Why Now? (9 page)

“Sure,” I reply and follow him to the door.

He pauses before opening it, twisting his face to look over his shoulder in my direction. “I’m still going to marry her.”

His words come out of nowhere. I give my head a couple short shakes in an attempt to clear it before replying, “What?”

He’s already out the door. Coming unstuck, I move after him. He’s moving fast, though, long pissed off steps taking him to his car.

I forget my question and blurt, “I thought we were walking there.”

He glares at his car before looking up to glare at me. Then he slams his door shut and turns on his heel.

“What the fuck, Heath!” I shout at his back and he halts.

He lifts one hand and rubs his face with it before the pissed off vibe slides off his shoulders, making them slump. All of this in the middle of the parking lot of his building.

Since he isn’t moving, it doesn’t take long for me to catch up with him. “Why’d you say that back there?”

He shakes his head so I press, “Come on, man. What’d you mean?”

“I know Kacey had a thing for you.” I start to lift my hand but he keeps talking, “The whole town knows. It’s not like it was ever a secret and every time you came home we’d all watch her try to catch your eye.”

“It was never like that,” I cut in, arguing.

He gives me an incredulous look. “It was exactly like that, Jake.”

“She’s like a kid sister to me,” I clip.

He shrugs, and together we start walking in the direction of their place. “This last year she’s been different.”

It sucks to admit it, but she has. Before that, she would make an effort to be near me whenever I was home.

Over the last year, she disappears whenever I’m near. Her absence bugged me more than I’d like to admit. Her presence was something I could count on before. Heath is right; I knew she had a crush on me. It was hard to miss and cute how she’d stumble over her words around me.

Still, there’s no way I could have pursued anything with her. Hell, I live on a rig surrounded by the fucking Pacific Ocean. If I made a move on her even when I thought about it, I would have been a dick.

She means too much to me to pull an asshole stunt like that. Her words from the video come crashing back into my brain. She was saving herself for me.

If I knew that . . .

But, I didn’t. Shit, Reilly told me she dated a few guys. I figured she had to of been intimate with at least one of them. I never thought she’d save herself for me. That’s insane. To put that much hope in someone, in me of all people.

“She has been different,” I agree.

“Before I had to come get you and Reilly, do you want to know what my boss asked me?”

By his tone, I can tell he is not expecting me to answer that question.

“He asked me if Kacey had given me back the ring yet.”

Shit.

“I laughed at him but fifteen minutes later I get a call telling me my fiancée is climbing over fences to get away from you.”

“I didn’t do anything to her,” I cut in.

“Is something going on between the two of you?”

Not expecting that, I stop and stare at him. Since he didn’t notice I stopped right away, he’s a couple of feet ahead of me.

“Are you crazy?” I ask. It’s my turn where I don’t expect an answer. “I don’t live here and I’ve been home for a minute. Besides, you know there’s only one girl I’ve—“

“Yeah, yeah,” he interrupts. “Your mystery girl.”

“So,” I continue. “You know better than to ask me that.”

“You’re right,” he grumbles and we start walking again.

“She is pretty hot, though.”

He turns his head to glare at me. “You’re a fucking dick.”

Raising my hands, I reply, “At least I’m an honest one.”

The walk to Reilly and Kacey’s place is a long one, but since we’re both going to be drinking it didn’t make sense for Heath to drive. The walk turned out to be a good thing since I doubt we would have been able to get all of this shit out on the short car ride over.

When we reach their place, I begin to second-guess this get together being a good idea. All I can do is think about that video. She started avoiding me a year ago.

Could she still be a virgin? She’s gorgeous, she’s sweet, and she’s awkward, but I like it. Could Kacey really be all mine?

“Are you two going to stand outside all night or come in?” Reilly asks after opening their living room window.

My little sister is such a punk.

Still, she has a point.

“Pizza should be here any minute,” she says once we’re in the door.

My eyes search the space for Kacey and come up empty. Heath must have noticed the same thing and headed straight for her bedroom. It’s crazy, considering they’re engaged and everything, but I’m not sure he’s ever been in her bedroom. They’ve kissed; I know that. Watching the confident way he crosses the room in search of her, I wonder if they’ve done more.

He closes the door behind him.

Fuck.

What’s he doing now? Is she even dressed? Is he kissing her, touching her?

Inhaling through my nose, I look away, needing to feed my vision with anything other than Kacey’s bedroom door.

“Want a drink?” Reilly asks from their kitchen.

Lifting my chin, I move toward her. Her eyes move toward Kacey’s door before meeting mine, the look in them sympathetic. Has everyone around me suddenly become a mind reader?

I’m attracted to Kacey, so what? Why is that a big deal? She liked me for years. Is this what it was like for her that whole time? Everyone looking at her like they felt sorry for her.

She opens the fridge for me and I reach for the first beer my eyes land on. After I pop the cap, Kacey and Heath walk out holding hands. Lifting the bottle to my mouth, I notice she’s changed from earlier. No longer in shorts and a tee, she’s wearing jeans and a tank.

A tank cut low in the front, just enough to tease you with the tops of her breasts but not low enough to show off any cleavage. Her hair is messy; like someone just had his fucking hands in it and her cheeks are pink. It’s her lips that get me, though, swollen and red like she’s just been kissed rough.

The beer hits my tongue and starts to slide down my throat.

I’m tempted to down the whole bottle but Kacey’s, “Wait, I wanted some of that,” has me lowering the bottle.

“Huh?”

She releases Heath’s hand and hurries to me, gently pushing me aside to reach up into a cabinet to pull down two glasses.

“This is one of my Black Friday beers,” she explains which makes no sense.

Without asking, she takes the beer from me and begins to pour it into the two glasses.

“I woke up at five a.m. that day to wait in line to get this Goose Island Proprietor’s and a bottle of their Rare Bourbon Stout that was distilled with Heaven Hill Whiskey. I was saving it for a special occasion, but since it’s open there is no way I am not having some.”

“I’m sorry,” I start, but she’s already raised her glass to her nose and, with closed eyes and a blissed out half-smile, inhaling it.

“I told you to label the special beers,” Reilly mutters from behind me.

“Shhh,” Kacey murmurs, not opening her eyes.

“I had no clue you were this into beer, Killer,” I chuckle, claiming my glass from the counter.

Before when I drank from the bottle, I didn’t realize how dark this beer was. In this clear glass, it’s not just dark; it’s black. Following Kacey’s lead, I give it a sniff.

“Do I smell gingerbread?” I ask.

Her eyes slowly open and fix on mine, the half-smile still there. “Oh, yeah.”

Something is obviously wrong with me because even knowing she was kissed roughly by someone other than me, less than two minutes ago, I want her.

Is it because I’ve always considered her mine even though I knew I couldn’t have her? Now that someone is trying to take her away from me, I’m finding all of my reasons she shouldn’t be mine falling flat.

Her gaze holds mine as she takes a taste, not a sip, not a gulp, a taste. Pulling the glass from her lips, she holds the liquid on her tongue before swallowing.

Hell, I gulp in response and I haven’t even taken a drink from my glass yet.

Our moment is broken when she turns to offer a glass to Heath. She doesn’t bother offering any to Reilly. My sister will drink beer but she prefers liquor.

When the pizza arrives, we make a circle around the coffee table to eat.

“Want to watch a movie?” Reilly asks, after loading two slices onto a plate and settling herself into an armchair.

“I’d rather catch up with you. Tell me about your plans, your boyfriends, whatever you want. We get DVDs on the rig. I’ll take you to a movie another night, but I’m burnt out on watching them on a TV.”

“What’d the insurance adjustor say about all the damage to the house?” Heath asks.

By the time he got to the house to pick us up, both the insurance guy and Reilly’s cameraman were gone. We’ve only talked about Kacey’s freak out since.

Pausing to take another drink of my beer, I notice a hint of coconut this time. It’s an effort to not mention it to Kacey, but I answer Heath instead.

“He gave me the number of a company to get a repair quote from. He has to take their quote and the quote from another company to decide our payout. No matter what, either quote is going to be higher than our deductible so we’re out that amount.”

“I want to find whoever did it and teach them a lesson,” Reilly hisses angrily, before taking a bite of her pizza.

It’s an effort not to laugh. She’s pissed, but taking it out on her slice does not make her that intimidating.

“This might sound crazy,” I go on. “But, I’m thinking about doing the repairs myself.”

“Why would you do that?” Heath asks.

Setting my plate on the coffee table, I lean back on the sofa. “So much of what these places charge is labor. I know how to drywall and I have a ton of vacation time I didn’t know what to do with. I can camp out at the house so nobody breaks into it again while it’s being repaired and maybe make back the deductible in savings.”

Reilly leans forward. “I can help.”

She looks at Heath and Kacey, “We all can.”

Heath nods but Kacey looks away.

Yep, she’s still intent on avoiding me.

He opened my Black Friday beer and I didn’t kill him, I didn’t even yell at him other than to ask for some of MY Black Friday beer. What the hell is wrong with me? And, what the hell has gotten into Heath?

I didn’t even have time to jump when he startled me earlier because his lips were already on mine and his tongue was in my mouth. Then, his hands were in my hair and good grief it was hot.

My hands had a life of their own. One minute they were at my sides, and the next they were wrapping themselves around Heath’s neck.

God, then he pressed me back against the wall, his hips to mine, and I knew without a doubt just how much he wanted me. In that moment, I wanted him too. That kiss was incredible, it was almost as good as . . . then I heard Jake’s voice and it was like a bucket of cold water was dumped over my head.

There might be something between Heath and me but I could not handle exploring whatever it was with Jake friggin’ Whitmore in the next room. Heath wasn’t thrilled when I pulled away, but he had to know it was insane to start something like that then.

He didn’t argue when I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the living room. He’s stayed close ever since. When Jake sat down on the sofa, Heath moved to sit next to Jake and motioned for me to sit on his other side. If Reilly wasn’t already in the armchair, I would have sat there. Now, I’m sitting on our sofa with Jake on the other side of a Heath wall.

A wall that has his thigh pressed fully against mine with his hand resting on my knee, the same knee Jake placed his hand on earlier today. Does it feel different because Jake touched my bare skin where Heath’s hand is blocked by my jeans?

Pizza, Kacey, focus on pizza. Pizza is safe.

Pizza is not staying in Ferncliff and doing the work on his grandparent’s house with Heath, Reilly, and me.

Thanks for that one, Reilly.

Nope, pizza knows its purpose. Its purpose is to fill my belly with yummy goodness and not butterflies.

“Want another drink?” Reilly asks either Jake or Heath, catching my attention.

“Anything but the other Goose Island,” I blurt, making everyone look at me.

I blush. “What?”

Jake stands. “I won’t. Anyone else need another?”

Reilly gets up as well to make her drink. While both of them are gone, Heath takes my empty plate from my lap and moves it to the coffee table.

He turns his clear blue eyes to mine and I’m struck by how handsome he is up close.

He leans in and softly presses his lips to mine. “You doing okay?”

He is so nice. God, why can’t his kiss, his touch, and his presence light me up the way Jake does?

Tucking myself into him, I reply, “Yes.”

If I say it enough, maybe I’ll believe it.

Reilly and Jake come back with their drinks.

Before either of them sits, Reilly says, “Let’s play a drinking game.”

“You know I have zero tolerance. I am not drinking more than two beers tonight,” I argue.