Lainey looked back over at Payton, still glowing red. She was obviously happy with Cole. Maybe it was possible to be a freak and still find true love. Lainey snorted into her beer at the thought, but she still found herself gazing across the bar again. Most men in the bar had several decades on her, but there were some younger guys about. They were mostly part of a couple, but there were a few singles. Those guys, though, it seemed, had had way more of the flaming shots than Lainey. Drunk and rowdy, they were young, dumb, and . . . she felt her cheeks heat even thinking the rest. This wasn’t her usual crowd, but maybe that was the point.
Lainey fiddled with the vest again, turning to see Rita eying her from the register. “You look great, Sweetie,” Rita commented.
“Thanks.”
“Tell Auntie Rita what’s wrong.” Payton rolled her eyes.
“Nothing.”
“I don’t even need to ask, really.”
“Oh, yeah?” Just what Lainey needed, another mind reader.
“Men. Nice thing like you, dressed up like that but in a shithole like this,” Rita waved her hand around as if to emphasize her point. “It’s gotta be a guy—question is, are you here because you haven’t found him yet, or because you already did and he fucked everything up?”
“Umm, neither?”
“You gotta be more careful, Girl. You’re a wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve type, I can tell. They’re going to eat you alive.”
Payton reached around and slung an arm over Lainey’s shoulder. “Less talk, more drink.”
“You up for another, Lainey?” Rita asked.
“Definitely.” Anything to stop the talk about how they were going to get her laid.
“Here ya go, girls.” Rita set the shots down, clear this time and without the fire. It still burned going down, but this time it felt good. Payton slipped her hand into Lainey’s and tugged her off the barstool.
“Let’s dance!”
Payton chose a song from the jukebox and they made their way onto the dance floor. Wafts of curiosity made their way to Lainey, followed by a few of lust, but for once she didn’t care. They were the only ones dancing, and tonight she didn’t care what any onlookers were thinking. Lainey closed her eyes to try to block out the colors, and let the music carry her away. Which was how she had no idea Josh had entered the bar until she felt hands on her forearms and her eyes flew open at the unexpected contact. An intense burst of sensation rippled across her skin at his touch and his entire body glowed again, overwhelming her probably drunk-as-hell senses. She closed her eyes and tried to lose her mind in the movement again, until Josh opened his mouth and ruined the moment.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself.”
“Having fun?”
“Yep.”
Go away. You’re ruining my buzz.
“Want to dance?”
“Will you shut up if I do?” Josh’s nostrils flared and his eyes hardened, but then he suddenly burst out laughing. Had he been mad at her? His expression had changed so quickly . . . she must have misread it. The light surrounding him never changed. Walking her into a corner of the dance floor, Josh wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, her back to his front. This close to him, it was almost as if he’d brought Lainey into his personal sphere, and the bright white changed to swirling colors. They moved too fast for Lainey to react to any of them, a burst of red, and then suddenly blue, then purple. Her eyes glazed over as she got lost in the whirling spectrum.
“I’ve never been here before,” he yelled over the music. “It’s kinda nice, crap, but nice.”
Lainey laughed. “My first time too. Not sure about the crowd, but it’s good to get out.”
Josh took her hand and they moved to a part of the bar where they could talk without yelling. “You work a lot?” he asked. He moved a little closer, tugging her back against him, but Lainey stepped out of his grasp. Away from the dance floor and out of his embrace, she suddenly felt uncomfortable.
“Yeah. I don’t get a chance to get out much.” She signaled Rita, who delivered another beer. Lainey was beginning to think the woman really did share Payton’s gift.
“It’s good to have some fun every once in a while.” Josh sat down next to her and waved a hand at Rita. Rita’s response was not as friendly as it had been to Lainey, but a beer appeared nonetheless. Lainey closed her eyes and sighed as the cold liquid washed down her throat.
“Sometimes I forget that.”
Josh cleared his throat and took a quarter of his in one gulp. “Damn, Lainey.” His eyes traveled from her face and down her body, stopping in all the wrong places. She blushed. “You look wonderful.”
“Thank you.” She kept her eyes on the table.
“Gotta have a little fun sometimes, right?” His hand rested against her thigh, touching her lightly.
Shit, was he hitting on her? Outside his grasp again, it was impossible to discern anything except white swirling through him. Lainey had wished for years that her ability didn’t exist, but now without it she felt strangely lost. Josh smiled and took a drink. “I like you, Lainey. I wanna get to know you.”
Guess that cleared things up.
Shit. She had to open up sometime, to figure out if what Payton had been talking about could possibly happen, and Josh seemed like a nice enough guy to start with. Lainey swallowed her fear, and straightened up, then lost her nerve the moment her eyes met his. “I’m not the kind of girl that just jumps into things, usually.”
Josh smiled again, and tucked a piece of wayward hair behind her ear. “I get it, but you’ll give me a chance at least, right?”
A chance, one date? She could do that, right?
“Maybe.”
His hand moved down and stroked her cheek softly. “You’re beautiful. If you do give me a chance, you won’t regret it.” He stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist, just as gently, pulling her closer to him before bending down, his lips just barely touching hers. They moved against her, kissing her softly, before he pulled away. That tingle was back, and it was incredible. “You felt that, didn’t you?”
All Lainey could do was blush.
“You wanna go somewhere, maybe head back to my place?” He ran his fingers through her hair. It felt so good she almost said yes, before her beer-soaked brain finally caught up. What the hell was she doing?
“How about I take your number instead?” She pulled out her phone and handed it over. Josh typed in his number, and then gave it back, leaning in for one last kiss before turning and leaving without another word. It was a good five minutes after he’d left before Lainey stopped staring after him in puzzlement. Sure, there were other times when she hadn’t been able to read people’s colors well. Maybe they only crossed her path briefly, or they were too locked inside their own mind to let anything be seen, but there was always something. Whether it came in flashes or great waves, everyone had some color around them. Josh was the first who was nothing but white. A memory of a science class long ago startled her, something about white light and wavelengths. Did the white mean that Josh felt nothing, or everything all at once? Lainey had never seen anything like it before.
She was still staring into space when Payton called her name. The woman had no doubt watched every second of Lainey and Josh’s interaction, and judging by the way she and Rita were standing, their heads huddled together, she was definitely the current topic of conversation. Lainey stood to head back to her friend, trying not get caught up in the rush of drunkenness that threatened to overwhelm her when she stood.
“So?” Payton didn’t hesitate for a second. “What was that?”
“I’m not completely sure yet.” Lainey took a seat on a stool to steady herself. “He wanted me to go home with him.”
“You turned him down, huh?” Rita chimed in. “Smart girl.”
“I got his number.”
“Then go for it,” Payton smiled. “He’s cute, and I’ve seen him around. I say go for it.”
Lainey smiled. “I
think I might.”
6
Aaron
The worst part about working out as hard as he did was the sore muscles the next day. After awhile he got used to the burn, but man, some days the stretch killed him. Sitting up in bed that morning, Aaron let out a rare groan as he swung his feet to the floor. The pain was necessary—a result of the effort he put in to maintain his physique and keep his demons at bay. Most days that worked, but that morning, as he folded the creases in his bed sheets and then went through the breakfast routine, the pain was more a reminder of what he’d never have.
Josh deserved a slow and agonizing death, that much was obvious. Perhaps a good dismemberment with a dash of torture thrown in. Fuck, who was he kidding? Until now, Josh had simply been a pain in his side, something annoying that you could mostly ignore if you tried hard enough. It wasn’t until the little shit started showing interest in Lainey that his annoyance factor went up tenfold. He had no right, but then again, neither did Aaron.
He was too weak, too reckless—he didn’t have what it took, what Lainey needed. She was perfect, taking every shitty moment of life with a smile. He’d seen her handle customers that made him want to jump over the counter and snap them in half, and she never even flinched when she wished them a good day. Not once. It was an amazing skill, rare and beautiful, but it also seemed to make her more fragile. He shook his head. Maybe that was all part of the allure?
He wanted to protect her. To stand between her and the world, and tell anyone giving her a hard time to fuck off. He hated it when he saw a burst of pain cross her face, and when she hid it just as quickly. It broke his heart. His world was too harsh a place for a girl like her. A man with a past like his would tear her heart open, even if he didn’t want to. She was strong, but she couldn’t take on everything on her own, and she needed someone who could shelter her, to make sure she was safe. Aaron wasn’t it.
Pounding the sand on the way to the gym, he let the force of his movement over the sand tear through his body. That morning, even the motions of his daily routine couldn’t stop the guilt from sinking in deep. He was too vulnerable, too sentimental. If he didn’t let go of Lainey now, he was going to get her hurt. She was incredible, but she wasn’t for him, no matter how much his heart hurt for it. He would destroy her. Maybe not today, or even tomorrow, but he couldn’t have forever and he wouldn’t do that to her. She deserved forever.
Crossing the steps that led off the beach to the gym’s entrance, he kept his feet moving and breathed through the thought. He had to prepare himself for the day, for seeing her, and dealing with the little fuckwit again, but something was holding him back from walking up those stairs.
He had to change his approach. After all, it wasn’t like he could just beat Josh into submission every day. The boy was going to do his best to hook up with the woman Aaron wanted, and he’d probably keep doing it, just to piss Aaron off. He’d flaunt it, look Aaron right in the eye while he kissed her. His fighting style was flamboyant, fiery, and after what happened yesterday, it was only going to get worse. Aaron was stronger physically, could probably even kill a man if he had to, under the right conditions, but there were some things he just couldn’t take. Josh being with Lainey was one of them, but what choice did he have? None. He might not be able to be with Lainey himself, but there was no way he was backing off entirely and leaving her in Josh’s clutches either. So that meant he’d be there—seeing her—every day, talking to her, smiling and pretending everything was okay, all while Josh pushed him just past the brink of insanity.
Or, he could just shoot the bastard. Throw his body into the ocean and forget the little prick ever existed. But then he’d be no better than they, and that was something Aaron swore he’d never do. He had to move on, get past it. There was no other choice.
Heaving out a deep breath, he walked up to the back of the complex, opened the gate, and walked inside. It was his sanctuary, even with all the crap going on. When he’d taken over from Rico he’d changed the place, transformed it, really. It wasn’t easy, and he’d done things he regretted in the process, but it was still home. The juice bar was empty and so he put on the coffee to brew, letting the smell energize him. Aaron usually avoided the stuff. Everything he ate was for his purpose in life and nothing else, but dear God, today he needed something. He pulled out the healthiest looking muffin he could find, poured himself a cup of black coffee, and sat in the corner where it was still dark and depressing despite the morning light seeping in through the blinds.
He still had half a muffin in his hand when Lainey walked in, smiling at him like a blinding burst of sunshine. “Good morning, Aaron.” Her cheery voice was like sandpaper down his skin. She walked over and gave him a hug and he flinched. He didn’t deserve her smile, her touch, any of it.
“Morning,” he quickly ran to throw away the rest of the muffin and walked behind the bar, where she was already chopping up fruit.
“How are you?” Lainey asked.
“Alright, I guess.”
“You seem down.” She gave him a sympathetic smile.
“Just sore and tired. Long workout last night.”
“I’m sorry.” She stocked the fridge under the blenders and went to open the door. “I hope you feel better soon.”
If he left now he wouldn’t have to deal with any customers this early in the morning. It would be much easier to duck out now while he still could, but Aaron couldn’t bring himself to do it, not with Josh likely on the prowl. He’d never have her, but he could still protect her.
And hopefully somewhere in there get the chance to hit Josh again.
The wave of idiots began almost as soon as the door opened. Strawberries were the flavor of the day, and they ran out fast. Aaron used it as an excuse to disappear into the back and grab a knife, slicing into the red fruit as if it was his life’s mission. He went through half the entire stock by the time the noise out front lessened. If he chopped any more, he’d end up with more than they could use and so with the crowd dying down he went back out front to help Lainey clean up a little. She looked at him curiously, a half smile on her face.
“Thanks, Lainey. You always handle the rush so well. I’m sorry I haven’t been up to dealing with things.”
“It’s alright. I like this job, you know that.”
He smiled. “It’s still nice to hear again.”
As he walked over to the garbage, Payton walked in and sat down at the bar. One of his best students, she looked like she had something other than krav maga class on her mind right then.
“Hey, Lainey, I got this. You go ahead and take a break.”
“Thanks.”
“Can I get you girls anything?”
“I’ll just have a blueberry smoothie.” Payton was a regular, and she always got exactly the same thing, despite Lainey’s attempts to tempt her over to the healthy side. He kept extras so he’d always have them for her. He liked her. She was a tough girl, somebody Lainey could learn from. He was glad the two had struck up a friendship, that Lainey had someone she could talk to. He got their drinks and then went back to work, serving a customer while the girls went and sat at one of the back tables. Every time he glanced over, their heads were huddled together, Payton whispering furiously. What on earth were they talking about?
Aaron thought back to when he’d first met Payton. At first she’d been incredibly aloof, almost rude, and then one day it had all turned around. That was the day Payton had first sat down and talked with Lainey. What about he had no clue, but from that moment on they were friends and met often, whispering away. He leaned sideways a little, trying to hear what Payton was saying, and accidentally bumped the blender switch, almost exploding pink berry juice everywhere. When he delivered the drink to the customer, they took a single sip and then looked at him like he’d spat in it. Geez. Customer service was a special kind of torture. He had no idea how Lainey did it day in day out, but he’d had enough for one day. He looked back over at Lainey, who was now the one talking qui
etly to Payton. What he’d give to be sitting there too, their relationship as easy as the one between her and Payton. He’d drape his arm over her and pull her close, sharing in her secrets.
God, was he so pathetic that someone as insignificant as Josh could bring out his worst side? Was he really that obvious?
Josh was one of the dumbest people Aaron had met in his entire life. Having him figure out how Aaron felt about Lainey was irritating beyond belief, and that burn was only intensifying every time he saw him with Lainey. Aaron’s skin prickled at the thought and his whole body grew hot. Being around customers was only making it worse. He had to leave. Clear his head. Before he did something he’d regret.
7
Lainey
Lainey looked over as Aaron rushed from the juice bar. He’d been doing that a lot lately, running away just as she was getting used to him sticking around. There was clearly something getting to him that he wasn’t talking about, that much was practically shouting at her from the colors swirling around him. Perhaps it was nothing to do with her, something personal. But the way he’d been looking over at her before he’d run out of there suggested otherwise. Lainey was officially worried. She’d known Aaron for so long now that she was used to his daily neuroses, even his pouting and lurking when something was getting to him, but it was more than that this time. Something wasn’t right.
Lainey (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 4) Page 4