by Rhonda James
CHAPTER 10
SOPHIE
He’d been gone all of thirty seconds before remorse sank in.
I wanted to chase after Jared and hear him out, but Sin thought it best we give him time to cool off. Since he’d known him longer, I took his advice and remained put. But it wasn’t easy. While everyone else went about their business as if nothing had happened, I wore a hole in the hardwood from all my pacing. Tori kept checking on me, asking if I needed anything. Oddly enough, what I needed she couldn’t give me. I wanted answers. But mostly, I wanted Jared to look at me with the same attraction visible in the photo we’d taken. In order for that to happen, I needed to apologize for attacking him. While I had every right to be upset, there wasn’t cause for me to call him out the way I had—especially in front of his friends. I’d jumped to conclusions, assuming the worst. We all know what happens when we assume…
He’d been about to tell me something before everyone entered the room. I needed to know what that was. First, I needed to find him.
The house where we were staying in was located directly on the beach, and the balcony off my room afforded me the most spectacular ocean view. It was there where I first spotted him standing alone on the beach, staring off into the abyss. On a whim, I grabbed a blanket and made my way outside.
The sun had already set, but it was still light enough for me to see the look that marred his handsome features as I tentatively made my way to where he stood. My desire to hear the truth far outweighed any uncertainty I felt about how he’d take to me intruding on his time alone.
“Hey,” I greeted hesitantly, offering him a small smile. Hoping to break the tension. “I owe you an apology for what happened back there.”
His lips pursed, and he gave me a look—almost as if he was looking right through me—then turned his gaze back to the water without saying a word.
Okay. I probably deserved that.
I chewed nervously on my bottom lip, searching for the right words.
“Look, it was wrong of me to make such an accusation. But you have to admit that these look pretty bad.” I waved a hand over the bruises. His eyes roamed by body, zeroing in on my legs. “I’m sorry if I wrongly accused you and your super penis. I had an awful lot to drink—way more than I normally allow myself—and some parts of last night are crystal clear while others are a complete blank. I was hoping you could fill me in on what happened.”
I was surprised he answered right away.
“What do you remember?”
“Hmm… I remember whiskey shots. Dancing with you. Laughing a lot. And your eyes. I remember loving the color of your eyes.” That last part was admitted more quietly, but I knew he’d heard me because the corner of his mouth spiked.
“Dancing was nice,” he agreed on a smile. I was happy to see him smiling. He had an amazing smile. “For the record, I think your eyes are pretty damn amazing. While my super penis and I appreciate the off-handed compliment, I’m not the beast responsible for those bruises.”
“I know that now.” After my admission, he nudged me with his shoulder.
Now that we were back on speaking terms, I spread out the blanket and took a seat, patting the space beside me for him to join me, eager to learn more while slightly apprehensive.
After a beat, he sat down and quietly gazed out at the horizon.
“Do you remember the ceremony?”
My belly flip-flopped when I remembered the way he’d been looking at me just before we’d kissed. I was smiling when I looked over and nodded.
“What about the dance we shared afterwards? Does that ring a bell?”
I thought for a second before nodding again.
“Let’s see… We kissed, and you joked about where you should take me on our honeymoon.” For a few seconds, I fidgeted with my hands before reaching out and giving the hem of his shirt a tug. “Then I suggested we go back to your house.”
A flicker of dimple appeared.
“That’s right, you did suggest that. Then you slammed a couple more whiskey shots and insisted on riding the mechanical bull. It took you three tries, but you finally lasted a full eight seconds on that sucker.”
“What? No way.” I worried my lip. Smiling behind my hand before I dared asking, “So… I beat the bull?”
It felt as though the next few seconds happened in slow motion. His hand cupping my face. The tip of his thumb tracing the curve of my mouth. Staring as if he was thinking about kissing me again. The quickening of my pulse as I waited. Hoping. His flirtatious wink.
This guy would be so easy to fall for.
Then again, maybe I’d already fallen and didn’t know it.
“You showed that bull who’s boss.”
I wasn’t sure why, but his admission left me beaming with pride. I’d never ridden a bull before—mechanical or otherwise—but a small part of me wanted to go back and try again. Bruises be damned.
My arms found their way around his waist while I relaxed my head against his shoulder. “I guess that would explain the bruises. But what happened after the ride home? How did I end up in your bed wearing your clothes? By the way, I never did find my dress.”
While one of his hands rested on my hip, he used the other to massage the back of my neck, and he winced when his gaze locked with mine. “Well, funny story. I think the combination of booze and bull riding didn’t bode too well with your stomach, and when you were on my lap, you kinda… sorta… You threw up on both of us.”
Dear Lord, please tell me this isn’t happening.
First, he told me that sex between us never happened, and now I learned that I’d vomited all over the poor man. Let me just find a cave and hide.
“Oh, my God,” I groaned and covered my face with my hands, the same way I’d done last night after spitting whiskey all over his shirt. I felt the tears slipping down my cheeks, giving him a front row seat to my meltdown. Once again, I’d managed to embarrass myself in front of this guy. Honestly, I was surprised he wasn’t jumping into the ocean to get away from me. Instead, he grasped me by the chin and tipped it until I was looking into his eyes. Green irises bore into sapphire blues. “I threw up on you. I suppose you had to clean me up, too? God, can this day get any worse?”
“Hey.” His voice was calm. Soothing. “It wasn’t that bad. Once I finished cleaning up the two of us, and my car, I got to carry you up to bed and spend the rest of the night with my arms wrapped around you. All in all, I’d say that’s not such a bad night. In fact, I consider myself lucky.”
I sniffed loudly and wiped at my nose. “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.” His grip on my waist tightened, and the air between us crackled as he gave me a playful smirk.
“Nah, only the ones I marry.”
CHAPTER 11
HAWK
“Why does she have to stay here?”
It was Saturday morning. Tori and Sophie had just left to go shopping and have ‘girl’ time. Sin came over to help me work on a project outside. Before I’d left for Mount Pleasant, I had purchased a new barbecue grill. It arrived in a gargantuan box, and the contents of said box were currently spread out among the patio pavers.
Every. Fucking. Where.
Sin gave me a look that said, ‘Are we really going there?’
“Dude, she’s V’s best friend. She needed a place to stay. I wasn’t going to put her out on the street.”
“Well, there’s always the Star Motel?” I offered hopefully.
He looked up from the parts he was sorting. Brows arched. “The same hotel you wouldn’t allow V to stay in because, and I quote, ‘Fuck only knows who all shot their load in that room.’”
I had said that. Smug motherfucker.
He laughed. I growled.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want Sophie staying here. I was just skeptical about her sleeping less than twenty feet from where I lay my head at night. Thanks to Tori, I knew for a fact the walls in this house were pretty fucking thin. I can’t tell you how many nights I’d lain
in bed enduring the sounds of those two fucking into the wee hours of the morning. What if I was in bed one night, and Sophie heard me jerking my cock and moaning her name. Or worse, what if I heard her?
Dammit. Now I was thinking about her touching herself.
“How long are we talking?” I conceded.
“Not long. Month. Maybe.”
A month? Christ. My poor dick was going to be raw by the time this ordeal was over.
Note to self: Switch from lube to moisturizing lotion. Less chafing.
“What’s the story with you two? One minute you’re cozied up—‘happily married’—and the next you’re hiding from her.”
He stood, abandoning the pile of screws for a cold beer. Offered me one. I took it, cracking the top. Taking a long pull. Stalling.
It had been two days since our little beach talk. Despite the fact Sophie had apologized and the night had ended on a good note, I was still pissed at her.
Fine. I was avoiding her. Big fucking deal.
It was either avoid her or drool all over her like an asshole.
I didn’t want to be that guy.
The guy who meets a girl and instantly falls for her.
Only pussies did that kind of shit, and I ain’t no pussy.
I’d eat pussy.
I’d damn sure fuck pussy.
But I drew the line at that other sappy shit.
“I’m not hiding. I’ve just been really busy.” I finished my beer and reached for another.
“Hiding.” Sin opened a second beer and flicked the cap at my head. It bounced off my shoulder and hit me on the chin. “Chickenshit.”
“Arrogant bastard,” I muttered as I threaded a bolt through one of the grill’s legs, then set it aside for another. Avoiding.
I felt him watching. Studying me as if I were some kind of lab rat.
Sin and I had been friends a long time. He knew me. Knew when something was eating me. Trouble was, it had been a long time since we’d hung out. Other than practice or the nights we were on stage at Devil’s Playground. Most days we were surrounded by people. Lately, this kind of one-on-one time had been rare. Rare enough that I didn’t feel like wasting it talking about any feelings I might or might not be harboring for Sophie.
Feelings? What the hell? I barely knew her. It was way too early for feelings.
Right?
Wait. Was lust considered a feeling?
’Cause there were definitely some feelings of lust where Sophie was concerned.
But I wasn’t ready to admit that. Not yet. Especially not to him.
“Come on, dude. You can’t honestly tell me you don’t enjoy having her in the next room. I remember what it was like when V moved in. She paraded around in that flimsy lingerie she called pajamas. My dick was hard as a rock twenty-four seven. I swear to God being near her drove me so damn crazy I hid from her for three fucking days. Remember that?” He laughed and went back to sorting parts.
“Actually, I do remember.” I laughed along with him. “Three days she hounded the shit out of me, asking if I’d seen you around. Now look at you. You can’t go fifteen minutes without her, and you never hang out with us anymore.”
“Aww,” he pretended to be sad. “Is that your way of saying you want me to come over for a playdate?”
“Shut the fuck up, asshole.” I gave him a shove.
Sin snickered and handed me a bolt and washer. “I hate to break it to you, but girls are way more fun to play with.”
For the love of all that is holy, please don’t let him start telling me about his sex life again.
“You don’t say?” I quipped, voice laden with sarcasm. “For the record, I get laid plenty.”
“Who said anything about you not getting laid?”
“I’m just stating a fact. Just because nothing happened between Sophie and me doesn’t mean I don’t know how to seal the deal. In fact, I’m fairly certain if she hadn’t—”
Shit. I’d almost spilled it.
He stopped fussing. Narrowed his eyes until dark brows became two hard slashes. “If she hadn’t… what?”
I busied myself with the lid. Back facing him. “Nothing. Forget about it.”
“Jared?”
Teeth gritted.
“Drop it, Dylan.”
Lucky for him, he took the hint and changed the subject.
“So, are we having a cookout on this thing tonight, or what?”
A shrug. “Sounded like a good idea at the time.”
“Well…” His gaze traveled over the mountain of parts we had yet to assemble. “These parts aren’t going to magically assemble themselves.”
“Right. So, shut the fuck up and hand me that last leg.”
An hour later, the grill was fully assembled. Sin cracked open another beer and dropped his ass in one of the many Adirondack chairs Blade kept on the patio. I finished placing the last log in the fire pit. Getting it ready for after dinner when I would light it and hopefully we would all spend some time winding down.
We’d spent the last six months traveling across the country promoting our EP. I’d only been home a week before taking back off for Mount Pleasant.
To say I deserved a night to kick back and relax would be a gross understatement.
Empty in hand, I announced my intent on driving to the store to pick out meat for dinner.
“Park you ass back in that chair,” Sin commanded. “You’ve had too many beers.” He pulled out his phone.
“What are you doing?” I grumbled, knowing he was right.
“Texting V. What do you want? They’ll stop for us.”
I rattled off my list, telling him to add whatever he wanted to it.
Pocketing his phone, he sat back. “Done. The girls will be home in an hour. Maybe then you can finally relax.”
I dipped my hand in the cooler for another Corona, coming up empty.
Relax?
With me and Tiny sharing the same space?
Yeah, not possible.
No way in hell.
Not without alcohol.
“Hope they bring home beer.”
CHAPTER 12
SOPHIE
Two days had come and gone since our talk on the beach, and Jared hadn’t spoken a word to me. Unless you count the grunts he’d offered every time we crossed paths in our adjoining bathroom, or the ‘Good morning’ he’d mumbled over morning coffee, he’d pretty much given me the cold shoulder.
I was a little confused as to why he’d be giving me the silent treatment, but I’d decided to wait him out. If he hadn’t pulled his head out of his ass by then, I was bound to do something drastic.
This morning, he’d entered the bathroom while I was brushing my teeth. The vanity had two sinks, and I wasn’t naked, so for me it wasn’t an issue. But him… You’d have thought being near me was sheer torture. I, on the other hand, enjoyed his company. At least when he wasn’t being a moody asshole. His hair was a rumpled mess. He was naked from the waist up. Sweatpants riding low on his lean hips. I kept sneaking peeks while flossing. Hoping he’d glance up and catch me ogling him.
That would have given me something to work with.
After five minutes of brushing, sloshing, and spitting, I was ready to jump on his back just to try and get a reaction out of him.
At least then he might have spoken to me.
Needless to say, I’d refrained from climbing him like a tree.
Then there was the matter of his name. Should I call him Jared? Or did he prefer Hawk? Gah! It was so confusing.
This whole situation was—for lack of a better word—frustrating.
Thanks to his silent treatment, I hadn’t been able to corner him and discuss the idea of keeping up the whole marriage charade a little longer. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. Knowing the moment I asked he would want to know the reason, and the honest answer was one I wasn’t too proud of. Think about it. I was basically asking this guy to pretend to be my husband in order for me to land a
role.
Shallow much?
The sane part of me knew it was a really bad idea. Lying to gain something. However, the desperate part kept wondering, where was the harm in pretending? A teensy white lie. It wasn’t as if I was asking Jared to fall in love with me and put a three-carat diamond on my finger.
That would be ridiculous.
Speaking of rings. I was still wearing his. I supposed I should give it back. After all, it was the right thing to do.
Perfect segue for an after-dinner walk and chat maybe?
As for now, Tori and I were making our way through the local Publix supermarket. Tori flitted around, dropping ingredients for a salad and baked potatoes in the cart.
She walked ahead of me. Tossed five T-bones in the buggy before looking up and smiling.
“What kind of steak do you prefer?”
“Umm.” I surveyed my options. Something small. Definitely. I pointed to a New York strip. “That one is fine.”
She added it to the cart and hightailed it to the dairy section.
Butter. Eggs. Sour cream. Cheese. Three kinds of milk.
I laughed. “Why so many?”
“Skim for me. The two-percent is for the guys. Hawk is lactose intolerant, so the almond milk is his. Chocolate is his favorite.”
Her answer, spoken with such conviction, annoyed me. Why was it I hated how well she knew him? Of course, she knew all about him. She’d known him nine months longer than I had.
I hardly knew him at all, and he was supposed to be my ‘husband.’
I intended to rectify that. Just as soon as he started speaking to me again.
“Can you grab me one of those creamers?” I pointed to the bottle of caramel macchiato.
“Oh, shit. Thank you for reminding me. I’m almost out at home.” She added three big bottles to our collection. Checked her phone. “Hawk wants some Corona. Would you mind running back to produce and grabbing a couple limes? I’ll grab the beer and meet you at the checkout.”
Limes in hand, I passed through the bakery section again, this time stopping to check out their selection. I should take home a dessert as a small token of my appreciation for letting me bunk with them for however long I needed. When I’d first told Tori I wasn’t sure how long I’d be staying, she and Sin had assured me there was no rush to leave. I’d taken them at their word. Of course, that was before learning about my new roommate.