“Every week for the next six weeks we’re going to do at least one thing you wouldn’t normally do. Because when I leave next month, I want to know that you, Tyler...”—her eyes narrow—“whatever your last name is...are a changed man. You work in this apartment, you live in this apartment, but it’s time you discover the big, beautiful world that sits right outside your door.”
There’s an energy that Lennie emits that’s practically contagious, and when she smiles, it’s almost impossible not to smile with her. I may never admit this to her, but I don’t think there’s much I wouldn’t agree to do as long as she’s with me.
“What’s your last name?” she asks.
“Brooker.”
Lennie puts her hand over her chest before falling over on my bed, laughing. “What the hell is so funny?”
“Brooker? Your last name makes you sound like a whore.”
“My last name is Br...ooker. Not hooker. There’s a B and an R in there.”
She smirks. “But it’s close.”
“No, they rhyme, which is totally different.”
“Okay, whatever you say.” I start to argue with her until she places her head on my chest and snuggles into my side.
“Tyler?”
“Umm?”
“Do you ever think you’ll fall in love again?”
My heart speeds up from her unexpected question. “I don’t know,” I mumble, unsure of why she’s asking.
“I don’t think you should allow one experience to hold you back, no matter how horrible it was.” Her voice is soft, verging on sad.
“Is that what you’re doing? Not allowing an experience to hold you back?”
“Everything about me is different, Tyler.” I hate the tone in her voice. It’s like someone has told her being different is wrong.
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“Maybe not to you.”
I pull her tighter into my chest as the urge to protect her starts to take over.
I WATCH MY CELL PHONE light up with a call from my mother, but I don’t make any attempt to answer it. As far as I’m concerned, there are two Connie Jacobs. The compassionate mother who would do anything for her child and a woman who, like my father, spends too much time worrying about what other people think of her. The first Connie is great. The second one turns my stomach.
There’s no set of rules one should live by and when someone else—especially someone that claims to love you—can’t understand that, it opens up a wound. For me, it’s a wound much deeper than the one my mother tried to save me from.
“Oh, damn it. Really, Lennie? Ignore her call and she goes straight to me,” Jodi gripes as her phone starts ringing.
“Don’t answer it. Problem solved.”
“No, Lennie, the problem is not solved because she will continue to call me until I pick up and tell her where you’re at.”
“Who does she call when I’m not here? Because I can sure as hell tell you it’s not me.”
Jodi groans before rubbing her temples. “She’s sorry, okay? She can’t go back and undo anything, and you need to stop punishing them.”
My eyes water. “I’m punishing them?”
Her face falls. “That’s not...that’s not exactly what I meant.”
“Of course it’s not. You’re the prim and proper one who takes everyone’s side in a fight, but that’s not going to work this time.”
Jodi shakes her head. “They’re your parents. You can love them without agreeing with everything they say.”
“I’ve seen you in a courtroom. You know how to argue, so why are you afraid to stand up for yourself with them?”
Her face softens. “Because I haven’t needed to.”
A tear slowly slips down my cheek. “You’re right. I wasn’t your battle to fight.”
“Lennie, damn it, that’s not what I meant.”
“Doesn’t it get old?”
Her nose wrinkles with a confused look. “Does what get old?”
I grab my keys and bag, forcing myself to calm down. Once I have her door open, I look back. “Being perfect all the time.”
Jodi’s mouth drops open, but she doesn’t say anything.
Jodi has always played by the rules. She’d spend hours studying for a test, while I would cheat off the person next to me in school. She’d allow our mom to pick out everything she wore, where I’d rip up anything my mother purchased for me. We’ve always been this way. She’s the good one, and I’m the bad one. That’s why when the time came that Jodi had the power to heal me, I’m surprised she went against their wishes and picked me.
***
AFTER I LEFT JODI’S, I drove to the animal shelter. I wanted to open Tyler’s door and crash on his couch while he more than likely worked, but my mood was off. Off enough that I would have had a hard time faking it. He’d start asking questions, and then I would either evade, or worse, lie, and end up feeling like shit. Therefore, I hung out with some of the best four-legged friends a girl could ask for. After I did every shit job Carla needed done, and all the animals had been walked and played with, I made my way back to the retirement village. I can’t for the life of me understand why the three of them live here. Then again, all three of them appear to be lacking in the fun category.
My plan was to go inside Jodi’s apartment and crash before she arrived home, but instead, I open Tyler’s door and make my way inside. I smile when I spot him in front of his computer, but my smile dims when I see him rub his hands over his face before he sighs.
“What’s wrong?”
Tyler jumps but turns around faster than lightning. “Where have you been?”
My eyes narrow. “At the animal shelter. Why?”
He takes a deep breath and nods his head. “You never came by. I knocked on Jodi’s door to see if you wanted to hang out and your sister said she didn’t know where you went.” He glances at the clock on the wall. “That was over five hours ago.”
Wow. We really have come a long way if Tyler actually got up and went looking for me.
“If I’m not at Jodi’s or with you then I’m at the animal shelter. You could have come down to visit me if you wanted to.” A shy smile crosses his face. “Or you can decide we’re actually friends and give me your cell phone number.”
He chuckles. “Give me your phone.” I hand over my phone and watch as he punches his number in. Seconds later, his phone on the desk lights up.
“What did you do all day?”
“Worked.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course you did.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“We’ve had this conversation already.” This time, he rolls his eyes. “I’m going to leave you alone and allow you to work all night because tomorrow you’re mine.”
His eyes flare before he smirks. “I’m yours, huh?”
I slowly walk over and stop in front of him. I place a hand on each side of his face. “You won’t be mine forever, but I plan to enjoy you while you are.” I bring his face down to mine as our mouths crash together. His lips feel smooth, but his touch is rough. Tyler’s hands come up to the back of my head as he possessively holds me against him. It’s not until this moment that I realize we’ve yet to kiss each other, at least traditionally, but as his tongue moves against mine, I start to wonder if kissing Tyler Brooker is just as amazing as sex with him is. My body starts to ignite, which forces me to pull back.
I take a huge step away as his hungry eyes follow me. “I was peed on today—more than once, actually. I’m going over to Jodi’s where I plan to take a long hot shower then I’m going to bed. I’m exhausted, and we have a big day ahead of us.”
“I don’t know, Lennie. I have to—”
I immediately cut him off. “I promise the world won’t come to an end if you take a day off.” Tyler groans before giving me a stern look. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Before he has the chance to protest further, I walk out of his apartment.
I DON’T FEAR THE OUTSIDE w
orld. Over the years, I’ve formed a routine. A formula, so to speak, and right now my nerves are on fire because I absolutely dread whatever Lennie has planned for today. I don’t need to know where we’re going to know it’s something I’d rather not do. Then again, I guess that’s her point. I never thought I’d admit this, but I actually enjoy Lennie’s company. I really like having sex with her, and if I had my way, we’d spend the day held up in my apartment. But I’m not that lucky.
Like Lennie said, humans come with strings, and I guess leaving my comfort zone is the string that Lennie has attached to her.
Moments after Chad left for work, Lennie walks in without knocking. She’s dressed in what I’ve learned is very normal clothing for her, which is nothing more than a tank top and cut off shorts that many would deem too short. Not me, though. I love looking at her long legs. Today, like almost every other day, she’s not wearing her glasses. I’ve yet to figure out if they are prescription glasses or if she wears them solely for looks.
“Are you ready?” she questions.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope.”
My eyebrow arches. “Why?”
“Because you’re learning to appreciate life. To be spontaneous and unplanned. Therefore, I’m not telling you. The only thing I’ll promise is you won’t be behind that computer all day.”
I groan. I already knew she wasn’t going to let me work, but I hate blindly walking into whatever great idea she has up her sleeve.
“Now are you ready to roll?”
“Yes,” I mumble. Lennie chuckles before walking over and lacing her arms around my neck. She stares at me for several long moments before she softly places her lips on mine. My arms wrap around her waist, pulling her tighter against me as my mouth takes over. Like a repeat of last night, our tongues move as one as her taste explodes in my mouth. My cock twitches, causing Lennie to giggle.
“We better go. We’ll save the fun stuff for later.” The way her blue eyes sparkle paired with her smile causes me to pause; to soak in a moment with Lennie that will probably mean more to me in the long run than anything she has planned today.
***
LENNIE INSISTED ON DRIVING, AND now I know why. “Six Flags? You can’t be serious.”
“As serious as a heart attack.”
“Is that what you’re trying to do? Give me a heart attack?”
“Tyler, you’re twenty-eight, not eighty-eight, and unless you have a heart condition you haven’t told me about, then you’ll be fine.”
“I haven’t been to Six Flags since I was a teenager.”
“You haven’t done a lot of things since you were a teenager, Tyler. That’s the point. If it makes you feel better, I haven’t been to this particular Six Flags since I was a teenager.”
I turn my head towards her as my eyes thin.
“Don’t do that. Your broody look does something crazy to my girl parts, and people are getting out of their cars all around us. We’ll end up in jail and not on a roller coaster if I do what’s going through my mind.”
My mouth drops open. “What would you do...?”
Instead of answering me, Lennie grins and gets out of the car. I take a second, willing my body to relax before I get out and join her.
“Are you telling me that today’s big life lesson is that roller coasters are fun and work is boring?”
“No.” She laces her arm through mine as we continue to walk towards the entrance. “There’s not a lesson to learn in everything someone does. Today, I want to eat junk food and ride rides. I want to remember what it was like to come here when I was a kid, and I wanted you to come with me because you’re the only person in Dallas that doesn’t make me feel like I have to change in order to be in their life.”
I swallow loudly as I process her comment. Until this moment, I didn’t think outside of a few orgasms I had anything to offer Lennie because she doesn’t appreciate typical things, like money and a job, a stable place to live. But knowing I’m giving her something she doesn’t have with anyone else makes riding a damn roller coaster worth it.
***
LENNIE TOSSES ME HER KEYS on the way out to the parking lot. Lennie’s driving skills are seriously lacking. Therefore, I didn’t think twice about taking them and driving us home. Lennie, however, must have already set her mission to drive me crazy in place because once we were on the road her hands were all over me.
Driving on the interstate with my dick as hard as steel proves to be a challenge, but I somehow manage to get us back to the apartment without a problem. The second the car is off, Lennie pounces on me. “Let’s go inside.”
Instead of agreeing, Lennie reaches down, shoves her hands in my pants, and grips my cock. “I want this inside of me.”
“Oh shit...” Her hand starts jacking me up and down as her mouth kisses down my neck. “I want my dick inside of you too, but I really don’t want anyone to watch me doing it.” Lennie laughs but thankfully relents and climbs off me. Without a word, she’s out of the car and walking towards the apartment building. I take off after her. Lennie likes spontaneous gestures and I’m guessing sex in public, neither of which I’m good at. But, the idea of disappointing her weighs heavy on my mind. Once I’m directly behind her, I swoop her up bridal style.
She lets out a startled scream that fades to laughter. “What are you doing, Brooker?”
“I’m ensuring I get you to my apartment as fast as possible where I plan to fuck you senseless.” We hear a gasp next to us and both of our heads turn in time to see Mr. and Mrs. Graham. Mrs. Graham looks disgusted while Mr. Graham is smiling at us.
“Sorry,” I mumble as my face reddens.
“No, he’s not.” Lennie giggles in my arms. “I assure you, he plans to screw—”
“Goodbye,” I shout, taking off with Lennie before she has the chance to make the situation worse. “I can’t believe you. They are—”
“A hundred years old? Yeah, I noticed. I only hope that poor lady was able to experience incredible sex while she was in her prime.”
My face scrunches. “Lennie, I’m begging you, please do not talk any more about Mrs. Graham having sex because it’s causing my erection to fade.”
“We can’t have that now, can we?”
Lennie starts kissing me and within seconds, I’m rock hard again. Somehow, we manage to make it to my apartment door. I put Lennie down on her feet long enough to unlock it and get inside, but then my mouth is attacking hers. My hand goes to the hem of her shirt, and I lift it up and over her head. Lennie pulls back long enough to unclasp her bra and toss it somewhere on the floor.
The second my eyes lock on her tits, my mouth starts to water. I swallow as I stand motionless, watching as she slides her shorts and panties down her legs. I trail my eyes up her legs and past her fantastic tits until I lock my eyes with her lustful ones.
“I think you are wearing too many clothes.”
I smirk. “Oh yeah?”
I start unfastening my pants, but I don’t take them off. Instead, I pull out my cock and start stroking myself.
“Is this what you want?”
Lennie nods as she watches me. “Was it your goal to make me hard as fuck all day, because I was.” Her eyes light up, which gives me the courage to say what’s going through my mind. “Sit on the couch and spread your legs.”
Lennie doesn’t hesitate. The second she opens her legs, my step falters. “Shit, Lennie. I can see how wet you already are.” Her hand slides down to the opening between her legs as she starts rubbing herself in light circles.
“I think...” I clear my throat. “I think I could spend an entire day watching you touch yourself and it wouldn’t be enough, but right now, my dick is hungry for a taste. I want to feel you come on my cock more than I want my next breath.”
“Then get your gorgeous ass over here and fuck me.”
I dig a condom out of my wallet and make my way to her. My knees feel weak a
s I drop to the floor in front of her. “Fuck, I can smell how turned on you are.” I crush my lips down on hers. Our tongues move together as my hand works its way down to her sex. I pump a finger inside, causing her to moan. I pull back long enough to get the condom on then I slam home. This time, we both groan from the pleasure.
Lennie arches her back and starts playing with her breasts as I shamelessly fuck her as hard as I can. My fingers dig into her hips as my dick plunges in and out. “Damn, you feel perfect.” She clenches me even tighter. “Holy shit,” I mumble as she starts moaning my name. Her legs curl around me as her climax takes over. My hips thrust a few more times before I fall over with her.
I stay draped over her body as I wait for my breathing to return to normal. When I look down, I’m hit with a sense of pride knowing I’m the reason she’s wearing a satisfied expression.
“Let’s go swimming.”
“What?” I chuckle as I pull out of her.
“Swimming. We need to go show those blue hairs how us young kids roll.”
I’ve lived here for over four years and I’ve yet to use the pool because Lennie is right. It’s usually taken over by people old enough to be my grandparents.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m going with or without you, but being with you will be more fun.” She juts out her bottom lip, pretending to pout.
“Okay, I’ll go, but don’t think every time you stick out your lip I’m going to cave.”
Lennie smiles as she grabs her clothes off the floor, but the only thing she puts on is her tank top that doesn’t even cover her ass. “I’ll see you in a few,” she sings.
I freeze as she opens my door and walks out. “Lennie!” I shout seconds before the door closes, but she doesn’t come back.
Shit...someone in this building is going to die of a heart attack before Lennie Jacobs moves out.
“YOU’VE BEEN SPENDING A LOT of time with that guy across the hall.”
“Yeah. I guess.” I ignore Jodi’s stare and continue messing with my phone.
Meeting The Unpredictable Page 8
