by Nicole Dykes
He wraps his fists, getting ready for his turn. “Right. So, we are just gonna pretend that this has nothing to do with Alex.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man,” I say as I take a seat on a bench.
He starts jabbing the bag and laughs. “Look, all I’m gonna say is Chris is a really good guy who will treat her right. So, if you are in love with her you better, number one, be damn sure you can commit.” He lands a heavy blow as he says, “And number two, fucking tell her now before Chris scoops her up.”
I stand up, irritated by the whole conversation. “Shit Jax, I’m not in love with Alex. I care about her, but I’m not looking for a relationship.”
He stops and turns to face me. “Then maybe you should stop this so she can go for Chris. She deserves to be happy.”
What the Fuck? “You think I don’t know that? I want Alex to be happy more than anyone.”
Jax knows I’m pissed, but he thinks he’s right so he doesn’t back off. “Then knock this shit off.”
“She’s free to walk away, anytime. Maybe this Chris asshole isn’t as perfect as you all think.”
He just shakes his head, like a disappointed dad and goes back to the bag.
Not willing to take the lecture, I cut my workout short and get the fuck out of there.
These feelings aren’t real. I’m not in love with Alex. We don’t want the same things.
Maybe if I keep repeating that, I can trick my fucking brain into believing it.
When I reach my car, I hear a familiar voice yelling my name. I turn to see Miles, a guy I used to race with. He was one of the first people I started hanging out with when I moved to Cali. “It is you. How are you doing man?”
We shake hands and I answer, “I’m doing good. What the hell are you doing in town?”
His brow crinkles. “Annual K.C. race.”
I run my hand through my hair. Shit. I haven’t missed this one since I started racing. It’s huge. It’s the same one Brooke introduced me to Jax, Dylan, and Luke at. It’s going on without me. “Right. I knew that.” This is too depressing, so I add, “So with me out of the race, you actually have a chance at winning this year, huh?”
He flips me off and pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lights up. A puff of smoke flows out of his mouth and he asks nervously,. “So, when will you be getting back out on the track?”
I still have a serious limp and can’t put all of my weight on my knee and my right shoulder is still weak, but I’m not going into all of that. “Shouldn’t be long.”
He grins and takes another drag of the cigarette. “Good. We miss ya, man. I heard you parted ways with that asshole manager.”
I look at him surprised. “You did?”
He nods, “You’re big news in the racing world, asshole. You know that.” He adds, “If you’re looking for a new one, mine isn’t bad.”
“Joel Wassermann?”
He nods, “That’s the one.” He slips me a business card.
“Does he even have an opening for a new client?”
He’s a manager out of L.A. that has had some serious success.
Miles tosses the cigarette on the pavement and smashes it with his boot. “For Shriller the Thriller? Come on man.”
He pats me on the back, and I tell him I’ll call Joel before I hop in my car and head back to Alex’s.
Man, I’ve been so preoccupied lately that I haven’t been focused on my main goal of getting my life back to the way it was.
Question is, is that really what I want.
Chapter 38
Alex
I
t takes a couple of weeks, but things start to go back to normal. Shriller is less moody and we’ve gone back to constantly screwing. I haven’t heard from or talked to Chris since our date.
We are leaving for the Fourth of July trip in a few days and I can’t wait. As far as I know, everyone is going this year, including my brother, Trevor, and his wife. Brooke and Dylan hired someone to add three more bedrooms and a bathroom this winter. I’m excited to see the renovation.
I’m at the salon late in the afternoon, when I see Stephen’s smiling face walk through the door. I’m shocked to see him, but he strides right up to the front desk where I am standing. “Hi, Alex. I was hoping I would catch you here!”
I smile cautiously at him. “Hi, Stephen. How have you been?”
“Great and you?”
“Pretty great too. What are you doing here?”
He runs his fingers through his hair that is noticeably longer than it was the last time I saw him. “You’re the only one I trust to touch my hair now.”
I grin at that. “Well come on.” I gesture for him to follow me back to my station and he sits down in the chair. “The usual?”
He nods and I start the cut I have given him since we met. “You look happy Alex.”
I feel almost guilty when I answer honestly. “I am.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“And you? Still like being a partner?”
He nods his head quickly so it doesn’t mess up the cut. “It’s everything I thought it would be. It’s been incredible.”
We continue to make small talk while I perfect his hair, and when I’m finished I walk him up to the front.
“It was good to see you, Stephen.”
He runs his fingers through his fresh cut hair and says. “Truth be told I didn’t just come for a haircut.”
I eye him suspiciously, “No?”
“I miss you Alex.” He says it bluntly and my eyes grow wide, uncertain what he means and he quickly adds, “Not like that. I mean I miss your friendship.”
I feel relief at that. “I miss that too.”
“Do you think we could have dinner sometime soon?”
“I would love that. Call anytime.”
He smiles, pays and as he’s walking out bumps into Brooke, who I forgot is coming in for a trim tonight. They say a quick hello before Stephen leaves and Brooke walks over to me with a surprised expression on her face. “What was he doing here?”
I shrug and lead her back to wash her hair. “He missed my haircuts and me.”
Her head jerks up to look at me and I shake my head. “As a friend.”
She relaxes and I go back to washing her hair. “So, are you going to hang out then?”
I put in conditioner as I answer her question. “Yeah, of course. I miss his friendship too. He really is a good guy.”
She agrees and then changes the subject as I dry her hair and take her to the chair to cut it. “So, I saw Chris today when I stopped at the shop after work.”
Brooke wasn’t too happy when I told her how we left things. She thinks I should have Shriller out of my system by now. She may be right.
“Oh yeah, how is he?”
“Good. I was tempted to invite him to the cabin.”
I smack her on the shoulder, “Brooke!”
She laughs, “Relax. I didn’t do it, but I don’t get it. The guy is freaking perfect for you, Alex.”
I groan. “I know he is, but I just need some time.”
“With Shriller.”
“With no real relationship.” I shoot back.
“Is the sex with Shriller really that good?”
I can’t help the stupid grin that spreads across my face as I check to make sure the haircut is even. “It’s fucking earth shattering, Brooke. I mean toe curling, sheet grabbing, cover your mouth so you don’t wake the neighbors good.”
She shakes her head at my description. “And it’s still just sex?”
“Yes.” I answer confidently.
I’ve still managed to keep things straight in my head. Shriller will never want a commitment and I’m fine with that. As for Chris, who knows.
There’s always hope that’ll I’ll get my happy ending.
Chapter 39
Shriller
I
flick my tongue over Alex’s belly button ring and look up to se
e if she has stirred awake yet. She’s dead to the world still, so I move to the left and slowly trace the rose tattoo on her hip.
She groans and wiggles slightly, but still doesn’t wake up. I move up her body and place a kiss on the lace of her hot pink bra, and then another one.
Her eyes slowly peek open, and I smile down into them. “Mornin’ sunshine.”
She groans again. “Ugh. It’s too early.”
I shake my head. “They’ll be here soon to pick us up.”
I lean down and softly kiss her neck, with no intention of letting her out of this bed yet.
“Fucking Brooke and Dylan. Why do they insist on leaving at the ass crack of dawn?”
I easily unhook her bra, remove it and toss it to the floor. “They wanna beat the rush, but don’t worry I’ll put you in a good mood before the trip.”
She bites her bottom lip, “Better do your best.”
I’m about to accept that challenge when there is a loud knock on the door. I drop my head, touching my forehead to hers. “No way that’s them already.”
“Alex! Shriller! Get your asses up!” We both groan at the sound of Jax’s loud voice booming through the door and back to us in the bedroom.
Alex grips my biceps to push me off of her, but I don’t budge. I figure I’ll give it a try. “They can wait ten minutes.”
She cocks her head at me with a no on her face and then we hear Jax again. “Alex and Shriller get your asses fucking dressed. There is plenty of time to screw like bunnies later!”
Well, that does it. Alex pushes me off of her and grabs a robe, covering herself as she hauls that sweet ass to the door.
I slip my jeans on and make my way down the hall in time to see Alex fling the door open for Jax and Dylan, who both have grins on their faces. “You assholes. I have neighbors you know?”
They both saunter in. Dylan is bearing gifts of donuts and coffee and Jax nods at our attire. “You two gonna get dressed? Everyone is downstairs.”
I take a drink of the strong coffee and a bite of the donut. “I just have to put a shirt and shoes on and I’m golden.”
Jax looks at Alex who rolls her eyes. “Give me ten minutes.”
She leaves us in the living room where Jax makes himself at home as usual and Dylan steps out to update everyone else.
Jax grabs a donut and points at me. “So, any thoughts about what we talked about?”
I know he’s referring to stopping this thing with Alex even though we haven’t talked about it since. “Jax, she hasn’t given any indication that she’s looking to move on. Besides, I’m doing a lot better. I’ll be leaving soon.”
“You don’t have to you know?”
I look at my friend with curiosity. “What? Leave?”
He shrugs his shoulders, clearly uncomfortable. “That and you don’t have to end things with Alex. It’s clear you care about her, man. Maybe she’s your Charlotte.”
I full on laugh out loud at that. I can’t help it. “Jesus, Jax. I really didn’t peg you for a romantic. Although it’s adorable as hell, I’m gonna pretend like you didn’t just say that so I can still look you in the eye.”
“Yeah, fuck you too,” he says with an easy grin.
We both laugh and that’s that.
Alex comes out soon after and we all go down to the three SUVs that Dylan rented for the trip. Luke’s group is in one, Dylan and Brooke’s in another and Alex and I are riding with Jax and Charlotte. Since we have the least amount of people, we haul most of the luggage with us on the four-hour road trip.
It’s not a bad ride except for Charlotte’s love of country music and Jax’s love of Charlotte letting her control the radio.
When we get there, I can’t wait to stretch my legs as soon as I open the door and hop out. I stand and stare at the cabin and see another car parked in front.
Alex walks around to my side of the car and I ask, “Hey, whose car is that?”
Alex’s attention snaps to the car and she’s beaming when she says, “Be nice.”
Fuck this can’t be good. My mind goes to that douchebag she had a blind date with a couple of weeks ago, but then the car door opens and I see it’s Trevor, Alex’s prick older brother. Shit, I don’t know which one is worse.
Alex flies over to the car and gives him a huge hug. I’ve known Trevor for as long as I’ve known Alex and we can’t stand each other. It mostly started because I knew the fucker had a thing for Brooke from day one and then he fucked her when we were taking one of our famous breaks.
He’s a cocky asshole, but Alex adores him. Always has.
I grab a couple of bags and make my way toward the door, hoping to ignore him, but unfortunately make eye contact.
He nods to me, “Shriller. Heard you’ve been mooching off of my little sister for months now.”
Alex nudges him in the ribs and I resist the urge to make a crack about all of the things I’ve done to his sister these last few months. “Ah, you heard that the one time you managed to call her, huh?”
Trevor is in a fairly successful rock band and tours most of the year, so he misses a lot of family time.
Alex grabs her bag out of my hand and looks me in the eye when she says, “We aren’t going to do this all damn weekend are we?”
Trevor wraps his arm around her neck and kisses the side of her head. “Nah, that’s all he’s got anyway.”
Jax walks up, thrusting a heavy ass bag at me, effectively stopping me from saying anything else as they walk inside.
Jax smirks at me. “You know, you really should play nice with your girlfriend’s brother.”
“Fuck off,” I say as we go into the cabin, laughing. Everyone throws their shit into rooms, picking where they want to sleep.
The younger kids all share a room and I somehow end up in a room with Cam and Vanessa. There are two sets of bunk beds in this room and I take the bottom bunk below Cam.
Alex is in a room with Cass and Hunter and her brother and his wife. Too bad we couldn’t score a room together.
The new rooms are a nice touch though, because in the past a lot of us had to sleep on the floor.
Brooke and Hannah make lunch and we all eat quickly before everyone changes into our bathing suits and head down to the lake.
It’s hot as fuck today, but the water is cool. I smile as Alex treads water near me. “It would be great if you and Trevor could get over the fifteen-year feud,” she says as she splashes water at me.
“Probably not gonna happen, you know, since he’s such a tool.”
“He’s a good guy and it’s been years since he slept with Brooke. Get over it.”
I laugh, “It has nothing to do with Brooke.”
“Oh, it has a little to do with her,” Jax chimes in out of nowhere.
“It started that way, but he’s given me plenty of reasons since then,” I say and then dunk my head under the water to get my hair wet.
When I pop back up, Alex has done the same and Jax is floating off to join Charlotte on the dock. I reach out and pull Alex closer to me, letting my hands rest on her hips in the shallow water. We’ve moved to where I can touch the bottom easily, but Alex barely can.
Her eyes dart to Trevor who is sitting in a beach chair in the sand. “You don’t want him to get suspicious, do you?”
“I couldn’t care less,” I answer honestly.
She pushes my hands away and moves away slightly. “We don’t want to be the source of drama on this trip.”
I lean forward and whisper in her ear for Trevor's benefit because he is staring daggers at me. “But Dani isn’t here. I think it has to be us.”
She puts her hand on my bare chest and pushes me back again , but she's grinning at me. “No drama. You just love to stir up shit.”
That I do.
Chapter 40
Alex
I
’m so happy to see my brother. It’s been way too long, but I wish he didn’t hate Shriller so much. Not that it really matters. Shriller isn’t my bo
yfriend, but it feels weird for my brother to loathe the guy I’m sleeping with. Of course, it’s not the first time.
“I’m turning into a prune.” I say to Shriller. “I’m gonna go tan.”
His hands go back to my waist and he says playfully. “Or we could go inside. Everyone else is out here.”
I roll my eyes at him. “This trip is not about sex. It’s three days, you’ll be fine.”
“I don’t think I’ll make it.”
I laugh at his mock panic. “Take cold showers.” I pat him on the shoulder before I wade out of the water and join Trevor in the chair next to him.
He cracks a beer open. “Something going on with you and Shriller?”
Wow. He picked up on that quick. I honestly don’t care if everyone else knows, but I don’t want to deal with the drama, especially for a no strings attached arrangement. “Have you lost your mind?”
“You seem awfully chummy.”
“Yeah, well we are friends and he’s been staying with me.”
He nods his head. “Exactly. He hasn’t tried anything?”
“It’s not like that with us.”
“Yeah, bullshit. He was always ogling you.”
I laugh at that and grab a beer of my own. “You’re insane.” Since going on the defensive didn’t work I decide to try to change the subject. “So how is the tour going?”
His eyes light up. “It’s been great. It’s good to take a short break, but I can’t wait to get back to it.”
“I’m proud of you.” I say and he grins.
“I’m proud of you too, Alex.”
Later that night after dinner, everyone is all spread out. Some are playing games in the kitchen, while some are hanging out on the back deck. I decide it’s a good opportunity to go and take a shower to wash all the sand off me from earlier.
After my shower, I wrap myself in a towel and I go into the room I’m staying in. I nearly have a heart attack when a hand wraps around my mouth and another pulls me tightly to a warm, hard body. “Don’t scream, it’s me,” I hear Shriller’s voice whisper into my ear and I turn around to face him.