Here For You

Here

For You

Denise Muniz

Copyright © 2013 Denise Muniz

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1493582006

ISBN-10: 1493582003

DEDICATION

To my Amazing & Wonderful husband –
This Is For You
. Thank you for encouraging and believing in me, you always said I could do anything and look ‘I’ve Done It.’ Happy 5
th
Year Wedding Anniversary Baby.

Chapter - 1

Becca

“I just don’t understand why you want to be around the people from town. Besides, don’t you have a girlfriend?” I jokingly asked James. He was sitting on my bed reading one of the magazines that he’d grabbed from my nightstand. James was my best friend and from time to time he would come down to Georgia to visit his mom, always dropping by whenever he was here. “And who let you in the house?” I moaned, even though I never did mind when he came over. I couldn’t say the same for my dad though. He knew James and I were close but he also knew what James did behind closed doors, and he didn’t want his daughter involved. My dad loved James, but he loved to give him a hard time too. Almost like a love/hate relationship.

James was always trying to get me to go to these parties, never really succeeding, but never stopping his attempts of persuasion. He was one of those popular guys back in high school without even trying, so parties had always been his thing.

His dirty, dark brown hair that fell to his forehead, deep-sea, bluish-green eyes, and amazing physique, all made it hard for him not to be popular. All the girls wanted to be around him and all the guys just wanted to be cool with him. He had a large group of friends back then. So why the hell did he want to be friends with a boring homebody like myself? I really didn’t know.

I just remember when we moved here. I was thirteen years old and Dad had decided to buy a small house. After settling in, we discovered that our neighbors, who weren’t far from our little house, had a kid around my age. The only bad thing was that they had a son. I was so wishing it was a daughter, you know, to practice make-up and stuff with. That did not happen, not by a long shot. But once we got to know each other we were inseparable.

James was older than me by two years, but that didn’t stop the friendship from developing once we realized that we had more than a few things in common. He always tried to include me in things he was doing with his friends, whether they were going to the store, or just hanging out. And from time to time he would invite me over to watch a movie. We talked about everything, and although it felt weird at times to be talking to a guy about certain things, I was grateful he was in my life at that time, and now.

“Come on, you should really go. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I knew he was grinning when he said that. I turned around after I’d finished unpacking my small suitcase. I’d been to see a few universities with my friend, Emma. She wanted to go somewhere once she was done with her two years at the community college here. We’d been friends for a few years now but since James had moved away we were able to grow closer.

We took a year off after graduation before applying for community college. She didn’t want to, but I convinced her we should, just to enjoy life outside of school for a little while. Even though she had already applied to these universities she wanted to check out the campus incase she got accepted. Truth be told, I didn’t think I’d even leave after my two years was up, so I didn’t apply to anything. I didn’t want to leave my dad all by himself. It’d always been me and Dad, and that’s the way I wanted it to stay. Although he told me all the time that it was okay if I left, I still refused. I just wouldn’t say anything to him, not yet.

I jumped on the bed next to James. “I don’t think so, buddy,” I told him, snatching the magazine from his hands.

“Hey, I was reading that!” he teased, smiling, showing his dimples. He was a beautiful man, but I couldn’t tell him that. He was a “manly man” so calling him beautiful was like calling him a girl. He’d come down here to visit his mom, something he did every other month, and he never left me out of the loop. I mean, he’d better not after all our years of friendship. I was practically family.

They were having a party where we used to hang out, well, where
he
used to hang out with the kids from high school, and he was desperately trying to get me to agree to go. Some of his old buddies were out here as well. Fourth of July weekend and all. It wasn’t anything special. Everybody would just drive out to the cornfield that’d been empty for some time. Everyone would park their cars, bring kegs and music, and watch the fireworks that some of the guys would attempt to do.

I only went one year, and because I was never really a social butterfly I was in the background most of the night, except for the times when James would come up to me, or someone would try and offer me a drink. But now that I’d grown up (well, I guess if you consider twenty-one going on twenty-two grown up) I wasn’t as shy as I used to be.

I’d already decided that I was going to the party anyway, but I want to bust his chops first. My boyfriend, Grey, had invited me. James knew I was dating him and had been for almost seven months. It was nothing serious on my part. It just started when he saw me working late at the diner and refused to let me walk to my car alone. “A lady should not have to walk to her car by herself at night. I’ll take you,” he insisted, holding out his hand so I could hold it. At first I was a little wary. I mean, who the hell says ‘lady’? But after a little hesitation I took his hand and we clicked from that moment. He was someone I could see myself dating, but at the end of the day he just wasn’t…

I realized a hand was waving in front of my face. “Earth to Becca.” Damn, James must have said something while I was totally spaced out.

“What?” I asked him rather harshly, looking down at the magazine and pretending to flip through the pages.

All of a sudden, he smacked the magazine I was holding out of my hand, sending it flying across the room. When he finally looked at me, I must have had a funny look on my face because he threw his head back on my pillow and started to laugh. I mean, like serious, body convulsing laughter.

I smacked his arm. Hard. “What the hell was that for?”

After trying to catch his breath he chuckled. “I’m sorry, but you should have seen your face,” he said, holding onto his stomach while trying to calm down.

“Oh yeah, real funny. You’re such a child.” I shoved him as I stood up to go to the bathroom. He could be such an asshole sometimes. I wasn’t doing anything for
that
kind of reaction. Yeah, we played all the time, but sometimes it bothered me more than other times and I didn’t understand why it bothered me at that particular time, maybe because it was totally uncalled for. I didn’t get very far because the chuckles finally died off and a warm hand lightly grabbed my elbow, stopping me in my tracks.

I refused to look behind me to see his face. He probably had one of those stupid puss-in-boot looks. I tried wiggling my arm free but his grip tightened. It didn’t hurt, just made its point.

“What, James?” I asked him with an attitude of ‘I’m not playing one of your little games right now.’

He pulled my arm, making me tumble back toward him.
Jerk
. The back of my knees bumped his, stopping me. He reached for my other arm, turning me around to face him. Since he was sitting on the bed I was looking down at him, and yes, he had that stupid look on his face. I just rolled my eyes and looked away.

He lightly yanked my hands down, which caused me to do what he wanted. Sit on his lap. Underneath my ass I felt his muscular thighs keeping me up with the help of my bed. He snaked his arms around my waist, holding me close, placing his head on my chest. Since I was wearing a V-neck shirt I could feel his 5 o’clock shadow on my skin. It was so freaking sexy. He always did something like this when he wanted me to forgive him. But when he did things like this it did things to me. I didn’t know if it did things to him, but I was pretty sure he could feel my heart going a million times faster.

Damn heart betraying me, always betraying me when he was around.

“I’m sorry,” he said with his head still resting on my chest. His stubble tickled me, releasing a small giggle from my throat. I couldn’t be mad at him forever, especially since he was on his mini vacation. I ran my hands through his soft silks, yanking lightly so his head lifted off me a bit.

“Ouch.”

“Well, serves you right, jerk.” He smiled, which made me smile.

“I was just playing around. Wanted to see your reaction is all, babes.” That’s another thing he did, he always called me ‘babes.’ I never really understood why. He started saying it one day and it just stuck. I guess you can say that it was a pet name I didn’t mind, although, my previous boyfriends sure did.

I let go of the grip I had on him, sending his head back onto my chest. “You can get off me now,” he told me.

The nerves of this asshole
! Shaking my head, I tried to get up but his arms tightened around me.
Really?
“You have to let go of me first, stupid,” I said as I tried to reach around to tickle him. That’s one thing that would get him every time…the tickling. But I couldn’t reach him, what with all the moving he was doing.

“Your pillows are nice,” he said, sinking his face deeper into my chest.

“Asshole,” I said, laughing out loud and pushing him away from me harder. When I looked at him he was grinning with his pearly whites on display. His smile was powerful. It always made me smile whether I wanted to or not. So I headed to the bathroom to get away from him.

“And by the way, I
am
going to the party. Grey was telling me about it earlier,” I told him, turning around before fully exiting my room to enter the bathroom down the hall. As soon as I said Grey’s name the smile dropped from James’ face. It was always like that whenever I mentioned Grey’s name around him, even over the phone he’d go silent for a few seconds. On FaceTime his sexy, strong, defined jaw would tense, and in person, his delicious smile would totally disappear. I guess I was that much of a sister to him that he felt the need to be overly protective of me. But there was nothing harmful about Grey. At all. Even in the bedroom when I wouldn’t mind if he was more assertive, he stayed tame, unless he’s had a couple of drinks in him. He’d never once forced me to do anything I didn’t want to, if anything it was me who had to tell him what I wanted him to do. Not that I didn’t mind, but sometimes a girl needs to be taken control of and not just when her man is drunk.

James walked down the small hall to the bathroom where I was now applying my smoky eye makeup for tonight. Through the reflection on the mirror I saw him leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms. Damn, he looked so good. He had on a short sleeve, plain black t-shirt, with grey cargo pants that showed off those God-sculpted arms and calves. I also happened to know that there were a couple of tattoos on each of those biceps; one with the name of his mother,
Samantha,
and the other with his late grandmother's name,
Rose
, who he was very close to
.

Shit, he was pure sex. I shook my head and continued applying my makeup.

“You’re still with that jackass?” he asked me. I knew who he was talking about. It seemed like the guys I’d dated in the past weren’t good enough for him and now Grey wasn’t either. He should have been my father because even my dad didn’t give me this much trouble.

I finished one eye before I turned around to face him. I realized I must have looked stupid but I didn’t care. Placing my shadow brush on the counter, I placed a hand on my hip. “And what makes you think he’s an asshole?” I wanted to hear his reasons this time because it was always something with James. God forbid I talked about one of his many sluts, who he claimed were not sluts, but when you sleep with someone within hours or even minutes of meeting them then that’s what you are. A slut. That’s what he’d be called if he were a woman. There was no difference in my eyes.

He uncrossed his arms. “Because I know how he is. We grew up in the same town way before you got here. Granted we didn’t graduate together, but he had quite the reputation.” There went his jaw again, tense and defined.
How the hell did I get distracted this quickly?

That’s it, that’s all he was giving me?
Because I knew him he was holding something back.

I blew out my breath, waving my hand in the air. “Oh please, that was what…when he was seventeen or eighteen, James?” I was getting frustrated now.

“Yeah well, people don’t change that quick, Becca,” he replied. I just wished he would tell me the real reason why he didn’t like Grey, because I could tell he was lying.

I was about to do my other eye when I turned toward him again, “Seriously, James, eight years is a long ass time for someone to change his or her ways. Anyway, what about you and your sluts? Are you going to find one tonight to fuck behind the bushes?” I didn’t know why I said that but something took over me, maybe him talking about my boyfriend when he should worry about his sluts. Or maybe…I don’t know. I turned back around to face the mirror.

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t disrespect you like that, babes.” That he was right. For some reason whenever I was around he would keep his tongue and dick in check. Every time a girl tried to do something and he knew I was there, nothing would happen, but when they were behind closed doors everything went for the hills. For a long time I had wished that James would take me behind one of those doors, doing to me what he did to them, but…more meaningful. But, with me, it was always a pat on the back or an arm around the shoulder. You know what it’s like to wait for something to happen and it doesn’t? Tiring. I didn’t dare make a move though. He was used to those girls who just did it. What if I tried and he gave me one of those what-are-you-doing-you’re-like-a-sister-to-me looks? I swear I would have died.