Back To The Start Box Set: Five Full-Length Novels

by Aly Martinez

  Any comfort I felt with Brett inside has now vanished. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that this is a successful man. He’s gorgeous, drives a nice car, wears fancy clothes, and probably won’t even bat an eye when I order the twenty-three-dollar steak at dinner. He is like…a real adult. Here I am, a too-curvy, twenty-six-year-old college student who works in a coffee shop. I share an apartment to keep costs down, and I’m currently wearing my roommate’s clothes because I didn’t want to spend the money on a new outfit tonight. It isn’t until this moment that I realize just exactly how far out of my league I am tonight.

  “What’s going on, Jesse?”

  “Nothing. It’s the Germans thing. Yeah, I hate them.” I become unstuck and walk forward, sitting in my seat as he closes the door behind me.

  Once he folds his huge body into the tiny car, he turns to look at me. “You do not. Let’s try this again. What’s wrong, Jesse?”

  “I just wasn’t expecting you to have such a nice car. That’s all.”

  He chuckles. “I’ve wanted a BMW since I was a pimple-faced kid. I finally saved up enough money over the years, put down a hefty down payment, and bought it about six months ago. Now, I know it was more than that back there, but I’m really hungry so I’m going to let you work it out on your own. If you want to talk, I’m right here, okay?”

  “Okay.” I smile back at him as he starts the car and speeds out of my apartment complex.

  On the ride to the restaurant, we make small talk and I start to relax again. He’s just a regular guy. It’s not like he’s loaded or anything. He’s a detective—they don’t make millions. I just have to remind myself of that. Well, that is until he pulls up in front of Langley’s Restaurant.

  “Oh my God, we are not eating at Langley’s!” I screech.

  “Why not?” he asks startled.

  “This place is crazy expensive!” I continue to scream at a decibel that should have dogs running in my direction.

  “All right. Spill it, Jess. First you freak about my car, and now about the restaurant. You have some sort of hang-up on money?”

  “No.” I stare down into my lap, embarrassed by my outburst. “I’m sorry. That was really rude of me.”

  “Don’t stop there. Tell me what has you all worked up.”

  “I…um, I… Can we just go eat?”

  “Absolutely. As soon as you talk to me. I mean, it will take a few minutes for me to unload all the briefcases of cash I have in the trunk, but as soon as I do that, we can go inside.” He winks at me.

  I know he is just trying to lighten the mood. That’s what Brett does—he makes jokes. Most of the time, I like that about him, but tonight, his humor isn’t helping.

  “When you make fun of me, it really makes me want to open up to you all the more,” I say sarcastically, causing his smile to quickly fade.

  “I wasn’t making fun of you. I threatened to punch my best friend in the face for picking on you. I told you I would never make fun of you, and I meant it. I was just teasing to get you to talk to me. I meant nothing by it, and I’m sorry if you took it that way.”

  Crap. We are fifteen minutes into our first date and I’m already acting like a fool. I either tell him the truth or allow him to think that I’m a wacko. I’m not sure which is worse.

  “Money and expensive things make me uncomfortable. I didn’t grow up with money. We weren’t destitute or anything, but we definitely didn’t have much. My dad took off when I was a kid. My mom raised me and my brother, Eric, all on her own. She was a paralegal at a law firm, so she made enough money to keep the bills paid, but it didn’t leave a whole lot left over for fun things or luxuries. I went to public school in a very rich area of Chicago. If you weren’t wearing expensive name brands or driving a brand-new car, you were looked down on. My mom always felt the need to spend money she didn’t have to make sure we had things, yet she wore the same shoes to work for years. I always felt guilty about that, and I guess it stuck with me over the years.”

  I take a deep breath, feeling more awkward now that I’ve poured my heart out to him than I did when he just thought I was weird. He reaches over, soothing my worries by lifting my hand and planting a brief kiss on my palm before setting it down on his thigh and covering it with his own.

  “Okay. Completely understandable. Now, let me tell you a few things about myself. Both my parents are teachers, so I didn’t exactly grow up in Beverly Hills. It sounds like we probably had it a little better than you did since they both worked, but I have two older sisters who weren’t like you. They didn’t feel one bit of guilt asking for nice things. My dad would pick up extra jobs coaching soccer after school to make extra money. He taught me that if you want something, you bust your ass to get it.

  “I started cutting grass at thirteen to make my own spending money. By the time I was eighteen, I had a small empire. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but that’s the way it felt back in those days. I hired two kids to work with me so we could get more done. We stayed busy because we were cheap and worked hard. Eventually, we were cutting every yard in our neighborhood.

  “My junior year in high school, I took an economics class where they gave us fake money to invest in the stock market. I became a bit addicted. What can I say? I’m a little competitive. With my father’s help, I started actually investing my yard money and did pretty well for myself. I put myself through college that way. I didn’t live lavishly, but I didn’t have to work except for when I went home during the summers.

  “What I’m saying, Jess, is I get it. I understand that the way you grow up can affect your views on things today. But I need you to understand that is precisely why we are sitting here right now. I’m on a date with a sexy woman, so I’m going to drive my nice car and take her to a delicious restaurant where she is going to order the most expensive thing on the menu. And I’m okay with that, because I work hard so I can afford these moments. Trust me, gorgeous. This moment is totally worth it.” He stops talking and rubs his thumb ever so slightly across my cheek. “Now, come over here and give me a kiss so we can go eat.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief over how Brett laid it all out for me. That could have been a really uncomfortable conversation for me, but he made it easy. He made it something light and moved on quickly. So I lean into him, showing my gratitude with a passionate kiss. Which leads to another kiss. Which leads to us making out in his car like teenagers for a full fifteen minutes.

  “Jesus, woman, we’re going to miss our reservation.” He smiles against my lips when my hands make their way under his shirt.

  His words cause me to laugh and I hear him suck in a breath. I look up and find him watching me with a look on his face that I don’t completely understand. It’s one of adoration, longing, and most of all, peace. If I thought he was sexy before, the look on his face now is enough to set my body on fire. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to launch myself into his lap and rip his clothes off in such a way that would make Kara proud. Instead, I pull down the visor mirror, dabbing my makeup and correcting my smeared lipstick.

  “I’m ready when you are.”

  “Oh, gorgeous, I’ll never be ready, but I should probably feed you before I ravage you.” His words hold a certain amount of promise that makes me wish I’d brought a spare pair of panties.

  Before I can overthink things or ask him to skip dinner, he gets out of the car, walking around to open my door. Tightly taking hold of my hand, he guides me into the overpriced restaurant.

  * * *

  DINNER WAS amazing. Despite Brett’s encouragement, I didn’t order the most expensive thing on the menu. I settled for a small fifty-dollar steak and thirty dollars’ worth of baked potato and side salad. He was the perfect gentleman. When I told him I didn’t drink red wine, he ordered us a bottle of white even though the waiter informed him that it wasn’t a good pairing for our dinners. Brett very kindly ignored his suggestions and finally told him to bring us beers instead.

  As dinner is
nearing an end, he asks the one question I have been expecting since he picked me up.

  “Tell me where you learned to bowl?” He pushes his empty plate away, reclining back in his chair.

  “Ugh, you’re not seriously going to make me tell you this story, are you?”

  “Of course I am. The fact that you don’t want to tell me only makes me that much more curious.”

  “Fine. One of the bowling professors was, um…very attractive. Kara and I took every class he offered until, one day, his equally attractive boyfriend showed up to take him to lunch.”

  Just as I expected, Brett throws his head back in laughter. “Wait, let me get this straight. You paid to take bowling classes just because the instructor was good-looking?”

  “Pretty much. Well, I didn’t pay for them. I was on a scholarship. So technically, the college paid for them.”

  “Scholarship?” His eyes perk in surprise.

  “Yeah. I had an academic scholarship until I got my first degree.”

  “Wait, you already have a degree?”

  “Yep, I have a bachelor’s and two associates’ degrees.”

  “Wow! What are you still doing in school then?”

  “I didn’t exactly think my bowling alley management degree was going to take me very far in life. Honestly, I’m a little creeped out by all the sweaty shoes. I learned to enjoy the sport from my cute professor, but I’m not cracked up to spend forty hours a week in a bowling alley.”

  “Oh my God, you really did hustle me yesterday.” His loud accusation makes me playfully bite my lip and look away. “Shit, that’s even hotter than the dress,” I barely hear him mumble to himself.

  “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  “No, please don’t apologize. Who else knows about this little skill of yours? I believe Caleb needs to join us next time for a bowling excursion. You can win back some of my money he stole in poker last month. You’ll be like my own secret weapon.”

  I barely contain my excitement as he talks about future plans together. Just the idea of a second date brings an instant smile to my face.

  “Judging by that smile, I think you like the idea of hustling Caleb too. I’ve got to tell you, babe. I like that a lot,” he flirts, and we both start laughing.

  When the check arrives, Brett doesn’t even look at the total. He just hands his credit card to the waiter. My eyes must have grown wide, because he shakes his head and says, “Not one word, gorgeous. This has been completely worth whatever is on that total line.” He essentially hushes me before I even have a chance to comment.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brett

  AS WE leave Langley’s, I slide my hand down Jesse’s back, stopping just above the curve of her ass. God, she looks incredible tonight. I’ve been wanting to peel off that dress from the first second I laid eyes on her. I never noticed it before, but I think I might have a slight obsession with heels now. For such a short woman, Jesse has the most amazing legs I have ever seen. But then again, the whole Jesse package is sexy.

  I was shocked at dinner when she told me that she already has a couple of college degrees. I mean, seriously—I pegged her all wrong. This isn’t a girl stuck in a job at a coffee shop. Jesse is a woman with so many dreams that she doesn’t even know how to focus them in one place. I dig smart girls, and listening to her talk tonight only reinforced that. She might be quiet and shy at first, but once you break her out of that invisible shell, she’s unbelievable.

  When she opened herself up to me tonight about her childhood, it killed me. The last thing I was trying to do was intimidate her with my car or restaurant choice. I just wanted to take her someplace nice and do it in style. She deserves that. I hate that my attempts to impress her actually brought out some painful feelings for her. I wish she didn’t feel like that, but I loved the way she fearlessly opened up to me. I hope a little insight into my background brought her some semblance of comfort. She has nothing to be ashamed of. We all have a past. Especially me.

  “It’s still early. You want to go for a drive?” I ask as we leisurely stroll towards my car.

  “Yeah, sure.” She innocently lifts her big brown eyes in my direction.

  It’s all I can do to wait the last three steps before pinning her against my car. I catch her off guard, because she stumbles forward, but I won’t let her fall. I gently lift her off her feet, spinning her to face me. One hand sifts into her hair, the other tracing down her waist.

  “What if we go back to my place instead? I’ve got some beer and we can pretend to watch another movie.” I don’t wait for her to answer. I lean down and begin to trail kisses over her exposed shoulder.

  “Mmm, that sounds like a much better plan.” She turns her head, exposing her neck, inviting me in for another taste of her skin. Who am I to turn down a beautiful lady?

  But before I can kiss her again, she buries herself in my chest. Her arms are curled between us as she snuggles into me.

  “I had fun tonight,” I say while enjoying the moment of closeness. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to share something so simple with someone.

  “Mmmhmm,” is her only response.

  I think she has taken this moment from hot and sexy and downshifted it to sweet and innocent. But then she loops her hands under my arms, grabbing my shoulders, and pulls me down to kiss the red mark she left last night. She ends the lingering kiss with a wet dart of her tongue, licking up my neck.

  I let out a growl. “I need to get you home.”

  “I agree,” she moans.

  “In you go.” I pull open the door, jokingly shoving her inside as quickly as possible.

  Luckily, she gets my joke and starts giggling. Unfortunately for me, it causes my dick to go ridged, and I have to ride home uncomfortably trapped in my pants.

  * * *

  WHEN WE arrive at my apartment, I waste no time grabbing two beers out of the fridge. I walk over to see her sitting on the couch with her jacket still wrapped tightly around her. I place the beers on the table in front of her and remember my manners.

  “Here, let me take your jacket.”

  “No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t stay long,” she says, retreating back into herself.

  Jesse is unlike any woman I have ever met. She is either shy and reserved or feisty and hilarious. It’s like dating two different women. I thought we made such progress at dinner. She opened up to me about her past, but it seems the drive home has set us right back into insecure territory. It’s going to be my personal mission to shatter the shell she uses as a shield.

  “What do you mean you can’t stay long? You promised me beer and another taste of those delicious lips.” I reach forward, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You can’t promise a starving man sustenance then take it all away.” I glide my hands down the back of her head to cup her neck. Gently, I tilt her head back and place a series of kisses on her mouth. On the last kiss, I gently touch my tongue to her soft bottom lip. “Say you’re not going to take it away,” I whisper against her lips.

  She can’t stay stuck inside her head forever, and if I have learned anything with Jesse in the last few days, it’s that I affect her just as much as she does me. I’ll use whatever means I have to make her go back to the flirty woman who was eager to come home with me outside the restaurant.

  When she doesn’t immediately respond to my words, I break out the big guns. Literally. I step back pulling off my own jacket. Laying it across the chair beside me, I raise an eyebrow at her.

  “Gorgeous, I’m not ashamed to admit that this cute, sweet, shy-girl thing you have going on right now is a real turn-on. However, I miss the woman I had dinner with tonight. You might remember her. She was laughing at me and making fun of my lackluster bowling abilities. If I recall correctly, she was even making out with me in the parking lot of a five-star restaurant. She was a firecracker.

  “I happen to know she has some sort of fetish with my arms, so this is strictly an effort to lure her back.” I reach down, making
a showing of rolling up my sleeves even farther. My silly play does exactly as intended. Jesse starts shaking her head and laughing at me.

  “You are so full of yourself,” she says, rolling her eyes.

  “It worked though. She’s back! I’d recognize that eye roll anywhere. Care to explain to me where you went?”

  She lets out a groan. “I’m just a little nervous. It feels like scheduled hook-up time. When we were in the moment, it was easy, but now…I don’t know.”

  “I didn’t schedule this! If this works out, maybe I’ll schedule you for next week, but tonight was just pure luck,” I tease, trying to ease her nerves.

  “Are you always this big of a jerk when a girl doesn’t want to kiss you?” Her serious tone makes my head snap up. She walks away, picking up the beer that was sitting on the coffee table. Tipping it up, she completely drains it before turning back to face me.

  “Hey, you know I was kidding, right? I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I was just trying to make you laugh. That’s all. There is no pressure tonight, Jess. I just wanted to spend more time with you. I like having you around.”

  “You know, for such a big tough guy, you really are a sucker.” She winks at me.

  “You little…” I don’t complete my thought before racing across the room, sweeping her petite body up, and softly dropping her onto the couch.

  She lets out a squeal the minute her feet leave the ground. I watch her writhe under me while I pin her to the couch, tickling her. As much as I like to think of myself as the gentleman I portrayed tonight, I can’t help but wish she were writhing in ecstasy while I was buried inside her. Just the thought makes my pants stir. I’m lying on top of her, and the way she’s moving has caused her dress to ride up. I realize that my denim zipper is directly against her panties. And damn if that doesn’t almost finish me off.

  I lock my eyes to hers and stop moving. She’s staring at me with flushed cheeks as if she just realized our position as well. Just as I begin to move away, I see her tongue peek out, wetting her lips. Oh yeah, this is happening.