Rebound: Passion Book 2 (6 page)

 
We placed our orders for three sundaes and I
watched as she walked away. It was hard not to, she wore those jeans like a
second layer of skin. I noticed others noticing too and felt my blood heat up.
“Easy Matt, not yet.” I looked over at my brother who was studying me like one
of his third grade science projects. “What do you mean?” He rolled his eyes and
looked at the table of jocks that were sitting across from us. They looked like
college boys from the city not too far away, probably here for the beaches.
There were some nice surfing currents around these parts this time of year and the
surfers came down in droves. I could see them checking out her ass and I wanted
to walk over there and plant my fists in their faces. Josh’s warning had me
sitting back and playing it cool.

“Kill
the dead lights Mattie, you’d scare the poor girl away.” Carrie grinned over at
me. I hadn’t even realized I was scowling until she pointed it out. Was this
some sort of family curse? I remember Joshua acting this same way when he first
laid eyes on Carrie. He was nuts. I hope not because as bad as he was I’m a
hundred percent sure I’m worse. Maybe I should ask dad if it was the same with
him and mom. And what the fuck are you thinking? You don’t know this girl. Your
life isn’t fucked up enough without you getting involved with some female who
obviously had a suitcase worth of bullshit written all over her? If I ever do
go down that path again it will be with some unassuming little virgin who
didn’t know the first thing about trouble. Not some tattooed sexpot who looked
like sin and made my dick come out of hiding.

One
of the guys at the table called her over by name and she went to him, leaning
over to hear him better. “Easy, take it easy Matt.” I looked at Josh who had
his hand on my arm holding me in the seat that I hadn’t been aware of getting
up from. I looked back at her and the asshole and was pleased to see that she
didn’t look too happy that he was here either. Good, she might’ve just saved
him from an ass whipping.

KADYN

I
can feel Matthew staring holes in my back as I walk away from Dan’s table.
What’s his problem anyway? One minute he’s growling and snarling at me, and the
next he acts like he owns me. I guess I should feel just a little wary after
the shit I’d been through in the last couple of years but somehow I don’t. I
don’t get the feeling that he’d hurt me. Though what he wanted from me I wasn’t
sure.

 
That day on the street he seemed to be more
annoyed by my reaction than upset at me. It’s very confusing either way. I
didn’t want to get involved with anyone for any reason. I just want to stay
here with my head down, hidden away from the drama. Seeing him made me want
things I know I can never have, and his actions only made things worst.

I’d
met Dan one of the rare times I’d visited dad a few years ago, and though we didn’t
keep in touch as often in the last few years we still said hi on Facebook and
twitter. He has no idea of what’s been going on in my life back home and I
didn’t plan on sharing. But it was nice to have a semi friend close by since
I’d left everyone behind.

He
and his buddies were getting a little rowdy when I walked from behind the
counter with the tray of sundaes but I ignored them. Boys will be boys I guess.
I tried not to look at Matthew as I approached the table, but like always my
eyes were drawn to him. My tummy was beginning to do that crazy churning thing
it does when he’s around and the tray shook just a little in my hands.

“Here
you are guys, three sundaes with the works.” I placed one in front of each of
them as Matthew bore holes in the side of my face with his eyes. I finally had
the nerve to look at him head on and the look in his eyes had me taking a step
back.

“Who is
he?”

 
I swallowed as I looked at him; he looked
pissed but was trying to hide it.

“I beg your pardon?”

“The guy that had his hands all
over you who is he?”

I looked at the other two
occupants at the table who seemed unaware of the drama unfolding right in front
of them.

“He’s a
friend.”

I’m
not sure what he thought of my answer because the tick in his cheek didn’t go
away and he was still glaring. I turned and walked away as I heard the bell
over the door jingle and more customers walked in. For whatever reason I found
myself avoiding Dan’s table as I walked by.

MATT

I
kept my eye on her the whole time I sat there eating my ice cream. She was a
bit skittish in her movements and seemed overly cautious and aware. In the hour
we sat there I noticed how quiet she seemed and also that people seemed to like
her. Her smile as rare as it is was beautiful and made that hitch in my heart
hurt more. Sitting there I finally allowed myself to accept the truth. I was
attracted to her in a big fucking way; no amount of hiding or denying was going
to change that shit. “Fuck me running bro, what the fuck?”

Josh
looked at me with a ‘what now’ look on his face. I think I felt a little
trepidation at the situation. I wasn’t afraid of what I was beginning to feel,
but I was just a little wary. It was too soon after the betrayal. Hadn’t I told
myself that I wouldn’t ever do this shit again? And besides this girl looked
like fucking trouble, there was definitely something going on with her, but
what? Josh kicked me under the table to get my attention. I’d wandered off in
my head again, something I found myself doing more and more where this girl was
concerned.

“What’s
up Matt?” I kept my eyes trained on her as she moved around the room.

“I don’t want to do this shit
bro.”

“Bro you’ve been driving around
town trying to pick up her scent. You’ve already got it bad.”

“You make me sound like a wild
animal or some shit.”

“Well if the claws fit.”

“I don’t know bro, I’m not too
jazzed about putting myself out there again. And she seems to have some fuck
wrong with her.”

“Perfect,
then you can both mend each other; I don’t see the problem.”

I
decided to ignore his ass as I ate my ice cream, he was no help whatsoever
since he had love and happily ever after on the brain. The dumbass kept
dropping hints about what I should do to move things along as he swore I was
already hooked. I wasn’t, not by a long shot. It would take more than a pretty
face and a grade
A
ass to pull me in. But those eyes
fuck; I think she’s going to get me with the eyes. I have always been a sucker
for a damsel in distress.

The
prick at the next table was following her with his eyes but I noticed she was
steering clear. Why the fact that he was looking should bother me was anyone’s
guess. Make up your mind Matt, either you’re in or you’re not you can’t have it
both ways.

“Bro
there’s steam coming out your ears, if you want her go get her before that
fucker makes his move.” Josh had noticed the other guy clocking her as well,
shit. I have to man up in front of my brother, can’t let some college asshole
show me up but shit.

Carrie
excused herself from the table and headed for the counter where Kadyn had just
finished helping a customer. I don’t know what she was saying to her but had a
good idea I was involved when Kadyn took a peek at me. I held her eyes until
she blushed and hid behind her hair; that’s my kinda shit.

Carrie came back to the table
all smiles but not giving up anything and I refused to ask. Besides all my
attention was still focused on the ‘friend’ at the next table who couldn’t seem
to keep his eyes off my…fuck.

“We’re
not leaving until they go.” The three of us were finally finished with our
dessert but the asshole and his friends were still here and no matter what I
told myself I was not about to leave her here alone with them.

“Why
don’t you just go talk to her Matt?” Carrie was resting on her husband’s chest
as he played in her hair. Watching the two of them together sometimes made me
long to go for it. To throw caution to the wind and just say fuck it. What no
one seemed to realize is that I had come very close to doing something that I
never thought myself capable of when Patti had done the shit she’d done.

 
It wasn’t only that she’d fucked with my
brother it was the fact that she was capable of such actions. I never wanted to
be that close to evil again in my life. If I took a chance on this girl and she
fucked me over there’s no telling what I would do this time. I had the feeling
that this one could send my ass over the edge. The things she made me feel
Patti hadn’t even come close to. It was like the difference between day and
night.

“Not now
Carrie, I’m not sure which way this thing is going but I don’t want to make any
fast moves.”

“You’re certainly nothing like
your brother.” The kissing started and I had to wait until they were through
sucking each other’s faces off for her to expound on that statement.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean that this one didn’t
wait for an invitation, he just forced his way in.”

“I’m a
gentleman, your husband didn’t get that particular gene at birth.”

“Kill
the shit Matthew I know you remember? Patti might’ve knocked you off kilter for
a minute but there’s no way my brother is out of the game. You just need to let
go of that shit and do what you have to do Steele style.” The fucker grinned at
me like an idiot. He was right though, I had to get my head out of my ass soon.
Patti was the past, I’d fucked up
there
yes, but it
wasn’t like me to just lay down and die. If she’d only fucked me over I
might’ve handled things different. But she’d gone after my little brother, my
heart.

I
couldn’t get him to understand what that shit did to me without sounding like a
bitch so I held my peace. “The next woman I get myself tangled up with is going
to be the last guys. I can’t just rush into this shit, we all know what
happened the last time I did that.” As I said the words I knew them to be true.
I liked what I saw when I looked at my brother and his wife, that permanence.

 
In a world where divorce was prevalent and
people took love for granted I’ve always known that I’m the settling down type.
That’s why I’d stayed with that viper for so long, it’s just not in me to do
the running around thing. Maybe that’s why I could understand Joshua’s rush
into marriage at his age. He’d seen his forever and taken it. Now I won’t
settle for less, but neither will I be too hasty. “I’m not as twisted up as I
was a week ago so you guys can stop worrying okay. I just need some time
before…”

“That’s
good Matt.” Josh gave me a high five as I kept my attention on the asshole at
the table across from us who was still busy clocking her with his eyes. I had
the strong urge to punch the fucker in the face but that was just crazy. I had
yet to even have a real conversation with her. Maybe it was time I remedied
that shit and moved on from this limbo that was making me nuts. What was I
afraid of anyway? It’s not like I was going to ask her to marry me in the next
second or some shit. But something about her scared the fuck out of me, which
made no sense whatsoever. Maybe I had lost my mind after all.

MATT

The
douche bag and his friends left not long after and I breathed a sigh of relief
when all he said to her was bye. I felt a little less tense when she looked in
my direction and kept her distance from him, waving him off from her place
behind the counter. Once again Carrie excused herself, this time to go to the
restroom and I watched as she stopped to have words with Kadyn, again. I had no
idea what they were talking about but from here it looked as if Carrie was
trying to talk her into something with all the head shaking and hand wringing that
was going on. Whatever it was she finally smiled and nodded before lil sis
headed for the bathrooms in back.

“What’s
your wife up to bro?” Josh looked over at where the girls had been standing
together and then turned back to me with the fakest look of innocence I’d ever
seen since he was six. He shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject to
sports.

“Since when do you give a fuck
about baseball stats Joshua?” Oh yeah they were up to something alright, nosy
fucks.

“You
wound me bro, you know I’m into all that happy shit, in fact I’m thinking of
picking up the game.” I just glared at him and left him alone with his secrets,
I guess I’ll figure out what it was soon enough since everyone seemed to be on
a fix Matthew kick this week.

 
When Carrie came back she grinned at her
husband and I really knew then the two of them were up to some shit. “Let’s
go.” I stood from the table ready to go. I had some shit to think about and I
needed to be alone to do it. Things were moving kind of fast. It had only been a
short time since I’d first laid eyes on her and already in that time she’d
wormed her way into my every thought. Not a day went by that I wasn’t thinking
about her or some shit. And lets not talk about the days that I didn’t get a
glimpse of her on one of my rides around town. Then I felt like I’d lost
something. All this shit had to be dealt with. I might want to take my time but
time wasn’t waiting for my ass it seemed.

“You
guys head to the truck I’ll be right there.”

I threw
the keys to Josh and left the table and went to the counter where she was
wiping down the surface as they headed out the door. “I need to talk to you,
walk outside with me.” I didn’t give her a chance to accept or deny, just took
her hand and pulled her around behind me. As skittish as she was I sensed a
stubborn streak inside her. The first thing I needed to do was find out what
the hell made her act as though she’s afraid of her own damn shadow. “Where are
you taking me?” She tried pulling out of my hand but I held on tighter. One
look over my shoulder was enough to quiet her little ass down.