Page 20

Charlie

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. This girl is driving me crazy. First, she can’t even look at me today. Then she put Priscilla in her place when she and her little friends came in, stirring up shit.

Bailey: Home.

Now, she’s done exactly what I told her not to and walked home by herself.

She’s doing it to piss me off. After last night, I can’t keep my fucking head straight. I took it too far with her and I know it, but I don’t regret it. Not a single thread in me could’ve said no to her after she begged me.

I mean, I told her to, but hearing her ask me to touch her has to be one of the sexiest fucking things I’ve ever heard. I hadn’t even realized we weren’t alone.

Unfortunately, I’ve also realized I love making Bailey come.

The little pants and whimpers she makes. The way her fingernails graze the back of my neck. The easy way she comes undone for me, forgetting that she hates me for those few seconds, right before she comes.

Yeah, I fucking love that shit.

So much so that I was prepared to do it over and over last night until she couldn’t stand another.

But when we were interrupted, I think both of us were ripped back into reality too fast. When she went inside without a word, something heavy settled in my chest like the weight of the fucking world. If I was a better man, I would have gone to her and made sure she was okay, but my head’s been fucked up since.

I want her.

In my bed, the pool, my fucking truck. I don’t care.

If Tom — fucking Tom — hadn’t shown up, I would have taken her to my bed. I would’ve broken every rule I’ve set out for myself. Fuck, I wanted to. Just her hands on me had been enough to start a fire boiling in my blood.

When Tom showed up unannounced, it was like a bucket of cold water had been splashed on me. I was losing control. And that fucking scares me.

I almost punched Tom for the hell of it. How long had he been standing there and what had he seen while he was being a fucking creep?

I practically threatened his life. I told him if Andi finds out, I’m coming for him first. He’s the only one that’s seen anything, but I know he’s too big of a pussy to say something.

After he left, I took a cold shower that did absolutely nothing and laid in bed, staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours.

For a moment when Bailey was yelling at Priscilla, all I could picture was her as she’d been the night before. Flushed cheeks, bright pink lips, and those sexy little fucking moans while my fingers were buried inside her. Watching her brandish her claws like a lioness ready to strike the woman that had done me wrong, I wanted to fuck her against the table. I guess the only thing that really stopped me was wanting her body to myself.

And the felony we would both acquire by me making her come in public.

I was harsher than I meant to be when I pulled her out back and I instantly regretted it when I saw the tears in her eyes. Who am I anymore? I’ve never given a fuck before when a woman cried. And again, when I saw Bailey was gone, I fucking panicked. Panicked like she’d been kidnapped. Jesus fucking Christ.

I almost went to her side when I got home, but I knew we’d either end up fighting or fucking and neither is a good idea when I’m this pissed off.

So, I went home.

By the next morning, I’m in a shitty mood all around. Jake comes over in the afternoon because his truck is acting up and we spend most of the day taking it apart. It’s not until we’re putting it back together that he stops.

“What the hell?” Jake murmurs under his breath. He nudges me in the arm, forcing me to drop the ratchet into the engine bay of the truck. I reach in and grab it as Jake greets whoever he’d been talking about. “Hey, Pete. What you doing here, buddy?”

My eyes snap up, finding Peter walking up the sidewalk toward us. He has flowers in his hand. Fuck the ratchet. I want to know why Peter’s stalking up to us with a shit-eating grin on his face and a bouquet of flowers.

“How’s it going, boys,” Peter greets as I jump down from the bumper of the truck .

“What are you doing here?” I grit.

Peter stops in front of Jake and me, keeping a few feet back. Unluckily for him, I can throw this ratchet faster than he can run away.

“Got a date, boys.”

I cross my arms over my chest, every muscle in my body tensing.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Fucking Bailey comes out the front door, smiling wide at Peter, like he’s the fucking Prince from every Hallmark movie out there. She looks fucking incredible in a black dress and heels. I can’t take my eyes off her.

Peter has the audacity to wrap an arm around her shoulder and I can see her pull away, just a hair. I want to grab him by the balls and rip him apart for merely thinking he can put his hands on her. She may be the bane of my existence, but don’t you dare fucking touch her.

“Where are you taking her?” Jake asks, leaning back against the truck. I can tell he’s on edge, though not as much as I am. Apart from sleeping with Priscilla when I was with her, Peter’s got a rap sheet a mile long, though his Daddy helped him sweep it all under the rug.

Why the fuck didn’t Bailey say anything before she agreed to go?

I watch her, studying her for any sign she’s bluffing, but I don’t get one. She’s really going out with this prick.

Suddenly, I fucking regret not telling Bailey why I didn’t want her talking to him. There’s no way in hell she’d be leaving with him right now, if I did.

I pull a cigarette out of my pack and light it. I keep my eyes trained on Bailey’s, though she won’t look at me. Little shit is doing this to piss me off. It’s payback for our argument about Priscilla and I fucking know it.

“Castro’s,” Peter rolls smoothly and I clench my fist to keep from knocking the smug grin off his face.

Good luck, I think, almost laughing. I’ve known Bailey long enough to know she prefers burgers and fries over stuffy, overpriced fish.

“We should get going,” Bailey says, still keeping her gaze averted from me.

“Yes, our reservation is at seven,” Peter says, his hand sliding lower down her back. My gaze follows that movement and I’m so livid I can’t think straight. “Nice talking to you boys. Don’t wait up.”

He pulls Bailey along behind him and her eyes catch mine just before she turns. That look meant something. She looked at me like I was her worst fucking enemy.

Fuck .

I turn back to the truck and throw the ratchet into the engine bay again, the metal clanging loudly. A family on the other side of the street throws dirty looks my way, but honestly, fuck them. I live here. Not them.

Jake snickers, joining me once more with the flashlight.

“Not a fucking word.”

Bailey’s still not home by the time Jake and I finish his truck. I’m tempted to go to Castro’s, but I force myself to wash up and head to the bar with Jake, instead.

It’s packed tonight, a lot of new faces, all residents of New Orleans, thank fuck.

Harry’s is one of those rare places in this city where you can go and not be surrounded by tourists. In an old, rundown shack in Bywater, just east of the Quarter, is the same bar I’ve been going to since I was twenty-one.

“Charlie!” Mole hoots when we walk through the door. He’s close to too far gone already and it’s not even seven. I pat him on the back as I follow Jake to a back table. He stops along the way when Sandra, the owner’s sister, puts a hand on his chest. Sandra has attempted to take all of us home, at least once, but she’s older than my mother was and she smells like cheese and cigarettes. Just never seemed like a good idea to me.

Jake and I slide up to the bar. Trish, the barmaid, sits a beer down in front of me with a wink and a smile. Trish’s cute. I’ve been there before, but never the fuck again. I open my beer to drink it, but even it doesn’t taste good. I’m too on edge for it to do anything.

“So, tell me why Peter’s taking your girl out,” Jake says, tossing back half his bottle.

“She’s not my girl,” I grit, tightening my fingers around my own beer. “And I don’t fucking know.”

God, fuck the guy that made the law banning smoking in bars.

Jake snickers. “So why you pissed off?”

“I don’t like him hanging around.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid. His fucking trash ass isn’t worth it.”

Jealousy runs through me like burning acid. No, not jealousy. Protectiveness. Peter getting his hands on Bailey is the perfect end to a perfectly fucked up situation. What if Bailey brings him home and tries to fuck him? Will I be able to stop myself from going over there?

I imagine I’ll smash through the wall, like some kind of deranged Kool-Aid Man and beat the shit out of him.

When Andi first started dating Tom, almost two years ago, I looked into Peter more because he was good friends with Tom at the time. Turns out, he has a history of taking rough sex a little too fucking far. One girl was admitted to the hospital for a couple days, others needed therapy. If something like that happened to Bailey, Peter had better pray he’s not in the same fucking state because I’ll fucking kill him.

“You know she flipped on Priscilla yesterday?”

“No.” Jake sits back in his stool. “I’m intrigued.”

“Yeah. Fucking yelled at her in the middle of the restaurant.”

“What for?” Jake laughs. “I mean, I’m sure she fucking deserved it. What the hell was she doing in the restaurant in the first place?”

“She was there to stir up shit, like always. Priscilla and her little friends were giving Bailey a hard time and I guess she just snapped.”

“I like this girl already.”

Yeah, join the fucking club , I think bitterly.

I swallow some of my beer, barely tasting it. A girl notices me across the room and smiles, waving long fingers at me. She’s cute. Not my type, but cute. Still pissed off about Bailey going out with Peter, I say fuck it, and wave back.

Jake follows my gaze and shakes his head. “So, did you fuck her?”

“No.” Jesus fucking Christ.

“But you’ve done something with her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so pissed off.”

“Am I not allowed to be pissed off about my little sister’s best friend dating the asshole of the Earth?”

Jake chuckles finishing off his beer .

“That’s not how you operate.”

“When the fuck did we start talking about feelings and shit?”

“Since you dented the inner engine bay of my truck with a wrench because someone took your girl on a date. I just want you to be happy.”

“What about you?” I quip, hoping to change the subject.

“What about me?”

“You haven’t settled down.”

I can see I’ve struck a nerve and honestly, good. Fucker thinks he can push me around about Bailey, it’s only fair.

“That’s the thing. I refuse to settle.”

“So, what? You wait for God to shit out this perfect woman?”

Jake’s eyes flash and he solemnly downs another drink. “Something like that.” He’s silent for a moment, thinking. “How’s your sister?”

I shrug. “Andi’s got us all running around planning this wedding.”

His lip quirks at the corner and he chuckles. “She still stuck on marrying that rich prick?”

Unfortunately. “And,” I say, drinking my own beer. “You’re going to the wedding.”

He shakes his head, instantly. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, the fuck you are. You’ve known her almost as long as I have. There’s no way in hell I’m going alone.”

“I hate that guy,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “I’ve never met a motherfucker who can fuck things up while trying his hardest like he can.”

I laugh. “Dad can’t stand him, either, but I guess he tries because Andi likes him.”

“And you?”

I grit my teeth. “You want the truth? I fucking hate him.”

“He good to your sister?”

I need a cigarette. Talking about this shit always sets me on edge. After practice and then seeing Bailey this afternoon, I’m practically dangling my feet over.

“Seems like it. She seems happy enough.”

“Not happy, though.”

I narrow my eyes at Jake. “Why’re you so adamant that she’s not happy?”

Jake shrugs. “It’s all over your face. You’re worried about her.”

“Excuse me,” a light southern draw, dipped in honey interrupts me before I can say anything else. A hand touches my arm and instinctively, I almost shove it off until I see the other girl slide up beside Jake. “Is this seat taken?”

It’s the girl from across the room.

“No,” I say, polishing off the rest of my beer.

“I think we need another round,” Jake says, standing from his stool, an easy smile slipping back into place as he forgets about Amy for a moment. “What do you say girls?”

The girl next to me nods. Up close, I can see she’s younger, probably early twenties. She’s got this pretty straight brown hair that hangs down her back and bright green eyes. The exact opposite of Bailey and that’s exactly what I fucking need right now.

“So, what are you doing, tonight?”

“I don’t know,” I murmur, putting all thoughts of Bailey out of my head, even if just for a little bit. “I guess, it depends on what you’re doing.”

She smiles, holding out her hand. “Morgan.”

“Well, Morgan, cheers,” I say as Jake slides another beer my way.

Jake holds up his beer and places his arm around the other girl. She’s got cinnamon hair and green eyes like Morgan. Sisters, I’ll bet. “Ladies, to you.”