I straightened my shoulders and refused to cry no matter how much I wanted to. “I don’t have the money. Mr. Tyler agreed to pay for the euthanasia. Don Gato has been a good cat and he doesn’t deserve to suffer because I can’t afford his treatment.”
Reed took my hand. “Run the tests, doc. I’ll cover the cost. If the best thing is to put the cat down, I’ll trust you to tell us. How long do you think this will take?”
I tried twisting my hand loose, but Reed wouldn’t release it. I would never be able to pay him back for this. I had nice tits, but I didn’t see Reed wanting me for more than a quick fuck or two. The novelty of the poor little burglary chick would wear off quickly. I cast my angry gaze his way, but his eyes told me I wasn’t going to win this argument. At least not at the moment.
“It would be best if you left him here until this afternoon. I’m sure he needs fluids, and even if we start him on some antibiotics, we need to keep an eye on him. My nurse can call you later and give you an update.”
Now the doctor wasn’t looking at me either. His attention was on the man with the money. I had to ask. “How much is this going to cost.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Reed said, cutting off any reply the doctor could make.
They had Reed’s cell number, so we left. I sat in the car, crossed my arms, and tried not to cry again.
Reed pulled out of the clinic parking lot, placing his hand over mine and giving it a slight squeeze. “It’s okay, Jaycee. If it makes you feel better, I’m doing this for Bitsy. I think she needs that cat and maybe the doctor can get a few more years out of him.”
One tear, then two, spilled from my eyes. I turned away, looking out the window. “Believe me, you’re getting the poor end of the deal. My body isn’t worth this much.”
Luckily, I had my seat belt on or I would have hit my head against the windshield. Reed turned sharply into an empty side lot and slammed on the brakes.
Oh no, I’d really pissed him off now.
“You seriously think I would sleep with you because I’m paying the damn medical bill for a cat? I’ve offered you an honest job. Sex was not part of that offer. I’ve never been so hard up I needed to pay for it. This…” he waved his hand in the air, “is a gift. I can afford to have Bitsy’s cat looked at and fed caviar for that matter. You said a social worker gave you that trailer. You took that, so you can damn sure take this.”
He turned the car around and jumped back into traffic. He didn’t take me home; he pulled up in front of a diner, parked, and turned off the engine.
“I’m hungry and I’m buying you a meal. Don’t even think about saying no.” He unsnapped his seat belt and got out of the car.
I followed his angry strides with a slight smile on my face. His ass was so sexy. The smile left my face a second later. He wasn’t taking me up on my offer to sleep with him, so there was really nothing to smile about.
I decided to sulk.
Chapter Nine
Reed didn’t care about my mood disorder; he just started pumping me for information. “Tell me about your classes?” he asked after we placed our orders.
Someday I’d get the unsociable girl attitude down properly. I gave in with a small puff of air, which moved a few flighty strands of hair from my face. “There are only two this semester—math and English. At the rate I’m going, I’ll graduate from college in ten years.”
“You’re taking an advanced math course.”
“I tested out of basic, took two math courses last semester, and decided to push myself a little this time. I know it’s weird, but I like anything to do with numbers. ”
“Do you ever play Sudoku?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not anymore. They’re too easy.”
“Prove it.” He stood up and walked to the diner’s front counter, grabbing a newspaper.
I used to play the puzzles from the newspapers at the library, but seriously, they became too easy. He went through the paper and folded it before placing it in front of me.
“Are you going to time me or what?” I was having trouble not laughing at how sure he was that I couldn’t handle the puzzle in the newspaper.
“No, I just want to see you try one. They didn’t have a pencil,” he said as he handed the pen over.
“I don’t need one.” This was my element and my middle name was cocky.
“We’ll see,” was his smartass reply.
I wondered why he thought a Sudoku puzzle was so special. There were much harder math brainteasers out there. I looked the puzzle over and the numbers started falling into place. Our food arrived as I was finishing up. Far too easy.
I turned the paper upside down, lifted my fork, and took my first bite.
Reed looked back and forth between the paper and me. “You can finish after you eat. I don’t mind waiting.”
“I’m done.”
He gave me “the look” and I couldn’t help laughing. “You wanna check my work?”
He turned the newspaper over and started examining the puzzle.
“How’d you do that?”
“Eat your food, jock man. Why is the ability to do a Sudoku puzzle so important to you?”
He took a bite of food and I watched his mouth while he chewed, loving the way his jaw moved. Was anything this man did non-erotic? His eyes were bright and he ate slowly, savoring each bite of the diner food. He swallowed and I watched his Adam’s apple move as I slid my gaze back up to his eyes.
He was watching me, just the corners of his mouth tipping up. “A friend of my father’s is obsessed with Sudoku puzzles. He got me addicted and at least once a week, I spend a of couple hours figuring it out.”
“A couple of hours?” He had to be kidding.
“Yes, Miss Brainiac. They calm me down and require all of my focus. I like to work on one when I’m nervous before games.”
He was the rising star in baseball. “How can you be nervous before games?”
His face flushed slightly. “This isn’t good table conversation.”
I laughed. “What do you do…puke?”
Reed Tyler’s cheeks turned completely red.
“Seriously?” I asked, completely dumbfounded.
“Not if I work on a puzzle. The guys tease me about it, but we each have our own way of dealing with game day stress. But now I don’t know if I can ever do one of these again.” He flipped the paper over. “You just completed one in under ten minutes.”
“Closer to five.” I couldn’t help tossing that out.
“What are your plans when you graduate?” he asked between bites.
“I’ll need false teeth by then, so they’ll come first.”
“Hmm, some things could be pretty interesting with no teeth.”
I choked on the bite of food I’d just put in my mouth and picked up my napkin, trying hard not to spit it out.
He threw back his head and laughed.
I swear my ears turned pink.
“We aren’t going there yet, Jaycee.”
I managed to swallow, but I wanted to hit him. He gave off so many mixed signals. He looked at me like he wanted to fuck my brains out, but then he backed off. I’d offered to have sex with him in exchange for the vet bill and that pissed him off. Then he made jokes about blowjobs. God, at least I think that’s what he referred to. Every time I looked at him, I thought about sex. He wasn’t a boy, he was a man. So why the hell were his signals so messed up?
He winked. “I’m not going to ask what you’re thinking right now, so let’s change the subject.”
It was a good idea, so I took a small bite of food and let him do it.
“Let’s talk about you moving in with me.”
I managed to continue chewing and watched as he took another bite. He acted like what he said was no big deal.
It had to stop. I took a deep, calming breath so I could explain it to him unemotionally. “So…I move in. Uproot my sister and brother. Don’t sleep with you. Do your house management thing while you’re out of town. An
d then what? Or, let’s say I sleep with you. What happens when you’re bored, Mr. Jock Man? My sister and brother have started a new school, but it’s time for us to move along. If we lived over the garage, Bitsy will think of you as a big brother or, better yet, a father figure and poof—no more hero.”
I watched his lips pull in tightly as I talked. He was a nice guy, but he had no place in my life and I had no place in his.
“Eat your food,” was his reply.
Maybe things were finally sinking in. I broke into his house for god’s sake. He played professional baseball and made a gazillion dollars each year. We were like Apple and Microsoft. We didn’t belong anywhere near each other.
***
Reed took me home after the veterinary office called and said they needed to keep Don Gato overnight. I knew Jon and Bitsy were there and I was incredibly relieved that I didn’t need to tell Bitsy her cat was dead.
“Thank you.” It came out softer than I meant it to.
“Was that so hard?”
His bad mood was gone and a crooked smile flashed across his face. Suddenly, all I could think about was our last kiss. “Yea, it was kinda hard, but really, thank you.”
“I heard what you said earlier, Jaycee, but I still want you to think about my job offer. I can have the trailer towed to my house so it’s available if you need it. I could use the help while I’m gone, and having you there will keep my mind on the game. Spring training is a lot of work. We go straight into regular season after that and I’m away as much as I’m home.”
I shook my head. “You’re full of shit and you don’t really need me.”
I opened the door and got out, knowing he watched. I knocked on the trailer door. Unable to help myself, I turned and looked at Reed. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, but his fingers came off the steering wheel in a semi-wave. I didn’t return it.
Bitsy’s smile disappeared when she saw I didn’t have Don Gato and her lips started quivering. Jon looked resigned.
“He’s at the vet, Bitsy. They think he has an infection and they’re keeping him overnight for fluids and medicine.” I turned to Jon so he would understand. “Reed gave me a ride to the vet’s office.”
Jon’s eyes narrowed. “Is he paying for it?”
I looked back at Bitsy and smiled at her. “No, the doctor said he would take the bunny money as payment in full.” If I was going to start a lifetime of lying, I might as well make it good.
There was no chance Jon believed me, but he would keep quiet with Bitsy within earshot.
I cooked dinner and had just enough time to make it to my evening class. I only had to go to the community college once a week because I used a computer at the library and took most of the course online. It was easier to work around my schedule this way. I turned in my assignment, did my lab, and walked outside to catch the bus.
Several guys stood about ten feet away and I quickly looked past them. Then I did a double take. Reed stood with his arms across two guys’ shoulders, a third taking their picture. He was killing me. How the hell did he know where I was?
He watched me as I approached.
“Hey, sorry, my girl’s here. I need to get her home.”
His girl? What the fuck?
Were we back in high school and no one sent me the memo?
After they shook Reed’s hand, he walked over to me, kissed me on the cheek, threw a casual arm over my shoulder, and started leading me out to the parking lot.
“What are you doing here and how did you know where I was?” I whispered harshly.
“Your brother told me. I went back to the trailer to give you something and you weren’t there. Again, you needed a ride, should have told me, but didn’t.”
My teeth ground together. “You are not my boyfriend, Reed.”
“Oh, I see. You can offer to use my body, that’s okay, but if I want to provide taxi service, I’m just not good enough.”
I no longer whispered. “I did not offer to use your body.”
We were at his car and he stepped in close. I moved back and the cold metal of the car pressed against me. Reed’s warm body took away the chill and he’d done it to me again. Backed me into the kissing corner. I stared at his lips, waiting for them to descend.
And waited.
Instead of where I wanted them, his lips brushed against my ear while his hands held my head.
“I know you want my body, Jaycee, just admit it.” His warm breath whispered over my skin.
I would have hit him, but then he took my earlobe between his teeth, bit down, released the pressure, and sucked.
He sucked my fucking ear.
Electricity shot to my groin and I melted into a pool of sticky hot wax.
His lips moved to my neck and his fingers feathered across my skin. Frustration made me moan. I wanted him to take me right here in the parking lot. I didn’t care who saw us.
“Just kiss me, you bastard.” I barely recognized my throaty voice.
“So not nice.” He was still whispering and the husky timbre raised goose bumps on my skin. “You haven’t met my mother, but I assure you, her and my dad were married when I was conceived.” He pulled back, reached behind me, and opened the car door. “Get in, Jaycee.”
He was such a Mr. Bossy Pants. I got in because it wasn’t worth the fight and because I wasn’t thinking clearly. Passion was making me a sex-starved lunatic.
I covered my face with my hands. “Why are you here?” I mumbled.
“I bought you a cell phone and wanted you to have it so I could get ahold of you tomorrow in case we can pick up Don Gato.”
“A cell phone?” What was he doing? He couldn’t just go around buying girls cell phones. I peeked out between my fingers and saw his stubborn-man face. Yes, he could.
“Does anyone but me ever tell you no?”
He smiled. “Rarely.”
The sad, pathetic truth was that I needed a cell phone. Jon’s and Bitsy’s schools had my trailer park manager, college, and job phone numbers, but it scared me to death that something would happen and they wouldn’t find me. I shouldn’t fight this one.
“Are you calming down yet?”
“No.” I was such a stubborn brat.
“Well then, I’ll just go ahead and tell you so you can work all the anger out at once…I bought a phone for Jon too.”
I took my hands away from my face and slammed my head back against the seat. It felt so good, I did it again, and again.
“Is that helping?”
“Yes,” I said between strikes.
“How about I put some good head banger music on to help you with that beat?”
“I hate you,” I said with my eyes closed, my head continuing its movement.
“Will you sleep with me?” There was laughter in his voice.
He was such a pig. “No.”
The music crashed throughout the car.
He handed me the phone box when we got to the trailer. “My number’s programmed in. Jon has it too.”
A sigh of frustration escaped me. “We are not your charity case, Reed.” I was so tired and, more than anything, I didn’t want to fight anymore.
His fingers moved across my jaw. “Say thank you and go inside, Jaycee. I’ll see you tomorrow when we pick up the cat.”
I captured his hand and moved it to my mouth. I flicked my tongue out and tasted the hint of salt mixed with a unique flavor that I’d never forget, even if I lived to be a hundred. His indrawn breath was loud inside the car. I released his hand, got out, and walked to my front door. I didn’t look back.
Chapter Ten
Bitsy was already asleep when I got inside. Jon was on the couch holding tightly to his phone. “Are we keeping them?”
He knew me too well. Hell, maybe he didn’t, because it had never occurred to him that I’d commit a felony for money. It was a good thing that he didn’t know to what extent I’d go to in order to keep my siblings safe, or my sister’s cat from suffering.
“
I don’t know how long Reed’s good intentions will last, but we can keep them until he stops paying for the service.”
Jon gave me one of his rare smiles. “We have unlimited everything, including the internet. Reed says the phones can be used as hotspots and we can connect to the internet on a laptop.”
“Did you tell him we don’t have a laptop?” I already knew the answer.
“I may have.”
“This is not good, Jon. Nothing is free.”
“You seemed to think stealing those baseballs was free. You could have gone to prison, Jaycee. What would we have done if it was someone other than Reed who caught you? Just because Big Jim said he would pay money doesn’t mean he would have.”
My heart stopped. I’d left the buyer’s name out of my confession to Jon because it was too dangerous. “What the hell do you know about Big Jim?”
Jon’s face took on a stubborn look that I’m sure matched my own. “I’m not stupid. He’s the local fence. Everyone takes their stolen shit to him. I heard what he was offering for the balls too.”
Terror kept my heart from beating. “Did you tell Reed?”
“No, he didn’t ask.”
I could finally breathe. “Don’t say a word to anyone, Jon. Bad things happen to people who cross Big Jim.”
I went to bed after that, but had trouble falling asleep. Don Gato usually settled down beside Bitsy and me. I missed that stupid old cat. I rolled so my back was to Bitsy. Reed said he would move the trailer to his property just in case. I sighed. I was a fool to even consider working for him, much less moving in. But Jon knew who Big Jim was. I was a fool not to consider it. An insane, undersexed fool.
I finally realized my fingers were between my legs pressing against my clit. Oh God. I jerked my hand away. I was in bed with my six-year-old sister. There was something seriously wrong with me and that something had gorgeous blue eyes.
***
I’d promised Dwaine I would take the morning shift and work a double on Friday to make up for missing yesterday’s shift. I got Jon and Bitsy off to school and a few minutes later, I heard the engine I knew so well.
You’ve got to be kidding me. This was stalking.
Strike (Completion Series) Page 5
