by Taryn Plendl
“Aw, come on, Payton, we’re just giving you a hard time. I don’t know much about him, but Garrett seems pretty cool. I don’t get a creep vibe from him.” Rob wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.
“It was just nice to see a guy catch your attention for once.” Shelly put her arm around my shoulder, too, sandwiching me in between them.
“He didn’t catch my attention. I think I just have a bit of hero worship, that’s all. Let’s drop it, okay?” I mumbled into Rob’s chest.
We all went back to work, and soon the crowds started flowing in. As predicted, we were jumping. I had just served up four mixed drinks for a group of girls when Shelly stopped behind me. “Don’t look now, but your man just walked in.” Without even thinking, I turned to the door and caught Garrett’s eyes. He smiled at me, and I could feel my face grow hot. What’s with you, Payton? I hadn’t blushed over a guy in, well ... ever.
“He’s not my man!” I snapped in Shelly’s direction as she laughed.
She went back to serving drinks on the other side of the bar, and I greeted Garrett and his friend. “Hey. What can I get for you two?”
Garrett flashed me a smile, and again my heart jumped. “Two beers please, Payton, whatever’s on tap.” I went over to the tap and poured them each a beer, grimacing at the large amount of foam on the first one, due to not paying attention to what I was doing. I poured the one over and finally set them on the counter.
As I was handing Garrett his change, he introduced me to his friend. “Payton, this is my friend, Lucas. Lucas, this is Payton.”
Lucas held his hand out to me, and I shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Payton. I feel like I know you after listening to Garrett talk about you for the last two days.” He laughed as Garrett punched him in the shoulder.
“Nice, dude! This is why I don’t introduce you to anyone.” He looked back at me apologetically. “I’ll see you later?” It came out as a question, and I nodded, but I seriously doubted I would have a chance to talk to him, not tonight anyway. It was way too busy.
***
Throughout the night I found myself searching for him in the crowd, and each time I found him, he was looking back at me, smiling.
“Something out there interest you, Payton?” Shelly joked as she slid behind me, filling a glass with ice. I glared at her, not because of what she said, but more because I got caught watching him in the first place.
I couldn’t begin to explain the draw I had to Garrett. He was certainly something to behold. There was no doubt that he was gorgeous—his body was downright incredible! His arms were solid and defined. His shoulders were broad and angled down in a perfect V toward his waist. His jeans sat low on his hips and hung perfectly on his amazing backside. Wow—just wow! His face was something I couldn’t seem to get enough of, and those eyes! They were brown, like the deepest milk chocolate, and they way he looked at me—they were eyes a girl could get lost in.
I shook my head, trying to get back in the game. It was slower now that it was after midnight, but I still had people to serve.
“Are you guys ready for another round?” Lucas had just stepped up to the bar.
“No, I’m actually taking off.” I quickly glanced over at Garrett, expecting him to be leaving also, but he just sat at the table checking something on his phone.
Lucas laughed loudly, and it brought my attention back to him. “He’s not going anywhere. He’s waiting for a certain someone.” He winked at me. “Be nice, Garrett doesn’t usually wait around for girls, not until now anyway. He’s a little out of his element.” With that, Lucas walked to the door, shook Rob’s hand, and disappeared around the corner.
What did that mean? Was Garrett waiting for me? “Who was that guy talking to you?” Shelly grabbed the glasses out of my hands that I had been absentmindedly holding and proceeded to add them to the dirty rack.
“Um, that was Lucas. He’s a friend of Garrett’s.” I was still trying to figure out what he meant.
“He’s cute.”
“Who?” I turned and looked at her.
“Lucas.” Shelly was a flirt, and I could tell the next time poor Lucas stepped into the bar that he would be her target. I didn’t feel too bad—he looked like the type of person who could handle her.
“Hmmm, I didn’t notice.”
“That doesn’t surprise me; you haven’t looked at anyone else but Garrett tonight,” she mused.
My mouth dropped open as I looked at her. She smirked at me, and I realized she was right. I had no idea how to do this. I hadn’t really ever had a boyfriend, but that was by choice. I certainly had opportunities, but I never acted on them. I was pretty sure past experiences had tarnished any chance of me finding a healthy and loving relationship.
“Shit, Shell! What am I doing?” I felt a knot in my stomach.
She grabbed my arm. “Don’t over-think this, Payton, please. He seems like a good guy, and he really seems to be into you.” Shelly placed the clean glasses back on the shelf.
I nodded. I had no idea what was going on, but Shelly was right, I didn’t need to stress over something that wasn’t even a defined issue yet.
Two o’clock rolled around before we knew it, and the bar had cleared out—except for Garrett. Rob had come over and told me that he was waiting for me, so he allowed him to stay. I couldn’t help but feel a bit excited knowing that he had spent the entire night here so he could walk with me. As much as I knew I could walk alone, hell I’d done it for over a year now, I actually enjoyed his company, and I wanted to know more about him.
We wrapped up everything, and Shelly closed out the register, leaving the money in the safe. I grabbed my purse from under the bar and stood up to find those incredible brown eyes looking straight at me. “Hi.” I couldn’t disguise the small smile that formed on my face, and he didn’t miss it either.
He rewarded me with one of his beautiful full smiles. “Ready?”
“Sure.” We walked to the door, pausing so I could give Rob a hug and a kiss on the cheek and hug Shelly. “See you guys tomorrow.”
Rob shook Garrett’s hand as we moved through the door. I almost let out an audible gasp when I felt Garrett’s hand on my lower back, guiding me forward. It was such an innocent move, but his touch did weird things to me. I felt the heat from his hand move straight through my body, and I missed it instantly as soon as he removed his hand.
“You okay?” I felt his warm breath as he spoke so close to my ear, causing me to shiver.
I didn’t trust myself to speak right now so I just nodded. We walked across the street before I could get myself calm enough to speak. “You didn’t have to wait for me, you know.” I hadn’t meant to sound so rude, and he looked a little hurt by my words at first, but then he smiled and shook his head.
“What?” I questioned.
“You’re just really hard to figure out.” He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets as we walked.
“What do you mean?” Now I was acting wounded.
He stopped and looked down at me, moving a bit closer. It was dark, but I could see his face illuminated by the streetlights that were still very close. “Well, you stare at me all night, smile at me, and I get the impression you might share my interest, and then you spout off a comment, making me feel like you don’t want me around.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. He was so close that I could feel the heat from his body radiate through my own clothes. I swallowed hard, trying to regain my composure. I lifted my chin slightly, feeling a bit defensive by his tone, and looked him straight in the eyes. “There’s nothing to figure out, Garrett.” My voice sounded small and unsure. I hated that he had that effect on me.
“Really, Payton?” He cocked his head to the side, smirking.
My heart was beating so fast. I couldn’t tell if I was mad, scared, or excited. “Really, Garrett?”
He put his hand behind my neck and the other one on my hip, pulling me forward so that we were just inches apart. Oh m
y God, he’s going to kiss me! I watched him lean forward and then closed my eyes, waiting for that contact, but instead I felt his mouth graze past the corner of mine to my ear instead.
“I just want to get to know you, Payton. I am so drawn to you, and I can’t explain why.” His voice was soft and low. With that, he pulled himself back and dropped his hands back to his sides.
I was panting. My heartbeat was irregular, and I was trying to figure out what just happened. I can’t remember a time when I have ever wanted to be kissed more. It had felt so good to have his hands on me, and I swear the skin where he had touched still tingled as we stood there.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Okay, you’ll let me get to know you?” His smile seemed so genuine that I couldn’t help but smile back.
I nodded. “I’ll try.”
I could see his body physically relax, releasing a huge amount of tension. I started walking forward again and felt him slide in step with me. We walked in silence the entire way across the park. When we reached the sidewalk, I realized I wasn’t ready for him to go. “Do you want to come over for a bit?” I had never invited anyone into my apartment, not even Shelly, but I wanted him to say yes so badly.
“I’d like that.” He smiled nervously. I was glad to see that he seemed just as out of sorts as me.
Good! I walked the little ways to my apartment and crossed the street. “Here we are.” I opened the main door and walked up the stairs to the second level, unlocking my door and holding it open for him to walk through.
I closed the door and leaned back against it, watching him look around before he turned to look at me. His brown eyes were so gentle, studying me, almost like he knew this was a big step for me. On the outside I was strong, but on the inside I was so scared to death that I might fall for him.
Chapter 6
She looked so small and frightened, and all I wanted to do was gather her up and wrap her in my arms, never letting go.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“I’ll just have water, please.” I didn’t need any more alcohol tonight. I sat down on the couch and looked around a bit more. She came back with two bottles of water, and handed me one as she sat on the other side of the couch.
“Thanks, Payton.” I took a quick drink and screwed the cap back on. “How long have you lived here?”
“About three years.” She looked around. Her apartment was small, but practical. She seemed to have everything she needed. It was obvious that she had taken some pride in taking care of her space. It felt cozy, but I noticed that there weren’t any pictures on the walls or photos of family and friends—it just seemed very impersonal.
“Ever thought of hanging a picture or something?” I smirked, and she shot me a wide-eyed look.
“I guess it honestly hadn’t occurred to me.” She giggled, and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful her smile was, and how her blue eyes almost twinkled when she laughed. It made me smile just watching her.
“Nobody has ever told you that before?” I grinned at her as I took another drink.
“Nobody else has ever been in my apartment before.” She shrugged.
“Nobody?” She shook her head. Wow. Three years and she had never had anyone over? There was obviously more to the story, and I hoped she would feel comfortable enough with me to share it sometime. I wanted to know everything about her. I reached out and laid my hand on hers that was resting on the couch. As soon as I touched her, my skin came alive. “Thanks for inviting me up.” I squeezed her hand and let it go, not wanting to push things quite yet.
We spent the next hour talking. She told me more about wanting to be a CPA after she was done with college, and we talked a bit about my goals and where I might like to work. It was nice and relaxed, and I saw an even more intriguing side to Payton—one I couldn’t wait to get to know better.
I was never the guy that followed a girl around. Even in high school, I had the pick of girls. I never stayed with any of them long. It drove my mom crazy. She wanted me to bring a girlfriend home to meet them, to have dinner with our family—one that she could get to know. That never happened.
I was focused on my lacrosse and my social life. I was self-important. School was always easy for me so I didn’t need to study a whole lot. It was amazing how quickly things could change. How one minute I was a college kid with no cares in the world, partying, drinking, hooking up with random girls, and then one day it all came crashing down. Now I was a college student with the world on my shoulders and one fragile young man—my brother—who needed me more now than anyone else does.
Jackson. Shit! What was I doing? “I better get going.” I stood up and grabbed my jacket. I could see the questioning look in her eyes. My behavior was erratic, I knew that, but I needed to get my head on straight, and I couldn’t do that with Payton in front of me. She made me question everything I thought I knew.
“Okay.” She walked with me to the door. “Um, thanks for hanging out.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and I felt like an ass. I reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, and she bit her lip and looked at me. God, she had no idea how hot she looked when she did that. I wanted to take that lip into my own mouth, teasing and sucking it. Shit, I needed to get out of here. “Thanks again.” I turned and walked out, not giving myself a chance to change my mind.
***
I woke up Saturday morning, well almost afternoon, with a raging headache. I felt like total shit for being so hot and cold with Payton, and I knew deep down that I shouldn’t be spending time with her, not after Jackson had attacked her, but I couldn’t seem to fight the urge. There was something about her that just made me want to be around her. There was still that sense of vulnerability, yet she was so strong and in control. She made me step outside of reality, and that was dangerous. I needed to just stay away from her. It was the right thing to do.
The phone rang, and I grimaced at the way the ringing plowed through my head. “Hello?”
“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?” It was Ryan.
“Nothing, just nursing a headache. What’s up?”
“We’re throwing together a party tonight at the house. You better be there.”
That was just what I needed. I could get my mind off of Payton, have some fun and meet some new girls.
“Of course I’ll be there!” I sounded more excited than I felt.
“Cool! See you later.”
By the time the evening rolled around, I had taken a hot shower, four ibuprofen tablets, and had one beer. I was definitely ready for the party.
The house was buzzing with activity when I arrived early to help out. I may not have been living there anymore, but I knew the party routine, and I jumped right in. We had furniture to move, breakables to store and doors to lock. By nine o’clock, we had the keg tapped, and the party was starting to take off.
Ryan had jumped into the host role like he was Hugh Hefner or something, and Ethan rode his coattails as his wingman. It was entertaining to watch. If Ryan had shown up in a red velvet smoking jacket, sporting a brandy and a cigar, I’m not sure I would have been shocked.
“I’m surprised you aren’t sitting down at Pastimes tonight.” Lucas handed me another beer as he leaned against the counter, watching the college girls dance and flirt with anything that moved. I couldn’t fathom being with any of them right now.
“Nah, I think it’s better if I stayed away for awhile.” I shrugged.
“Anything you want to talk about? It seemed to me that you were pretty into Payton.”
I took a swig of my beer and sighed. “Yeah, but sometimes it’s not enough. It isn’t a good idea for me to be around her,” I confessed, knowing that I had just opened the door for questions.
“I don’t get it.” Lucas stared at me waiting for an explanation, and I realized I really wanted to talk to someone about it.
“It’s a long story, man. Not one for the middle of a party.” Just as I said this, Ryan walked up.
“Hey, you guys mind going on a quick run? We need tequila. I’m going to whip up some awesome margaritas for my friends over there.” He pointed to a group of girls, who had obviously had a head start and didn’t look like they really needed too many more margaritas.
“Sure.” Lucas slapped me on the shoulder and we headed out. The closest liquor store was about five blocks away, so we started walking.
“So? What’s the story?” Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Remember the day I took Jackson up North?” I began.
“Yeah.”
“Well, something happened the night before that.” I slowed down a bit, trying to figure out how to explain everything.
“Okay ... What?” Lucas was obviously confused.
I took a deep breath, knowing that this was going to sound bad, but also knowing there was no other way to say it. “Well, he attacked someone in the park, tried to rob them, but they passed out before he could, and he freaked. He called me crying, and when I found him in the park, he was leaning over a woman who was unconscious.”
“Shit, Garrett!” Lucas shook his head.
“Yeah, I know, but that’s not the worst part.” I looked at Lucas as I spoke so I could gauge his reaction. “The woman was Payton.”
“What the fuck?” Lucas stopped walking and looked at me with his mouth open.
“Shit! I know man; don’t look at me that way! I know it’s seven ways of fucked up, trust me.” I rubbed my hands over my face and through my short hair.
“I can’t believe she is so relaxed having you around after that.” Lucas stared at me with wide eyes.
“Well, she doesn’t exactly remember who attacked her. She just knows I saved her.” I lowered my voice, clearly feeling guilty.
“What the hell are you thinking, Garrett?” Lucas was right. I knew it was a bad idea to be around her. Shit, I knew this, but I was weak when it came to her. “How could you lie about that?”
I sank down on the small retaining wall along the sidewalk. “I don’t know. There’s something about her … I can’t get her out of my head.” I put my head in my hands. “I didn’t really lie, I just left out some important details.”
