Burning Up

by Marie Coulson

  Doing as I was told, I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes as Jared’s tongue, mouth, and hands worked me up into a frenzy. I was teetering on the edge of another orgasm when he suddenly withdrew. Groaning in frustration, I sat up slightly and scowled down at him. Smiling wickedly like a schoolboy up to no good, he shrugged.

  “I think you should brace yourself. It’s going to be a long night.”

  Chapter 19

  Unbreak My Heart

  Sitting in our beautiful London hotel suite, I gazed dreamily out of the window. Jared sat opposite of me reading his morning paper.

  “Out with it.”

  I shook my head a little, clearing the thoughts that had, till that moment, been plaguing me for hours.

  “Out with what?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Whatever it is that’s bothering you.”

  I let out a long breath. “Nothing. I just … miss my family.”

  He nodded and gave me a sympathetic look. “I know. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

  I shook my head. “Not really.”

  Getting to his feet, he adjusted his tie and straightened his suit. “I have a long day ahead. Lucy and Daniel will be arriving in London today, and I’ve arranged for us to rent a town house while we’re here.”

  I beamed at him. “Lucy and Daniel? Really? I can’t wait to see them!”

  I’d been feeling increasingly lonely the past few weeks. My birthday had been wonderful, but I was all too aware that Ollie’s birthday had also passed. I had sent a small gift to Amy to pass on, but it was difficult to purchase anything without Jared finding out. Besides, what was I even hoping for? It wasn’t as though Ollie was about to call me and thank me for it. That was provided he hadn’t immediately thrown it in the trash.

  “They’ll be here in a couple of hours. You should pack.”

  Leaping from my seat, I rushed at him and threw my arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.

  “What did I do to warrant that?” he chuckled.

  I shrugged. “Just being you.”

  “Well, I’ll be sure to be me more often then. But right now, I have to go.”

  I nodded and walked with him to the door where he kissed me goodbye. Hurrying into the bedroom, I quickly dressed and began packing our things ready to move into the new house. A house. In London! The Garrett house in London! It was all I could do not to burst with excitement.

  It had been a long time since I’d had to use public transportation, but the ride from the hotel to the address Jared had given me was relatively peaceful and fairly straightforward. Of course he had meticulously written down every turn and corner. The streets that led the way to the house were filled with children, and it was yet another reminder that summer had passed me by faster than it ever had before.

  Sighing to myself, I rounded the corner and gazed in wonder as my eyes fell on a stunning white, three-story townhouse. It was a complete delight for my senses. I could smell the roses growing on the lawn. The porch swing and the newly painted window shutters were comforting. It was all just so … comfortable. There were window boxes filled with flowers and a driveway that went on for miles. A large black iron gate separated the driveway from the yard. And when I say yard, I mean field! It was enormous! I felt the tension instantly lift from my body as I slid my key into the lock and pushed open the door. The house was totally silent. Kicking off my shoes and dropping my keys and cell on the table in the hall, I did a quick scout of the ground floor. It was incredible. Plush cream carpets and giant couches filled the lounge. A large fireplace took center stage, and it felt distinctly Victorian. The kitchen was far more modern, stainless steel and pure white all around. It glistened in the autumn sunlight.

  I dragged my fingers over the work surface. It was spotless.

  Making my way upstairs, I explored each bedroom, bathroom and cupboard. All were stunning. Decorated with exquisite taste, it was certainly typical of Jared’s style.

  The sound of people and a door opening caught my attention, and hurrying down stairs, I froze as my eyes fell on two people that I had not expected to see.

  “Andrew, will you please just take the bag inside. Yes, I saw the driveway. I’m sure the car will be perfectly safe.”

  “I’m just saying, the richer you look, the more of a target you become to thieves.”

  “Andrew, if thieves come here, I think they’ll be slightly more interested in the contents of this house. Not the rental car in the driveway.”

  A goofy smile spread across my face as I hurried down and rushed at them.

  “Mom! Dad!”

  Dropping their luggage, they beamed at me. I immediately flung myself into their open arms.

  “What are you doing here?” I questioned excitedly.

  My mother smiled down at me. “Jared sent for us. He invited us for the holidays! Can you believe it?”

  I shook my head in amazement. “I’m so happy to see you! So, you’re here for Thanksgiving!?”

  My father nodded. “Uh huh. We fly back to L.A. in two weeks.”

  I pulled them in for another tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Pressing a kiss to my forehead, my mother chuckled. “Us, too.”

  * * * *

  Thanksgiving sucks. In the history of Thanksgivings, I’d had, quite possibly, the worst in existence. First, my attempt at cooking dinner was a complete failure. After revealing that the townhouse was for my parents, Jared had arranged for another property in the same neighborhood for the Garrett family. Oh, it wasn’t that I minded not being with my parents, but the kitchen at Chez Garrett was filled with all kinds of gadgets and contraptions that simply made life harder instead of easier. The ceiling and walls were now covered in egg whites, and the turkey had burned due to the oven being so much more intelligent than I was and setting its own time and temperature. Growling in frustration, I slammed the knife I was using to cut vegetables down on the counter. Jared entered a moment later.

  “Everything … okay?”

  I scowled at him. “Does it look okay!?”

  He held his hands up defensively. “Point taken. Please step away from the knife.”

  I laughed sarcastically at him. “I swear nothing is going right today!”

  Walking around the counter, he smiled broadly. “That’s not true. I can think of at least one thing in this kitchen that’s almost perfect.”

  I tilted my head and fisted my hands on my hips. “Oh? And what’s that?” I asked, gesturing at the mess around me.

  Sliding his hands around my waist, he kissed me sweetly. “You.”

  I immediately softened. “Smooth, Mr. Garrett. Very smooth.”

  “If it bothers you that much, why don’t you let me hire someone. I offered to have someone come do all of this for you, but you insisted on cooking yourself.”

  Frowning, I grunted. “I would have been fine if it weren’t for all these gizmos!”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s like the coffee machine all over again.”

  I snorted a laugh “Ha! I’d happily take that demon right now.”

  Taking my hand, he led me out of the kitchen and into the living room. Daniel and Lucy were still at the store picking up various ingredients for my pumpkin pie.

  “Why don’t you take a break? Call Amy and Mel. Wish them a happy Thanksgiving.”

  Jared handed me my cell and smiled before leaving me in peace to call my friends. Amy picked up almost right away.

  “Hey, Amy!”

  “Hi, Layla.”

  She sounded on edge, and I had a good idea why.

  “He’s there, isn’t he?” I asked.

  “Uh, yeah, happy Thanksgiving to you, too.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Sorry, Layla. I couldn’t talk. I had to haul ass to the kitchen. Ollie and the guys are here watching a re-run of the game today with Mel. How’s it going there? I heard your folks made the trip across the pond, too!”

  “They did. Things are �
�� fine. I guess. I don’t know. Thanksgiving is turning into a bit of a disaster right now. How was your day?”

  “Oh, it was great. We had dinner with Mel’s family and then got home to hang out with …“

  “Ollie,” I finished for her.

  She let out a long sigh. “Yeah.”

  “How is he? Is he okay?” I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t just ignore his existence.

  “I guess so,” she said with a tone of exasperation.

  “How long has he been in L.A.?” I pressed.

  “He got here a little while ago.”

  “Is he okay?” I was getting desperate. I needed to know that I hadn’t completely broken him.

  “I don’t know. He seems that way.”

  I held my breath as I asked the next question.

  “Is he … seeing anyone?”

  She sighed heavily “I don’t think so, but I don’t think he’d tell me if he was. I don’t know, Layla.”

  “I’m sorry, Amy. I just need to know that …“

  I was abruptly cut off by the sound of Amy gasping, and a voice cut through me the moment it yelled down the phone.

  “If you have a question you want answered, why don’t you ask me? You have my number, and you can call me your damn self. Maybe you could even text it to me. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  The line went dead as I sat frozen on the couch. My heart ached and my chest heaved as I tried to hold back the tears. Ollie was angry. Like, super pissed. I stared at the phone for what felt like forever. There wasn’t any hope. The glimmer that I had convinced myself existed, was a fantasy. I’d hurt him, cut him, and tore him apart. Now I would have to give him the space to pick up the pieces. But that didn’t stop my own fragile heart from shattering.

  “Layla?”

  Poking his head around the door, Jared gave me a concerned look.

  “What’s wrong, baby?”

  I shook my head and sniffed a little as tears began to slide down my cheeks.

  “Nothing, I’m fine. Just missing my girls is all,” I lied.

  He nodded and gave me a sympathetic look, but said nothing. It was better this way. I think he felt guilty for dragging me so far from home, but it wasn’t as though I hadn’t gone willingly. The sound of Lucy and Daniel coming through the front door pulled me from my thoughts.

  “And I’m just saying, you are not equipped to drive in London, Lucy. Three times you told me I was on the wrong side of the road! It’s England. They always drive on the left.”

  “I know that now!”

  Jared stared at me and ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Wonderful. Just what we need, Lucy with an attitude.”

  I laughed through my tears. Lucy was like a dog with a bone sometimes, but every time was equally as entertaining.

  Getting to my feet, I headed back to the kitchen to try and salvage what was left of my Thanksgiving feast. It would be the first that Jared and I had spent with my family. Mom and Dad were due to arrive in an hour, and I was still without a turkey. The stress was beginning to make me crack. Watching me from the kitchen doorway, Jared held his cell to his ear.

  “Jacob? Good, you’re available. I need a turkey … a big one. And if you could have it here in the next two hours, I’ll double your fee.”

  I gave him a grateful look and mouthed the words, ‘thank you.’ Shaking his head, he smiled and mouthed, ‘don’t worry about it’ back at me. Maybe dinner wasn’t ruined after all.

  * * * *

  Sitting at my laptop, I groaned as I read the countless social media statuses. Everyone was back at college, and if they weren’t posting pictures of the amazing parties, they were posting about the awesome classes and the fact that Christmas was fast approaching. I’ll admit it; I was jealous, endlessly jealous. My parents had left not long after thanksgiving and I was already feeling the distance. I was just about to shut the damn thing when Jared’s voice echoed through the house.

  “Layla!”

  Shit! My brain quickly ran through every possible thing I could have done to make him so pissed at me.

  Slowly walking down the stairs, he clutched a sheet of paper in his hand and glared at me as I exited the living room and made my way to the stairs.

  I gave him a confused look. “What the hell are you yelling about?”

  Fuming, he glared at me and stood rigidly in front of me, tapping his pursed lips with his finger.

  “I just got an interesting email. Seems your recent purchase at ‘Personalized Music Gifts’ was charged to an account at the hotel.”

  His face scanned mine. Fuck! There was no way I could possibly explain my way out of it. I was guilty. And if he knew where I’d made the purchase, he probably knew what I’d bought, too. This was going to be bad, very bad. His eyes were burning into my skull as he stared at me with an intense anger. Jared was a hard, cold, and impressive stature of a man when he was riled. Right now, he was furious.

  “Do you want to explain why you ordered a personalized book of music sheets with the name Ollie Green on them?”

  Shit. Fisting my hands on my hips, I scowled back at him.

  “Because it was his birthday, and because I wanted to send my friend a gift, since when is that any of your business. If it’s such a big deal, I’ll go to the damn hotel today and pay for it!”

  Scrunching the paper in his hand, he tossed it across the room.

  “My business? Layla, you’re my girlfriend! It’s not about the money and you know it! Why the fuck are you sending your ex-boyfriend gifts? Jesus Christ, Layla. If I pulled that shit, you’d go nuts! And I’m supposed to just be okay with it? He is not your friend! He’s your ex-lover!”

  Growling with frustration, I stomped my foot and pointed a finger at his broad chest. He was puffed out like a damn peacock!

  “I don’t know if he is my friend or not, but I wanted to at least send him a gift on his birthday! It’s not like he’ll get a lot from his family!”

  “And that’s your responsibility? Just admit it, Layla. You still love him! What is it? Hoping you still have a chance? Or just hedging your bets? Do you want us to fail?”

  Shoving him away from me, I yelled loudly with an intense anger.

  “I chose you! But clearly, that’s never going to be enough!”

  Slipping on my shoes, I grabbed my cell and slipped it into my back pocket.

  “Where are you going?”

  I pulled open the front door and ignored his question.

  “Layla!”

  Without looking back, I shot him an answer over my shoulder. “Out! I don’t need your fucking permission to leave!”

  Slamming the door behind me, I walked around the cold and wintry streets for an hour before finally deciding to head to my parents’ place. Okay, it wasn’t their place, but it was close enough. It was their home away from home, and right now, that’s exactly what I needed. Pushing open the front door, I pulled out my cell and rolled my eyes. Twenty-eight missed calls. He wasn’t going to get out of this one so easily. I was still steaming with rage. Dropping my cell and keys on the hall table, I made my way to the lounge and flopped down onto the couch. I flung my arm over my eyes, and I was about to settle down for an afternoon nap, when the high-pitched giggles of a woman caught my attention. I opened one eye and removed my arm from my face but didn’t get up. Who the hell could be here? Were we being robbed? The giggling continued and grew louder as the hurried sound of footsteps, running down the stairs began.

  “You are a very bad man, Mr. Jennings!”

  I know that voice. That’s … oh, no.

  “And you are a very poor maid. Now come here so I can bend you over and show you that spot you missed.”

  Oh, dear God, no!

  “Mr. Jennings, I only wish to please you. Will you have to punish me?”

  “Absolutely. I think I’ll start with this feather duster of yours.”

  Sitting up abruptly, I held my hand over my eyes and leapt to my feet.

  “No!
Please, for the sake of my eyesight, don’t!”

  My mother shrieked, and I heard my father gasp, but I refused to remove my hand.

  “Layla! What are you doing here?” My mother yelled in a tone that I was sure only dogs could hear.

  Walking slowly and holding on hand over my eyes, I used the other to guide myself toward the staircase.

  “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?”

  My mother stumbled over her words. “We, uh, we thought we’d just, you know, surprise you for Christmas.”

  Finding the rail of the staircase, I took my hand from my face and hurried up the stairs.

  “Well, I’m certainly surprised. Maybe even a little traumatized!”

  Taking solace in the privacy of one of the empty bedrooms, I closed the door behind me and rested my back against the cool wood. Cringing, I shuddered a little at the thought of what I had just witnessed. It wasn’t that I was totally naive to believe that my parents didn’t have sex; I just chose not to think about it. But now, now I was traumatized by the little role-play that I’d had a front row seat to.

  Staring over at the bed, I thought about my own sexual encounters that my parents had almost caught me during. All of which had been with Ollie. For instance, the couch, the bedroom, the floor. Not that we’d ever gotten far enough to actually call it sex. I smiled as I remembered the deeply embarrassed look on his face when my parents had walked in and caught us pre-coital on the couch. I thought he might pass out from shame. God, I missed him.

  Sweeping my arm across the bed, I knocked the mountain of throw pillows onto the floor and dropped heavily onto the bed, bouncing a little as I landed. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my iPod. Hitting shuffle, I pressed the earphones into my ears and slowly sank into a peaceful trance as the soulful sounds of Amy Winehouse filled my head.

  A loud knocking grabbed my attention, and turning off my iPod, I groaned as my mother walked gingerly into the bedroom. She was blushing deeply, and I actually felt a little bad for her. It wasn’t as though they had done anything wrong; it was just … icky.