Vindicated (11 page)

Beneath all the physical awareness lurked a kernel of emotion trying to take root in the ruins of her heart. More disturbing than the bewildering glut of feeling for this complicated man was the abrupt loss of his lips on hers. His fingers captured her wrists and pulled her hands away from him. He held them prisoner at her sides and pushed back from her, a look of harried introspection on his face. In an instant, all the euphoria and pleasure dissipated, replaced with the familiar sensations of shame and insecurity.

“Did I miss something?” she asked, fighting to keep her voice even, determined to hide her eyes in case he saw the hurt inside her. Her worries were needless because he avoided her gaze and shifted her from his lap with a gentle shove.

“No. We’re good. It’s just…it’s late, and we both have class in the morning, and I need to get going.” He rose to his feet and straightened his clothing. Before she could collect her thoughts, he was out the door, leaving her cold and alone on the sofa.

Chapter 22

Outside Karly’s apartment building, the bitter cold stung Randy’s cheeks and cleared the fog left in his brain by her sweet kisses. He passed a hand over his face and drew in a deep breath. Damn it, he was this close to storming back up those stairs, dragging her into the bedroom, and sinking himself into her heated depths until they both screamed with ecstasy. But did he really want to open himself up to more hurt? He might not have loved Pilar, but he cared for her. The loss of their relationship wounded him more than he admitted. After their breakup, he vowed never to open himself up to that kind of vulnerability again.

He was angry with himself. While he looked the other direction, Karly had managed to capture not only his mind, but his body as well. Another few minutes in her arms, and he would’ve given her the keys to his truck, his bank account number, and the combination to the cash safe at Felony.

The velvety softness of her skin still tingled beneath his fingertips. The memory had his cock straining against the fly of his jeans. He’d kissed quite a few girls in his lifetime. None of them ever invoked this kind of mindless desire. Yet, he’d been unable to go the distance with her. A puzzling turn of events considering they’d already had sex—make that
great
sex—once before. So why did he run from her like a virgin on prom night? He wasn’t sure until he pulled into the alley behind Felony. The realization stopped him cold.

Their one-night stand had been fueled by lust and circumstances. On that night, they’d sought mutual comfort without repercussions. When he’d left her the next morning, he thought he’d never see her again. No matter how much she denied it, he’d seen the hurt and confusion in her eyes over his abrupt departure. He never wanted to be the source of that look again. She deserved so much more than that. When—
if
—he ever spent the night again, he wouldn’t leave her in the cold.

He scrubbed both hands through his hair and groaned. Who the fuck was he kidding? If he ever spent the night again, he’d never want to leave.

Chapter 23

A few days later, Karly met Ally at Joe’s Java Joint, a coffee shop near campus. The tiny place bustled with customers, eager to escape the bitter cold and snow with a hot beverage, smooth jazz, and good friends. Fresh coffee and cinnamon scented the air. Cups clanged against saucers. Espresso machines whirred. Outside the window, snowflakes danced on the breeze.

"Nice hickey," Ally said as they stood in line to order.

"What? Oh." Karly turned up the collar of her shirt and fought back the bloom of color rising in her cheeks.

"Wanna tell me where you got that?" Ally raised an eyebrow.

"I burned myself with the curling iron," Karly said. Under normal circumstances, she would've regaled Ally with the entire story in enough detail to make her conservative friend squirm. A vague feeling of unease kept her from spilling the truth.

"You’re such a bad liar." Ally eyed her up and down, eyes narrowed.

"I'll have a caramel cappuccino with eight sugars," Karly told the barista, grateful for the reprieve, and stepped aside so that Ally could order.

"Eight sugars? Are you sure that's enough?" Ally asked.

Karly tilted her head and looked at the ceiling for a second, contemplating. "Well, yeah, I think so. Although I’m not sure there is such a thing as enough." Ally chuckled, and Karly grinned back at her.

"I swear. I’m amazed you still have all your teeth. And I don't know why you don't weigh a thousand pounds.” Always conscious of her weight, Ally ordered a non-fat skim milk latte with a double shot of espresso. She cast a disparaging glance at Karly's slim figure and bumped her shoulder affectionately. "You should be a humongous, toothless hag instead of the beautiful skinny bitch I adore."

"Yeah, well, if you were as poor as I am, you'd be skinny too. I've been living on popcorn for weeks. When I do get to eat, I have to make it count." To emphasize her point, Karly took a sip of her cappuccino and hummed in approval over its thick richness.

"In case you didn't know, coffee isn't a food group."

Karly feigned a look of horror. "And I suppose you'll tell me next that a Bloody Mary doesn't count as a vegetable either."

"No, I'm pretty sure it's a vegetable. Tomato, celery, olives. It's like a salad in a glass." They both chuckled. "I'll get this. Both of these together," Ally told the girl at the register, thrusting forward a debit card and waving away Karly's money.

"I wasn't asking for a handout," Karly said. Outwardly, she frowned but breathed an inward sigh of relief. The five dollars in her hand was all she had for the rest of the week. "I can pay for my own coffee."

"I know that. Just shut up and let me pay. You can buy next time. The way things are going right now, I'll be broke by then." Ally rarely showed any emotion, but upon closer inspection, Karly saw lines of strain around her friend's mouth and eyes.

"That bad, is it?" They slid into a booth at the back of the café. “I thought business was good. You had a huge crowd the other night.”

"That was just one night, and they’re getting fewer and farther between. We need a hundred nights like that one to dig us out," Ally said with a sigh. “We found out today that there’s a lien on the building for back taxes. David still owns the building, and I guess he forgot to share that little tidbit with us. And to make matters worse, one of our guys was hurt in a fight a few weeks ago. He went to the hospital so, of course, we had to pay for that, and the guy he bounced is suing us for emotional distress or some kind of bullshit."

"I’m surprised Randy let things get out of control." Karly traced a finger in the brown sugar dusting the muffin. Ally raised an eyebrow at the mention of Randy. Karly blushed. "I mean, you're always telling me how Randy has a handle on things."

"He’s been a little distracted lately. Problems with his ex and their kid, I think. I don’t know. He’s not very forthcoming most of the time." Ally's paused and quickly changed the subject. "So how, exactly, did you burn your neck with the curling iron? Because it looks like a love bite. And I noticed one very similar on Randy’s neck yesterday. Coincidence? I think not, Ms. Eriksson.”

The heat in Karly’s cheeks ignited. “Okay, so maybe we got a little busy the other night. It was nothing.”

“Let’s see. He towed your car to the garage and spent all day working on it, takes you to and from work, and makes out with you. Sounds like he really doesn’t like you at all.” A playful smile lit Ally’s features as she buttered a muffin and tore a piece off with her fingers before popping it into her mouth.

Karly snorted and rolled her eyes. Her feelings were still a little raw. "Right. He likes me so much that he didn’t speak to me at all yesterday and avoided me after class.” She shook her head in denial. “He was only being nice.”

“Randy’s a nice guy, but he’s not that kind of nice guy. He doesn’t do favors for just anyone.” It was Ally's turn to stare into her coffee. She set her coffee mug on the saucer and began to play with the edge of her napkin. “I’m sure it’s none of my business, but…" Ally's voice trailed off and she bit her lip as if unsure whether or not to continue.

"But what? Spill it, Taylor."

"Well, he had some girl over there yesterday. Blonde, leggy. I think her name’s Amber. He doesn’t really seem into her, and I don’t think he invited her, but she keeps coming around."

At the mention of Amber, Karly's stomach took an unpleasant dip. Maybe Amber was the reason he’d left so abruptly the other night. He had feelings for someone else. For Amber. She scowled and took a drink of her coffee. He said there was nothing between him and Amber, but maybe he was playing them against each other. Working two girls at once and hedging his bets? The depth of her disappointment caught her by surprise. This kind of behavior made like all the other jerks in her life, and she wanted to think better of him.

“I’m sorry,” Ally said. “I just thought you should know.

“No, it’s fine. There’s nothing going on with us. We’re just friends.” Her words sounded sincere but tasted bitter on her tongue.

Ally’s phone vibrated with an incoming text. She tapped the screen and frowned as she read it. “It’s Chelsea. I swear she’s going to turn my hair gray.” Ally rolled her eyes.

“So what does Jack have to say about the baby and all?”

“Jack is beyond pissed. He wants to walk away from her and never look back. I can’t say I blame him, either. Maybe she really did think it was his kid. I don’t know. But it doesn’t excuse the way she played him.” She paused to take a sip of her coffee before continuing. “I feel kind of sorry for her. She doesn’t have anyone. It’s only her and the baby. Whenever I think my life is a mess, I look at her and think I’ve got it pretty good. And believe it or not, I kind of like her.”

“Shut the front door.” Karly slapped a hand on the table, unable to believe her ears. No one ever said anything positive about Chelsea. She never expected Ally to be the first. “Did I really hear that?”

“I know. I can’t believe it either, but when she’s not being a pain in my ass, she’s kind of entertaining. She’s like a blender without a top, stuff spraying out all over the place. All this drama happening around her.”

“Hey, ladies. Mind if we join you?” The deep, smooth baritone voice had them turning in unison. Jack stood next to their booth. A light dusting of snow covered the broad shoulders of his army jacket, melting into dark splotches on the drab green cloth. He jerked his head in greeting to Karly.

"Hi," Ally said. It was amazing how her face softened and her voice became breathless around him. "What are you doing here?"

"We were at the hardware store next door and thought we'd crash your girl party. Is that okay?" Jack shot Karly a quick look of apology but directed the question to Ally.

We?
Karly’s heart skipped a beat. She dropped her eyes to the cappuccino and stirred the whipped cream with slow circles.

"Of course it's okay," Ally said to Jack. “Sit down with us.”

Jack bent to drop a kiss on the top of Ally's head. When he moved to slide into the booth, another person stepped forward. Randy stood beside the table, hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket, a brown knit cap pulled low over his head. A shiver of pure unadulterated lust vibrated through her body, followed by a rush of heat to her cheeks. She glanced up at him with a polite smile. The handsome face gave nothing away, but the heat in his eyes warmed her. He stood awkwardly next to the table, waiting for an invitation to sit. An invitation she didn’t offer.

Ally caught the exchange and quirked an eyebrow at Karly. She shrugged, begging for help, completely at a loss.

"Have a seat, Randy," Ally said. "Are your ears burning? We were just talking about you."

Karly kicked Ally beneath the table. She grunted and smirked. Karly scooted to the far side of the booth, and Randy slid in next to her. Not just next to her, but right up against her. The guy was big, the booth small, and he didn't even make a pretense of putting space between them. Instead, he wedged her into the corner, spread his legs, and pinned her against the wall with his thigh. The friction of his leg bumping hers caused her heart to stutter.

Confused, she bit her lower lip and stared at her coffee. What was this guy's deal? One minute they're making out, and the next he's shoving her off his lap like he couldn't get away from her fast enough. Now, he had his leg alongside hers as if it belonged there when it didn’t. A point he made perfectly clear at her apartment. She scooted closer to the wall and glared at him.

“You know vervain will prevent that,” Jack said. The corners of his mouth quirked.

“Prevent what?” Ally and Karly asked in unison.

“Vampires from sucking on your neck,” Jack replied. “There seems to be an outbreak in this area.” His warm brown eyes locked onto Karly’s hickey before flickering to Randy’s matching neck.

"You were talking about me? Should I be worried?" Randy ignored Jack and directed the question to Karly, his expression no longer blank. Humor curled the corners of his lips. She smiled back, despite her irritation with his behavior. The cold outside air still clung to his jacket, and the scent of his soap wafted to her nose. He always smelled so incredibly tasty; clean, masculine, and fresh like the outdoors.