A slew of words flew from his mouth as his face contorted in anger and hatred for me. His body towered over me. Never having seen this side of him, my stomach dropped and my legs began to shake out of pure fear. I had no idea what he might be capable of. I cowered as he continued to spew vile words at me.
All the words that I knew I deserved.
CHAPTER NINE
Clark
LAST NIGHT WAS A BUST. I spent the entire night with Alex down at his favorite bar, The Freckled…something. Tit? Whatever. Alex barely talked to me all night. Instead, he watched our waitress, Cassie, like some creepy stalker. Cassie’s a sweet girl and everything, a real cute blonde with a subtle Southern drawl, but she won’t give him the time of day so why would he bother with her? His eyes didn’t leave her all night. He was pathetic.
After barely getting him to talk and trying to convince him to come with me to check out some new clubs, I left him there. Around eleven, I searched for the most bass thumping bars that might have vampires, or at least that type of crowd. I had no luck at all, except a huge headache. I like the TV up loud to drown out my thoughts, but man, the bass in those places felt like a sledgehammer banging on my head all night.
Unsure of where I really left my car, I turned the corner hoping to find it. I was more than ready to head back home since I never did find Aub, and Alex was still hung-over from his drunk-stalking thing. Trying to find Aub was probably a stupid plan to begin with, especially in a city this size—there was no way I’d find her in a packed club. If she is a vampire, she’s moving soon anyway. I’d just have to make sure I lock my door every night so she couldn’t watch me sleep anymore.
As soon as I thought that, something caught my eye as I continued down the street.
Bam. There she was. Aub. Maybe it was the glint of the jewelry she held in her hand as she seemed to back away from the guy. Whatever caught my eye, I’m glad it did. I almost didn’t recognize Aub since the almost white dress she wore seemed way too conservative for her. And I definitely wouldn’t have thought it was my roommate by the messed up hairstyle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aub’s hair so straggled and unkempt.
My adrenaline shot through me as I squinted to get a closer glimpse at the scene before me. She had her hands held up in prayer while black tears stained her reddened face. The dick in front of her may have been dressed in nice clothes, but the way he approached her, making her back up to the building, ticked me off immediately. The way his face was pinched up like he was mad at her for something only added to my confusion of the scene.
I took off running the moment he shoved her against the wall. Nothing but red flashed before me the second it registered that he was screaming at her, his face inches away from hers.
All I had to hear were the words “slut” and “worthless” to know that I was going to beat the fucking piss out of the asshole. Hell, I’d have done it just for backing her up against the wall.
My fists clenched with nothing more than reflex as I shoved the fucker away from Aub. The pain shot through my knuckles the moment my fist slugged the guy right in the jaw. The whole scene felt like slow motion as I watched blood squirt from his mouth while his head rolled with my punch. Damn, I’m good. I was pretty sure Z would be impressed too. He fell just as quickly as I hit him and the moment his body hit the floor is when I heard Aub screaming at me.
That’s when I realized I hadn’t really analyzed the situation. But, why would I? She was either being mugged or about to get raped. Vampire or not, no one deserves that.
“Claark…” Aub whined. “Why’d you do that?” She asked as she dropped to her knees. Her whole body shook from the sobs she let out. Confusion settled in. My heart was still pounding from all the adrenaline shooting through me and I couldn’t figure out why she was so upset. Had I screwed up?
“Because he was about to hurt you. Who the fuck is this guy anyway?” And in the daylight. Maybe she’s a vampire who can be in the light. I know it’s stupid that thought popped into my head at a moment like this, but I was still holding on to my theory.
She sniffled as she looked up at me. Regardless if he wasn’t going to hurt her or not, she was upset and I knew that guy was the reason for it. “My fiancé, Gregory. Well, he…was my fiancé,” she choked out. “We just broke up.”
Fiancé? What the? “Well then I did you a favor.” I hoped that would help her feel better. After all, she’s in a fit of tears and he was screaming at her. No woman should deal with that. Our attention turned back to the guy. The expensive black suit he wore now had dust all over. We both watched as he reached up to rub his temple and tried to stand up. I almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.
“Who the hell are you?” I wanted to laugh at how weak he sounded.
“Aub’s roommate,” I replied in a low menacing voice.
“Great.” He added a chuckle and shook his head. “One of the many guys you fucked.” Shit. He must have found out about our night together. If I were the cause of their breakup, Aub would never forgive me.
“Did you ever really love me?” Aub choked out in a meek voice. I’ve never seen her act like that. Aub is always so put together. I’ve never heard her voice quiver like it just did.
His eyes darted from the building to the ground and back up, but still avoided her eyes. Aub watched the same thing I did. All the heart pumping shit that just ran through me now dropped to my stomach. I knew right then Aub was about to get her heart crushed. I know this because I’ve put that look on too many girls’ faces after they want more of me.
“I…Aubrey, I was drunk last night. I…I’m sorry, I don’t even remember saying that to you.” At least he attempted to sound sincere.
I glanced back to see the look on her face. She was in pain and I knew her heart was shattered inside. Her mouth gaped open and my heart broke for her. “Want me to hit him again,” I offered as I reached for the guy’s shirt and grabbed it. She gave me a “are you insane” type of look, so I released my grip and gave him a small shove. Somehow that just made me feel a little better.
“Do you remember making love to me at all?” She asked in a voice that was barely audible. I’ve never seen her like this. Calm, cool, and collected Aub was nowhere to be found right now.
“Aubrey, I barely remember doing business with Melander.” He looked away from her, completely avoiding her eyes.
Nice, I thought to myself as I glanced at his eye red and swelling up. His lip will match it nicely since it was already bleeding and puffed up. I really got the guy good. I felt okay about it until I heard Aub choke on a cry. Maybe I should hit him again just for letting her down.
“Aubrey. I...you can keep the clothes and I’ll leave the money in the account and drop my name from it.” He looked at the ground and then back up to her eyes. “I’m sorry we have to end it like this.” What an asshole. All because he found out about us?
“Hey, what happened between us, it was just basically a one nighter, you know? Just one awesome night. Don’t let that come between you two. We haven’t slept together since,” I told him as he shook his head and looked back at Aub. She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face mixed with the black from her eye makeup.
“It’s over, Aubrey,” he repeated. I glanced over at Aub. Staring into space, she just nodded her head. Greg paused a moment. His apologetic look wouldn’t be noticed by Aub. She was in a dazed fog. I watched him walk away before turning my gaze back to her.
“You all right, Aub?” I asked her. She looked like she was in shock. I’m sure that’ll wear off soon. Knowing her, she’ll get mad soon. I’ll help her find a one-night stand to get her through this. Or, hell, I’ll be that one-nighter for her.
“I…can you take me home, Clark?”
I answered by wrapping my arm around her shoulder and started walking with her down the sidewalk to my car. Her sniffles continued and I tried to let her have some peace, but I couldn’t resist asking her about him.
“So, you two were going to get m
arried? How come you didn’t tell any of us?” She stopped walking and faced me. More tears welled up in her eyes, but damn if those chestnut eyes didn’t look so beautiful and bright right now. It tugged at my heart to see her like this and all I wanted to do was protect her.
“I can’t talk about this. Can we not do this right now?”
I nodded, wondering if she’d talk more in the car. I wrapped my arm back over her shoulder again and we continued to walk to where I parked my car yesterday.
THE DRIVE HOME WAS FUN. That was complete sarcasm right there. Aub’s heaving sobs were both heartbreaking and annoying at the same time. This was why I always left a girl before the tears came. Having to listen to that and not knowing what to say is really stressful. Her head finally fell between her knees as she started to really let it all out. Holy shit, this is going to be the longest drive ever.
It was finally quiet in the car except for Aub’s sniffles. I wanted to turn on the radio, but I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about that. “You okay?” I asked as I reached into my console and grabbed a few napkins. I glanced away from the road and sighed as I watched her stare blankly out the window.
No answer from Aub, but I just couldn’t let it go. “You really thought he loved you?” She nodded when I glanced over at her. She still had that same vacant stare. “I’m sorry, Aub. Guys can be real assholes, you know?” She nodded again as I began my usual “after break-up” talk. “You know. Sometimes the best way to get over a guy is to get him back. You know, make him regret ever leaving you.” She blew her nose.
“Don’t,” she said as she sniffled again. “Don’t even bother, Clark. I’m not in the mood for your games. Let’s just get home, okay?”
“I wasn’t saying me. I mean, if you want it to be me, I can be. But…”
“I know what you meant.” She took a breath and I wasn’t sure if she was going to say anything else. At first I thought she went back to quiet, but she leaned over and flipped on the radio.
“I know you hate the quiet.” She sat back and I watched her give me a small smile. I was pretty sure she still wanted me to not talk, but the music filled the car and that was just as good. I continued to speed home.
A FULL DAY passed of Aub doing nothing but sit on the couch, staring into space. I knew that look too well. Too many of my buddies had their heart broken and that’s what they did. Shit, now that I think about it…I probably do that when Tina leaves. Pathetic. I know Aub’s not a guy, but the fact that she’s not able to gather herself was crazy. I mean, it’s Aub. She uses guys as much as I use chicks.
I came home from work today and knew I needed to snap her out of it. The problem was, I’ve never seen Aub so head over heels about a guy before. Not that I knew her that well, but she seems pretty much like me in the dating department. Until now.
I threw my keys into the bowl by the door and went to go change. Heading to the kitchen, I glanced over at her. Same thing she was doing when I left this morning and when I went to bed last night. I even sat next to her last night while watching TV and she didn’t say a word to me. I grabbed two beers from the fridge and sat down next to her. She looked like she needed to get drunk. And laid. I can definitely help with both of those. I’m all about helping out my friends.
“Hey Aub.” I tried to sound caring and calm. “I brought you a beer. Maybe you need a couple of sips to help drown your sorrows.” I held out the bottle to her, but she shook her head. I let out a huge sigh, placed it on the table and grabbed the remote.
Just as I was about to turn the TV on I heard her meek voice. “Clark. What is it you like about me?” This wasn’t the Aub I knew and it was both heart-wrenching and gave me an uneasy feeling in my gut.
“You’re hot,” I told her. Chicks who just get their heartbroken need to hear how pretty they look, right? I smiled bright, hoping that would cheer her up, but instead her eyes dulled even more than before. I watched her nod and realized that didn’t help put her in a better mood. Actually, it seemed to add to her pity party.
“You’ve got a great sense of humor.” I hoped my honesty and the way I said it would help cheer her a bit.
“You think?” I relaxed a little when I noticed the slight hope in her eyes. There was something about making her feel that way that made me want to go on. A certain pull to bring her some happiness and out of the funk she was in.
I turned and smiled more. “Yeah. And you’re full of energy.” Thinking how she’s usually in a great mood, but never overly bubbly. That’s annoying. But Aub usually had this calm happiness to her, especially after her workouts. “Well, usually. I mean you’re pretty off since we got back from Atlanta. I’ve never really seen you like this.” As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I felt even worse when I saw her expression change.
A sad smile crossed her lips and she began to stare back into space. I needed to make her feel good again. I wanted to continue lifting her mood. I reached over and grasped her hand. It felt so delicate and soft in my huge palm. “Aub, you’ll get through this, you know.” Her brown eyes finally showed a little hope.
“Thanks, Clark,” she told me, pressing her lips together.
The look in her eyes, the soft touch of her hand on mine, there was something going on between us that I couldn’t explain. It seemed to be more than the pity I felt earlier.
“Come here.” I stretched across the couch and pulled her close. I cradled her in my arms as I let the warmth of her body engulf me. She wrapped her arms around my neck.
“It’ll be all right, Aub,” I whispered. She nodded into my shoulder as I squeezed her tight. I felt wet drops on my shirt and knew she was breaking down again.
Her body fit right into mine and I had to admit, consoling her gave me a sense of satisfaction. This was something that I couldn’t even explain to myself. I wanted to take her pain; I wanted to make her feel better. I wanted…her. I mean, I usually want the chick I’m calming down, but this wasn’t my initial intent. Okay, maybe a little bit of what I wanted to do to Aub. Hell, that’s just a given with her.
Aub nuzzled into the crook of my shirt and tightened her grip around me as she continued to cry. My shirt became soaked as she let it all out. In response, I hugged her tight, hoping to help lessen her pain.
My fingers ran through the silky black strands of her hair as I hoped that would help calm her a little. She shifted the weight of her body, fitting perfectly with mine. The heat of her breath as she calmed down from crying, the way her fingers stroked the back of my neck and the way her body felt perfect on top of me made my mind wander to other things. Things I usually do when I’m comforting a girl. I was trying to hold back from doing something like that with Aub since she was so upset. But, man, the way this whole thing was going I might not be able to last too much longer.
As soon as I felt her lips graze along my neck, my breath hitched as if it were a green light for me. The moment I felt her tongue along that sensitive spot on my neck, my cock twitched. My heart beat faster as I turned my head wanting more and my need to give her the same. I ran my lips along her neck before finally placing a kiss on her tender skin.
I tried not to groan when I felt her hot breath on my neck. Couple that with the way her chest pressed harder against my mine as her breathing picked up, I wanted to take her right then. My next mistake was inhaling deeply. Her sexy scent was just as intoxicating as her voice.
Fuck it. She made the first move, right? I ran my mouth along her cheek searching for her mouth, needing her soft lips that I remembered so well from our night together. My hands threaded through her silky hair as I brought her closer to me. I wanted everything she had. I wanted to take away all her pain and give her something sweet in return to fill that void.
Her mouth opened hungrily the moment my lips touched hers. Our tongues mingled, brushing against one another in the sweetest, but intense way. She moaned into my mouth sending shivers down my body, making me hard just from that small vibration. I remembered her sounds so well, but before they
were erotic and hungry. The sounds she made now were soft and needy, showing a completely different side to her.
And I really liked it.
The moment she pulled away, I opened my eyes wondering why she ended this. It was perfect. It was something I never felt with anyone else. I was ticked that I couldn't put my finger on it.
I searched her eyes while trying to figure out how I felt and why she pulled back. Panic and confusion flooded me as I watched her swallow and her brown eyes glistened as more tears filled her rims.
“This is what you do, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“This.” She gestured between us. “You…this is how you get girls into bed. Consoling them and bringing them into your confidence.” She stood up the moment it dawned on me what she was thinking.
“No! No, no, no, no,” I sputtered, finally realizing what she was getting at. I gestured to the couch that we both were glancing at as I tried to explain, “That wasn’t what you think it was. I mean. It was consoling, yeah, but it wasn’t the usual thing that I do.” Her face contorted and I knew I hadn’t explained myself right. “I mean.” I swayed my head. “Yeah, I was consoling you. But it wasn’t what I usually do to get girls in bed.” She rolled her eyes as her mouth gaped in disgust.
“No! I…shit!” I ran my hands through my hair knowing I couldn’t really explain what just happened without her thinking otherwise.
“That.” I pointed to the couch. “I was consoling you. As a friend. But what happened after that, that was us.” I swallowed hoping she was getting it.
“It wasn’t what you think it was.” I stepped forward and she took a small step back. It was my turn to roll my eyes. “I’m not…I wasn’t taking advantage of you like I do the other girls.” That still didn’t sound right, but how else could I explain it? There really was something between us. Something that I had no idea how to explain.
“You really mean that?” Her brows pulled together and she bit her lip.
I gave her a small smile and stepped forward to pull her to me. That same comforting feeling swept over me as I wrapped my arms around her body and held her tight. I kissed the top of her head and inhaled her scent again. “I don’t know how to explain what just happened, but it wasn’t what you thought it was.” I looked down at her and touched her chin so she would look at me. “That actually felt pretty cool to me. It wasn’t something I usually feel with someone.” I bent down to taste her again, needing to prove to her that she wasn’t like the others, nor was this like the last time we were together. This made my heart pound in a different way. It liked it and it also scared the crap out of me at the same time.
Alluring Promises Box Set (Books 1-3) Page 96
