Chapter Sixteen
Sonya
Cleaning toilets sucked, even if they weren’t dirty, and to stay at Paths of Purpose, certain things were expected of every resident. Our rooms were to be kept tidy—beds made, bathroom cleaned, vacuuming and dusting done. It was only fair, but that didn’t mean I liked doing it. I’d also volunteered to clean Trish’s room since she had a big day scheduled.
I thought she was going to cry when the words came out of my mouth. I thought I was going to too.
Peeling off the big yellow rubber gloves, I tossed them into the bucket, empty now that I’d dumped the Pine Sol and water into the tub.
“What’s happening to me?” Sam looked at me with those big, luminous eyes from where he was lying on the floor. “I don’t do this kind of thing, let alone volunteer to do someone else’s chores.”
I wiped my brow with a forearm, a strand of my hair falling loose from my high ponytail. God, I was spoiled. I could probably count on two hands the number of times I’d cleaned a bathroom in my life. We’d had a housekeeper growing up, and when I’d gone to college, my mother insisted I have one so I could focus on my studies. It was just another way she’d put me first. Her life had been focused on me and my dreams until I couldn’t stand to look her in the eye because of my guilt. My entire world was based on lies now, but I hated lying to her. The only way I couldn’t was by avoiding her. The close relationship we’d had was too far gone to repair.
Sam stayed against my leg as I shoved the bucket back into the supply closet at the end of the residents hall and jogged downstairs. I snagged a bottle of water from the little refrigerator in the den on the main level and guzzled half, some of it running down my chin. I didn’t bother to wipe it away. Then I offered Sam some, who lapped greedily when I tipped the bottle to his mouth. He didn’t care when water dripped off his lips either.
Drew had a Swiffer duster in his hand and an amused look on his face, overriding the deep lines around his eyes, as he took in the scene. I ignored him and made for the back door to the alley. He’d follow me, poor boy. He couldn’t help it. I needed to start working my magic. Time to start reeling him in.
He was out the door right behind me. I gave Sam a knowing look, a bit disappointed in Drew. It was too easy. I’d expected him to be more of a challenge, but he was as predictable as all the others. I hurried to the fire escape. Using the hook, I pulled down the drop-ladder and scrambled to the first platform. Drew was close. My cells prickled with awareness. Sam put his paws on the second rung of the ladder. Because he wanted to come up with me, he allowed Drew to carry him up.
Once Sam was on the platform, I climbed up the stairs to the next one, and he was right with me. Drew pulled the ladder up behind him. His footsteps barely made a sound on the metal steps as he closed in on me. At the top, I sat on the edge of the grated rectangle platform and let my legs dangle. Sam lay beside me while Drew took a wary look over the edge before joining us.
He tipped his chin up. White clouds moved against a gray sky. I opened my mouth to rib him about being afraid of heights, but he spoke first.
“You look like hell,” he observed, digging out his pack of cigarettes. “They not have showers here, or is it just you? Everybody else looks presentable.”
He bent his head and lit a cigarette, taking a drag without offering me one first. Dickhead. Good thing I was used to dealing with those.
“It’s just me,” I said with a surreptitious smile. “We bathe as little as possible, don’t we?” I patted Sam’s head, and he wagged his tail, backing me up.
Drew sniffed twice and leaned away from me. “I can see that.”
“Are you always this charming with women?” I made a grab for the cigarette, and he shifted it to the other hand, out of reach.
“You want some of this, sugar?” he taunted, knowing damn well I did. “These are bad for your health.”
“How sweet of you to be concerned. I wouldn’t have taken you for someone who gives a shit about anyone but yourself.” Okay, so this wasn’t exactly going the way I’d planned. My sharp tongue was getting the better of me, when I’d meant to entice him with a little bit of honey. Screw it. I could play nice another day. He didn’t seem to be going anywhere, and I wasn’t either.
“A good reader of character. Tell me. What else have you figured out about me?” He was baiting me, extra surly this afternoon.
“Hmm.” I placed an index finger on my lips as I appraised him. Damn, he was attractive. “You’ve escaped problems most of your life, but it’s finally caught up with you. This time you may not be able to wiggle your way out of it, and you haven’t decided if you want to try.”
He tapped the tip of my nose; I was not fond of the condescending gesture. “Could it be, my tigress, that we have somehow ended up in the same boat?”
“If we have, I’ll take my chances swimming.”
“You a strong swimmer?” he asked.
“I’m not bad, but I’m better at snow skiing.” Shit. I’d just shared something personal. Something honest. I couldn’t be truthful in this game, and now it was too late to take it back. I stroked Sam’s fur like he was my crutch. A shield from this man who saw too much.
He knew I’d just given him a real piece of me. It was in his eyes, the way he coolly continued to smoke as if he got information he wanted from people all day long. I wasn’t playing with some oblivious fucker. Drew was calculating. A little shiver of excitement ran through me. Could he be the one to finally figure out who I was? The one to coax out the truth instead of a mountain of lies? The idea of getting caught, beaten at my own game, had me itching to win and interested when everything had been so flat. Maybe Drew wasn’t going to be so boring after all.
“Park City?”
Whoa. Suddenly, I got the impression he wasn’t fishing uninformed. “I beg your pardon?”
“Do you like to ski in Park City?”
“Never been,” I answered quickly. Too quickly. That smirk told me he thought I’d drawn too fast as well.
“I like Aspen. Jupiter Bowl is where it’s at.”
“Jupiter Bowl is in Park City,” I corrected, immediately snapping my mouth shut when I realized my mistake.
He lifted a brow in victory, and I scowled. “So it is. My bad.” He’d tricked me.
“Do you make a habit of following women around?” I asked, feigning irritation to shift the conversation away from Utah.
Drew gave a little shake of his head, as if disappointed. “Don’t have to, sugar.”
“You’re such an ass,” I declared, jumping to my feet. Drew did the same, towering over me. All indications led to the conclusion that he was in some sort of trouble, possibly broke, and definitely a jerk, but I wanted him. This one could be my Everest.
“Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine?”
I smiled brightly, as disingenuous as they came. “People compliment me on how sweet I am all the time.”
“Well, I’d like to meet some of them.”
“You’re the one who calls me sugar,” I reminded him. Folding my arms around myself, I shivered as the cold seeped into my bones.
“Guess I’m one of those people then.” He shrugged and snagged me with one arm, pulling my back flush against his front. “Why did you return my wallet?” His lips moved against my ear. I struggled to get away despite how good his heat felt. He refused to let me budge.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, giving up any attempt to get away. He was warm, and it felt good to be held, even if it wasn’t for the right reasons.
“Sonya. Sonya. Sonya. Don’t lie to me.” He sank his teeth into my earlobe, and I hissed, pressing my ass against his erection. He was solid, that hit he’d taken obviously doing no damage. “Is that where you want me, baby? In that tight little ass of yours?” It was a purr; his inflections meant to elicit only one answer: yes.
I leaned my head back against his shoulder. “Not mine, sugar. But I’ll bet you’ve got some good-looking mal
e friends. Watching you fuck one of them? That is something I’d like to see.”
Drew clutched me tighter. “Not my thing,” he growled.
“Maybe it should be. Broaden your horizons. Spice up your sex life. Because you’re bored. That’s why you’re after me.”
“Am I after you?” He didn’t deny I was right.
He felt hungry, as if he hadn’t been into whatever fucking he’d been up to in a long time. Drew was so hard against me, I thought he was going to rip through his jeans.
“Absolutely.” I turned in his arms, leaving our faces mere inches apart. “I’m bored too.” Usually, I withheld sex as long as I could, using it as a weapon. I was bored out of my skull with everything.
“And you think watching me fuck another man will cure that?” he asked against my lips, a spark of amusement in his eyes.
“Couldn’t hurt,” I said indifferently.
“Sugar, I don’t need another man to keep you entertained.”
“You talk a big game.”
“I don’t think you could handle what I’d do to you,” he said smugly, a challenge if ever I’d heard one.
I spun my index finger between us. “It’s the other way around.”
“That would be a nice change of pace,” he said. He brushed his thumb beneath my eye with a tenderness that surprised me. “This is healing nicely. Think they’ll kick you out of here when the evidence of your abuse is gone?”
Fucker. He’d had my heart softening for a second, only to deliver a sucker punch. “Not that it’s any of your concern, but I’ve been assured I can stay as long as I need to get back on my feet.”
“You were never knocked off them. I don’t think anybody could ever put you on your ass, Tigress.”
His arms tightened around me as his mouth inched closer to mine. Kiss me.
Oh, hell no. Wherever that thought had come from could go straight back there. I slid my arms around his neck, reveling in the feel of his muscles tightening beneath my touch. Let go. You’re playing with fire.
I focused on his lips until I could no longer see them because they were so close. He bent one knee, positioning me so I was riding his thigh. “If you get caught like this, they’ll make you leave for taking advantage of a poor, helpless volunteer,” he warned huskily.
I pressed into his leg. “You’ll automatically be blamed. I’m innocent.”
“That is a word that will never be used to describe you.” Slowly, he moved his leg back and forth, creating a friction that had my sex clenching in response. “Now say it.”
“Say what?” I asked, breathless as I clung to him.
“You know what I want to hear,” he whispered against my lips. His breath was warm, the faint hint of smoke floating into my nostrils.
“I want your cigarette,” I said seductively, running a finger down his shirt, circling his nipple.
“You can have it as soon as you admit what you were thinking just a few seconds ago.”
“If you already know, why do I need to say it?” I huffed indignantly.
“Because I want to hear the words, sugar.” I was tempted to give him what he wanted. “Say it,” Drew coaxed. He was turning up the flames at the points where we touched. I was burning up, ready to throw out all my rules and fuck him right here on the roof.
“Kiss me,” I demanded, giving in to what I wanted. Owning it. The second that smirk landed on his mouth, I knew I’d been had.
“I thought my tigress would put up a lot more fight,” Drew said in mock disappointment. “I have to go back inside because I’m freezing. But you can have this.” He placed the cigarette between my fingers and trotted down the fire escape.
I lifted the cigarette, only to discover it was nearly burned to the filter. The bastard. Although I laughed.
“Well played, sugar. Well played,” I mumbled.
At least he’d be walking around with a hard-on to tolerate.
And that wasn’t a bad result, if I did say so myself.
Chapter Seventeen
Drew
I whistled as I walked from Paths of Purpose to where my mother was recovering from her treatment. This visit had been most productive. I’d learned two important nuggets of information about Sonya Hughes. First and foremost, though I already knew, she wanted me. That look on her face when she demanded I kiss her—it had taken all my strength not to devour her right then and there. If it weren’t for trying to keep her on the hook, I’d have done just that. But she wanted a challenge, so that was what I’d give her. I was looking forward to the chase.
Secondly, she had a connection to Park City. I was certain she’d given Paths of Purpose an alias, but lo and behold, after some deep digging, I’d found that Sonya was indeed her real name. I’d yet to unearth any employment ever. She’d gone to Yale, from which she’d graduated summa cum laude in architecture. After that, there was nothing. Who the fuck would go to an Ivy League school, put that much effort into graduating with honors, and then never do anything with it?
Her father was a successful building contractor in Utah. They had plenty of money. Not the kind my family did, but then, most people didn’t. I understood she probably didn’t want to go running to them with her problems and respected her independence, but I was missing something. The only way I’d get to it was if she let me in. I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. I’d have to steal my way inside. That was definitely something I was good at. But why did I want to? That was the question . . .
* * *
When I arrived at Mama’s room, she was sleeping soundly, not a soul in sight. I sat with her. My father couldn’t be far way, and he’d raise holy hell when he found me here, but he was just going to have to get over it. I’d meant what I said. He wasn’t keeping me away from her.
I watched her chest go up and down with her breathing. She looked peaceful, though her color was still off. My mother had never once complained about the cancer. She didn’t even seem scared. The woman was tougher than Easton, Dad, and me combined. She couldn’t leave us. I refused to let her go.
“I’m sorry, Mama,” I said, my hand covering one of hers. “I never meant to hurt you, especially with the—” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word cancer out loud. “My problem was never with you. I’ve let you down a lot over the years, but I never doubted you loved me.
“I wish I could change things, but I can’t forgive Dad. I just can’t even though I know that would make you happy.” I looked down, taking in a deep breath. “But I guess that’s probably what you expect of me anyway.”
Sleepily, her eyes blinked open. A weak smile lit her face. “Drew.”
“Hey, Mama. I’m here. I have been the whole time.”
“I know, baby.” She turned her hand over and squeezed mine.
“Are you thirsty? Let me get you some water.” I didn’t wait for her answer, practically jumping out of the chair to pour ice water into the plastic glass on the bedside table. I held the straw to her lips, and she sucked a little down, nodding when she’d had enough.
“Thank you.” Her voice sounded stronger now that she wasn’t parched.
I returned the cup to the table and sat. She reached for my hand again, and I took it. “You look good. Like you’re ready to take on Fifth Avenue.”
A laugh bubbled up. My mother wasn’t a frivolous spender, but she did love her shopping. “I’m getting there. Think they’d let me in the boutiques in this gown?”
I glanced at the pale pink hospital gown with a smile. “I’ll make sure they will,” I promised. “You tell me where you want to go first, and I’ll make it happen.”
“You’d go shopping with me?”
“I’m getting old, but I can hold a lot of bags.” I flexed an arm, and she laughed again, though her head sank with the effort.
“I’m going to hold you to it.”
“That goes both ways.”
Her eyes zeroed in on me, like they always did when she knew I’d been up to something. How mothers knew that s
hit was a great mystery of life. “Tell me about her.”
“What?”
“You’ve met someone,” she said firmly, so confident it blew me away.
“There’s not really anything to tell.”
“You like her.” How the hell could she know things I didn’t even know?
“She’s . . .” I searched for a word to describe Sonya and couldn’t come up with anything remotely adequate. “There’s something under the surface I want to know, which makes no sense because I don’t even think she’s a good person. But there’s more than what she shows.”
“You recognize her. A kindred spirit.”
I frowned. Mama had always been a straight shooter, but if I heard her correctly, she wasn’t sure if I was a good person either. And she’d be right . . . I suppose. Evidence points that way. “I guess I do.” A kind of relief came over me at the realization. My tigress wasn’t perfect, but who the hell was I to pass judgment?
“I want to meet her,” she said. “Don’t look so surprised. I need to see this woman. If there’s something about her you like, I want to know her too.”
“I’ve been kind of an asshole to her.”
Mama gave me an unimpressed look. “Kinda?”
I shrugged, guilty as charged. “As weird as this is going to sound, I think she likes it.” I smirked at the thought of her feisty side. “She’s tried to knee me in the crotch twice.”
“Classic hair-pulling on the playground,” Mama deduced, amused.
“Something like that.”
“How did you meet?”
I hesitated, knowing she wouldn’t like the answer. “Paths of Purpose.”
Her lips parted before they pressed into a flat line. “Drew Harris.”
“She’s not like the other women there. I still think she got the black eye during a bar fight.”
“Drew!”
“What? Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. She wasn’t beat up by a boyfriend, which is her story, and I assure you she isn’t scared of men. Some of those women are. I promise I haven’t done anything to make them uncomfortable. I’m a jackass, but not to women and kids who have been hurt.” I let out a huff of frustration, always finding myself on the defensive when it came to my character. That was my own fault, but it got old.
Thick As Thieves: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romance (Paths To Love Book 5) Page 9
