Part 6 (1/2)

I should have known. He won't admit it, but I think he has the hots for one of the waitresses there. We've eaten there no less than ten times this month.

”That's fine. I need to hit the gym and shower before we go, though. You want to go with me?” I ask.

For a minute, I think he may actually come until he laughs. ”Nah. You call me when you are ready. Obviously, bring Blake. We don't need him crying about not being invited,” he says, laughing.

”f.u.c.k you, Brody. Maybe I don't want to come tonight, maybe I have plans, maybe I've got a date,” Blake yells.

I look at him with a smirk. ”Do you have plans tonight, Blake?”

He sighs and leans against my car. ”No. I'll see you there,” he sighs.

I try to hold back my laugh as I put my toolbox in the trunk. ”Let's get the h.e.l.l out of here and start our weekend. Brody, I'll call you when we're ready and meet you over there,” I say.

He agrees and heads off toward his truck. Blake and I climb into my car and head home to change for the gym.

”How many more reps are you going to do, Jax? d.a.m.n,” Blake says standing over me while I lift the barbell over my head for the twentieth time.

I don't normally do so many reps with two hundred and fifty pounds, but I have all this pent-up s.e.xual tension in me that I'm trying to work out. I just watched all these s.e.xy women working out with their tight pants and sport bras on, and it got me h.o.r.n.y as s.h.i.+t. I know logically I shouldn't feel guilty. Kallie and I are nothing more than friends, but I do, and it's p.i.s.sing me off. I want Kallie so f.u.c.king bad, but I'm not sure that's something I will ever have. I want this so badly I can taste it, but I can't f.u.c.king have it. That's where I'm at.

I finally put the barbell down after thirty reps, sit up, and wipe the sweat off my face with my s.h.i.+rt. Blake walks away, shaking his head, and I blow out a breath. Even my best friend thinks I look like a p.u.s.s.y. I go over to the treadmill, figuring I might as well run while Blake is lifting dumbbells. I hop on, set my speed, and begin my run. I never slow once. I keep pace the entire time, hoping I can cause my body to ache, so I can focus my attention on that.

Blake comes over, stands next to me, and laughs. I flip him off and slow down to a walk before climbing off. ”You ready to get out of here? Brody is probably climbing out of his skin,” I say, grabbing my water.

”I'm ready, brother. You sure you are? You pushed yourself really f.u.c.king hard tonight. Something you want to talk about?” he asks.

I wipe my sweaty face again and grin at him. ”Nope. I'm good. Let's go.”

Blake and I meet Brody at the diner after we went home and showered. I feel bad for him because the waitress he was looking for had the night off. We both sit there like a bunch of sorry a.s.ses, and Blake makes sure to call us out on it. We end up calling it an early night, and I've been lying in bed restless for the last few hours. I try sleeping, but the gym had the opposite effect on me that I wanted. I kick the blanket off and head to the kitchen. Grabbing my cigarettes, I go outside and light one, leaning back in my seat. Just as I'm about to put it out, my cell phone rings. I grab it off my lap and smile when I see it's Kallie. My heart pounds in my chest with excitement and worry.

”h.e.l.lo?”

I hear her giggling and grin. ”Jax! I can't believe you answered. Why are you awake?” I can tell she's drunk; she's loud and has a slight slur to her words.

”I couldn't sleep. What's up? Are you all right?” I ask. She giggles again, and I can't help that my c.o.c.k hardens at the sound.

”I just got home from Ecstasy, and I was thinking about you, but not in the way I should be. You know what I mean? I know we haven't known each other long, but I can't help that I'm attracted to you. Sometimes when we hang up, I need to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e,” she says, shocking the h.e.l.l out of me.

I sit up straight with my eyes wide open. Holy f.u.c.k, she does want me. The thought of her masturbating only makes my c.o.c.k painfully hard.

”What are you saying, Kallie?” I ask, grabbing another cigarette to deal with this.

”I'm saying that I touch myself, wis.h.i.+ng it was you,” she slurs. Oh, you've got to be f.u.c.king kidding me. Why the f.u.c.k is this happening when she is drunk off her a.s.s? This is the kind of s.h.i.+t I want to hear when she's sober. ”Jax, I know I'm wrong. I shouldn't be having those thoughts. Sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't be friends with you, because what if I let something happen?” she says, sounding sad.

I close my eyes, willing just that. ”Kallie, do you really think that would be such a bad thing?” She's quiet for a minute, and I check to make sure I didn't lose her.

”Yes, it would be bad, but probably really f.u.c.king good,” she says, and laughs so hard she snorts. ”You get it?”

I grin and put my cigarette out. ”I get it.” She starts moaning, but not in a turned on kind of way. It's a I'm going to be sick,' kind of way. ”Kallie, are you all right?” She moans a few more times before it gets quiet.

Until she finally talks. ”Oh s.h.i.+t, did I drink that much? I think if I open my eyes I'm going to be sick. Why the f.u.c.k am I alone? I push everyone away and look where it gets me. Drunk, sick, and alone,” she mumbles to herself, probably forgetting completely that she's on the phone with me. She starts crying and my heart shatters. I stand up and head back into the house with the phone still on my ear. She shouldn't be alone right now. I'll bust down the f.u.c.king door if I need to. ”I'm such a f.u.c.king mess. Oh f.u.c.k.” That's the last thing I hear before the slamming of a door. I throw on a pair of jeans and a t-s.h.i.+rt, grab my wallet and keys, and head out the door.

Thankfully, she only lives fifteen minutes from me. I get there and quickly make my way into the building, taking the stairs two at a time. When I get to her door, I try the handle first, and son of a b.i.t.c.h, it's unlocked. I know she's trashed, but she lives alone, for f.u.c.k's sake, she needs to be more careful. Anyone could just walk in, just like I am. I drop my keys on her counter and head back toward the bathroom, where I a.s.sume she is. I see the light s.h.i.+ning through the crack on the bottom, so I lightly knock. When she doesn't say anything, I open the door and poke my head in. There on the bathroom floor is the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on, even with her hair a knotted mess with some sticking on her sweaty face. One hand is holding onto the toilet, and the other is under her face. Her dress has ridden up, revealing her panties, and I know it should turn me on seeing so much of her, but my heart is too busy wildly beating as I think about how I need to take care of her. I've never taken care of someone like this before, but I'm drawn to her. I want to do it.

I walk into the bathroom, squat down, and brush the hair off her face. I blow out a breath, building up my nerve to have her in my arms. I put my arms under her and gently lift her up. She doesn't even move; she is pa.s.sed out cold. I carry her to the bedroom and lay her on the bed. I glance around her room for what I can change her into because her dress stinks like vomit. I see a bathrobe hanging on the back of her door and figure that will have to do. Thankfully, there are b.u.t.tons on her dress so I don't need to worry about pulling it over her head. I slowly unb.u.t.ton each one until it falls open. I carefully pull her arms out and yank it from under her, dropping it on the floor. I'm left gazing at her in her bra and panties. I let my eyes take in every inch of her, committing it to memory. I see two tattoos that make me smile. The lips by her panties are like a f.u.c.king invitation, and the writing on her side is perfect. It makes me realize what I'm doing is completely f.u.c.ked up. She'd have me by the nuts if she knew I was checking her out right now. I put one arm in the robe, roll her, and put the other in. I tie it and smile to myself that I did it without waking her.

I go back to the bathroom in search of a washcloth. When I finally find one, I wet it with warm water and bring it back to the bedroom. I wipe her mouth to make sure it is clean from being sick, and then I wipe the running makeup off her face. Once I'm satisfied she's cleaned up, I pull back the covers and tuck her in. I go in search of ibuprofen and water, because when she wakes up tomorrow, she's going to need it. After I find it all, I head back to put it on her nightstand. I put her trashcan by her on the floor, just in case. I kick off my shoes, climb onto the bed on top of the covers, and rest my back on her headboard. For the rest of the night, when she moans, I rub her stomach; when she is restless, I stroke her hair; and when she is still, I take in her delicate body, wis.h.i.+ng I could hold her in my arms.

Chapter Seven.

Kallie I wake up and slowly try to peel my eyes open. As soon as the light gets through, I slam them shut. f.u.c.k, my head is pounding. I don't even remember getting home last night, never mind how the h.e.l.l I got into bed. I know I need to get up and take something for this headache because I feel like my head is going to explode. I once again try to open my eyes, more slowly this time, allowing them to adjust to the light. When I'm able to squint, I very slowly start to sit up. My stomach is killing me. It feels like I worked out, but I sure as s.h.i.+t know I didn't hit the gym yesterday. I make it to my elbows and turn my head. I scream and try untangling myself from the covers, kicking and flapping my arms, but it only causes me to fall out of bed, landing with a loud, hard thud. Who the f.u.c.k is in my bed? Was I that drunk last night I don't remember bringing a guy home?

”Holy f.u.c.k, Kallie, are you all right?”

Oh my G.o.d, this is so much worse than I could have imagined. Jax Burke is standing over me holding his hand out for me to grab it. This is bad. This is so f.u.c.king bad. This is worse than all the bad things I've ever done, or thought about doing, all combined. I can't even formulate a response. I'm just lying on the floor, wide eyed and staring at him. What the f.u.c.k happened last night? How did I meet up with him? I look down and realize I'm in my bathrobe. What the f.u.c.k? Jax squats down by my head and smirks at me. Shoot me now, please.

”Kallie, get back into bed and take the ibuprofen I got for you,” he says, holding his hand out once again, and the only thing that makes me grab it is the thought of taking something that might keep my head from exploding.

He helps me off the floor, and I climb back into bed, quickly covering myself with the blanket. He hands me the bottle of water and puts three pills into my hand. I swallow them down and drink almost the entire bottle of water. He sits next to me on the bed, and I take a deep breath, building up the nerve to ask him about last night. I won't look at him.

I pick at the label on the water as I contemplate how to start this. ”Umm, I'm embarra.s.sed to have to ask this, but what exactly happened last night?” I whisper.

He reaches over and stops me from picking the label. ”Nothing happened. You called me, and I knew you needed someone here to take care of you,” he calmly says.

I snap my head up, which causes further pain, so I grab onto it in an attempt to relieve some of the pain. ”Wait, what? I called you? When?” I ask, completely confused.

He grins and crosses his legs at the ankle. That's when I realize he is completely dressed, except for shoes.

”You were trashed, Kallie, I'm not surprised you don't remember. You called telling me how f.u.c.king incredible I am and you wanted to see me naked. I rushed over at your request.” My eyes nearly bug out of my head, and he laughs loudly. ”I'm kidding. You called to bulls.h.i.+t, and I could tell you were trashed. You started moaning in pain, and I got nervous with you being alone, so I came to check on you. You were on the bathroom floor, after heaving your guts out, and I carried you to bed. I cleaned you up, changed you, and stayed to make sure you were all right,” he explains like it was nothing.

Mortified. I am totally and completely mortified. I drunk dialed him, and he found me on the floor and undressed me. I drop my head into my hands and groan. I can't believe this is happening.

”You saw me naked?” I moan out. I can't ever look at him again, as I'm just mumbling through my hands at this point.

”You weren't naked. All the good parts were covered.” I slowly turn my head to him, and he smiles and lifts his shoulders. ”I couldn't leave you in your vomit-covered dress, Kallie. It wasn't s.e.xual. It was a friend helping out another friend,” he a.s.sures me.

Maybe he's right. I mean, we are friends, and I wouldn't care if Brinley had done it. Ugh, who the f.u.c.k am I kidding? Jax Burke saw me in my bra and panties. I'm humiliated. It's quiet for a while as I hold my head and try to process everything. I drop my hand and look at him. He stares at me, and for the first time in my life, I feel myself blush. I'm sure it has more to do with the fact he saw me practically naked.

”How the h.e.l.l did you get in here?” I ask. Maybe I let him in? I can't believe I was so trashed I don't remember a f.u.c.king thing.

”That's something I wanted to talk to you about. Your door was unlocked. I just let myself right in. You live alone; keeping the door locked shouldn't even be a question. Especially when you are that drunk,” he scolds.

I close my eyes again and lightly shake my head. I'm never drinking that much ever again.

”So you just walked into my apartment, saw me on the bathroom floor after puking my guts out, undressed me and saw me practically naked, and stayed with me all night? Why?” I ask, knowing I'm digging too deep, I shouldn't do it, I know that, but it's the first time in my life I've had a man take care of me. I'm feeling embarra.s.sed yet special all at once.