I wasn’t sure if showing up unannounced was proper or not. I wanted to find out why Kody had been at my house. Surely, he hadn’t been there to fight with Mack. My bet was that he’d wanted to know why I hadn’t shown up at his cookout. Or maybe he’d wanted to continue where we’d left off in the bathroom at The Cave. Despite why he was at my house, I had to at least apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell and Raven.
Tall trees shot up on both sides of the winding road, and dense brush and thicket packed tightly at the road’s edge. The S curves spiked my adrenaline as I took them fast and sharp until the tree lines thinned on my right, opening up to a breathtaking scene. An opulent two-story brick home with flowers, shrubs, and manicured bushes spread over the large piece of property. All I could think about as I throttled the engine was my mom. She would’ve loved to have seen all the colorful flowers, and wow! The glass surface of the lake in the distance took my breath away.
I turned down the driveway and followed the tar surface, winding around the house to a six-car garage. Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell were standing in one of the garages, next to bicycles. I cut my engine, removed my helmet, placed it on a handlebar, then got off my bike.
I waved. “Hi.”
Mrs. Maxwell’s black hair was tied back into a low ponytail. “Jessie, we missed you yesterday. Raven couldn’t stop talking about you. She is quite disappointed you didn’t show up.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry I didn’t call to let you know I wouldn’t be here. I was hoping to apologize to Raven too.”
“I’m afraid she’s home in Boston with her parents,” Mrs. Maxwell said.
I slouched as sweat coated my neck. I was a horrible person for letting her down.
Mr. Maxwell regarded me with his bronze-colored eyes. “Is everything okay?”
I swatted at a pesky fly. “Fine.” Maybe he noticed my puffy eyes too. “Are you feeling better, Mrs. Maxwell?” Roxanne had told me Mrs. Maxwell had been diagnosed with angina, the treatable kind.
Mr. Maxwell handed a bike helmet to his wife, and she covered her head with it. “I am. The doctor ordered me to exercise. So Martin has bought us bikes.”
I glanced at Kody’s truck.
“Kody just got home,” Mr. Maxwell said in a tender voice. “He seems out of sorts, though. Is that why you’re here? Did something happen between you two?”
I didn’t know why my heart skipped a beat when he said his son’s name, or why my palms suddenly became clammy.
With pinched features, Mrs. Maxwell spoke. “He told us earlier he was going over to your place.”
Damn. “I just missed him.” I didn’t exactly lie, but it wasn’t my place to tell them their son had almost gotten into a fight. More importantly, I didn’t want to add any unnecessary stress for Mrs. Maxwell.
Mr. Maxwell pointed toward the lake. “He’s down in the boathouse.”
Mrs. Maxwell wheeled her bike out of the garage. “I’m sure he would love to see you.”
The way he’d stormed out of my driveway, I wasn’t so sure.
The couple got on their bikes.
“Dr. Maxwell?” I asked.
He glanced up.
“I would like to take you up on your offer to talk.” The anniversary of Mom’s death was next month. I had to make the decision of a lifetime, and I needed professional advice.
He nodded. “You can make an appointment with my office. But I’m booked out a few months, between medical conferences and taking time to be home with Mrs. Maxwell.”
I fidgeted. I didn’t exactly want to wait months to talk to someone.
He studied me. “Tell you what. I normally would never suggest this with patients, but I would be happy to meet you here at the house on Wednesday. That is, of course, if you’re comfortable with that idea. We’ll take a walk around the lake and have complete privacy.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” I didn’t want to take away his family time with his wife. “Could you recommend another psychiatrist?”
“Jessie, I want to help if I can,” he said.
I did want to ask him about my mom. “Okay. I don’t get off work until five or so on Wednesday. Does that work?”
“I’ll see you then,” he said
They both pedaled way, albeit slowly since there was a slight incline. I stood for a minute to let my nerves settle before I headed toward the lake.
Chapter Ten
Kody
I strummed a few chords, thinking of words. I had two lines. “My days are broken. My nights are lonely.”
I growled. Mr. Robinson had said brooding songs were a dime a dozen. Not only that, but those lines hit too close to home. Think, man. Get your head out of your ass and write something that gives people hope instead of misery and sadness.
I got up, almost throwing my guitar on the couch. I had no inspiration for hope. Sure, I had a slew of fucking emotions running rampant inside me, but hope—that emotion was either buried somewhere or nonexistent. At the moment, rage trumped everything. Fucking Mack Donovan. When I’d pulled into Jessie’s shop and saw that dude, I had almost slammed on the gas to run over him.
But that would’ve been moronic. I couldn’t have hurt the other dude who was in a wheelchair and innocent. So I’d swallowed every ounce of revenge and fury I’d harbored over the group of boys who’d sent me to my almost-grave and got out of my truck. Sure, I could’ve left when I saw Mack. But I’d wanted to know why Jessie hadn’t shown up at the cookout. If I knew my niece, she would continue to ask for Jessie. Not to mention, I had my own selfish reasons for wanting to lay eyes on the woman who’d kept my dick hard the night before.
The dude in the wheelchair had introduced himself, or more like planted himself in between Donovan and me. “I’m Lowell, Jessie’s brother. We didn’t get a chance to meet at The Cave.” His voice was stern. He had darker hair than his sister, sans the highlights Jessie had, but his features definitely resembled Jessie’s—small nose, same lips, and same color eyes.
I’d barely remembered seeing him at The Cave. “I’m here to see Jessie,” I’d said. “I don’t want any trouble.” That had been a total lie. I’d wanted to beat the cocky smirk off Donovan’s face.
When Lowell had said Jessie wasn’t home, I’d had every intention of leaving until Donovan spoke up. “She’s not going out with you. So stay the fuck away from my girl.”
It wasn’t the message but his condescending tone that had driven me to get in his face. I wanted round two with him. I wanted him to feel how painful it had been when I’d woken up in a hospital with my head about to explode or when I could hardly breathe because he, Sullivan, and Stockman had cracked two of my ribs.
A knock sounded on my door. I looked at my watch. Ms. Sharp was early. She’d called when I was leaving Jessie’s place. I’d wanted to tell Ms. Sharp I wasn’t in the best of moods, but then I’d decided she was just the balm to soothe my rage.
When I answered the door, my jaw unhinged from its socket. “Jessie?”
The goddess stood on my small deck, garbed in tight leather pants that clung to her curves. Her jacket was unzipped, showing a tight-fitting tank top that dipped low on her chest.
“If you’re here to give me shit about what happened between Donovan and me, save it.” I didn’t mean to spit fire at her. But the thought of Donovan and her, or Donovan’s hands on her, or Donovan and my past was enough for my vision to blur.
She rolled back her shoulders, which poked out her breasts. My gaze wandered down her chest as though her breasts beamed like a lighthouse on a foggy night.
She snapped her fingers. “Kody, I’m up here.”
Asshole, idiot, and moron were just a few words to describe my behavior. Fuck. My old man taught me better than that. “Sorry. That wasn’t a gentleman move.”
Her features softened.
I took in a long breath then let it out along with all my madness. “I’m also sorry for snapping.” I shouldn’t treat her as if she had been the one to beat the fuck out of me. I tip
ped my head inside as I opened the door wider. “Come in.”
She moved her jaw around as she eyed the lake behind her. Then, as though the water had spoken to her, she waltzed inside. “I was out riding, and I thought I would find out why you were at my house.” She went over to the couch under the window but didn’t sit.
My place had been set up as a game room with a pool table and card table at one time. Now the small space donned a bed, a couch, a small table near the tiny kitchen, and a half bath. I had to venture up to the house to take my showers. One reason I should get my career off the ground was so I could get my own place. Dad did like me living there, though. He wanted someone close to Mom when he had to leave town on business trips.
“So what do you want?” Her big browns were clear, not red like they had been earlier.
“Why do you cry a lot?” I was sounding like Raven. At the moment, I didn’t give a shit. I had to be certain Mack wasn’t hurting Jessie. Otherwise, I would probably give him a taste of what he’d done to me even though the woman seemed to be able to take care of herself. She did look badass in her biker gear with that eyebrow piercing and skull tat on her ring finger. Not to mention, she had those long, shiny nails that I would love to feel scrape my body.
She eased down on the couch near my guitar. “It’s impolite to answer a question with a question.”
I full-on laughed. “Sorry. I teach Raven not to pry into others’ business, and yet I’m doing the same.” Please answer me, though. She was upset over something. I didn’t think her mom was the reason since she’d died a few years ago. Again, Donovan came to mind.
She picked up my guitar and placed my baby in her lap then strummed a chord.
I sat down on the other side of her. “Do you play?”
“I can. I’m not as good on the guitar as I am on the piano.”
The pain in my gut that I’d had earlier vanished when she continued to pick at the chords like an expert guitarist. Damn. Music always took away the pain, even more so with a beautiful girl holding my baby.
“I came to your house today for a couple of reasons,” I said. “You didn’t show up yesterday, and I wanted to make sure you were all right.” That wasn’t a lie. Again, Donovan could’ve hurt her. “I also wanted to see if you would consider cutting a demo with me.”
She stopped playing and choked. “You mean, you want me to sing?”
“Yes. You have a killer voice.” I didn’t have any new material at the moment, but I had several of those brooding songs in my wheelhouse. She might be able to make one of them sound different with her voice.
With the tips of her fingers, she traced the curves of my guitar, and I imagined doing the same to her body.
Her big browns brightened. “Why? Are you trying to break into the music industry?”
I followed her fingers as she absently continued to pet my baby. “Something like that.”
“Then ask your friend, Jake, to help you. Isn’t his brother a big-time lead singer? Or Mr. Robinson owns a label.”
“It’s not as simple as you might think. Besides, it would be that much sweeter if no one gave me a free ride.”
She picked at a string. “It’s not something I want to do. I have a great job. I like being a surgical nurse. I also don’t have time to jet all over the world. I’m Lowell’s caretaker.”
A smile broke out on my face. “It’s just a demo. No jetting around the world, unless of course someone signs you, and even then, it’s not a guarantee.” With her voice, I could see that happening. I went over to the fridge. “So what happened to Lowell?”
“Motorcycle accident back when he was nineteen,” she said.
Suddenly, that pain I had in my gut roared back, stabbing me over and over again as I remembered Mandy. “Would you like a beer?”
“No thanks. I don’t drink and operate any type of machinery.”
Neither had Mandy, but she’d died all the same. I snagged a beer then twisted off the cap and guzzled a few mouthfuls.
Jessie placed my guitar gently on the couch as though she knew how special that instrument was to me. “I should go. I have to cook dinner.”
After one more gulp of beer, I set the bottle on the counter. “Would you at least think about my offer?”
She sashayed over to the door. Streaks of sunlight filtered in through the window, catching the various colors in her hair. “I don’t have time.” Her tone was firm.
I crossed the small room. “Jessie, your voice is perfect for today’s music.” Your body would be perfect in my hands, against me, and underneath me. “Would you at least consider a small jam session? I’ll ask Mr. Robinson if we can use the club since the piano is already set up.”
When she swept her languid gaze over me, I broke out in goose bumps and warmth as though she were licking every part of my body.
She covered the doorknob with her hand. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Suddenly, I felt like she had thrown me into a tub of ice, and I wanted to ask “can’t or won’t.” Instead, I had another burning question that trumped everything else. “Why did you kiss me the other night at The Cave?” I didn’t want pity, which I’d seen in her eyes at the time.
She hardened her features. “Why did you hurt Mack’s friend? He said you sent his friend to the hospital too.”
I grinned. “It’s not polite to answer a question with a question.”
She smiled from ear to ear.
My knees weakened like they had the first day I’d laid eyes on her. I inched closer until we were a foot apart, my gaze on her sensuous mouth.
She reached out and scraped a long nail across my bottom lip, avoiding the cut Mack had given me.
My voice was gravelly when I spoke. “If you kiss me again, I won’t walk away this time. So make sure you know what you’re doing.”
Her cheeks darkened to a pink color, when knuckles rapped on the door.
In less than a second, that veil of lust vaporized as if a magical being had zapped the spell connecting us.
“That’s my cue to go.” She opened the door and came face-to-face with Ms. Sharp.
My former teacher smiled as her gray gaze looked past Jessie to me without an ounce of jealousy. I couldn’t see Jessie’s face since her back was to me, but she lifted her shoulders to her ears.
Ms. Sharp slid out of the way. Then Jessie ran.
I shouldn’t chase her. She was with Donovan. She rode motorcycles. Yet I was desperate to seek out more of what had passed between us a moment earlier or even to replay that kiss at The Cave.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Ms. Sharp, who seemed amused at what was going on.
I caught up to Jessie as she was rounding the garage to her motorcycle. “Wait.”
She snagged her helmet off her bike. “Coming here was a mistake.” She sounded as though she was about to cry.
I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets. “Mistake? All I asked you was to sing one of my songs. Or are you upset over Ms. Sharp?”
She reared back. “You call your girlfriend by her last name?”
Man, this conversation could only go downward. “Will you think about my offer to sing?”
She put on her helmet. “Not at all. Mack was right. You’re not good for me.” She straddled her bike as she fired the engine.
His name on her lips made me close my hands into fists. I wanted to tell her the same about Donovan, but she sped away.
I trudged back to the boathouse, my mind fuzzy about what had just happened.
Ms. Sharp sat outside on the top step, texting on her phone. I was surprised she wasn’t inside, already undressed and lying across my bed. She finished her text then rubbed her hands along her jeans. “New girl? I take it you haven’t told her about our open relationship.”
Ms. Sharp and I were no one’s business.
I settled a hip against the rail post. “I don’t kiss and tell. You know that.” I would bet Jessie would never believe or understand that two people could have a relatio
nship with great sex and no strings. “Anyway, Jessie and I would never work.”
“Kody.” Ms. Sharp said my name in her teacher tone, which was sexy. “I adore you. You’ve got to find a way to free your inhibitions that any woman would be taken away from you or even hurt you. You have such a big heart. Let someone in.”
Ms. Sharp sounded as though she were more than seven years older than me. I appreciated her advice, and during the last year, she’d given me a ton of it. In some respects, she’d replaced Dr. Davis, not that Ms. Sharp was a psychiatrist. Still, she’d said many times that I had to let people in. But I’d erected a stone wall around me, and it would take a special lady to break through that wall. Ms. Sharp wasn’t that lady. I wasn’t in love with her. She didn’t rattle my heart, or make my stomach do weird things, or even make my knees weak when she smiled.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. “You didn’t call yesterday on your way back from the Cape.”
She fixated on her pink nails. “I got caught up, which is one of the reasons I wanted to see you tonight. I told you about Rich, the man I’ve been seeing on and off for the last two years?”
I nodded.
“Anyway, he was down at the Cape and proposed yesterday.” Her voice was a tad shaky.
She’d mentioned several times that she wanted to settle down. When she’d first told me that, I’d almost left the room until she had politely explained she was searching for someone closer to her age or older.
I walked up three steps and grabbed her hand. “That’s awesome. Why do you sound hesitant?” She’d told me so much about Rich that I felt as though I knew him without even having met him.
“We have a good thing going, you and I. And I don’t want to hurt you.”
I plucked a few strands of her red hair that were stuck to her lips and moved them out of the way. “Hey, we agreed to no strings, no feelings. Do you love him?”
Her small hand went around mine. “I do. I didn’t realize it until about a week ago. I’d been fighting the pull toward him since he’s kind of a playboy. We talked at length yesterday, and he’s ready to settle down, and so am I.”
The Maxwell Series Boxed Set - Books 4-6 Page 38