by JB Heller
Wait. What?
My gaze swings from Adley to Tia, then back and forth again. Tia’s slight blush from earlier is long gone, now replaced by full-on crimson. Her eyes are wide and panicked as she stares back at me. Then she spins on her heels and darts down the hall.
Yeah, I don’t fucking think so. I’m not two steps behind her as she attempts to close a door in my face. With my foot wedged just inside, she can’t get it shut and lets out a cute-as-fuck little growl. “Go away, Bates. I need a minute,” she says.
“Hell no,” I snap. “Let me in. We’re talking about this right now.”
“I don’t want to,” she whines.
I chuckle. “Well, too damn bad, because I do.” Giving the door a gentle nudge, it gives easily, and I push inside. Tia stands with her back to me as I close the door behind me with a soft click.
“It’s not what it sounds like, okay?” she says softly.
The need to be near her is overwhelming, so I move in until I can feel the heat of her body against my chest. Her scent is intoxicating, and I close my eyes, just breathing her in. My palms glide up and down the outside of her arms as I bury my face in the side of her neck, inhaling.
A full body tremor rolls through her, and her breath catches. “Bates,” she murmurs so softly I only just hear it.
My dick is hard as steel in my jeans, and I groan when she relaxes back against my chest, bringing her perfect ass in line with it. I swallow hard. This is not the time, nor place, for this shit to go down, but I want her so fucking bad.
Trailing my nose up the side of her throat, I suck her earlobe into my mouth, unable to resist tasting her just a little. She shivers then drops her head back against my shoulder. I lift mine until our eyes meet. God she’s beautiful.
“You fantasized about me?” I ask.
She swallows, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she nods.
Christ, there is something so fucking hot about that, knowing she’s thought about me before any of this even happened. I have questions. So many freaking questions. But now isn’t the time to ask them.
“One day, you’re going to tell me about them. Not today, but someday soon. Because I’m pretty sure I’ll die if you don’t,” I tell her.
A mischievous grin flashes across her face before she steps out of my hold and turns to face me. “You’re not mad?”
My eyes widen in surprise. “What? No. Why would I be mad?”
She averts her gaze, and I don’t fucking like it, so I grip her jaw and tip her head back, forcing her to look at me. “Why would I be mad?”
Tia shrugs. “Because now you know I’ve always been a fan and didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to be like the others. I didn’t want you to think I’m just another cleat chaser, after you for bragging rights or something. I wanted to be your friend more than I wanted in your pants.”
Brows furrowing, I tell her, “I’ve never thought of you like that.” It’s the God’s honest truth. Not once have I seen her as a desperate chick who just wanted my dick.
Her shoulders drop, and her eyes shine with unshed tears.
Shit. Fuck. What did I say?
My grip on her jaw tightens as panic floods my veins. “Baby, I’m sorry, don’t cry. It’s just, you’re better than all of those girls put together. I’ve always known it. You’re too good for my dumb ass.” I swipe a tear away with my thumb, wishing like hell I could fix whatever I just broke.
Her forehead wrinkles as her gaze searches mine, confusion written all over her pretty face. “W-what are you talking about?”
I brush my thumb over her cheek again, glad the waterworks have slowed. “Those women don’t know me. They don’t talk smack to my face or watch corny rom-coms with me. And I don’t want to do that shit with them. You’re the only woman I’ve hung out with who hasn’t tried to stick her hand down my pants.
“And I’ll admit, at first I was weirded out by it. But then, the more we hung out, the more I liked doing those things with you. Almost more than the meaningless sex.”
She arches a brow. “Almost?”
I shrug. “I have needs, woman. And you weren’t going to fulfill them. See, it’s practically like we’re in real relationship already. We talk, hang out. We occasionally eat together, you do my washing, and we don’t fuck.”
I am so confused right now. Ten minutes ago, I thought Bates was going to kiss me. Then the conversation took this rapid turn and sent me on an emotional rollercoaster ride. I’m honestly not sure which part of all that he just said to focus on first.
Regardless, I can’t keep the smile off my face.
Eventually, I ask, “So, you’re saying people in relationships don’t have sex?”
He gives me a duh look. “Pretty sure that’s how it goes. Like, there’s lots of fucking at the start, then it just peters out to nothing.”
I nod, going along with his assessment for the time being. “And you know this because you’ve been in so many long-term relationships?”
His nose crinkles. “What? No, you know I haven’t.”
“So, you know all this how?” I prod.
“I just do,” he says. “It’s, like, common knowledge or some shit.”
Again, I nod. “Ahh, I see. Bates, the relationship guru. How have we known each other this long and I had no idea you possessed such a firm grasp of the concept?”
“Are you making fun of me right now?” he asks, gaze narrowing.
I widen my eyes. “What? No, of course not.”
When he steps closer to me, I take one step back. He smirks and continues backing me up until he has me pinned against the wall. “I think you are.” He cages me in with his forearms on either side of my head then ducks down to my eye level.
I do my best to keep my expression neutral, but it’s hard—as is everything about the body held flush against mine. I lift my shoulder in a small shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just curious about how you came to know so much about relationships since you’ve never really been in one.”
“Simple,” he says. “I have eyes. Take Lenny and Arch, for example. They’re all up in each other’s business right now, but give it a few years, and they’ll be over it. Like my parents. They’ve been married for thirty-six years, and there’s no way they still bone.”
I burst out laughing. “How would you know?”
“Because, for one, that would be disgusting. And two, there’s no way my dad would be such a cranky son of a bitch if he was getting some on the regular.”
I guess I can kind of understand the second part of his logic there. Grinning up at him, I tell him, “Sorry to burst your bubble, big man, but my parents had been together for over twenty-five years, and they were still getting freaky frequently before my dad passed.”
His face contorts into a grimace. “How do you even know that?”
“This isn’t a big apartment, and the walls are thin—”
He mock gags. “That is so not cool.”
I smile and shrug. “At least I knew how much my parents loved each other. One day, I want what they had,” I say way too wistfully considering I’m about to marry my boss to get him out of a jam.
Bates’s gaze softens, and he rests his forehead against mine. “You don’t have to go through with this, you know. What if you meet the guy who can give you that while you’re stuck faking it with me?”
My heart squeezes in my chest. I can’t exactly come out and tell him that I think he could be that guy for me, if he wanted to be. I blink rapidly at him, my pulse spiking in my veins as I slide my hand around the back of his neck, holding him to me. “I’m not backing out,” I say softly.
Tension stretches between us, causing my lungs to constrict.
Bates closes his eyes, murmuring, “You’re too good for me.”
My fingers squeeze the back of his neck, and I shake my head a tiny bit, telling him without words that he’s wrong. He lets out a shuddering breath, sinking his weight against me as his lips hover so cl
ose to mine I can practically taste his kiss.
“Fuck!” he yells, throwing himself away from me as if a poltergeist just tossed him across the room. His eyes are wide, and his head twists this way and that, searching my room for something.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
“Something just bit me!”
Oh. Oh no.
“Vinnie, what did you do?” I say, running my gaze over his usual hang outs. He’s not on his perch, his cage, or the curtain rod. That’s when I spot him, running along the floor toward the edge of my bed. He grabs the corner of my quilt and climbs to the top, then he spins around to glare at me.
I glare right back. “Vinnie,” I warn as he turns his attention to Bates. If birdy looks could kill, Bates would be a dead man.
“Where the hell did that thing come from?” Bates asks, clearly not reading the room as he steps toward Vinnie.
“Don’t!” I say as he reaches for my devil bird. To be fair, he only gets like this around men—except for Dax, though. For some reason, he seems to like him.
Bates freezes with his hand extended as he glances at me over his shoulder. Vinnie takes this opportunity to launch himself at Bates’s hand. He latches onto a finger, biting so hard I can already see blood pooling around Vinnie’s beak.
“Jesus Christ!” Bates yells. “Get it off! Get it off!” He flings his hand around in an attempt to dislodge Vinnie. When that doesn’t work, he grabs at him with his free hand, and Vinnie releases one finger only to latch onto another. “Oh, my holy fuck!” Bates bellows.
“Stay still,” I tell him. His big, panicked eyes lock on mine, and I move toward him, hands extended. “Let me get him.”
He swallows and stills his hand, blood droplets pooling on my carpet as he offers me the one Vinnie is now hanging from. I reach for Vinnie, and Bates pulls away.
“No, it’ll bite you,” he says.
I shake my head. “He won’t. He’s very possessive of me. He’ll come to me,” I say in a soothing voice, hoping to de-escalate the situation. I reach for Vinnie again, and this time, Bates lets me. I hold one hand under his dangling feet to give him purchase then tell him in a firm tone, “Drop it.”
He does so immediately. “Drop it,” he repeats as he walks up my arm, heading for my shoulder.
“Oh no, Mister. No snuggles for you. You’ve been a bad boy,” I scold, walking over to his cage to deposit him inside. He attempts to fight me on it, ducking away from my hand when I tell him to “hop up.”
“No,” he says defiantly then screeches, “Don’t touch!”
I glare at him. “Vinnie, so help me,” I warn. “Hop up now or no sunflower seeds with your dinner tonight. Don’t push me.”
Grudgingly, he steps up onto my offered finger and allows me to put him inside his cage. I lock the door then turn to face Bates, ready to inspect the damage while Vinnie mutters obscenities under his breath as he paces back and forth on a branch, all the while throwing daggers in Bates’s direction with his evil little birdy eyes.
Bates stares at me, slack jawed. “Did you just have an argument with that little feathered beast?”
“I did. Now show me your hands,” I instruct, holding mine out for him.
He places both his damaged and bleeding hands in mine. “That thing is savage.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say. “He doesn’t really like men, and I completely spaced when we came in here. He’s bonded to me and, well…yeah.” I’m not sure how else to explain what just happened.
“He’s bonded to you?” Bates asks as I lead him over to the edge of my bed and urge him to sit.
I nod. “Yeah. It’s like when a dog bonds with its owner. That’s their person from then on.”
“Ah ha, and that’s why it just went kamikaze parrot on me? Because I was too close to his woman?”
Lordy, this is awkward. “Well, yes.”
“I wish you’d warned me about the bird when you gave me the heads up about your brother,” he mutters as I inspect his fingers closer.
“What about me?” Dax’s voice fills the room as he leans against the open doorframe.
I didn’t even hear the door open. “When did you get here?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Right about the time your man started shrieking like a girl.”
Bates scoffs. “I wasn’t shrieking; I was yelling. There’s a difference.”
“Right, totally,” Dax says, sarcasm thick in his tone as he crosses his arms over his chest.
I flit around my room, grabbing wet wipes, antibacterial cream, and Band-Aids to doctor Bates’s fingers. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to do something like this, so I have all the supplies on hand.
Bates winces as I clean out his wounds. They’re deep, and I feel so freaking bad. “I’m sorry,” I mumble again as I work.
“Not your fault. You didn’t bite me.” He grins when I flick my gaze to his face. “Not gonna lie; I would have enjoyed that more.”
“Ugh, dude, that’s my baby sister you’re talking to,” Dax says, his face scrunched in disgust.
I glance at the door. “Why are you still standing there?”
“I was waiting to hear about this warning you gave your boy about me,” he says, a cocky smirk on his stupid face.
“Wasn’t a warning,” Bates says. “More like making sure I knew I’d get the big-bro treatment from you. And I’m down with that. Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Dax seems a bit taken aback by Bates’s honesty, and I continue to work on his fingers as they engage in this macho stare-down thing.
Eventually, Dax nods. “Food’s ready. I’ll tell Amá your attack chicken did my job for me, so you’ll be a minute.” He turns away, leaving us alone.
Bates chuckles. “Attack chicken, I like it.”
I roll my eyes then squeeze some ointment onto each of the cuts before covering them with Band-Aids. “There, all done. You’re good as new,” I tell him, feeling proud of my nursing skills.
He lifts his hands, examining them. “Looks like Edward Scissorhands got hold of me.”
Chuckling, I lean over and drop a kiss to each of his injured fingers. “Not quite,” I say. “Just a vengeful Vinnie.”
Is it wrong to want to strangle someone’s pet?
I’m in two minds about that damn bird. On one hand, the fucker made me bleed, but on the other, Tia taking care of me afterward felt pretty damn amazing.
What would she do if I asked her to kiss me better right about now?
Fuck it. I’m desperate enough to give it a try. I’ve been dying to feel her soft lips press against mine again since the day in my pool. “I think I need you to kiss me better,” I say, making sure to pout and give her my best puppy-dog eyes.
Her blue and green eyes narrow on me as she places her hands on her hips. “I already kissed your fingers better.”
I shake my head, a dramatic sigh leaving my lips. “It didn’t work. They still hurt like a bitch. I need you to kiss me properly to take my mind off the pain.”
She snorts, then her eyes widen, and her hand slaps over her mouth. “Oh, my Lord. That is so not attractive,” she mumbles.
“I’m still insanely attracted to you, so I’m going to have to disagree.” I reach for her hips and tug her to stand between my parted thighs. From this vantage point, I’m at face-level with her boobs. And I gotta say, I like it.
Tia’s fingers slide into my hair, then she fists it, tugging my head back until I’m looking up at her. Her gaze flits between my eyes, searching for something. I hope she finds it, whatever it is. Because god damn, I want her to kiss me.
A small smile curves her lips as she lowers her face to mine, brushing the briefest kiss across my mouth before pulling away. “Come on, everyone’s waiting on us,” she says softly as she straightens.
I move my hand from her hip to take hers as she leads me out of her room, back along the short hall, then into a small dining room off to the side.
Sure enough, four sets of expectant eyes lock on us the moment we enter, and suddenly, I’m nervous as shit all over again.
Tia must notice, because her fingers give my hand a small squeeze as we take our seats. She continues to hold my hand under the table throughout the meal, making my heart do this weird squishy thing inside my chest.
“You okay?” she whispers after everyone starts eating.
I nod. “Peachy, babe.” Clearing my throat, I tell her mom, “This is delicious. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in forever.”
“Well, we’ll have to fix that, won’t we,” she says. When her gaze slides down to my bandaged fingers, she winces. “Lucky the season is over; we wouldn’t want you playing injured.”
“I’ve had worse,” I tell her. “Made a rookie error in high school. Just wasn’t thinkin’ straight. My head wasn’t in the game, and I tried to catch a fastball without my glove. Broke three fingers.”
Dax chuckles from his place at the end of the table. “Damn, güey, where was your head at?”
I shrug, chuckling with him. “I don’t even know. It obviously wasn’t that important. Probably some hormonal teenage shit,” I say then realize I just cussed in front of Tia’s mom. “Fuck, shit,” I stammer. “Christ.” I slap my hand over my mouth and close my eyes. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Riley,” I mumble through my hand.
The table erupts in laughter, and I pry one eye open. Even Tia’s mom is snickering.
“It’s okay, mijo. Everyone slips from time to time.” A kind smile graces her face.
My shoulders relax, and Tia squeezes my thigh, a cute little grin curving her lips.
“So much for making a good impression,” I grumble, embarrassment heating my skin. Caring what people think of you is shit.
It’s a week later, and I’m standing in a pair of tailored slacks and nothing else, preparing for a photoshoot for Lux Moisturizer for him. I’m trying to cool down—because it’s hot as balls in here—when my phone chimes with a new text. The photographer is messing with the settings on his camera, so I take the moment to slide my cell from my pocket and read it.