Make Me Stay (7 page)

Nope, not going there. I don’t do happily ever after. I do right now, a hook up here and there, but not the future
. When I kissed him, I saw it all, marriage, white picket fence, kids, a dog. I didn’t want that life for myself, not since Mom.

CHAPTER 12

Kane

I slammed the door closed, stomping my way down the stairs. I couldn’t believe that tease. She was a real piece of work. I was ready to finish what
she
had started, get her out of my system, cross her off the list, and worry about the consequences later. I was even willing to put
my
ego aside, just to get her out of my mind.

There was no way one girl should have had all that clout over me. Standing in the doorway that led to the covered patio/outdoor bar, the red head I was slated to take home and examine had two beers in her hand, nervously looking around for me.

The crowd had grown by at least twenty. I wasn’t the least bit surprised. We usually got about a half hour before someone found us and told their friend, who told their friend, and before you knew it, there was fifty-plus people milling around. The women would all be fighting for our attention, while whatever men were hanging around were waiting for our leftovers.

“She realized your dick is the size of a two-year-old’s?” Reece asked, jumping on my back.

Shaking him off, I pushed him back against the wall, not really in the mood to put up with his fucking antics.

“Well, don’t hold out on me, bro, how was she?” he asked, straightening from the wall.

“A tease,” I said, crossing my arms and continuing to look out at the patio.

“Maybe she’s just not into you, maybe she prefers a man with style and devilishly handsome good looks.”

Inhaling deeply, I turned my body toward him. “Whatever, dude. She’s not worth it. That redhead over there better be ready, because I’m going to screw the shit out of her.”

“Damn, Kitty has you all sorts of messed up.” Clapping his hand on my shoulder, he squeezed it, his way of showing compassion.

Nodding, I turned to look at him. “If you’re going to try, make sure you wear a cup.”

With that, I left him standing there, mulling over what I had just said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him finally get it--holding is hand over his balls as he scrunched his face, and then shook his head before jogging after me.

An hour later, I found B and let him know that I wasn’t going to stay to help out tonight. I told him I wasn’t feeling up to it, but I’d come back tomorrow afternoon and help out before they opened.

“Is Caroline okay?” he asked, looking around the patio. “I don’t see her.”

“She was tired and went up to bed an hour or so ago, haven’t seen her since.” As much as I wanted to let B know his daughter was a fucking tease and ball buster, I held back. He was ecstatic she was here and I wasn’t going to ruin that for him.

I wasn’t sure what happened between the two of them four years ago, before he came here, and I really didn’t care, but B was like a second father to us guys, and I wasn’t going to hurt his feelings. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have had a place to play or the huge cult following we had.

“I’ll be down here around noon to unlock the door for you, that too early?” he asked, before taking a swig of beer.

“Nah, noon is good, I’ll see you then,” I said before, heading for the parking lot. My conquest was already sitting in the passenger’s seat waiting for me, when I got there.

***

It was eleven and I was fully awake. What am I saying? I never went to sleep. After finding out the carpet and curtains didn’t match, I rolled over and tried to fall asleep, but it wasn’t happening. I grabbed my acoustic baby and headed downstairs to sit on the huge porch that encompassed our house. The guys and I rented a five-bedroom farmhouse from a couple who had moved Down South. Rent was cheap and the privacy was even better.

We had struck a deal with the couple that we’d fix up the house, if they’d cut the rent in half. We’d usually work on it in between construction jobs that my uncle had us doing. We had even done B’s whole upstairs for him, three months ago. He had anticipated having his daughter visit for the summer, so we demolished the upstairs, made the living area minuscule and her bedroom huge, adding the large bathroom and closet.

We all specialized in something different. I did most of the woodwork with JJ, Aiden was good at all the electrical, Trent had a knack for plumbing, and Reece was our demo guy. Together we were the total package--not only could we sing your panties off, we could also fix your house while we did it.

I was on my second cup of coffee and hundredth re-run of last night. Although I enjoyed exploring the interior decorations of the woman who was still sleeping in my bed, I wasn’t into it as much as I usually was, and that was all Caroline James’s fault. Glancing outside, I noticed a van with a taxi sign on top of it. The next thing I see is the redhead, two blondes, and a brunette walking past.

They didn’t say anything to me as they did. They just headed to the door to leave.

JJ came down the hall next. Grabbing a cup of coffee, he joined me at the table. “I’m so glad we have off this morning. I don’t think I could lift a nail,” he said, gulping down his coffee.

Nodding in agreement, I sat there silent.

“Kane, what’s going on?” he asked.

“Your cousin, that’s what’s going on. She’s found a way to fuck up my head, playing hard to get.”

Chuckling, JJ took another gulp of coffee. “That bad? Why not sweet talk your way in? It’s worked before for you.”

“I’m done with her. I just have to get out of my own head. I guess I can’t win them all. Plus, I don’t want to make things weird with B. She’s only staying for the summer then moving on.” I was trying to convince myself of everything I just said and it might have been working, a little.

The next to join us at the table was Aiden, followed by Reece. “So...carpet...curtains?” Reece asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Nope, not a match, but a pretty good lay,” I added, standing from the table.

“Gentleman, you’re now looking at the very proud, very exhausted, only male involved in a foursome, which happened after you assholes passed out last night, before boning the ladies
you
brought home. Thank you!” Trent said, as he strutted into the kitchen.

Reece called his bluff from the other side of the table. “You’re lying,”

“Not even a bit. Next time, make sure you fuckers take your ladies to your room before you pass out.”

“Nice,” I said, before setting my cup in the sink.

Grabbing my keys, I headed for the back door.

“Where the hell are you going?” Reece asked.

“BJ’s. I told B that I’d help him out before they open tonight.”

“If you see Kitty, grab her ass for me,” he called while grabbing the air.

“I don’t think so. That girl’s got issues, and I don’t want to get involved with them.”

“I said grab her ass, not play psychologist,” Reece replied.

“I’m not going within an arm’s length of her. I got bruises, blue balls, and I’d really like to keep my face from getting smacked. So, I’m not going anywhere near that feral kitty.”

Turning from their stunned faces, because I had never let a woman get to me like that, I left.

CHAPTER 13

Caroline

So there was one good thing about not getting the job at J&K--sleeping in. Rolling over, I glanced at the clock, feeling well rested. That was the first night I had slept that soundly since I started my internship. The alcohol might have had something to do with the sound slumber I had just enjoyed.

I had totally missed the whole morning--
Guess there’s no point in making breakfast.
Glancing at the small kitchen, I headed straight for the refrigerator. Nothing. There wasn’t even ketchup, just vitamin water and OJ. How was my father surviving off of vitamin water and OJ? Then it hit me, the kitchen in the back of the bar. Slipping on my flip flops, I headed down stairs in a tight tank top, and my comfy flannel PJ pants that hung low on my hips, making them extra comfy.
Another perk of not working at J&K, comfy clothes, all day!

I walked into the back kitchen to find my father prepping food for the night. Even though it was a bar, my father offered some really good bar food.

“Hey, Dad,” I said as I walked around to the prep station.

He was cutting potatoes into fries, a hug tub of already cut potatoes sat at on the floor next to the table. “Hey, sleepyhead. You hungry?” he asked.

“Starving,” I replied.

Dropping what he was doing, he went to the huge industrial fridge and pulled out lunchmeat and cheese. Taking a loaf of bread off the shelf, he walked back to the prep station and proceeded to make me a sandwich. It was the best sandwich I had ever had. The moment he put it in front of me, I quickly scarfed it down.

I sat back on the stool and held my delightfully full stomach. “That was so good, Dad, thank you,”

“How are you doing, honey? You like your room? Are you finding everything you need?” he asked with a twinge of nervousness to his voice.

I knew my father wanted me to be happy, and he really wanted to make me stay. I was finding it hard to tell him I wasn’t planning on staying longer than summer. So I chickened out. He had no clue I was hell bent on leaving. He thought I was going to work here, love it, and never want to leave. I didn’t have the heart to tell him because, as much as he wanted me to be happy, I wanted him to be just as happy. If I told him I was counting down the days till I left, he’d be crushed.

“Everything is great, Dad, I love my room, you did a great job--” I was going to go on about how much I liked the bar and how nice everyone was, but--

“I’m glad you like it, Kitty. It was a bitch laying that lovely hardwood floor that your father just had to have in there.”

I turned around to see Kane standing behind me, a bucket of cleaning supplies in one hand and a mop in the other.

I don’t know what shocked me more, the fact that he had actually cleaned something or the fact that he was in my room before I was. Smiling that stupid grin of his, he winked at me then moved to place the cleaning stuff in a nearby closet.

“Bathrooms are done B. You need help with anything else?” he asked, a few feet from us.

I wanted to ignore it, but I could feel the tension between us. It was intense and dripping with anger, with only a hint of sexual desire. And that might have just been me because--
Shit, he looks sexy as hell
. He was in mesh shorts and a white wife-beater, which showed off his muscular arms that I was starting to really enjoy looking at.

My eyes drifted on their own, running up his body, as if I’d never let them look at a man before. His arms crossed, making his chest puff up and the muscles in his arms bulge in a delightful way. For a split second, I forgot why I hated the man. I forgot why I shouldn’t be running toward him, to be engulfed in those mesmerizing arms. Pulling my mind out of a daydream and back to reality, I made myself remember that not even twenty minutes after we had...whatever we had...he was feeling up and kissing some redhead that kept running her hand over the balls I’d kneed back into his body.

“Caroline, I forgot to tell you, the boys--JJ, Trent, Aiden, Reece, and Kane--they’re all contractors. They rebuilt your room and the living area. I had them working like dogs for the past three months.” My father chuckled to himself, no doubt remembering all the shenanigans of having four rowdy musicians working on his house.

I turned from my father to eye Kane up again. That stupid grin was plastered even bigger on his face.

“Didn’t they do an awesome job?” Dad continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension. “Hold on--let me run upstairs, I took a bunch of before pictures. You won’t believe what it looked it before they got a hold of it.” Without another word, my father exited from the kitchen and went in search of the photos.

Rocking on his feet, Kane turned to leave the kitchen as well.
Yeah, he should leave, I don’t have anything to say to him, and he sure didn’t have anything to say to me.
I think we said it all the night before. So why couldn’t I help the stupid pit that was in my stomach as I watched him leave
. Oh, this is ridiculous
.

“I saw your night got interesting. That redhead give you what you wanted?” The moment the words left my lips, I wanted to run and hide, I should have just let it go, let
him
go.

Stopping in his tracks, he threw his head back and laughed loudly. “Let’s just say, she knew the right way to handle my balls,” he said, turning back to me.

“You deserved it,” I called back. I moved anxiously on the stool, his brisk walk across the room was putting me seriously on edge.

“Why do you even care? You made it perfectly clear last night that you want nothing to do with this or my balls,” he said, gesturing at his body.

I stood from the stool, “I don’t care,” I clipped back. He was still an arm’s length away and as I was standing there, I caught a whiff of his cologne--
Amazing.
“Why do you sleep with so many women, can’t find one that can stand to be in your presence for more than one night?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Kitty, drop it. You want me to leave you alone, fine, but it works both ways,” he said, maintaining his distance.

“I don’t want you to leave me alone--”
Aw dammit, not like that.
“Listen, I’m going to be here. I live upstairs, and we’re going to run into each other. I’ll try to be civil, but we can’t let what happened last night happen again. For some reason, my father loves you boys, and if we’re constantly fighting, then it’s going to put stress on him, and that’s the last thing I want.”

I meant that, all of it. I knew he was bad news and the way I felt last night while we kissed was terrifying, but we had to coexist. My father loved those boys like they were his long lost sons, or so he’d told me over lunch.

“I agree. But you have to realize, women love me. You can’t walk around jealous of them then take it out on my poor defenseless body. I bruise easily,” he said, smiling.