End of Day (Jack & Jill #1) (27 page)

“Thanks for the tiara and fairy dust.”

“Anytime, princess.”

Jillian prayed Cage would answer the door. She needed an ally before facing AJ, in case the brunch and nipples weren’t enough.

No such luck.

Jillian grimaced. “Hi. Uh, I made brunch for you and Cage.”

“He’s not here,” AJ replied in a flat tone.

“Okay, then I made brunch for you.”

“I’m not hungry.”

She opened the screen door and set the bag by his feet. “I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t change the way your face looks or feels today, but I am.”

Jillian couldn’t read his expression, probably due to the redness and swelling in his face. Regardless, he looked angry and unforgiving, and the moment bled awkwardness.

“So…” she shrugged “…I guess I’ll go now.”

AJ remained stoic.

Jillian stepped outside and took two steps before turning around and throwing open the screen door. “No. You know what? I’m not leaving. Be pissed at me, fine! Be a jerk about it, fine! But
do
something! Yell at me, cuss me out, hit me for God’s sake, break my nose, but don’t just stand here like you don’t give a shit about me. I don’t want to be
that
person—the one who broke your nose. But that’s who I am right now.”

AJ blinked several times like he was contemplating her words. She watched his hands clench and relax several times. He was going to hit her, she just knew it. AJ moved his arm and she flinched, closing her eyes to ready herself for the impact.

She sucked in a quick breath when his knuckles feathered across her cheekbone.

“What’s in the bag?”

She opened her eyes and smiled as a wave of relief soothed her nerves. She covered his hand on her cheek and turned her head, pressing her lips to his palm. “Frittata, blueberry muffins, and orange juice.”

He bent down and kissed her slowly. Jillian felt tears sting her eyes. A punch would have hurt less.

“You forgive me?” she whispered against his lips.

“Yes.” AJ trapped her bottom lip between his teeth. Jillian’s eyes widened. His lips curled into a grin as he released her, then he carried the bag to the kitchen.

“Where’s young buck?”

AJ handed her a plate and sat down at the table. “He went for a jog.”

“What did he say about your nose?” Jillian poured the juice into their glasses.

“He hasn’t seen me yet. He left a note.”

“What are you going to say?”

AJ held his juice glass up to the light. “I don’t know what I’m going to tell him.” He shook his head. “What is this?”

“Orange juice.”

“It’s barely orange.”

Jillian took a sip of hers. It tasted like shit, but she swallowed and smiled. “I thought Cage would be here too and I only had a third of a jug left so I just filled it to the top with water.”

AJ set it back down without taking a sip. Then he took a bite of the blueberry muffin after inspecting it for a few moments with apprehension in his eyes. His face wrinkled. When he took a swig of the orange juice to swallow it down, she knew he wasn’t impressed.

“What did you put in these?”

She pinched off a piece of hers and dropped it in her mouth. It was shit too. “Multigrain raisin bread, almond milk, eggs, sugar, olive oil.”

“Bread? Why did you use bread to make blueberry muffins and where are the blueberries?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t have any flour so I used bread, which is made from flour, and I didn’t have any blueberries so that’s why I used the raisin bread.”

“They taste like crap.”

Jillian popped another piece in her mouth and gagged it down just to prove that they didn’t taste like crap, which of course they did. “Whatever you do don’t sugar coat it.”

“I won’t.” AJ poked his fork at the frittata. “Are there eggs in here?”

Jillian rolled her eyes. “
Yes.
”

He took a small bite. “What the …” He spit out the bite into his napkin. “It’s gritty and crunchy and what the hell is the brown stuff?”

“Fake bacon. And the gritty stuff might be egg shells. A few of them got away from me.”

He grabbed both of their plates and scraped everything into the garbage.

“Hey, I wasn’t done.”

He put the plates in the dishwasher and emptied the juice down the drain. “You know those people who say they can’t cook but still manage to throw a decent meal together?”

“I suppose.” Jillian watched him, not knowing where he was going with that question.

“Well, you’re not one of those people.”

“Ouch.” She crossed her arms over her chest and fake pouted.

“And the only thing you’re worse at than cooking is acting. I’d
love
to offend you. Maybe then you’d stop selling all those kinky toys, or start wearing clothes to the mailbox, or censor your words around strangers. So don’t act offended that I think your cooking tastes like shit.”

Jillian started unbuttoning her white sleeveless blouse.

AJ made a nervous glance at the door. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t think we verbally communicate that well, so show me your thoughts and I’ll show you mine. Besides, this
is
something I’m good at … at least you’ve never complained.”

“Don’t do this. Cage could walk through that door—oh for the love of…” he massaged his temples “…where is your bra?”

Jillian smiled as she exposed her bare breasts. “Take your shirt off. Let’s see who has a better ‘half dozen.’ Greta said—”

“Stop! Don’t say her name with your shirt off.”

Jillian giggled.

He grabbed her shirt and began buttoning it up. She snaked her hands under his shirt and let her fingers trail along his abs that were worthy competition.

“Tell me what AJ stands for,” she whispered, brushing her lips across his T-shirt over his pecs.

“No.”

She moved her hand down and stroked him over his jeans. AJ closed his eyes and sucked in a tight breath as his hands lingered on the middle button of her blouse.

“Tell me your name and I’ll scream it when you’re fucking me against the wall.”

“It’s Aric James, and please wait until I’m gone to scream it.”

Jillian bit her lips together and closed her eyes as AJ jumped back like she burned him.

“Cage—”

It was the first time Jillian had ever seen AJ that flustered.

Cage grinned at Jillian as she peeked open one eye. “Told ya he likes you.”

She nodded with a bit of a grimace as her fingers made nimble moves to finish buttoning her shirt.

“She didn’t mean—” AJ stumbled over his words.

“I did,” she deadpanned, shooting AJ a don’t-you-dare-pretend-this-isn’t-happening look.

Cage looked around the corner at his father. “Jeez, what the hell happened to your nose.”

“My foot slipped out of my hanging giddy-up stirrups and broke his nose.”

“Jesus, Jillian!” AJ rested one hand on his hip and scratched his head as he bowed it in embarrassment.

“Forget I asked.” Cage pointed toward the stairs. “I’m going to go shower.” He headed up the stairs. “By the way, if he won’t let you scream his name, I’m good with you screaming mine.” Cage shot her a cocky smirk over his shoulder.

“Cage!” AJ growled.

After they heard the bathroom door shut, Jillian sauntered over to AJ.

“Aric James…” she tugged on his shirt until he bent down a breath away from her lips “…and here I thought it must stand for something like Alice Jane because your parents were hoping you were a girl.”

“Shut up.”

Jillian grinned. “Make me,” she whispered a second before his mouth covered hers.

J
illian spent the
next three nights with AJ, or as Jackson learned the hard my-sister’s-next-door-screaming way, “Aric James!” The sex was intense, sometimes brutal. It was never slow love making; it was a battle, a war of emotions in physical form. Eventually, they’d find solace in the entanglement of their exhausted, naked bodies until it was time to sleep—in separate beds.

Jillian wanted to believe that she was helping AJ, but mostly she felt like she was using him. And maybe he was using her. And maybe that made it OK.

“AJ asked me to go with him to Portland. His dad is giving Cage his truck so he asked me to keep him company since Cage can’t go because of practice.” Jillian looked up from the pile of laundry at Lilith asleep in her recliner. “I haven’t told Jackson that I’m thinking of going because he will freak out. I might just leave him a note.”

She hugged the warm towel from the dryer to her chest and sighed. “It’s just been sex and banter … lots and lots of banter, but now this trip invite changes things. I’m going to meet his parents and that’s where I lose it. Meeting the family and seeing a guy through his parents’ eyes changes everything. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. With Luke it was both. They made me love him … then they made me leave him.”

*

Day

Jessica waited by
the curb with her purse and a small suitcase. Her whole body trembled with excitement. She was going to Tahoe with Luke
and his GTO!
It was a close tie as to which one excited her the most. The powerful engine rumbled before she saw the black top come into view. She swore the ground beneath her shook like a mild earthquake as Luke pulled up next to the sidewalk.

“Can I drive?” She jumped up and down as he got out and opened the trunk. It was very uncharacteristic behavior for her, but Luke
and
the GTO had her ready to do cartwheels down the hill.

“No.” He grabbed her suitcase and tossed it in the trunk.

She got in and felt the familiar car orgasm building as the seat vibrated to the purr of the engine. “But at some point you’re going to let me drive, right?”

“Nope.” Luke looked over and smiled all GQ at her: perfect hair, sexy shades, killer smile, plaid short-sleeve button down shirt, dark jeans, and Nike’s that looked fresh out of the box. Her panties were doomed.

“You look edible.” She winked at him then slid on her sunglasses as he put it in gear.

Luke flipped down his visor to block the setting sun then pulled away from the curb. “Thanks. It’s a bit of a disturbing compliment from you, but you’re still not driving.”

“So what’s in Tahoe? You’ve been so vague this week about our ‘field trip.’”

“You’ll see.”

“Are you secretly whisking me away for a weekend of sexual healing with your magical penis?”

Luke didn’t even crack a smile, which was unfair because her comment was not only flattering but funny.

He made a quick sidelong glance. “How did you find out about my magical penis?”

Jessica grinned. That’s all she could do. Luke had a way of making her talk, but he also had a way of rendering her speechless. Those speechless moments … they were the ones Jessica mentally logged into her
Reasons I’m Falling in Love with Dr. Luke Jones
journal that she kept in her head, and every time she added to it she moved it down a shelf closer to her heart.

“I think it was your Tumblr page … Cockfessions of an Argyle Sock Addict. It was just by accident that I
came
across your page. I’ve never seen so many animated GIFs of girls having sex with argyle socks pulled up to their knees. That’s some serious kink, Jones.”

“So you’re into online porn?”

She slipped off her shoes and hugged her knees to her chest. “Absolutely. It’s a reminder that there are people in the world that are fucked-up more than me. Pun intended.”

“Why do you think you’re fucked-up?”

She looked out her window and shook her head. “I don’t know. Ask my shrink.”

“And what do you think he’d tell me?”

“
She
. My shrink is a female. There’s no way in hell I’d see a male shrink.” Jessica smirked. “I’ve been down that road before. He made me iron his underwear.”

“
Socks
,” Luke corrected.

“Then we had sex in his closet.”

“
Kissed
.”

“Then he shoved me off my bike ten feet from the finish line because he didn’t want me to win.”

“You were never going to beat me.”

“I totally would have. Then he came to my apartment and I think had I not been covered in my own blood we would have had sex that night.”

Luke didn’t respond. Instead the air became thick and heavy until he cranked down his window. Jessica had drank and bled too much that night to make sense of Luke’s visit. He left his date—a sure thing—to come to her apartment. She remembered feeling something from him that wasn’t empathy, or the need to fix her, or anything that she’d ever felt with him before. That night all she saw was a man who wanted a woman … plain and simple. But until that very moment she hadn’t let herself believe it … she hadn’t let herself
hope
.

The rest of the ride was filled with nothing but the high-pitched scream of the tires over worn pavement. They stopped for gas and drinks, but the conversation never ignited again.

“We’re here.”

Jessica opened her eyes while sitting up. She blinked away the sleep, then squinted at the lit sign, the only thing she could see in the surrounding darkness. “We’re staying at a bed and breakfast?”

“Yes, but it’s under renovation so it’s not open to the public.”