Pushing the Boundaries (Picking up the Pieces #3) (6 page)

“Don’t you use those puppy dog eyes with me,” she scolded when I batted my eyelashes. “That shit won’t work. I’m pregnant and Trevor is a walking disaster. No way in Hell he’s living in my house. Sorry to say it, babe, but you’re stuck with him. Might as well live in marital bliss,” she added with a smirk. “After all, you
are
married to the guy.”

“Ugh! That’s another thing. He’s got it in his head that we should stay married. He’s quick to knock it down any time I bring up getting an annulment. He thinks because we’re such good friends and know each other so well that it’s a recipe for the perfect marriage. He’s insane,” I said, dropping my head into my hands. When no one jumped to agree, I looked up through my lashes and took in the contemplative expressions on all of their faces.

Mickey was the first to break the silence. “You so sure he’s wrong, honey?”

“What?”

“Just hear me out. I know you’ve all known him longer than I have, but I gotta tell you, since he hired me at Ink Addictz, it’s been all Lizzy all the time. The dude talks about you nonstop. That has to mean something, right?”

Mickey was Stacia’s cousin. She moved to Cloverleaf months ago after dumping her last douchebag of a boyfriend. She had tattooed at random shops in Texas for years, and when she got here, Trevor never once blinked at our suggestion that he hire her at his shop. Between the two of them, Ink Addictz was swamped. I’d never seen such beautiful work in my life. Trevor and Mickey had some serious talent.

She might have worked close with him for a while now, but Mickey wasn’t here when Trevor first got to town. She didn’t witness the man trip and fall into every available vagina that crossed his path. And believe me, there were
tons
of available vaginas for Trevor Devareau to trip and fall into. The guy was sex on two legs!

“This is Trevor we’re talking about, Mick. The man doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘relationship’. Trust me, if he talks about me, it’s only because we’re friends.”

“I don’t know,” Emmy piped up. “I think she may have a point. Do you not see how the man looks at you, Lizzy?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, refusing to fall into the same mind frame as my friends. I didn’t know what was in the water, but obviously it was making everyone’s judgment questionable.

“The dude follows you around like a puppy,” Savannah chimed in, in her oh-so-eloquent way. “He looks at you like you’re a goddamn steak. Dude’s got it bad, babe. How do you not see that?”

“No,” I shake my head vehemently. “He wants to have sex with me. There’s a difference. He doesn’t want a relationship; he just wants to fuck. And the only reason he looks at me like anything is because I won’t put out. It’s all about the challenge for him. Come on, y’all know this. You’ve seen it!”

Savannah lifted her shoulder and gave a casual shrug. “If I think about it, I haven’t actually seen him with another woman in a while now. Well, with the exception of you, of course.” A knowing smile spread across her lips and I wanted to smack it off.

“No. I’m telling you, he just wants in my pants. You’re just all blissfully happy because you’re married now. It’s actually pretty disturbing to have to witness. Like a Praying Mantis eating the male after sex. Unnatural,” I added with a smirk in her direction. She flipped me off and went back to eating her pie.

“Sex is all the man thinks about. I’m pretty sure that if I just screwed the guy he’d be happy to give me an annulment after he got what he wanted.”

Why did that thought make my stomach ache like someone just sucker-punched me? Good lord, I was a mess.

“Well then, why not just do that?” Emmy asked.

“Do what?”

“Just put out. Fuck the guy and get your annulment if you’re so dead-set on that.”

Huh, that was actually something to consider. But could I really go through with it?

The better question was, if I did, would I be able to handle the consequences after? I wasn’t so sure.

“You sure about this?”

I looked up at my friend and saw her wringing her hands in front of her.

“I’m positive, Kenzie. I’ve actually been thinking of getting one for a while now.”

Mackenzie Webster was the epitome of kindhearted. She moved to Cloverleaf a while back after a nasty breakup with her ex and I’d jumped at the chance to hire her at the salon. Not only was she impossible not to love, but she was absolutely fabulous at her job. She was one of the reasons Elegant Nails stayed so busy.

“I hate to give him up, he’s so sweet. The twins are heartbroken about it, but they’re allergies are just too bad to keep him.”

I hated that she struggled to raise her twin toddlers all on her own. I’d never seen a mom so dedicated to her children. And knowing that she had no help whatsoever from her worthless ex set my blood on fire. Someone as sweet and loving as Kenzie deserved the very best of everything.

“I understand,” I told her, pulling her into a hug. “And I promise, you can bring them by whenever you want for a visit if you think it won’t make them sick.”

“You’re too amazing, you know that?”

“I hear it a lot, but it never gets old. Feel free to continue saying it as often as you want.”

“Just remember, he gets a little scared in new surroundings. He might hide from you for a bit. Just give him time to adjust.”

“I will, I promise. See you at work tomorrow,” I called out before climbing into my car and heading for home.

After getting the latest member of my household all set, I went into the kitchen and poured a glass of wine. The little guy had run off to find a hiding place the second I’d opened the carrier door, so for the time being I’d let him be until he was comfortable enough to come out.

I’d spent the past half hour pacing between my living room and kitchen, trying to decide if I could actually go through with seducing Trevor into giving me an annulment. Part of me thought it would be a good thing that I’d get this marriage taken care of and get to enjoy all the sexy that was Trevor at the same time. But another part was worried that if I crossed that line, I might have a problem getting back on the other side of it. What if I turned all girly and got emotional and shit once we had sex, and then lost it when he walked away?

For fuck’s sake, I’m turning this into a goddamn Lifetime movie!
Just screw him and move on
!

I needed to pull my shit together. I could totally do this.

I’d psyched myself up to the point that when I heard the front door open, I was ready and raring to go.

“What’s up, wifey?” Trevor called as he walked through the door and closed it behind him. “Jesus, the shop was a fucking madhouse today. I didn’t even have time to take a leak. I’m about to piss myself,” he hollered as he dropped his stuff by the door and rushed for the hall bathroom. He was still talking as he shut the door and went about his business, but I was so wrapped up in giving myself a sex pep talk that I wasn’t paying attention to anything he was saying.

That was, until things started crashing around loudly, followed by a, “GAH! Jesus
fuck
!”

I spun around just in time to see the door crash open and Trevor fall out, landing on his back with his pants around his thighs. Thank Christ he’d managed to tuck himself back in before falling out of the bathroom. He scurried backward on his ass; partially crab crawling, partially scooting, as he tried to hank his jeans back up.

“Goddamn, son of a bitch in hell!”

“What’s the matter?” I asked once he’d gotten to his feet.

“That little fucker tried to bite my dick off!”

I looked to where he was pointing to see my new pet step from the bathroom. Reaching down, I picked him up and held him close to my chest. “This is Mr. Bojangles. He’s skittish in new places. You probably just scared him.”

“
I
scared
him
?” he yelled, skirting the couch to get away from me and my new cat when I took a step in his direction. “Motherfucker waited for me to whip it out to piss before he lunged at me!”

Mr. Bojangles shook in my arms as I tried to soothe him. “I’m sure you’re overreacting. Poor baby, he’s terrified,” I exclaimed as I cooed and petted his fluffy orange head.

“He’s terrified? I’m scarred for life! I almost had my favorite body part maimed by a fucking feral devil cat!”

“He’s not feral!” I lifted Mr. Bojangles up and rubbed my cheek against his head. His purr rumbled through his whole body as I hugged him, and he lifted his head to bump my chin, looking for more affection. “He’s sweet. I told you he’s just skittish. It’ll take him a little while to get used to living here.”

“What the hell do you mean, living here?”

“He’s my new cat,” I answered.

Trevor stared at me like I belonged in a mental hospital. His expression was that of utter disbelief. His blue gaze darted from me to the fluffy guy curled up in my arms before they narrowed menacingly. He and Mr. Bojangles seemed to be in some kind of stare-off for several seconds before Trevor finally lifted his chin and addressed me.

“That’s not a cat. That’s a furry bowling ball!”

“Don’t say that!” I scolded seriously. “You’ll give him a complex.”

His mouth opened and closed several times before he was finally able to form a sentence.

“It’s me or the cat.”

I couldn’t help it; the minute those words came out of his mouth, I busted out laughing. “Are you serious right now?”

“As a goddamned heart attack, Lizzy. That thing’s looking at me like he’s just waiting to murder me in my sleep.”

“That
thing
has a name. And he’s not going to kill you. You just need to give him a chance to adjust.”

“What kind of girly-ass, pussy name is Mr. Bojangles anyway? I’m not calling him that! Like I said, you have to choose. Me, your
husband
, or Satan’s minion.”

I started laughing again. Not caring for how my body was shaking hysterically, Mr. Bojangles jumped from my arms, landing on the floor about two feet from Trevor. The two of them stood still, in some sort of twisted standoff before Mr. Bojangles finally grew tired of Trevor’s dramatics and sauntered from the living room.

“I’m not getting rid of the cat, Trevor. He’s sweet and cuddly and I love him.”

“GAH!” he threw his hands up. “You’re being completely unreasonable right now!”

“And you’re acting like a baby. Don’t you think you’re being a little ridiculous?”

Now it was my turned to be glared at. “I’m not talking to you when you’re like this,” Trevor informed me haughtily, his chin in the air as he looked down at me like
I
was the one being irrational. It was just a cat, for Christ’s sake!

Before I had a chance to respond, he turned on his heels and stomped up the stairs. The asshole actually had the nerve to storm out of the room all pissed off. I stood in the middle of the living room, looking up the stairs in shock as a door slammed from somewhere above me.

So much for my attempted seduction. I was officially being given the silent treatment.

If I hadn’t seen the telltale bulge in his boxer briefs this morning, I’d have sworn I was married to a woman.

I woke feeling like I was in a furnace. It felt like the heat had been cranked up in my house, and the stifling atmosphere had pulled me from my pleasant dreams. It wasn’t until I shifted to kick the covers from my body that I realized the source of the uncomfortable heat.