Chapter 8
Cleaning The Toaster
A few nights later, the guys come over for dinner again. This is the first I’ve seen Adrian since Friday night—since he was with Katie.
We all ended up at the same frat party on Friday. After having a good time doing shots, and hanging out together, Adrian wandered off. A while later we found him dancing with a junior, named Katie. Max informed us that she and Adrian hook up from time to time. The way they were dancing, it was obvious they’re comfortable with each other. I’m assuming he got to put his new education to practice that night.
I’ve been telling myself I don’t care what he did with her, but for some reason I get this gross feeling in my stomach every time I think about it. Maybe I’m getting acid reflux. I should see a doctor about that.
Now I’m in the kitchen, washing my hands, when he comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, then whispers in my ear. “I’ve missed you, beautiful.”
I immediately knock his hands away, thinking about them being all over Katie, and step away to face him. “I figured you were busy trying out your new moves on Katie all weekend.”
My tone is way too jealous-girlfriend like, so I’m not surprised by his next question.
He cocks his head to the side and raises a brow. “Are you jealous, Keegan?”
“What? No,” I sputter, as I turn back to the sink to hide my embarrassment. When he says nothing, I look over my shoulder to see him leaning against the wall with a suspicious half-smile curving his lips.
“I think you’re jealous,” he says. The tone of his voice and his expression, aren’t teasing. He looks like he’s deep in thought.
I twist to face him, throwing the towel over my shoulder, and crossing my arms under my chest. “No, Adrian, I’m not jealous. I just think of you as my student and I was checking on your progress.”
He stares into my eyes for a long minute, as if waiting for me to flinch. Too bad buddy, I’ve got one awesome poker face.
He presses his lips together and points a finger, an inch from my nose. “You almost fooled me. I thought you really didn’t care. Then I would be heartbroken and have to leave college because I would never be able to look at you again without reliving the horrible pain you caused me.”
“I… what?” I hate it when he says shit like that. I should have some witty comeback, but instead I’m stuttering. I don’t stutter. I always know what to say.
I could kiss Shyanne when she comes into the kitchen and kicks me out. Not only am I not allowed to cook, but I’m not allowed to be in the kitchen while other people are cooking. It’s best for everyone’s safety. So, while my two roommates make dinner, I bury my nose in a book, ignoring Adrian, and the other two guys in the room.
After dinner, I’m cleaning the kitchen. That’s right. I can’t cook. Therefore I get the crap job of cleaning up everyone’s mess. I’m in the kitchen alone while everyone else is watching TV and laughing in the living room. I guess Adrian’s done bugging me today, which makes me extremely happy, right? Yes, that makes me happy.
Well, not technically happy because I’m not really a happy person. I’m not miserable, I just don’t climb outta bed in the morning, clicking my heels together, saying, “This is going to be a great day.” I see the beer bottle as half-empty, and I not only expect the worse, I plan for it. Maybe that could be where my apocalypse prepping originated.
I absolutely base my opinion of people, on first impressions. I hate people who are fake, try to impress others, or the ones who are mean to others because they’re different. When I do find a friend, I’ll do anything to protect them, and I’m always cautious to not hurt my friends. I’ve been hurt enough by people I love, I know how deep that cut goes, and I don’t want to be the cause of that pain to someone else.
I also expect the worse from others, even those I’m closest too. I’ll never be that girl who refuses to believe her best friend would stab her in the back, or adamantly denies her boyfriend cheated on her. My life experiences have taught me that everyone is capable of hurting the people they love.
Having said all that, I do enjoy the positive things in life. When something in life does go well, I celebrate it. I study hard for school, so I’m proud of myself when I get good grades. I love a good sale at the mall, or online at my favorite tactical supply store. And, I love people who make me smile and laugh, like Robert.
I do not like people who are unpredictable, like Adrian. So why am I always smiling when I think about the stupid stunts he’s pulled with me. I should be planning how to get him kicked out of the apartment, not remembering the anticipation I feel when he walks into a room.
I need to think about something else, someone else. Oh, I know, Jax Teller—with his saunter, swinging his arms behind him, almost ridiculously. Oh no, I’m supposed to be thinking of good stuff, hot stuff. I pick up the toaster, to clean under it, as I work on creating the perfect image, non-Adrian image.
I watched an old episode of Sons of Anarchy last night. I can do this. After the show, Charlie Hunnam did an interview. His English accent turned me off, though. I mean, why would the producers get an English actor to play the president of an American motorcycle club?
Shit, I’m getting distracted again. I dump the toaster upside down and enough crumbs fall out to feed Gemma for a week.
Okay, Jax, leaning on his Harley, wearing his cut—I can say cut because I watch the show and I read a ton of romances about motorcycle clubs, that makes me an expert in MC lingo. I know, a romance about a motorcycle club is an oxymoron, but they are freakin’ hot. Wait, I was thinking about the lingo… wait, I’m working on my image of Jax.
Crap, I’m acting like Adrian, with his inability to focus. I have to admit, it’s kinda cute when he’s in the middle of one sentence and he thinks of something different. His gets this look like he just remembered something super important, but it ends up being something completely random. Ahhh, how did I get back to Adrian?
This isn’t working. Maybe I need someone hotter than Jax. I look down in the toaster and see there’s still a bunch of crap stuck to the bottom, so I get a butter knife out of the drawer and begin digging out the crumbs with the knife. I start thinking about who is hotter than Jax, when all of a sudden there’s a huge flash inside the toaster, then a loud pop. The lights go out and everyone rushes into the kitchen.
Chapter 9
Tiny Toddler Hands
“Keegan, really?” Shy scolds. “We left you alone in here for ten minutes and you blew a circuit?”
I slam the toaster onto the counter, getting frustrated with this whole day.
“Shut up, Shy, I was cleaning. I am allowed to do that much, remember?” I give them a detailed report of my cleaning the toaster, leaving out all the Jax and Adrian visuals, of course. When I look up, from giving my demonstration, everyone is staring at me like I lost my mind.
“Someone say something. Why the hell are you all looking at me like I bit the head off a penis?”
With that, Adrian lunges forward, wrapping his arms around my neck. “I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you, right now. I’m not going to propose yet, but in the meantime, don’t agree to marry anyone else.”
Um, what? How did this go from strange to a whole new level of bizarre? I reach up and pull him off because I’m completely repulsed at the idea of his hands on me. That is totally true. I’ve never wondered what his hands would feel like all over my body. Nope, never once thought about that.
After Shyanne and Kade jabber on about some circuit needing to be fixed, they head down to the basement. Gemma shakes her head at me with a disbelieving look. I’m not sure why because I do stupid shit all the time. How is this still surprising to her?
Once the others have left the kitchen, Adrian crosses the room, coming back to me. He wraps his arms around my waist and grabs my ass.
“I think we should talk about that sexy full body shiver you do whenever I touch you.”
What? No way I do that
. Wait, I might do that. Crap, I need a quick cover.
I turn away with a grimace. “I’m sorry, I was trying to hide my disgust at your tiny little girl hands, but I guess I can’t hide all of my physical reactions.”
Adrian steps back, allowing his arms to fall from around my waist. He looks offended, so I know I hit my mark.
“My hands are not tiny,” he says, lifting them to my face.
I grimace again and take a step back. “Wow, up close they actually look like toddler hands.” I’m totally lying, of course. When he was cupping my ass a minute ago, they actually felt perfect. Thinking about those stupid non-tiny hands, I get lost in my own head.
When I hear him clear his throat, I know I’m busted even before I see the smug smile.
“To ease your tortured mind,” he says, looking incredibly cocky, “no, I have not been with Katie. I’ve not been with anyone.”
I huff. “I have not been tortured. I was simply curious if you’d found your guinea pig.”
Adrian doesn’t hide his smile as he dips his chin—the seductive look in his eyes is hypnotizing, I don’t resist as he backs me against the counter. He places his hands on the surface behind me, caging me in. As he leans in to whisper in my ear, I smell his scent and I consider shoving my face in his neck to smell more.
With his lips almost touching my ear, he whispers. “I don’t need a test run to see if I could pull off the bad boy, crazy hard, marathon sex. Trust me, pulling hair and pounding hard are what my body was made to do.” He says this as he gently presses his hips against mine. “I’ve just been waiting for the girl who’s woman enough to admit she wants that too.”
Now, in my head, I know this new sexually confident Adrian has been created by his research from my books, but my vagina does not know this. I want to grab his ass and force him to press harder against me.
"What's the chance you’d be that girl for me?"
Absolutely. Right now? Sure, let's give it a go.
That's what races through my mind, but instead I say, "Did you learn to ride a motorcycle yet?"
My response is a breathy whisper. If I were a porn star, I think that's how I would sound.
With his mouth still at my ear, he replies, "No, but I did get a piercing."
I pull back to look at him. "Seriously? Where?" I ask, shocked. There's only one place I'm thinking that's not currently visible, and it would benefit me.
Chapter 10
You Have A Piercing?
His expression shifts from seductive to disgusted. "Hell no. I'm sorry, I know that you love those books and you believe them to be a roadmap for all of us guys to follow if we want to become every woman's dream man. I know this may shock you, but I don't know many guys that would go getting their peckers pierced to ‘Enhance the sexual experience’." He says the last part with air quotes.
I shove at his chest, pushing him away. "Why would you screw with me and go getting my hopes up like that?"
Now he looks shocked. "Are you telling me if I got my junk pierced you would have sex with me?"
I don't hesitate. "Hell yes, I would drag your ass back to your room right now and take that thing for a test drive," I say, pointing in the vicinity of said junk. "I'm dying to know if those piercings are all they're cracked up to be."
He shifts his gaze from me, then all around the room, as if he's considering it. I should probably tell him I'm joking. I don't want to be the reason some guy puts a needle through his pecker, but let's be honest, I'm not kidding.
When he looks back to me, I can see he's got his game face on again. He reaches up and cups the side of my face. He leans in so his lips are almost touching mine. I tell myself I will not react to his teasing. That’s all he’s doing, teasing me to get a response.
"I don't need any piercings or tattoos," he says, placing his other hand at my waist. “All I need to do is show you how awesome it could be, with just… one… kiss."
He sticks his tongue out to wet his lips, and it brushes across mine, which triggers the release of a small moan I’d been holding back.
Seconds before I begin to climb his body, and embarrass myself horribly, Gemma yells from the other room.
“They’ve been downstairs for a while. Do you think they need help?”
Adrian releases me and takes a step back, that’s when I see the cocky smile. Dammit, I gave him the reaction he wanted. I don’t know who I am when I’m around this jackass.
If he’s going to keep playing this game, then I need to start earning some points for my team. I can’t let him have all the fun while I look like the girl next door pining for him. Oh no, this girl does not pine.
Needing some time to clear my head, I scurried downstairs, pretending I’m worried Shy and Kade are messing with my survival supplies. Unfortunately, Adrian follows me because he’s obsessed with my survival hobby. By the time we get back upstairs, I have a plan. Adrian sits next to me on the couch, but it’s only a minute before he makes some adolescent sexual comment.
“I have a 7:50 class tomorrow, so I need to hit the sack soon,” then he points to his face while looking at me. “This face is leaving in ten minutes, and I want you on it.”
Although every ounce of my sarcastic self wants to toss back a witty remark, I stick with my plan to throw him off balance. I shift and climb half onto his lap, staying up on my knees so that I’m looking down at him. I gently pat one side of his face and gaze into his eyes passionately.
“Keep trying, young grasshopper, you still have much to learn.” Then I kiss him like I’m on the verge of ripping off his clothes. Adrian is so stunned by the sudden and intense attack he doesn’t return the kiss. As I stand, I see he’s so shocked, his eyes are huge, and his mouth is hanging open. I’m on my way out the door before he realizes what happened.
“Wait,” he yells when he pulls himself back together. “I wasn’t ready, that wasn’t any good. You surprised me.” He’s stuttering, trying to defend his non-reaction to the kiss.
I stop and twist to face him. With a regretful look, I tell him, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting anything from you. That was just motivation for you to try harder.” Then I give him one of his cheesy winks and walk off to my room.
Chapter 11
Do It Again
I meet with Professor Stack before class later that week. I tutored in his department last year, and unfortunately, I’m going to have to work again this year. Most of my education is being paid for by scholarships, but I need money live. My mom gives me some money, but being a waitress in a small town doesn’t leave much extra cash in her bank account.
Tutoring is not an ideal job for someone who’s not fond of people, but it’s better than some job where I’d have to work with the public. I worked in a coffee shop, for a minute, in high school. I made it through the first week of training, but it all fell apart after that. If someone complained about the way I made their coffee, I shrugged and told them to make their own at home. When people left their trash on the table, I’d yell for them to leave me tip since I had to clean up their shit. The final straw was when I told a woman she was a terrible parent for buying a frozen coffee for her five-year-old son after he threw himself on the floor in a fit. My boss agreed with me but said we can’t always say what we think to our customers. That was the end of my barista career.
Stack says he already has several students requesting a tutor so he needs me to start right away. I thank him but resist the urge to pout as I make my way up to my seat. I hate the idea of having to start working this week.
“Why the ugly face?” Robert asks as I squeeze past him.
I sigh dramatically as I drop into my seat. “I have to spend my already limited time teaching babies about human anatomy.”
Robert snorts. “You mean Adrian’s still trying to figure out what all the girl parts are for?”
I shake my head, laughing, then explain about having to tutor.
After class, I get ambushed, as Adrian gets his revenge for the surprise lo
usy kiss. Robert and I are walking down the hall, discussing the paper Professor Stack assigned. I’m looking at Robert when I feel someone rush up on me, then put his hands on my biceps. Before I can protest, Adrian is pushing me until I’m against the wall. I look up, ready to show him all kinds of pissed, but my words get stuck when I see the desire in his eyes. As he lifts one hand to my face and places the other at my waist, I swallow the protest.
His mouth crashes into mine and I fist his shirt in my hands, needing something to anchor me. Instantly I discover something unexpected—Adrian can kiss. Not like “oh this is my boyfriend and we like to make out.” No, he kisses like “I’ve done nothing but think about you for weeks and now I’m going to take what I want.”
He moves his hand from my cheek to the back of my head to pull me harder against his mouth.
I need to push him away. I can't stand here in the middle of this hall and let Adrian Elliot… Oh holy crap, his tongue… his hands… the way he's holding on to me, feels like desperation.
Forget pushing him away, I need more. Just as I commit myself to this, he begins to pull away. He gently drags my bottom lip between his teeth, forcing another full body shiver from me.
Through his ragged breaths, Adrian whispers against my lips. “I wanted you to know what it’s really like to be kissed by me.”
I say the only thing I can at that moment. “Do it again.”
I see his mouth curl up on one side a half second before he follows my command. This time I don’t hold back. I drop my hands from his shirt and grab his hips, pulling him closer to the other part of my body that is loving this kiss. I have to physically restrain myself from jumping up and wrapping my legs around his waist. I may be completely falling into this kiss, but I will never admit to him how great it is.
Our Kinda Love Page 4
