Heartless

by Sophie Stern

  “You’re an incredible girl, Zoey Lane.”

  “You’re an incredible boy, David Walker.”

  We rode the rest of the way to my place in silence. If Zoey was surprised that I took her to my house instead of hers, she didn’t say anything. Instead, we walked inside, she scooped up Percy, and the three of us went into the bedroom. We climbed into the bed and snuggled. Percy was between us. We pet him until he was purring loudly, and then we kept petting him. Soon Zoey’s eyes fluttered closed, and she drifted off to sleep, as well.

  I stayed awake for a long time, thinking about everything that happened. I thought about everything the two of us had been through and I considered just how chaotic everything had been. Our lives had been wild and unpredictable and crazy, and perhaps the craziest thing of all was that I had Zoey in my bed, and even though we hadn’t slept together, I still felt like I was the luckiest bastard on the damn planet.

  14

  Zoey

  The clock read 3:00AM when I opened my eyes. It was still nighttime, and the moon was shining into the room. I didn’t really know why David never seemed to close his blinds. Apparently, the bushes outside offered protection from prying eyes, and besides, the moonlight was beautiful. I slipped out of bed and went to the window. I stood there for a moment just looking at the moon and the stars.

  When was the last time I felt this calm? When was the last time I’d felt this peaceful? I glanced over at the bed to see David curled up on one side of the bed. Percy was gone. He’d left at some point, probably because David and I were taking up too much space. Still, I couldn’t brush aside the fact that I felt so wildly comfortable with him.

  Before my mom died, she used to tell me stories about true love. She always said that my dad had been “the one” for her. She’d told me that one day, I’d find a guy I felt the same way about. Was that David? I didn’t know. I’d always kind of assumed that my mom was just lucky. I mean, let’s get real: who believed in true love? Nobody did. Only grandmothers and romance writers believed in true love.

  That sort of happy ending didn’t happen for people like me.

  Only, I kind of wanted a happy ending.

  And I kind of wanted one with David.

  I watched him sleeping there. It was totally weird. I was normal enough to know that watching someone sleep was insane. It was just that when I looked at him, I felt so many things I didn’t even know I could possibly feel. Most of all, I felt this deep sense of safety. David wasn’t a safe man. He was ruthless and heartless. I’d heard all about his courtroom battles and I knew perfectly well what kind of person he was.

  I also knew that he was kind and protective and gentle. I knew that he was the type of person who looked after others. That’s what he had done for me, after all. He’d looked after me, and he’d protected me. He didn’t have to keep me safe. He didn’t. He could have left me to fend for myself at the club. He could have decided that it was too much trouble and that I wasn’t worth the effort.

  He’d stayed, though. He’d fought for me. He’d stood up to Eric and Anna both, and he’d made this grand gesture of bitch-slapping Eric. I choked back a laugh as I thought about the look on Eric’s face when David had done that. He’d been shocked. At least back in high school, David had given Eric the dignity of being punched. That totally sucked. Being slapped in the face, though...Well, that was just humiliating.

  Carefully, I sneaked into the living room of the house. I’d dropped my phone in the living room when we’d come back from the club, so I grabbed it and flipped it over. It still held a charge. There was a text from Lauren asking if I was okay. I figured she was asleep, but I sent her a text back.

  ZOEY: I’m fine. I went home with David.

  To my surprise, Lauren texted me back right away. Apparently, she couldn’t sleep. I didn’t really blame her. It was the night before her wedding, after all.

  LAUREN: What? Tell me everything!

  Even though it was late, I decided to call her instead of typing everything out. Felix could sleep through the apocalypse, so I wasn’t concerned about waking up my dear big bro. Lauren, however, was ready for my call.

  “Hello?” Lauren hissed the word, and I got this mental image of her creeping out of the bedroom she shared with my brother.

  “Hey, sorry,” I whispered. “I just figured this would be easier.”

  “For sure. What are you doing? Are you having sex right now?”

  “No,” I laughed. I shook my head even though she couldn’t see. “We didn’t have sex at all, actually.”

  “Wait, really?”

  “Cross my heart.”

  “And hope to die?”

  “No, Lauren, I do not hope to die.” I did, however, roll my eyes. Was she being for real right now?

  “Okay, just checking,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m glad you called.”

  “Me too. It’s good to hear your voice, and hey, it’s your last night as a single lady.”

  “I know. It’s kind of wild, isn’t it?”

  “A little,” I agreed quietly. In just a few hours, Lauren and Felix would be promising to love each other forever. They’d be taking vows to love each other no matter what happened. Lauren would promise to take care of him and to make him happy. He’d promise to cherish her and adore her, and I knew that he would. They’d written their own vows and I’d read them. They were pretty and romantic and wonderful, but I had a question. “Lauren?”

  “Yeah?”

  “How did you know?”

  “How did I know what?”

  “How did you know that Felix was the one?”

  The other end of the phone was silent. I couldn’t even hear her breathing. I pulled the phone back to check it, but the call was still connected. Okay, so maybe my question had just scared her off.

  “Lauren?”

  “I’m here. I just don’t know how to answer that.”

  “Well, when did you realize that you loved him?”

  Maybe that was an easier question, right? The idea that someone might be “the one” was huge. It was big and scary and wild. Loving someone didn’t seem like it carried the same amount of pressure with it. I mean, I loved Lauren. That didn’t mean I wanted to marry her.

  “It was right after we made love for the first time.”

  “Okay, I didn’t need to hear that answer, actually.”

  “You brought it up! Now you have to listen to me.”

  “Just skip all of the gory details, okay?”

  “I promise.”

  “Okay, so it was after...you started dating.”

  “Yeah, after we started dating. I don’t really know the exact moment. For me, there wasn’t really one.”

  “There was no ‘aha’ moment?”

  “Not really. You know, it’s funny. In the movies, everyone always knows like right away. There’s always a time when the world seems to stand still.”

  “I know.”

  “That was never how I was with Felix. It was just that one day, I realized how comfortable I was with him, and how content I was with him. One day, I woke up in his arms, and I realized that he was the man I wanted to wake up next to forever. Strange, right?”

  “No,” I whispered. “It’s not strange.”

  I looked back toward the bedroom door. In that room, David was sleeping. He was sleeping, and he was the man that I was crazy about. There was an entire world of adventure in that room. David and I could have some incredible times together, if we wanted to. Both of us had choices to make, though. Were we going to go for it? Or were we going to do things the “smart” way?

  “I should go to bed,” I finally said.

  “Yeah,” Lauren whispered. I could practically hear her nodding. “Me too.”

  “Big day tomorrow.”

  “The biggest.”

  “I love you, sis,” I whispered.

  “I love you more.”

  Lauren and I got off the phone, and I sat down on David’s couch for a minute. I stared
at the phone in my hand. Was Lauren right? Would I just know? Would there come a moment when I suddenly realized that I wanted to be with David for all of eternity? Would he realize that he wanted to be with me, too?

  Percy came over, meowing at me. I lifted him up and pulled him onto my lap.

  “Hello, kitty,” I whispered. I rubbed under his chin and behind his ears. He purred when I hit all of the right spots, and then he cuddled up on my lap. I held him for a long time, thinking about all of my options, and then I decided that I was ready.

  It was time to face the music, so to speak. David and I had been dancing around making a commitment and a decision, but I was ready to take the leap. I wanted him. I wanted him so very much. Whether he wanted me or not was up in the air, but I had a pretty good idea of how he felt about me.

  Finally, I reluctantly put Percy down on the sofa cushions. He didn’t protest, which was good. If he had, I would have felt horrible about abandoning him, but the kitty seemed to be a bit sleepy. He curled up and started purring again right away. I moved toward the bedroom quietly. I tip-toed, careful not to make any noise at all, and I climbed back into bed with David. He stirred and rolled over at me. Then he opened his eyes.

  “Hello, princess.”

  “Hello, prince.”

  “You’ve never called me that before,” he whispered. His eyes opened a little wider, as though he couldn’t quite believe what I had said.

  “I hope it’s okay.”

  “Of course, it’s okay.”

  “David, I need to tell you something.”

  “What is it?” David reached for me and touched my cheek, stroking it softly.

  “I like you.”

  “I figured that, sweetie.”

  “No, I mean, I really like you.”

  “I know.”

  “And I like you more than I think I’m supposed to.”

  “I like you, too, Zoey.”

  “And I want to...”

  Say it.

  I needed to just say it.

  I urged myself silently to just spit it out, but the words wouldn’t come. Why was this so hard, so scary? He liked me. He’d just admitted it. Still, actually spitting out the damn words was proving to be a bit of a problem for me.

  “Zoey?”

  “I want to date you,” I finally said. Then I clapped my hand over my mouth, as though I couldn’t believe I’d actually just admitted that out loud. What if I freaked him out? What if that wasn’t what he wanted at all?

  Only, I needn’t have worried because David grabbed my hand, pulled it away from my mouth, and kissed me. Over and over, his lips covered mine, and he kissed me like I was the most important thing in the world to him.

  “Does this mean you want a girlfriend?” I whispered.

  “Only if it’s you.”

  He pushed me back on the bed and we made out like a couple of teenagers. How did he make me feel so young and so wild and so wonderful all at the same time? He made me feel like I could fly. David made me feel like I was a goddess.

  Soon, he had his clothes off, and he tugged mine off, too. He tossed them to the floor before he started playing with my nipples. I loved how much he teased them and played with them. He seemed to pay attention to every part of my body in all the best and most wicked ways. I reached for him, stroking his cock as he played with my body, and I closed my eyes.

  He felt so good.

  Everything about this felt incredible.

  He growled as he moved back up to my neck and kissed me over and over. Then he shifted my body so that my legs were over his shoulders, and he slid inside of me all at once. I groaned at the intrusion. He filled me up so damn perfectly that it took me a minute to fully adjust.

  “Take it, princess,” he growled. “Take that cock.”

  I whispered something. Anything. Everything. He kept talking, and I closed my eyes, unable to focus on anything but the way that he was making me feel. He slid into me, sheathing his cock deep inside of me, over and over until we were both falling apart for one another.

  Then, when it was all over, when we’d both come, he reached for me and tugged me into his arms. He wrapped himself around me like a protector, and he kissed my cheek.

  “I’m happy you’re here,” he said.

  Then we both fell back to sleep.

  15

  David

  Despite an incredible evening of playing at the club, a small dollop of drama, and a night of lovemaking, Zoey and I managed to make it to the wedding on time. We were supposed to be there early to get dressed, style our hair, and have pictures taken. Everything went by in a crazy blur. To be honest, we barely had time to talk to one another, but I was pretty sure that Lauren and Felix both knew something had happened, because they kept winking at us anytime we’d stand close to one another.

  The ceremony itself was lovely. It was longer than I would have liked, and by the time the pastor was done speaking, my legs were honestly pretty tired from standing still in one place. Even in court, I got to sit down from time to time. At the wedding, we were all standing up and paying close attention as Felix and Lauren said their vows.

  When it was over, the bride and groom left the church in a whirlwind of rose petals and lavender, and then we all went to our own cars to drive to the reception. Zoey, her father, and I all went in my car. He’d been planning to ride with Lauren’s parents, but they’d gotten into a fight over whether or not Sally’s hair looked okay, so they were going to drive alone.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Bob said once he was in the car. He sat up front with me and Zoey sat in the back.

  “Never a problem for you, sir.” Bob had been like a second dad to me growing up. Although his late wife and my mom had been best friends, Bob and my dad had gotten close over the years, too. We’d spent a ton of time together even after Zoey had moved away. Felix and I were best friends, after all. Bob knew me well.

  “What did you think of the wedding?” Bob asked Zoey. He looked over his shoulder at his daughter, and when I peered in the rearview mirror, she was smiling.

  “It was nice,” Zoey said.

  “Liar,” Bob laughed.

  “Okay,” Zoey rolled her eyes. “It felt like it lasted forever, but I know they’re both happy.”

  “Of course, they are,” Bob said. “And they’ll be even happier once they finally admit to everyone that they’ve got a baby on the way.”

  “Did they say something to you?” Zoey asked, eyes widening. I tried to stay focused on the road, but damn, it was hard. She was so pretty in her bridesmaid dress. She looked absolutely adorable.

  “No,” Bob admitted. “I figure they’ll give us all a week or two before they make an official announcement, but I think we all know that it’s coming.”

  “Well, you’ll make a wonderful grandpa,” I offered.

  “I hope so,” Bob laughed. “It’ll be good to have little kids running around the house again. It’s been a long time since Zoey was tiny.”

  “Dad,” she said.

  “I know, I know,” Bob smiled. He reached back and took Zoey’s hand. Then he held it in silence as we drove the rest of the way to the reception. When I parked the car, Bob turned to Zoey. “You head on inside, darlin’. I’d like to talk to David for a moment.”

  “Um, okay,” Zoey shrugged. “See you both in a minute.”

  She got out of the car and headed inside to the reception. Then Bob turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on, David?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, swallowing hard. I was 30 years old. I didn’t need to explain to Bob what was going on between me and Zoey. Besides, maybe she didn’t want her dad to know her personal business.

  Only, I knew that this wasn’t something I’d keep from someone like Bob. I liked the guy far too much. Besides, I respected him. If he actually wanted to call me out for dating Zoey, then I’d be honest about that. />
  “You like her.”

  “Yes.”

  “You love her, don’t you?”

  “Wow, Bob, don’t hold back,” I muttered.

  “Try again,” he said patiently.

  “Yeah, I love her.”

  “You’re going to be good to her,” Bob said.

  “Excuse me?” I looked over at him. He was watching me carefully, but he didn’t seem mad or irritated or disappointed. He just seemed relieved, almost.

  “I know you, David. To be honest, I always hoped you kids would see what was right in front of your eyes.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You two have always been destined to be together.”

  “You believe in destiny?” Bob was a hardened veteran who had lived a rough life. He’d lost his wife far too young, and he’d worked his ass off raising his two kids. He didn’t strike me as the “fate is real” type of person.

  “I believe that what you two have is destiny,” he told me.

  “I like your daughter a lot,” I admitted. “She’s an incredible person.”

  “I’d have to agree,” he said. “You know, her mother always thought the two of you would make a wonderful pair.”

  “Really?” That was surprising. Bob didn’t talk about his wife too much. I knew it hurt him. He missed her a lot. My mom talked about her all of the time, though. She’d loved Zoey’s mom so much that sometimes it killed me to hear all of their favorite memories.

  “Your mom has always thought so, too. Every so often she calls me up and asks when I’m going to nudge you two in the right direction.” Bob shook his head, as though it was the silliest thing he’d ever heard of.

  “Are you serious right now?” I blinked, staring at him. I couldn’t really believe this conversation was actually happening. I was sitting in the parking lot with my best friend’s dad, and he was basically giving me his permission – and his blessing – to date his daughter. It felt like something out of a cheesy movie. It didn’t seem like something that could possibly happen in real life.

  “Your mom is a bit of a meddler, son,” Bob chuckled.