Please Remember Me (9 page)

Jaden cleared her throat. “I’m just the third wheel.” A peal of jealousy rang through her. She and Marlon weren’t an actual couple. She had no claims, but the thought of Sabrina’s slimy hands all over Marlon made Jaden want to puke.

 
“I do know you.” Sabrina’s eyes widened and a slow sneer curled her lips. “Jade Weir, no shit.” She clicked her tongue and wrapped both arms around Marlon’s biceps. “As I live and breathe, I never expected to see you ever again.” Her gaze flicked over Jaden once more. “Went on a bender, didn’t you? A little detox and you’ll drop the weight no problem. Want me to make some calls?”

”I’m fine on my own.” Jaden scuffed the toe of her high-heeled boot on the floor, biding her time. The moment Sabrina left, she and Marlon had to talk.

“Marlon, a word?” Sabrina disengaged from Marlon’s arm and hooked her fingers into his belt loops. “Excuse us.” She dug her elbow into Jaden’s side, shoving her from the building.

Shit. Jaden chewed the corner of her mouth as a pair of officers strolled up to the shed. She tipped her head in a silent nod to Bobby. They’d have to meet up in public eventually with him still at the station, but the other man…where’d she know him from? Black hair, like coal. The nose on the officer looked right. Kind of.

Behind her, the shed door opened with a creak. “You can’t tell me anything new.”

Jaden’s blood ran cold. Sabrina could tattle lots of secrets and what she didn’t know for sure, she’d easily invent. Jaden inched to the side of the shed. Once out of Marlon’s line of sight, she made a run for it.

“Hey Hutchins, Carver, want to escort Sabrina to her seat? She’s scared of crowds and likes men with thick…muscles.”

“Dick.” The raven-haired man grunted and wrapped a meaty hand around Sabrina’s upper arm. “Let’s go, Ms Jeffries. I thought we had this discussion before. The only danger here is a man in uniform.”

“Your lines are cornier than Marlon’s,” Sabrina spat. As he led her away, she pinched the officer’s butt. “This could be the start of the best cop fantasy! Ever thought of doing stunt work?”

Jaden trusted Bobby Hutchins, but the other guy? Not a chance. She cringed. Carver. She’d have to keep the name in mind. She stared at him as he walked away and committed his visage to memory.

“Want to tell me why you’re out here hiding?” Marlon leant against the corner post of the building and folded his muscle-corded arms. “Sabrina doesn’t bite hard.”

“I remember.”

He cocked his head and opened his mouth. His radio crackled on his hip, interrupting whatever he wanted to say. A frown creased his lips and forehead. Speaking into the tiny mic, he grunted instructions. When he looked back at her, he cracked a half-smile. “Shit. I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have to get back out there.”

Jaden smoothed her hand over his collar, adjusting the lapel Sabrina had knocked askew. “I know this is probably disorderly conduct or something, but I can’t let you protect the county with one side up and the other down. You look silly.”

Closing the gap between them, he grabbed her hand and drew circles along her inner wrist. “Thanks. Now tell me why you came out here. What if the infamous green car guy showed?”

“It got stuffy in the building and Sabrina booted me out.” Her heart fluttered in her chest. If she didn’t just spit out her issues, she’d burst. “Sabrina, for as nice as she acts, isn’t what she seems.” Jaden paused and nibbled her inner cheek. “Neither am I.”

“If there’s one thing I dislike, it’s a liar.” Marlon’s radio crackled. Apparently a drunk by the north bleachers was throwing cans onto the track. “I have to go.” He squeezed her hand. “Oh, before I forget, I’ll be at Judi’s tomorrow. She wants me to fix the sink in the kitchen. Will you meet me for lunch? I want to talk about what you said and what happened tonight.”

He hated liars and he wanted all her truths.

“Oh, sure.”

* * * *

The next morning, Marlon woke up sore. The drunk race fan from the night before had not only tossed his refuse onto the track, but also insisted on doing his impersonation of a mixed martial arts fighter and used his fists for protection. After a couple of cheap shots, and a bloody lip, Marlon had subdued the man and hauled him to the county lockup. His head still throbbed like a son of a bitch.

A knock at the door jolted him from his semi-slumber. Who wanted him this early? He grabbed the alarm clock and peered through blurry eyes. Ten twenty-seven. Shit. He’d overslept. Was Jaden on the other side of the door trying to rouse him? Just the thought of her sent blood rushing through his body. Heat pooled in his belly. Crazy thoughts rolled around his sleepy brain. She could wake him every morning—with nothing but a smile. He fell back against the sheets and palmed his growing erection. She made him come alive in so many ways. He sighed. He needed to get her alone very soon to discuss her cryptic comments—then learn every inch of her delectable body.

Wrapping his fingers around his cock, Marlon stroked and relished the jolt of electricity through his veins. This won’t take long. His actions became more frantic as he roughly caressed the tender skin. His balls tightened and his hips bucked off the bed. His groans filled the air. He clenched his teeth and fought to drag air into his lungs. “Oh, shit.” With a moan, his body tensed and cum smeared on the sheet.

He lay there for a moment, basking in the weightlessness of the orgasm. Damn, she had him on edge. At least now he could face the person at the door without a raging hard-on.

The knocking grew louder, breaking his train of thought. “Marlon? Are you in there? I know you’re home.”

He rolled his eyes. Trust Sabrina to come looking for him. What the fuck? Didn’t she get the hint?

Behind the door, she continued to shout. “Marlon? I heard about the fight at the track. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Groaning, he sat up. The sheet fell away from his body and cool air slid over his nipples like a lover’s caress. He cracked his neck. If Jaden were there, then she could roam his body and make him her own. The thought of her naked curves curled against him renewed the supply of blood to his cock.

“I’m going to break down the door. I’m worried and scared.”

Shit. Sabrina could move far, far away, or at least find herself another man to pester, and he’d be thrilled. He stood and yanked on some pyjama pants. Forcing his mind to anything but his time with Jaden, he willed his dick to cooperate. No need to give Sabrina the wrong idea. She’d acted as screwy as Jaden the night prior. He rummaged through his top bureau drawer for a clean T-shirt. “Hold on.”

With a long sigh, he made his way to the front door. A quick peek through the peephole revealed Sabrina in a trench coat. A trench coat? What the hell…another Hollywood affectation? He opened the door and braced for the fallout. “I’m fine, so trot back home.”

Barrelling past him, she whirled around in his living room. The coat opened and pooled on the floor at her stiletto-clad feet. “When we split, I know I said I wanted to move on. I did, but seeing you last night with her, so happy, made me really examine my feelings. I never should’ve walked away.” She paused, murmured something inaudible, and snapped her gaze back to his face. “There isn’t a man alive who’d turn me down.”

He clamped his mouth shut and stuffed his hands into his pockets. She was not naked in his home. Not now. “Sabrina, you need to leave.”

Cupping her breasts, she blew out a long breath. Her nipples puckered. “How about I up the ante?” Her thumbs flicked over the pink tips. “You like the fantasy, a woman who dazzles and sparkles. I am that girl.”

Something about the precise wording she’d used. Why did it sound…

Jade’s movie, Clover Perception.

Lord help him, she’d recreated the beginning of the sex scene in the film. He rolled his eyes and turned away from her. “Don’t do this.”

Slinking across the room, she rubbed against him. “I’m ready for my boy in blue—more than she ever could be.”

Marlon groaned. Why did the good things in his life always have to have speed bumps? “Go find your boy toy.”

“Other men don’t compare to you. It’s so much nicer to walk in the summer breeze with you. I miss cuddling under the blanket and counting the stars.”

“Summer breeze?” He turned around and stared at her. “Counting stars? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Silly me, I got caught up in the moment. I read for that part, you know.” She clapped both hands over her mouth and tittered. She dropped her hands and shrugged. “I just finished watching Kicks and Clover Perception and got caught up in the stories. Don’t you want to play with me? It’ll be a lot of fun. I know things she’s never even tried.”

Wrapping his fingers over her hands, he edged her back. He kept his voice level. “Sabrina, enough.”

A squeak erupted from her throat. “You’re not giving me a chance. I know things about her. Things you need to know.”

He grabbed the coat from the floor and draped it over her bare shoulders. “We’re done here.”

She whimpered. “She’s good at hiding her habits—like who she’s sleeping with and what she’s taking.”

He wrangled her arms through the sleeves of the trench coat. “Wait. What? Sleeping with?”

“On the set of The Mythical Beast, she snuck off a lot without her boyfriend. We found out later it was to…powder her nose with the lead actor.”

Opening her apartment door, he held out his hand. “That doesn’t mean she’s still using.”

Sabrina kicked off her pointy-heeled shoes. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg. I spent time with her in Hollywood. We worked together on the set of Kicks. I know her secrets—all her secrets. Secrets that will ruin your career.”

“Enough, Sabrina.” He headed for the door. No more roadblocks. “Go home.”

Licking her lips, she grinned and let the coat drape open to her concave navel. “You bet, neighbour.”

Back inside his apartment, Marlon raced through a shower and shave. Did men normally shave to fix a leaky sink? If a hot honey blonde waited, ready and able to test the faucet when he finished, then yes ma’am—he’d be there and smooth to her touch.

Even the feel of his own hands on his body made him think of Jaden and her light caresses. What if he played out the scene from the movie with the real woman? He shuddered and stroked his length. Dear God, Jaden invaded his life, his dreams…hell, his fantasies. If it took rubbing one off every day to keep from coming across as a sex-driven man in her presence, he would without complaint. She warmed his days and steamed his nights.

Rinsing away the soap and the result of his fascination with Jaden, he turned off the water and dragged the towel down his torso. With as much as he hoped for with Jaden, Sabrina’s comments bothered him. She knew Jaden from Hollywood. What if the crap she’d said was actually the truth?

But relationships failed without trust.

“Shit,” he muttered. “God help me, I don’t want to fail…again.”

Chapter Nine

Jaden ran the canister vacuum over the hall carpet the next morning, humming to the last song she’d heard earlier when her alarm clock went off. As she worked, her butt vibrated. Pausing, she looked around. What the hell? When she’d cleaned the living room, she’d dusted the silent radio… She cocked her head. Her phone!

She clicked the power switch and slid her phone from her back pocket. She’d called Bobby earlier in the morning to check in—no sight of the paparazzi or her father’s band of henchmen. The number didn’t look familiar. Despite the notion of letting it go to voicemail, she flipped open the device. If her father wanted to harass her, then fine. She could ignore him. “Hello?”

“Hey Jaden. Did you enjoy the races last night?”

Her hand trembled as she wiped the loose strands of hair from her forehead. “Fine, but I’m a little fuzzy. You are?”

“It’s Corbin—I drove the car. Maybe I should’ve waited to call you.”

“Hey, Corbin.” Holy hell, the blond Adonis behind the wheel was calling. An electrical jolt went the length of her spine. “You made hash out of the field.” She mentally replayed that. Why hadn’t she paid attention to the race lingo? “I mean, did I say that right? The field? I’m not big into racing.” She rolled her tongue around her dry mouth. Corbin Moss, the handsome and very single Late Model driver for Team Jensen. He had called her.

On his end of the line, Corbin laughed. “Honey, you got it just right.” He cleared his throat. “Um, are you free tonight? Cass said you and Marlon might be involved, and I don’t want to stick my nose in where it’s not wanted.”

Squeezing the vacuum hose, she nibbled her bottom lip. A date? Involved? Hot damn! “I’m not involved with anyone exclusively. Why do you ask?” Marlon said he liked her, but he hadn’t asked for more than flirtation. Would it be wrong to give him a run for his money? Would it be fair to Corbin if her true desires lay with Marlon? And what if the fanatic showed up?

“Hillbilly Boots, Ray’s band—I’m on the drums now since Levi quit—is playing at the Ricochet. Cass said you liked to dance. She gave me your number, so I thought you might like to come out for the concert.”

Her heart thundered in her chest. A semi-date sounded fun. “So is this an official night out? Because I haven’t been out of the house save for last night and each afternoon to walk Sparky.”

His voice cracked. “Umm…I hadn’t planned on a real date but yeah, this can be a date. I’m a little rusty at dating, myself. If you don’t want to, I understand. You barely know me and you probably think I want something from you.” His voice faltered. “I mean…shit…I’m babbling. We could keep it loose, instead of a real date.”

A night on the town sounded like fun. She could be carefree and decide what she wanted. Maybe it’d give Marlon a reason to make a move. “Then why don’t I meet you at the Ricochet?”

“That works, since I have to be there at seven.” He chuckled and static fizzled on the line. “I’m looking forward to hanging out.”

“Yeah.” She said goodbye, clicked her phone shut and kicked the switch on the vacuum to bring the machine back to life. A night out meant she could dress up. She could dance and forget her worries.