Unmistakeable (7 page)

Payton looked at both of us. “So, Alaska isn’t throwing a hissy fit over our ploy?”

“No,” I answered. “She and I are very happy together.”

“Good. My sister tends to be overdramatic.”

Toby was staring at her chest, not being discreet about it.

Payton watched him. “Yes, I have nice boobs.”

He chuckled. “Wow. You’re a cool chick.”

“She’s easy,” Alaska said. “That’s why.”

“Even better,” Toby said. He turned to Alaska.

I gave him a death stare. “Don’t even think about it.”

Toby quickly averted his gaze.

Smart choice.

Payton scooted in close to him. “Buy me a drink, babe.”

Babe? Alaska wasn’t kidding. She was easy.

“Coming right up.” He turned to Alaska. “Can I get you anything?”

“I can get
my
girlfriend a drink.” The threat was in my eyes.

“Chill, man.” He headed to the bar.

Payton watched his ass while he walked away. “He’s hot.”

“Do you always pick up strangers at bars?” Alaska asked.

“I’m social. What’s the big deal?” She flipped her hair again.

“Stop doing that,” Alaska snapped.

“What?” Payton asked.

“That hair thing.” Alaska flipped her hair over one shoulder.

Payton rolled her eyes. “Get over it. You’re just jealous that my hair is nicer than yours.”

“Our hair is almost identical,” Alaska snapped.

“You’re just jealous I’m the prettier sister,” Payton said.

“There’s no comparison,” I said quickly.

Alaska blushed at my words.

My hand moved to her ass, giving her a gentle squeeze.

Toby came back. “You like beer?”

“I like anything with alcohol in it.” She took a drink.

He looked at her. “So, do you go to UCSD?”

She shook her head. “Look, you’re pretty so you’re going to score tonight. But let’s not waste our time with chitchat. We both know how this is going to end.”

Damn, she was hard to the bone.

Toby shrugged. “That’s cool with me.”

Alaska rolled her eyes. “That’s my little sister…”

I’m glad I hadn’t crossed paths with Payton in the past. I probably would have hooked up with her and ruined my chance with Alaska. I definitely got the better sister. Alaska was quiet and thoughtful. While I admired Payton’s confidence, I wanted a woman that was picky with her men. Alaska wouldn’t just take anybody. You had to work for her interest. Plus, she was way hotter.

Sage came to my side. “Hey. What are the odds?”

We shook hands. “What’s going on?”

He eyed Payton then looked back at me. “On a double date or something?”

“Yep…I think.” It was a little confusing.

He eyed Payton, who was talking quietly with her date for the evening, and then turned back to me. “Let’s get your girl a drink at the bar.” He nodded in the opposite direction.

“Okay…” I turn to Alaska. “I’ll be right back, darling.”

“Hurry. I don’t want to watch Payton have sex with this guy on our table.”

“That makes two of us.” I kissed her cheek then walked with Sage. “What’s up?”

“Is that guy her boyfriend?” he blurted.

“What?”

“The guy Payton is with. Is it serious?”

“No. They actually just met.”

“Oh.” He calmed down slightly.

“Are you into her?”

“No,” he said quickly. “She’s not my type.”

“Then why are you asking?”

“Just curious.” He shrugged.

“Dude, if you like her just admit it. You could scoop her up right now if you wanted to.” I ordered our drinks then turned back to Sage.

“But she sleeps around…not my thing.”

“Maybe you can tame her.” I winked.

“She seems pretty wild.”

I nudged him. “You aren’t up for the challenge?”

“Shut the hell up. Are you and Alaska going to stay together? Because I prefer her class.”

I glared at him. “You want me to slam this bottle on your head?”

He laughed. “Dude, you can’t take a joke?”

I calmed down slightly. “You want me to ask Payton if she thinks you’re hot?”

“No. I know she thinks it.”

“Then do something about it.”

“Eh…I don’t know.”

“Well, as fun as this gossip hour has been, I’m going back to my gorgeous girlfriend.”

He smiled then clapped me on the shoulder. “She’s a catch. Don’t fuck it up.”

“I don’t need to be told twice.” I turned back to the table then froze when I saw a familiar face.

Jace was staring at Alaska from a different table, his eyes hard and his expression soft. When I looked at Alaska, it seemed like she hadn’t spotted him. She was talking to Payton. Jace straightened his back then moved around the table, clearly aiming for Alaska.

I don’t think so, fucker.

I reached the table first, put my drink down, and then gripped her waist and gave her a hard kiss. I moved her slightly so her back would face Jace, and I kissed her like I never had before. I crushed my mouth against hers and she melted into me, just like always. She didn’t care that people were around, which was odd for her. I pulled her close to my chest, slipping my tongue into her mouth. I opened one eye and looked at Jace, making sure he knew she was mine.

He stared at us with a sad expression then walked away, disappearing into the crowd. I got a few more kisses in before I came up for air.

“Um…if I was in the mood to watch porn, I’d do it at home.” Payton rolled her eyes.

Toby’s eyes widened. “Marry me.”

She swatted his arm. “Oh shut up.”

Alaska caught her breath, looking at me. “What was that for?”

I continued to grip her hips, her taste still on my lips. “So every guy in this bar knows you’re mine.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Alaska

Ash was everything I wanted in another person. Not only was he smart, deep, passionate, and generous, but he treated me the way I always dreamed about. I was scared he would hurt me the way Jace did, but now I couldn’t imagine it. He seemed just as happy as I was.

I never wanted this to end. I loved sleeping with him at night and feeling him slam me into a door every time he wanted to kiss me. I loved the way he touched me, making me feel sexy but beautiful at the same time.

It was everything I hoped for.

I thought I was happy with Jace, but when I thought about our relationship in retrospect, I realized it was nothing like what Ash and I have. It wasn’t passionate and explosive. It wasn’t romantic and heated. They were so different they weren’t even comparable. I loved Ash so much that it hurt. He wasn’t the man I expected to love, but I knew he was the man I wanted forever.

“I’ll be back in a few hours.” He gave me another kiss on the doorstep.

“You can study here.” I gripped his biceps, wanting him to stay. I was becoming clingy with him, needing him all the time.

He pulled me closer to him and smirked. “You think I could concentrate with you lurking around? Not gonna happen.”

I wished he didn’t have an exam the next morning. “Will you still sleep with me?”

His eyes softened. “It might be late.”

“I don’t care. I’ll give you a key.”

He stared at me for several seconds, his emotion floating on the surface. “You can’t stand to be apart from me.”

“What gave me away?”

“I can’t stand to be away from you either.” He bit my lower lip before he pulled away. “I’ll be back for bedtime.”

“I’ll miss you.”

He growled then kissed me again. “Stop torturing me.”

“I will if you will.”

He found his restraint and stepped back. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Okay.” I pouted at him.

“Keep doing that and I’m going to bite that lip off.”

I smirked then walked inside my apartment. “Make sure you wake me up in a nice way.”

“I have a few things in my mind, darling.” He walked into his apartment then shut the door.

I walked back into mine and sighed, realizing just how far I’d fallen. Ash was my best friend and he was an amazing boyfriend. I wanted to kiss him and cuddle with him at the same time.

I edited a photo shoot I made the other day and turned on some music. After a few minutes, I finally stopped thinking about Ash and focused on my work. Ever since we got together, my work had suffered and so had his schoolwork. We were horrible influences on each other.

A knock sounded on my doorstep and my heart sped up. It was Ash. He couldn’t concentrate on his schoolwork being away from me so he decided to come here.

Yes.

I skipped to the door and answered it.

“Jace?” He was the last person I expected to see on the other side of my door.

He flinched at my sudden appearance. “I’m surprised you answered the door.”

“I assumed you were someone else…” We hadn’t spoken in months. I still couldn’t believe he was standing on my doorstep, looking at me. “I gave you everything you left here. There’s nothing left.” Maybe he lost a baseball cap or something.

“No…that’s not why I’m here.”

Okay…this was weird.

Jace was wearing jeans and a tight t-shirt. His muscles were thick and large. His career as a fireman made him physically strong. He had to be ready for anything. He ran his fingers through his short hair then shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable.

“Then why are you here?”

He sighed before he spoke. “I wanted you to know that Sarah and I broke up.”

Why would I care?
“Okay…”

“I caught her cheating on me. When I confronted her, she left me for him. Now it’s like our relationship never happened…”

I felt the anger rise. “I sincerely hope you don’t expect me to care. Because I couldn’t care less about your personal life or who you fuck. If anything, I’m glad to hear that karma bit you in the ass.”

He didn’t react to my harshness. He didn’t move or blink. “That’s exactly what I wanted. I hoped it would make you happy knowing I got what I deserved.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at the ground.

I was not expecting that…

“I’m really sorry for what I did. It was cruel and wrong. I was selfish and all I thought about was myself. I wished I’d done things differently. Not only do I wish I had told you the truth instead of hurting you, but I also wish I hadn’t cheated on you to begin with.

“Even before Sarah left me, I felt the guilt. I knew I hurt one of the kindest people in the world and I hated myself for it. And I missed you…I missed my best friend. I used to tell you everything and you told me everything. I suddenly felt that hole in my heart that Sarah could never fill. Perhaps our sexual relationship had died out but I could have brought it back to life. Instead, I bailed. And in the end, I lost a lot more than I could afford to lose.”

I was in shock. I never expected him to say any of those things. I assumed he was happy with Sarah, never thinking about me.

“I know this doesn’t make up for what I did, but I want you to know I’m sorry and I feel terrible for what happened.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I forgive you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

I nodded. “I think you’re being sincere. And even if you aren’t, I don’t want to hate you anymore. I’ve let it go.”

His body visibly relaxed. “I know this is a long shot but…I’d really like it if maybe…we could try again. I’m not asking for your trust or anything, but maybe we could start slow? Be friends first?”

Not a chance.
“I forgive you, but I’ll never trust you again. And that doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not in love with you anymore. I’m in love with someone else, a man far better than you’ll ever be.”

“The guy that beat me over the head with a bottle?” A slight trace of humor was in his voice.

“The very one.”

“Your neighbor?”

“Yeah.”

Suspicion came into his eyes. “Were you cheating on me with him?”

I glared at him. “You have a lot of nerve…”

“I’m sorry. I take it back.”

“Our romance started three months after ours ended, not that it matters.”

He nodded. “You’re happy with him?”

“I’m over the moon.”

“Well, if it doesn’t work out…”

“It will.” I surprised myself by saying that. “He’s the last man I’ll ever date.”

“Damn…I threw away the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

Ash’s door flew open and he marched toward us with murder in his eyes.

Oh shit.

Ash choked him from behind then slammed him onto the ground. “Come near my girl and you forfeit your right to live.”

I stepped back at his aggression.

“Asshole, she’s mine now. You fucked it up when you got your dick wet in that whore. You have no right to speak to her, to even look at her.” He gripped him by the throat and punched him hard in the nose.

“Ash, stop.”

My voice steadied him. He backed away.

“He just came to apologize.”

“I don’t care why he was here,” he snapped. “Now he needs to leave.”

Jace stumbled to his feet.

Ash punched him again, sending him to the ground. “Don’t. Come. Back.”

“Ash.” I gave him a firm look. “Stop.”

He stepped back, the murder still in his eyes.

I walked to Jace but didn’t touch him. “Now go before I can’t hold him back any longer.”

He climbed to his feet then wiped the blood from his face. Then he headed to the stairs.

“Jace.”

He looked at me.

“Don’t come back.”

He nodded then headed down the stairs, disappearing from my life forever.

Ash came to me, his hands still clenched into fists. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He cupped my face and looked into my eyes. “What did he want?”

“Just to apologize.” I decided not to tell him what else he said. It was irrelevant anyway.

“Did he touch you?”

“No.”

“Because I’ll kill him if he did.”

“I know.” I believed him. “I’m okay. And he won’t bother me again.”

He released the air from his lungs. “Okay.” Without another word, he walked back to his apartment.

I thought that was a little sudden, but I walked back inside my apartment anyway. Maybe he was too upset to be around me right now. I sat on the couch and processed everything that just happened.

Ash opened the door, carrying all his books and his computer. “I’m studying here. If that shithead comes back I’ll be ready for him.”

He wouldn’t, but if the possibility made Ash stay here then I wouldn’t deny it. “Okay.”

He set everything down on the coffee table and opened his books.

I sat beside him then snuggled into his side, just happy to be near him. He pulled a book on his lap then highlighted a few notes. I leaned my head on his shoulder and enjoyed the comfortable silence.

Just sitting with Ash was more exciting than my entire relationship with Jace.

My grandmother smirked when she watched my face. “Someone’s in love…”

My face became redder. “Is it that obvious?”

“It’s either that or he knows how to use a butt plug.”

My eyes widened. “Nana!”

She laughed. “Sorry, I just finished the Fifty Shades trilogy so chains and handcuffs are on my mind.”

“Of all books why did you have to download that one?”

She shrugged. “It’s popular and everyone keeps talking about it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ash and I aren’t into that stuff.”

“Maybe you will when vanilla sex gets old.”

I covered my face and shook my head.

“Seriously, how is it going with him?”

“Wonderful.” I released the air from my lungs. “More than wonderful. He’s great.”

She smiled. “You’re glowing. It didn’t take long for you to fall in love again.”

“No, to fall in love for the first time. Being with Ash makes me realize how fake my relationship with Jace was. Now I don’t blame him for cheating on me. There was nothing there anyway.”

“It sounds like you’re rewriting history.”

“All I know is my relationship with Ash was nothing like the one I had with Jace.”

“Does he know you love him?”

“No…”

“Why not?”

“It’s too soon. We’ve only been together for a month or so.”

“But you were dating far before that, at least Ash’s story seems that way.”

“No…we were just friends.”

“You remember when he changed the oil of your truck? And when he had your battery replaced?”

“Yeah…”

“He missed two exams because of that. And he lost his clinical hours too.”

What…? He did that?
“He never told me.”

“I’m sure he didn’t want you to feel bad for him. He was in love with you a long time ago.”

“Did he say that?”

“Not exactly. But it’s pretty clear.”

Did he love me?

“I would tell him, Alaska. If he’s the man you love, you shouldn’t be afraid to admit it.”

But was that too soon? What if he didn’t feel the same way and I chased him away? Made him feel uncomfortable?

“Alaska, we need to talk. I already spoke with your sister yesterday, but now it’s your turn.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “Why are you talking to us separately?”

“Because you both have very different needs.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Okay…”

“The doctors said the swelling in my leg isn’t decreasing. They’ve tried everything to remove the cloth without invasive measures. Medication and therapy aren’t effective, and if it isn’t taken care of, it could move to my lungs or my heart and have fatal consequences.”

My heart was beating a million times per second. “Then what do we do?”

“Surgery is my only option.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you can do? Maybe you should wait a little longer for the clot to go away on its own.”

“Alaska, I’ve been in this hospital for almost eight months. I’m not going to live like this anymore.”

It sounded like she already made up her mind. “You want to do the surgery?”

She nodded.

“Is it dangerous?”

“All surgeries are dangerous, but the mortality rate is very low. I should be fine. It’s a routine procedure.”

That made me feel better. “If this is an easy solution, why didn’t you decide to do it before?”