Delayed Call

by Toni Aleo

  “Your body says otherwise.”

  “It’s dumb.”

  “It’s fucking hot.” Grinning at him, she pressed her lips to his before he nipped at her bottom lip and then her chin. Taking her by her hips, he dug his fingers into her as he started to pick up the rhythm, going into her harder and deeper with each thrust. The sounds of their bodies slapping together were intoxicating, and she never wanted to hear another sound but that one. When his head fell back, he let out a loud groan, his body jerking up into hers. He leaned back with the force of the motion, snapping the back of the chair and sending him falling to the patio with her on top of him.

  Then they were both just laughing.

  From the gut.

  Falling to his side, the coolness of the concrete patio against her skin, Brie couldn’t stop laughing. His body rumbled against hers, and she felt so perfect. So amazing as she gazed up into his beautiful face. “Are you okay?”

  Looking down at her, he smiled as he nodded. “Better than okay. But damn cheap chairs.”

  “It was plastic.”

  “That’s the first time I’ve broken furniture.”

  “Me too.”

  “I assume it won’t be the last for us either.”

  She grinned as an answer before he dropped his lips to hers, kissing her hard. Pulling back, he kissed her nose and looked deep into her eyes. “Do you know how beautiful you are right now?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing the side of his mouth. “No, but tell me. I like flattery.”

  Laughing, he kissed her jaw. “So beautiful. You take my breath away, Brie.”

  She smiled smugly. “Well, I am hot.”

  Again, they both found themselves in stitches as they got up and headed inside, where they made love over and over again. As she lay in the bed, her leg lazily over his, she ran her hand down his chest and felt complete.

  Perfectly complete.

  She was worn out, tired to the bone, but she was happy. So very happy, and she never wanted him to leave. How this guy she assumed was a spoiled prick stole her breath, she’d never know. But he could keep it. As long as she got to kiss his lips and feel his caress.

  “Shit, I gotta go back to my room.”

  “Ugh, no,” she moaned, holding him down in the bed, which made him laugh.

  “Jensen will tell on me.”

  “He will not.”

  “No, but if I get caught by Coach, he’ll murder me.”

  “So why don’t you just sleep here?”

  “We both know I can’t,” he said, kissing her nose and then her mouth. “Plus, I don’t sleep with females.”

  Her brows pulled together. “What?”

  “I don’t sleep with females. Only Tricksie now.”

  She laughed as she looked up at him. But he wasn’t laughing. He was serious, with just a stupid grin on his face as she stared into his eyes. “Wait, what about when you’re in a relationship with someone?”

  “I don’t do relationships.”

  Her heart stopped as he kissed her nose before rolling out of bed. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t do relationships.”

  Unable to speak as he grabbed his clothes, she watched him, repeating his last phrase over and over again in her head. Something wasn’t clicking. If he didn’t do relationships, what was he doing with her? “Vaughn.”

  “Yeah?” he asked, smiling as he threw on his shirt.

  “What are we doing?”

  He shrugged. “Having fun.”

  “Fun?”

  “Fun.”

  Her blood started to boil. “So we’re just fucking?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And nothing more?”

  “Yeah, why?” he asked, looking over at her. “Why are you mad?”

  Sitting up, her eyes wild, she found that her heart was pounding so hard she was convinced it was going to come out of her chest. “Because I don’t want to just fuck around. I want more. I want a relationship. A you and me. And I thought you did too.”

  Looking away, he sucked in a deep breath before letting it out in a whoosh. Meeting her gaze, he shrugged, like what she wanted was nothing. Just a request he wasn’t able to grant. Instantly, her heart shattered in her chest. “Then I owe you another apology for implying that I wanted that too, because I don’t.”

  And for the billionth time since knowing Vaughn Johansson, she was pretty sure she was going to kill him.

  As Brie’s eye started to twitch, Vaughn knew he was fucked.

  She was going to kill him.

  And he couldn’t blame her.

  Jensen warned him.

  Standing up, she reached for her shirt, throwing it on. “You don’t want to be in a relationship?”

  “No.”

  “But you yearn for me? Need me? Want me? All that other jazz?

  “I do.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “No. I meant everything I said.”

  “But you don’t want more than to fucking fuck me?” she yelled, her face turning red. Shit, was she going to cry? “Is that all I am, a fucking fuck?”

  “Well, no, I like you just fine—”

  “Just fine!” Taking in a deep breath, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “You like me just fine, enough to fuck me, and spit some mad game, but I’m not good enough to have a relationship with. I can’t believe this.”

  She stomped past him, and he followed. “Brie, it’s not like that. It isn’t you. I don’t want to be in a relationship with anyone.”

  “So that makes this okay?”

  “Brie, wait. Stop for a second, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Oh well, lookie here, you’ve done it twice now! You’re on a roll, JoHo.”

  “I thought you wanted the same thing.”

  “What in the world would make you think that? Did I say that?”

  “You didn’t say otherwise either.”

  She glared. “Touché, you ass. But when have you ever known anyone to be like, ‘Hey, I’m just here for the sex’?”

  He held her gaze. “Almost everyone I’ve ever slept with.”

  Her eyes widened, almost crazed as she threw her arms in the air. “I’m not them. You know I’m not, and still, you couldn’t tell me that you didn’t want anything more than sex when you were begging me to go to bed?”

  He shrugged. “I mean, I was begging for you to go to bed with me, not marry me.”

  And then it happened. She punched him hard in the middle of the chest, knocking the breath out of him. “That’s so not right. You said all these beautiful things, you made me feel special, important, and it was only to get in my pants? How far would you have let this go? Until I fell for you?” When he caught his breath, he looked down to see that she was crying. Big, fat tears rolled down her face as she shook. “That’s not fair.”

  He didn’t know what to say. He hated tears on women, they sucked, and soon he was rambling. “You’re right, it’s not. But it’s also not fair that I’m always the victim of your violence.”

  “Oh, please, you act like I hit hard.”

  “You shouldn’t be hitting me at all!”

  “And you shouldn’t be leading me on!”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Apparently, you never mean to do anything. You just do and leave everyone in the wake of your assholeyness!”

  “Brie, it isn’t like that. I honestly didn’t—”

  “Yeah, whatever, Vaughn. You know what gets me is I thought you were different. I thought you were this good guy, but it was all a lie. Man, you’re really good at hiding behind that damn organization you’ve got. Trying to be all good and great for them, and fucking over anyone else that could feel even an ounce for you outside of that fucking place.”

  “Brie, that’s not true. I honestly thought you wanted the same thing,” he tried. But he’d known from the beginning she wasn’t that girl. He’d just kind of hoped maybe she was because he couldn’t resist her. Go
d, he was a douche.

  “Well, I thought you would know I’m not some whore. I thought you respected me, but dumb-ass me should have known better after the last time. But it’s cool, Vaughn, ’cause fuck you.”

  She opened the door and looked back at him. He stood there, feeling an odd panic in his gut. He didn’t understand how this had gotten so out of hand, and he couldn’t make sense of how much it hurt him watching her cry. “I want to talk about this. I don’t want to leave it like this. I don’t feel right.”

  She laughed, shaking her head. “Well, how you feel is a mystery to all. I guess that’s how you like things—in secret, huh? Well, I won’t be your secret fuck or whatever you wanted from me.”

  “I just wanted you—”

  But he paused when a sob left her lips. “I’m such a fucking idiot. I shared all kinds of things, I opened up to you, I began to care for you, and you never shared anything. I should have known better.”

  “It wasn’t like that. I don’t talk about anything, really. To anyone. I’m private.”

  “All the signs were there, flashing in my face, but I got distracted by your stupid words and your huge cock!”

  “Brie, please—”

  “What, Vaughn? What are you going to say? Sorry? Will that fix this? No. Will that change how you feel? No. How I feel? Fuck no.”

  “But I am sorry. I didn’t know what you wanted—”

  “I wanted you, and if you would have spoken to me instead of just fucking me, you would have known that.”

  “You were fucking me too—”

  “Yeah, but I thought you were feeling what I was.”

  “Brie—”

  “No. Fucking whatever, just leave.”

  “Brie.”

  “No.”

  “Listen, I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, you’re getting real good at saying that word to me, yet it means fucking nothing.”

  “No, it does. I mean it. I am.”

  “Heard you.”

  “Can we talk? I don’t want this to end.”

  “What, us fucking?” She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, and his heart stopped. Right there. Dead. “That ended the moment you said you didn’t want more than that. I don’t fucking sleep around, Vaughn. I want more. I fucking deserve more, and I won’t let you cause me to question my self-worth.”

  “I wasn’t trying to—”

  “But you did, and now I’m sitting here wondering what’s wrong with me. Why I’m not good enough for the secretive Vaughn Johansson. So thank you very much. Can you please leave so I can pick myself up like I always do and move on? Because you honestly tilted my world here, and it’s not for the good.”

  It was like she’d stabbed him. Panic filled him from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Trying to salvage something, he wasn’t sure what, he tried, “It’s not you—”

  “Leave. Now, Vaughn. Please, just go.”

  Looking away, he pulled in a breath through his nose and took a step toward her. But she took a step back, trying to get away. His heart collapsed in his chest as he watched her. Why did this hurt so bad? He didn’t mean for this to happen; he honestly just thought they were fucking around. But as soon as he thought that, he knew it was a lie. Jensen had warned him, and he didn’t listen. He just did what he wanted, and now he had hurt someone he had truly started to feel something for.

  Clearing his throat, he whispered, “You’re right about everything. I should have spoken to you about my intentions after the first time.”

  “Yeah, that would have been great.”

  As he studied the side of her beautiful face, he shook his head. “But, Brie, you deserve the world. I’m sorry I can’t give it to you.”

  Her lips twitched as her tears fell, and he knew there was nothing else he could say or do. So, he walked out, and when the door slammed shut, he closed his eyes. Even though his heart begged him to go back, he knew he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

  It wasn’t what he wanted.

  Really, he had no clue what he wanted.

  As he walked back to his room, he considered going back to tell her he did want more. But he had already said he didn’t. And he didn’t. Or did he? God, he was so confused. There was just this pull, and it wanted him to go back. But there would be no point. As he walked away, with each step, he missed her more and more. He’d meant everything he had said, even when he said he didn’t do relationships. But for the first time in a while, he felt this overpowering feeling that he wanted to try.

  He had no clue what that meant.

  Or what to do.

  One thing was for sure, he knew Brie would never speak to him ever again.

  “Ms. Lemiere, Vaughn Johansson is here for his appointment.”

  When Vaughn poked his head into Wren’s office, her eyes widened as suspicion filled her face. “What in the world? I didn’t think you’d come, for the hundredth time this month.”

  Walking into her very welcoming office, he knew damn well she hadn’t decorated. Wren wouldn’t pick the sunny yellow walls or the happy flowers that decorated the space. Sometimes when he entered, he found a grin on his face, but that wasn’t happening today.

  Meeting her in the middle, he kissed her cheek as she patted his shoulders. “What brings you by? I know it’s not your standing appointment—the one you continually ignore.”

  He scoffed as he looked around. He wasn’t sure why he was there. He hadn’t even been planning to come. He was going to head straight to the Adlers, but then he found himself outside of her office. Looking at her desk for a distraction, he saw a picture of her along with him, Wells, and Jensen the day all of the guys got drafted. Then a picture of her with just Wells and one of her with her mom and dad. That was it. He suddenly wondered if she wished she had other pictures. Like of her and someone special. Or was that just his fucked-up mind and his confused feelings?

  “This will be quick, I’ve got lunch with the Adlers,” he found himself saying. “I really don’t know what I’m doing.”

  Concern filled her face. “Oh, okay. Have a seat. What’s up? Are you okay?”

  Sitting down on the chair that sat opposite hers, he shook his head because he couldn’t admit he wasn’t. He was so good at hiding his feelings, keeping everything down deep inside of him. But, Brie, she’d shaken him. To the core. A place he hadn’t even known existed. It had been a week since the blowup in San Jose. The next night, he played like shit; he was a mess. But he wasn’t the kind of player to dwell. He left his fucked-up feelings at home and played the game, but he’d be lying if he said she wasn’t in the back of his mind. He just couldn’t shake her. All he did was think of that night, of her, and how he could have handled that situation so much better. How he should have listened to Jensen, been honest from the beginning. But then…he wondered if maybe he could have tried.

  Did he have it in him?

  As he ran his hands through his hair, she moved to the edge of her seat and took his hand, rubbing her thumb along the back of it. “Vaughn, what’s wrong?”

  Chewing on his lip, he looked down at their hands and shook his head. He couldn’t talk to Jensen. He had tried to get something out of him, but Vaughn didn’t want to hear “I told you so.” He definitely couldn’t talk to Wells because he would throw out some lovey-dovey bullshit, and Vaughn just couldn’t handle that. But as he sat there, he knew he couldn’t talk to Wren either. She was jaded by her own love life, and while he loved her, he knew she wouldn’t give him the advice he needed. She’d make him talk, and he didn’t want to talk. He wanted to know what he was feeling. What he was doing wrong.

  “What’s wrong with me?”

  Regretting even uttering that sentence, he closed his eyes as her thumb paused on his hand. “What do you mean?”

  “Wren, come on. You know me. Tell me what’s wrong with me.”

  When he met her confused gaze, she shrugged. “I mean, in what context? What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t want to talk. I
want you to tell me what’s wrong with me.”

  Her brows were practically touching as she shook her head. “I don’t think anything—”

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  She pressed her lips together. “Well, you’re an asshole and cocky as shit. You push everyone away, minus the people who were in your life before Nathan and Hazel. I’m sorry to bring her up. But you’ve been broken since Nathan, and then you were shattered when she happened. I don’t know what you want me to say, but, Vaughn, even with all that, you are a good man. You have a heart of gold—”

  “Is that why I push her away?” Standing up, he dropped Wren’s hand and walked around the chair, leaning into it as he pressed his head to the back of it. “So it’s the shit with Hazel, huh? I mean, fuck, it’s been almost ten years. Why can’t I forget her? Let go of her fucking shit? Why can’t I forgive my dad? Why do I hold everything in and not open up to anyone? Not even my best friends? Not even my therapist?”

  He heard Wren get up, her heels clicking on the floor as she came up beside him. Placing her hand on his back, she rubbed it softly. This wasn’t normal practice, he was sure, but she was practically a sister to him. Plus, he was sure she was confused and scared because he never did this.

  But she had… God, Brie…she’d shaken him. He could still see her tears. Feel her pain, and he knew he had done that.

  After he’d promised he would never do that again.

  “Vaughn.”

  “No, I’m gonna go.”

  But he didn’t move as her hand slid up and down his back. “Vaughn, you have forgiven your dad.”

  “No, I still hate what he did. I can’t even talk to him.”

  “I know, but with everything that happened, it tore you two apart. That’s not something someone can get over quickly. It was traumatizing, but you know he still loves you. Even if you two don’t talk.”

  “It’s holding me back. I can’t trust or love anyone else because of them.”

  “No, it’s not. Nothing is holding you back but you. You’ve forgiven everyone. Yes, you’re still upset and you have the anger issues, but you are holding yourself back. You’re the one who doesn’t want anything more than a night with someone. It’s you who won’t open up to anyone. It’s all you.”