CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Todd
SITTING HERE, WATCHING THIS GIRL — this girl who I'd spent the morning having the most mind-blowing sex with — I felt lucky as shit. She had finally opened up to me just enough to have me craving more. I wanted every damn piece of this chick. I always thought I'd end up with Liz, but for the first time, I was glad I hadn't because I would have missed out on this — and this was pretty spectacular. I didn't kid myself thinking I was falling in love or some shit like that. I needed to know this girl better; I needed to own every aspect of her, her body, her mind, and eventually, her heart before I willing gave over mine. I've learned my lesson, and I wasn't placing all my chips in just yet. But if I were a betting man… I'd bet all my chips would be in the pot soon enough. I smiled around the soup spoon.
"You look dumb. What's with that fucking grin, bro?" Seth's cocky tone had me laughing. Lily looked up from her plate and giggled.
"Fuck off, dude." I took an enormous bite of my grilled cheese and smiled like an idiot at Seth. He was trying to embarrass me in front of Lily. Shithead. "So have you told your dad yet… that you got the job?"
Seth's smile fell. "Nah, I will later." He glanced down at his plate. "You guys going to make it into the studio today? I'd love to go."
"I'd like that. I have an idea for what I'd like to work on today if we have time. I'd need to shower before work. So maybe no recording today, but we could practice?" Lily's lips spread into a cute as hell smile.
"Sure, what did you have in mind?" I was eager to get her into the studio.
"I want to do a duet with you. Do you know the song "King and Lionheart" by Of Monsters and Men?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Hell yes, this is going to be amazing!" Seth's palm slapped the table. Lily jumped, and I laughed. Seth's enthusiasm for music never ceased to amaze me.
"Yes, I love that song. That's the song you want to sing with me?" I couldn't help the grin that spread across my damn mug.
"Yes, I think… I think we'd be good together. Don't you?" Her gaze found mine, and I heard the second meaning behind her question.
"I can't think of anything better." Her full lips pulled into a stunning smile, and I felt my chest fill with something I couldn't place. It felt damn good though.
THE RAIN POURED DOWN onto my windshield, blocking the view of my condo's front door. I'd just gotten back from dropping off Lily so she could get ready for work. The radio played loudly as I sat in my driveway trying to comprehend everything that had happened today. This morning ran through my mind – Lily's soft body against mine, and her crazy copper curls everywhere. My body started to respond to the images, and damn if I could help it. I needed to focus on our studio time. Lily's voice was like clear blue water, and I wanted to listen to her every damn day. Our voices together — it was fucking magic. We planned time for tomorrow to practice our duet and a few of her original songs. I was just about to head inside when my phone vibrated.
I opened the locked screen and noticed I'd missed a text from Elizabeth earlier and I had a new text from Lily. I smiled at my phone. Seeing Lizzie's name didn't cause the pain it used to; instead, my chest filled with the warm feeling from earlier as I opened my phone to read Lily's text. Liz's text could wait.
Lily: Thank you for today.
I tapped out a quick text back.
Me: Red, that was all you.
Lily: I'm pretty sure you were there, too. It takes two to tango you know. =)
I laughed.
Me: I meant the studio. Get your mind out of the gutter
Lily: Duh, that's what I meant, perv… Don't call me, Red. See you tonight, boss. xoxo
I shook my head with a small grin on my face. I'll call her whatever the hell I wanted, and she'd like it.
Me: You haven't seen perverted yet, baby. See you soon.
All I could think was how I couldn't wait to taste her again. How I hoped I could have some one-on-one time with her at work. Shit, I was so screwed. Groaning, I shoved the truck door open and ran to the porch. Once inside, I shook the rainwater from my hair like a wet dog.
"You're moping that shit up." Seth's even tone drew my attention to the couch. He was eating a bowl of cereal, most likely Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Puffs. That guy was such a kid sometimes.
"Snack time?"
"Fuck yes, this man's gotta eat." Seth's mouth turned into a crooked shit-eating grin right before he shoveled in a bite from his bowl. I laughed out loud.
"You're so damn weird," I said through heavy laughter that had my stomach muscles aching. I kicked my shoes off onto the tile entryway. "I need to hurry and get ready for work. You coming down tonight?" I asked as I walked to my bedroom door.
"Possibly…" Seth's eyes didn't meet mine. Blue was his go to spot to pick up chicks, but lately he'd been mixing up his stomping grounds. He never brought chicks home though, never dated, never showed more interest than one night, really. I thought I had trust issues with women; he's issues were deeper than I could probably comprehend. As good at the game as we both were, I was so tired of it.
I already knew the answer, but I wanted to ask. I wanted to hope for his sake, that maybe just once, he'd say yes. "You think you'll actually pick up a chick and want to keep her around?"
"I'm going to go ahead and say not likely." His dark blue eyes narrowed before he stood brusquely. "I'll see you though, probably round eleven. You better get ready; you don't want to be late." He wouldn't look at me. He just stared at the quiet television. I took that as my dismissal.
"See you then, man." I opened the door to my room.
"Hey, Todd?" Seth's voice was tight like he was trying to hold back some sort of emotion. For a split second, I worried that I'd pissed him off. Seth was like a brother to me. He was there for me in my darkest hour even though he himself fought demons. Raised by just his father, abandoned by his mother, dirt poor for most his life — yeah, he had issues.
"Yeah?"
"That Lily chick… she seems… cool. You going to be all right? You think you got this one handled?" Seth's eyes met mine, and I nodded.
"I hope so. She's pretty amazing so far." I held his stare and smiled.
"I'm not gonna lie. You look really stupid when you smile like that." His lips twitched with suppressed laughter.
"You're an asshole, bro." I almost wanted to pop him in the jaw, but I didn't want to be late for work.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lily
THE BAR WAS DEAD, LIKE POST-APOCALYPTIC dead. There were maybe six people all together, and Jace was lingering at a table with four platinum blondes. Jace poured on his natural charm thickly. The girls giggled and ate up every word he was spewing. Barf. At this point, I almost wished a pack of zombies would break through the front window. At least then this horror show I was watching unfold would end.
"I hate that guy sometimes," Tiffany spoke quietly next to me. Even though Band of Horses played overhead, the room felt pretty quiet.
"Sometimes?" I lifted my left eyebrow in question.
"Hey, I'm not the one who went on a date with him." Tiff poked me in the arm with her tiny index finger.
"Ow, that hurt!" I chuckled. "You're strong for being so tiny, and, for the record, I didn't know better at the time."
"Right?" It was her turn to giggle. "Oh my God, I wonder if Todd will let me go home early. It's so dead?" She pushed off the back of the bar.
"I bet he'd let you."
"I bet he would if you asked." She placed her hand on her hip and looked at me with a skeptical smirk.
"What does that mean?" I asked with just enough incredulity in my tone I almost laughed.
"It means that if we're going to be best friends, which I thought we were…" She put her hand to her heart as if injured. "…I wouldn't be the last to know that my best friend was the daughter of Frank's ex-wife and was screwing the hot boss man. I need to know these things, Lil. I need to know." Her big hazel eyes opened wide when I gasped at her words. "You
are! You little slut, I'm right. I love this. I must have every juicy detail. Please, I haven't had a date in months. I need to live vicariously through you."
She gave me such a serious look I couldn't stay mad at her for her 'little slut' comment. I wasn't ready to talk about Todd though. It was all so new, and I wasn't even sure what we were yet. Honestly, this morning was the best morning of my life — this day was everything. Todd hadn't fixed the broken pieces I handed him today. No, he pulverized them, turned them to dust as if those pieces had never needed to be part of me any longer. I could tell that once Todd let someone in — gave all of who he was — it would be game over. I just hoped I could find the way there with him. He was a rollercoaster, and my feelings for him were building like a storm on a hot day on the Florida coast. The heavy passion we carried would be hard to bear alone. I wanted to be part of his life, living it with him, seeing where this crazy ride could take us.
A slow smile broke across my lips.
"Okay, what? Why are you smiling like that, Lil?" Tiffany's eyes were full of amusement, the laugh lines next to her eyes creased.
"I think I really like him." My gaze dropped, talking about my feelings out loud made me feel silly.
"Yeah?" Tiffany giggled.
"Yeah. Today was amazing. We went to the studio and sang together. It was there, sharing that experience with him… It sort of made me fall in crush with him."
"In crush with him?" Tiff's laughter was full bodied now. The tiny frame of her shoulders shook with humor. "Awe, that's so cute."
"What's cute?" Jace's voice penetrated the air and ruined my good mood.
I didn't want to be out here any longer. "Hey, I'm going to take a break for a minute. Want me to ask Todd if you can go home early?"
"That would be great." Tiffany beamed up at me.
"Asking the boss for favors already? Things must have gone well for you today." Jace's tone was accusatory.
"Excuse me?" I didn't miss what he was implying.
"I'm just saying… you must be pretty talented. Todd's never been one to dole out record deals to just anyone. Your mouth must be gifted. I'm bummed I missed out, but I didn't have record deals to give, did I?" His tone was mocking.
Before I could even process the insult, a deep voice boomed from across the bar top.
"Please tell me you didn't just fucking say what I think you did?"
I turned and saw Seth standing taller than I'd ever seen him stand; his jaw pulsed and his hands began to close into fists.
"Don't come in here trying to talk shit, Seth. This girl comes into this bar, blows through two guys already, and just happens to know Frank personally too. Come on…?"
"I didn't blow through anything, you asshole. I went on one date with you and that was it! Don't try and make it sound like I'm some sort of slut." My head pounded with a furious heartbeat.
"Hey, I'm not the one who went out on a date and just a few days later is getting fucked by the boss."
Tiffany gasped and shoved Jace as livid tears started to fill my eyes.
"What the hell, Tiffany! Don't freaking touch me." Jace grabbed Tiff's small arm with force and shoved her to the side to get closer to me, causing her tiny frame to slam into the wood of the counter. She cried out in pain.
Seth's lithe frame came across the bar and grabbed Jace's shirt with one hand and the back of his head with the other bringing Jace's head down in one swift powerful motion onto the surface of the bar. The sound Jace's skull made when it met the wood counter top made my heart stop. His body fell to the floor into the fetal position. One of the girls from the table shrieked in fear, and the other said she was going to call the cops.
Jace cursed loudly, and I took a deep breath. At least he wasn't unconscious. He looked at me with such disgust, as blood trickled from his forehead, and his eyes seemed unfocused.
"Go get Todd, Lily! Tiff go with her. This motherfucker's gonna—"
"Seth, don't. Just leave it." Tiffany looked at Seth imploringly.
"Babe, he touched you. He said that shit to Todd's girl. I can't let… just go." The muscles in his arms flexed.
Tiffany and I ran to the back to get Todd.
What the hell had just happened?
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Todd
LILY AND TIFF PUSHED THROUGH MY office door and started rattling off about what was going on out front.
"Wait, he said what to you?" I cursed under my breath as I stood and my shoulders tensed. If Seth didn't kill him for touching Tiff — he had a soft spot for that little sprite — I'd definitely mess him up for saying that shit to Lily.
"Todd, just go help. Someone called 911." Tiffany looked as if her whole world was falling apart. Jace must have really scared her.
"You guys stay back here. I got this handled. Stay," I ordered again when they both looked as if they were about to argue. Lily nodded and wrapped her arm around Tiff. The last thing I heard before all hell broke loose was Lily consoling Tiffany. The sound of breaking glass had me running to the front of the bar.
The bar was empty; the customers must have hightailed it out of here. I wouldn't blame them; the place was trashed, and glass was everywhere. Jace and Seth looked like they were in a cage match; both were shirtless and covered in blood. Jace was obviously worse for wear. He swayed as if he were about to fall.
"Seth, that's enough. The cops are coming." The sound of police sirens started to build.
Seth dropped his defensive stance and wiped sweat from his forehead. "You're lucky, motherfucker."
Jace's smile turned wicked. "You win, boss. I was hoping to get a piece of that hot little body…" I was on the edge of losing it; my fists ached to connect to his jaw. "…but you got there first, didn't you. That mouth… Well damn, I almost had it wrapped around my—"
Seth's fist smacked violently into Jace's skull, knocking the asshole out cold just as the cops busted through the front door.
Shit!
THIS NIGHT COULDN'T GET any worse. Seth was arrested for assault and battery; Jace was in the hospital with a concussion; I had to close the bar early, and I would have to keep it closed tomorrow as well to repair the damage those two idiots had caused. Frank flipped his lid at first when I called and told him what had originally happened. I explained to him what Jace had done. He officially fired him and said Seth was allowed free drinks for a month. I sent Tiffany with money from my savings to bail Seth out, and now Lily and I were sitting on my couch awaiting their arrival. She was pretty messed up over the whole ordeal.
"I feel responsible," she spoke, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Don't. He shouldn't have said that to you. He shouldn't have hurt Tiffany. He deserved what he got." I cringed remembering how I had once slapped Liz out of anger. I was so drunk that night; it was the first time I had seen her with Sawyer. I couldn't see past the betrayal I'd felt, all I saw was his body embraced around what I thought was mine. My fucking heart was broken that night — smashed into fragments. I'd put everything into her, into that one hope, and to see it fall away from me… It fucking broke me. When she told me she was with him, I lost all my sensibility and acted impulsively. Nothing I could do or say justified my actions. I was a piece of shit for hitting her. I would regret that day till the day I died. I'd never ever thought I'd be a guy that could hit a woman, but I had. My chest started to ache with the memory. Who the hell was I to judge Jace?
"What's the matter?" Lily's worry made my guilt turn in my stomach. Elizabeth and Sawyer had forgiven me, but I'd never forgive myself for that lapse in control.
"Nothing." I stood from the couch and Lily's concerned gaze. I grabbed my phone to check the time.
"Don't lie to me, Todd. What's up?" Lily asked in a soft voice.
I didn't want to get into tonight. "Listen, I made a big mistake once, okay? Nothing you need to worry about. This night, it's just messing with my head, baby." I sat back down on the couch, leaned in, and kissed her gently on the lips.
She pull
ed away. "Tell me." Lily's eyes penetrated mine. I was terrified to lose the chance with her. We were barely starting. "I'm here… with you. I've told you my biggest sin. What's yours?"
Her face held no judgment as I told her about the night I hit Liz. I wasn't sure how much I should tell her about my relationship with Elizabeth. I loved her so much and for so long, I didn't think Lily would understand. I wanted her to like Lizzie, not look at her as a threat.
"So you were jealous?" she asked.
"It was more than that, Lily. I used to love Elizabeth…" Lily sucked in a ragged breath. "Used to, babe. She was all I ever knew. I grew up with her, remember how I told you?" She nodded. "She was who I thought I'd end up with, but I didn't. I messed up a lot back then, and I don't want to lie to you, it's not fair to you. But yeah, I was in love with her."
It was quiet. The room felt hot, the space between us seemed to widen, and I thought I could physically feel her emotionally pulling away from me. Lily's eyes cast down, and I watched as her chest moved in and out deeply. "Look at me." I lightly pulled her chin up; her eyes hesitantly met mine. "I loved her once, yes, that's true, that's how I am. When I fucking love someone, it's fierce and real. I lost myself in that girl, but I've moved on." I took her face between my hands. "I need you to hear me. I moved on, Lily. I'm ready. I'm ready, and I can already feel myself getting lost in you, in your fucking eyes every time I look at you. In your voice, in who you are. I can already tell this is going to hurt, but I want it. I want the risk. I haven't wanted that in so long, but I fucking want it with you. So trust me."
Lily's eyes filled with tears I placed my lips on the corner of her mouth, kissing her easily. My lips eased up her jaw to her ear. "Trust me," I whispered.
She exhaled deeply before she spoke. I pulled away so I could look into her eyes, the eyes I couldn't stop thinking about. "I trust you." She smiled quietly.
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