18. AJ
Her text comes through, and I throw my cue stick to Cody so he can finish the game of pool with Brady.
“Girls are here,” I tell them as I walk away and make my way to the front door. Jordie’s is packed tonight. I see some regulars, but it’s mostly full of people kick-starting their weekend with too much liquor and not enough class.
“Look at him running…” Brady comments, and I flick him a scowl, which turns into a smirk as I see the black eye he sports from where I hit him at the gym.
I nod to the bouncers and push open the door as I see her pull up. She is hard to miss in her blacked-out Mercedes G-Wagon, and I watch as she and her friends spill out of the car. Last time I saw them all together was at Chloe’s store event, where they were all in dresses, high heels, and full of glamour. Tonight, as they all walk toward me, they are still too overdressed for this place, but in jeans and jackets, they are somewhat more subdued.
“Hey, big guy,” Val says, her smile wide as she looks up at me. Fuck, she takes my breath away. Her long hair is all slicked back into a long, straight, glossy ponytail flowing down her back.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I murmur, kissing her on the forehead as my hand automatically finds her waist.
“Ohhh, look, they even have pet names for each other already!” Simone jokes as the other two grin.
“Girls.” I pull Val behind me and into the bar, the three of them following.
The music is loud, and I lead them through the crowd to where the boys are sitting by the pool table we have commandeered.
“Now the party is starting!” Cody says, smiling at the girls.
“Beer?” Brady asks, and the girls nod.
“I’ll help,” Chloe says, and the two of them walk off to the bar. I see Simone is already chatting with Jimmy, which looks interesting. Any usual Friday night, we would all be at Club Vine, and Jimmy and the boys will go there later. But I will be going straight home to bed after a few hours to prepare for the fight.
“What happened to Brady’s eye?” Val asks.
“He ran into my fist,” I tell her, and she looks shocked before she laughs.
“I don’t need to know, right?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“Nope. Not at all.” I take a swig of my drink.
“What a place,” Val says, looking around.
“Let me guess, your father wouldn’t approve of this place either?” I tease.
“Not one bit. But I love it regardless of what he thinks.” She smiles, looking up at me. She looks good when she is happy. Relaxed and at ease. She is glowing.
“So, your girls all came?” I comment, seeing them all hanging with my boys over to the side, leaving me and Val to talk.
“They are more my family now. They are great. What about you? Family?”
I grit my teeth. This is why I don’t date. I hate talking about my past.
“Just my mom. She lives in a trailer out of town. Same one I grew up in.” I take another sip of my drink, trying to push down the feelings of shame that arise.
“So we are alike with that too, then? Our friends are our family?” she asks, not pushing me for more answers. Even though I pretty much told her I have nothing, grew up with nothing, and am worth nothing, she still finds a silver lining to the dark cloud of me.
“Seems like it.” I admire her. She doesn’t care. She could buy this entire bar—hell, this entire block we are on—yet she doesn’t care where I came from.
“So what were you like growing up?” she asks, and I swallow. Might as well lay it out for her.
“Trouble. Didn’t go to college. Got in trouble with the law a few times…” I say, leaving it out for her to digest. Her eyes move from my face, down my front, and back up again, like she is checking me out.
“What for?” she asks, and I don’t blame her. She is a lawyer; she needs to know these things.
“Petty crime. Bit of stealing when I was a kid. Much like Levi,” I tell her, and she nods. She bites her bottom lip, so I know what she is thinking. “You can trust me, Val. I won’t hurt you.” I mean it. She needs to know that I am a good guy now, even though my history leaves little to be desired.
She smirks at me. “I know that already, AJ. It just makes me admire you even more.”
“What?” I ask, almost shocked.
“Well, you obviously had it hard growing up, but look at you. You have your own business, amazing friends, you’re fit and healthy. You train young kids and give back to the community. We can’t let our history define us. We can only change the path we are on for the future.” I wonder where the hell this woman has been all my life. She fits right into my soul like she is part of it.
“You give me too much credit,” I say, because it can’t be that simple. She should be back in her car now and halfway home, running from me. The lifestyle I lead is nothing like she is accustomed to.
“Sounds like you don’t give yourself enough.” Continuing, she changes the subject. “So, big fight tomorrow?” she asks, as Brady and Chloe come back with their beers, and she grabs one.
“Yep. A few hours here, then I need to tuck myself into bed to try to get eight hours.” My hand drapes around her waist, feeling a little off-kilter but happy at the same time as I keep her close to me. I can feel her body heat, smell her floral scent. She drives me crazy. I can’t not touch her.
“No time to waste, then,” she says, looking at me like she knows something I don’t.
“On what?” I ask, my eyes thinning.
“Twenty bucks I can beat you at pool?” she challenges, her eyes flashing wicked in delight. There is no way this pretty little thing from the good side of town will even be able to compete. I grew up in pool halls. I know how to win at pool.
“You’re on,” I growl, putting down my drink and grabbing hers to do the same. She laughs as I take her hand and lead her over to the pool table and we select some cues.
“Ohhhh, this is going to be good,” Simone says as she jumps up on a stool with her beer and gets ready to watch.
“You got this, AJ,” Cody yells, leaning back and chatting with Chelsea.
We have all our friends watching us and it feels good. Feels right. Our friends are getting along, and Val and her girls look comfortable in this bar, even though it is not where I would imagine them to be. I watch as Val takes off her jacket, revealing a tight singlet, her jeans sticking to her legs, showcasing the curves of her body, and I internally groan. This is going to be harder than I first thought.
“You sure about this, sweetheart? No one will think any less of you if you pull out now,” I tease, knowing that my girl will never back down.
“Are you scared, AJ?” She tilts her head, her hair flicking behind her. That fucking long ponytail is doing something to my insides. I want to wrap it in my hand and pull her head back, watch her body arch.
I clear my throat and refocus. “Not scared, just concerned, wondering how you will deal with defeat,” I say as I chalk the tip of my cue, smirking.
“You know what. I will give you an advantage. You can go first,” she offers, and I will admit, she does a great job of talking herself up.
“You got it, babe.” Giving her a wink, I lean over the table, ready to get this game going. I hit with force, and the balls scatter, but none drop into the holes yet. I step back and give her the table.
She leans over the table and takes her shot, pocketing two balls with one hit and doesn’t let up. Our game is over in about two minutes as I stand shocked, mouth agape, as Val totally wipes the floor with me.
“Where the hell did you learn to play like that?” I ask, still rooted to the ground. Apart from the first shot, I didn’t get a chance to take another. She pocketed every ball she tapped.
“What a shark!” Brady laughs, as do all our friends. The girls holler and hoot at Val, and the boys are either in shock or laughing as well.
“I didn’t spend all my time at college studying…” She smiles like the cat that got the canary.
“If you tell me some rich dude from Yale taught you how to play pool and had his hands all over you in the process, this night is not going to end well,” I murmur, feeling jealous of a dude I don’t even know exists.
She laughs. “No. I worked in a pool hall in my senior year,” she says, and I balk.
“You worked while at college?” I ask.
“Yep. I didn’t need to, obviously, but I wanted to.” She totally surprises me.
“Okay, out of the way. It’s our turn, lovebirds,” Simone teases as she jumps down from her stool and pulls Jimmy over.
I grab Val by the waist and maneuver her over to the leather lounge chair that Jimmy vacated, and I take a seat, pulling her on top of me to sit on my knee.
“You know I can sit on the stool,” Val says, looking over my shoulder as I pull her back to sit on me properly. My hands curve around her waist, and I rub my thumb up and down her lower back.
“I know, but I want you here,” I mumble, feeling my dick thicken in my jeans. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
She gives me a playful smile, her lips glossy and shining in the lights as her hand rests on one of mine. She relaxes on me a little, still sitting up straight as we both look over at the game, watching Simone and Jimmy. My eyes home in on her ponytail that is right in front of me, and I lift my hand, grabbing it lightly at the top and running my hands all the way down the length. It is so fucking soft, I can’t even believe it is hair. I do it again, but this time, I roll my hand so it wraps around the hair and pull through it slowly. Her head falls back a little in the process, and I see my dream come to life as her body arches a little, her ass pressing into my hips, and I run my other hand up her side, following her curves.
Fuck me. I want this. I want her. I clear my throat as I let go of her hair, and her head rightens to look back at me.
“You like the ponytail,” she murmurs.
“Oh, I like it all, sweetheart,” I grit out.
“I like you too, AJ.” She leans back, her body hitting my chest, and I wrap my hands around her waist again, keeping her close. My lips meet her soft skin on her shoulder, and we sit together like a couple as our friends banter.
Val chuckles at something her friends do, and I notice Brady looking at me. He stares at me seriously and nods, giving me his best friend approval. I take a deep breath and let the stress dissipate, wondering briefly if I could be lucky enough to have Val in my life.