Stay: A Shores Novella (The Shores Book 2)

by Allie York

  “No,” Blair whispered into my shirt.

  “Don’t let me bother you two.” Porter’s voice made us jump apart. Blair left my arms, and her face turned that sexy crimson. She recovered quickly by jumping up and hugging him too.

  “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” She jumped up and down, hugging Porter. I felt my jaw clench but forced myself not to break his arms when Port hugged her back.

  “Don’t you two fuck this up. I’m not getting dragged to court over dog custody.” Porter backed up. “I mean it, it’s against our policy to adopt out to couples who don’t live together.”

  “We aren’t a couple.” Blair jumped in. “I want Ranger, he’s lived next to me since he was a tiny puppy and I love the dumb dog. Jax was just doing me a favor.” I eyed Port as he looked between us. “Thanks again, Porter.”

  “Yeah. You guys take good care of Ranger. See ya at rounds tomorrow.” Porter waved at me and strolled off.

  “I bought him a crate, paid his vet bill, and a huge bag of dog food.” I looked up at Blair, ready to fight for the dog. We weren’t a couple, but the longer we continued our sexual relationship, the more I thought maybe it wasn’t a terrible idea. I knew I could handle a real relationship as long as it was with Blair. Spending time with her didn’t make me cringe.

  “I’ll pay you back,” she insisted.

  I shook my head. “I don’t want money.” A wicked smile appeared on her sexy pink lips. “I want you in my Jeep later.” I crossed my arms.

  “Sex to get my dog from you? No way.” Blair tossed her hair back.

  “See, he’s my dog. I signed the papers, I have his vet bills, and I have pictures of him on my phone.” I held out my phone for her to inspect the lock screen. I was a selfie of Ranger and me in the Jeep.

  “Okay. Sex in your Jeep. What else?” Blair looked defeated like I might not give Ranger to her. I just liked to play a little, but she looked like she might cry.

  “Joint custody.” If I got her to share the dog with me, maybe I could get her to fall for me as hard as I was falling for her. I’d never admit it. Never. But I was developing more than friendly feelings in our friendly arrangement. “If you and Ranger go somewhere, I want to go. If you work and I’m off, I’ll take him.” Blair nodded slowly. “And I wanna fuck you in my Jeep.” I smiled when her mouth fell open.

  “Deal.” She held her hand out to shake mine.

  I took her hand, and we sealed the deal. “Now, take me to see that baby.” Blair hugged me again, thanking me for saving Ranger from going to Georgia. I patted her back and glanced around before grabbing her ass. Porter was on to us, but we always flirted, so hopefully, he wouldn’t say shit to anyone else about it. If he did, no one would believe him, I hoped.

  Blair and I passed Lyric in the hall. I held the door open, and Blair ducked under my arm to go in. Ozma was passed out asleep on the bed while Harris swayed around, holding the tiniest bundle I’d ever seen. Maybe the baby looked so small because Harris was six-four and had arms the size of most dude’s legs. Blair stayed by the door while I went to see Harris and Conrad. Harris looked at me like he’d done the most amazing thing ever, and I held my hands out, ready to hold the little guy. Harris eased Conrad into my arms, and I settled him into the crook of my arm. He slept peacefully with little wisps of red hair sticking out from under his hat.

  “Hey, little dude,” I whispered to him, bouncing him softly. I hadn’t held a baby in years, but it was like riding a bike. “Man, you are the cutest little dude I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad you look like your mommy.” I smirked at Harris.

  “I agree,” he joked. “That was the most stressful experience of my life.” Harris sat down and relaxed a little. “I heard you’re a father now too?”

  I nearly choked on nothing before I realized he was talking about Ranger. “Oh. Shit, yeah. I adopted Ranger.” I let out a breath of relief. I had no idea why him wording it that way freaked me out, and I was lucky that I didn’t turn to look at Blair.

  “We,” Blair whispered loudly. “We adopted Ranger.”

  Harris arched an accusing eyebrow at me. “Shared custody? Do you two even like each other?” he scoffed. If he only knew.

  “No,” I answered. “Not really.”

  “The feeling is mutual, asshat.” Blair threw back at me.

  “Bite me, Princess.” I smiled and looked down at Conrad. “Stay away from divas, dude. They are so much trouble.” Blair flipped me off. Harris gave me a look, his green eyes darting to Blair for a fraction of a second, but I shook my head, laughing off his unasked question. If anyone would tell Ozma, it was Harris.

  Blair and I visited a while, talking to Harris and Oz once she woke up. Conrad was passed around, ate, slept, and was too cute for words. Maybe I was a big dude with tattoos, but I loved kids. Spending my teen years in the system meant I always had foster siblings, most of them younger, so I was expected to help with babies. I learned a lot that would come in handy if I ever had a little Jax in the future. When Gloria and Rose showed up, Blair and I left. She kissed Conrad and Ozma a hundred times, promising to come back the next day. Blair and I walked out to the parking garage, a few feet apart the entire way. Her little green car was parked just down from the Jeep.

  “Am I following you home?” Her voice echoed through the empty garage.

  “If you want, yeah, but not right now.” I opened the passenger side door for her and tipped my head for her to get in.

  “Wait.” Blair started shaking her head. “I am not fucking you in a car parked in the hospital garage,” she scoffed, crossing her arms.

  “That’s fine.” I closed the door, walking around to my side. “Ranger can totally stay with me. I’ve gotten kind of attached to him anyway.” I hopped in, starting the engine. It took half a second for her to get in my Jeep and close the door. I laughed, and she flipped me off.

  “You’re a horrible person.” Blair reached over and picked up my hand from the wheel. She leaned in and kissed each of my fingertips gently, licking the pad of every single finger.

  “I’ll give you the dog whether we have sex or not,” I admitted, watching with my complete attention while she licked each finger. “Keep doing that, and you can have my wallet too.” I jerked my hand from hers to grab the back of her head. I crashed my mouth to hers, ready to break in my Jeep properly. It was jacked up on huge tires with dark tinted windows so that no one would see us, but the idea of getting caught was a little thrilling.

  “I’ll have sex with you whether I get my dog or not,” Blair murmured against the skin of my neck, moving to straddle me. I reached down between my feet, burying my face in her tits, to push the seat back. Blair pressed the button on the side to recline it.

  “Good, because this morning seems like ages ago.” I ran my fingers through her hair and let it spill into my hands. Blair took her shirt off and pressed her chest against me to kiss me.

  “So long ago,” she moaned when I bit her neck and nibbled my way down to her black bra. Her head fell back, her eyes closed, and I unbuttoned her skin-tight jeans. I’d have given her anything she wanted if she only asked, but if Ranger was what it took to fuck her in the Jeep, I’d find her five hundred dumb white boxers.

  Chapter Nine

  Blair

  Percival, my black work cat bumped my legs as I stared off into space. I’d just spent an hour on the phone with our favorite designer, arguing over a late order only to be accosted by a pissed off mom whose daughter maxed out her credit card shopping at our store. I reached down and picked up Percival, enjoying the lull in business for just a few seconds. I rubbed my face in Percival’s velvety coat, trying not to miss my bestie. Ozma and I had done everything together for as long as I could remember, but since she got too pregnant to go to the gym with me, it’s been lonely. Rose went some, and so did Ivy, but they were poor replacements for Ozzy. I let Percival down on the counter and watched his sister sunbathe in the window. Ozma got so mad when I adopted them from the animal shelter. Poor Ly
ric was overrun with kittens and we had just rented out our retail space. I thought it would give the place a little edge to have cats that wondered around to greet people. Ozma was just pissed off.

  As much as I missed Oz, I needed to pick up her slack, so I went to help Ivy place the weekly jewelry order and help Rose fold things. “Is it weird though?” I should have backed up but I didn’t leave. I hated their gossip. Not that I was much older, but I could barely stand the high school drama the two of them cooked up.

  “Why would it be weird? It’s not like I heard it, I just read it.” Ivy checked a box on the clipboard she was carrying around.

  “But he’s your friend and Kallie is your sister.” Rose adjusted a shirt on a hanger and gave Ivy a look.

  “Again, it was in a text and not confirmed by Kallie. Her boyfriend just wanted to know if she slept with Jax before they got together. I don’t care who Kallie does.” Ivy shrugged. The most horrible sensation started in my stomach. Like a ton of bricks on my insides. I didn’t know Ivy’s sister, but suddenly I fucking hated her. The arrangement Jax and I made was simple, just sex and keep it to strangers. If he fucked Kallie and she was Ivy’s sister, it broke our rules. I broke the other rule, but there was no one rubbing it in his face. I cared about Jax more than I should have, a lot more, but he was off fucking Ivy’s sister. My two employees kept talking, moving on to some other gossip but I walked out to the front in a bit of a haze. Outside I leaned against the wall and watched the ocean in the distance. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I called Jax.

  “Yeah,” he answered the phone like a damn professional.

  “Hey, quick question. You know a Kallie?” I try to sound nonchalant, but I hear myself sounding jealous and whiny. Shit.

  “Uh, yeah. Why?” Jax sounded busy, but I didn’t care. I was acting like a fricking psycho.

  “It’s a long story, but Ivy was talking about her sister going out with you and said her name was Kallie and-” I was cut off by a groan and braced for him to remind me that he didn’t want a woman and that we were just fucking, nothing more.

  “She’s Ivy’s sister?” Jax almost yelled. “I didn’t know. Now I’m really fucking glad I quit calling her back.” He sounded relieved, but all I felt was deep, raw hatred. “You there?”

  “Yeah. Small world, right?” I laughed.

  “Too small.” Jax laughed. “She was one of those chicks who liked to cuddle and shit, so I couldn’t handle her anyway. Dropped her a month or so back. Coming over tonight?” Ranger barked, and I snapped out of my jealous rage. The anger still simmered enough for me to turn him down though.

  “Not tonight. I’ll see you at the party tomorrow,” I promised. “Bye.”

  “Uh, yeah. Bye.” He hung up, and I felt a little better. I shouldn’t have been acting like a possessive crazy woman, but suddenly I was. I’d had sex with plenty of guys, and even dated a few before I learned my lesson, but Jax was getting to me. No guy ever got to me. As much as I knew that I needed to put a stop to our arrangement because my feelings were getting involved, I knew I never would. Jax and I worked, so I would push off the inevitable as long as I possibly could.

  I glared at Jax across the room, Ranger draped over his lap like he was his dog instead of mine. He took Ranger everywhere when he had him. I took Ranger to work one time but learned that giant boxers weren’t as boutique friendly as little cocker spaniels. Ziggy, Ozma’s dog went with her all the time, and it was fine, but Ranger was big, and kind of drooling. It meant I left him with Jax more than I really wanted to. The situation was very unfair. So at Porter’s birthday party with all our friends hanging out, my dog was with him. Something about it made me kind of want to sneak off for a quickie though. Big sexy men with big sexy dogs were kind of my weakness. Ozma’s dog sitting at his feet didn’t help either. I missed Zig almost as much as I missed Ozzy.

  Jax drank his beer, talking to Drew while I sat on the other side of the room, staring at him. The only person missing was Ivy, but she was sick or something. I had a hard time listening to her explain it to me because Jax may have had his head between my legs when she called. It made it a little hard to concentrate. Jax looked at me and I turned away. I couldn’t admit I was starting to like him more than I was supposed to. He knew it, I knew, it, but I’d never say it. He was the only guy I slept with since the beginning of our arrangement, but he didn’t know that either. I went on dates, had dinner, then went to bed alone or with Jax. I’d gotten to the point where I couldn’t kiss another guy without guilt. It was a little sick. I knew where I stood with him, knew he had other women, and had made my bed. We had a deal. No complications, just sex, but in a few weeks, I was a love-sick moron. Jax got me, he understood, he was who I thought about constantly. I was in a lot of trouble. My stupid crush was going to ruin everything.

  I glanced back, and he was smiling at me. The look was the reason I was falling in love. Not love, just a crush. Jaxon looked at me like a person, one he cared about, where most guys looked at me like they wanted me naked. Jax looked at me like someone, not something. I still liked sex, but I only liked it with Jax. I’d keep my secret to myself though. Telling him would ruin the arrangement, and if lying meant he kept coming back to my bed, I’d take it.

  “You still with us?” I jumped when Oz sat next to me. I was staring, completely oblivious to the party.

  “Yeah. I zoned out.” I blinked and sipped my drink.

  “Tired?” Oz handed me the baby, and I sniffed Conrad’s head.

  “A little. Mostly just jealous.” I glared at my dog on Jax’s lap.

  “I miss being at work, but I can’t leave the baby yet. We need to hire some relief for you?” Ozma laid her head on my shoulder. “Are you jealous of the man or the dog?”

  “We can hire someone.” I rested my head on hers, putting Conrad on my shoulder. “And I’m jealous that Ranger likes him more. It’s bullshit.”

  “Are you sure?” Ozma teased.

  “Positive,” I snapped. I wouldn’t have minded being in Jax’s lap though. Harris came by on his way out to their deck. He kissed Oz then Conrad on the way. A little of that would have been nice too.

  “I wish you would find someone, Blair. Like really find someone, not just sex.” Ozma picked her head up to look at me. “I know you don’t like commitment, but not all guys are your Dad, just like they aren’t mine. Not all men are assholes.” She sighed and took her baby back.

  “I’ve thought about trying, but then it freaks me out.” I shook my head. “You need a drink, Momma?” I stood up to refill my water. I ate like shit the day before, so I was on a water kick. I needed to cleanse.

  “Sure. Just no caffeine.” Oz smiled at me. I wished I looked more like her. She looked so innocent and sweet. No man would ever want to keep a woman who looked like me. I was hot, but not pretty, not beautiful, just hot. Men weren’t interested in taking hot women home to meet their mother.

  I left Oz sitting across the room and went to get another water for me and one for her. Everything else was either caffeine or alcohol. I felt Jax before he spoke. “You okay?” He reached around me, grabbing another beer from the counter.

  “Fine.” I looked at him over my shoulder. “Be better if my dog wasn’t cheating on me.”

  “Your face is red.” Jax opened his beer and leaned back on the counter.

  “It’s hot in here. I’m burning up.” I slid between him and the counter, leaving the hot kitchen. I dropped a water off with Oz and headed outside. The cooler air hit me, and I tried to close the door, but Jax caught it. He and Ranger followed me outside. Ziggy bolted out before the door closed and he barked, hopping in circles. Ranger took off chasing him and the two met the other dogs in the yard. With all the dogs, it was a good thing Oz and Harris had a fenced yard. Rick brought Duncan, Lyric brought her dogs, and Drew brought his.

  “You look upset?” Jax’s voice made me look up at him.

  “No. Oz is just on one of her ‘you need to settle down’ kicks.” I rolle
d my eyes, fighting with the lid to my water bottle.

  “You want to?” Jax asked casually.

  “Maybe.” I shrugged. “I’ve thought about it, but again, I get bored,” I lied. I didn’t want to talk about any of it with him.

  “If you didn’t?” Jax watching me made me squirm. “Say you didn’t get bored. Would you want to do this?” He gestured toward the house.

  “Would you?” I looked down at my shoes. I knew I was blushing, and knew he could see it, but wished he couldn’t.

  “We aren’t talking about me, Princess,” Jax teased. I shrugged. “All right. I’m not gonna make you talk, you know that.” We both stared for a second, then fell into silence. He wasn’t going to answer my question, so I wasn’t answering his. I knew his answer anyway. Jax liked things just as they were, so did I. I could live forever just as we were. Maybe. Or maybe not. His unwillingness to answer made me have this little tiny fraction of hope that maybe someday, Jax could love me, really love me, the way I was beginning to love him. I turned to watch the dogs play in the yard and Jax stayed where he was away from me, but close enough to know he was there. I could sense him, smell him. Rose came out later and stood next to me, head on top of mine. I wasn’t short, but Rose was like an amazon. She was also clingy as hell and so touchy-feely. After a few minutes, Oz collected us to go in.

  We sang to Porter, the dogs played, everyone visited. The whole gang together for a party was nice. After Conrad was born, we went a couple of weeks without getting together. Oz swore it wouldn’t hurt her feelings to leave them out, but none of us could do it. It would have been weird without the entire crew. When Porter’s birthday came up, Harris suggested they host so they could see everyone but didn’t have to leave. Win-win situation. The party ended, people started leaving, and I came to the realization that my life was a little emptier than I wanted. I wasn’t ready to have kids or get married, but someone regular in my life would have been nice. With Ozma gone, and having a family, I really just wanted someone to depend on, to love me. Jax was regular, we saw each other almost every day, or at least at night, but he wasn’t mine. With the boutique doing great, and my best friend starting a family, maybe I was ready for a little more.