Rough Play (18 page)

“That’s it.”

“Just done?”

Jacob munched on fries. “Done. The end. We are over.”

“What?” Tonya walked through and sat on the corner of her desk, arms across her chest. “You can’t be completely over.”

“She’s hardheaded.”

“I thought you were too. You got the closest. You can’t give up now.”

He blinked at her. “Just what do you expect me to do? Keep calling her when she already won’t answer. Go back to her house when she just asked me to leave?”

She shifted on her desk. “Well no. But you could still hope.”

She was shitting him, right? “Hope for what?”

“That she changes her mind.”

He snorted. “Flora doesn’t change her mind. That’s the problem.”

“Yes she does. You just have to work at it.”

“I have and don’t even think to tell me not enough. I’ve given her more patience than I have with anyone else.”

Trent rocked back in his chair. “You know, I thought you were going to stick it out with her. The whole nine-yards thing. You were serious about her.”

He shook his head and gobbled the stolen fries. His fingers were long and hands fast, but not fast enough to have caught her. “There’s nothing I can do. I’ve given everything I can and kept my word on our deal. If she wants something, she’s going to have to come after it.”

“But….” Tonya’s mouth was left hanging open.

He shook his head. “What good does it do for me to talk her into something? You can’t talk her into shit. She’s either going to decide for herself and get the balls to come to me. Or she won’t. I can’t make her do anything, and frankly I don’t want someone I have to beg for. I don’t know a lot about relationships and stuff, but I know begging someone into what they don’t want can’t be right.”

And that was the truth of it. He didn’t know if they were through or not. The idea that he wouldn’t have her again left his stomach aching and twisting, but he was at an end. He’d done as much as he could do. The rest was up to her. Since his brother was apparently best friends with one of her friends, and one of his other brothers was in love with her other best friend, she was going to have to deal with him one way or another eventually. And frequently.

Chapter Seventeen

Flora poured the last of the tea, stuck the lid on and pushed it away from the edge of the counter just as the door opened. She turned and nearly swallowed her tongue. Jacob was there. In her house. Holding her two favorite pies. One in each hand. On each side of his body, making him a Jacob pie sandwich.

He lifted them a little higher. “Trent and I were asked to bring these. Gretchen said she’d be late. Where do they go?”

Where do they go?
She hadn’t seen him in two and half weeks and that’s what he says. And he just stared at her waiting. Like they were never anything. The corner of his lips were kicked up. A brow slowly lifted a little higher as he waited for an answer.

“Uh, outside. There’s a table set up by the pool.”

“Thanks.”

And then he walked off. Jeans cupping his ass better than she could remember. Her front door opened again, this time it was Tonya walking in with Trent just behind her.

“I love this holiday!” Tonya put a bowl of raw chicken down and slid it on the counter. “Seriously, Memorial Day weekend has to be the best idea anyone ever came up. A holiday devoted to having a good time without buying a bunch of presents.”

“Yeah.” Flora glanced to her back door, but Jacob didn’t return through it.

Trent raised the two pies he carried and she gestured to the backdoor and he headed off in that direction, leaving Flora the chance to have a stare down with her best friend.

Tonya walked into the kitchen and pulled down cups. “Are you feeling okay?”

She blinked. “No. I’m just…what the hell is Jacob doing here?”

Tonya just looked at her. “Lane’s coming, so is Trent. Did you think Jacob was going to sit at home by himself on the holiday?”

“No but…I didn’t expect him here.” In her house. Looking at her. Smiling at her. How many times had she imagined that? Dreamed it. Wished it would happen. Was too afraid to pick up the phone and call him so it would happen.

Tonya frowned. “It’s not a problem is it? You said it was over and that it was nothing anyway.”

She had said that. She’d been lying through her teeth too. Lying was way better than admitting the truth. That she thought about him all of the time. Wanted him. Missed him.

She held her head up, still preferring to lie. “It is. We’re over. It was just unexpected seeing him. With no warning.”

Tonya rested on the counter. “For future reference, you’ll probably be seeing him a lot. Like, every holiday and weekends in between.”

“
What
?”

Tonya shook her head. “Gretchen and Lane are doing their thing. Whatever it is. And Trent is a pretty awesome handyman and a great ear for me. So, I’m just saying, these guys are probably going to be around us a lot.”

But…but…she kept her thoughts to herself. Why did things have to change? They had a good thing going here. A nice even rhythm. Really, Lane turned out to be pretty good for Gretchen since she was usually glowing these days she was so damn happy. And Flora was happy for her. One brother would have been fine.

But did Tonya have to go and befriend another one of the brothers? She cursed under her breath. Of course she did. Because while she was having the best sex ever, that left Trent and Tonya flying solo a few nights a week and they’d gravitated toward one other. Fine. This was all hers in the making and it would be fine. Maybe a little awkward at first, but they’d work out a pattern and rhythm with time and things would get back to normal.

Gretchen and Lane walked in her front door and Flora directed them on outside with the boys before she had a complete and utter meltdown.

She opened her mouth to say something, but before getting it out, her backdoor opened again and Jacob walked through casual as can be. He smiled at Tonya and Gretchen first. Then stopped next to her.

He curled his fingers around the chicken bowl. “Did you do something different with your hair?”

Her hair? She blinked at him and looked around. Was he talking to her? Surely not, but of course he was. Because he was Jacob who did things she would never understand. And he thought he was the normal one out of the three brothers. Ha. “No, I haven’t.”

He studied her. “You look different.”

“Okay.” Different good? Different bad? He didn’t say. He lifted the chicken and walked out. It wasn’t until after the door closed behind him that the air left her throat.

Gretchen grabbed napkins. “It doesn’t look like things are over between you two.”

Something chipped off and hardened in her chest. “I don’t understand.”

That stung a little bit. Fine, a lot. How could he march in her home and act like nothing ever happened?

“I think it’s good of him. He’s not bringing it up. Not talking about it. He’s moving on.” Tonya opened a cabinet and collected the outdoor plates. “Probably makes it less awkward.”

“Are you kidding?” Flora shook her head. “How is this less awkward?”

“He went back to what you were before you started dating.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Back to what we were would be him far across a room from me and we never spoke a word.” She sighed. Back when she was intrigued by him. Blew him kisses. Winked. Back before she discovered the heart underneath his hard chest.

“That’s what you thought would happen?”

She wanted to scream, but settled for fisting her hands instead. “That’s what always happens. Any guy I see, we fade, that’s it. Maybe I’ll see him on the road or something. They’re not in my house about to eat barbeque!”

Tonya caught her hands waving in the air and lowered them. “What’s really going on?”

“Nothing.”

Gretchen shook her head. “Be honest with us. If there’s anyone you can be honest with, you know it’s us.”

Flora glanced to the back door and then at her friends with a heavy chest. “He was always touching me.”

“You had a sex-only relationship.”

“I know, but, touching me different. And not like other people. When he touches me, I don’t think of my uncle or anyone from my past. He’s just warm.” She rubbed at the cold on her arms. “Always so warm.”

Gretchen patted her shoulder. “Sounds good so far.”

“It was too.” She found herself smiling and didn’t care. “Different. Fresh. Fun. Things were never boring or stale. I couldn’t wait to see him.”

“I’m not sure why you broke up with him.”

That was exactly why she broke up with him. “I wanted him too much.”

“Usually a good thing.”

She frowned and turned to the tea pitcher. “Usually so.”

Not for her. Even after being officially broken up with him, she wanted him. Wanted him more each day. And that couldn’t be right. It shouldn’t work that way. If she wanted him, she should have the choice. He shouldn’t be able to just come in, make her laugh and smile and have a good time. He shouldn’t make her worry about what would happen if he decided she wasn’t the right girl for him.

Gretchen cupped her shoulders from behind. “Did you tell Jacob this?”

She shook her head. “How can I tell him?”

“You’re going to see each other a lot, and it would be easier if the air is clear.”

Flora nodded, not sure if it was a good idea, but what choice did she have? Maybe if she explained her position, he would understand and back away from her. Pretend she didn’t exist. It was all she had. She grabbed the tea pitcher and headed out the door. He met her just as she stepped outside. His intoxicating cologne, breadth of his shoulders and cock of a smile had her heart clutching and crying out to take one little step and be wrapped up in his arms.

Instead, he lifted the tea from her hands. “I got it. Anything else? You’ve been working hard at the manor the last few weeks. You should sit down. Take a load off.”

Let him do something like rub her shoulders
. She swallowed that down and stuck a smile on her mouth. “Thanks. Sounds good.”

More lies. She’d rather run inside and hide in her bedroom, but Gretchen and Tonya were on her heels coming out the back door. The two of them pushed her farther outside and she crashed into a lounge chair.

And lucky for her because Jacob fell on the chair next to her, crossed his hands behind his head and settled in. “What a nice day.”

“It is.”

“Good breeze today. The last time I remember it being so nice, I was at the manor.”

“Uh-huh.” She really couldn’t recall the weather too much these last couple of weeks. Especially while at the manor. He was always there too. Doing things. Like chopping wood. Shirtless. Or piddling through the yard. Shirtless. Or standing by his truck. Shirtless.

Oh, dear. She sighed. She couldn’t do this. They couldn’t do this.

Trent was several feet away at the grill, Tonya was there helping with the chicken. Gretchen and Lane were by the table. It was just the two of them. No one to rescue her. “Why are you doing this?”

“Talking?” He blinked at her.

“Like this. With me.”

“Because Lane and Gretchen are sucking each other’s faces off every chance they get. Trent is discussing something or other with Tonya. Do you have a problem with talking?”

“Yes.”

He turned his head towards her and simply stared. “You sure you haven’t done something different with your hair?”

She glanced around. It was a nice day. There was a lot of good food. She really didn’t want to ruin everything with her issues. But she couldn’t do this with him either. “What are you doing?”

“Making nice conversation. Whatever you did, it looks nice.”

“Stop it.”

His smile was small and easy. “Stop what?”

“Being you?”

That irritating brow of his lifted. “Uh…little hard to do.”

She let out a breath and shook her head. “We’re not together anymore. Stop acting like it.”

His brow rose. “Darling, I know we’re not together anymore. If we were together, you’d be in my lap right now and the last damn thing we’d be doing is talking about the weather.”

She swallowed and shook her head, praying that she could hold on to the hot puddle of tears burning her eyes and choking her throat. “Please stop.”

“Stop what? You’re so damn good at beating around the bush, Flora. Why don’t you grow the balls to say what you really want?”

She fisted her hands. “I want you to forget you ever met me.”

He laughed, but it wasn’t the full Jacob laugh she heard in her dreams. “Not likely to happen. If it’s so easy, why don’t you just forget I exist? Then you wouldn’t be squirming in your chair right now because I think your hair looks nice.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

She slapped her hands on the seat and walked away. She couldn’t keep this act up. It was too hard. Too damn hard.

She made it to her bedroom and was sitting on the end of her bed when Tonya walked in on her heels. “Are you okay?”