“Get the fuck off of her, Trevor,” the order was issued by a cold, yet extremely familiar voice. I felt every muscle in Trevor’s legs stiffen around me. “I mean it dude, I’m not playing.”
Trevor pushed off me, “Whatever bro. If you want my sloppy seconds, be my guest.”
Seth dove for Trevor and slammed him hard enough against the living room wall to dislodge two framed pictures hanging there. Seth’s hand wrapped around Trevor’s throat, and his feet kicked helplessly in the air about a foot above the floor. “If I ever hear of you getting rough with a woman again, I will hunt you down and personally kick the living shit out of you. Do I make myself clear?”
Trevor’s face was red, and I wasn’t sure if it was from anger, humiliation, or because Seth’s hand was still gripping his throat. “Yes,” he hissed through clenched teeth. Seth dropped Trevor and he fell to his knees rubbing his neck.
Seth whirled to face me, “Come on. We’re leaving.”
Numb from too much tequila and completely dumbfounded by his appearance, I nodded in compliance. I didn’t object when he put his hand on the small of my back and guided me out of the apartment. Somewhere in the dark, more-sober recesses of my brain, I marveled about, how once again, Sir Seth had ridden in to save my ass.
Chapter 39
Seth didn’t say a word when he slid onto the truck seat beside me. His blue eyes smoldered beneath his baseball cap as he glared out from under the bill. I chewed on my bottom lip and fidgeted nervously. “Are you sure you’re sober enough to drive?” I asked him.
“Fuck no,” he muttered. “But somebody had to get your drunk ass out of there.”
I gaped at him, “Shelley and Shannon were with me.”
He mashed his foot down on the gas pedal, sending pea gravel spitting in every direction from beneath the tires. He sighed and glanced sideways at me, “Sometimes Jaq, I feel like you’re a disaster waiting to happen. I don’t know what the hell you do when I’m not around to save you from doing something really fucking stupid.”
I stared at my hands to avoid his hard look, “It seems that way, doesn’t it?” I said quietly, while trying to swallow the painful lump that was wedged at the back of my throat.
His eyes softened like warm butter and he reached over to squeeze my knee, “Hey, you okay? Did that idiot hurt you?”
I moved my leg out from under his touch and a traitorous tear slid down my cheek, “I’m fine.”
When he stopped in front of my house, I silently hoped he would just drop me off and be on his merry way. His touch had never failed to reduce me into a piping hot puddle of goo and couple that with the multiple shots of tequila I’d consumed, I knew if he even looked at me with his piercing, oh-so-beautiful blue eyes I’d be totally screwed. Literally.
I reached for the door handle, anxious to not breathe in the same air as him and he said, “Jaq, wait.” I froze, unable to take a breath. He sighed, “Oh hell, let’s go.”
We walked into the dark kitchen, and he reached up into the cupboard for my stash of tequila. He unscrewed the lid and offered the bottle to me. I shook my head, “No, I think I’ve had enough for one night.”
He smiled and nodded before tipping back a big gulp. He turned his gaze in my direction. His eyes went dark with something so intoxicatingly sensual I felt my knees go weak, “What the hell am I doing?” He lifted the cap from his head and raked a hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t even be here.”
My morals were about to jump right out the window and it was all I could do to keep from grabbing his hand and do him one more time for old time’s sake. Regaining some semblance of sanity, I blinked, and smiled weakly, “No, you probably shouldn’t be.” I yanked the bottle of tequila out of his hand and proceeded to kick back a gulp.
He peeled my fingers from their tight grip on the bottle and wrapped his arms around my neck. He rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. “I have no right to be mad at you for making stupid choices, Jaq,” he said softly. His breath tickled against my skin, making me feel lightheaded.
I threaded my fingers though his belt loops and clung to him. I was afraid if I spoke, the moment would be lost forever, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to let him walk out of my life again. “Hey, it happens,” I said.
He tipped my chin so that my eyes met his, “I wish I could go back in time and undo all the stupid things I’ve done,” he admitted.
I arched an eyebrow at him and asked, “What would you do differently?”
He pulled away from me and laughed, “The list is pretty long. I don’t even know where to begin.”
I pulled him toward me, “Would you undo what we had?”
“Hell no,” he sighed. “You were the one thing that was right about my life. I was just too fucking blind to see it.” I nodded in silence and before I had time to wonder what was about to happen, his lips claimed mine. He lifted me off the floor and I wrapped my legs around him.
A moan escaped my lips as he carried me into the bedroom and crushed my body beneath his on the bed.
Chapter 40
That was the last thing I remembered before waking to a blinding bright sun beating through the open curtains in my room. A tiny smiled curled at the corners of my lips and I reached beside me. He was gone. I began to wonder if I’d dreamt the whole thing or if he really had been here with me last night. I rolled over onto my side and propped my throbbing head on my hand.
On the pillow next to me, there was one, slightly worn baseball cap. I ran my fingers around the bill of the hat and brought it to my face to inhale Seth’s familiar musky scent. “Fuck, what did I do last night?” I muttered.
“Judging from the stupid smile you have on your face and that cap you’re holding,” Shelley said from across the room. “I’d say you were a very naughty girl last night.”
I groaned and rolled onto my back, pulling my pillow over my face to shield my eyes from the sun and Shelley’s inquisitive stare, “Go away,” I said.
She giggled and pounced on the bed beside me, “I will. Right after you tell me everything.”
“I would love to tell you every panty dropping detail, but…” I pulled the pillow slowly down and peered at her through one eye, “I don’t remember a damn thing.”
Shelley snickered and said, “That’s okay, I’ll use my imagination and fill in the blanks.”
I rolled my eyes and slid off the end of the bed, “I need a shower.”
I turned the water on as hot as I could stand it and let it try to wash my stupidity away. I couldn’t be sure if I’d actually slept with Seth, but judging from the way certain areas of my anatomy felt this morning, I was reasonably sure I had. When the water ran cold, I turned it off and slipped into my robe.
“I can’t believe how fucking stupid I am,” I said to myself. I was disgusted that I’d allowed myself to sleep with Seth after everything he’d done to crush me in the past. “He’s a married man you moron.”
Shelley poked her head inside the room and glanced around, “Who are you talking to?”
“Myself,” I admitted.
She nodded slowly and gave me a thin-lipped smile, “I heard some of that conversation,” she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly against her. “I am only going to offer you one teensy-tiny bit of advice and then I’m going to shut up.”
“Okay,” I said, holding my breath.
“First of all, you need to swear off the tequila,” she put her hands on my shoulders and walked me over to my bed. She sat down and motioned for me to sit beside her. “Second, you might want to review your decision making process where men are concerned. Because frankly sweetie, you suck at making good choices in that area of your life.”
“Ya think?” I said.
She held up her hands, “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just sayin’.”
I nodded, “I know.”
“Finally, if you insist on being a hoochie-mama? Buy some damn toys, and keep a good supply of batteries on hand,” she grinn
ed.
My face flushed, “You are so wrong for that,” I chuckled.
“Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” she grinned ear to ear. “Now, get dressed, let’s go get some ice cream. For every question, ice cream is the answer. Especially when it comes to the opposite sex.”
“Does it cure amnesia?” I asked.
“Probably not tequila-induced amnesia, no,” she giggled.
“What is that noise? Is that my cell phone, or did you forget to turn off your toys?” I asked and glanced around the room trying to locate my phone.
Shelley got on her hands and knees and reached under my bed. She pulled out the pants I’d had on last night and found my phone in the front pocket where I’d left it. Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head, “Well, if you don’t remember anything about last night, maybe one of these text messages will help fill in the blanks.”
I snatched my phone out of her hands, “What are you talking about?”
“See for yourself,” she said, turning to leave. “Don’t forget about our date with Ben and Jerry.”
I thumbed through the messages on my phone and my eyes went wide when I saw the message from Seth:
Hey girl,
When I woke up next to you this morning my first reaction was what the fuck is wrong with me? Sleeping with you last night felt so right. I don’t know how I could have been so stupid to walk away from everything we had together. You were, and still are, the most amazing girl I’ve ever known.
I know I left so many unanswered questions and you have no idea how sorry I am for hurting you. I had my own personal demons to deal with and I felt like if I stayed with you, I only would have ended up dragging you down with me.
There is not one day that goes by that I don’t think about you or wish things could have been different.
Jaq, I will love you always. I just thought you should know.
Seth.
“No, god dammit!” I screamed and collapsed onto the floor.
Shelley came running, “Jaq? What the hell? Are you alright?”
I couldn’t stop the tears from coming. I shook my head in response and handed her my phone so she could read the message herself. I buried my face in my hands and bawled like a baby. An angry, red-faced, teething baby.
Shelley’s mouth dropped to her chest, “Oh my god.”
Chapter 41
It’s been one week since I slept with Seth. Six days since he sent me the heartbreaking text that felt like a knife was wedged into my spleen and twisted a couple of times to make sure I felt it. I’ve made up my mind that it’s time to end my relationship with Damon. In fact, I’ve decided to swear off all members of the opposite sex. Knowing that Seth still loves me, and knowing I’ve never stopped loving him, I just can’t imagine my life with anyone else.
Because of Damon’s persistence, avoiding him all week wasn’t easy. I managed to rearrange a couple of my classes, moving them to the morning time slots so I wouldn’t be around campus any day after two in the afternoon. Damon liked to show up unannounced after my afternoon classes and try to mesmerize me with his panty-dropping charm. I figured if I didn’t have to see him, I’d be immune to his wicked ways.
He’d been blowing up my cell phone all week by sending text messages and calling. I only responded to a couple of texts to temporarily placate him until I could figure out how the hell to break things off completely. I thought about doing it by email or text, but decided that might be even more risky than just sucking it up and doing it face to face. Nothing was ever easy when it came to getting rid of Damon Blackwell.
My plans for the night involved meeting him at his sister Dani’s house across town for dinner. I told him there was no reason for him to drive all the way over to pick me up, take me to his sister’s house, and then bring me back home again. I planned to end things with him right afterwards. I thought I had a pretty foolproof plan since I knew I could outrun him with my Charger (unless he had his Harley), if by chance he came after me.
I also knew once I got home, that Shelley and Tim would be there. It was Shelley’s turn to decide what their plans were for date night and Tim was coming over to make a big pot of his famous chili. Afterwards, they were going to stay up all night to watch scary movies. She was letting him off easy this week. Normally, date night with movies meant an excruciatingly painful evening filled with sappy chick flicks.
Shelley walked in from outside carrying two large bags of groceries and plopped them down on the counter. She eyed me curiously as I sat at the kitchen table studying. “School work on Saturday afternoon? Really?”
“Yeah you know me,” I smirked. “Nose to the grindstone.”
“Pfft, I know you alright. Which is why I’m about to fall on the floor from shock because you’re sitting at the kitchen table on a Saturday afternoon actually doing something productive,” she said.
I ignored her snarky comment and returned my attention back to the text book on automotive electrical systems, “I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
“Tch, next you’ll be joining the church and renouncing all things evil. Which pretty much means you’d have to give up all things Jaq-related.”
“Stop, I’m not that bad,” I protested weakly before adding, “Anymore.”
She turned and stared at me through narrowed eyes, “So that means you’re finally ready to officially end things with the wife beater?”
I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, “Okay first of all, we’re not married, so technically he can’t be a wife beater. And secondly, yes, I am officially telling him tonight.”
Shelley went back to putting the rest of the groceries away and said, “Well it’s about damn time. Are you going to call him or text him?”
My eyebrows drew together, “Neither. I’m telling him face to face.”
She whirled around and sent me a mouth-gaping glare, “What the hell? Why? Do you have a death wish or something?”
“You and Tim will be here tonight. He won’t do anything as long as the two of you are around,” I reasoned.
“So you’re inviting him here? To break up with him?” Her voice raised a couple of octaves. “That should be entertaining.”
I slammed my text book closed with a thud and pushed away from the table. “No, I’m breaking up with him after dinner at his sister’s house. Then I’m coming home. End of story.”
She sighed, “I don’t know Jaq. I don’t like it.”
“You worry too much,” I said as I walked from the room.
“And you, my naïve friend, don’t worry enough,” she shouted after me.
After my shower I slipped on a t-shirt and pulled a worn gray hoodie down over my head. I gathered my damp hair into a low, loose ponytail before grabbing a pair of comfy jeans and running shoes. Tonight, I wasn’t dressing for attention-grabbing gorgeous; instead I opted for function over fashion since I had no reason to impress Damon. Those days were so over.
Once I got to Damon’s sister’s house, I drove around the block three times trying to decide where to park. I definitely didn’t want to pull into the driveway or park behind him on the street in case he wanted to block me in if things went south. I chose to pull in front of Damon’s truck at the corner of the street so that no one could park in front of my car.
I had a knot the size of a Volkswagen sitting in my stomach and my hands shook as I tucked a few stray strands of my hair back into place. I took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy car door, “Let’s get this over with Jaq,” I muttered.
Chapter 42
Dinner was quite possibly the most intense forty-five minutes of my life, and I don’t mean intense in a good way. I avoided eye contact with Damon as much as possible and when he tried to reach for my hand, I made a grab for my water glass.
“Did you stop going to class Jaq?” Damon asked as I took a sip of my water.
I sputtered on the mouthful of water, “N-no, I just rearranged a couple of classes so I could have my afternoons free.”
/> He narrowed his eyes, “What for?”
“I applied for an afternoon job at Trader Joe’s,” I lied. The muscle in his jaw jumped almost imperceptibly, and he sat his beer down on the table a little harder than necessary, causing me to flinch.
“When were you going to tell me?”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile, “I was going to tell you when I got the job, if I got it.” I stared down at my plate but saw him nod his head out of the corner of my eye. I twirled the spaghetti around my fork about seventeen times. Eating was the last thing I felt like doing.
Dani glanced at me over the top of her wine glass, “I think working at Trader Joe’s is a great idea. I love that place.”
“You would,” Damon muttered.
She bit her lip and pushed away from the table, “Jaq, do you want some more garlic bread or maybe a glass of wine?” Dani seemed to have picked up on the tension making her nervous and chatty. “Damon, what about you?”
He shot his sister an icy glare before chugging his almost full beer and handing her the empty bottle. “Get me another beer.” Dani seemed to hesitate. Her eyes darted between Damon and me, adding to the angst I already felt. Here was the girl I’d watched fearlessly beating Damon over the head with her gigantic purse. Yet at that moment, she seemed to be walking on thin ice around him.
As soon as Dani was out of the room, Damon’s hand snaked up and grabbed hold of my chin. His fingers dug in as he forced me to meet his eyes, “What the fuck is your problem tonight?” he growled.
I leaned back, trying to break the vice-like hold he had on me, “Let go of me Damon,” I warned. He gave me a little shove and dropped his hand as soon as Dani came back with his beer.
I cleared my throat and pushed away from the table, “Dani, thanks for dinner. Everything was great. I’m sorry, I’m just not feeling very good tonight. I think I’m going to go on home,” I gave her my best whipped-puppy look before I turned to Damon and said, “Walk me out?”
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