Shit.
So, how did she fix this? Because she had to fix this. Fix her insecurities.
How did she show him how much she cared about him?
She was still chewing that over when she returned to her desk and the contract.
Jess came out of her office, smiling when Vivi picked up the contract.
“Mr. Ahrens said he spoke to you before he left. If you have any questions, just ask,” Jess said. “If I can’t answer it, I’ll find someone who can. I really hope you’ll sign on. You bring a fresh eye to the things that I’ve done the same way for years and I appreciate that. We’re a good team.”
“Thanks, Jess. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity.”
“Don’t thank me, it was all you.” Then she grimaced. “Look...I know you and Justin are kind of on the outs because of this, but I am really, really happy he pointed me in your direction. I mean, I might have heard about the pictures you took of him somewhere down the line but maybe the position wouldn’t have been open then so...I’ve got to thank him.”
It took her a second but finally she nodded. “I know. He’s a really great guy.”
She just hoped she could work out her own issues before she lost him because of them.
*****
“Dude, these are amazing. Consider yourself hired to do some work for me over the summer.”
Derek flipped through the designs Bryan had brought to show Justin what he was working on for his back.
“Do you have a shop or do I just have to visit Justin so you can do my ink?”
Justin sat at the small dining table in his apartment with his parents while Bryan showed Derek, Will, and Jake his sketchbook in the living area. His brother had a smile on his face, which made their mom smile and their dad literally breathe a sigh of relief.
Justin had almost forgotten what it was like to live with low-level anxiety eating away at his guts all the time and had so much more respect for his parents now than he ever had before.
“How’s he been?” Justin kept his voice low so Bryan wouldn’t hear him. “He seems...good.”
His mom smiled, her gaze never leaving his. “He’s been on an upswing lately, which has been nice. Actually, he’s been worried about you, so that’s why we made the trip.”
Justin frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“He said he’s been worried about you since you broke up with Ashley. He also said you were seeing someone else but that you had a fight? If she can’t see how amazing you are, then she’s definitely not the right girl for you.”
Shaking his head, he sighed. “It’s not all her fault. I lied to her about something stupid and tripped a trigger left by an old boyfriend.”
His mom’s eyebrows arched. “What did you lie about?”
He explained the situation, which took all of about a minute. It seemed like such a small thing to get past. Like she should just accept his apology and they could move on.
Which was exactly what his dad said, but his mom’s expression made it clear she viewed it differently.
“That’s a tough one, sweetheart. Trust is a tricky thing. But obviously, she doesn’t know you well enough if she believes you’re anything like her ex. I know you don’t want to hear this but maybe she just needs a little more time to get to know you. You’re so much like your father—”
From the other side of the table, his father groaned and rolled his eyes.
“—it took me forever to be able to read him. You can both be a little...reserved with your feelings.”
“You mean cold and unemotional?”
Both Justin and his dad looked at Bryan, who’d come to stand by the table, and said, “Hey,” in the exact same tone of voice while their mom laughed.
It was an old joke but Justin knew it held a grain of truth.
He and his dad were a lot alike. They didn’t say much and they weren’t much for PDA, while Bryan and his mom were much more emotional. Bryan’s mood swings were legendary and he let you know exactly what he was thinking and feeling. And their mom was a hugger, everyone and anyone. Enough said.
“So you’re telling me I need to be someone different.”
His mom rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just think, maybe, she doesn’t know how you really feel about her. Maybe you actually need to say the words.”
“And if I don’t know the right words?”
“Then maybe she’s not the right girl for you.”
*****
“Hi. You must be Bryan. I’m Vivi Martin. I...know your brother.”
There was no mistaking the guy who turned to face her in the hall outside the locker room was Justin’s brother. The family resemblance was impossible to miss. They weren’t identical but they had the same nose and mouth and there was no mistaking the skill in the artwork on the guy’s arms. She could only see a piece of the sleeve on his left arm but that’d been enough to identify him.
While Justin’s eyes were light brown and warm, this guy’s eyes were more hazel and they took her measure in seconds. But unlike her ability to read Justin, she had no idea what his brother was thinking.
He stood down the hall, far enough away from the rest of the family and friends waiting for the guys to come out of the locker room after the game that no one could hear them.
She had no idea what he was doing down here all by himself. And she had no idea why she’d approached him.
Stupidity. Curiosity. Torture.
“And you’re the girl he’s tying himself in knots over.”
Okay, now she knew exactly what his brother was thinking. And it wasn’t good.
The urge to tell him off nearly choked her, but she bit it back and held her smile.
Which made Bryan smirk.
Her eyebrows rose and her grin became more natural.
A smart-ass. She could deal with this.
“Your brother’s the nicest guy I ever dated.”
Bryan’s eyes rolled as his arms crossed over his chest. This guy was skinnier than Justin, more wiry, but he still managed to look more bad-ass than Justin ever would.
“Yeah, no shit. He’s a great guy.”
The implication being he was too good for her. Point taken.
“He is.”
Okay, this had been a stupid idea. She had no idea why she’d approached Bryan. She’d seen him in the concourse between periods and immediately had wanted to talk to him.
Her curiosity had gotten her in trouble way more times than it was worth.
“Yeah, well, guess I won’t be seeing you around.” Bryan shrugged, ready to brush her off. “Good luck with the new job.”
Her eyes narrowed and before she could bite her tongue, the words spilled out of her.
“If you have something to say to me, please get it off your chest.”
Bryan’s brows rose as he continued to stare at her. “Why should I have anything to say to you? You’re out of his life. If you’re going to treat him like this, he doesn’t need you. He’ll get over you soon enough.”
Every word out of his mouth hit her like a bullet, causing her to flinch. But she forced herself to answer him with the only response she had.
“He lied.”
To his credit, Bryan nodded and seemed to give his next words some thought.
“Yeah, he made a stupid mistake and he regrets the hell out of it. But all you see is yourself and how everything affects you. Justin knows what he did was wrong. But you tossed him away like he was nothing. If that’s how you think of him—”
“That’s not how I think about him. Not at all. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Bryan smirked. “Really? You think I don’t know my brother?”
Now her back had started to straighten. “I know how much he worries about you. Does that ever affect the way you act?”
Bryan’s gaze narrowed and she thought she saw a glint in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Yeah, I do know how much my mistakes have affecte
d him. I know how much it hurts him every time I fuck up. And I do it a lot. But I don’t run away. I’m still here. You took off at the first the sign of trouble.”
He stole her breath with the absolute truth in his statement.
She’d done to Justin exactly what Jamie had done to her. She’d pushed him away at the first hint of trouble.
Her lips parted but she had no comeback.
Bryan’s lips twisted into a true grin. Mocking her, yes, but still...
“Yeah, see, that’s what I thought,” he continued. “So you wanna dump my brother because he made a mistake, sure, but don’t pretend it’s because you’re the only one being screwed. If you knew my brother at all, you’d know he’s nothing like the assholes you dated before. Justin’s a goddamn amazing guy. Probably the most amazing guy you’ll ever meet. Too bad you gave him up.”
His gaze shifted over her shoulder while she stood there silently. She didn’t even have to bite her tongue because she literally couldn’t think of a thing to say.
He was right. About everything.
And she fucking hated being wrong.
“Gotta go. You have a good one.”
Bryan walked away and she turned to watch him as he reunited with his parents. Where Justin was hugging his mom and dad.
Justin hadn’t seen her and she turned and walked away before he did. She didn’t want to intrude on his time with his family.
Leaving again. Coward.
That voice in her head stopped her cold.
Damn it.
If she had any spine at all, she’d turn around and tell Justin she was sorry. She’d been an idiot and to please take her back.
And if he didn’t?
She’d ruin his time with his family. Or at least make an awkward scene.
Damn, damn, damn.
She kept walking.
*****
“You want some breakfast or are you gonna sleep all morning? I got a game tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah, and you got an eating schedule. I know how this works.”
Bryan walked into the tiny kitchen in Justin’s apartment, dressed only in sweatpants, scratching his bare stomach and running a hand through his shaggy hair.
His parents had a hotel room close to the arena but Bryan was sleeping on Justin’s couch. He always did when he visited.
His brother stopped next to him and grabbed a piece of bacon off the rack he’d just removed from the oven. An entire pound and it’d be gone in under a minute between the two of them.
“Then you should know to get your hands off the food and get plates. Pancakes are ready.”
“Fuck you.” Bryan yawned and grabbed another piece of bacon before he grabbed plates. “This is why I never wake up early. Because when I do, you have breakfast ready.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go sit down already.”
Justin shook his head as he huffed out a laugh at his brother. He hadn’t laughed much in the past week but having Bryan here was helping Justin not focus on missing Vivi. He’d already made up his mind that tomorrow after practice, he was going to ask her to go to lunch.
Start slow, work his way back into her trust. He’d decided he wasn’t going to give up on her. He was going to go after the woman he wanted. He just needed to get through this game.
The knock on the door didn’t surprise him. He figured Derek and Robbie had psychically smelled the bacon he was cooking and would show up at his door. It’d happened before. Which was why he always made extra. If they didn’t devour everything this morning, it’d reheat tomorrow.
“Bry, can you—”
“On it.”
Seconds later, he heard the front door open then silence.
Curious, he turned to see who was there—
And came face-to-face with Vivi.
He blinked for a second, not sure what to say. And from the look on her face, she wasn’t exactly sure what to say either, especially with his brother standing to the side of the door, staring at him with a smirk.
“Uh, hey. You want some breakfast?”
Her eyes widened and he had time to tell himself he was an idiot before her lips curved in the sweetest smile he’d ever seen on her face before. She looked...relieved.
“I’d love some, thank you.”
She stepped over the threshold, turning to Bryan and exchanging a look that clearly said something Justin didn’t understand. As his gaze narrowed, he looked between Bryan and Vivi.
“So, I think I’m gonna take a shower before I eat,” Bryan said. “Just save me some bacon, okay?”
Not a problem. Justin wouldn’t be able to eat until Vivi said what she came here to say. And she obviously had something on her mind.
He hoped like hell it had something to do with him and her and a possible future.
When he was sure Bryan was out of hearing range, he said, “Did something happen between you and Bryan?”
She shook her head and her smile turned wry. “Your brother and I met last night. I realized he and I are a lot alike. And...I’m sorry.”
“That you’re a lot like my brother?”
“That I left you.”
His eyebrows crashed hard in a frown. “What?”
“I’m sorry I left when things got hard. I know you’re nothing like my ex. I’m sorry I wasn’t smart enough to realize you would never expect me to be something I wasn’t. To act a certain way. I know you—”
He closed the few feet between them, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her. Cut off whatever she was going to say and let his lips suck the sweetness from hers.
When her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she lifted up onto her toes so she could press herself even more tightly against him, he opened their lips and deepened the kiss. His breath left his lungs on a rush but he’d suffer a little suffocation if it meant he could continue to taste her.
He didn’t know how long they kissed but when the last batch of pancakes on the griddle began to burn, he finally thought maybe he should pull back.
But even then he didn’t stop. It wasn’t until Bryan yelled from the bathroom, “Hey, don’t burn my damn breakfast,” that he released her so they could catch their breath.
She looked so damn beautiful, he couldn’t believe he was the lucky bastard who she trusted with her body. And hopefully her heart.
“I love who you are, Vivi. Not who I think I want you to be.”
Her eyes widened and he wondered if he’d overplayed his hand. But he was through playing it safe with this woman. He needed to tell her what he was thinking, let her know how he felt about her. He didn’t want her wondering and possibly getting it wrong.
Of course, he could be pushing her away—Her smile broke out and she leaned in to kiss him again, a hard, teeth-grinding, tongue-tangling, passionate kiss that left him panting.
And wanting so much more that he couldn’t have with his brother in the apartment.
“The first words out of my mouth should’ve been thank you when Jess offered me this job,” she said. “I love what I’m doing and I’m not sure it ever would’ve happened without your help.”
“No, Viv, you’re the one with all the skill.”
“I had one hell of a model.”
“And he has one hell of a tattoo artist,” Bryan yelled from the bathroom, where he was obviously not showering.
As they laughed, Justin leaned down and rubbed his nose against hers before pressing his lips against hers again.
“I wasn’t going to let you get away, Viv. I was just figuring out how to chase you down.”
“I didn’t want you to have to chase me. I know I can be exhausting. And you have a game tonight.”
“I’ll never be too tired to chase you.”
“Then be prepared to spend all night letting me make it up to you.”
His smile cracked his lips “I’ll give Bryan earplugs.”
Then he kissed her again and let the pancakes burn.
*****
“I really like your parents. They’
re very sweet.”
Collapsed on top of her, Justin turned his head to kiss her temple as he laughed.
She’d met his parents earlier tonight after the game. His dad had grinned while his mom politely grilled her. Vivi had treated them like she did everyone. She smiled and made them feel like instant friends. Even Bry was falling under spell.
“Do you really want to talk about my parents right now?”
His voice rumbled through her body, her core contracting around his softening cock.
Naked and still panting from the orgasm they’d shared a minute ago, Vivi rubbed her nose against Justin’s neck, her arms and legs wrapped around his strong body.
“I have no idea why I said that. You kinda scrambled my brains.”
“If you’re trying to stroke my ego, you’re doing a great job.”
She giggled, wondering when the last time was that she’d giggled. The man did strange and wonderful things to her.
“I’d rather stroke something else.”
His lips curved in a smile against her skin. “I think you already did that and that’s what landed us here.”
“Is that a problem?”
Justin huffed a laugh into her hair. “No. Nothing about this is a problem.”
“Good, because this is where I want to be.”
Shifting to her side, Justin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, plastering her against his chest. She snuggled close, pressing her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart beat.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
She took a deep breath, loving the scent of him. She wanted to lick him and realized she could do anything she wanted because he was hers.
“I’m sorry.”
He knew what she was talking about without having to say anything more but she wanted him to know, to hear the words.
Pulling away only as far as she needed to be able to see into his eyes, she made sure she looked straight into them.
“I’m sorry I let my insecurities get between us. I’m sorry I didn’t trust in you.”
“Viv—”
She put her fingers over his lips and shivered when he flicked out his tongue to lick at them.
“I know you’re nothing like my ex. I promise to never compare you to him again.”
The D-Man Page 17
