Jayded (27 page)

I feel my face begin to heat.
“
That
’
s most definitely for later,
”
I inform.

I just can
’
t get enough of this guy. I
’
m hooked, and it
’
s barely been two weeks. Before I can say another word, my phone rings. I rummage through my purse, which is hanging from the back of the chair. I immediately relax; it
’
s my brother, Luke. I answer it.

“
Hey!
”

“
Hey, sis. I just thought you should know that Dad will be in town this weekend. He wants to have dinner with us. Can you make the drive down here?
”
he asks.

I can
’
t believe I
’
m even hearing this come out of his mouth.
“
Are you kidding me, Luke? I have work to do. I won
’
t be able to head down there until next weekend.
”

I hear silence for a moment.
“
I know your feelings on the matter, and I don
’
t blame you one bit, but don
’
t you think it
’
s time to hear him out?
”

“
No, I really don
’
t. I have no need to go back to the past. I
’
ve moved on from it. Just tell him I
’
m busy, okay?
”
I know it
’
s asking a lot of him. He hates having to be in the middle of this all the time, but I never asked him to be in the middle.

He sighs.
“
Okay, sis. I
’
ll do that, but just so you know, keeping this all bottled inside isn
’
t healthy. Maybe it
’
s time you go talk to someone about all this,
”
he suggests.
             

I crinkle my forehead and shake my head at this nonsense he is talking. Kyle starts to chuckle.
“
Luke, that
’
s not happening. Listen, I have to go. I
’
m in the middle of dinner,
”
I tell him, trying to escape before he says any more.

He sighs again.
“
Okay, I love you.
”

“
I love you, too,
”
I tell him. I end the call.

I look up at Kyle, and he looks concerned. Damn Luke.

“
Are you good?
”

I shake it off and throw on a fake smile.
“
Yeah, he wanted to know if I would be in town this weekend. I guess my father is passing through.
”

I cut a piece of the chicken and direct it into my mouth. My eyes close shut in extreme pleasure. I moan as I chew in pure bliss. He is amazing in the kitchen. My stomach couldn
’
t be happier. I open my eyes, and he is giving me a hungered look. I think I just woke up the beast.

“
What?
”
I giggle, playing innocent.

He shakes his head.
“
I don
’
t think I
’
m ever going to get sick of that,
”
he says with a smile.
“
When
’
s the last time you saw your father?
”

It takes me a moment to think.
“
I don
’
t know. Maybe ten years?
”

His brows lift in shock.
“
Holy shit, Max. That
’
s a
very
long time. Why did you initially stop talking to him?
”

I watch him twirl his fork in the spaghetti with his spoon.
“
He was having an affair for years. My mom knew it, but she was too comfortable spending my father
’
s money to even confront him. He would be off gallivanting for days. Never even took a moment to see if his kids were okay. Eventually, he ended up leaving my mother for this other woman. When he left, he didn
’
t even look back. Then years later, he decided he wanted to be part of my life,
”
I disclose.

Kyle looks angered but sad.
“
I
’
m so sorry he did that to you. You have every right to not speak with him. A man that does that to his family is not a man; he
’
s a coward.
”

I take a much-needed sip of my wine. A tear slides down my cheek, but before Kyle sees it, I brush it away. You would think that after all these years, the pain would just fade away. But it doesn
’
t. Every time my dad pops into our lives, the wound is reopened like it was yesterday. The only way I know how to heal is to avoid him at all costs. It may not heal pretty, but it will eventually close up the wound until the next time.

“
Thank you for that,
”
I sincerely tell him.

“
So how
’
s that chicken?
”

I finish taking another sip of wine.
“
Amazing!
Did you make the sauce yourself?
”

He pretends to brush his shoulder off.
“
Yup. It
’
s my mom
’
s recipe, but I like to alter it a little and add my own ingredients to it.
”

“
Well, I think you should bottle it up and sell it,
”
I advise him before taking another bite.
“
So tell me something
—
how did your parents meet?
”

Unlike me, he smiles at the thought of their story.
“
They met in college. They hung out with the same crowd for a couple of years, but it wasn
’
t until their senior year that my dad got up the courage to ask her out. Of course, if you ask my father, he
’
ll have a completely different version of the story,
”
he says with a laugh.
“
They
’
ve been together ever since. My father began this business years later when Junior was a baby, and my mom
’
s helped run it ever since. They
’
ve had their ups and downs like I mentioned before, but who doesn
’
t? I think you have to go through down times to appreciate the great times, you know?
”

I adore his positive outlook on life. I just wish I had an ounce of it to hold on to. Who the hell wants to feel negative their whole life? At first, I thought maybe Cody was my little bit of positive, but I realized quickly that he wasn
’
t it for me. Maybe he was
“
it
”
in the beginning, but as time went on, it took too much effort to make it work. I know relationships can be hard, but I personally believe if someone
’
s meant for someone else, it just clicks and you ride out the waves together, not separately.

“
Yes, I totally agree. You know, you
’
re pretty wise for your age,
”
I compliment him.

He doesn
’
t look appreciative.
“
Can I ask you something?
”

I nod my head.
“
Sure, anything.
”

“
Does our age difference bother you any?
”

I take a moment to think before I answer. I want it to be said in just the right way.
“
As of right now, no. It
’
s just you and I involved in some casual sex. There are moments where I think maybe I
’
ve taken advantage of you, considering I
’
m much older, but I also know you
’
re not a boy. You
’
re very much a man,
”
I playfully joke, trying to ease the tension as he
’
s listening extra carefully.
“
I
’
m really not sure how I would feel if your parents or people from work knew. I haven
’
t thought of it that deeply. What about you?
”

“
I don
’
t care who knows. I don
’
t care what anyone else thinks, either. Just so we
’
re clear, our age difference isn
’
t even a thought in my mind. You seem a little bothered by it, though,
”
he points out.

I smile at his boldness.
“
It
’
s just because I
’
m the one who
’
s older here. Now, if this was something serious, like talking marriage and kids, I might have a bigger issue with it. But since we
’
re just having fun, it
’
s not really an issue,
”
I say.

“
Do you want marriage and kids?
”
he questions seriously.

I take a sip of my wine before responding.
“
No, I don
’
t think I do. How about you?
”

“
I
’
ve usually been the
‘
hell no
’
type of guy, but I think if the right woman comes around, I would be willing to change that. It
has
to be the right woman though,
”
he says with a laugh.

He pushes his plate away. I didn
’
t even leave a drop of food on mine. I get up to clear the table. He watches me do my thing. He has a glaze over his eyes that I can
’
t explain. It
’
s either sexual hunger or he likes this domestic side of me. Believe me, I don
’
t do this very often. I just figured I would clean up since he cooked.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Kyle

I enjoy watching her. She moves around the kitchen like a ballerina. This is definitely something I could get used to. Her story saddens me deeply though. That is a lot to take on at such a young age. To turn out as well as she has says something about her character. She
’
s not weak. She doesn
’
t use her past as an excuse or crutch, and I admire that about her.

I
’
ve always been attracted to the easy woman, the woman that makes herself readily available. But then I get bored and go on to the next. I knew Max would be a challenge, and I was up for the chase. But what I didn
’
t expect was how much I would enjoy being in her presence and how every time I look at her, I get hard like she was my first. She just does it for me. I don
’
t know why or how. But how am I supposed to let go when she
’
s done with me?

This question just lingers in my head as she pours the rest of the wine into our glasses. I get up and walk over to the couch to stretch out after the meal. I am stuffed. She looks through my CD selection near the TV. She picks one out to place into the CD player and turns to me as the room fills with Sade
’
s
“
No Ordinary Love.
”

“
Sade, huh? Isn
’
t this before your time?
”
she questions with a smirk.

She comes to sit next to me.
“
I grew up on that. My mother loves her stuff. It just kind of grew on me. I love playing it after work when I watch the sunset with a nice glass of wine. Sound weird?
”

She shakes her head and snickers.
“
Yeah, coming from you it does. I would have never pictured that. Now, I can picture you trying to seduce a girl while doing that, but the girls you bring back wouldn
’
t know who the hell Sade is,
”
I say with a laugh. The more I learn about him, the more I like. It
’
s like he
’
s an old soul in a new body.