Suddenly Us

by Marie Skye

  That’s the one that hurt the most, because it was the wound that never quite healed. Blake was my everything. I gave everything to him. He was the first guy I ever had sex with. My first relationship. The one I saw myself marrying. Five years. Five years, I put into that relationship, and then one day, it was gone, just like that.

  Sure, there were signs, and I think a part of me knew it was coming. But I also didn’t want to believe that a relationship I worked that hard on was just going to end after five years. I wasn’t going to just give up on him. I wasn’t going to give up on us. Apparently plans changed.

  I headed home and changed, putting on my workout clothes. I couldn’t afford a gym membership, but my apartment luckily had a gym. Well, if you wanted to call two treadmills, a stair master, and a jump rope, a gym. Since, it seemed I was the only one that used it, I liked to think it was all mine, and I was proud of it.

  I put on my favorite 80s tunes, and ‘I think we’re alone now’ came blaring out. Fitting. Even my music, was mocking me.

  * * *

  Two hours later, I finally dragged myself back up to my apartment and had a quick shower. I was off today, so I didn’t exactly have any plans, other than blocking my profile from the dating website. My phone beeped to an incoming text. It was Emmalin.

  Emmalin: It’s taco Tuesday!

  Me: It’s Sunday

  Emmalin: Tuesday came twice this week. Come over!

  I sighed. Bless her heart. It wasn’t her fault my date turned into a complete douchebag. I stared at the frozen meal in my hand. Yeah. I wanted the tacos.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, I was sitting at the kitchen island in Emmalin’s kitchen, watching her shred chicken as I mashed up avocado’s.

  “What a jerk! I can’t believe he said that.”

  I shrugged as I chopped up an onion and added it to the bowl. “It doesn’t matter. I’m over it. Besides, a lot of men are assholes, right? You just have to weed through them.”

  Emmalin sidled up next to me, handing me a glass of wine, and a plate. “Yeah. Men are definitely assholes. But that doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated that way. I kind of wish Hawkins broke his nose or something.”

  I giggled. “Well, at least you have a good one.” I took a bite of my taco.

  Emmalin looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Trust me. Grayson is an asshole. Maybe a more mature asshole.”

  “You and Grayson seem to be getting back into the swing of things. How’s that going?”

  Emmalin took a swig of her wine, and a deep breath. “It’s getting there. We still haven’t fully talked about what we need to, and I think he’s waiting for the right time, or maybe I’m just waiting for the right time to bring it up, but we’re getting there.”

  I poured the rest of the wine, in my glass. “Okay. I have to ask, and I didn’t want to pry, but what exactly is going on between you guys? And why did you leave?”

  She sighed, and reached for the second bottle of wine and started opening it. “Grayson’s married.”

  I froze, drink in midair. “He’s what?” I looked around me, which was ridiculous, since we were the only ones in the kitchen, then I leaned forward and whispered, “He’s what?”

  She sighed. “It’s complicated. She’s supposedly dead. And now she’s…not. I guess. I don’t really know, I’m still up in the air on that. All Grayson has said so far, is that she isn’t an issue. He wants to focus on getting us back to an ‘us’ before dealing with that subject again.”

  I stared into my glass. “Wow. I had no idea. I never would’ve expected that.”

  I watched as Emmalin stared off into the distance, eyes a little glassy, and just as quickly, she pushed that emotion aside. She turned to me. “That’s old news. We need to focus on you!”

  I groaned. “No. I’m done with men. They’re bad news.”

  “No. You just haven’t found a good one. I can ask Grayson if he knows anyone."

  I waved my hand. "Hmm. A man well vetted by Grayson. Tempting." Although, that didn't sound like a bad idea. I sighed and checked my watch. What the hell was I thinking having wine on a Sunday when I have to work tomorrow?

  "Can you imagine Grayson interviewing potential dates for you?"

  Emmalin and I stared at each other, then all of a sudden busted out laughing. At that moment, Grayson walked into the kitchen, loosening his tie, giving us both strange looks, before kissing Emmalin softly on the lips. The way he looked at her was the way I wanted someone to look at me. Like, I was their reason for breathing.

  He looked at the empty wine bottle, and raised his brows. "Do I want to know?"

  I shook my head slowly as I got up. "Not even a little bit." I reached for my bag. "I should go. I have to work in the morning. Thank you for the delicious tacos."

  "I'll have someone take you."

  Grayson took out his phone and I stopped him. "It's okay. I can manage."

  "It's done. He'll meet you downstairs. Text us when you get home."

  Emmalin smiled, giving me a hug. "Don't even bother arguing with him."

  She yelped as Grayson pinched her. "You argue with me all time!"

  "But I get rewarded for it."

  I rolled my eyes as I headed for the door. "I'm leaving, before I see ass in the air." I waved to them as the elevator door opened. I sighed, smiling to myself. Those two were ridiculous.

  I was heading out the door when my name was called.

  "Gwen!"

  I suddenly stopped, and came face to face with Hawkins. "What are you doing here?"

  His brow furrowed, as he glanced at his phone. "I was asked to escort you home."

  Well, this is just great. Anyone but him. "You know, you really don't have to."

  "And yet, I will." He held the door open, and I reluctantly stalked toward him, head down. It was embarrassing enough about the other day. Now, I had to sit next to him too. I sighed as he held the car door open, and I got in the car. Damn, he smelled good. What was that? It was a mixture of fresh fruit. Pears maybe, with a touch of leather, and maybe peppermint. Hawkins was definitely a man, with good taste. I wonder how weird it would be if I asked him, if I could smell him more.

  "Do you need to make any stops before I take you to your place?"

  I shook my head. We drove in silence. I felt like I should say something. Apologize or something. Or maybe I should send a thank you gift. What would someone send somebody that threatened to beat up someone that was a complete douche on your behalf? A Batman costume? I muffled a giggle at the thought of Hawkins in tights. Wait. Did Batman wear tights? Or was that Superman?

  "What's funny?"

  I gasped, looking over at Hawkins, and cleared my throat. "Nothing. Sorry."

  "Don't be. You have a beautiful laugh."

  I felt myself blush. Then I smirked. "Most people would probably say I laughed like a hyena."

  I saw his profile frown, and look my way before his eyes met the road again. "I've heard a hyena, and you sound nothing like a hyena." Suddenly his expression changed. "That boy didn't contact you, again, did he?"

  I let out a light laugh, then gasped when his hand grasped my arm. "I'm serious, Gwen. You would tell me if he did, right? I want you to stay away from him."

  My eyes flitted to his hand on my arm, and he quickly removed his hand. "Yeah. I got it. He hasn't contacted me, I think you scared him with your threats."

  He nodded, seemingly satisfied. "You deserve better than that."

  "Do I?"

  We slowed in front of my building, and he turned to me. "Yes, you do." He got out of the driver’s seat, rounding the vehicle to let me out, and walking me to the door. I expected him to stop there, but he kept walking me well past the lobby.

  "It's okay, I can take it from here."

  "I will see you to your door, Gwen." His voice came out hard and final in that 'don't even try to argue with me tone.'

  He pulled me closer to him as two other men stepped into the elevator with us, and he kept
his eyes on them, watching their every move. I noticed his jaw ticking, as he watched for sudden movements. He kept one arm around me in a protective hold, and the other arm, within reach of his inner breast pocket. Wait. Did he have a gun? What was he going to do, shoot them?

  His grip around me tightened, as the two men got louder as they jived each other. Both clearly drunk. Finally, the elevator door opened, and they staggered out. Hawkins watched them leave, and didn't move until the doors closed. He seemed to only slightly relax as the doors closed.

  I peered up at him. "Are you okay?"

  He blinked before looking down at me. Whatever just happened, clearly had him bothered. "What?"

  I shifted slightly, since he was still holding me tightly against him. "I said, are you okay? You seemed to be on high alert there. They were just a couple of drunks. They looked harmless."

  The doors started to open, and he guided me out. "You should always be on alert, and very aware of your surroundings, Gwen. If I wasn't in here, who knows what those men could've said or done to you."

  I took out my keys. "Yeah, cause I'm the type of woman they would attack," I grumbled.

  Before I had time to react, I was suddenly thrown on the floor, my arms above my head. My legs were restrained, where kicking was out of the question. I looked into the eyes of Hawkins, and all I saw was blackness. His teeth were bared, and I had no doubt he could hurt me, and didn't even need a weapon.

  "Did you see how easily I did that, Gwen?"

  He had my mouth covered. The sound of blood rushing through my ears had taken over, and my heart beating filled me with panic. "For some reason, you have yourself believing that you're this hideous monster. You're not, Gwen. You're sexy as hell. Very fucking sexy."

  I gasped, or at least tried to, as his hardness dug into me. "The way I overpowered you just now, I didn't even have to try. Any one of those belligerent assholes back there could’ve done the same. That piece of shit date you went on the other day, who knows what the fuck he could’ve done. Could’ve done the very same thing, I just did. Stop degrading yourself, do you hear me? If you do it again, I'm going to break my belt on your ass. Do we have an understanding, Gwen?"

  I nodded as best I could. He leaned closer, but then stopped himself, and finally took his hand off my mouth. He held a hint of a smile. “You’re like a beautiful Dove,” he whispered. It was low, but I heard it.

  I swallowed. “Why is that?”

  His eyes met mine. “Because you’re gentle.” His eyes lingered on mine before slowly peeling himself off me, and standing me up.

  "Now get inside, lock the door, and don't forget to let Emmalin know that you're home." He crossed his arms staring at me sternly, as if practically wrestling me to the floor was a normal occurrence for him.

  Three

  Hawkins

  "Why do you look so pissed?"

  Grayson glared at me, as he handed me a beer. "She wants a girls’ night."

  I threw my head back laughing as Grayson stared at the pool table, with a pissed off look on his face, as he prepares to take his next shot. "I take it you're not liking the idea?"

  "Fuck, no, I'm not liking the idea. I just spent two days fucking her into oblivion to change her mind, and she's still set on the idea."

  I shrugged. "Maybe you're not fucking her right. Want me to give it a go?"

  "Do you want to die?"

  I laughed. "I'm off the clock. I'm allowed to joke." I held up my hands. "Okay, kidding aside. What could go wrong that hasn't already? She's safe, Grayson, but she also needs a normal life."

  I watched as he pulled on his hair. "I know!" He finally sat in a nearby chair. "Fine. But only with a security detail. I'll get Luke on it, and another team to tag her. She'll be there with Gwen, and Isabella. I'm not taking any chances."

  My ears perked up at the mention of Gwen's name. "I can do it."

  Grayson glanced up at me from his phone. "You're going out of town."

  Shit. I was. "Not anymore. I can reschedule." No big deal. I'd only scheduled this trip six months in advance, and the ticket was nonrefundable. Not to mention, I hadn't seen my family in over a year, and now here I was saying I could reschedule to see them to do what? Take glimpses of a girl, while technically working, knowing I was taking a huge security risk. If anything happened to Emmalin on my watch all because I was looking at Gwen, Grayson would never forgive me. I would never forgive me. I'd already fucked up once. I wouldn't do it again.

  "It won't be a problem. I can reschedule."

  Grayson narrowed his eyes at me as he looked at me unconvincingly. "If you're sure?"

  I nodded, motioning toward the table. "Shoot already. I've taken shits shorter than the amount of time it's taken for you to play."

  Grayson chuckled as he lined up.

  "So, you said Isabella and Gwen were going? Anyone else I should know about, from a security standpoint?"

  Grayson frowned a bit. "I'm not sure. They said girls’ night, but I was thinking of having Westwick stop in."

  I paused. The name sounded familiar. "Who's Westwick?"

  Grayson grabbed another beer. "Ian Westwick. I've worked with him a few times. Seems like a good guy. Might be a good match for Gwen. They might get along."

  I pulled out my phone while Grayson was still contemplating his shot and did a quick background check on this Westfuck. He looked like a fucking prick. Graduated second in his class at Yale. Loser. I graduated first at West Point. I pulled up his criminal history. None. Speeding tickets. Three. Red flag.

  "He's a criminal, Grayson."

  Grayson eyed me closely. "What?"

  I showed him my phone. "He's had three speeding tickets."

  Grayson peered at my phone, before looking at me. "Okay, two of those were parking tickets, and one was a speeding ticket."

  "It doesn't fucking matter. Is that the kind of guy you want around?” I paused as Grayson stared at me blankly. “Emmalin. Some asshole that gets parking tickets?!”

  Grayson furrowed his brow, and looked me up and down, arms crossed. "Something on your mind, Hawkins?"

  What the fuck was I doing? I ran my hand through my hair. "I'm just looking at this from a security stand point, that's all. You want Emmalin safe, right? I don't think this Westfuck is safe!"

  "It's Westwick, and he's fine, so drop it.”

  It wasn’t fine. “I prefer to check him out first before bringing him around. You can’t be too careful.”

  Grayson set his stick down, and his eyes darkened. “Your comment from earlier about Emmalin, I passed off as just bantering, although I didn’t like it. Still don’t.”

  I nodded. “I understand. Won’t happen again.”

  Grayson stood to his full height. “Do you have some sort of interest in Ms. Ross?”

  My eyebrows raised. “Grayson. Emmalin is beautiful, she’s…” I paused as Grayson arched a brow. I watched as Grayson’s hands clenched at his sides. I was crossing territory. “My interest in Ms. Ross is strictly professional. I give you my word.”

  Grayson nodded. “You may head security the night of their outing. I’ll keep you updated on the details.”

  I agreed as we resumed our game.

  Four

  Hawkins

  “Shit, Hawkins! You want to ease up a bit? I can barely catch my breath!”

  I looked over at Jackson, who was leaning over with his hands on his knees. “If you were being attacked right now, is that something you would say to them? Get the fuck out of my sight, and don’t come back until you can take me kicking your ass properly without you complaining about it.” He took a deep breath as he slowly rose and dragged himself out of the gym.

  I sat down on the nearest bench and pulled out my phone, and hovered over Gwen’s name. I hadn’t spoken to her since my little stunt with her a few nights ago. What the fuck was I thinking pulling a stunt like that? For all I knew, I scared the shit out of her. But shit, being that close to her turned me the fuck on, and I know she knew it too.
I’ve been thinking about her nonstop ever since.

  Before, I could dole out a text, my phone lit up with an incoming text from Gwen. I froze.

  Gwen: We’re probably friends, right?

  Probably? She thinks we’re probably friends? I was trying to decipher the meaning of probably friends, when another text came through.

  Gwen: It’s just, I had a question. I don’t have many guy friends I would even consider asking this.

  Me: Yeah. We’re friends

  Even writing the word friends, made me want to throw my phone against the wall. I sat watching the bubbles on the screen. Then they disappeared. What the fuck was she typing? I sighed. What’s on your mind, little Dove? I headed up to my apartment, and by the time I got there, there still was no text from Gwen. I’d turned into that guy that waited on some girl to text them back.

  I threw my phone down and jumped in the shower to distract myself. Twenty minutes later and fully dressed, I checked my phone. Still no text. Now, I was getting irritated. What if that fucker was at her apartment and she couldn’t text back? Or maybe she had that annoying as fuck habit that Emmalin did, and just forgot to text back.

  I could text her. I stared at my screen. But what if that asshole she went on a date with was over there? What if she needed help, and couldn't text me back? What if she was attacked by a bear…in her apartment…in Chicago. Or what if I was sitting here overreacting, because I couldn't get her out of my damn head?

  I sat back on the couch. I needed to get a grip, and that’s exactly, what I’m going to do. Get a fucking grip. Before I knew what, I was doing, I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. I don't even remember driving, but the next thing I knew, I was riding the elevator impatiently to Gwen's floor. Those same fuckers from the other day were getting on as I got off. I suddenly stiffened, and went on high alert. They were on Gwen's floor. There was no reason for them to be on Gwen's floor.