5. RAE
5
I can’t believe I ended up on TMZ with Jensen on the last day of my LA Knights career.
Johnny is gonna kill me.
I put on my seat belt, blow out a hot breath then press on the start engine button, when the passenger door pops open.
Automatically, I let out a shriek, until I notice those same blue eyes catch mine, accompanied by a cocky smirk.
Confused, and frankly, a little shocked, I watch Jensen get in, then I glance to the backseat when another door opens and notice Bodi doing the same.
“Err, what the fuck are you doing? Your car is right there.” I point my finger at the black Camaro on the other side of the parking lot. I can’t forget what he’s driving because he almost hit me with the damn thing a few months ago.
The man drives like he skates.
Without mercy.
“We are going with you.” The words leave his body with ease, like I’ve missed some agreement in our last conversation.
I’m pretty sure we said Sunday, though.
He pulls his black hoodie over his head of messy hair, then places his aviator sunglasses on his nose, looking like the infuriating bad boy that he is.
“What do you mean, you are coming with me ?” I grunt.
He puts on his seatbelt and gets comfortable, leaning back as he crosses his arms in front of his body. Tucking a lock of hair behind my ear, I ignore how he makes my skin pebble with goosebumps when he pins me with a daring look.
Breathe, Rae.
I close my eyes, inhaling deeply before I exhale and plaster a kind, yet forced, smile on my face.
“We are coming with you to North Carolina, and on Sunday, we can drive to New York together.”
My eyes bulge as I just blink, stunned, because this has to be a joke. Some kind of sick prank that is another lousy attempt to piss me off.
Slowly, I turn my head to Bodi, who just shrugs as if it’s the most normal thing in the entire world. He isn’t fazed by Jensen’s latest idea. A stupid one, if you ask me.
“No,” I explain, “the two of you are getting the fuck out of my car, and I will meet you in New York on Sunday.”
A jittery feeling bubbles in my stomach as I’m wondering why I’m still hoping this is a joke, because I know it ain’t. The determined look on his annoyingly handsome face says it all.
Jensen doesn’t joke, nor does he listen. I honestly think it’s not in his DNA to listen to anything other than his own wills and wants. I’ve had so many discussions with the boy, always with the same outcome. He always does whatever the fuck he wants.
Consequences be damned. I guess that’s what you become when you are a spoiled little boy coming from an elite family.
No is not in their vocabulary.
Lazily, he keeps his attention on me, and his piercing eyes burn through my skin, even though his sunglasses block me from looking into them.
“Look, it’ll take about one more hour before both our faces are going viral, so about two more hours before the first paparazzi bitches are hanging around my house. I’m not dealing with that shit.”
“And how is that my problem, exactly?”
He leans his head against the window, ignoring me, and I can see the movement of his eyes shutting behind his glasses, clearly getting ready to take a nap in my passenger seat.
“You literally can go anywhere else,” I cry with my hands in the air, wrinkling my nose. “You have a jet waiting for you!”
“I haven’t been on a road trip in a while. Now just let me sleep for a few hours. I’ve had a rough couple of nights.”
Pinching my lips together with a shake of my head, I desperately look over my shoulder for some backup. Bodi’s playing with his phone but brings up his eyes when I call out his name.
He offers me a coy smile, looking nothing like the douchebag beside me, with his green flannel shirt, his chocolate brown hair, and his kind eyes. I give him a hopeful look, trying to spur him into action to drag his best friend out of my car. But instead, he shrugs.
“I’ve learned to just roll with it,” he explains, then moves his focus back to his phone.
He’s no fucking help at all.
I close my eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “I just can’t get rid of you, can I?”
“Like he said.” Jensen jerks his thumb to the backseat without looking up. “Just roll with it.”
I drop my head on the steering wheel in defeat, my skin connecting with the cold leather.
He has no boundaries. Like at all.
“Fuck me,” I mumble, opening my eyes again, my skull still in the same position.
“I would love to, but I’m not in the mood right now.” I sit back up, slapping his arm in response, and he ducks a little into the door with a chuckle, before my head connects with the wheel once more.
How am I still dealing with this shit?
And how am I now doomed to Jared James Jensen as my road trip buddy?
“Hey, just look at it this way...” I gently twist my head to see a lopsided grin forming on his handsome face, his eyes peering at me from under the safety of his glasses. “You won’t be alone, and we can take turns driving. I’m guessing your folks will be very grateful that there are two strong men who can protect you for the next three days.”
I straighten my shoulders, our eyes staying locked as I think over his words. His sunglasses hang on the tip of his nose, his gaze now fully focused on mine, causing my heart to beat a little faster.
If he didn’t annoy the shit out of me, I’d admit he looks cute with his bad boy look.
Black ink peeks from under his sleeve, tempting me to brush the fabric up and explore his inked arm. I’ve wondered numerous times what kind of art he chose to have engraved into his skin, but I always made sure I’d keep myself busy scowling at him, making damn sure he wouldn’t distract me.
Who am I kidding? He’s sexy as fuck. Too bad he’s also a pain in my ass.
My ego doesn’t want to agree with anything he says, but he has a point.
I love road trips, but I’ve done this trip many times before. Even though I like some alone time, after day three, I’m mostly bored. Letting them tag along means I at least have someone to talk to. And by someone, I mean Bodi.
“Five,” I correct him.
“What?”
“It’s five days.”
“Fuck me,” he grunts, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I would love to, but I’m not in the mood right now,” I sass, throwing his words back in his face.
He smiles like a damn Cheshire cat, and I swear I can see a little approval in his eyes.
“Cute.”
He holds my gaze, staring at me with an intensity that grows by the second. A tension that’s different from the frustration we are used to fills the space between us, so I avert my gaze to snap out of it, convincing myself I’m imagining things.
If he smiles like that the entire trip, I’m in serious trouble. His smile is contagious. I want to stay mad at him, but unwillingly, the corner of my mouth curls up.
Oh, what the hell.
“Don’t make me regret this,” I try to scold.
Obviously, I fail miserably.
“Never.” He winks, beaming, making me roll my eyes.
“Dear Lord, give me the strength to not kill this boy in the next week,” I mumble while I drop my head back to the wheel, gently bumping it a few times, even though I know any prayer will be futile.
He’s totally going to make me regret this.
***
Two hours of awkward silence later, we have just passed Barstow, and Jensen seems to be sleeping like a log. It isn’t until he starts snoring softly that I turn around to Bodi, wondering if he really is asleep or if he’s just faking it.
“This isn’t for real, right? No way anyone can sleep this deep in a car.” I glance to the backseat.
Bodi’s still on his phone and I’m seriously curious as to what he has been doing for the last two hours.
“Nope,′ he says, popping his P . “It is.”
“Really?′ I wave my hand in front of Jensen’s face, trying to detect any awareness.
His face doesn’t change an inch, so I test it one more time by tapping his nose like a child, expecting him to snap at me but giggling inside.
When nothing happens, I slightly shake my head in disbelief.
I register the sound of Bodi’s iPhone locking, followed by the unbuckling of his seatbelt, moving himself to the middle seat before popping his head into the front of the car beside mine.
“It’s because he drank a lot and slept a little. Pour some alcohol in the bastard and he’s knocked the fuck out. The only reason he was up this morning is because I woke him.”
He smells clean with a hint of coco wax that is keeping his small brown crest of waves perfectly styled. He is truly handsome, with his perfect mix of a desirable body and kind eyes, looking completely different from his rugged best friend. Not my type, but add his Aussie accent in the mix, and I can only assume he does well with the ladies.
I move my eyes back to the road while I try to suppress a yawn.
“You didn’t sleep much either?′ he asks.
“It’s hard to sleep when your dipshit ex-boyfriend keeps calling you the entire night.′
“Yeah, thanks for the show, by the way. The fucker deserved it.” He sniggers, reaching in front of me to grab the bag of gummy bears that lay in the cupholder before popping one in his mouth.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen. None of it was supposed to happen,” I clarify, though a proud grin seeps through.
The fucker deserved it, let’s be honest .
“But?”
I take a deep breath, trying to tone down the annoyance he stirs alive every time I talk about Sean before I speak, but I already know I’ll fail. I want to let it be done, but I can’t help but still want to kick his ass.
“But the son of a bitch just won’t stop.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t like to be told no , does he?′
“That’s an understatement, but then again—none of these arrogant jocks ever do” I mutter, wondering if I should tell Bodi more.
He stays silent, only hearing chewing gummy bears, waiting for me to tell him more.
“I think that is the problem. I didn’t think we would marry, have kids, and live happily ever after. I wasn’t planning a future with him. So, when I found out he was cheating on me, I was hurt and embarrassed, but mostly relieved. We should have fought about it, then he should have moved on to the next groupie he could find. That was supposed to happen.”
I stab my finger in the air, trying to make a point.
“But?′ he repeats.
“But,” I continue, drawing out the word, “now he’s trying to mess with my head, telling me how he never felt more for a girl than he does for me. How he wants to have a future with me. How sorry he is. Blah blah blah.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Fuck no.” I glance dubiously at him before moving my eyes in front of me.
I know the only reason Sean is still interested is because I’m not. He likes the chase, which became clear after the long list of girls he screwed around with.
“Do you want to believe him?” The tone in his voice is sincere, creating a sense of trust inside of me, and I relax into my seat.
“Hell no. My ego just can’t stand how he keeps talking to me like I’m this na?ve little girl that he can sweet talk back into his bed,” I grunt.
I don’t like to be played.
“And here I thought only men had ego issues.” He laughs while reaching into the bag of gummy bears again to find the flavor he wants.
“Oh no, sometimes I wonder if I should buy my ego a house. It’s pretty big.” I shrug shamelessly. “But not as big as those hockey motherfuckers.” I point my thumb at Jensen beside me. “They need skyscrapers to fit their ego in.”
“Yeah, or a shopping mall.”
We both laugh, and I like how comfortable I feel around him.
“How did you guys meet?′ I ask curiously, catching his eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Boarding school. We were twelve when we went to the Shepard’s Boys Facility in Vermont.′
“Really? You went to boarding school?” I cock my eyebrow at him.
I figured Jensen went to boarding school, coming from a politician family and all, but I never would have guessed Bodi went to boarding school as well.
“Oh yeah. A very rich father and an alcoholic mother is the sum for a kid shipped off to boarding school.” He shrugs.
“They don’t have boarding schools in Australia?”
“My uncle lives on the East Coast. With my mother going in and out of rehab, my father was never sure if I could go home during the holidays. Staying with my uncle was the better option.”
For a second, I see pain in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, don’t be!” He dismisses my look with a genuine spark in his eyes. “My parents tried; they just didn’t know how to raise a kid in their situation. They thought they did what was best for me. In a way, I guess they did. I met Jay, and we vowed we would do better than they did.”
“Did you?” I hold my hand up for a gummy bear, my eyes on the road as he drops a few in my hand.
“Definitely. Jay’s goal was to become an NHL player by twenty-five. Mine was to have a publishing company.”
“Well, he succeeded,” I say, glancing at the sleeping guy beside me.
The muscles in his face are relaxed and calm, his normal smug look completely gone. My hand wants to reach out and brush his cheek, and my heart jerks, surprised by the sudden affection I’m feeling.
“What about you?”
A proud look washes his face. “Ever heard of Kayman Publishing International? Or KPI?”
“No shit!” I blurt in awe. “KPI is yours?”
KPI has brought on five best sellers in the last year, making it the number one publisher in the business right now. Not that I make it my business to know shit about publishing companies, but my cousin Kayla wants to be a publicist, and she mentioned KPI a few times.
He nods, taking another gummy bear.
“Whoa, I’m impressed,” I admit, holding up my hand again.
We both stare at the road ahead of us, unfazed by the sudden silence that occurs.
“You know… he’s not that bad,” he whispers, changing the subject, cocking his head at Jensen to make sure he doesn’t wake up.
I turn around to look at Bodi in question, then roll my eyes at him.
“I’m serious.”
“I’m not saying he is a bad person. In general,” I hiss, turning my eyes back to the road to avoid his eyes laced with a hint of judgment.
“Goldilocks, listen to me.” I laugh at his newfound nickname for me as he proceeds, “He is not like them. He puts on a grand act. In fact, sometimes I wonder why he wouldn’t pursue a career in acting, but that’s all it is. An act. ”
“Bodi, he can be a good friend or son or whatever. But in the end, they are all the same. They think it’s normal to cheat on their wives and hump around with whoever they want. It’s fine, it’s just not something that I support. And after Sean, that became even more clear.′
“No, he doesn’t.” He shivers his head in the corner of my eyes when he adds, “He never cheated on Emily. Not once . He is not like Sean.′
“You realize I’ve been writing about twenty statements to cover his tracks?” I sigh, unconvinced, but also a bit puzzled why he even brings it up.
“Stating what? How he didn’t cheat on Emily? That he didn’t sleep with any of those girls? I know what you wrote. I’m just telling you it’s also the truth. I know you don’t trust him, but trust me; he is not like Sean. He has never cheated on Emily.” He looks into the rearview mirror, keeping his gaze focused on mine with an intensity that demands for me to listen.
I don’t peg Bodi for a liar, nor a person who would be a wingman when his best friend goes on a cheating spree. If that’s even a thing.
“Then why pretend he did?”
“Like I said, it’s an act. He is not as bad as you think he is. Trust me, give him a chance. He might surprise you.” He blurts the words out at high speed, as if he doesn’t want me to reply, then points at the upcoming gas station, dismissing the conversation. “Can you pull over? You need coffee, and I need food.”
“Yeah, sure,” I reply, a little dazed, as his words keep lingering in the back of my head, wondering if I’ve been judging Jensen too harshly this whole time.