Behind The Book (Sexy #2)

by Heather Dahlgren

  We both have a burger, and she laughs when we’re almost finished. I look at her and raise my eyebrow. “I’m sorry, but Brody told me there was going to be food, and here we are stuffing our faces before we get there.”

  I finish my last bite and smile at her. “Good, this way we’ll appear like chicks who don’t stuff their faces, but we will be full.” We both laugh and I start to feel a little sad knowing this is our last night together. I’m going to miss her so much.

  She checks the time, and since the party started an hour and a half ago, she’s happy. We pay our bill and go out to the car. I program the address into my GPS and pull out into traffic. Even though I’m excited to get out and meet some new people, I’m also a little nervous. I know I’ll lose Shannon shortly after we get there, so this is the true test to showing the old me. I need to keep my confidence high and not shy away from anyone.

  We pull onto the street and I don’t even need the GPS to tell me what house it is. There are a ton of cars. I’m speechless. Shannon, however, is not.

  “Holy shit. When he said his brother was having a party, he wasn’t kidding. What, does he know everyone in fucking California?” I laugh and park way up the street. I take a deep breath and get out of the car. Shannon must sense my little bit of nerves because she meets me at the back of the car and holds my hand. “London, I won’t leave you unless you’re comfortable, but remember what we talked about. I know the old you, before you were London. You were fun, outgoing, and funny as hell. I know you’re still that girl, you just need to realize it.”

  She’s right, and even though I hate that she brings up who I was before London, I know exactly what she means. I am still the same person, and tonight I’m going to prove it. “Let’s go. Time for London to let Laken in.”

  She pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “I haven’t heard you use your real name in years. This is a new you. Nothing can stop you now.”

  She’s right. I haven’t referred to myself as Laken since I left Florida. Everyone, including Shannon, calls me London. I’m done hiding. It’s exhausting. I’m ready to show California who I really am.

  We walk toward the house, and I feel myself getting more and more excited the closer we get. When we get to the door, I smile at Shannon. “Can’t wait to meet fuckable Brody.” She laughs as she knocks and a very attractive girl opens the door.

  “Hi, I’m Monica. Everyone is out back.” We thank her and I take it all in. This definitely looks like a bachelor pad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a really nice house, just a bit bare. We go out back and I’m blown away by not only the amount of people, but also how beautiful the yard is. We stand there for a second before the elusive fuckable Brody makes his way over. I have to admit, he is hot as hell. He pulls Shannon in for a hug and I smile.

  “You must be London. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally get to meet you.” He actually gives me a quick hug, which throws me off a bit.

  I laugh lightly and smile up at him. “Same here. I feel like I know you already.”

  He smiles down at Shannon and winks. I don’t know what the hell it is, but when a guy winks, it’s like an instant turn-on. Why is that?

  “Are you hungry? Can I get you something to drink?” We both turn down the food, but gladly take a beer. “Let me introduce you guys to a few people.” Shannon glances at me and I mouth “fuckable” and she busts out laughing. He walks us over to the hot tub, where there is a couple pretty heavily making out. I actually turn away because I don’t think he should interrupt them. “Can you guys take a break for a second, damn.” They pull apart and I take a step back. No. Fucking. Way. “Shannon, London, this is my brother, Jax, and his girlfriend, Kallie.”

  “London, oh my God. This is the party you got invited to?” Kallie laughs while Shannon turns to me. I take a deep breath and remind myself I may be called London, but I am Laken. I laugh and move a little closer.

  “What are the chances? I had no idea Brody was your brother, Jax.” Shannon moves closer to me and grabs my hand. I squeeze her hand and nod, letting her know I’m all right.

  “Yeah, Brody doesn’t like people to know we’re related. He’s jealous,” Jax whispers. We all laugh when Brody smacks him in the back of the head.

  “Jealous, my ass. Now how about you stop being so fucking rude and say hi to Shannon.” He smiles. “No offense, London.” Yep, I really like him.

  Jax and Kallie get out of the hot tub, and after a quick introduction, they excuse themselves to go change. Brody leads us over to a table that is now free, and without appearing obvious, I search around to see if Blake is anywhere. I know seeing him will be embarrassing, but with my new outlook, I know I can do it.

  Once we sit down, Brody and Shannon start talking, and I’m starting to feel a little out of place. Thankfully, Jax and Kallie join us. Now that they’re dry, they both give Shannon and me a hug before they sit down.

  “Shannon, it really is great to meet you. So, let me get this right. You are London’s best friend, and you and Brody ended up meeting at the club last week?” She laughs and tells him yes. “That’s fucking ironic, but so cool. I mean, I invited London to this party last week, and she ended up not being able to make it because you guys were going to a party and it was this one.” We all laugh at how Jax recaps the whole thing, as if we didn’t know. For about two hours, the five of us talk, laugh, and drink. I need to start drinking water if I’m going to drive home.

  “Jax, do you have bottled water?” He goes to get up but I’m faster. “Don’t get up, just tell me where.”

  He directs me to the fridge in the house, so I go inside to grab a bottle. Before I do though, I take a quick trip to the bathroom. Thankfully, Shannon and I found it before, so I didn’t look like an idiot peeking behind closed doors. After I pee, I check myself in the mirror and wipe the little bit of eyeliner that started to run. I smile at myself and leave to go get my water. After I reach in and grab one, I close the fridge.

  “Holy shit, London.”

  With my heart pounding in my chest and my palms sweating, I plaster a smile on my face. “Hi, Blake.”

  Chapter Four

  Blake

  London is standing in my kitchen. What in the hell is going on here? I take her in because a part of me feels like maybe I’m drunker than I thought I was and she’s not actually here. No, it’s definitely her, and she doesn’t look nearly as surprised to see me as I am to see her. She’s standing there with a smile on her face, holding a cold bottle of water. She seems so relaxed, like this is just a normal day. Normal day, my ass. I’ve done nothing but think about this girl, and she’s done nothing but avoid me.

  I realize we’ve just been staring at each other, so I figure I better say something. “So, how are you?” My God, I sound like a pussy. I mentally slap the shit out of myself, and I notice her smile is slowly slipping away.

  She blows out a breath and focuses on floor before lifting her eyes to me. “I owe you so many apologies I don’t even know where to start, but I’m going to try.” She stares right in my eyes and I cross my arms, waiting to hear what she has to say. “First of all, I’m sorry I ran out on you in New York. I’m sorry I didn’t return your phone call when we got home, and that when I returned your text I sounded like a drunk ass.” She tries to hide her smile, but I can totally see it. She glances down and then surprises the shit out of me when she slaps my arm, hard as hell. She bursts out laughing, and it’s impossible to keep the grin off my face. “Well, shit. I just slapped you. I didn’t mean to do it that hard.” She must be drunk because she bends over at the waist, laughing.

  People are trying to get past us to either leave or go to the bathroom, and I don’t want the stares she keeps getting. I’m likely to knock someone’s head off, so I grab her hand and lead her to the couch. I roll my eyes when I see a few people sitting there watching TV. It’s a damn party, who watches TV? I shake my head and lead her to my room. This may be a horrible idea, but as much as I’d love to re
acquaint myself with her body, that’s not going to happen. Well, not tonight.

  When we get into my room, I close the door behind us, and she spins in a circle, checking it out. “Holy shit. I’m in your bedroom and it’s nothing like I thought it would be.”

  I smile, shaking my head. “You thought about my bedroom?” She smiles at me and winks. This girl is using my own moves on me.

  “Maybe. But I need to finish what I was saying because, well, I’ll lose my nerve.” She sits down on the bed and I sit next to her. “I changed my number because I was humiliated.”

  “Humiliated about what?”

  She snaps her head up to me. “I’m humiliated that I was too afraid to face you after we had sex, to the point of changing my number. I just wanted to hide because I knew you only thought of it as a one-night stand anyway.”

  What the fuck? I cover her mouth to stop her from continuing. “How the hell could you think that after everything that happened that night?”

  She turns her head and stares out the window. I don’t say anything, I just wait until she’s ready to finish. She clears her throat a few times and stares at me.

  “Blake, I don’t remember anything from that night. I remember being at the club and I remember waking up with no clothes on. I’m so sorry.”

  Holy shit. I knew she was drunk, but I didn’t think she was drunk to the point of not being able to remember anything. “So, that’s why you left and you’ve been avoiding me? Because you’re embarrassed that you were too trashed to remember the best sex of your life?” She smiles at me and I wink. “Why did you hide? Why didn’t you just stay and ask me?”

  She stands up and starts pacing the room. I don’t know if she’s more frustrated with herself or me at this point. “Are you serious? You are my model. I should never have slept with you to begin with, but to have done it and not be able to remember? That’s just humiliating. What did you expect me to do? Wait until you woke up, gave me the pity smile, and sent me on my way? That wasn’t something I was willing to do. I wasn’t going to risk it.”

  Oh, now she’s pissing me off. I stand up and block her path so she stops pacing. “You act like you know me well enough to know how I would react.”

  She looks up at me and gives me a sad smile. “That’s the point. I don’t know you, and you don’t know me.”

  I lean a little closer to her face and lock eyes with her. “Whose fault is that?” She takes a step back, the hurt clear on her face. I feel like an asshole, but it just came out. I reach for her and she backs up a little more. “London, please, don’t run again. I didn’t mean that as harsh as I said it. I’m sorry.”

  She shakes her head and walks over to the window. “You’re right though, it is my fault. I know who you are, what you do, and I didn’t expect anything. When you tried to get a hold of me, I just wanted to disappear, and so I did.”

  I go over and wrap my arm around her chest, pressing my chest against her back. “You don’t know me, but how about we rectify that?” I can feel her breathing more heavily now, so I know I’m having some kind of effect on her.

  “Blake, do you really think that’s a good idea? I mean, you are my model,” she whispers.

  I grin, even though she can’t see me. “And you are my author.” She giggles and I love that I was the one to make her do that. This is all so fucking new to me, but I feel a connection to her I can’t explain. Yes, I know I sound like Jax, go figure. “How about this? You let me take you out to dinner tomorrow night. We can take it slow, actually get to know each other.” She’s quiet for a while and I don’t know what she’s thinking. Honestly, it’s driving me crazy because I don’t put myself out there, ever.

  “Okay.”

  I turn her around and grin down at her. “Okay?” She smiles and nods her head. “How about I pick you up at seven o’clock tomorrow?”

  “That sounds perfect. Listen, I need to get back out there and see what’s going on with my friend Shannon.”

  My eyes widen and I laugh. “Holy shit. Shannon, as in the girl that finally got Brody’s attention?” She laughs and tells me yes. “So that’s how you ended up here.”

  “Yes, Brody invited us. Well, actually, Jax invited me, and I told him I couldn’t make it because Shannon was here. When Brody invited us, obviously, I had no idea it was the same party. I was shocked, to say the least.”

  I need to make sure to thank Brody for this shit later. “Come on, I’ll go out with you.” We head toward my door, but I stop when my hand hits the handle. I turn and smile at her. “You know, it would be really helpful if I had your new number.”

  She blushes and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She asks for my number and I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. I pull it out and program her right away.

  “I’ve got you saved,” she says and shows me. I burst out laughing. She saved me under Fucking Foster. This girl is more of a smart-ass than I thought. I like that.

  We make our way back outside, and Kallie’s eyes about bug out of her head when she sees us walk out together. I don’t see Brody, so I assume that he and Shannon have gone somewhere to be alone. I’m so damn happy for him. It’s been so long since he has taken this step. Now, I just hope it works with them because if they don’t work, London might tell me to take a hike before we even get anything started.

  “London, I was getting worried,” Kallie says, smiling at her but giving me the stink eye.

  London sits down next to her and I sit across from Jax. Jax is giving me a grin, and I am already dreading what that will turn into later.

  “I ran into Blake and we had some talking we needed to do,” she explains, grinning.

  Kallie stares at me again with daggers and I smile.

  “Some call it talking, some call it shacking up,” I say. London thinks I’m funny and laughs, Kallie not so much. Her mouth drops open and she looks between us. “Relax, I’m kidding. We had some things that needed attention.” I wink and she shakes her head. London is still laughing, and I love that she isn’t disgusted by my sense of humor.

  “Are you done being an asshole?” Kallie asks.

  I put my finger on my mouth and glance up, as if I’m considering it. I hear her huff and I turn to London, giving her a wink. She winks back and part of me wishes we’d known each other for a while so I could take her into my room again, but this time have her screaming my name. I’d make sure she isn’t drunk and would remember.

  “Blake, did you hear one thing I said?”

  Oops. I snap out of my thoughts of having London screaming and focus on Kallie. “Shit, what?”

  She rolls her eyes. “I said, does next weekend work for the shoot for London’s book?”

  Hell, even if it didn’t, I’d make it work. “If it’s Saturday, I’m free. I have another shoot on Sunday. Does that work?” She glances at London, who agrees that it’s good with her.

  “All right, I’ll get in touch with you both and Ivy sometime tomorrow and iron out the details.”

  “Sounds good.” I peek over at London. She’s staring at the fire pit. “London, you want to go over to the fire?”

  She glances at me before turning to Kallie and Jax. “Oh, umm, sure.” She goes to stand up but stops. “Kallie, have you seen Shannon?”

  I look at Jax and he gives me a little nod, and I know just from that, that Brody is most definitely having sex, or at the very least making out with a woman for the first time in years.

  “Brody and Shannon went back to his place, actually. She told me to tell you that she would have Brody bring her home and for you to remember who you are,” Jax says.

  I stare at London with my eyebrows drawn in confusion. Remember who she is? What the hell does that mean?

  She lets out a nervous laugh and stands up. “She loves to make me look stupid.”

  I stand up with her and grin at Jax. “We all have a friend like that.” We all laugh, well, until Jax ends up hitting me in the arm on the way to the fire pit. “Jax, I swear to God, one day I’
m going to nut punch you so hard that Kallie is going to pray you can have kids.”

  The four of us sit by the fire, and I’ll admit that for the first time I’m grateful there aren’t any chicks over here. Last thing I need is one of them coming and sitting on my lap. Not the impression I want to make with London. I don’t need her thinking right off the bat that I’m a mut…man slut.

  Jax gets the fire burning much bigger and we all just start talking. London, to my surprise, starts it. “So, are you all from California?” We all tell her that we are, and Jax explains how we met in high school and have been friends since. “Wow, that’s amazing that you guys have known each other that long. What a great story.” Spoken like a true author.

  “Are you from California?”

  She looks at me and I see something in her eyes. I don’t know her well, so I can’t say what it is, but it disappears as quickly as it came. “No, I’m from South Carolina. My family is still there. I came to California to further my writing career.”

  Kallie starts asking questions before I even get a chance. “Wow, so you came out here with no family or friends? Wasn’t it lonely?”

  London pulls her legs under her and stares at the fire. “Actually, no, it wasn’t. It was a little scary since I only had one hundred dollars to my name, but I was excited to see what California was all about. I love it here. I’ll never go back to the east coast.”

  I’ve only been to the east coast a handful of times, but I have to agree, I like it better here too. “How long have you been out here?”

  She peeks at me and gives me a small smile. “Five years now.”

  Damn, how the hell could I never have run into her before?

  For the next few hours, the four of us talk about California, our friends, and our careers. Kallie and Jax talk about their brothers, but the only thing London has to say on the subject is she is an only child. I’m an only child too, but I’ve been so lucky to have Jax that I never feel like I am.