“Nah, only about an hour and a half.”
“What? Are you serious? Oh no, I’m so sorry. You should’ve called me.”
He laughed. “Nah, just kidding. I literally just got here.”
I punched him lightly on the arm, and he pulled me in for a kiss.
“Asshole,” I said.
I opened the door and let him in.
“So, I thought since you’re always taking me out, that I’d cook you dinner.”
“You can cook?” he asked. “I thought you just baked amazing cookies.”
“I do bake amazing cookies, and if you’re lucky, you might get some later. And can I cook? Not all that well. But I do know how to make a mean chicken curry.”
“Curry? Nice. It’s the one thing I can’t make and exactly the sort of thing I feel like tonight.”
“You’re easy to please,” I said. “And I’m glad you like curry because I had no plan B.”
“You never need a plan B when it comes to me. I told you, I like most food.”
“Oh yeah? Is there anything you don’t like? You know, for future reference. Also, what would you like to drink? I have red wine, white wine, and beer.”
“A beer would be great. And let’s see,” he said and followed me into the kitchen. I handed him a beer and poured myself a glass of wine, and the two of us went to sit in the living room while he continued to think about what food he didn’t like.
“Are you seriously still thinking about the question? There must be something you don’t like.”
“I think I like everything. Oh, wait—cinnamon. I’m not a fan of cinnamon. But then again, I’d probably still eat it without complaint.”
I laughed. “Good to know. And thanks for coming over, by the way. I know it was short notice.”
“It’s no problem at all. Can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah, of course. Ask away. I’m an open book!” I said.
He raised his eyebrows. “Are you?”
“What do you mean? Of course I am.”
“You are, for the most part. But I get the feeling that something is going on in your life that you’re not telling me about.”
I looked at Ian in surprise. Here was a guy who hardly knew me, and yet he’d picked up on the fact that something was wrong in my life.
“You’re pretty good with people; you know that?”
His eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re the first person that has ever said that to me. I’m terrible with people.”
“You’re actually not. When you let your guard down, you’re actually one of the easiest guys in the world to talk to. And you’re right, by the way; something is going on in my life. It’s sort of why I invited you over tonight. I mean, obviously I want to see you too. But I kind of wanted you here because of my ex-boyfriend.”
“Why? Is he dangerous?”
I thought about that. Never in my life would I ever have considered Raymond to be dangerous. But then, he had started hitting me on numerous occasions.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But the reason I came to Arizona was because I was running away from him. The whole job thing was purely coincidental. They’d offered me the job, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to take it. Then I got home and Raymond, that’s my ex-boyfriend, came home drunk and tried to hit me.”
“He tried to hit you?” Ian said in shock.
“Yeah. It had happened before. A few times. Anyway, that time it got stopped before getting too bad. He was so drunk that he tripped and passed out on the couch. Which gave me just enough time to gather my things and move to Arizona. I went straight to the job, and spent the next two nights in my car as I had nowhere to stay. Mae found out and let me crash by her, and then I got this place. And slowly but surely I’ve been getting my life back together again. I’ve been so proud of myself, you know,” I said. My words caught at the end of the sentence and I started to cry. I quickly wiped away my tears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to cry.”
“It’s okay. You can cry. So what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
I told him all about the phone call with my mother and how she thought the world of Raymond and decided that he could do no wrong.
“She didn’t believe you? That’s crazy.”
“Yeah. I mean, I guess she just doesn’t want to believe that he’d do something like that to me. He can be very charming and persuasive when he wants to be. I see through it now, but for a long time, I didn’t. So I guess I understand where she’s coming from.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re her daughter! She should believe you, and not him!”
I sighed. He was right. I was making excuses for my mother. But I couldn’t help myself.
“Yeah, I know. I know. Anyway, she went and told him where I had moved to. I’m not sure how many details she told him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he now has my exact address as well as my place of work. I really didn’t want him to know. I guess I should’ve told my mother about all of this before, but I didn’t want her to worry. And I told her that we had broken up. I didn’t think that he would go and see her and that she would spill the beans on the whole thing.”
“You think he’s going to come and hurt you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s going to do. I’m trying not to think about it. I mean, I can’t. I have to live my life. Maybe he won’t even come. But I . . . I just wanted you here with me tonight.”
“I’m sleeping over!” Ian announced.
“What? You don’t need to do that.”
“I know. But I’m going to.”
I smiled. I didn’t want to argue with that. The thought of Ian with me all night made me feel so much better. “Thank you. Now, can we change the subject? Because I really don’t want to talk about Raymond anymore. The only thing that I want to do is heat up your curry.”
“Heat it up? I thought you made it yourself.”
“I did. My recipe makes so much. I made this a few days ago and had so much leftover that I had to freeze the rest. So all I have to do is heat it up and we’re good to go.”
“Then there really is no proof that you made it yourself, is there?”
I laughed. “Nope. Only my word. If you like it, I’ll make it again, and you can watch me.”
He grinned. “Oh, I do like the sound of that.”
Dinner with Ian was wonderful. He was kind enough not to bring up Raymond anymore. Instead, we spoke about everything else under the sun. I wasn’t sure why he thought he wasn’t a people person. To me, he was the sweetest man in the world. I wondered if it had to do with the club that he belonged to. Perhaps there was a need to be seen in a certain way, even if he wasn’t like that at all. Or perhaps he really was a hot-shot with everyone else, and simply only kind to me. I didn’t mind. He was good to me, and that was all that counted. I liked that I could see how nice he was. But I also loved his rough exterior. He was a walking contradiction in all the best ways.
“That was amazing. Thank you,” he said.
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“I still don’t believe you made it, you know.”
“Is that just an excuse for me to cook you some more?”
He laughed. “I just need proof, that’s all.”
“I’ll think about it.”
I chuckled and stood up to clear the plates. He tried to help me, but I insisted on doing it myself. He was my guest, after all. I took the plates over to the kitchen and popped them in the sink. I was just about to wash them when Ian appeared behind me. He put his hands on my hips and whispered in my ear.
“You’re safe with me, Eliza.”
I turned around and smiled at him. I was just about to thank him, but I couldn’t talk because his mouth was already on mine.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Eliza
The dishes could wait, I decided. If there was one thing that could take my mind off Raymond and my mother, it was kissing Ian. Gunner, I thought as our tongues intertwined. He was Gunner now.
“Ever had sex in the kitchen before?” he asked.
I shook my head and chuckled. “I’m generally quite boring. In the bedroom, on a conference table . . . .”
He bit his lip and kissed me again.
“I have an idea,” he said as he pulled away again. I wanted to tell him to stop kissing me and then pulling away. Every time he took his lips away from mine, it felt like torture.
“What’s that?” I whispered.
“We have sex in the kitchen,” he said. I nodded in reply. “And then we have sex in the bedroom, then the bathroom, then the living room. Have I left any place out?”
“Uh, the hallway? It’s pretty small, though.”
“The hallway, too. I think we make our way around this entire place. What do you think?”
I would never be able to look at anything in my apartment in the same light. I smiled.
“Yes. Yes to all of them.”
“Oh, good. I thought I was going to have to convince you,” he said and leaned in again.
“Oh, don’t worry,” I said. “I’m already convinced.”
Gunner grinned at me. Then he lifted me up and put me on the kitchen counter. It was low enough so that when he leaned in, he was at the perfect height. Also, for the first time, I was finally wearing something that allowed for easy access. He noticed it too. He reached under my skirt and pulled down my underwear, and then he slowly started to unbutton my shirt. When my shirt was finally opened, he smiled.
“No bra today?”
I shook my head. “Thick material. I didn’t need it.”
“It’s my lucky day,” he said.
Soon he was kissing my breasts, licking around my nipples and then tugging at them ever so slightly with his teeth. He was gentle, but the stubble on his face scraped against me. I liked the way it felt. I leaned back and held onto the counter for support. He kissed my neck, sucking softly so that the hairs on my arm stood up. Then he made his way down back toward my breasts, then onto my stomach, and then down, down, down. I opened my legs and gasped as his tongue made its way in between them. I was wet with desire. I opened my eyes and looked down. There was something about seeing him pleasure me that made me want to do the same for him. So I pushed him away and hopped off the counter. Then I unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down. I knelt down onto the floor and put his penis into my mouth. It was erect, but seemed to harden even more as it probed past my lips. I licked and sucked the length of his shaft while he held onto my head for support. I could feel that he was close, and that made me want him even more.
I stood up. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life. But I was too short for him to do me standing up against the counter.
“Put me back up,” I said, and he lifted me back up again.
I scooted forward, and opened my legs. He knelt down toward his jeans and pulled out a condom. He came forward, kissed me, and then thrust himself inside me. I groaned out loud, and for a while, I forgot all about how close my neighbors were to me, or about the fact that my window was wide open. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was the way that he was making me feel.
“Oh yes!” I cried out. “More! Harder!”
He thrust even harder against me. I had one hand on the counter and one on him for support. “Yes!” I cried out again.
I opened my eyes just as he came inside me, and seeing the sheer ecstatic pleasure on his face during his moment of bliss pushed me over the edge, making me come, too. Once it was over, he kissed me on my neck, and I shivered. He was right. I felt safe with him beside me.
“Well,” I said as we were getting changed again. “That’s the kitchen done,” I said. I ticked off an imaginary list in the air and grinned at him.
“Only a few more to go,” he said. “Then we’ll rate which one was the best.”
I liked that idea. I also liked the fact that he wasn’t going to go home tonight. I just hoped that he didn’t want to leave now that we’d had sex.
“You don’t have to stay, you know,” I said. What I was really thinking was, please don’t go.
“I’m staying. But I need something in return” he said.
“What? Again?” I said, assuming he meant sex.
“Coffee. And cookies.”
I burst out laughing. “Coming right up!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ian
“You look tired,” Chris said to me as I walked in.
I still hadn’t told him about Eliza, and about the fact that I’d slept over there two nights in a row. It was only supposed to be the one night, but last night I found myself lying in bed and wondering if she was okay. So I’d gone over and insisted that I stayed the night. She resisted at first, but I could tell that she was glad I was there. We’d stayed up watching movies until late.
“Uh, yeah, I slept over at Eliza’s last night,” I told Chris.
“You did? Nice. No wonder you’re tired. Although, don’t tell me what you were doing. I don’t want the details.”
The details involved a lot of movies and a lot of coffee. We’d held hands and kissed, but that’s as far as it had gone.
“Uh, yeah. Actually, she’s going through a bit of a bad time,” I said.
“Why? What’s going on, man?”
“She left California to get away from her abusive ex-boyfriend. The idiot,” I muttered before continuing. “Anyway, she didn’t tell him where she had gone, and now her mother has spilled the beans. Mostly because the guy is this charmer who her mother thinks the world of.”
“Seriously? The mother chose to listen to the ex-boyfriend rather than her own daughter? That’s quite harsh.”
“Tell me about it. She’s acting like she’s not too cut up about it, but I know she is.”
Chris pulled a face. “Okay, that’s horrible. And now what? Is she scared that this dude is going to come for her?”
“Yeah, pretty much. He doesn’t sound all that macho, but then again, he did hit her, and he’s a bit of an alcoholic. So who knows?”
“Gunner, you can’t just hang out at her house in case he comes. You do realize that it’s not the smartest idea. I mean, soon you’ll practically be living with her. You don’t when he’s going to come, or even if he’s going to come.”
“I know. I know. It’s easier said than done, though. You try lying in bed at night knowing that something might happen to a girl you really like. It’s not easy.”
“You sure it’s just like?”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it love? Sounds like it.”
I was taken aback by the question. Especially coming from Chris. It wasn’t the sort of thing he usually said.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not love. We’re not even dating.”
“So, what are you, then?”
“We’re . . . I don’t know. We’re just seeing each other. She’s a cool chick. That’s all.”
“Hmm,” Chris said with uncertainty. “Okay then, whatever you say. Anyway, I think you should just stay away from the problem. You’re going to get yourself caught up in something that you don’t want to be caught up in. And then what’s going to happen?”
“I know. I know.”
“Why don’t you call the police? Maybe this is something that they should be aware of.”
“Yeah, I thought about it. But come on man, what are they going to do? I mean, the police have bigger things to worry about. He hasn’t even threatened her, so she has no proof that he is going to come. They’re not going to do a thing, and you know that.”
“You’re probably right,” Chris agreed. “But I still don’t think that you should get involved. This is her past and something that she needs to deal with herself. Like you said, the two of you are not even dating. So why get yourself so involved?”
I agreed with Chris, and the two of us started working. We had the music on loud, and for most of the day, we didn’t talk to one another. When we did, we had changed the subject to something els
e. But every now and again I would think back to what he said. I knew that I should just walk away from the situation, but how could I leave Eliza all alone while this horrible ex-boyfriend could appear at any moment? It made me feel slightly ill just thinking about it. And I was just not the sort of person that could lay low and let things happen around me.
After work, I made my way to the bar where Patriot was meeting me. I would’ve preferred to go and see Eliza. But she’d called to say that she was working late that night. I promised to come around once she was done.
“You don’t have to,” she said.
“But I’m going to,” I insisted, and ignored everything that Chris had just said to me.
At the bar, I saw Patriot sitting at the counter with two beers in front of him. He slid one toward me when I sat down.
“Thanks, Patriot.”
“No problem. Good day?”
I nodded. “Yeah, another busy one. But it was good.”
“You guys still thinking of getting some more help in the shop? Especially now that you’re so busy?”
I wondered if my father had been speaking to him. I was just about to call him out for it, but then I remembered that we’d had this conversation in front of Patriot before.
“Nah, not at the moment,” I said. Not at any moment, I thought. “We’re doing okay at the moment just with Chris and I. He’s a hard worker, that guy.”
Patriot laughed. “You wouldn’t think by looking at him, would you?”
That made me laugh, too. “Yeah. The most laid back guy in the world when it comes to everything else. But put him in front of a motorcycle, and he’s a whizz.”
“That’s cool, man. Not like you and I.”
“What do you mean? We’re hard-working.”
“Oh yeah, we’re definitely hard-working, but we’re not laid back.”
I was about to argue the point, but that would just prove his point, so I smiled. “I guess we’re not. So, why are you here? I’m assuming there’s something that you wanted to talk to me about. And don’t give me that crap about why can’t brothers just have a beer together. This doesn’t normally happen, so I know there’s a reason.”
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