Chapter 14 #2
The most seductive lie, the most refined torture.
His face was wet, as was the messy hair that straggled over his forehead.
A leather jacket made his shoulders look even wider and highlighted his fit biceps.
Underneath it, a basic white V-neck sweater was completely saturated with water, plastering it to the sculpted shape of his pecs and stomach.
My eyes flicked then to his powerful legs, swathed in black skinny jeans, before moving back up to his face.
Specifically to the swollen, slightly parted lips that had so often inspired my most sinful desires.
I stared at him in shock: I hadn’t expected to find him at my front door. I tried to breathe steadily as I considered my options. I could give him the boot and show him how angry he’d made me. Or I could invite him in and hear what he had to say.
“I take it this is your bizarre way of saying hello? Hi to you too,” I answered in a shaky voice. I wished I could have projected more confidence, but my agitation showed. My heart was bursting from my chest and my body trembled under his dark yet terribly arousing stare.
“Can I come in?” He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. It was incredibly sexy, and I couldn’t help but watch his muscles in the white sweater he wore under his leather jacket.
I tried to get myself together and think about what I needed to do. Neil deserved to be left out in the freezing rain or to have me scream “Go back to New York!” at him. But, instead, what I said was…
“Yes.” I cleared my throat and stepped aside to let him in.
A hint of a smile played at his lips, and the honey of his eyes lit up with all the splendor of the sunrise.
That moment was confirmation of how completely gone I was for the man.
His stare was enough to bring me back to life.
His presence was enough to keep from giving up in most hopeless moments.
His smile was enough to light up the night sky.
I wanted to hate him; I wanted to stay far away from him.
I had tried to burn my love for him out of my soul, down to the roots.
But all I had to do was see him again, and the feeling bloomed again: overpowering, untamed, and even stronger than before.
“Are you by yourself?” His voice pulled me out of my daze. Neil came forward a few steps, and I watched him wipe his shoes on the blue, crescent-shaped rug just inside the door.
“Logan and Alyssa came by today.” I ignored the question, and out of nerves I said the first thing that popped into my head. I was also confused—Alyssa had told me that Neil didn’t want to see me, yet now he was here, right in front of me and not in one of my dreams.
“Yeah, I know,” was all he said, sounding slightly irritated. I closed the door behind him, and he touched his wild hair with one hand. My eyes tracked a trail of droplets until they vanished into his short beard. It looked good on him.
“I’d like to talk,” he answered, catching me off guard.
He of all people wanted to talk?
“So you can tell me that I mean nothing to you and you were just using me? Trust me, I got it,” I snapped indignantly, drawing on the anger I’d been suppressing for far too long.
He hadn’t gotten in touch, he hadn’t apologized, and now he wanted to just swan into my house with his smug attitude and careless air like he knew he already had me in his grasp? Well, he didn’t.
“Sweetheart. Who was at the do—” My mother appeared behind me in a pair of black pants and a blue sweater, the long sleeves of which she was rolling up over her forearm.
She turned her blue eyes on the boy in front of her.
A lock of hair slipped from her orderly bun, and she moved it aside with her index finger.
“Hello, Ms…” Neil looked to me like I was going to supply my mother’s last name, which he had surely forgotten. But I remained silent.
“Ms…” he said again, less confidently this time. He rubbed an eyebrow with his thumb and looked my way again, seeking my help, which I cheerfully denied.
“Ms…um…Calvin?” He hazarded a skeptical look. I held myself back from laughing outright, and he must have seen that because he immediately started glowering at me.
My mother, however, continued to watch cautiously as Neil licked his lips in a particularly uncomfortable way. I’d never seen him look so nervous before.
“Martin,” my mother corrected at last, a faint, amused smile on her face.
“Judith Martin,” she elaborated gently, and unable to control myself any longer, I burst out laughing, even resting a hand on my stomach.
They both turned to look at me, and my mother cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
Neil, by contrast, just clenched his jaw.
“Yeah, pardon me, Ms. Martin. My memory’s not so great,” he explained before turning back to me with a look so severe that it immediately extinguished my laughter.
“Selene, is this how I taught you to welcome a guest?” my mother admonished me, letting me know I needed to get it together. Then she turned back to the walking disaster who stood before us. “You’re Neil, right?” A warm, welcoming smile lit up her face, and she looked him top to bottom.
“Yes,” he answered, standing motionless there with his clothes all soaked and his powerful body exuding a breathtaking beauty. I knew he wasn’t going to be particularly chatty with my mother either. In fact, he’d probably already said more than he’d like.
“Well, Neil, I think you need to change your clothes, or you’re going to get yourself a bad cold.” My mother lifted her index finger, and Neil looked down at his sodden clothing and sighed.
“Does it always storm like this in Detroit? This freezing rain is a real motherfu…” He paused, looking from me to her, and I gave him a minute head shake. “Fluffer… A real motherfluffer.” He cleared his throat and forced a faint smile that somehow turned out sensual.
“I agree with you, Neil. I’m going to go get something for you to wear. I think I still have some of Matt’s old things,” my mother explained briskly, tapping a finger on her chin.
I looked at Neil and immediately saw that he was very nervous, so much so that I could feel how difficult it was for him to keep talking to her. By now I knew him better than he realized. As soon as my mother retreated, Mr. Disaster’s golden eyes turned on me, looking irritated.
“You done fucking with me now?” he chided me, his eyebrow raised.
“Calvin,” I repeated mockingly, still trying to keep from laughing.
“So immature,” he muttered with a roll of his eyes.
“And you’re an asshole. I still haven’t forgotten about what you told Matt,” I said, making a challenging face, and he smiled at me, amused.
“Looks like you missed me, didn’t you, Tinkerbell?” He gave me a seductive wink, and I felt my cheeks blaze with heat.
“If I’d really missed you, I would have gotten in touch with you,” I answered firmly, determined that I was going to act just like him.
He was the one who taught me, after all, how to give biting answers and act like I couldn’t care less.
But something changed in Neil’s eyes, and he strode toward me determinedly until he could take my hair in his fist. Surprised, I let out a cry of pain, and he breathed against my lips, making me go rigid.
My arms twitched with tension. I looked defiantly into his eyes.
“You can’t lie to me, Babygirl. Remember that,” he whispered. His pupils had dilated enough to reduce his irises to a thin, golden ring.
“Here you go, Neil.” I winced at the sound of my mother’s voice, and he pulled away, restoring his composed equilibrium. Oblivious to everything, my mother handed him some clean clothes and smiled.
“Many thanks,” Neil said, almost imperceptibly, as though he weren’t accustomed to such gestures. Then my mother pointed out the bathroom, and we both watched his imposing figure walk in that direction.
“Well, he’s undoubtedly very sexy, but that doesn’t justify you not telling me about the two of you,” my mother said the moment he disappeared behind the bathroom door.
“Mom, this is not the time to talk about it.” I chided her softly so Neil wouldn’t overhear. “And there’s nothing going on between us. We’re just two screwed-up people,” I added quickly, and she gave me a skeptical look.
“Screwed up?” she echoed, confused.
“Yeah,” I said with a heartbroken sigh. There wasn’t any other way to describe us.
Moments later, we were interrupted by the sound of Neil’s footsteps, and we both turned to look at him, now standing in the living room wearing a pair of Matt’s sweatpants.
The sweater, which had an electric blue sports logo in the middle, was too tight on his powerful arms and torso.
The pants fit him okay but were a bit too short for him.
“Maybe I should try to find something bigger?” My mother cocked her head to the side and frowned.
“Matt and I don’t wear the same size, but it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” he told her with a hint of irony, almost sounding…nice.
Almost.
“Alas, my husband was not a giant, and he never had all those muscles you’ve got,” my mother said merrily, making me blush.
Neil looked unmoved as always and just gave her a smile.
I needed to have a talk with her soon; she couldn’t be showering him with compliments like a teenage girl with her first crush.
“Have a seat on the couch with Selene, dear, and I’ll make you some hot tea.
Or would you rather have something else?
” she asked, heading for the kitchen, but Neil shook his head, declining with a simple “I’m good. ”
With my mother safely away in the kitchen, we were alone, and I glanced around uncomfortably, unsure about what to do next. Neil wasn’t here by accident; he hadn’t come to Detroit for small talk over a nice cup of tea.