by C. A. Harms
***
Half the night Ruby and I talked and the other half we laughed as we watched the video of Isaac over and over. I should feel bad for making fun of him, but honestly I couldn’t help myself.
I wasn’t really sure what time it was when we actually fell asleep, but I was woken up by the sound of knocking on the door. Since my entire apartment was technically one large room with only a small partition separating my room and the living room, there was no way to sleep through the pounding.
When Ruby groaned as I climbed over her body to get out of bed, I knew what she was feeling. I was exhausted too.
Dragging my feet over the hardwood floor, I reached the door just as the knocking began once again. Peeking through the peephole, I giggled when I found both my brother and Isaac standing outside. Both were wearing sunglasses though they were standing in a darkened hallway. Evidence of a long night was written all over their faces.
I found myself wondering if Isaac knew about the videos and photos yet?
Flipping the lock, I twisted the knob and pulled open the door. Slowly I looked them both over, each wearing dark t-shirts, dark jeans, and glasses.
“What is this, men in black?”
Jay smiled, stepped forward, and kissed my cheek. “Where’s my girl?” He didn’t wait for me to respond before moving forward to search for Ruby.
“In my bed.” The minute the words left my mouth I regretted them. “Wait―you aren’t allowed to join her there. I sleep in that bed, and no―just no.” But it was too late. I heard her giggle and her words were then muffled, I assumed by his mouth colliding with hers.
“I can’t think about that.” Mumbling, I turned back and found Isaac leaning against the doorframe. He wasn’t smiling, and I wondered if this was going to be one of those awkward moments that changed the comfortableness we’d had for so long.
His lips were parted slightly, his face lax, and I leaned in closer to hear him breathing evenly. Carefully I reached up and pulled his glasses down his nose, biting my lip to refrain from laughing when I found him sleeping.
“Isaac,” I whispered softly. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around.
“Where’s Jay?”
Okay, come on, this is adorable.
Without answering him, I gripped his arm and began backing us into the apartment so I could close the door. When we made it to the couch I pointed, indicating I wanted him to sit, and he ran his hand through his hair as I started to do just that.
“I forgot your donut.” When he said this he truly looked disappointed in himself. “I’m sorry.” Flopping down on the couch, he leaned his head back against the cushion and closed his eyes again. Running both hands through his hair, he sighed. “I can go back out and grab—”
I didn’t let him finish before I lifted my body up and leaned in to kiss him. He seemed surprised by my movements and looked back over his shoulder toward where my brother had disappeared to. When he shifted on the couch and his gaze found mine once more, I waited for him to react.
When he didn’t, I took in upon myself to do so. Crawling over his lap, I straddled his legs and placed my hands on his shoulders. Quickly his own came to rest on my hips, and I leaned in once more to kiss him. “I’m okay for now, but tomorrow you owe me a dozen.” I felt him smile against my lips and then the entire weight of my body shifted and was placed on the couch beneath him.
“I’d honestly love nothing more than to continue this, but with Jay in the next room and me feeling like I’ve been beat up by angry gorillas, I think we should hold off.”
“Angry gorillas?” Arching my brow, I looked at him as he still hovered above. He smiled.
“Don’t ask.” Shaking his head, he repositioned me and made room for himself to slip in behind me. “Believe me when I say you don’t want to know.”
Searching around, he snagged the blanket I had tossed over the back of the couch and spread it out over us. I waited, not saying a word, but feeling my emotions banging around inside me, making it next to impossible not to fall for him just a little more.
“Take a nap with me.” It wasn’t a question as he curled his arms around me and snuggled into me a little tighter. With his face buried into the side of my neck, I felt him press a soft kiss there and I melted a little more. “Now I could sleep just like this for days.”
I was tired, exhausted even, but I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. I didn’t want to miss this, the moment was so sweet and I’d never felt anything like it before. It was simple, and I knew a lot of girls wouldn’t look at it the way that I was, but I couldn’t help it. Being held, the soft whispered sweet words, it was perfection.
Little by little this adorable man was giving me all the things I’d craved for years. He was giving me the things I never thought I would ever have, or deserved. Isaac Marshall was so much more than I gave him credit for, so much more.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Isaac
I tried to roll over, but found that I was pinned. Slowly opening my eyes, I looked around and remembered where I was. Jade’s warm body was pressed to one side and the back of the couch to the other. Her hand rested on my chest, just over my heart as her face nuzzled into the side of my neck.
She made a sound, a displeased groan, just before moving her body over mine a little more. One leg draped over my waist, she practically laid across me, holding me in place. The blanket still covered a majority of us up. I glided my hand over her hip and held her securely in place.
I loved the feeling of having her so close.
I started to drift off to the sound of her even breath and then I heard movement in the kitchen.
Peeking up, I saw Ruby being backed into the corner as Jay crowded her. His hands rested on the counter on each side of her. They were talking low and I couldn’t help but feel like I was spying on an intimate moment between the two of them.
So many times I’d witnessed the guys in the house with their ladies. Xavier, Elijah, the twins, and now Jay; I never thought of myself as part of that crowd. Hell, most of the time I was the one picking at them for being so whipped. But the truth was now, lying here with her, I couldn’t think of any place I’d rather be.
“We’re gonna take off.” I looked up to find Jay standing near the back of the couch and I wondered how long he’d been standing there watching me.
“All right.” I kept my voice low so I didn’t wake her. She was dead weight, no signs that she was waking any time soon. “I’m gonna stay.” I’d ridden over with him. “I’ll catch an Uber or see if Jade will bring me home later.”
Still felt a little strange talking to Jay about his sister. Especially since at this point she was laying over me like I was the most comfortable body pillow. I was fine with it, more than fine actually. But him, I was still trying to figure out how he felt about this between us.
“Or just call me.” He looked at Jade and I saw the corner of his lip tilt up in a smile. “She likes you, ya know.” His stare shifted back to my own. “Not sure why, because she could do so much better.” Had he not been grinning when he said it I might have taken offense, but things seemed to be getting back to normal between him and me. That banter, the bullshitting, it’s what we did, it’s what we all did.
Quietly Ruby and Jay exited the apartment and I was left in my warm bubble with the beautiful girl who’s carrying my baby. Fuck, that still seemed surreal, but it no longer freaked me out. Instead I found myself looking forward to all the things I would be able to teach him or her.
My life might not play out exactly the way I’d planned it, but now I was creating a new route. A new adventure with Jade as my sidekick, and damn, that in itself was worth the detour.
***
“Hi, Isaac.” I felt a hand glide over my lower back and pause just above my ass. Stepping forward, I placed distance between me and the blonde who was standing much too close. There was only one blonde who had free rein to touch me any time she wanted, and this is not that blonde. “How have you been?”
I knew her, I knew I did, but I had no idea what her name was.
“I haven’t seen you around much lately.” I didn’t miss the way she pushed her chest out a little further. “I’ve been hoping that we could maybe have a repeat performance some time.”
Oh fuck, we had a night. Why now did that make me feel so fucking dirty?
“Casey wanted to join us next time and make it a real party.” When she traced over my lower abdomen with the tip of her finger and paused at the button of my jeans, I stepped back once again. Her touch and lingering looks did nothing to excite me.
The sound of someone clearing their throat from behind me made my heart drop.
“I hate to interrupt.” I spun around and found Jade with her arms crossed, staring down the blonde, who still stood behind me, with distaste.
“Nope, not.” I tripped over my own words. “Uh no.” Reaching out to Jade, she arched her brow and I paused. Fuck, pretty girl had a mean girl side. The way she was staring at the blonde that remained behind me made me shiver. “You’re not interrupting.”
Jade shifted her gaze between me and the girl and then focused on me. I held my breath, fuck, I don’t remember ever being this nervous.
“Excuse me.” Oh shit. Jade glanced to the left when the girl decided it was time to speak once again. Poor, poor girl, she honestly had no idea what was about to be bestowed upon her. Was she an idiot? “Who are you?” she sneered toward Jade.
“Who am I?” My girl squared up and pointed to herself, her eyes narrowed as she glared at the girl. For the first time since I turned around to face Jade she moved in closer. “I think the real question is who are you?”
“Babe…” Holding up her finger in front of me, I immediately stopped talking and held back my laughter. I knew now was not the time if I wanted to walk away from this unscathed, but damn, this I will beat you down act was hot.
“And an even better question would be, how fond of your face are you truly?” I bit my lip to hold back my chuckle.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Absolutely not.” Jade didn’t break, not even for a second. Had the situation been a little different and had I not been trying to keep the peace, I’d state just how proud I was of her ferocity. Though she should really know she had absolutely nothing to worry about because from the moment I realized it was her that morning, I haven’t been with another girl. Truth was, I haven’t even thought of another girl, all I could think of was Jade.
“I don’t make threats.” Jade continued, her face completely serious. “I just like to warn a bitch before I rearrange her pretty face. Just in case she has one ounce of intelligence and she’d like to rethink her approach. This is your warning, so what’s it gonna be? Are you gonna remove your claws from my boyfriend or do I have to make my point clearer than I already have?”
A few seconds of silence passed and I shook my head, wondering if this girl could really be as stupid as she seemed.
“I think that’s your cue to move on.” I decided to keep my eyes on Jade, for my benefit and the girl’s. Only my girl didn’t break her stare, not even for a second.
“We’ll catch up another—”
“Nope.” Jade cut her off, and if it were possible for a person to kill someone with looks alone I would have witnessed it at least half a dozen times by now.
“Okay,” the girl whispered. Finally she may have gotten it.
I watched Jade’s eyes, she literally followed the girl’s movements until she disappeared around the corner of the building. When I smiled, still feeling elated that she had this side of her I’d never witnessed before, I found I was now the subject of her deathly looks.
“That was incredibly hot.” Okay, probably not the best thing to say, but the words were out before I thought them through. “In my defense—”
“You should probably just stop right there.” Holding out her hand, I noticed my phone in her palm. “You left this on my couch, I thought you might need it.”
Which explained why she was here. I took it, and in the process allowed my fingers to glide over her fingers and I linked mine with hers. “That was nothing, you know that, right?”
“Because I showed up?”
“No.” She was so used to guys playing her that she expected it. “Had you not shown up I would have declined her offer just the same. I just didn’t get the chance because my girl showed up and staked her claim.”
Her brow lifted, but she said nothing in return.
“Like I said…” She tried to tug her hand away but I didn’t release it. Instead I stepped in closer and wrapped my other around her waist tightly. Slouching enough to bring my face closer to her, I finished, “Incredibly hot.” I could sense her need to argue, so instead of allowing her to do so, I gripped the back of her neck and pulled her lips to mine. The things this girl did to me without even trying, it was astounding.
Fuck me, I’d met my match.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jade
I sat on the blanket sprawled out on the grass with Blake, Elijah, Ruby, and my brother each sitting alongside me. They were each working away on whatever studies they had and I wore my earbuds, blocking out the outside noise while focusing on my newest design.
A local bakery had contracted me to revamp their website, creating a signature logo that would be trademarked on all their menus, labels, and so on. Two women were taking over from their aunt, and though the name would remain the same, they were looking for a fresh new look to announce their business. New color scheme, new everything, and I was honored to be a part of it.
I was so wrapped up in my work that I didn’t notice Isaac approaching until he slid in behind me, one leg on each side. I screeched when he pulled my back toward his chest and kissed the side of my neck.
Ripping out my earbud, I heard him chuckling, and saw the others all looking at us. Each of them seemed just as surprised as I was, but I knew from them it was because for most it was the first time they were seeing this side of him.
The playboy himself showing affection toward a girl, that warmed my heart and scared me all at the same time. I did still wonder daily if he would wake up one day and realize this wasn’t what he wanted.
“Brought you something.” Suddenly a familiar bag was being held out in front of me and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Feeling guilty?” I wasn’t mad, not at him anyway, but I did still enjoy teasing him. Isaac had a past, I was well aware of his extracurricular activities. Hell, I was at one point one of those extras, but what I didn’t like was seeing it firsthand. Or seeing the aftermath, those girls who looked and lingered, giving him that come hither look or touching him. That was the worst.
“Are you still torturing me over yesterday?”
Taking the bag from him, I opened the top and breathed in the yummy scent of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. I ignored his question. Fact was soon I would be fat and frumpy and he’d notice.
Sliding in a little closer, I felt his entire chest pressing firmly to my back. One arm circled my waist, the other rested on my thigh. “I only want you,” he whispered near my ear, where only I could hear, and I looked up to see all the others were now completely occupied and no longer paying attention.
Lowering the bag to my lap, I turned my head and looked back at him. I needed to let go of this fear and jealousy. It was torture. “I can’t be held responsible for my actions if I walk up on you and another girl, especially if she’s touching you.”
“You are the only one who can touch me.” Our lips where so close, but the way he was watching me made my heart race. “You’re the only want I want touching me.”
Cupping my cheek in his hand, I leaned in and he softly grazed my lips with his own, a gentle move at first before he took my mouth in a heated kiss. Nipping and sucking on my lower lip, I fought the urge to whimper. I remembered those kisses, the erotic way he used his touch and explored. I’d craved to be kissed like that again.
“Okay, all righ
t.” Jay’s grumpy tone killed the moment. That’s right, we weren’t alone. Once again we were on full display and Ruby was grinning from ear to ear. My brother didn’t look pleased, which made me laugh. “I don’t wanna see that shit.”
I rolled my eyes, and just to dig a little more at my brother, Isaac nuzzled my neck and I did nothing to stop him. Truth be told, I loved when he was like that with me.
My phone rang and I searched around for it on the blanket. “Um, what’s this?” Turning around, I find Isaac holding my phone out, and for a second I had no idea what he was talking about. Then it hit me.
“Babe.” He turned my phone just enough for me to see and I couldn’t help but laugh at the blank look on his face. There on my phone screen was one of the many images I was sent from his night of drinking with the guys. Him curled up like a baby with his thumb in his mouth, it was my favorite one. “Take it off.” Thrusting my phone out, he glared at the others around me. “Seriously, you fuck bags sent her images?”
Elijah leaned over and looked at my screen. “She has one as her screensaver.” They all laughed and I tried not to, I really did, but when I looked up at Isaac and found him pouting, I couldn’t hold back.
He stood and started to walk away. “Hey, come on,” I hollered after him. I bit my lip to stop the laughter when he paused and turned back. With a few steps he approached and I thought for a minute he was overreacting like a spoiled brat. That was until he reached around me, grabbed my rolls, and spun around, taking my yummy goodness with him. It was my turn to pout, because taking sweetness from the pregnant girl was just cruel.
“I thought for sure he’d be more pissed about the flyers than some screensaver.” I huffed in irritation, still stewing over my rolls, then the words registered.
