Overtime Read online

  Mena flung her limbs in agreement and Kacey smiled. “Well, at least I have a partner in crime. Now, you go to sleep. I’m gonna go watch Notting Hill and eat ice cream for the both of us since your mother won’t let me drink. You should talk that over with her. Auntie needs her booze.” Leaning over the crib, she kissed Mena’s forehead. “Love you, Mena Bena. You’re my favorite niece in the whole world.”

  Mena just stared at her and Kacey felt a bit guilty for leaving her, but it wasn’t like Mena was very social. Putting on her mobile and her nightlight, she walked out of the room and cracked the door before heading to the kitchen. As she walked through the living room, she noticed that Karson and Lacey were outside on the patio with the fire going. Popping her head out, she said, “Mena is down, and I’m about to go to bed too.”

  “Thanks, I’ll turn the baby monitor on. Night,” Lacey said, pulling it out of her pocket and doing as she said she was going to.

  “Night,” she said before shutting the door and heading to the kitchen. Grabbing her pint of cookie dough, she headed back to her room. After turning on her TV and setting her ice cream on the bedside table, she changed into her PJs and went to the bathroom. It was steamy when she entered, and she assumed Jordie had just taken a shower since his door was shut.

  Sitting on the toilet, she thought for a second that she should lock the door. But there was a ledge, he wouldn’t be able to see her using the bathroom. Plus, she would scream at him to leave before he would know what was going on. When she was done, she went to the sink to wash up, when from around the corner Jordie came out of the shower, rubbing his head with a towel and a razor in his hand.

  With nothing around his waist.

  Blinking dumbly, her jaw dropped as he threw his towel on the counter to clean out his razor. She hadn’t seen him naked in months and, like before, she was positively breathless. His body was toned, not like it had been before, but the definition was there. Her mouth promptly went dry. As her eyes drank him in, she took in the body she had worshiped for those four amazing months. His arms were covered in tattoos just the way she loved, each one distinct and all him. He loved stylized skulls and had a few along his arm. They coexisted with a pin-up girl wearing a hockey jersey that hung off her shoulder. Roses took up most of the rest of the spaces on his arm. It was all black and gray and beautiful. Along his hip, he had a huge three with a hockey stick shooting a puck. He had gotten it when he was eighteen. His first tattoo. It was her favorite.

  The hair on his chest was short from where he had shaved. She usually liked when he left it long, but that wasn’t what she was looking at for long. His cock was hanging there, looking fucking delish, and she didn’t know what to do. All kinds of images came to mind as her stomach clenched with want. The first time they’d had sex was against the very sink she was standing in front of, and it had all started when he came out of the shower naked.

  But that would not happen again!

  “Um?” she gasped, and he looked over at her blankly.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re naked.”

  He looked down, turning to her and nodding. “Yeah, I just got done showering and manscaping.”

  Of course, that caused her to look down at where he had, in fact, done a wonderful job manscaping around his huge cock. She gripped the sink, sucking in a breath as his grin grew.

  “Looks good, right?” he said proudly, and she was speechless.

  Utterly speechless.

  “Okay, well, I’m beat. You kicked my ass today,” he said, completely unaffected by her gawking. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”

  He turned, heading for his room, his perfect, thick ass for all the world to see, and Kacey could not speak. She was stunned into silence. Was this really happening? Also, why was it taking everything out of her not to grab his ass?

  When he reached the door, he turned and looked at her.

  “By the way, Kelly is a big mountain of dildos. You could do a lot better.”

  She could only blink at him, but he waited for a response, which was very unlike him. Usually, he’d say something and then shut the door so he wouldn’t have to hear her take. But this time, he waited, and that stunned her just as much as his huge monster of a cock did. Oh, and his statement.

  Finally finding her voice, she spat out, “Why do you care?”

  “Because I care about you.”

  He again waited for a response, but she had nothing. She knew this was the part when she should ask where he had been, why he had cut off contact. But instead, she just shook her head. She couldn’t do this right now. She was exhausted, mentally and physically.

  “Well, stop,” she demanded, but Jordie was the one shaking his head.

  “I can’t,” he said softly. “I won’t.”

  Before she could say something, though, really, she wasn’t even sure what that would be, he said, “Good night, Kacey.”

  And shut the door, ending the conversation.

  Staring at the door, Kacey was unsure what had just happened. But she was sure she would never get the image of his cock out of her head. And if she were honest, she would admit that she hadn’t ever since she’d last slept with him. But none of that mattered. What did matter was what he said: I can’t. I won’t. What did that even mean? He apparently didn’t love her. Didn’t want her. But what if he did?

  Letting her head fall back, she swallowed hard and told herself to pull it together, that he didn’t love her. But a small voice inside of her whispered,

  Maybe he does.

  Letting her head fall forward, she looked at her reflection, and she shook her head. As she took in her flushed face, her eyes that were full of bewilderment, she decided she had no clue who or what Jordie Thomas was. She had not the slightest idea, and that meant she really needed to go to bed and eat her ice cream. At least she understood Ben & Jerry’s.

  But before she could step away from the door, the strum of a guitar stopped her. It was faint, so of course, being the nosy one she was, she got closer. Her nose pressed to the door as the music fought to reach her, causing her heart to race. It was as if the music was getting louder and she worried that he would open the door, but he didn’t.

  When Jordie’s low, rough voice started the lyrics to “Draw Me a Map” by Dierks Bentley, she closed her eyes, leaning her head against the door as his voice burst through the wood and washed over her. Each word of the song hit her square in the chest, and it gutted her. The words could be applied to them easily, but she wouldn’t read into it. She loved this song, he knew she loved this song, and he was singing it to her. Hoping she heard it. But she couldn’t tell him she had.

  She had to let this go. Jordie wasn’t the man she wanted. He didn’t love her the way she loved him. She had to just walk away. But her feet wouldn’t move. And as the tears streamed down her face, she had no clue what she was going to do.

  Leaning against the wall outside of the massage room, Jordie played on his phone while he waited for his turn. He probably didn’t need a rubdown, but if it meant Kacey touching him, he was there. She had been doing everything to avoid him; she wouldn’t even look at him while they worked out each day. When they were at the house, she acted as if he wasn’t there. He still picked at her every chance he got, just for her to acknowledge him, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more. It had been three days since he’d walked out of the shower in his birthday suit, and she still hadn’t looked him in the eye.

  He didn’t know if he should chalk that up as a good thing or bad.

  She wasn’t usually this quiet. She told him what she thought at all times and didn’t hold back. He was unsure what that meant and didn’t know how to proceed with her. Was she really happy with Liam? He honestly didn’t believe so. Especially with Lacey chirping in his ear that Liam was no competition. A part of him wanted to leave her be, let her be happy with someone else, but the selfish part of him wanted her with only him. Forever. He could be the one to make her happy, he believed that now. He j