by Hadley Quinn
Teague opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey, man. How long you been here?”
With a one-shoulder shrug Jay replied, “Uh, maybe half an hour. Looking good, bro. It shocks the shit out of me that you’re always getting better.”
“Today kicked my ass. After three hours of landing exercises from the harnesses and then another three hours climbing…grappling was tough. I am fucking beat.”
“So going a round with me is out of the question, huh?” Jay chuckled. He was a little disappointed, but understood.
“I’m sorry, man. Not today. I mean I could probably handle a little bit of—”
“Nah, that’s okay. Seriously, I just wanted to watch you work. Haven’t done it for a while.”
“No you haven’t,” Teague smiled, hopping up from the mat. “Which makes me wonder why you’re here.”
Damn, he wished he could tell him. He always shared things with Teague. It would have been standard to give him a quick rundown of his last encounter with a woman, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Teague would be pissed with him for going against his warning to stay out of Melanie’s pants.
“It’s just been a long week,” Jay shrugged. “Even without a job to go to everyday, but maybe that’s why it’s seemed so…aggravating.”
“And what’s up with Beck? He still being an asshole?”
“I haven’t talked to him since he fired me. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a good thing.”
“Why’s that? I think I’d fucking break his face if he accused me of messing around with his girl. In fact, I’m surprised you didn’t.”
“I don’t know what his deal is. Pussy whipped, I guess. I mean I would never believe some bitch over my best friend. Never.”
“Well they’ve been together for a while. Obviously he trusts her. But he knows you as well as I do, and it’s not like you’d ever deny something like that,” Teague added with a laugh.
Jay laughed with him. Yeah, he’d gotten in a lot of trouble for his brutal honesty once or twice—the last time with a very pissed off husband. The chick had never told him she was married, so when he bumped into her at a restaurant last year, Jay was pretty flirtatious with her. When the husband appeared and got in his face about it, Jay flat out told him his wife was good in bed and must have been looking for someone to match her skills.
“Hey, the married one wasn’t exactly my fault,” Jay defended himself.
“Don’t make me lecture you again. Sleeping with random women is your choice, Jay. The problems that come from it still stem from your decisions.”
“Not when someone fucking lies to me about shit. How is that my fault?”
“You should just be more careful about who you hook up with.”
“You’re one to talk,” Jay retorted. “Hello Kate?”
Teague looked at him hard. “Exactly, asshole. I’m speaking from experience. I met a lying bitch of a schemer and was totally fucked over by her. I don’t want that shit to happen to you, Jay. Just take the damn advice and think about it, okay? You have these pissed off exes and wannabe stalkers that—”
“Hey, I don’t have ‘exes’,” Jay corrected him.
“Fine, women that you’ve pissed off with your charming personality.”
“Why is it that they get pissed off in the first place? How more honest can I get than ‘this is only a one-night thing, sweetheart’. They willingly agree, so why does there have to be hurt fucking feelings over it?”
“You ever think that women may not ‘really’ fully agree with you?”
Jay scowled at him. “How is it my fault if they say one thing but mean another?”
“I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault, just that some girls view that stuff differently than guys. Not all of them are okay with being used like that, even though they may think they will be. Sometimes it’s just a hope that they’ll be that one girl that will make some dumbass like you see the light.”
“Where the hell do you get your information?” Jay laughed. “You been reading fashion magazines or something?”
“It’s called talking to my wife, dipshit. And she and her sister talk about stuff like that all the damn time. Welcome to the world of being around women and actually listening to what they say.”
“Welcome to the world of being pussified overnight,” Jay countered with a smirk.
Teague laughed but shook his head. “Whatever. I’m just thinking about you, man. That’s all. I’m happily married now and don’t have to worry about getting to know a different woman every week.”
“That’s why I don’t bother,” Jay shot back with a smile. “The disclaimer comes the second they want to sleep with me.”
“Noted. But that’s where you get yourself in trouble. I’m just saying…”
“Okay, we need to stop talking about this. Obviously you being married has changed our conversations somewhat.”
“Maybe so, because it’s made me wiser.”
“Wiser, huh?” Jay chuckled. “I think you left your balls at home, buddy. With your wife.”
“Fuck you,” Teague laughed as he shoved him hard.
“Ooh, we getting a second wind?” Jay taunted, shoving him back. “Come on, Nancy. What you got?”
“An ass kicking if you’re ready for it.”
“Bring it, motherfucker,” Jay motioned as he prepared himself defensively. “I bet you don’t even have one clean move left in you.”
“You’re asking for trouble,” Teague smiled at him.
“Camryn teach you any good moves lately?”
“Ha, very funny. I’m sure she could cage you pretty good. You’re all arrogance and no smarts. I know this from experience.”
“Ah, good one, Hollywood. How come I’ve owned you plenty of times on the mat?”
“Fine. Let’s see you take me down one time.”
“Once?”
“Just once. I fucking dare you,” Teague challenged in a low voice.
***
When Melanie returned to Jay’s house, he wasn’t home. She’d just been texting with him fifteen minutes ago when he told her to come over. After finding the front door locked, she headed for the side of the house just as a beautiful red Porsche pulled into the driveway. Curiously, she slowed to watch the brunette step out of the driver’s seat and look her over.
“Can I help you?” Melanie asked, just as she realized who the visitor was. It was Sophia Nixon. Melanie knew of her very well because she’d seen most all of her movies. Her showing up wasn’t entirely shocking since Jay was a McCallan and the two families were supposedly close, but it was still odd to see her step out of her expensive car in Jay’s driveway.
Sophia shut the car door and offered a friendly smile. “I was just looking for Jay. Do you know if he’s home?”
“He should be any minute, as far as I know,” Melanie shrugged. “Would you like to come inside and wait?”
Sophia was obviously perplexed when she said, “Um, and who are you? Do you live here too?”
“No, I’m Melanie,” she answered. “A friend of Jay’s.”
“Ahh, Melanie,” Sophia seemed to know the name. “Well I’m Sophia.” She held her hand out and Melanie shook it.
“I recognize you,” Melanie nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine. I love your dress. Is it Fendi?”
Melanie glanced down at her casual strapless dress that stopped mid-thigh. It was one of her favorites. “No, not Fendi. It’s actually true vintage. I just redesigned it a little bit.”
“Really? You mean the waistline and the hem? I kind of wondered that. It’s adorable. I like your style.”
“Thank you,” Melanie smiled.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, but before Melanie could invite Sophia inside again, Jay pulled into the driveway next to the Porsche. He got out of his car almost cautiously as he looked both girls over.
“Hey, ladies,” he finally said. “What’s up?” His eyes lingered on Melanie for
a moment, but then stopped at Sophia to wait for an answer.
“I stopped by Beck’s,” Sophia stated, and it was obvious to Melanie that she must have just found out that Jay had been fired.
Jay shut the car door and shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t work there anymore.”
Again he glanced between both women and Melanie tried not to laugh to herself. Obviously Sophia was still one of his other friends with benefits, so she politely excused herself and went into the house.
She really didn’t need to be reminded…
***
Jay let out a silent breath of air as he faced Sophia. He’d been looking forward to hanging out with Mel and was taken by surprise seeing the two of them together. He kind of figured Sophia was done with him.
“She’s beautiful,” Sophia finally said.
Jay gave her a blank stare, unaware of what she was talking about. He glanced back at his car for a second and Sophia laughed.
“I’m talking about Melanie,” she chuckled. “She’s gorgeous. You never told me that.”
“Why would it matter?” he shrugged.
“I don’t know. You being ‘just friends’ with someone that lovely is kind of ironic.”
Jay ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Look, you and I are not together, so it doesn’t matter what the women I’m with look like.”
“With?” she repeated. “She just told me she’s a friend of yours.”
“What the fuck is the inquisition about?” Jay asked. “With as in ‘spend time with’. She’s one of my best friends, and yeah she’s beautiful. So what?”
Sophia sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m trying not to be jealous. I guess it’s just dawning on me all of a sudden.”
Jay narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What is dawning on you?”
“Your reservations with me. There is someone else but you’re not going to admit it.”
Jay had to take a few seconds for his thoughts to develop. “So…instead of believing that I’m just not interested in you, you’re going to tell yourself it’s because I’m into someone else?”
“Wow, that’s kind of insensitive.”
“I’m not trying to be.”
“Well maybe you should be honest with yourself and admit that the reason you’re not interested in me is because of her.”
She was totally right, but what could he say? He didn’t belong in these kinds of conversations and needed to end it quick. “I have things to do, so if that’s all…”
“I was worried when Kyle said you didn’t work at his brother’s shop anymore,” Sophia sighed. “He said you were most likely at home working on your own projects, so I decided to see if there was anything I could do to help you out.”
“No, but thanks,” he answered right away.
“Well…what happened at the shop? Sounded like…”
She obviously wasn’t going to finish the sentence, so Jay answered, “Yeah, misunderstanding so Beck fired me. I don’t exactly want to talk about it.”
“Okay, but seriously… Can I help you with anything? What are you going to do for work?”
Jay’s patience was wearing down, but he knew she was honestly concerned. However, he wasn’t interested in discussing his life with anyone right now. He was barely ready to figure shit out on his own.
But the odds were not in his favor when Tyse pulled up along the curb and got out. He looked Jay and Sophia over for a few seconds as he came up the driveway, but neither of them said anything.
“Hello,” Tyse finally said to Sophia, who smiled back and returned the greeting. He gave Jay a questioning look as he passed, but that was it.
“Who’s that?” Sophia finally asked when Tyse disappeared into the house.
“He lives with me.”
“Oh. Oh,” she added with more emphasis.
“What does ‘oh’ mean?”
“He’s Melanie’s boyfriend?”
“Hell no, he’s my brother,” Jay spat out without thinking.
He’d obviously shocked Sophia because her eyes went huge.
“You have a brother?” she finally exclaimed. “Oh my God. Wow.” She looked toward the house again and shook her head. “Um, okay I guess I do see it but… A brother? Really?”
“Yes, really. It’s a long story so I’d rather not get into it right now,” he said, rubbing his hands over his face. “Look, I’m really tired. It’s been a long week and…”
“And you need to be with Melanie,” she finished, a hint of envy apparent. “Got it. Well I’m still here for you, Jay. Seriously. Let me know what I can do to help you out.”
She leaned forward and got away with kissing him on the cheek, then turned for her car and climbed in. She hadn’t allowed him to make a response because she was obviously upset, but the less he had to say to her the better. He watched her back out of the driveway, and when her car finally disappeared from sight, he made his way into the house.
Chapter Nineteen
“Oh, no way!” Jay heard Melanie laugh when he entered the house. “What did you do? Wasn’t that awkward?”
“Hell yes, it was awkward,” he heard Tyse reply.
When Jay spotted them on the couch, he froze instantly. Melanie’s legs were on Tyse’s lap and he was holding her foot in his hands. Both of them looked up at him, standing there with his eyes narrowed.
“Where’s Sophia?” Melanie asked, glancing behind him.
Jay had to pause for a moment for unwanted feelings to pass through his body before he could answer. “She left. Why?”
Melanie barely shrugged. “I don’t know. I had invited her in but then you pulled up.”
Huh, big surprise. Like he really needed the two of them together to start comparing notes. Just his fucking luck.
He looked at Tyse again, who was actually focusing on the foot in his lap. Jay finally realized he was massaging it and Melanie still looked pretty damn comfortable with him doing so.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, causing him to look at her face again. “We were just talking about barbecuing the chicken breasts that are in the fridge.”
Jay had no idea what she was talking about. Obviously that was food that either she or Tyse had picked up from the store. He took a deep breath of air and said, “Yeah, sounds good. You want me to go throw ‘em on?”
Melanie swung her legs away from Tyse’s lap and got up from the couch. She headed for the kitchen and answered, “Sure, I’ll brush them with sauce first.”
While she was out of the room, Jay looked at Tyse and quietly said, “What the fuck is that?”
“What the fuck is what?”
“That,” Jay motioned to his lap, referring to the foot that had just been there in his hands.
“She said her feet were killing her,” he shrugged. “Sorry, but they were right there on the couch and I didn’t mind rubbing them for her. I’m a therapist, you know. I’m used to being hands-on.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Jay answered dryly.
Tyse looked at him for a few seconds before a smug smile spread across his face. “Ah, I see. We’re finally getting somewhere, brother.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You and Melanie,” he chuckled quietly. “Go help her out,” he nodded to the kitchen.
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do,” Jay told him.
Tyse laughed and said, “You already told her you would.”
“So? You’re just changing the subject.”
“No I’m not. There’s nothing more to say on it. She needs your help, so go,” he motioned again.
“You just worry about yourself—”
“Jay, you coming?” Melanie hollered from the kitchen.
“Yeah, just a sec, babe,” he answered automatically. He saw Tyse stifle a laugh before he even realized what had just happened. “Mind your own damn business,” he warned him again.
“Fine,” Tyse held up his hands, still trying not to laugh out loud.
“And keep your damn
hands off of her,” Jay added firmly.
“It was a foot rub,” he shrugged, biting back a smile.
“I don’t fucking care. You touch a fingernail on her and you and me will have a nice brotherly chat about it.”
“Good to know,” Tyse nodded with a straight face.
But when Jay turned for the kitchen he could hear him start to laugh. Fucking hell, he needed to kick his smug ass…
“Do you think this is enough?” Melanie asked when he entered the kitchen. She motioned to five pieces of chicken on a plate that were brushed with barbecue sauce. “I figure two for each of you guys and one for me. Oh, by the way… Brandon is coming down next weekend. Camryn wanted you guys to come over too. We were just going to do a big barbecue or something and…”
She trailed off her sentence when he came across the room and stood in front of her. He realized he was just staring at her, but he couldn’t help it.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly. Her hand reached up and touched a spot on his cheekbone. “What’s that from?” she added, her eyebrows showing her concern. “Where have you been?”
He knew she was referring to the red mark on his face from Teague’s forearm during their little scrap session. But he just couldn’t get past the goddamn feeling in his chest since seeing her in the driveway earlier. And then with her laughter and Tyse’s hands on her… It was overwhelming him to the point where he wasn’t sure if he was pissed off or just fucking miserable.
“What’s wrong with you?” Melanie asked, barely above a whisper. She still had her hand against his cheek but then Jay realized he was actually holding it there.
He stepped closer to her and slid his other hand behind her neck. The worry in her green eyes disappeared when she closed them as he pulled her mouth to his. He didn’t even care if Tyse was in the other room and he kissed the hell out of her right then and there. Her arms wrapped around him tightly and she pressed her body up against him. It was the wrong thing to do—or the right thing, he wasn’t sure which—because he was so ready to take her right there in the kitchen.
He turned her around so her back was against him. While one hand cupped her breast, the other one reached down to inch her dress up.
