Lie Next to Me (7 page)

“Can you just drop me off at Java Hut?”

Adalynn pulled up to the curb and before I got out of the car, she grabbed my hand. “I’m having a birthday party Saturday night and I want you to come. It’ll be your first Malibu party.”

“Thanks for the invite, Adalynn, but I wouldn’t fit in.”

“You will fit in, Rory. I want to celebrate my birthday with my new friend. Please come.”

There was a hint of desperation in her voice when she asked me. She had done so much for me and it wouldn’t be right if I turned her down. “Of course I’ll come. I wouldn’t miss your birthday.” I smiled.

“Great! You can come with Ian, or if you’d prefer not to, I’ll text you my address.”

“Text me your address and thank you again for taking me to retrieve this,” I said as I held up the envelope.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you Saturday.”

I shut the door and Adalynn drove away. I walked into Java Hut and asked Ollie for a chai tea latte.

“Hey, Grayson, this is Rory. Rory, this is Grayson. Today’s his first day back from vacation.”

“Hi, Grayson.” I smiled as I held out my hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Rory. I look forward to working with you.”

Ollie handed me my tea and I went and sat down at the table. Jordyn came out from the back room and as soon as she saw me, she sat down across from me.

“What are you doing here on your day off?”

“I was out and about and needed some chai.” I smiled as I held up my cup. “Do you have a newspaper or something? I want to look for an apartment.”

“I have my iPad. You can use that,” she said as she got up from her chair.

She set her iPad down in front of me and pulled up the listings of apartments for rent in the area. I looked at the prices and shook my head. “I can’t afford any of these apartments.”

“I may have something for you,” Jordyn said. “Let me call my dad.”

She stepped away from the table as I sat there and contemplated on what to do. There was no way I could continue to live here. A few moments later, Jordyn sat back down and smiled.

“I may have just the place you’re looking for. It’s not much and it needs to be cleaned up, but I think you could do wonders with it and it’s super cheap.”

“Seriously?” I asked excitedly.

“Follow me,” she said as she led me out the door and over to the next building. On the side of the building were a set of black, wrought-iron stairs that led to a door up above. The store below
was a bakery and you could smell their bread from the street. Jordyn inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. She flipped the light switch as we walked inside.

“It’s not much, but I think with some help, you can make this place a nice home.”

“Jordyn, I don’t understand,” I said as I looked around.

“My dad owns this building and Java Hut. He didn’t want the hassle of renting this place out, so he never did anything with it. I explained to him your situation and he said you’re more than welcome to fix the place up and he’ll only charge you $100 a month, water included. So, all you’ll have to pay is gas and lights and, in this little place, that won’t be much.”

I didn’t know what to say. I was stunned at the generosity of Jordyn and her father. I looked around. To the left side was the small kitchen area with a stove, sink, refrigerator, and a small counter top. A few feet down was a closed door, which I had guessed to be the bathroom. I opened the door and just about died when I saw the filthiness of it.

“Okay, so that needs some cleaning up,” Jordyn said as she pinched her nose closed.

The bathroom had a toilet, sink, and a bathtub. No more than one person could be in there at one time. I walked over to a large window and pushed back the curtains. The sunlight that filtered in was amazing. It really brightened the whole place up.

“I’ll take it.” I smiled.

“Great. I’ll let my dad know, and Ollie and I will help you fix it up! I love to decorate.” She smiled as she hooked her arm around me.

I smiled back at my new friend, but worry started to consume my mind about Ian’s
reaction when I tell him I’d be leaving. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night and what he said to me. He wanted me and, when he touched me, I wanted him too. But if I let him have his way with me, I would be the one who would be destroyed, not him.

“Earth to Rory,” Jordyn said as she waved her hand in front of my face. “Where were you?” She laughed.

“Sorry. I was just picturing this place all done.”

“I’ll bring some cleaning supplies with me tomorrow and, after our shift, we can come up here and start cleaning. I’ll get Ollie and a couple of his friends to help.”

“Thank you, Jordyn. I’m so grateful for your help.”

“That’s what friends and co-workers are for.” She smiled.

“How was your day?” I heard Ian ask as I stood on the shoreline and let the water soak my feet.

“It was fine. How was your day?”

He walked over and stood next to me. I looked down and saw that he didn’t have on any socks or shoes. In fact, he was dressed in khaki shorts and a cotton shirt. I looked him up and down.

“Is there something wrong with me?” he asked.

“No. I’m just not used to seeing you dressed so casually.”

Ian laughed as he pushed my hair behind my ear. “What did you do today?”

His fingers brushed against my ear, which resulted in shivers riveting throughout my body. I was going to have to tell him sooner or later about what I did and what I was doing.

“I went back to the motel Stephen and I were at so I could retrieve something I left behind.”

Ian cocked his head and glared at me. “How did you get there and what did you leave behind?”

“Adalynn was kind enough to take me
, and I left an envelope of money taped to the back of the headboard.”

“And it was still there?” he asked, in shock.

“Yeah. Like I told Adalynn, do you really think places like that pull out the bed to clean?”

“Well, I don’t know which motel you were at, so I really couldn’t answer that.”

“Let’s just say it’s like Motel Hell and Adalynn was repulsed.” I smiled softly.

“That was smart to hide your money. Why didn’t you mention it sooner? I would’ve taken you to get it.”

“I was too busy trying to heal, I guess.”

“I’m truly sorry for my father and the things he said. I think maybe the three of us should have dinner together so he can get to know you better.”

“He doesn’t need to get to know me, Ian. You stood there and didn’t say a word to him. You let him treat me like a piece of shit, so you’re just as bad as he is. But like I said earlier, I’m used to it and didn’t expect anything else.”

“Rory, please.”

“No! There’s no ‘please.’ What’s done is done. The sad thing is I thought we were friends,” I said as I started to walk away.

“We are friends,” he said as he lightly grabbed my arm and stopped me.

I turned around and looked at him. “Really? Because the last time I checked, friends stick up for each other. And by the way, I’m moving out,” I said as I turned and walked away.

“What do you mean you’re moving out? Where the hell are you moving to?” he yelled.

I ignored him as I walked to the house and up to my room. It wasn’t too long before he came storming into the bedroom. “Where are you moving to?” he demanded.

“I’m moving to an apartment by Java Hut.”

“You can’t afford any apartments over in that area,” he yelled.

He was angry that I was leaving and I couldn’t understand why.
Was he lonely? Or did he like having someone here he could control?
“Calm down, Ian. I won’t tell you anything unless you calm down.”

He stared at me for a moment and then ran his hands through his hair. He walked over to the bed and sat down. He buried his face in his hands and, for a moment, my heart started to ache. I walked over, sat down next to him, and put my hand on his leg.

“It’s a small apartment upstairs from a bakery next to Java Hut. Jordyn, the girl that hired me, her father owns it and is letting me stay there for $100 a month. I just need to clean it up a bit.”

Ian sighed and looked at me. "Okay. When are you leaving?” he asked.

“I don’t know yet. I guess whenever I can get the place cleaned up. Is that okay?”

He brought his hand to my face and ran the back of it across my cheek. “You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want,” he said.

I closed my eyes at his touch as I took his hand and pressed it firmly against my lips. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” he whispered. “Say you’ll have dinner with me. I’ll grill us some steaks and we can open a bottle of wine, sit on the patio, and have a nice dinner.”

“You can cook?” I smiled.

“Yes. Can you?”

“Yeah. I can cook.”

“Good. Then you can help me.” He smiled as he got up from the bed and held out his hand. “Let’s go kick Charles out of the kitchen.”

I put my hand in his and we walked down to the kitchen. “I’m giving you the rest of the night off, Charles. Rory and I will be cooking dinner.”

“Are you sure, sir?” Charles asked in amazement.

“Yes, I’m sure. Enjoy your night.”

Ian walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of steaks. I followed behind him and took out everything I needed to make a salad. I washed the lettuce while Ian started the grill. He went downstairs and came back up with a bottle of cabernet.

“See this bottle here?”

“Yes.” I smiled.

“This is a vintage cabernet that I had flown in from France. So, I really hope you like it because it was very expensive.”

“And if I don’t like it?”

“Well, just humor me and pretend you do.” He winked.

I couldn’t help but laugh softly as I cut up the tomatoes. It was amazing to me how sweet Ian was being especially after I told him I was moving out. It also made me wonder how many women he did this with. As I was in thought, I felt a sharp pain in my finger.

“SHIT!” I yelled as I held my finger.

Ian came running inside. “What happened? Are you all right?”

“I just cut my finger. I’m okay.”

“You don’t look okay. Let me see,” he said as he took my hand. “Rory, in order for me to look at it, you need to let go.”

I was scared. I didn’t want to let go. “Ian, seriously, it’s no big deal.”

“You’re scared; I can tell. It’ll be okay. Just let me see if you need stitches. Please, Rory.”

His pleading eyes forced me to let go and show him my finger. He looked at it and smiled. “I think you’re going to survive, since it’s barely bleeding.”

He walked over to the drawer and pulled out a
Band-Aid. As he removed it from the wrapper, he asked me to hold up my finger. I did. He softly kissed it and put the Band-Aid securely around it.

“There, all better.”

“I’m sorry. I overreacted,” I said as I looked down.

“You didn’t overreact and it’s understandable with what you’ve been through,” he said as he pressed his lips against my forehead. “I have to go check on the steaks. Do you need me to finish the salad?”

“No, I can finish it.”

Ian smiled and walked outside. He smiled a lot tonight
, and he was making me fall deeper for him. I finished the salad and set it outside on the table. I cut up a fresh loaf of bread that Charles had made earlier in the morning, boiled some redskin potatoes, seasoned them, and set them on the table while Ian set down the plates and silverware. He brought the bottle of wine outside and poured some into my glass. He handed it to me as I sat down.

“Now remember, pretend.” He winked.

I took a sip and smiled. “It’s perfect.”

“No pretending?” he asked as he held up his glass.

“No pretending. I truly like it.” I smiled as I brought my glass to his.

The steak that Ian grilled was prepared to perfection. I cut into it and took a bite. He stared at me as I chewed. “Is something wrong?” I asked.

“I’ve sort of gotten used to having a house guest. It’s going to be weird around here when you move out.”

I looked at him and pursed my lips together, smiling softly as I replied. “You have house guests almost every night, Ian. You won’t miss me.”

“Those women aren’t guests, and I will miss you, Rory. Whether you want to believe it or not, I will miss having you around here.”

“Your dad will be happy when I’m gone.”

“Fuck him,” he snapped.

I could feel an argument coming on and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wasn’t about to ruin our perfect dinner.

“Adalynn invited me to her birthday party Saturday.” I smiled.

“Ah, yes. That’s this Saturday. I was going to ask you if you wanted to go with me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that she’s your ex-wife?” I blurted out.

He set down his fork, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and stared at me. He picked up his glass and slowly brought it to his lips, staring at me the whole time he drank his wine.

“She told you about that, eh?”

“Yes. And I couldn’t help but wonder why you didn’t tell me when you introduced her to me.”

Ian sighed as he took a bite of his steak. “It was a mistake and it only lasted two days. We were drunk out of our minds. I seriously don’t remember anything about that night. People make mistakes. We did and we took care of it. Adalynn has been a long-time friend and that’s it. I don’t see her as anything but that. I never have and I never will. Trust me when I say that marriage will never be in the cards for me.”

“Never?” I asked.

“Never!”

“Why not?”

“Marriage is overrated. Who wants to be tied down like that for the rest of your life?”

Now I was starting to get some insight on his feelings and, so far, I didn’t like what I was hearing. “Can I ask you something?” I asked.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“How many actual girlfriends have you had? Not ones that you just bang and kick out. I mean, a real girlfriend who you take to dinner, movies, dancing.”

Ian chuckled. “None.”

I gasped as I looked at him and he smiled in amusement. “Seriously, Ian.”

“Seriously, Rory. I don’t do that kind of stuff. I’m not interested in any of that crap. Women, to me, are good for one thing and that’s to fuck. The flowers, romance, expensive gifts; it’ll just wear you out and drag you down. It’ll lead you down a road that eventually splits and then you’re forced with the decision of which way to go.”

I was taken aback by his words and I didn’t know what to say. I was nothing but stunned and disgusted by what this hot and sexy man sitting across from me had just said. He had no respect for women whatsoever and he had just showed me his true colors.

“Do the women you frequently bed know this?”

“Of course they do, and I like how you’re so polite about the way you refer to them.” He smiled.

“I’m willing to bet your father is the same way,” I said as I sipped my wine.

“Yes, he is the same way. He’s been that way since my mother—”

Ian stopped what he was going to say and threw back the remaining wine that was left in his glass.

“Your mother what?” I asked. “Died?”

His eyes shot up at me and, as he stared into my soul, he calmly said, “Since she left us.”

I had to stop and think for a minute because I distinctly remembered Adalynn telling me that Ian’s mother had died. He got up from the table and grabbed my plate.

“Stay here and I’ll bring out dessert.”

I reached for the bottle of wine and poured some in my glass. Just when I would start to let my guard down and feel somewhat normal, Ian always managed to fuck things up and instantly my guard would go back up. I guess it was better that I found out now what kind of man he really was. He came back with two blueberry muffins on a plate. I looked at him and he smiled at me. I don’t think he thought he said anything wrong. I believed that he was okay with his disrespect of women. I felt sick to my stomach.

“Is something wrong?” he asked as he sat down.

“Adalynn told me your mother died and you’re telling me she left? Which is it, Ian?”

He leaned back in chair. His defenses were up, I could tell by the way he looked at me.

“Why were you discussing my family with Adalynn?”

“Because you refuse to talk about anything with me. The only thing she said was that she passed away when you were a child.”

“I don’t know you, Aurora, so why would I want to tell you about my family and my past?”

Calm. Stay calm. Breathe.
“For someone who doesn’t know me, you sure are hell bent on fucking me.”

Ian laughed and nodded his head. “Yes. Yes, I am, because I do believe you are deliciously
fuckable.”

Okay, that was it. That was the last straw with this so-called man. I got up from my seat, walked over, and wrapped my arms around his neck as I leaned into him and began dragging my tongue lightly across his smooth skin. His scent was driving me crazy. A clean, fresh scent with a touch of musk.

“God, Rory, what are you doing?” he moaned.

“Your scent drives me insane and I can’t help myself,” I whispered as I continued to explore his neck and run my hands down the front of his shirt.

He grabbed ahold of my arms and pulled me onto his lap. He smiled as he kissed my lips. His erection was underneath me, grinding against my ass as I sat firmly on his lap. His hand found the edge of my shirt and it traveled up until he cupped my breast. Our kiss was passionate and I didn’t want it to stop. He had me in a trance, but I couldn’t lose sight of what I was doing.