Begging for Bad Boys

by Willow Winters

  I shoved him back. “That was a long time ago. As for all this,” I said, gesturing around the place, “I’m still not sure you’re doing it just to be nice. I know that deep down, you’re a great guy, but this is a little over the top. Personally, I think you’re just trying to woo me, because you need to get hitched as fast as you can.”

  He frowned, sighed, and hung his head. “I’m still your friend, Jaime,” he said quietly. “That never changed, and it never will. I’m sorry if you think otherwise.”

  My gut clenched with guilt, and I ran my hands through my hair. “Sorry,” I muttered under my breath, nudged him and rested my head against his shoulder. “I’ve just been through a lot of shit lately, and I’m trying to cope the best I can. I guess it’s making me a little, uh…”

  “Witchy?”

  “Hey!” I said, nudging him again.

  He laughed and mussed my hair. “I’ll forgive you this one time,” he said. “You up for a movie tonight?”

  “What do you have in mind?” I asked, trying to sound more chipper. As bad as I still felt, I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched Charlie scoot across the floor, the three big dogs following him and ruffling his hair with their noses. “You have a following.”

  “I see that,” he said through a laugh and gently pushed Billy’s face away from his so he could dig through his movie collection. “I’ve got it! It’s an oldie but a goodie, with great swordfights.”

  “Sounds good,” I said, “whatever it is.” I hopped up onto the large sectional and pulled Max up beside me to snuggle.

  Charlie put the DVD in and set up the speakers and TV before walking around the room and shutting off the lights. He sat down a few cushions over, and his following of furry bodies surrounded him instantly.

  “Wow. Your new family takes up the whole couch,” I joked.

  “Yeah, but that’s okay,” he said.

  “What are we watching?”

  He grinned at me as the movie started playing. “Don’t worry. I know you’ll like it.”

  A few minutes later, I was hugging a pillow to my chest and had a throw draped over my shoulders like a cloak. “The Princess Bride? Really, Charlie?” I said with a smile. Even though I tried to complain, Charlie knew it was my favorite, the movie we always watched together when I was younger, whenever I was upset or needed to escape for a while. We had so many fun times together, but I’d almost forgotten all the quiet nights, all the chats we had as we walked from his house to mine or hung out in my room, wondering about our futures. Back then, I was sure we’d end up being more than friends, but one day, he was just gone, without so much as a goodbye. One thing Charlie didn’t know about me is that if he had asked me back then, I would probably have gone with him.

  “Of course The Princess Bride,” he said. “What else?” He then cleared his throat and recited, “Mawwiage… Mawwiage is what bwings us togethew today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam…and wove, twue wove, wiww fowwow you fowevah and evah. So tweasuwe youw wove…”

  “Very funny, Charlie. Just hush, or we’ll miss the R.O.U.Ses part.”

  “As you wish,” he teased with a wink that rivaled any adorable expression Wesley made on the screen.

  By the time the credits were rolling, I was half-asleep, and Max was snoring loudly in my arms.

  Charlie stretched and let out a groan. “Time for bed,” he said and moved toward me.

  Through my sleepy, barely open eyes, I admired his physique and the muscled man he turned into. “I think I’m just gonna sleep right here,” I mumbled and let out a yawn.

  Charlie shook his head, reached down, and easily scooped me up into his arms to carry me toward the stairs.

  “I have to take care of the dogs, get Max upstairs with me.”

  “I’ll handle it,” he said. “I think you’ve had enough stress for one day, what with strangers seeing your delicates and all.”

  I glanced up into his eyes. “It’s sweet that you want to take care of me.”

  “All you have to say is yes, and it won’t end.”

  “You’ve done far too much for me already.”

  “Jaime, just shush and let me do what needs to be done. I’m perfectly capable of putting you and your doggies to bed.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but he stopped that short by bending down to kiss my forehead. It was just a light brush of his lips, but it was enough to make mine clamp shut. When his hands tightened against me, I snuggled against his warmth. We reached the guestroom, and he nudged the door open with his foot. He laid me down on the bed and tucked me in.

  As he ran his fingers through my hair, “Jaime…” he said quietly and hesitantly.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m glad you’re back into my life.” A crooked grin lifted his lips as he let his hand fall away. “See ya in the morning.” He backed out the door and pulled it mostly closed behind him.

  I sat up in bed and lifted the covers, but then I quickly stopped myself. My heart told me to go after him, to confess the truth I’d held on to for so many years, but another, darker part of me remembered how long it had been since I’d seen Charlie.

  Not once in all that time did he try to get in touch with me. Not once did he check in on me, to see how I was doing or what I was up to. How can he call himself a real friend if he abandoned me like that, without a second thought?

  I slipped back under the covers and turned to face the window, keeping my back toward the door. I heard the distant sound of the dogs’ claws clicking across the floor, and my eyes fluttered closed. Just before I dozed off, I made a vow to myself: First thing tomorrow, I’m going on a job hunt. I’ve got to get out of here ASAP, before one or both of us does something stupid.

  As nice as Charlie’s house was, I knew it was a very temporary situation. I would take his hospitality for the time being because I had no choice, but I couldn’t stick around, or I would create regrets I’d have to live with forever. Like tell the man the truth, only to watch him throw it back in my face. There was obvious and undeniable sexual tension and lust between us, more chemical attraction than we could find in a thousand beakers in a thousand labs, but that didn’t mean the guy really cared for me, and risking or ruining our relationship was not worth finding out that I was wandering down a one-way street. Cut and run, Jaime, I told myself. Just cut and run.

  Chapter 15

  I was used to waking up to at least four canine eyes staring back at me, but as I squinted against the morning sunrays and rolled over to avoid their ocular assault, I realized I was all alone. I climbed out of the warm, cozy bed, walked out of my room, and headed down the hall, to the master bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, so I peeked inside. My hand flew to my mouth instantly at the sight of Charlie, passed out on his back. Max was curled up in the crook of his arm, sleeping soundly, his little paws twitching every so often, as if he was caught in some sort of adventurous puppy dream. At the foot of the bed were the other three, piled on top of one another in a chorus of snores, Tank’s baritone sounding the loudest.

  It was such an inviting scene that I imagined tiptoeing into the room and snuggling up next to all of them but decided instead to turn around and make my way to the kitchen. Coffee was definitely a must that morning, and then I had to dig through my stuff to locate my laptop. I figured I’d call the temp agency first, before I moved my search online. I only hoped I didn’t sound too desperate when I spoke to them. If I could find a new job quickly enough, I would only be trapped in Charlie’s mansion for a week or two, until I could put down money on a new apartment, a place that would allow my four dogs.

  The coffee was brewing when I heard my cell go off. I darted my eyes around the kitchen and spotted my purse sitting on the counter, right where I’d left it the day before. I dug through it to find and answer the phone, before the silly ringtone woke up the sleeping males upstairs.

  “Hello?” I said quietly.

  “Hey, you! I swung by your place last night,” Tammy
said, sounding concerned. “There’s an eviction notice on your door. Where the hell are you? And please don’t say sleeping in your car on the side of the road somewhere!”

  “What? No, I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head. “What were you doing at my place?”

  “Just worried about you, that’s all,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Well, I heard your temp job ended early, and I figured you’d be down. I just wanted to cheer you up.”

  “Well, you did stand me up at the bar,” I accused.

  “Shit, I know,” she said. “I guess I wanted to make up for that last night, but you weren’t home. Mind telling me where you are? Please don’t say you’re on a cot in a homeless shelter. Because you refused to stay with me or your parents.”

  I laughed and poured the steaming coffee into a mug, debating how I wanted to deal with Tammy’s interrogation. “Eh, it’s not so bad,” I said. “Me and the dogs fit nicely on one bed.”

  “I’m not laughing, Jaime. I’m serious. Where are you?”

  “For now, all you need to know is that my four dogs and I are safe and sound, for a few weeks, if not longer.”

  “Safe and sound? Good. But where?” she pushed.

  I sipped my coffee as I walked through the house and looked at the boxes stacked in the entryway. “Tammy, I appreciate that you care, but can’t you just trust me? My landlord was an asshole anyway, so this is for the best.”

  There was silence on the other end before she shrieked so loudly that I nearly dropped my cell into my coffee; to avoid such a smartphone fate, I jerked violently, spilling the precious caffeinated life-blood all over the place.

  “Charlie!” she squealed. “You’re staying with Charlie, aren’t you? Oh my gosh! I knew it! I knew you were gonna jump on his crazy deal eventually. Tell me, have you jumped on him yet?”

  “No, we’re just friends.”

  “When’s the wedding? I’m going to assume I’m your maid of honor, right?”

  “Tammy, slow down,” I said. “I didn’t say yes, and we’re not getting married,” I muttered and glanced up the stairs, expecting Charlie to appear out of nowhere. “He offered me a place to stay until I can get a new job and get back on my feet. That’s it.”

  “Whatever,” she said, probably rolling her eyes as exaggeratedly as I was rolling mine.

  “Believe what you want, but the second I find a damn job, I’m gone.”

  “I don’t understand why,” she argued. “You’ve finally got a chance to make a move on the man you’ve been in love with for years. You should be thrilled about this. It makes no damn sense that you want to leave.”

  I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. With a sigh, I opened another box and spotted my laptop. “I’m not sure he feels the same way,” I said as I pulled the computer out and tucked it under my arm. I picked up the remainder of my coffee from the side table, let out another frustrated sigh as I gazed into the half-empty cup, then plopped down on the couch and opened my laptop to power it on. “I mean, he keeps saying he wants me, but wants sex and a wife. I just… I don’t know, Tam.”

  Tammy laughed quietly, in a way that made me wish she was in the same room so I could throw a pillow at her face. “You want romance. Is that it?”

  “Yeah,” I said and sagged into the cushions of his expensive sofa. “I want to know that he actually wants to be with me for me and not for this damn deal of his or for sex…though the sex would be incredible,” I mused, thinking of the muscular body lying upstairs right that minute, half naked and adorably snoring along with the dogs. My hands itched to feel him again, as I had at the fencing club. I could almost feel his lips on mine as we kissed hotly. I wanted the fantasy to go so much further, but I managed to stop it with a bitter frown. “Damn, I really need to get out of his house.”

  “No you don’t. You need to stay there and tell him the truth,” Tammy said sternly. “This has dragged on too long already. Just tell him what you feel or what you want to feel,” she said with a naughty giggle, “and see what happens.”

  “And what if he laughs in my face and tells me I’m crazy?”

  “Jaime, has Charlie ever done that?”

  “No, but—”

  “Exactly. He didn’t even laugh at you when you were a zit-faced little teenager, sniffing after him like those dogs of yours. You know you can be completely honest with him.”

  I opened my mouth to disagree, then shut it quickly. “You’re right,” I muttered, because she was. In all the years Charlie and I had been friends, he’d never once laughed at me, not even when I laid my emotions bare. I’d cried on his shoulder, laughed with him at stupid things, and told him more secrets than my diary knew, all except for those secrets about him. Not once, in all that time, did he dismiss me or laugh it off or spread rumors. So why the hell am I holding back now?

  The trouble was that I knew the answer to that question. I knew exactly why, and that hovered over me like a dark cloud. I was scared that if I poked it too hard, it would burst and ruin everything I’d found with Charlie again. I didn’t want to lose my friend, but I knew he’d only come back home to Blue Ridge for one reason, and it had nothing to do with me. My annoyance rose another notch when I realized he wouldn’t have bothered finding me again if I hadn’t broken into his damn house in the first place.

  “Tammy, I have to go,” I said.

  “What? Why? I want details, damn it!”

  “Like what?”

  “Like…what the two of you have been doing there.”

  “Certainly not each other, if that’s what you’re suggesting,” I said with a chuckle. “Actually, we haven’t done anything except watch an old movie…very far apart from one another on the couch.”

  “Oh,” she said, sounding quite unimpressed.

  “I’ll call you later, all right?” I said, trying to sound brave and stay strong in the face of whatever Charlie was going to throw at me that day.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise,” I said, then hung up before she could push any further. Tammy had the gift of gab, and I knew if I kept talking to her, I’d spill every last worry about everything before I even knew what hit me, and that woman couldn’t keep her mouth shut about anything.

  As I drank my coffee, I pulled up the number for the temp agency. They didn’t have openings for me yet, but they promised I was on top of their call list. The woman I usually spoke with wasn’t in, and the other one just sounded too busy to really give me much time, so it was the best I could hope for. After I hung up, I refilled my coffee, wiped up the little I’d spilled, and went back to my laptop to search for jobs online. Unfortunately, there were very few to choose from, but I saved them in my queue anyway, so I could apply to several at once.

  I was heading back into the kitchen to get my second full cup of coffee when a thundering parade of paws and fur raced downstairs, heading right toward me. Billy jumped up on me, and I nuzzled his face and scratched his ears before giving attention to the others.

  “Morning,” Charlie called out as he entered the kitchen.

  I swallowed hard and felt my face go hot. He was still shirtless, and I couldn’t stop staring at his barrel chest, so big and powerful, with rippling muscles everywhere. Damn! I opened my mouth to reply, but any casual morning greeting got stuck in my throat, causing me to actually cough a little.

  He winked at me as if he knew what he did to me.

  I glowered, looking around for something to throw, but Max was still in his arms. As much as I wanted to hit Charlie with the closest spatula, I wasn’t about to risk hurting my precious puppy. “Did they all sleep with you all night?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  As he set Max gently on the floor, I grabbed their food bowls and started dishing out their breakfast.

  “I was eating beef jerky and watching TV in bed. I guess they couldn’t resist, and they just sorta never left. I’m glad I have such a huge bed. Gets kind of lonely in there sometimes.” />
  “You could’ve woken me.”

  “Really?” he said, sorely misinterpreting my meaning.

  “I mean so I could come get the dogs,” I clarified, shaking my head and wanting desperately to throw a heaping handful of kibble at him.

  “Oh, no need. I actually loved it. Matter fact, when you leave, I’m going to adopt a couple rescue dogs myself.”

  “Really? That’s awesome. So many need good homes.”

  “I never realized what I’ve been missing.”

  The corners of my lips tugged up in a grin. “Yeah, you all looked pretty comfortable.”

  I poured out the food, then set down one bowl after the other. The dogs ate quickly, devouring every last morsel before charging for the back door. Charlie offered to let them out, and I made him a cup of coffee as the pooch parade disappeared outside.

  “Thanks,” Charlie said when he returned and took the coffee from me. “I see your job hunting already,” he mused from across the kitchen, looking at me strangely over the brim of his coffee cup.

  The laptop! I tapped my fingers on my mug. “And you’re still nosy as ever.”

  “You left it open,” he argued. “It was hard not to notice when I walked past it. I had to peek.”

  “What for?”

  “Just to make sure you aren’t watching some kind of crazy fetish porn with my Wi-Fi.”

  “Not funny, Charlie. Besides, I’m sure that honor belongs to you,” I spat with a roll of my eyes.

  “It does, but I swear I’m not that same guy anymore. I mean, look. I’m letting a friend stay with me and it’s completely platonic.”

  I sighed, and the look on my face grew serious. “I just want to be out of your hair before too long,” I said lightly. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome, and I don’t like taking advantage of people or being a burden.”

  “You’d never overstay your welcome, not here,” he assured me.

  I shrugged and moved back to the couch.