Redemption (Book 3) The Fixer Series

by Alyson Raynes

  She took a slow sip of her water, blushing. “I just wasn’t sure since all the pictures depict that it looks like Christmas year round.”

  “Fair enough,” I said. “When I first came here I didn’t know what to expect. In Russia, we’re taught that American’s are evil. When I stepped off the plane, I didn’t really know what to expect but the image of evil isn’t what I saw. In fact, I saw quite the opposite. I saw people who were just living their lives. They were no different than any other Russian, so where they came up with that, I have no idea. It always amazes me how afraid we all are of the unknown. Every culture is beautiful with its own traditions,” I said, wondering where the hell all of this sentimental, gushy shit was coming from.

  “I couldn’t agree more. I think it’s because so many have closed their minds off that they only see what they want to see and believe what they want to hear.”

  “So tell me A.J., how’d you know Christina?” I asked, changing the subject before I lost my man- card.

  “I’ve known Christina since the second grade. My family moved across the street from her the summer before we started school and we’ve been best friends ever since,” she said, twirling her hair in her fingers. “I love her like a sister. I’m going to miss her so much when I leave.”

  “Yeah, Christina is definitely a one- of- a kind girl. I know Dylan thinks the world of her.”

  “She’s lucky to have him. I wish I could find a guy like that. There’s just not many of them out there and those that are, are already taken.”

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked, and then I suddenly wanted to kick my own ass.

  “No. I was dating a guy for two years, but then I found out he was cheating on me and when I asked him why, he said it was because I had gotten fat.”

  “Asshole,” I said, “You’re fine the way you are.”

  “Thank you,” she said, blushing.

  “It’s true A.J., and don’t let some asshole make you feel bad about yourself just because he can’t deal with his own fucking insecurities.”

  “Tristan, you are one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met.”

  “What are you doing this Friday night?” I asked.

  “I don’t have any plans, why?”

  “Well…Dylan’s parents are throwing this huge charity ball on Friday night and I was wondering if you would do me the honors of accompanying me as my date?”

  “Seriously? I’d love to!”

  Dylan came up and placed his hand on my shoulder.

  “Hey buddy, you about ready to go? I’m ready to get out of here.”

  “Yeah, just give me a few. I’ll let you know when I’m ready,” I said.

  “No problem. I just want to get going before all of the crazy, drunk assholes get on the road.”

  I turned toward A.J. “Here’s my number, give me a call and I’ll give you the details for Friday,” I explained.

  “Tristan, you can have my number too. I know you’re not a crazy stalker that I just met in a bar for crying out loud.”

  “Well I didn’t want to come across like a dog in heat; after all, you are my best friends, girlfriends, best friend. And that just sounded like something straight out of a Jerry Springer show,” I said, shaking my head and laughing.

  A.J laughed too.

  We exchanged numbers and programmed them into each other’s phones. I looked A.J. in the eyes, taking in her beauty knowing that I wouldn’t soon forget it.

  “How are you getting home?” I asked.

  “Actually, Christina and I are going out for a little bit. You are welcome to come if you’d like,” she offered.

  “Thanks for the invite, but I think I’ll head home with Dylan. Be careful, there’s a lot of creeps out there,” I warned.

  She giggled, “Tell me about it.”

  “Call if you need a ride home.”

  “Thanks Tristan, you’re the best,” she leaned over placing a soft kiss on my cheek.

  I’m such a dumbass! She probably thinks of me as a big brother, or something. Fuck! That’s just what I need. The, I only like you as a friend bullshit. I gestured to Dylan that I was ready to go and we said good-bye to the girls and headed to the truck. It didn’t matter how close we had parked to the bar, it was still fucking cold.

  We finally reached the truck and I shivered until the seat’s heater turned on and warmed my ass and back. Dylan was full of questions.

  “Well…what’d you think?” he asked.

  “What do I think about what?” I replied, knowing damn well what he was referring to.

  “Don’t be stupid Trist. What do you think of A.J.?”

  “She seems nice,” I said, not really wanting to discuss what I really thought about her.

  “Nice? You just think she’s nice?” he asked flabbergasted.

  “Yeah, I mean…I spent all of two hours with her. How much of an opinion can I have of her in that short of time really?”

  “I guess if you say so man, but that chic is smoking hot!” he said, leaning over and adjusting the heating dials on the dashboard.

  “She’s not bad, I wouldn’t turn her down,” I said.

  Dylan turned, staring at me. “So you do like her. I knew it!”

  “What’s not to like Dylan? She’s a hot girl and she’s intelligent. That’s as far as it goes. Why are you acting like such a girl about this? You normally don’t give a shit what I think about any chic,” I stared looking out the window.

  “I guess you’re right man. It’s just that she’s Christina’s friend and she really wanted you two to hook up, that’s all.”

  “I get it D, I’ll admit it, she’s beautiful and she’s definitely my type, but as far as us hooking up, you can forget it. We’re just friends. Besides, she’s leaving and I don’t do long distance relationships. They never work out,” I sat rubbing my hands together trying to get warm.

  “Well if you like her then maybe you should give it a chance,” Dylan said as he pulled into our apartment complex.

  She was all I could think about as I walked up those stairs freezing my ass off and feeling the blast of heat as we opened the door. I took my coat off and placed it over one of the kitchen chairs before heading straight for my room. My mood still sucked but thoughts of A.J. was rectifying that.

  I slipped out of my clothes and lay in bed until I succumbed to a deep sleep. My dreams were filled of the beautiful, A.J. Kane.

  I was just getting to the good part in my dream when I heard a loud crash outside of my door. I flew out of bed and opened my door to see what all of the clatter was about. It was a very drunk Christina returning home from the club and Dylan was trying to get her to the bathroom before she blew chunks all over the hallway.

  I looked at the clock…it read 4 a.m. Then I wondered where A.J. was and if she was okay. I walked back over toward the bed and picked my phone up off the nightstand to see if I had missed any calls. None. I assumed that they must have called Dylan and he went and picked them up from their girls night out.

  I sat at the edge of my bed and listened as Christina hurled in the bathroom. I felt bad for Dylan always having to take care of that girl when she drank. Christina was one of those girls who loved to party and drink, but couldn’t hold her liquor to save her life. Two shots and the girl would be wasted beyond belief. It was fun to watch because she was such a fun drunk and she would do the craziest shit after she’d had a few, but the aftermath wasn’t so fun to watch.

  I realized that Dylan had everything handled so I went back to bed. I hoped I could go back to the same dream I was having before. Instead, I tossed and turned thinking about places I could take A.J. while spending the week with her. That’s if she wanted to spend the week with me. I was making plans for a girl I didn’t even know, did that make me any better than her asshole ex-boyfriend? Probably not.

  I really needed to focus on my shit, and stop living in la la land. I was acting like a complete girl and that just wasn’t me. This chic was seriously messing with my head
and I didn’t even know her.

  “Screw this,” I said, flinging my bedroom door open and heading to the kitchen for a glass of water. As I rounded the corner, I saw the shadow of a silhouette leaning against the sink. “What the…?” I said. A.J. spun around and stared at me, dressed in only a t-shirt that was barely covering her belly.

  “You alright?” I asked.

  “Ugh…no. I’m not feeling so well,” she said.

  “Had a little too much to drink did you?” I asked, reaching for the ibuprofen.

  “Yeah. I think so. I won’t be doing that again anytime soon,” she said as she leaned her head in the kitchen sink. “Tristan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I would have used the bathroom, but Dylan has Christina in there. I was fine when we got here but now…well…as you can see, I’m not doing so well.”

  “Don’t worry about it A.J. It happens to the best of us. How did you ladies get home, anyway? You never called,” I stated, feeling a little pissed off that she didn’t call.

  “I didn’t want to bother you and I didn’t feel right calling you to come pick up our drunk asses after just meeting you.”

  “I told you to call. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it,” I said in a firm tone.

  “It’s okay. We took a cab here,” she explained.

  “Well, I’m pissed that you didn’t call but I’m glad that you didn’t attempt to drive. I’m sure Dylan is probably pissed, too.”

  “Yeah, he wasn’t too happy to see us when we stumbled in front door giggling and bumping into everything. Then Christina started blowing chunks everywhere and then he really got pissed.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry about him, he’ll get over it,” I said handing her a glass of water of some little miracle ibuprofen pills.”

  “Thanks Tristan. You really are one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met.”

  Great, I thought. Yeah, I’m real sweet. Maybe you should come to bed with me and find out how sweet I really am.

  “It’s not a big deal A.J. Do you think you can lie down or do you need to be near the sink still?” I asked.

  “I think I’ll be fine. I was just feeling queasy for a bit, but then you came along and now I feel all better,” she smiled at me.

  I could still see her face as the light from the moon illuminated through the apartment. I was right; she was beautiful, like an angel sent from heaven.

  “You are more than welcome to sleep in my bed if you’d like,” I offered.

  She turned, pulling her shirt down suddenly trying to hide from me. “I really couldn’t impose, the couch will be fine.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “You’re not imposing. I offered you my bed. I’ll sleep out here on the couch. Besides, a good night’s rest will keep you from being completely hungover in the morning.”

  “You’re sure you don’t mind?” she asked.

  “Of course,” I said, taking her hand and walking her slowly down the hall to my room.

  I pulled the covers back and helped her into bed. Then I pulled the covers up over her and watched her snuggle with my down comforter. She really was one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen. I walked toward the door when I heard her sweet voice.

  “Tristan?” she asked.

  “Yeah?” I turned facing the bed.

  “Will you come and lay down with me? Please?” she asked, as she reached her hand out to me.

  I hesitated.

  “Tristan. I asked you to come and lay down with me, not screw me.”

  “Yeah, sure, okay,” I said, climbing in bed behind her.

  Well, now this is awkward, I thought. I’d never been in bed with a girl I wasn’t fucking. What was I supposed to do now? I wanted to touch her, but something told me that if I did, I’d regret it in the morning. Or should I say afternoon since it was already morning.

  I struggled to fall asleep with her being so close to me. I wanted to reach out and touch her and honestly, I don’t think she would have minded, considering she backed herself into me, causing me to cuddle her while she slept. Fuck! Cuddling! That was something I was definitely not accustomed to. Usually the girls I brought home left after we were done screwing. I never had any intentions of lying with a girl and cuddling with her, ever. I just wanted sex, straight up, raw, dirty, no strings attached sex.

  I laid there feeling the heat of her body against me as I slowly drifted off to sleep. When I woke it was nearly noon and she was no longer in my bed. How did she leave without me noticing and more importantly, why did I even give a shit?

  I threw the covers off of my body, got up and went to the bathroom to take my morning piss. I washed my hands, grabbed my toothbrush and brushed my teeth, then walked back into my room. I wasn’t paying attention and walked right into A.J. who was trying to get dressed.

  “Shit! I’m sorry,” I said, running my hand through my hair.

  “No. No. I’m sorry. I would have gotten dressed in the bathroom but someone was in there, so I decided to come in here and get dressed where there was some privacy,” she stood blushing red.

  I stood there taking her in. I wasn’t really all that sorry that I had walked in on her dressing. I was only sorry that I had nearly knocked her on her ass when I bumped into her. She was even better standing in front of me in her bra and panties. Her tits were so beautifully round just like her ass and her tiny waist and thick thighs gave me the best morning wood I’d experienced in a long time.

  I knew it was making her uncomfortable, me standing there checking out the goods but in that moment, I didn’t give a shit. I wanted her and I wanted her to fucking know it. I knew I was going to regret fucking the hell out of her, because she was different than the other girls, but it would be one hell of a ride and totally worth it. I made up my mind in that moment and the old me finally reared his ugly head. A.J. Kane would be mine before the end of the week. I would see to that, regardless of what I had to do.

  I stepped closer to her and reached out, running my fingers down her arm. She shivered and dipped her head to the right. I watched as her body reacted to my touch, her breaths coming faster as her nipples hardened. I took another step closer, looking into her beautiful, blue eyes and whispered in her ear, “I’ll let you have some privacy while getting dressed, but if I ever see you like this again in my room, I won’t be such a gentleman about it.” I stepped back, turned and walked out of the room, leaving her standing there to process everything that had just happened between us.

  I knew it was dick move but it needed to be done. I was dead serious in what I’d said. It wasn’t a threat, it was a full on promise and she needed to know exactly what kind of guy she was dealing with.

  I sat on the couch, threw my feet on the coffee table and turned on the TV. Dylan and Christina were nowhere in sight. I had a feeling those two assholes had ditched A.J. and I in an effort to play matchmakers. That was fine with me. I didn’t want their nosey asses poking around in my business, especially when it came to A.J. I wanted to keep her all to myself.

  I heard my bedroom door open and A.J. appeared in the living room. I looked over at her, flashing my sexy smile. She looked less than amused. As a matter of fact, she looked down right pissed. I chuckled. There was nothing like a woman pissed off to fuel the best sex of your life. Bring it on baby, I said to myself, secretly laughing inside.

  She placed her hand on her hip. Uh oh, and we’re off! Then she opened her mouth and let me have it.

  “Look Tristan. I don’t know who you think you are and where you think you can get off talking to me the way you just did, but I won’t put up with that shit from you,” she said crossing her arms across her chest.

  “Well… to be quite honest A.J., I really don’t give a shit if you like how I spoke to you or not. As a matter of fact, I think you liked it, just like you’re enjoying this little conversation we’re having right now.”

  “Why are you being such an asshole right now?” she asked.

  “I’m not being an asshole sweetheart
; this is how I am all the time. I see no reason to hide who I really am from you. What you see is what you get,” I said, as I stood and walked toward her.

  She didn’t move. She just stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, with a slight smile curling on the edges of her lips. It was almost as if she was challenging me and it was hot as hell.

  I cupped her face with my hands and placed my lips on hers. Damn, they were soft. I felt her loosen up as I continued to move my lips over hers, coaxing her to open up and take my tongue in her mouth. I pushed her up against the wall as her hands fell to the side, her body giving into mine. Her lips relaxed and she welcomed my tongue in her mouth. She tasted minty and fresh from just brushing her teeth and something strange happened in that moment when I was kissing her. My heart started beating faster and I was overcome with emotion for a girl that I’d only just met, and knew that I could easily fall in love with. No, it wasn’t just a kiss, I was giving her my heart and she knew it.

  I pulled away breaking the kiss before things got to out of hand. I wanted her so much but I wanted so much more than just a one-night stand. I was also a little afraid of how I was feeling, especially after that kiss we’d just shared.

  She looked at me and smiled.

  “That was nice. Really nice,” she said.

  I grabbed her and kissed her again, taking everything she was willing to give. When we finally broke the kiss, she gathered her coat and purse and left. I was left standing there, wondering if I’d ever hear from her again.

  It had been three days since I had heard from A.J. and I was freaking out inside because she was all I could think about. I know, it seemed like I was acting like a big pussy, but I couldn’t help how I was feeling about her. I had given her my heart with my kiss and that wasn’t something I could easily forget.

  So when she called, I immediately let it go to voicemail. I didn’t want to answer and seem too eager or excited at the fact that she had called. And if I answered, that’s exactly how it would have come out. I wanted to call her so many times during the past three days, but I had to play it cool. It wasn’t my thing to call a chic right away. I waited at least a week because it helped to build anticipation for the next time that we’d hook up.