Awaken Me (The Jaded Series Book 4) (21 page)

Mia relaxes her clenched fists on the counter and pulls in a deep breath before looking at me. The anger is still there, but it’s under control.

“He’s doing better. I can tell it still hurts him, but having his dad and me there helps.”

I squeeze her hand, offering the little bit of comfort I can in a situation like that. No child should ever have to go through what he did. And no woman should ever have to go through what Mia went through. When Jaxon and I busted through the door and found Mia almost naked with a half-naked Shady looming over her, I saw red. My eyesight went blurry and visions of Anna naked lying on a table while some sick fuck raped her filtered through my mind. Had Jaxon not stormed forward and taken down Shady, there’s no telling what I would have done.

Someone bumps my shoulder, and I look over to see Mac standing there. His eyes are focused on my hand, still holding Mia’s. After a second, he takes a seat next to me and says to Mia, “Beer stat, Pix.” And turns to me. “How’s it going?”

“You get your beer when I get a kiss, Sheriff.” Mia says, pulling her hand from mine and planting it on her cocked hip, brow raised.

He turns back to her and grins cheekily. “Sure thing, baby, coming right up.” He gets up from his stool, leans way over the bar, grabs the back of her head with one hand, and pulls her forward.

I can’t hide the smile that pops up. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s these two.

I’ve missed this. The easiness that exists between everyone here. Well, the easiness wasn’t there between Mac and Mia until recently, but for everyone else it was. I hate I’ve become so absorbed in my own pain that I’ve let everything slip through my fingers. They act as though I’ve been here all along, when in truth, I’ve been off in my own little hole, nursing my grief and not letting anyone in. I’m glad they aren’t hounding me with questions and are acting normal. Explaining my erratic behavior isn’t something I want to do.

When Mac pulls back from Mia, her face is flushed. She licks her lips and turns to get Mac his beer.

“Got an interesting call this morning,” Mac says, not taking his eyes off Mia’s ass as she bends to get a bottle of beer from one of the small fridges.

“Yeah?” I prompt him to continue.

“A Detective Vines called to request a character check on you. Said it was just procedure. He needed it because of some bones that were found on one of your sites in Kentucky.” He turns in his seat until he’s facing me.

I turn in my seat as well and give him what I know.

“A couple of my guys found bones when they were digging for the foundation. Didn’t find out until yesterday they were human. I was hoping they were animal.”

He nods and grabs the beer Mia hands him. She immediately walks off when a customer calls her name.

“I figured that was it. I told him he had nothing to worry about, but still gave him some references he could use. He said he’d be in touch as soon as he had something.”

“Yeah, he told me the same thing. I had to close down the site until they do a sweep for evidence. They don’t have a timeline yet, but they’re working on it. I’m thinking I may need to make a trip there when things are settled.”

That phone call happened yesterday morning as I was working on the porch. My crew was already on standby and holding off on moving forward with the job. As soon as I got off the phone with the detective, I called my foreman, Kevin, and told him the job was on hold. With no telling how long the investigation would last, I told him I’d find other sites his crew could work until the job was a go again. I also had contractors I had to call. When I spoke with my client, he was agitated the project was put on hold, but knew there was nothing that could be done.

“Keep me updated,” Mac says.

I nod and turn to face the floor again when the door opens. I stop mid-motion when Chris walks in. Jaxon texted me the night before she left to inform me he was coming to get her the next day. I know he was hoping I’d tell him not to, and the words so desperately wanted to leave my lips, but I held them back. I made sure I was gone the next morning. I’m not completely sure I would have let her leave had I been there. It’s been four days since I’ve seen her, but for reasons I’m not willing to entertain, it feels more like four years.

She’s wearing a white flowing skirt that’s so long it almost drags the floor, with a dark denim buttoned-up jacket. Her luscious red hair is swept up into a loose bun at her nape.

Before I can stop them, my eyes eat up the sight of her. I’ll never admit it out loud, and I’m kicking myself internally for even thinking it, but seeing her again fires my blood like nothing has before, even Anna. A bout of self-hatred and guilt enters with the thought. In the short time she was in my house, I got used to seeing her. It just about killed me to leave the house the morning she left, not knowing the next time I would see her.

It’s hard, but I yank my eyes from her and continue to swivel my chair until I’m facing the crowd. Out the corner of my eye, I see Mac watching me, and I’m sure the reaction I just had when Chris walked in. I ignore him and try my best to ignore the fact that Chris is walking our way. However, I still notice she stops midstride when she sees me sitting beside Mac.

She continues her trek across the floor and stops on the other side of Mac. I can’t see her unless I crane my neck around. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. It should be a bad thing, but my body’s reaction to her says otherwise.

Her voice is low, and I can barely hear her when she says, “Hey, Mac.”

I wait, but get no greeting, which is strange. She always says something to me. It’s usually soft and hesitant, but it’s still there. In turn, I always shut her down or ignore her. I don’t like that she’s now doing the same to me, which is fucked because I used to hate it when she was in my face. Now that she’s removed herself, I find I miss it and want it back.

Mac looks from me to her, also noticing the difference in Chris, and I’m sure feeling the tension. I continue looking out at the dance floor, trying to disregard the dull ache in my chest. Andrew and Jase are grinding their hips together. Ethan, Karyn, and Jesse are still at the pool tables shooting the shit. Karyn looks our way and yells Chris’s name.

“I’m coming!” Chris hollers back.

A minute later, with beer in hand, Chris walks off without so much as a glance in my direction. I watch the sway of her ass and the swish of her skirt and feel it in my dick. I sit uncomfortably in my seat because I don’t want Mac to notice me adjusting myself.

Once Chris reaches the pool table, she and Karyn hug, she kisses Ethan’s cheek, and does the same to Jesse. Jesse’s eyes linger on her a bit too long, and it makes me want to tear them out and shove them up his ass.

Chris places her beer on the high-top table and shrugs off her jacket. What she reveals underneath the jacket has my balls drawing up tight and my dick so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if it punched through my jeans. Shit’s so tight down there now I have no choice but to have my dick snap off or adjust myself. Mac’s still looking at me as I adjust myself, but I’m past caring now.

She has on a light green tube top that showcases her breasts perfectly. Breasts that are currently drawing the attention of Jesse. He’s trying, but his eyes keep dropping. And the more they drop, the harder my grip on the bar gets. With her hair pulled up in a bun, it leaves her creamy pale neck and shoulders bare. What I would give to have my lips against that soft skin right now.

Chris laughs at something Jesse says and leans in against his arm. He dips his head low, and I damn near jump from my chair when it looks like he’s going to kiss her. The bastard is saved when he simply whispers something in her ear. But just barely.

I don’t like how they seem to be so cozy with each other. Jesse is an all-around good guy, but at the moment he’s pissing me off. Never mind the fact I should want Chris’s interest to be focused on someone else. Why I care what she’s doing and who she’s doing it with is beyond me. What I do know is I don’t like seeing her openly flirt with another man and watching him drool over her. I have no right to feel this way and the feeling is foreign to me, but it’s there, and the longer I watch, the stronger it gets.

I hear my name being called, but I disregard it. It could be Mac, but I’m too absorbed in watching Chris bend over the pool table to take her shot and seeing Jesse’s eyes trained on her ass. They are both courting a death wish and they don’t even know it.

What the fuck is she doing? Because I won’t give in and give it to her she has to find it somewhere else? Is she so hard up, that she’s willing to look elsewhere? She stays in my house for four days, is in my space and my business for over a year and now she all of a sudden stops her persistent interference and ignores me? What the fuck kind of shit is that?

My bloods pumps double time when Jesse tucks a piece of hair that’s fallen from her bun. She smiles shyly up at him and the dickhead grins back at her. I shouldn’t be pissed at him for getting attention from her. He’s done nothing to earn my hatred, and Chris deserves to be treated better than I’ve been treating her. Jesse is the kind of guy who could give it to her. But damn it, now that she’s no longer showing interest in me, I want it back. Do I want her for my own? No. But do I want to see her with someone else?
Fuck no!
I am so screwed in the head and should be kicked in the balls for thinking this way, but at the moment I don’t care.

For the first time tonight, her eyes meet mine. She’s standing against the wall with her pool stick in both hands when her bright green eyes catch mine. I hold her stare, curling my lip up in distaste. I know she sees it, and for a minute I see confusion and hurt in hers, before she casts her eyes down.

I sit there on my stool, barely holding my shit together, when Jesse takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor. The music, talking, and laughter fade around me as Jesse wraps his arms around Chris’s waist and she places hers on his chest. All my muscles tense when he pulls her so close their chests touch.

When he puts his head in the crook of her neck, I can’t handle it anymore. I’m off my seat and already moving in their direction before I realize it. A hand on my bicep stops me before I get further.

“Nick, don’t,” Jaxon says.

I turned to see him, Mac, and Mia watching me. I snatch my arm back from him and growl, “Stay out of it.”

He takes a step closer to me and gets in my face. His odd violet-and-cornflower-blue eyes are hard and would scare any other man. They say don’t fuck with me. But I’m in no mood to be reasonable. If Chris wants to fuck around, then I’ll give her someone she can fuck around with.

“You didn’t see the hurt I saw the other day when I picked her up,” Jaxon growls. “You fucking left, knowing she was leaving that morning. Either let her go or take what you damn well want. Stop with the mind games already. She doesn’t deserve that shit,” Jaxon warns, and it just pisses me off more.

I glare at him and give my own warning. “Stay the fuck out of my business, Jaxon.” I turn my glare on Mac and then Mia. “All of you.” I turn on my heel and continue toward Chris and Jesse.

Jaxon’s right. I need to get my shit together. I know I’m giving Chris mixed signals. But seeing her out on the dance floor with Jesse is something I can’t handle. Something snapped inside me.

She sees me approaching, her eyes going wide. Dropping her hands from Jesse’s chest, she takes a step back, breaking the hold he has on her waist.

Smart girl.

I’m looking at her, but my growled words are aimed at Jesse. “Leave.”

He has bigger balls than I thought. He shifts on his feet, but doesn’t step back. Instead he says, “Hey, Nick. How—”

I don’t let him finish before I swing my fierce gaze his way. He hesitates with indecision written on his face and looks at Chris, opening his mouth to say something to her, but she stops him before he gets a chance.

“It’s okay, Jesse. I’ll be okay,” she says, and places her hand on his arm. I want to snatch it off.

He looks from Chris to me and back again. “You sure?”

She gives him a small smile. “I’m sure.”

Looking at me one more time, he walks off. Chris turns her body to face mine as I glare at Jesse’s retreating back.

“What the hell was that about, Nick?”

Her question has me bringing my eyes back to her. Hers are narrowed into a glare.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I reply darkly.

“I wasn’t doing anything, except dancing with Jesse,” she says tartly, and then drops her eyes.

“Look at me!”

Her head whips up at my harsh tone. I take a step closer to her. Her sugary-sweet scent assails me, and I ball my hands into fists to keep them from yanking her to me.

“That’s bullshit and you know it, Sugar,” I grind out between clenched teeth. “You’re so desperate to get laid that, knowing I won’t give it to you, you start looking for it somewhere else.”

She sucks in a hard breath and hurt washes over her face. It only lasts a second before rage takes over. I know what’s coming before she even has a chance to pull back her hand and swing it toward my face. I reach out and grab her wrist before she makes contact. We’ve been in this situation before. A couple months ago, I watched her, Andrew, and Mia grind against each other on the dance floor until I couldn’t watch anymore. Yes, Andrew’s gay and I knew he wasn’t getting off on having Chris rub against him, but I still didn’t like it. Only difference is, her slap caught me by surprise. Not this time.

“That shit isn’t happening a second time,” I tell her and give her wrist a squeeze. Not enough to hurt, but enough for her to know I’m serious.

“Let me go,” she demands in a low voice.

“No.”

“Let me go now, Nick.” Her voice is louder, but still low enough to not draw attention to us.

“No.” I bend to bring my face closer to hers so she can hear me clearly. “You want someone to fuck you? Is that what you want, Chris? You’ve been aiming to get at my dick for months now.” Not caring that we’re in a bar full of people, I grab her hand and place it over my hard cock. Her eyes go wide and satisfaction hits me. “You want it so bad, you can taste it, can’t you? Even knowing I don’t want you, but want someone else.”