Unlovely Things (Love By Design Book 2) Read online

  “Damn she’s hot,” Jeremy gushed, making me angry. Where I had been positive he wouldn’t touch her before, I now knew I was wrong. If I didn’t intervene chances were that Hunter would tear him in half.

  “Dude.” I slapped him in the back of the head. “That girl is my neighbor and practically a sister. Watch your mouth.”

  Kristen looked at me from across the table, biting her lower lip. I looked at her and shrugged. What did she expect me to say? I wasn’t going to let this guy take advantage of Taylor—and that’s when the light bulb in my head went off. Of course Hunter didn’t like-like Taylor, he probably like-loved her and couldn’t deal with his own shit. That made me chuckle and earned a funny look from Kristen, who probably had no idea. I’d explain it to her later.

  I gave it about five minutes before I stood up. “I left my wallet in the truck, be right back.”

  “I’ll help you find it,” Kristen said and left with me trailing behind. The whole night was turning into crap, but I would have plenty of fodder to tease Hunter with later.

  We were barely out the door and around the corner when she pushed me against the brick wall, my back scraping against brick and mortar. Hands grabbed my shirt, pressing me back, and rose up to get a handhold of my hair. Twin fists anchored me as we stared into each other’s eyes. I hadn’t been this close to Kristen in a good long while, and definitely not in any physical sense. My legs shifted wider as my erection pressed against denim and her eyes dilated in the almost-dark outside the diner. I had a parting fear she might knee me in the balls but smelling her fruity lips so close to mind I was willing to take the chance.

  “Kristen, what are you doing?” My head dipped down, lips inching closer to hers and the possibility I could only hope for in the space between us getting hotter by the second.

  “Damn that was hot,” she said before locking her sweet tasting lips to mine unexpectedly.

  My eyes bugged out before closing and giving in to the heady sensation that was my Pebbles. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in closer and tighter. I didn’t want to let go until we were forced to come up for air, gasping with need.

  “What did I do?” I whispered harshly against her cheek, out of breath because God knew whatever I did, the majority of the time it was the wrong thing when it came to Kristen. I didn’t want to fuck this up.

  “You stuck up for my bestie.” Her face was calm, lips plump from our mutual mauling and glistening wet.

  “Uh huh. Okay. Well, let’s get back to the thank you then.”

  She glared, and this time I shuffled us around, thankful we were on the opposite side of the parking lot where the truck and the dumpster were in case anyone came out and saw us. I let my hand cradle her head, protecting her as I pushed her against the hard wall this time, letting my body fall against hers and pressing back.

  This girl could be my everything. I didn’t care that she was sixteen and I was seventeen. I wanted to spend every moment I wasn’t playing football with her. I wanted to get back to our tree house and I wanted to make out with her like it could be the last time she granted me this physical space of her presence.

  “I hate that we fight and I hate that I hate you,” Kristen said between kisses and wandering hands.

  “We don’t have to be like this, snapping at each other nonstop.” I felt her hands roam up and down my chest, settling on my hips and belt loops of my jeans.

  “I know, I can’t help it.”

  This time I let my hands wander, circling her waist and cupping just under her bra, feeling her up. I yanked on her shirt and let my hand skim her soft stomach before venturing farther. Her breast filled my hand and curved nicely in my palm.

  “Damn, Pebbles.” I rubbed a finger over her nipple, earning me a moan and wet open-mouthed kiss that sucked my tongue into her mouth. How easily she made me lose control.

  The vibration of my phone pressed into my hip between us.

  “Don’t answer it.” Her hands were on me and the phone continued going off.

  “One second. Damn it.”

  “Shit.” Kristen’s phone was buzzing now and the mood was quickly simmered down from its earlier boil.

  I pulled the phone from her back jeans pocket and saw Hunter’s number on it. I handed her the phone, looking confused.

  “Hunter?” She pressed the button and answered the call. Her face paled and her eyes rounded, filling with tears.

  “What is it? What the fuck is going on?” I watched her pull the phone away, hands shaking. My hands ran down her shaking arms and I shook her to get her attention focused. “Kristen, Pebbles, talk to me.” I was worried and clueless.

  “We need a ride to the hospital. Damn it, why didn’t he look for us?” She sniffed and tears dropped from her eyes like falling stars in the night sky.

  “Why? Who? You gotta talk to me Kristen.” My panic increased and I didn’t care who found us in the moment or what happened next as long as I could fix it. I needed to fix whatever this was.

  “Taylor. Hunter took her to the emergency room. The gumbo had seafood.” I didn’t know what this meant until she elaborated further. “She’s allergic to it. She didn’t have an epi-pen on her.”

  “We need to find a ride to get over there. Come on.” I grabbed her hand and ran back inside the dinner, telling Jeremy and Becky they needed to drive us over right then. I was shouting at Jeremy, who wanted to finish his soup first, and I threatened to make him wear it if he didn’t get his ass up and get the car. I didn’t waste time giving him a choice as I threw money down on the table, everything I had in my wallet, and ushered Kristen, who felt icy cold next to me, inside Jeremy’s car. The girls sat in back and I sat in front, yelling directions to Mercy General in Poughkeepsie across the bridge close to twenty minutes away. Jeremy was whining about his probationary license until I locked eyes with him and he shut up, driving.

  The entire ride over I felt Kristen slipping away from me. I wanted to hold her hand, but she’d pulled so far emotionally away, as if burned, and wouldn’t relent. It was worse when we got to the hospital. I attempted to put my arm around her and calm her down, but all I got was a dirty look like I was some kind of pervert, and pushed to stand away from her, which I respected.

  The only answer I got was a hissed reprimand that if we hadn’t been making out this would have never happened. I knew that wasn’t true, but there was no convincing her once she got the idea into her head. The most important thing right then was making sure Taylor was going to be okay. Maybe she blamed herself? I blamed myself even though I knew eating seafood wasn’t something either of us could have prevented. The rest would come later, or at least I hoped it would.

  We waited for hours crowding in the waiting room. It would seem we were further apart now more than ever. Taylor pulled through her allergic reaction just fine, and I was back to being the Devil incarnate without an explanation. Girls made no sense to me at all.

  7

  Kristen

  I was tired from the work week and blew off morning yoga when Taylor texted me the night before to say she wasn’t going in the morning. See… it was already happening: ditching me for dick. I told you it would.

  The pounding on my door, however, needed to stop. Whoever was there was lucky I was wearing my pajamas. The rest was a crapshoot, between not having my morning coffee and dragon breath. Taylor and Louisa stood outside my door. Taylor was holding a picnic basket large enough to cover their faces. They peeked around the corner of wicker and a red checked napkin grinning with these stupid smiles too early in the morning which meant one thing… we were going over to Hunter’s jobsite to bring him lunch. Predictable and so cute I feared I had a cavity forming in one of my molars. I did the accounting books for the dentist in town and wondered if I could bump up my six-month cleaning to somewhere around tomorrow.

  “Ah, hello Louisa and my best friend turned traitor.” Greeting them, I ushered the girls inside, grousing and in no mood to be friendly.

  “Don’
t be mad about yoga, please?” Despite her obvious post-coital glow, it was hard to stay mad at Taylor for anything; even replacing me in college with Carmen for a short stint was easily forgiven, just like going to school in Brooklyn as opposed to staying close to home.

  “I’m not mad about yoga.” But I was mad about feeling left out.

  Louisa tugged at my hair, probably looking for split ends and washed-out color like a good hair artist. “Did you go to Easton’s last night?” Her hands are untangling knots from my hair and I pull back, attempting to rein in her pushiness.

  “No, I did not.” Crossing my arms over my chest I snorted. They looked at me, assessing. “I swear I didn’t. I’m not hungover, geez,” I husked. Even my regular bootie call Evan Rooney blew me off last night. I could have gone out but I elected to stay home and catch up on… painting my toenails. No booze and no man had warmed me in the past week. It was a dry spell I needed to put an end to before I got hormonal, homicidal, or both.

  “All right.” Louisa put her hands up, surrendering.

  “Nothing like my impending matrimony to turn you in to a masochist.” Shaking her head with a smile, my best friend mocked me.

  “Very funny.” I guessed Hunter was doing a little premarital education of Miss Lily-White-Bedroom, because I was surprised she knew what that was. I really was in a shit mood today.

  I continued my explanation. “I do, however, plan to be drunk as shit at your wedding, so be prepared for a speech to blow all other speeches away.” Taunting her worked, because they both backed off. She should know I would never embarrass my bestie like that, that’s what the bachelorette party was for.

  “Get dressed, come on.” Taylor turned me around, smacking my ass and directing me toward my bedroom while Louisa grabbed clothes from my closet. She made a beeline for my dresser and panty drawer.

  “Hey, hands off the goods.” I grabbed the lacey panties she pulled out and made my way to my bathroom to get dressed.

  “Seen one, seen ’em all,” she joked behind the door.

  I considered barricading myself in, but those two were relentless so it was better I just followed along for the time being.

  “Better?” I said, stepping out.

  “Yes.” Taylor nodded and led the way out.

  “Stop being cranky and let’s go.” Louisa tugged my arm and guided me toward Taylor’s car. She still drove her vintage VW bug I was pretty sure Hunter had fixed up, even though working on cars was the last thing that handy man would enjoy doing. Anytime us girls had a car issue, he grumbled more than Oscar the Grouch. He was more of a hammer-swinging caveman. I’d call him Thor but I didn’t want to give him a complex like Damien, who was my version of Loki.

  *****

  We drove through town to the job site, parking in the driveway that was filled with trucks and a dumpster for the stuff they pulled out of the house during the renovation. I placed my sunglasses low on my face as the morning sun reflected back into the car, blinding me. The port-a-john folks were dropping off the bathroom facility as we got out of the car looking for the guys.

  “Where’s Hunter?” Taylor looked around and placed the basket down. She searched for her beacon of love like a lighthouse. Her eyes scanned the yard on a singular mission. The bitter, jealous devil on my shoulder wanted to make gagging sounds, but I loved my bestie and wouldn’t hurt her feelings with my resistance toward true love. Okay, I might—maybe later—but it would be intentional.

  Demon stood on the porch eating a shiny red apple, grinning like a lunatic between juicy bites and letting a drop dribble down his chin to make a dark spot on his way-too-tight T-shirt. I partially hoped he choked on the apple or hoped it was filled with poison because my own mouth watered wanting to lick the droplet of apple juice from his stupid jutting chin. I needed to remind myself I was seeing someone else, even if it was casually, and Demon should not have been affecting me like that. It wasn’t fair because I couldn’t control or stop it and the conflict was that even though I resisted, I wasn’t even trying hard enough. I swore he taunted me on purpose. I wondered how many apple seeds it would take to make enough cyanide to incapacitate him. Probably not enough apple seeds, and too many would kill him.

  He must have sensed we were looking for Hunter. “He’s around back but he’s coming as soon as they turn the water off. I’ve got to fix a main line in the plumbing today.” Finishing the apple, he tossed it in a brush pile that would be burned later. He rested his hands on his lean hips over low slung jeans that were like a slap in the face. He was entirely too good looking perusing his princely kingdom from the porch just standing there. I really needed to stop picking up my grandmother’s old romance novels at night. I hated his cockiness and yet… No, I wouldn’t entertain that idea in a million years. I clenched my thighs together, trying to get my arousal under control. Damn him and damn these lace panties Louisa had handed me earlier because I felt drenched standing there, looking like a fool.

  “Water’s off.” Hunter shouted from the backyard, startling me, and Taylor went running over to hug-tackle him as he emerged around the corner. Those two were going to breed a bunch of football players immediately following the wedding if they weren’t careful. I knew it.

  “You look like hell, Pebbles.” Demon grinned again and my eyes narrowed. “Wild night in or out?” he asked.

  “Neither—not that it’s any of your business.”

  “It is when Evan Rooney goes poking around my… never mind.” He waved me off but the warning bells clamored. Did he have something to do with Evan not getting back to me? He had no right to get into my business. None whatsoever.

  “Be right back, ladies.” He acknowledged Taylor and Louisa before looking me over, smirking so hard I wanted to smack it off his face. Ugh! I hated that he affected me that way.

  “Killer.” He nodded in my direction and the stare down began. I guess he’d given me yet another dumb nickname. I watched him walk off to the port-a-john and half-listened to Louisa share an idea for her salon’s marketing. We were going to go over her accounting to see if she had extra funds to spare for it when my reptilian brain of vengeance took over. I should have known my hormones, PMS, whatever excuse I was going with had an iron grip on my sanity that morning.

  “Be right back, Lou.” I held my hand up to stop her and followed Demon, watching him as he slipped inside the port-a-john. My mind had a one-track focus. I thought I heard yelling behind me for backup, but I wasn’t aware; I only had eyes for him and what I was going to do once I reached this dirty, no good, son of a….

  “Kristen?” I ignored the voice and kept going; I was a woman on a mission as I knocked on the door, pounding my hand so hard it hurt the soft flesh of my palm against the plastic door.

  “Just a minute.”

  “Demon, did you say something to Evan?” Thinking about the possibility fired me up—if he’d made a comment to Evan and that was why he didn’t call me back last night. Evan Rooney was my long-time itch-scratcher when I wasn’t bouncing off of my dysfunctional non-relationship with Demon. I knew for damn sure he wasn’t in a relationship right now. I heard something close to a muffled curse as I kept up my assault on the port-a-john.

  “Demon!” I banged on the door again. His voice was inaudible, but I caught something that sounded like he was calling me a name reserved for the town bicycle. I definitely didn’t get around town just because I had a healthy appetite for safe sex. I could still count the number of partners I’d had on one hand.

  “Oh, I know you didn’t just say that!” I slapped my hand on the door, letting the sting travel up my arm in a sharp tingle, and felt the port-a-john move as if it wasn’t completely stable on its foundation. The urge to feel the pain in my hand again intensified like a drug, and I was hooked on the feeling with the next slap on the door. Adrenaline rushed through me at the prospect of getting even with Damien Hart.

  “Woman, quit it!” he yelled from inside, but it wasn’t good enough so I hit it again.

&n
bsp; “Kristen, stop it!” Taylor was back with her hulk of a man who stood there watching, waiting. Hunter would intervene only if he had to, but I didn’t think he realized how twisted my mind was spinning.

  Behind me they held a conference discussing me and Demon. “She won’t knock it over.” Hunter stood with his arms crossed over his chest, looking smug and certain. I felt dared, like double dog dare to make this happen when the gauntlet was thrown down.

  “Oh no, Hunter… now she’s gonna…”

  I took to putting my whole weight into it, letting the box rock back and forth before anyone could stop me pushing it over. Everyone leapt back and the stall lay on its side, no longer moving. Even Demon was silent. A deathly quiet filled the yard, making the port-a-john look like a grotesque above-ground coffin. I had to look down at my own arms, flexing the muscles, because I hadn’t expected to actually do it.

  “Fuck me, she did it.” Hunter clapped his hands in appraisal and the door swung up and over, forcing us to jump back when it slammed against the side of the box.

  Time seemed to slow down between the time I pushed the unit over and the door flinging open. Heartbeats thudded in my chest and I had that oh shit moment, realizing I might have taken things a teeny bit too far with my Hulk-raging temper. My friends looked at the scene in shock. If we were in a movie the mist would have rolled in, with music matching the mood. I expected Evan to roll up in his police cruiser, jumping out with yellow caution crime scene tape because there was no doubt in my mind that Demon was going to kill me. As it was, Demon poked his head out, blue gunk stuck to his clothes and skin. Bleach would never scrub the image from my mind, nor did I want it to as a nervous giggle choked back in my throat.

  “Didn’t know we were holding Blue Man Group auditions today,” Hunter said coughing back a laugh before walking back to the house cool as a cucumber. It wasn’t all that long ago Hunter had fallen into a hole of ghost poop renovating a bathroom, and I guess now they were even? Me, however, I was definitely on my own.