by Carter Ashby
And then something suddenly felt wrong. Kellen glanced over to see Damon walking in the door with his arm around a woman. She had on a tight skirt over wool leggings and a shirt that barely contained her cleavage. Her skin was nicotine yellowed and her blond hair was black at the roots.
Damon grinned when he saw Kellen. “Hey, little brother,” he said.
“Jesus,” Kellen muttered.
“Mind if we join you?”
Before he could answer, Damon wedged in next to Zoey, forcing her to scoot down on the bench. She grabbed her food and slid it down the table with her, even as she glared hatred at Damon.
The woman pulled up a chair and sat at the end. She ran her hand up and down Damon’s thigh.
Kellen felt sick for so many reasons. Seeing Damon cheating on Maya, seeing him at all, was nauseating. There was a very sudden, very real fear, now, as he truly saw his brother, for the first time, as a dangerous man. A dangerous man who was crowding in next to Zoey.
Kellen said a silent prayer that Zoey would keep her mouth shut. “Damon, what are you doing here?”
“Having breakfast. Just like you. Hey, how’s your face? Sorry about that, by the way.”
It was only a little satisfying that Damon’s face was in worse shape. Though Kellen couldn’t take credit for the broken nose. “That’s fine, but maybe you could get your own table.”
“Why? You two on a date or something? Not very romantic, a breakfast date. Or is this a morning after breakfast?”
“Christ, Damon, don’t do this.”
“Do what? I just wanna know what’s going on in my little brother’s life.” Then Damon turned to Zoey and brushed his knuckles along her jaw. “Get to know my future sister-in-law, here.”
Kellen’s fight-or-flight kicked in and it was all fight. He gripped the table edge, trembling with rage. “Keep your goddamn hands off her.”
Damon laughed. “Jeez, Kellen. You never used to be this aggressive. You must really have it bad for this one.” He slid his arm around her shoulders.
Before Kellen could do anything, Zoey reached up and grabbed Damon’s nose, twisting it out of shape. Damon screamed and tried to back out of the booth, but Zoey held firm until he was on the floor, his hands on his face, screaming in agony. “You crazy bitch!”
“Never put your hands on me!” she shouted down at him.
“I’m gonna kill you, you stupid cunt!”
That was when Kellen hauled Zoey against him. She kicked and flailed, but he held her tight. A moment later, two of the sheriff’s deputies came in. They grabbed Damon and dragged him outside. The blond woman followed after him, shuffling along in her ridiculously high heels.
Kellen turned Zoey to face him. Zoey, who wasn’t afraid of anyone, was shaking. Her eyes were red-rimmed with tears. She looked up at him and when her bottom lip quivered, Kellen’s heart broke in two. “Come here,” he said, as he gathered her into his chest.
“How dare he!” she screamed into his chest, her voice muffled. “How dare he touch me!”
“I know. You took care of it, though, didn’t you?”
“You should have done something! You should have stopped him.”
Her words cut him, but he swallowed down the pain and held her tightly. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine, now.”
She sobbed into his chest for a couple of minutes before she finally calmed. He could feel the tension easing out of her. She stepped back and dragged her wrists over her eyes.
One of the deputies came back in and they all sat in the booth, Kellen with his arm around Zoey. “He wants to press charges.”
Kellen stiffened, but Zoey spoke first. “Tell him I won’t if he doesn’t. He was sexually harassing me. Touching me after being told to stop.”
The deputy made a note and then stepped outside. They watched through the diner windows as the deputy talked to Damon. When he came back in, he wore a hesitant smile. “He’s not going to press charges after all.”
“Good.”
“Maybe you should anyway,” Kellen said.
Zoey shook her head. “I’m not going to add to the drama.”
“Ma’am, if you feel you’re in danger…,” the deputy said.
“No. No, I’m not afraid,” she said. Which wasn’t exactly an answer. The deputy left and they leaned against each other for a few minutes.
At last they stood and Zoey cast a longing look at her breakfast.
“We’ll get it to go,” he said. He signaled the waitress, who hurried to the back for boxes.
“I can’t believe you’re related to that asshole. I can’t believe there’s not a bad name equivalent to cunt for the male of the species. It’s so fucking unfair!”
“I know. I know it is. I’m so sorry, Zoey.”
The waitress brought them their boxes, and he handed her his credit card. He and Zoey packed up their food and then headed out to the truck, grabbing his card and signing the receipt on the way out.
He drove toward her home. “I just don’t understand why you didn’t do anything,” she muttered.
“You’re mad at me?”
“You just sat there!”
“I’m sorry. I’ve never had to defend a woman’s honor before. It’s virgin territory for me.”
“I don’t need you to defend my honor!”
He jerked the truck to the left and parked in the gravel off the side of a gas station parking lot. “You’re making my head spin. You don’t want me to defend you, but you’re mad at me because I didn’t?”
“No! I don’t need you to defend me, but I’m mad you didn’t at least try.”
He shook his head and stared out the windshield. The silence dragged out. At last he laughed in frustration and massaged his temples. “Jesus, Zoey.”
She didn’t answer and he couldn’t bring himself to look at her.
“Listen, I was about to jump all over him. Maybe you don’t believe me, but I’ve never wanted to hit someone so badly in my life. When he touched you, it just made me sick and angry beyond comprehension.”
He turned to her, then, and saw she was listening.
“But you beat me to it, Zoey. You had him down before I could move. I think we both just have to accept that you’re more badass than me.”
She stared at him and a slow smile crept up her lips. “I am, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” he said, laughing in relief. “You’re amazing. I’m sorry you had to go through this today.”
“It was the least romantic breakfast I’ve ever experienced.”
He shook his head. “I was a fool. As though I didn’t have enough odds against me, I had to go and attempt the impossible.”
She laughed, and he drove her home. They took their breakfast inside and ate at her kitchen table. The kids were as excited as ever to see Uncle Kellen. He loved the way they wanted to tell him about every little thing going on in their lives.
He and Zoey had come to a silent agreement to keep Damon’s recent activities from Maya. When Maya asked what happened to his face, he told her he got in a bar fight with a drunk guy who wouldn’t stop flirting with Jayce. The story was believable because Jayce always had a disproportionately large number of men flirting with him.
After a couple of hours of playing with the kids, Kellen decided to head home. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with Zoey that day, and he had some work he needed to finish up.
“What work?” Zoey asked as she walked him to his truck.
“Gotta edit some photos for a magazine.”
“Oh, yeah. Freelance photography. How well does that pay?”
He gaped at her and playfully shoved her shoulder. “It didn’t pay too well at first, but I’m doing pretty damn good for myself now, thank you very much.”
“If it made you a millionaire, I’d still say it wasn’t a real job.”
“Well, I’d be a millionaire, so fuck you.”
She dropped her head back and laughed. “You so stole my line.”
“I did,” he said,
stepping toward her. He couldn’t resist putting his hand in that thick, red mane of hers. As fine as her body was, that hair had always kept his attention ensnared, even in high school.
She sat in front of him in his AP Biology class. He was so impressed with how she’d worked to get here. Sixteen and wrapping up her senior year. She was easily the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He wished it wasn’t so, because she clearly didn’t know he existed. He tried to get her attention whenever she was with Maya, who was usually with Damon. But Zoey either ignored him or glared at him. He wasn’t sure which was worse.
It was lucky getting to be in a class with her. Maybe this would be his chance to ask her out. He could ask her to prom. Sophomores loved being asked to prom. Maybe if she went to prom, he could get his hands in her hair. He’d always figured he was an ass-man, and Zoey indeed had a fine ass…but that hair.
He spent entire classes trying to come up with an excuse to get her attention and this day was no different, except that he finally had an idea. Maya and Damon were going to see The Hills Have Eyes that night at the theater. He would invite Zoey to come with them and then maybe she’d get scared and hang on to him.
Class was almost over. Mr. Snider was droning on and on. Kellen had been getting increasingly nervous. It was now or never. He reached up and tugged gently on a lock of her perfect, perfect hair.
He’d expected her to turn and raise a brow in gentle, silent inquiry. Instead, her spine stiffened. She spun, her hair whipping to the side, and pierced him with rage-filled eyes. “Touch my hair again and die, asshole!” she snarled in a harsh whisper
She didn’t wait for a response, but turned back to her desk and scooted further forward, out of his reach. Somehow, Mr. Snider didn’t notice. Kellen sat there, his hand still outstretched, his mouth open, and stared at the back of her head.
That night, Kellen found out about Maya’s pregnancy. He consoled her and promised to help her even as Damon held her and promised to care for her. As the evening wore on, the talk turned from practicalities to dreams. Damon was promising white picket fences and two-car garages. Kellen was just excited to be an uncle. He’d never held a baby before. On a more selfish note, he was glad Maya was permanently in Damon’s life because that meant always having Zoey nearby.
The next day, thrilled about everything, Kellen approached Zoey. “How crazy is it?” he said. “I’m gonna be an uncle.”
At which point she broke his nose with her fist. She got in school suspension, which she fully deserved, but Kellen looked for a moment to speak to her, to figure out what had gone wrong. He found the moment a week later. She was walking to her car at the end of the day. He caught up to her. “Hey,” he said, almost reaching for her arm, but stopping when he remembered how she’d acted over his touching a small bit of her hair.
She spun to face him. “What?”
He waited a beat, thinking she would do the decent thing and apologize. She didn’t. So he did. “I’m sorry for upsetting you the other day,” he said.
She laughed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I like you, Zoey. I don’t want to piss you off. Maybe we could go out for coffee, or something, and—“
“You’re making me late for work.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, but if you could give me a time—“
“I’m not giving you anything. Fuck off, Kellen.” She turned and left. Even then, he was distracted by the way her hair lifted in the breeze.
He pushed it back over her shoulder and let it play through his fingers. “I love this,” he whispered. “This alone is worth it all.”
Her breath hitched. She folded her arms over her chest and took a step backwards. “Thanks. See you around, Kellen.”
She turned to leave. He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. She wouldn’t look at him. She just stared at his chest, her teeth clenched shut like a stubborn child. He held her by the shoulders and rested his forehead atop hers. “I’ll take care of you—“
“Stop. Just don’t.”
“Zoey, I want you. It’s fun and all, but I’m starting to feel like this might never happen. I don’t know what I’ll do if this never happens.”
She looked up at him, her brows furrowed. “I guess we could just go back to your place this afternoon. Just burn off all this energy so we can go on with our lives.”
He dropped his hands and stepped back. “That’s not what I want. Is that what you want?”
She hitched a shoulder. “Sometimes it helps to just get it out of your system.”
That must have been what she’d meant when she’d said she would hurt him. She couldn’t be that cold. No one could be that cold. “That’s all you feel for me?”
She threw up her hands. “What else is there?”
It was a punch to the chest. “How about history? How about years of me trying to get past your walls and you finally letting me in? Zoey, I got nothing against casual sex, but what I feel for you…it’s deeper than just attraction.”
She laughed, but the sound was hollow. “You think that, but you can’t handle me. I’m not….” She stopped and looked away. “I’m not as together as you think. I mean, I was in a relationship a little over a year ago. Terry Hale. You know him?”
Kellen knew who he was, so he nodded.
“I really liked him. Kind of like how I like you. I wanted something…more…than what I’d had, and I thought maybe I was ready. It went bad. You should, maybe, talk to him.”
Kellen shook his head. “I don’t have to talk to him. I can handle you, Zoey. I want to see where this goes.”
She studied him long and hard before she stepped back. “I’m sorry. If you want to go away for a weekend and just, you know, tear into each other, just get this out of our systems, then I’m up for that. But I don’t want to start something with you that’s going to get you hurt.”
“Quit worrying about hurting me and admit that you don’t wanna get hurt yourself.”
“All right,” she said without hesitation. “I don’t wanna get hurt. A guy like you has the potential to break my heart. I’m not ready for that risk. I’m sorry, Kellen. Let me know if you wanna hook up.”
With that, she turned and went inside. He stood there, for a moment, and let the emotions flow through him. He was vacillating between frustration and pain.
He got in his truck and drove home, wondering what had possessed him to think he had a chance with her. Wondering why he even wanted one.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jayce’s bar might not have been the most romantic place to take a date for drinks after dinner, but Kellen had learned from past mistakes and wasn’t straying too far from home for this one. After spending an hour in the car with Celeste crying and telling him how much she missed her ex, he wasn’t taking any chances.
It had been three days since Zoey had blown him off. He’d put her out of his mind. Hadn’t even given her a second thought. They would just be friends. No big deal. Besides, she was right—she was far too high maintenance. He deserved someone nice, like Amy.
He’d met Amy at the grocery store the day before. Her bag had broken on her way out the door, and he’d helped her pick up her things. She’d thanked him with the sweetest smile he’d ever seen.
She further impressed him by showing up for their date on time, dressed in an attractive, but practical, skirt and cardigan set. She looked like she’d walked out of an episode of Leave It To Beaver. Which was just right for his needs.
They’d had a lovely dinner and now, since he wasn’t ready for the night to be over, he was taking her to Jayce’s. He led her in by the elbow and smiled when he saw her looking around at the place like it was her first time at Disneyland. She was definitely over twenty-one, which he was glad to know, since her innocence might have given him second thoughts. Maybe she’d just never been in this particular bar.
Her ponytail bobbed back and forth as she took in her surroundings. He led her to the bar, because he wanted Jayce to meet her.
Jayce looked unimpressed as he jerked his head up in greeting. He was chewing on a toothpick and had a rag slung over one shoulder. “What’ll it be, kids?” he asked as they settled in at the counter.
“Beer,” Kellen said. “What about you, Amy?”
She shrugged, her arms close to her body. “Um, I don’t know. What kind of drinks can you make?” she asked Jayce.
Jayce shot Kellen a look, which Kellen ignored. “Anything you want, sweetheart.”
Amy blushed and giggled. She didn’t interpret Jayce’s ‘sweetheart’ in the cavalier manner in which he’d said it. “Um…I’ve always wanted to try a screwdriver.”
Jayce arched a brow at Kellen as he moved down the counter to fix their drinks. Amy leaned in to Kellen. “Are you friends with him?” she asked in a reverent whisper, as though Jayce were a celebrity or minor god.
“Yeah, since first grade.”
“Oh, wow.”
Jayce returned with their drinks, and Kellen introduced him to Amy. “I really like your tattoos,” Amy said to Jayce. “Where did you get them?” She rested her chin on her palm and stirred her drink absently.
Jayce glanced at Kellen.
“I mean, I hope you don’t mind my asking,” she said. “Did you get them in the Army or in prison or something?”
Jayce took his toothpick out of his mouth and stared at her. “Got them at the mall. From a nineteen-year-old girl named Tiffany with pink hair.”
Kellen tipped his beer to his lips to hide his grin.
Amy’s expression fell, and Jayce walked away to take care of another customer. “He’s—different,” Amy said, her eyes never leaving Jayce.
This was not the first time this had happened to Kellen. Certain women were more attracted to Jayce’s image than his own, which just seemed wrong. Kellen felt his image projected dependability and stability. Jayce’s image, though it was only surface deep, was that of a hard-drinking, heavy-hitting thug…the kind of man who ended up beating his wife. Kellen wondered if Amy would be disappointed to find out that Jayce had a heart of gold.
She sipped her screwdriver and made a funny face.