I kissed her. “For you, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
And that led to round two—which was somehow even better than round one.
When I came back from flushing both condoms, I climbed in bed next to her and she immediately wrapped her arms around me and draped her leg over me. I pulled her in close, breathing her in. My hands moved down her back and over her ass before making their way back up again.
I could get used to this.
After a couple minutes, she announced, “We should get some rest before the bridal brunch in the morning.”
Fuck. My hand stilled on her ass. This is exactly what Roman and B said not to do. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
I kissed her collarbone. “The honeymoon suite is on this floor. You want to come down to my room?”
“No.” She made no move to unravel herself from me or explain herself.
I didn’t know why, but that was sexy as hell. I smiled, kissing her full lips gently.
“You’re probably right,” I agreed, placing another soft kiss against her perfect mouth.
We probably shouldn’t get caught in each other’s rooms at all.
“I’m going to sleep in my room. You’re going to sleep in your room.” She smiled as she kissed me.
Her response caught me by surprise and threw me off. Usually it was me making the boundaries clear and dictating when a situation was over.
I rubbed her soft leg that was still draped over me. “You don’t want to make this a weekend thing?”
“This”—she gestured between us— “is a one-night thing.”
Suddenly, I knew how most of the women I had one-night stands with felt. That shit was uncomfortable.
I cleared my throat. “Oh, yeah, I get that. But if you change your mind…”
She unraveled herself from me and got out of the bed. After putting on a robe, she eyed me suspiciously as I put on my pants. “It’s one time so no one catches feelings, right?”
She was using my own words against me.
I chuckled under my breath as we headed to the door. “You’re right.” I didn’t bother to put on my jacket and my shirt was only halfway buttoned. Turning, I caught her by her waist and pulled her into me. “But the idea of a weekend with you is very…very tempting.”
“It is. It really, really is,” she agreed, locking her arms around my neck. “But this is never happening again.”
Our lips met and I intended to give her a peck. But as soon as her mouth opened slightly, inviting me in, I wanted more. Our tongues touched, deepening the kiss and igniting my arousal. My dick was getting harder by the second. I lifted her robe so I could palm her ass while her tongue played with mine. She moaned into my mouth and my entire body reacted. The whimper she let out as the kiss ended made my dick even harder.
“If you change your mind about doing this again, you have my number,” I whispered, giving her ass one last squeeze before letting her go.
She bit her bottom lip. “Goodnight, Bradley.”
Oh, she’ll be back…
I smirked. “Goodnight, Jamila.”
I peeked down the hall before sprinting to the elevator.
I was not trying to get caught.
*****
Chapter 1
“Screw you, Easy!” Hannah yelled as she stormed out of my bedroom. “Heartless bastard!”
I didn’t go after her. I listened to her heels as they clicked across the hardwood floor and waited for the slam of the door. Even though I expected it, I flinched at the sound.
The bed squeaked as I pulled myself into a sitting position. “Well that was an overreaction,” I muttered slowly.
Running my hands through my hair, I sighed.
Five. Four. Three. Two. O—
The front door crashed against the wall with a bang. “And another thing!” Hannah screamed as she reentered my apartment. I heard her quick footsteps as she moved through my place and rounded the corner into my bedroom. “You don’t end things with me. I end things with you. Asshole!”
I looked into her angry, sapphire eyes and I wavered.
Why can’t I shake this girl?
Tonight was a mistake. A one-drink-too-many mistake. A my-dick-is-still-hard-thinking-about-how-wild-she-is mistake.
Hannah Webb was a crazy, over-the-top, dramatic princess who didn’t seem to understand the word no. But in the bedroom, she was gifted and also didn’t seem to understand the word no.
“Hannah, listen…”
“No, you listen! I could have any man I want, and I chose to slum it with you. You should feel honored,” she spat at me.
I nodded, placating her.
Her eyes narrowed. “Screw you.”
“You did,” I muttered under my breath. “And it was an honor.”
Hannah’s face was red, and her body was shaking. “I hate you!”
I stood up slowly.
With her eyes trained on mine, her head tilted backward as I raised to my full 6’1” height.
“I hate you,” she repeated through clinched teeth.
“I know you do,” I replied calmly. “And that’s one of the many reasons why this needs to stop.”
“It’ll stop when I say it stops, Easy!”
I ran my hand through my hair and smirked. “That’s not the way hookups work. When one person ends it, it typically means that it’s over. And this”—I gestured between the two of us— “is over.”
“Do you seriously think you are going to be able to walk away from me?” Hannah licked her lips and then smiled cunningly. “Do you seriously think you can resist me? If tonight proved anything, it’s that whatever I want, I get. And that this…”—she gestured between the two of us— “isn’t over until I say it’s over. This isn’t going away.”
“But it needs to.”
It has to.
Hannah’s laugh was dry as her eyes bore into mine. “If I walk out of this door tonight, it’s over.”
That’s the hope.
I nodded. “Understood.”
“I’m serious this time, Easy. I won’t be back. I won’t call you. I won’t speak to you. I won’t fuck you. We are done. If I leave tonight, I won’t ever be back.”
“Understood.”
Hannah backed up a fraction of an inch and eyed me. “At the bar, you were all over me. We came back here and fucked all over the place and now, you’re just done? Just like that?”
“It’s because I realized that this isn’t going to—”
“Bullshit,” she snapped, interrupting me. “Who texted you?”
Shit, she saw that?
I froze. “What?”
“You went to go get a bottle of water with your phone in your hand and then you came back with these excuses. All I know is that something happened. I didn’t hear you on the phone, so it had to have been a text message.”
When did she become a fucking detective?
I felt my eyebrows come together. My jaw hardened in an attempt to not give anything away. “What?”
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
“I’m not playing dumb with you, Hannah. I just don’t have to answer your dumbass questions because the bottom line is that we are done.”
Hannah backed up a fraction of an inch and eyed me. “We are done, Easy. We are so done. But you’ve just made an enemy out of me. And believe me, you don’t want me as your enemy.”
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips.
Did she just threaten me? Straight up gangsta movie threaten me?
I shook my head slowly and shrugged. “I don’t even know what to say to that, Hannah.”
She put her hands on her hips and her lips curled cunningly. “You don’t have to say anything. Your regret will speak for itself when you’re begging me to take you back.” She turned on her heel and marched toward the front door.
I followed her out, stopping a few feet away.
“Oh,” she called over her shoulder, tossing her long, blonde hair behind her. �
��And screw you!”
The door slammed and the sound echoed through the quietness. The balmy June night had nothing on the firecracker that just fled my place. A soft chuckle escaped me as I locked the door.
Well, that went as expected.
I pulled my low hanging sweatpants up before plopping down onto the couch. I let out a sigh as I ran my hands through my hair.
Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, I stared at it, bracing myself. My thumb flew over the screen, unlocking the device and opening my messages. My heart drummed in my chest as I reread the last text message I had received.
Unknown Number: I’m pregnant.
Bradley Simon: Who is this?
Unknown Number: I don’t want anything from you. I don’t need anything from you. I just thought you should know.
Bradley Simon: Is this some kind of joke? Who is this?
Unknown Number: Do you want to be a father?
I stared at the message. I was thirty-two and financially stable, but fear and panic coursed through my body at the idea of having a child—especially having a child with someone I didn’t know. I shook my head. I didn’t know if that kid was even mine, but the answer to that question was no. I wasn’t ready to be a father. But I didn’t want to be an asshole about it. If I could figure out who it was, I could at least charm my way into a more favorable light.
Who could this even be?
Unknown Number: Exactly that hesitation said everything.
Bradley Simon: You’re kind of catching me off guard here. You have to give me a minute. You’re hitting me up out of the blue to tell me you’re pregnant and I don’t even know who you are. Can you answer the phone? I’m about to call.
I called the number, and it didn’t ring. It didn’t do anything.
“Call failed? What?” I muttered, looking at the phone in confusion as I tried to call again.
Bradley Simon: It keeps saying call failed. I’m trying to get in touch with you. Can we talk about this? And can you tell me who you are?
Unknown Number: You don’t want to be a father and I don’t think you’re father material. I don’t want or need you affecting my pregnancy with your bullshit. If you want to know when the child is born, I’ll let you know.
Bradley Simon: Are you serious? Why are you being like this?
Unknown Number: You don’t have the slightest idea who I am. That tells me everything I need to know about you.
Bradley Simon: Can you just tell me who you are?
Unknown Number: Asked and answered. If you really want to know, figure it out. But no, I’m not going to remind the man I slept with who I am. I let you know I’m pregnant because I thought it was the right thing to do. If you want to know when the kid is born, I’ll let you know. I’ve given you time to mentally prepare. You have no obligation to me. I don’t want anything from you. You are free to do your own thing. Goodbye, Easy.
I wanted to say something in response, but I didn’t know what to say. I locked my phone and tossed it on the table roughly.
“What the fuck?” I grumbled, running my hands through my hair.
*****
Chapter 2
I paced across my living room as Roman Harper and Malik Jones read the text messages I’d gotten a few days ago. I stopped and crossed my arms over my chest. Watching them as they stared at my phone, shaking their heads. I felt the judgement before I heard it.
“Yooooooooooooooo….” Roman reacted as he sat back, letting Malik have the phone.
“Come on, man…” Malik added, still staring at the phone. “Aren’t you wrapping your shit up?”
“Yes,” I answered. Shutting my eyes tightly, I thought back over the last few months. “Faithfully. Never even attempted to go in without protection.”
“Really?” Roman asked, clearly surprised.
I didn’t know why that offended me, but it did. “Don’t look so fucking shocked!”
“You get around,” he pointed out.
“I don’t fuck every woman you see me with,” I growled. “I’m responsible about my shit. I use condoms every time. I get tested regularly. In fact, I got tested the day after I got that message so I know I’m good. I didn’t do shit wrong. So, don’t act like I’m irresponsible with my shit.”
I wasn’t even mad at him. I was mad at the whole situation.
“So, what the fuck is this?” Malik exclaimed with a dry laugh. He was always the voice of reason, so hearing the exasperation in his voice made me even more tense.
“I don’t…” I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“And you don’t even know who it could be?” he continued, handing me my phone.
I took it and I started pacing again. “No clue.”
“You have to do better than this,” Roman added with a frown. “Kids are serious business.”
“I know,” I snapped. “I’m going to handle it. I just… have to figure out who it is first.”
“This doesn’t feel like Hannah to you?” Roman looked around the room. “We all know Hannah is crazy.”
Malik nodded. “The untraceable number and the refusal to tell you who she is… that’s kind of dramatic. And crazy and dramatic does sound like Hannah.”
“Right.” I nodded. “And I would’ve thought the same thing. I would’ve sworn up and down it was Hannah. But um…” I scratched my beard and made a face. “Hannah was actually here when the text came through.”
“Easy!” Malik threw his hands up. “Come on, man! What the hell are you doing?”
“I thought you left her alone years ago,” Roman pointed out. “You said you were done with her ass after she made a scene at that restaurant downtown in front of Sophia.”
Hearing Sophia’s name was a blast from the past. Shaking it off, I made a face. “I know. And I hadn’t talked to her since then. But um…” I exhaled. “She caught me at a weak moment about a month ago.”
They groaned in unison.
And they weren’t wrong.
Hannah Webb was bad for me. She was manipulative and not at all my type, but she was sexy, and the sex was good. She was wild, reckless, and emotionally all over the place. She was spoiled, entitled, and when she set her mind on what she wanted, she’d throw a fit until she got it. And it was hard to say no.
Five years ago, I met her because she wanted Roman. He was able to resist her. And before I knew he was in love with Bianca, I thought he was crazy for not taking her up on her offer. So when she set her eyes on me, I thought it was going to be a one-time thing. But Hannah kept coming back for more and I kept saying yes.
“…and that’s what you should do,” Roman concluded.
I stared at him blankly. “What?”
“You didn’t hear shit I said, did you?” he complained. With a shake of his head, he looked at Malik. “Get your boy.”
“I thought when I got him a job in IT three years ago, he was going to stop doing stuff like this,” Malik replied as if I wasn’t there. “This is the Easy from the DJing days.”
“You thought I stopped having sex because I put down the turntables?” I argued.
Malik gave me a disappointed look. “This is serious, Easy.”
I dropped into my recliner. “I know. I know.” With a sigh, I ran my hands through my hair. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know who it is. I don’t even know if this is for real. This could be bullshit. It could be no baby. It could not be my baby. It could be anything.” I was grasping at straws.
“Okay, then that’s where we start,” Roman announced. “If we narrow down who you fucked this year, we can figure out who it is.”
“Whoever it is is childish as fuck,” I grumbled.
Roman gave me a look. “I mean…”
I looked between him and Malik. “What?”
“It might be childish, but come on, Easy,” Malik finally sighed. He shook his head before lifting his shoulders in resignation. “You basically told her you were fucking so many women this year that you don’t remember who she
is.”
I opened my mouth to argue his point and then my mouth snapped shut. “Damn. I didn’t even think of it like that.”
“Now grab a piece of paper and let’s go through the last nine months.”
I grabbed a notebook off my coffee table and turned to the first clean page. “Okay…” I tapped the pen against the notebook. “I should probably just focus on who it’s likely to be instead of everyone I slept with in the last nine months, because I know it’s not Hannah since she was with me when I got the text. I know it’s not Erica Spencer because she just got engaged.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean she isn’t pregnant,” Roman pointed out.
I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone. I went to Erica’s social media page and clicked on the photo from a week prior. She was double fisting two shots in celebration of her engagement.
“I don’t think she’s the one,” I told them, showing them the photo.
“I’m getting married,” Roman read. He made a face. “Does that mean…?”
“In my defense, I didn’t know she had a boyfriend when I met her. She didn’t say anything about that until after we had our weekend together,” I explained.
Malik shook his head. “Okay who else?”
“Natalie Wilks moved a few months ago, so I don’t think this could be her. So that just leaves Samia Andrews and Ana Ramirez…oh and Jamila—”
“You did not fuck my wife’s cousin,” Roman interrupted before I could finish.
“I don’t think it’s her,” I said quickly, remembering that Roman and Bianca were not supposed to know about that.
“Yo,” he groaned. “If it was anyone else, it is what it is. But B made it clear that her family was off-limits because we know how you get down.”
“It wasn’t like that with Jamila,” I attempted to explain. Roman was pissed so I shifted my gaze to Malik. “It wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t planned. It just… happened.”
Heartless (Heartache) Page 3
