Not Just Friends (Brookfield)

by Wolfe, Lacey

  “I might as well follow you.”

  Cody shook his head. “I want some time alone with him.”

  Alyssa nodded and understood. Cody was not only wanting to get to the bottom of it, but he was the brother of the two women this man was messing with. Good luck to Matt by the time Cody got done with him.

  * * * *

  Connor sat at his desk doodling on a sheet of paper. He was doing his best to listen to the client on the other end go on and on about his worries with the stock market. Connor needed to reassure his client that things were fine on Wall Street and not to move stock, but all he could think about was Alyssa and how she must have felt when she found someone sleeping in The Reading Corner.

  He supposed he should be relieved it was only her ex, but that seemed to bother him much more than if it was some bum. He was falling hard for Alyssa, and fast. Sure, they’d been friends for a few years, so it wasn’t like they didn’t know one another. Alyssa knew more about him than most of his guy friends. But that didn’t put him at ease about the way he longed for her. To touch her. Smell her. Taste her.

  Connor caught himself from groaning. He was positive his client wouldn’t appreciate it.

  “Listen, your stocks are fine. I understand your concern and I suppose the president’s speech didn’t help, but from what I can see, things are fine. Your stocks are growing. You’re not losing.” Connor dropped the pencil.

  “I want to believe you,” his client said.

  “Then do it. Isn’t that what you pay me for? If you’re not making money, I’m not either.”

  “You’ve got a point. Okay, okay, I’ll stop complaining.”

  Finally. But it had been one of those days. It seemed like whenever the president addressed the country, people went frantic. You would think they’d feel reassured. “If anything changes, I’ll call you immediately.”

  “I know you will, Mr. Phillips. Have a good day.”

  Connor put the phone back on the hook and leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. He had one more meeting and then he could leave. Could he get out of it? Doubtful. But he was sure Alyssa was fine. Her brother had been there and he would keep her safe.

  One thing Connor did know was he hated the idea of Alyssa’s ex being back in town. Even though he was sure Alyssa didn’t want Matt, jealousy still filled his veins knowing that she had once been involved with him.

  * * * *

  Alyssa pulled up to Cody’s house. Sitting in her car for a few minutes, she took long breaths to compose herself. It had taken a bit longer than she expected for Cody to contact her, but as soon as he did, she was out the door and headed to his place. Hopefully they’d have their answers and could send Matt’s sorry butt back to Diane, and they could live happily ever after or whatever.

  She climbed out the car and up the steps to the older home. She knocked lightly on the door and heard Cody call for her to come in. As she entered his place, she saw the two men sitting on the couch. Matt looked rough. His blond hair was a mess.

  “Come on in and have a seat.” Cody motioned toward the couch.

  She took a seat on the opposite end from Matt.

  “I’m sorry,” Matt began, “I’ve been sleeping in my car. I knew you weren’t open on Mondays, so I thought I could get some rest in your store.”

  “How did you get in?” she asked.

  “I still have my key to your place.”

  “Did you go through my home?” He must have. The key to the front of the store was different. She needed to get her locks changed ASAP.

  “I’m really sorry.”

  “I can’t believe this.” Anger boiled within her.

  “Calm down, Alyssa,” Cody chimed in.

  She shot her brother a glare of death. “Your place wasn’t violated.”

  “If you’d be quiet for all of five minutes, maybe we could get to the bottom of this.”

  “Fine, whatever.” Alyssa crossed her arms and slumped back on the couch.

  “I left Diane, as you have probably already figured out,” Matt said.

  “And she’s knocked up,” Alyssa retorted.

  “Alyssa,” Cody snapped.

  “I’m quiet.”

  “I know she’s pregnant. It isn’t mine.”

  Had she heard him right? Was he accusing Diane of screwing around on him?

  “I was trying to find somewhere to stay. A hotel or whatever. I was stupidly sharing a bank account with Diane and she reported my card stolen when I left.”

  Sounded like something her sister would do.

  “I’ve been sleeping in my car. My back hurts. I needed to stretch out and really sleep. I still had the key to your place, so I went through your home and down to the shop. It was wrong, I know. I should’ve told you. But you wouldn’t have let me if I had.”

  “You’ve got that right. You’ve been a pretty big jerk to me since you came into town.” Something in Alyssa’s gut had a red flag going up again.

  “You’re special to me and I never meant to hurt you,” Matt started.

  “You’re not confessing your love to my sister in front of me,” Cody interjected.

  “I don’t want to hear it anyway. Something seems off. I need to talk to Diane.”

  “You never believe me,” Matt snapped.

  “You’ve not given me a reason to.”

  “Cut it out,” Cody interrupted. “Geesh. I get it, Alyssa, the wounds aren’t fully closed. But is arguing going to solve anything?”

  She shook her head, knowing her brother was right. This wasn’t going to solve anything. “I’m sorry you’ve fallen on hard times, Matt. Maybe if you’d asked, I would’ve let you take a nap. Doubtful, but you never know. Can’t your family help you out?”

  “They don’t know I’m back in town.”

  Something told Alyssa that Matt didn’t want anyone knowing where he was. Besides Connor, she was the only one who had really seen him so far. He was obviously hiding out and didn’t want to be found. It didn’t make any sense though. If Diane was pregnant with another man’s child, why would Matt not want to be found? Diane couldn’t make him marry her.

  There was another side of this story, which meant she was going to have to talk to her sister—again. Couldn’t life be a little uncomplicated right now? She was starting something with Connor and she’d really like to enjoy whatever it was without a care in the world. Just her luck.

  “I assume you want us to come up with some plan for him?” she asked Cody.

  “He’s going to stay here for now.”

  Alyssa glanced at Matt, who seemed content with this. “I’m going to get out of your hair then and go home. It’s been quite the day off.” She stood, rubbing her arms. “Call if you need me, okay, Cody?”

  “Yup.”

  Alyssa took one last peek at Matt, who was lounged back on the couch, a hand behind his head. Something in his eyes told her she needed to call Diane soon and find out what was really going on.

  Then again, she could hear Connor’s voice in the back of her head. How is this your problem?

  Chapter Twelve

  That evening, Connor sat on the couch in Alyssa’s apartment, eating a once-frozen meal of sorts. She’d explained the day’s events to him and like her, he thought there was more to the story. While he couldn’t tell her to let it go, since it dealt with her sister, he wished in some way he could take away everything that might cause her pain ahead.

  With his fork, he stirred the noodles in the brown mixture and took a bite. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a microwavable meal. He wasn’t sure how Alyssa survived on these. While it wasn’t the worst thing he’d tasted, it certainly wasn’t the best.

  “Read anything good lately?” he asked, hoping to get her mind off things.

  “I’d planned to read most of today after my errands. My favorite author just released a new novella. I had it downloaded and ready on my eReader. Maybe tonight.”

  “I’ve got different plans for t
onight.” He winked.

  “Oh, really? What?”

  He set his and her containers onto the coffee table and pulled her to him. “I want to eat you for my meal instead.”

  Her cheeks flushed as what he was requesting registered in her mind. She didn’t speak, leaving him the opportunity to take her lips for his pleasure. At first the kiss was light, but then he felt her body begin to relax and she opened herself up to him.

  Connor pushed Alyssa back so she lay on the couch. He nudged her legs apart and settled between them, never breaking the kiss. Her hands wrapped around his neck and deepened the kiss.

  Desire shot through him and the need to take her took over. Connor pulled away from the kiss to try and compose himself. Looking down at Alyssa’s swollen red lips, he groaned.

  “I don’t know how you do this to me, but I feel like a fifteen-year-old boy.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “Hell, no!”

  Alyssa giggled. “I think that might be some sort of compliment.”

  Connor reached down and began to unbutton her jeans. He then slid them, along with her panties, down. “Now to get back on track.”

  She looked away as he pushed her thighs apart. He reached up and laid a hand lightly on her cheek, titling her head back toward him. “Look at me. Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  “I don’t usually do these things in the light.”

  “Ah, a lights-off kinda girl.” He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips before speaking, “It’s a whole new experience when you watch.”

  * * * *

  Connor’s lips trailed back down Alyssa’s body. He hadn’t even touched her sensitive spot yet, and she had this urge to grind her hips in an upward motion to meet him.

  And then it happened. His tongue touched her moist center and she could no longer think. All she could do was feel.

  “Look at me,” he commanded.

  With her eyes closed, she shook her head. She wasn’t ready to watch. This was too naughty and seeing him doing that, she wasn’t sure she could ever look him in the face again.

  He stopped with the pleasant tongue torture. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No,” she said breathlessly.

  “Then do as I asked.”

  Taking a deep breath, she did as he wanted and saw him between her legs. Her knees were propped up and Connor stared back at her with a boyish grin. His face then disappeared and all she saw was the top of his head.

  The force to move her hips took over and very lightly she pushed them to meet his mouth. Watching brought a whole new level to this, especially when he’d peek a glance at her.

  But then he started to do something with his mouth and finger and Alyssa couldn’t watch any longer. Her nails dug into the couch and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Pleasure tore through her at so rapid a pace she felt as though she were having an out-of-body experience.

  Once it stopped, she relaxed and tried to catch her breath. At some point as she rode out the orgasm, she’d quit breathing.

  As she sat up, she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and placed it over her lap. Connor grinned at her and took a sip of his drink. She was about to lean forward and see what she could do to please him, but he stopped her.

  “I wish I had time to do more, but I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow and need to head home.”

  “You should’ve brought your clothes with you.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” His tone gave her a feeling of unease. “I’ve never done what you and I are doing before.”

  “And what are we doing?”

  “A relationship.”

  Butterflies started to flutter around in her belly. Maybe she was more than just one of his latest conquests, and everything he’d been saying wasn’t only lines to get her in the sack.

  “I really like you, Alyssa. I’ve never had the feelings I have for you with anyone else.” He raked his hands though his hair. “Just be patient with me as I learn how to be a boyfriend.”

  Boyfriend! Excitement built in her and it was almost impossible not to let the giddy feeling take over. “Luckily for you, I have something else distracting me at this moment. But I think slow is good.”

  Connor cupped her face and planted a kiss on her lips. “You’re special.”

  She wasn’t sure what was so special about her, but somehow, to Connor she was.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow around lunch. That sound okay?” he asked as he cleaned up his dinner and took it into the kitchen.

  “Yeah, I’ll be at the shop most of tomorrow alone. Tina’s in classes all day.”

  “Perfect.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll pop in sometime. A book’s releasing I want to get my hands on.”

  Alyssa smiled. “I know. It’s already put aside for you. I could go down and get it, if you wanted.”

  “I don’t think so, then you take away my excuse for coming to see you.”

  They kissed once more before Connor left. Alyssa settled onto the couch, cuddling up with the blanket. She should clean up her own dinner and then call Diane, but at the moment she simply didn’t care one bit about her sister and her problems. Her life was going great and she wanted to bask in it.

  * * * *

  The day of the author signing was only a few days away now. The Reading Corner was having nonstop business. In fact, Alyssa had to have Julie overnight her more books. She couldn’t keep the darn things on the shelf. The author Tracey Peters was certainly getting the attention she deserved. She expected this place to be a mad house come the weekend.

  The door to the shop opened and Cody strolled in.

  “What’s up?” Alyssa greeted.

  “I brought you a coffee. Saw how crazy it’s been over here.”

  “Aw, thanks.” She took the paper cup from him. “And no, I haven’t called Diane yet. I just haven’t had the time with everything going on. Soon, I promise.”

  “Can I watch the place while you do? She’s blowing up my phone. I’m surprised she hasn’t called you.”

  “Once. But of course it was during a rush here.” She took a sip of her coffee. “You know, it’s nice being busy for a change. Diane created this problem, and she’s wallowing in it.”

  “Yes, but now I’m involved. I have Matt sleeping on my couch each night. And he’s a slob. I don’t know what either of you were thinking.”

  Alyssa giggled. “Still can’t get him to go see his family?”

  “No and it makes no sense.”

  “I promise I’ll call Diane today. And then we can send Matt packing.”

  “I’m holding you to that promise.”

  The door opened and a group of women walked in.

  “I’ll get out of your hair. Talk to you later.” Cody gave a slight wave and left.

  Just as Alyssa suspected, the women were there for the book that was the talk of the town. Two of them bought another book with it. The check-out went smooth and they were back on their way.

  Alyssa went to straighten up the display and add a few new books to it. Since the store was slow at the moment, she went around to check the shelves and put misplaced books back where they needed to be.

  Tina was due any moment and Alyssa couldn’t wait. Her stomach was growling and she needed to just sit down and relax. Tina had a friend coming in with her to work temporarily as they got through this. Alyssa couldn’t believe her small bookstore was actually at the point where she had to consider hiring someone else. This was likely to blow over once the hype ended, but she’d take it.

  The door up front jingled. Alyssa came out of the aisle, expecting to see Tina, but instead, a tall man stood there.

  “Hi, can I help you?” Alyssa asked.

  “I’m looking for Alyssa Duncan.”

  “You found her. You are?”

  “I’m Tom Jackson.”

  “Nice to meet you, Tom. Is there a book I can get for you?” The way this man was looking at her was creeping her out.

  “No. I
was hoping you could help me find Matt.”

  “Matt? What do you need him for?”

  “Have you seen him?”

  Alyssa wasn’t sure what to tell him. She reached into her back pocket and removed her cell phone. She needed to call Cody and get him back here.

  “No need to call the police.” He laughed. “I’m not here to hurt you or Matt, I promise.”

  She nodded.

  “Do you have anyone here who can watch the place? We can go across the street and chat at the coffee house or something.”

  She was about to object, but then Tina and her friend walked in. Great, that was perfect timing.

  “Excuse me a minute,” Alyssa said to Tom and headed to Tina. “This guy wants to talk to me. Can you both handle it for me while I go across the street?”

  “Yup,” Tina said. “Who is he?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Keep an eye on me, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  She smiled at the two girls and then motioned for Tom to follow her. To be on the safe side, she sent a text message to Cody to ask Matt who Tom Jackson was.

  She took a seat at a bistro table out front. Tom said he’d get her a drink. After a few moments, he returned with her hot tea. She accepted it from him and cautiously sipped.

  “All right, Tom, who are you to Matt?”

  “I take it Diane hasn’t told you much.”

  “We aren’t close.”

  “I know. Maybe one day you two will find your way back to one another.”

  This guy was seriously annoying her. “Can you just cut to the point? Who are you to Matt and Diane?”

  “The third piece to the puzzle.”

  “Huh, what?”

  “Diane, Matt, and I are a couple.”

  What the heck? This weird situation just got a whole lot stranger.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alyssa quickly put a halt to the conversation with Tom until Cody could get down to the coffee shop with Matt. She demanded that Matt get his behind down there. She was sick and tired of the drama. As far as she was concerned, Matt was going back with this Tom guy, and she was wiping her hands clean.