Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1 (15 page)

“Are
you still thinking about how good I look with my shirt off?”

“Shut
up,” she barks. Teasing her is the fucking best!

“Are
you thinking about how all you’d have to do is say please and we could consider
that begging?”

“Didn’t
you say you were going to be on your best behavior?” she asks, moving around.

“Sweetheart,
I’m laying two feet away from the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I had to
tuck my hands under my head to keep them off of you. This
is
me on my
best behavior.” Dead silence fills the room. Did I just fuck up everything by
speaking without thinking again? I really do suck at trying to get a girl to
like me. What do I do? Do I say something? What the hell do I say?

“Lines
you pull with other girls won’t work on me,” she says calmly.

Honesty
is the only thing I’ve got. “It wasn’t a line, and I’ve never said or meant
that before this moment.”

“Evan.”
She sounds upset. My hands free themselves and reach out for her in the
darkness. I slide her to me so her back is to my chest. “You’re touching me,”
Kacie says, without fighting to get away.

“I’m
holding you. It’s not the same thing.” She starts to shift and I’m terrified
she’s going to move away or make me leave. Surprisingly, once Kacie settles,
her head is resting on my chest and my arms are still around her.

“I’ll
let it slide, but only because you’re so comfortable.”

This
seems like a small victory. Maybe a big one. There’s no way in hell she would
let me hold her like this if I meant absolutely nothing to her. Now I just need
to figure out how to get her to open up about what’s going on with her parents.
If we can knock out that obstacle, perhaps we stand a chance. Never in my life
would I have considered being with someone. I’m not completely sure that I’d be
able to be with just one girl for too long. The only thing I do know is how
lying here holding Kacie in my arms makes me feel happier than I’ve been in a
really long time. Maybe ever. It’s a feeling I don’t want to let go of anytime
soon. I close my eyes and soak in how awesome this is.

“Kacie,”
I say quietly, just in case she’s fallen asleep.

“Yeah?”
She sounds tired.

“Please
promise me the next time you and Jade sleep together, you’ll let me watch.”

I
can feel her body shake from chuckling.  “Good night, Evan.”

“Good
night,” I say, smiling to myself and pulling her tighter. For the first time
since the night I met her, I fall asleep without tossing and turning.

***

The
morning is here in no time, but I’m well-rested for a change. When my eyes
open, the sunlight blinds me. Then I remember where I am. My arms are empty and
I don’t like it. What if Kacie regretted letting me stay? Where the hell is
she? I lean up on my elbows and search for any sign of her. It doesn’t sound
like she’s in the bathroom. I sit up all the way and see that the door to the
balcony is partially open. I climb out of bed and reach for my jeans. Kacie is
standing out on the balcony and leaning on the railing, so I push the door
open. Her shirt is raised up, exposing the tattoo on the right side of her
lower back. After a few steps, I reach out and rub my thumb over it, trying to
see what it is. A pink ribbon is wrapped around a bouquet of flowers. “Bunches
& Bunches” is written along the strands of the ribbon.

She
doesn’t move, except to turn her head to look over her shoulder at me. “Good
morning.”

“Good
morning. What’s with the flowers?” I ask. 

“Flowers?
Oh, my tattoo. Daisies are my favorite. They were Gram’s favorite, too,” she
says, sadly. I remember seeing them before and I look out over to the garden in
the backyard.

“Your
tattoo is for her,” I whisper.

“It
is. The pink ribbon is for breast cancer awareness, and ‘Bunches & Bunches’
is something she used to say to me.”

“Think
she’d be mad about you getting a tattoo?” I ask, leaning on the railing next to
her. The view from out here is absolutely breathtaking.

“Nah.
Gram was used to me doing crazy shit,” she divulges.   

“You’re
up early. Didn’t you sleep well?”

“I
slept so well, my internal alarm clock didn’t even get me up for my run.”

It
still seems early. “What time is it?”

“About
seven-thirty.”

“What
time do you get up to run?”

“No
later than six.”

“Are
you crazy?”

She
chuckles. “It starts to get too hot if I wait much longer.”

“So
get a damn treadmill,” I suggest. “I’m sure there’s room somewhere in this
place for one.”

Kacie
leans into me. “It’s not the same. How about breakfast?”

“Sure,
but I’ll cook. I’d like to be able to eat it.”

“See
if I let you sleep in my bed again,” she mumbles, turning around to go back
into her room.

“You
were planning on me sleeping with you again?”

“Let’s
go make breakfast.” At least it wasn’t a no.

The
kitchen contains all of the ingredients for French toast, which I learn is
Kacie’s favorite. She doesn’t argue when I start making it. I’m wondering if
she’s afraid of messing up in front of me. While I’m whisking the eggs, Kacie
is slicing fruit and chatting away like we’ve known each other for a year
instead of a week. I love every second of it. She tells me about living in
Pennsylvania and some of the things she misses about it. I ask her if she’d
ever gone to New York City while she was up there. She never did but says she’d
like to, especially at Christmas. Just when it’s time to put the toast in the
frying pan, the doorbell starts ringing and doesn’t stop.

“Who
the fuck is that?” I ask, glancing over at her.

Rolling
her eyes, Kacie answers, “That would be my annoying neighbor.” She takes off
for the front door.

The
sound of the door slamming precedes someone yelling, “Where the fuck is he?!”
Right before he comes into the kitchen, the familiar voice shouts again, “Evan,
where are you?!” My eyes meet his when he storms into the room. “What the fuck
are you doing here?! You have no right!” Had I not forgotten to send a certain
text last night, this wouldn’t be happening right now.

“Chill
out, Jake. I know why you’re upset, but you got it all wrong.” I turn my back
to him to check on Kacie’s breakfast.

“Chill
out?! How the fuck am I supposed to chill out when you were with Ava last night
and, this morning, I find your truck in my best friend’s driveway?! I fucking
warned you! Kacie deserves better than that! She deserves better than you!”

“You
were with someone before you came here?” A small voice whispers the words, but
they ring loud and clear in my ears. When I turn around to see Kacie standing
there, any doubt of whether or not she feels anything for me disappears. The
hurt on her face at overhearing what Jake said would not be there if she
didn’t. Pain stabs my chest. “Get out. Both of you,” she says in the same low,
desolate tone. Then she goes to walk away.

“Kacie,
wait.” Jake tries to stop me from going to her. I hand him the spatula and
say,” Don’t let her breakfast burn or I’ll kick your fucking ass.”
Surprisingly, she actually stopped when I asked her to. “Please, let me
explain.”

Her
eyes have filled with tears and she’s shaking her head. The stabbing pain just
got a little worse. “That’s just it, Evan. You don’t owe me an explanation. I’m
not your girlfriend. I’m not your anything.”

The
back of my hand wipes away the tears dripping down her cheek. “I wouldn’t say
that,” I tell her. “I wasn’t with anyone last night.”

“Bullshit,”
Jake starts again. “An entire bar saw you leave with her!”

“Quinn,
shut the fuck up and let me explain before one more tear falls onto her
beautiful face! You’re supposed to be watching her breakfast, not
eavesdropping,” I snap. He’s not happy with me, but he closes his mouth.
Turning back to confront Kacie, I lay my hand on the side of her face. “We were
at a bar with a bunch of people. I was waiting for an excuse to leave. The guys
wouldn’t let me bail because I’m rarely anywhere other than Skyline anymore.
Ava appeared and I used her as my excuse. No one would give me shit if I was
taking a girl home. That’s all I did, sweetheart. I drove to her apartment and
kicked her drunken ass out of my truck. Honestly, I had no conscious plans of
coming here until I was in your driveway. If I thought about coming to see you
earlier, I would have been here long before midnight and I definitely wouldn’t
have been waiting for a reason to get the hell out of there.”

“Why
are you telling me all of this?” she wonders.

“Because
I don’t want you to be upset.”

“You
care if I’m upset?”

“It
breaks my heart,” I whisper.

“I’m
already late for work,” Jake interrupts. Kacie takes a step back, creating space
between us. “I’m so sorry for upsetting you. I shouldn’t have lost it like
that,” he apologizes to her.

“I
understand why you did. Don’t ever be sorry for looking out for me, Jake. I
wouldn’t be if it was the other way around.”

“I
know, but it was wrong how I went about it.” He hugs her and something about it
doesn’t sit well with me. “Evan…” He turns to me.

“It’s
cool, Jake.” I can’t be mad at him for wanting to protect her, even if it may
be more than that. He nods and disappears the way he came. Neither Kacie nor I
move until the front door closes. “Kacie, I’m sorry for not telling you this
last night. I didn’t think it would matter. Actually, as soon as you opened the
door, I forgot all about her, the bar, and everything else.”

“It’s
fine. Let’s go finish breakfast.” She wants to drop the conversation, but I
can’t. It’s too late.

“Wait,”
I say. When she tries to walk by me, I wrap my arms around her. “I tell you it
breaks my heart when you’re upset and you want me to let it go?” I ask. “This
whole time I was thinking you felt nothing for me, but that’s not true, is it?”

“What
I feel doesn’t matter.”

“Why
not?”

“It’s
complicated.” She’s getting frustrated, but I need to know what she’s holding
back. Is it because of the shit Jade has been telling her?

“Try
me,” I insist.

“My
parents are going to find out about me defying them soon and it could cost me
everything. I don’t want anyone else around me to get hurt because of their
backlash.”

“You
are a successful, grown woman. You don’t need their approval for anything.”

“I
wish it were that easy.”

“I’m
not afraid of them, Kacie.”

“You
don’t even know them or what they’re capable of. They can destroy someone in
seconds.” She’s trying to scare me away, but I don’t want to go.

“I
don’t care.”

“I
do. No one deserves to be brought into this mess.”

“I’m
in, whether you like it or not.”

“No,
Evan. This is my fight.” My favorite beautiful, hazel eyes are watering again.

“Something
tells me that I’d fight the whole world for you.” Before she is able to argue
any further, I lean down until my lips meet hers. For the first time, I
understand just how amazing kissing someone can actually be.

Evan

Who
knew that Jake showing up yesterday to interrupt my morning with Kacie would
actually be a good thing? It forced her to acknowledge her feelings, even if
she didn’t mean to. That makes shit a lot less nerve-wracking on this end. Over
breakfast, we had a long talk and both decided…or, rather, Kacie insisted and I
went along with whatever she said to make her happy…to keep things the way they
are between us. She has genuine fears over what her parents will do once they
find out about her being a teacher and, frankly, I’m petrified of not being
enough for her. Not only have I never had a steady girlfriend, but I’ve never
wanted one. Caring about a girl enough to not want anyone else is uncharted
waters for me. So perhaps it’s more for my own selfish reasons that I’m content
with our agreement.

Last
night at work was a long one for me. Meg was off and after what happened last
week, I wouldn’t have called her if the place was on fire. It was the new
waitress’ first night at Skyline. A few regulars welcomed Ashley by starting a
fist fight over who was going to take her home. She ended up dealing with it
pretty well, but I still spent the rest of her shift watching, just in case.
That only meant it was even later before my normal work was able to get done.
The highlight of my night was around two in the morning when Kacie texted me a
picture of her and Jade pretending to be asleep in her bed. My reply informed
her I wasn’t going to let the fake picture ruin what was going on in my head.

Kacie
spent the day poolside with her friends, so I wasn’t able to stop over there
for lunch earlier today. Now that it’s been over twenty-four hours since seeing
her, part of me is starting to miss listening to her smart ass mouth. At least
she’s coming to Meg’s party tomorrow so I should be able to spend the whole day
with her. Hopefully, nothing happens at Skyline that they’ll have to call me in
for. Keith, one of the bartenders, will be in charge. He’s done it before and
should be able to handle it just fine. The club is closed on Monday for
Memorial Day. Most places like this don’t usually close, but my uncle has his
favorite holidays that he refuses to stay open for.

Just
when I get ready to check out how things are going around the club, my phone
vibrates with a text message. It’s from Kacie.

Having
fun?

Walking
out into the hallway and closing the office door behind me, I reply.

No,
I’m not with you.

Need
a beer?
I have an extra one.

I
start walking toward the main room.

Yes.

Then
stop hiding in your office and come get it.

My
feet stop in place.

Wait…you’re
here?

I
am.

Where?

Where
you always find Jade.

I
set out to the far side of the club near the dance floor, ignoring the people
calling my name. When she comes into view, it becomes painfully obvious her
mouth wasn’t the only thing I’ve missed. Her long, curly hair is hanging down
her back, just the way I like it. The glimmering smile across her face is
lighting up the dark room. A white dress is clinging to her extremely
well-toned body. Once again, I’m amazed at how she always looks classy rather
than slutty like most of the girls who come through the club. The closer I get
to her, the faster the rest of the place starts to fade away. By the time I
reach the table where she’s sitting, we’re the only two people in the room. My
hand slides down her bare arm. Either she’s aware it’s me, or she’s not
bothered by random people doing this to her because she doesn’t wince as my
fingers run over her tanned skin. Without so much as a glance, she reaches out
and holds a glass bottle over her shoulder. I lean over and take it from her
grasp as I place a light kiss on her cheek.

“Gross,”
Jade says, reminding me that Kacie and I aren’t alone.

Slightly
turning her head, Kacie whispers, “What took you so long?” And there’s the
smart ass mouth I was missing.

“If
I knew you were coming, I would have been waiting by the front door.”

“You’ve
never waited by the front door for me and I come here all the time,” Jake
hollers from the other side of the table. I should have known he’d be with
them. Even though Jade’s new boyfriend is here, Jake wouldn’t let Jade and
Kacie come to a place like this without him. A few years ago, Jade was at a
club with friends when some guy decided to give her a hard time. He became more
than she could handle on her own and security had to get involved. Jade was
fine, but Jake felt like he let his little sister down by not being there to
protect her. Since their parents left, he’s been more protective than usual.

“You
aren’t pretty enough to be excited about seeing,” I inform him. “Thanks for the
beer,” I say, focusing on my favorite girl.

Kacie
shrugs, then says with a smile, “It’s no strawberry milkshake, but it will have
to do.”

“Since
you were busy with your friends today, I had to drink your milkshake all by
myself,” I tease, taking a swig of the beer.

“You
better not have!” She spins toward me. “I’ll be so pissed if I find out you had
enough time to get a milkshake but not to stop by.”

“The
only reason I didn’t stop by was because you had company. That gave me plenty
of time to finish a delicious, frosty milkshake all by myself,” I smirk

“I
never said you couldn’t come over,” Kacie answers, sadly.

It
breaks my fucking heart to see her upset, but realizing she missed me as much
as I missed her somehow makes it better. My hand lightly lifts her chin so I
can see into her beautiful eyes. “I’m sorry,” I tell her, running my thumb over
her cheek. “You were with your friends. I didn’t want to impose. Next time,
I’ll make sure to check with you, okay?”

She
nods. “You owe me a damn milkshake.” Her sarcastic tone confirms she’s
recovered just fine.

“If
you two don’t knock this shit off, I’m going to lose the delicious dinner I
just ate all over the fucking table,” Jade announces.

Kacie
rolls her eyes, but winks at me before reverting her attention back to the
table. “Shut it, Quinn,” she says, then throws a balled up napkin at her
friend.

Jade
sticks her tongue out as she catches it. She leans into Kyle and says loudly,
“Twenty bucks says they really aren’t talking about milkshakes.”

Kyle
laughs as he puts his arm around the back of Jade’s chair. “No one thinks
that’s what they’re talking about, but it’s probably best to keep it to
ourselves.”

“Screw
that,” Jade says. “I’m totally calling them out on it.”

“You
want me to set them straight?” I ask Kacie, knowing damn well Jade can hear me.

“Nah.
I’ll let them think whatever they want. You know, the way I let you think Jade
and I do more than just sleep together,” she tells me, amused.

“What?
You sleep with Kacie?” Kyle confronts Jade.

“Yeah,”
she answers, sipping on her drink. “What’s the big deal?”

Kyle
looks to Jake, who has been unusually quiet the last few minutes. “Seriously?”

“See?
I’m not the only one shocked at hearing this,” I say, making myself comfortable
on the stool between Kacie and Jake.

“Boys,”
Jade mumbles. “Always thinking with the wrong head.”

Kacie
laughs at her friend. “It’s not right to hold them completely responsible. They
don’t know any better.”

“True.”

“So,
when I say or do something you don’t agree with, I can just say guys don’t know
any better?” Kyle wonders.

“Try
it. I want to see what happens,” Kacie urges, while Jade shoots him a wicked
look.

“No,
thank you,” he says. Jade’s smile returns.

Kacie
turns back to me. She’s obviously been drinking a lot longer than she’s been
here. “What’s up? It feels like I haven’t seen you in days.”

“You
saw me yesterday morning,” I remind her with my signature cocky grin.

“Hmm.”
She’s pondering that comment while gazing into my eyes. I’m momentarily lost in
her. Lost in thought of how even though I agreed with her decision about the
two of us remaining friends, I realize now that was wrong. Aside from the fact
that she turns me on, imagining not being able to see her or her being with
someone else is crushing me from the inside. Meg was right, damn her, when she
said I need to give Kacie a reason to change her mind about not wanting a
relationship. Just earlier tonight, I was thinking how this whole friendship
thing was for the best. Fuck that! Who gives a shit that this is all new to me?
I want Kacie. I want her by my side, in my bed, wherever I go. I just want her
to be mine. No one else’s. Now, how the hell do I make that happen without
freaking her out?

“I
guess you’re right,” she says. “It was just yesterday. Wonder why it feels so
much longer?”

“Maybe
because you missed me?” I suggest. Her expression suddenly becomes serious as
if she’s contemplating what I said and it makes me nervous.

“There’s
no maybe about it.” Five simple words from her mouth have me willing to drop to
my knees and beg for her. If my pants hadn’t grown increasingly uncomfortable
in the last thirty seconds, I’d get up and carry her out of here. Instead, I
grab her stool and slide it closer to mine. The sudden movement doesn’t
unsettle her in the least. She doesn’t look away or try to stop me.

When
there is no longer any space between our stools, I lean over and kiss her jaw
right next to her ear. “I’d be willing to bet that you know exactly what you’re
doing to me,” I whisper, then press my lips to the same spot a second time. I
feel her take in a deep breath and hold it.

Once
she exhales, she whispers back, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Then I feel her hand on the inside of my thigh, right above my knee. She
doesn’t move it any farther up my leg, but damn! Her lips hit the corner of my
mouth.

Just
as I’m about to fucking explode, a familiar voice kills the moment. “This must
be the tramp you hurried out of my apartment for the other night.” Kacie pulls
away to see who is standing behind us. She doesn’t look overly upset, which is
the only reason Ava’s head is still attached to her fucking body. “Didn’t Evan
tell you, honey? He was with
me
before going to meet you.” As Ava puts
her hand on her hip, an evil grin contorts her face.

As
I’m just about ready to lose it on this fucking bitch, Kacie casually says, “As
a matter of fact, he did.” She’s so unaffected by Ava’s attempt to upset her,
Kacie just turns her back on her and picks up her beer.

Jade’s
sharp tone cuts through the sudden silence. “Why aren’t you flipping the fuck
out on this whore?” It’s what everyone is probably thinking.

I
jump off the stool to drag Ava away…by her hair, if necessary…when Kacie lays
her hand on my chest. While she’s looking at me, she answers her friend,
“Because, Jade, I don’t waste my time or my energy with last week’s garbage.
You know that.”

“Garbage?”
Ava growls. “Evan didn’t think that when he was…”

“That’s
enough,” I snap, reaching for my phone. “Get the fuck out of my club!”

“What’s
the matter? Afraid you won’t get laid once she hears all the dirty shit we’ve
done together?” Ava keeps at it despite my warning. This time, it’s Jade who
leaps off her stool. Both Kacie and Kyle grab her.

The
person I’m dialing answers on the first ring. “Boss?”

“I
need someone escorted out of here. Table sixty-five.”

“On
my way,” he tells me and disconnects. My glare stays locked on Ava in case she
tries anything stupid.

“You’re
seriously going to kick me out?” she laughs. “Since when do you care if two
girls are fighting over you? You get off on this shit.”

Kacie
speaks before I can, “I don’t fight with anyone over a guy. If it ever came to
that, he wouldn’t be worth fighting for.”

“Who
the fuck do you think you are?!” Ava yells, but it’s pointless. Kacie is done
talking to her.

“Boss,”
my bouncer says, announcing his arrival.

“Please
make sure Ava gets to her car.”

“No
problem,” he says, motioning for her to go ahead of him.

“Actually,
Joe, make sure she doesn’t come back.”

“Of
course.”

“You’ll
regret this, Evan Pierce! Remember this the next time you’re hard and have no
one to call!” she shouts as Joe leads her away.

“Hey,”
I say to Kacie as soon as they have disappeared into the crowd. Everyone
witnessed the entire thing unfold, which makes the situation even worse. I
didn’t want any attention drawn to Kacie, especially like this. “I’m so sorry
you were here for her tantrum. Please don’t believe that bullshit. I swear to
you nothing happened the other night.”