Waking Up (42 page)

Preston and Blake are throwing a football around and the ladies are lounging in the sun.  We get passing glances, but no one makes a comment about our hands or makes disapproving faces.  Preston asks if I want to join them, so I do, and Adriana lies down next to Mickayla.  It’s all so normal.  Something I’m not used to.

Rehashing my nightmare for Adriana reminded me of that.  I was so afraid of Mikos showing up and ripping me out of Grams’ home that I never let anyone get close to me, never made friends.  I was a lonely kid.  But, now I’m playing football with the guys and my inner child rejoices.  The adult in me cries for everything I missed.  It’s one more reason I hate the man I should love more than anything. 

We play until it’s time to eat.  I steal glances at Adriana every chance I can, her perfect body calling to me.  Preston catches me a time or two and nails me with the football.  He laughs it off, but I can see he’s nervous about what’s going on between her and me.  I can’t blame him.  He’s a good guy.

The girls are pulling food from the cooler when we plop down around them.  I would offer to help, but they seem to have a system in place so I stay out of the way.  Food gets shelled out and I’m amused when they all start talking over one another.  Somehow they seem to keep up with all the conversations going on.  It’s an art form.

“So, Hot Stuff.”  I stop with my sandwich half way to my mouth and look at Mickayla.  “What are your plans for Halloween?”

“I don’t have the full taping schedule yet and my assistant hasn’t given me any invites so I’m not sure.  Why?”  I’m intrigued.  The smirk on her face tells me she’s up to something.

“Well B and I are still a groomsmen short and Adriana is still dateless for our wedding.  Any chance you’d want to fill in for either of those roles?”  She’s trying to act like she didn’t just ask me a huge question, but she did.  She asked me to be in her wedding.

I’m sure my mouth is hanging open and, thank God, I hadn’t taken that bite of my sandwich.  I need a second to process.  She loves putting me in awkward situations.  Quickly, I put my sandwich down and take a swig off my water.

“If you and Blake are both sure you’d want a stranger, because that’s what I am,” I say that part as a question not a statement, my eyes going back and forth between both of them, “in your wedding, then I’d be honored.  I’ve never been in a wedding before.  As for being Adriana’s date, I have to say no.”

All eyes are on me, especially Adriana’s.

“She didn’t ask me herself.  If she wants me to be her date then she’ll have to ask me.  But, do you want to know something,” I ask Mickayla, leaning toward her like it’s a secret for her, but saying it loud enough for all to hear, “I’m a sure thing.”

“Somehow I figured you would be,” Mickayla fires back.  “Now, give me your cell phone.”  I stare at her like she’s nuts.  “We need to fix this stranger thing.  We can text each other.  I’ll text you stuff about B and me and you text me stuff about you.  Easy peasy, instant friends.”

She makes it sound so easy and in her world, it probably is.  I hand her my phone.  “You’re sure about this?  Both of you, about me?”  I have to ask again.  It doesn’t make sense that they asked me.

“Oh yeah, we’re sure,” she chuckles and Blake joins in.  I’m thoroughly confused.  “I can’t wait to see the faces of our guests when the masks come off to reveal the wedding party and lo’ and behold the sex God Tucker Stavros, himself, is standing up for us.  Besides, we were having a bitch of a time finding someone Preston would let walk down the aisle with Alahna.  Overbearing ape that he is.” 

“Masks?  And, he’s going to let me walk her down the aisle?  Did you run that by him first?”

Everyone’s laughing at my bafflement, but seriously, Preston is like the big bad wolf protecting Adriana and Alahna and I’m the pig he sees as dinner.  He wants to huff and puff and blow me the hell out of town, no matter how nice he’s playing in front of the girls.  And what the hell are these masks she’s talking about?

“No, I didn’t ask him first, but you all played ball together so that means you’re in with him.  It’s guy code around here.  The masks are because we’re having a masquerade ball for our wedding.  Just wait to see what I decide suits you.”  I can’t wait.  I have a feeling she hatched this plan the first night we met.  There’s a lot more to Mickayla than I first thought.  The loud talk and profanity is a cover.  Wonder what you get to know when you have time to scratch the surface?

“I guess it’s settled then.  I’m in your wedding and Adriana needs to ask me on a date.”  I pick up my sandwich and we go on enjoying our lunch.  Crazy conversations that I can’t keep up with, laughing and good food.  I don’t know when I’ve had so much fun.

And it’s all out in public.

Chapter Forty Two

Victoria

I’m back to talk to Tucker and still no one’s here, so I decide to take a walk around the neighborhood.  I’m starting to get the feeling this isn’t a B&B, but I can’t figure out why he’s here.  He never mentioned family or friends in New Hampshire.  

I lose myself in thought as I’m walking back onto the road Tucker’s staying.  A SUV pulls onto it and I’m glad for the local sport shirt and hat I bought and glasses I’m hiding behind.  I keep my face pointed at the road as I walk.  If Tucker is in that vehicle, he won’t recognize me like this.  Peering out the corner of my eye, I watch as it pulls into the driveway where I need to go.  I’m glad again that I thought ahead and parked my car a few roads away.  I watch as a short, slim blonde gets out of the driver’s side.  I can’t see her face, but I can tell she’s talking to someone.  I don’t want to lift my face, don’t want them to know I’m watching.

The passenger door opens.  I hear more than see it.  I wait.  Tucker walks around the back of the SUV.  The blonde opens the back.  He runs his hand over her arm and she smiles at him.  He leans down and kisses her before grabbing a cooler from her car.  They walk into the house talking, laughing, and smiling the whole way.  Even at this distance, it’s obvious that Tucker is smitten with the woman.

What the fuck?  That dirty, rotten, no good son of a bitch.  Here he was, making me feel like a lousy whore for what happened with Grant, when all along he had this little suburbia redneck bitch he was cheating on me with.  Scouting for sites for Eddie my ass.  He had this little tart the whole time.  This is why he could never fully give himself to me.

Anger boils through every part of my body and I want to grab him by his balls and squeeze.  How dare he!

I’m walking up the road, planning to head straight to the front door and ring the doorbell when another car pulls on the road.  Is that?  It can’t be.  What the hell is going on?

I watch as a tall, gorgeous, brown haired man unfolds himself from a black Impala.  His black t-shirt clings to his muscular chest and his jeans are riding low on his lean hips.  I have the sudden urge to walk over and run my hand through his tousled hair and find out what the writing on his t-shirt says, see what color his eyes are.  I can see he has chiseled facial features from here, but can’t see them exactly.  I do know I want to.  He isn’t who I thought he was, but I sure would like to know who he is.  Stunned by the need to know this stranger, my anger for Tucker falls by the wayside.  Funny how a moment ago I was ready to rip Tucker limb from limb, my Latina temper getting the best of me.  Now, I’m all about this man candy across the street who’s stepped out of one of the sexiest cars I’ve ever seen and has my undercarriage in need of a serious tune up.

Tucker, who?

Chapter Forty Three

Tucker

I don’t know what possessed me to kiss Adriana before grabbing the cooler from the car.  Maybe it was opening up to her about Mikos today or how she held my hand in front of her friends, I don’t know, but she didn’t stop me.  I have to watch myself because I’m falling fast and I have no idea where her head is.  

“You may want to stop before your face freezes that way,” Adriana teases.  I look up.  I hadn’t realized I’m still standing in the middle of the kitchen holding the cooler, smiling.  I walk toward her, put the cooler at her feet, and give her another quick kiss.  

When I pull away, she’s blushing.  It’s adorable and sexy.  I love that she feels inexperienced and shy.  That the thoughts I might have in my head make her squirm.  If she only knew half of them they would make her quake in my presence.

I try to stop it, but a bigger smile breaks out across my face.  She’s watching me and I’m watching her.  Emotions run across her face for me to see like I’m watching a movie—curiosity, amusement, fear, and most definitely arousal.  I hear her breathing pick up a little, see her nipples pebbling through the thin layers covering her.  I want to reach out and flick them, but I’m enjoying the mental mind-fuck I’m giving her, enjoying the sensation of her thinking of what I’ll do to her.  Her tongue darts out to lick across her bottom lip and as much as I want to close the distance between us, to pull her tongue into my mouth, I stay put.  I’m torturing myself as well, but when I take her, and I will take her, I want there to be no doubt in her head who’s inside her.

One finger, just one, I run over the top of her hand to her wrist.  Her breath hitches.  Yeah, I have her attention now.  She can feel…

The slamming of the door startles us both.  “Where’s my bitch at?” a male’s voice booms through the house.  All breath leaves my lungs.  Who the fuck is that?  And why is he talking so disrespectfully to my Adriana?  

No, not mine.  Not. Mine!  She’s been lying to me.  She’s had a man this whole time and he’s here.

“In here, asshole,” she laughs back.

What the hell is going on?  He just walked into her house.  He didn’t knock.  He called her a bitch.  The urge to kill washes over me and I see red.  I’m trying to shake it off before I lose it and do something stupid, something I’ll regret and can’t come back from.  But the urge to break this guy’s nose and jam his teeth down his throat is growing stronger by the second.  I need to get away before the red haze takes over. 

Before I have a chance to calm down or walk away, the douche bag has my girl in his arms.  I’m watching a man close to my size hug my Adriana and she’s hugging him back with a smile on her face.

Not.  My.  Girl.  Dammit!

The son of a bitch picks her up and spins her in a circle, keeping her wrapped in a bear hug, and I think I’m going to be sick.  He has a grin on his face, a grin I can understand because she makes me– made me, happy like that until a few minutes ago.  Adriana is giggling like a school girl.  The blood is rushing to my head, forcing me to grab at the couch before I launch myself at this motherfucker.  I try breathing deeply in through my nose and out through my mouth, praying to God I can get my shit under control.  I can feel my nostrils flaring, imagine I look like a raging bull.  I feel like passing out.  My heart’s beating fast and I’m sweating and all I can do is focus on the asshat hugging the woman I want.

Why do his eyes seem so familiar?

“Hey,” fuckface says, staring at me, “you look like the dude from mom’s movies.”  Is he really talking to me while he has his arm around her?  Does he not realize I’m about to rip it off and beat him with it?

“That’s because he is, A.  This is…”

“Holy shit, sis, are you dating a movie star?”

“No, I’m not dating a movie star.”

“No way!  Are you fucking a movie star?”

“Adrian Peter Bennett, no I am not fucking Tucker.  His name is Tucker Stavros, by the way, and let me tell you something, brother.  Just because you are six minutes older than me doesn’t mean I won’t put you over my knee and paddle your ass for being so rude.  Now, come properly meet my company, asshole.”  Her hands are on her hips and she’s trying to be mean, but the smile on her face gives away how much she adores her brother.  Brother.  Ahh shit.  I wanted to kill her brother.

Adrian chuckles and extends his hand.  “Hey there.  I’m asshole.  I mean, Adrian.  Adri’s twin brother.  Nice to meet you.”

I quickly shake his hand, feeling horrible for wanting to break it, beat him with it, and do any number of other horrific things to him a few minutes earlier.  I understand the eyes and why they’re familiar now.  “Hey.  Movie star.  I mean, Tucker.  Nice to meet you, too.”

Crisis avoided.

Chapter Forty Four

Adrian

It’s obvious to me the movie star is jonesing for my sister and she wants him just as bad.  The sparks flying through the air might set this place on fire.  The boy in me that refuses to grow up wants to embarrass Adri and start singing, “Adri and Tucker sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” but I’m kind of fascinated watching her try to hide from me that she has the hots for this guy.  From me?  We were in mom’s gut together and she thinks I wouldn’t catch the glimpses, her blushing cheeks, how she keeps sitting on her hands.  I know her nervous habits and I remember how she acted all those years she had a crush on Alex when they were “just friends”.  

“What’s been keeping you away so long, A?  I’m used to Katie being distant, but not you.”

I’m not ready to unveil her present yet.  I’m not sure how she’ll take it and I’ve been enjoying the little cat and mouse game her and Mr. Bright Lights are playing.  It’s the first time I’ve seen my baby sister smile, really smile, in so long.  I’m afraid to ruin that.

“Been working on a project.  You know how I can get.”

She’s eying me, I wonder if she sees that I’m not telling her the entire truth.  I should just come out with it, get it out of the way. But, fear lodges the words in my throat.

“So, whatcha been working on?”

Fuck!  Now I have to tell her.  “That’s why I’m here, actually.”  She scrunches her nose up like she’s done since we were kids when she doesn’t understand what someone’s saying to her.  “I brought my project to show you, for you,” I correct myself.

This is so much harder than I thought it was going to be.  
Dammit, Alex.  You were supposed to be the one doing this.  You were supposed to give this to her.
 It’s going to send her into a fucking tailspin when I do this.