My eyes pop open and I blink a few times. Grabbing my phone to check the time, I see that it’s ten in the morning. I remember storming out of the house last night and heading over here to talk to Brody. I also recall that after a scorching kiss, Brody confessed that he was in love with me. Everything could have led to some much-needed satisfaction, but I stopped him…I had to.
I stretch my arms above my head and glance at the spot beside me. There he is, the boy from my childhood. All we did was talk and kiss, but it’s left me feeling confused and tortured inside. I don’t know which way to go.
Brody starts to stir, stretching his body before running his hands down his face. “Hey,” He greets, giving me a genuine smile.
“Hey, Brody, I’m gonna head out. Thanks for the talk last night. I need to get going.” I stand from the bed and run my fingers through my hair, pulling it back into a ponytail before heading over to the corner to grab my clothes.
“Hey, why don’t you stay for some breakfast, or at least some coffee?” He gets up and makes his way toward his door.
“Coffee? Since when do you drink coffee?” I raise my eyebrow in confusion.
“Since college. The damn place made me turn into a coffee drinker with all the late-night study sessions and shit.” His tone gives new meaning cranky pants in the morning.
“You know, I’m good. I’m just gonna go. I’ll talk to you later,” I say. I hear Brody blow out a breath, and I know he's frustrated with me, but I need to figure all this out.
“Alright, I’ll walk you out.” Brody escorts me to the door. I turn around and lock eyes with him when we reach it. He places his hand on my face, moving his thumb along my cheek. "I'm not goin' to give up that easily, Cayden. I will fight for you." Fucking great! I lean in, place a light kiss to his cheek, and pull away to make my way out to the Jeep.
When I arrive at the house, I take a deep breath and climb out of the car. I enter, knowing damn well that I might run into Zac, but I don’t care. I’m frustrated and at my limit; therefore, if he doesn’t like being around me, it’s on him, not me.
I’m pretty tired after the last couple of days, but smelling the freshly brewed coffee as soon as I step inside, I make a detour for the kitchen. I figure I should probably have a little caffeine before heading up to take a much-needed shower. The house is quiet and peaceful. No one seems to be home, which is weird because this house has become a revolving door of people…and there's coffee.
Filling my mug, I begin reflecting on the last day of my life. Damn what a fuckin' roller coaster ride. I can’t believe my sisters were right about Brody. His confession definitely threw me for a loop. I guess I’m going to have to see how all of this plays out.
Mmmm. The hot coffee tastes so good and hits the spot all the way to the last drop. I place the empty cup in the sink, before finally making my way up to my room. Not wanting to think anymore, I walk into the bathroom and take my shower.
After I’m done with my shower, I get dress and decide to hang out in my room for a little while. I pick up my Kindle and sit on the bed to play some mind-numbing games. It’s not long before it’s no longer a distraction.
Why am I so shocked that Brody loves me? Probably because I didn’t want to believe that he would ever develop feelings for me, that we could always remain what we were. Or maybe because the man I want, Zac, keeps me at a distance. It’s very frustrating being pulled in so many directions emotionally. Damn Brody! Damn Zac! Brody is pulling me closer, sharing his feelings. Zac is pushing me further away, making my head spin. On top of all of this, I’m sexually frustrated, and damn, I may just bust out the vibrator to pleasure myself. I can at least take care of that myself. Tossing my Kindle on my bed, I get up to search for satisfaction.
Men! I walk to my dresser, open the drawer, and throw around my panties and bras that are in the drawer, digging for the one thing I desperately need. Finally, when the drawer is empty, I find what I’m looking for: my trusty friend. “I guess I’ll settle for you right now.” I twirl the vibrator in my hand like a baton and am interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Cayden!”
What the actual fuck? It’s Zac!
I juggle Mr. Satisfying in my hands. “Zac, wait a minute! I’m coming.” I snicker, throwing it back in the drawer, and slamming the thing shut.
“Not without me you’re not!” He chuckles. If he only knew. “Open this door, damn it.”
“Wait just a cotton pickin’ second!” I yell, racing over to my bedroom door before he gets any bright ideas. I’m almost there when the door flies open, slamming into my boob. “Ouch!”
Zac saunters into my room and glances around. “What the hell happened in here?”
“Nothing, you jackass. I told you to wait.” I lay on the floor with my hand rubbing my boob, which is probably gonna have a bruise.
Zac finally looks down at me. “Fuck, Cayden.” He reaches his hand out to help me up, and I slap it away.
“I’m good by the way. Thanks for asking.” I roll to my side to push myself up and off of the floor. “What do you want, Zac?”
“First, are you okay? Second, did a tornado come through here?” He asks.
“Everything is fine, just...” Think, Cayden, think. “Trying on different things.” Damn, I hope that throws him off track. He has some balls coming in here after acting like a child the day before.
“Yeah, keep trying to convince yourself of that and maybe I’ll believe you.” Zac has a gorgeous fucking smirk with luscious lips that I want to suck on and nibble. Shit! Dirty thoughts…dirty, dirty thoughts. I stare at his mouth, watching him slowly move his tongue across the bottom lip. “Cayden!”
I shake my head. “What?”
“Why didn’t you come home last night?” Zac’s growls.
“What’s it matter to you? It’s hard to stay around someone that doesn’t want you,” I spat.
Zac rubs his hands down his face. “We need to go. We’re supposed to take care of Raine tonight.” He’s changing the subject like he always does.
Um…okay? We only have to go as far as the living room. “I know, but we’re only goin’ downstairs, Zac. Don’t get your panties in a wad. Or is it so bad that you need a fresh pair? I can offer you some of mine.” I chuckle, brushing against Zac’s shoulder as I leave my room.
“Son of a bitch! I’ll just take them all, that way you have none,” He hollers at me.
“Good! Then I can buy new ones!” I snap, but can’t help except to think that I’d get new ones to model for him later…well, maybe. Fucking hell, I need to get me some.
I descend the stairs to the living room with Zac following behind me. Stepping off of the stairs into the living room, I find Dex and Callie standing there with Raine. “Hey, guys. Date night, huh?” I walk over and take Raine from Callie. “Don’t worry. Little Raine is in good hands with Aunt Cayden.” I tickle Raine’s belly with my fingers, and she, in return, gives me the largest smile.
“And her Uncle Zac.” I hear from behind me.
“Yeah, we’ll be out for a while. Thanks for taking care of Raine. She’s had her dinner. Shouldn’t be long before she’s out for the night,” Callie says.
After Callie and Dex leave for their date night, which really means sexy time, I settle onto the couch with Raine. Zac turns on the TV and finds Puppy Dog Pals playing. This little girl loves the pugs on the show. Zac sits on the couch beside us and our evening alone begins.
We order pizza for dinner. Make it simple, I say. It doesn’t take long before little Raine crawls from my lap over to Zac. She snuggles into his arms and starts to giggle at the faces he’s making. I’ll admit, I’m not watching the TV, I’m watching Zac.
“Are you enjoying the view?” Why yes, yes, I am. He must have sensed my staring because he never looked up when he asked.
The lights are off and the TV is the only thing illuminating the room…him. I can see the outline of his strong jawline and some of his tattoos are on display. His hair has grown out–something he did during the baseball season due to some kind of superstition–and it hits just above his shoulders; I want to run my fingers through the tresses to see if it’s as soft as it appears. No matter how many people told him to cut it, he refused. I hope he keeps it long. It’s a great length to grab onto while—
“Cayden, quit bitin’ your lip.”
I shake the thoughts from my head and find Zac staring at me. Well, fuck me. Without realizing it, I’d disappeared into my own little world and now my body is zinging with need.
“What the hell, Zac? I was only doing some thinking,” I say as an excuse, sounding as innocent as possible.
“Yeah, thinking about me. What about the moaning sounds you were making?” He quirks an eyebrow, and I want to wipe that conceited smirk off of his face.
Shit! Shit! Shit! There’s a knock at the front door. “Saved by the bell,” as they say. Zac stands from the couch and hands me little Raine, giving her a touch on her nose which makes her giggle again. Apparently, he has some kind of effect on all girls.
Zac answers the door and when he shuts it, he is carrying the pizza.
“Oh my, that smells amazing.” My mouth is watering.
“Yeah, it does. I’m goin’ to put it in the kitchen. I’ll be back in a sec.” Zac leaves us sitting there, and Raine starts to squirm in my arms as she tries to get more comfortable. She is fighting her sleep; her eyes are puffy and her mouth opens wide as she yawns.
“Hey, baby girl, just close those little eyes. Aunt Cayden is right here. How ‘bout a little song.” That gets me a grin. I kiss her cheek and scoot to the edge of the couch to stand. Once I’m upright and in the middle of the living room, I make sure I have Raine right where she needs to be with her head on my shoulder. Swaying, I start to rub her back. First, I start to hum a lullaby, but eventually, I move on to some country music. Raine is slowly relaxing against my shoulder and her breathing is beginning to even out, letting me know she is settling down. My humming turns to whispered lyrics and more swaying, waiting for Raine to fall asleep.