The UN Series Complete Box Set (56 page)

CHAPTER NINE

SLADE

I stand there watching Angel stare at the wall in front of her for a few seconds before she backs out and drives off.

I turn around to lift a side of her black leather love seat.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Micah asks as he stands on the other end with his hand on the sofa.

“Pick up your end of the sofa.” I ignore his question.

“No.” He shakes his head, placing his other hand on the couch. “Why didn’t you tell her?”

I stand up and let the couch fall to the floor. “Because she would have tried to help.”

“You shouldn’t keep things from her,” Josh says, grabbing her nightstand out of the back of the truck.

Oh, isn’t this great, everyone wants to give me advice. “You know nothing.” I turn to face him. “You didn’t see….” I stop myself before I explain what state I had found her in last night. They have no clue what’s going on in her mind. Fuck, half the time I don’t even know what she’s thinking. “She tries to do everything herself. I’m just trying to lessen the load. She may be a little pissed about it, but in the long run she will be happy that she doesn’t have to worry about moving her stuff.”

They are both silent for a few seconds, then both nod their heads.

“Where are we going to put all of this stuff?” Josh asks, looking around.

“I don’t know.” I think we are going to need a bigger house.

“We could put it downstairs in the basement office,” Micah offers.

“No.” I do not want any of her things in the room that Jax cheated on her in. Although she has never asked which room he was in, and I have not offered the information, I still know what happened in that room and that is not where her things belong. “We can split it between the living room and media room. We will move my stuff downstairs.”

They both nod as Micah picks up his end. “Oh, and Josh, we don’t need to make another trip to her house. This is all I’m going to move.”

“Why? Her bed, dressers and other couch are still over there,” he says moving my couch back so we can set Angel’s sofa down.

“Angel said that Courtney was going to move into her rental house and knew Courtney didn’t bring anything besides her clothes.”

Josh slumps down onto the couch. “I’m trying to get her to move in with me.” He lays back looking up at us. “When I found out she was coming back here I told her how I felt about her. I like her. A lot. But I don’t want her to feel like I’m rushing her. I just want her to know that I’m serious about us and willing to move forward with our relationship.”

“And she doesn’t feel the same?” Micah asks.

“She said she did, she just thinks she should have her own place for now. Although I don’t like it, I told her I would respect her decision.”

“That sucks,” Micah agrees, causing Josh to let out a little laugh.

“Speaking of the girlfriends,” I say, rubbing my hands together. “I need a favor from you.” I point to Josh.

“Sure. What is it?” he asks, sitting up straight.

“Hang on.” I turn and head to my office. Angel never goes in there, so I hid her parents’ rings in my office safe last night as soon as we got home.

I return to find both of the guys sitting on the couch now. They stare up at me as I smile. I have never been more excited about anything in my life. I know I want to take this step with her, I just hope that she feels the same way. I mean, we have only been together for a short time, but it already feels like a lifetime. Nothing before her matters, or even exists.

“Why are you smiling like an idiot?” Micah asks seriously.

I hold my hand out to them, revealing the wedding rings.

“What the fuck?” Josh exclaims as he stands up.

Micah jumps up also but has a harder time speaking. “What, uh. Slade, those are wedding rings.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes they are, genius. Marie gave them to me. She wanted Angel to have them. I want to propose to Angel, but first, I want you to make something special out of her mother’s for me.”

“Whatever you want to do,” Josh says, smiling wide.

“I can’t fucking believe it.” Micah shakes his head. “My big brother is going to get married.” Then he elbows Josh in the side.

Josh chuckles, shaking his head a bit, before mumbling, “I know.”

I ignore them and look down at the rings. “Yeah. Well, she has to say yes first and then not kill me when she sees what I did to her mother’s wedding ring.” That is the part that terrifies me the most. I thought about just proposing with her mother’s ring, but I can’t. I have an idea in my head and it just screams Angel.

“Do you know what you want?” Josh urges, looking to me.

“Yes.” It didn’t take me long to figure out what I wanted for her. It was all I could think about on our drive back from Tulsa.

“When do you want it by?”

“I’m thinking Thanksgiving.” That gives us some more time for her to get used to living with me and for her to learn how to be herself again.

“Done,” Josh says, taking it from me and placing it in his pocket.

“We need a beer,” Micah proclaims as he smiles brightly over at Josh.

“We do?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Of course, you’re getting married.” He reaches over and pulls me into a hug.

“She has to say yes first,” I remind them again, laughing, and then we head to the kitchen to get a beer.

*****

SAMANTHA

I walk into work and smile when I see Holly. “Hey girl. I’m surprised you wanted to work today,” she says.

“Well, the guys are at the house, so I figured I needed to get away.”

She frowns. “Did Slade not tell you he was moving your stuff?”

“No. At first I was mad, but I understand why he wanted to do it today.”

I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pull it out, figuring it will be Slade, but instead it’s a blocked number. I frown looking down at it.

“Something wrong?” Holly asks.

“Someone is calling me from a blocked number.”

Who could it be? I’ve never had anyone call me from a blocked number before.

Holly places one hand on her hip and points at my phone with the other. “I bet it’s that Tate guy. He didn’t seem like he was going to leave you alone.”

“You are probably right.” I press ignore and stick my phone behind the bar, not wanting to be bothered by it. I take a deep breath and put a big smile on my face. Tonight is going to be a great night.

“What’s the story with him anyway?”

“His mom was my mother’s best friend,” is all I supply.

“And?” She tries to dig for more.

I don’t know how much I should tell Holly. I love her to death, but Tate’s story is not mine to tell. “My mom watched him a lot when we were younger. Then he and his mother moved to Alaska when he was thirteen.”

“That’s cool. I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska.” She sighs as she gets a dreamy expression on her face. “I would love to go on an Alaskan cruise.”

“Why don’t you tell Micah that’s what you want to do for your honeymoon?”

She shakes her head as she laughs a little. “Yeah right. Micah, on a cruise?”

“Will he not go on a cruise?”

“No. He’s terrified of cruises.” She rolls her eyes making me giggle.

My laughter dies down as I see the bartender from the bar of the hotel the night before we went to the Rams’ game walk in the front door of Larry’s.

“Hello, ladies,” he says nicely as he walks up to the bar with a smile on his face.

“Hello. What can I do for you?” Holly asks him sweetly.

“I would like an application, please.” He looks at me with that smile still plastered on his face.

Great! I already didn’t like this guy the first time I met him, now I may have to work with him. Good thing I don’t work often.

Holly reaches behind the cash register and hands him one. He takes a seat at the bar and starts to fill it out.

“Why do you act like you hate him already?” Holly asks quietly, pulling me to the side.

“He was our waiter at the bar the night we went out before the Rams game and he…he just rubbed me wrong.” From what I can recall anyway. I remember snapping at him for calling me Angel. Everything else after that is pretty blurry.

“Hmm,” she says in thought, “maybe you were just in a bad mood?”

“Yeah, maybe,” I admit, biting on my bottom lip. I’m pretty sure that was not the issue though.

I look over at the guy as he finishes up his application. He hands it to Holly and reaches out his hand to introduce himself. “Jeremy,” he says giving her a smile. I can’t help but think it’s a sneaky smile. One that says I’m a snake and going to strike out at you as soon as you turn your back.

His eyes then move to me as he reaches out his hand in my direction. “Jeremy,” he repeats, as if he has never seen me before.

Maybe Holly is right. I could have just been in a bad mood because of how much I had to drink. “Sam,” I say as I slowly reach out my hand.

“It was nice to meet you lovely ladies. I hope to hear from one of you soon.” Then he turns around and walks out. Maybe I was just overreacting that night at the bar.

“See, he was nice,” Holly says, placing his application in the drawer.

“Yeah, guess I was wrong,” I agree with her, pulling out my tray and getting ready for my shift.

*****

I groan as I lean over and grab Slade’s pillow, placing it over my head, trying to drown out the talking. Instead, I hear the voices getting louder. I lean up and grab my phone from the nightstand. It reads ten in the morning. Why is he not at work? I listen and hear another male besides Slade.

I get out of bed, throwing on some clothes, and walk out of the bedroom in search of the voices. I find Slade in the kitchen as he laughs with a man who looks younger than me. He has bleach blond hair that is so tall, spiked with enough gel it could be deadly if he decided to ram you. And I could probably fit my thumb through the holes in his ears.

“Hey, Angel, sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you,” Slade says, turning his attention to me.

“It’s okay. What’s going on?” I look from Slade to the kid that looks like he should be playing the drums in a hard rock band.

“This is Kip. He is buying your car,” Slade answers excitedly.

Oh, right, I almost forgot about that. He is giving my car away. I put a big smile on my face and look over at him.

“I love it. I’ve been looking for one for a while now,” he says happily.

“Well it’s perfect timing then,” Slade says, reaching into his pocket for the keys.

“I need to clean it out,” I say, trying to keep my voice even.

“I did that last night, Angel.”

Of course he did. The man thinks of everything and for some reason it’s starting to drive me fucking nuts. I take in a deep breath to calm myself. All Slade has done is help me out and he has tried to stay one step ahead of me so I don’t have to do as much. I peer up at him. “Thanks, babe.”

“No problem.” He turns to Kip. “Come on, it’s in the garage.”

I duck my head and walk myself back to the bedroom. I don’t want to see him drive off in it. I don’t want to have to say goodbye to one more thing. I know it’s just a car, but it is no longer mine. Which means the only vehicles I have now are my mom’s Tahoe and my dad’s cars. I don’t want to drive them. Maybe I will buy myself a new car.

I sit on the edge of the bed and my thoughts drift to my mom again. She crosses my mind every second of the day. Getting away from Tulsa did not help at all. Work did help though, and I kept myself busy last night. I cleaned more than usual and spent more time talking to customers. I found myself laughing at their stupid jokes, some I didn’t even understand, and I told Holly I would work every night this week. It bothers me that for some reason that place feels more like home than Slade’s house.

“What are you doing?”

I look up to see Slade standing in front of me in a pair of black dress slacks, a crisp white shirt, and a black tie. It makes my mouth water and my heart stop. He cracks a little smile as I sit there staring at him.

I clear my throat. “I was wondering why you’re not at work.”

“I took an early lunch.” He bends down and kisses me on the forehead. “I have to go back now.”

“Okay,” I say, folding my hands in my lap.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” I reply before he walks out to head back to work. Once he leaves, I lie back down and close my eyes. I need more sleep.

CHAPTER TEN

SLADE

I walk out into the garage and slide into my car. I smile brightly knowing her car is gone. I didn’t ask Josh how he knew Kip. He had the money and that was all that mattered to me. That and the fact that Angel is now driving safer vehicles.

I make my way back to my office. I’m really surprised by how slow work is right now, especially since I spent a week in Oklahoma. I think my dad is taking it easy on me so I can focus my time on Angel, and although that’s great, I have always lived for work.

I pass Rose on the way to my father’s office. I approach his open door and knock on it lightly. He looks up from his desk as he holds his phone over one ear. Lifting one hand, he signals for me to step inside.

I walk in and sit down in one of his seats as I look out his windows. I can see the Arch and it makes me grin. It reminds me of last month when I took Angel there. I would give anything to see the same big smile on her face that she had when we stood out in the pouring rain, to hear that giggle as I spun her around. She just seems to have a black cloud over her, and no matter how I try to break her free from it she won’t allow me.

My father gets my attention as he hangs up his phone. “What are you up to?” he asks, tilting his head to the side as he stares at me.

“Work,” I respond. “Although I don’t seem to have much to do. Why is that?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, I didn’t even think you were going to come in today.”

Should I have stayed home with her?
In actuality, I think she wanted to be alone. All she has been doing is pushing me away every chance she gets. I know I told her I would push back, but I think right now the best thing to do is step back.

“I have a few clients I need to contact,” I say, standing from the chair and exiting his office. I’m here to work and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

*****

I walk into the house and quietly make my way back to the bedroom, first stopping by my office to drop off the papers that I had needed to pick up for a client this morning. Entering the bedroom, I find Angel in the same place that I had left her not two hours ago. I place my phone on my nightstand seeing that it’s a little past ten on this Saturday morning.

After undressing, I lie down next to her and pull the covers up over both of us. I place my hand on her back and lightly rub it. I release a sigh. We have been back home for two weeks now and not much has changed between us. She still seems distant. I feel like she has completely shut me out. Every time I try to talk to her about something, she changes the subject. We have gotten in a few fights over her feelings regarding her mother, or the two houses she owns, or the cars her father left her that are still in Tulsa. She just shuts down and turns away from me. I want her to talk to me, but all that leads to is us fighting with one another.

Another thing that has been pissing me off is that she’s working so much at the bar. It’s like she is avoiding everything except work. She has worked almost every night these last two weeks, and I’m getting tired of it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m spending time with her, it’s just the time we do spend together feels like it’s weighed down with complications that she doesn’t want to bring up. She won’t talk about her mother or all of the boxes we brought back that are still in the garage. She hasn’t opened any of them. They are just pushed over to one side and out of the way. I know she’s avoiding them and I’m okay with that. She will get to them when she is ready. Courtney has tried to bring up her father’s house a few times. Courtney keeps asking her what she’s going to do with it, and she just shrugs. So, I have stepped back and am going to give her the time she needs to make a decision.

I pull my hand away and lay back, looking up at the ceiling. I am so fucking horny, I feel like I’m going to explode. I haven’t even tried to have sex with her but I feel I’m at a breaking point. How long can a man resist his sexy as fuck girlfriend? All I have to do is think of her and I’m hard. And yet, when I get home, she has already left for work.

Fuck, the smell of her perfume hits me and I can’t think straight. Visions of her underneath me are all that my mind can focus on. I have relieved the tension in the shower more times then I can count, but it hasn’t helped me one fucking bit. Nothing can compare to her soft hand, her hot mouth, her tight pussy. I reach down into my boxers and readjust my now hard cock. I don’t know how much longer I can resist. I’m afraid the next time she touches me I’ll explode.

I lean up and kiss her on her cheek. “Good night, Angel,” I whisper before I lie back down and pull her close to me.

*****

SAMANTHA

I open my eyes to see Slade sleeping, and he has one leg slung over mine and one arm wrapped around me. I inhale his scent and it makes me throb between my legs. I need a release. My body is wound up so tight it is going to break, and if he refuses to give me what I need, I plan on doing it myself. Although, that’s not what I really want. I need to feel connected to him again, and sex is as intimate as two people can get.

I place my hand on his smooth chest. I slowly run my hand downward between our bodies. As I take his dick into my hand, he pulls me closer to him, letting out a small moan. I smile when I feel it start to harden in my palm.

“Wake up, baby,” I say, bending down to place small kisses on his smooth chest.

“Angel,” he mumbles, keeping his eyes shut.

“I want you.” I’ve needed him for so long now. We still have not had sex since the first night at my mother’s house. I keep trying to tell myself that it has nothing to do with me, that maybe he is just busy or preoccupied, but even those thoughts don’t erase the doubts that he no longer wants me.

His eyes remain closed as his hand travels its way upward to the back of my neck, where he grabs a hold of my hair. I close my eyes and suck in a breath as he pulls my head back. Then I feel him shift our bodies so that he is lying on top of me. I open my eyes to see him looking down at me.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he whispers with a small smile on his face.

“Good morning.” I run my hands down his side and grab his ass. “I heard you leave this morning.”

He nods. “I had to run to the office for a few things.” He reaches up and brushes his knuckles down my cheek. “Then when I came home and found you still sleeping, I couldn’t walk away.” He leans down and places his head in the crook of my neck as he rains soft kisses on me. Then he pulls away and looks down at me. “How was work last night?” He releases his hand from my hair.

“I don’t want to talk about work.”

“I still think you should quit.” His baby blue eyes bore into mine almost as if he is trying to break me.

I hold back a sigh. I refuse to quit the only place that makes me feel like
me
anymore. I love him and I love that we are living together, but that does not mean I have to give up everything I had before him.

“I’m not quitting.”

“I think you would be happier just staying home.”

I’m sure this is every woman’s dream, to have a man who wants to take care of them. I know he’s not trying to be controlling or tell me what I can and can’t do. He just honestly thinks I need to stay home and grieve for the rest of my life.

“I’m happy right now,” I say, digging my fingers into his ass. “I would be even happier if you were inside of me.”

He lays on top of me for a few long seconds. I think he’s going to get off me when he instead shifts his body up a little bit. He smiles as he places his hand between my legs. I spread them further to give him as much space as he needs. I lean my head back and close my eyes. I could almost cry at the relief that rushes over me as he glides a finger into me. I almost combust right then with just the feel of him finally touching me. It’s been too long since he has shown any interest in me sexually and I can’t hold back the moan.

His face falls to the crook of my neck. I feel his tongue touch my skin as he works his way to my earlobe. “I love how fucking wet you get,” he whispers, making me shiver.

“Please don’t make me wait. I want you,” I say, arching my back as my hands try to pull him toward me.

“What is it that you want, Angel?” I lift my hips as he pushes a second finger into me.

I take in a deep breath before I can speak. “I want—” The sound of the doorbell cuts me off.

“Fuck,” Slade swears softly as he removes his fingers. “I’ll go get it. Stay right here.” He gives me a light kiss and gets out of bed. He grabs a pair of shorts out of his drawer and grabs a t-shirt off the foot of the bed as he leaves the room.

I lay there looking up at the ceiling. I don’t think I have ever been this sexually frustrated in all my life.

I reach over, grab his pillow, and hold it over my head. I release some frustration as I yell into it, giving it all I have, screaming as loud as I can. Knowing no one can hear me. I scream until I feel somewhat relaxed and slightly lightheaded.

I throw the pillow to the floor and continue to lay there with my eyes closed. Trying to figure out what I can do to make him be aggressive again. I’m in desperate need of the rough, toss me around, push me up against a wall, show me who’s in control, sex! The kind that leaves you shaking and panting. It is obvious that I’m the one who is going to have to spice it up and get us back to that point.

“Are you going to get out of bed today?”

I open my eyes and sit up, pulling the covers up to my chin when I hear Courtney talking.

“What are you doing?” I take in a deep breath, trying to control my heartbeat as I see Holly is standing next to her as well.

“Slade said you were in here,” Holly says as she plops down on the edge of my bed.

“How long were you two standing there?” I ask, letting go of the sheet a bit, but not letting it fall, since I
am
naked.

“Long enough to see you scream into a pillow,” Courtney says as she joins Holly on the bed.

“I was letting out my frustration because you two…interrupted us.”

Courtney gives me a look that says she doesn’t believe me.

I narrow my eyes at her.

“Well, sorry about that,” Holly says. “We came over because we picked a date for Vegas and have decided where we are going to stay.”

Thank God. Holly has had the hardest time choosing anything when it comes to her wedding. That’s all her and I talk about. I have spent a lot of time looking up things on the Internet with her while at work this week.

“Okay. What’s the plan?” I ask, letting my back fall against the headboard.

“We go on the twentieth of January, which is a Thursday, and come back Sunday.”

“That sounds good,” I agree. “Where are we going to stay?”

“Planet Hollywood.”

“That sounds good to me.”

They both continue staring at me as an awkward silence fills the room.

“I can’t get out of bed until you guys leave the room. I’m naked,” I explain, in case they hadn’t already figured that out.

“Okay.” Holly pats my leg over the covers. “We will wait for you in the living room. The guys are out there visiting. Slade mentioned something about going to lunch.”

After they leave the room, I sit there for a few minutes. Lunch? He didn’t want to come back to bed with me? That three minutes he got was enough? Well, it wasn’t for me. I wrap the sheet around myself and walk to the bedroom door.

“Slade,” I yell into the empty hallway.

“Yeah, Angel?” he calls from somewhere.

“Will you come here for a second?” Why am I yelling in my own house? I shake my head. This day is already starting off bad.

“What?” he asks as he comes down the hall.

I hold the sheet tight to my chest while I stick one hand out. As he reaches me, he places his hand in mine. I pull him into the room, shutting the door behind him. I push him up against the wall and let the sheet fall to the ground as I start kissing his chest over his shirt.

“Angel.” He puts his hands on my shoulder, holding me back a bit.

“Slade,” I snap.

He sighs. “What are you doing?” His brows scrunch as he looks down at me.

“Seriously? We were interrupted.” I rub myself against him and feel that he isn’t even hard right now.

He looks down at me with a blank expression on his face. “We have company, Angel.” He goes to open the door but I stop him by placing a hand on it.

“Are we going to lunch with them?” I demand.

“Yes. That’s okay, isn’t it?” he asks, sounding like he’s worried he made a mistake by agreeing to go to lunch with them.

“Well, I wish you would have asked me first. I wanted to do a few things today.” I need to go through the boxes I brought back from my mother’s house. I’ve been avoiding them since I’ve been trying to keep a positive attitude about everything. I feel like I may break down while going through them and I don’t want Slade to see that side of me again. But I can’t hold out forever, I need to get it over with.

“We can do them later this evening.” He pulls my head to him as he kisses my forehead.