Page 3 of Stay With Me
I take in the man in front of me. He is 100% all man, that’s for sure. He’s obviously over six feet. I see dark ink staining his skin all the way from his fingertips, up his left arm, across his chest and collarbone. His dark blonde hair is longer on top, with the sides shaved short. It’s mussed in that sexy, just-woke-up way guys always seem to pull off. His piercing green eyes are instantlyfamiliar to me. I see them every day on my best friend, only his have beautiful flecks of golden brown swirling through them.
“Holy fuck, you scared the shit out of me!” I yell at him as I scramble to my feet. “You must be the twin,” I say, righting my clothes and trying to tame my wild mane of hair.
“That I am.” He gives me a cocky grin, and I want to hate it. But damn, this is a sexy man. “And you must be Kelsea.” The way he says my name sends a bolt of white hot electricity straight to my core and I do my best to shake it off.
“Yeah, hi. Nice to meet you.” I reach out my hand towards him and he stands in place, staring at it. After a beat, he takes my hand, and the connection sets my skin on fire. He drops my hand quickly, and I wonder if he felt it, too.
“Definitely nice to meet you too,” he says, his expression suddenly guarded. “Not exactly what I expected when Em told me about you, but I think this is the best introduction I’ve ever had to any of her friends.”
I roll my eyes at him and push past him, walking into Ember’s room and shutting the door to change. After I’m mostly dry and almost late for class, I emerge from the bedroom and find him sitting on the couch watching baseball. I spy my textbook on the table in front of him and I edge my way around the couch to grab it.
“Looking for this?” He snags it before I can, holding it up in the air.
“Yeah, thanks. I really need to get to class.” I reach for it, but he holds it just out of my grasp. I give him my best annoyed expression and scoff at his immaturity. “Uh, I really need to go, dude. Can I have my book?”
“What’ll you give me for it?” He asks playfully. Typically, I might be a little flirty, but today I’ve already had a shitty morning and I really need to leave.
“Whatever, just keep it,” I say, turning to walk out the front door.
“Here, goddess,” he says, holding the book towards me. I brush off the pet name he calls me, not liking the way it makes my stomach flutter a little more than I want it to. “Feel free to stop by anytime.”
I snatch the book, shoving it in my back and giving Everett an uncomfortable smile. “Thanks, it was… interesting… to meet you,” I laugh.
“Same to you.” He shoots me that sexy, cocky grin and my insides melt a little. We stare at each other for a few seconds longer than we really should before my phone pings with a text from my sociology partner, wondering where the hell I am.
“Shit! Bye!” I wave over my shoulder as I walk out of Ember’s apartment, confused and uncomfortable with how my head and body reacted to him.
The sound of the bell ringing above the door brings my mind back to the present. Who would have knownthat meeting with Everett would develop into the comfortable friendship we’ve built? That undeniable attraction has always been there and probably always will be. But he’s not a one woman man and I won’t ask him to change for me. I make my way over to the mother and daughter, who are browsing the racks at the front of the store. Hopefully, this last hour will pass quickly.
four
The sun is drifting justbelow the tree lines as I make my way back to Revamp to pick Kelsea up from work. Elijah looked at me with a smug grin when he heard me on the phone rescheduling my afternoon client so I could be off in time to make it to pick her up before Kelsea tried to call a fucking Uber. I’ve told him at least a dozen times over the past few months that there’s nothing going on between her and I, but we both know that’s total bullshit. He, of all people, knows when I’m interested in a woman. But I know my fake flattery and bullshit pickup lines won’t sway Kelsea. She sees right through me, sees straight into the abyss of my soul, and she smiles into it. That’s part of the reason I’ll never go after her. I’ve never stuck around long enough for any woman to call me on my bullshit. I’m not sure my ego could take it if Kelsea did. She already called me out atthe end of her hospital stay, telling me I should just hook up with her nurse if I was gonna keep looking at her like a snack. I did my best to divert my attentions after that, at least when Kelsea was around.
It’s not that I don’t want to do all sorts of filthy things with that raven-haired beauty. Fuck, I’d give my left nut for just one night with her. But she deserves better than that, and I won’t make her any promises I can’t keep. Kelsea has always been the relationship type. She wants to go on actual dates and cuddle after sex, the kind of shit that I just don’t do.
I pull my bike to a stop at the curb in front of the boutique and check my watch. 3:45 pm. I guess I can wait the extra 15 minutes for her to wrap things up inside. I pull out my phone and see two missed calls from Breaker. Dialing back quickly, he answers before the first ring even stops.
“What the fuck, man? I called you twice. Don’t you think it could have been important?” His voice is gruff, and it sounds like he hasn’t slept in days.
“Sorry, bro. I was on the bike. I didn’t even hear it ring. Whats the big fucking problem?” I ask, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag as I scan the streets around me.
“I’ve been keeping tabs on Justin’s family and friends, just in case of any blow back from you taking him out. We may have a problem,” my grip on the handlebar tightens at his mentioning of my sister’sfuckwad ex. I knew the second she told me he put his hands on her, I was gonna put a bullet in that fucker’s head. Luckily for me, he was stupid enough to put himself in the perfect position for me to do it legally. I don’t think I’ve ever felt rage the way I did the night he kidnapped Kelsea and Ember. On top of that, he took a shot at my best friend. He signed his death certificate the moment he fucked my sister over.
“What kind of problem, Break?” I ask, trying to calm the adrenaline already forcing its way into my veins.
“Well, I told you he came from old money. His dear ol’ dad is a fucking congressman, Ev. Crooked as fuck, but still holds power,” he says.
“Ok, good for him. I’m glad they could afford a nicer funeral than that asshole deserved. What the fuck does this have to do with me, man?” I ask.
“I’ve made a lot of… nefarious connection over the years. Unfortunately, I’ve seen your name come up in way more chatter than I feel comfortable with lately. Justin’s pops is putting out feelers. Looking for dirt on you and Elijah both.” His tone sounds ominous and harsh. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he sounds almost scared.
“What kind of fucking dirt? All the killing I’ve done was government sanctioned. Well, except for his sweet baby boy,” I scoff. He’s not gonna find anything on me or Elijah. Eli’s juvie record is bullshit, and we’ve both doneour best to keep our noses clean for the sake of our business.
“I don’t know, man, I just know he’s digging. I don’t fucking like it,” Breaker replies.
I take one last deep drag from my cigarette before putting it out on my boot and pocketing the butt. If there’s anything I know Kelsea hates, it’s a liter bug. Why do I care? Who fucking knows.
“I’m not worried about some pretty boy politician, Breaker. He is just wasting his time because I don’t have any dirt for him to find.” I look over into the front window of revamp and see Kelsea’s beautiful face as she hands a customer their change. A man comes up behind her, a little too close for my liking. I can see her body tense when she realizes he’s there, and I don’t fucking like it. “Look, keep your radar up, man. But he won’t find anything on me. If you see him taking things any deeper than snooping, let me know. Okay? I gotta go.” I hang up without waiting for his reply.
