Undone (The Unexpected Series Book 2) (18 page)

We jerk into motion, and since it’s a weekday we are part of just a few who came out here. We immediately start climbing towards the sky. My nerves fade when I glance over and see Alex looking at Jason and not towards the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan.

“I thought you wanted to see the city?” I ask dragging her gaze from our son.

She smiles. “I do but through his eyes it seems even more beautiful. Look at him.”

I do and it’s magnificent. He’s not scared, gripping the edge or panicking. He’s taking in the view and excited about seeing the world from another perspective.

“Do you want that for him?” She asks confusing me.

I shift in my seat, placing my ankle on the opposite knee, and look to her. “Do I want what for him?”

She points at me and says, “To be scared? Not go for what he wants, what will make him happy?”

Frustrated, I drag my hands down my face. “Alex, please don’t start this again. No, I don’t want that for him but I am fine. I promise. She doesn’t want me.”

She belly laughs. It’s the first time I’ve heard her laugh like that since before she left us. “Are you kidding? She wants you. You want her. But you’re both too damn stubborn to do anything about it anymore.”

“She kissed him, Alex, five seconds after she kissed me. Drop it, now!” I yell putting a stop to this conversation, yet again.

~~

“No!” Jason yells from the backseat as we pull back into the driveway.

“Jason, we don’t say no,” I say trying to argue with a two year old.

“No!” He says again pointing out of his window.

“Jason,” I start but Alex puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Not ‘no’. He’s saying ‘Noe’ as in ‘Noelle’.” She points in the same direction as Jason did and I find her sexy, curvy form standing at my door placing what looks to be a manila envelope in between the crack.

Her blonde hair is swept up and her business suit from earlier in the day is replaced with one of her dick hardening sundresses. It’s light pink and flowing all around her as she walks our way, surprised.

“I didn’t think you would be home until later,” she explains fidgeting with her dress. Her cheeks grow pink.

Alex offers to take Jason inside but he grabs onto Noelle as they pass her.

“Hey, little man.” She instinctively takes him from Alex, who gladly passes him to her. A knowing smile sets up camp on her face.

“Too,” he yells at Noelle and kisses her square on the mouth.

Alex and I are stunned and I’m fucking jealous of my two year old son.

She bounces him up and down on her hip. “Yes, baby, you’re two!”

“Too!” He screams louder, aggravated, and kisses her again.

She looks to us for an explanation.

“He wants you to tell him you love him,” Alex starts. “When we say ‘I love you’ to him he says ‘too’ as in ‘I love you too’.”

Noelle’s eyes tear up and she pecks Jason on the cheek. “Oh, I love you, Jason.”

His face lights up and squirms to get down while saying “too” a few more times.

Alex grabs his hand and leads him into the house but not before saying, “Seems you and your daddy are more alike than I thought.”

Noelle waits until they get inside. “I’m sorry. I thought you would be at work still.” Her eyes dart around, looking at anything but me.

“I took them to Navy Pier to ride the ferris wheel,” I explain though I don’t have to.

That gets her attention because she laughs so hard I think she has gone hysterical. “You did not go on a ferris wheel, Trent Decker. I don’t see any piss stains on your pants.”

She looks down at my zipper, and I pray I can keep how turned on I am by the breeze blowing up her dress at bay.

“Well, I almost did.” I chuckle.

Her smile fades, and she hands me the envelope. Our hands touch, and I can’t help my reaction. I grab onto it and pull her closer to me. Her breath hitches as I rub one finger over her soft skin.

Without letting go I ask what it is. She stares for what feels like hours before gaining her composure and pulling away.

“The itinerary for the rest of the events until the wedding. Co-ed bridal shower, bachelor and bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinner, as well as some planning meetings. Since you are not only her brother but giving her away she wants you to be involved with everything.” She looks annoyed like maybe she doesn’t want me involved in anything.

“Is that a problem for you?” I ask stepping forward invading her personal space. “You seem like it is.”

“No, I just think she has ulterior motives for having you and I do so much together.” She steps back and bites down on her bottom lip.

I step forward. I can’t help it. I’m so drawn to her. I love it and I hate it at the same time. “What kind of motives?”

A step back. “Like ‘trying to make me her sister in law’ kind of motives.”

Just hearing her mention the idea of them being sisters has a vision of her in a white dress flash through my mind again. I want that. I want that so bad.

I tilt my head to the side and take another step towards her.

She stands her ground.

Another step to her.

She moves this time but only to lift her chin up to look at me.

Another step.

It’s like gravity is pulling me to her. I have no control when we are alone and she’s within arm’s reach.

Without thinking, my finger traces the inside of her hand and up her arm until it reaches the back of her neck. I grip the hair at the nape and tug. She doesn’t try to stop me. Her blue eyes are hooded and then flutter shut. My lips, inches from hers, moisten as I run my tongue along them, ready to dive in.

“Would that be so wrong?” I whisper into her parted mouth.

Her eyes flash open before looking down. “I think you already have someone vying for that part.” She looks to the door Alex just entered and pulls away while adding. “Let me know what you can join us for and what you can’t that way I can make all the necessary arrangements.”

She brushes past me but I grab her wrist before she is out of reach.

“Noe,” I start but we’re looking away from one another. “Too.”

She whips around and I face her. A stray tear falls down her perfect cheek. “Don’t say that to me ever again, unless you plan on doing something about it.”

Her wrist is ripped from my fingers and she stomps towards her car in Jace’s driveway.

“Are you two exclusive?” I ask my voice shaky unsure I want to know. Erin won’t tell me, and I need to know if she is officially taken.

She stops in the middle of the street closest to my driveway, and I can hear the drawn out breath she takes while looking at the ground. I barely hear her, but she replies with a no.

I take five large steps down the concrete so I can hear her answer to the next question.

“Why not? You’ve been seeing him for weeks now. Is there someone else?” My fists are clenched together so tight my nails are digging into my palms. I can hardly handle her with that asshole across the street. I’m not sure I won’t go ape shit if there is another guy.

Her chin lifts in defiance and her posture straightens. “Yes. There is.” She speaks with venom in her voice and stomps the rest of the way to her car.

I storm into the house slamming the door against the wall and then closed. I use my fist to punch a hole in the drywall next to the bookshelf.

“Trent!” Alex yells from the living room her hands on her hips. “Have you lost your mind?”

I throw my hands up in the air in defeat. “Not only my mind, Alex. I’ve lost everything. I’m losing everything. She is seeing not one but two men. TWO! The woman I love is so far gone that she has moved on with more than the one I handed her over to in a pretty red bow!”

“Oh yea. You have it so hard, Trent. Your life is OVER right?” Her recently pale complexion is red.

Shame calms my anger. I’m a dick.

“Alex, I didn’t mean it like that. Please…”

“No! Quit being an idiot. Don’t let me leave this world knowing that the man
I
love, the two men that mean everything to me, don’t have what they need in their lives. She isn’t a want, Trent, she’s a necessity and even I can see how much you need her. So, pull your head out of your ass, kick those two men to the curb and claim what is rightfully yours!” She kicks the wall as she walks away. “And fix the goddamn hole!”

My chest shakes with silent chuckles. Alex can be sweet but when she’s pissed you better watch out. But she is wrong. Noelle isn’t mine, and I don’t want to chase her if she doesn’t want to be pursued. I’ll make her mine when she is the one asking for it. Begging for it. I’ll just have to entice her a bit to get her there.

Hadley must be used to it by now. She didn’t even flinch as I threw my bag across the room when I returned from lunch.

“Trent or Jace?” She asked not bothering to look up from her screen.

I pick up my cellphone that dropped from my launched bag. “Neither! Ugh! Both!”

She turns in her chair giving me her undivided attention. “So, what happened now?”

Since the morning after Jace and I slept together I’ve walked in here spouting off my bullshit stories about Jace and Trent. Since the first time Jace and I have had sex it hasn’t happened again. Not because I don’t want to but every time we start foreplay I see brown eyes instead of green and I have to stop.

One of my cardinal rules of fucking is don’t have me finish the job of someone else getting you worked up. If you go to the strip club you better believe you have a date with your right hand. Or left, depending on your preference, but I refuse to help you get off from another girl turning you on. So, I applied the same rule to myself. I see Trent in place of Jace starting to unbutton my pants and I lose it. I stop him. He doesn’t understand, and I sure as shit don’t want to explain it to him. It’s taking its toll, and I don’t know what I’m thinking.

My life is no longer under my control and that freaks me out. I want to be in charge of my own destiny and these two men have thrown me into utter chaos.

Jace is sweet, kind, understanding, and sexy. He makes me feel beautiful and wanted. I could see us blossoming into a well established relationship, and bonus, he comes with zero baggage. No crazy ex’s that will come back into his life or baby mama’s, well, that I know of. Then there is Trent. He’s aggressive, pushy, hot as hell and he gives no slack. No room for discussion. He is hot or cold and you accept that or not. Simple, unlike his personal life. His ex, and baby mama, is back in town and not only seeing him but living with him. He has enough baggage to get me through a summer vacation in Europe, but yet he is the one I can’t stop thinking about.

I need another vacation. Labor Day is coming up and I could use a little rest and relaxation, but it’s a big weekend and Erin’s co-ed Bachelor/Bachelorette party in Lake Geneva. So, that means a weekend with Trent just a hotel room away.

Ugh!

“Earth to Noelle? You have a phone call.” She waves the business line telephone at me in annoyance.

I pick it up giving her the “don’t start with me” look. “Noelle Grant. How can I help you?”

“Well you see, Ms. Grant,” Jace’s voice rings through. “I’m desperate right now. I have this major hard on from when my girlfriend left his morning and I need some release. Do you think you can help me out with that?”

I laugh while simultaneously rolling my eyes at the fact he called me his girlfriend. I still haven’t okay’d that. “I’m sorry. I don’t get paid to release that kind of tension. Only to psycho brides who are doped up on Xanax and wine.”

Hadley snickers shaking her head.

Jace blows out a loud breath. “Well, I called you at work because your cell is going straight to voicemail. I wanted to know if you wanted to do dinner tonight. I’d like to take you to Maggiano’s.”

Now, I don’t know if he knows but I would give my right tit for Maggiano’s. It’s my favorite restaurant.

“Damn it! I’m going to have to take a rain check. I promised Erin and Hadley a girl’s night out tonight.” I move my head side to side, glaring at Hadley, so she doesn’t bail and give me reason to go. I need a night away from Jace and all things drama.