by Liz Lovelock
He’s been at practice, and a sheen of sweat covers his half-naked body. He likes to tease me by coming into the café on Monday nights with his shirt off. Every single time, I have a serious urge to climb him like a tree and claim him.
“How’s my favorite girl tonight?” He goes and grabs a drink from the fridge, and I push a blueberry muffin toward him. He picks it up, taking a huge bite.
“She’s good. I have no brace on my wrist, thanks to your mom giving me the all clear.” I wave my brace free hand at him.
Parker chokes on his muffin. “You went and saw Mom?”
I nod giving him a cheeky grin.
“You went without me?”
“That I did.” It’s been six weeks since getting the brace and punching that dick-bag. Thankfully, he’s left Devon alone. I guess it helps that Dane picks my brother up from school almost every day. Those two have become great friends, which makes me happy. Parker and Dane have also been working with Devon on his basketball, even though I believe he doesn’t need any help. He’s going to go pro one day, I can see it now. Nothing will stop him from achieving great things.
“Well, no holding back tonight, hey?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me. It’s not as if it’s stopped him, but it has limited him playing a decent game with me. I would shoot some hoops but couldn’t actually play.
“You have Devon coming to play, remember? Also, I think we should have a game of two-on-two. Devon and I versus you and Dane.” I walk around the front of the counter. Parker leans against the bench. I press my body against his and slowly trace my fingers over his perfect pecs and the six-pack which takes me to that defined V of his.
“Oh, don’t do this, little mouse. Stop teasing me.”
I can feel exactly how much my teasing affects him. Hopping up on my tippy-toes, I lick his lips playfully. His arms encase me, pulling me tightly against him.
“Now, now, you two. Am I going to need a spray bottle to keep you off each other?” Jen laughs as she comes from out the back with her arms full of drinks to stock the fridge.
Parker laughs, quickly releasing me to go help her. “Sorry, Jen.”
I’m sure my face is a slight shade of red.
Jen laughs hysterically. “It’s not a problem. It’s late. But I’m not sure how other customers might feel about you two practically dry-humping on the counter we pass food over.”
I cough at her words. I’ve never heard her so crass.
Parker laughs. “Oh, come on, Jen, people get food and a show. What do you say, Addy?”
My mouth falls open at the interaction between these two.
“Are you two okay?” I laugh.
“We’re playing with you, Addison.” Jen giggles. “Just stack these drinks in, and you can close up.”
She eyes Parker and places the drinks on the floor next to the fridge, giving him a playful wink. What is it with the older generation and Parker? My mother still acts weird around him.
“Yeah I figured.” Jen smiles as she makes her escape to the back room again to get the paperwork done for the evening.
I go and flip the sign on the door to ‘closed.’ I turn around. Parker’s right in front of me. His hand glides over the spot that only two weeks ago was angry with color, thanks to the black eye Hayden gave me.
Hayden was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, and of course, kicked off the football team. Jase is now the captain. He deserves it. Although he’s been a bit of a jerk to Parker and me since he found out we hooked up. He’ll get over it, eventually.
I pull my head away from Parker’s touch. “Don’t remind me of that night by touching it,” I say, turning my head away.
Parker leans in, pulls my face back to meet his, and places a light kiss on the spot, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. In that small gesture, I can see and feel the love he has for me.
“You know I love you, little mouse.” His eyes blaze with desire and want.
“I love you, too.”
We get back to stocking the fridge.
After we leave the café, we head to the basketball court. As we open the door, there’s a lot of chatter and laugher. Dane, Devon, Jimmy, and Elsie are all here.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Elsie, surprised.
She bounces up to me like an Energizer Bunny. “Oh, my goodness, Addy, there’s an exchange student here from Australia. How did I not know this?” she screams excitedly. I flinch at the level her voice goes to.
“Oh, who is she?”
“It’s not a she—it’s a he.” She dances on the spot in front of me. I’ve never seen her this excited about anything. And for her to be at the basketball court at this time of night, she must have been desperate to seek me out.
“Look out, Elsie. He might have a crocodile as a pet,” Parker says.
Her eyes bulge out of their sockets at Parker’s lame joke.
“Don’t listen to him.” I nudge her, playfully.
Parker takes off to hang with the boys, who are shooting hoops. He stops midway across the court and comes back to me, kissing me so hard that it makes me dizzy. He takes off again, and I’m grinning like a fool. I can’t help but admire him. He is, after all, perfection.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think someone like Parker Kent would ever be mine. Someone I truly love. He makes me laugh at the stupidest things, and I couldn’t be happier.
My Monday night guy turned into so much more.
Thank you so much for reading Monday Night Guy. I hope you love Addison and Parker as much as I do.
Turn the page to read the first chapter of My Aussie Guy (My Guy series, #2)
My Aussie Guy (My Guy series, #2)
Chapter One
“Oh, he’s here!” I latch on to Willow’s arm tightly, my fingers digging into her soft skin. She flinches, and follows my line of sight. The Aussie guy. I hadn’t seen him around until last week, but according to my source, aka my badass friend Willow, he’s been here since the start of semester. I scan the room again for Addison and Parker, momentarily removing my stare from him. They haven’t arrived yet.
Once again, it’s a weekend party. The basketball team crushed their opponents tonight. Parker scored the winning shot, and it was a hair-raising moment. I thought it was going to bounce out of the ring and not sink through the net. The crowd erupted when it finally fell through.
Willow, Jane, and I have crashed the basketball team’s house for their party. A drink is thrust into my hands. Looking beside me, I see it’s Jane handing me another beverage.
“Thanks.” I smile. We stand in the corner of the room and peruse the fellow party-goers. My eyes always find their way back to the Aussie guy. I don’t even know his name—how pathetic. I’m swooning after someone I don’t know. The one thing I’m sure about is that he’s from Australia, and he has this divine accent. Panty-melting. He has about five girls swooning around him. I want him to make eye contact with me. Give me a chance, buster.
Stacey struts up to him, she doesn’t seem to care he’s already talking with someone, and pretty much throws her boobs in his face. What a ho.
“Stop staring, will you, Elsie?” Addison’s playful voice cuts into my trance. I turn to look at her.
She’s holding hands with Parker and is practically glowing. Jealousy creeps up, but I quickly swat it away. I’m happy for her. I want a relationship like they have.
I squeal and throw my arms around her, giving her the tightest big bear hug. I think my drinks are starting to take effect. My happy, chatty drinking self is coming out to play.
I hold Addison out at arm’s length and assess what she’s wearing: tight black jeans and a red shirt. She looks hot. Like always. Her long brown locks always sit perfectly. “Looks like you’re finally starting to actually want to get dressed up,” I tease, letting her go.
She shoves me playfully. I step back. “Shut up. Not everyone can be a supermodel, like you.” She nods toward my body.
Tonight, I chose a simple
black dress. It sits above my knees. I figured showing a little leg and nice curves might be what’s needed to grab the attention of a certain guy. It also makes me feel sexy and confident, although I’m not feeling either of those things in this moment. I should be strutting up to my Aussie guy and hitting on him without a worry about what he’ll think. But I’m not. I have a zillion butterflies wreaking havoc on my stomach every time I catch a glimpse of him. More drinks are needed. I throw back another mouthful of my drink.
“Have you found out his name yet?”
From the way Addison’s lips twist upward, I know she knows something I don’t. I step closer to her. “Tell me what you know,” I demand, my finger pointed in her face. She slaps it away, laughing.
“He’s actually a nice guy. I met him tonight in the basketball team’s locker room.”
I grip her shoulder with my free hand. “Tell me.”
Her eyes lights up, a hint of mischievous in them. “Here’s your chance to find out,” she whispers.
“Hey, man. Good to see ya.”
I freeze. My eyes connect with Addison’s. She smiles. I want to run away and hide. His accent is divine. My stomach flips upside down hearing it. Oh. My. Goodness. He’s here, standing beside Parker.
“Thanks. Thought we were going to lose though.” Parker and the Aussie strike up a conversation about the events of tonight’s game.
Slowly, I remove my hand from Addison’s shoulders, and down the rest of the drink in my hand. I need another. Liquid courage. As if someone has read my mind, two shots are put in front of me. Jane takes my empty cup and Willow gives me the shots. I throw them back and feel them burn all the way down, settling in the pit of my stomach. Tequila. Damn, Willow and Jane know my weakness. This drink gets me chatting and crazy all the time. It loosens me up.
I turn and stand beside Addison. Willow and Jane are on her opposite side. None of us are speaking, our attention turned on the guys in front of us who are chatting like they’ve been friends forever. It’s as if there’s a glow around this Aussie guy. He appears carefree and confident. Cocky and confident, maybe. His dark hair is smoothed back and sits neatly. He’s wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
Parker’s words bring me to attention. “Aiden, these are our friends Jane, Willow, and Elsie.” When Parker gestures to me, heat rises on my face. I wave hello. I don’t say anything. I’m mute. How damn stupid must I look?
“Nice to meet you lovely ladies.” Aiden’s focus stops on me. I think I might pass out. He shakes Willow and Jane’s hands.
When he comes to me, I’m a statue. My focus is stuck on him. I know he’s got his hand in front of me, but my hands feel like lead.
“Is this one defective?” He laughs, his hand going back to his side.
Dead. I am dead. But his question causes me to snap awake. My hand goes to my hip. “Who are you calling defective, buddy?”
“And she speaks.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“Sorry, my attention must have been elsewhere,” I say. “What’s your name again?”
He holds his hand out. I slip mine into his firm grip. “Aiden. Nice to meet you Elsie, was it?” He tilts his head to the side.
“Don’t play coy. You were just told my name.” My confidence starts to return.
Aiden doesn’t release my hand and I don’t make a move to let go of his. The air around us crackles. He grins before letting go of hand. Looking around the group I see all eyes are on us.
“Just checking to see if you still knew your name,” he teases.
A silence falls between us.
Addison speaks up my guess is to attempt to cover the weirdness between Aiden and I created. “So, are you liking it here, Aiden?”
He turns his attention to Addison. I blow out a breath. “Yeah. I love the beach. Some awesome waves to ride out there.” He pauses for a moment, then says, “Are there any cliffs to jump from around here? I’ve heard there’s a spot some people go where they can jump into the ocean.”
I know the place he’s talking about. Before I can stop myself, I say, “Yeah, Crow’s Peak.”
Now his focus is back on me.
“You know the place?”
“Yep,” I reply.
“Wanna show me it sometime?”
“Yeah sure. You let me know when. We’ll see how much of a wimp you are.”
Wait. What just happened? I’m the wimp when it comes to that cliff. I’ve never been able to bring myself to take the leap, and I’ve just said yes to taking Aiden there.
Aiden bursts out laughing. “I like you, firecracker. Quick with your words.” He steps up to me, his face inches from mine. “Bring. It. On.” His breath hits my lips, and it smells of a mixture of alcohol and mint. I stand up a little straighter. The heat between us intensifies.
“I’m ready whenever you are.” I swallow the nervous twinge in my throat. I keep digging my hole a little deeper.
Aiden straightens up. His gaze holds mine. “Tomorrow then?” As much as I want to say no, I find myself nodding. “Perfect!” he announces, and my legs go weak, wanting to collapse beneath me. An arm loops through mine. Willow.
“Sorry, you can’t have her tomorrow. She’s got to work. All day.”
Note to self: thank Willow.
“Alright, firecracker. Next Saturday. You, me, and Crow’s Peak.”
“You’re on,” I squeak, already wanting to rewind this conversation and eliminate myself from the equation.
****
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(Lost series, #1)
Prologue
I don’t know how I’ll get through this day. It’s like I’ve been living in my own personal kind of hell over the last two weeks. Since finding out my sister, Abby, is gone, my world is so empty. My heart feels as though it’s been ripped out and stomped on a hundred times over. I never imagined my life without her. She was my best friend, someone I could always trust, and now… she’s gone.
Abby was a friend to everyone. On my bad days, I would find myself feeding off her happy, fun-loving spirit to help build me up. That is, until Jacob Smith came along and ruined her life, and mine.
I knew things were not right with him. Every time I saw him, the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach set off alarm bells, but Abby was so happy after she met him. She said he treated her like a princess, always sending her flowers and bringing her lovely gifts.
One night when she came home after seeing Jacob, she had a bruised cheek. I questioned her about it, but she told me it was an accident and he didn’t mean it. From that night on, she began to shut down and close herself off from her friends, and even me. She would come home straight from work and shut herself in her room. She wasn’t there for me like usual, and wouldn’t let me be there for her either. I wanted to, especially when I heard her crying in her room late at night. She would never tell me what was bothering her. It hurt and made me angry how she wouldn’t confide in me.
The day she came to me and said she was planning to leave Jacob, made me super happy. I noticed a change in her during the weeks leading up to the day she was going to leave him. She was happier and brighter than I had seen her in months. But she was unsure how to tell him, she was scared of his reaction. He was the type who flew off the handle, and no one knew what would happen. She started opening up to me before she left, telling me what he was capable of. It gave me chills, sending shivers down my spine, to think of what he might do to her. I told her I was going with her, but she didn’t want me to come. Hurt and afraid, I gave in and let her go alone.
That is why I am to blame for what happened. When she left that night, I never thought it would be the last time I would get to see her. Then she was gone, missing. My wo
rld has never been the same again, and my heart is broken, shattered into a million pieces.
We searched for her, put flyers around and even went to the local television stations, but found nothing. The hardest thing was hearing the police say they were now starting an investigation for a missing person since she’d been gone for more than seventy-two hours.
When they interviewed me, I told them about Jacob and how Abby started coming home with bruises and how her personality drastically changed. I informed them of her plan to break up with him the night she disappeared.
Upon searching his place, they found the locket I had given her for her eighteenth birthday in a pool of blood, along with blood-covered towels. He was arrested on the spot and charged with her murder.
Then my two weeks of sitting through hell began.
I’ve been sitting in this courtroom day in and day out, listening to the endless questioning from the lawyers to Abby’s colleagues and friends. How was Abby’s behaviour in weeks before she disappeared? Had anyone met the defendant, Jacob? Did they seem happy? Did she seem afraid of him? Hearing their responses has been excruciating, and I’m surprised to learn of all the things I didn’t notice, such as how she had stopped going to work and had often called off sick. I had no idea because she wasn’t at home much.
What kind of sister am I?
When they call me to the stand, my nerves are all over the place. I’m not sure if I’m going to burst into tears or vomit. After I’m sworn in, the prosecutor is first up with the questioning.
“Miss White, Abby is your sister, correct?” She is an elderly lady with kind, brown eyes that urge me to answer her question.
“Yes,” I respond, my voice cracking.
“Did Abby confide in you about her relationship with the defendant?”
“No. Not about what happened in their relationship. Not long after they started dating, she began shutting me out. She only opened up to me the night she left, telling me how scared she was at how Jacob was going to react.” My heart is pounding in my chest and I’m sure everyone in the courtroom can hear it.
