This for That (Edge Of Retaliation, #1)

by Jewel, Bella

  She doesn’t care.

  That’s fine with me.

  “It was a great night. You did amazing,” I tell her as we turn and walk to my car.

  I pull out my keys and unlock it, then turn to Andrea, who is watching me with a smile on her face.

  “Are you still coming on Saturday night?” she asks me.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m bringing my friend Jo; it should be great. Tanner invited me to another party at his place after it, so no doubt the night will get messy.”

  She laughs. “It will if you’re with Tanner and the boys. They party hard, but they’re a bunch of fun.”

  “Well, I better get going before I fall asleep standing. Thanks, Andrea. It was a great night.”

  She smiles and says, “Be careful getting home.”

  When she’s gone, I get into the car and drive back to the apartment. I don’t know if Jo is there or not, but I know I’ll be falling straight into bed as soon as I get in.

  I walk up the front steps once I’m parked, digging around in my purse for the keys. After a few minutes, I come up empty. Oh no. Did I leave my keys at work? I use the flashlight on my phone to search again, but they’re not here.

  Frustrated, and wondering how the hell I forgot them, as they’re usually in my bag, I go to the spare key location. Jo is terrible for leaving her keys places, so she showed me her secret spare key spot, which is in the garden under a rock. It’s well hidden, and unless you were digging around for ages looking, you wouldn’t find it. You’d have to have some determination to do something like that.

  I find the spare and unlock the apartment, head in, and shower before dropping into bed. I text Tanner before I go to sleep, and he wishes me a good night, with a whole lot of sexy talk beforehand. My heart flutters and I smile as I drift off into a nice sleep.

  I wake to the sound of a door creaking.

  For a moment, I wonder if Jo is home, maybe her and Pat had a fight? I sit up in bed and call out her name, but nobody comes in. A door creaks again. This time it’s mine. I see a dark shadowy figure in the doorway, and my whole body freezes. “Jo?” I say again. “Is that you?”

  The figure disappears.

  There’s someone in my house.

  My heart races and I feel like my whole body has gone into frozen mode. I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I can’t do anything but stare at the slightly opened door, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do. My fingers tremble as I turn to reach for my phone. Something smashes in the kitchen.

  Oh God.

  I grab my phone and fumble to unlock it, dialing Tanner. His sleepy voice answers after a few rings. “Everything okay, darlin’?”

  “There is someone in my house,” I whisper, terrified.

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “I heard someone come in, there was a crashing sound, and I saw them at the door. I’m scared.”

  “Are you sure it’s not Jo?” he asks me, and I can hear him rustling around.

  “I’m positive.”

  “Okay, sit tight. I’ll be right there.”

  I don’t move, my eyes firmly fixed on the door, just waiting for someone to bust through and do something horrible. Is this the person who has been tormenting me? Are they here to make things worse? Or is it someone else? Someone just breaking and entering? How come I didn’t hear them trying to get in? How did they even get in? So many questions, all of them I’ll answer when Tanner is here and I’m safe.

  I reach over and I take the lamp from the bedside table. It isn’t much, but if someone comes in here, I’ll be able to, at the very least, fight a little.

  Then, I just sit tight like he told me, eyes on the door, and I wait.

  I wait and I wait.

  I don’t hear any noises until finally, about ten minutes later, I hear Tanner’s truck arrive and a moment later, the lights in my house are flicking on and he appears in my doorway. I didn’t realize just how scared I was until this moment. I close my eyes and my bottom lip trembles. I release the lamp and it falls onto my bed. Someone was in my house; anything could have happened. I take a deep breath and get it together, and then I open my eyes to see Tanner standing at the end of my bed, wearing a pair of denim jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

  “Couldn’t see anyone out there, but I want you to sit here so I can search the place, okay?”

  “Okay,” I whisper.

  He disappears, and then about five minutes later, comes in and tells me, “Darlin’, there is nothing to indicate anyone was in your house. No broken windows. Nothing seemingly stolen or smashed. Are you sure you weren’t dreaming and just became disorientated?”

  “No, no, I was wide awake. I heard something crash out there. I saw a figure in my door. I’m sure of it, Tanner.”

  He nods. “Well, your front door was unlocked, so if someone came in, it’s possible they just left the same way. Doesn’t make a great deal of sense, though. Why would someone come in here and do nothing?”

  Because someone is messing with me.

  Someone is trying to send me over the edge.

  Someone is playing games.

  “I don’t know,” I whisper. “I do know I locked that front door.”

  “You sure?”

  I try to think back. I was really tired. I remember looking for the spare key. I remember coming in, but maybe I didn’t lock the door behind me. No matter how much I wrack my brain. I can’t seem to remember if I did or if I didn’t.

  “I don’t know,” I say, my voice low. “But I wasn’t imagining that, I swear it.”

  He nods, and walks over to the bed, kicking off his boots and grabbing his shirt and pulling it up and over his head.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, bringing the blanket to my chest.

  “Babe, I’m not going to leave you here alone. Might as well get comfortable.”

  “In here,” I say, my voice dropping lower at the thought of what might happen. “With me?”

  He grins. “Yeah, in there, with you.”

  Oh, boy.

  This should be interesting.

  21

  NOW – CALLIE

  “Yeah,” Tanner growls, fingers tangled in my hair, pulling just enough to send a pleasant sting through my scalp. “Fuck yeah, baby. That’s it.”

  I slide my mouth up and down his hard cock, taking him in and out, relaxing my throat just like he encouraged me. I’m loving every second of this, from the way he growls every few seconds, to the way his cock feels in my mouth. The silky-smooth skin allows me to glide easily. One hand is cupping his balls, which are tight as he gets closer to his release, the other hand is propping myself up just slightly on the bed.

  He’s guiding me, thrusting his hips to match the bobbing of my head, making me so damned horny I want to burst.

  “I can’t hold on,” he moans, his big hands tightening in my hair. “I’m going to come, Callie.”

  With a feral hiss, warm spurts of cum hit the back of my throat. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I take it willingly, loving that I brought such pleasure to him. He hisses and his back arches, his legs tightening either side of my head, and man, it’s the best damned feeling in the world.

  When every last drop is drained from him, he releases me, and I push up onto my elbows, looking over at him. His big chest looks incredibly inviting in the dull light of the lamp, and his muscles make me want to run my tongue over every one of them just to taste his skin, and feel the hard ridges beneath my tongue.

  “That was fuckin’ incredible,” he murmurs. “For someone who hasn’t done much, you’re certainly a natural.”

  I smile and slide up his body, pressing my lips against his skin as I go. He runs his hand over my naked body as I move, and when I reach him, I look down. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

  He studies me for a few seconds, and then says, “Yeah, yeah. Everything is going perfectly.”

  “Thanks for coming to my rescue tonight,” I say to him, rolli
ng off his body and snuggling into his arm when he holds it out for me.

  “Welcome,” he murmurs.

  “I hope it was okay that I called you.”

  He squeezes me a little. “Yeah, was fine. I’m sure you don’t have many people to call at this time of the night.”

  “I do have one really good friend, but I’m not sure I’d call him without good reason.”

  “Him?” Tanner asks, rolling to his side and looking at me.

  I laugh softly. “Yeah, he has a penis. Shocking, I know.”

  Tanner grins. “As long as he doesn’t use that penis in or around you, we’re good.”

  “Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?”

  Tanner leans forward, brushing his lips across mine, “I’m not done with you yet, so yeah, I’m not sharin’.”

  Damn. “Well, you don’t have to worry. He’s just a friend.”

  “How did you meet him?” Tanner asks, running his fingers through my hair.

  “Oh, I’ve known him for about six years. We just kind of met and became friends. He’s, ah, helped me through some things.”

  Tanner’s eyes scan my face. “Feel like there’s always somethin’ you’re not telling me.”

  He’s right. There is.

  That something is big and full on.

  “We’re still strangers, in the grand scheme of things. Give it time. We’ll get to all the nitty gritty when the time is right.”

  “Mmmm,” he murmurs, “You’re right. We will.”

  “What about you, Tanner? Are there any girls I should be worried about?”

  “Not currently,” he says, and I shove him in the chest, making him grin.

  “Have you had many relationships?”

  He shrugs. “I’ve had a few—longest being about five years. Hard when you’re away all the time. Not many women want to deal with that.”

  Makes sense. I know because I’m certainly sure I wouldn’t have found a partner being locked away for as long as I was. “Did you enjoy being in the military?” I ask him.

  He nods. “Yeah, I loved it.”

  “Why did you quit?”

  “My service was up; my family needed me; I had things to clean up here. I came home, decided to work the garage with my friends, and it just worked out how it worked out.”

  “You’re all really close?”

  He studies me, his eyes scanning over my face. “Yeah, we are. We really are. We’d do anything for each other, anything at all.”

  “I’m glad you have that.”

  He makes a hmmm sound and then leans forward, kissing me slowly, deeply, making my skin prickle. “Are you ready for round three?”

  I laugh.

  Oh, I’m ready.

  I’m more than ready.

  “WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL me straight away?” Ethan grumbles, walking around my house, his eyes scanning every inch of it.

  “Because I didn’t want to worry you, and I was okay, just scared.”

  He stops and turns, looking at me, his eyes narrowed. “This is starting to get out of control, Callie. Someone is targeting you. I think we need to start considering who that might be.”

  “I’ve thought about it a lot. The only thing I can think of is that it is either Sophie or Jessika, or possibly even my stepsisters, considering I found that note on my car the night I was visiting them. They probably think it’s funny to traumatize me.”

  “I think you need to look more into Sophie and Jessika. It might be time you go and see them.”

  I exhale. “Yeah, I’m thinking so, too.”

  “What about this new man you’re seeing?” Ethan asks.

  I blink. “Tanner?”

  “Yeah. What do you know about him?”

  “Ethan, come on. This isn’t anything to do with Tanner, and everything to do with you not liking Tanner.”

  “Those boys have a reputation.”

  “So do I; it doesn’t make me a bad person.”

  Ethan’s jaw clenches, and I know there is more to this. I was hoping there wasn’t, but I know now that there is. Ethan has feelings for me; it’s written all over his face. I can’t say I blame him. I spent years having the same feelings for him, but eventually, I accepted nothing would ever happen between us and I moved on from it. He obviously hasn’t done that, and it makes me wonder why now he’s suddenly coming out with it. Is it because he knows we could actually be together now if we wanted to?

  “There is more to this,” I say carefully, not wanting to make things any worse.

  Ethan is important to me. He’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I don’t want to risk losing him, but I have to clear this up so we don’t spend forever with this between us.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he murmurs, his eyes flickering away.

  “Ethan, come on. Ever since I told you about Tanner, I haven’t seen you. I know you’re upset. You haven’t even forced me to run in the last week...”

  “You hated it,” he mutters.

  “It didn’t stop you, though. Please, just talk to me.”

  “I don’t like Tanner, Callie. I don’t trust him. I don’t like the crowd he is hanging around with.”

  “You’ve never met him,” I say, in Tanner’s defense. “You’re judging purely off what you have heard. I called him last night, when someone was in this house, and he was here in a second. He stayed with me to make sure I wasn’t alone. He was there for me, he was kind, and he took care of me. I don’t see the bad side in him. He’s rough, sure, but he’s been good to me so far.”

  Ethan’s eyes flash. “You’re letting him stay over now.”

  “Ethan . . .”

  “I have to go.”

  “Ethan! Stop! Will you just talk to me?” I cry, frustrated.

  He spins around when he reaches the door, and says, “I have feelings for you, Callie. Is that what you want to hear? I have feelings that aren’t dying off anytime soon. I thought maybe you felt the same, but I was clearly wrong.”

  “Ethan,” I say carefully. “You’re my best friend. You got me through the worst part of my life, and I couldn’t have done it without you. If I’m being honest, yes, I had feelings for you. For years, I fantasized about the two of us being together, but I figured you didn’t feel the same so I got over it. I didn’t know you wanted anything more.”

  “You were in prison, Callie! What would you have had me do? Tell you I had developed feelings for you, and then what? What would we have done?”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered that we couldn’t do anything. If I had known, I may have waited. Hell, I may have lost feelings for you by the time I got out. I can’t know what would have happened. All I know is now, it’s different. I’m sorry, Ethan.”

  “You feel nothing now? Nothing at all?”

  “No, I don’t feel nothing at all. You’re so important to me. My life is incomplete without you. So no, I don’t feel nothing, but I’m not interested in a relationship, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  He studies me, then says, “Give me a chance. At the very least, let me take you out. Don’t you think you owe me that, after everything I’ve done for you?”

  “I didn’t know you saw it as me owing you something,” I mutter, crossing my arms, “I thought you helped me because you truly believed that I deserved it. Thanks for clearing that up. You can leave now.”

  “Callie,” he says, but I turn and walk off down the hall.

  With a frustrated growl, he slams the door.

  I walk into my room and a moment later, Jo appears. Judging by the look on her face, she heard everything.

  “Well,” she says, leaning against the doorframe in her floral pajamas that she rocks, even with bed hair, “that didn’t go well, yeah?”

  “Yeah,” I mutter.

  “Did you know he had feelings for you?”

  “I suspected it,” I admit. “I just didn’t realize he wanted to take things further.”

  “Do you still have any feelings for him at all
?”

  “Not romantic ones,” I tell her. “I mean, if I hadn’t met Tanner and Ethan had told me about his feelings, I would have probably explored them, yes, but I’m kind of hooked on Tanner right now, so the chance to be with Ethan has gone.”

  “That’s fair enough. You don’t have to justify yourself. He didn’t tell you.”

  “I mean, I didn’t tell him when I had feelings for him, either.”

  “You were in prison, honey. It’s a little different.”

  “Yeah, maybe. Either way, I’m worried this will ruin our friendship. I don’t want it to, I really don’t.”

  “He’ll be okay,” she tells me. “He’ll come good. I also overheard you saying someone was in here last night. Why didn’t you call me? I got home this morning, I had no idea...I would have come home immediately if you needed me.”

  “I didn’t even think. I called Tanner. He didn’t find anything, but the front door was unlocked.”

  “Did you leave it open?”

  “I don’t think I did... I didn’t have my keys, I left them at work, so I had to use the spare. Maybe I was really tired and did leave it unlocked.”

  “Ethan was right; this is getting a little concerning now. . .”

  “We don’t know it was anyone out to get me. It could have been anyone . . .”

  “Still, I have a bad feeling about this. I think you need to go to the police again, tell them you’re concerned.”

  “I have no proof of anything, Jo. Nothing at all.”

  “Then we need to start looking into it more. I’ll help you.”

  That’s a relief, I won’t lie. I’m overwhelmed with the information I’m trying to get right now. It brings everything back to the surface, and reminds me not only do I have that problem on my hands, but I still have to track down Chase and find out what happened between him and Celia.

  “I’m going to see Jessika and Sophie to start with. I think that’s the best place to begin.”

  Jo nods. “I did find out Sophie still lives close by, her parents moved away but I found out through a mutual friend that she’s not far away from here now; I’m not sure about Jess, but a Facebook search should get us somewhere.”