Unsteady (The Torqued Trilogy Book 1) (24 page)

My breathing spikes, a twinge of jealousy burning a hole in my stomach when the redhead reaches out and touches his hand, smiling tenderly at him. Raven didn’t mention him dating anyone, but that really looks intimate.

“Need another, Lenny?” Zack asks, drawing me from my stare.

“Yes!” I whip around to face him. “Please.”

Fuck, could I be more obvious?

Taking the pitcher of beer filled to the brim, I head back to the table but not before taking one last look at Red. He chooses then to look my way, his brow arching as if to ask, what the hell are you staring at?

Believe me, dude, I’m wondering that same thing.

Raven notices my flushed appearance immediately when I set the beer on the table. “You okay?”

“Yep.” Dismissively, I wave my head around. “Sun and beer are getting to me.”

Bullshit. Red’s getting to you. He gets under my skin and ignites desires and thoughts I was sure were hidden forever behind a girl who didn’t know how to love or fall for someone. Not that I was either of those with him.

He gets to me so much that I can’t even decipher thoughts and feelings.

For an hour, I pretend I’m drinking and not watching Red with the girl. I don’t do a good job at it, but thankfully everyone around me is drunk and pays me no mind.

Rawley returns after his set is done, a group of girls following him. It’s suddenly crowded around the table, and I want to find a way to excuse myself. Big crowds like this make me nervous.

“You having a good time?” Raven asks. She’s pink-cheeked and talking so loudly it hurts my ears.

“Yes!” I yell back, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. “Thanks for inviting me.”

My eyes, the betraying bastards they are tonight, scan the bar again when I’ve turned Raven’s direction. He’s gone.

Suddenly, I panic and start searching the rest of the bar for him only to see he’s sitting in a booth off in the corner, the same redhead beside him. She’s laughing at something he said and for the first time, his laughter rings through the room. It’s distinct and captures my attention despite the crowd and noise.

I hate that I’ve been working right beside him and couldn’t make that sound come out. What was it about me that he didn’t like and she had?

“Who are you looking at?” Raven asks, bumping her hip into mine and leaning across the table to see where I’m looking.

Crap
.

“I see where your brother went.” I point with my thumb in their direction. “Hot date apparently.”

Raven stares at them and then bursts out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. “He’s certainly not on a date with her. They’re friends. That’s Crystal. She married Red’s friend from high school. Her husband Lane is in the military and deployed right now. Red checks in on her and her two boys from time to time. Red watches their boys sometimes for her too. I think she watches Nova on occasions.” And then she levels me a serious look, waits a beat and then smiles. “Nothing to
worry
about.”

I’m so transparent. My cheeks sting with heat.

“I’m not worried. I’m not into him like that,” I tell her, avoiding eye contact like any guilty person would. Lying has never been my strong suit.

“Well, he hasn’t dated anyone since Nevaeh, and from what Tyler says, hasn’t gotten laid either.”

My eyes widen. “He hasn’t had sex since his wife died?”

“Nope. I’m pretty sure that’s why he’s such an ass all the time.”

She’s probably right.

“Hey, listen,” I say to Raven, pulling her close. “I’m tired. Can we head out soon?”

She nods, drinks the rest of her beer and then points to the door. “I’m ready.”

We say our good-byes. Jude hugs me a little longer than needed and we’re heading for the door. I do well. I don’t glance at Red even once. I keep my head down and walk straight to my Bronco on the street before I actually even look up. It’s not without effort, though. It’s like trying to keep your eyes open when you really want to blink. Nearly impossible.

“You’ll have to give me directions,” I tell Raven, not remembering where she lives. “I’m horrible with remembering streets.”

“Just take me back to Tyler’s place. I’m gonna lay in his bed naked until he comes home.”

I laugh just to tease her a little, and then ask, “What if he brings a girl home?”

“The fucker better not. All this beer made me horny and I’m gonna take Ty for a ride tonight.”

“Ewww, Raven. There are certain things you should keep to yourself.”

“Hey, I’m just letting you know. It could get loud tonight.”

My mouth drops open. “There’s something wrong with you. You literally have no filter.”

“You wouldn’t either if Red and Rawley were your brothers.”

She has a point there.

And she was right. For the next three fucking hours after Tyler got home, they went at it and I heard things like, “Fuck me harder! Just like that, ahhh, yes! More!” and then, “You like my cock, don’t you? Nobody fucks you as good as I do. Remember that, baby. Your pussy has my name on it!”

Really, it was all just too much. Those are things I never wanted to hear from Tyler or Raven, and now they’re burned into my head forever. I might never be able to look at either one of them without laughing now.

And also, if I’m being honest, I’m a bit jealous.

I stop by my mom’s house, my head still pounding from last night at the bar. As soon as I pull into the driveway, I see Lenny’s truck parked there.

Damn it, why is she here? I thought I would have had a little time to get my head straight before work tomorrow. I’m half tempted to text my mom to have her send Nova out, but then she’d kick my ass if I did that. And then I remember we’re going to dinner tonight so that won’t work either.

Just pretend you’re in a hurry.

Sighing, I think about the way she watched me last night at the bar and the way she looked in those jeans. I don’t know how many times I had to stop myself from grabbing her last night, dragging her to the bathroom and fucking her right out of them.

Classy, Red. Fuck her in the bathroom of a dingy bar.

What the fuck is wrong with me? Why can’t I stop thinking about her this way? I’ve been doing fine for two goddamn years, and now her. There’s plenty of hot women around town. Why am I suddenly having this reaction to her?

I’m not even sure I had this physical obsession with Nevaeh. Before her, girls were more of a want than a necessity. This girl… it’s like she’s a necessity. A need I can’t seem to stop.

She’s off limits.

With a heavy sigh, I open the door and walk up to the house. As soon as I open the door, Nova lunges herself in my arms. “Daddy! I missed you
so
much last night!”

Instinctively, I pull her close. Now that I’m with her so much, it’s hard leaving her with other people, even if it is my mom. I always miss her come morning. “I missed you, too, Darlin’.”

Immediately, I see those fucking legs and shorts. It’s like my eyes seek the temptation out. She’s handing Raven her clothes and then turns around.

Internally, I groan. “What are you doing here?” I’m not trying to be a dick, but as always, it comes off that way.

Raven speaks up before Lenny can reply. “She’s here to drop off my stuff and what the hell is it any business of yours what she’s doing here?”

I stare at Lenny, my eyes intent on hers. She can’t take me looking at her. Every time I do, she flushes and turns away.

Nova takes my hand and swings it back and forth. “I helped Auntie give Lenny a makeover. Did you see how pretty she looked?”

I nod, refusing to say just how fucking pretty she looked. Believe me, the image of her dancing is one I can’t seem to forget.

“Guess what, Daddy?” Nova yanks my arm down making me look at her.

“What?”

“Lenny thinks you’re handsome!”

Lenny, who’d just taken a drink of her iced tea Mom handed her, spits it all over the front of Raven.

Raven’s laughing so hard, she doesn’t even care that she’s now covered in tea. Pulling at her shirt, she shakes her head and moves past Lenny down the hall to change. “Nova, you’re awesome.”

You know, I have to say I’m completely entertained by this myself.

“Nova,” Lenny gasps. “I didn’t say that.”

“Yes, you did.” Nova glances up, her brow creased in confusion. “I asked you if you thought my daddy was handsome. You said yes.”

I roll that information around, and I want to say something, but I don’t in front of my kid.

Lenny flushes an even brighter shade of red. “Well, yeah… I guess I did say that but then….” She pauses and draws in a shaky breath. “Crap. I need to go. It’s late.”

It’s not. It’s only four in the afternoon. Clearly, she’s freaking out, but hell, if she thinks I’m handsome, I wonder what she’d think if she knew the attraction I had for her.

Nova runs over to her before she gets to the door. “No, please don’t go. You should come to dinner with us. Grandma is going too. It’ll be fun. We’re going to Daddy’s favorite restaurant, Valentino’s, because Daddy loves spaghetti. I don’t like it that much, but the breadsticks are really good.”

Lenny blinks a few times, her eyes wide like she doesn’t know what to make of that. I can also see sadness in her eyes, and I don’t like it. “Well, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family.”

Mom walks into the room with her purse and overhears Lenny saying that. “Nonsense, the more the merrier. Right, Red?”

No!

Everyone turns to me as I glare at my mother in disbelief. She glares right back. “Yeah. Sure. The more the merrier.”

Nova jumps up into my arms again and throws her arms around my neck. “Thanks, Daddy.”

I tap the freckled bridge of her nose. “Anything for you, darlin’.”

She wiggles back out of my arms, grabs Lenny’s hand and drags her to the car. “You can sit by me at the restaurant.”

Fine by me. I’ll be the one in the corner with a napkin protecting my pants with the raging hard-on all night. I know this for sure because the moment I see those legs walking down the driveway in front of me, my dick twitches to life.

“I’ll drive myself,” Lenny says, attempting to let go of Nova’s hand.

Nova pouts. “No, you can’t. I wanted to sit next to you in the car.”

No one can ignore Nova and her pouting. Believe me, I try, and I still haven’t mastered the “no” word with her.

“Okay,” Lenny finally agrees, sighing, as if she needs to prepare herself to get inside of my car. Mom flips the seat forward for her, offers to sit in the back with Nova, but that doesn’t last long before Nova breaks down in tears.

“No, I want her to sit next to me.” She’s in her seat now, big tears rolling down her cheeks and Lenny is a sucker.

“I’ll sit by you.”

My biggest problem is when I catch sight of her perfectly round ass cheeks peeking out of her shorts. I’m staring. Blatantly fucking staring.

What the shit? Why can’t I stop myself?

Mom notices and elbows me. “Red,” she whispers, smiling. “Don’t stare.”

Rock meet bottom. My mother fucking caught me.

Like a child told to stay out of the cookie jar, my eyes drift back tempting myself. Fuck me. I want Lenny.

And there’s the hard-on.

When I hunch forward awkwardly, Nova notices. “What’s wrong, Daddy?”

I reach to start the car. “Nothing.”

Just as we’re pulling out of the driveway, Nova starts in with her questions. I don’t think Lenny knew what she was getting into by agreeing to this. “Did you know that Daddy’s car and me have the same name?”

“Nova, let up a little,” I warn, eyeing my overly talkative daughter.

She doesn’t even look at me and says, “I was made in here. That’s how I got my name.”

I gasp. “Who told you that?”

Nova shrugs. “Uncle Colt.”

I’m gonna fucking punch him tomorrow.

Lenny and mom both start laughing as I toss a dirty look at Nova again and grip the steering wheel a little tighter.