Relentless (Relentless Soul Book 1)

by Ryan, Rachel

"I'm looking forward to seeing the article, get it to me as soon as you can. So it will be ready for the next issue."

  "Sure thing, Jennifer."

  Watching her walk out of the glass door, I stare at the empty chair across my desk that she was just occupying. Me living on a bus; it's going to be worse than the hotel. Eight weeks with two of the sexiest men I have ever laid eyes on. This is going to be hell. Reaching for my phone I make a call. "Hey Grandma it's me."

  Chapter 3

  Ava

  Stepping out of the taxi I head for the hotel doors. The lobby is busy at this time of day; people checking in for their stay. I ride the elevator up to my floor; the movement of the elevator pulling up is sickening. I let myself into my room with the door card then pull out my phone and send a text to Brody to let him know what time to pick me up tomorrow.

  Hi Brody, I am scheduled to meet the realtor at 10.30am at his office in Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach. If you could pick me up at 9.30, that would be great.

  Thanks, Ava.

  I have no idea what to have for dinner America's food is so different. While I'm looking at the room service menu I hear the message alert on my phone and I look over to see a short reply from Brody.

  I'll be there, see you then.

  I exit out of the messages and pick up the hotel room phone.

  I order a burger and chips and while I wait for my dinner to arrive I smile at the thought of finding a place of my own. To top it off I get to spend the day with Brody.

  Tomorrow is going to be a good day.

  ***

  Please tell me that's not my alarm already. Just a few more minutes would be nice. I spent half the night thinking about Brody. Duty calls though. Stretching, I work my way over to the bathroom to shower which will hopefully wake me up. I turn on the water and undress while I wait for it to heat up. Stepping in I wet my hair and close my eyes as the water runs over my face and all down my body. Grabbing my bottle of shampoo I lather my hair and scrub, finding the pressure of my fingers on my scalp relaxing. The smell of papaya and coconut fills the room. I quickly rinse my hair then add conditioner and repeat the process. Turning the water off I grab a towel to wrap around my body, and another towel for my hair. After applying a small amount of makeup to keep a natural look and drying and styling my hair I hear a knock at the door. Stepping out of the towel I put the terry cloth robe on, walk to the door and look through the peephole. Panicking I open the door in a rush.

  "Hey, Brody. You’re early."

  Brody grins sheepishly and looks me up and down.

  "I thought I would come by early and bring you some coffee." Looking down at myself I am reminded that I'm only wearing the robe and completely naked underneath it. Feeling my cheeks heat I look at the coffee.

  "Come on in. Thanks for the coffee I need that this morning. I'll be right back I'm just going to put some clothes on." Walking over to the wardrobe I pull out a lacy, black bra and undies, black low cut shirt, light blue jeans, socks and my black and white high tops. Dressing quickly I try not to think about Brody sitting out there.

  Walking out of the bathroom I take a coffee out of the tray and sit down next to Brody on the bed. "Thanks for this I really needed it."

  "That's ok. How many places are you going to be looking at today?"

  "Four, unless I find something I like straight away."

  "And if you don't like any?"

  "Unfortunately, I don't really have an option. I have to find a place and get settled before we leave in two weeks."

  "Where are the places you will be looking at?"

  "They are all in the Manhattan Beach area one is on Seventh Street; there are two in Seventeenth Street and one in High View Avenue.”

  "I'm sure you'll find something you like, shall we get going?"

  "Hopefully. Yeah let's go."

  We walk side by side down to his bike, neither of us speaking but we don't have to. Reaching his bike he opens up the compartment and hands me a helmet. I watch him climb astride the bike and smile at the way his body moves. Sitting there he holds out his hand for me. I place my hand in his, my stomach flips and I can't help but gasp. There's that spark again. I look into his grey eyes searching to see if he felt it too. His eyes search mine and I quickly glance down to his mouth then back up at his eyes. Eventually he breaks the connection and nods his head to the right indicating for me to get on. I wrap my hands around his waist. Do not stroke his abs, Ava. I tap my fingers on his abs to stop myself from running them up and down his body. Inhaling his woody scent I close my eyes.

  "Ready?"

  "As ready as I'll ever be." I feel as if the words have a double meaning behind them.

  The ride to the real estate office was about twenty minutes long. It was the longest trip of my life. Being so close to him had me thinking unprofessional thoughts the entire time. I have never felt this kind of connection before. Relieved for the space that is now between us I step into the office. Walking up to the man at the counter I introduce myself.

  "Hi I'm Ava Flores and I'm here to inspect a few houses today with Mr. Smith." He looks me up and down and smirks.

  "Mrs. Flores, I'm David Smith and I'll be showing you the apartments today. I think you and your husband will be most impressed."

  He looks towards Brody. What? He thinks I'm married to Brody. I only just met him about forty eight hours ago. Just as I’m about to correct him and tell him Brody and I are just friends, Brody holds out his hand and introduces himself.

  "Brody Cooper. So, which apartment are we going to first?"

  Mr. Smith looks between Brody and I, his face holding a slight frown as he responds to Brody's question.

  "I was thinking we could head to Seventh Street first."

  Walking up the stairs to the first apartment I stand behind Brody. I gently tug on his shirt and he turns slightly to look at me. Ushering him closer I whisper "Can you do all the talking please I feel uncomfortable around him." Brody smiles at me, his grey eyes softening. I can just imagine the feeling of his arms around me, telling me everything is going to be okay.

  "Sure." Walking into the apartment I listen to Mr. Smith speak as I look around.

  "This is a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment. The kitchen is cosy and has a beautiful window facing outside."

  Looking at the kitchen I see that the window is facing the neighboring apartment. All I see is bricks. There are two cupboards, nowhere to put pots and pans and the tap is leaking.

  "And what about parking spaces?" Brody questions.

  "Unfortunately there are none. Only off street, however the bedroom has a built in wardrobe."

  I walk towards the bedroom leaving Brody to look around the morbid, tiny lounge room. The bedroom is a dirty looking beige; the wardrobe would only just fit me in there. Walking out I look at Brody and shake my head, I don't need to see anymore. Brody nods and turns to Mr. Smith.

  "Mr. Smith, let's see the next house."

  Walking out of the last house I feel so disappointed. I plaster on a fake smile and look at Mr. Smith "I'll let you know by next week if I want any of the apartments."

  His eyes drift slowly down my body.

  "Here's my card, I look forward to hearing from you."

  I just stare at him but I have no words. What a sleaze ball. Turning my back on him I walk over to Brody who is standing by his bike.

  "And which one did you take."

  Shaking my head I looked at Brody "None, I hated them all but I told him I would let him know next week and I think you were right about Mr Creepy."

  "No shit Ava, I don't think you should take any of these, just give me a second I'm just going to make a call."

  Brody walks away and leaves me with the bike. Watching his fine backside walk away, he digs his hand into his pocket. Bringing the phone to his ear I admire his body. He is tall I think about six foot, on his upper left arm the bottom of his guitar tattoo is exposed and on his right forearm he has words written across it. I think its lyrics. Just th
en Brody turns and looks at me he has a smile on his face I wonder what he's doing. Walking over to me his smile gets bigger.

  "I may have found you a place."

  "What? How?"

  "I just rang my manager and he's looking for an apartment for you in Santa Monica."

  I frown slightly but he jumps in before I can argue.

  "It'll be nice I promise, I told him it has to be up to my standard."

  I am speechless he really didn't have to do that for me. "Thanks, you didn't have to do that."

  "I know but you didn't like any of the horrible apartments today and besides I didn't like the idea of the realtor knowing where you live, he's a creep. By the way I asked Travis to find you a furnished place so you didn't have to find all that in two weeks as well."

  Now I really have nothing to say how can someone I just met do all of that for me.

  Stepping closer to him his eyes deepen. I do the only thing I know what to do at a time like this. Hug him. I wrap my small arms around his body; he responds and places his arms around me. "Thank you." His body is so hard against mine but yet I fit perfectly against him.

  Brody

  I know that I should let her go. I need to, for my own sanity. But she feels so damn good. Plus, our bodies just fit together so well. I gently inhale the fresh, intoxicating scent of coconut coming from her soft waves of shiny, dark hair and I'm so tempted to touch it. Just as I give in to the temptation and raise my hand, she slowly pulls away and takes a step back.

  "I'm sorry, that was a little forward. I just really appreciate all your help today."

  Shrugging I look into her gorgeous eyes. "It's my pleasure. I enjoy spending time with you. Plus, I know how hard it is to be all alone in a new place."

  Sensing a shift in the mood and that sad look in her eyes again, I know she is probably wondering why and how I know all about being alone. I quickly change the topic before she questions my comment. "So, Travis will let me know as soon as he finds something and I'll call you with the details."

  "Okay… Cool. Thanks again, Brody."

  Nodding as I climb onto my bike, I gesture for her to follow and when she's settled I take her back to the hotel.

  *****

  Later that night as I'm just about to pop the top off another beer, I hear a loud banging on my front door. Glancing down at my watch I see it's ten o'clock. Who the fuck would be coming to see me at this time of night? I stroll toward the door, losing my balance slightly a couple of times. Surely I'm not drunk? After only five…six maybe…or was it seven beers? Fuck, I can't remember. The door swings open before I can get to it and Jeremy walks in, chucking his jacket on the back of an armchair. "Hey, dude! What's happening? I've tried calling a few times. I was getting worried when I didn't hear from you."

  It takes a few seconds for my response "Nothin' much. Just having a few quiet beers."

  Jeremy glances over my shoulder toward the kitchen counter and frowns slightly. I follow where his eyes are looking at the empty bottles lined up. Shit! Maybe it was eight.

  "A few? What's up with you man? I haven't seen you this wasted in a long time."

  My silence is the only response he's going to get.

  "You should have called me, bro. I would have come over and had a few." He plonks down on the couch and props his large feet on the small black coffee table. "So…have you heard about the new addition to our tour?"

  I flop down onto an armchair and look up at his cocky grin. Even in my slightly intoxicated state it doesn't take long for me to realize that Ava's invitation to tour with us was his doing. "Ah, so it was your idea?"

  Jeremy's cocky grin widens as he nods proudly. "Fucking genius isn't it. I tried to find a way to see her again, and now I'll be seeing her every fucking day. Perfect! So, how did you hear? Travis?"

  Shaking my head I stare down at my beer. "No, Ava told me."

  Jeremy drops his feet to the floor and his body stiffens as he sits up straighter. "When did you speak to Ava?"

  As I ponder over how much I should tell him about my chance meeting with Ava and our apartment hunting this morning, he says again with a little more urgency "Did you see her after the interview yesterday?"

  "I bumped into her at the Pier in the afternoon. She was there doing the whole tourist thing and while we were talking she got a call from her Editor." I stop there remembering how cute she looked yesterday, strolling along the pier. My thoughts are interrupted by twenty fucking questions.

  "What did you two talk about? Was she excited about going on tour with us? What did she say about me?"

  He's leaning forward on the couch waiting for my answers.

  "I don't really remember. She was a little surprised about the tour and a little freaked out because she hasn't found a place of her own yet. We had a look at some places today but she didn't seem to like any of them." Jeremy's jaw drops. Fuck! I said too much. I wasn't planning on telling him about that. Me and my fucking drunk big mouth! Glancing up at Jeremy I see he has composed himself a little. He is now grinding his jaw instead of letting it hang open.

  Jeremy

  What the fuck did Brody just say? He and Ava went looking at apartments today? What the fuck? I'm speechless for a few minutes as my brain tries to process what I can't believe I just heard.

  "How the fuck did that happen?'

  Brody seems to be avoiding my eyes as he says softly "When we bumped into each other yesterday she mentioned that she needed to find a place of her own before she can go on tour with us. So I offered to give her a lift." He eventually looks up at me and I'm not sure what I'm seeing in his eyes. Is it guilt? Or just regret that he told me so many details? I'm not sure exactly but I'm fucking baffled.

  "Brody, man! Do you like Ava?"

  He hesitates, but eventually shrugs and says "She's a nice girl. I wanted to help her out. She's in a new city and she has no one."

  Ah, now I see. He feels sorry for her because she's alone. I guess in a way that could explain it. Over the many years we've been friends he has often mentioned that even though his fucked up parents are still alive, he feels like he is alone in the world. I always tell him that's not true… he has me, Luke, Hunter and Travis. We're his family now.

  Brody stands up and stumbles a little as he slurs "Shit, man. I don't want to be a prick, but I think I need to go to bed."

  "Yeah, sure man. Good idea. Get some sleep and we'll catch up tomorrow night at rehearsals."

  I watch Brody put his empty bottle on the counter and head toward his bedroom. Grabbing the small recycling bin in his kitchen I load the dozen empty beer bottles into the bin and set it back down in the corner. After grabbing my leather jacket off the armchair, I switch off the lights and lock the door as I let myself out of Brody's apartment.

  ***

  The whole drive home my mind works overtime. I can't help but wonder again if Brody likes Ava. It's so unusual for him. Sure, I know he's had a few girlfriends and plenty of one-nighters, and apart from our mutual friend Jo, he's never really had a girl friend. Apart from me and the guys and Travis, he's never really had any friends. He tends to stick to himself always saying he doesn't have to worry about people lying and betraying him if he doesn't get too close to them. There's got to be more to it. It's also not like him to sit at home alone and get wasted. I can completely understand if he does feel more for that hot little piece of ass. The vision of her sexy curves in that green dress hasn't left my mind since the interview yesterday. Adjusting myself in my jeans I try to think of something else as I pull into my parking space. Travis mentioned earlier today that Ava's Editor was waiting on more details about our tour schedule. This might be the perfect excuse to visit the sexy little Ava.

  ***

  The next morning around eleven thirty, I park my Mustang out the front of the Treble building. Grabbing the small folder off the passenger seat, I climb out, lock the car and enter the building. Making my way over to the reception desk I give the sweet looking girl my biggest grin "Hi. I'm her
e to see Miss Ava Flores."

  The girl blushes and looks down at her desk "Is she expecting you, Mr…"

  "Stone, Jeremy Stone. No she's not expecting me, I wanted to surprise her."

  "Excuse me one moment, Mr. Stone. I'll call her office and see if she's available." She stares at me with a small smile as she puts the call through. "Yes, Miss Flores. I have a young man by the name of Jeremy Stone requesting to see you. No. I understand he didn't have an appointment, he said he wanted to surprise you. Okay, I'll send him up." She puts the phone down and gives me another shy smile as she points at the elevator to my right. "Miss Flores asked me to send you right up. You'll find her office on the third floor."

  "Thanks, gorgeous." The color that immediately rises to her cheeks makes me smile. So easy!

  As I approach Ava's office, I nervously run my hand through my hair. Why am I suddenly nervous? She's just another hot little chick. I can work my magic on her. But is she just another chick? She's a lot feistier than I'm used to. She also didn't seem to respond too positively to my attempts at flirting throughout the interview. I might need to work a little harder with this one. I love a challenge!

  I use my knuckles to tap on her office door a couple times before letting myself in. I know… bad habit of mine. She's seated behind a large modern style desk but stands as I stroll into the room. As she makes her way over to greet me, I can't help but appreciate the sight of her in a tight black pencil skirt that cuts off just below the knee, sexy black heels and a white, short sleeved blouse almost showing cleavage. Her dark waves are tamed into a bun at the back of her head with a few loose waves framing her beautiful face. She's gorgeous! I love this sexy librarian look. As I'm checking out her slender legs once again, she holds out a small hand in greeting "Hello, Mr. Stone, nice to see you again. How can I help you?"

  I put on my biggest panty dropping smile "Please, call me Jeremy."

  "Very well, Jeremy. How can I help you?"

  "Our manager, Travis, mentioned that he was going to be sending you through some information about the tour. So, I thought I'd save him the trouble and bring it straight to you myself. I was in the area. It was no trouble." Am I rambling? I never ramble. What the fuck is wrong with me?