“What do you mean?” Traci found her voice as she climbed out of the truck behind Cole. “I mean we’re following you home.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because whatever that was in there is not going away anytime soon and I won’t be the man I am if I let you leave here alone.”
“I’m not alone.” She pointed to her friends who were in the backseat taking in every word. “Ladies, go with Cole we’ll follow you home. You live alone?” I turned my attention back to her.
“Why would I tell you that? For all I know you could be just as…” I cut her ass off right there. “Don’t even think about comparing me to that fuck, get back in the truck.” Her girls climbed out the back and she excused herself so that they could have a little huddle in which I guess they were trying to convince her that I was safe.
She was right in a sense, she didn’t know me and I could be as big an asshole as the one who’d just left, but that’s something she’s gonna have to figure out on her own and soon. I pulled my wallet and gave Christine my ID. Next, I asked for her number and called her phone so she’d have my number as added security for her friend. “That’s gonna have to be enough for now, get in the truck.”
She looked at me like I was nuts as I helped her back in the truck where Jace and Chad were waiting with one of her girls who decided to stay with her. That was good, it showed that these women had their heads on straight, and from the way they’d reacted to the asshole, the way they’d rallied around her, I knew she was in good hands.
She gave me shit about the address but Cole had already pulled out so I guess Christine was on the ball again. I understood her position, there was no way she could know I’d already lost my fucking mind and was already thinking of her as mine. I’m about to rectify that shit right quick though. I hope she can keep up, if not, oh well.
I settled in next to her and took stock of the situation. I wasn’t going to get the pussy tonight the whole program had changed. This one was gonna take a hell of a lot more work. Funny thing is, I no longer cared, she made me want more. A few kisses and that ass of hers coupled with her shy sweetness and I was hooked. She probably did that shit on purpose.
We sat in the very back with her friend and Jace in front squeezed in next to Chad. I kept my voice low so no one could hear what was being said. “Did you know when you put that dress on tonight that you were gonna snag the father of your children?” She started to grin but when she got a look at my face in the dim light of the car and saw that I was dead fucking serious, that shit died on her lips.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“What am I doing to you?”
“You know.” That head went down again and she tried hiding from me. “I just got away from a very ugly…”
“Not here, we’re gonna talk about that but not here not now.” No, when we have that particular talk I wanted her attention only on me because as I told her, I was sure that shit wasn’t over.
Whether or not he would back off now that there was a man in the picture remains to be seen, but either way I wasn’t done with him. “Like I was saying, I don’t know what plans you had for your life, but I can tell you I plan on being a big part of all of them.”
“Is this your usual ammo? Do you always meet strange women in bars and sell them pipe dreams? I might’ve been stupid once but I learned that lesson.”
“I don’t believe for a second that you’ve ever been stupid a day in your life, and whatever lesson you learned ain’t had shit to do with me. I’m me, whoever the fuck you dealt with before is not my problem so get that shit out your head.”
“I’m more than willing to hear your life story and help you work through whatever and heal whatever scars are left behind, but I’m never gonna cash somebody else’s check. Whatever you learned, whatever you thought before forget it. I’m me you deal with me got it?”
She didn’t have anything to say to that so I just took her hand and raised it to my lips as the car ahead of us turned into a parking lot. “You live here?” I looked around at the surroundings taking in the dark spots and the wooded area around the building.
She lived in a condo complex with three buildings to a row. There was no real lighting to speak of in the parking lot and the walk to the door was a good fifty feet. Not acceptable. I pulled my phone as the rest of them went ahead. While she dragged her feet her friends seemed more sure and relaxed as they led the guys inside.
“Ma, we’re not gonna be back until tomorrow afternoon and we’re gonna have company.” My eyes were glued to her ass again in that damn dress that I was gonna be sure to burn as soon as I convinced her that I wasn’t crazy.
“What what’re you talking about?” The other woman in my life screeched on the other line. Ma takes her holidays very seriously so I knew there was only one way to calm her down before she set my dad on my ass and this shit turned into a circus.
“I think I met the mother of your grandchildren tonight.” What do you know? That shit didn’t burn a hole in my tongue.
“You what where is she who is she?” She rattled off questions faster than I could keep up with and I waited for her to wind down. “When can I meet her?” I was scared as fuck after those words sunk in, what had I just done?
I’d just told the fucking grandbaby monster that I might have a direct line to what she wanted most in life. One more reason to kick Chad’s ass. It was his fault that I was standing in a parking lot the night before Thanksgiving having this fucked up conversation about a woman that I hardly knew.
But even as I was about to panic at the thought of my freedom going out the window, the memory of her feel, her scent, made me smile. This was right, it felt right, like every time I got into the ring and knew I was gonna be a winner. So what if she was gonna make me work for it? I’m tough I can take one pint size little girl. What an ass.
Ma was still cackling away in my ear about meeting my Traci. “I’m working on that ma. Ma she blushes, and she’s shy and sweet and she has the greatest a-I mean uh she’s pretty ma.” Damn you idiot, you can’t tell your mother that you’re jonesing for this girl’s ass.
“Huh, nice save son, you’re just like your dad.”
“Too much information ma really.” At least I’d taken her mind off the fact that I wouldn’t be home when I knew she was expecting me there in the morning for her famous Thanksgiving breakfast. Or maybe…
Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to see Traci there in my family home around the breakfast table, in the little nook where my family and I had made some of our best memories. Thinking of that made me wonder about her own family life, what was it like? Did she have plans for tomorrow? Fuck that she’s coming home with me. She seemed like she could do with some of ma’s special brand of nosy.
“ We’ll be there for breakfast ma, but ma, she has a little baggage that we need to take care of.”
“What kind of baggage son are you in trouble?” I knew I could talk to ma about this stuff. Somehow I knew instinctively that my girl might need a woman like ma in her corner. A strong no nonsense woman who didn’t take shit from anyone and wouldn’t let her future daughter in law either. Her daughter in law, this shit was really happening.
I’d just met this girl and already I was mapping out her life for her. Poor thing she has no idea what she did when she shook her ass at me. And I have no doubt that that little dance show was all for yours truly, it better the fuck have been. I had to reign my shit in and get back to ma.
“No ma, don’t start worrying, everyone’s safe. I’ll tell you all when I see you tomorrow.”
“What about your brother where is he?”
“He’s here and so are the others but you know them, they’re gonna be stuck to my ass like leeches.” I didn’t even have to ask to know that they weren’t going anywhere if I wasn’t. Two fights in one night didn’t sit well with any of us.
I finally caught up with the others by following their voices after ma let me loose from her million and one
questions. I’d finally got rid of her by telling her she wasn’t gonna get those grandkids anytime soon if she didn’t let me get on with it.
“That prick know where you live?” I cornered her against the wall out of earshot of the others. She seemed a little more at ease here on her turf. As she looked up at me under the light I saw that she was even more beautiful than I first thought in the dimly lit bar or the confines of the truck. Damn! I never stood a chance.
“He found out somehow.” Fuck, stalking ass.
“Who is he, what’s his name?” I couldn’t resist running my hand down her cheek as we talked. It seemed like I needed to have some kind of contact with her at all times. “Your skin is so soft.” There goes that blush again and my cock was on the rise.
“His name is Carl Brennan. I met him months ago when I was out for my morning run. He started showing up every morning after that and seemed nice at first. I agreed to go out with him once just to get him to stop asking I guess. But when I told him I wasn’t interested in a relationship he got strange. I didn’t think anything of it at first, I was too busy with finals and stuff, but then he started showing up places where I’d be, making a nuisance of himself and then the phone calls started.”
“You call the cops?” I could feel my blood starting that slow boil and was once again regretting not kicking his ass. I stashed the name for later and let her carry on with her tale, but there was no doubt I’d be visiting old Carl soon.
“No I didn’t I didn’t think it was that serious at first. Then he got kinda grabby once, won’t let go. Pushed me around a little and I thought he was going to hit me, he got so mad. My friends ran him off that time so again I didn’t do anything but it scared me enough that I got careful after that. ” She seemed genuinely surprised that anyone would lose their head over her. I could tell her that I was suffering the same issue, only I wasn’t fucked in the head like the asshole.
I looked over her head to my brother as I made up my mind. “Go with your girls give me a minute.”
Chapter 3
Traci
***
“Trace I have a good feeling about this one.”
“You’re just saying that because he’s pretty Cris.”
“No she’s right Trace, we did a run on him in the car over here, this guy is the real deal.” Melissa, one of our more levelheaded friends was finally heard from. The truth is, I was already feeling more than a little comfortable with him, but having their stamp of approval made a world of difference because I trusted them not to steer me wrong. Still, I had to be careful. I couldn’t forget that he was a pretty boy who probably had women lined up around the block.
“I don’t know, it just seems too out of the realm of reality for me, I mean look at him.” We all turned to look at him and his friends, as they seemed to be having some kind of powwow down the other end of the hallway. “If he’s who they say he is, he can have anyone he wants, so why me?”
“Would you stop? How many times do we have to tell you, you’re gorgeous? Why wouldn’t he fall for you? And trust me, the way he’s been looking at you all night, he’s got it bad girlfriend.” Cassie isn’t as discerning as Mel, but she’s no flake either.
“I don’t know guys…” I couldn’t fool myself that I wasn’t interested, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t sense the same danger as with Carl, but he posed a whole other kind of danger for me. This one, I could lose my head over in a hurry, but then what? I’m nowhere near equipped to deal with someone of his caliber.
“Look, you can’t compare him to that crazy asshole, it’s like apples and oranges, look.” Cris showed me her phone where she’d downloaded the information on Wyatt, and there he was in Technicolor.
There were thousands of pictures of him and everything you’d ever want to know about his fighting career. Even with a black eye and a busted lip he was hot, and that grin, it hit me in the gut even through the filter of the screen.
Everything in me wanted to say to hell with it and jump in with both feet, but after the last few months there was still that niggling doubt in the back of my mind. “And look here, here’s his last interview.”
I speed read the screen at his words and felt myself melting even harder. “Aww, he loves his mom. But what if it’s all, just for show? What if beneath all that he’s as ugly as Carl?” I didn’t believe it for a second but it needed to be said.
“Look, every guy you meet from now on you’re gonna ask yourself that question. The choice is yours, you gonna give this guy a chance, or are you going to let the actions of one asshole cloud your judgment on what could be your future? From what I’ve seen so far he seems like a good bet.” After Cris put in her two cents Melissa turned me to face her.
“We’re not telling you to marry the guy or to jump into bed with him, just give him a chance. We want you to be happy and my gut tells me he’d make you very happy. But forget all that, how do you feel about him?”
“Don’t ask me that, I don’t have the best judgment when it comes to men as I have proven.” That nasty feeling in my gut whenever I thought of Carl was back. I guess I had been stupid in thinking I could make it go away on my own. I thought the phone calls and the annoying persistence would fade eventually, but tonight had proven that I’d just been fooling myself.
“Fine, take your time but don’t just blow him off okay.” Melissa squeezed my hand in sympathy.
“Shit if she don’t want him I’ll take him.”
“Shut up Cris.”
“Oh-ho a little territorial are we?” I knew she was just trying to get my goat but the thought of her or anyone else having him didn’t sit well with me. I guess that should tell me something, but as much as I wanted to just give in it was hard.
I hadn’t always been like this; I was once like every average twenty something. Outgoing without a care in the world. With my future mapped out in front of me and things going as well as they could, I didn’t think that the horror stories you read about in the paper or see on the evening news could ever be part of my existence. Little did I know!
Carl, like I’d told Wyatt was just someone I’d met by chance one day. He’d seemed harmless enough, never pushy, never even a hint of interest in anything other than a casual friendship. Until he made a move and I knocked him back as gently as I could, then all hell broke loose.
I’d been too ashamed and embarrassed at first to say anything to anyone. What if they, like him, believed that I’d led him on? What if they saw what he saw and believed that I’d used my whore’s body to entice him, only to rebuff him in the end?
I’d convinced myself that I had the situation under control, even after he’d pushed me around that one time, using his much larger frame to overpower me. It had seemed like he’d gone away after I’d threatened to call the cops, so I’d thought it was all over, just a lesson learned and never to be repeated; and now this.
Tonight though had been a little too close for comfort. If Wyatt hadn’t been there I don’t know what I would’ve done and just the thought of it left me cold. I looked over to where he stood and tried to imagine a life with someone like him, what would that be like?
He’s so perfectly handsome, so sure of himself and confident in a way I never could be. And he did seem genuinely interested. But how could I trust that? How could I accept that someone like him could ever love someone like me? And for me that’s what it would have to be. I’m an all or nothing girl, always have been. But a guy who looks like that, no way I can hold his interest.
It’s not like I’m a complete dog, but I know that he could have anyone else if he wanted. In some of those pictures on the net he’d been coupled with starlets and supermodel types, so again, why me?
The others were still trying to convince me, and I have to admit, they made it sound so simple. Just close my eyes and jump right in. The thought made my heart race with excitement and my skin tingled in all the places he’d touched. What would it be like to have all that fire in his eyes directed at me, only me?
Wyatt
***
I couldn’t hear what was going on over there but from the looks of it-it was pretty serious. Now she was giving me a look that I read all too easily from across the room. I could see the indecision coming off her in waves but was no longer worried about it. My mind was set, that, all that; was going to be mine. I’ll just have to work real hard at convincing her while taking care of this shit.
“I’m not leaving her here alone, I don’t trust that guy. Jace I need you to do a complete run on this skel.” I’m not sure if she knew that Jace was a detective with the Salem police. I don’t recall it coming up in conversation earlier but whatever. If I was going to be here and I’m fucked if I ain’t then I’m taking over the situation. How can I not?
“Already on it brother. So we’re hanging here for the rest of the night?” I knew he would say that, that they would all take that stand. Not because they didn’t think I could handle things on my own, but because they always have my back. “You guys don’t have to stay.” I knew that was blowing into the wind too but thought I at least had to say it. They all had lives after all.
The girls finally made their way back to us and mine was back to being shy and sweet. “Okay ladies you can go on in after I look around and make sure there’re no unwanted guests. Give me your keys.” Her girl Cris got this dreamy look on her face before bumping her with her shoulder. What was that about?
She hesitated a little before opening her purse and passing me her key ring. “How can you find anything in there?” Like a typical female she had half her condo in her purse. What if someone was following her and she had to get to her keys? She’d be dead in ten seconds flat fucking around in that sack.
I heard the cell door clang shut and lock behind my ass when I started thinking of my dad and the way he protects my mom, always getting after her about shit like that. Later I’ll have to tell her about making sure she cleaned her purse out so that she could get to her keys and the pepper spray I was going to buy her.
The Champ: Bad Boys Book 5 (The Bad Boys) Page 4