by Laura Lee
“What am I doing here?” she shrieks. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working.”
Adam blanches. “Uh...no. I’m not.”
The blonde speaks up. “Honey, are you going to introduce me?”
“Honey?” Rainey repeats. “Adam, what’s going on?”
I gently tug on her arm. “Rainey, maybe you two should take this outside?”
“Excuse me, what is going on here?” The blonde stands, revealing an obvious baby bump. My hand is still on Rainey’s forearm, so I can feel the tension in her body ramping up even more when she notices it. “Would you care to tell me why you’re interrupting my anniversary dinner with my husband?”
Now Rainey’s speechless as she homes in on the woman’s pregnant belly. Tears gather in her eyes, triggering every instinct in my body to want to shield her from this somehow.
“Husband?” Rainey chokes out, in barely more than a whisper.
The blonde glares. “Yes, my husband.”
Dr. Dickhead finally joins the conversation. He stands up and gently pulls on the woman’s arm. “Norah, sit down. Rainey and I know each other from the hospital.”
“The hospital,” Rainey scoffs, as she wipes away tears. “I can’t...I can’t deal with this right now.”
Rainey quickly spins around, practically knocking me over as she runs for the exit.
“Rainey, wait—” Adam calls.
Rainey is almost out the door, so I need to hurry, but not before giving this douche a piece of my mind.
“You never fucking deserved her.”
The guy actually has the nerve to give me a condescending smirk. I don’t even consider my actions before my fist cocks back and slams directly into his face. His wife screams, and the entire restaurant is now buzzing with the scene we’ve caused.
Adam goes down, with his hand over his bloody face. “You broke my nose, you asshole!”
Charlee pops her head out to see what the commotion is about. I don’t have time to explain, so I give her an apologetic nod before running after Rainey.
Chapter Twenty
RAINEY
“Rainey, wait!” Brody yells from behind me.
I keep walking, needing to put as much distance as possible between myself and Adam. I pry my engagement ring off my finger and throw it down the sidewalk, as it’s now a useless piece of shit, and I can’t stand having it on me any longer.
Brody finally catches up with me. “Hey, are you okay?”
I give him a what do you think look. “Fucking peachy.”
I pick up my pace even more, swiping angrily at my tears. “God, how could I have been so fucking stupid?”
Brody pulls on my elbow, halting my steps. “Hey, don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself for this.”
“Go ahead, get the I told you so out of the way.”
He puts his hands on my shoulders and crouches down so we’re eye-to-eye. “Princess, listen to me. You did nothing wrong. This isn’t your fault. How could you have known?”
I throw my hands up and release a sardonic laugh. “That’s the best part! It all makes sense now! I’ve felt that something was wrong for a long time, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. But now...now that I know the truth, all the signs were right in front of my face. He’s married, Brody! And he’s having another kid! How could I have not known that? We’ve been together for years!”
Thank God my place is only a few blocks away because I need a drink. Or ten. I’d much rather wallow in misery in the comfort of my own home.
I stop when we reach the entrance to my building. “I’m just going to go upstairs and have a lengthy conversation with Jack and Jim.”
Brody frowns. “Rainey, I’m not comfortable leaving you alone right now.”
I don’t have the energy to bicker with him right now. “Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The elevator is taking too long so I take the stairs up all three flights with Brody hot on my heels. I head for the kitchen as soon as I’m inside my apartment and begin filling two shot glasses. I manage to down one before Brody can even close the door behind me.
He puts his hand over mine when I reach for another. “You should probably slow down there.”
I glare at him. “Brody, you’re either drinking with me or leaving. Your choice.”
“Honey, trust me, I’m all about having a good time but I don’t think drowning yourself in whiskey is the answer.”
I grab another glass out of the cabinet and pour two fingers of Jack Daniels. “Look. When I wake up tomorrow, my entire life is going to be different. The future that I thought I had is gone. I just want to forget about all of that shit for one night and I don’t need your unsolicited advice on the matter. Now, what’s it going to be? Are you joining me or are you leaving?”
He stares at me in silence for a bit. I don’t know what he’s trying to puzzle out in that genius brain of his, but he seems to figure it out soon enough. Brody nods resolutely, picks up a glass, and swallows the whiskey in one gulp.
I pick up the bottle to pour him another. “Good answer.”
Chapter Twenty-One
BRODY
For the record, I knew this was a shitty idea from the start. In my experience, bad things happen when a woman is both angry and drunk. But Rainey was determined and the alternative of leaving her alone didn’t appeal to me at all. Now, here we are, many shots later, and fuck if I know where to go from here. I’m buzzed...but Rainey is sloshed. She can’t decide if she wants to laugh or cry. Sometimes she does both. Even worse, when she’s not doing either, she’s getting...flirty. My head keeps telling me to ignore it—that this woman is upset—but Thor is definitely enjoying the fact that whiskey apparently makes Rainey a bit frisky. When she reaches out to rub my leg, again, I know I need to distract her.
“We should watch a movie,” I suggest.
“You want to Netflix and chill?” She looks way too excited about that.
I jolt off the couch and head to the kitchen to grab some water. The sooner she gets sobered up, the better.
I walk back into the room and hand her the bottle. “Just Netflix. NO chill.”
She pouts in the most adorable way. “Party pooper.”
I grab the remote, silently telling my dick to calm the fuck down as I rejoin her on the couch. “80’s movies are your thing, right? Pick your poison.”
Rainey throws herself back into the couch with flourish. “I don’t care. Pick something.”
Meow!
What the hell? I jump when a brown ball of fur lands on my lap and digs its claws into my legs.
“Jesus fuck! Where did that thing come from?”
Rainey picks up the little striped cat and cradles it to her chest. “That thing, is my baby. He must’ve been sleeping in my bedroom.” She starts giving the cat a full body rub down and the fucker couldn’t look happier about it. I never thought I’d be jealous of an animal, yet, you may as well just color me green.
“You love me don’t you, Maverick? We don’t need a stupid man in our lives when we have each other.”
Her eyes fill with tears again as she peppers the cat’s head with kisses, so I try diverting her train of thought. “You named your cat Maverick? Let me guess...Top Gun?”
She smiles as he butts his furry head against hers. “I did. It’s perfect for him, don’t you think? He’s such a stud. All the lady kitties in the pound had their eyes on him.”
Um, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t matter if she named the cat, Dog, but I stay on course. I’d rather have her pissed off at me than sad. “I suppose it’s a fitting name for a pussy.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, c’mon, you named your cat after Tom Cruise?”
“No,” she says, scowling. “I named him after his character, Lieutenant Pete Mitchell, who happens to be a god amongst men.”
“I’m pretty sure gods are supposed to be taller than five-four.”
She gasps. “Take it back,
Brody! Take it back right now!”
I smirk. “Nope.”
“I said take it back!”
She reaches out and twists my nipple through my shirt. “Sonuvabitch! What the hell, Rainey?”
She holds her fingers up threateningly. “There’s more where that came from.”
“Honey, if you want to play with my nipples, by all means, go ahead. Just remember turnabout’s fair play.”
Okay, in hindsight, not the best choice of words.
Her face instantly morphs into one of contemplation. And unmistakable interest. Shit. On any other day, I’d be ecstatic, but today’s probably the worst day possible for her to start granting wishes. One second, Rainey’s fine ass is perched on the couch cushions. In the next, it’s on my lap. I’m frozen in shock as she straddles me and moans when she feels how fucking excited my dick is right now.
Yes, I have a hard-on already—I’ve had a semi pretty much the entire time we’ve been here. It took about zero-point-two seconds to go from half-mast to full sail once she jumped on top of me. Don’t give me that look; she may be distraught, but she’s still fuckhot, and I’m a dude.
“Rainey, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing, Brody?”
“This is a really bad idea,” I say, as she starts placing kisses along my jaw. “You don’t really want to do this right now.”
She pulls back with a smirk. “Oh, but I think I do.” In a move so fast it would make the Flash jealous, she pulls the tie on the side of her dress loose, causing the top half to pool around her waist. Now, Rainey’s tits are right in front of my face, barely encased in a lacy bra that blends in with her creamy skin.
“Fuck me,” I mutter. I grab her hips with bruising force to stop her from grinding into me again.
“That’s the idea, Brody.”
“Rainey, stop.” I’m dying to look down—because hello, her nipples are mere inches from my face—but I refuse to break eye contact, so she knows how serious I am. I should get some sort of award for my willpower right now.
She places her hands on each side of my jaw. “Brody, shut up.” In the next moment, her full lips are against mine, and her tongue is trying to force its way into my mouth.
Jesus Christ. She’s sitting on top of me—tits out—and I can feel the warmth from her pussy through my jeans. I swear to God her nipples are begging for my mouth. A man can only take so much. It’s not my proudest moment, but I kiss her back with every ounce of sexual frustration that’s been building between us over the years. She tastes so sweet that I could get drunk off of this alone.
She pulls my hair and rolls her hips as I take control of the kiss. My hands make their way up her ribcage until my thumbs are resting right below her perfect tits, testing their weight. There’s a buzzing in the back of my head that’s telling me not to go any further, but Rainey’s not having any part of that. She covers each one of my hands with her own and brings them to her chest. Instinct takes control as I begin kneading until her nipples are so hard they’re practically slicing through my palms. We moan into each other’s mouths. Our hands roam while the lower halves of our bodies grind against each other. Motherfuck, I forgot how awesome dry humping can be. I haven’t done this since high school, and clearly, I’ve been missing out. Or maybe it just has something to do with the woman on my lap.
Rainey pulls away from my mouth and rests her forehead against mine. “God, Brody,” she pants.
“I know. Same fucking page, baby.” Thor is adamantly against it, but I manage to find the wherewithal to add, “But we can’t do this.”
Her entire body tenses as she glares at me. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve been trying to get in my pants for years!”
“I’m perfectly aware of that, princess. I’m also aware of the fact that you’re drunk and you’re hurting. I can be an asshole, but I’m not that much of an asshole.”
“You’d be a lot more convincing if your hands weren’t still on my ass.”
I pull my hands away. Rainey moves to the other end of the couch and angrily pulls her dress over her shoulders. I think Thor may actually be crying right now at the loss of such a beautiful sight.
“Whatever, Brody. I don’t want your pity fuck anyway.”
I risk moving closer when I see the pain in her eyes. I place my thumb under her chin, tilting it up. “Trust me, honey. Stopping that was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. As much as I want you—and fuck, do I want you—I’m not going to let you do anything tonight that you’ll regret. If you haven’t figured it out yet, you’re important to me. And if I ever get an opportunity like this again, it won’t be because you’re looking for a quick revenge fuck. Because I know that once I have you, once won’t even be close to enough. I’ve waited this long already; I’m perfectly fine with waiting some more until you’re in a better place.”
She sniffles. “Why did you have to say something so goddamn sweet? You’re supposed to be a crude, perpetually horny jackass!”
I smile softly. “Honey, I may be all those things—especially the horny part when you’re around—but I meant it when I said that you’re important to me. I may act like an idiot more often than not, and relentlessly give you shit, but I can be serious when it matters.”
Rainey considers that for a moment before sliding her body down until her head is resting on a throw pillow. “I’m sleepy.”
I flip the TV and light switch off so all that’s left is the moonlight filtering through the windows. She snuggles into the couch further as I lay a blanket over her. Soft snores hit my ears before I can even fully spread it out. I swipe her hair away from her face, careful not to wake her, and press my lips to her forehead.
“Goodnight, princess.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
RAINEY
I groan as sunlight assaults my eyeballs before glaring at whomever is pounding on my front door.
“Why is there a jackhammer going off in my brain?”
Knock. Knock.
“Hold your tits! I’m coming!”
“Lorraine, it’s me. Please open the door.”
Okay, I may feel a little bad for wishing horrible things would happen to the person behind the door when I hear Devyn’s voice. I roll off the couch to let her in. On my way, I see the small wastebasket from my bathroom sitting next to the couch along with two ibuprofens and a glass of water on the coffee table. I smile when I think of how considerate Brody was, but wince when the action makes my skull want to shatter.
“Fuck,” I grumble. “I’m never drinking again.”
I swallow the pills and say a little prayer that they make this pounding go away. I open the door and stumble back to my couch to lay down. Remaining upright takes too much work right now.
Devyn approaches the couch slowly and takes a seat in front of me on the coffee table. “Honey, I’m so sorry.”
I crack open an eye. “I take it Brody told you?”
She nods. “He called me first thing this morning. He didn’t want you to be alone when you woke up.”
“Well, at least he saved me the trouble of recapping the shitshow that was last night,” I mutter.
“Don’t be mad at him for saying something, Rainey. He’s genuinely concerned about you. He stayed awake all night in case you needed anything. He just left an hour ago.”
He did?
“Devyn, how could I have been so stupid? I don’t understand how he was living an entirely separate life with another woman. Where has she been every time I’ve been to his house? I don’t even know how long they’ve been together! He could’ve been cheating this entire time!” I choke back a sob when I remember something else. “She’s pregnant, Devyn! Not only is he already married, but he’s having another kid! Apparently, he did want another child...just not with me. I was the problem in that scenario.”
She brushes my hair away from my face. “You are not the problem in this scenario. That’s one-hundred percent Adam. I don’t
know how he pulled it off either, but none of it is your fault. He obviously covered his tracks well. From what Brody told me, he’s not going to get away with it on either end. He’d have to be really smooth to explain your confrontation without clueing her in to his affair.”
“He is really smooth, Dev. That’s part of the allure. Shit, there were so many signs—keeping our relationship a secret at the hospital...only being able to spend the entire night together once, maybe twice a week. We’ve been together for over three years and I’ve never met a single member of his family! He always had some excuse why we couldn’t visit them or why we shouldn’t move in together, and I let it slide every time. Hell, for all I know, every conference he’s had to attend has been made up. I never once doubted him enough to look into it.” I sit upright and gasp when I recall her last words. “Oh my God! I’m the mistress!” She pulls me into a hug when my tears break free. “That woman has everything I wanted. The worst part is that I can’t even hate her for it. She’s a victim in this, too. I feel so fucking stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, Rainey. Adam is a liar and an asshole.”
My phone buzzes on the side table. When I grab it, I see that I have an incoming text from Brody.
Brody: I’m not going to ask how you’re feeling because I already know the answer, but do you need anything? Say the word and I’m there.
Devyn raises a questioning eyebrow. I hold my phone out, so she can read his message. “Who knew Brody Harris had such a sweet side?” she says.
“He’s just trying to get in my pants,” I mutter. I leave out the embarrassing fact that he’d had the chance last night and rejected me. Jesus H, I can’t believe I tried humping his leg like a dog.
I type my reply.
Me: I’ll be fine. Devyn’s here right now. Thank you for last night.
Brody: No thanks necessary, honey.
Me: Seriously, Brody. I owe you.
Brody: You don’t owe me anything. I got to ogle your perfect tits—that’s all the thanks I need.
Despite the gravity of my situation, I actually laugh.