Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
CHELSEA
“Men! Who needs ‘em!” I clink my shot glass with the girls, and we down the tequila all at once. Wincing at the burn, I signal the bartender for another round.
Fuck, I’m going to hate myself tomorrow.
But tonight? Tonight, I want to be the old Chelsea who didn’t have a care in the world. Who could go out with her girlfriends and party and not think about Adam and why he hadn’t called me.
I want to be the old Chelsea who doesn’t worry about which brand of formula I had to buy or how many diapers I changed today.
I want to be the old Chelsea who didn’t sit and wait for her dad to come home, wondering if tonight was the night, he stopped showing up all together.
I miss the old me. I missed getting to grow in the transition if we had done this the right way. From old me to new me, girlfriend Chelsea into wife Chelsea into mom Chelsea. I think I would have liked her.
I know I would have loved the transition of Adam into boyfriend, husband and dad.
He’s a DILF for sure. That dirty blonde hair and those eyes.
His forearms are magnificent, the strength they portray.
His chest and shoulders and how those muscles felt when he moved above me.
His long, thick cock and how it felt when it hit the back of my throat. I touch my neck absentmindedly.
Britt pulls me from my reverie. “I need ‘em! Men are the greatest gifts on earth.”
“That’s because you have a good one.”
“Speaking of…” Farrah lets that linger as we turn towards the door.
Bobby is playing designated driver tonight and went and picked up Tom after dropping us girls here first. They both walk in like they own the place.
There is just something about an alpha male.
I love to watch the way they carry themselves and watch the way others respond to them.
Adam has that look. It’s what first attracted me to him. His take-charge authority, both in and out of the bedroom.
God, he was fucking killer in the bedroom.
Bobby spots us first, nudges Tom and nods his head our way. I don’t miss the way Tom's face lights up when his eyes land on Farrah. Or the way Farrah sits up straighter as he gets closer to our table.
“Ladies.” Bobby acknowledges us. “Wife,” he says in a lower tone as he dips to take Britt’s lips. They have such a way about them, you want to turn away and give them privacy, but you also can’t help but watch the love that shines through them both.
There’s a commotion by the front door and a bunch of ‘Hey Coach Gage!’ is heard bounding around the front of the bar. Jackson makes a scene wherever he goes.
“Ooh, my man is here now.” Chess waits for him to come into sight.
Damn, I’m jealous. I was supposed to be the one with a man tonight.
“Where’s Gage's Girl at?” he bellows as he heads toward the back where our table is.
His eyes are locked on her, as if she’s the only one sitting at the table.
He comes around the table behind her, and leans over her, running his hands down her arms until he locks their fingers together, and kisses her upside down.
I hear him whisper, without making out the words but she instantly blushes, and I can only imagine the filth that spilled from his mouth.
Like Britt and Bobby, Francesca has that ultimate love with Jackson.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Jackson, and I remember all the stories I read about him in those dirty magazines.
But I always saw how he looked at Chess.
And from what I see now? He’s mature, he’s calm, and he’s one hundred percent without a doubt fall-on-his-face in love with Francesca.
I wonder how Adam is feeling about this change.
“So, it’s nice of you all to come hang out with me, but I have to say, all this PDA is making me a little jealous and it’s not helping the cause.”
Billy slides up next to me, freshly showered.
I didn’t even see him enter the bar. “Chelsea, simply put, Adam is a dick. He’s self-centered and work obsessed.
I think you picked the wrong brother,” he winks and grabs a seat, wiggling his way between my sister and I.
“Hey Adley, babe, looking good tonight.”
This guy. He just can’t help himself. “Oh Billy, I’m so glad you’re here,” Adley says. “I was hoping to watch you in motion tonight.”
“Oh? I’ve got all kinds of motions. Which one’s your fav?”
I chuckle because I know Adley is about to hand his ass to him. “How you dodge the pregators. It’s a skill, really.”
He screws up his face. “The fuck’s a pregator?”
Bobby is cracking up across the table. “A chick looking to get pregnant, so you have to wife her. Ya know, like predator… pregator… Jesus, Billy, how you’ve managed not to get caught in a parent trap is beyond me.”
He blows on his hand and shines his shirt, like it’s a badge. “Skill, nothing but skill.”
I’m shaking my head. Poor Janet Casanova.
The guys get up and get another round, and we settle into a good night. I’ve had a few tequila shots. I’m feeling pretty good. A little loose. Comfortable. Mouthy.
“Billy, did Adam leave work when you did?” I have to know. I’ve checked my phone nonstop and still no text has come.
Slowly, his eyes leave Adley and come around to mine. “He did,” he says slowly.
I raise a brow waiting for more. Billy loves to talk. “Told him he better show up here if he didn’t want to watch you play basketball.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Basketball?”
“Yeah, I told him a girl like you could very easily find a rebound, if you wanted to, of course. So, the more he slacks, the faster he loses track of you.”
I shake my head, pursing my lips. “He doesn’t seem too concerned.”
“Oh, he’s concerned. Trust me. The guy just doesn’t know how to get out of his own way of thinking.
” Billy’s eyes flick past me and a little grin spreads across his lips.
He is a natural charmer. He leans a little closer to me, putting his arm around the back of my chair.
I feel him move my hair. “AAA has a lot to learn.”
We laugh together, and then I hear a throat clear and my heart drops. I push away from Billy as he says, “Hold your ground, girl.”
“Billy. Move,” Adam speaks and Billy scrambles from his chair. It’s comical, and the others laugh at his nonsense. I know it’s only half theatrics and the other half reverence for his big brother as Billy was just asking for trouble whispering in my ear like that.
I take a slow breath, harden my appearance, keeping my spine straight.
I’m rigid in my chair as Adam slinks into his.
Widening his legs as he sits, purposely brushing his thigh against mine.
I take a quick sip of my drink, avoiding looking at Adam who has not stopped staring at the side of my face, willing me to look at him, since he approached our table.
“Adam, how nice of you to join us tonight,” Britt sneers. She’s had a few drinks and I’m worried about what may come out of her mouth. She’s got a wild mouth sober.
He doesn’t answer her and he’s still looking at me, I can see him out of my peripheral vision. “I’m sorry I was late.”
“It’s fine, Adam,” I reply curtly.
“It’s not fine, Chelsea. I’m trying to apologize here, please let me.” He’s speaking low to me. The music is loud, and the rest of our table is trying not to eavesdrop, but I don’t miss the need in his voice. Or the use of the word please.
I turn to him, and just like I knew I would be, I’m locked into his intense stare.
His eyes dart around my face like he’s memorizing me, and I’m staring back, mesmerized by him.
The scruff on his face, the slight bend to his nose from when Jackson hit him with a football when they were younger.
The way his pupils are dilating like they used to when he was turned on.
“I know I screwed up. Again. Everything I told myself I would not do this time around; I already did on day one.” He leans closer, placing one arm around the back of my chair, the other leaning on the table in front of me, caging me in as he continues taking in my dress, his eyes sweeping down my chest and to my legs which are crossed and showing skin.
I hear him whisper ‘fuck’ under his breath.
Ugh, what is it about a man when he does that?
I automatically lean closer to him. His eyes dart back to mine.
“God, look at you. I’m a fucking asshole for standing you up tonight,” he growls out.
I have a choice to make here. I can allow him to draw me in, like always, or I can take a stand, like Billy said and not allow his sexual appeal to blind me.
Though taking advice from Billy is kind of going in blind, too.
I grab my drink, and the other shot that just magically appeared in front of me.
“Thought you could use that,” Billy says. God, he really wants to get a beating from Adam tonight.
“Thank you.” I slam the shot back, then chase it with my drink. Adam hasn’t moved out of my space yet and being this close to him is just so overwhelming.
Turning to Adam, I say, “Okay, so you’re sorry.
What’s next? Are we going to reschedule dinner and hopefully you remember to show up?
Or maybe you want to pick a day for you and Dominic to go to the park.
Only I won’t tell him because if you don’t show for that, his little heart won’t understand why Daddy was too busy. ”
“Chelsea, that’s not fair and you know it.
” He grows angry. He is speaking through gritted teeth.
“How can I rearrange something when I didn’t know about him?
How am I supposed to adjust years of work and clients, when I had no way to ease into it, huh?
Maybe if you had told me instead of running off two years ago, I would have been able to bring on bigger crews.
You took my choices away from me!” He slams his fist onto the table making our glasses rattle and nearby patrons take a closer look at us.
“Hey, tone it down, brother.” Jackson glances around the room.
Adam ignores Jackson and leans in even closer to me, studying me. “Are you trying to provoke me?”
“Adam.”
“You are, aren’t you? I remember this game, Peaches.
” His nostrils flare as he breathes through his nose, eyes on fire, purring the nickname he only ever whispered to me.
His hand that was on the back of my chair, sweeps my hair to the side and wraps around the back of my neck.
He squeezes and it gives me goosebumps. He directs me closer to his face, his mouth at my ear, his hot breath making me wet.
I shiver and feel him smile against my face.
I lick my bottom lip, trying to get my breathing under wraps. He’s wearing a smug look; he knows he has me.
“Stand up, Chelsea. We’re leaving.” Without thinking this through, I do what he commands. He stands also, leaving me no room so I am pushed up against him. He’s watching me intently, still with his hand on my neck.
Two can play this game. I lean up on my toes so I can whisper to him. “Take me home, TC.” His eyes flare and he fights a grin.
“You’re asking for trouble, little girl.”
“So, uh, I guess we’ll see you guys later?” Farrah asks with a dirty grin on her lips.
Shit. I forgot they were here. I hope they weren’t watching this show. Adam was always dominant with me, but never in public. He said he had an image to uphold, but it’s like I’ve pushed him to throw all that away.
And he doesn’t seem to care in the least.
“Billy, be at the house at six in the morning. We’ve got a lot of work to finish tomorrow.”
We’re moving toward the door before I even hear a reply from Billy or a goodbye from the girls.