Finding Dandelion (Dearest #2) (11 page)

“Thanks for being so understanding. I’ve had a bad streak of luck with relationships this year, and I’m feeling a little burned. Trust me when I say this has everything to do with me and not you. Honestly, if you had asked me out this summer when I got my ink, I’d have been all over you.”

He smirks, and I laugh at how forward I sound. A second later he groans and runs his hands through his dark hair. “I’m kicking myself for not asking you out when we met. I thought about it.”

I would have said yes, and I wonder if dating him before I met Jax would have made a difference.

By the end of our date, I have to admit Brady is great. Maybe we could be more than friends down the road. We decide to hang out next week and maybe grab a movie, and I’m beginning to feel a little more optimistic about life when he drops me off at my brownstone.

When I get home, Clem accosts me at the door. “What are you doing tomorrow morning?”

I take off my jacket and drop my bag by the couch. I shrug. “Some homework. Nothing major. Why?”

“Would you mind doing me a huge favor?” She almost looks embarrassed, and I wonder if she needs more help with her book. I hooked her up with a friend who did her website, and I created some book covers, but I think she’s pretty married to her old one. But I like Clem, and I want us to be friends, especially now that I know all the shit she’s been through.

“Sure. Whatever you need.”

“Would you mind coming with Jenna and me to BC to see my brother’s game?”

My heart sinks, and the polite smile I had on my face a minute ago freezes. She sees my expression and nods.

“I know it sounds lame, but Jax is a great player, and I’ll totally spring for lunch. I used to go to all of his games, but I haven’t been to any this fall, and I’ve kind of blown him off since we had that argument last week.”

She looks away as her mouth twists into a frown, and I feel bad that I’m not being supportive. I guess I can do this for Clem.

I try to smile again. “Sounds like fun. Count me in.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

- Jax -

When I see my sister in the stands, I jog over, but I almost stumble when I realize who she brought. Dani is wearing the letter X across her snug-fitting shirt.

I turn back to my sister. “Shit. You went all out. You haven’t done the t-shirts since high school.”

After our “heart-to-heart” last week, I was sure Clem wanted to murder me in my sleep, so I was more than surprised when she called a few days ago and asked for tickets to my game. She told me she wanted to move forward, that she wanted me in her life. I can’t even express what that meant to me.

Clem reaches over to give me a hug. “It’s my way of making up for missing so many games this season.”

The girls are wearing the letters that spell my name, but I’m only drawn to one. “X marks the spot.” I don’t intend to say those words out loud, but I do.

My sister’s eyes follow mine, and I realize she sees me staring at Dani, who is talking quietly with Jenna.

Clem nudges me. “No, Jax.”

I get the message. Off limits. I want to tell my sister that I know, that I remember what happened the last time, but I don’t.

But damn it, Dani looks good. Fresh-faced, wide-eyed, laughing with her friend.

I half listen to my sister talk about my game, and as I’m about to head back to the field, she punches me lightly. “Go kick some ass, Apple Jacks.”

I smile and then look up into the stands. I don’t know why I look. Nothing ever changes. My mother never comes. You’d think it wouldn’t bother me anymore, but it does. This is the game I play. I pretend to still be her son, return her calls, see her when she beckons, and the bills get paid. Yeah, there’s a lot of love. Part of me doesn’t understand why my sister couldn’t do the same thing—do things my mother’s way—but the other part respects the shit out of her for cutting the cords.

As I run back, I swear I can feel Dani’s eyes on me. Either that or I’m turning into a fucking nutcase. She wouldn’t even look at me when I was standing two feet away, so I don’t know why she’d be staring now.

One thing is for sure, though. Having Dani in the stands makes me play like my life depends on it. I score two goals, including the game winner. My coach is pleased as a fucking peach when I walk up to the bench.

“Son, good game. I liked the fire I saw in you.” He pats me on the back and leans toward me like he wants to impart some kind of parental advice. “You’re an amazing athlete and my best forward, but you’ve been missing that spark. You had it today. Keep it up. Don’t let anything distract you.”

The way he says that gets under my skin. I want to tell him that I’m not the screwup he thinks I am, but it’s not worth it. But he’s right that something’s been missing. I don’t know if it’s because my sister and I have cleared the air or the fact that her roommate came, but today I cared, and I haven’t cared about anything in a long time.

My roommate Nick joins me on the walk back to the locker room. “I forgot how hot your sister is.”

I turn to him, and in all seriousness, want to threaten every bone in his body. “She’s off limits, dickhead.”

He smirks and punches me in the arm. “I know. But how about her friends? Damn, they’re gorgeous, especially that one with the pink in her hair. You know how I love those BU girls.”

That doesn’t make me feel any better.

I shoot him a dirty look. I know he’s just jerking my chain, but I’m still pissed about it. My sunny disposition takes another nosedive later that day when Daren stops by my condo.

“I need to talk to her,” he says gruffly.

I don’t need to ask who. I know he saw my sister in the stands today.

“Do you really want to do this?” He just got engaged to my sister’s former best friend, and now he wants to talk to Clementine? “I think she has a boyfriend now.”

“Yeah, I met him. He looked like he wanted to punch me.”

My head jerks toward Daren. “When did this happen?”

“At your game during half time.” Daren smirks. “He didn’t look excited when I hugged her. Either time.”

I bark out a laugh. “You’ve got balls, brother. I should deck you for him.”

“Yeah, but you won’t. I don’t want to make the moves on her. I’ve put her through enough shit. But I need to apologize. I never manned up to her and said what needed to be said, and when I saw her today, that all came crashing back to me.” He wipes his hands on his jeans. “Jax, I miss her. She was always there for me, and I fucked up, royally. But I know you two haven’t been the same since I screwed up. That’s not fair to you guys.”

I walk toward the window and pull back the curtain.

“What are you doing, Jax?”

My head turns up toward the sky. “Checking to see if pigs are flying since it looks like you got your head out of your ass.” I duck because I know what’s coming. The pillow whizzes past my head, and I laugh. “You’re losing your touch, Heisman.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

- Dani -

As I finish putting out the snacks on our coffee table, I decide I have to ask.

“Do you think she’s ready for this?”

Jenna gets a mischievous smile on her face and winks. “Too bad if she’s not. Clem’s been holed up for weeks, and it’s time to live a little.” Then she leans closer to me. “This is why she loves me. I push her. Trust me. She needs pushing.”

“You know her better than I do, but if she knocks you over the head with a dildo, I’m out of here.”

Jenna laughs. “She’s going to have a great time. Besides, Gavin will thank us for keeping his girl fully stocked.”

I can admit that Clem might need a little pick-me-up, but I’m not sure this is the way to go about it. The coffee table is littered in neon-colored phallic objects. The vendor has spread out an assortment of toys that looks like candy-flavored sin. I’m pretty sure Clem is going to have a heart attack when she sees this.

The last several weeks have been a whirlwind of bizarro drama.

Clem’s dirtbag professor who stalked her a few years ago was at it again. Fortunately, the asshole is behind bars now. She’s even worked out things with Daren, who looks at her like she walks on water. It’s funny to see Clem with her little entourage of hot guys. Between Gavin, Daren and Jax, she’s the envy of every girl on campus, not that she’s the kind of person to care about things like that.

Of course, this means I see Jax constantly. Now that he and his sister have worked through their issues, I swear he’s always over here hanging out.

We continue to have painfully awkward conversations that generally end with me ducking into my room. It would be so much easier if I could disconnect from my attraction to him, but my body wants him the way a diabetic lusts for fudge. I swear his pheromones must be super charged because if he’s in the room, my follicles stand on end like he’s magnetized.

I know Clem appreciates that she’s close with her brother again, but it makes it pretty damn hard to forget about him.

It’s sweet to watch them together. They’re always giving each other shit, but they never push too far. It makes me ache to see my mom.

I’m lost in thoughts about Chicago when a gasp makes me turn my head.

“What the fuck is this?” The horror on Clem’s face makes me laugh.

“You’re early!” Jenna pulls her through the front door. “We’re having a sex toy party. Girls only of course. And Travis.” She winks at me. “People are getting here in about twenty minutes.” Jenna turns Clem toward her bedroom and sends her off to change with a pat on the ass.

“You can get her to do anything,” I muse. “You’re the Clementine whisperer.”

Jenna snorts as she reaches for her phone. “I have to get her in the right frame of mind. Time for a few rounds of Out-Skank.”

Out-Skank is Jenna’s sexting game. The winner usually gets a free dinner or a drink the next time we go out. I’m guessing tonight’s winner will get something from the coffee table of sin.

She shows me the text she sends Clem:
“I want to rub your nub, baby.”

A minute later, I hear laughter coming from Clem’s room. She writes back:
“I want to waggle your man meat.”

Jenna and I giggle, and she hands me her phone to respond. I write,
“Waggle me in your hot muff and tell me some slut smut.”

We erupt in laughter, and Clem walks out ready to join the party. For the first time since I met her this fall, she’s all smiles and laughter. Wow. Clementine actually giggles. I didn’t know she was capable of making that sound.

When the party gets started, I can’t help but blush when Denise, the sex toy consultant, demonstrates how to use the various instruments. One rotates, another vibrates and whirrs, the purple one strokes one spot and the pink one gyrates the other. For the life of me, I had no clue that women had so many erogenous zones to manipulate.

I pick up a small jar of Nipple Nibbler balm.

“That’s one of my biggest sellers,” Denise says, pointing to the item in my hand. “It plumps the nipple and makes it tingle with a lovely warming agent. It tastes like cinnamon and doubles as a fabulous lip gloss that makes your lips look fuller.”

Jenna practically knocks me over reaching for it. “I want one! Ryan is going to love this. Does it come in a jumbo container?”

All the girls laugh. Jenna and Ryan’s sex life is legendary. I’ve accidentally walked in on them twice. Both times I was pretty sure their positions were threatening the laws of gravity.

Travis leans over Jenna and grabs the container and twists open the lid so he can take a whiff.

“Hmm. Yummy.” He cocks an eyebrow. “So, uh, can this stuff nibble other stuff? Like, if it ends up on my junk, it won’t hurt my Balzac or anything, right?” Leave it to Travis to refer to his man parts by referencing a French author.

I have to hand it to Denise. She doesn’t blush at his question, instead kneeling in front of Travis to assure him that this is an all-purpose balm.

Fortunately, the orders are done privately, so each one of us gets to walk into one of the bedrooms to order directly from the company. I decide to splurge on a purple vibrator and a pink rabbit thingy that stimulates the nubbin. In the gift bag, I also get a complimentary Nipple Nibbler balm and a little ring made of this green stretchy plastic that reminds me of a giant gummy bear.

When I’m done ordering, I walk back into the living room and grab a seat next to Jenna. I pull out the green ring and lean over to her, whispering, “What’s this for?”

“Omigod! How cute! A cock ring. What a great stocking stuffer!”

I look at Clem. She looks at me. And while we both turn deep shades of crimson, everyone laughs.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

- Jax -