by Brooke Page
He gave me a smile, then grabbed the box and moved it to the other end of the backroom.
“Who’s Vancy talking to?”
I took my car key from the lanyard around my neck, using it to open the large cardboard box. “His dad.”
Tucker’s eyes narrowed, filling with curiosity. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded, busying myself to begin sorting the wet suits out by size and color. I couldn’t believe how many fit into one box. The store would start picking up more according to Vance with the summer crowd, and he would run out of these within the week.
Just as I almost had all of the suits in their respective size piles, my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I blushed when I grabbed it, surprised it didn’t fall out when Vance set me on the counter.
Worry washed over me when I saw it was Colby.
“Hey. She’s being released soon.”
“How is she?”
“Honestly? She’s pretty doped up. I’ll stay with her tonight if it’d make you feel better.” Colby always said the right things.
“You should go home and get some sleep. I can’t thank you enough for taking her.” Then I realized it was a Wednesday. “Oh my gosh, your work!”
Colby chuckled. “I can be late. Don’t worry about it.”
“You haven’t slept all night, you shouldn’t go into work with that heavy machinery.”
“Are you worrying about me now?”
I could sense his smile. “I always worry about you.”
“That makes me feel special. I’ve got to sign some paperwork for your mom. I’ll call you with an update later. Love you, Lo.”
And there he said it again… those three little words that meant so much more to him than they did to me. If I thought my guilt had faded, I was wrong. It came back full swing once I remembered who was waiting for me back home. I was living in a fantasy world on the beach. My hot surfer making out with me on the countertop of his surf shop.
Yeah, I was being a total bitch to Colby.
“Thanks, Colby,” I whispered, fighting back tears and remorse. “I don’t know what else to say.”
“You don’t have to say it back,” he murmured, his voice full of understanding. “Talk to you later.”
I hung up the phone, rubbing my face vigorously to stop myself from crying. I hated doing this to him. I was leading him on, and using him to take care of my mother who I left in the dark.
After rubbing my eyes nearly raw, I opened them to find Vance leaning against the wall.
Scrunching my eyes closed, I took a deep breath. “How much did you hear?”
Vance smiled. “You should go home.”
My heart started to constrict out of my chest. Go home? Back to the slum and my junky job, taking care of my mom and praying her drug dealers wouldn’t kill her? I was being selfish right now, pretending time would freeze and I could do whatever the hell I wanted.
I didn’t want to go home. I was finally starting to feel alive.
I slowly padded over to him, my hands finding the hem of his grey t-shirt. Whispering, I confessed, “I don’t want to go home.”
He let out a deep breath through his nose, studying my features intently. “If you don’t want to go home, then why are you so upset after talking to your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” My eyes narrowed. “I’ve never thought of him that way.”
Vance raised a brow in question.
I rolled my eyes, taking a few steps away from him. “He’s the only male I’ve ever trusted. All the other men I’ve known have been abusive and terrifying. Colby grew up with me, he’s like a brother. His parents are dead, and we’ve always had that connection. I don’t know who my dad is, and neither does he. His mom died in a car accident, while mine is practically dead already.” Tears filled my eyes as I relived my life in this backroom that smelled like plastic and packaging peanuts.
Vance held my face in his hands. “I understand,” his eyes were filled with kindness. “If you need to go home to him, I get it.”
My eyes scrunched closed. “No,” I said firmly. “The past few weeks…” My voice caught in my throat. How could I describe the changes he was reviving in me?
Taking a deep breath, I focused on being strong. “I want to be here with you.”
The rise and fall of his chest matched the drumming of my heart, pounding loudly in my ears as I waited for him to respond. His eyes were hard as he stared into mine, searching for something. His jaw clenched as though he were angry, and I couldn’t fathom why.
My lip trembled, waiting for him to speak. Was he going to tell me he didn’t feel the same, that I was wasting my time? Was I nothing but an in-between season fling for him?
But we couldn’t be a fling, we hadn’t even had sex. We cuddled, we kissed, we talked. He knew about my messed-up life and didn’t judge me. Talking about my mother wasn’t easy, but with Vance all my secrets came tumbling out.
The only sense of comfort I had was from his hands still cradling my face as his brain ticked.
I was going to ramble more, but his mouth stopped me, kissing me with full force. This kiss was different than the other times, more desire and passion exploded from him. It was needy and… dangerous. Any apprehensions about his background vanished when he put his hands and mouth on me. There was no way a man who could make me turn into a puddle in an instance could be dangerous… the only danger would be his ability to shatter my already broken heart.
Fisting his shirt with both hands, I pulled him into me, wanting to be devoured. Knowing Colt was just on the other side of the room didn’t faze me as I plunged my tongue deeper into his mouth. He was a new beginning, and I grasped the back of his hair, never wanting to let him go.
“Lauren, I need to work.” His ragged breath spoke between kisses.
I giggled against his lips, continuing to kiss him.
Finally, he stood tall, holding my hips firmly. His eyes were filled with lust, but I understood now wasn’t the time. Still didn’t mean I was ready to let him go. I’d been dreaming about him showing me this type of reckless affection since our first night on the beach.
“How late do you need to work?” I asked, running the tip of my finger down the nape of his neck, my eyes glued to his lips, debating standing on my tip toes to taste them again.
He sighed, his arms wrapping around me tighter. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure how much I’m going to see you next week.”
I frowned. “Why?”
He looked away licking his lips. “I have to go out of town for a conference. There’s a new line for our main merchandise and I need to learn about it, get samples, talk to buyers and what not.”
“Over the weekend?” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice. It was a Wednesday. Maybe he would only be gone a few days.
He swallowed and looked away. “Yeah. I won’t be back until next week.”
My grip around his neck loosened. The thought of him leaving after we’d connected sucked.
“Hey,” he took his hands and cupped my cheeks gently. “You won’t even know I’ll be gone.”
The slight smile on my face didn’t match my eyes. “Where are you going?”
“SoCal. Where all the surfers in the US are.” He grinned, running his thumb along my jaw.
An idea crossed my mind. What was holding me back from traveling with him? My boss at the arcade knew I was going to be gone for a while. Vance had paid me a ridiculous amount of money, enough that I could send more to my mom and be able to survive for a week in California. Having him all to myself sent a shiver of excitement and nervousness down my spine.
Batting my eyelashes without realizing it, I offered, “I could come with you.”
The reaction on his face wasn’t what I expected. He paled, his eyes searching everywhere but my face. Then his hands left my waist, one running along the back of his neck as he winced.
My own hands dropped instantly from his neck to around my chest. I wanted to disappe
ar and erase what I’d just said. Why would I assume he wanted me to go with him? Now I was more confused than ever.
“I’m constantly busy. I wouldn’t be able to pay any attention to you. The hotel isn’t even that nice.” His arms found their way around my waist again, his forehead tilting to touch mine. He was trying to make this awkward moment disappear. Unfortunately, I still felt rejected.
“Besides, I was hoping you’d help keep an eye on the shop with Colt and Tucker,” he added, kissing my temple.
“I would be fine holed up in a hotel,” I whispered, heat creeping up my spine. “We haven’t really been alone.”
His nostrils flared as he blew out air, both his hands skimmed up my arms and around to the back of my head, clutching my hair in his grasp, cradling me as if he were debating planting another kiss on my lips. Contemplation was heavy in his crinkled brows. “Do you want to be alone with me?”
Inhaling sharply, I closed my eyes, attempting to contain my moan of pleasure from his gentle tug of my hair. “Yes.” I breathed, then met his intense stare. “I do.”
His jaw clenched as his eyes glanced at my mouth. The wheels were spinning in his head, and I was about to explode from the sexual tension. His hips were pressed against mine, our body heat mingling with each other’s. I could feel his breath on my cheek, hear the sound of it as he took each steady inhale. Not being able to resist, I uncrossed my arms, running one hand to his pecs and the other around his hip. Daringly, I crept one hand under his t-shirt, wanting to feel his warm, tanned skin. The dip of his spine shivered as my finger traced higher up his back.
“When I get back,” he swallowed, licking his lips, “we’ll spend time together, okay?”
I smirked, crooking my hand around his neck to pull him to me. He kissed me softer than I wanted, but I didn’t change the dynamic of his lips. I enjoyed his gentleness, savoring the small bit of time in the backroom we had together before he left.
Chapter Seventeen
Vance
I lied to her.
Lying was something that came easy to me. It was a part of me. I grew up surrounded in deceitfulness. It wasn’t until I saw the damage it did to others that I decided it wasn’t the best route to take.
Yet I still told Lauren I was going out of town, when really, I was hunting for other women to bring to the Cage. Abby being one of them. It pained me to meet her eyes with mine. Lauren looked at me as if I meant the world to her. She was growing just as fond of me as I was of her, and that terrified me.
“Colt!” I shouted from my office, needing to give him the low down.
“What’s up?” he greeted, stepping into my office with ease.
Turning in my chair, I rolled to my desk, planting my elbows on the beechwood. “Close the door and sit down.”
He eyed me, but did as I asked.
“You need to keep Marcy and Lauren busy until sometime next week.”
His eyes lifted. “No problem.”
I pointed my finger at him. “I mean twenty-four-seven. I don’t want her out of your sight.”
“That might be kind of hard to do, don’t you think?”
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. “They’ll be safe at YaYa’s. But I don’t want them going anywhere else unless you’re with them. I don’t want them sitting on the beach without you. I don’t want them going to the Hangout without you. I don’t want them to walk twenty feet away to use the restroom unless you’re nearby.”
Colt stared at me. “I love hanging out with them, but they might get sick of me.”
My knee bounced under my desk. “I’ll be sure there are things for you to do. They won’t get bored.”
Reaching into my desk drawer, I pulled out a burner phone. “Text me wherever you go and for how long you’ll be there. If I’m going into town around here, I’ll text you from another burner phone.”
I gave him a hard stare, wanting him to know how serious I was. “You MUST keep them as far away from me as possible. Can you handle that?”
Worry crossed his eyes as his jaw ticked. “What happens if I can’t be with them all of the time?”
My eyes found my computer screen, focusing on the photo of me and my mother in the bottom corner. I failed her, and I couldn’t let something bad happen to Lauren. I needed to protect her the best way I could.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I finally met Colt’s eyes. “They’ll bring Lauren to the Nest. They’ll do it without hesitation.”
Colt’s eyes softened. “Should Tucker help?”
Tucker knew who Marcus was now. I’d seen them interact more than once, including when he asked Tucker to join him outside when they left earlier. If I had to guess, Marcus was telling Tucker to keep an eye on Lauren as well.
“Tucker will be busy helping me.” That was going to be the truth. He’d stay by me, hunt girls, and hopefully do the dirty work I had no desire to do. Tucker was a bad seed and loved taking advantage of naïve and vulnerable women.
“Good. He might be hard to keep away from Lauren.” I nodded in agreement.
“So, you’re not going to SoCal?” Colt asked.
I shook my head, still feeling guilty for making up such a lie on the spot. I was going to have to arrange for products to come in from the “convention.”
“I’ll have a package for Lauren in here tomorrow morning. It’ll have a bunch of shit for you guys to do while I’m gone. It’ll help distract them.”
Colt nodded then stood. “I’ll keep her safe, boss.”
I lifted one side of my mouth. “You better.”
He chuckled, waiting for me to join him, but I was dead serious. He better not slack off, or I’d have his ass.
“Go finish with the inventory list, then head back to the apartment and catch some sleep. I have a feeling you’re going to be short on it the next week.” He gave me a curt nod then left, leaving the door cracked open.
It was twenty minutes after seven when Lauren poked her head into my office. She had been manning the counter and pricing new products while I plotted out the next week. I essentially needed three plans. One to hunt for girls and Abby, one to keep Lauren busy, and one complete bullshit plan that Lauren would think I’d be doing the next week and a half.
“I locked the door. Everything is priced and ready for tomorrow. Did you want me to come in and open?” she asked sweetly.
“No, sleep in. I think Colt was planning on hanging out on the beach with Marcy all day. Tucker can manage to hold it down on his own.”
She gave me a knowing grin. She knew I didn’t like when she was alone with Tucker.
I couldn’t help but look at her from head to toe as she leaned against the doorframe. She wore beach girl well. Her skin had been bronzed by the sun the past few weeks, her long legs toned and only partially covered by her tiny white shorts. Her navy tank top fit her snuggly, letting my imagination run wild with what she would look like without it. I’d felt her tits, and they were soft and perfect, no doubt they looked as beautiful as they felt.
I shifted in my seat, trying to look unaffected by her presence, like I wasn’t secretly wishing she’d start stripping in front of me and straddle me.
“So…” she deadpanned, fiddling with her hands in front of her, then sashayed toward my seat and around the desk.
Shit…shit shit shit… she was reading my fucking filthy mind.
Making her way to me, she rolled my seat so I was facing her, wedging her way in between my legs and wrapping her arms around my neck. Standing from my seat, my hands found their way around her back, hugging her close to my chest. My cock was twitching from my earlier thoughts, and her body being pressed against mine wasn’t helping.
“What time do you leave tonight?” she asked into my chest.
I breathed her in, loving her citrus scent. “Not until the morning.”
Her body stiffened slightly. Pulling from my chest, she gazed up at me, her eyes wide with fear at first, then softened with curiosity.
Her thum
b made circles around my neck, calming me from all my worries. “Marcy is with Colt at your place.”
I smirked. “And?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Can I come over and help you pack? Maybe we could watch a movie with them or something.”
She was trying to be nonchalant, and it was adorable. I wanted to spend every second with her. My cock was sending signals to my brain, telling me to take her home and fuck her before I continued lying to her. Should I be greedy tonight?
“Is that what you want?” I asked, running my hand along her cheek. She leaned into my touch, gently nodding.
Fuck my conscience. I wanted to be with her tonight. For all I knew, this could be my last night with her.
Letting her go, I grabbed my laptop bag and shut down my computer. “We’ll grab dinner and head to my place.”
“Marcy texted me. I guess they ordered pizza.”
I grinned, turning to face her from my desktop. “I own a few places.”
Her eyes widened, her mouth forming an O. I couldn’t help but broaden my grin. “I own Colt and Tucker’s apartment, but I have my own place.”
She only nodded, her brows furrowing deep in thought.
My face fell. “Unless, you were looking forward to hanging out with them. I can bring you there if you want.”
“No,” she answered quickly, leading the way out of my office.
The silence as we traveled to the parking lot spoke volumes. She paused at the bottom of the steps, biting her lips as though she were thinking hard.
“I can drive.”
She nodded, making her way to the passenger side of the truck. I beat her to the door, helping her inside. Once she was sitting and buckled, I set my hand on her thigh, causing her eyes to dart to mine. She looked terrified.
“I have no expectations for tonight. Okay?” I ran my hands against her smooth skin, wanting her to believe my intentions were sincere.
Her shoulders sagged and her hand found my jaw. “I know. Thank you.”
I clipped her thumb with my mouth, giving it a chaste kiss. She blushed, and I loved it.
I climbed into the drivers seat and put on my sunglasses. “I’ll grab a pizza if that’s what you were looking forward to on the way to my place.”
