9. Kiley
CHAPTER NINE
KILEY
The first thing I feel when I wake up from my comatose sleep is the dull ache in my neck.
As I start to rustle around in bed, the faint pulsing of pain in my head quickly turns into a throbbing headache.
My throat is dry and parched. I throw my hand out onto the nightstand and feel my way through the contents until I touch what feels like a bottle of water.
My crusty eyelids crack open so I can unscrew the cap from the lid.
I gulp down the water, finishing the bottle in its entirety.
I lay back in bed with a groan, regretting every single drop of liquor I consumed last night.
The smell of bacon and coffee makes its way to my nostrils, causing my stomach to growl in hungry rage.
As soon as we got back to the house we’re renting, I threw up multiple times and emptied all the contents of my stomach.
Poor Audrey not only had to deal with me throwing up, but Lyra as well.
It was a rough night for our whole group.
I throw back the covers and slowly ease out of bed.
I look down at myself to see that the girls put me in my pajamas, of which I have zero recollection.
I head to the bathroom and relieve my bladder, wash off the caked-on makeup from last night and brush my teeth.
Once done, I open my bedroom door and see everyone is up and gathered around the kitchen island, reminiscing about last night’s adventures.
“Naughty Kiley is finally up!” Lyra exclaims in too loud of a voice. “I’ve been dying to wake you up. Audrey held me back multiple times, so you have her to thank.”
“Thank you,” I grumble to Audrey. “How does she have so much energy right now?”
“I was smart and took ibuprofen after my last throw up session. Not to mention, I’ve had two cups of coffee already.”
“Do you mind talking slower and lowering your decibel level for a bit? Some of us haven’t had any coffee yet.”
“Here you go.” Audrey places a cup of coffee and a plate full of bacon, eggs and toast right in front of me as I sit down. “Here is also something to help with the headache.” She hands me two pills and a glass of water.
“Thank you, Mother Audrey.” I swallow the pills with water and dig into my food.
I’m devouring my eggs when I realize no one is talking. I glance up to see everyone staring at me.
“What’s the matter?” I ask with a mouthful of food.
“Nothing,” Janell, one of Lyra’s best friends, answers. “We’re just waiting for you to finish so we can ask our questions.”
I swallow my food and frown. “Questions? About what?”
“About why you were going to suck face with Manwhore Morrow,” Audrey answers. My fork slips out of my hand and clatters loudly on the plate as memories from last night start flooding my mind.
Jax rescuing me from the skeezy guy trying to dance with me.
Jax engulfing me in his big, strong arms, making me feel safe.
Jax smelling so good that I wanted to wrap my legs around him and hump him like a dog in heat.
The feeling of Jax’s hard on and the friction of it rubbing against my core that almost made me come undone.
Me demanding Jax to kiss me.
Jax turning me down.
Apparently he’s not a manwhore… or maybe he just didn’t want to kiss me. For some reason, the thought bothers me.
Who am I kidding? The man screws models. I’m nowhere in the same league.
“Ah, I see she’s remembering, ladies. Who’s going first?”
“I am!” Lyra shouts while raising her hand.
I grab my head and close my eyes. “Lyra, please. My medicine hasn’t kicked in yet.”
“Sorry,” she whispers. “Okay, I’m just going to get straight to the good stuff. Did you guys kiss before we interrupted?”
“Wait, you can’t just jump ahead like that,” Arya, Lyra’s younger sister, interjects. “I need details from the beginning.”
“Ugh, fine,” Lyra concedes in irritation. “Kiley, start talking.”
Since there’s no way I’m getting out of this conversation, I take a sip of coffee and give myself a moment to recall everything. “There’s not really much to tell. One minute I was trying to get the sleazy dude off of me and the next, Jax was in front of me, telling the guy to scram.”
“Did you know Jax was going to be there?” Audrey asks.
I shake my head. “Not at all. They were in town for a game, and it’s just a coincidence that we ended up at the same bar at the same time.”
“What happened that you ended up wrapped in each other’s arms?”
I blush and look down at my food. “That was all me. He had his arm around me to keep me upright. I really liked his cologne, so I got closer to smell him better.”
They continue looking at me in silence, waiting for more details. “I haven’t been with someone since Zander’s dad, so yeah, um… his cologne made me horny, and I asked him to kiss me,” I admit in embarrassment.
They all gasp at the same time. “And did he?” Lyra asks.
“No, he didn’t. Said it would be a bad idea.”
“Why would it be a bad idea?” Janell questions. “Does he have a girlfriend?”
“The man is anti-relationships, so that’s definitely not the reason.”
“I think it’s because of your dad,” Audrey responds. “He refrained out of respect for him. It sure wasn’t because he didn’t want to. That man looked like he was ready to suck your soul right out of you.”
“Or fuck her soul right out of her.” The girls laugh at Lyra’s comment, and I feel my cheeks heat. I didn’t even consider my dad being the reason for Jax denying me, but now that I think about it, it makes sense.
“Then what happened?” Lyra inquires.
“Nothing. You guys interrupted right after that.”
Lyra's shoulders sag in defeat. “That’s it? You really didn’t kiss?”
“We were close, but our lips didn’t touch.”
“But other body parts sure did.” Janell winks at me. “Tell us, how big did he feel?”
I giggle at everyone’s eager faces. “Let’s just say the man was hard everywhere.”
We all laugh, and it feels so good to sit around with girlfriends in a safe space and talk about guys. It's been way too long since I’ve done this. I really need to take my parents up on their offer to watch Zander more. There’s no reason I can’t have a girls’ night at least once a month.
“So what’s going to happen the next time you guys see each other?”
“I’m going to have to apologize for acting like a wanton and thank him for rescuing me.
” I haven’t exactly been the nicest to Jax since we’ve known each other, so for him to want to help me says a lot about his character.
I was wrong about Jax and judged him too harshly.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to have your relationship plastered over the tabloids and then everyone wanting to know why you broke up.
My last serious relationship was in college, and I was the one who broke up with my boyfriend because I didn’t feel any spark for him.
I’ve never had my heart broken before, and I hope I never do.
“What if he wants to continue where you guys left off?” Lyra wiggles her eyebrows, and I chuckle.
“Not going to happen.”
“Excuse me, but can we go back and discuss that your kid is five, and you just revealed you haven’t had sex since his conception?” Arya looks at me in awe.
“She’s a single mom; she doesn’t make herself a priority,” Audrey responds and gives me a knowing look. She’s always on me about not going on dates.
“Guys, I live with my brother and son, work full-time and have a part-time job as well. I don’t have the time or the energy to date.”
“Who said anything about dating? You just need to get laid,” Lyra comments, and everyone agrees.
“Last time I got laid, Zander arrived ten months later. Don’t want that to happen again until I have a ring on my finger.”
“That was an accident—” Audrey holds up her hands when she sees I’m about to argue. “—a happy accident, but nevertheless, an accident. You shouldn’t let it hold you back from having some fun.”
“I have fun… with my vibrator.” I wink at Audrey.
She scoffs with a smile. “That’s not the same thing, and you know it.”
“I don’t know; I think it might be better. Doesn’t talk back, won’t get me pregnant, and always gets the job done.”
“Okay, she has a point.” Janell laughs and gives me a high-five.
“You might be right, but I think you need a fuck buddy until you meet the man of your dreams. Someone who is safe, reliable and agrees to no strings attached. Someone exactly like Jax Morrow.”
I laugh at Audrey’s joke but then stop when I see she’s serious. “You’re crazy. That’s the worst idea ever.”
“Why? It’s a guaranteed good time with a hot hockey player.”
“It also might be a guaranteed STD with that man’s track record.” She starts to interject, but I stop her. “This is not even up for debate. Not happening, end of discussion.”
“Will you at least let me set you up with some of Luke’s single friends?”
“Wyatt has some hot single friends as well,” Lyra offers, and I smile at the girls. I know if I say no right now, it will start an argument.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell them, hoping that pacifies them. “Now can we change the subject and talk about something else?”
“Fine, but Kiley—” I look up at Lyra when she says my name. “—you better text us as soon as you see Jax and let us know what happens.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “Fine, but it probably won’t be exciting.” I was drunk on liquid courage and incredibly horny last night when I saw Jax. It was a one and done situation and won’t ever happen again.
“We’ll be the judge of that.” Lyra walks over and holds out her pinky. “Pinky swear you will text us with every single detail that transpires between the two of you.”
I press my lips together to keep from laughing. “I pinky swear,” and intertwine our pinkies together.
We clean up after breakfast and get ready for our last day and night in St. Louis.
While showering, I think back to the conversation with the girls.
It would be nice for Zander to have some sort of father-figure in his life besides my brother and father, but the thought of putting myself in the dating game makes me shudder.
I don’t want to just bring anyone around Zander, and it would take a long time to feel comfortable with someone to even make that decision.
When would I even have time to get to know a person?
The idea of dating or even having a friend with benefits doesn’t seem realistic, and I’m okay with that. Providing a life for Zander is my number one priority, and no one is worth taking my time away from my son.