Love Hard (Anything But Mine Book 2)

by Barbara Justice

  She pulled him in for a lingering kiss. “You’re awesome, you know that?”

  “Not nearly as awesome as you. Now go clean up,” he said, giving her a pat on her rear. “Otherwise, we’ll never make it to dinner.”

  “Okay.”

  She walked down the hall to her bedroom, and gasped as she turned on the light. There were dozens of boxes stacked in a row along the wall by her closet. She inspected Sky’s sloppy printing that labeled each sealed box. “He spent the day packing all my boots and shoes,” she said in a soft voice. She moved one of the boxes aside, and looked at the label. “And my winter clothing, coats, scarves and gloves, too.”

  A similar scene greeted her in the bathroom, where she found her spare towels and linens boxed up and labeled. She ran her hand over his handwriting, and a feeling of warmth spread throughout her body. What a thoughtful gesture.

  She stripped down, piled her hair on top of her head, and stepped into the shower. As the water cascaded over her body, she couldn’t get the picture of Sky spending the day packing her belongings and making dinner for her out of her mind. Is this the sign I’ve been looking for?

  When Meg entered the kitchen a few minutes later, she was greeted with a low whistle from Sky. “There’s my gorgeous girlfriend.” His eyes drank in her body, starting with the her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, down past the curve-hugging camisole and cut-off shorts, to her long legs and bare feet. “If you’re trying to get me to skip dinner and go straight for dessert, you’re doing a good job.”

  She picked up a crispy potato from the bowl on the counter, and blew on it before popping it into her mouth. “Not a chance, Johnson. I come from a long line of potato farmers, and these are all I have on my mind right now.” She grabbed the bowl and walked towards the back porch.

  Sky laughed and shook his head. He carried the wine bottle and the salad outside, and retrieved the steaks from the grill. When he finally sat down, he proposed a toast. “This reminds me of the first time we had dinner here together. To us, wherever this crazy life takes us.”

  Meg touched her glass to Sky’s, and repeated, “To us.” She took a deep sip from her glass before speaking again. “I noticed that you did a lot of packing for me today. Thank you, and thanks for making dinner. It was really nice of you.”

  “Well, you’re easy to be nice to,” he said, before turning his attention to his steak.

  They ate in silence instead of making idle conversation. There’s too much hanging over our heads right now, Meg thought. So uncomfortable silence is what it is, I guess.

  The sound of her cell phone ringing startled her. “I’ll be right back,” she said, as she stood up and dashed into the kitchen.

  Sky tried to listen in on Meg’s end of the conversation, but her voice was muffled as she walked towards the front of the house. He heard the words apartment and rent, and surmised that she was on the phone with a real estate agent. He tossed his utensils onto his plate and leaned back in his seat. He crossed his arms tightly against his chest, and waited for her to return to the table.

  “Sorry about that,” Meg said, as she sat back down at the table. “That was another real estate agent. She wants to show me an apartment tomorrow night.”

  Through gritted teeth, he asked, “And what did you tell her?”

  Meg chewed on a piece of steak before answering him. “I told her no.”

  “What?” Sky bolted forward in his seat. “Why did you do that?” He held his breath while waiting for her answer.

  “Because I got a nice offer to share a log cabin in the woods with a super sexy guy who also happens to be my best friend.” Meg raised one eyebrow while grinning from to ear.

  “You’d better mean me,” he countered. “Because if it’s someone else, I’ll have to hunt him down and take him out. I’m very territorial when it comes to you.”

  She burst out laughing, and tossed a potato at him. “Caveman.”

  “You’d better believe it, baby.” He popped the potato in his mouth. “So your answer is yes?”

  “Yes.”

  The next morning, Sky woke up full of energy. He slipped out of bed and continued packing boxes while Meg slept. He started with the remaining contents of the linen closet, clearing out the spare sheet sets and towels. After labeling the boxes and sealing them with tape, he carried them into the spare bedroom, where he retrieved more empty boxes and dragged them into the kitchen.

  “What are you doing?”

  Sky turned around and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Meg standing before him. Her long hair was disheveled, and she was only wearing a tank top and lacy thong underwear. “Just getting you all packed up. I thought we could take advantage of our free time, and move you into my place.”

  “Really?” She opened a cabinet, and found it was empty. “Did you pack all the mugs already?”

  “Oh, yeah, I did.” He drained his coffee mug and handed it to her. “We can share, right?”

  She filled the mug with coffee. “We’re going to be sharing your house from now on. Why not a mug?” She took a deep sip of the steaming brew, and asked, “So you want me to move in this weekend?”

  “Why wait, baby?”

  “Yeah, I guess. It just all seems so sudden.”

  “You have to be out of here in a couple of weeks anyway. You’re not getting cold feet, are you?”

  “Not a chance. When I make my mind up about something, I’m pretty set.”

  “Then let’s get this packing finished, and start moving boxes to my place.”

  Meg pouted, and wrapped her arms around Sky’s waist. She nestled her head against his shoulder, and began to nibble at his neck. “I was hoping to have a luau this morning.”

  He burst out laughing. “Oh, baby, once we’re under the same roof, it’ll be a twenty four-seven luau. And I can’t wait. But there isn’t that much more packing to do, so let’s get it done. You know my life’s motto – work hard, then play hard.”

  She reached down and began to caress his crotch through the soft material of his sweatpants. Her voice was soft, low, and full of desire. “Mmm…we’re going to have to tweak that motto a bit.”

  His pulse quickened at Meg’s touch. “What are you talking about?”

  Her hand slipped inside the waistband of his pants. “Work hard, play hard,” she said, as her fingers reached further down and between his legs. As she began to stroke his manhood, she purred, “And love hard…”

  “Oh, baby,” he moaned as her touch brought his erection to full attention. “You’re making me crazy.” He stripped her of her thong, and bent her over the kitchen table. In an instant, his sweatpants were pooled around his ankles. “I can’t wait…can’t make it back to the bedroom,” he said as he grabbed her by the waist, and plunged himself into her from behind.

  Meg was barely able to breathe as Sky filled her completely and began to pound away at her body. She gripped the edge of the table for balance, while Sky’s strong arms held her in place. When she felt his fingers reach the pleasure center between her legs, her body shook and she cried out in ecstasy.

  When Sky felt her insides contract around him, he grunted and picked up his pace. “Oh, baby,” he shouted as he pounded away at her. His body stiffened and shuddered, and he collapsed on top of her, flattening her against the table top.

  Neither of them spoke while they caught their breath, until the sound of creaking of wood broke their silence. “Crap! Sky…”

  “Mmm, baby, not yet,” he said, as he nuzzled the stubble on his cheeks against her back.

  “The table,” she said. “Get up!”

  “Huh?”

  Sky shifted his weight, but before he was able to stand, the table collapsed beneath them, and they landed on the floor with a thud. When they untangled their bodies, they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, baby. Are you?”

  “Yeah. The table, on the other hand…”.

&n
bsp; Sky gave her a quick kiss. “One less thing to move to my place.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Over the next two days, Sky made countless trips between Meg’s cottage and his log cabin. He refused when she offered to help transport her belongings. “It’s easier if I do it myself. I’d rather you just stay at the cabin and unpack.”

  Whenever he was out of Meg’s sight, he checked his phone. Why haven’t I heard yet about the paternity test? I’ve got a bad feeling about this. The results should have been back by now.

  After he finished the last run of boxes, Sky switched from using his Tahoe to his pick-up truck so he could move her furniture. He was surprised to find Meg in the front seat when he returned to the truck after off-loading some of her things into the barn.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking a ride with you. Helping you with my move.”

  “I can do this myself.”

  Meg rolled her eyes. “You can lift my sofa yourself?”

  “Well, I’m not gonna let you help me lift it.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not a delicate flower, you know. I’m strong. I lift heavy patients all day at work, so I can certainly help you move my stuff.”

  He felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. When he glanced at the screen, he recognized the area code for Las Vegas. Shit. This can only mean one thing. And I’m not gonna take this phone call in front of Meg.

  “I’m just picking up a few more things. I’ll get some of the guys to help me with the heavier furniture later this week. Just get yourself unpacked.” He wiped some sweat from his forehead. “It’s getting hot out anyway. When I get back we can take a dip in the pool.”

  Meg’s stomach dropped. “Are you okay? You asked me yesterday if I had second thoughts about moving in, but I never asked if you had second thoughts.”

  Sky looked away from her and out the driver’s side window. “No. No second thoughts. I just have a lot on my mind.”

  “Look at me.” She rubbed his thigh, and whispered, “Sky…”

  He turned towards her, but was unable to meet her eyes. “I just want to get this over with, so we can have a day to relax, okay? I need some space.”

  Meg held her hands up as if to surrender. “Sure. Do what you need to do. I’ll keep unpacking, and when you get back we’ll relax. I’ll make something nice, but simple, for dinner.” She hopped out of the pick-up, and said, “Thanks for your help, Sky. I’ll see you later.”

  Sky watched Meg slam the door of the cabin shut before pulling out his phone. He stared at the phone number of the missed call and debated listening to the voice mail. His finger hovered over the screen, but he could not bring himself to play the message. “I’ve gotta get out of here,” he said aloud.

  He put the truck in gear and turned the radio up as he drove down the driveway. As he headed into Nashville, he steered the truck towards The Gulch, instead of Meg’s cottage in Hillsboro Village. Dad is right, as much as I hate to admit it. I’m a chicken shit, and too scared to learn the truth.

  He grabbed a seat at the Whiskey Kitchen bar, and gave his order to the bartender. “I’ll have my usual, Jack Daniels Single Barrel. And make it a double,” he said.

  When the drink was placed in front of him, he drained the glass, and ordered another one. Yeah, I’m a real chicken shit, he thought as he pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. I can’t. I can’t do this. His stomach rumbled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten lunch. “Can I get a menu over here?” he asked the bartender.

  After he placed his order, a few fans appeared and tried to get his autograph or a photo with him, but he wasn’t in the mood to engage with them. He posed for a few pictures and gave some autographs, but when his pulled pork sandwich was placed on the bar in front of him, he said, “Thanks, everyone, but I’m just trying to have a bite to eat. Can I get a little space?”

  He wolfed down the sandwich and fries, and ordered another drink. He took out his phone and stared again at the Las Vegas phone number when in his peripheral vision he noticed a leggy blond slide onto the bar stool next to him and motion for the bartender.

  “I’ll have what he’s having,” she said, before turning towards Sky. “I know a man drowning his sorrows when I see one. Trouble with the girlfriend?”

  Sky’s head snapped up as he tried to focus on the woman speaking with him. “Larissa?”

  “Well, I’m not your girlfriend, although I wouldn’t mind filling the vacancy, if there is one. I meant the brunette you were with at the ACM awards. Remember?”

  He furrowed his brows. “Yeah. Lots of water under the bridge since then.”

  “So you’re not together anymore?” she asked, as she ran her hand over his thigh. “Guess she couldn’t take the heat of the spotlight.”

  “No, it’s not that. Meg’s fine. It’s me.”

  She removed her hand from his thigh. “Oh. I thought…”

  “You thought wrong. In fact, she just moved in with me. We’re living together now.”

  Larissa’s face fell. “I’m sorry. You always come here when you’re on the prowl, and I thought...well, it doesn’t matter what I thought.”

  “I’ve just got a lot on my mind, and I needed a drink.” He poured the whiskey down his throat and shook his head, before motioning to the bartender for another round.

  “What’s on your mind? Want to talk about it?”

  “Nope.”

  She sighed. “Well, I’m not going to let you drink alone.” She raised her glass in a toast. “To both our upcoming album releases.”

  Sky raised his glass. “I’ll drink to that,” he said, as he took a deep sip.

  “So, how come we’ve never written a song together? You write with a lot of up and coming artists. I’d like that chance one day.”

  “Yeah, maybe one day. Got a lot on my plate over the next few months, though, between the tour and cutting the new album.”

  They continued talking about their careers. Larissa rattled on about how difficult it was for her latest song to get any airplay, but Sky tuned her out as the drinks caught up with him. The room began to spin, and he had difficulty keeping his eyes open.

  He tried to order another drink, but the bartender refused to serve him. “Why the hell not?” he asked, in a loud, slurred voice.

  “Sorry, Sky, but you’re cut off.” The bartender poured him a cup of coffee and placed the tab in front of him.

  “You’re not driving, I hope,” Larissa said.

  “Yeah, I am. Or I was. I’m gonna have to call Paul and have him drive me home. Jesus, I’m a mess. Thank God there are no fans or press here.”

  Larissa looked around the bar. There were saw plenty of fans staring at them, but she chose not to contradict him. “Why don’t you call your girlfriend to pick you up?”

  He slurred his words. “She said she was gonna make me a nice dinner tonight.” He looked at his watch, and had trouble focusing on the dial. “Damn, I didn’t realize the time. She’s gonna be pissed off.”

  The sound of the shade being drawn and the sudden bright light woke Sky. He covered his eyes with his hands to block out the sun’s rays. His head was pounding, his mouth was bone-dry, and the distinct odor of vomit clung to him.

  He groaned as he sat up and pulled the covers off his body. He realized he was still wearing his clothes from the previous day, and shook his head. “Shit,” he mumbled.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw Meg standing at the foot of the bed. Her arms were crossed against her chest, and she was wearing a set of white scrubs. He looked away, not wanting to see the rage he was sure she was feeling.

  She threw bottles of water and aspirin at him. They bounced off his body, and landed on the bed with a soft thud.

  “How could you do this to me?” she asked.

  He picked up the bottle of aspirin, shook two tablets out, and placed them in his mouth, before washing them down with some water. “I’m sorry about last night. I’m not even sure what happene
d…”

  She tossed his phone at him. “Maybe you should take a look at Instagram, or Twitter. Or maybe that new gossip site, Trashville. Then again, you might want to call your new girlfriend, Larissa Townsend, and ask her what happened.” She began to walk out of the bedroom.

  “Wait! Meg, baby, where are you going?”

  “To the hospital. They’re short a nurse today on the unit, and asked if I could come in.”

  “But we were going to have a day to relax together today.”

  Meg stopped and turned to face him. “Yeah, well, we were going to have a nice dinner together last night too. But that didn’t happen.” She turned and stalked out of the room.

  A moment later he heard the slamming of the log cabin’s front door. “Shit,” he muttered, as he heaved himself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. He recoiled when he saw the toilet and the floor around it covered in vomit. “Jesus Christ, what in the hell did I do?”

  He cleaned the bathroom before showering. As he shaved, he looked at himself in the mirror, and shook his head. “You’ve really screwed up this time.”

  Back in the bedroom, his cell phone lay on the bed where it landed after Meg threw it at him. He regarded it as though it was radioactive, remembering the voicemail that was waiting for him. “Man up, Sky,” he said aloud. He reached for the phone and tapped the screen to listen to the voicemail, and the instructions to call back to get the paternity test results.

  His fingers shook, and he said a silent prayer, as he punched in the numbers. “This is William Skyler Johnson,” he said, after the phone was answered at the other end of the line. “I received a message to call about the results of a paternity test.”

  The call was transferred, and he again identified himself. He held his breath, and as he listened to the results he collapsed to the floor. Tears streamed down his face as he prayed, “Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus.” He knelt and bowed his head. “Dear Lord, I promised the night of Jack and Becky’s wedding that, if I wasn’t the father of Mallory’s baby, I would be the kind of man Meg deserves, and I meant it. I know I screwed up last night,” he said, glancing at his phone and wondering what the gossip rags were saying about him. “But I promised that I would never lie or cheat on Meg, and I meant it.” With a catch in his voice, he added, “Please God, help me be the man she deserves. Please help me make it up to her.”