Under My Skin (Shady Falls Series Book 2)

by Shelly Davis

  “Just watch, honey. You know what Toni went through, don’t let it happen to you.”

  Margie’s warning echoed through my brain. I knew what she was talking about. You never could be too sure about those guys and Grant did get a little scary in the elevator. The difference between Grant and guys like Toni’s ex was Grant didn’t get pissed when I challenged, he got turned on. But I didn’t know what would cause him to snap and become aggressive.

  Once the race ended, we all sat around and talked and waited for Toni, Kyle, and Julius to join us. Through all the conversation Grant only made rude, condescending remarks under his breath. He was like a child who wasn’t getting his way. It was both infuriating and embarrassing.

  Grant sat to the side, away from the others who had already started celebrating Julius’ second place position in the championship standings. When I approached he immediately started to complain.

  “Do we seriously have to sit here and wait for them to get up here? It isn’t like you don’t see them all of the time. Besides he just got fourth place in the race.” Grant complained.

  “Grant,” I said softly but firmly, “Yes, he got fourth place in this race, but Julius just got second place overall in the championship standings. They had an amazing season. I want to celebrate with them.” I didn’t understand why he didn’t just leave if he was so miserable, especially since he had his own car.

  “You know,” Jake cut in, “you can leave any time you want. You came here on your own, you can sure as hell leave on your own.” I hadn’t even realized Jake was close enough to hear Grant’s whining.

  Grant whipped his head around, his eyes narrowed on Jake. “I don’t think this is any of your business, pal. Why don’t you worry about your own woman over there?” Grant asked, gesturing toward Monique.

  “Just stop,” I huffed, exasperated. His constant hovering and complaining throughout the day had worn on my nerves completely. I couldn’t take his whining anymore. “I’m not leavin’. I didn’t come all the way to Florida just to leave. We’re here to see Toni, Jules, and Kyle. We’re here to celebrate with them.”

  “You heard the lady,” Jake barked. “So either sit down, shut up and have fun – or leave.”

  Without another word Jake went across the room and sat with Cade. Monique stood nearby, staring between Grant and me. I wanted to ask her why she was staring at us, but then Grant’s over-exaggerated sigh pulled my attention away from her. He threw himself back into his seat and made a big show of how annoyed he was. He didn’t say another word, but he was clearly pissed and he was going to make sure everyone knew exactly how he felt.

  Instead of listening to Grant’s ridiculous over-dramatic sighs, I decided to step out and get some fresh air. It felt like all of the oxygen was being sucked out of the room every time Grant spoke. And if Monique didn’t stop pawing at Jake, I was going to rip her eyes out of her head. She was obviously one of those who touched people as they talked and laughed. Since she spent most of her time talking with Jake, her hands were constantly on his arm or his thigh. I couldn’t take seeing him with another woman. It made me physically ill.

  In the hall, I repeatedly sucked in ragged breaths, trying to calm my raging heart. I didn’t know if it was Grant, Monique, Jake, or all of them who finally drove me to flee but I couldn’t take any of it anymore.

  Who knew one stupid mistake as a kid was going to follow me for the rest of my life and ruin everything? I wished I could go back. If wishes were fishes, we’d all cast nets. I snickered to myself remembering a Scottish nursery rhyme my father used to read. The stupid things that popped into my head when I was stressed.

  I leaned back against the cold block wall and closed my eyes. The chill seeped through my shirt, cooling my heated skin and helping my tense muscles to relax. I felt my racing heart finally slow down and the churning in my stomach started to subside. The never-ending confrontations with Grant wore on me so much I would become ill from the anxiety, afraid of another confrontation. Adding Jake and Monique to the mix certainly amped up my unease.

  How could I ever compete with her? She was gorgeous, and apparently extremely successful. I didn’t even have my own place to live.

  An overhead vent blew heated air down on me, expelling the chill from my body while my thoughts finally quietened. I felt more in control of my raging emotions. Maybe I could finally finish out the day without feeling like I was having a nervous breakdown.

  I ignored every noise other than the constant hum of the heat vent that brought warmth down on my chilled skin. Doors opening and closing, and constant murmuring of distant conversations meant nothing to me while I was in my little world.

  “Mia?” a feminine voice said, jarring me from my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see Monique standing in front of me. She had a confidence about her that made her even more beautiful than she already was. It was no wonder Jake was with her. I realized then that I was no competition at all. “What are you doin’?”

  “Nothin’. I just needed a moment,” I said. I pushed away from the wall, intent on returning to the party.

  “He’s not right for you, you know?”

  “I beg your pardon?” I asked, confused by her comment. “What are you talkin’ about?”

  “Grant,” she said. “Why are you with him?”

  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I huffed. I didn’t want to talk to her. She was supposed to be the enemy, the catty woman who was with the man I wanted. She wasn’t supposed to be nice.

  “It’s not, but I still want to know. Are you in love with him? Do you even like him?”

  “I’m not havin’ this conversation with you. I don’t even know you. Besides, I’m not even with him. We ain’t datin’. We just hang out sometimes.” The words poured out before I could stop myself. Why couldn’t I shut my mouth? I didn’t want to talk to her. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say.

  “If you ain’t with him, then why are you puttin’ up with his shit?”

  My eyes widened with that comment. I didn’t know what to say to her. I couldn’t argue, Grant was being a complete asshole. He wasn’t fun and he made me feel like shit most of the time. Why the hell did I deal with his shit? Monique stood and waited, but I had nothing to say.

  Monique continued, “Especially since you have someone like Jake.”

  “What?” I practically shouted, then flushed because of how loud it seemed in the deserted hall. “I’m definitely not with Jake. Aren’t you with him?”

  “Jake and I are friends, but that’s it.” She paused. “You’re kind of oblivious, ain’t you?”

  Her tone sounded kind, but her words seemed cutting. “Look,” I said, annoyed. “I don’t know who you think you are, but …”

  “I’m not bein’ rude, Mia, but you ain’t exceptionally observant.” She paused and studied me for a few moments before continuing. “Do you know that Jake and I used to get together from time to time? Neither of us had anyone, so we would hook up. Friends with benefits and all that, but we don’t do that anymore. You know how long it’s been since Jake and I hooked up? Since Jake has hooked up with anyone?”

  I didn’t want to hear about this shit. Didn’t want to know who he was sleeping with. Why the hell would she tell me this shit? Staring at her in disbelief, I shook my head. Not to say no, but to try to get the images of her and Jake together from overwhelming my imagination. I wasn’t successful.

  “It’s been months. Pretty much since you started goin’ to the gym back in September.”

  “How would you know that?” I asked in a quiet, stressed tone.

  “Because he started canceling on me,” she said as if it should’ve been obvious. “He said it was because he was busy at the gym, so after weeks of not seein’ him, I went to visit. All I saw was him watchin’ you. Starin’ at you on an elliptical. He was so engrossed, he didn’t notice me or any other woman who tried to get his attention. He watches you constantly, and you don’t even notice. How can you be so obli
vious?” she asked, seeming truly perplexed.

  “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. I’m pretty sure the only time he looks in my direction, he’s glarin’ at me.” The words came out in a whisper. Could what she was saying be true?

  “Mia, no offence, you seem like a smart woman but you are naïve. If I had to give my opinion, I’d say that man is still in love with you.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, but I was stunned silent. Still? How in the hell would she know he ever was? Unless he told her. Did he tell her about our past? Was he talking about me to her?

  “Yeah,” she nodded, answering my silent question. “He told me about your past. He was drunk and mad a couple weeks ago. Somethin’ about arguin’ with you at some bar? He’s in love with you, Mia, but he ain’t gonna do anythin’ about it. Especially with a douche like Grant around. And I can tell that you love him. Watchin’ you two in a room is like watchin’ a tennis match. You’re distracted, he’s lookin’ at you. He’s distracted, you’re lookin’ at him. I don’t know how your friends handle it.”

  “Why’re you tellin’ me this? Weren’t you with him? Why would you share this with me?”

  “I love Jake, but I don’t love him romantically. He’s a good man and a great guy. Yeah, we fooled around when neither of us was with someone else, but it was just sex. He’s one of my best friends, and I want him to have who he wants, and I think he wants you. That’s why I’m tellin’ you this. If you love him, if you want him, you need to fight for him.”

  Without another word, Monique turned and went back into the suite. She left me standing there, her words echoed through the empty corridor, reverberating through me. He was still in love with me? Maybe I actually had a shot.

  Returning to the suite, the conversation between my friends was like a buzzing in my ears. I was in my own world, reliving what Monique told me. I tried to pay attention and contribute to the conversation, but I couldn’t focus. I could only hear Monique’s words … I needed to fight for him.

  Julius, Toni, and Kyle walked into the suite, smiling and happy. Seeing Toni so happy and in love was awesome. Julius was such a man’s man, yet he didn’t hesitate to be affectionate with Toni. He held her hand, opened doors, and made sure she was taken care of, even if she could do it herself. And Toni was usually such and alpha woman, she didn’t need anyone, but she let him take care of her, and she doted over Julius too. She passed water and food to him every chance she got and constantly checked to make sure he was okay.

  “How you doin’ honey?” I asked Toni when she plopped down next to me.

  Leaning her head on my shoulder, Toni said, “I’m exhausted, but great. Can’t wait to get the hell outta here and get somethin’ to eat.” She leaned in and whispered, “What’s up with Grant?”

  I sighed, “I don’t know. I shouldn’t have let him come here. It was a mistake.”

  “Nice thing about mistakes,” Toni said. “You can always learn from them and fix them. So fix it.” Toni smiled, but didn’t say anything more, turning her attention to introductions between Char, Roy, and Gage. She was right, I wasn’t locked into this. If I wanted out, I could fix my mistake.

  “Can we go now?” Grant whined from across the room. “I don’t see why we need to sit here and …” His whining voice was cut off by Jake’s low growl.

  “Why are you still here?” Jake barked. “I thought it was clear that your presence here was unnecessary.”

  Everyone went still, staring between the two men. Jake didn’t stand or even look like he was ready to move, but there was a fire in his cobalt eyes.

  “Well?” Jake snapped. “You’ve been whinin’ like a little bitch since you got here. You don’t know how to sit down and just relax. You bitch about everythin’. You’re up Mia’s ass every time she moves. You’re tryin’ to get into the bartender’s pants. So why the hell did you even come?”

  “Jake,” Cade warned.

  “Screw that, Cade. He’s a dick and he’s made everyone so goddamned uncomfortable all day, it’s ridiculous.”

  “Jake. Just let it be,” Toni said. A sense of pride bloomed in my chest looking at her. She wasn’t afraid of the confrontation, she just didn’t want there to be a fight. Not so long ago, the conflict would’ve sent her into a panic. There was no fear in her at all.

  I looked around at all of my friends, new and old and felt terrible. “I’m sorry,” I said. I felt so bad that I’d made people uncomfortable by having him there.

  “It ain’t you, Mia. It’s this dickhead who can’t quit whinin’,” Jake bellowed. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Well if I’m leaving, Mia’s leaving with me.” Grant turned to me and stared me down, but I didn’t care anymore. “Let’s go, Mia. Now.”

  The confidence I found earlier was doubled because of the way Jake spoke to me. He was pissed off at Grant, but his tone toward me was kind and welcoming. I turned to Grant, knowing I was done. “I ain’t goin’ anywhere with you. You invited yourself here, I didn’t ask you to come. I ain’t leavin’, I’m goin’ out with everyone else like I intended.” Turning to the group, feeling pretty proud of myself, I smiled. “Where’re we goin’ tonight?”

  “We’re gonna go and get some dinner before goin’ back to the hotel. I have reservations in town. I arranged it so we’re all in the same hotel on the same floor. Then tomorrow, we’ll head home.” Julius said, he gave me a nod and smiled.

  “Well, that leaves me out,” Grant grumbled next to me. “Some of us actually have to work tomorrow.”

  “Some of us own our own businesses and have a staff of people who can take care of things in our absence,” Jake said with a smirk.

  “And some of us have a teacher in service day tomorrow and don’t have to be there,” Gage included, winking at me.

  Grant glared across the room at Julius, Jake, Gage, and Cade. It was obvious that he hated these men that were so important to me. I knew immediately I was done with him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jake

  Sure as fuck that leaves him out.

  He was such a whiny little bitch, I couldn’t stand it. If the son of a bitch eyeballed me one more goddamned time I was gonna lose my shit completely. The cocksucker had been glaring at me all day. Every time he opened his mouth some condescending, pompous remark spewed all over the room. If he wasn’t putting down Mia, he was talking to the rest of us like we didn’t have half a brain. It was obvious he had a superiority complex. He was the most annoying piece of shit I’d ever met.

  I waited to see what Mia would do. Would she leave with the prick or would she go to dinner with her friends? What was she doing with that anal-retentive asshole anyway? He treated her like shit, acted as if she was beneath him, and looked at her like a possession. Like something he could own and control, instead of a beautiful woman who could light up his fuckin’ world.

  Sonofabitch! Why did she always reduce me to some pathetic fool spewing sonnets for a woman who never loved me? I adored Mia once, but she didn’t give a shit. And in spite of all that, I still thought about her constantly.

  Somehow I’d idealized her and in my head turned her into some goddess who overshadowed every other woman I met. It was Mia’s face that haunted my dreams. So many beautiful women have been in and out of my life over the years, but not one of them lit me up inside, not like her. I still longed for those warm brown eyes looking up at me. Her golden-brown corkscrew curls flowing through my fingers and her sweet, sweet arms wrapped around me, holding me tight.

  What Mia did tonight would tell me if she was worth something or not. Maybe if she chose to let that asshole have his way, I could finally walk away and never look back.

  The door of the SUV slammed, drawing me from my thoughts. Monique climbed in next to me and smiled. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “What the hell were you doin’ in the hall with Mia earlier?” I asked Monique.

  “Bathroom,” Monique said simply. She looked out the front window, watchi
ng the last of the rigs pulling out of the infield.

  “Bullshit, Moni. You walked in and then Mia walked in thirty seconds later lookin’ like she was sick. So what were you doin’ out there?”

  “Jake, I wasn’t doin’ anything. I went to the bathroom, Mia just happened to be out there too. We greeted each other, that’s it.”

  “Moni, you’re lyin’. Look at me.”

  Monique turned her eyes to me and glared. “Okay. I asked her why she was with that asshole. I told her he was a dick and she shouldn’t be with him, especially when she could have you.”

  “What the hell, Moni? Mind your business for once in your damn life, please.”

  “What, you worried she might actually figure out that you still care about her? And heaven forbid she figure out that she still cares about you. Can’t have you happy, that’d be insane.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. You don’t know the history.”

  “Whatever, Jake. You want to be a miserable prick for the rest of your life, that’s your prerogative. But you should know, that woman’s still in love with you. If you were man enough to bury whatever bullshit happened years ago and get over it, you might actually see it for yourself.”

  “Man enough?” I rumbled. “You’re kiddin’, right?”

  “Jake, I’m not tryin’ to be a bitch. But you know I’m right. It’s been years, y’all were kids. It can’t matter that much anymore. Y’all need to get over yourselves and see if there’s somethin’ there. If you don’t, you’ll regret it the rest of your life.”

  And that was what pissed me off the most, I knew she was right.

  ***

  Hours later we all sat around the hotel restaurant bar. Margie, Char, Kyle, and Gage all retired to their rooms for the night; the new parents and pregnant woman unable to continue our party. Gage’s brother-in-law, Roy, and Cade both sat at the bar, talking and drinking their beer. I sat at a table with Julius and Grant drinking and relaxing while we watched Monique, Mia, and Toni dancing and having fun.