I yank the material from her hands and stalk away from the two of them, leaving them on the patio to talk about my prudishness.
I don’t even have both legs inside the house when my aunt Suzy catches my arm, pulling me off to the side. “You better tell them,” she says, glancing around the room like she doesn’t want anyone else to hear.
“After dinner,” I tell her as a knot forms in my stomach. Every second that ticks by is a second I’m closer to having to spill the beans.
Her eyes widen. “He’s here,” Suzy whispers.
I tilt my head, wondering why my aunt is acting like such a weirdo. “Who?”
“Jett,” she squeaks, covering her mouth quickly.
Now it’s my turn for my eyes to go wide. “He can’t be.”
Suzy grimaces, looking like she’s about to cry or maybe laugh. It can go either way with her. She’s a quirky one like me. “I may have invited him,” she whispers.
“What?” I screech, panic clawing at my insides.
“I didn’t know you two were moving in together.” Aunt Suzy whispers the last bit, her gaze sweeping around the room again. “Since he just got back, I thought the family would like to see him.”
I gasp, covering my mouth, trying to stop the vomit rising up my throat. “Why would you do that?”
“We always invite him over when he comes home on leave, but you’ve always been at school when he’s around.”
“Damn,” I mutter.
“Yeah,” she says, and we stare at each other for a few seconds without speaking. “So, you better tell them before they find out by accident.”
“Shit,” I whisper, hating that there’s no more time to waste. The three biggest blabbermouths in the family know, and now that Jett’s here, he may slip and tell my family everything before I have a chance. I know my parents are going to go ballistic, but it’s better if they hear it from me first than from someone else.
“They’re in the kitchen with Grandma. Go in there and tell them now. They won’t freak out too bad with her around.” Somehow, she says that with a straight face and places her hands on my shoulders, turning me toward the kitchen. “Do it now. Before it’s too late.”
She knows exactly how my father is, especially when it comes to me. The man has always been dramatic and over the top, but throw me into the mix and he gets so weird. For as big as he is and as tough as he can be, he’s sometimes such a girl.
“You can do this,” she tells me when I don’t move.
“I can do this,” I repeat, trying to convince myself that I can, in fact, do this and come out still breathing. “I can do this.”
I take my first step, my fingers tingling like they’re asleep. I shake out my hands, inhale slow and deep, and close my eyes before blowing out the breath and repeating the process.
“I can do this.”
“Honey,” Mom says, her face lighting up as soon as she sees me. “Look who’s here.” She throws out her hand, pointing toward the other side of the room.
My eyes follow her movement and widen immediately.
I’m met by the beautiful blue eyes of the man who’s going to be my roommate. “Hey,” he says, his voice deep and smooth, washing over me.
“Hey,” I squeak, moving my hand toward my face, brushing away a lock of hair as my cheeks heat.
My father clears his throat, reminding us he’s in the room. “It’s always good to see you, Jett. I hope today is less eventful than last time.”
My mother slaps my father’s chest, glaring at him. “Stop it, Michael. You’re the one who insisted she learn piercing and be your apprentice. You can’t expect her only to work on clients she doesn’t know or that you like. It can’t all be about boobs and ears.”
I snort because I love my mom. She knows what an idiot my dad is sometimes, and she’s always quick to come to my rescue. Even after I broke the news about medical school, she still supported me. It was my father who had the meltdown, needing time to deal with the realization I was never going to be a doctor.
“Like fuck, it can’t,” he grumbles.
Back in the day, my dad was a total badass. When he met my mom, he was a professional fighter and even won a national championship, which he still talks about to this day. He was used to getting his way, mostly because of his size and the fact that most people thought he would beat their ass if they didn’t give him what he wanted.
But I know the other side of my dad. The loving side. The side that will bend over backward for the people he loves and is selfless and giving. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a dramatic man-child sometimes, but my mother knows how to handle him to help him see the light.
I swing my gaze to the side, seeing Jett’s eyes locked on me. My smile is immediate and tight.
“She’s going to have to touch a lot of vaginas and penises in her line of work. Just like you.”
“Stop.” My father covers his ears, groaning. “I don’t want to talk about my daughter and penises.”
My mother smiles, loving tormenting him for some reason. “Lots of penises.”
If I could crawl in a hole and die right now, I would. I don’t want to listen to my parents talk about vaginas and penises, especially not about my touching them.
“I’m moving in with Jett,” I blurt out, figuring the conversation can’t get any more awkward, and at least I won’t have to hear them say penis again.
My father’s body goes board straight, and my mother’s head snaps to the side as they both stare at me.
“You’re what?” Mom blinks at me, cocking her head like she didn’t hear me right the first time.
“I’m moving in with Jett. Not moving in, moving in. Like, we’re not a couple. But we’re going to be roommates,” I blabber, hoping I can keep talking long enough for them to calm down. Maybe if I explain, or overexplain, they’ll understand and we’ll both walk out of this room alive. “I’ve wanted to move out for a while but could never find the right place. But Jett was looking for a roommate, and he found this amazing house on the water, but he needed someone to split the rent with. He asked me, and I thought, ‘Sure, why not.’ So, yay, I’m moving out.” I suck in a breath, spewing all those words without so much as stopping to breathe.
My father growls and takes a step forward, moving toward Jett until my mother catches his wrist with her outstretched hand. “Wait,” she tells him, but she’s staring at me.
My father stares over his shoulder at my mother, almost foaming at the mouth. “Wait?”
She nods, not looking in his direction. “Baby, this is kind of sudden, isn’t it?” she asks me.
I shake my head, glancing at Jett, pleading for him to run without saying the words. “No, I’ve been looking for a month now and couldn’t find anything. Gigi’s apartment complex is full, and they have a waiting list. I was going to move farther south as soon as I could find someplace safe and clean.”
“The house is beautiful, Mrs. Gallo. And of course, Lily will be safe because I’ll be there to protect her and make sure nothing happens. She’s in good hands.”
“You better run, son, because I don’t want my daughter in your hands, and I’ll rip them off your body to stop it from happening.”
I gasp, covering my mouth. “Daddy, stop it,” I whisper into my palm.
“Michael Salvatore Gallo, stop your foolishness right now,” Mom scolds him, tightening her fingers around his wrist.
She broke out the middle name. She means business, and she’s never been afraid to put him in his place. “She’s a twenty-one-year-old woman who’s smart, caring, and kind. I’m sure she put a lot of thought into this before she made her decision. Our Lily wouldn’t rush into something unless she really wanted it.”
I don’t correct her because I’m not stupid. I put a lot of thought into moving out, but not into moving in with Jett. He asked, and I couldn’t say no. Not because I wondered how his mouth tasted or what he sounded like when he moaned, but because I like him, and I do feel safe around him.
/> “Would you rather she live far away and be alone? Imagine her walking into a dark apartment in a bad neighborhood every night. Would you rather she do that than live with him?”
My mother’s being rational, but my father has never been known for possessing that quality. He’s always been an act first and apologize and beg for forgiveness later kind of guy.
“I didn’t mean any disrespect, sir,” Jett says, trying to calm my father’s fears and temper. I’m not sure Jett realizes just how close to death he really is in this moment. If he did, he would’ve run as soon as I dropped the bomb. “Lily and I have always been friends, and when she mentioned she was looking for a place, I figured it was perfect.”
“I’m sure you did,” my father growls.
We’ve always been friends? If gawking at him from across the room while he pretended I didn’t exist was friendship, we were besties.
“I trust you, Lily,” Mom says and sighs. “You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders, sweetheart. You trust her too, don’t you, Mike?” She stares at him, holding his eyes, waiting for the big lug to come to his senses.
“I trust her, Mia. I’ve always trusted her judgment.” My father turns his head, eyes moving from Jett’s feet to his face. “It’s him I don’t trust.”
Jett puts up his hands. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I promise.”
I snort, earning me three sets of angry eyes, and I have to backpedal. “Nothing will happen. I swear. I’m me, remember.” I roll my eyes because I’m the boring girl. “I’m the responsible one of the family.”
“You touch her or hurt her, and I’ll make you regret the day you were born, Jett,” Dad tells him, pointing his big meaty index finger toward a less-than-worried Jett Michaels. “I will rip off your body parts slowly, starting with your dick, son.”
My mom chuckles as Jett pales. “Sweetheart—” Mom plasters her body against my father’s arm, stroking his back “—don’t worry. Jett just had a piercing. He can’t even begin to think about sex for weeks, if not months.”
Jett tucks his hands into his front pockets, averting his eyes. “Very true, Mrs. G,” he mumbles, not looking happy about the reminder. “It’s a long healing process.”
“Super long.” I rock back on my heels, feeling the weight of breaking news fall away. “So freaking long. Long and thick,” I whisper.
“What?” my father growls, snapping his head in my direction.
My eyes widen, and I freeze. “What?”
“Michael, are you just going to stand there, or carry the heavy tray of lasagna behind you into the dining room? Everyone’s waiting,” Grandma says, winking at me like she knows she’s saving my ass.
“Coming, Ma,” he grumbles, giving me the side-eye as he turns his back, grabbing the very tray Grandma told him to.
Mom smiles at me, tipping her head. “No more surprises,” she mouths, and I cover my heart, giving her my promise.
“That was close,” Jett says to me as soon as my parents leave the room, but not before my father almost knocks him over with his shoulder.
“It’s a good thing your penis is broken, or this could have gone very differently.” I laugh, nudging him with my arm.
“Yeah,” he mutters, giving me a pained smile. “Everything would be very different.”
And I wonder what he means, but I don’t ask. I don’t want to know, really. I’d like to think he picked me to live with for more than just convenience, but I know the reality, and it makes my heart hurt.
“Hungry?” I ask, somehow keeping the smile on my face.
His eyes sweep across my features, eyes flickering as his tongue sweeps over his bottom lip. “Starving.”
And just like that, I don’t know if he’s talking about his stomach or his penis.
9
Jett
It’s been a week since we broke the news to our parents. A week since Lily’s father didn’t smash my face in with his fist, and in my book, that’s what I call winning. Everyone, including my mother, thought for sure I’d end up dead or, at the very least, in the emergency room, but they were wrong.
“I think you should put your bed on the third floor,” her father says, hoisting her queen-sized mattress on his back like it weighs nothing. “The view is better.”
“Daddy, I can’t sleep on the patio. Be real for a minute.” She swats his arm, smiling at him so sweetly, I know why he’s protective of her.
Lily’s the best kind of person. She’s caring when others are not. She’s sweet when she doesn’t need to be. There’s a goodness in her that wasn’t taught but is genetic. Her mother is just like her, but Mia knows how to control people too, mainly her husband.
“Mike, our daughter is not sleeping on the patio.”
“It has windows,” he argues, groaning as the mattress starts to slip down his back. “It’s a sun-room, not a patio.”
I rush toward him, wanting to help, but when his eyes meet mine and narrow, I back off. Lifting my hands, I step toward the never-ending stack of boxes.
Lily runs her hand down her ponytail, smoothing the hairs that trail down to her elbow. “I’m not giving up the master bedroom and the tub.”
She looks beautiful like this. Natural, without any makeup. Tiny workout shorts, a tank top, and a workout bra, leaving very little to my imagination.
“Don’t forget about the view from the tub too,” Mia adds, agreeing with her daughter and pissing off Mike more.
I’m not talking. Not giving him a reason to hate me more. I get it. I’d hate me too. The smug kid who slept with half the student body when I was in high school, earning those notches on my bedpost at an early age. I wasn’t the type of guy girls liked to bring home to meet their parents, because, well…the moms often wanted me just as much as their daughters.
“You got it bad, man,” Pike says to me, shaking his head as I walk through the front door, carrying three boxes in my arms.
“What?” I ask, not paying any attention to him, too busy thinking about Lily in that bathtub and the view. But I’m not picturing the ocean.
He tips his head and gives me a smug smirk. “You got it bad for that girl. Does she know?”
I shake my head, pushing the boxes toward him. “I keep trying to throw hints, but so far, I’d say she doesn’t.”
“Hints,” Pike laughs, taking the boxes from my arms without hesitation. “A girl like her needs more than hints.”
I turn my head, watching her talk to her parents outside. Mike’s still holding the mattress on his back, Mia’s at his side smiling, and Lily… She’s talking, and they’re both listening, totally enthralled.
“If you like her, tell her. Don’t pussyfoot around. Be direct and honest, but—” he says, waiting for me to give him back my attention. As soon as I do, he starts again. “If you use her and break her heart, you’re going to have more than just Mike to answer to.”
“Why does everyone think I’m going to break her heart? Maybe she’ll break mine.”
Pike laughs, tipping his head back, teeth sparkling behind his dark beard. “Dumbass. That girl can’t hurt a fly.”
I disagree, but I’m not arguing with him. Not when he’s helping us move in to our new place. Lily is very much the type who could break any man’s heart, even mine. That’s how it is with the sweet and pure ones. It’s the only reason I’ve steered clear of her for my entire life.
“This place is crazy,” Tamara says, bounding down the steps with Mammoth right behind her. “You should’ve asked me to move in with you.”
“Like that shit was ever going to happen,” Mammoth mutters, glaring at me like I’ve done something wrong.
Tamara snickers, rolling her eyes. “I would’ve loved a bathroom like hers, and we’ve been friends forever, Jett. Why didn’t you ask me?”
I shrug and run my hands through my hair, trying to ignore the death glare from Mammoth. “Lily wanted to move out, and it seemed perfect.”
“You know what would’ve been perfect?” Tamar
a asks me.
“What?” I reply.
“My ass in that tub with that view.” She smiles, ignoring the fact that Mammoth’s almost plastered against her back, teeth bared and growling.
“I’m sure Lily will let you use it sometime.”
“Not the same,” she groans.
In all honesty, I could never live with Tamara. Although we’ve been friends forever, she talks way too much for me. I can’t remember ever being in a room with her without her constantly chattering about something.
“You want a house like this,” Mammoth tells her, wrapping his arms around her middle. “I’ll get you a house like this.”
She melts into him, closing her eyes and smiling. “You get me a house like this, and I’ll…”
“Move,” Mike barks behind me, silencing whatever naughty shit was about to come out of Tamara’s mouth.
He grunts as he passes me, barely even noticing anybody else in the room. Pike, Tamara, Mammoth, and I watch as Mike takes the steps two at a time, mattress on his back, moving like he does this shit every day.
“He’s a scary bastard,” Pike mutters. “He’s so nice most of the time, but he can crush you like a tin can in his palm if he wanted. You better sleep with one eye open.”
An hour later, everything in the house, Lily’s family is kissing her goodbye like she’s headed off to boot camp.
“Call us tomorrow, baby,” her dad says, kissing her cheek. “Or tonight too. Let us know how it’s going.”
“I will, Dad,” she says without a hint of annoyance in her voice. “But I’ll be fine. Jett will make sure of it.”
My stomach drops again as his eyes move to me, blazing with anger. “Fuckin’ great,” I mutter, knowing eventually Mike and I will have it out.
“I checked the lock on your bedroom door. It works great. Use it, baby,” he tells her, holding on to her arms like moving away from her is painful. “Promise me.”
“I promise I’ll lock my bedroom door. Happy?” She smiles, a hint of laughter to her voice.
Blaze: Men of Inked Heatwave #4 Page 8