I rub my eyes as they begin to water. God, I feel like the worst owner in the world. I should have her back by now. Better yet, I shouldn’t have forgotten her in the first place, no matter how angry I was at Travis. Each day that drags on without her feels like an eternity, and the ache in my chest has grown, consuming my whole body.
Knocking at the front door startles me, my heart thundering against my sternum. I squeeze my eyes shut and inhale a deep breath, pulling myself together and pushing my misery aside. I stand from the couch, switching off the television, as Arya comes bolting down the stairs.
“Go away,” I hiss at her. “You know it’s for me.”
“I know, but I want to embarrass you,” she teases.
With my hand on the doorknob, I shoo her away. “Arya,” I snap.
She sticks out her tongue but runs up the stairs anyway.
I swing open the door, and Jax is standing on the other side with a lopsided smirk on his face, looking like he thinks he’s the world’s greatest gift. I’m not sure if I’d rather have this version of him or his alter ego. Neither seems like a good option when I’m already irritated.
“Let’s get this over with,” I sigh.
He steps inside, heading toward the couch. “Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” he questions. His rubs the side of his face as he sits down, taking up half of the couch as he props himself up against the armrest.
Yes, I did but only because Travis has been harassing me all day.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Liar. Wanna talk about it?” he asks, concern lacing his voice. He clears his throat, and a smile crosses his face, showing off his white teeth.
“No,” I deadpan as I sit on the couch adjacent to the one he’s lying on.
I open the laptop sitting on the coffee table and pull my classwork out of my bag. With me in a sour mood and cocky Jax sitting in my living room, I’m not sure how we’re going to get anything done.
“What’s your English paper about?” I ask him, digging through my bag for a pencil.
“The effect of dressing animals in clothes.”
My head snaps up. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Not at all,” he says, sitting upright. “Animals are forced by their owners to wear clothes. A majority of the time, the clothes serve no purpose, except to amuse the owner. Don’t get me wrong.” He holds up his hand. “If you’re dressing a Chihuahua in a sweater to go outside when a foot of snow is on the ground, that serves a purpose, but every other time, not so much.” He shakes his head. “So, what kind of damage does putting clothes on animals do to them? Something physiological has to happen to the animal because they never asked to be put in a frilly tutu to match a five-year-old’s ballerina outfit.”
I gape at him, wondering how I ended up with Jax as my partner.
He clears his throat, looking anywhere but at me. “What’s your paper about?” he asks when I continue to blankly stare at him.
I blink several times before saying, “The cause and effect of abandoning and rescuing animals.”
Jax bursts out laughing. “Isn’t that something? Somehow, we were partnered together when we have similar topics.”
You know what the weird part is? Our professor allowed us to write about anything. The only thing that was required was to write a cause-and-effect paper that was ten pages long. He didn’t care about the topic
How crazy is this?
I toss a pen and notebook on the coffee table next to my laptop and lean back into the couch.
I thought it was going to be a nightmare to merge our projects together. I figured Jax had written about the cause and effect of having sex or something insignificant that would make me want to puke.
“What’s your major?” I want to know more about him. Obviously, there’s more to him than I thought.
He swipes the pen off the table and twirls it in his hand. “All in due time, Red.” He shifts his gaze away from me, trying to hide…something.
I can’t figure him out for the life of me, but it’s better this way because I can keep my heart out of the mix. If I don’t know anything about him, I can’t get hurt. I can’t fall for a guy I have no business falling for if I don’t know anything about him.
We get started on merging our papers. Surprisingly enough, it turns out to be a seamless process. We go back and forth for hours, and even though his paper is a rough draft, I’m blown away by his talent. Not for writing, but the fact that he’s so passionate about his topic. He argues every side of it, leaving no room for questions.
I watch as he types away on the keyboard of my laptop, biting my lip as I rest my chin on my hand.
Maybe I misjudged him. Maybe he isn’t just a guy who bangs every chick who walks by him. Maybe, just maybe, he’s something else entirely.
My phone vibrates against my thigh, but I ignore it. Once the vibrating stops, I breathe a sigh of relief until it starts all over again…and again…and again. Glancing at my screen, I see the last text Travis sent me.
Travis: You’re such a bitch, Rae. I don’t want you back.
I blow out a breath. Good.
He can think whatever he wants about me. I no longer care about his opinion.
I’m about to toss my phone on the couch when it vibrates in my hand.
“Everything okay?” Jax’s gaze moves from my phone to my eyes.
No. “It’s nothing.”
When I read the words on the screen, I go stiff, clutching the phone.
Travis: I’m taking Stella to the pound today.
I throw the phone on the floor, my face burning.
“Are you sure?” Jax asks, his brows dipping together. “It doesn’t seem like nothing.”
Standing from the couch, I jerk his arm, causing him to stumble as he stands. “You’re coming with me,” I say tightly.
I’m done playing this game with Travis. I don’t care what it takes; I’m bringing Stella home, today.
“What? Where are we going?”
I drag him through the house and to my car without answering him, and he willingly follows me.
Flinging open the car door, I turn over the ignition. Jax stands outside the car, his eyes wide and brows disappearing in his hair.
I roll down the passenger window and yell, “Get in the damn car!”
He relents, sliding into the passenger seat without questioning me.
I back out of the driveway, shifting the car into drive when I’m in the road. I step on the gas pedal as hard as I can, tires screeching against the pavement as I head toward the other half of my heart.
Jax
I grip the door handle as Raegan speeds down the road. “Where are we going?” I ask, my eyes moving to her to distract myself from the traffic she is weaving in and out of.
She doesn’t answer me, and I appraise her tense body. Her knuckles are white as she holds the steering wheel in a death grip, and her jaw is clenched tight. She makes a sharp left turn, and the side of my body hits the door.
“Do you want me to drive?” I don’t know where we’re going, but I’m more concerned about her driving us into another car than the destination.
She keeps her eyes on the road, ignoring me. Her nostrils flare each time she breathes in and out, her eyes burning with fire.
I have no idea what’s going on. One minute, we were working on our paper, and the next, she was hauling me out of her house. I could have said I wasn’t leaving until she told me where we were going, but I wasn’t going to argue with her when she looked ready to drop-kick someone.
The car jerks to a stop in a driveway, causing my body to tense. She turns off the ignition and jumps out of the car. Do I follow her or stay in the car? When she whips around and glares at me through the windshield with one hand on her hip, I rush out of the car, not wanting to piss her off further.
She latches on to my hand, pulling me behind her. She pushes open the front door of a house without bothering to knock.
What is she thinki
ng, storming into someone’s house?
“Red,” I grit out, tugging on her hand.
The door bangs into the wall, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a hole in the wall behind it since I didn’t hear it hit a doorstopper.
She jerks my hand, ignoring my protest, as she stalks in the house, stopping just inside the door.
“What the fuck?” a guy with red hair asks, holding an empty plate in his hand, frozen next to a dining room table.
He looks like a tool with his hair gelled back and a polo shirt tucked into his khaki slacks. Then, recognition lights my eyes as I remember him. The jackass ex who treated her like shit at the restaurant.
I press my lips together and keep my feet rooted in place, fighting the urge to lunge at him and giving him exactly what he deserves.
“Where’s Stella?” Raegan yells, gripping my hand harder.
I struggle not to wince from the pain.
Who is Stella? Does she have a kid I don’t know about?
He scoffs, placing the plate on the table next to him, walking toward us. “You can’t have her if I can’t have you.”
Playing the whole if-I-can’t-have-you-no-one-can thing is a little petty. I would never let Raegan entertain the idea of being alone in the same room as him, much less let her date the asshole.
Barking comes from somewhere in the house, and Raegan takes a step, seeming to move toward the noise. She pulls me with her, but Travis blocks her path, not allowing her to move further into the house.
“Travis, if you don’t let me walk out the door with my dog, then you’ll be sorry.”
Dog?
It all makes sense now. The way she is with Walker. I can only imagine how she feels because, if someone kept my dog from me, I’d feel like I’d lost my right arm.
Travis stops two feet in front of us, towering over Raegan, but I have a good four inches on the guy. There’s no way I’m going to let him scare her.
His laugh is maniacal, causing me to step in front of Raegan to protect her from the lunatic.
“The fake boyfriend,” he says, sizing me up, wondering if he can take me on. “How much did she have to pay you to try to intimidate me?”
“She doesn’t have to pay me for that. I’d gladly beat the shit out of you even if she didn’t want me to,” I say, my voice tight. “You should give her what she wants; otherwise, you’ll have to deal with me.”
He glances around me to Raegan. “Really, this is your boyfriend? A hothead?”
He steps closer, and my body goes rigid, my fist clenching at my side.
“You are an idiot, Travis. Give me Stella, or I’ll make sure you never have kids,” Raegan says, dropping my hand.
I frown, disappointed she won’t let me protect her.
She steps toward Travis. “It’s your choice.”
“Please, like you could hurt me. I’m not threatened by you or the guy you forced to come over here to rattle me,” he sneers.
“I’m her boyfriend.” I drop my hand to her waist, my thumb slipping under the hem of her shirt. I tell myself I said it because this guy is a complete dick, but I find myself wishing it were true. “She didn’t force me to do anything, so back off.”
“There’s no way I believe that bullshit. Raegan isn’t good for anything, not even sex, and a guy like you probably has ass lining up at your front door.”
Raegan’s body slumps forward like he’s delivered the last blow to knock her to the ground, but I’m not having that. She’s worth so much more than this jackass is trying to convince her of.
I slip my hand around her waist, spinning her around to face me. I tilt her chin up, and she stares up at me, her gorgeous face overshadowed by a frown, and I hate it.
I stare into her crystal-blue eyes, hoping she can see the truth written on my face. “He’s wrong.” I lean down, my nose a few inches from hers. “I’d give up everything for you.” Before either one of us has a chance to think about it, I crash my lips to hers, letting everything else fade into nothing. Her soft lips mold to mine, and all I can smell is vanilla.
Her body sags into mine as one of my hands grips her waist, and the other slips into her hair, tugging on it to lean her head back. Her lips part, and I slip my tongue into her warm mouth, feeling every inch of her.
My pulse pounds as she latches on to me, holding me like I’m something she needs. A low moan moves up her throat, vibrating through me, and I know she can feel my excitement as our bodies press together.
If I could, I would kiss her for hours, memorizing every inch of her body, as I held her in my arms. I could be content with having my mouth on her, fully clothed.
This kiss has ruined me for anyone else. Kissing Raegan is better than random sex, so I take my fill of her mouth and full lips while I can.
“Raegan!” Travis shouts.
Her mouth disappears from mine, and she looks up at me, her crystal-blue eyes swimming with questions, as she bites her lip, her normally pale cheeks flushed.
“Rae!” Travis yells.
Whimpering and the sound of claws scratching a door echo through the house.
She pushes away from me, throwing daggers at him.
“We’re done,” she says as she stomps past him.
Turning left down a hallway, she leaves me with the jackass. He turns around, taking a step in her direction, but I take three long strides, standing between him and the hallway Raegan ran down.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I warn him.
He studies me for a second before he backs away from me, putting distance between us. First smart thing he’s done since we got here.
“She’ll come back to me,” he says, crossing his arms.
I shake my head, chuckling under my breath. “When I make her come, the only thing she’s thinking of is me. And I can guarantee you, when we leave here, I’ll make her forget you ever existed.”
His face twitches as he huffs, moving toward me.
If he comes any closer, I’m going to lay him out. Thankfully, Raegan steps up behind me, calming me down without even touching me.
“Let’s get out of here,” she says, maneuvering around me to the front door.
I rip my gaze away from Travis and follow behind her. Her arms are cradled in front of her chest with her head bent down as she walks out of the house and to her car.
She opens the back door on the passenger side of the car and places a small black dog inside along with a leash. She closes the door, cutting off Travis’s view of Stella.
I stop next to Raegan as Travis grabs her elbow, flipping her around to face him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he demands as she tries to jerk away from him.
I whip around and drop my hand to his wrist, gripping it as hard as I can. “If you don’t want me to break your wrist, you will let go of her.”
He drops her elbow, and I shove him back.
She points a finger at him, her eyes narrowed, and says, “Don’t you ever touch me again.”
“You used to beg me to touch you.” He smirks, snatching a piece of her blonde hair between his fingers.
I’m about to knock his ass out, but Raegan swats his hand away and then rears her arm back, landing her fist in the asshole’s face.
Fuck yes!
I smile, full of pride, when he yells out in pain, holding the side of his face.
“You bitch!” he roars, nursing his cheek.
She moves closer to him, holding his shoulders as she knees the prick in the balls. “I’d rather be a bitch than still be with you,” she retorts as he falls in the grass next to the driveway, holding his crotch.
He rolls to his side, groaning.
I almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost.
She turns around, focusing her attention on me. “Get in the car.” She storms around the back of car and throws open the driver’s door.
I grin, knowing Raegan is the girl of every guy’s dream.
She doesn’t take shit from anyone an
d stands up for herself and those around her. If I didn’t know myself better, I’d think I’d just fallen in love with a girl who laid a guy twice her size out on the ground.
The window of her car rolls down, barking filtering outside.
“Do you want me to leave you here?” she asks, sounding irritated.
I open the passenger door, plopping in the seat. “No fucking way.”
I want to be wherever you are.
Raegan marches inside her house with me hot on her heels. I feel the lingering anger rolling off her, and all I want to do is take it away by molding my mouth to hers again.
I push my hands in my jean pockets to keep from reaching out to her, not wanting my thoughts to encourage me to take her in my arms.
“This”—Raegan points to the black dog in her arms—“is Stella.”
Raegan places her on the couch, and I walk around to sit next to Stella.
She can’t weigh more than fifteen pounds as she sits on the couch next to me.
“Is she a French bulldog?” I ask, not taking my eyes away from Stella.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
I shrug, petting the top of Stella’s head. She licks my arm in response.
“I can just tell.” I take Stella’s paw in my hand and shake it. “It’s nice to meet you, Stella. I can see why Raegan fought so hard to get you back.”
I hear a gasp next to me, and I look out of my peripheral vision, seeing Raegan standing there with her mouth slightly open. Her clear blue eyes shift from my face to Stella’s paw in my hand. I stare at her lips before I quickly avert my gaze back to Stella. I cannot get lost in Raegan, but I feel like I’m already failing miserably at that.
I place Stella’s paw back on the couch as I hear footsteps descending the stairs.
Arya bounces off the last stair and shrieks when she sees Stella sitting next to me. I wince from the high-pitched noise, shrinking into myself, as Stella barks, jumping around in excitement. Arya runs around the couch and sweeps Stella up into her arms.
“You got her back.” Arya beams, squishing Stella to her chest.
The Road Without You Page 11