Bayou Stix Series: Bayou Stix Limited Edition Box Set (5 page)

My internal dialogue is making my alcohol dulled brain hurt. Yet, I’m still in his arms and he’s still just looking at me with that cocky smirk.

It pisses me off and I jerk out of his arms, forgetting I’m drunk and that drunk and three inch platforms are not a good combination. I lose my balance and this time he lets me fall.

I land on my ass on the dirty bar room floor, and glare up at him.

He gives me a smug look, tries unsuccessfully to cover a laugh, and holds his hand out. “Need a hand there, princess?”

Stumbling to my feet, I slap his hand away. “Fuck you, Delecroix!”

“As I recall, you’ve been there, done that! A lot more than once. All over and in every way imaginable. You still have the t-shirt?” he says as he loses the laugh and his eyes harden.

I raise my brows as I try to calm my racing heart and see through the haze of rage his words create. “And as I recall, those shirts aren’t too hard to come by, so no, I threw it out with the trash a long time ago!”

His jaw snaps shut and I can see him grinding his teeth as we just glare at each other, both of us refusing to be the first one to break eye contact.

I’m so enraged and hurt that I’m suddenly sober. I try desperately to hold back my tears. I will not cry over this asshole again. I will not do it!

Warm, strong hands wrap around my waist and I immediately melt into the solid chest at my back. He’s sweaty and out of breath and I can feel the tension in his body, but his presence helps me relax a bit, though my pulse is still racing.

Staring daggers at Jude, Erik asks over my shoulder, “Everything ok here?” Then he pulls my chin up and looks down at me, straight into my eyes. “You ok, love?”

I see Jude staring at us both from the corner of my eyes. I can see his hands. He’s clenching and unclenching his fists. “Yeah E, I’m good. Nothing to worry about here.” I pull him down and gently kiss his cheek.

Jude glares at us both and grinds his teeth so hard I wonder how he doesn’t break a molar. “Still protecting the fragile princess from the big bad wolf I see, Erik,” he growls.

Erik looks away from me and glances at Jude, clearly dismissing him as insignificant. “No, she doesn’t need me to protect her. Not from the likes of you.” He growls back. “What are you doing here, Delecroix?” The tension is so thick between the three of us, you can almost see the air stilling.

At that moment Bradi and Micah appear. Both are drunk and Bradi is having trouble standing up straight. She’s so drunk she doesn’t notice the tension around us. She looks at Jude with lust in her eyes. “So sexy rock star Sex God, I hear you used to rock my best friend’s world. That true?”

Jude raises an eyebrow and looks from her to me. “I have no idea, sexy.” He smirks and runs his eyes over her body, lingering on her breasts and hips. “I guess your ‘best friend’ over there would have to answer that. But I wouldn’t mind rocking your world. What do you say?”

Micah pulls her closer and growls threateningly at Jude. His words enrage me, and suddenly I’m filled with blinding jealousy. How dare he talk to a woman like that in front of me!? How dare he talk to Bradi like that in front of me? How dare he ignore me and ogle another woman’s body when I’m standing right here?

Without conscious thought I lunge out of Erik’s arms and fly at Jude. I punch him square in the face taking him by surprise, before trying to claw his eyes out.

After the first hit, he steps back and with a sneer grabs my hands and holds both of them in one of his own over my head. I notice with some satisfaction, that I’ve managed to bust his lip and blood is starting to trickle down his chin.

Erik grabs me and pulls me back, shoving Jude at the same time. He shoves so hard Jude has to take a step back to keep from falling.

I scream into Jude’s face, “I hate you. I fucking hate you! Why are you here? Go the fuck away. You’re disgusting and I fucking cannot stand to be near you!” By now, tears are running down my face and my entire body is shaking.

A scantily clad brunette walks up and drapes her arms around Jude, licking the blood off of his mouth and starts to pull him away. “Well I don’t hate you, lover. How about you come home with me and give me a few more orgasms? I want that big dick back in my mouth and in my pussy.” Her hand trails familiarly down the front of his jeans.

He gives me one last look, wraps his arm around her waist, leans down to kiss her mouth, and he turns to leave with the brunette.

I watch them walk away with shock and horror on my face. All the blood drains from my head and I no longer have the strength to hold myself up. Just as my knees are giving out, strong arms lift me up and cradle me to a hard chest. Erik kisses the top of my head over and over, and walks towards the door murmuring to me the entire time.

Bradi and Micah follow us out wordlessly.

I stay silent, staring out of the window the entire way back to the house Erik and I share.

Erik pulls into the driveway and turns off the car. Still staring straight ahead, thrumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he asks, “What are you going to do, Lex? I can’t watch you go through this again. The first time almost broke you. Hell it
did
break you! I don’t want that for you again. Please don’t let him back in.”

I lift my head and say softly, “I don’t know, E. I don’t know. I didn’t think it would still feel like this. It’s been over eight years. When am I going to get over this? When am I going to get over him?”

Sighing, he opens the door. “I don’t have the answers, love. I wish I did. Come on, let’s get inside.”

“Yes. Let’s get inside. I need a bath. Hopefully I can wash some of this bullshit off. I’m sorry I ruined your night, E. Thank you for always being there to catch me. I love you!”

Erik opens the door and pulls me out. “You didn’t ruin my night. I had a good time and I got his number.” He smiles. “Besides, of course I’ll always be there for you. It’s you and me, love. You and me against the world, right?”

Smiling, I say, “You and me against the world.”

Jude

What the fuck just happened? No, seriously? WHAT. THE. FUCK?!?!

I get outside of Bruno’s with the handsy brunette and swat her ass as I walk towards my bike. She stands there awhile just looking at me. I get on the bike and rev the engine.

“You’re not coming home with me, are you?”

“No. I’m not. But thanks for that,” I acknowledge, as I jerk my thumb back towards the bar. Then I touch my lip where
she
hit me. Lexi. Punched… Me… In the face. And she screamed that she hated me. The look in her eyes when she said it tells me she meant it. I shake my head and stare at the brunette.

“It’s cool. No worries, babe. But can I give you some advice?” she says as she leans back on her heels and looks right into my eyes.

“Seems like you’re going to anyway, so shoot.” I straddle the bike and grab the handlebars with white knuckles.

Smiling sadly, with something like remorse in her eyes, she says, “Look, I don’t know what the hell that was in there,” she motions back towards the bar, “but I saw the way you two stared at each other in the coffee shop, and I could practically
see
the sexual tension just now. I don’t know what happened in the past with you two, but it’s obvious something serious did. And I can tell you another thing… That woman does
not
hate you. She might wish she did, but she does
not
hate you. Whatever happened, fix it. You’ll never get over it. You’ll never move on. Trust me, I know.”

“And what makes you such an expert, sexy lady?”

“Because I had my own Jude Delecroix once. And I’ve never gotten over him either.” With that statement, she turns on her heel and walks into the night.

Well
fuck me
… this night has just gone from completely whack to off-the-charts insane.

I gun the engine and whisper, “What if it’s so broken it can’t be fixed?” Then, I take off into the muggy Baton Rouge night with too many thoughts running around in my head, and too many questions about why I really returned home.

Lexi

L
ying back in the tub, with my head resting on a rolled up towel and a washcloth over my eyes, I listen to the soothing sounds of Michael Bublé, and try to get my muscles to relax.

My cell buzzes on the shelf above me with a new text.

“Bradi

Checking on you chick. That was wicked intense tonight. Holy shit!

I am so sorry for what I said to Jude. I’m mortified and I love you so much.

Please don’t be mad.

Call me. I’m here for you and I want you to be ok. Because tonight, you with Jude, fucking hell Lexi, I don’t know that girl.

You HIT him!

I’ve never seen you that way. It scared me.

I love you!!!”

I put the phone down, lay my head back, and rub my temples. My head is pounding and not from the alcohol. I’m just lost… lost in my head… lost in the memories… lost in the hurt and anger I still feel.

I should not still be this affected by him. I was doing so well. I was moving on. I have a life, a
good
life, and I cannot let myself go back to that person I was when he left. I
won’t
let myself go back there. I’m stronger than that.

And Bradi is right; I’m not that girl anymore. She doesn’t know that girl. And I don’t want her to. I don’t want anyone to.

I pick up my phone to text her back.

“Lexi

I’m ok. Well not really. But it is what it is.

I’m not mad at you.

I’m sorry I scared you.

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Jude.

I’m so sorry about a lot of things, but you’re right you don’t know that girl.

I am NOT that girl. I don’t know why, but Jude makes me crazy.

But I’ll be ok.

I’m not going back to that girl.

I love you too.

So much.

Call you tomorrow.”

Laying my head down again, I close my eyes. Today was unexpected, I can be honest with myself. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Jude is back. He’s here. He’s home. What am I going to do?

As I slowly start to allow Michael Bublé and the warm, soothing bubbles to relax me, I realize… I’m not over him. I’m still in love with Jude Delecroix and I have no idea what to do about it.

Jude

As I’m driving aimlessly down the Louisiana back roads, I find myself pulling into a familiar spot.

Why did I come here? I started out with no destination in mind. I just wanted to drive, to feel the wind rush past me and the open road underneath me. So, why am I here? Why
here
? Why this particular spot?

Was the brunette right? Does Lexi still have feelings for me?

I thought I was over her. I thought this trip home was to show myself that I
am
over her and she no longer has a hold over me. The point was to walk up to her and show her that I didn’t need her… that I made it… without her… that I am someone… that this ‘small town’ and the ‘small town girl’ who were once my world no longer mattered. Yes, that was the plan. Eight years is long enough to move on. Too bad my bullshitting myself was just that… complete and total bullshit.