by J. L. Perry
Rules I’ve never broken.
Until last night.
Until Emma.
Three within a matter of minutes.
Not only did I tell her my full name, I kissed her on the mouth, and had every intention of bringing her back here. Well, I would’ve if she hadn’t turned me down.
“Ever heard of knocking on the front door?” I grumble.
He shrugs. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be up yet, so I brought my key with me.”
“Did you even entertain the idea of knocking before using said key? What if I had company?”
“You never bring chicks back here.”
I almost did last night.
“Whatever,” I say, rolling onto my side and giving him my back.
“You’re still in a fabulous mood, I see. Dude, this chick’s got you all kinds of fucked-up.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my mood, and I don’t even know what chick you’re referring to.”
I’m such a liar.
“As if you don’t… the one with the great tits.” My brow furrows as I glare at him over my shoulder. When he cups his hands against his chest and bounces them in front of him to emphasize his point, it takes all my strength not to react. But, he’s right. He knows me better than anyone. She’s under my skin, and I hate it.
“You’re delusional if you think that. And stop talking about her tits.”
My response has him smirking.
Asshole.
“Get up and shower, we’re going out to lunch.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Too bad, I’m not taking no for an answer.” Grayson crosses the room and grabs hold of the sheet covering me, tugging it off. I’m naked, but it doesn’t bother him in the slightest. “Get up, Barclay.”
He’s a great friend, but there are times when I could punch him. This is how he treated me after Anastasia, when my life plummeted into the deep, dark abyss. I hated him for it at the time, but I understand why he did it. It took a while, but he pretty much single-handedly got me back on my feet. His friendship never wavered, even when things were tough. For that, I’ll be eternally grateful.
Begrudgingly, I climb out of bed. “Happy now, dickhead?” I grumble.
The truth is, I’ve been lying here for hours just staring at the ceiling analyzing every second of my run-in with Emma yesterday morning, followed by the kiss last night. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I even dreamed about Anastasia, which is something I haven’t done for the longest time.
Has she come into my life to taunt me?
Is she my karma?
I should’ve kept walking last night when she was being groped on the dance floor, but the reality is I couldn’t have done that. I most definitely shouldn’t have kissed her, though, even if it was the best damn kiss I’ve ever had. Or maybe, I’m building this up in my head—it’s been over six years since I’ve kissed anyone on the mouth. Yeah, I’m sure that’s all this is.
Who am I kidding?
“I’m going to make a coffee while you shower.”
“Help yourself.”
“I intended to,” he says, chuckling.
My eyebrows pinch together when he pulls up alongside the animal shelter. “I thought we were going for lunch?”
“We are. Just making a small detour.”
“At the shelter? Why?”
He shrugs as he removes his seatbelt. “I’ve been thinking about getting a dog.”
“Really? Since when?” This is news to me.
“A while now.”
“You can barely look after yourself, Edwards, do you think it’s wise to take on a huge responsibility like that? You’re thirty years old, and your momma still washes your damn clothes.”
“I said I was thinking about it, I haven’t made up my mind yet. And besides, my mom likes looking after me, so leave her out of this.” She’s good like that. If I asked my mother to wash my clothes, she’d hand them to one of her maids.
He opens the driver’s side door, stepping out of the vehicle. “Are you coming?”
“Fine,” I say, tugging off my belt. “Someone has to be there to stop you from doing something stupid.”
“I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“Right,” I say with a snicker. “What kind of dog are you looking for?”
“A big one.”
“One that suits your personality.”
“Amongst other things.” His comment makes me laugh. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re so full of yourself, pee-wee.”
“That’s rich coming from you. You’re just jealous my anaconda is bigger than yours.”
“We both know that’s not true,” I say, placing my hand on his shoulder and squeezing it.
This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. When we were younger, stupider, we even measured said appendages—just to put it to rest once and for all. I won, but to this day he refuses to accept it. His defense at the time was he’d gone swimming earlier, and the apparent shrinkage hadn’t worn off yet. Deep down we both knew that was bullshit. I’ve offered him a redo numerous times, but to this day, he’s yet to take me up on the offer. That alone speaks volumes.
We’re both laughing when we push through the front doors and into the reception area. I’m glad he forced me to get out of the house. I’m feeling better already.
Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t last long.
I freeze as soon as I see her.
Her pretty caramel eyes widen the moment they land on me. What the fuck. Is this some kind of sick joke? My eyes dart to Grayson, and by the huge smile on his face, I get the feeling he knew she’d be here.
I abruptly turn, reaching for the door handle, but Grayson grabs my arm. “Oh, no you don’t,” he angrily whispers.
“You brought me here on purpose, didn’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
My back remains to her. I can’t even bring myself to turn.
“You’re a fucking liar, Edwards,” I mumble through gritted teeth.
“Morning, Red,” Grayson says, in an ever so chirpy voice. Again, I have an urge to punch him. “Small world. Fancy seeing you here.” I glance over my shoulder just in time to see her eyes narrow at him. Yep, I was right, he knew she was here, but how? “You remember my friend, Ashton, right?”
Grayson grabs hold of my arm, tugging me forward like a child. Emma’s eyes dart to me briefly before narrowing back on him. At least her snarky attitude is directed at someone else for a change.
I use this time to drink her in. She’s a hot mess. Her long hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and there’s not a scrap of makeup on her face. She looks tired and stressed, but fuck me if she still is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
She parts her lips like she’s about to say something when someone exits the door on the far side of the room. My eyes dart in that direction, and they widen with surprise as soon as I see who it is.
“Chance-fucking-Bateman… well, I’ll be damned.”
A smile explodes onto his face as he closes the distance in a few longs strides. “Barclay… Edwards,” he says as his eyes dart between us.
We clasp each other briefly in a one-arm hug. “It’s been years. How are you?”
“Never been better,” he says. “How have you been, mate?” His Australian accent is still as strong as ever. The ladies used to fall over that shit back in the day.
“Good,” I reply.
He moves to Grayson next, and they clasp hands.
“Still modeling?”
“Nah. I haven’t done that for years.”
“Me either,” I add.
“You?”
“I do the occasional shoot,” Chance replies with a shrug.
“I take it you’re still living in the area?”
“Yeah. I’m a family man now.”
“Wow. Someone finally tamed the unattainable, hey?”
“Something like that,” he says, laughing. “What about you? Are you still dating that blonde model… what was her name again?”
Shit.
“Anastasia,” I say as my gaze moves to my feet.
“She was a wild one, that one.”
If only he knew.
Grayson shakes his head, warning Chance not to go there.
Thank fuck.
“Ashton and I ran into Bryce some years back,” he says, changing the subject. “We called you a few times to see if you wanted to meet up, but when you didn’t get back to us, we thought maybe you’d changed your number.”
“My number’s still the same,” Chance replies with a shrug. “I went into hiatus for a while, you could say. Long story.”
The three of us, along with Bryce, shared that same agent. We hit it off the moment we met. Unlike some of the other stuck-up fuckers in the industry, those two were our kind of people.
Modeling wasn’t a career I ever took seriously. Grayson was doing it to pay his way through college. That’s how I fell into it. The money was good and helped get our business off the ground. Unlike Grayson, though, I’m a trust fund baby, so in reality, I didn’t need the extra cash. But watching my best friend work hard for everything in life, inspired me. It became important for me to follow in his footsteps, forging my own way in the world. I saw the pride and self-satisfaction it gave him, and I wanted a piece of it.
All my life I’ve had things handed to me on a silver platter, and although modeling was a short-term thing, my father despised my career choice. He always presumed I’d join the family business. For a time, I’d considered it, but things change. I now inspire to be nothing like him. He’s not the man I once looked up to.
“Baaa,” I hear, and it’s only then that I realize a goat is standing beside Chance.
Following my line of sight, his face lights up as he looks down at the small creature below.
“Pixy,” he says, addressing the goat. “This is Ashton and Grayson, old friends of mine.” I chuckle. Did he just introduce us to a goat? His gaze moves back to me. “Ash, Gray, this my boy, Pixy.”
“Your boy?”
“Yeah, he’s our adopted son. A part of our family,” he says, bending slightly to run his fingers through the goats shaggy hair.
Weird.
Shaking my head as I think about what he just said, then my heart drops into the pit of my stomach. Our. He said our.
My eyes dart back to Emma, and there’s an adoring look on her face as she watches them.
Is she the other part of his our?
Are the three of them a family?
The thought makes my stomach roil. Is that why she wouldn’t come home with me last night? Jesus. I may be a lot of things, but a homewrecker isn’t one of them.
“So, you two are his parents?” Grayson asks from beside me as his eyes move between Emma and Chance. He’s thinking the same thing I am.
“Me and Em?” Chance asks, before laughing. “I mean, don’t get me wrong…” he briefly looks over at her and winks, “… Em’s a babe and all, but she’s not my Aubrey.”
“Aubrey?”
“Yeah, my wife.”
“You’re married?”
“Sure am,” he states proudly. “I married my princess. You have to meet her. She’s beautiful and smart. She’s a lawyer, and she helped found an animal shelter back in Temecula before moving here, that’s how we got involved with this place.” He’s beaming as he speaks. “She’s an amazing person, and mother to my boys.”
“Boys? You have more than one goat?”
“No,” he chuckles. “Chance Junior, or CJ as we call him, is our human spawn. He’s a top kid, I love that little guy.”
“Baaa.”
“I love you too, Pixy,” he says, looking down at the goat again. “I couldn’t be happier. I’m living the best life.”
I get a pang in my heart as I hear him talk. My life could’ve been like his. Well, except for the happy part. I never would’ve found true happiness with Anastasia.
Someone pushes through the front door, and I glance over my shoulder. It’s Emma’s friend, the one from last night.
“Carla babes,” Chance says.
“Hey, Chance,” she replies with a flick of her head. She extends her clenched fist toward him, and they fist pump, but her eyes never once meet his, they’re firmly fixed on Grayson.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, handsome.” She walks toward him and tugs on his T-shirt, pulling him down for a kiss.
What the hell.
“I see sleeping beauty’s finally risen.” Grayson slides his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. When did this happen? “Are you here to collect Emma?”
“I sure am.”
My head moves back and forth between the two of them. Am I missing something here?
“Ash and I are heading out to lunch, you ladies should join us,” Grayson offers.
I look over at Emma at the same time as Carla, and the knot in my stomach tightens when I see her vigorously shake her head.
“Maybe another time.” I see the disappointment on Grayson’s face. After last night, I’m not surprised she blew me off. Again her rejection stings. “I’m not working tonight, so call me later if you want.” Carla raises her eyebrows suggestively.
“Sounds like a plan,” he replies, his face lighting up again. These two are acting like they’re smitten with each other. I stare at them, dumbfounded.
I see movement out of the corner of my eye when Emma rounds the desk. “I’m just going to say goodbye to Duke before I go.”
Duke?
“Okay,” Chance says, smiling.
She disappears into the back room he came out of earlier, and I take a few steps toward it, peering through the small glass window in the center of the door. I don’t want to know who Duke is, but there’s a part of me that needs to.
My eyes are glued to her sweet ass as she walks down the long aisle, metal cages line both sides. I can hear the dogs barking as she passes. She’s wearing black yoga pants that hug her round cheeks perfectly. I feel my cock jump in my pants.
Why do I torture myself like this?
She stops halfway down, turning to her right. Bending, she opens the cage door before picking up a small golden colored dog. Or an oversized rat. From here, it’s hard to tell.
His tail wags vigorously as she stands to full height. The smile on her face is huge as he licks the base of her chin. Is it wrong that I’m jealous of that thing?
I want to lick her too.
I feel myself grinning as I watch them together.
Emma hugs Duke tightly to her chest, gently swaying back and forth, and I want to be that damn dog. I remember all too well what her perky tits felt like pressed against me last night.
“She loves Duke… has a real soft spot for him,” Chance says, coming to stand beside me.
“The dog?”
“Yeah,” he replies. “They have a special bond. When he first came here, she was the only one he’d let go near him. He’s the oldest dog we have, and unfortunately, nobody wants to adopt dogs that are that old. So, Emma tries to come in and see him every day. She takes him for walks and showers him with TLC. She has such a kind heart.”
“If she loves him so much, why doesn’t she adopt him?” My words come out more hostile than I anticipated.
“Her building doesn’t allow pets.”
“Oh.”
“Aubrey and I even considered taking him in, but he’s scared of Pixy… well, pretty much anything.” Chance chuckles, shaking his head.
I don’t step away from the window until she puts the dog back in his enclosure.
When she comes back through the door, I try not to look at her, but my eyes betray me. Emma makes the briefest contact with me before approaching Chance. Leaning forward, she kisses him on the cheek.
I want one of those.
“Give my love to Aubrey and CJ,” she says.
“I will, Em.”
She reaches down and skims her dainty fingers through the goat’s fur.
She ran her fingers through my hair last night.
I want her to do that again.
“Bye, Pixy.”
“Baaa.”
Emma’s eyes graze past me once more as she starts walking toward the door.
Where’s my kiss?
“See ya around, Red,” Grayson says, and she grunts at him as she passes.
As irritated as I am right now, that makes me smile.
I love her sass.
Emma leaves without a backward glance, walking away from me again just like she did last night.
It’s probably for the best, but that thought does nothing to ease the ache that’s now settled in my chest.
Chapter Six
EMMA
I bolt upright when I hear a loud bang. My eyes dart around the room, it’s still light outside.
Rubbing my eyes, I glance over at the clock beside my bed, it’s just after four. When I got home from the shelter earlier, I showered and changed into a pair of baby blue boy-shorts and a matching midriff tank top before climbing into bed. After a sleepless night and a hectic morning, I was worn out.
I hear the bang again and realize it’s someone knocking on my door. I throw back the covers and climb out of bed. “Hold on, I’m coming.”
Carla is the only one who comes here, so I don’t even bother covering up. I unlock the door and open it before turning around and heading back toward my room. She should’ve used her key.
I hear a deep voice clear their throat from behind me. That’s not Carla. I spin around, and my stomach drops when I see the man who’s fast becoming the bane of my existence—Ashton Barclay—leaning up against my door frame.
A low grumble bubbles in the back of his throat as his eyes slowly travel down the length of my body. The intensity of his stare makes my skin prickle. I stand there in shock as his predatory gawking moves upward before finally landing on my face. It’s only then I notice the smirk.
“Do you always answer the door half-naked?” he asks, cocking one of his eyebrows.
I wrap my hands protectively across my chest before answering, “No, sometimes I answer it completely naked.”
The left side of his smug mouth rises. “Hopefully, next time I get lucky then. Although I’m not complaining about the way you’re dressed now.” He licks his lips, and the grip I have on my body tightens. He looks likes he’s about to eat me alive.