he couldn’t help himself. Little Susy had one hell of a temper, and her size didn’t make her any less formidable.

  “You jackass! You turn me down, and then you fucking laugh at me!!! Get your hands off me,” she screamed as she pulled out of his grasp.

  Tristan pulled out the nearest chair and sat down, pulling Susy with him onto his lap. “Nope, you need to listen to me.”

  Wriggling as hard as she could, she was practically rubbing her cute little ass all over Tristan’s rapidly re-hardening erection, but he needed to use his words this time. He stopped her with a brush of his lips against hers, “Stop, Susy.”

  “First of all, I’m laughing because you’re so cute when you stomp off like that. I like to see that fire in you, more than the church mouse shit you give your family, or the jackass customers you let harass you. Secondly, you shocked the hell out of me when you bit my lip. I didn’t expect it from you and I was surprised. You’ve got quite the hellcat hiding inside you, don’t you?”

  Susy relaxed a bit in his arms, but still tried to move off his lap. “Yes, when I’m really pissed off I can explode, but it takes a lot to get me to this point. I seem to remember putting you in your place once before when we first met,” she said before she finally maneuvered out of his arms and stood up. “I’ll add rejection from you for the second time to my list of the shitty things that happened to me today,” she added a
s she wiped the remaining tear tracks off her face.

  “Hey,” Tristan consoled as he pulled her in between his legs by her hands. “The time you came onto me when I first started working here was rejection. This time, it wasn’t, Susy. But it was good that we stopped. You’re upset right now and I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

  The front door of the club opened and Gabriel came sauntering in. Watching the pair closely, he gave them a puzzled look as he rounded the bar and set the bank bags next to the till.

  “Problems?” he asked before turning away.

  Tristan wasn’t the least bit embarrassed, but he could tell that Susy was mortified to have been caught standing so intimately with a co-worker, even if nothing was going on…anymore.

  He whispered into her ear, “After work, we’ll talk more, okay?” He didn’t wait for an answer. He gave her a quick hug and let go, but stayed facing her as he said, “No problems, Gabe. Right, Susy?”

  Susy sighed as she gave them both a tiny smile then patted Tristan on the arm. “We’re good.” As she said it, she added a teasing tap against his face and giggled before walking away.

  Chapter Three

  The restaurant was packed to capacity most of the night as Tristan, Susy and a handful of other employees worked tirelessly to keep up with the influx of diners and Friday night drinkers. It wasn’t unusual for the bar crowd to come directly from work and stay most of the night until last call. Plus, the regular diners and others came for the relaxed, cozy atmosphere and the great prices.

  The holidays were in full swing, and there was a large Christmas party in the back room that had kept Susy occupied all night long. They were finally being ushered out the door by Gabriel. “Alright, my lovely drunkards!!! Thank you very much for playing, but you all need to g-g-o-oooo! You don’t have to head for home, but you can’t stay here, that’s for damn sure!!” His facial expression was meant to be harsh, but the words were soft as he delivered them with a light tone.

  The last of the rowdy crowd was herded into the coat room and Gabriel was helping the inebriated guests into their outdoor wear as the adults practically giggled like school children at the antics going on in there. An exuberant guy named James Carnuski was repeating a story for the tenth time to his cronies about a red snapper, and they would all laugh again. Tristan heard most of the story from the bar, so he was sure everyone else in the restaurant did, too. The noise had quieted down out there, so Gabriel must have finally gotten the remainder out.

  Tristan took it upon himself to yell out, “Bucca time!” to the staff that remained, and they all stopped their cleaning duties to gather around for the customary nightly ritual when the evening was profitable. Without even counting down the till, he knew they did amazing tonight, as testament by the nearly empty coolers, refrigerators and the piles and piles of dishes amassed in the kitchen.

  After shaking the drink on ice, then lining up a row of shot glasses, Tristan measured out each one perfectly, right down to the last drop. He urged each staff member to take one, save for not-yet-of-age Susy and they all slammed back the strong liquor before going back to their duties. “Great job, everybody,” Tristan toasted before he threw back his shot glass, loving the bite of the cold drink that turned your body warm the instant it hit your tongue.

  While no one was looking, Susy sidled up beside Tristan almost shy-like and whispered, “Thank you for listening to me vent earlier. I know it went a different direction than we both wanted, but it does mean a lot that you care enough about me to listen to my drivel.”

  Shooting her a puzzled look, Tristan started to ask her what she meant, but instead she jumped back when Gabriel interrupted from behind. “All right, Sus…let’s get your work done so everyone can go home. Thank you, pequena.”

  With a genuine smile, Gabriel shooed her away from behind the bar, but stayed next to Tristan. Sighing, he told him, “I know you are gonna tell me to stay out of it, but Tristan, you need to consider the consequences of getting involved,” using air quotes to emphasis the word, then finished, “before you start fucking around again…got me?”

  Not one to like being told what to do, Tristan shot his boss a glare. “Is that an order as my boss, Gabriel? Because last time I checked, I’m still legally allowed to make my own decisions. So if you think you can tell me what to do because I sleep in your guest room, I’ll pack my shit up and be out before morning.”

  Gabriel’s fists clenched at his sides as Tristan stood toe to toe with the burly man, each of them glaring at the other. Finally, Gabriel caved and averted his eyes, but looked sad as he shook his head. “I thought you knew me better than that, Tristan. You’re more than my employee or just a house guest. I care about you, kid.” After a dramatic sigh, he continued. “I’m sorry. I felt like I was watching two freight trains barreling toward each other when you two cozied up together like that. You do what you gotta do, but just know that Peyton is still hoping that one day you’ll find your way back to each other, Tristan. Don’t completely toss that one away yet.”

  It was hard to think straight with Gabriel standing so close to his face, giving him ultimatums about Susy, while telling him to not give up on his ex-girlfriend, Peyton. In fact, Tristan was half-panicked thinking about Gabriel talking behind his back with her. Were the two of them working on some type of plan to get him locked back up again in the mental hospital? He knew immediately that was bullshit; he dismissed the thought before it could even form completely in his mind and then obsess about it.

  The next thought wasn’t any better, though…in fact, it was worse. Peyton needs to move on and stop worrying about him. It would be better for her to get on with her life with someone else. Bile rose in his throat as he envisioned some other fucker holding her in his arms, or Peyton giving someone that tinkling laugh that always made him smile. It would almost be too easy for him to storm back to her house, take her in his arms and claim her lips until she slid into oblivion with him again. But she was better off without him. She needed someone whole who could make her life easier, not add to her stress level.

  Plus, Tristan needed to get his shit together on his own, not with someone always holding his hand and helping him every step of the way. It was bad enough he’d ended up living with Gabriel, but at least the man usually didn’t get too involved with Tristan’s life, other than the occasional lecture on taking meds. The pair shared the household chores, and Gabriel usually didn’t interfere with his personal life or lack thereof at all.

  So, for all intents and purposes, Tristan felt like he was slowly inching his way back to being on his own feet again. By himself. All alone. No wonder it felt so fucking good to hold a warm woman in his arms again. And he’d nearly fucked Susy up against the wall. Being a virile twenty four year old without a woman to share his bed with at least every once in a while was getting on his nerves.

  Gabriel had left him to his thoughts to start counting the till and closing out the register beside him. Tristan pulled himself out of his inner ramblings and worked on cleaning up what was absolutely necessary behind the bar, leaving the restocking for the next day. Susy smiled at him the few times she walked passed him, and even joined in on the razzing going on between the employees over who’d made the most money that night. Tristan was always the winner in that department as he was good at remembering detailed lists in a flash and had a knack for keeping conversation flowing nicely as the regulars and the new customers mingled together. It was like he was getting paid to shoot the shit with anybody and everybody, all while mixing drinks or pouring beer in frosty mugs. It was a damn good way to make a buck, and Tristan was proud of his job and the money he was making.

  “Well, that old creep McKenley seemed to be pretty free with his money tonight. He gave me quite a few twenties and all I really had to do was let him pat my rear a few times more than normal. So I bet I win tonight,” Susy playfully jeered at another female waitress who had worked the other dining room.

  Tristan couldn’t help the low g
rowl that came out of his chest at the thought of some dirty old bastard touching his staff like that. Money shouldn’t make a person think they could act like a fucktard, no matter what the size of the tip. It made it even worse that he’d laid his hands on Susy, but he would have been just as pissed no matter which one of the wait staff was getting harassed like that.

  “Susy!” he yelled over the loud music that was playing on the stereo system in the main rooms. “No one fucking touches you no matter what they’re tipping you!” Tristan turned and looked at the rest of the employees working and pinned them all with a menacing face and extended to all of them, “None of you deserve that kind of shit. It ever happens again you let myself or Gabriel know…got it?”

  His voice was full of authority and sounded almost foreign to his own ears, but he was instantly pissed off and protective of the staff. To the point of wanting to go find this McKenley and pound his face. But he knew he needed to tone it down, otherwise he was going to look like a psychopath. It wasn’t unusual for drunken customers to get a little frisky with the staff members, but it felt like the right time to step up to his assumed role as manager at the supper club.

  Gabriel came out of his office wearing a huge grin across his scruffy face that was in complete contrast to his normal darkened look. Tristan couldn’t help but laugh at the foreign expression, and it only served to make Gabe smile even more.

  When he stopped next to the bar, Tristan sauntered over to him and had to know what had happened to make Gabriel so damn happy all of a sudden. “Proud of you, kid,” was all he said before turning around and heading for the front door. “I’m outta here, everybody! Check in with Tristan before you leave for the night. Great job!” His words were about as laced with pride as possible, and Tristan couldn’t help but feel a little odd being on the receiving end of Gabe’s praise.