by Nicky Shanks
But I know how she was before inviting her to stay here.
“I’m not as rich as Oliver.” My gaze drops. “I make good money, but he has so much money that it’s unreal.”
“How do you even know that?” She giggles and sits up, pulling me up with her. “Did you research him or something?”
I blush. “When I first found out he was sleeping with Julie.”
She cringes when I say Julie’s name now. “Well…” She raises her eyebrows, looking for her clothes around the room so she can run away from me. “There’s a constant reminder I don’t care to have. You talk about her so much, it’s like she never left.”
I wish she never did fucking leave.
I scoff. “Do you think I want to be reminded that you’re sizing me up next to someone like Oliver Jackson? He’s never worked a day in his life, I bet. At least I work for my money.”
“Okay, calm down,” she soothes me almost instantly. “Let’s just try harder.”
She watches me climb out of the bed and follows me like a puppy dog. I catch her hands and put them around my body. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to trying this hard to make someone happy. I won’t compare the both of you, okay?”
“What about her stuff in that room upstairs?”
Who the hell does she think she is?
That stuff isn’t just stuff in that room—that’s everything in my life from the past five years that ever mattered to me. I grit my teeth and pull her closer to me, squeezing her tight. “I’ll call her later and see if she can send someone to pick up her stuff.” Heather tightens her long arms around me in a possessive gesture, and it turns me on.
I like that she’s ready to fight for me.
She pulls her body from mine and glares at me. “Another thing too. Enough with this hot-and-cold shit. Either you want to be with me or you don’t. I don’t have room for another asshole in my life.” Her eyes glitter with fire and I can tell she’s waiting for me to grab her and throw her back onto the bed, but I have to get ready for work.
Oh, but make no mistake: I want her.
I want her bad.
“I have to get ready for work, okay? You just make sure you’ll do anything for me…and I’ll do anything for you. Is that a deal?” I whisper in her ear and smack her ass and she gasps, slapping my shoulder playfully. “You’re lucky I have to work or you’d be tied to that bed all day.” I let her go, running from the room before I make good on that statement. I notice the time and I’m able to quickly shower and change into dress slacks before Heather knocks on my bedroom door.
“You don’t have to knock, we’re not strangers.” I laugh at her and open my closet door. She notices my slacks and licks her lips. “Did you need something?” I hold up two different button-up shirts—one light blue and one steel gray—and she points to the blue shirt and smiles. I take it from the hanger and pull it on, watching her bounce toward the bed and sit cross-legged while I dress for work.
She pushes her lips out, trying to figure out what to say to me. “I was just wondering if I could take some of those college courses we talked about before.”
The fact that she’s asking my permission really, really excites me.
I try not to show her my victorious smile. “Of course you can. You can use my laptop downstairs if you want to do that while I’m at work today, if you want. Just let me know how much the tuition is and I’ll work it out, okay?”
Her mouth forms a small circle. “You’re paying for it?” She stands up and smooths out the collar of my shirt. She trails her long fingers over the row of neckties that are revealed when I open my top dresser drawer. She pulls out a silky, black tie and I let her tie it around my neck gently. She knows if she gets a little too rough, I won’t want to go to work and leave her here alone. “I don’t want to owe you anything except for my attention.”
I grab her hands and hold them against my chest. “You are my chance to make shit right in my life. I’m not going to fuck this up on purpose. You just make sure you’re doing the same and I’ll give you whatever I can give you.”
Her smile is bright; I can feel the love that grows for me reaching from her skin to touch me. “Okay, I’ll look at some classes today. Thank you.” I have to pull my hands from hers because I don’t want to leave her here alone. I don’t want her away from me because she might change her mind and go running back to Oliver.
Julie’s in her way with Oliver and with me.
I know she watches me drive away, as I make it a point to drive slowly so she can see me leave. I come to a stop sign and dial Julie’s number. My heart skips a few beats waiting for her to answer.
Voicemail.
“Hey, Jules. It’s, uh, Brandon. Look, I have something to tell you. I met someone…you know her. Her name is Heather Michaels, and she’s Oliver’s ex…but you know that. She’s living with me now, and I still have some of your stuff at the house. It’s just…Heather doesn’t really want reminders of you lying around the place while we’re together, you know? I’m sorry, I know this is bad timing with…” I hesitate; I don’t want her to know I was watching her and overheard about Oliver, “…you know, life and all.” I clear my throat and try to save face. “Just call me back and we can work something out.”
I hang up. I’m such a pussy.
I almost said, “I love you.”
I can’t stop thinking about her the rest of the way to work. When I park the car and pump myself up to try and make it through the day, my phone rings and Julie’s name pops up on the screen. My body ignites when I realize I’m about to talk to her for the first time in weeks. She saw me at my absolute worst the last time we spoke in Oliver’s parking garage and by now I assume she’s been told I’m innocent.
“Hey, Jules. I’m really glad you called me back. I miss talking to you.”
“Brandon,” a man growls at me. His hatred seeps through the phone like invisible waves of destruction around my throat.
“Oliver,” I snap to show him I’m not intimidated.
“I’m going to need you to fuck off and stop calling Julie.”
I snort. “And if I don’t?”
His laugh is scary, even to me. “If you don’t, then you won’t like what happens to you.”
“You don’t scare me, Jackson.” I try and convince him that I’m not actually shaking. As rich as he is, there’s no limit to what his money can buy. He could probably make me disappear if he wanted…and I’m sure he wants to.
He clears his throat and lowers his voice. “Now you fucking listen to me, you piece of shit. I’m only going to say this once and you better get it through your fucking head. Julie isn’t yours anymore, she’s mine. She loves me, she doesn’t love you anymore. I don’t know how much fucking clearer I can be with you.”
“It’s crystal clear, don’t worry about that.”
He laughs at me again, pissing me off more as my co-workers pass me in the parking lot and eyeball me sitting in my car with a fucked-up look on my face. “I hear you’re living with my sloppy seconds, so all I can tell you is good luck on that. She’s a pistol and not the shiny kind. So, play by my rules or you’ll regret it.” He hangs up the phone and I’m left with nothing except our anger fighting in the car.
How dare he order me around like that?
How did he know about Heather living with me already?
I don’t take orders from anyone. I know Julie better than he ever fucking will.
He doesn’t know me very well, but…
I love to break the rules.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Oliver
I hang up the phone and Julie glides into the room. Her eyes are bloodshot from serious lack of sleep. She arrived a few minutes earlier with Casey in tow—and he looks like he feels awkward to be in the same room as the two of us. They didn’t come back until this morning, but I wasn’t aware until I finally woke up and they were already in the room.
“Did you talk to your lawyer?” she asks, looking directly at me
. “Do you need more privacy?” I hate lying to her, but I’m not telling her about Brandon’s call. I erased the voicemail and handed her the phone. I just want to get out of here, but that isn’t happening until I can walk around the entire hospital wing floor by myself a few times to prove my strength. I don’t know how it happened, but after my lungs were repaired, the rest of my body just…gave up. I did manage to sweet talk Nurse Mary into letting me change into my own clothes, but she insisted that someone help me, and Julie isn’t strong enough to hold me if I fall.
“No, I didn’t. My mother isn’t going anywhere, trust me.” Her face is dark and worried. “Come here, I won’t let anything happen to you. You trust me, right?”
I feel her smile on my chest. “Always.”
Damn.
That feels good.
Choking back some stray tears, I look at Casey. He came back to the hospital with her, and the thought of them riding in a car together isn’t a good one. His face is disturbed as he watches Julie and I interact. I know he’s hiding something.
“Casey, can you help me change into my street clothes? My abs are still really sore.” He frowns because he hates when the fact that I’m built better than he is comes up. “I promise you won’t see anything you shouldn’t see.”
“I’m not worried about that.” He looks at the ground. “What happens if you rip your stitches?”
Oh. I hardly thought he was worried about me.
I snort. “I won’t. We can go slow. Maybe Julie can find Nurse Mary for me and tell her I’m ready to walk the floor.”
“Oliver, you’ve been in recovery for one day,” Julie scolds me. “What’s the rush?”
I squeeze her hand and hold it over my heart. “I want to be able to touch you without tubes and wires in the way. I want to be able to sleep with you in the same bed.” I rub the sleeve of one of my sweatshirts she’s put on and smile. I like when she wears my clothes. It warms my insides knowing she wants a part of me with her always. A stretch maybe, but I don’t care. Right now, it’s not about what looks right; it’s about what feels right.
“I have some rules for you.” Julie’s eyes narrow at me. “You like rules, don’t you?”
I lick my lips and think about what I’m going to do to her once I’m fully mobile again. She’s playing with my dark side; she knows that breaking the rules are what started everything in the first place. “What are your rules, Mrs. Jackson?”
Casey coughs. “I think I better help you get dressed, man. I gotta check on something.” He looks over at Julie and raises his eyebrows. They have something going on…and I’m going to find out what it is. “If you want to find the nurse, I’ll help him.”
Julie nods but doesn’t look at him. “Okay.” Her smile pops back on her face when she looks at me. “I’m going to find Mary.” She lowers her voice and hisses at me, “Play nice.”
I know what she’s talking about, but I’m not saying one word about it. I’m not going to play nice with Casey…I know his game.
He chased Heather.
He’s chasing Julie.
When she closes the door, I scowl at him. “You better get over whatever the fuck you think you feel for her.” My voice is shaky because I’m so pissed. “I don’t know what it is with you assholes thinking you can take her from me—”
“You need to calm down,” Casey says, taking my clothes from the bag on the chair. “You’re extra emotional right now, so you’re reading into nothing. I’m helping her with something.”
I let him throw the clothes next to me and he helps take my gown off. Nurse Mary had already had another male nurse help put boxers on, so Casey takes note that he really won’t see anything he doesn’t want to see. “What are you helping her with?” I demand. “I want to know right now.”
He puts the t-shirt over my head and sighs. “Then you’ll ruin the surprise she has for you.”
“I don’t fucking care. I want to know.”
I put my arms slowly through the sleeves with his help and he shakes his head. “Dude, why can’t you just let her surprise you? I know you don’t trust me…but you trust her. Just let her do this for you…don’t fuck it up.”
He’s right.
I don’t like it, but he’s right.
“I’m going to ask her to marry me,” I tell him, looking in his eyes. They only darken for a few seconds as he thinks about this. “I want her to be my wife.”
“You left The Tavern with another woman. I hardly think that’s true.”
I push his hands away and take the sweatpants from him. “What the fuck do you know about it?”
He steps back so I can’t swing at him. “Harley told me about it. How could you do that to her? I thought you supposedly love her?”
I don’t like the way he’s talking to me, but he’s right. “I want to marry Julie. Whatever you think happened at The Tavern, forget about it. Nothing happened. Not that I have to explain myself to someone like you.”
“Someone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
I manage to pull the sweatpants on by myself; I have to shimmy my body around on the bed to pull them over my hips. I’ve lost some weight, but only I’d notice it, so it doesn’t bother me too much. “I mean that you always want what you can’t have…and you can’t have her.”
“Like I said…you’re emotional right now because you almost lost her.”
He glares at me as Julie walks back into the room with Nurse Mary. She notices our showdown. “What are you two up to?” She eyeballs me but doesn’t even bother looking at Casey. I know she wants to comfort me by showing me that I’m the only one she has eyes for, but something doesn’t feel right. There’s something else going on here.
I shrug and give her my best adorable face. “Just catching up. Casey is leaving. He has somewhere to be.” I look over at him and his eyes are glued to Julie. “Right?”
“Actually, Casey—” Julie interrupts and forces herself to look at him. “—can you stay for a bit and help Oliver walk the floor?”
His eyes brighten and it pisses me off. “I can do that.”
Anything for you, Julie.
That’s my fucking job.
I’m going to kick his ass.
Julie kisses my forehead and they each take one of my hands and gently pull me to a standing position. The pain of my stitches doesn’t compare to the pain Casey is going to feel when I throat punch him for looking at Julie as anything other than a friend.
She’s mine.
My Julie.
We make it out of the room with no problems. My hand is clutching Julie’s so tightly that it turns a little red. I don’t dare let go of either of them; I want to get the hell out of here. I wonder if I can steer them toward the elevator and just escape, but Nurse Mary isn’t far behind us. The tension is too much for Julie to handle, so I hang my arm over Casey’s shoulders and squeeze.
“Are you okay?” Julie whispers so Nurse Mary can’t hear her. “Do you need to rest?”
I shake my head. “No, let’s keep going. I can do this.”
She smiles and it gives me an extra jolt of adrenaline. “I know you can. You can do anything; I believe in you.” The moment that she says this, I feel strong; I feel like I’m invincible, so I let go of Casey’s shoulders and push off him, walking slowly down the hall on my own. My abs hurt a little from the sudden usage, but I manage to walk a few steps and turn around to smile at the group.
“Well, look at this.” I raise my eyebrows in amusement. “Let’s sign those release papers.”
Nurse Mary laughs. “Not so fast, Mr. Jackson. You need to walk around the entire floor a few times without help before anyone feels comfortable releasing you. Twenty-four hours ago you were closer to death than life, remember that.”
I scoff and walk the circle of the floor by myself as the three of them follow closely behind. I just want to fake it enough to be able to get out of here, so I don’t look back at anyone in fear that I’ll lose my footing. He better not be touc
hing her, I do know that. I try my best not to lose my focus, but once we are back at the open door to my room, I have to stop and make sure.
“He needs to rest,” Nurse Mary says and nods her head toward the room. “Let’s get him back into his bed.”
“No.” I wave her off. “I’m going again.”
“Mr. Jackson—”
I snap my head toward Casey and he can tell what I’m thinking. “I think he just wants to get out of here…can we just sign him out?”
Julie looks at him and then back to me. “Absolutely not! You’re not going anywhere unless the doctor says you can. You almost died, Oliver!” Her voice rises and I smile at how cute she is when she’s angry, which makes her even angrier. “Stop it, Oliver! This is serious! If you don’t follow the doctor’s rules…you’re not going to recover fully.”
I scoff. “I don’t follow anyone’s rules but my own.”
I don’t even follow my own rules.
Julie’s phone dings in her pocket as she scowls at me. “Mary, if the doctor says he can leave, then I’ll take him home. But—” She looks at the phone and then glares at me. “—if he says you can’t go home, then you stay here.”
“Yes, baby.” I lower my eyes to the ground and pretend to pout. She laughs as I start walking around the circular floor again, this time with a little more speed than before. Her eyes are glued to her phone so I motion for Casey to come closer to me so we can talk.
I don’t bother looking over at him. “Brandon called—that’s who I was talking to on the phone…not my lawyer. He wants to see Julie and she’s got stuff at his house he wants her to pick up. We need to make him go away.”
“I have my hands full already with Julie’s surprise.” He shakes his head, paying no attention to the rules of brotherhood. “I don’t have time to worry about someone trying to take her from you, brother.”
“You better start fucking worrying about it, brother,” I snarl and look quickly behind us to see who’s listening in. “If he gets her alone—which we know he can do, remember?—there’s no telling what the hell he will do to her. For some fucked-up reason, she still trusts him.”
