by Rye Hart
Ike’s eyes narrowed, and his fists balled at his sides. “You think you can do better than me? With that big ass and those fat thighs?” he spat.
I took an involuntary step backward, and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Never in all the time that we had been together had Ike ever commented negatively on my shape. He’d always told me he loved my curves.
My eyes were finally fully open, and I was seeing him for the manipulative asshole he really was. I could see now, that he was not the boy I’d grown to love. He was a miserable, selfish son of a bitch, and I wasn’t going to put up with him anymore.
“Get out,” I said.
“Gladly. I don’t even know what I’m doing with you anymore anyway. I don’t even love you anymore,” he said with a sneer.
“Get out!” I roared.
Ike grabbed his keys and walked out of my apartment. I was shaking with anger, but still, I felt free. It was easier to breathe, and the silence was comforting. Ike and I were financially intertwined, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do about that. I would have to find a cheaper place, closer to work, and disentangle my life from his once and for all.
But even as the tears flowed, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
I was finally free.
CHAPTER 6
GRANT
It didn’t feel right to stay with Hollis and not do anything, so I set out to fix the steps on his back porch. They were rickety and caving in, and it was a damn accident waiting to happen. I went to the hardware store in town and picked up a few things before grabbing some lumber from the lumberyard, then I set out to make him some decent steps.
I could only be away from work for a few days without things going to shit, and I had no idea how to execute any of my plans. Hell, Theresa wouldn’t even come in and talk to me yesterday, which threw a wrench into things. All these fucking years later and she was still the only girl who had ever touched my heart. I had survived off dreams about her and the few pictures Hollis would send me of the family through email before Laura died.
But having her on that damn porch, hearing the way her voice had settled into a sultry tone and taking in how womanly her curves had become, it had been so damn frustrating, not being able to reach out and fucking touch her.
And the way she stared at me. Oh, that sweet little girl still wanted me. That teenaged rebel inside of her still craved me like she had all those years ago. I was candy to her eyes, and she couldn't get enough of me, and though my ego was just fine, it had given me a boost. Knowing Theresa was still excited by the prospect of me gave me hope that my plan would work. It gave me hope that I could have the life I’d always wanted, even if it did piss off the people around her.
I’d enjoyed the way her eyes trailed along my chest. I worked hard for my body and was unashamed of that fact. And the tattoos? The tattoos were my attempt at channeling my anger into something productive. A way to distract myself from how fucking boring community college had been. And when I covered my chest and back and shoulders in tattoos, I started my business.
I threw all my anger into my business, and it made me very wealthy.
I heard a car pulling into the driveway, so I peeked around the corner of the house. Hollis’ cruiser was pulling up, so I began putting away the tools. I was almost ready to rip out the stairs and install the ones I’d made. I needed to sand down and finish a few more pieces, and it would all be good to go.
“Beers are on me!” Hollis said as he walked around back.
“You finally get laid?” I asked with a grin.
“I’m always getting laid. That’s the great thing about a uniform. But I’ve got better news.”
“What could possibly be better than getting laid? You win the lottery or something? ” I said.
Hollis slapped my shoulder, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“What? What is it?” I asked.
“Theresa broke up with that spineless prick,” Hollis said.
“She what?” I asked.
“She kicked that asshole out the door. She’s finally free of all those years of manipulation and bullshit Ike put her through,” he said.
“Well, good for her,” I said. “What happened? You got details?”
“I don’t fucking need details. All I needed was that idiot gone. And he’s gone, baby. Very, very gone. I’m gonna go get us something to drink because we’re celebrating.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I finish cleaning up here.”
I couldn't believe it. Theresa was single again, and from the sounds of it, that was a good thing. I was glad that she had finally stood up to him and gave him the boot. Part of me wanted to reach out to her, but I wasn’t sure if that would spoil anything. Half of my plan had already worked itself out without any personal intervention on my part.
And if Hollis knew I was here over some email that told me she needed me, he’d have my fucking head.
It had started at Laura’s funeral. Ike was there with Theresa, and something felt off. He held her a little too tightly and tried to steer her where he wanted her to go instead of where she wanted to go. He always kept her close, and his hand was always on her, as if he was a puppet master pulling her strings. Everyone was so distraught with grief that they couldn't see it, but I could.
Ike was a controlling, manipulative bastard. And there was no one looking out for Theresa.
More than ever, I knew he was the reason behind that email. That anonymous piece of electronic mail with that one fucking line begging me to come up and help her. I now knew what the person was talking about. And if I had anything to do or say about it, she’d forget all about that pathetic piece of shit by the time I left town.
Theresa deserved better, even if I couldn't have her.
I promised myself when I arrived that I would do everything in my power to make sure she was safe before I left to go home.
But now that Theresa was single and away from him, I could go back to Boston and get back to work. I enjoyed getting my hands dirty on the job. I enjoyed putting up the walls to people’s homes and businesses. Whenever I felt the need to punch something, that was what I did. I built instead of destroying. It was a productive outlet for my anger, and it kept me from running out of skin to tattoo.
I couldn't stay.
Though something inside me wanted to.
“Get in here and open the damn beer, Grant!”
“I’m coming, Hollis. Hold up,” I said.
“And you need to take a fucking shower. We’re going out with some girls tonight.”
I furrowed my brow as I pulled myself up onto Hollis’ deck.
“Girls?” I asked as I plucked the beer from the kitchen counter.
“Jane!”
“Are you finally gonna fuck her like you wanted to do all those years ago?” I asked.
“You never know. She might have a thing for uniforms, too,” he said. “So chug that damn beer, get a shower, and let’s go find out.”
I took a quick shower and got changed before Hollis, and I headed out. We hopped into my blacked-out Jaguar and rode off to the bar. It was the place Hollis, and I always frequented in our teenage years. Back when we were younger, they were notorious for serving underage kids. It looked like they had cracked down on things over the years, but the memories were still sweet as pie.
I’d lost my damn virginity in the bathroom of that fucking place.
“Ready?” Hollis asked.
“We just meeting Jane?”
“I know she’s going to be here and that’s all I care about. But don’t worry, Granty-boy. We’ll find you, someone.”
He patted my shoulder, and I shook my head before we got out of the car. My eyes fell along the pavement, and a grin spread across my face when I saw them. There was Jane, with her slender form and her long legs and her wispy red hair.
And standing beside her was Theresa.
Gawking as I stepped out of the car.
The grin Jane had on her face caused me to double-take
before my eyes fell back onto Theresa. Hollis approached Jane, and I watched her immediately turn her attention to the man. He slid his arm around her neck and led her inside, and I saw the way Jane melted into him.
Oh, yeah.
They were going to fuck.
“Theresa,” I said.
“Grant,” she said breathlessly.
“Still can’t find that voice of yours?”
I watched her blush before I held my hand out. She turned on her heels and walked in front of me into the bar, and I held the door open for her. My eyes fell to her swaying ass, causing the veins in my cock to pulse. I drew in a deep breath, trying to control myself as best as I could.
I’d be lucky if I could make it through the night with my hands clean.
CHAPTER 7
THERESA
I couldn’t believe Hollis brought Grant. Was he insane? I called Hollis and Jane so they could come out and celebrate my newfound freedom. I wanted to have a few drinks and forget about my terrible day yesterday, and Hollis brought Grant? What in the world was he thinking? I didn’t want to talk about my breakup with Ike in front of Grant. He would think I was weak. Stupid. Idiotic for clinging to a man like that for so long.
I didn’t want Grant seeing me in that kind of light.
I tried to put it behind me. Yes, I’d put up with Ike’s ridiculous and possessive behavior for too long, but I had finally put my foot down. It didn’t matter that what he’d said about my figure had wounded me more deeply than I’d cared to admit. I tried to tell myself that it was just another one of his manipulative tactics – make it look like the breakup was all my fault.
But still, a part of me was self-conscious about it now. I didn’t want to put that in front of someone like Grant.
We walked to a table where Hollis ordered four shots and turned to hand them out to us. “To new beginnings,” Hollis said.
“To fresh starts,” Jane said.
“To men who deserve you,” Grant said.
My eyes locked with his as I held up my glass.
“Yeah,” I said. “To all of that.”
We clinked glasses, and my eyes fell to my drink. I was nervous with Grant being there. I didn’t want to talk about it with him around. I knew Jane and Hollis were waiting for me to fill them in on all the details, but I felt lightheaded. My heart was slamming too hard against my chest. I felt like I was going to puke even though I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“So?” Jane asked. “What happened?”
“I finally got tired of his bullshit,” I said. “I told him it was over.”
“What did he say?” Hollis asked.
No way in hell I was answering that question. “Does it matter?” I asked. “What matters is we aren’t a thing anymore.”
“What did he say to you?” Jane asked, her eyes narrowed. It was annoying sometimes how well she could read me.
“It’s not important, okay?”
I lifted my eyes to Grant quickly before I took a sip of the drink Jane had handed me.
“Do you want to know what it looked like from the outside?” Hollis asked.
“No. But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway,” I said.
“He was manipulative and controlling, Theresa. Always telling you what to wear and policing where you were all the damn time. You couldn’t even come over to my house for an hour without him texting you five or six different times.”
“I know,” I said.
“And remember that time when I finally got you out of the apartment?” Jane asked. “When we went dancing that night at the studio?”
“I do,” I said.
“Yeah. Ike made you change your outfit three times because he didn’t like what you were wearing, and he wasn’t even going with us, Theresa. It was insane.”
“He did that?” Grant asked.
I groaned as I threw back the rest of my drink. “It wasn’t that he made me, it was that I didn’t want to fight about it,” I said, hating how pathetic it all sounded.
“He’s abusive, and I’m glad you’re finally away from him,” Hollis said.
“Yeah, well. I’m going to have to find a new place to stay. And I’ll have to separate our phone bills and divvy up credit card debt with him. We were together for eight years. Our lives were intertwined,” I said.
“And we’ll help you with all of that,” Jane said.
“Yeah, and if you need to, you can move in with me,” Hollis offered.
“You guys must think I’m completely incompetent when it comes to taking care of myself,” I said.
“No, but you did stay with a man who openly manipulated and controlled you for eight years,” Jane said.
“And if I recall correctly, you were in his corner all throughout high school,” I said bitterly.
“Because he wasn’t an asshole in high school,” Jane said.
“Can we just stop? Look, I’m sorry. Grant, it’s great you’re back in town. But I didn’t realize you were coming to this little pow-wow of ours. And I’m not—”
The waitress set another drink in front of me. I gulped it down before she even left the table.
“So can we talk about something else? Anything else?” I asked. “I feel like an idiot for not doing something about this sooner. And since Grant is here, we should find out what’s been going on in his life since Dad chased him out of our house.”
I knew the bitterness was heavy in my voice, but I didn’t care. The alcohol was loosening my lips, and I had no intentions of playing down how good it was to be in Grant’s presence again. If this was a fresh start, then I wanted to keep moving forward.
“Why are you here anyway?” Jane asked.
“Hollis invited me,” Grant said.
“No, I mean why are you back in town?”
“He needed a break from his business,” Hollis said. “Apparently, running your own bajillion-dollar construction conglomerate gets rough.”
My eyes fluttered up to Grant’s, and he panned his gaze over to mine.
“You have your own business?” I asked.
“I do.”
“What’s it called?”
“Second Wind Construction,” he said.
“Anyone need another beer? I need another beer,” Hollis said.
“I could use one,” Grant said.
“Me, too,” Jane said.
I threw back my third drink and handed the glass to Hollis. He eyed me carefully before shrugging his shoulders, then he disappeared into the growing crowd. I could feel the warmth of the alcohol flooding my veins, and suddenly I was painfully aware of the way Grant was looking at me.
I avoided his gaze, but I also felt something creeping closer to me underneath the table.
“Okay, now that he’s gone. Why are you really here?” Jane asked.
“He told you. My business is—”
“I might look dumb, but I’m not,” Jane said.
“Jane, calm down,” I said.
“I want to know why Grant’s popped back up on the radar. Why can’t I know that?”
“Because you always think there’s a story when there’s not. It’s the journalist in you.”
“So you’re a writer?” Grant asked.
“Yep. Work for the town newspaper. Full time.”
“Impressive. Do you do P.R. work?”
“I can,” she said.
“I’m looking for a P.R. representative for my company. Wanna send me your resume?” Grant asked.
“Wanna tell me why you’re really in town?” Jane asked.
“I needed to get away for a little bit, and I decided to check in on some people. That so hard to believe?” Grant asked.
I watched Jane squint her eyes as Hollis came back to the table.
“Three beers and another appletini for the recently-single lady.”
“Thanks, I think,” I said.
“I’ll take it for now,” Jane said.
“What? The beer?” Hollis asked.
“No. Yo
u,” she said with a grin.
“Can you two not do that in front of me?” I asked.
“Can we do it behind you?” Jane asked.
“I’m honestly surprised you haven’t already. I mean, you’ve wanted to since we were teenagers,” I said with a grin.
“Wait. Teenagers?” Hollis asked, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.
Jane glared at me as I sipped on my fourth drink.
“Oops, did I say that out loud?” I said.
All of us played musical chairs so Jane could cuddle up to Hollis. The two were talking softly to themselves, and I was painfully aware of how close Grant and I were in the booth. Hollis dragged Jane over to talk to one of his cop buddies, which left me alone with Grant, and even though we didn’t speak, I could feel his eyes on my body.
Gazing down at me with his seductive brown stare.
By the time I finished my fourth drink, I was practically leaning on him. Alcohol on an empty stomach was not a good idea. I was sweating, and my hand was starting to meander. Without realizing what I was doing, my fingertips traced designs on top of Grant’s leg, and I could feel the chiseled strength of his thigh.
I also realized that he was making no move to stop me.
I could hear the bar bustling around us, but all I was focused on was the way Grant slid his arm around my waist. His fingertips traced lines along my hips as I leaned further into his body. I pressed my cheek against his sculpted chest and relished how he held me.
He didn’t control me.
He simply cradled me.
My eyes were nearly closed when I heard Jane’s voice off in the distance. She was telling Grant to take me home. She was leaving with Hollis, but I didn’t care. My best friend had had that crush on my brother for years, and it was about damn time I could finally stop hearing about her desire for him.
“Come on,” Grant said into my ear. “Let’s get you home.”
He picked me up effortlessly in his arms, and I slid into his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him as he carried me to his car. He dipped me down into the backseat, and I laid my head down, watching as the world spun around me. I rattled off my address and drifted in and out of sleep, but with every passing second, I could feel myself sobering up.
