“When she comes home, will you tell her I stopped by to check on her?”
“Of course.”
Chad opens our door and smiles. “Hey, we were just about to grab a beer. You want to come with us?”
I turn my stare to Chad. Moments ago, he was ready to bust my balls for checking in with Lennie, and now he’s asking Jodi to join us.
“I’d love to, but I think it would be best if I didn’t. I’d like to be here when Lennie gets home, and I actually have some case files I need to look over.”
“Yeah, sure,” Chad mumbles, sounding rejected.
“Maybe this weekend? If you’re free, that is,” she adds, still looking at Chad, who now has a megawatt smile on his face.
“I’d love to. You pick the time and I’ll pick the place.”
Jodi gives the two of us a warm smile. “Enjoy your evening.” With that, she shuts the door.
“What the hell?” I ask the second the door closes.
“What?”
“‘Just you and me, like old times?’ That’s what.”
“Oh come on. No matter how much progress I make with Jodi, it’s still a struggle to get her to agree to spend time with me. If that was the in I needed, then I had no problems taking it.”
I roll my eyes as I follow Chad down the stairs.
“Where to?” he questions as we get in his car.
“Let’s just go to our normal hang out.” Both Chad and I enjoy a bar that’s less than a mile from our building. On very rare occasions, I’ve walked home when I’ve had enough, and that very well could be how tonight might end.
***
I CHECK MY PHONE AT least a hundred times in a matter of a couple of hours. Lennie hasn’t text, but I’ve sent her more than a dozen. I groan before setting my phone down. I’m not this guy. The one who gets uptight over a woman, but suddenly I am. Maybe that was part of my problem with Amber. I didn’t give enough of a shit to worry where she was or what she was doing, but my relationship with Lennie feels completely different.
Without knowing the details, I can’t say for sure, but shit hit the fan today and she didn’t come to me. That scares the fuck out of me.
“Hot blonde with huge tits at two o’clock.” I shake my head but for some reason my eyes still wander that direction. “She’s hot, isn’t she?”
“Who the hell cares?”
“Me, that’s who.”
I roll my eyes. “Really? You just asked Jodi out. The same woman you’ve made a lifestyle change for and seconds later you’re right back to your old ways?”
“If I was right back to my old ways, I’d be over there looking to score with her, but I’m not. I’m over here sitting with you trying to see if you have balls big enough to go over and talk to her.”
“What the fuck, man? I’m with Lennie and you know that.”
Chad groans before rubbing his hands over his face. “Really? And how long is that going to last?”
My eyes thin as I do my best to control my anger. “What’s your deal tonight?”
Chad glances around the bar before his eyes come back to mine. “I want to see you happy, and I’m not sure that’s what you’re going to get with this woman.”
“Bullshit.” Chad crosses his arms over his chest and smiles.
“You liked Lennie from the moment you met her. Something has changed your opinion of her and I want to know what it is.”
Chad takes a long pull of his beer. “Nothing has changed my opinion of Lennie. She seems like a great woman, but I’m not sure she’s the right fit for you.”
I straighten in my chair. “Chad, your longest relationship was two weeks. What makes you a sudden expert on what make a great fit for me?” I did nothing to keep the sarcasm out of my tone. Until last year, Chad hasn’t even pretended to like a woman for more than sex.
“Okay.” He holds his hands up. “Point made. I’ll stay out of your love life, but just don’t forget I tried to warn you.”
“Duly noted,” I snap before looking around the bar. Tonight was anything but old time’s sake. A year ago, Chad would be hitting on anything in a skirt, and I would be wondering how much longer I had to stay until Chad forgot I was with him. The second half hasn’t changed much, except tonight, I had the urge to punch my best friend in the face, and that’s never happened before.
“I’m not feeling it. Let’s get out of here.” Chad hops to his feet and walks towards the door. I down the rest of my beer and once again check my phone.
Where the fuck is she?
My insides begin to turn as the possibilities of what could be wrong bounce around in my head.
“Ready?” Chad questions.
“Yep. Let’s go.”
The ride to the apartment happens in a flash, and I have to force myself not to knock on Jodi’s door again. I feel like a stage five clinger, but I need to make sure I’m not acting like one. Therefore, I pass her door and unlock ours.
“I’m calling it a night,” Chad says as he passes me and walks down the hall.
Instead of going to bed, I walk over to the fridge and grab a beer before I sit down at my computer. With my mind this caught up on Lennie, I’m positive I won’t be able to sleep, so work it is.
I COME AWAKE WITH THE sun shining in my eyes. I wipe at my mouth and look around the room. I have no idea where I’m at. Last night slowly starts coming back to me. I left Jodi’s house with anger coursing through me. I needed to get the hell out of her apartment and desperately wanted to get drunk. Seeing as I’m waking up in a stranger’s room, I’m guessing I accomplished both things.
“Hey, honey.” My eyes snap up and lock on Carla’s.
“What are you doing here?”
She laughs. “I live here, sweetheart.”
“Oh.” I glance around the tight living quarters with no memory of how I made it here.
“You don’t remember texting me do you?” I shake my head.
“You text me around midnight. Said you were wasted and needed a ride.”
“Oh, thank God,” I mumble.
I’ve ended up in countless stranger’s beds in the past, but it’s usually after a night filled with sex, and messing around on Tyler is the very last thing I want to do to him. We might not be official, and I may not have a future to offer him, but he deserves more than someone who’d act like his ex. Who cares if my dad is an asshole? Who cares how fucked up my life is? That’s no excuse for me to act like a drunken whore.
“I’m glad it was your house I woke up in.”
“I told you last night you should have called that beefcake but you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“I’m sorry, Carla.”
“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart. I’m happy that I was able to help something with two legs for a change.”
When I glance down at myself again, I see I’m in the same top I wore yesterday. My shorts are lying next to the bed I’m in, which only confirms I didn’t do what I normally would have.
“Listen, sweetie, I need to get down to the shelter. Tina has been working the front counter and Lord only knows the mess she’s left for me.”
“Oh gosh. I’m sorry I’ve kept you.”
“Nonsense. You needed someone and last night that someone was me.”
I give Carla a small smile. Last night I wanted that someone to be Tyler, but how can I do that to him? How can I allow him to become any more attached than he already is? If this was any other point in my life, I would be gone by now, but I can’t leave yet, and it has just as much to do with Tyler as it does my pending appointment.
“Thank you, Carla.”
“Don’t be thanking me for anything. I expect to see you cleaning out a few kennels when you’re up to it.” Carla nods her head towards the door. “Lock up when you leave.” Seconds later, Carla leaves me alone in her apartment. I glance around with a smile on my face. Carla’s place reminds me a lot of my apartment in New Orleans. Small but homey. I could easily see myself living here. Nothing in this apartment matc
hes but it all comes together and makes one loud statement that screams home.
***
I THOUGHT I COULD SNEAK into Jodi’s apartment unnoticed, but I either have the worst timing in history or Tyler was by his door waiting on me.
“Hey,” he says with concern as his eyes take me in from head to toe. “You’re just now getting home?”
I look like I’m doing a walk of shame. Hell, I am doing it, just not the one he thinks I am. “Yes. I crashed last night at Carla’s.”
“Oh.” His eyes darken, sending a tingle through my body. “Jodi said you had words with your dad then left.”
I nervously swallow. “You talked to Jodi?” I can only hope she wasn’t mad enough to say something I didn’t want her to.
“I stopped by last night. I wanted to see you but she said you were gone. I text you...” He trails off with a sigh.
“My phone’s dead.”
Tyler slowly nods but I get the feeling he doesn’t believe me. “I’m going to take a shower and clean up, but I’ll come by later if that’s okay.”
“Sure,” he huffs before turning around and stepping inside his apartment. Before I can say anything else, the door shuts.
“Shit,” I mumble to myself. I have an unbelievable ability to piss people off even when I’m not trying.
When I step inside of Jodi’s home, I find the quiet my mind needs. At ten in the morning, I can only imagine that Jodi has gone to work. I know she’s stuck in the middle, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to deal with her or our mother. Sides have been drawn for years, and I’ve always known which side they’re on.
I strip my clothing off on my way toward the bathroom. I step inside the shower and turn the water on as hot as I can handle. With my back to the wall, I slide to the floor and try my hardest to remember what happened last night. My goal was to get fucked up, and it appears I managed to do exactly that. I remember driving my car downtown. I remember ordering shots. Then I think I worked my ass on the dance floor, but after that, my memory takes a dive.
I didn’t lie when I told Tyler my phone died, but apparently that happened after I called Carla to come get me.
I groan as the water starts to cool. I push myself up to my feet and finish washing my body. By the time I get out, the water is officially cold. I pull my hair up in a knot on the top of my head, slip on a loose tank top and pair of boy shorts, and make my way to Tyler’s apartment.
When I’m standing outside his door, I hesitate. Knock or walk in? The old, confident Lennie would walk right in and make herself at home, but that’s the same Lennie that wormed her way into Tyler’s heart. Now I need to protect him, even if I’m protecting him from me.
I raise my hand and loudly knock. Moments later, Tyler answers. “Hey. You came.” His voice has taken on a sad tone.
“Of course I did.” I force a smile, duck under his arm, and walk into his living room. The same peace I felt at Carla’s is mixed with the quiet I had at Jodi’s. I toss myself down on Tyler’s couch with a smirk.
“Are you caught up on your work?” Tyler’s eyes thin as he takes me in. “Where were you last night?”
“I went out drinking. What did you do?”
Tyler rubs his jaw as he takes the seat across from me. “I went out for a little while myself. However, I came home at a reasonable hour.” I chew on my lip for a second, hating that he’s doubting me, even though he has every reason in the world to.
“I went out last night and ended up at Carla’s.” The smile on my face is completely gone as thoughts of yesterday flood my mind.
“Why did you go out in the first place?”
“I saw my parents yesterday. My father was his normal, awful self and I ended up going out for a drink.”
“You didn’t think to call me, or, hell, even stop by and talk things out with me?”
“Tyler...” I pause, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “Last night I did what I do best when it comes to my family. I got mad and left. I felt like I was on autopilot. Every time my dad makes a point to remind me what a disappointment I am, I make a point of trying to prove him right.”
“So what does that mean...? You didn’t sleep with someone else last night or you did?” He’s full on pissed now. His body is locked tight and his face is turned up in anger.
Normally after dealing with my father, I don’t hold back. Anything goes, that includes sex with strangers. “There are parts of last night that are still a blur, but I think it’s safe to say I didn’t have sex with anyone.”
Tyler jumps to his feet. “It’s safe to say?” His face is beat red.
“I mean, I didn’t. I didn’t sleep with anyone.”
“But you’re not a hundred percent sure?”
I groan, knowing whatever I say will be the wrong thing.
“I could have gone with you. Hell, I could have been a shoulder to lean on, but even after I told you how I feel about you, I get nothing.” He starts pacing the floor in front of me. “Is this how it’s going to be until you up and disappear? I have to wonder where you’re at and what you’re doing? Because let me tell you, Lennie, that’s not high on my list of priorities.”
My eyes dart to the floor. “I’ve never been high on someone’s priority list.”
Tyler stops moving and turns towards me. “That’s not what I mean.”
I look up at him. “I know.” I slowly stand and walk over to him. “I’m not Amber. I’m not a cheater, but last night I went back into teenager Lennie mode. That’s not a girl you want to know. I’m sorry I didn’t come over and talk to you, but I can’t imagine I would have been good company if I had.”
Tyler reaches out and places his hand under my chin. “Don’t you see I want you every way you come? The good and the bad.” My heart drops to my stomach, and even though I know I shouldn’t, I reach up, lace my hand behind his neck, and bring his mouth down to mine.
This man claims to love me, and somewhere along the way, my heart has fallen for him in a way I didn’t know was possible.
MY ANGER FADES THE SECOND Lennie’s lips touch mine. Whether she knows it or not, this is where she belongs...with me, and now it’s up to me to prove that to her.
“I want you,” I mumble against her mouth.
“I want you, too.” She pulls back long enough to lift her shirt over her head, exposing her amazing tits.
“I’m sure Chad won’t be home for hours, but let’s take this to my room.” The idea of Chad, or anyone for that matter, seeing her like this causes my anger to spike again. I know I haven’t asked Lennie to truly commit to me, and the only reason I haven’t is fear. Fear of her taking off like she did with her old boss the second she realizes I wasn’t kidding when I told her I love her.
I lace my hand with hers and we walk to my room. When the door is shut, Lennie pushes down her little shorts. “No panties? I’m starting to think you never wear any.” I groan looking at her.
“I was hoping you were going to forgive me.” She smirks as she walks over to me and immediately starts pulling on my pants. “We need to get you out of these.”
I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. This is my Lennie...the one I fell for. The one that barged into my life, demanding I come out of my shell.
“I have to agree with you.” Lennie gets my button undone, and seconds later, my pants are off. “In a hurry are we?”
A soft giggle escapes her and I swear that sound hits me all the way to my core. “Lennie.” She pauses after hearing my tone. When our eyes lock, I can hear her breathing hitch. “I need you, Lennie.” I’ve never been this attuned to another human being in my life. I don’t just want Lennie, I need her, and what I’m feeling has nothing to do with sex.
I slowly lift my hand and touch her face as her gaze remains locked with mine. Lennie takes a deep breath, almost as if she’s wary of my confession. “You’re used to running, but Lennie you need to know something.” I put my arm around her waist and lock her body tight against mine. “If you run,
I’ll chase you.” Her eyes flare as my heart rate increases. “You can run to the ends of the earth and I’ll still chase you because you matter to me. You’re a priority to me.”
Lennie’s eyes soften. “Where have you been my whole life, Tyler Brooker?”
“I’ve been waiting to meet the unpredictable Lennie Jacobs.” She laughs, but I’m serious. I think my entire life was leading me to the day I opened the door to a half-crazed woman asking for oil.
“I think I can see and feel how serious you actually are,” she says seconds before reaching out and cupping my dick.
“I’m more than ready to show you how serious I am.” I pick Lennie up and toss her on the bed before I crawl up between her legs.
I rub my fingers up and down her silky center before I line myself up and push home.
“Oh God,” Lennie groans as she arches her back. I slowly pull out before gripping her hips and thrusting myself as deep as I can go.
Lennie clenches around me, moaning my name, which spurs me on. It was only days ago I had her, but it almost feels like a lifetime ago. I can feel myself building. My thumb finds her clit and I start rubbing, hoping like hell she’s as close as I am.
“Fuck me harder.” I speed up, impaling her as hard as I can as she starts to come on my dick. “That’s it, baby.” She painfully tightens around me, causing me to fall over with her. I lean forward and growl into her neck as our bodies finally slow.
I hate not knowing where I stand with Lennie. She likes me. That much is clear, but does she like me enough to stick around?
***
I JERK AWAKE WHEN I hear my phone ringing. Lennie is thankfully still wrapped up in my arms. Without thinking, I reach over and answer my phone without looking at the caller ID.
“Hello.”
“Finally you answered your damn phone.” Brandon’s agitated voice sends a chill through my veins.
“Why exactly are you calling?”
“Don’t play coy. You complained to Mom and Mom complained to me. If you didn’t want me calling you should have kept your damn mouth shut.” I’m not surprised Brandon feels this way, but I am shocked that he’d openly admit it.
Meeting The Unpredictable Page 16
