by Sam Crescent
“You’re still here.”
“Yeah, imagine how sad I was at the thought of you falling to your death.”
“That’s because you’d totally miss me, roomie.”
As he got out, she saw he was a little unbalanced. Quickly getting to her feet, she helped to support him, putting her arms around his waist.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
He used her for support. “I’m not used to this.”
She glanced up when she heard the anger in his voice. He was gritting his teeth, looking mightily pissed off with himself.
“What’s the problem?”
“I don’t like being like this. Having to ask for help or needing any help.”
“Look, it’s fine. We all get sick.”
“Not me. I never get sick.”
“I hate to break it to you, Jax. You’re not getting any younger. You’re going to get sick.” They started to walk toward his bedroom.
“The thing is though, I can’t handle that. I won’t. I don’t want any help.”
“You want me to let you go.”
“Fuck no. I’ll fall.”
She held him just a little tighter.
“Maybe this is why men settle down with women. It’s not just about the same pussy but they think about the future. About needing someone.”
“Totally. That’s all they think about. A future where they’re going to need a woman. It has nothing to do with love or wanting to be with that person for the rest of their life.” She chuckled as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
He was actually really heavy.
Hands on hips, she smiled at him.
“All done. You think you can get dressed?”
He placed a hand to his head and flopped down.
“Oh, the pain. It’s killing me. I don’t know how I’m going to do the basic essentials like dress or cook.”
“Jax, you don’t cook anyway.”
“I do.”
“Throwing noodles in a bowl with water and putting them in the microwave is not cooking. Nor is ordering from any takeout place and then serving on plates.”
“I pay for it, so technically I cook.”
She moved toward his drawers and opened the top one. Grabbing a pair of boxer briefs, she saw he only possessed black ones.
Pulling the towel from around him, he let out a gasp and cupped his junk.
“Believe me, I’ve seen a dick before. Plenty of them, actually.”
“You’re not some simpering virgin?”
“Nope, that sailed a long time ago.”
“Huh, you strike me as the kind of gal that would save it for the right man.”
She lifted up the boxers and raised a brow at him. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, you seem like a good girl. Two jobs, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry. When I think about it, it’s like having my very own wife just without any of the perks.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, well it would seem that I get all aspects of having a husband, and I don’t even get bad sex. Besides, Jax, you wouldn’t be able to handle me.”
“Handle you what?”
“I am dynamite in bed.” She winked at him.
Was it her, or did his eyes seem to dilate at that thought? It didn’t matter. Jax was not in her life for anything other than being a good roomie.
She wasn’t going to ruin this by giving him a test drive. Besides, she was never aroused around him.
Maybe it was all the women that he brought home that really put her off. He was a slut of the highest order.
Not that she could judge. She’d fucked her fair share of guys since moving away from home. She happened to love sex.
A lot of it.
It’s why she had a certain hobby that made Jax’s apartment that little bit more appealing.
“And I have two jobs because I get bored really, really easy. You’ve seen me. You know me. I rarely go to bed early, and I’m always the first out up and out. I’ve always been pretty active. I used to drive my parents crazy, and no matter what they got me to do, I’d always struggle to get to sleep.”
“Parents suck big time.”
“You really don’t have a thing for parents. You sure you can’t forgive him?”
“Nope. There’s no way I’ll ever forgive him or my stepmom. I can’t do it. They’re both fucking, two-timing bastards. There’s no way I’m ever going to let them for a second think what they did was forgivable. They don’t even deserve to be called dad and aunt.”
“Oh, wow,” she said.
“Yep. My mom died of cancer, and before the end of the year my auntie was moved right in. Those bastards were having an affair behind my mom’s back. You know what my dad said?”
“No, I don’t. You didn’t tell me that.” She heard the pain in his voice as he spoke of them. She wished she hadn’t brought them up.
“‘A guy has needs.’” Jax snorted. “Fuck me. I haven’t even thought about that horny piece of shit in so long. It’s kind of surreal to be talking about him now. Clearly, I’m sick because I don’t give him any air time at all. He’s a piece of work, you know. Like I want to hear that because he needed to get his dick wet, he cheated on my mom. I don’t need to hear that kind of shit.”
“No kid needs to hear that.”
“I know, right? Piece of fucking shit. It pisses me off is what it does,” he said.
“You’ve not seen him?”
“I go back every single year on her birthday. My mom’s birthday to attend her grave. They must go, as I don’t know who cleans it. I don’t see them. I’ve not seen them since I packed a bag on graduation. My dad didn’t want me to go. Told me I was making a mistake. I just looked him in the eye and told him there was no way I could stay in the house with someone that would do that with Mom. That he made me sick to my stomach.”
She heard the passion in his voice. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s why I don’t stick around with the same woman. People think I’m an asshole, and I probably am, but it’s for a woman’s good that I don’t try to keep her. I know my mom, and I know if she had ever known, it would have broken her heart. I think it’s why she died. You know? Why fight something that you knew was pointless? Her sister and her husband wouldn’t have ever stopped then when she was well. He’d have kicked her out. Piece of shit. Fuck, I’m tired. I really need to sleep.”
She helped him into bed, and as he fell asleep, she stared at him.
That had been a bit of a revelation. She wondered if he even meant to tell her any of what he just did.
Chapter Five
One week later
Sitting in his apartment after a long day, Jax stared at his blank television screen without saying a word.
What was there to say?
He was going fucking crazy. For three days Dani cared for him while he was spewing his guts up, sick to the bone, and a mess. She didn’t complain once about the vomit she had to clean away or the sheets she washed, the soup she cooked. She’d cared for him, and he was touched that she had.
Tonight at work was his first in a few days, and he was feeling a little out of it.
Three women came on to him.
Three women that he’d have spread out through the night.
The blonde had been on fire and so damn horny and desperate, he’d have taken her around the back.
The redhead he’d have done in the back seat of his car.
The brunette he’d have brought home.
He did none of those things.
Not a single one.
Instead, he worked his shift and drove home with Chinese food.
Dani loved Chinese food. She really enjoyed the pork and shrimp dumplings that were now on the coffee table.
She wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and he felt strange.
No sex.
No roommate.
He was all alone.
After the past week, he wasn’t feeling himself.
He didn’t know what the hell was wrong
with him.
He’d shared a great deal of personal shit with Dani as well. That he couldn’t run away from. He’d been open and honest about his life with his family, or lack of one.
Whatever.
Now he was buying food because he wasn’t much of a cook.
That’s a lie.
His mother had been a great cook, and he’d been taught everything he knew from her. She’d spent hours preparing home-cooked meals, sharing her love of food with him and her family. His aunt, the treacherous bitch, hadn’t even been able to boil an egg. His father had laughed and said that Jax could cook from now on. The next day when he’d been expected to cook them all a meal, like his mother used to make, he’d dumped ten bags of noodles into a bowl, microwaved it, and then served it up on their plates.
If that wasn’t good enough, he’d go to the store and he bought every single item in a can. Open it up, heat it up, and there was dinner.
Even to this day, he’d never cooked his mother’s favorite meatloaf or her meatballs, let alone her favorite chicken salad with all the trimmings, or even her Sunday menu.
Rubbing at his eyes, he hated the memories so damn much. He could cook. Cooking always reminded him of her.
He’d not done it in so long.
You’re being a fucking asshole, sitting here waiting for her to arrive.
Jax got to his feet and was about to throw out the food when Dani entered the apartment. She was in fact alone, which gave him a sigh of relief.
“How was work, honey?” she asked, giggling to herself.
“Good. You?”
“It was pretty damn great. I’ve got to head back out in two hours though. I’m working the late shift tonight.” She sniffed the air. “Did someone bring Chinese food?”
“I was passing on my way home.” Lie. He’d gone twenty minutes out of his way to get this.
“Awesome. I’m starving.” She rubbed her stomach as she removed her jacket and put her bag next to his. She didn’t throw it on the floor for someone else to pick up.
Why the fuck was he noticing shit like this?
“You’re feeling much better then?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“You’re not feeling ill?”
“Unlike you, I don’t get ill.”
They sat at their dining room table, and he unloaded the boxes of food. He’d placed them in the oven to keep warm so they weren’t cold. Not that he minded cold Chinese food but he didn’t recall her eating anything cold.
“I must have been a pain in the ass when I was sick.”
“It wasn’t the best experience, but it wasn’t the worst either.” She grabbed them both plates and sat back down.
He watched as she loaded up the plates without a care in the world. Once she was done, she handed him a plate, and then they were eating. He watched as she used her chopsticks, picking up a dumpling and dipping it into a sauce before putting it into her mouth. “Heaven.”
They ate for a few minutes in silence before Dani spoke first.
“What are your plans for this evening then?”
“I don’t know. Watch a bit of television, I guess.”
“You’ve not got a hot date or anything?”
“I don’t date.”
“Then how do you pick up women?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. You’d be surprised.”
“Why aren’t you on a date right now?”
“I don’t know. I wanted to say thank you to my roommate for taking care of my ass.”
“You did this for me?” Her eyes went wide.
“Why wouldn’t I do it for you?”
“I don’t know. We’re not sleeping together. You don’t owe me a thing.”
“Well, I wanted to do something nice for you.”
“This is really nice, Jax. Thank you.”
“So, Arnold’s tonight?”
“That’s right.”
“Will it be busy?”
“I don’t know. I think it depends on how crazy people’s lives get.” She shrugged.
“Would you have a problem if I stopped by?”
“Not at all. You can come by. We’ve got a lot of willing women around, if that’s what you’re hoping for. A new hunting ground.”
“Don’t say stuff like that.”
She giggled. “What would you call it?”
“I don’t even know what I’d call it.”
They finished their food.
Even though he tried to do the dishes, she wouldn’t let him.
“I’ve got to get changed. Thank you for the food.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze.
He watched her go, his gaze drawn to her curvy ass.
Okay, he needed to get a fucking grip.
Just because she’d taken care of him didn’t mean anything. She was doing them both a favor. Getting to his feet, he sat down in front of his television and put on some action movie. He didn’t even know what it was called, just that he was going to watch it and not go to Dani’s workplace because he wasn’t curious about her at all.
Not even a little bit.
A knock at the door drew his attention away. Ryan was on the other side. “Where’s Lily?”
“Another girly night. You okay if I crash here for a few hours?”
“You could have called,” he said, closing the door.
“I didn’t want you to tell me no.”
“I wouldn’t have done that.”
“You so would have.”
“Bite me.” Grabbing a couple of beers, he threw one toward Ryan, who caught it.
Seconds later, Dani came out of her bedroom, dressed in a killer pair of jeans and a white shirt that was tight against her body.
She wore a white bra. He saw the straps of it peeking through.
“Hey, Ryan.”
“Hey, Dani. You got a date?”
“Nope. More like work. Have fun, you two.”
She left without another look or a backward glance.
Jax stared at the door.
“Holy shit, you’ve got some serious look on your face,” Ryan said.
“Fuck off.”
“No, for real. Have you got a hard-on for your roomie? Because according to your shitty little questions that is against the rules.”
“I don’t have a hard-on for her.”
“Then why were you looking toward her with that dreamy look on your face that just says you want to fuck her?”
“Screw you, Ryan. I’m doing you a favor. I could just dump your ass with your woman and make you go through girly stuff.”
“Whatever.” Ryan stayed silent. “You still want her though.”
“Your woman, not a chance.”
“I’m not talking about Lily, dickwad. I’m talking about Dani. She lives with you. She even took care of your sorry ass when you were sick. She’s put up with the bitches you bring back screaming at you every single day and night. She’s a keeper.”
“We’re not talking about this. Not now. Not ever.”
Ryan held his hands up. “Okay. Fine. Whatever.”
Tapping the bottle against his leg, Jax didn’t know what the fuck to do. Either go after her or pretend it didn’t happen.
“Fuck it. We’re going out,” he said.
“We are?”
“Yeah, and if I hear any bullshit from you, I’m calling Lily to tell her you’re cheating on her.”
“Asshole.”
“The biggest and the best.”
****
The night was busy, and Dani loved it when this happened. She hated being bored, and standing around waiting to serve or to do anything was a nightmare to her. She loved to get stuck in, to keep busy until her shift ended or until closing.
She went between serving customers to filling up stock, wiping down counters and tables. They were a couple of servers down, so she had to do the orders and carry them over to the tables.
This was part of the job she hated the most: Carryin
g a tray to the tables, purely because some of the guys or even the girls were not exactly nice.
Businessmen got a little grabby.
The girls got a little catty.
All in all, she wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t for the fact they were short-staffed.
After avoiding another grabby businessman, she rounded the bar to see Arnold there. “You really need to stop being cheap and hire more people to serve.”
“You’re doing great, Dani. Don’t worry about it.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. Another customer tries to grab my ass I may not be responsible for my own actions.”
“Think of the money.”
“I know for a fact they rarely tip,” she said. “I’ve heard one too many complaints in that department.”
Arnold chuckled. “There’s no getting anything over you, is there, Dani?”
“I see everything.” She winked at him.
She turned back to the bar and paused. Right there was Jax with a couple of his friends. They hadn’t looked toward her, and she got busy.
He said he was going to come, but she didn’t think he would. Crap. Why was he at her place of work?
Why did she care?
Serving another customer, she turned back to see that Jax was waiting for her. She couldn’t serve anyone else, so she stood in front of him, gripping the counter. “You’re here.”
“Yes.”
“Hey, Dani,” Ryan said, to which she smiled.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I wanted to see where you worked. It’s a pretty busy place.”
“Always. What can I get you all?” Wes, Riley, Sean, and Carl had found one of the available tables and were looking toward the dance floor.
“Just some beers.”
She went straight for his favorite, popping off the caps and putting all six bottles on a tray.
“She can bring that over to you if you’d like,” Arnold said.
She was going to kill him.
“We’ll have it delivered.”
“Certainly.”
Jax and Ryan left.
Turning to her boss, she raised a brow. “Seriously? What did I do to you?”
“That guy is into you.”
“That guy is my roommate.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Stop trying to be a matchmaker, and no, he’s not into me.”
She grabbed the tray and carried it over. “Here are your drinks, gentlemen.”