I had to admit, I kind of liked that side despite the fact that he seemed determined to piss me off and get me flustered every five minutes. But it was still weird.
This, though, and the drawers were a little more like the Holden I had thought he was. I had nothing wrong with it. Personally, I was a mess half the time. My closet was bulging with crap I should probably give away. This was neat and tidy. I almost envied the mental discipline it took to keep it this way.
I found myself wishing he would come organize my mess.
My hand hovered over a green shirt. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was. Take a shirt from the middle or from the beginning? Do I leave the hanger on the rack or take it off? If I take it off where do I put it?
Maybe all of this was a little more annoying than what I was thinking.
I heard a voice behind me. “Hey gorgeous, find something?”
I jumped, screamed, and hid my face in my hands as if I could hide there.
“Whoa,” he said, and grabbed my shoulders. “Didn’t mean to sneak up on you. Are you okay?”
I looked up at him and he squeezed my arms. “Yeah sorry, just didn’t hear you. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
His large hands started kneading my shoulders and moved around the back of my neck.
I shivered.
“You’re tense as hell Julia.”
I shook my head. “It’s been a day. I couldn’t find your shorts.”
He grinned. “Go take a hot shower. I’ll grab them for you.”
I just nodded. His hands were like magic on my muscles. Slightly erotic in how they were massaging me and equally relaxing.
He stopped and put a hand to my hip, guiding me toward the bathroom.
Those hands were trouble.
I needed a serious back massage soon and not from him. I wondered if my old massage therapist buddy was still around.
“Shampoo is in the shower, soap, towels. Need me to help get your back?” He grinned at me from the door.
“Ug! Get out Holden!” I slammed the door shut in his face.
After peeling off my wet clothes I remembered my flip phone in my back pocket and dug it out. It was wet and not turning on. I really needed to get a case for the damn thing but it was so old it was only a matter of time before it gave out. The rain today might have killed it.
I took a shower and it really was very relaxing.
When I got out, the clothes I had discarded on the floor were missing.
I wrapped a fuzzy towel around my ample bosom and one around my hair. What game was he playing now?
Cracking the door just slightly, I peeked out in the hallway and didn’t see anything. He had the TV turned on in the living room. I looked across to his bedroom. There was a pair of boxers and a green shirt laying on the bed.
I eyed the hallway again.
Practically running, I darted into the bedroom and slammed that door behind me. There was a laugh that I heard over the sounds of the TV.
Evil man!
I dressed in what he had laid out. My panties and bra were apparently missing. The boxers weren’t the problem, they had a small button at the fly for some reason. The shirt was definitely a problem.
First, it smelled like Holden. Which was driving my hormones nuts.
Second, I didn’t have huge boobs, but I had enough. And it made it obvious when I wasn’t wearing a bra, and enough to make men notice even when I was.
I slid the shirt on and the fabric engulfed me but didn’t hide the fact that I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. It wasn’t uncomfortable but not decent enough to be around Holden. The end of the shirt fell to the top of my thighs. I pulled it up and tied it around my waist. With a bra, it might work for a while.
I opened the door and yelled down the hall. “Holden, do you know where my bra is?”
No answer, just the TV.
I snuck down the hall past the shotgun barrel that I noticed had been put back in place. I toed it out of place again as I went by.
The living room was empty. No Holden.
I was about to turn around and see if he was in the other bedroom when the front door opened.
Jake and Holden both walked in and all three of us froze.
My face started to burn.
Jake smirked.
Holden took a sweeping look at me and his face hardened. “Fuck me.”
He grabbed me around my waist as I tried to cover my chest, picked me up, and carried me towards his bedroom.
He kicked the door open, then shut, and flung me onto the bed.
His body was half way over me in an instant. His lips crushed down on mine, his tongue swept my mouth open and dove in. He tasted salty and the scent of him filled my nose. My body was on fire and the heat between my legs suddenly flared.
He pulled back, breathing heavy, and broke the kiss.
I stared at him. “What was that?”
“Practice, angel. We’re dating. Stay,” he growled, while pointing his finger at me. Then he left the room and shut the door behind him.
My mouth hung open.
Did the mental patient just kiss me for no reason?
Chapter Four
The rest of my afternoon had been interesting.
I had paced around his room for some time, wondering if murdering him with his own weapon would be fitting and how much time I would get for it in jail. Dad wouldn’t be happy, Allison would probably try to get me a book deal, and I would likely fall victim to some wacko crazy in lockup but I thought it might be worth it.
I had formed a game plan. Drive him nuts and he’d leave me alone.
Holden had come in, taken another look at me and had growled before leaving again.
This had happened twice. Once when I had been pacing and plotting his demise. Another time, when I had been lounging back on his pillows with his tattered Jack London book in my hand.
He had looked downright pained the second time he had come in and exited. There was a lot of cussing outside the door on that round. I had ignored him.
It probably hadn’t helped that I had pulled his boxers up slightly to show a lot of thigh and had been sitting with my legs open on purpose.
My bags were then shoved through the door, minus my guitar case, which I had assumed was probably somewhere in his house if Jake had dropped it off.
Holden hadn’t bothered looking in again.
I had packed decently and thoroughly before I had left California, in anticipation that I might not be going back for a while if I decided to stay. So, I had plenty to choose from if I was going to start my torture Holden campaign.
I spent at least forty-five minutes in the bathroom doing my hair, makeup, and getting dressed without being disturbed. I had gotten dressed with a purpose in mind. As in, really thought about how I could annoy the hell out of Holden. If he had been shitting bricks over my lack of clothing earlier, then he was in for a taste of his own devious medicine.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
I was wearing a scoop neck, blood red dress that hugged my hips and stopped at mid-thigh. It showed just enough cleavage to attract attention. I hadn’t worn it in several years. Once, if I remembered correctly, to a modeling audition back before college. It was snug to say the least, but still looked great. I matched it with a soft grey jacket in case it rained and a pair of six inch, peep toe shoes.
I tightened the belt of the jacket hiding my outfit and smiled at myself.
By the time I walked out and into the living room, my stomach was growling. Holden wasn’t in the kitchen or living room.
The sandwich he had supposedly made for me was missing now. I found the pickle jar he had earlier in the fridge and dug it out. I got a knife and put a long round one on the chopping board. Slicing through it hard, like a madwoman, one end flipped up and came to rest between two decorative glass balls on the counter. It was long end up.
Fitting.
I bit into the other half delicately. Yum.
Hol
den walked in a minute later, wearing a black suit, black shirt and black tie. He looked like a hitman. An insanely hot hitman, but he definitely screamed dangerous.
I blinked at him and purposely nibbled on the last bite.
He growled. “When you’re done, we can go.”
“Hmm,” I said and walked over to the sink to wash my hands. I glanced back over at him while chewing. He was eyeing the pickle between the balls.
I held back a laugh. “Sorry, I was hungry. Needed a bite.”
“Uh huh. Dress is a little short angel.”
I smiled sweetly at him. “Give me a minute, need to brush my teeth and then I’m ready.”
One of his eyebrows lifted. “Okay, we’re taking my car. Not sure having you climb out of the truck would work.”
“Okay, sweetie.” I blinked my eyes at him. “Whatever you say.”
“Uh, yeah.” He looked at me with narrowed eyes. “What the fuck?”
“Just practicing. We’re still dating, right?”
“Yeah.”
I did my thing in the bathroom and we were out.
In the car, I made sure to wiggle around just enough so that the end of the jacket I was wearing fell open slightly. If he glanced down he could see the shortness of my skirt and most of my thigh.
He didn’t say anything while he drove us ten minutes to Muse. He just cleared his throat several times and turned down the cool air to a frigid temperature. It forced me to close the jacket over my legs again.
Hmm. Score one point for Holden. Very tactical.
When we got to the bar it was packed.
The interesting thing about Muse was that it was a swanky bar and grill during the day and a nightclub, of sorts, at night. There wasn’t a dancefloor but the lighting switched to dark muted colors in low wattage, mixed with some strobe. The colors on the walls morphed, the furniture looked darker, the people changed from business attire to nightclub chic. There were dark corners with booths and TVs played random images from music videos. The music wasn’t overwhelming but was a variety of classic rock and made you want to dance. During the day, there were several back rooms for eating. At night, the walls were moved in several spots to make the place look far larger. I wasn’t sure of the dynamics of how it worked, but it was affective.
We entered and were waved on by the man at the door. I smelled the typical scent of a bar atmosphere. Alcohol, food and perfume.
Holden snaked his arm around my waist and steered us to a particular corner that had a large polished table with eight chairs. It was on the opposite side of the room from the bar but out of the way enough to make it seem private. It was roped off and had four guards standing in various places around it. They were trying to act relaxed but doing a miserable job of it.
They were probably scared shitless of Holden because they all answered to him at some point.
Holden’s face had turned into a blank. His eyes were darting around the room. I was starting to see that this was his hard “work face” that he put on. It looked like he was obsessively assessing and evaluating the environment around us.
I poked him in the ribs and he blinked.
He gave me a tight smile. “Packed in here. I don’t like it.”
I leaned into him and gave him a sideways look. “Would you rather go dancing?”
“Hell no,” he grumbled.
I laughed genuinely. His hand found mine as I looked around and I didn’t pull away. It felt warm and firm when he gave it a squeeze.
Aiden and Liv hadn’t arrived yet.
Holden pulled out his phone and punched a button. “Let’s go ahead and sit. They’ll be here soon.”
I smiled at him. “Sure.”
He let go of my hand and I unbuckled my coat. He was distracted by a man at the bar that had fallen off his chair as I pulled it off my shoulders.
I handed it to him and he finally turned toward me.
His eyebrows shot up and his eyes did a slow, methodical slide down my body.
“Fuck. I’m taking you home. You can’t wear that.”
I grinned. Score one point for me.
Batting my eyelashes at him, I took a step forward and slid my hand up his crisp jacket until I reached his shoulder. I brushed a finger over the side of his neck and pressed my body slightly into him.
“Don’t you like it sweetie?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re playing with fire Julia. Better be sure you want to take it there.”
His hand slid around my waist and dropped low onto my ass. “Are you even wearing anything under this damn thing?”
I let out a squeak as he shoved his crotch against my stomach. I could feel a large bulge press against me. He was hard as a rock.
A shiver ran up my neck as I looked in his eyes. His face probably looked blank to everyone else, but I could see the flames burning behind his stare.
Glancing down at his lips, I let out a slow breath.
I wanted him to kiss me again. Maybe making out in public wouldn’t be so bad.
His eyes dropped to my mouth and I bit my bottom lip. He growled and slid his eyes to the bar again but didn’t let me go.
“You’re never wearing this dress again. I’m burning it later,” he said nonchalantly.
I jerked against him and smacked him on his shoulder. “Do it and you’ll find peanut butter smeared all over your weapons.”
“Do that and you’ll be handcuffed to my bed. Naked. And you’ll watch me clean them.”
“I’ll scream for the police and tell them you’ve kidnapped me when they get there.”
“I’ll tell them you’re in to that shit. Then, phone your dad and tell him you’ve turned to prostitution.”
I scowled at him. Score one for Holden. “You’re such an ass.”
“Get used to it. This dress is gone when we get back to my place.”
I shrugged and stretched my face up to his neck. Blowing across his skin, I felt him jerk. The muscles in his neck seemed to bulge and his skin turned red.
“Are you sure?”
“Julia,” he growled. “You’re making things painful. If you don’t want me to take you into the back office and fuck you senseless then back off.”
Score one for me.
I leaned back and he loosened his arms slightly so that I could take a step away. His hands were still around my waist as he guided me to the table. Both of us sat down on the side that faced the front room.
There was a stir at the door. It opened and there were several white flashes as Aiden and Liv walked in surrounded by four men in black suits. They both looked at each other for a moment and smiled. Then they turned in our direction and walked over.
Both of them looked amazing. Aiden, dressed in a grey suit, was clearly happy and smiling for once instead of sporting his usual gruff scowl. Liv, dressed in a short but conservative sequin dress was blushing and had a twinkle in her eye.
Aiden gave Holden a confused look as he stood up to shake his hand. Then he slid his eyes to me. “Hey Julia, good to see you.”
“Likewise, thank you for inviting me.”
His eyebrows lifted up. He nodded once and turned to Holden, pulling him away from the table.
Liv smacked Holden on the arm. “Finally! Jesus, I can’t tackle my best friend with you standing in the way.”
I smiled so wide my face hurt. Missing someone for so long and then finally seeing them again was one of the best feelings in the world. I stood up, opened my arms, and Liv nearly tackled me into the table.
We laughed. The guys just eyed us. Probably making sure we didn’t fall over.
Liv let go and held me at arms distance. “Oh, my gawd. Why does shit always look gorgeous on you? Are you on a diet? Did you get your boobs done? I love the pink hair!”
Aiden came back and guided his fiancée into a seat beside him. “Language princess.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she waved him off. “You were supposed to call!”
I laughed and sat back down. “My phone
got wet. I meant to call you after I got settled but things happened. My phone is probably going in the trash at this point. It’s really dead. I haven’t even called my dad.”
Her face crunched up and she looked up at Holden who was standing behind my chair.
“What things do you mean? Where’s your sister?”
Holden answered. “She’s at your house drunk. Probably still sleeping it off.”
Liv tugged on Aiden’s sleeve and looked up at him. “Can you get Jules a new phone?”
Holden spoke before Aiden could. “It’s already taken care of.”
Her face looked surprised then she narrowed her eyes at me. “What things happened exactly?”
I opened my mouth to explain, but Holden bent down and kissed me on the top of my head. “She’s come to her senses and decided she can’t resist my obvious charms.”
I grimaced when Liv gave me a “are you nuts” look.
“Uhm, yeah. We’re exploring all that. Kind of.”
Liv looked between the two of us and then turned her head back up to Aiden. “Dibs that Holden will probably die first.”
Aiden laughed. “Noted.”
I rolled my eyes.
The guys finally sat and ordered food for all of us. Holden was beside me with his arm around the back of my chair like it was the most normal thing in the world. When the waitress asked about drinks everyone ordered alcohol except me. When I said I wanted water the table went silent. I shrugged and added a White Russian that I didn’t intend to drink.
Trying to divert their interest, I asked Aiden, “What was the commotion outside?”
Liv answered. “Photographers. Apparently, when you’re Aiden and you’re getting married in a couple of weeks, it’s headline news.”
“Annoying.”
“Tell me about it.”
The waitress was back with our drinks very quickly.
I felt Holden’s other hand slide over my lap as he leaned toward my ear. A tingling sensation slid up my leg and into my lower back.
He blew across my ear when he got close and I twitched. His lips brushed against my earlobe and he whispered, “Want to make out now? You can sit in my lap.”
I took a huge inhale of air trying to clear that image out of my mind.
He was such trouble.
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