“Lainey?”
I stare into his dark brown eyes that I could lose so much time staring into them. His dark hair is wet and slicked back like he just got out of the shower, and he has a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Lainey?” Ranger says again.
I open my mouth to speak, but a redhead with a skimpy red dress, showing off her curvy body, appears behind him. “Ranger?” She says. She, of course, is gorgeous. Someone kill me.
I don’t bother speaking. I turn and walk with purpose toward the elevator doors. He calls my name, and she calls his. The doors slide open as soon as I press the down button; thank God.
Stepping inside, I press the button for the lobby over and over. As the doors slide closed, Ranger appears in front of me. My eyes burn as I watch the numbers descend. Of course, he’s with someone. I didn’t know why he wanted us to talk. What was the point? He’s obviously moved on, but hell, he moved on that night ten years ago.
I reach the lobby, making a dash for the door. Once I’m outside, I hustle down the sidewalk until I reach the end. I’m not ready to go back to Lance’s yet. I see a bar down the street and start walking toward it. I’ll have one drink and then go home.
Chapter Six
Ranger
“That was her, wasn’t it?” Randy says as I step back inside my apartment. Of all the times to call my friend with benefits, why did it have to be tonight?
I sit on the sofa, and she sits down next to me. “Fuck, yeah, that was her.” I fly up off the sofa. “Goddammit!”
“Ranger, get dressed, and go after her. It must mean something that she came over here on her own. Go now before she’s gone.” She steps in front of me. “I’ll get out of here. I’m so fucking sorry that Lainey saw me here.”
That’s why I’ve hooked up with Randy on and off since I moved here. She’s legit, low maintenance, and a good person—no drama. I put my hands on her shoulders. “It’s not your fault. I honestly never imagined she’d come here. I’m going to get dressed and go.”
“Sure thing, babe.” She grabs my face, pulls me down, and kisses my cheek. “Take care of yourself.”
I run into my bedroom, throwing on jeans, a t-shirt, and flip flops. I grab my keys and wallet, heading downstairs. I walk outside and look around, not even knowing if Lainey’s already in her car and driving away.
I pull out my phone and call Lance. “Hey, Ranger,” he answers.
“Is Lainey there?”
“No, man, our parents were here for dinner. They started in on her, and she left. Why are you looking for her?”
“She was just here, but she left before we could talk.”
I hear rustling around. “I don’t think she took my car but let me check.” After several seconds of silence, he speaks, “My Porsche is still here. Let me text her and see where she’s at. I’ll call you right back.”
He disconnects, and I pace back and forth in front of my building as I wait for him to call me back. This could potentially go extremely bad, but she came to me. I have to know why.
My phone rings and I answer it. “Where is she?”
“She’s at a bar called Cabanas,” he tells me.
I start walking because it’s right down the street. “Thanks, Lance. I’ll make sure she gets home safely.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” He hangs up, and I jog down the sidewalk, ignoring the twinge in my hip.
The moment I step inside, I spot her. She’s sitting at the bar with her chin resting in her hand. She stares blindly up at the TV as she drinks whatever alcoholic beverage she’s got.
I move through the crowd and see the stool next to her is empty. I sit down. She looks at me and then back up at the TV. “Why are you here?”
“Why did you come to see me?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. My parents were over for dinner, and it went terrible. They hate that I do tattooing for a living and demean it whenever they can. I didn’t want to see them, but I love my brother—that’s the only reason why I came home.”
“I’m sorry. How often do you come home?” I ask her.
Lainey doesn’t look at me. “This is my first time home since I left; it’s been ten years.”
The bartender comes over, and I order a beer. I pay for it, and then I take a deep pull from the bottle.
She turns to look at me and then looks behind me. “Where’s your girlfriend?” Lainey turns back to the TV.
“She’s not my girlfriend; just a friend that I … uh … occasionally hook up with.” She turns away from me, and I grab her arm. “Nothing happened between us tonight, I swear.”
Lainey finishes her drink. “Okay, well, thanks for that information.” She slips off her stool. “See you around.”
I slide off mine and follow her toward the door. It isn’t lost on me that she’s drunk, and she’s caught the attention of a group of assholes by the door. They eye her as she approaches, and I reach for her, wrapping my arm around her waist.
She freezes and then looks up at me. “I’m just walking you out,” I tell her.
Once we’re outside, I don’t even ask. I lead her down the street, back to my apartment, and toward my SUV. Lainey doesn’t squabble when I open the passenger door and load her inside. As I walk around to my side, I send Lance a quick text, asking for his address so that I can bring Lainey home.
He answers immediately, and I quickly plug it into my GPS app. I get in, and her light floral scent wraps around me. She stays silent as we make our way to Malibu. The radio is low, casting faint background noise.
By the time we reach her brother’s, she’s snoring softly. I pull into the driveway and shake my head. This place looks swank as fuck. I can only imagine what the inside looks like.
The front door opens as I’m lifting Lainey from the passenger seat, cradling her in my arms. Lance steps back as I carry her inside. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she just fell asleep. Which room is hers?” I follow behind him and carry her into the room. “I’ll get her settled and see myself out.”
“Thanks for bringing her home.”
I nod. Once the door shuts, I lay her down on the mattress. She was always a deep sleeper, and it appears that hasn’t changed because she doesn’t move as I take her sandals off.
I grab the white cashmere throw and pull it up and over Lainey’s body. Before I can think better of it, I brush her hair out of her face, lean down, and kiss her forehead.
“Don’t leave,” Lainey whispers.
I slip off my flip flops, grab the blanket, and climb onto the bed. Lainey immediately rolls into me, wrapping her arm around my waist, and throws her leg over both of mine.
When we were dating, we didn’t get a whole lot of opportunities to sleep together, but when we did, she always wrapped herself around me like this. I bury my nose in her hair, and the scent of coconut surrounds me.
I feel wet at my neck, and even in the dark, I can see the tears running down Lainey’s cheeks. “Are you okay? Are you sick?”
“You b-broke me,” she says quietly. “I n-never got over you.”