by Leanne Davis
Suddenly, everything stopped.
He reached around and grabbed her wrists. He raised his head up and looked into her eyes. She didn’t move under his scrutiny. His breathing was labored. She could see him physically struggling to regain control. Why?
“What are you doing in here?”
She licked her lips. She turned her head to the side.
“You suddenly aren’t engaged?”
“Oh, that.”
“Yeah, that,” he mimicked, letting go of her hand. She was pinned by his legs, and his chest was only inches from her. His face was too close to avoid. Passion seemed to have turned to rage towards her in scant seconds.
“What do you want from me? You think you can fuck away your boredom?”
She blinked in surprised.
“No. No, that’s not what I’m doing.”
“Isn’t it?”
She was lying under Jason with her once beautiful dress pushed and pulled in odd angles, leaving all the parts of her it was supposed to cover up exposed to his angry, belligerent gaze. She didn’t like the way he was sneering at her or his tone of voice, and especially not what he was saying. She tried to turn but he caught both her wrists and kept her locked under him, his gaze unblinking.
“Trent’s my brother. Even if I don’t get along with him, I won’t screw you. His girlfriend. His fiancée. His soon-to-be wife. But that’s what you want, isn’t it? That’s why you came in here?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then like what?”
She didn’t have one single word in mind that would explain what she felt about him.
“I don’t know. But not like that.”
She turned and sat up, groping to readjust the clingy material of her white dress. She was shaking with anger and embarrassment and wanted nothing more than to leave. She stood with every intention of marching out of his apartment. “I’m not staying here.”
“Where do you want me to take you? Home? To the Andrews’ mansion at three in the morning?”
His voice was quieter. The anger was gone. She turned finally and looked at him.
He sighed. His tone was heavy. “Don’t look at me like this is my fault. I left you on the couch. I didn’t invite you in here.”
She didn’t have a response. She had no defense. And she had nowhere to go.
He got up. He grabbed a blanket. “Here, take the bed. And for God’s sake, stay put this time.”
****
The couch was miserable. It was too small and too lumpy. Jason tossed and turned for what was left of the night. He finally sat up, rested his elbows on his knees, and ran his hands restlessly through his hair. He could say screw it, go into the bedroom and finish what Christine had started. He was sure he could. That she’d give in to him.
But he didn’t. He sat there and turned the TV on. In the light of day she hadn’t meant this. She would have hated herself and him if they’d continued. She would be back to her old self and her life tomorrow.
And tonight?
Whatever tonight had been, there was no doubt that she’d regret it. He knew she was fascinated with him. But it wasn’t enough to change a lifetime of being who she was. She belonged with Trent and at that party.
And he belonged in a different world. There was no way to blend the two worlds they lived in.
She was confused right now, but he knew she’d eventually get her head back on straight. She’d probably even thank him for how he’d treated her tonight, once she realized what they’d almost done.
Christine’s sudden life crisis wouldn’t last long before she’d be running back to her fancy house, her successful family, and her fiancé. Being used by Christine Andrews as she took a break from her real life was about the last thing he needed at this point in his life. And if that meant hurting her, rejecting her, it was better to do that now than to let her destroy him later. He had no illusions about what she was doing there with him: nothing other than scratching some itch she had before she settled into her real life.
****
Christine awoke the next morning disoriented. Gray daylight seeped through a crack in the blinds. She rolled over and realized she was alone in Jason’s bed. The clock read 9:00. She felt awful. Her head hurt and she felt like she hadn’t slept at all. She was emotionally and physically spent. The humiliation and confusion from last night crashed over her.
So did the realization that she’d initiated it and set herself up for it. What would she say to him in the starkness of daylight? What had possessed her to come in here and start that? She listened carefully for him but heard nothing but the quiet murmur from outside. She was alone. Confused she sat up.
It was Sunday. Where would he have gone? Then she remembered that the garage was open seven days a week, so this morning Jason must be at work. Of course, she, being a spoiled heiress, hadn’t thought about that until now.
She got up and went over to the bathroom. She turned the shower on as hot as she could stand and stood under it, letting the water scald her and run through her hair. She had nothing to wear except for her now-wrinkled party dress. She put it on and then rummaged around in his dresser until she found a sweatshirt. She put it over her, letting it drown out the top half of her now-ridiculous dress. Feeling like an intruder she went across the room, avoiding looking at that bed. She walked into the living room and saw that she was indeed alone. He’d opened the blinds. The day was gray and drizzly.
Perfect, just like her mood.
She rummaged around until she found a mug and poured some coffee as she took the towel off and shook out her hair. It was damp and curly but that was all she could do. She absently flung the towel over the back of the couch. She’d leave now and be done with Jason once and for all.
She picked up her heels in her hand and walked barefoot to the door. She went out the door then stopped dead, dismayed. She leaned against the front door, defeated. How had she forgotten that she had no vehicle? She’d assumed it was there, somehow having blocked out how she’d ended up here.
She looked around but saw no one. Jason’s truck was parked in its spot. Just her luck, really. It was a perfect end to the worst night of her life.
Steeling herself, she marched down the steps and around the building to the office door of Kelso’s Garage. She wanted to kick herself for getting into this situation. Wet-headed, barefoot, and wearing a cocktail dress, she opened the office door and nearly sighed when she saw it was empty. She waited a few moments before she heard movement from the other side of the door out to the shop. Bill walked in. He stopped dead when he saw her. His eyes ran over her, taking in her attire. She wanted to crawl into the floor.
“Christine,” he said, his gaze taking her in. He apparently remembered her from her last visit. “Can I help you?”
“Is Jason here?”
Bill’s eyebrows shot up. “Yes. He’s here. I’ll get him.”
She cringed as she pictured what Bill was seeing. Bill, thankfully, didn’t comment as he walked over to the shop door, opened it, and simply yelled, “Jason?”
“Yeah?”
Butterflies started waking up in her stomach. She could see through the door that several men, all young, were working on various cars in the bays. She wanted to slink away.
“Someone is here to see you,” Bill yelled back. She wanted to disintegrate into a mass of liquid and soak into the floor. Jason appeared a few seconds later stopping in the doorway, wiping his hands on a blue rag. He looked past Bill and gave her a guarded nod.
Bill stood between them and it didn’t seem to occur to him to leave them alone.
“I need a ride home,” she said.
“I know.”
“Well? I’d like to go now.”
Bill swung his gaze from him to her. “Would you like a ride? I have some errands to do. I’d be glad to drop you where you want.”
Jason didn’t jump in and say anything. She shut her eyes in horror; he wasn’t even going to drive her home. “Yes, I gue
ss so.”
Bill then stepped into what must be his office; she presumed to get ready.
“I was going to give you a ride,” Jason said, his gaze riveted to the door marked private.
“Yeah, I see how you rushed to offer it. Thanks, really, for that.”
Jason shuffled his feet and his gaze kept bouncing around as he tugged at his neck. She was tired, hungry, annoyed, embarrassed, and all around out of sorts. Plus, she looked like hell, so it wasn’t the best moment to be facing him.
“What?” she snapped, after he kept just standing there looking at her. “Quit looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re such an ass.”
“So it’s my fault?”
“Well, what do you want me to say? Thank you for letting me stay the night last night? I’d like to forget this whole night ever happened, and in fact, forget I ever met you.”
“Fine. Stick to that for once, okay, sis?”
Her anger over last night seemed to have multiplied. If anything, she was even more furious. And he stood there looking at her like he’d never laid eyes on her in his life. Was this really the same man she’d poured her heart out to last night? Or who had kissed her with such passion and had come after her on the dock last night just to see why she was upset?
“Go to hell,” she said, fleeing through the front door to wait for Bill out of his sight.
Chapter Eight
It was only after Christine was in Bill’s car did she give some thought to how she’d look pulling up to her house in last night’s dress with wet hair. She’d look like a girl fresh from the walk of shame. And suddenly she realized why Jason had acted so weird this morning.
Christine glanced at Bill. “Jason asked you to bring me home, didn’t he?”
Bill nodded. “He did. He’s very quiet about his intentions, and contrary to how he appears, his intentions are usually good.”
“You think highly of him.”
“I think the world of him.”
“So you know who his father is?”
Bill nodded. “I know.”
“And you know who my father is?”
Bill smiled and glanced at her. “I don’t think there is any mistaking the name Andrews around here.”
Bill was older, in his late fifties. He had gray hair and kind brown eyes. He spoke with a plain, easy, casual niceness in his voice. She cleared her throat. “This, uh, my being here isn’t what it appears.”
He shrugged. “You’re both adults. None of my business.”
“Right. It’s just... not what you think.”
She wasn’t used to people thinking ill of her. Or thinking she slept around. Though she had sometimes before Trent, it wasn’t something she ever advertised. And now she just looked so slutty, especially considering the giant diamond engagement ring she wore.
After a long awkward pause she asked, “Did he do it?”
Bill glanced at her sharply. She knew he knew exactly who and what she meant.
“No. He didn’t do it. He was set up. Someone did this to him. If not his mother, then someone else. If there was more behind it, we don’t know. But he most definitely didn’t deserve it.”
“Otherwise, you couldn’t let him live and work for you.”
Bill laughed. “He don’t work for me, Christine. He’s my partner.”
The knowledge stunned her. “He... owns the place? I had no idea.”
“What do you think he did with that stupid bribe his shit family sent his way? He gave it to me. And I am damn proud to be his partner.”
“Oh. He doesn’t let on anything about himself. I had no idea.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t feel the need to share much with others. Do you blame him? Have your father ask you to sign away your family for thirty thousand dollars after an entire lifetime of ignoring you. How trustworthy would you find the world?”
“Not very.”
“No. Not very. He’s a good man. Always was. After what they did to him, he shouldn’t be. But he is.”
“Didn’t he steal from you?” She couldn’t help but point out.
“Terry knew that Jason was placed in foster care when he was fourteen during one of Irene’s many trips to jail. Terry let him be placed there. He did nothing. Jason eventually ran away. He ended up surviving on the streets and that’s how I met him. But Terry damn well knew. What kind of monster could do that?”
Her stomach cramped. She didn’t know what to do with this increasingly negative information about a family she had loved and trusted and was trying to embrace as her own. They had simply pretended Jason wasn’t alive. He wasn’t their problem. Who could be so cold?
She let out a sigh. “He asked you to drive me home, didn't he? So it wouldn’t be obvious where I spent the night. He was protecting me, not being an ass.”
Bill nodded. “He was not being an ass.”
“I was mad at him,” she said softly.
“That’s okay, I’ve no doubt he’s mad enough at himself.”
“Why? Why would he be mad at himself?”
“Because Jason doesn’t bother with anyone, ever. He doesn’t bring girls home and then ask me to gallantly take them home. He likes you, Christine Andrews, despite who you are engaged to.”
She shut her eyes in horror as a blush stole over her. “You know?”
“About Trent? Yeah, I figured it out.”
“It’s not what you think…”
“It don’t matter what I think. It matters what you think. Just, whatever you do, consider that he doesn’t deserve any more shit piled on him. Figure out who or what you want before you cause him anything more.”
She clenched her fist in anger at herself. She had been so wrong. And so shortsighted about Jason. She had discredited him, as his family did. As she suspected, most did.
“I didn’t know about him. Trent never told me. I accidentally learned of Jason’s existence. Trent told me about the stupid agreement or whatever that vile document is. But he wouldn’t tell me anything more. I came to Jason looking for answers. I did not mean to cause so much trouble. I never meant him harm.”
Bill sighed. “I don’t think you meant him harm. The thing is, this situation is just a lit match away from exploding and burning all involved. You see that. He sees that. So stop it now.”
Fresh tears filled her eyes. She lowered down in the seat, absolutely horrified with her actions of late. “I’m stopping it now. I got really freaked out that Trent would keep such a secret. And I like Jason. I do. I genuinely like him.”
“You more than like him.”
“Okay, I more than like him. But…you’re right. I am engaged. To his brother. Despite how angry I am at Trent, that is still the fact of my life. I promise I won’t bother Jason again. It’s a really weird point in my life. And I let it get away from me. I won’t again.”
Bill gently put a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you. If you want to be with Jason, then break free of Trent. Don’t pull this crap. Don’t go from one to the other. Make sure whatever you do, it is clear and it is right. He deserves that much. If you have stuff to work out, work it out first. He just can’t deal with much more. And if I can protect him, I feel it’s my place to after all that’s gone on the last few years.”
She suddenly stiffened. “Stuff to work out? Yeah, maybe I do have some things to work out. Maybe it’s more than this strange attraction I’ve developed to my fiancé’s brother. Thank you, Bill. Maybe it’s so much more.”
He raised his brows as they pulled into the mansion her parents had built. It was truly spectacular. Bill whistled through his teeth. “Holy hell. Now that’s a house.”
She laughed. “It’s like living in a museum. And it is part of my problem. What I wouldn’t give right now to not live there.”
Bill cocked his head. “You don’t want to live there?”
She sighed as she grabbed the door handle. “No. But contrary to how it looks, I have little cash to my nam
e. I just moved home after finishing up school. It’s been rather... confusing being back living here.”
He nodded and rubbed a hand to his chin. “Well, that’s interesting.”
It was? Why? His reaction was kind of weird. She leaned back in and said, “Thank you, Bill. For everything.”
He smiled kindly, even if she didn’t deserve it. “You’re very welcome. Good luck, Christine Andrews.”
****
She took a breath and steeled herself for whatever their reaction was. She deserved it after the childish and stupid stunt she’d pulled. She’d noted all the cars as Bill dropped her off: Trent’s, her parents, and the Gallaghers, all parked and waiting for her. There was no escaping it.
They had gathered in the living room. Her mother was at the window, no doubt confused at who had just dropped off her missing daughter. Everyone turned when she walked in. She stood there frozen, taking in all the questioning stares and scrutiny. They were obviously flabbergasted at her disappearing act; for she’d never, in twenty-two years, done anything remotely like it. Kay broke the shocked silence. She rushed over to Christine and hugged her fiercely.
“Oh my God! You’re all right. We were so worried. What happened to you?”
Christine glanced around. They all looked angry, confused, or concerned to some degree. But the level of anger in the room did not approach the level it would be at if they had suspected she’d ran off with Jason. They didn’t know. She stood a chance of not wrecking her entire future over Jason Malone.
She simply lied. “I went to a friend’s house.”
Her father frowned at her. That stabbed her heart. Did he know? What if he did? Oh God, she could not take it if her father suspected what she was up to.
“What’s going on?” he asked softly.
“I panicked,” she said honestly, looking at her dad. “I was all set to come back into the room, wine stain and all, when I literally panicked. How could I face that whole room after what a fool I’d made of myself? I should have, but I didn’t think I could stand the humiliation. I’m sorry, really I am. I shouldn’t have run off with no word to anyone.”