Scarred: A New Adult Romance (The Anderson Brothers Series Book 1) (11 page)

William
furrows his brow, and then nods thoughtfully. “Oh, I see. So who’s your girl?”

That
was none of his business, either. I’ve half the mind to tell him it’s Denise,
but that’d probably make her forever pissed at me if he ever relayed
that
to her. This asshole seems like the
type that probably would.

“You
gotta be kidding me,” he says again. “No girl?”

Shit.
I guess I was silent for too
long.

“You’re
a mechanic,” he says. “You know chicks are into guys who are good with their
hands, right? So what’s the problem?”

I
roll my eyes. “There’s no problem. I’m just a busy man.”

He
guffaws, obviously seeing right through my bullshit.

Denise
was right—I’m a
terrible
liar.

Chapter 11

I clock out as soon as six o’clock hits. I can’t get
out of there fast enough. Revving the engine on my bike, I speed out of the
parking lot. This day has gotten shittier and shittier. I’m ready to strangle
William. String him up by his fucking dick for bragging about Denise in my
face. Of course, she’s amazing. But seriously, what does she see in that guy,
anyway?

At
least there’s one thing she and I have in common. She likes motorcycles,
something he hadn’t talked about. But it seems obvious that she likes him, not
me. The thought of her having put her beautiful lips on his fucking face makes
me sick to my stomach.

I
park my bike and storm through the kitchen door. The house is quiet again, and
just as I’m wondering where Chris might be, my phone vibrates. I slip it out of
my pocket and check the screen.

A
text from Chris. He seems to send them at the most inconvenient times.

Yo, spending the nite @ Adri’s.

Scowling,
I hurl the phone against the wall. The impact sends the back cover flying off
and the square battery popping out. There’s a small black scuff on the drywall.
I don’t care if I practically destroyed my phone. I’ve had it for over three
years, so it’s probably about time I upgraded, anyway.

“Fuck
my
life
!” I yell, stomping up the
stairs. I should be happy for Chris. It’s what I wanted, right? This is the
second day in a row that he’s stayed with the same girl. A new record. I’ve not
seen a girl make Chris this happy in a long time.

So
why the hell can’t
I
be happy?

I
slam my bedroom door and lean against it. Closing my eyes, I sigh. I’m angry,
jealous, and sad all at the same time—mainly sad. And yeah, very jealous. Uncle
Adam’s words ring through my ears. That tunnel is dark—so dark, I’m getting
lost. I don’t know if I’m going forward or backward.

I have to move on. She
doesn’t want a guy like me. Take it like a man and move on.

I
flop on the bed and lay back, staring up at the still paddles of the ceiling
fan. Maybe I should just give up the chivalry shit. It’s only brought pain. Be
a bad boy like all these bitches like and take what I fucking want—her.

No!

My
left eye twitches.

God, no.
Did I just think that? I
hate thinking like that.
He
would
love that. Love that I’d become just like him by thinking that shit. No. I’m
not going to give that son of a bitch the pleasure.

You’ll never win. You hear
me? Burn in Hell you piece of shit.
Tears sting my eyes. I just want to be a normal guy,
meet a great girl, and spend the rest of my life with her.

I
just want to be happy, but fuck those thoughts.

Fuck my life.

I
hop out of bed, return downstairs, and retrieve the discarded phone. I pop the
battery back in, and once I snap the cover shut, the phone turns on, no
problem. The thing’s been dropped, smashed, and even run over by a car, and the
only damage was a tiny little crack on the upper corner of the screen. And the
thing still works. I call Kevin. It’s still a few hours yet before he’d go to a
club if he’s working tonight.

“’Lo?”

I
sigh, relieved to hear his voice. “Hey, bro. You working tonight?”

“Yeah,
gonna head out to Blue Xscape around nine. Something up?”

I
slowly walk up the stairs. “I need to talk, to vent.”

He
stays silent, though I can faintly hear his breathing, so I continue. “I’ve
been thinking bad shit again. Thinking about hurting people. Thinking about
Pops—”

“Don’t
you start with that shit, Dom,” he says. “You’re better than that.”

“I’m
such a screwup.”

“It’s
about a girl, isn’t it?”

I
don’t reply.

“That
girl you told me about … Danielle, right?”

“Denise,”
I say as I rest my hand on the doorknob to my room. “And yeah.”

“So
what’s the problem?”

I
sigh. “I met her piece-of-shit boyfriend.
William
.”

“Seriously,
Dom? You’re gonna just let him take her from you?”

“She
can like whoever she wants, Kev. I just wish it wasn’t
that
guy.”

“She
likes him, huh?”

“Yeah.”
I think back to that night I took her home. She looked unsure of herself, about
to say something, but she didn’t. Could it have been about him? “I don’t know
what to do, man,” I say, heading into my room. I plop down on the bed with a
solid bounce. “Worst of all, I have to work with William, and today, all he
talked about was her.”

“If
she don’t want you, then you need to find yourself a new girl. Come to the club
tonight, li’l bro.”

My
throat tightens. I was afraid he’d say that.

“Dom?”

“Yeah,
I’m here. I—”

“Hey.
You wanna forget about her? Then get your ass to Club Xscape tonight.”

“But,
Kev—”

“No
‘buts’ unless they’re attached to cute girls.”

With
a long sigh, I nod. “Fine. I’ll be there around ten.”

“Don’t
bullshit me, either, or I swear, I’ll never let you live this down.”

“All
right, damn it. I told you I’d come!” I snap through clenched teeth. Kevin can
be persistent sometimes, but I can’t help but love him for it.

We
both hang up, and I toss the phone next to me on the bed. I’m too exhausted to
think clearly any more, so I shut my eyes and take a nap. Even in my dreams,
all I keep seeing is Denise’s smiling face, and I can’t get the smell of pears
out of my mind.

* * *

Club
Xscape is nearly as crowded as Club 88 was last night. On stage, Kevin is set
up, doing his thing. It’s always great to watch my brother do what he loves.

I
head to the bar and get my usual. Leaning with my back against the high
countertop, I scan the crowd of mostly college students and recognize a few
from my engineering classes. I’m supposed to be forgetting about Denise, but I
can’t help but hope that she’s here.

Familiar
girlish giggling breaks me out of my thoughts. Taking a long swig of my drink,
I look over to a group of four girls nearby. I recognize them—Denise’s friends.
I gasp.
Could she be here?
I look
around the crowd but don’t see her.

A
thin petite girl breaks from her group of friends and approaches me. Her short,
purple hair falls in small wisps across her ghostly white face. She wears an
oversized, off-the-shoulder top revealing tattoos on her arms and chest,
hip-hugger jeans, and brown boots with fur. She’s got a metal ring in her
bottom lip, as well as scores of other piercings in both ears. After looking me
up and down, she smirks. “Hey, you’re the guy from the other night. The cute
one on that awesome red bike.”

I
finish my drink. “Cute one, huh?” I say, smirking back.

Purple
Hair giggles and takes my hand. “It was unanimous. My friends wanna meet you.”

My
heart pounds as she tugs on my arm. I reluctantly follow her to the rest of the
group of girls, who all have their eyes on me.

Purple
Hair releases my hand, and I shove both of them in the front pockets of my
hoodie. “Hello, ladies.”

One
of the girls, a curvy Latina with long curly hair, chews on her fingernails,
fighting back a smile as she stares.

Another
girl, dressed in a purple halter top and jeans, gazes at me, her mouth slightly
open. She’s a bit on the chubby side but wears the weight very well. She looks
toward the stage, then back to me. “You look a little like DJ Kevitron.”

“Oh
whatever, Trinity,” Latina says. “You think every hot guy looks like DJ
Kevitron.”

I
never thought we looked anything alike. “Well, actually, he’s my brother.”
Oh shit. I wasn’t supposed to tell them
that, was I?

All
of the girls’ eyes go wide. “Oh my God! It’s Kevitron’s brother!” they squeal.

I wince.
Is this the kind of thing Kevin gets every night? “So, any of you guys seen
Denise tonight?”

All
excitement slowly leaves their eyes. Then, one of them, a tall, full-figured
girl wearing a black dress says, “She’ll be here soon. She and I were supposed
to come together, but William called and ended up taking her instead.” She
scrunches up her face a little. “How do you know Denise, anyway?”

I
sigh. I can’t seem to get away from that bastard. I should leave while I can.
“Oh, I, uh, fixed her car.”

Purple
Hair elbows Trinity, giving me a discreet wink. “Hear that, Trinity? He’s not
only Kevitron’s brother, but he’s also a mechanic.”

Trinity
licks her sparkly, glossy lips, and looks anxiously at me.

William
did
say something about chicks liking
guys who are good with their hands.

“I
am so jealous of Denise right now,” Latina says. “She’s getting all the hot
mechanic guys after her.”

“And
one of them happens to be Kevitron’s
brother
!”
Trinity exclaims.

I
think I’m grinning like a fool. Their flattery is beyond overwhelming. Denise
has some cute girlfriends. But none of them are quite like her. “I’m Dominick,
by the way. Sorry for not introducing myself before.”

Black
Dress plays with one of her braids. “I’m Cherie.”

“And
I’m Alexis,” Purple Hair says, eyeing me like a piece of meat.

“I’m
Bianca,” Latina says and gives me one of those kissy-faces.

Trinity
still can’t stop staring and smiling. Her smile reminds me of Denise’s.

Bianca
shoves her forward playfully. “Stop staring,
chica,
and go get him.”

Trinity
squeals, and I grab her as she stumbles in her pumps. Her soft, curvy body
presses into mine as I steady her on her feet. I smile awkwardly at her. She
looks back at me, mortified, then turns to her friends, who are snickering. “Oh
my God, Bianca! I almost fell!”

“Right
into his arms,” Bianca says, grinning devilishly, and the other girls laugh.

I
scratch the back of my head. This is such an awkward moment.

Alexis
pokes me in the bicep. “Hey, Dominick. Can you get us some drinks?”

I
frown a little. I don’t want to give these girls the wrong idea, but the fact
that they’re Denise’s friends means they’ll most likely be talking to her about
me at some point. And I’d rather not be labelled the biggest asshole they’ve
ever met. I guess I have some time to spare before I split. “Okay,” I say,
nodding. “What do you guys want?”

“Tequila
Sunrise for me,” Cherie says.

“Me
too,” Bianca says.

“I’ll
do a Malibu,” Alexis says.

“Long
Island iced tea,” Trinity says.

I
smile at Trinity, remembering that it’s also what Denise likes.

Damn it!

I
head to the bar, wave down a bartender, and order the drinks. As I wait, I turn
and people-watch again. Denise’s friends are still huddled in their little
group, occasionally stealing glances in my direction. I wave at them. They seem
like a good bunch of girls, but the more I stay around them, the more I think
about Denise.

I
suddenly smell pears.
She’s here!
My
eyes dart left and right, searching eagerly. Then I spot the couple walking toward
the group of girls. They must’ve walked right past me while I was daydreaming.

The
drinks all prepared, I skillfully carry the four glasses back to the waiting
group. I slow my steps as I near Denise, eyeing her from behind. She’s wearing
an oversized blue plaid top over black leggings, which shows off every bit of
those great legs, all the way up to the bottom of her beautifully round ass. I
reluctantly look from her to William, who has his arm draped around her
shoulders.

Frowning,
I brush past them and deliver the drinks to the other girls. “Here you go,
ladies,” I say, trying to focus on them. But Denise’s pear smell is too
distracting.

The
girls all fawn over me as they take their drinks.

“Thanks,
Dominick. You’re a really good guy.” Cherie says.

“No
problem,” I say.

Denise
gasps behind me. “Dominick? What are you doing here?”

Just
hearing her call my name makes me smile. I turn to her. “I should be asking
you
that,” I say with a bit of a laugh.

William
rubs her shoulders, and I frown. “Taking my advice, I see, Dom.” He smirks.

I
shoot him a glare. I just want one moment with him to break those fingers that
are touching her shoulders. “What advice? I came here to see my brother.”

William
raises his eyebrows. “Your brother?”

Trinity
beams. “Can you believe it? Dominick is DJ Kevitron’s brother!”

“No
shit? Well, your brother is pretty damn good on those ones and twos,” William
says.

I
stare coldly. “He’s all right.” My gaze drifts back to Denise. Her face is
slightly taut with concern, as if something is on her mind. Damn, I wish I
could talk to her.

William
kisses her on the cheek. “Want something to drink, baby?”

Denise
smiles slightly. “Sure. The usual.”