Never Enough: A New Adult Romance

by Annie Green

  I had a feeling that my perpetual case of blue balls was the reason for my constant headaches. I only seemed to get them whenever Temperance was around. No matter what I did, nothing seemed to ease the pain. As a matter of fact, since last night I had jacked off at least twice before I went to bed. It only helped to ease some of the frustration. I had a feeling only Temperance would offer me the relief I needed.

  I trudged up the stairs, making sure my footsteps were audible and when I strode by her room, I couldn’t help but look inside. I came to a complete standstill.

  Temperance had her shirt lifted up and Nik was bent close to her skin, admiring the outline of her tattoo.

  “Looks hot,” Nik said, running a finger across a tattoo-free piece of skin. “I can’t wait to see it in its entirety.”

  I bet he did, the creep.

  He stood up and stretched, his eyes moving over her body. “And I love your new look. What happened to the old, sweet Tempie?” Nik asked and Temperance turned around, her green eyes meeting his.

  “She left. I’m finding myself. Finally.”

  “I like this new girl,” he said much too softly. “She’s wild.”

  “She is. And adventurous.”

  “How adventurous?”

  “Very,” she said with a smile.

  Shit. It sounded like she was coming onto him and I couldn’t take it another minute. I stomped toward my room and slammed the door shut.

  Cranking the volume on my computer speakers, I let angry music spill out.

  Chapter Four

  Temperance

  I heard the angry metal music penetrating the walls and frowned. Damien had the worst taste in music and the worst timing when playing it. A few times his heavy metal had awoken me in the middle of the night, which was why I had my earphones readily positioned near my bed stand. But it was obvious he was mad about something and I had a feeling it was about Nik. He’d been an asshole to him outside and I didn’t appreciate it. Nik was my friend and Damien needed to at least be cordial. I wasn’t mean to his friends.

  “Your roommate wasn’t happy to see me,” Nik said, lowering himself into my desk chair. I flopped down on the bed, trying to ignore the unfamiliar sting of my fresh tattoo.

  I stared at the ceiling. “Yeah. He’s been in a bad mood for awhile now.”

  Nik glanced around my tiny room. There wasn’t much I could fit inside of it. Besides a dresser, my bed and a desk the only other things in my rooms were two posters on my wall. Anything else would have made the space unlivable. “You like living here?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah. It’s small, but the rent’s cheap and I’m out from underneath the thumb of my parents.”

  “Jed told me about that. They cut you off, huh?”

  “Yeah. No more credit cards or things like AAA which is why I needed Jed to come over and fix my flat for me.”

  “Your roommate couldn’t do that?”

  “No. I didn’t want to bother him with it.”

  Nik watched me for a moment before leaning back in the chair, his long legs stretched out before him. I loved looking at him. He was so handsome, so put together. I’d never seen a hair out of place on his head or a wrinkle in his clothes.

  “So you ever going to move back home?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m done being controlled by my parents.”

  “What made you do it? What was the breaking point?”

  “When they started to log how many hours I was practicing the cello. I felt like I was living in a prison. That’s when I asked my boss, Peter if he knew of any rooms for rent in the area and he told me he had an extra room in his rental.”

  “I can’t imagine your parents were happy about that.”

  “They threw a fit, but in the end I knew it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t live there a second more.”

  “Well Tempie, I think it’s admirable.”

  “Thanks,” I said blushing. I had always sought his approval and having it meant a lot.

  “Did you know you’d have a roommate when you decided to move in?”

  “No. Not really. I mean I knew Damien rented from Peter, I just didn’t realize it was the same house I’d be living in. It’s worked out fine though.”

  Nik arched an eyebrow at me. “Fine? He looks like he breaks people’s legs for fun. I was scared out there. Did you notice how he was glowering at me? Almost shit my pants.”

  I giggled and propped myself up on my elbows. “He’s not scary. Just intense.”

  “That’s a good word for it,” he replied dryly. “I’ll make sure to steer clear of him. He didn’t seem to like me.”

  “Everyone likes you. You could charm the socks off Satan.”

  “Yeah, but that guy’s scarier than Satan and that hickey…whew…he must have one hell of a girlfriend to give him something that big.”

  I flushed and turned away. “He doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

  Nik eyed me. “Well, in any case, who parades shit around like that? Almost looks like he’s showing it off.”

  I shrugged. “Who knows? It’s Damien. I don’t get him.”

  Nik shuddered. “He’s one scary dude, Tempie. You’re a brave woman to live next door to him.”

  I shook my head and smiled, wanting to change the subject. “I’ve missed you. I thought you wouldn’t be home until Christmas.”

  “Yeah well, plans changed,” he replied solemnly.

  I tilted my head and watched him. Something akin to pain flashed across his face before he grinned widely at me. “I’m glad I’m back though. I’ve missed you and Jed.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why do I think you’re lying to me right now. What happened in New York?”

  Nik’s eyes shut momentarily before they popped open. “Shit. Am I that easy to read?”

  “Like an open book.”

  “Fine. I was living with someone and we broke it off a few weeks ago.”

  I scrambled up into a seated position. “What? You were in a relationship?”

  He nodded. “Fucked up, right? Me. Relationships. Doesn’t mesh.”

  “No. I never said that. I meant that you were so adamant about never being with anyone like that. You were all about casual relationships. I’m just surprised, is all.”

  “Yeah well, me too. It surprised me that I fell head over heels for some girl who didn’t want me in the end.”

  The pain in his voice had me pushing off the bed and walking over to him. I lowered myself into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. A few months ago being this close to Nik would have been my dream come true. Damien had ruined that for me in the course of one hot evening in his truck. And if the pain in Nik’s voice were real, being near him like this wouldn’t mean anything to him anyways.

  “I’m so sorry, Nik. What was her name?”

  “Elsie,” he said softly.

  “What happened?”

  Our eyes met and what I saw inside made my eyes almost fill with tears. “She broke it off when she realized I wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t have enough faith in me to keep us together.”

  “So you came home?”

  “Yeah. I couldn’t stand to be remotely close to her. I just needed to get away.”

  “Nik, I’m so sorry. I’m glad you’re home, but not like this. I want you to be happy.”

  He forced a smile on his face and brushed his fingers across my cheek. “I am happy. It’s nice to be around Jed and you again.”

  “I mean like happy happy. Really happy. You’re not. I can see it in your eyes.”

  He glanced away from me. “I will be. Just need some time.”

  I looked away, not being able to meet his sad gaze for one more second without crying and saw Damien frozen in my doorway. He looked murderous and I gulped nervously. I finally saw what Nik meant. It looked like he was going to rip someone’s head from their body. There was no reason for him to act so possessive. It was just Nik, and Damien and I had only kissed last night. It wasn’t like he was my b
oyfriend or anything.

  I lifted myself from Nik’s lap and strode to the door, shutting it in Damien’s face before he had a chance to deepen his scowl. I felt like Nik deserved an ounce of privacy.

  “Sorry about that,” I told Nik who was glancing at the door nervously.

  “Looked like he wanted to pummel me.”

  “He always looks like that,” I replied before adding, “You should come by my work sometime. I’ll give you a free drink.” I made sure to keep my voice low. I didn’t want Damien overhearing me. I had already gotten into trouble once for doing that, I didn’t want to get in trouble again. I needed my job.

  “Just let me know when your roommate isn’t there and I’ll show up.”

  “Will do,” I said with a smile. “So what’s your plan now? You going to go to school here or…”

  “I don’t know yet. I’m crashing with Jed for the moment until I figure it all out. I just need a little time to think,” Nik said, standing up and glancing out the window. I knew he was done sharing. He’d never been very open. “Well, Jed looks about done. Want to go out and keep him company?”

  I had forgotten about my brother and shot off the bed. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

  When we left the room, Damien was nowhere in sight and I was thankful for that. He obviously made Nik uncomfortable and I didn’t know what he was going to say to me once I was alone again. I had a feeling he’d be asking me about Nik.

  When we made it to my Volkswagen Beetle, Jed was putting my hubcap back on.

  “You’re the best,” I said, watching as Jed righted himself.

  “I know. You coming on Sunday?” Jed asked me.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want to go, but I guess I need to.”

  “You better show up. Don’t leave me alone with them.” The “them” he was referring to were my parents. Jed and I had always presented a united front when forced into spending time with them.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied as Nik pulled out his phone and began texting.

  “Well, we better go,” Jed said, glancing over at Nik, concern for his friend obvious in his eyes.

  “Okay. I’ll see you Sunday.”

  He gave me a hug and a few minutes later both Nik and Jed were hopping into his truck and pulling out of the driveway. I watched them drive away and then strode inside, only to bump into Damien on my way to the kitchen.

  “Watch it,” he said grumpily, causing me to frown.

  “Sorry,” I said, taking a cautionary step away from him. “It wasn’t like I meant to run into you.”

  He gave me a dirty look, but made no effort to step aside.

  I placed my hands on my hips and said with as much attitude as I could muster, “What is wrong with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “No, you were acting like a total jerk to my friend. I want to know why.”

  His lips turned down at the corners and he glanced away. “He’s just a dick.”

  “Funny because he said the same thing about you and if I have to be on anyone’s side, it would be his. He was perfectly nice to you and you were nothing but rude to him.”

  “Of course you would be on his side,” he muttered.

  “Excuse me, but anyone raised with any kind of manners would agree with me. So what’s going on? Does it…” I gulped nervously, “Does it have to do with what happened in the truck the other day?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead he tried to walk around me, but I was too quick. I blocked his path with my body and placed my hands on his chest, pushing him backward.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, rubbing the spot where my hands had been.

  “Well, I do. So spill. We need to act mature about it. It was a mistake.”

  His eyes darkened and I swallowed nervously. “Was it?” he asked darkly.

  “Yes, you said…”

  “I never said. You said,” he said folding his arms across his chest and glowering at me.

  “Well, I was saving you from having to say it.”

  I couldn’t meet his gaze a moment longer, so I began to analyze the wood floors beneath my feet. Silence moved awkwardly between us and just when I thought we would be standing there all night, Damien spoke up.

  “So you and Nik?”

  “He’s my brother’s best friend.”

  “Is he? He’s not more to you than that?”

  “We’re friends.”

  “Are you? Because the way he was looking at you seemed like more than just friends to me.”

  “Looking at me? That’s how Nik looks at every female. He could charm the pants off anyone.”

  “Even you?”

  My eyes rolled in frustration. “No. He has never charmed my pants off.”

  “But you wouldn’t mind him trying?”

  The truth was, a few weeks ago I would have said that yes, I’d want him to at least try, but Damien had ruined that for me. I couldn’t imagine myself pantless with anyone but him.

  I arched an eyebrow at him and couldn’t believe I had the gall to ask, “Are you jealous?”

  Damien’s cheeks darkened as he looked away. “No.”

  “Well, you sound jealous. Is that why you were lurking around my door back there?”

  “I wasn’t lurking,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was walking by.”

  “You were lurking,” I said with a small smile. “You’re mad with jealousy.”

  The thought was so absurd that a giggle escaped my mouth and a moment later it turned into full-blown hysterical laughter. I doubled over and clutched my stomach as I wheezed. Tears dripped down my face and I struggled to breathe. I don’t know why I found it so funny, but I had a feeling it had to do with just seeing Nik. Even though he seemed pretty broken up over his ex, he always seemed to lighten my mood. The affect of seeing Nik had obviously carried over into my interactions with Damien.

  When I finally contained myself, I looked up and saw Damien pinching the bridge of his nose. His eyes were closed and his frown had deepened. He looked incredibly annoyed.

  “Sorry. Sorry,” I said grasping my sides. “I’m done now. I don’t know why that was so funny.”

  “Me either,” he said glumly.

  His gloomy disposition had me tilting my head in concern. “You okay?”

  “Just my head,” he replied.

  “You want some Advil?”

  “No.”

  “Why? Are you one of those holistic types who don’t believe in medication?”

  “No.”

  “Is it a migraine?”

  He shot me a look of annoyance. “What’s with the fifth degree?”

  “Look, you’re super hard to read and I’m just wondering if I can help. My mom used to get really bad headaches and I know that they’re usually from stress. Are you stressed?”

  He didn’t reply which I took as a yes.

  “How can I help?”

  “You can’t,” he bit out.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you’re the reason for them,” he finally spat.

  Now I was starting to get angry. “Why are you blaming me for your headaches?”

  “Because they started ever since you moved in.”

  I placed my hands on my hips and stared at him. “So it’s my fault?”

  “Yeah, it’s your fault.”

  I poked my finger into his side. “Well, I’m not going anywhere so you’re just going to have to deal.”

  “I liked you better when you were timid and didn’t talk.”

  “I’m sure you did. It was easy for you. You barely knew I was alive.”

  His eyes met mine and he shook his head in exasperation. “I knew you were alive.”

  “Yeah,” I nearly snorted. “Sure.”

  His eyes snapped up to meet mine and I watched as his jaw clenched. “How could anyone not notice you?”

  I shrugged. “Happens all the time. I manage to make it through most of my day unnoticed.”

 
; “Bullshit,” he said grumpily before murmuring, “If that were the case I wouldn’t be so fucking miserable all day long.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked, my mood taking a nosedive.

  He shook his head and pinched his nose once more, his eyes closing slowly. “Look Temperance, just let me by.”

  “No way. I’m fixing this,” I said, grabbing his arm before he could walk past me. I don’t know why I was being so insistent, but it pissed me off that he blamed me for his headaches. That was just an illogical train of thought. Unless I had some kind of super power, there was no way I was responsible for them, but I could at least help ease the pain.

  “Come on,” I insisted, pulling him toward the stairs.

  “Where are we going?” He seemed anxious and I felt that unfamiliar power swell up within me. It excited me that I could make someone like Damien nervous.

  “My room. Apparently I’m the cause of your headaches and since I don’t plan on moving out anytime soon, I’m going to just have to rectify the situation somehow.”

  His breath hitched. “How?”

  “You’ll see,” I said with a teasing tone. He didn’t seem to think it was funny because he stopped in the hallway and wrenched his arm away from me.

  “Tell me.”

  I sighed heavily, my previous good mood slowly ebbing away. “A massage. I’m going to give you a massage.”

  His whole body seemed to tense and I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “I’m just here to help. Like I said, my mom used to get bad migraines, so I know the pressure points and I’m not too bad. I promise.”

  That seemed to appease him because when I opened my bedroom door and led him to my desk chair, he went without much of a fight.

  “Remember I just got a tattoo so…”

  “I’ll avoid it. Don’t worry,” I said, standing behind him. His shoulders were nearly up to his ears and I pressed them down with my hands. “You need to relax.”

  “It’s damn hard when you’re touching me,” he muttered and I wondered if that was a compliment or an insult.

  “Stop complaining,” I said, dismissing his comment entirely. “If you didn’t want it, you’d have left by now.”

  He didn’t reply which told me he wasn’t planning on getting up anytime soon.