My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) (9 page)

“Yeah, thankfully I don’t have to hear any of that. I typically head off to my side of the house and hide while they are around. Besides, it is none of my business. I don’t care what he does. He keeps to himself and I do my own thing.” I looked down and my hands had twisted a paper napkin to shreds and left a mess on the table.

Stefani watched me for a moment before responding. “Yeah, right.” She replied, furrowing her eyebrows. I suddenly felt very self-conscious and maybe even a little defensive.

“There’s nothing there. He’s my boss,” I said, shaking my head fiercely. “Nothing going on.” I repeated, mostly to convince myself.
 

“Uh-huh…” She smiled, before taking another sip of coffee.

L
ater that evening, after everyone had gone home, I was in my bathroom getting ready to meet Mel for a drink at Theo's. Jesse came to join me, which was something he did on most nights, but I never questioned his presence. I had noticed early on that he didn’t like to be alone, maybe that was the reason for all of the female visitors. On nights when it was just the two of us in the house we would order dinner and spend a few hours watching television or a movie. He was very thoughtful, and allowed me to make most of the movie choices without complaining too much. It was time that had given us a chance to become better acquainted. There were even nights when we would go into the game room and challenge one another to a friendly game of pool. We seemed to enjoy one another’s company, and that made me enjoy my job that much more.

“
Hey.
”
He reached up to grab the top of the doorframe and in doing so let out a heavy sigh.
 
My eyes drifted to his reflection in the mirror and I caught the faintest glimpse of hard muscle teasing me where his shirt had ridden up with his stretch.

“
Hey yourself.
”
I replied, gathering my composure to apply the finishing touches on my mascara. I pulled the wand away from my eye and wrinkled my forehead together, taking in his demeanor.
“
Are you okay?
”
I was getting better at reading his moods.
 

He shrugged his shoulders lazily.
“
Yeah, just bored. I don’t like how quiet it gets when everyone's gone.
”

I furrowed my brow and scowled. “
You usually have one of your harem hanging around so I highly doubt this place is quiet when I'm not here.
”

“
Shut up, I'm not that bad and you know it,
”
he said, kicking at the ground with his toe. I stared at the action for a minute, noting that even his feet were perfect. He continued speaking and my eyes moved back up to his mouth.
“Besides,
there’s not a girl here
every
night.
”

I exhaled loudly and jabbed him in the ribs with my finger
.
“I’m calling bullshit on this one, Jesse.” He arched his back and rolled his eyes, but he wouldn’t look directly at me. He knew I was making a true statement.

 
“I know you’re right, but I have slowed down. I probably should
clean up my shit though.
” He suddenly went quiet as his eyes looked everywhere around the room, avoiding me completely. He appeared off, like almost nervous, and I've never seen Jesse Montgomery nervous. This was the same man that propositioned me for sex within the first two minutes of meeting him. The same man whose soft lips and hazel eyes made me forget every rule or inhibition that had held me back before. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it, and I knew him well enough to determine that he wanted to ask me something, something that would probably make me scream in anger or swoon with desire.

"Maybe you could change me." And there you have it, folks. His words may have been soft, but I read the suggestion loud and clear. I knew he had something eating at him, I just never suspected this.

"Excuse me?" I snapped, demanding clarification.

He scrunched his brow, contemplating his next words, and then offered me his best pouty lip.
“Come on, help me out, Rhyann.
You're great at whipping me into shape. For the past two months you've introduced so many changes around here, I've practically been your personal science experiment. You’ve got me eating salad at least three nights a week, and I’ll have you know that before you moved in I hated salad. I don't hang out at bars like I used to. I’ve stopped leaving wet towels on the floor. Hell, you even got me to quit smoking; do you have any idea how hard that would have been to do on my own? You rode my ass every single time I tried to light up, now you've got me wearing a patch and chewing on a straw when I get a craving."
 

"Those changes were for your own good. Anyway, it never made sense that a man who put so much effort into perfecting his body would even consider smoking." I turned back to the mirror and reached for a blush brush, but his hand caught my wrist and I stared at his reflection in the mirror.

"Please help me detox from women.
”
He clasped his hands under his chin and flashed a dimple. At this moment, one would never have guessed that this man was a rockstar. He looked like a five-year-old boy begging for his favorite toy. It was adorable and annoying at the same time, but mostly annoying because it made certain parts of my body stir in response. I didn’t want to think of him in that way, not any more. Even though it tore at my heart every day, I had to be strong and resist my impulses. He was my boss now, and longing for something more no longer made sense.

“
Are you fucking serious?" I gave my best searing glare, hoping to burn him where he stood. I couldn't believe the audacity of this man. "You're asking me to keep you from having sex? I think that crosses a line, considering our past." I snapped, crossing my arms protectively over my chest, giving him my best glare. "Isn
’
t it enough that I have to witness them coming and going all hours of the night?
I have to listen to them giggling and squealing with delight every time you touch them. Frankly, it’s disgusting, not to mention insulting to me.”
 

He scrubbed a hand over his face and returned my stare.
“You're absolutely right. I’m a fucking idiot, but you already know that. I knew taking this job would be hard for you, and I gave no regard to your feelings.
I'm really sorry, I should have never allowed it to continue after you moved in. I meant what I said though, I want to change. Will you help me?
”
 

Was this really happening? I stood with my mouth gaping open, wondering how we'd even reached this point in our relationship. I'd been professional right from the start, even though it had been difficult. I'd kept my hands, and my feelings, to myself. Sure, we'd shared harmless flirting now and then, but I felt that we had truly built a friendship these last two months. I considered myself to be strong, but even this was too much for me. How was I supposed to be the one to tell him when he could and couldn’t have sex, when I secretly wanted nothing more than for him to rip off my clothes and take me right in this bathroom. I certainly wasn't going to stay with him day in and day out to intervene, and you can bet your ass that I wasn’t going to do an inspection of body parts to make sure he was abstaining!
 

Well, I guess maybe if he begged.
Oh good grief, why am I even thinking this way? When I failed to respond he continued pleading his case.

“
Come on, Rhyann, how do you do it?” He asked, seductively. “Do you have sex often? I mean, I never hear you talk about a boyfriend, and lets face it, you're with me more than anyone else. I don
’
t see men coming here so you can
’
t have a whole lot of time for a relationship, let alone sex. Don’t you get lonely?
”
 

How the hell does he know what I have time for! Grrr….

“
I'm not discussing my sex life with you. Have a good night.
”
I tried pushing my way past him but he stood firm, blocking the way with his well-defined muscles. I glared and placed my hands on my hips to show that I meant business. “Do you mind?”

“
You aren't having sex at all, are you?” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and his fingers brushed over my cheek along the way. My eyes closed and I couldn't help but wince at his touch. He let out a low whistle when I looked away, hesitating to respond. “Damn, that has to hurt. How long has it been, baby?
”
He asked, voice rough and full of innuendo.
 

Any other time, I might have caved, but right now he was pissing me off. He knew good and well how he affected me. I'd been honest with him from the moment I agreed to take this job. I'd told him it would be hard, but I'd also assured him that I could handle it. Sure, we may have become friends along the way, but this was going too far, this cut too deep.
 

I slowly licked my lips, reaching out to run a finger along the collar of his shirt. His breathing stopped while he stared intently at my wet lips and waited for me to speak. His tongue raked over his bottom lip and as I leaned closer he edged forward, as if anticipating a kiss. At the last minute, I shifted my head and brushed my mouth across his ear to whisper in my most sensual voice.
“My sex life is my business, and I don’t feel the need to parade it in front of everyone
, especially my boss. But, if you must know, since moving in with you I've developed a very healthy relationship with my favorite battery operated lover. He's the perfect companion. His only concern is pleasuring me, he doesn't ask for anything in return, and there are no rules.
” I threw in that last part just to piss him off.

His tongue played along the side of his cheek, and he let out a slow breath before regaining his composure.
He grunted and pushed himself off the doorframe, letting me through. “Enjoy your girls night out.” He announced, as he shook his head and walked off.

“Oh, I plan to.” I called out smartly, flipping his back the finger as I walked out the door. Little did he know it took everything in my power to leave the house after that interaction.

CHAPTER SEVEN

T
he next morning I woke up early and went for a run. I needed to get my head straight. I was hired to be professional and keep him on task. I was going to go back to the house today and keep my head down and do my job. The next few weeks were jam packed with studio time and the record company had lined up a few interviews for the band so I needed to help him prepare for that, all I needed to do was focus. I had just rounded the corner, making my way toward the park, when I heard someone behind me running at a good pace. I quickly moved to the side, allowing them to pass, when I looked over and saw Jesse smiling at me.

“
Good morning Rhyann.
”
He greeted me through even breaths.

“
Do you always come out this far when running or did you come to see me?
” I couldn’t help but notice my voice sounded as if I were gasping for air.

“
Sure, I run this path all the time. Why would I come out here just for you?
” He scowled.

“
Interesting, I
’
ve never seen you out here.
”
I teased.

“
I guess that
’
s because you're not here every day like I am.
”
He replied smartly, increasing his speed and leaving me in his dust. I growled inwardly, hating that he was better at this than I was. To say that sports were not my thing was an understatement. I never played them in high school. I preferred working on the school paper or the yearbook. I was a bit of a nerd in school, and it hadn
’
t helped that I carried at least fifteen extra pounds on me most of my teenage years. Running afforded me the ability to literally have my cake and eat it too, which I appreciated since I'm a big fan of sweets. When he saw that I hadn
’
t taken him up on his challenge he slowed down and waited for me to catch up. Even after sweating he still smelled amazing. The musky smell of his sweat, mixed with his cologne, did something to set off my hormones. I had to get out of here. After we'd gone two miles I’d had enough.

“
This is where I turn around.
”
I said, stopping abruptly.

“You’re quitting already?” he teased.

“Yeah well, if you hadn’t already noticed I am not in the best physical shape. I don’t enjoy exercise but I make myself do it because I enjoy food.” I replied smartly before bending over and wrapping my arms around my thighs. The stretch felt great, and when I stood up I noticed Jesse watching me intently before he began to stretch. I chewed on my bottom lip and cocked my head to the side.
 

“Can I ask you something personal?” I asked, while in mid-lunge.

“Sure, ask me anything.” He shrugged nonchalantly before continuing to stretch out his hamstring. He was wearing a tank top and shorts. The tank cut low under his arms and showed off the toned skin of his chest and ribcage. In that shirt I was able to see the tattoos that had been ingrained on my memory. On the right side of his body was a fire-breathing dragon, which was an incredible shade of green dotted with red and gold flecks. The head reached over his right shoulder, flames from its mouth spilled down his back, the body covered most of the right side of his chest and the tail wrapped around his ribcage with the point of it ending at the waist of his gym shorts. It was so beautifully created that I couldn’t help but want to reach out and trace all of the dark lines within it. There were symbols on the back of his left bicep that appeared to be Hebrew, although I wasn’t sure what they said. Then on his right bicep he had the band’s logo from their first album cover, a ribbon of letters that spilled from a broken heart and twisted around the neck of a guitar, all in glorious shades of red, black, blue, and white, and every time he flexed his arm the heart appeared to be pulsing. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. He caught me staring and broke the spell.