Chat (26 page)

There were no rules with Jason.

We came at the same time, and he buried his face in my shirt to keep from groaning.

I clenched around him, and he reached up to untie the gag. I moved my jaw, holding onto the desk as he pulled out and reached for a handful of tissues.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” I accused breathlessly, and he dabbed between my legs with the tissues before turning me around.

He kissed me then.
Leisurely, as though we hadn’t just fucked in his office on a Monday morning. I smiled into his kiss, and he returned my grin.

“
There.”

“There?” I laughed, shaking my head at him. “What did you write on me? I can’t believe… you… you’d better throw that pen away.”

He burst out laughing, tugging me into his arms as I perched on the edge of his desk. “I marked you. I claimed you. I made Numbers a No Trespassing sign.”

The
multitude of emotions that roared through me in the course of five seconds nearly knocked the wind out of me.

I
pushed him away, feeling the heat rising over my neck. “What? Are you saying that you actually think I’m going to
sleep
with him?”

He narrowed his eyes, obviously taken aback at my physic
al response. “Lower your voice-”

“Fuck
you!
” I shouted, clenching my fists at my sides. “You really think that I’m that despicable? Jesus Christ.” I shoved past him, and he tried to reach for me.

“Sandy,
wait
-”

I tried to remain composed until I reached the restroom. Slamming the door, I leaned against the inside of the stall, breaking into tears.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jason

I left work before five, driving straight to her parents’ house.

When I swung in the driveway, her dad was working in the garage. Taking a moment to compose myself, I waved.
“Hey, Jim. Is Sandy back?”

“Not yet. She
texted a little while ago, saying they were meeting the realtor at the apartment.” He wiped his hands on an oily, white rag, squinting into the sun. “You going over there to check on her?”

I sighed slowly, turning toward my truck. “I… want to.”

“But you’re afraid you’ll piss her off. I know. She’s just like her mom.” He patted the back of his pants, finally extracting a pack of Marlboro’s. “You stopped smoking, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”
I stared at the cigarettes longingly, and he turned away from the breeze to light one.

“
Good for you, kid.”

“Jim, I should go to her, shouldn’t I?” I asked. He
shrugged, nodding toward my pickup.

“
Shouldn’t have let her go in the first place.”

“I didn’t let her go, she
went
.”

“You put yourself in her way, Jason. She’ll be mad for a little while, but she’ll realize it’s what’s best.
Nothing harder than having to lock myself in my own garage to keep myself from taking my shotgun out.”

“I’m going then,” I decided. “
I already pissed her off at work this morning. I may as well make things worse.”

“If you want to kick his ass again, I’ll bail you out.”

I offered him a quick smile, climbing in my pickup and backing out quickly.

I had no idea what the hell I was thinking when I wrote on her. It was hot as hell with her bent over my desk, and the pen had been a spur of the moment decision. As I’d scribed the words on her inner thigh, the sounds she’d made drove me insane.

And then I ruined everything.

I
reached for my phone, dialing Scott. He picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, big brother.”

“Scott, I fucked up.”

“Figures.
Talk.”

I told him what I’d done, briefly describing how I’d ordered her to my office and bent her over my desk.

“Dude. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“She kept talking about how she had to see him, and have closure
, and I was worried that she’d…”

“Sleep with him, and you told her that. You know, your biggest problem is that you talk to
o fucking much, man.”

“I know.”

“I hope you’re going to her right now. No matter how much you screwed up, I don’t trust that guy.”

“I know. I’m on my way there now.”

“Jason,” Scott sighed, and I heard one of the twins talking in the background. “Nothing that you’ve said or done is unfixable. You’ve known each other for too long, and she loves you, man. You didn’t do anything but tell her that you’re worried. In your own awkward, offensive way.”

Both of their cars were parked outside their apartment, as well as a Tahoe that I didn’t recognize. I assumed it belonged to the realtor.

“Thanks, Scott.”

Climbing the steps, I heard their voices as I made it to the third floor. Their apartment door was ajar, and the realtor was speaking.
“…closing costs. They like the updating that you’ve done, even though the kitchen is small.”

“That was all Alexandra. She has an eye for
beauty.”

Jack. His fucking swanky
flattery always turned my stomach, and I hoped it was making Sandy as equally irritated.

“Thank you,” came her soft reply.

I paused outside the door.

I knew that intruding would mean one of two possible outcomes. One, she’d be glad to see me, and would forgive me for insinuating that she’d consider sleeping with him again, or two, she’d turn all red, launch into a litany of curse words, and Jack would smugly tell me to leave.

I suddenly felt like an intruder, like I had absolutely no place showing up at her apartment.

Their
apartment.

Yes, we’d been best friends all of our lives, and yes, only three weeks ago, she’d agreed to become my wife. But after her surgery, she’d pulled away, and after enough time had passed for me to realize that I
hadn’t
succeeded in getting her pregnant, I began to wonder if I was exactly what she’d predicted I’d be.

A rebound.

I ran my hand through my hair, trying to think through what the future held for us.

“
Well, then, that’s it. I’ll call you after we close on Wednesday. It’s been a pleasure working with you both,” the realtor was saying.

I leaned against the wall, watching the older woman walk toward the elevator.

Finally, I sighed, waiting. If they closed the door, I’d go in. Until then, I would wait, listening, making sure she was at least safe.

“
It’s so empty,” Sandy murmured.

“It was empty the moment you left,” Jack replied.

“Don’t. I’ve said everything I wanted to say to you, Jack. Now it’s time to say goodbye.”

“Will yo
u answer one question for me?” he replied. Her soft exhale made my heart thump against my chest.

“I guess.”

“Was it always him? Did you always love him?” He asked.

The silence echoed throughout the hallway and the empty apartment.

I waited, holding my breath, for her answer.

Finally, her soft voice cut through the quiet. “
I don’t know that it’s always been him. But it’ll always be him. For the rest of my life.”

Nothing mattered to me at that moment but her words.

I tucked my hands in my pockets, waiting, barely breathing.

“
I know he’ll treat you better than I have. I’m sorry that I hurt you,” he said.

“I’ll forgive you eventually, but I’ll never forget it, Jack. I can’t.”

“You shouldn’t forgive me.”

Ah,
fuck, the martyr.
Sandy’s biggest weakness.

I waited, ready to rush in at any moment.

“I will,” she replied softly. “I owe it to myself, and to my husband. To Jason. I don’t plan on suffering you forever.”

I loved her even more for throwing my name in his face.

He left as I tucked myself into the shadows of the hallway. He took the elevator, and I waited until she was locking up the apartment before stepping out of the corridor.

“Hey. I was stalking you.
Hope that’s okay.”

She inhaled quickly, turning to me and closing her eyes. “God, you scared the hell out of me!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Were you spying on me?” s
he demanded, turning to the door.

“I prefer… defending you from the forces of evil. Like Batman.”

“Which Batman, Keaton or Bale?” she asked, fighting with the realtor’s lock.

“Keaton of course.”

“I don’t need a hero.”

“No?” I took a tentative step toward her, and she turned to face me.

“No.” She’d left her hair down, and I remembered pulling the pins out one by one earlier that day.

“What do you need, San?” I urged.

She bit her lip, her lashes fanning against her cheeks before her eyes lifted to mine. “You.”

I smiled slowly, raising my eyes.

“Are you still mad at me for writing on you?”

She rolled her pretty eyes, scoffing. “I was mad for what you were
insinuating
, not for writing on me.”

“Did you like what I wrote?”

“
Jason Brewer Was Here. JB + SQ 4-EVER.
” She laughed, shaking her head. “So juvenile.”

“Want me to write something else?” I teased. “Or better yet, let’s get you a ring. I want everyone to look at you and know that you’re mine.”

She reached for my hands, tucking them at her waist.

She covered my hands with hers, splaying them over her belly.

“Jason, I don’
t need a ring. I have a feeling our baby will be very blond. That should do the trick.”

As her words
made sense in my mind, her grin grew, and I reached for her face.

“What? Y
ou’re pregnant? Sandy?”

She exhaled
a tearful laugh, nodding. “Yes. I took a test last night.”

“
You knew this morning? In my office?” I demanded, holding her stomach, my thumbs brushing over her belly through the thin material of her ruffled shirt. “Come on, you need to sit down… are you hungry? Tired? Are you sick?”

“Jason, I’m fine,” she protested, leaning forward into my arms. “I was sick last night, but other than that, fine. Wait, did you come straight from work? Joplin is still home alone?”

“Shit!” I glanced at my watch, and she gripped my hand, smiling up at me.

“I’m making you crazy,” she murmured, and I closed my eyes tightly, dropping my forehead to hers.

“Sandy. You’re making me so happy. I don’t even have words. And I always have words,” I said, exhaling a laugh against her hair.

“I love your words,” she replied, tilting her face up to mine.

“I love you,” I breathed, capturing her lips in mine. I kissed her, thinking about our blond-haired baby that she’d described, and my heart swelled. She moaned softly as I wrapped my arm around her back, lifting her to me. “Baby, I can’t be your boss anymore.”

“I know,” she managed.

“And I can’t wait until August to marry you.”

“I don’t want to wait until August.”

“How did everything go today? He didn’t try anything with you, did he?” I demanded. She shook her head, locked in my arms.

“No, it’s over
. He knows it. He also knows that I love you.”

I held her in my arms in the middle of the hallway, swaying with her to the soundless melody that had always existed between us.

“Boss, we’re in trouble now.”

She laughed, lifting her eyes to mine. “Brew, it’s your turn to take the blame.”

“Gladly,” I answered, dropping to my knees to look up at her. “Holy shit, I’m going to be a dad. I’m going to be
your
dad,” I said to her flat stomach, and she threaded her fingers through my hair.

“
I’m only about four weeks, anything can happen,” she warned, and I immediately caught the nervous edge to her tone.

“Nothing is going to happen, don’t worry. Worrying isn’t good,” I chided, lifting her shirt and tucking my head under the white ruffles. She giggled as I pressed my lips to her bare stomach.

“Jason!”

“It’s nice in here. He’s a lucky guy,” I teased as she pulled her shirt back.

“He?” she asked, grinning down at me.

I rose to my feet, catching her lips again in a soft, promising kiss. “Come on, I want to tell your parents.
And my parents. And Scott and Em.”

“Please, let’s wait,” she begged. “At least until I go to the doctor. I’m so nervous, Brew.”