Pieces of Summer (A stand-alone novel) (13 page)

Chapter 25

CHASE

“Big brother called me today,” Blake says as he walks into my shop, looking over at me as I finish dabbing away the excess ink on the spine of the girl who is lying face-down in my chair.

“Who?” I ask absently, moving around to examine my work.

“Aidan. He called. Asked if I’d seen his sister out any. What’s his deal? And why is he calling me? I don’t know him.”

“Hell if I know,” I tell him as the chick in my chair stands up and gives me a naked shot of her chest.

I don’t even acknowledge it as I turn around and grab the aftercare bag. Glad I make them prepay. It means I can just walk away while she takes her time putting her shirt on.

She doesn’t bat an eye as she faces Blake, and he gives her a lopsided grin while staring at her rack.

“What’d you tell him?” I ask Blake as I go over to the sink to wash my hands.

“Told him she was getting out some, but didn’t go into details. Obviously. He asked if you were staying away. I didn’t want to lie, so I told him you were doing your own thing.”

“I’m guessing she told him what she stumbled onto that time she came back,” I grumble.

As the flasher walks by, she sticks something in Blake’s hand, and he watches her ass all the way out.

“I love summer girls.”

As if I needed my summer girl to be in my head any more than she already is.

“So, you and Mika? How’s that going? I can only assume that’s where you’ve been hanging out since you never answer your phone anymore, and Bertie mentioned you two sat in Little Bit Of Italian Heaven for hours the other day.”

Small towns equals big mouths.

“Yeah. I’m… I have no fucking clue what I’m doing to be honest. I suddenly feel like a teenager again, because I’m not acting like myself at all around her.”

I’d have already fucked her and had her begging me to stay with her by now if I was acting like me instead of an insecure fucking kid. It’s annoying. But that’s what she does to me. She drives me crazy and makes me forget who I am.

He starts to say more, but I glance at the clock, realizing that ink took longer than planned. I only have five minutes to get to Mika’s. I could use a shower and stuff, but I promised her six, and she’s a stickler for punctuality.

Blake is still talking as I grab my keys and jog to the truck.

“The hell, man?” he yells.

“Can’t fuck up on night one,” I tell him, laughing when he gives me an incredulous look.

I roll into her driveway at exactly six, and she opens the door with relief in her eyes when she sees me. When I smile at her, she shakily leans against the door. It almost looks like she’s been worried I wasn’t going to show.

She looks incredible. Her hair is down and curled in waves, showing how long it’s gotten. She’s wearing a low cut shirt that has me wanting to trace her skin with my tongue.

Immediately my jeans feel too tight.

Her cut off shorts have strings dangling and playing with the tan flesh of her legs. Legs that I remember too well when they were wrapped around me.

“Care if I take a shower in your house? I was running late but didn’t want to keep you waiting.” Cold shower it is, thanks to the unrelenting hard-on.

She turns a little pale, but she nods. What the hell?

When I reach her, she lets me cup her chin, tilting her head up so that our eyes meet.

“You okay?”

She nods against my hand and slowly melts against me. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, and I watch it, fighting the urge to take it and suck it into my mouth. There are a lot of places I want to put my mouth, but I’ve got to take things slow.

She’s staying, though. Just knowing that… Fuck. I can’t help myself.

I may not can give her what she wants in life, but I can’t ignore the fact she’s never really moved on. Especially if she’s finding a thousand ways to kill me.

My lips twitch, but she doesn’t notice. She’s still leaning into my hand, letting me keep her close.

“Don’t ever give me an exact time again, please,” she says quietly.

My brow furrows. “Why?”

“Just don’t, okay?” she asks, looking up at me. “Please.”

“Sure. I’ll…um… I’ll go get that shower right quick, toss my clothes back on, and we’ll go.”

She nods again, and I walk by her, careful not to make her uncomfortable since she already looks nervous. Life would be fucking epic if she’d take a shower with me. That’s probably pushing things a little too fast though.

“Oh,” I say turning back around just as she does. “You look like you’re trying to drive me crazy.”

She fights not to smile, but I wink at her and resume my trip up the stairs. It feels like summer for the first time since I was a kid.

Chapter 26

MIKA

“Guess you won’t mind if I park in your front row reserved space, huh?” he jokes.

I’m nervous as we pull up into my parking space, but then I suddenly feel like an ass which takes precedent over my own nerves.

“We can’t go in there,” I groan.

“Why?” Chase asks, looking over at me. “Don’t you own it?”

His half-cocked, teasing grin is definitely better than his scowl.

“Whit is in there, and I didn’t call her to ask if this was okay.”

His smile only grows. “Thought we were just friends.”

Ignoring the fact that makes me feel like an idiot, I put my seatbelt back on. “We are just friends. But you two just broke up. It’s insensitive for her to see you out with a girl, even if we’re just friends. Especially given our history.”

He reaches over and unclips my seatbelt. “First of all, she slept with your brother as a means of breaking up with me. I shouldn’t be overly concerned with how she feels about me being friends with you. Secondly, I called her and told her we’d be stopping by and asked if she’d have an issue.”

“You did?” I ask, shifting in the seat. “And?”

“And she has an issue with me being around you, but it’s not because she’s jealous or anything. She seems to think you’re fragile or something, so she wants me to stay away. Aidan got in her head. She doesn’t know you like I do.”

Knots tighten in my stomach, but I force a smile. There was once a time when I could handle anything dealt at me.

He hops out, and I reluctantly push open the door. I don’t feel right about this. Whit deserves more respect. Hell, I could have given her the night off with pay if I hadn’t been staring at the clock all day. Why did he have to give me a time?

Before I can get down, Chase is suddenly in front of me, and his hands go to my waist as he wears that cocky smirk. He’s dressed too sexy, even though he’s still wearing the same thing he had on when he arrived—a black tee and a pair of dark jeans.

“You going to get down or just stare at me in an unfriendly way all night?” he asks, reminding me I’m gawking while his hands remain on my waist.

Rolling my eyes as he smirks, I start sliding down, and he pulls me against him, making the gesture less than friendly when I end up sliding down him.

As soon as my feet touch the ground, I stop leaning against him, and he shuts the truck door before putting his hand at the small of my back. As he guides me through the front entrance, my eyes move to the eagle statue.

“It looks lonely,” Chase says against my ear, making it easy to hear his deep voice over the roar of the music and the crashing of the pins.

A shiver travels down my spine, and he smiles at me while pulling back and taking my hand to lead me toward the counter. I wince when I see Whit, trying to retract my hand from Chase’s. He reluctantly lets it go, but he looks disappointed when he turns back to face me.

Before he can say anything, Whit is bouncing up to the counter. She glares at Chase for a second before turning a smile on me. I hope she isn’t just nice to me because I’m her boss.

“I have your lane waiting for you. Be glad the jerk called. It would have been embarrassing to ask the owner to wait when you haven’t even played a game since you bought the place.”

It’s packed in here. That’s for sure.

“Need shoes?” she asks.

I shake my head and point to my feet. You’re not supposed to wear shoes on the floor that you wore outside, but I’m the owner, so fuck it. I’m not wearing rental shoes.

“I need some,” Chase tells her.

She rolls her eyes while going to grab a pair, and Chase pulls out his wallet as she returns and puts two large shoes on the counter in front of him. I stifle a smile when Whit starts laughing.

“You really think I’m going to charge the owner for the lane?” Whit asks, amused.

Chase fights his own smile before nodding and putting his wallet away. “I was going to pay. Not the owner.”

He starts to reach for me, but I start walking around the counter as Whit walks out. She immediately takes my side and casts another glare behind her at Chase, who deliberately lags behind.

“Hope you know what you’re doing,” she says to me.

“Just being friends. That’s all.” Wish I could convince myself of that.

“Right. Anyway, I’m eager to see the two of you bowl. I’ve actually never seen Chase bowl before.”

To say this isn’t awkward would be a lie. His ex-girlfriend is about to hang out with us because I’m her employer and friend. Life is just one big pile of weirdness.

Chase is scowling at Whit when she sits down beside me.

“Aren’t you on the clock?” he asks her as he starts searching for a ball. Yeah…I need one of those too.

Getting up, I try to silence him with my eyes. He ignores my eyes.

“Lisa is the assistant manager and has the counter covered. My shift is almost up.”

She smiles mockingly at him while I grab a ball that doesn’t feel like it’s going to pull my arm out of socket when I throw it. Chase mutters something too low for me to hear over the music as he starts changing into the bowling shoes.

Whit sits behind the control screen and puts in my name and Chase’s name.

“You can play with us,” I tell her, which earns me a scowl from Chase.

“I’d rather watch this big show down.”

Chase rolls his eyes and stands to take his turn since she put him in first. I try not to stare at him, or the way his muscles flex, when he lines up his shot. I also try not to stare at his ass in those jeans…

The ball pounding the lane jars me out of my trance, and I smother my laughter when it crashes into… one pin. Chase flips off the lane like it somehow wronged him, and he goes to wait for his ball to pop up again. As soon as it emerges, he starts the cycle all over again. As do I—muscles, ass, drool… Jump when ball hits.

This time, he takes out two more, and he turns around and shakes his head.

“Wow. That was… terrible,” I say with a smug grin. “Lost your touch?”

“Let’s see you do better, princess. Sounds like you’re rustier than I am if you really haven’t played since we were kids.”

He smirks at me and I stand up, acting like I’m a badass. Grabbing my ball, I line up my shot, pull my arm back, and hear someone burst out laughing as I jerk forward an empty hand… Yep. The ball went flying behind me.

I turn around to see Chase doubled over, covering his face with his hands as his body shakes with laughter. Whit is leaned back and howling with laughter, and I flip them both off before grabbing my ball back up from the floor.

This time, I manage to roll the ball down the… gutter. Sheesh. And it’s a slow roll too, so it takes the longest roll of shame in history.

Ignoring the guffaws behind me, I try to shake out my arm and my nerves. I used to be good at this. Admittedly, a lot has happened to me since the last time I bowled. A brain injury tends to do that. I’ve forgotten how to actually line up a shot correctly.

Basic learning skills don’t apply to someone like me, and my brain doesn’t process all motor functions the way it used to. You know the saying about it being like riding a bike? I can’t remember how to ride a bike.

Blowing out a breath, I throw the ball, and it lands in the gutter once again. At least it zooms down that baby this time.

“That was so much better than I was hoping,” Chase says, still laughing so hard that he’s holding his stomach.

I glare at him, but I’m smiling when I do it, so it has no effect.

When he walks by me, he slaps me on the ass, and I grimace. Whit arches an eyebrow, but doesn’t react any other way than that.

By the eighth frame, Chase is rolling strikes and my ball is still humping the gutter. I’m starting to realize that bowling may not be in the cards for me anymore. Not that I mind. It’s still fun to watch Chase laughing as I suck. Suck at bowling that is.

“What happened to you?” he asks jokingly, laughing when my ball actually hops—yes, it freaking hops—into the gutter on the ninth frame. Nine frames and I have a big fat goose egg on the scoreboard.

Bright side? The numbered frames don’t bother me… Well, at least not unless we don’t play all ten frames. I’d probably have an issue with stopping before finishing. Also, my mind doesn’t take issue with the pins not all falling over, since they get knocked over by the arm before resetting a new frame.

If I told him what happened to me, the life would be sucked out of this room in no time. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to have that conversation. It’s nice having someone look at me the way he does… as though I’m not broken. Just like Whit does, even though she sees me as fragile.

I like people treating me like the old Mika instead of the damaged one.

“Next game, I will kick your ass. Watch this comeback,” I quip, loving the way he winks at me.

He, of course, goes on to bowl three strikes on his tenth frame, and he flexes like he used to back before he had any muscle at all on his arms. I laugh lightly while shaking my head, and I get up to take my turn.

Desperate to hit something other than the gutter, I granny roll that bad boy. Yes… I pull it between my legs and roll it forward while staying bent over. When it crashes into the pins and knocks seven over, I squeal like I just bowled a perfect three-hundred.

Turning around, I launch myself into Chase’s arms, and he laughs while hugging me against him. My lips brush his cheek, and his laughter slowly fades as his grip on me tightens, holding me closer. My arms wrap around his neck and stay that way as I rest my head against the crook of his neck.

“Finally something other than the gutter,” I say, feeling the toes of my shoes nudge his shins.

“Gutter whore,” he jokes, reminding me of the days when we were younger and he’d call me that after I hit the gutter once or twice.

“Asshole,” I mutter, unable to come up with something wittier.

“You want a drink?” he asks me, shifting me a little.

“Water,” I tell him, but he doesn’t put me down and I make no move to let go. After a few more minutes, he clears his throat and slowly lowers me to the ground.

He bends and presses his lips to my forehead, a chaste action that wouldn’t do much for anyone else. But my heart hammers my chest in reaction to the simple, sweet gesture.

When he walks away, I turn around, and immediately feel my stomach sink when I see Whit sitting and staring straight ahead with her back to me. Her shoulders are hunched, her body is tense, and I feel like an absolute ass.

I go to sit beside her, and she gives me a weak smile before turning back to face the lanes.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” I say quietly.

She laughs humorlessly. “Don’t apologize, Mika. I think I finally understand something I didn’t fully comprehend until this moment.”

“That I’m an insensitive bitch who shouldn’t have been hugging a guy I used to date in front of you so soon after your breakup?” I ask, hating myself.

She exhales heavily. “No. I realized he was never mine. He was always yours. I’ve never seen him laugh like he has tonight. I’ve never seen him smile so much. I’ve sure as hell never seen him watch anyone the way he watches you… As though the universe hangs in the balance of your every move. I was so worried he was going to break you. Now all I can think about is how easily you could break him.”

My heart clenches in my chest, but she just smiles before standing up. “I think it’s time for me to leave you two alone. It seems like you have a lot of catching up to do.” I start to speak, but she turns around before I can. “Oh, and one quick question. Do you care if I see your brother again? Really wouldn’t mind a round two or three with him.”

Gross
.

“Aidan can date whoever he wants. I’ve never interfered. And I would give you a glowing recommendation if he asked my opinion.”

She flashes a genuine smile at me before winking and walking away, drawing the attention of almost every man in here on her way out. But Chase doesn’t even notice her when she passes him. He’s too busy staring directly at me as he makes his way back with two bottles of water.

What the hell am I doing?