Truth Meets Love Page 8

  Pugs moved to Chicago and into the four-plex when Dez got sick. I needed her, and Tyler needed help with Macey and caring for Dez. She came without question. Petals, her sister Dorris, bought her out of their business in Rapid City. Petals had gotten engaged to an attorney in town; therefore, Pugs was ready to move on and give Petals and Jake their own space.

  Pugs could never have children, so I think she adopted us to fill the void. If anyone would have wanted and probably dreamed most of having children, it would have been someone like Pugs. She was a homemaker who loved kids, and they loved her. Why is she the one that is unable to have children, yet people like my mother are allowed to reproduce? Makes no sense. She didn't deserve a child. Ally didn't even want a child; she didn't want me. I am just so thankful Pugs did.

  Who in hell makes these calls? Why do I feel that each one of them came into my life for a reason? I think we might have come into each others' lives when we all needed someone the most.

  Dreams have a funny way of coming true. It has been my experience, however, that you've got to give them a chance first.

  Could this dark-haired light-mint-green-eyed giant be the route to my happily ever after? My dream come true? WHOA! HUH? I have my dream come true. I have my career and I have Mace and Tyler, Shelby and Pugs. I am happy, remember? I don't need a man to validate my worth or give me attention to feel valuable or to be happy.

  I am not her.

  I take a deep breath and try to find humor to ease the pain. It is a survival skill. "You can either laugh or cry," Dez and I used to say.

  Even though there were a few tears toward the end, I think on average we did a lot more laughing than crying together. Sometimes we laughed so hard we cried! Those are the best memories I hold of her and will always have with me to share with Macey.

  My internal trucker chooses this moment to rumble, "I do have to admit. I would like a closer look at the cause of the bulge in his faded jeans" as I grin hugely.

  It is not like I believe in love at first sight or true love, really, at all. I like romantic movies and books but I don't ever expect to find myself in their predicament. I chose the "career thing", not the "family thing." It is better this way. If I fuck my life up, I only hurt me and not my 2.4 kids, a husband and the dog, too.

  Tyler grabs Mace and kisses her cheek. Tralen scoops up a lapping-face puppy and settles her against his nicely-built chest. She stills almost instantly and rests her head over Tralen's arm. My heart melts and he absently rubs the spot between her ears. I wonder what it would feel like to have him touch me with the soft methodical pressure of his hands down my neck?

  Tyler and Mace are walking toward the front door and I panic! I don't want to be left alone with the guy! Well, that is a lie, actually. I would like nothing more than about 20 minutes alone with this guy. I have to come up with something to stop Tyler. Why I am scared to be alone with him? It is not like he is scary, really. I mean, the fist clench thing could have been nerves. The twitch in the strong, slightly scruffy jaw could be a bad tooth. Whichever it is it makes me want to pant like a puppy and lick up along his lips, too! Perfect--like this isn't humiliating enough, I am now jealous of the attention he is giving a puppy over me.

  I am contradictions all over. I want to slap myself back into reality. I paste on my professional client-greeting facade. I prepare to answer any questions he may have about the place and review the lease agreement with him from the seats up at the breakfast counter in the kitchen.

  I should go change my panties. How embarrassing!

  Tralen -

  Thank God--Loosey to my rescue. I hang on to the dog after I snatch her up from the ground and hold her on my lap, hoping to overshadow the evidence of my "semi-happy state."

  It's awkward kind of, but probably only for me because I doubt anyone else was ever trying not to pop wood at the scent of Hadley when she came into the room. I bet they don't notice the soft line of her collarbone as she turns her neck to watch that adorable black-haired beauty with–seriously, are those black eyes? I never noticed them when I was walking up. I was too concerned with making sure Loosey didn't tackle the little Energizer Bunny. The little girl was leaping and commanding Loosey to follow her while she ran. Judging from the constant giggles that erupted from her little toothless smile, I would surmise that she must love dogs! It also became abundantly clear that little girl could handle a puppy. She was able to get Loosey to mind her commands to run and then stop and lay down as she rolled in the grass beside her. I didn't know Loosey could listen. She always does exactly opposite of what I tell her to do!

  Tyler waves me off as he makes for the door. I hear a very excited Macey telling every possible cute thing Loosey did while they played. He smiles and rolls his eyes and tosses back, "Hey Tralen, nice to meet you, man. Take it easy and maybe I'll be seeing you around?"

  "You too. Thanks, I appreciate you showing me the place."

  He nods and winks at Hadley. She closes her mouth and purses her lips as she glares back at him before he pulls the door closed. When she turns her head to look back to me, I train my stare back down on the lease paperwork sitting on the table in front of me to avoid her eyes.

  I feel the weird crackle in the room again and my lap is getting too warm now. Hadley is sitting next to me at the breakfast bar. Loosey is still on my lap. I know I have got to get out of here fast, before I do something stupid to ruin this interview. I want this place. Fuck, who am I trying to fool? I want her. Maybe not her, per se? Maybe just to look at her, talk to her, touch her once in while.

  Hell, I'd give my left nut to be able to watch her dance again. It got injured a lot in sports and is most likely the weaker of the set. I can't dance, but I have yet to recall anything more beautiful than seeing her body move with the freedom and sense of power that had drawn me in so deeply. I couldn't pull away from her the night I was with her and I couldn't force myself to look away when I saw her working that pole in her loft, either.

  Let's be real. I know I can't date her or fuck her again. I know I can't deal with the stripper thing. It's too much for my ego to take. It is not that I think a stripper isn't worthy of my attention. It is because there is no way in hell I would be okay with other dudes ogling my woman's naked body. EVER. The looks guys must give her fully clothed would be bad enough.

  Hadley-

  He keeps glancing up at me like he is afraid I am about to hit him or he is waiting to tell me something unpleasant. Does he feel guilty about something?

  I try to put us more at ease by asking him a question. "So Tralen, do you have a girlfriend?"

  WHAT. IN.THE. FUCK… possessed me to ask that question? Of all the things about him that I may have actually been entitled to know!

  He just shakes his head grins back up at me and answers, "Nope, and I haven't for a long time."

  I smile a stupid smile that I can't seem to wipe off my face.

  Then his face goes slack and his light green eyes look horrified as he shifts in his chair. The color in his cheeks flames and runs rampant up to his brow. I am not sure what happened. I mean, I thought we were sharing a "moment" and now he looks like he is about to vomit or run!

  Tralen-

  I am going to have to tell her. This will be the second time I risk major humiliation in front of her. Why am I bound and determined to make an ass of myself in her presence? I can't say the first few encounters were all too humiliating, considering she doesn't know. But this is bad.

  "Um, Hadley?" I squeak out.

  "Yes?" she asks softly as she almost visually shrinks in and gazes up at me.

  "I think Loosey just pissed on my lap. Is the bathroom in the unit functioning?" I manage to state like it is a normal question people would ask anyone.

  She starts to giggle and her shoulders begin to shake. Her little chuckles are sweet, so sweet, and then she lets out a silent open-mouthed laugh in between little sweet chuckles. It steals my heart. That is the best sound I have ever heard. I forget to be mortified or sel
f-conscious or even irritated at Loosey for pissing on me. I got to hear that laugh… so sweet.

  Chapter NINE

  We Made Out

  Hadley-

  I need to get a handle on the giggle fit, but I can't stop. He is smiling and laughing softly now, too, shaking his head down at Loosey. I know he is afraid to put her down for fear of the big wet stain drawing attention to his bulge and my face is hot, about to split with embarrassment for him. Tralen is handling it like a champ and I start to feel guilty for making fun at his expense.

  I curb my laughter and since I know I can't even manage to speak another word without laughing again, I grab his hand and lead him out the door down the steps. I glance back at his face and smile sweetly as I keep leading him back down the walk to my doorway. I open the door after climbing up the porch with a quiet Tralen at my rear.

  For a moment I am too chicken to even to turn back to him, so I speak facing forward, looking down the hall. "There is a bathroom up there to your left, and there is pair of Tyler's sweatpants in the dresser in the guest bedroom, across the hall to your right. The laundry is off the kitchen if you want to throw your jeans in while we finish the lease paperwork here. Tyler had mentioned you were in a hurry to move in."

  Before he can object to the offer… Yeah, I know. I didn't want be alone with him just 15 minutes ago and now I don't want him to leave.

  "I ordered Thai takeout, so I am going to run pick it up and grab a 12-pack of beer. Any requests?" I ask as he looks back at me with a blank expression. I can't even keep up with me; poor guy doesn't even hold a prayer.

  He finally says, "No any, beer is fine and thanks for letting me use your facilities. I guess I have some work to do as a dog trainer." He smiles at me so sweetly.

  I let out a small nervous giggle before turning to let myself out the door. "I'll be back in about 15 minutes; make yourself at home."

  Tralen-

  Maybe this is part of her game. This is how to she gets her clients lined up. That sweet smile and then, "Why don't you come down and see where I work? Oh, and bring your stack of twenties!"

  I don't get it, though. She just doesn't fit my image of a stripper, let alone a prostitute. Why would such a beautiful girl who could most likely have any guy she wanted sell her body instead? Nicole just went to the next dick with a deeper pocket and who had the best chance of being in front of the TV cameras. I guess Hadley accepting the expensive watches for her "services" is no different than Nicole.

  I am really going to sit here and let this type of girl take up more of my thoughts than she's worth. I could probably be anybody to her and she would treat us all the same. I am nothing special to her.

  I tell myself I am just going to leave the paperwork on the counter. I'll take my pee pants and leave a note. I will just tell her I will be back in the morning to move some things in.

  There is only one problem with this strategy. She hasn't given me any keys yet. I decide to park myself at the counter with a glass of water. My cap is off and my dark hair is wet and hanging down over my brow from the shower. I have on a pair of black sweatpants that have "Tyler" printed under the picture of a football helmet, with the number #89 on the hip. I am not sure the nature of their relationship, but that confirms that they are at the least very good friends.

  I can't stay one more night at my sister's house with a teenage girl singing Beyonce songs. Shilo sings them until the wee hours of the morning. I wake up to her singing the same tune in the shower and at breakfast. It is like a bad radio station. She sings beautifully, but it is her limitation in song selection that is the problem.

  Just then Hadley pushes the door with her knee. She has four sacks, two in each hand, with a 12-pack of Bud Light under one arm and the DVD "Trouble with the Curve." The movie is pressed up against the side of her chest on the inside of her other arm. I want to reach for it but I am hesitant because it is so close to the little round peak I see protruding from under her t-shirt.

  I get up to help unload the sacks and set them on the counter. I turn back to see if she needs me to grab anything else. In an instant she slides between me and counter, just before the jar of sauce falls, making its descent to the tile of the kitchen floor. Her hand is on my side and she is using me for balance as she reaches across me to try to catch it.

  Oh, the hand on the small of my back is like a heat patch. I grab the sauce jar in mid-flight and slightly bend at the knee to get down low to catch it before it hits the floor. Hadley's right hand is still pressed tight into my back as she loses her balance when I bend down. She reaches out with her left hand to grab the edge of the counter… and misses.

  The palm of her left hand is resting on my still half-mast cock and her fingers are slightly cupping my balls.

  That's it… I'm done fighting it. I know what I want.

  I grab her firmly by her upper arms, below the shoulders, and slide her up my side. I pull her up and around the front of my body with her legs up around my hips. I walk her back two steps to set her tight little ass on the kitchen counter. I lift her face up with a nudge of my knuckle so she has to meet my gaze. I see "want" looking back, mirroring those that have been bubbling to the surface of mine since the moment I laid eyes on her again in the loft. Actually, the unofficial introduction at Marcus's wedding reception is obviously what kicked the heat up a notch or two.

  How can a woman who dances like an angel one moment be so damn clumsy the next? She is a Handmade Sweetheart, full of contradictions. She is "Hadley-Made" right here, baby, and I want her.

  I pull my left hand up her neck and pull her face to me as I press my body into her and stand between her legs.

  She starts to giggle and her body begins to shake as she tries to gain control by burying her face in my neck. She squeezes her legs up around my hips. Her arms are hugging me tightly around my shoulders, with her other hand entwined in my hair, atop my head. She is trying to muffle her laughter. I lean back and peer down at her, still wide-smiling and rumbling chest.

  "Are you ticklish?" I ask.

  She calms her breaths and just shakes her head and stills up against my cheek. She mumbles into my neck, "Just a little nervous."

  I just squeeze her up against me and kiss the side of her temple before placing her back on the counter. I want to take some time to see what this is all about. FUCK. Why the hell does she have to be a stripper… a woman as sweet intelligent and warm as she seems to be?

  I know what I have to do to take this to the next level. Am I ready to take the next step? I like her. I like her a lot.

  The determination sets in as I lean back. "Hadley, what do you do for a living?"

  Hadley-

  I have to be careful how to answer his question, but that smell. OH, he is heaven on earth, I swear. It seems familiar or just hot, like clean and cinnamon.

  However, once they find out I make a good living on my own and don't need them to support me or validate my worth, per se, one of two things will happen. They will become human mooches and try to suck me into supporting them while they do nothing. Others can't hack their ego issues that surface. They don't know how to take me because I don't need to rely on them for financial support or seek validation from them to sustain my self-worth. I am not afraid of walking away if I feel I need to. Like I did with Luke.

  Luke didn't think I had it in me to kick him out when I found out he was fucking our neighbor in the apartment building--the one I paid the lease on. They were at least courteous enough to schedule around my college class and work schedule to hook up. IN MY FUCKING BED! The truth was, I never really liked him that much. I was more pissed to find out that he had been using me. Like AJ used my Mom. She worked; he drank. I worked and went to school; he fucked the neighbor.

  Well, when life hands you lemons… have them ready to be sucked after a lick of salt and feel the fire of a shot of tequila running down the back of your throat.

  That STUPID PRICK. I didn't leave him. I kicked his ass out! He had the nerve to tell
me that I would come crawling back to him. Then he said I would have to suck his dick before he would even think about taking me back. PSH… Pussy. I wasn't desperate enough to settle for a drugstore cowboy just yet.

  I answer Tralen tentatively. "I am a Mergers and Acquisitions Consultant," I say with mostly truth engrained.

  He picks up on my hesitation so to divert him, I quickly add, "And you, Mr. Creed, what is your position?" before he can inquire anymore to me and we can change the focus on him.

  If he understands my game, he's playing along. He still has his hand around my back and he is face to face with me, talking softly into my left ear.

  He is grinning into my hair near my ear I can feel it. He throws a curve right back at me. "I am in Infrastructure Design for a firm in town."

  Damn. Why didn't I ask the Property Management Company to send his file so I knew where he worked and what he does for a living? The suspense is killing me.

  Tralen-

  Is she for real? "Mergers and Acquisitions Consultant"--is that code for something I am supposed to understand? It must be terminology used in the club underground escort service. Ok, she's not ready to tell me, so I can't take this any further tonight. She will come around. I'll get her to break down her barriers and see that she can make it without having to strip to survive.