Hewitt: Jagged Edge Series #1 (6 page)

My body wasn’t only warm, but numb. Finishing a whole bottle of wine while in the tub probably wasn't one of my better ideas. Listening to my iPod playing loudly not only blocked out my thoughts, it also blocked out the pounding taking place on my bathroom door. It was only when I looked up, that I saw a man fit to be tied. He was pissed.

"What the fuck, Lilly!" I pulled the ear buds from my ears only to catch the last part of his yelling.

"What are you doing here? And why did you just bust down my bathroom door?" I asked sharply, as I was beginning to sober up.

“When you didn't answer your phone I got worried. Cop knocked on your door, but you wouldn't answer. Do you have any idea how angry I am right now?" As Peter walked closer to me, I was becoming more and more aware of his anger. I was also beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, considering he was fully clothed and I was barely covered by the diminishing bubbles.

Wrapping my ear buds around my iPod and placing it on the edge of the tub, I calmly said, "Can you stop yelling and please hand me a towel?"

Peter grabbed the towel I laid on the counter. There was something in the way he was looking at me that caused my heart to beat. It was no longer a look of anger, but one of desire. The last thing I wanted was to end up having sex with him. I was still very angry with him. As I wrapped the towel around my body, I slowly tried to get out of the tub. Needless to say, it wasn’t an easy task. I must have lost my footing, because as I was beginning to climb out, I fell right into his arms. Peter grabbed me around my waist and held me close to his body. Being so close to him, I could smell musk and spice. That was all it took, I was hooked. I placed my head against his chest and breathed in his scent.

Peter lifted me in his arms and carried me to my bed. Everything I felt moments ago was gone. I was no longer angry with him. All I wanted was to be near him. Lying on the bed, I watched as he began opening my drawers, pulling out a pair of lacy panties and a t-shirt. God, he looked good standing in front of me. "Do you need help getting these on or can you do it yourself?" he asked in a stern voice.

Sitting up, I took the items from him and pushed myself from the bed. My towel fell to the floor as I began swaying. I sat back on the edge of the bed and began getting dressed. I could feel Peter watching every move I made. I knew he was getting turned on more than I already was. Standing up, I took his hand and placed it on my breast. I don't know what caused me to be so bold. Maybe it was the wine or maybe it was just the desire I had for this man.

Peter moved his hand from my breast and wrapped it around my waist. Pulling me closer to his body, he placed his lips on mine and gently kissed me. The minute his tongue entered my mouth, I was lost. I wanted him more than any man I had ever wanted. Peter lifted me from the floor and gently placed me on the bed. Just when I thought he was going to have me, he pulled his body from mine and pulled the covers over me.

"Don't you want me?" I asked with confusion.

"More than you will ever know, Lilly. But I can't take you the way you are." Peter leaned over and gave me a tender kiss on my forehead. "Go to sleep and we'll talk in the morning."

"Can you at least stay with me?"

"I can do that," he replied as he slowly crawled into bed beside me still fully clothed.

As much as I wanted him, I settled on him being next to me. So when he pulled me to his side and wrapped his arms around me, I was content. Being next to the warmth of his body was all I needed. Within minutes my eyes closed and I entered a blissful sleep.

~****~

Waking up in the morning, my head was pounding. I knew I shouldn't have drunk all that wine. As I rolled over, I felt an empty space beside me. I wasn't too drunk to remember that Peter had slept with me. I tried to keep my eyes open, but the sun shining through the blinds was causing even more pain to my throbbing head. Pulling on the blind cord, I adjusted the amount of sunlight coming through. Rolling on my other side, I noticed a small note, two ibuprofen tablets, along with a full glass of water sitting on the nightstand. Picking up the note, I read the words,
'Take these and drink the full glass of water'
in very neat handwriting. I took the two tablets in my hand and popped them into my mouth. When I had the full glass of water down, I rolled back over on my back and closed my eyes.

I wasn't sure what time it was, but my phone was going off like crazy. Lifting my body from my bed, I headed into the kitchen to retrieve my phone and turn off the annoying sound. It was only then that I noticed a pot of coffee had already been made. Leaning up against a lone coffee mug on the counter was another note. As shitty as I felt, I couldn't help but smile. Walking to the coffee mug, I picked up the note. This one was a little longer.

I can only imagine how you’re feeling this morning. I have boiled you some eggs and there is fresh fruit in the fridge. I'm guessing that you have slept most of the morning, but we need to talk. Call me as soon as you are done eating and have showered.

Peter

Rolling my eyes at the note, I opened the fridge and took out the two hard-boiled eggs and the small bowl of fruit. Next, I poured myself a mug full of coffee and added my favorite creamer. As I was sitting at the bar, it occurred to me why I was drinking last night to begin with. Walking over to the front door, I looked through the peephole. "Yep, still there," I said out loud as I walked back to the kitchen. One thing was certain, Peter and I were definitely going to have a talk.

Just as I was finishing getting dressed, there was a knock at my door. I thought it was kind of strange considering I had a 6'5" alpha-male standing outside my door. Taking a quick look at myself in the mirror, even though I wasn't a hundred percent, I looked pretty good. When I pulled the door open, I was surprised to see Peter standing next to Cop. Normally it would have been a woman's dream to see two gorgeous, hunky men standing in front of her, but for me, it was only annoying.

Stepping aside, I watched as Peter entered my condo.
God, he looked
good
, I thought to myself. Shutting the door, I turned to face him. "I thought you wanted me to call you when I was ready."

"Couldn't wait any longer," he said, taking his place on the couch.

I took my spot on the chair beside him. We sat for what seemed like an eternity in silence. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I just came out with it. "I think maybe we need to rethink this thing with us."

Looking up at me, he let out a chuckle. "Really, because I don't think you were rethinking anything last night. Matter of fact, it looked to me like you wanted to fuck me anyway you could."

"Last night was a mistake." I needed to get it together. I needed to put my feelings for this man behind me and focus on the real reason we could never be together.

"Umm, I see. So this is how it's going to be, just like two years ago,” Peter said.

"What happened two years ago has nothing to do with this. It's your controlling behavior. You think you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, without any regard to how I feel."

"If this is about Cop, I'm not going to apologize for having him outside your door. For God's sake, Lilly, don’t you get it? Don't you think it's a little odd that you come back to New York and all of s sudden you start getting strange calls?"

"I can take care of myself Peter. I want him gone." I wasn’t about to give into him. Besides, I hadn't received a call in two days. Whomever it was probably figured out that they had the wrong number.

Standing, Peter walked over to where I was sitting, Taking me by the hands, he pulled me to a standing position. He was at least seven inches taller than me, so when he lifted my chin to meet his eyes, I could do nothing to resist. Capturing my mouth with his, he gently parted my lips and dove in for the kill. He had me. I was like putty in his hands. Breaking the kiss, he looked down at me and whispered, "I care about you Lilly. Please let me keep you safe."

There was nothing I could do except agree with him. He kissed my forehead and began walking away. "Wait, where are you going?" I asked, needing a little bit more of what he just gave me.

"I need to take care of a few things. I'll be back around 7:00 p.m. Be ready." With that, he opened the door and left me standing there, once again hot and unfulfilled.

This guy was so infuriating. Things haven't changed with him. Closing the door grunting with irritation, I looked at the time. It was only 1:00 p.m. I still had plenty of time to get ready for whatever he had in store for me. Walking to the kitchen, I poured myself a much-needed cup of coffee. Grabbing my laptop, I perched myself on my couch and began pulling up all my resources. Not only did I need to find a contractor, I also needed to find an assistant and a maintenance man. Just as my laptop came to life, I heard some talking in the hallway. I could hear two people arguing. My curiosity got the best of me as I walked to the door and looked out the peephole. Unfortunately, I couldn't see much. I did, however, notice that Cop was no longer standing in front of my door. Cracking my door as quietly as I could, I tried to listen to the conversation.

"You aren't supposed to be here Sean. You’re breaking the restraining order I have on you," the woman said angrily.

"I just need you to listen, Brie. I'm sorry. I never should have hit you," he confessed.

"Yeah, well, you did and now it’s over and you have to leave," she stated.

"I'm never going to let you go, Brie. When I come back, I'm going to make things right," The man, dressed in military fatigues, turned and walked away.

When I saw that the coast was clear, I opened my door and walked up to the woman. As I watched her gather her belongings that must have fallen to the floor during their altercation, I couldn't help but walk over and help her. "Hey, are you okay?” I asked, bending down to help her with her things.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, smiling.

"I'm Lilly, by the way. I live across the hall."

"I'm Sabrina, but everyone calls me Brie," she said.

"Well, it’s nice to meet you. Did you just move in? I’ve lived here for some time and never noticed you before."

"Yeah, I moved in a couple of days ago. Don't know how long I'll be here, though. I recently got laid off from the law firm I worked at, and working at a coffee shop doesn't exactly pay the bills." Brie said regretfully.

"I might be able to help you out. I'm opening a new art gallery and looking for a good assistant."

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't know anything about art," Brie confessed, stuffing the rest of her things in her bag.

"I'll teach you. Besides, it will save me the time of interviewing." Even though I just met Brie, I could tell she was in need of a better job. Even though Dylan was my best friend, it would be nice to have another female friend.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Lilly

Peter was right on time. I wasn't sure what he had planned, so I chose to wear something simple: a pair of skinny jeans and a pink lacy tank top. Taking a last look at myself in the mirror, I went to answer the door. There in front of me stood a man that oozed male domination. He was wearing faded jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt and a leather jacket. I could feel a tingle between my legs letting me know the effect this man had on me. Still staring at his gorgeousness, I somehow manage to step aside so that he could come through the door. He gently swiped his thumb across my lips, which set my body on fire. I could feel my nipples harden beneath my lacy tank. Trying hard not to show the effect he was having on me, I closed the door and said, "So where are we going?"

Looking down at my five-inch peep-toe stilettos, he said, "You may want to change your shoes. I brought my bike."

"Oh," I said, surprised, looking down at my feet and my pink toenails peeking out. "I didn't know you had a motorcycle."

"There are a lot of things you don’t know about me Lilly," he advised. "You may want to grab a jacket too. It could get chilly."

Leaving the condo after I changed into my boots and gray leather jacket, we headed out into the night. The sun was just setting, but it was still pretty warm. Parked in front of my building was a sleek black Harley with shiny chrome tailpipes on each side. I had never seen anything more beautiful. Handing me a helmet, Peter straddled the bike and started the engine. I just stood there and watched as his thigh muscles flexed tightly against his jeans. Taking my hand, he helped me get on the bike. I had never ridden one, so I wasn’t sure where to hold him. He must have felt my concern, because he took first one hand, then the other and wrapped them around his waist. "Hold on tight, baby,” he said as we began moving away from the curb.