In Too Deep, page 12
part #32 of Forever and Ever Series
“You can count on it, baby.”
The tent flew open and Laura walked inside. She went to her backpack without looking at me and opened it. After she pulled out her flashlight, she walked out.
I tensed because I wasn’t sure if Skye saw her. I wasn’t sure how wide the lens on my computer was. It didn’t make me look good to see a woman enter my tent, go through her stuff, and then walk out again.
Skye was dead silent, and that earlier look of longing was absent.
She saw her.
I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure what to say. I tried to keep my face stoic and not react.
Skye just stared at me. “Who was that…?”
I really didn’t want to fight with Skye like this. I couldn’t hold her and kiss her. She could turn off her computer and there would be no way for me to speak with her. It was a bad situation. “Her name is Laura and she’s my leader. She’s in the Peace Corps and knows the area really well. She’ll be guiding me for the remainder of the trip.”
“Okay…but why is she in your tent?”
I really hoped she would believe my answer. “There’s twelve other guys with us. They are natives. She doesn’t feel comfortable sleeping in her own tent because…you know.”
“So she decided to sleep in yours?” The anger was starting to come out.
“I let her because I couldn’t say no. I can’t just let her be vulnerable if she doesn’t feel safe. What kind of person would I be if I did that? There’s nothing going on. She knows I’m married. She sticks to her side of the tent and I stick to mine.” I gave Skye a serious look. “Baby, you’re the only one. You know that. It doesn’t matter where I am or whom I’m with. My heart, body, and soul belong to you—and only you.”
Skye relaxed noticeably. The anger left her eyes and disappeared altogether. She pressed her lips tightly together then released the tension in her mouth. “You’re right, Cayson. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I understand why it makes you uncomfortable.”
“I know you would never hurt me.”
“Ever,” I whispered. “You’re the only thing on my mind, Skye. Day and night.”
“I know…”
I was grateful the argument didn’t turn into a fight. That wasn’t how I wanted to say goodbye to her. “Well, I guess I should go. I need to find something for dinner then get ready for bed.”
“Okay…” The sadness filled her eyes again.
“I’ll call as soon as I can.”
“I know.”
“I love you.” I looked into her eyes as I said it.
“I love you too.”
Chapter Fifteen
Conrad
“You heading out, son?” Dad asked from my door.
“No…there are a few more things I need to do.” I faced my computer and didn’t look at him.
“You can’t work forever.” He gave me an amused look.
“I have a lot of stuff on my plate tomorrow, and it’ll make the day easier if I do this now.”
“Wow…my son is a hard worker.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled at the same time. “Yes. I’m responsible.”
“I’m pretty much useless around here now.”
“Now?” I teased. “You were always useless.”
He chuckled. “Now I don’t feel bad you have to work late.”
“Just get out of here. You’re slowing me down.”
“Alright,” he said as he walked out. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Dad.”
He shut the door and left me alone in my office.
My phone vibrated on the desk and a text message from Lexie popped up. Hey, stud.
I smirked when I read the sentence. Hey, sexy lady.
What are you up to?
Working late. I have to do everything around here.
I’m pretty sure Skye does a lot too.
That’s a lie.
No, it’s not. I could hear the playfulness in her voice.
Okay…maybe she does a few things like push paper around.
Do you ever get tired of being cocky?
I smiled. I don’t know. Do you? I loved arguing with her. It was one of my favorite things to do besides make love to her.
You’re lucky you’re good in bed. That’s all I’m saying.
That’s a big no.
She changed the subject. I wanted to bring you dinner.
I grew excited. A homemade dinner…?
Yes. She inserted a happy face.
Bring it, baby. Your man loves your cooking.
LOL. I’ll be there soon.
Hurry. My desk has your name on it.
I put my phone down and replayed the conversation in my head. Little moments like that made me think of being married with a family. Lexie would bring me dinner and tease me. She would kiss me when I came home and make me feel loved.
She would make me happy.
***
The door opened. “Someone lonely?”
I didn’t need to look up from my desk to know it wasn’t Lexie. Everyone left the office and headed home, so I wasn’t sure who the hell was at my door.
When I looked up, I was mortified to see Macy there.
No. No. No.
“Hey, handsome.” She sauntered inside wearing a short dress and heels. They clapped against the tile with every step she took.
Why was this happening to me?
“Why the long face?” She put her hands on the desk then leaned forward, pushing her tits together in the process.
I immediately grabbed the phone and called security. I had to get this skank out of my office before Lexie showed up. I would be a dead man if she saw this. I would have no way to explain it. Lexie would assume the worst and I wouldn’t be able to persuade her otherwise.
It rang endlessly. I cursed then slammed the phone down. They must have already left for the day.
Macy tilted her head in an annoying way. “Someone need a back rub?”
I jumped to my feet. “Get the fuck out of my office. Now.” I wasn’t above strangling her at this point. “I swear to god…” My hands shook because I was so furious. “I will kill you. I will murder you and leave your bones on the roof for the birds to pick at.”
She didn’t seem phased by my anger—at all. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”
I opened my drawer and grabbed all the cash inside. “Two grand in your pocket if you walk away right now.” I pushed it across the table toward her.
She stared at it like she was enticed. But then her gaze grew suspicious and she turned back to me. “Why do you want me to leave so bad? You could walk out any time if you really wanted to get rid of me…”
What did I do to deserve this? Lexie was mine and we were so fucking happy. Now I was about to lose all of that. Lexie would never trust me again. “Do you have any sense of compassion at all?” I was so desperate to appeal to her humanity. “If you do, please leave.”
She hopped on the desk and sat down. “Actually, I’m pretty comfortable right here.”
I snapped. I came around the desk then gripped her by the elbow savagely. My chivalry died and I didn’t bother being gentle with her. I yanked her off the desk and to her feet. “You’re leaving.” When I looked up, I saw Lexie standing there with a few boxes of Tupperware. She wore a sundress with her hair in a braid over one shoulder. The devastation in her eyes killed me. “Baby, it’s not how it looks.”
“Actually, it’s exactly how it looks.” Macy leaned into me, pressing her boobs into my side.
“No, it’s not.” I savagely pushed her away, making her wobble on her heels. My eyes were glued to Lexie’s. “It’s not how it looks. I swear on everything. I swear on my family. She’s just doing this to make it seem like something happened.”
Lexie’s eyes were dark and they pooled with moisture.
Fuck, this was bad. “Baby, I love you. I would never cheat on you.”
“It didn’t seem like you loved her when you fucked me on your desk,” Macy said.
Lexie looked like she lost everything in the world that mattered to her.
No, this couldn’t be happening to me. “You know I would never hurt you. I’m telling you the truth. She’s just trying to trick you.”
Lexie’s eyes moved to Macy, and the same look was in her eyes.
“I love you,” I said. “I didn’t do anything with her. You know me.”
Lexie slowly walked around me then placed the food on the desk. She moved like a snail, like there was no energy left in her body. Her soul stopped working, and now the rest of her had no reason to go on.
Macy gave a triumphant smile, knowing her evil plan worked.
I bowed my head and felt my heart race in my chest. Lexie was going to walk out of my life and never come back. What we had was so good and now it was being taken away. It wasn’t fair.
Lexie turned to her sister, her face lifeless.
“Sorry, sis,” Macy said. “It looks like all your boys like me.”
Lexie didn’t react.
“Maybe one day you’ll find someone who actually loves you,” Macy continued. “But for now they all want to fuck me.” She put her hands on her hips and gave her a sassy smile.
Lexie stepped closer to her. Then quicker than a blink of an eye, she slapped Macy hard across the face. The sound echoed in my office and bounced off the walls. It was deadly silent, and I could hear my own breathing.
Macy turned with the hit then touched her cheek with her hand. She whimpered like she’d never been hit in her life. Lexie wasn’t a fighter. She had to be really angry to summon the courage to strike her family, even if her sister was a piece of shit.
Lexie examined her face coldly. “Are you so pathetic that you would actually try to seduce Conrad? He doesn’t want you and he never will. He loves me and he would never hurt me.”
My entire body relaxed, and my eyes dilated in surprise.
Lexie grabbed a fistful of Macy’s hair and pulled it back, forcing her sister to look at her. “Are you so jealous of my life that your whole purpose is to destroy it? Is that how small of a person you are?” She yanked on her hair. “I feel sorry for you.” She released her hair then slapped her again.
Macy whimpered.
“Conrad is mine. But nice try.”
***
We entered my apartment, still not speaking to one another. Lexie hadn’t said a word since we left the office. She was so quiet I thought she was a mouse. She didn’t make eye contact with me either. I couldn’t gauge her mood.
She set her purse down then kicked off her shoes. Then she headed to the bedroom.
I followed her, unsure what else to do. Were we going to talk about this? Or was she still so angry she couldn’t speak?
Lexie immediately got into the shower and stood under the warm water. That seemed to be her retreat, the place she ventured to when she didn’t want to hear the sound of her own thoughts and the running water drown them out.
I joined her and stood behind her.
She stood directly under the water, her hair clinging to her skin.
I came closer to her and pressed my chest to her back. She was so small in comparison to me. Every breath she took barely registered on my skin. My hands moved to her upper arms. I rubbed her gently then placed a kiss on her shoulder. “It meant a lot to me that you believed me.”
She was quiet for so long I didn’t think she heard me.
I kissed her other shoulder, hoping I could coax her out of her mood.
Finally, she slowly turned around. The lifeless look was still in her eyes. “Well, it wouldn’t make any sense for her to stop by after I texted you.”
Her words burned me.
“And it’s public knowledge where your office is. If she wanted to track you down, she could.”
And because I would never do that to you.
“It doesn’t surprise me she would pull something like this. Her life is dedicated to sabotaging mine. But that’s what eats me up…that she’s so evil. She wanted to hurt me so much…it’s terrible.”
“It’s sad.” My hands moved to her waist. “She’s jealous of you. She sees the way I look at you and hates the fact no one looks at her that way.”
“But it’s still terrible…why is my family so fucked up?”
“You can’t choose your family,” I said. “But you can choose who you love.”
“I don’t love her,” she said darkly.
“You shouldn’t.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I wish you understood that I would never do that to you. I wish you knew that based on faith, not evidence.”
“I do know that, Con,” she whispered. “I know you would never hurt me—ever.”
My heart melted at her words. “I’m sorry your sister is such a bitch.”
“It’s okay.”
“For what it’s worth…you can have my family.”
It was the first time she smiled. “I do like them.”
“And they like you.” I tilted her face up to look at me. “They love you.”
“I know…”
“And none of them will try to sleep with you to get back at me,” I teased. “I’d be worried if Trinity did…”
She chuckled. “That would be weird.”
I gave her a smile. “Don’t let it get you down, baby. Macy is just an ugly bitch in heat. Not a single dog on the block wants her. She knows it and we know it. That’s why she acts out.”
“I don’t understand why…we fight like all sisters but I’ve never done anything terrible to her, nothing to deserve this treatment.”
“She’s a stupid whore,” I said. “Don’t think about her.” I pulled her closer to me and pressed my lips to hers. Her lips were immobile in the beginning but they eventually loosened up. Her mouth became more passionate as it took mine. Soon, she was kissing me the way she always did—with love and trust.
Chapter Sixteen
Theo
I didn’t go into work for the next week and I stayed home and drank myself to death. Bottles were scattered around the house, along with junk food wrappers. Crumbs from an old bag of chips had fallen onto the floor but I still didn’t bother to pick them up.
Alex wasn’t my girlfriend anymore but I couldn’t help but feel betrayed. We’d been broken up for just a few weeks and she was already with someone new. Maybe it was just a meaningless fling to make her feel better. Maybe it didn’t mean anything to her.
But what if it did?
All I’d been thinking about was her and if breaking up was a mistake, but she was already moving on with some pretty boy with messy hair.
Was she over me?
I got a lot of phone calls but I never answered them. My phone lay somewhere under a pile of trash. I could hear it ring when it went off but it still wasn’t visible. When it stopped going off altogether, it became quiet in the apartment.
I spent my time watching SpongeBob SquarePants because it was the only show that didn’t somehow remind me of that pretty brunette with a slight tint of red in her hair. It didn’t make me think of anything at all, actually.
A few people came to my door and knocked but I didn’t move from the couch. I remained in my comfy spot on the cushions and chose to ignore the intruders. After they called out my name and knocked again, they walked away and left me in peace.
I took another drink of my beer and finished it off. After I tossed it onto another heap of trash I realized I was out. Now I had to leave the apartment and get more.
Ugh.
***
When I opened the door, I came face-to-face with my father. He wore a gray V-neck with a black blazer on top. His brown hair was a little messy, but that was usually how he wore it. His skin was fair, and people still mistook him for a thirty year-old. A smile formed on his lips. “Looks like I caught you on your way out.”
My dad wasn’t stupid. Actually, he was unusually smart. He was an expert at recognizing people’s emotions, especially since he was a writer. He observed situations with a keen eye. That was why Thomas and I never got away with anything.
One look at me told him everything he needed to know. There were bags under my eyes, I hadn’t showered in a few days, I was drunk, and my breath reeked of alcohol. “Yeah…I’m headed somewhere.”
Dad nodded. Normally, he would make a joke or put me on the spot. But he didn’t. “Can I join you?”
“It’s just an errand,” I said quickly. “Did you need something?”
“Just wanted to see how you were doing. Haven’t heard from you in a while.” He examined my face, catching all the dark spots and lack of energy.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just been busy.”
“So, what errand are you going to run?”
“Uh…just some groceries.”
“Great. I’ll come along.” He stepped away from the door and headed into the hallway.
I knew he wasn’t going to go away. I locked the door behind me and walked with him.
“You know what?”
“Hmm?” I asked.
“When your mother and I were first talking, she was so broke she couldn’t even afford groceries. I anonymously left them on her doorstep.” He shrugged. “But she knew it was me.”
“That was nice of you.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I had my eye on her and I knew I wouldn’t land her like all the others. I needed to take a different approach with her.”
“So, instead of buying her drinks you buy her groceries?”
He chuckled. “Something like that.”
We headed to the nearest grocery store and headed down the aisles. Dad examined a few things but it didn’t seem like he was going to buy anything. The only thing I wanted was beer, and I didn’t bother hiding that fact. I got a few six-packs then paid for them at the register.
Dad didn’t say anything.
We walked back to the apartment, the cases in my hands.
“What’s new with you?”
It was clear he knew about Alex. If he didn’t, he would have asked. That meant it would come up eventually. My dad usually was straightforward in his conversations. But this time, he was patient. He was like a hawk circling the skies as he waited for the rabbit to emerge from the hole.
We entered my apartment and I put the beers in the fridge.
