Hot & Heavy (Chubby Girl Chronicles Book 2)

by Tabatha Vargo

  Poor Lilly.

  Sadly, it wasn’t the first time she had been attacked. Back in high school, a group of rabid cheerleaders had beat her up. That didn’t leave her with brain swelling, but it did take away her ability to have babies.

  It would be me and Lilly—childless. Her from a pack of wild bitches, and me from my brain rebelling against me and keeping me away from men in general.

  The day she opened her eyes and we found out there was no permanent damage was a joyous day. One where I finally breathed a refreshing breath and didn’t feel like my heart was bruised.

  On that day, I saw something truly beautiful. Something I hadn’t seen since the day my pop left the Earth.

  I saw love.

  Devin, who was all man and kept his emotions shuttered, held her close and cried. Seeing him weep over her did something awkward to my heart. It made me consider a few things. Twice in my life, I’d seen the real deal. Once with my grammy and pop, and now with Devin and Lilly. Maybe there were a few good men in the world. Then again, Grammy and Lilly were rare women, lucky in love and full of heart and bravery. I, on the other hand, wasn’t a lucky person and didn’t take chances.

  I was a coward, hiding behind a block wall of memories, afraid to even consider having a precious moment in time.

  A few days later, Lilly came home. She wouldn’t admit it, but she wasn’t well enough to care for herself. Devin and I took turns taking care of her, and thankfully, Mrs. Franklin was an understanding boss.

  Matthew had stopped texting, and instead of dwelling on him, I dived headfirst into caring for Lilly, visiting Grammy, and squeezing in work. On the days when Devin wasn’t there to play doctor and make sure Lilly was well cared for, I was so busy I’d sometimes forget to stop and eat.

  On those days, Devin would blow my phone up from his job, constantly calling and checking on Lilly until I contemplated flushing my cell. Yet, at the same time, I was relieved she had someone who obviously cared about her. I was happy knowing Lilly was enjoying a relationship with a man like I never would.

  Matthew had shown me a fun night, and I was shocked by how much I enjoyed his company. He wasn’t anything like what I expected. He was honest about his flaws and blunt without a care. While that might not be appealing to some, for me it was refreshing to know everything he was thinking made its way to his lips.

  Still, even with his absolute honesty and the enjoyment I found in spending time with him, I couldn’t let my guard down. Men lied, and I’d seen for myself over the years they pretended. Matthew was a man through and through, which meant I expected those faults in him.

  He was the perfect gentleman at dinner, not even once trying to touch me, and we had gabbed like old friends, finding comedy in the same things and enjoying a lot of the same movies and music. But the fact remained I wasn’t okay. I wasn’t positive I could go through with my original plan with Matthew, which was having sex and getting it over with.

  He scared me, and I didn’t trust myself around him because when he was near, my brain turned to mush, and my physical urges gained full control. I didn’t like that. I thrived on control. It kept me balanced and staved off the insanity that threated. Which meant it was wise to stay away from him. At least until I could come to terms with the recent turn of events. At least until Lilly was healed and no longer needed me. At least until I could no longer see the proof of what man was capable of all over her face.

  “How are you feeling today?” I asked, creeping into her room to check on her before I left for work.

  The swelling in her face was down, and she could smile fully again. She was leaning up on her pillows and pointing the remote at her TV.

  “I’m great. You guys have to stop worrying about me. I don’t like causing a fuss.”

  It was just like her to worry about us when she should have been focusing on herself.

  “Stop it. We love you. It’s our job to worry.”

  Sitting on the edge of her bed, I struggled as more words danced across my tongue, begging to be released. I wanted to talk to her about Matthew. She was my friend, and I trusted her opinion, but I knew the timing was terrible. Not only had she just gotten better, but I had a feeling the fight between Matthew and Devin was still too fresh.

  We chatted a bit before I left for work, and as I walked out the front door, a thought occurred to me. Matthew had tried to get with Lilly, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. He had tried to date my best friend, but I supposed, in the long run, it didn’t matter. He would never be more than sex for me, and that was only if I decided to continue with our agreement.

  Life went on. The dark clouds of Lilly’s predicament slowly faded away, and Devin became a permanent fixture in our lives and in our apartment. She was busy again, getting back on her feet and getting herself prepared to return to work, which meant I was stuck at Franklin’s alone a good bit with too much time on my hands and way too much silence to think in. I was lonely, which was why when Matthew called my cell phone, I couldn’t help but answer it.

  “Hi.” His deep voice rumbled through my phone.

  “Hi.”

  It was awkward as if something weighted had settled on top of us. We were acting as if something had already happened between us when that wasn’t the case at all.

  “How are things?” he asked.

  I filled him in on everything going on with Lilly and explained why I hadn’t responded.

  “Damn. That sucks. I bet Devin was losing his shit.”

  “Yep. What’s the deal with you two anyway? Lilly tells me she thought you guys were friends, but then you were trying to get in her pants.”

  He chuckled. “You’re so blunt sometimes.”

  “Is that okay? I mean, you were trying to get with her, right?” I asked.

  “Something like that.”

  “You’re not using me to get to her or anything like that, are you?”

  That thought hadn’t occurred to me, but now that it had, it made a great deal of sense.

  “No,” he simply said.

  No excuses.

  No other response.

  It bugged me that he wasn’t opening up without me having to push him to.

  “Are you attracted to Lilly?”

  It wasn’t until the question came out that I realized my words were tinted with a hint of jealousy.

  I wasn’t an envious person. Not even a little. Plus, I wasn’t into Matthew that way. Nothing was between us except I was tremendously attracted to him. Yet for some reason, the thought of him and Lilly together sent a little tear across my heart.

  “Lilly’s a very pretty girl,” he responded, not giving me an answer.

  My heart dropped, waiting for him to divulge his feelings for her.

  “She is,” I agreed.

  She was much prettier than I was with her long dark hair and clear skin. Meanwhile, I had freckles and red hair. She was short and cute, and I was tall and well … not cute.

  “But,” he started, “you’re much more than pretty.”

  “I am?” The surprise by his words was evident in my tone, and I curbed it quickly, trying to remain as confident as possible.

  “Oh, yeah,” he breathed.

  His voice melted me.

  The slow, assertive way he spoke to me. The deep vibrations of his tone. It was like he was touching me through the phone.

  It seemed I was wrong. It didn’t matter if I saw him or not. Hearing his voice made my mind turn to mush, and my body pulled in the lead of the race to control me.

  “Lilly’s nice to look at, but it’s different with you. You’re gorgeous, and you don’t even know it. There’s something steamy about you, Red. You’re like humidity. You make everything hot and wet. When I look at you, all I see is lust ... desire ... thirst. I want to drink you in.”

  I swallowed hard, feeling the wetness and desire he spoke of between my thighs.

  Dear God. If he could do this to me through the phone, what was he truly capable of?

 
“I want to see you,” he stated. “When can that happen?”

  “I don’t know, Matthew. Now’s not a great time.”

  He clicked his tongue. “You know how much I hate the word no.”

  “I do, but …”

  “But nothing. I always get what I want, and I want you, Shannon.”

  “Now who’s being blunt?” I scoffed.

  “Meet me somewhere tonight.”

  Again with the demands, but somehow, this time it was different.

  This time, I liked his domineering tone.

  “I—” I opened my mouth to tell him okay, but the door chimed, letting me know I had a customer.

  “Shit. I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

  I hung up quickly, knowing how much Mrs. Franklin hated it when we were on our phone in front of customers.

  My customer was a young man buying an engagement ring for his girlfriend. We went through cases of rings until he decided on the perfect one … a princess cut diamond in a gold setting. When the door chimed with his exit, I picked up my cell, ready to call Matthew back, but before I pressed the call button, I decided it was a bad idea.

  I still had some fight left in me, and I knew talking to him made my walls crack and crumble. It wasn’t smart to keep that going. If I did, my walls would soon disintegrate into thin air.

  He sucked up my resolve, and if and when I decided to finally have sex, I wanted to be in control of the situation. Because the one and only time a man had ever been inside me was completely against my will.

  Setting my phone back on the counter, I rested my chin in my hand and flipped through a magazine Lilly had laying around. The door chimed again, and when I looked up, Matthew was smiling back at me.

  I sat up straight. My heart rate picked up, sending a rush of nervous energy over me.

  He looked amazing in a pair of dark jeans and a gray sweater. His midnight hair was tousled as usual as if he’d run his fingers through it one too many times.

  He was unbelievably sexy, but I could never admit that to him. His ego didn’t need to be any larger.

  “You don’t give up, do you?” I asked, pretending to be annoyed when really I was happy he’d stopped by.

  I could push him away all I wanted to make myself feel better, but the fact was I was glad he was pushing back. I was glad he wasn’t falling for my bullshit when all I wanted was to be close to him.

  “Never.” He smirked.

  His strut as he walked up to the counter was full of confidence and pent-up sexual magnetism. He wasn’t dumb. He knew what he was doing, and it was working.

  “I like how you look at me,” he said, resting his elbows on the counter and peering up at me with a smirk.

  “How do I look at you?”

  I shouldn’t have asked because I didn’t want to know if he could see through my act.

  “You look at me like you want me.”

  I snorted. “Please.”

  He was right. I did want him, but over my dead body would I admit it that easily.

  “You don’t have to beg, baby. If you want me, I’m all yours.”

  His grin.

  Those freaking dimples.

  Those lips.

  Everything about him was so addictive.

  I knew he was bad for me, but I couldn’t stop myself from trying him once more.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, knowing exactly why he was there.

  “Well, for one, I have something for you.”

  He reached out for my hand, and I let him take it. For someone who claimed not to work, his palm was rough and hot as he slid it against mine. When he pulled it away, there was a fifty-dollar bill in my hand.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “You left the money on the table. You didn’t need to do that.”

  “But it wasn’t a date.”

  “So? What kind of man lets a woman pay for her dinner? That’s lame. Just take it so I don’t feel like shit.”

  I sighed and slipped the money in my pocket.

  “Okay. Was that it?” I set my hand on my hip as if he did not affect me.

  “No. I also came because I won’t take no for an answer. What time do you get off?”

  “I’m here until six.”

  “Perfect. Just in time for dinner. I’ll pick you up at six.”

  “No, you won’t. You’re not picking me up. This isn’t dating, remember?”

  He grinned, his eyes on my lips as if he wasn’t even listening to me. Tapping the counter, he leaned back and started toward the door.

  “I’ll be here at six.”

  Before I could speak again, he was leaving the store. The bell above the door chiming. He smiled back at me through the glass as he slid his shades over his eyes and slipped into his sleek car.

  WHEN SIX O’CLOCK CAME, SO DID MATTHEW ELLIS.

  Not sexually, although I was sure he could do that sort of thing on demand.

  His headlights lit up the front of Franklin’s, flashing across my face and making me squint. When they turned off, he climbed from his car, looking freshly showered. He was wearing different clothes, prompting me to look down at the outfit I’d been wearing all day. I hadn’t even considered going home and changing.

  The door was already locked, so he tapped on the glass. I held up a finger to let him know I’d be a minute before I went through closing and totaling everything up. When I finished, I unlocked the front door and stepped into the cool evening air.

  He was right behind me. I could feel the heat from his body against my back as I locked the door again. When I turned around, he was closer than I thought, and his blue eyes blazed down at me.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  The scent of minty toothpaste and mouthwatering cologne reached my nostrils.

  I nodded.

  We didn’t go far, ending up at a waterfront restaurant I had passed many times but never dared to enter. It was five stars, and my wallet was only worthy of two.

  “I can’t go in there,” I said, stopping just outside the door.

  “Why not?”

  I plucked at the bottom of my shirt. “Look at what I’m wearing.”

  “I think you look great. Come on.”

  He reached for my hand, but before he could touch me, fear struck me and I yanked my hand away. His touching my hand at Franklin’s earlier had been a fluke, but this time, it caught me so off guard I stiffened. I hadn’t meant to be so obvious about not wanting him to touch me, but it was a natural reaction for me.

  “Sorry,” I muttered. “Can we grab some fast food or something? This place really isn’t for me.”

  He looked me in the eye before taking in my entire face and the stiffness in my shoulders.

  He nodded. “How about we grab something and eat it at Waterfront Park?”

  Relief flooded me. “That sounds great.”

  Pizza in the park tasted better than steak at the five-star as I relaxed on the swing facing the water. The breeze gliding over off the glassy top cooled me and sent shivers over my arms.

  “This is nice,” I said, taking an invigorating breath and closing my eyes.

  The past few days had been chaos. A mix of worry for Lilly and making sure everything was taken care of so she wouldn’t have to. I didn’t want her to stress over anything. Not to mention the constant worry over whether I could cover the cost of Twin Oaks for Grammy. It was nice to take a breath and unwind.

  He didn’t respond, and when I turned to face him, he was staring at me, his blue eyes touching every square inch of my face.

  “What?” I asked, swiping at my face like something was on me.

  He shook his head and looked away. “Nothing.”

  The moment got quiet, with only a few tourists taking in the pineapple fountain and a couple walking their dog in the grassy area. It was beautiful, but the longer we stayed silent, the more uncomfortable things became.

  “So tell me something about yourself,” I said, making the first move this time tow
ard getting to know each other better.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Hmm. What’s the deal between you and Devin? What happened?”

  He stiffened. He eyes changing from light and happy to dark and shuttered.

  “What makes you think something happened?”

  I chuckled, not really feeling it. “It’s obvious you guys have issues, but Lilly said you were once friends.”

  “We were enemies before we were friends. He didn’t know that, though.”

  I was confused. “How could he not know he was your enemy?”

  “Devin isn’t from around here, but somehow, he knew a few of the people I went to high school with. He was always a ladies’ man. Me, not so much. I was once a one-woman man.”

  “Plot twist,” I said, making him laugh. “Go on.”

  “I played football in high school. I was pretty good. Not that I needed it, but I had college scouts looking at me and stuff. I had who I thought was the woman of my dreams and a bright future considering. Then one day, I went to her house to surprise her with flowers. We’d been dating a while, so I’d walk into her family’s house as if it was my own. I went into her bedroom and found her and Devin fucking.”

  My heart twists and squeezed, feeling the pain he must have felt at that moment. I closed my eyes against the hurt, and when I opened them and looked at him again, I was seeing him in a whole new light.

  He had once been young and in love. He had once thought of his future, one that included sticking with one woman and making plans. To walk in on something so heartbreaking had altered him, and I could understand why he kept his distance from commitment. We all had our issues. We all had our reasons, and now I knew his.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I can’t believe Devin would do that to someone.”

  “He didn’t know we were together. I found out later from a friend that she had just met him the night before. She wasn’t the person I thought she was. Anyway, I blamed Devin. I became his friend so I could get revenge. Believe it or not, Devin’s never cared about anyone but his family until Lilly.”

  All the puzzle pieces fell into place.

  “And so you went after her to hurt him.”