Juicy Rebound (IceCats Book 1) Read online

  I shift slightly as I say, “Well, I think you look good.”

  “Are you wearing a suit?” she asks, her eyes widening a bit.

  “I am. We have to.”

  “Well, you look very distinguished.”

  “Is that another word for hot?”

  She laughs softly, and all I can see are her wet lips. They’re so kissable. “You’re silly.” She moves back on her couch, and I can just imagine her pulling her knees up underneath her. “Are your parents with you?”

  “Yeah, they’re here, staying at their condo.”

  “You don’t want to stay with them?”

  “I can’t. I stay with the guys, which is good. I went shopping with my mom yesterday, though. She made me buy stuff for my house.”

  She smiles. “Why are you making that face?”

  Am I making a face? “What face?”

  “A face like you didn’t want to.”

  “I didn’t!” I laugh, and she grins. “I like my house plain. She wants it all homey and inviting. I don’t care. I sleep there and hang there. I don’t need all the frills and shit.”

  “I guess, but I would think you’d want it to look nice for company.”

  “Why? No one comes over except guys who don’t care. Unless…you’re trying to come over. If that’s the case, then I need to let my mom go crazy.”

  Her laughter is music to my ears. “You’re killing me.”

  I smile back at her as her hair falls in her face. I want to push it back, wrap it around my fingers, and just hold her. “Is that your way of saying you want to come over?”

  “Not at all. Plus, I don’t have an invite.”

  “You don’t need one. You’re welcome anytime.”

  Her eyes sparkle more as she fights back a smile. She shakes her head and then asks, “So, the game went well?”

  That disappoints me. It was the perfect in for her to ask to come over, but she shut it down. She has a habit of doing that. On an exhale, I confirm, “It did.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  “Yeah, but I wish you’d watched. What if I’d scored for you?”

  Her tongue comes out, running along her bottom lip. “Well, that would be nice, but I haven’t watched a game in a while. Ryan doesn’t play, and I have no desire to watch.”

  “Why not? You used to come to all our games.”

  She shrugs, looking a bit uncomfortable. “I don’t want to accidentally see Drew.”

  I nod. “That’s a good reason.”

  “I think so,” she says softly, her eyes intent on me. “Did Lana work?”

  “Nope, she mooched off me.”

  She giggles. “Really?”

  “Really. She wanted to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. I didn’t care—I just wanted her to be happy.”

  She nods. “I worked for a little bit at a gym in Philly. But then Drew didn’t want me working anymore, so I quit.”

  I make a face. “That seems a bit unfair.”

  “A lot of things about that marriage were unfair.”

  I swallow nervously. I’ve wanted to know this for a long time, but I didn’t want to make her feel like she had to answer me. “Can I ask why you two divorced?”

  Instantly, her face fills with something… Fear? I’m unsure, but she looks down. “I don’t want to talk about that over the phone.”

  “Understandable. So let me take you out.”

  “Take me out?”

  “Yeah, anywhere. Movie, dinner, my house, yours, just let me take you out.”

  “Well, this escalated quickly,” she teases, and I shake my head.

  “You know it didn’t. I’ve wanted to take you out since the moment I saw you.”

  She chews on her lip as she gazes back at me. “I don’t know, Chandler. I’m fine with being your friend—”

  “Oh, come on. Are you friend-zoning me?”

  She lets out a laugh as she shakes her head. “You know it’s not like that.”

  “Then what is it?” I ask in all seriousness.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, I do know.”

  She pulls her brows in. “Know what?”

  “That I want to take you out and that you want to go. But if you want to be difficult, give me a hard time, that’s fine. I’ll break down those walls, and I’ll get you to give me a chance. So, get ready.”

  She takes in a deep breath, letting it out through her nose. “I don’t think I am ready.”

  I playfully narrow my eyes a bit. My voice is deep, serious. I want her. I want her so damn much, it hurts. I want to show her I can give her the world. My eyes burn into hers, and my voice is rough as I say, “You couldn’t be. You have no clue what I am capable of.”

  And I can’t wait to show her.

  Chapter Ten

  Amelia

  It’s easy to say I tossed and turned all night. Chandler’s words played over and over in my head.

  “You couldn’t be. You have no clue what I am capable of.”

  I don’t, and I’m not sure I want to find out what he’s capable of. It terrifies me but, at the same time, excites me. That is probably why I’m considered a difficult person. I don’t even understand myself half the darn time. But I want to know what he is talking about. I want to be on the receiving end of him breaking down my walls. For so long, I’ve wanted someone to fight for me, but it hasn’t happened. I basically gave myself to Drew when he asked, and he never did anything to keep me. But I stayed, like an idiot.

  Which is why I don’t know if I am ready to jump into something with another man. What if I make the same mistakes? What if I’m just not good when it comes to love? I want love so badly that I take what is given to me. I want what my parents had. I want a man to look at me and see his world. I want to wake up knowing I am completely safe. I want to be loved. How do I even know if Chandler could do that for me? I was with Drew for so many years, loved him with everything inside of me. I thought it was the same for him, but then it all changed.

  What if men like my father, or even my uncle, don’t exist anymore?

  But what if they do, and I was just stuck with the bottom of the barrel for too long?

  Ugh. Why is life so complicated? There should be a map. It doesn’t need to tell you who you’re supposed to be with, but it leads you to where you are supposed to be. In that spot will be your perfect match, a man who will love you unconditionally. You’ll know when you see him. But no. Instead, I’m left wandering around the world, thinking I’m making a mistake left and right.

  In life and in love.

  As I drive toward Perk Me Up, I let out a long yawn. I want nothing more than to turn around to go back home. Curl up in my bed and try to sleep without thinking of Chandler. As much as I want him, I can’t shake the feeling that it would be a bad idea. He’s too good of a dude. Everyone is all for a nice rebound guy, but I’m not sure Chandler actually is the right kind of guy to use as a rebound. He could be more, but I don’t want to get involved with him, only to find that I’m not ready for more.

  Blah.

  When my phone rings, it comes over the Bluetooth. I glance at the display and see that it’s Shelli.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey, you,” she says happily. “Whatcha doin’?”

  “Heading to work.”

  “Boo. I thought you were gonna quit.”

  “I was, but then what the hell would I do with my time? I’d drive myself crazy.”

  “True,” she says. “You got time to talk?”

  “Yeah, about ten minutes.”

  “Fantastic. So get this. I’m on stage and I’m singing, but I don’t notice my skirt gets caught on one of the props.”

  She pauses, and I giggle. “Oh no.”

  “Yup, rips my skirt clean off. So while I was finishing the number, one of the stagehands had to come out and wrap a towel around my bare ass.”

  “The show must go on,” I tease, and she scoffs.

  “Exactly.” We giggle together, and I