Straddling the Edge (5 page)

Summer

Oh shit. Oh my. I’ve only spent two hours with Shelly and Mel and I’m cursing. T
hese women are lunatics. We’ve—and by “we”—I mean Dean and I, dropped both of them off at Mel’s house where Ty, Matt, and the babies were waiting for them. The two couples do everything together. Shelly and Mel have been best friends since they were in elementary school, and Mel married Shel’s older brother, Tyler. While they’re all grown adults, they often spend nights at each other’s houses. Mel says it reminds her of when they were young and had sleepovers.

And for the first time ever, I kind of felt like part of the pack. It was nice.

Even if Mel did set me up.

I can’t believe I was going on and on about Sexy Guy and his gorgeous hair and piercing blue eyes, only for him to walk through the door minutes later. Come to find out that not only do they know him, but he works with us too. And then, they go on telling him
oh what thick hair you have and look at those blue eyes
. I swear, if I were him I would have run. They sounded like something out of a Little Red Riding Hood fairytale. Although, I’d like to be the wolf in that story if he’s Red because I’d sure like to get a taste of him.

Damn bourbon beer. And damn hormones.

“So do you want to give me directions, or am I taking you home with me?”

Dean’s husky voice startles me at first before it jacks up my awareness of him about another thousand notches.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, go ahead and take me back to school. I can pick up my car.”

He glances over at me with a smirk. “I d
on’t think that’s a good idea, especially if you were drinking the special sauce. It kind of hits you hard since its alcohol content is so high. I can always take you back in the morning to pick up your car if needed.”

“That’s really nice of you. I guess you’re right. I really shouldn’t drive.” I rattle off the directions to my new apartment while a million questions flash in my head. Do I invite him in? Is my house clean? Did I shave my legs? Oh my. I have granny panties on. Feeling less than sexy lately, I’ve opted for my cotton briefs with little pink flowers sprinkled on them. The comfort and security of them was feeling really nice … until now.

“This is cute,” he says, as he pulls up to the curb in front of my complex. “Very Melrose Place.”

I chuckle inside. “You don’t even look old enough to know about that show.”

“Neither do you.” He nudges his elbow into mine, and my eyes lock on his. “Wow.” He rubs his arm softly. “It’s kind of crazy we never met before now. I’ve seen you at the brewery several times but never connected the pieces. My buddies and I go there all of the time.” He kills the engine with a press of a button to the dashboard. Interesting. I guess the night isn’t over.

“
Really? I’ve only seen you there once … the other night, when we watched the game.” And then I ran off like an idiot because his touch set off Fourth of July fireworks throughout my body.

“So you did notice me. You thought I was a creeper though, didn’t you? You ran away before we could properly celebrate
your win.”

He has t
he sexiest smile I’ve ever seen, flirty, yet sincere. It truly brightens everything around him. Now that tone of voice of his is entirely different. It’s not soft and sweet. It’s more like strong and commanding, causing every part of my being to stand up and takes notice. Yeah … I’m quickly coming to enjoy the low rumble of his voice.

“No, I didn’t think you were a creeper. I just had somewhere to go.” I pause. “In
a hurry.” He has my tongue-twisted, suddenly feeling like the dork I was in high school. “Well, thank you for the ride home. I really appreciate it.”

As much as I don’t want the night to end, I can’t think of anything else to say. And I’ve never invited a guy “in” before. I’ve seen it done in a million movies, but never had the opportunity to do it myself. I’m way in over my head on this one. I should have told Mel that before she got me into this. They’re going to be so disappointed when I don’t have any dirty details to share.

“Here,” he says, handing me his phone, “put your number in there so I can call you in the morning.”

“Huh?”

He smiles. “To get your car, silly.” I take his phone. “And maybe some breakfast, if you’re interested.”

After tapping the screen with my number, I save my contact info and hand it back to him. Our fingers brush against each other, and I can almost hear my skin sizzle. “Yeah, that sounds nice. I’m interested.”

Very interested.

My keys tremble in my hand as I try to unlock my door. I’m so excited by the thought of Dean, I can barely control my limbs. I’m ready to slither into a liquid pool of heat right here on my doorstep.

“You lied.”

My hand flies up to my mouth to keep myself from screaming and alerting the neighbors. I whip around on my heels to face him. “You scared me half to death. Are you crazy? What are you even doing here?” I could just kick myself for allowing him to bring by the last of my things. I was just tired at the time and I didn’t want to step one foot in our old place again.

“You lied.”

“About what, Chase?” My patience is wearing thin. Maybe I should scream. Maybe that will get him out of my space.

His eyes narr
ow on me, and I can see his jaw grinding together through his thick skin. “You said you weren’t seeing someone, and clearly, that’s not true.”

Dean. Shit. Great. I seem to have added a new word to my vocabulary. “I didn’t lie. Not that it’s any of your business. Now, you need to leave. And while you’re at it, don’t come back. N
ot unless you’re invited, which will be … never.”

I turn back to working at getting my door open. A grip tightens on my bicep and turns me around.

“Dammit, Chase. You’re hurting me.”

“I’d never hurt you,
Summer. You’re the one who’s hurting me.” His grip tightens.

“Chase! What the hell?” I cry out, and for the second time in one night, I’m afraid of him. Again. Before tonight, he was just nagging me. Now, he’s scaring the shit out of me.

“Open the door so we can talk. I’m coming in.”

“Like hell you are
,” a voice booms through the air.

Chase doesn’t release his hold on me, just turns around to see Dean standing there with his hands on his hips, looking annoyed and pissed off. Chase looks at me. “Dean Michaels, Summer? Are you fucking with me?”

“Let her go, jackass. She said you’re hurting her.”

He looks down at his grasp on me and his hand drops to his side.

“Good,” Dean says, “Now, go.”

“You can’t tell me to leave. Who the fuck do you think you are?” Chase steps toward him.

“I can,” I say, trying to diffuse the situation I’m afraid is about to get out of hand. “So leave before I call the police.” I hold up my phone for him to see. He looks at it, then me, and storms off, making sure to bump into Dean along the way. I finally exhale the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Thank you.”

Dean comes closer, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

I look up into pools of tropical sea water and just about die. I hate that he had to see that. “I’m fine.” The frog in my throat says differently. “Thanks for that. I feel like such a baby. That’s the second time tonight someone has had to save me from him.”

He runs his right hand down my arm, lightly rubbing the spot where Chase had hold of me. “Are you hurt?”

I tense at his touch. It is sore. “I’m good.”

“Why don’t we go in and put some ice on it just to be sure.”

I turn back to my door and work to get the key in the lock. Dean takes them from my hand and has it unlocked in no time. He pushes it open and steps aside for me to enter first. Wow, I guess Chase is the only guy who thinks chivalry is dead.

He shuts the door behind us and I walk around the small living room turning on two table lamps and the hall light
. My apartment is small, with only enough room for a love seat and two tables, plus my bookshelves, full of hundreds of romance novels. I have an electronic reader, more than one actually, but I still continue to buy paperbacks. I love getting them signed and placing them on my shelves. I have an entire section dedicated to autographed copies.

“Come on.” Dean takes my hand and guides me toward the kitchen, which is just off the living room. The only thing that separates the two areas is a granite countertop. On one side of the island is my kitchen with a dining nook off to the side, on the other is my living space. One small bedroom and bathroom are down the hall.

He opens the freezer and takes out a bag of frozen strawberries. He releases my hand and grabs the kitchen towel hanging from the stove, wraps it around the fruit, and places it on my arm.

“Whoa. That’s cold.”

His face is within inches of mine and he smiles, with eyes like twinkling stars that beam down at me. “You’ll get used to it.” He moves the berries so they can wrap around my arm. “There.” He pauses, looking down. “I really wanted to hit him. Took everything I had to stop myself from tackling his ass to the ground and beating the shit out of him for hurting you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. It’s not like he punched me. He grabbed my arm. I doubt he meant to hurt me. He’s not like that.”

“But he scared you. I could see it.”

I glance up, and I can tell he’s searching my eyes for the truth. “Yes. He scared me.”

“Do you think he’ll come back?” he asks, stepping back and leaning against the counter across from me.

I shrug, holding my frozen fruit in place. “I don’t know. Before today, I wouldn’t have expected it. Now, though. I just really don’t know. It wouldn’t surprise me, I guess.”

“How about I stay for a little bit? Maybe it will wear him down. He might get tired and leave, if he hasn’t already.” I hadn’t imagined I’d get Dean in my apartment so that he could babysit me. “I have the growler in the car. I can get it and we can have another beer.”

“No
, I don’t want you to go out there right now. I have my own stash.” I open my fridge to reveal a variety of beers from the brewery. A 12-pack, in fact. “I also have iced tea, if you’d like.”

“How about a beer? We can drink some tea later.” Later? I guess he does plan on staying a
while.

Shelly

“Do you think we should’ve told her about Chase and Dean’s history?” I ask Mel and the guys. When Mel called my brother to tell him we were getting a ride home from Dean, he let her know that my husband had gone to their house with the baby. So like many nights, we’re all gathered at their place and the babies are fast asleep in Mia’s nursery. When we stay, Noah sleeps in a pack-n-play bassinet fit for a king. Or a prince. He’s my little prince.

“No way,” Mel shouts. “Are you crazy? She wouldn’t give him a chance if we did.” She licks her fingers clean from the Cheeto fibers stuck to her skin. “On second thought, she might not have cared. Did you see the way she looked at him?”

“Yeah, she was in love before she even saw him again. I thought she was going to orgasm just telling us about him. Her Sexy Guy.”

Mel laughs herself into a snorting fit. “Sexy guy? That was funny. She almost died when we started in on telling him we never noticed his chocolaty thick hair and crystal blue eyes.”

I start laughing now. “That was funny.”

“Sometimes they talk like they’re in their own little world.” Ty chucks a plush bear at me. “Uh. We’re here too.”

Melly stands up, walks over to my brother, and plops herself down onto his lap. “
Awww, baby. Don’t be jealous. I need you for so many things you’re sister could never do for me.” She kisses him on the mouth, playfully slaps his cheek, and then slides down his body and sits between his legs on the floor, facing me.

“Now, back to
Summer and Dean,” she says.

I glance over at Matty, who’s sitting in a rocking chair a few feet from me, and he’s shaking his head. “Do you want me to go over there and kiss you too? I don’t want you to feel left out?”

He arches a brow at me with a ridiculously sexy grin spread across his lips. “Sure, babe. But don’t slap me. You can save that for when we get home.” His brows bounce up and down and suddenly I feel the urge to take my family home instead of continuing this sleepover.

Ty breaks the
love spell Matty has put me in. “So what exactly happened with Chase and Summer?”

Mel tells them about the cheating and about Chase getting all jerky because he thinks she’s seeing someone.

“So where does Dean come into all this drama?” Matty asks. He stops rocking back and forth, stands and comes over to sit next to me on the couch. I sit up so he can get comfortable. He lifts his arm, letting me know he’s waiting for me to snuggle into him, which I do. There’s no better feeling, except for being a mom, than being wrapped up in the comfort of my husband’s arms.