From You to Me (Four Foxes #2)

CHAPTER 1

I was fucked. So damn fucked.

Was it fate? Was it destiny? Or was it the red thread of fate trying to fuck with me once again? Because Jay glared at me so hard that I might as well have frozen on the damn floor.

Yes, I prayed to God that I needed him, but that was six years ago. God had completely messed up the timing on this one.

Never in a million years had I expected to cross paths with the man who still held my dying, beating heart in the palm of his hand. Especially on this gloomy Monday morning in New York City while I was on all fours by his feet.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He repeated.

I swallowed the nervous lump forming in my throat.

“Umm.” I fumbled, lost for words. I slowly pushed against the cold hard floor as I scrambled up to my feet on my shaky knees.

He towered over me, peering at me with his laser-sharp gaze. His face was a mask of unconcerned recognition.

Gone was the sweet boy who used to look at me with so much love, and in his place was a cold, hard man who looked like he couldn’t stand my presence.

And what a man he was.

He was still as gorgeous as before, but now he looked like a chiseled masterpiece. His silky raven locks were longer and tousled, creating the perfect bedhead look.

His torso was splashed with an array of intricate tattoos. The last time I saw him, he only had one ink tattooed on him, but it looked like that had changed over the years. His face was covered with short stubble, a face that had matured so beautifully over the years that it was almost painful to look at him.

The beat in my heart started to pick up, flustered by his presence , even after all these years.

“I asked what the fuck are you doing here?”

His question interrupted my gawking at his glorious body.

Oh yeah, I was supposed to answer him.

“I work here,” I muttered.

“I don’t remember hiring you.” His eyes narrowed into slits that made me cower back a step.

“Well, I worked here before. Aimee asked me to continue.”

The heavy-scaled dragon on his chest was right in my sight line, distracting the hell out of me. He looked so damn delicious, and it was getting to every fiber of my being.

I was pretty sure I looked pathetic in my straight blue jeans and a navy sweatshirt.

“And what do you do again?” He cocked his brow.

My cheeks flushed red as embarrassment coursed through me. I wasn’t embarrassed about my job, but I was embarrassed to admit it to him. It made me feel like a failure in his Godly presence. “Umm, I’m the housekeeper,” I mumbled.

His eyes flickered the tiniest bit like it didn’t even happen before his mask came back on once again.

He nodded. “Well, I’ll no longer need your services. Aimee will get in touch with you. You may leave now.”

I stilled. “You can’t do that,” I muttered as the panic sliced through my body. I just settled all my other jobs. I needed this one to make ends meet.

His intense blues sharpened, pinning me in place and making the unease in my stomach escalate. “It’s my damn house. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

“But I need this job. I was promised that I would be able to work full-time here. I changed up all my other jobs for this,” I stammered pathetically through the false bravado that I put outward.

He didn’t move an inch, and his expression didn’t change one bit. He still glared at me with an icy look.

My helpless eyes dragged to the kaleidoscope of bright daylight shining through the Manhattan skyline behind him as I thought of a way out of this situation.

I needed this job. But I needed the money more. It would help me for a while. I saw it as a big opportunity because it was hard to come by a salary like this, and I wasn’t ready to let it go.

My hands turned clammy as I swallowed, putting aside my pride. “Please, Jay. I really need this job. I swear I won’t be a bother.”

His knuckles turned deadly white while his beautiful face flashed with anger. “Don’t fucking call me that,” he hissed.

My eyes widened as I tried to suppress the hurt that was slowly expanding in my heart.

Things were a lot different now, I reminded myself.

“Okay, I understand.” I nodded slowly. “But please, I need this job. I promise I won’t bother you.” I waved my hand frantically. “Hell, you can keep me around for a month, and if it still doesn’t work out, you can let me go,” I asked, hopeful. At least that would buy me some time to get back some of my clients.

“Your promises mean shit to me. Look, I don’t have time to waste. You pack your things and leave, please. Aimee will talk with you.”

My eyes fixed on his retrieving sculpted back inked with powerful angel wings that almost looked like it was moving with him.

The panic flowed back tenfold, and my feet took a step toward him without even thinking, my hand almost gripped his shoulder before his head snapped at me as if he had sensed me coming up to him.

A thunderous expression clouded his face as he gave me a pointed look.

My hand froze midair, shaking as I slowly drew them to my side. I breathed as I gazed into those blues that I loved so much. Now that he was so close, my mouth had completely forgotten what it had to say.

“What?” he punctuated.

“Umm…” I started—my mouth dry as my stomach twisted with anxiety.

His eyes drove into mine like the sharpest steel of a blade. “WHAT?”

I breathed through as I stammered, “Pl..Please. Let me just work here. I swear I won’t cause any trouble. I really need this job. I don’t have anything else lined up at the moment.”

He shook his head, frustrated. I didn’t know if it was the desperation in my voice or the sorry-ass look on my face, but after what seemed like the longest minute of my life, he nodded.

“Fine. But only for a month. Make sure you find something else by that time.”

I smiled as I nodded enthusiastically. At least it was something.

His eyes narrowed. “Also, don’t fucking talk to me. Don’t fucking bother me. Don’t unnecessarily show your face in front of me. And know your place.”

The smile dropped hard as fast as it came. I blinked as I watched his back disappear upstairs.

I would be foolish to admit that it didn’t hurt because it did. It hurt so damn bad. But who was to blame? It was pretty evident that he couldn’t even tolerate my presence. For some reason, I thought he would at least ask me how I was doing.

For old times’ sake.

But all the love and care he once had for me was replaced by hate and detest.

I shook out of it and trudged my heavy feet back to the kitchen.

Confused.

All the pain that I had bottled up over the years rushed back to me. I could feel in my bones that this was going to be a long, hard month.

I never thought I would meet Jay again. Yes, sometimes I dreamed of him coming and rescuing me from the pathetic life that I lived. But those were far-fetched wishful thinking. I had lost all hope after that day.

That day where I was lying on that dark alley floor begging for him to come save me.

And he never did.

I knew I had completely lost my Jay that day. That he was never ever coming back for me.

“Hey, chica. Are you done already?” Gabe hollered out from his desk just as I exited the elevator.

I finished up everything at the apartment earlier. There wasn’t much to do since the place was already impeccably clean. I wondered why I had to come in every day.

And I was scared to venture upstairs.

Because Jay was still there.

He never came down after that.

His breakfast still sat on the table, probably cold and stale at this point. I didn’t bother to clean it up, not wanting to face his wrath once again.

“So tell me who is it?” Gabe inquired.

“Just some singer,” I mumbled, easing into the seat next to him.

His face transformed in an instant like an excited puppy. “How famous of a singer are we talking about? Finally, we get a singer and not some prude businessman. Do you think I would get free concert tickets?”

I sighed.

Gabe gripped my hand and twisted my rolling chair around, making my head spin more than it already was. “Come on, say something. How famous are we talking? Do I know them? What genre do they sing? How hot are they? Please don’t tell me it is some retired musician. That would suck.”

I groaned as my eyes followed the revolving ceiling.

Gabe was never going to let me get away with this if I didn’t tell him who it was. He was relentless when it came to gossip and needed to know every sordid detail.

“Come on, Evy. Say something. Now is not the time for you to go into your quiet mode.”

“It’s J.J.,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Who again?” His brows furrowed in confusion.

“It’s J.J. from the Four Foxes.”

Gabe’s eyes widened into saucers as he shot from his chair and started to wildly rock mine. “You mean the J.J.? The hottest male singer of the century. With the delicious tattoos and a carved body. The man whose smile makes women drop their panties. The man who has won multiple Grammys. You mean that J.J.? The Rock God. The gloriously delicious asshole who broke your fucking heart and abandoned you. You mean him?”

I blew out a breath. “Yes, him.”

He screamed as he got up in my face. “Please tell me he was hot. Just like the pictures. Please tell me they were not edited. I can’t believe J.J. lives in our fucking building. The Rock God is here above me, just a few floors away!”

“Tone it down,” I hissed, smiling at the couple waiting for the elevators, casting us a weird look. “You don’t want anyone hearing you and creating a scene.”

“Fine. Fine. Fine,” he said, plopping back into his seat.

I sighed thankfully and went back to stare at the dots on the ceiling. At least my world wasn’t spinning anymore. I heard a loud exhale and turned to see Gabe gesturing to me with his eyes. He widened them and then scrunched them up into tiny slits. And he repeated it over and over.

“What?” I mumbled.

“I was asking you what happened!?” he hissed.

“How am I supposed to know what you’re asking by looking at your weird eye movements.” I rolled my eyes.

“I thought we were best friends! You told me to be quiet, but now you don’t even understand what I was telling you.”

I inhaled a deep breath. Because I needed it. Gabe was truly my best friend. He helped me through some of the worst moments of my life. And hence he knew everything about me. He was the only person I confessed everything to on a helpless night. I just needed someone to listen to me as I poured it all out.

Although his personality was so unlike mine, Gabe had a heart of gold. He was so patient and kind to me. And I loved him for that.

“So?” Gabe continued.

“Well, nothing. He was there. I worked, and now I’m going to head home.”

He raised a brow like he knew I was so full of shit. “And?”

I sighed. There was no hiding from him. “And he asked me to leave. So I begged like an idiotic fool because I needed this job. He agreed to let me work for a month. But he said, and I quote, ‘Don’t fucking talk to me. Don’t fucking bother me. Don’t unnecessarily show your face in front of me. And know your place.’”

Sadness crept into me as I thought of his words again. “He hates me now.”

“What!? Evy, I’m sorry, but we can’t be best friends anymore. I don’t want to be enemies with god himself. I like being friends with you, but you are not that important,” Gabe said dramatically, shaking his head.

I gave him a hard smack on the shoulders.

“Ouch!” He pouted but soon he gave me a sad smile as his expression turned grim. He leaned over and hugged me from the side. “Well, he’s a sorry-ass loser then. How can anyone hate my chica? She is the sweetest girl I know.”

“I know, right.” I smiled, but somehow, unknowing tears were streaming down my face.

“Fuck this shit. Evelyn! You’re not wasting any more tears on that asshole. You hear me? I’ll meet you at yours tonight. We’re getting so drunk and cursing him to hell.”

I laughed. Gabe always knew how to make me laugh.

“Okay.”

A warm, wet tongue slithered over my face. I groaned as a pounding headache hammered like a marching band inside my head.

“Ugh. Strawberry, stop!” I mumbled as I turned around, and my mouth caught on to my hair. I felt something cold and hard touch my cheeks. What was it now?

Strawberry barked so loudly in my ears that my eyes flew open. It took me a second to gather where I was. I blinked back at the blurry spots as the world came alive around me. The first thing I saw was Strawberry’s warm brown eyes peering at me.

Where was I?

“What, baby? What’s wrong?” I cooed at her. My mouth was so dry that it tasted like sand.

“Oh, shut the fuck up, you two,” moaned a sleepy voice from beside me.

It took me a second to come to my senses as the scenes of last night came rushing back.

Me and Gabe.

And an entire bottle of tequila or two.

Ah fuck.

What time was it?

I saw that I was lying face-first on a bottle of tequila that I somehow ended up using as a pillow on the floor of my living room. After Gabe brought snacks and tequila last night, we moaned and complained about men, especially one particular man, until the entire bottle was consumed.

But no, we didn’t stop there. We drunkenly made our way to the local convenience store to get ourselves another bottle. And finished that one too. We were so stupidly drunk.

Strawberry barked yet again, reminding me that it was time to face the reality. I licked my lips as I reached for my phone on the coffee table. The bright light hurt my eyes as I opened it up. My eyes widened in shock when I finally saw what time it was.

It was seven fucking twenty-three. I was late. I was so fucking late.

“Gabe, get the fuck up,” I screamed as I fumbled to steady myself.

Ah, with my fucked-up knees, it took me about three whole minutes to get up from the damn floor. I had to position it at weird angles so it wouldn’t cramp and lock itself. Then that would take ages for me to fix.

Gabe was snoring as he slept peacefully. “GABE! Get the fuck up!!!” I shouted so loud that he sat up in alarm.

“What? What is it? Who died?” he mumbled, blinking back his sleep.

“Gabe! It’s already seven! I’m so late for work,” I yelled, rushing into my room to get changed. No time for a shower today. Although I really needed one because I smelled like old food and alcohol. I guessed my cheap-ass perfume would have to do.

I scurried as I brushed my long brown hair and tied it in a loose ponytail and slapped on some sunscreen and ran some balm over my chapped lips.

There, that would have to do. I took in the ghost that stared back at me in the mirror, a version of the person I once was. Dark purple circles rounding my big brown eyes and my cheeks devoid of color.

Life did do a number on me.

I shook out of it as I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and rushed out. I needed coffee to soothe my headache, but I had no time.

Gabe was in the same spot that I left him, fiddling with his phone with a smile on his face. It must be Rory, his boyfriend. “Hey, chica,” he called out as he watched me don my purse and jacket.

“I’m so fucking late, and I don’t want to fucking lose this job. I’m already on Jay’s bad side.”

He scoffed. “Don’t worry. He wouldn’t even know that you weren’t there. Rock stars only wake up in the afternoon.”

“Can you feed Strawberry?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, just get your pretty little ass to work.”

“How convenient that you have the afternoon shift today.” I pointed my finger at him. “You did this on purpose. I’m so taking revenge on you next time.”

“Yeah, yeah, Evelyn May. Go on now. Your ex is waiting for you.” He grinned like a fool.

I petted Strawberry, who gave me the sweetest whine, and smacked Gabe on the head for good measure as I headed outside.

I smiled as I heard a faint, “ Ouch, bitch. ”

I glanced at my watch again—it was Grandma’s, and I still had it. I loved that watch; I loved always having a part of her with me. It was almost seven-fifty. It would take me more than thirty minutes to reach Central Park.

I prayed Jay hadn’t woken up. He didn’t even eat his breakfast yesterday so maybe he wakes up late. Maybe he doesn’t even like breakfast. Who am I kidding? With my track record of luck, I was most definitely screwed.

I breathed out an exhale as I finally made it out of the subway. Damn, getting out of that crowd required a special talent. My knee wasn’t that bad today. It was a dull ache compared to the throbbing in my temples. A slight sensation of nausea still lingered as it made my stomach queasy. I so needed coffee to battle this hangover.

I flashed my card at the door and entered Blueline, the swanky apartment on Fifth Avenue.

“Hey, Tom,” I called out as I crossed the lobby to the private golden elevator at the side exclusive to the top two floors.

“Morning, Evy!” Tom waved at me.

Tom was the other person who worked here. He and Gabe were the day team. Keith looked after the site overnight. This building was like a fort. There were so many security measures and cameras that it was hard for any regular person to get inside. It was probably why Jay chose to live here.

But I still wondered why he moved to NYC. Shouldn’t he be in that cursed city?

I pressed the code on the huge wooden doors and slowly pried them open.

An eerie silence flowed through the apartment. The empty vase in the foyer greeted me with the stunning view of Central Park behind it. I tiptoed to the hallway and made my way to the kitchen and exhaled a breath of relief. The sight of an empty kitchen with gleaming gray cabinets and a polished marbled kitchen table somehow calmed my nerves.

No one was here. It meant that he wasn’t awake.

I smiled. Thank you, God. Even though you are very, very late, it seems like you are finally answering all of my prayers.

I did a little dance as I walked up to the fully stocked fridge to get started on breakfast.

The ingredients in the fridge infuriated me. They were all so green and plain. I wondered when Jay turned into such a health nut.

I sighed. I wanted to ask him so many things. I wanted to tell him so many things. I wanted to confess everything, and I also wanted to know every single thing that I had missed in these past six years. But I guess that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon since someone barely tolerated my presence.

“You’re late,” said a cold voice from behind me.

My soul literally jumped out of my skin as I turned to peer at the man standing in front of the French terrace door with a coffee mug in his hand.

Fuck. He was here the whole time?