Under My Skin (Shady Falls Series Book 2) (15 page)

              “Nothin’. I just needed a moment,” I said. I pushed away from the wall, intent on returning to the party.

              “He’s not right for you, you know?”

              “I beg your pardon?” I asked, confused by her comment. “What are you talkin’ about?”

              “Grant,” she said. “Why are you with him?” 

              “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I huffed. I didn’t want to talk to her. She was supposed to be the enemy, the catty woman who was with the man I wanted. She wasn’t supposed to be nice.

              “It’s not, but I still want to know. Are you in love with him? Do you even like him?”

              “I’m not havin’ this conversation with you. I don’t even know you. Besides, I’m not even
with
him. We ain’t datin’. We just hang out sometimes.” The words poured out before I could stop myself. Why couldn’t I shut my mouth? I didn’t want to talk to her. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say.

              “If you ain’t with him, then why are you puttin’ up with his shit?”

              My eyes widened with that comment. I didn’t know what to say to her. I couldn’t argue, Grant was being a complete asshole. He wasn’t fun and he made me feel like shit most of the time. Why the hell did I deal with his shit? Monique stood and waited, but I had nothing to say.

              Monique continued, “Especially since you have someone like Jake.”

              “What?” I practically shouted, then flushed because of how loud it seemed in the deserted hall. “I’m definitely not with Jake. Aren’t you with him?”              

              “Jake and I are friends, but that’s it.” She paused. “You’re kind of oblivious, ain’t you?”

              Her tone sounded kind, but her words seemed cutting. “Look,” I said, annoyed. “I don’t know who you think you are, but …”

              “I’m not bein’ rude, Mia, but you ain’t exceptionally observant.” She paused and studied me for a few moments before continuing. “Do you know that Jake and I used to get together from time to time? Neither of us had anyone, so we would hook up. Friends with benefits and all that, but we don’t do that anymore. You know how long it’s been since Jake and I hooked up? Since Jake has hooked up with anyone?”

              I didn’t want to hear about this shit. Didn’t want to know who he was sleeping with. Why the hell would she tell me this shit? Staring at her in disbelief, I shook my head. Not to say no, but to try to get the images of her and Jake together from overwhelming my imagination. I wasn’t successful.

              “It’s been months. Pretty much since you started goin’ to the gym back in September.”

              “How would you know that?” I asked in a quiet, stressed tone.

              “Because he started canceling on me,” she said as if it should’ve been obvious. “He said it was because he was busy at the gym, so after weeks of not seein’ him, I went to visit. All I saw was him watchin’ you. Starin’ at you on an elliptical. He was so engrossed, he didn’t notice me or any other woman who tried to get his attention. He watches you constantly, and you don’t even notice. How can you be so oblivious?” she asked, seeming truly perplexed.

              “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. I’m pretty sure the only time he looks in my direction, he’s glarin’ at me.” The words came out in a whisper. Could what she was saying be true?

              “Mia, no offence, you seem like a smart woman but you are naïve. If I had to give my opinion, I’d say that man is still in love with you.”

              I opened my mouth to say something, but I was stunned silent. Still? How in the hell would she know he ever was? Unless he told her. Did he tell her about our past? Was he talking about me to her?

              “Yeah,” she nodded, answering my silent question. “He told me about your past. He was drunk and mad a couple weeks ago. Somethin’ about arguin’ with you at some bar? He’s in love with you, Mia, but he ain’t gonna do anythin’ about it. Especially with a douche like Grant around. And I can tell that you love him. Watchin’ you two in a room is like watchin’ a tennis match. You’re distracted, he’s lookin’ at you. He’s distracted, you’re lookin’ at him. I don’t know how your friends handle it.”

              “Why’re you tellin’ me this? Weren’t you with him? Why would you share this with me?”

              “I love Jake, but I don’t love him romantically. He’s a good man and a great guy. Yeah, we fooled around when neither of us was with someone else, but it was just sex. He’s one of my best friends, and I want him to have who he wants, and I think he wants you. That’s why I’m tellin’ you this. If you love him, if you want him, you need to fight for him.”

              Without another word, Monique turned and went back into the suite. She left me standing there, her words echoed through the empty corridor, reverberating through me. He was still in love with me? Maybe I actually had a shot.

              Returning to the suite, the conversation between my friends was like a buzzing in my ears. I was in my own world, reliving what Monique told me. I tried to pay attention and contribute to the conversation, but I couldn’t focus. I could only hear Monique’s words … I needed to fight for him.

              Julius, Toni, and Kyle walked into the suite, smiling and happy. Seeing Toni so happy and in love was awesome. Julius was such a man’s man, yet he didn’t hesitate to be affectionate with Toni. He held her hand, opened doors, and made sure she was taken care of, even if she could do it herself. And Toni was usually such and alpha woman, she didn’t need anyone, but she let him take care of her, and she doted over Julius too. She passed water and food to him every chance she got and constantly checked to make sure he was okay.

              “How you doin’ honey?” I asked Toni when she plopped down next to me.

              Leaning her head on my shoulder, Toni said, “I’m exhausted, but great. Can’t wait to get the hell outta here and get somethin’ to eat.” She leaned in and whispered, “What’s up with Grant?”

              I sighed, “I don’t know. I shouldn’t have let him come here. It was a mistake.”

              “Nice thing about mistakes,” Toni said. “You can always learn from them and fix them. So fix it.” Toni smiled, but didn’t say anything more, turning her attention to introductions between Char, Roy, and Gage. She was right, I wasn’t locked into this. If I wanted out, I could fix my mistake.

              “Can we go now?” Grant whined from across the room. “I don’t see why we need to sit here and …” His whining voice was cut off by Jake’s low growl.

              “Why are you still here?” Jake barked. “I thought it was clear that your presence here was unnecessary.”

              Everyone went still, staring between the two men. Jake didn’t stand or even look like he was ready to move, but there was a fire in his cobalt eyes.

              “Well?” Jake snapped. “You’ve been whinin’ like a little bitch since you got here. You don’t know how to sit down and just relax. You bitch about everythin’. You’re up Mia’s ass every time she moves. You’re tryin’ to get into the bartender’s pants. So why the hell did you even come?”

              “Jake,” Cade warned.

              “Screw that, Cade. He’s a dick and he’s made everyone so goddamned uncomfortable all day, it’s ridiculous.”

              “Jake. Just let it be,” Toni said. A sense of pride bloomed in my chest looking at her. She wasn’t afraid of the confrontation, she just didn’t want there to be a fight. Not so long ago, the conflict would’ve sent her into a panic. There was no fear in her at all.

              I looked around at all of my friends, new and old and felt terrible. “I’m sorry,” I said. I felt so bad that I’d made people uncomfortable by having him there.

              “It ain’t you, Mia. It’s this dickhead who can’t quit whinin’,” Jake bellowed. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

              “Well if I’m leaving, Mia’s leaving with me.” Grant turned to me and stared me down, but I didn’t care anymore. “Let’s go, Mia. Now.”

              The confidence I found earlier was doubled because of the way Jake spoke to me. He was pissed off at Grant, but his tone toward me was kind and welcoming. I turned to Grant, knowing I was done. “I ain’t goin’ anywhere with you. You invited yourself here, I didn’t ask you to come. I ain’t leavin’, I’m goin’ out with everyone else like I intended.” Turning to the group, feeling pretty proud of myself, I smiled. “Where’re we goin’ tonight?”

              “We’re gonna go and get some dinner before goin’ back to the hotel. I have reservations in town. I arranged it so we’re all in the same hotel on the same floor. Then tomorrow, we’ll head home.” Julius said, he gave me a nod and smiled.

              “Well, that leaves me out,” Grant grumbled next to me. “Some of us actually have to work tomorrow.”

“Some of us own our own businesses and have a staff of people who can take care of things in our absence,” Jake said with a smirk.

“And some of us have a teacher in service day tomorrow and don’t have to be there,” Gage included, winking at me.

Grant glared across the room at Julius, Jake, Gage, and Cade. It was obvious that he hated these men that were so important to me. I knew immediately I was done with him.

Chapter Thirteen

Jake

Sure as fuck that leaves him out.

              He was such a whiny little bitch, I couldn’t stand it. If the son of a bitch eyeballed me one more goddamned time I was gonna lose my shit completely. The cocksucker had been glaring at me all day. Every time he opened his mouth some condescending, pompous remark spewed all over the room. If he wasn’t putting down Mia, he was talking to the rest of us like we didn’t have half a brain. It was obvious he had a superiority complex. He was the most annoying piece of shit I’d ever met.

              I waited to see what Mia would do. Would she leave with the prick or would she go to dinner with her friends? What was she doing with that anal-retentive asshole anyway? He treated her like shit, acted as if she was beneath him, and looked at her like a possession. Like something he could own and control, instead of a beautiful woman who could light up his fuckin’ world.

             
Sonofabitch!
Why did she always reduce me to some pathetic fool spewing sonnets for a woman who never loved me? I adored Mia once, but she didn’t give a shit. And in spite of all that, I still thought about her constantly.

              Somehow I’d idealized her and in my head turned her into some goddess who overshadowed every other woman I met. It was Mia’s face that haunted my dreams. So many beautiful women have been in and out of my life over the years, but not one of them lit me up inside, not like her. I still longed for those warm brown eyes looking up at me. Her golden-brown corkscrew curls flowing through my fingers and her sweet, sweet arms wrapped around me, holding me tight.

              What Mia did tonight would tell me if she was worth something or not. Maybe if she chose to let that asshole have his way, I could finally walk away and never look back.

              The door of the SUV slammed, drawing me from my thoughts. Monique climbed in next to me and smiled. “Hey. What’s up?”

              “What the hell were you doin’ in the hall with Mia earlier?” I asked Monique.

              “Bathroom,” Monique said simply. She looked out the front window, watching the last of the rigs pulling out of the infield.

              “Bullshit, Moni. You walked in and then Mia walked in thirty seconds later lookin’ like she was sick. So what were you doin’ out there?”

              “Jake, I wasn’t doin’ anything. I went to the bathroom, Mia just happened to be out there too. We greeted each other, that’s it.”

              “Moni, you’re lyin’. Look at me.”

              Monique turned her eyes to me and glared. “Okay. I asked her why she was with that asshole. I told her he was a dick and she shouldn’t be with him, especially when she could have you.”

              “What the hell, Moni? Mind your business for once in your damn life, please.”

              “What, you worried she might actually figure out that you still care about her? And heaven forbid she figure out that she still cares about you. Can’t have you happy, that’d be insane.”

              “You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. You don’t know the history.”

              “Whatever, Jake. You want to be a miserable prick for the rest of your life, that’s your prerogative. But you should know, that woman’s still in love with you. If you were man enough to bury whatever bullshit happened years ago and get over it, you might actually see it for yourself.”

              “Man enough?” I rumbled. “You’re kiddin’, right?”

              “Jake, I’m not tryin’ to be a bitch. But you know I’m right. It’s been years, y’all were kids. It can’t matter that much anymore. Y’all need to get over yourselves and see if there’s somethin’ there. If you don’t, you’ll regret it the rest of your life.”

              And that was what pissed me off the most, I knew she was right.

***

Hours later we all sat around the hotel restaurant bar. Margie, Char, Kyle, and Gage all retired to their rooms for the night; the new parents and pregnant woman unable to continue our party. Gage’s brother-in-law, Roy, and Cade both sat at the bar, talking and drinking their beer. I sat at a table with Julius and Grant drinking and relaxing while we watched Monique, Mia, and Toni dancing and having fun.

              Mia had dragged a reluctant and arguing Toni to the dance floor with the help of Monique. I had no idea how Monique and Mia had suddenly become friendly, but they ganged up on Toni and got her on the dance floor. They danced around the floor while Pink’s
Raise your Glass
poured from the speakers. I found myself mesmerized. Toni was relaxed and happy, Monique was great, but Mia was so much more. She was extraordinary. Gorgeous and striking, Mia commanded attention as she moved her body, her glass in one hand and her other hand forming devil ears, pretending to head bang through the song. The three women hopped around and sang with gusto. It was hilarious to watch.

              Mia stood her ground when it was time to leave the track. She didn’t give Grant any room to complain.  For that, I was proud of her; maybe my brazen beauty was still hidden beneath the timid girl she had become.

              “She certainly is good for Toni,” Julius said from next to me. “I’ve never seen Toni so relaxed and having so much fun. And Monique’s great too.”

              “Yeah, Mia always could bring that out of Toni,” I said not taking my eyes off her for even a moment. “Moni’s the most outgoing woman I’ve ever met. No way Toni could be backward with her.”

              I quietly watched as the song changed to The Killers’
Mr. Brightside.
The three women started jumping up and down, spinning around, and singing. Smiling to myself, I relaxed, enjoying the view. I loved seeing this side of Mia again. Next to me, Julius elbowed my arm. He gestured to the other man sitting at our table.

              Grant sat there flirting with a beautiful, young blonde waitress. She couldn’t have been much more than eighteen or nineteen. The waitress was definitely showing Grant interest in return. Where I couldn’t take my eyes off of Mia, he wasn’t paying her any attention at all.

              “Play along,” I leaned in and whispered to Julius, gesturing toward Grant and the waitress. Julius smirked and nodded. I wanted to get this asshole to show himself. If Mia didn’t already realize what kind of prick he was, I wanted to show her. The waitress obviously had a liking for Grant, so I was going to get him to act.

              “Hey sweetheart, why don’t you come over here and sit with us.” I called out to the young waitress who was leaned over giving Grant an eyeful. I tapped my knee, making a show of where I wanted her to sit.

              Not responding, Grant snapped his eyes toward me, he obviously had his sights set on the blonde, and he wasn’t happy that I seemed to show interest.

              “Might need to take that up to my room for the night,” I pushed, whispering loudly to Julius.

              “Please,” Jules continued. “She’s too young. A girl that young don’t want some old washout like you. Now a vigorous racecar driver ...” Jules trailed off, taunting me, trying to draw Grant into the conversation. “She’s jailbait and she sure as hell wouldn’t sleep with someone five or six years older than her.”

              “I can,” Grant piped up.

              “Bullshit.” I said. I wanted to challenge him, draw him out. I hoped he would finally show who he truly was so Mia could walk away for good.

              “I’ve gone out with hotter girls than her,” Grant insisted.

              Julius snickered, “Yeah right, sure you have. What the hell would you want with a girl that young? Those young ones are too immature.”

              “There’s a reason I spend so much time in the city. Those young ones are looking for a well-established man to take care of them. They’re easy and don’t expect much ...”

              Cutting him off, I said, “Except gifts and money. If they’re lookin’ for someone to take care of ‘em, they want somethin’ for fuckin’ you.”

              Now I was getting pissed. Why would he try to push a relationship with Mia if he was screwing around with other women?

              “What about Mia?” Julius asked.

              “She doesn’t need to know anything. She insists we’re not together anyway. I can do what I want. Maybe if you got a job where your woman isn’t with you all the time, you could get chicks like that too. Besides, Mia isn’t giving it up, I gotta get off somewhere.”

              Starting to lift out of my chair, all I wanted to do was snatch this motherfucker up so I could throw him out and be done with his sorry ass. Julius grabbed my arm, pulling me back down. “Wait,” he insisted as Mia, Monique, and Toni returned, giggling.

              I sat back, fisting my hands in my lap. I so badly wanted to knock him around a bit. Maybe jar something in his big head. Breathing deeply, I tried to control my anger. I wanted to smash something, but I wouldn’t let anyone see me lose control.

              With incredibly measured movements, I loosened my fist enough to grab my glass and down my bourbon. I gestured for the waitress to bring me another. 

              Monique sat across from me and eyeballed me curiously. She knew when I was pissed and trying to control myself. She tilted her head slightly, asking her silent question, but I didn’t respond.

              “That was so much fun,” Toni said, breathless.

              “Durin’ your off season, we’re goin’ out and havin’ some fun,” Mia told her, plopping into the seat between Grant and Julius. “You gonna come out with us, Monique?” she asked. I was shocked that she asked Monique to go dancing with them. Did Mia actually make friends with Moni?

              Monique agreed with a smile. “Sounds fun, I’m in.”

              Mia’s grin spread across her face, she downed her drink and relaxed.

              “Sounds fun,” Toni smiled.

              The hot waitress brought my drink back, leaning over the table at the perfect angle for everyone to see all that she had. She was definitely trying to get someone’s attention.

              “Thanks,” I mumbled, not sparing her a single glance. I definitely wasn’t into jailbait.

              “Come-on. Let’s go to my hotel, babe.” Grant grabbed Mia’s hand and tried pulling her into him, but she yanked away and glared.

              “I ain’t goin’ anywhere with you. You’re drunk. Just get a room here.”

              “I’m leaving, Mia. If you aren’t coming with me to take care of things, I’ll find someone else willing. Hell, that waitress has been eyeing me all night. I’ll take her with me.” His words were slurred, but his ultimatum was loud and clear.

              Mia sat there and shook her head. Her eyes narrowed and her face fell flat. A slight scowl appeared, but then was instantly gone, like she’d decided she didn’t actually care. “Are you seriously threatenin’ to take someone else to your hotel with you?”

              “I’ve sat here all day watching you with your friends. I can’t stomach being around these people anymore.” Finishing off his drink, he stood.

              “No one asked you to come here, Grant. You invited yourself and I just dealt with you. Why did you insist on coming here?”

              Ignoring her question, he tried to grab her hand. “Well, you owe me, Mia.” He took her elbow and tried to pull her up with him, but she didn’t move.

              Mia’s mouth gaped and her face reddened with anger and embarrassment. She looked both hurt and annoyed. And when I started to stand to defend her against this arrogant cocksucker, Toni stopped me.

              “She’s gotta stand on her own, Jake,” Toni whispered. “She’s gotta make this decision herself.”

              Mia stood, almost like she was resigning herself to him. It pissed me off, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if she went with him she wasn’t my Mia anymore. My Mia, the audacious girl she had once been, would be gone for good.

              Then she changed. She stood straighter, shoulders back and head held high. Gone was the weak girl I’d seen lately. Gone was the timid girl she was the last two years of high school. Standing in front of us all was the brazen and fearless girl I had once loved. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Her voice raised above the music. “Who the hell do you think you’re talkin’ to?”

              “Mia,” he started, but she instantly stopped him.

              “Shut-up, Grant. You treat me like shit, you act like you own me, and then you wonder why I keep sayin’ we ain’t together. Well we ain’t. So I guess you can go screw your waitress or whoever you want. From now on stay the hell away from me.” She looked so confident and brave, but I knew Mia, she wasn’t. From across the table I could see how stiff she stood and how her hands hung at her sides, trembling. She was trying so hard to stand up for herself, but her confidence was wavering.

              Stunned, Grant stood there and stared at her. Then a sly smirk crossed his face. “You don’t mean that,” he said, moving closer to her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into him. “Look at you, you’re trembling like a leaf. You’re scared of losing me. You’re just trying to look brave in front of your friends. Well, screw them. We’re leaving.”