Текст книги "One and Done"
Автор книги: S. Briones Lim
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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
Chapter 36
Rocky
Mr. Tyler’s house was…well, wow! It was a sea foam colored, three-story house tucked away behind a covering of willow trees. My Lord, was it beautiful!
“This place is awesome,” I breathed, admiring the navy blue accents as we walked up to the porch.
“Yeah, wait until you see the inside,” Jesse muttered, motioning for me to follow him.
I frowned. “Are you being serious or…”
“Try ‘or.’ From the sound of it, Jason really did a number on the décor, if you know what I mean.”
Skidding to a stop, I tugged at his arm. “Okay, wait a moment. Tell me more about Jason before I meet the dude. Truthfully I’m a bit nervous.”
“Well, I told you not to come with me, didn’t I?” he snapped.
“Okay, that was rude.”
He slumped forward and sighed. “I’m sorry. I just…I just really don’t like Jason.” He paused and cocked his head to the side. “And honestly I don’t feel comfortable with you meeting him.”
I gulped. “Why?”
“He’s not a good guy. Just trust me on that. Like I said before, he was horrible with everything laid out on a silver platter for him. Can you imagine what it’s like now that he’s lost everything?”
“Point taken.”
Jesse paused and looked at the front door with disdain. “You ready?”
I pressed my lips together and shrugged. “I think I should be asking you that question.”
Slowly, almost hesitantly, we pushed through the front door, which was surprisingly unlocked. What met us was nothing short of a disaster. Broken glass littered the foyer, a rainbow of blues and greens. My flip-flops crunched against the shards, announcing our arrival.
“Be careful. One of those might slip through your rubber soles,” Jesse warned.
“Yeah, I know.” I gazed around the living area, which was filled with overturned furniture and torn paper. It looked like the aftermath to one wicked house party, but somehow I knew no fun was ever had in here. “Yikes. What the hell happened?”
Jesse looked around angrily. “Flipped out when Teresa told him she cut him off. He couldn’t really expect to be spoon-fed all his life, did he?”
“Guess not,” I muttered.
“Jesse? Is that the prodigal brother, I hear?” a voice coughed from the kitchen. Feeling nervous, I glanced over at my boyfriend, who merely rolled his eyes.
“You ready to meet the stepbrother?” he muttered in disdain.
Stomach in knots, I shook my head slightly. “Is it too late to turn back?”
“Come on. It’ll be fine.” Jesse took my hand, holding it tightly inside his. Though his voice was confident, the slight tremor in his lip told me he was nervous, but why?
We entered the kitchen, which looked as if a monsoon hit it. Broken plates, jagged ceramic vases—what the hell was this guy thinking?
Speaking of ‘the guy,’ I spotted a burly man sprawled on the floor. He gripped a half empty beer bottle, chugging it down his throat. I don’t know how I expected him to look, but it certainly wasn’t what I saw.
“He’s actually pretty cute,” I mumbled, eyeing the blond man. He looked like a buffer, manlier Ethan.
“What was that?” Jesse’s eyebrows rose.
I shook my head, catching myself. “I was expecting a criminal looking type, but he actually looks pretty normal. I mean, besides the fact that he is obviously wasted beyond belief. Is he okay?”
“Who cares?” Jesse sighed, but still found it in himself to walk forward and yank Jason up.
“Whoa!” Jason’s lips curled into a drunken smile as he finally saw Jesse for the first time. His bloodshot eyes widened enthusiastically. “Didn’t expect you to come to my rescue.”
“What rescue? You’re in a padded house with food!”
Jason snorted. “Didn’t you hear? I have no more padding.”
“Right.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed, landing on mine. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling as if he were stripping me with his eyes. “Hi. I’m—”
“None of his concern,” Jesse interjected angrily.
Blinking in surprise, I stepped back, allowing the guys to stumble toward a nearby bathroom.
“Go take a shower. You smell like shit.” Jesse shoved him forward, causing Jason to fall against the sink.
Instead of getting angry, Jason merely shrugged. “A shower sounds good. Do you think that hot number beside you can assist me? Sponging, shampooing—”
Jesse lunged forward. “You better shut your mouth before I shut it for you.”
Cracking up, Jason once again peered at me. I immediately looked away, feeling the heat of his stare. I couldn’t explain it, but something in his eyes lit a fire inside my core. At the first signs of a flutter, I ducked away, excusing myself into the hallway.
“He’s just freaking you out. Brush it off.” I jumped up and down, as if to shake away my nerves, but couldn’t deny my churning stomach. Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the front door and quickly stepped outside, breathing in the cool air.
Chapter 37
Jesse
My temper rose as Jason’s mouth hitched up into a cocky grin. “Did I say something to offend your girlfriend? Damn, you scored a sweet piece of ass.”
Eyes twitching, my fists clenched, wanting nothing more than to punch the asshole to the other side of town. However, I made my dad a promise to check up on the tool and not to kill him. Besides, I couldn’t risk getting into trouble. Now that Rocky was under my wing, I had to stay on my best behavior.
Calming myself, I lowered my fist and instead poked him hard in the chest, smiling as he winced. “You stay away from her, okay? None of your weird bullshit. She’s a good girl and I don’t need you scaring her.”
“She’s not scared,” he scoffed. “You see the way she looked at me? The way her skin turned pink…from her neck…all the way toward her—”
Crack.
Well, there went my calm. Like déjà vu my fist met his face, only this time instead of being angry he laughed loudly. Damn, what drugs was he on?
Feeling a bit uneasy, I shook my fist out and grunted. “Leave Rocky alone. Don’t even look at her, think about her, or come near her. I don’t want to have to warn you again.”
His laughs suddenly ceased. “Wait a minute. Rocky? As in the girl from a few years ago? You finally nailed her?”
“Watch it!” I warned, glancing over my shoulder to look for her. I didn’t want to admit it, but his earlier comment made me quite uneasy. Though I had noticed Rocky blushing before she excused herself from the room, I merely chalked it up to nerves, but…
She couldn’t be attracted to him, could she?
Feeling stupid for allowing Jason to get under my skin, I reminded myself that Rocky loved me as much as I loved her. I had nothing to worry about.
Shaking off my anxiety, I stared Jason down. “Stay away from Rocky. She’s mine.”
His answering grin rubbed me wrong. Realizing that I had inadvertently started a cat and mouse game when I staked my claim, I pulled my fist back, revving up for another punch.
Intercepting my fist mid-air, Jason pushed it away. “Oh dear, brother. Take my word. It won’t be long until you’re telling her to stay away from me.”
To be continued…
Acknowledgments
Wow! Every time I write one of these I feel like a rock star. Do you remember those old liner notes in CDs? No? Well, I guess I’m just the old one out of the bunch then.
But seriously, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for making Two Outta Three Book #2 a reality!
To my family, friends, Limitless Publishing sisters and brothers, my wonderful editor and proofreaders, and of course to YOU the readers—thank you from the bottom of my heart <3
Tap. Tap. Tap.
About the Author
Thanks to her Mom’s unwavering devotion to read a childhood bedtime story to her every single night, S. BRIONES LIM’s love for books began before she could even speak.
Raised in Southern California, Lim initially dreamt of becoming an artist. After a Psychology Degree (Summa cum Laude), a stint in Art School, and a career in Advertising/Media she is finally diving back into her first love—books. As a self-renowned bookworm, Lim’s love for reading has inspired her to pen her own novels and hopes her readers will fall in love with her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.
Her obsessions include time with family, Cherry Coke, popcorn with jalapeños, watching movies and her dogs, Tobi and Roscoe. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband.
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