“You are just…I can’t even…GAH!”
I held my hands up in surrender and slowly took a step back. “Okay. It’s okay. Just…calm down,” I spoke gently, like I was trying to soothe an angry bear.
“Oh, fuck off!” She waved her hand at me in frustration and continued to pace. “You’re something else. You know that?”
How she said it led me to believe she didn’t mean it as a compliment.
“Baby, you’re gonna have to give me something more to go on if you want me to figure out what you’re talking about.”
“I ran into Matt at Target tonight.”
“Who the hell is Matt?” I asked, jealousy immediately forming a hard knot in my gut.
“Matt, you know, the guy you convinced I was a hardcore feminist and preferred to pay for my own meals? That Matt!”
Oh, shit, not good.
“You mean Mark?” As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them. Fuck me and my stupid mouth.
“What the hell ever! Matt, Mark. Doesn’t matter! He told me what you did. You’ve been sabotaging my dates, you asshole!”
“Okay, now, just calm down. Ouch! Damn it, Lizzy!” I rubbed at my arm where she’d just pulled a bunch of tiny hairs out. Damn, my girl was in a mood tonight.
“I can’t believe you’d do something like that. What the hell were you thinking, calling all those guys and lying about me?”
Okay, the jig was up, best to just beg forgiveness. “I’m sorry,” I replied lamely as I ran my hands through my hair anxiously.
“You’re sorry? That’s the best you can do?” Her hip was popped out, hands resting on her waist. Not a good stance. It was a woman’s fighting stance.
“Look,” I started, hoping she’d be willing to hear me out. “I know it was an asshole thing to do—”
“No shit, dickhead.”
Okay, she wasn’t going to make this easy. My agitation bubbled up at her stubborn attitude. “Damn, woman, don’t you get it? I did it for you!”
She gave me an indelicate snort. “Please. How in the hell was that for me?”
“First of all, those guys were all losers. I mean, seriously, did you go online and just search out any douchebag you could find?”
“That’s not—”
“You were too good for all of them and you know it,” I interrupted, my frustration with this maddening woman growing by the second. “I’ve been chasing you around like a goddamned schmuck since I met you! And when you started dating those idiots, I decided it was time I finally did something about it.”
“Well, excuse me for not thinking I held your interest over all the other women you’ve been screwing!”
I finally snapped. “What women?” I bellowed. “For fuck’s sake, Lizzy! There have been no other women! Yes, when I first moved here, I took what was offered to me. I was a single man, so sue me. A few women made themselves available and I took them up on it like any unattached man would. But there hasn’t been anyone since I got to know you!” I could see the minute realization finally hit. Thank Christ! It took her stubborn ass long enough. I took her hands in mine and pulled her down onto a stool, taking a seat on the one next to her.
“It’s only you, cher. It’s only been you since we met. It’s always going to be you. I haven’t been with another woman since I realized that.” I spoke with the same conviction I felt deep in my bones. And I could see she was finally starting to believe me.
“Well, you didn’t have to sabotage my dates to prove your point,” she grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest and sticking her lip out, because my girl wasn’t one to easily concede when she was wrong.
Smiling at how well I knew her, I closed the distance between us and wrapped her in my arms. “I love you,” I muttered against her lips, enjoying the feel of her body slowly relaxing in my arms.
“I love you, too,” she mumbled. I could tell she still wasn’t totally ready to relinquish the fight.
I knew the one thing that would melt her icy demeanor completely, and I wasn’t above using everything to my benefit. Pulling her body flush to mine, I pressed my lips against hers, taking the kiss I’d been craving since the minute she walked through the door.
The moment her lips opened on a moan, my tongue dove in to her sweet, warm mouth. Every time we kissed I couldn’t help but savor the taste of her. Her tongue pushed against my own, meeting mine stroke for delectable stroke. I had touched every inch of her body. I had kissed every inch of her beautiful skin. I had made love to her in all different positions and places. And it would never get old.
“I should still be mad at you,” she said, breathless as she snaked her arms around my neck, sliding her fingers into my hair as I kissed my way down her neck to her collarbone.
“You can be mad at me after. But right now, I need to be inside you,” I told her as I grabbed hold of her perfect ass, lifting her up so she had to wrap her legs around my waist and hold on.
“Take me to bed,” she said against my lips before her tongue dove between them and fought for dominance with my own. She didn’t have to tell me twice. Keeping a death-grip on my girl while our mouths stayed fused together, I started making my way in the direction of the stairs, not caring what got taken out as I walked blindly through the house. I couldn’t give up the taste of Lizzy, even for the few seconds it would have taken to make it up to the bedroom. There was nothing seductive about our trek from the kitchen to the bedroom. We took out tables, knocked pictures from the wall as we bumped into anything and everything. I’m pretty sure a lamp was caught in the crosshairs, as well. But we never broke the kiss until we made it to the bed.
Dropping Lizzy onto the mattress, I savored the giggles that came from her as she bounced twice on the bed. There wasn’t a more beautiful sound in the world than my woman’s laughter.
Quickly whipping my shirt off my body, I collapsed on top of her and began devouring her mouth again when a sound from the foot of the bed pulled our attention away from each other.
“What the hell?”
Lizzy erupted into laughter when she turned her head and saw Merle and Mr. Bojangles lying on the foot of the bed, staring at us with what I could only describe as curious expressions on their faces.
“Get out!” I shouted at the two most cock-blocking pets I’d ever met. They hopped down and casually strolled out of the bedroom, taking their sweet time as they went. “Glad you find this so funny,” I fussed as I turned back to see Lizzy still laughing.
“Ah, let me kiss it all better,” she cooed as she pulled my face back to hers. Our bodies were a tangle of flailing limbs as we worked frantically to undress each other. No matter the number of times we’d been together, the moment our bodies connected was a pleasure like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Every time was better than the last, to the point that I was afraid sex with Lizzy would one day kill me. But what a way to go!
I lifted up and looked down into her beautiful green gaze. “How could you ever think I’d get tired of this?” I was in awe of this woman. From the top of her red head all the way down to her painted toes, she was pure perfection to me. I couldn’t have picked a better woman to spend the rest of my life with. It was as if she was created solely for me alone.
“Every time I open my eyes and look at you it feels the same as the first day we met.” I grabbed her hand and placed it against my chest so she could feel my rapid heartbeat. “You do this to me. No one else. Never anyone else.” I needed her to understand the effect she had over me. She’d told me once that I was the only one who could hurt her. Well, she was the only person on the face of the earth with the power to completely destroy me. She had everything I was in the palm of her hand. There wasn’t a second of the day that I regretted my decision to rip myself open for her. I’d gladly do it again and again just for the chance to look into those eyes and see love radiating back at me, even if it was only a second.
She blinked and a lone tear trickled down her temple into that fiery mass of hair. “I lo
ve you,” she whispered up at me, and that was all I needed. That was all I’d ever need.
If only everything could stay the way it was in that exact moment, life would be perfect.
But things rarely ever worked out the way we hoped for.
Marissa had texted me at least three times a day in as many days. It got to the point where I cringed every time my phone dinged with another alert.
Each text consisted of basically the same thing.
I need to see you.
We need to talk.
I’m not leaving until you talk to me.
Yeah, over my dead, rotting, zombie-resurrected body would I be talking to that scorpion woman. But that wasn’t what had me so stressed. It was the fact that I was keeping it all a secret from Lizzy. Not only was she completely unaware that my ex was texting me, but she also had no clue whatsoever that I even had an ex who was staying in Cloverleaf.
Should I have manned the hell up and told her what was going on from day one? Hell to the yeah. But I was a guy. It was engrained in our DNA to do stupid shit on a daily basis. The male population wasn’t exactly known for making smart decisions on the regular, you know.
So instead of doing the smart thing, I hid it all from her and prayed Marissa being there wouldn’t blow up in my face. I’d also prayed that she’d get the hint and take her J. Crew-wearing ass back to Louisiana. But it seemed that the more I ignored her texts, the more persistent she became. I should have known she wouldn’t go away. But like I said, men are stupid. It was wishful thinking on my part that when I’d gone nearly an entire day without another dreaded text, I was in the clear.
Yeah, not so much.
“Uh, Trev. You’ve got someone here to see you.”
I looked up from the computer in my office at Ink Addictz to see Mitch, one of my tattoo artists, standing in the doorway.
“Kinda busy here man. Is it someone you can handle?”
Mickey had been out sick for the last two days with some kind of stomach virus, leaving the shop overrun.
“No can do, boss. I got my own clients lined up back to back as it is. But something tells me this chick isn’t here lookin’ to get ink.”
At his comment, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. No one came in here unless they were friends or planning to get a tattoo. That only left one person.
I stood from my chair and walked on heavy feet to the front of the shop. Marissa leaned against the front counter like she owned the damn place, playing around on her phone without a care in the world. I stood frozen for a few seconds as her gaze slowly slid from the screen over to me, a self-serving smile spread across her painted lips.
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?” I grated out, not bothering to hide my animosity from anyone else in the shop. All I could think was thank Christ Mickey wasn’t working. I’d have a hell of a mess to clean up if she’d been here to witness whatever drama was about to go down.
“I told you I needed to talk to you. You haven’t returned any of my messages.”
“That’s because I don’t have a goddamned thing to say to you other than get the fuck out.”
Dropping her phone into her designer purse, she turned to face me fully and propped her hands on her hips. “I’m not leaving until we talk. If you want to have this out in front of all these people, that’s fine with me. But I’m not going anywhere, Trevor.”
Her eyes were full of determination; she wasn’t messing around. Marissa was never a shy girl. She’d have no problem airing our dirty laundry to anyone who wanted to stick around to listen. Manipulation was something ingrained in her DNA from birth. It was a trait she’d only improved upon the older she got.
I scanned the shop, letting out a relieved breath that the waiting area wasn’t packed to capacity with curious onlookers.
Grabbing hold of her elbow, I pulled Marissa through the shop and into my office, slamming the door behind us.
“You have two minutes. Say whatever the hell it is you’ve got to say.” No point in dragging this shit out any longer than I had to. She could say her piece then get out. I’d rather light myself on fire than have to stand in her presence longer than absolutely necessary.
Marissa slowly lowered herself down onto the couch against the wall and crossed one leg over the other, swinging her dainty, high-heeled foot in a circle.
“Honestly, Trevor, is that any way to talk to someone you used to be so intimately acquainted with?”
Pressure built to a dull throb behind my eyes, the headache coming on so strong my skull felt like it was about to explode. I squeezed my eyes shut on a heavy sigh and began massaging my temples.
“For the love of God. Will you please just get to the point already?” I was desperate for this woman to get lost in a bad way.
My eyes were still shut when the sound of her heels on the concrete floor sounded through the room but jolted open in surprise when her hand came up and rested against my chest. The expression on her face was one I was so familiar with, a look that used to do me in whenever I saw it, a look that made my skin crawl now as I stared down at her, wondering what her motives were.
“I miss you, baby,” she said softly as she looked up at me from under her lashes, appearing so sad and helpless. But I knew better now. That look was pure bullshit. Marissa Boudreaux wasn’t capable of human emotion. She was a soul-sucking nightmare, and whatever her reason was for being in this room, throwing me those doe eyes, I knew it was not good.
Not good at all.
My jaw dropped in shock at her bold statement, and all I could do was stand stuck in place for several seconds as her dragon claws trailed up my chest and snaked around my neck.
“I want you back,” she purred as she lifted on her tiptoes to get closer until her body was nearly flush with my own and her breath fanned across my face. “I’ve missed us, Trevor. Come back home with me, baby.”
Her lips puckered up for a kiss as she leaned further in, the heat from her body so close to mine effectively pulling me out of my stupor.
Grabbing hold of her arms, I shoved her back violently. “What the fuck? Are you out of your mind?” I roared, instantly furious that she’d think, for even a second, that she had any right to touch me.
The sadness in her gaze quickly morphed into something else, something much more sinister when it came to Marissa. It was a look of determination. And a determined Marissa could mean disastrous things for anyone who crossed her path.
“You loved me once,” she said. “I can make you feel like that again, babe. Just give me a chance.” She took a step toward me, but I still had a hold on her arms, keeping her at a distance.
“I never loved you,” I told her, my voice full of warning. “I loved what I thought you were. I loved the lie you created in order to manipulate me to get what you wanted. If I’d have known this cold-hearted bitch was what lay beyond the exterior, there’s no way in Hell I’d have ever fallen for you.”
“You saw the real me,” she insisted. “I can give you back the woman you fell in love with. You asked me to marry you, Trevor. We were engaged. You don’t propose to a woman you don’t love.”
She couldn’t be serious. A curtain of red blanketed my vision as my anger took over, controlling ever fiber in my body. My hands clenched around her arms, squeezing tighter than was comfortable judging by her cringing face as I jerked her toward me.
“I proposed to you because you told me you were pregnant with my baby,” I hissed between clenched teeth. Her eyes widened a fraction as fury radiated off me in waves.
“You lied to me, told me we were having a baby just so you and my father could con me into going to work for him. But you’re fucked-up plan didn’t work, did it? Y’all didn’t get what you wanted.” I couldn’t help the maniacal laughter that rose from deep in my chest. “I screwed up your precious plan when I enlisted, didn’t I?”
Marissa’s eyes narrowed, her own anger quickly replacing her fear. “You’re making a huge mistake, Trevor. You don
’t belong here.”
That caused another laugh to burst free. “And where do I belong? With you?” I asked incredulously. “You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m walking away from what I’ve got now for you. Lizzy is a million times the woman you will ever be.”
“You belong back with your family,” she responded adamantly. “You should be at your father’s side, ready to take over the company you’ve deserved since you were born. That was your family legacy, Trevor. And you threw it all away, and for what? To run off and play hero in the Marine Corps?” Her lips curled in disgust as she spoke. “You need to come home. Come back with me and we can start over. We can build the life we were going to have together.” She smiled and reached up to cup my cheeks.
Taking hold of her wrists, I pulled her hands away and took a step back.
“Get out, Marissa. Get the fuck out of my shop and out of my town. Stop texting me. Lose my number and never come back here. I’m done with you and my father.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.
“I know he put you up to this. I don’t know why, but I know he’s behind you being here right now. If I was willing to lay money, I’d guess the two of you were still fucking, and you’re here to do his dirty work since he knows I won’t listen to a goddamned thing he has to say.”
Her silence was all the confirmation I needed. I let out a bark of humorless laughter. “I’m not even surprised. You cheated on me with the old bastard and lied about being pregnant just to try and trap me into working for him. I see the years haven’t done anything but turn you into an even bigger bitch. Looks like I should count myself lucky I never got stuck with you.” I turned for the door, ready to pull it open and shove her out.
“The company’s going under!” she spat out desperately. “Your dad made some bad investments and now there’s hardly any money left. He needs you, Trevor.”
Right then everything became crystal clear. Turning back around, I faced the woman who’d betrayed me with my very own father. “You mean he needs my money. The money I’ve earned running a degenerate tattoo shop in a Podunk little town, right?” I scoffed, using the very same words my own father had.
Pushing the Boundaries (Picking up the Pieces #3) Page 18
