Still Jaded
Page 5
Bryce stood up and asked, "What happened?"
Everyone quieted and looked over.
Corrigan jerked an abrupt shoulder. "Ask Sheldon. Since she doesn't effing talk about anything anymore. Wait—that's never changed, has it, Sheldon?"
I rounded on him. "Why are your panties so twisted? Is it because the Grace thing is out or is it because I don't talk to you about certain stuff?"
"You don't talk about anything. You left Bryce and you haven't said one word about the two of you. For the longest time I thought you'd broken up. Bryce is the one that had to tell me things were still okay with you two." He shrugged another shoulder and looked dejected. "You still don't let me in, not like Bryce, not even when he was across the world."
I narrowed my eyes and studied him hard. This wasn't normal for Corrigan, at least not in front of so many people. We didn't air our dirty laundry, and here he was, doing just that. I'd had enough. "Stop taking your bad mood out on me. You don't give a crap if I talk to you or not, not about those things. You're pissy about Grace. Are you in love with her?"
"What?" He froze, but his jaw clenched.
Bryce walked around the table. Michael and the brothers moved out of the way. And then Bryce bent, wrapped an arm around my waist, and lifted me up. He turned and called over his shoulder, "Party all you want, but don't trash the place and no media."
Corrigan snorted. "I can't believe you have to say things like that. 'No media.' That's rich." He forced a lighter tone, but I still heard the anger.
I lifted my head as I was transferred over Bryce's shoulder and glared. "You trash my place, and I'm coming after your balls."
"Yeah, well, we can talk about it afterwards," Corrigan threw back.
I flipped him the middle finger as the door shut behind us. Then I wiggled to get off Bryce. "You can let me down."
Bryce didn't answer. He patted my butt and carried me through the dining room, kitchen, and up the stairs.
He paused at the top and I murmured, "I moved into the big room." So he swept to where my parents' room used to be. Once inside, Bryce deposited me on the king size bed and kicked the door shut at the same time.
I fell down and glared up at him.
He asked, "What the hell is going on with you and Corrigan?"
I stayed on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Sheldon, you and Corrigan have never fought, not like that. What happened this year? I know that you and I are—I'm not sure how we are, but you and Corrigan have always been solid. What the hell happened?"
I raised frosty eyes at him. "What would you know about it? You've been around the world, doing your thing. Where do you get off talking as if we're in a relationship? This, you and me, it's called sex. That's all we've ever been."
Bryce shot a dark look at me and was quickly on top of me. He pinned my wrists to the bed and then growled. "We have been in a relationship since seventh grade. It took me six years to finally get you to say that you loved me, so don't insult me right now by saying we're not in a relationship or that we never have been. I won't stand for it, Sheldon. Not anymore, especially after being apart from you for the last six months. You left me."
"You left me first!" I tried to kick free from him, but Bryce spread his legs and wrapped them around each of mine. I was trapped, and he knew it.
"I had to go to Europe for my family, remember? And you came with me."
"Well, it didn't take with me."
"You didn't give it a shot. And are we really having a fight the first night I'm back?" Bryce asked, exasperated, and rested his forehead against mine. I felt his breath on my cheek as he breathed. And then he shifted and I felt every part of his body on mine. He moved upwards and a groan escaped my lips when my groin came into contact with his.
He chuckled. I couldn't keep back a grin.
Some things never changed.
CHAPTER THREE
I looked at the clock the next morning and saw that it was already seven o'clock. Seriously. And then Bryce rolled over, tucked me against him, and nuzzled against the back of my neck.
"Morning, Jackass."
He snorted in laughter, his lips tickling my skin. "Someone might think you're happy to have me here."
I laughed and flipped over as Bryce wrapped his arms around me, twisting a leg over mine. I slid my leg between his and relished the closeness, breathing him in before resting my forehead against his chest.
He cradled my head and smoothed out my hair. I closed my eyes against the tender ministrations.
"When do you have class?" he asked. I could hear the jetlag in his voice.
I groaned with the effort, but removed myself and stood up from the bed.
Bryce rolled with me and sat on the edge of the bed in his boxers. He watched as I crossed to the private bathroom and flipped on the light.
"I have class in an hour."
"But you're going to swing by and talk to Corrigan?"
He knew me so well. "Yeah. You know Corrigan—he'll be freaking by noon if he thinks I'm still pissed at him."
Eyes knowing, he nodded but said nothing. Then he stood and ran a hand through his hair, his Mohawk was flat. Bryce shook his head and yawned again. "I need to wake up."
"You've got somewhere to be today?"
He reached for his shirt on a chair. "I'm meeting with my coach for breakfast and then with the team for lunch. I'm meeting the trainers in the afternoon."
"So you'll be around, when?" I put my toothbrush down and waited.
Bryce shrugged his lean shoulders and grinned as he eyed me up and down. "I'll be back by tonight. That's for damn sure."
I rolled my eyes. "Are you staying here or at your mother's?"
Bryce cursed. "You really think I'm going to put up with my mother?"
"So you're staying here?"
"We lived together in Spain."
"Yeah, but it's different when you have family here."
"What about you? Your mom's still in town, isn't she?"
I grimaced at the thought of her. "Dad won the house in the divorce. He signed it over to me so I don't have to put up with my mom."
Bryce zipped up his jeans and regarded me for a moment. His eyes held so many promises, but then he waved over his shoulder as he turned to the door. "I'm heading out. I'll see you later."
Everyone quieted and looked over.
Corrigan jerked an abrupt shoulder. "Ask Sheldon. Since she doesn't effing talk about anything anymore. Wait—that's never changed, has it, Sheldon?"
I rounded on him. "Why are your panties so twisted? Is it because the Grace thing is out or is it because I don't talk to you about certain stuff?"
"You don't talk about anything. You left Bryce and you haven't said one word about the two of you. For the longest time I thought you'd broken up. Bryce is the one that had to tell me things were still okay with you two." He shrugged another shoulder and looked dejected. "You still don't let me in, not like Bryce, not even when he was across the world."
I narrowed my eyes and studied him hard. This wasn't normal for Corrigan, at least not in front of so many people. We didn't air our dirty laundry, and here he was, doing just that. I'd had enough. "Stop taking your bad mood out on me. You don't give a crap if I talk to you or not, not about those things. You're pissy about Grace. Are you in love with her?"
"What?" He froze, but his jaw clenched.
Bryce walked around the table. Michael and the brothers moved out of the way. And then Bryce bent, wrapped an arm around my waist, and lifted me up. He turned and called over his shoulder, "Party all you want, but don't trash the place and no media."
Corrigan snorted. "I can't believe you have to say things like that. 'No media.' That's rich." He forced a lighter tone, but I still heard the anger.
I lifted my head as I was transferred over Bryce's shoulder and glared. "You trash my place, and I'm coming after your balls."
"Yeah, well, we can talk about it afterwards," Corrigan threw back.
I flipped him the middle finger as the door shut behind us. Then I wiggled to get off Bryce. "You can let me down."
Bryce didn't answer. He patted my butt and carried me through the dining room, kitchen, and up the stairs.
He paused at the top and I murmured, "I moved into the big room." So he swept to where my parents' room used to be. Once inside, Bryce deposited me on the king size bed and kicked the door shut at the same time.
I fell down and glared up at him.
He asked, "What the hell is going on with you and Corrigan?"
I stayed on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Sheldon, you and Corrigan have never fought, not like that. What happened this year? I know that you and I are—I'm not sure how we are, but you and Corrigan have always been solid. What the hell happened?"
I raised frosty eyes at him. "What would you know about it? You've been around the world, doing your thing. Where do you get off talking as if we're in a relationship? This, you and me, it's called sex. That's all we've ever been."
Bryce shot a dark look at me and was quickly on top of me. He pinned my wrists to the bed and then growled. "We have been in a relationship since seventh grade. It took me six years to finally get you to say that you loved me, so don't insult me right now by saying we're not in a relationship or that we never have been. I won't stand for it, Sheldon. Not anymore, especially after being apart from you for the last six months. You left me."
"You left me first!" I tried to kick free from him, but Bryce spread his legs and wrapped them around each of mine. I was trapped, and he knew it.
"I had to go to Europe for my family, remember? And you came with me."
"Well, it didn't take with me."
"You didn't give it a shot. And are we really having a fight the first night I'm back?" Bryce asked, exasperated, and rested his forehead against mine. I felt his breath on my cheek as he breathed. And then he shifted and I felt every part of his body on mine. He moved upwards and a groan escaped my lips when my groin came into contact with his.
He chuckled. I couldn't keep back a grin.
Some things never changed.
CHAPTER THREE
I looked at the clock the next morning and saw that it was already seven o'clock. Seriously. And then Bryce rolled over, tucked me against him, and nuzzled against the back of my neck.
"Morning, Jackass."
He snorted in laughter, his lips tickling my skin. "Someone might think you're happy to have me here."
I laughed and flipped over as Bryce wrapped his arms around me, twisting a leg over mine. I slid my leg between his and relished the closeness, breathing him in before resting my forehead against his chest.
He cradled my head and smoothed out my hair. I closed my eyes against the tender ministrations.
"When do you have class?" he asked. I could hear the jetlag in his voice.
I groaned with the effort, but removed myself and stood up from the bed.
Bryce rolled with me and sat on the edge of the bed in his boxers. He watched as I crossed to the private bathroom and flipped on the light.
"I have class in an hour."
"But you're going to swing by and talk to Corrigan?"
He knew me so well. "Yeah. You know Corrigan—he'll be freaking by noon if he thinks I'm still pissed at him."
Eyes knowing, he nodded but said nothing. Then he stood and ran a hand through his hair, his Mohawk was flat. Bryce shook his head and yawned again. "I need to wake up."
"You've got somewhere to be today?"
He reached for his shirt on a chair. "I'm meeting with my coach for breakfast and then with the team for lunch. I'm meeting the trainers in the afternoon."
"So you'll be around, when?" I put my toothbrush down and waited.
Bryce shrugged his lean shoulders and grinned as he eyed me up and down. "I'll be back by tonight. That's for damn sure."
I rolled my eyes. "Are you staying here or at your mother's?"
Bryce cursed. "You really think I'm going to put up with my mother?"
"So you're staying here?"
"We lived together in Spain."
"Yeah, but it's different when you have family here."
"What about you? Your mom's still in town, isn't she?"
I grimaced at the thought of her. "Dad won the house in the divorce. He signed it over to me so I don't have to put up with my mom."
Bryce zipped up his jeans and regarded me for a moment. His eyes held so many promises, but then he waved over his shoulder as he turned to the door. "I'm heading out. I'll see you later."
