“Selene,” she starts.
“Don’t say anything. Come over once you get off and we’ll talk then. For now, I’m going home to Bonkers.”
I don’t give her a chance to object because I’m walking out of my office and outside to my car. My hands are trembling, but I try to focus on driving so I don’t ruin my new car. All I want right now is Bonkers, a lot of alcohol, and Brody. Except Brody is gone for two more days. Jessica’s threats replay in my mind over and over. When I pull into my driveway, I can’t help the look over my shoulder as I rush inside.
Bonkers barks with excitement that I’m home early. I pick him up and crush him to my chest. Oh, thank God. He licks my cheek causing me to laugh, which relieves a bit of stress.
“I’m happy to see you too, Bonkers,” I tell him as I lock my door. As much as I hate it, he probably needs to go out, and I have no choice but to let him go into my backyard. I stand at the door, watching, as I pull out my cell and call Brody. The first time, it goes to voicemail. C’mon, please answer. I redial, starting to panic when I get his voicemail again. The third time, he finally answers.
“Hey, Selene,” he says, and I know he’s smiling. I hate that I’m about to take that away from him. Hearing his voice breaks me into tears. “Selene? What’s wrong? What happened?” he asks, the worry evident.
“She came to my work and threatened me again. She’s been watching us, Brody.” Bonkers runs back inside, so I lock the door and sit at my kitchen table.
Brody is quiet for a heartbeat and then he furiously says, “She did what? What did she say?” But then his voice softens. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. I can catch the next flight and-”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.” I sniff, wipe my eyes, and talk over his objections. “She said that if I didn’t stay away from you, she would hurt Bonkers and me. She was here this morning,” my voice breaks again. “She watched you leave and then watched me let Bonkers out. Once I got her to leave, I came straight home to check on him.”
“Selene, I can come home. I-”
“Allison is coming over and I’m sure she’ll let me stay with her or vice versa. You’re supposed to be working.”
“I don’t give a fuck about work, Selene,” he bursts in frustration. “This is way more important than that. I can miss a game or two. I’m coming one way or another.”
Relief washes through me, but I find myself saying, “That’s not going to make it better. Jessica is going to flip if you come home and we don’t have a clue what she’ll do.”
“And it’s better for me to be there than here. Do not argue with me, Selene. Keep your doors locked, don’t let anyone in except Allison, and I’ll be there soon. I’ll figure something out about Jessica.”
“Okay,” I finally give in. Softly, I add, “Please hurry.”
“I will,” he promises.
We hang up, and I set my phone on the table. I’m suddenly aware of all the open blinds and the glass doors leading to my backyard. What if she’s watching me right now? I stand up so fast, my chair falls backwards, scaring Bonkers. I go around, make sure all the windows are locked and close the view so no one can see inside. Thank goodness I have curtains for the glass doors as well. When I finish, I have no clue what to do with my time until Allison and Brody get here, so I sit in the middle of my couch, call Bonkers, and allow him to soothe me.
My nerves are all over the place. I’m antsy and restless, but I don’t move from my spot. I watch the minutes pass on the clock on the wall. Jessica could be sitting outside, waiting for me to move or leave or who knows what. She’s fucking crazy and obviously unpredictable. A rapid knocking on the door causes me to jump.
“It’s me,” Allison’s voice carries into the house.
I get up to let her in. She hugs me like she hasn’t seen me in days. I can’t help but laugh a little. It quickly dies as I say, “Come inside already.” She does and I lock the door behind her. I go ahead and give her the only update I have. “Brody’s on his way. I’ve just been hanging out with Bonkers.”
We sit on my couch. Allison faces me and asks, “What are y’all going to do about her? Something has to be done.”
“I don’t know. This isn’t something I deal with on a regular basis,” I snap. With a deep breath, I apologize. “Sorry. I have no clue what we’re going to do and it’s stressing me out.”
Allison pats my hand. “It’s okay. I’m stressed too,” she smiles a little in hopes of relaxing me. “You know what you need? Beer and a movie.”
“I don’t really want to,” I object as she gets up and heads to the fridge.
“Find a movie,” she orders. “We’re doing this.”
So I search for a comedy on the TV. We settle into the couch, start the movie, and begin drinking.
Chapter Fourteen
Brody
Anger is actually rolling off of me when I get off the phone with my lawyer. How could he have been so stupid as to think I didn’t want that restraining order for Selene too? Coach and the GM aren’t happy that I’m missing another game, but I don’t care. I need to see that Selene is okay. I need to hold her.
As I get off the plane, I hail a taxi. I’ll have to come back and get my car later. I don’t want to deal with hassle of getting it from the team parking lot. On the way home, I come up with the perfect idea and quickly call Bradley.
“I need a huge favor from you.” I don’t even let him get ‘hello’ out.
“Why do you sound so panicked?”
I take a deep breath and tell him everything that is going on with Jessica and Selene. The more I talk about it, the angrier I become about everything. I tell Bradley about my plan and hope that he will be able to do it without any problems arising.
“Yeah, I can come early. I don’t have any big projects due right now. If I do have work, it can be done over the internet and email, so that should be fine. Let me talk to my boss, and I can be there tomorrow night.”
“Bradley, I owe you one.”
“Nah, if you’re missing hockey games for this girl, then she must be ‘the one’. I love ya, bro. See ya tomorrow.”
I hang up feeling a little bit of relief. I just need to make sure that Selene is on board. I’m sure that she will be. She sounded so scared on the phone earlier. I don’t want her to be scared.
I think about our conversation before I left. My heart raced at her words. I loved that she talked to me as her friend. It meant a lot to me. I’m not going to lose her because of some crazy ass ex-hookup either. I will do everything in my power to protect her and Bonkers. I pay the cabbie and go straight to Selene’s house. I knock on the door, and Allison opens it. I’m confused for a moment.
“She okay?” I ask, walking into the house. Bonkers jumps all around me, and I feel a small hint of relief for that dog. I pick him up, and he licks my face.
“She’s as well as can be expected. But Brody,” I turn to Allison and she has a worried expression on her face, “that Jessica chick is fucking crazy. You need to nip this quick before someone gets hurt.”
I nod to her. “I have it taken care of. It won’t happen again.”
“Brody?” I turn to see Selene’s beautiful face. I sit Bonkers down and wrap her up in my arms. The smell of fresh flowers hits me, and I know she’s okay.
“Well, now that Mr. Captain is here, I’m going to take off,” Allison announces.
“Thank you for staying with me.” Selene leaves my arms and hugs her friend.
“I’ll walk you out,” I tell her.
I don’t want anything to happen to her either. At this point, I don’t know what Jessica is capable of. I make sure Allison is in her car and out of the driveway before I go back into the house. Selene is wrapped up on the couch in a blanket with Bonkers on her lap. I sit next to her and put my arms around her. On the TV is the game. Selene looks sad, staring at the screen.
“Are you okay?” I whisper in her ear.
She looks at me, and I see the sadness in her eyes. It pa
ins me to see her like this. “I’m better now that you’re here, but I’m still a little scared. I hate to admit that,” her voice cracks a little bit.
“You have every right to be scared, but I’ve taken care of everything. I even have a plan.”
“Brody,” she starts, but I cut her off.
“No, I’m not going to miss any more games. Everyone is mad because I missed this one.” I point to the TV as the Mustangs are getting ready for another face off. “My brother is coming here to stay with you. He should be here tomorrow night.”
“Your brother?”
“Yes, he is going to be with you day and night until we can get this figured out. Plus, I chewed my lawyer out that you weren’t part of that restraining order too. Trust me, he won’t forget your name ever again.”
She looks deeply into my eyes. “Thank you, Brody.” She gives me a sad smile. It’s then that I realize that I would do anything for her. I don’t want her to give me a sad smile. I want her to be happy, and I want her happy with me.
“I’ll do anything to keep you safe. Anything.” I kiss her softly on her lips. Of course, Bonkers gets jealous and jumps up in between us. When we look at him, he is staring at us, wagging his tail like a mad man. We both laugh at him. Leave it to the dog to make us laugh. Selene snuggles closer to me, and we watch the game.
Of course, at the end of the game, we lose. I try to keep my emotions in check because all I want to do is scream at the TV. Not like the guys could hear me or anything.
“Hey, I’m going to take a shower, and then go to bed. I’m so tired,” Selene says to me before getting up.
“I’m going to run over to my house real quick and grab a couple of things.” I stand up with her.
“Take my key. It’s hanging up by the door. That way you can lock the door.” She kisses my cheek before heading up the stairs. I grab her key, make sure the door is locked, and head across the yard.
At my place, I grab a few things and throw them into an overnight bag. I double check all the rooms to ensure that no one is in the house. Then I make sure all the doors are locked. As I’m heading back across the yard, I think I see something in Selene’s backyard. It might just be a shadow from the trees. I continue to Selene’s house, go inside, and lock the door behind me.
I go into her bedroom and drop my bag off. She is already out of the shower. Her long, dark hair cascades down her back. She’s wearing a very long red shirt that stops mid-thigh. I want nothing more than to throw her on the bed and fuck her until she forgets everything. However, I know that isn’t what she wants.
When she walks out of the bathroom, she’s about to say something to me, but Bonkers begins to growl. A mean growl that I’ve never heard from him before. I didn’t even think the dog knew how to make such a sound. I watch Bonkers as he stands at the top of the stairs, looking down towards the front door.
I look at Selene and her eyes are wide with fear. Her face is as white as a sheet. She’s thinking the same thing that I am. Just then, Bonkers begins to bark loudly and takes off for the door. Next, there’s loud banging on the door.
“Are you expecting anyone?” I ask. She shakes her head. “Stay here.”
“The hell I am.”
We both head down the stairs as the banging continues. Bonkers is barking and growling at the door. I never seen him act this way before. Selene scoops him up, trying to calm him down. I open the door, only to see the one person that isn’t supposed to be here.
“Oh, my sweet Brody.” Jessica smiles at me.
“Are you fucking serious? Get away from here now. You’re not allowed to be around me or Selene.”
“Sweetie, we are meant to be together. I want to talk to you for a moment. I know that bitch has been filling your head with lies about me. It’s not true, any of it.” Jessica goes to reach for me, but I brush her hand away.
“We are not meant to be together. I’m going to call the police if you don’t leave.”
Jessica’s face grows angry. “Brody, you are mine. I love you. You can’t possibly love her, she’s nothing to you.”
“Let me explain this one time before I call the police. I don’t love you. I don’t want to be around you. I love Selene. I’m with Selene. She’s who I’m meant to be with, not you. Get your crazy ass off this porch and out of our lives.” My jaw is clenched, and I can feel my teeth grinding. I’m so mad. Not even on the ice have I been this mad.
Jessica stares at me for a moment, and I almost think I got through to her. “This isn’t over, Brody. You’re going to be with me.” She shoots a dirty look around me at Selene and walks away. I make sure that she gets in her car and leaves before I shut and lock the door. This seriously can’t be happening to me.
“Brody,” Selene says softly. “Are you okay?”
I turn around and face her. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“No, because it’s the first time I’ve seen that look in your eyes.”
“What look?”
“Rage.”
I look at her as I try to calm myself down. If anything, I don’t want her scared of me. “I just can’t believe she came here and had the gall to say those things.”
“I can,” she pauses and looks down at Bonkers. “I can’t believe you told her you love me though,” she says softly.
“What?” Did I say that to Jessica? I can’t believe I would blurt that out.
“You, uh, said you didn’t want to be around her and that you love me and you’re with me. Or something like that.”
I run my hands through my hair. Shit. I didn’t mean to do that to her. I don’t want to scare her away. Nonetheless, I do love her, and I need to fix this. “I did say that, didn’t I?” I nervously chuckle. “Well, I meant it. That doesn’t mean you have to say anything back. I really didn’t want the first time I said that to be in that way, but next time I say it, it’ll be more special.”
She thoughtfully looks at me for a moment. “Can we go to bed now?”
I don’t say anything else. I just nod.
Chapter Fifteen
Selene
As we lay in bed together with my back against Brody’s chest as usual, I feel bad that I rather forget Brody’s admittance of love for me. It’s not that he said it or that he does, it’s that right now, it’s tied to her. I don’t want that. At all. Hopefully, he knows that because I don’t want to hurt his feelings.
“Will you relax?” Brody whispers against my neck. I didn’t realize he was still awake. “You’re tense, and you feel like a stiff board in my arms.”
“Sorry.” I wiggle a little in attempts to get comfortable.
“If you keep wiggling like that, something else will be stiff.” He chuckles, and I can’t help my laugh. “Close your eyes,” he orders. Without hesitation, I do. “Don’t think. Just feel.” What is he talking about? “Don’t think, Selene,” he repeats. His arm moves and then I feel his fingers, barely there, trailing over my skin starting with my shoulder. This isn’t going to relax me. But I’m not supposed to be thinking, so I try my best to shut down my thoughts as the tips of his fingers reach my elbow.
They travel ever so lightly down to my wrist and back up to repeat the process. By the third time, I can feel my nagging thoughts leave, my muscles beginning to relax. But then Brody leaves his path on my arm to glide down my side, almost tickling me. When he feels me tense, he chuckles. His fingertips don’t stop at the hem of my shirt. Instead they go further, creating a line of sensitivity down my thigh. When he reaches my knee, he comes back up, seemingly going slower than ever. It is soothing, but if he does that on my leg one more time, things are going to heat up.
Right before he goes to make that daring path again, I grab his hand and say, “I think I’m relaxed now.”
Brody chuckles, kisses my neck, and then takes my hand. “Okay. I’ll stop. Goodnight.”
“Night.”
~
I wake up first, at the precise time Bonkers walks over to put his face inches from
mine as he stares at me with wide eyes.
“I’m up,” I giggle. “Down.” He jumps off the bed, and I get up to let him out. Just like yesterday, I stand at the door and wait for him. He makes me smile when a bird lands a few feet away from him, and he runs after it, jumping a little when the bird flies away. He’s so adorable. “Come,” I call for him. Bonkers runs at a rapid speed and I have to open the door before he runs into it. Unfortunately, that has happened before. He’s run into the wall once, trying to turn the corner, but since he was so excited, he slid into the wall. He kept right on running though.
Bonkers stays downstairs, eating, as I make my way back upstairs. I’m in a good mood, and I hope Brody is too. He’s sprawled out on his stomach, a foot hanging off the bed. I crawl in next to him and put my hand on his muscled arm.
“Brody, wakey wakey,” I repeat what he said to me the other day, and it cracks me up. I’m in a really good mood. My laughter wakes him up more than anything. He turns his head to look at me, a smile playing in his lips.
“Your laugh first thing in the morning is an amazing thing to wake up to, you know.”
I wink. “I know.”
He rolls onto his back, his hair half stuck to his head, half up and looking crazy. I lean over, running my hands through it. Brody grins. “Did you wake me up just to play with my hair? Because I could have stayed asleep for that.”
“What if I did?” I ask as I move to straddle him, not quite sitting on him yet. My fingers still lost in his soft hair. Who knew guys could have hair like this? My thoughts are halted when Brody grabs my hips to make me sit on him, causing me to feel how hard he is already.
“I wouldn’t believe you. I think you woke me up because of your selfish need for sex this morning.” His smile makes me want to kiss him, but I don’t. He’s being a little cocky today.
“Should I let you go back to sleep then? Since I’m being selfish?”
“Oh, no,” he says, making me squeal when he rolls us over. “I’m up now.”
My squeal must have gotten Bonkers’ attention because he comes running into the room. “Down,” I order just as Brody commands, “Out.” Bonkers stands next to us on the bed, not knowing who to listen to.
A Hockey Player's Proposal (Oh Captain, My Captain #2) Page 10