Deviation (A Defined Series Book 1) (14 page)

Jack

I hate that the simple pleasure of sex has been robbed from Edith. It has never taken me that long to get a girl to come, even one I didn’t care for. Priming her body to orgasm was a herculean effort, one I would gladly undertake again.

“Can we have lunch with Aiden and Shelby today?” Edith asks. As I look up at the light fixture in our room, I hug her to my chest and play with her hair. I feel like she’s retreated once again and having lunch with her closest friends is a buffer for what’s going on in our situation.

“Of course.” Kissing her head I roll out of bed. “I’m going to go for a run. Did you want to come or stay here?” I need some time to think and pounding miles in the neighborhood will help me do just that.

“Jack, you know I don’t run. Cardio is so overrated.” Edith flops back onto the bed, pouting and whining. She’s a wicked temptress even when having a tantrum.

Leaning back over the bed, I cage her in, giving her just enough space to escape if she needs to. “I should get you a dog.” She’s already said no to a self-defense class. She won’t go to the gun range with me to learn how to properly handle a gun, nor let me buy one. I figured a dog might be a nice compromise.

“A dog?” Edith props herself up on her arms and puts her lips in close proximity to mine. I squeeze my eyes shut to temper my desire. “Really? Like a yappy little thing I can carry around in my arms at the mall, having Shelby braid its hair into stylish pigtails?”

I smirk. “No. I was thinking of a big dog. Something like a boxer or a shepherd that barks loudly.” I’m serious, but Edith doesn’t seem as enthused by the idea.

“Jack, neither of us is home very much.” I sit down on the bed next to her and she curls into my lap.

“I’m home for dinner most nights, and you’re home now.” I think this is a reasonable thing, but she keeps trying to throw reasons in the way of it.

She looks up at me, dark eyes pleading. “But I won’t be once I resume classes in January. A dog is a huge undertaking.”

“They only need food and water, and we have a big backyard.”

“If I tried walking him, he’d probably drag me down the street.”

“But he’d also protect you if someone unknown came near you.”

“So
that’s
what this is about.”

“What? Yes, I want you safe, but a dog would be a great companion for when I have to take business trips during the semester.” I don’t get why she’s so against it.

“We’re not getting a dog, Jack. I still jump at my own shadow. I don’t want a dog that will only scare the shit out of me when I’m having a bad day.” Edith gets off my lap and walks into the closet. I follow her.

“Why are you being so defensive? It’s just a dog.” She’s starts to violently push through hangers, ignoring me. I see we’re going to have a fight about this. “I don’t understand the big deal. I had dogs growing up.” I throw my hands up in the air. This would be the perfect answer. She would have a companion, and I would know that she was safe when I wasn’t here.

Turning her head, she glares at me, a defeated look in her eyes. “Yeah, so did I, Jack, and it didn’t exactly turn out so well.” 

“What are you talking about?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you? I don’t want a dog.”

“
Apparently
. Please explain it to me like I’m an idiot then.” Exasperated, I grab my own clothes as Edith turns to me, raising her arm above her head.

“We had dogs when I was a kid. My dad had no business owning dogs with a toddler in the house.”

“Jesus, Edith. I didn’t know.”

She takes a step closer to me, almost daring me to look away. She points to her arm. “One day, my dad had forgotten to feed Charger, sending me out there with his food bowl. Unfortunately, my dad hit him and only fed him when the money was good, so Charger was aggressive.” I’m shaking my head, trying to get her to stop. “Anyway, as I was bringing him the food, I tripped down the steps too close to where he was chained up. He bit my arm real good. The only mark left are these thin scars, but I’ll never forget screaming, thinking he was going to rip my arm off.”

I see the thin, silver lines under her arm that travel from inside her elbow to her armpit. In all the times I saw her naked, I’d never noticed them before. “What happened after?”

“Luckily, my mother was somewhat sober that day and wrapped my arm up, dousing it in peroxide…or maybe it was alcohol. I don’t remember, except for the smell and the burning sensation.”

“Wait. They didn’t take you to the hospital? No stitches?” Now that I can see the scars clearly, there’s a spidery quality to them, and I can’t imagine the pain and neglect she suffered by her parents.

Edith chuckles, like I asked a crazy question. “With what money? Stitches would have cost a fortune with no insurance. My dad said it was my fault and I deserved what I got. I’m lucky my mother had some first aid skills.”

“Edith, honey…” I try to hold her, but she backs away.

“Please Jack. Go for your run. I’ll call the two dynamos and ask them to lunch.”

As she walks into the bathroom, shutting the door and starting the shower, I’m gutted. I feel like an asshole for suggesting the dog, but this is another prime example of how little we know about each other.       

Chapter Sixteen

Edith

“So who’s ready to party it up in Miami in a few days?” I ask Aiden and Shelby, who join Jack and me at the Grease Lounge. Shelby slides into the seat across from me, Aiden following. Aiden adjusts his glasses, as Shelby slips her winter jacket off, dumping it in the corner of the booth, tossing her blonde braid over her shoulder.

“I am. These biology and chemistry classes are kicking my ass.” Aiden grabs the menu I hold out to him, flipping to the burger section. I already know he’s going to order a double bacon cheeseburger, cheese fries with gravy on the side.

“Honey, I don’t even know why you bother looking at the menu.” Shelby takes it from him and looks at it herself.

“Maybe because I want to see what my options are, Shelby
dear
.” Aiden grabs the menu and flips back to the burger page with force. They both seem agitated and snippy towards one another. I look at Jack, who looks back with raised eyebrows. I’ve never really seen these two get into it before, but I hope things work themselves out while on vacation.

“Then choose away, big guy. Who am I to stand in the way of you and your staid burger?” Shelby crosses her arms over her chest, an uneasy feeling simmering. I push it away when Jack slips his hand under the table to grab mine, his fingers warm and thick, squeezing gently.   

“Okay, how about no fighting at the table, kids.” These two would make any sane person crazy. I gingerly take their menus away. We all know what we’re going to order when the waitress comes over anyway. It’s some cheeky girl in a fifties outfit, tiny little nametag over her boobs, and far too many buttons undone, showing her ample cleavage.

Shelby snorts, rolling her eyes. “Stop drooling, Aiden. If you ask her nicely, I’m sure she might let you give her a physical.” The waitress raises her eyebrows, quickly turning tail and walking away.

“All right. What gives? You two bicker all the time, but even this is unlike you.” Disentangling my hand from Jack, I reach across the table, grabbing my best friends’ hands, attempting to shake some sense into them.

“Shelby is pissed I have medical rotations coming up.” Aiden leans back and looks everywhere but at any person in particular, his neck turning a delightful shade of pink.

“With vaginas,” Shelby pouts. I’m glad nobody else heard it…with the exception of the waitress, who turns right around again and heads back to the kitchen, mumbling about coming back in a few minutes.

“So that’s what this is all about?” Jack laughs. I look over at him and shake my head. Things are only going to escalate between these two and, for one unhappy second, I feel like the spotlight is off of Jack and me.

“It’s an OB rotation at the clinic,” he says, exasperated. She makes a sound and a face to match her unhappiness. “Shelby, you look at naked people all day, drawing penises everywhere.” Aiden tosses his hands up in the air and the waitress, who has tried a third time to take our order, just leaves. I’m pretty sure we’re not getting anything except water deluxe.

“Everywhere?” Jack asks. I try shushing him, but it’s no use. I let my forehead fall to the table, hoping the floor will open up and swallow me. Maybe I can get a fancy teleportation device, like that show Aiden loves with the doctor guy and the phone booth. 

“The frickin’ bathroom, man.” Aiden leans over the table, whispering, “They are literally
everywhere
…”

“Oh, please. At least my hands aren’t up some stranger’s cu–”

I cut Shelby’s tirade off, “And that’s when we all think happy thoughts, remembering that I’ve never flown on a plane before and you all love me enough to behave!” I pick up my water glass and shake it, threatening to toss it on one or both of them if they don’t cut it out. “Who needs to cool down?” Grumbling, they stop and we actually get the waitress to come back and take our order. I wish I had something stronger than coffee to handle these two.

Jack

I’m still curious about these random penises drawn all over Aiden’s bathroom, so discussing our trip seems like the best distraction. “Speaking of Miami, I’ve rented a house on the beach and a car for us to drive while we’re there.”

Aiden checks his phone, reviewing the group itinerary. “Flights are all booked. We’ll come to the house and drive together to the airport.”

Aiden joins me in discussing a fishing excursion I want to take, and the girls drift to safer and more interesting topics, like which bikinis they plan to pack.

Looking up, Aiden growls, “Son of bitch.” He suddenly stands up and out of the booth.

I turn to look behind me to see what he sees. “Baby, don’t turn around.” I keep Edith from looking.

“Jack, stop. What are you doing?” Words muffled, she wiggles in the seat. I practically jump on top of her, pushing her face into my chest so she can’t look at the piece of shit who just entered the diner.  

“Edie, listen to Jack.” I look at Shelby, who pales. She grabs Aiden by the arm, her trendy nails filed like bird talons, pressing gouges in his skin to pull him back down to his seat. “Hon, he’s not worth it.”

Aiden looks ready to kill Daniel Munson. While I would be right there with him, Sam Autumns has warned me to keep my mouth shut and avoid contact with the fucker. I’m in enough hot water with Sam for being Edith’s professor this past semester. I dare not get him started on how we met while she was in high school, or how she was just barely legal when we kissed. He told me there was nothing worse than trying to convict a dead man, but I’d have to disagree with him on that one.

“Well, if it isn’t the Marvel Mod Squad.” Daniel’s annoying voice grates on my nerves. The second he speaks, Edith starts to shake uncontrollably in my arms. Fucker deserves what he gets. 

“There’s a fucking consent order in place, and there’s the fucking door.” Aiden stands ready to pounce like a bear. Shelby falls back down in her seat when he shakes her off. “Do you need me to show it to you, asshole?”

“I wouldn’t want the good doctor to be banned by the medical board before his career even starts.” His smile is a sickening combination of smug entitlement and perverted desires. “I just wanted to thank Edie. My lawyer says I’ll likely get off…” His voice drops to a disgusting whisper, “and that really turns me on.”

Aiden lunges at him and he takes a step back, knocking into our waitress, the tray of food careening to the floor. Laughing, he leaves as our waitress curses him out, bursting into tears. Aiden and Shelby help her pick up what they can.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll pay for everything,” I tell her, continuing to rub Edith’s back, soothing her panic.

Our waitress continues grumbling and cleaning the mess up. “That idiot has been in here every damn day, making a nuisance of himself.” Aiden, Shelby, and I exchange a knowing look, wondering what the hell Danny boy was doing in a favorite establishment of ours.

Once everything calms down, Shelby begins her inquisition. “What did he mean he was going to get off?”

“Edie, you need to tell them.” Aiden reaches across the table and tugs a lock of her hair to get her attention.

Slowly, she pulls her head from my arms. Wiping tears off her face, licking her dry puffy lips, she speaks softly, “I want to drop the charges and make everything go away. I want to forget last semester ever happened.” My heart stops when she looks up at me, hurt and scared. “
Most
of last semester.” She rests her palm on my face, leaning in to kiss my cheek before resting her head on my shoulder. Rubbing her hand up and down my shirt, she seems to know that my biggest fear is she will leave me after everything we’ve been through in this short period of time.

“Dammit! You can’t do that!” Shelby shouts.

Aiden grabs her arm, pulling her out of the booth. “We’ll be right back. Babe. Outside. Now.”

“It’s cold.”

“Put this on.” Gruffly, Aiden grabs her jacket and stuffs it in her arms, hauling her out of the diner.

Turning to Edith, I take her cold hands in mine, forcing her to look at me. “Baby, whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.” As much as it’s going to hurt like hell, I’m wise enough to know that forcing her to testify will get us nowhere. I want her healthy, emotionally and physically.