Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2)

by Simonne, Andrea

  “That’s not true. I’ll bet you had a great time laughing behind my back, didn’t you?”

  “Wasn’t like that.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  He shakes his head. “Shouldn’t you be relieved? Or are you pissed that I’m not smuggling drugs?”

  “I’m pissed because you lied to me!”

  “No, never lied. You made assumptions, and I admit I had a little fun with it.”

  “And what about that list I created?” She’s mortified thinking about her ‘How to help Road get back on track with his life’ list. “That must have been really fun for you. I look like a total idiot!”

  “I thought that list was real sweet.”

  “You should have told me the truth right away. You’re a liar!”

  “Hey, lighten up, all right?”

  “Lighten up? That’s all you have to say?”

  He looks as if he’s pretending to think it over. “In fact, wasn’t that already on one of your lists somewhere?”

  She grits her teeth. “I know what my next list is going to be. All the reasons why I’m never reading your stupid book. Ever! And I don’t care about your blog, either!”

  Blair spins on her heel and marches out of the room. She can hear Road behind her saying, “Babe.”

  “And stop calling me babe!” she yells, halfway down the hall. “I am not your babe!”

  Blair goes into the kitchen and starts slamming things around as she makes herself a tomato sandwich. Right away, she notices he’s bought more groceries. There’s fruit in the fridge and three boxes of cereal on the counter—healthy brands that she surprisingly approves of. She moves them to the cabinet where they belong and lines the boxes up evenly.

  She takes her sandwich over to the couch and eats, still fuming. It’s all been too much for her. Road showing up after all this time. The ways he’s stirred up all these old feelings, feelings she thought she’d conquered. Memories of things she’d rather forget. I thought I was over him. Over all of that. Not to mention the way he’s trying to take Isadora away from her. Jerk! She should have known that when he left her, he’d land on his feet.

  He always does.

  After she eats, Blair soaks in the tub for a while and decides she’s sleeping on the couch tonight. Three nights without sleep is too much, and her thinking is muddled from exhaustion.

  When she gets down all the sheets and pulls the hideaway bed out from the couch, Road wanders into the living room, eating a bowl of cereal.

  “What are you doing? Told you my back can’t take sleeping on that couch.”

  She gives a haughty sniff. “Don’t worry, it’s for me.”

  His brows go up and he seems at a loss for words. Apparently, this was a maneuver on her part he hadn’t predicted. “You are not sleeping on this couch, princess.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “No. You are not.”

  She turns toward him and smiles without humor. “Watch me.”

  He remains silent, brooding, as she continues to make the bed. She’s wearing her oversized T-shirt and shorts again and can feel his eyes on her, but ignores him.

  Eventually, he disappears into the bathroom, and Blair grabs something to read and settles into the sofa bed. She’s never slept out here before, but decides it’s quite comfortable.

  Nathan takes a long hot shower. Usually, he takes short ones, but tonight he wants to escape, wants to let his frustration run down the drain.

  Swear to God, in some ways, I’ll never understand women.

  Blair steals his car and accuses him of smuggling drugs, yet sees herself as the one being wronged here.

  What the hell is she so pissed about?

  He can’t believe how stubborn she’s being about Isadora, and he’ll be damned if he can figure out why. He was sure she would have given in by now, as soon as she saw he wasn’t leaving without his car, but her tenacity has surprised him. In a weird way, he even likes it. Likes seeing her stand up for herself, even if it is misguided. Somewhere over the last five years, the little mouse he left behind has turned into a lioness.

  He puts his hands on the wall and lets hot water run down his back.

  And then there are those little shorts she wears to bed. Christ. He was too out of it the first couple of nights to pay much attention, but he’s paying attention now.

  Too much attention.

  He had trouble falling asleep last night thinking about those pale, smooth legs. She has a redhead’s coloring, and he’s always found himself partial to it.

  He wonders if she’s telling the truth about not sleeping with that guy who called. No way is that dude her boyfriend, unless he’s an idiot. No guy is going to let a woman like that out of his sight for long.

  She’s not for me, though.

  Blair deserves better than him and always has. Even with everything he has going on now, she deserves some guy in a suit who’s going to buy her a big house and let her fill it with kids. She’s not meant to be with the likes of him and all of his crazy family, who, if he’s honest, are nothing but a bunch of rowdy assholes.

  Nathan eventually turns the water off and towel dries himself, throwing on a shirt and a pair of sweat pants. He doesn’t own any pajamas, since he usually sleeps naked.

  He goes out to find Blair on the couch reading a magazine.

  Those pretty hazel eyes flash up at him. She’s wearing that haughty expression again. Princess Blair. He started calling her that in high school because even though she was mostly shy, she always had that royal look about her. Plus, she came from the right side of the tracks and was definitely off-limits.

  He sits next to her on the sofa bed.

  “Go away, Road.”

  “Looks like we’re having our first marital tiff.”

  She stares at her magazine, but he can see the smile tugging on her mouth. “Did you really just use the word ‘tiff’?”

  “Sadly, I did. See what you’ve brought me to?”

  She smiles, but keeps reading her magazine.

  He sighs. “Can’t let you sleep out here, Blair.”

  “It’s not up to you.”

  “Guess I’ll be staying out here, too, then.”

  She puts the magazine down. “What is it with you? Can’t you just leave me alone? I’m exhausted, and I’d like to get some sleep finally.”

  “What kind of asshole would I be if I let you sleep out here while I take your bed?”

  “Since when do you care about being an asshole?”

  “I care. Believe it or not.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  She picks up her magazine again and he’s quiet, reflecting on her words. “What do you mean ‘get some sleep finally’? Aren’t you sleeping?”

  “If you must know, I’m not.”

  Nathan takes this in. He’s prone to insomnia himself, but has to admit he’s slept like a baby since he’s been here, despite all the static she’s given him. With surprise, he realizes there’s something about Blair he finds relaxing.

  “How can I help?” He shifts position on the bed so his arm is stretched out and he’s more comfortable.

  Her eyes widen at his question. “You want to help me sleep?”

  “Sure. I have some melatonin in my bag. Do you want to try that? ”

  She seems embarrassed, and her cheeks are suddenly turning pink. He’s momentarily confused by her reaction, but then understanding dawns on him and he grins. “Got to say, princess, that dude you’ve been claiming is your boyfriend needs lessons or something.”

  That pretty blush on her cheeks only deepens. He reflects back to how that list of hers said she wanted more sex.

  “How long has it been for you, anyway?” he asks, curious.

  She blinks at him, but doesn’t look away. “You can’t ask me that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s personal.”

  “Tell me anyway.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  He softens his voice. “Come on
, it’s just the two of us here.” Nathan doesn’t know why he’s pushing it. Knows he shouldn’t. He needs to keep his hands off Blair. I mean, shit, look at what happened the last time I couldn’t keep my hands off her.

  She licks her lips, looking nervous, and it’s turning him on. Way too much. “Almost a year,” she whispers. “Eleven months.”

  He nods. “That’s a long time.”

  “How long has it been for you?”

  “Less than eleven months.”

  Blair laughs and it goes straight to his dick. That laugh of hers. He wishes he could pull the covers off her, run his hand over those pale, smooth legs. They only slept together that one time, and he doesn’t remember it well, but what he does remember was good.

  “You’ve probably never gone that long, have you?” she asks.

  “No.”

  She smiles. “You don’t even have to think about it?”

  He consider her words. For some reason, women have always liked him. He’s not even sure why. Figures it’s mostly his size. He’s tall and most women seem to like that, though a few women have told him it was his face. They said he had a pretty face, but he didn’t know what to make of that.

  “Nope, don’t even have to think about it,” he admits.

  “What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without it?”

  “I don’t know. Probably six months.”

  She looks annoyed suddenly.

  “What?”

  “Six months? That’s it?”

  Ironically, he’s talking about when they got married. They never had sex even once during their short time as a married couple. Too many complications interfering. He never cheated on her, though. “It’s different for me. I’m a guy.”

  “You think women don’t want sex?”

  “Course they do. I’m not saying that. Just not sure if they need it like men do.”

  Blair gives him a scornful look. “Give me a break. Guys are always saying that.”

  “Because there’s truth in it.”

  She bites her lip and looks down. He studies her hair, the rich color. Imagines his hands in it, how it would feel brushing against his body. Her shoulders are slender. She’s finely made. Elegant. He remembers that much from the one night they were together.

  He takes a deep breath and exhales. His erection isn’t going anywhere, and he knows what he has to do. “I’ll take the couch, Blair. You go on and sleep in the bed.”

  She looks up at him surprise. “Really? What about your back?”

  “I’ll live.”

  BY SATURDAY MORNING, Blair wakes up feeling human enough to go for a run. She slips into a pair of track shorts and a sweatshirt, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

  It’s early morning and few people are out this time of day, but she enjoys the fresh air and the low hum of the city waking up. She follows her usual route down by the water. This part of town is generally safe, though she still carries a small can of pepper spray in her pocket. She took boxing classes long enough to learn some defensive moves, and figures she could fight off an assailant if she had to. Not that she’s ever had to. Thank God. It’s good to be prepared, though.

  When she gets back from her run, she heads into the kitchen to start coffee, since Saturday is her biggest delivery day and she has five cakes to get out.

  Road is still asleep on the sofa bed, and she can’t resist walking quietly over to look at him.

  Lying on his back, he has one hand on his chest while the other drifts off to his side. He looks younger when he’s asleep and reminds her of when they were in high school. He usually wears a T-shirt to bed but is currently shirtless, so he must have pulled it off during the night.

  Blair knows she should walk away, should force herself to go back into the kitchen, but somehow can’t stop her eyes from drifting over his naked torso. His body is beautiful. She’s always thought so. Broad-shouldered with hard muscle beneath all that smooth skin, Road is healthy and strong and he looks it.

  Studying the new ink on his chest, she wonders what the swirling letters say. Her eyes roam lower to his flat stomach. There’s a happy trail with light brown hair running from his belly button into the top of his shorts.

  She wants to touch him. Wants to run her hands everywhere. And for a moment, the desire is so intense she considers it, seriously wonders what he’d do. Would he push her away or welcome her into his bed?

  But then she stops that line of thought. She already knows what he’d do. He’s made it clear.

  He doesn’t want me.

  “What are you doing?”

  Blair sucks in her breath as her eyes flash to Road’s face, mortified to discover he’s awake. “Nothing!”

  “Were you watching me sleep?”

  “Of course not!”

  “Because that’s what it looked like.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  Road nods slowly then chuckles. “Okay, good. ‘Cause that would be kind of creepy.”

  “I wasn’t watching you sleep. I was checking to see if you were up, that’s all . . . and then I noticed your tattoos. You didn’t have that one before,” she motions, “above your heart. I don’t remember it.”

  “No, got it in India.”

  “What does it say?”

  He doesn’t answer her, though, and instead takes in her shorts, his eyes drifting lower to her legs.

  “What are you doing up early on a Saturday?” he asks.

  “I work. It’s my biggest delivery day.”

  “Yeah? Didn’t know that.”

  “Are you planning to go anywhere today?”

  “Might hit the gym later, plus we got that thing at my mom’s tonight.”

  “I’m not going to your mom’s party.” She knows Tori won’t be happy about this, but at least she’ll get out of going to the gallery event.

  Road’s expression goes flat and she senses he’s bothered, though she can’t imagine why. “Suit yourself.”

  “I need to take the Honda into work, that’s why I’m asking if you’re going anywhere.”

  Their delivery van is parked behind the bakery and she usually parks right next to it, except she doesn’t like to leave Isadora there all day on a Saturday. There are fewer people around, and she worries someone might break into her or even steal her.

  There’s a crafty expression on Road’s face. “Just leave Isadora’s keys with me and I’ll drive her instead.”

  “You know I’m not doing that.”

  Road shakes his head and lets out an annoyed breath. “This situation is unbelievable.”

  “I could drop you off somewhere,” she offers.

  “Forget it. I’ll figure something out.”

  Blair nods and goes back into the kitchen to start on coffee. When her cell phone rings, she snatches it off the counter. Phone calls this early are never good news. She sees that it’s Ginger.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I fell down the stairs this morning and sprained my ankle.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Ginger sighs. “I’m okay, but I can’t do deliveries today. I’m so sorry.”

  Blair lets out a breath. “Of course not, I understand. I’ll try Carlos, hopefully he can help.”

  “Carlos is in Portland,” Ginger reminds her.

  That’s right. Darn it. He went down there on vacation for a few days with his boyfriend. “Let me call Natalie,” Blair tells her. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about it. Just go ice your foot.”

  They hang up and Blair calls Natalie. She’s at the bakery working a half day, since they’ve started keeping La Dolce Vita open on weekends. Blair explains the situation, but unfortunately Natalie can’t leave since she’s the only baker there.

  “What about Lindsay? Should I try her?” Lindsay is Natalie’s younger sister. She’s an artist, but occasionally helps out when they need someone. Blair has become pretty good friends with her.

  “She’s already coming in today to fill in for that ne
w barista who quit. Try Zoe,” Natalie suggests. “See if she can do it.” Zoe is the other baker they hired full-time.

  Blair calls Zoe’s phone, but there’s no answer. Unfortunately, Zoe is kind of a space cadet and probably doesn’t even have her phone with her or turned on.

  It figures.

  Blair tries to think. She’s getting a little panicky, since she can’t exactly deliver wedding cakes all by herself. She’s on the verge of calling Tori or even her parents to see if they can help when Road wanders into the kitchen.

  He takes in her panicked expression. “What’s wrong?”

  She looks at him. He put his shirt back on, she notices. And then it hits her. The perfect solution. Although it means I’ll be stuck with Road all day. Maybe it’s not such a good idea, but then it’s not like she has much choice.

  Blair explains to him what’s happening.

  “All you need is someone to help you deliver wedding cakes?”

  She nods. “Some of them are big and heavy. That’s why I can’t do it alone.”

  “So, I’ll be the muscle?”

  “Basically.”

  He grins. “No problem.”

  “Really?”

  “Course, just tell me what you want me to do.”

  “Okay, great.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out. She has to admit she’s relieved. “Do you have anything nice to wear, by chance?”

  He shakes his head. “Sorry, all I have with me are jeans. Is that going to matter?”

  “It’s just that these are weddings, so everyone is dressed up. But don’t worry about it.” She usually likes to dress up a little for deliveries, but knows it’s not necessary.

  Blair takes a quick shower and makes coffee for both of them while Road gets ready. She brings her coffee with her into the bedroom to sip. After staring at her color-coordinated closet, she pulls out a teal green dress. It’s classy, but with a sweetheart neckline that shows a hint of cleavage. She’s not dressing for Road, but has to admit she chose it because she knows it’s flattering. She’ll have to wear her white chef’s coat over it for her deliveries anyway. Standing in front of the mirror, she pulls her hair back into a chignon, to keep it out of the way, but leaves a few tendrils out in front. She’s careful with her makeup, finishes it with peach lip gloss then slips into her crystal Jimmy Choo platform pumps. She doesn’t usually wear them for deliveries, but she can’t resist today. The shoes are so wonderful, she sits on her bed and takes a couple of selfies of her feet in them from different angles.