by Jen Andrews
Once the shop was closed for the day, I headed back home after helping close the store too. I hadn’t seen Andy while I was at the shop, since he had been with my dad.
After hanging up my jacket in my closet, I decided to show off my new pedicure, so I kicked off my shoes and socks. Not that anyone was going to see it besides me, of course.
It was a bit chilly, so I cranked up the heater and changed into a pair of black fleece lounge pants and a black top. I went to the kitchen to heat up some leftover mac and cheese and fixed a salad to go with it.
While I was waiting for the mac and cheese to cook, my home phone rang. I made the mistake of not checking the caller ID before I answered.
“Zoey, can I come over and talk to you?” a male voice asked. It was Rob. Shit.
I let out an irritated sigh. “Talk about what, Rob? We have nothing to say to each other.”
I almost hung up on him, but he started talking again. “Zoey, I miss you and want us to try again. I want back everything we lost.”
Is he kidding me right now? “Rob, that’s never gonna happen. Ever,” I said in an attempt to get my point across.
“Are you fucking that guy I saw you with?” he asked.
I wish. Holy crap, Zoey!
After I pushed my initial reaction from my head, I decided that Rob’s question pissed me off. It was none of his business who I was, or in this case, was not fucking.
“Please tell me why you think that is any of your business, Rob. You need to stop calling here and hanging up too. I know you’re calling, because I can see it on my caller ID. Leave me alone!” I growled and hung up on him.
Not even five seconds passed before my phone was ringing again. I didn’t answer. He called back three more times, and I ignored those as well. About five minutes later, my phone rang again. I was even more irritated at that point, so I grabbed it and hit the talk button without looking at the caller ID.
“What the fuck do you want from me?” I hissed into the phone.
“Zoey, it’s Andy. Are you okay?”
Fuck. I really needed to start checking the caller ID every time my phone rang.
“Andy, I’m so sorry. Rob is bothering me, and I thought he was calling again. Wait, why are you calling my home phone? How did you get my number?” He didn’t answer. “Andy, are you still there?” I began to wonder if our call disconnected.
“Yes, I’m here,” he replied. “I got your number from the emergency contact list you gave me at work today. I don’t like that he’s bugging you. Did I make it worse with what I did at the store?”
I didn’t want to talk about it over the phone, and I was hungry after my long day. “Can you come over, please? I have something for you anyway.”
He took in a deep breath and let it out. “See you in a few minutes.”
As soon as he rang downstairs, I buzzed him in and left my front door propped open. While he made his way up the stairs, I flipped on my iPod dock to play some music and sat on the couch to wait for him. Andy came through the door and locked it behind him, turning the deadbolt too. He had changed out of the clothes he wore to work, and was now wearing a T-shirt and jeans. He kicked off his shoes and came into the living room.
As soon as I saw the expression on his face, I lost it. He looked miserable and guilt ridden, not that he had reason to be. He did nothing wrong. He was only trying to protect me. Right then, I knew one thing…I hated seeing him upset, especially when it involved me.
My eyes welled with tears. He noticed I was upset, took both of my hands, and pulled me off the couch into his arms. I couldn’t help it, I wrapped my arms around him tightly and cried.
I was frustrated, tired of the phone calls from Rob, and still upset about all the crap he caused all those months ago. Now, when I was finally trying to get over it, he was starting back up again. I wasn’t sure if I could deal with it this time.
“Zoey,” Andy whispered quietly as he squeezed me a little tighter. “Please don’t cry.”
I was shaking like a leaf, but I was so relieved to be in his arms. Why does this feel so easy and natural with him?
“I’m so, so sorry. All of this is my fault. Please tell me how to fix it,” he said.
I pulled back from him, surprised he was blaming himself. “Andy, this is not your fault,” I said looking him in the eyes. “It’s what he does sometimes, especially if he finds out I’m seeing someone. He’s done it before, but since I haven’t dated anyone in months, I haven’t heard from him.”
He sighed and stared down at the floor. “But it is my fault. I’m the one who told him you’d moved on with me, when you haven’t.” I noticed his accent was more pronounced when he was worried.
Pulling back from him further, I forced him to look at me. I reached up and gently took his face in my hands. The stubble on his jaw was soft, yet prickly at the same time. Why did I feel the need to touch him every chance I got? All I wanted to do now was pull his face down to mine and kiss him. With the way his eyes flashed from my eyes to my lips, I was certain he wanted to kiss me too.
However, it was time to convince him this was all on Rob, as he had done with me the day before. Rob was the one with the issues, not either of us. “This isn’t your fault. It’s all on him. He is the one who is being an asshole. Please, can we forget about this for now? I want to go lie down for a while.”
I was so over the situation and just wanted to go to sleep to forget about everything for a while. I had been having a great day, until Rob ruined it. I wiped away the tears that started drying on my cheeks and then rested my hands on Andy’s chest, because he still hadn’t let go of me.
“Alright, I’ll do whatever you want,” he replied with a sigh.
God he smells good. He obviously just stepped out of the shower before he called me. I did not want him to leave. I wanted to lie down, but I was still hungry. Fuck! I hated it when my brain went all haywire on me. I wanted to eat dinner one minute, sleep the next, and being upset just fucked up my thoughts even worse.
“Did you eat dinner yet?
He shook his head. “No, I was going to fix something and tried your cell to see if I could make you dinner at my place, but it went to voicemail. Your lights were on, so that’s why I called your home phone. I wanted to make sure you ate dinner. You’re too thin.”
“Too thin, huh?”
“Yes, you are,” he stated seriously. “You need to eat more and take better care of yourself.”
He was right about that part. I did need to take better care of myself. I linked my arm through his and led him to the kitchen, where I pulled out a barstool at the counter for him to sit.
“Let me fix you something to eat then. I was fixing my dinner when he started calling, so I haven’t eaten yet either. I’m having leftover mac and cheese and salad. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes, that sounds good. Thank you.”
I dumped the mac and cheese from my plate back into the bigger bowl, covered it with a paper towel, and stuck the whole thing in the microwave to heat up. After dishing up Andy’s salad, I put it in the dining room on the table next to mine, and then took a seat next to him. I situated my elbows on the counter and rested my chin on my hands, letting out a long sigh.
He moved his barstool closer to me, and then laid his hand on my shoulder to get my attention. “Zoey, I really am sorry about this.”
Reaching up, I patted his hand that was resting on my shoulder. “Thank you. You still have no reason to be sorry, but I’m glad you’re here. I know we’ve only known each other a few days, but I really do appreciate you trying to help without judging me.”
I stood, wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and hugged him. He swiveled his seat toward me, and then pulled me closer so I was standing between his thighs. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist. The warmth from his body against my cool skin comforted me, and my body tingled in anticipation.
Anticipation of what, I did not know, but the heat was coming off him in waves as his thic
k, muscular thighs tightened against my hips. His movement pulled me even further under whatever spell he had on me.
Just as he brushed his soft lips across my bare collarbone and laid his head in the crook of my neck, the microwave chimed, letting us know our food was ready. I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay wrapped in his arms. He was warm, strong, and made me feel completely safe and a lot less lonely.
Of course, Will and Justin were right next door, but they came as a pair, so I felt like a third wheel at times. Andy had nobody, and I was by myself. My family lived all over the city. I wondered if Andy needed me as much as I seemed to need him, since his aunt and uncle were the only family he had left.
We released each other, and he picked up the potholders from the counter and pulled the mac and cheese out of the microwave. While he took the food into the dining room, I grabbed the salad dressing and fixed us drinks. We ate in an easy silence.
When all the dishes were washed and dried, we moved into the living room and sat on the couch, not saying anything. It was still early, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyway if I went to lie down.
Remembering that I had keys made for him, I pulled them out of my purse and handed them to him. “For when you need to get in here and I’m not home.”
“You’re giving me keys to your place?” he asked, surprised.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can trust you with them since I do have all your confidential information in our shop files now. You know, your social security number, copy of your driver’s license…all that stuff,” I said in an attempt to make a joke. “Besides, I’ve done a background check on you. You seem pretty harmless.”
“You got that right,” he said with a smile.
Not feeling like listening to music anymore, I stood up and turned it off, then put on a DVD to watch. I wanted to curl up and relax, watching something mindless. I also wanted to be near Andy, so I sat right next to him on the couch. I put my feet on the coffee table and crossed my ankles.
I remembered him kicking his shoes off when he came in, but I hadn’t noticed he was barefoot. He stretched his long legs out under the table and crossed his ankles. I was not a foot person, but the dude even had nice feet. I should not have been surprised, of course, every other part of him was gorgeous from what I could tell.
It was relaxing to sit and not have to talk about anything.
After a long while, Andy spoke. “By the way, I like what you’ve done with your hair. You look even more beautiful.”
I blushed and looked over at him. “Thank you, but I’m not feeling so beautiful right now.”
He turned toward me. “Zoey, you really don’t see how beautiful you are, inside and out. Look at everything you’ve done for me, without even knowing me. Who does that? You are sweet, smart, sexy as hell, and you need to try to realize it. Stop letting that asshole bring you down.”
No man had ever complimented me before, so I honestly didn’t know how to take it. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say,” I admitted. “Thank you for the compliments. I will try harder not to let him get to me.”
He simply nodded once, as if saying he was fine with that, and then we both turned back to the movie and enjoyed our silence.
The silence didn’t last for long. About thirty minutes later, the alarm downstairs in the store started blaring.
“What the hell!” I muttered as I leapt off the couch then ran to my bedroom to slip on a pair of shoes. By the time I made it back to the living room, Andy was gone. I grabbed my cell and the keys to the store, and then I ran out the door, nearly running over Will and Justin. They were going downstairs to see what was going on.
Even though I was slightly freaked out, I laughed at Justin. He was carrying a golf club in his hand for protection. Not being the most sports minded person in the building, I took the club from him, because he would probably only hurt himself with it. I would have better luck swinging it than him.
We came around the front corner of the store and found Andy standing at the entrance. One of the doors was shattered, and the glass from it glittered all over the ground, reflecting from the lights overhead.
Fuck! I knew exactly who did it.
We didn’t find anybody around, so we sent Will and Justin home with their golf club and waited for the cops to show up. When they did show, we let them inside the store to look around. They found a brick laying several feet inside the door.
He threw a brick through my fucking door! The cops took the brick and wrote up a report of the damages. I gave them Rob’s name and other pertinent information so they could question him.
Andy and I went into the back warehouse and found a piece of plywood to cover the hole in the door, just temporarily until I could call a glass company to come and fix it. After resetting the alarm, we went back to my apartment.
As soon as we were through the door, I turned to Andy, who was looking extremely angry at that moment. “Can we not talk about this until tomorrow please? I just want to go to bed.” I shut off the DVD player and the TV.
“Sure, but you’re not staying here alone tonight after this. He might come back. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Oh no, that’s not necessary. Besides, my couch is awful to sleep on. Trust me, you wouldn’t be able to function tomorrow if you slept on it.”
He shook his head. I could tell he was really irritated and didn’t want to leave. “No way, you are not staying here by yourself. I’m not risking your safety, Zoey. I’ll sleep on the floor then.”
He was angry, and I wasn’t going to argue with him. However, I wasn’t going to let him sleep on the hardwood floor either, and I didn’t have a bed in the second bedroom.
“Fine,” I said as I grabbed his hand. “You can’t sleep on the couch, and you are definitely not sleeping on the hard floor.” I pulled him down the hallway and into my bedroom. “Here you go. You can use my room, and I’ll sleep on the couch since I’m used to sleeping on it.” I took one of the pillows from my bed and a blanket, and then tried to go back to the living room.
He blocked the doorway. “No. I am not taking your bed. We’ll both sleep here, but you better try real hard to keep your hands off of me,” he joked, grinning wickedly.
We both laughed.
“Have I told you you’re a smartass?”
“A smartass, no…but a shithead and an ass…yes, you may have mentioned those at least once. Why are you so mean to me?” he teased.
He smiled at me and then he freaking pouted. It was adorable, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing again.
Silly man, doesn’t he know girls are mean to boys they like? Shit... Don’t go there, Zoey. We’re not in fourth grade.
I threw my pillow and blanket back on the bed, grabbed my pajamas from my dresser drawer, then went into my bathroom to change. I was too tired to argue with him, and he was definitely not taking no for an answer.
After I washed off my makeup and brushed my teeth, the realization that Andy and I were actually going to be sleeping in the same bed made me very anxious.
Oh crap, I cannot go back out there! Am I seriously going to sleep in the same bed with him? This cannot be a good idea. I’ve known him for three whole days!
Yet, for some reason, I trusted him completely, and I knew he wouldn’t try anything. If he did, I was fucked, because I knew I would let him. It had been far too long since a man had touched me. I knew if he did, it would be all over for me.
When I finally gathered enough courage to go back into my bedroom, he was already in my bed, with the covers pulled up to his ribs. Andy had tattoos all across his chest and over his shoulders, just as I had hoped.
Holy fucking hell. I needed to shut off the damn lights. His jeans and t-shirt sat folded neatly on my dresser, so I knew he wasn’t wearing much under the blankets. Shit, I cannot do this!
“Zoey, are you coming to bed, or are you going to stand there all night?”
I didn’t say anything. I quickly went over an
d flipped off the light. Oh yes, much better.
Now I can’t see him. However, I can still feel him there. Fuck! What am I doing? This is crazy. Ah, shit, my eyes are adjusting to the dark and I can see him now.
I walked around the foot of the bed and slipped under the covers next to him. As soon as I was comfortable and started to relax, my phone rang. I sighed loudly, knowing exactly who it was.
The phone was on the nightstand on Andy’s side of the bed. Even as tempting as it was, I was not about to crawl over the top of him to answer it myself.
Andy answered it. “Hello?” He waited a few seconds for a response. “Hello? Is anyone there?” He clicked off the phone and put it back on the charger. Neither one of us said anything for several minutes.
“Goodnight, Zoey.”
“Goodnight, Andy.”
I felt like calling out goodnight to John-Boy, but I wasn’t sure if Andy ever watched The Walton’s on TV, so I kept my mouth shut.
There was no way I was going to be able to sleep with him there. Luckily, for me, I was wrong. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was out cold. Similar to the previous nights, though, I didn’t sleep more than about two hours without waking.
I rolled over to face Andy, but his back was to me. In the rush to get the visual of him in my bed out of my mind, I forgot to pull the curtains closed before getting into bed, so the floodlights from the shop were letting quite a bit of light in my room.
Instead of staring at my boring ceiling or walls, I stared at Andy’s back. It was also covered with tattoos like his arms and chest, and definitely a much better view than my walls. The tattoos stretched all across his broad, muscular shoulders and down his back.
Of course, my curiosity got the better of me, so I reached out to move the blanket to see how far down his back they went. I barely moved the blanket when he stirred. I quickly pulled my hand back, praying I hadn’t woken him. His breathing became heavy again, and I could tell he was asleep.
I pulled my covers back up and closed my eyes again. I slept longer this time, but a bad dream woke me. I didn’t remember what it was about, but when I woke, I realized I had moved closer to Andy. Much closer to Andy. My entire body was pressed against his, my head was on his pillow, and my arm was wrapped around him.
