Affinity: A Salvation Society Novel

by Harlow Layne

  I found Reeves in the living room with the pizza box beside him on the couch, staring up at his big-screen TV with half a slice sticking out of his mouth. Sitting down on the other side of the box, I picked up a piece of pepperoni pizza and aimed my gaze toward whatever he was watching. It was some weird sci-fi movie that I didn’t care to watch.

  We ate our dinner in silence. Reeves chuckled at the movie a few times and seemed content to ignore that I was in his space. Once we finished off the pizza, I gathered our trash and his beer bottle and threw them away in the kitchen.

  Heading back into the living room to say goodnight, I stopped when I found it empty. I wasn’t sure how, but while I was in the kitchen only feet away, Reeves had managed to turn off the TV and slip out without me even knowing. I guess there was no need for me to say goodnight to him. He didn’t even care enough to let me know he was done watching the movie. Not that I cared about the movie, but still, it was rude.

  Keeping my clothes on, minus the bra, I slipped into my new bed. It was softer than anything I’d ever lain on. The sheets were cool and melted around my body, and the comforter fit snuggly under my chin as I relaxed into the bed. No matter how great it felt, I still couldn’t get my brother’s words or how disappointed he sounded as I lied to him out of my head. He probably knew I was lying and was testing me, to which I failed miserably. He knew I’d never run off and get married without at least speaking to him first. He was my only family, and to him, I’d forgotten all about him.

  Tears silently slipped down my cheeks as I tried to think of a way to make things better between Paul and me. He’d given up years of his life to take care of me, and this was how I repaid him. I was the worst sister on the planet.

  Eventually, I cried myself to sleep, only to wake up a few hours later with red, puffy eyelids and a lump in my throat. I wasn’t ready to be Reeves Jenner’s wife or to face my brother the next time I saw him.

  Slipping out of bed, I took a hot shower to try and relax my tight muscles, the result of tossing and turning during the little sleep I did get. I was still sore from whatever had happened between Reeves and the night before. I even had his fingerprints bruised on my skin to remind me that we had gotten down and dirty and had lots of fun doing it. I wish I could remember what happened. It had been too long since I’d had sex, and then I couldn’t even remember it. Maybe it wasn’t that great, but I knew what he was packing.

  Forced to put on the same clothes, I hoped the rest of my things would arrive today. It would give me something to do to keep my mind off of my brother and new husband.

  I let out a yawn and went in search of coffee. I hadn’t seen a coffeemaker last night, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Reeves also went to Starbucks every morning or had his assistant bring it to him. If he didn’t own one, he was about to. I couldn’t start my day without coffee, and it wouldn’t take long for me to kill him if I was deprived.

  Color me shocked when I stepped into the kitchen to find a pot of coffee already made. I wasn’t sure where it came from, but I didn’t care. Swiveling my head from side to side, it looked as if I was alone. The sun was just coming up, so I poured myself a cup and went out to the backyard to enjoy the sunrise. I sat on a lounger as I watched the sky change from blue to orange and yellows. It was beautiful up on the hill, looking out over the city.

  Movement to my left caught my eye. I turned to see a sweaty Reeves move through the house, stripping off his clothes as he made his way out into the backyard. By the time he reached the pool, he was only in his shorts, and I was sure that if I hadn’t been there, he would have been naked as he dove into the pool with barely a splash. I watched as his body glided through the water until he reached the other side. He came up and swiped his hair off his forehead, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the water that was dripping down his rippling chest. His biceps flexed as he used his arms to pull himself out of the pool.

  I wiped my mouth, afraid I was drooling as he walked toward me in long strides. Even the way he walked was sexy. I knew in that moment I was in trouble.

  “I see you found the coffee.” He nodded to my cup as water trailed slowly down his impeccable chest.

  Tipping it toward him, I smiled. “I was afraid you didn’t have a coffeemaker, and you were going to see my bad side.”

  He raised an eyebrow and let out a husky chuckle. “Yesterday wasn’t your bad side?”

  “It’s not as bad as I can get, but it definitely wasn’t my best day either.” I wondered if the same could be said for him, but I kept my mouth closed. If he wanted me to know that information about him, he’d tell me himself.

  “I’m going to get in a quick shower before Catherine shows up. She was probably up all night getting a statement ready, and I don’t want to endure her wrath if I don’t have to.”

  I cocked my head to the side, not understanding. I wasn’t sure why she’d be mad at him if he hadn’t showered before she showed up. Catherine wasn’t unreasonable.

  Watching as he moved to the other side of the house and into his bedroom, I noticed the walls of Reeves bathroom were glass. If I wanted to, I could watch him take a shower, but I wasn’t going to invade his privacy like that, no matter how hot it would be.

  To keep myself away from temptation, I headed inside. I’d barely rinsed out my coffee cup when the doorbell rang. While the back of the house was all glass, the front looked like concrete. At least the people out on the street couldn’t see inside.

  When I opened the front door, I was shocked to see three men with boxes in their arms and Catherine looking perfectly coiffed in designer jeans, a black blouse, and heels. Her makeup and hair were perfect, making me feel frumpy in yesterday’s clothes.

  Reeves pulled the front door open wider and stepped out of the way. “Abbi, are you going to let them in or make them stand outside all day?”

  I thought he was going to take a shower, and I’d get a slight reprieve from him.

  Stepping back, I watched as the movers brought in my belongings. When they were finished after two trips, it made me realize how little I actually owned. Not that I needed a lot, but it was sad that my life could amount to so few boxes.

  As the movers left, Catherine pulled two small velvet boxes out of her purse and placed them on the coffee table in the living room before she sat down and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “You will wear them twenty-four-seven. If I see one picture where either of you is not wearing your ring, heads are going to roll. Do you understand?” She eyed Reeves as he ground his teeth together and glared at the boxes.

  “Not a problem,” I quietly answered as she handed me the box with my ring in it.

  As I slipped my wedding band on, I watched as Catherine and Reeves had a silent conversation I wasn’t privy too.

  Pulling out a stack of papers, she handed them over to me. “This is all the paperwork you’ll need to fill out to change your name on your social security card, insurance, and driver's license plus a change of address.”

  I hadn’t thought about what my last name would be, but what was the point if we were getting a divorce in a year.

  Reeves grabbed his box off the table as he stood up and stomped out of the room.

  Catherine watched him go before she let out a sigh. “I had a feeling he wouldn’t be happy once he realized this was all real. Please keep an eye on him, so he doesn’t do something stupid right now. I can’t put out another fire.”

  With that, Catherine got up and left, leaving me wondering what had transpired during that silent conversation and if I would be able to stop Reeves if he was determined to fuck up his life.

  Chapter Eight

  Jenner

  The thought of having a wedding ring on my left hand again didn’t sit well with me, even if it was to save my career. I knew once I put it on, I wouldn’t be able to take it off for an entire year, and the thought made me sick. Even though it had been over a year, I still wasn’t over Poppy’s cheating, her cleaning out the hous
e we shared, or her drug addiction.

  It made me wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t found her coke hidden in the bathroom. If I hadn’t been wallowing in self-pity for weeks on end, I might not have had the crazy idea to try what she couldn’t get enough of. One sniff and I was in trouble.

  Heading outside to the back of the property, I stopped under an umbrella to look out at the city. I loved watching how the city moved day or night. Mostly at night.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw Alex’s name flash on the screen for probably the hundredth time in twenty-four hours. I didn’t want to talk to her, but I knew I couldn’t keep ignoring her, or she’d hop a plane and show up at my front door.

  “Hey,” I answered hesitantly.

  “Don’t hey me, Jenner. You’ve been avoiding my calls.”

  “You know I love you, but I’ve been busy with . . . ”

  “With getting married and not telling me about this girl. I need all the details.” I hated hearing the hurt in her voice, knowing I’d put it there, and that I was going to have to lie. “By the way, you’re on speakerphone.”

  “Is Mason in the room?” I prayed her son was home.

  “No, he’s at school. Now stop stalling and start talking.”

  “Hey, Luke,” I called out, stalling some more.

  “She’s going to kill you if you don’t start talking.” He laughed. “But it’s because she cares.”

  “I know you care, Alex, and I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls yesterday. It was a whirlwind, and Catherine was trying to put out the fire.” Fuck, how was I going to lie to her? “When are you going to be in LA?”

  “Are you saying the only way I’ll find out is to fly out there?”

  Why had I asked that? Now she was even angrier.

  “That’s not what I’m saying, but I know you’ll be here soon, and I’d rather have this conversation face to face.” Or not at all.

  “We’re so out of touch. We’ve already been there for a couple of weeks and are only in Fairlane for the weekend. Luke came home with us, so we didn’t have to fly by ourselves. We have a flight late tonight after we get Mason back, so I can come over tomorrow.”

  Why couldn’t her husband have a longer break before he had to be back on set?

  Fuck me. She was going to be here at the first light of day.

  “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow then. I’m sorry we haven’t been talking as much as we normally do, but we’ve both been busy. I’ll try to be better, and now that you’ll be here, we can hang out more.”

  “You can keep Alex and Mason company while I’m at work,” Luke shouted.

  I knew he hated leaving them for such long hours while he was shooting, but he knew he was a lucky son of a bitch getting to stay at home with them the majority of the year in Fairlane, away from the limelight.

  “I promise I will when I have time, but I’m still shooting my show.” I didn’t want to tell them I couldn’t fuck up one more time. “But really, Alex, you don’t need to come over tomorrow.”

  Her laughter rang down the phone line. “I know I don’t need to, I want to. But if you’re working tomorrow . . . ” She left the conversation hanging as she waited for my answer.

  “I’m not working.” Thank god because I wasn’t sure I could wrap my head around my drunken mistake before heading onto the set tomorrow.

  “Perfect, I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

  I knew she was worried about me. She had been since the night we met, and it had only gotten worse once my life started to swirl down the drain. It was a good thing she didn’t know everything. It was a good thing she’d been busy falling in love and getting married while everything was going on.

  “I can’t wait to see you too.” I had been hiding from my friends for far too long.

  “Bye,” both Luke and Alex called before they hung up.

  “Bye,” I softly said as I walked back to the house and into my bedroom. They were a nice distraction, and now it was back to reality.

  Opening up the box Catherine had given me, I looked down at the silver band inside. Could I pretend to be married to Abbi for a year? I guess I didn’t have a choice.

  Not wanting to think about it anymore, I slipped under the covers and hit the remote by my bed to close the blackout shades that would plunge my room into darkness.

  I must have needed the sleep because I didn’t open my eyes until early the next morning. God only knew what Abbi thought when I didn’t come out at all yesterday. She probably thought I was pouting back here all day.

  Not having eaten for twenty-four hours, I was starved. Unsure if Abbi had any groceries delivered while I slept the day away, I sent Alex a text asking if she’d pick up some breakfast on her way over. I took a quick shower before she and Mason arrived, put on a pair of swim trunks since I knew they’d likely want to hang out by the pool, slipped the silver band onto my left ring finger, and then set the table for us to eat outside.

  Sitting down, I chugged half a bottle of water as images of last night’s dreams came back to me. My hands roaming Abbi’s creamy skin. My mouth on every inch of her body. Her pretty pink lips wrapped around my cock.

  I wasn’t sure if it was a dream or flashbacks from our night in Vegas. If it was a flashback, I needed to convince her that we should give in to our desires, so my house didn’t turn into a battle zone. It would become an all-out war if I went for an entire year without sex. The last time I’d done that, I’d been married to Poppy.

  A knock on the front door brought me out of my musings, and I momentarily forgot about my unfaithful ex-wife. As I opened the door, little arms wrapped around my waist and squeezed me tight. Wrapping my arm around him, I hugged Mason back.

  Mason had to be the sweetest kid in the world, and I loved that he had Luke in his life. That little boy deserved to have a father who loved him.

  “We brought breakfast.” He held up the bag and waved it around.

  Rubbing my hand over his dark head of hair, I smiled down at him. “Thank you, buddy. Why don’t you take it out back to the table while I say hi to your mom?”

  Mason ran off with a big smile on his face. His blue eyes, just like his moms, shining. Damn, he was cute.

  “I’m not going to start now, but we are going to talk,” Alex said as she wrapped her arms around me, giving me the biggest hug that I didn’t know I needed until that moment. I squeezed her back just as tightly.

  “Thanks. I promise I’ll talk to you. I need someone to talk to about all of this. The only thing I ask is that you not speak of it to anyone.”

  Alex took a step back. Her eyes narrowed at me.

  “Of course, you can tell Luke, just let him know that it stays between us. It’s serious. If it gets out, I’ll lose my job, and my career might be over.”

  “You drop that bomb and then expect me to wait,” she groaned. “You’re killing me here, Jenner.”

  Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I guided her out to the backyard and over to the table. “We need to wait for Mason to be distracted.”

  Sitting down beside her son, she looked across at me with furrowed brows. “Is it that bad?”

  “You might not think it’s appropriate for him to hear, and it’s not something I’m supposed to talk about.”

  Her left brow lifted. “I’m intrigued.”

  “What did you bring for us to eat?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “You know, now that you’re married again, you need to have food in your house.” Alex cracked a smile, letting me know she was joking.

  “I know and I will, and for all I know I might have food here, but—”

  “How do you not know?” she shot back as she pulled out two breakfast burritos, and some sort of sandwich for Mason.

  “I fell asleep early yesterday and didn’t wake up until this morning, so I don’t know if Abbi made the grocery order or not. That’s why I asked you to bring food because I’m starving.” Unwrapping my burrito, I t
ook a bite and groaned. “Thank you for this.” I held up my burrito.

  Alex set two orange juices and a chocolate milk on the table before she bumped her burrito against mine. “Not a problem unless you don’t start talking.”

  Setting down my food, I scrubbed my face with my hands. “I will, but let’s eat first, and then maybe someone would like to go swimming.”

  “Me, me!” Mason jumped in his seat. I knew he was listening. “Can we go swimming now?”

  Alex laughed. “You know you have to eat your breakfast and then put on sunscreen so you don’t get burned.”

  Mason harrumphed but went back to eating his breakfast.

  “Um . . . ” Alex nodded toward the house. “I think your wife just spotted us.”

  Turning around in my seat, I watched as Abbi walked outside with her head held high. When her hand landed on my shoulder and she leaned down, placing a kiss on my cheek, I tensed up.

  “Good morning, honey.”

  Honey?

  It took me a moment to figure out that she was acting in front of my friend. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I muttered a good morning back.

  “Abbi, this is my friend, Alex Sandström, and her son, Mason. Alex, this is my wife, Abbi.” It took everything in me not to choke on calling Abbi my wife.

  I watched as Abbi’s eyes lit up, and her cheeks turned pink. I took in her long brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, an oversized t-shirt hanging off one shoulder, and a pair of tights that showed every delectable curve of her body.

  “Oh, my f . . . gosh,” Alex looked to Mason and bit her lip. I thought it was hilarious that she tried not to swear in front of her son when she swore all the time. “You’re even prettier than the pictures I saw on the internet.”

  Abbi sat down next to me. “That’s very sweet of you to say. I was a bit of a mess that night.”

  We both were.

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m so glad Jenner found someone who can appreciate him for the man he is because he’s one of the best.”