“I’ll text you,” I said, opening the door. He gripped my wrist, stopping me.
“Don’t you dare use that vibrator.” I lifted a brow. “I mean it, woman.” He scowled and I leaned up and kissed his divot.
As suspected, Gerri was a hysterical mess. Mike had broken it off with her, stating they were just too different. She found out through a friend at the bar he was getting back with his ex.
“I was so stupid to start it in the first place.”
“Why? You saw a guy you wanted to get to know and you went all out for it. Nothing wrong with that.”
She nodded, her face a snotty mess as I pulled her to me. “I’ve got you, girl.” She cried into my brand new robe and when she pulled away she remarked on it.
“That’s so soft. Is it new?”
“Yeah, my asshole bought it for me.”
“I heard that,” Jayden called from the hallway.
“Sorry, babe,” I said, winking at Gerri. Not wanting to miss Jayden leaving, I stood, opening her door and half closing it behind me as Jayden was turning to close my front door. From the breezeway he caught me peeking and jutted out his pouty bottom lip in protest of our ruined evening. I smiled at him, and thinking fast, pulled open my robe and flashed my negligee as he stood stunned. As did my neighbor behind him who was just reaching his front door across the hall.
“God dayum. Howdy, neighbor!”
Well, shit.
Jayden’s face turned dark in a split second as I sucked the air through my teeth. Jayden turned around to glare at Donald, the fifty-year-old drunken cowboy who had just seen the perfect damp outline of my private parts and he cowered in his apartment. He looked back at me and I shrugged my shoulders. Jayden slowly shook his head in disappointment before closing the door.
Well, he had already broken my ass today, what more could he do?
I went back to tend to Gerri.
“This day has been a disaster for both of us. Let me change into some comfy jammies and we can do our thing.” She nodded enthusiastically, but cried as I made us mushroom risotto, and continued to cry through half of the tiramisu before passing out at midnight. I checked my phone for texts and saw Jayden had sent one.
Jayden: I’m so going to mark your ass for that.
I ignored his comment about my grand flash because I was still wrapped up in Gerri’s pain.
Me: God, that was horrible. Please don’t break my heart. I never want to go through that again.
Jayden: That sucks. I like Gerri. That guy’s an asshole.
Me: I think she knew they weren’t good together. It’s late, babe. I have work. Are you going back tomorrow?
Jayden: Yeah I am. And though you are really good at changing the subject I AM going to redden your ass for that stunt.
Me: Have to catch me first .
Jayden: Goodnight. I love you.
Me: You better. You are the reason for the literal pain in my ass right now.
“You good?” I looked up to see Jayden hovering as I shucked corn at his mother’s picnic table in her back yard.
“Yes, is there something I can help you with, warden?”
“Ward—Hey, not cool. I’m not checking up on you.” Even as he said it, he was watching me do my chore carefully.
“Is it hard for you to watch?” I asked, curious.
“I’m not that bad,” he defended, picking up a piece of corn I had already worked and pulling a stray piece of hair off. I raised a brow as he put it back down quickly.
“I’ll go get you some tea.” I laughed as he walked off, admiring his perfect ass. His plain white-tee clung to him in all the right places, accentuating the vivid colors on his arm. I looked around the back yard of his mother’s single family home and imagined a young Jayden hanging from the tree limbs.
“How are you doing?” I looked up as Jayden’s mother, Mallory, joined me.
“Good, about done.” I had been surprised when I first met her. Jayden didn’t resemble her at all. She was short in stature with pale blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Jayden definitely must’ve taken after his absent father. I found it sad that she probably had a daily reminder staring back at her of the man who’d left her.
“So you two seem pretty serious,” she commented, giving me a wink. “I don’t expect you to want to talk about it with his mother, but I’m hoping for something small. That boy has only brought home one girl and that was in the seventh grade.”
I gave her a wink back. “I’m flattered. Thank you for telling me that. He’s so beautiful. I’m surprised you didn’t have to beat them off with a stick.”
She gave me an alarmed look. “I did. Oh, God, how I did. He just never returned their affection.”
“Well, when you give me that kind of dirt, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” She gave me Jayden’s smile and I was thankful he at least had that from her.
“How did you two meet?”
“At our apartment pool. He fell asleep on our first date.” We both laughed and she shook her head.
“He’s always been a handful and then some,” she said absently. “He’s smitten with you and there’s no question about it.”
Jayden came out with who I assumed was his Uncle Stephen, my ice tea in his hand.
“Hey, there,” Stephen addressed his sister with a squeeze on her shoulder before turning his attention to me. “You must be Hilary. My boy won’t shut up about you at work, but I can see why.” I stood, wiping the hair from the corn off my shorts before shaking his hand. “Nothing like the love of a red headed woman, huh, Jay?” he said, giving me a flirtatious wink.
“I’m afraid I’m more ice than fire,” I admitted.
“That’s even better. You have enough to deal with right here.” Jayden gave him a sideways glance before handing me my tea.
“Thanks, babe.” I took a sip as Mallory excused herself.
“Inviting people over to eat and then spending the day cooking is the dumbest damn way to try to get to know someone. I’ve got an oven to attend to, but I’ll be back and I want that dirt,” she said, making her way up the porch.
Jayden raised his eyes at me and I shrugged. Stephen turned to Jayden, who was looking at me with a warning, and chuckled. “Give your mother a break, boy. If you had brought home one out of every hundred you’d dated, she wouldn’t be harassing this one here.”
“Hundreds?” I asked without thinking.
Jayden swallowed and walked toward the house. “Mom’s calling.”
“I didn’t hear her,” Stephen laughed as Jayden hauled ass inside the house, but not before calling out to me. “Don’t listen to him, baby. He assumes every man under the age of thirty is Hugh Hefner.”
“Is that why you are running away?” I called after him, but got no answer.
“He fancies you,” Stephen said, shaking his head in amusement. I took in Uncle Stephen as he made himself comfortable on the bench across from me. He was very tall and super slender. It was clear he and Jayden’s mother were related. Stephen’s features were simply...larger: large nose, large eyes, large lips. He had the features of a giant, and a full but nicely trimmed beard that was totally unfitting for summer.
“I fancy him, as well,” I shot back. It seemed Jayden had either had a talk with his family on what to say to me first, or they were really shocked at his affection for me. Either way, I was happy.