Chapter Twelve

Flynn

Someone is nudging my shoulder. Shake. Shake. “Flynn.” Again. “Flynn.”

“Leave her alone. Let her sleep.” My brother’s voice pulls me further from sleep. “I can just send a company to pack her things.”

“And let the asshole who screwed with her get off scot-free?” Myles sounds incredulous. “Come on, Oli, we can’t do that. The asshole hurt Tink.” Myles arguing with my brother reminds me of old times. My two bodyguards. Problem is I never needed their protection. I always got by on my own.

“I’m going to sleep. We have to be up at the ass crack of dawn to be at the bus on time,” my brother answers. I know he isn’t up for the shenanigans that Myles has planned, anyway.

“Fine. You have a good night. I’m taking Tink to get even.” Myles voices his displeasure with my brother.

“Tink.” He whispers so close to my ear that his warm breath brushes my neck and his fresh scent tickles my nose.

I open one eye.

“Good, you’re awake. Let’s go.” He extends his hand. He looks pumped up. Probably post-game adrenaline. I sit up slowly, not feeling the same rush. Myles picks the book I was reading up from my lap. It’s a romance novel with a shirtless dude on the front cover. He cocks his left brow. “Hmmm.” He turns the cover to face me.

I get up from the couch. “What? It’s a romantic story. You can learn a lot from these books.”

I head to the fridge and pour myself a large glass of water. Myles stands waiting expectantly. He’s wearing a dark blue thermal shirt. The color accentuates the hue of his eyes. I don’t want to want him, but I do. My mind is all over the place.

“We heading out?” he asks.

“Yeah.” I look down at what I’m wearing. Black yoga pants and a long-sleeve pink Henley don’t exactly scream sexy. My hair is tied up in a messy bun on top of my head. “I should go change.” I’m going to see my ex who cheated on me. I need to look good.

“You look perfect. Don’t change.”

He could have said I look pretty or beautiful, but he chose “perfect.” Matt was always trying to get me to change, from the way I loaded the dishwasher to the way I researched cases.

I smile, and we head out to the parking garage. Operation Ambush Matt the Douchebag is on.

…

“We can’t just show up at the door. I should text him first,” I say to Myles, who has suggested we do exactly that. It is half past twelve midnight. Matt and Maddy the slutty receptionist are probably getting it on. I cringe.

“You have a key. You’re on the lease. I say you do exactly that.” I hesitate, and Myles grabs the key from me.

“You are so infantile.” I try grabbing the key back from him, but he holds it up in the air. I don’t even come close to reaching it. He twists so his back is facing me and slides the key in the lock and begins to turn it. My stomach dips as I get cold feet.

“Dammit. Myles.” I try to stop him by grabbing his hand and wrapping my arm around his waist to pry him off the door. Even though I’m tall, I’m a lightweight. He’s thick and muscular like a wall of brick. There’s no way I can get him to budge.

The door flies open, and I lose my balance, falling in front of Myles. There are lights on in the apartment, and I lift my head to see them making out on the couch. I want to hurl. I’m clearly a glutton for punishment. Myles strolls into the apartment with a friendly smile and looks down at me on the floor. I must look like road kill.

“Sorry, baby. Give me your hand.” His tone drips sugar as he extends his hand to help me up. Huh? Baby? What? I hear shuffling behind me, followed by some expletives from Matt.

“Flynn! What the hell are you…” he begins.

I extend my hand to Myles, only he doesn’t take it. Instead, he reaches down and lifts me off the floor from under my shoulders. When I’m upright, our bodies are flush together. I take a big gulp as his penetrating gaze holds me in place. Myles twirls me to his side and tucks me under his shoulder. I feel like I’m on Dancing with the Stars.

“Sorry to barge in, folks,” Myles says. I try not to notice Matt has a boner. Gross. “My Tink here is missing a lot of her stuff. We just need to pack up her things and we’ll be on our way.”

My ex is in a pair of basketball shorts and a worn white T-shirt, adjusting himself. I want to laugh, but I just smile. Maddy is running her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the rather matted-looking mop on her head. She’s wearing a pair of dark gray lounge pants and a black tank top, sans bra. Smudged black mascara and eyeliner make her look like a crazy prom queen.

“Flynn, uh…oh…I’m sorry, sure of course… Go grab your things,” she stutters, since Matt stands quiet with a confused look on his face.

“I’m sorry, what? Tink?” he asks Myles, still discombobulated.

“Matt.” Maddy elbows him in the side. “Flynn wants her things.”

“Ow.” He flinches and gives her a stink-eye then looks back to us. “Yes, of course.”

“Great.” Myles flashes his megawatt smile. “Flynn, lead the way.” He extends a hand for me to go ahead.

“Hey,” Matt calls out. “You’re Myles Sanders,” he says, just catching on. In the background, Maddy mumbles something about him being hotter in person.

“Yes.” Myles nods but doesn’t reach out to shake their hands. Can’t blame him—who knows where those were only moments ago. They have a stupefied look on their faces. It’s too funny. “Sorry,” Myles says, “if you don’t mind, I need to go help my girl.”

Maddy murmurs to herself, His girl.

Take that, slutty receptionist…

I’m about to enter the room I once shared with Matt when he screams out, “Actually, Flynn we’ve moved your stuff to the guest room so Maddy could move her things in.” He has the grace to sound regretful.

My gaze cuts daggers when it lands on Matt. I turn around and head into the guest room just as Myles gives my ass a hard smack. I yelp.

“Aw. Come on, pumpkin, you love it when I smack your fine ass,” he says loud enough for them to hear in the next room. I turn and give Myles a dirty look.

“What the hell are you doing?” I whisper to him once we are in the guest room.

“Making your ex jealous. Did you see his girlfriend checking me out? He’s got him a great woman there.” He laughs.

This should be the worst situation ever, but it isn’t. It reminds me of all the fun we had together as kids.

“Inflated ego much?” I ask, then I turn to pack my things.

“Wait, baby. One more kiss. I just can’t help myself,” Myles says loudly. He’s enjoying this a little too much, and something tells me that he’s also taking advantage of the opportunity to touch me without me socking him one. I roll my eyes. Only he doesn’t stop there. He begins groaning as he pretends we are kissing. He’s even got his arms wrapped around his chest hugging himself.

“Glad to see you are still juvenile.” I smirk as I throw things into my suitcase. There is no time to pack neatly. I need out of here.

“Glad to see I can still make you smile,” he retorts, and he’s right. I couldn’t stop the smile if I wanted to because he amuses me.

“Smart-ass.”

“I’ll take anything that you’ll say about my ass,” he answers, and I throw the white ball I have in my hand at him. It hits him in the face. He takes it and opens it up, and that’s when I realize I’ve thrown a pair of white lace panties at him. He looks at it as if it requires evaluation.

“I see that you’ve upgraded from the cotton panties. Fuck, Flynn, these are hot,” he hisses, and I can see the heat growing in his eyes.

“Stop that,” I whine.

“You threw them at me,” he grumbles. “I’m just admiring them and picturing what they look like on you.” He smiles devilishly.

“You are so frustrating. I thought you said there would be no flirting or coming on to me.”

“I didn’t say no flirting, and for the record, this time it was your fault.” He throws my panties back at me, and I pitch them into the suitcase, barely touching them, as if they were doused in gasoline.

“Would you cut it out? I just want to grab my things and get as far away from here as possible,” I say, a little too irate.

He frowns. “Sure. Sorry. Got carried away.” He gets to work helping me pack. Since my things were left folded on the bed, we finish quickly.

Myles lifts my hockey bag. “Is this what I think it is?” he asks.

“Yeah, I don’t think the gear fits, though. Well, I’m pretty sure the skates should still be fine.” I may be a little sentimental over my hockey gear, but I grew up with not one but two NHL hockey players. Hockey was our life.

He nods. The solemn look on his face doesn’t fly past me. When everything is packed up, I roll one of the suitcases out of the room and Myles takes the other, along with the hockey bag on his shoulder. Matt and Maddy are still rooted in the same place in the front entrance where we left them.

“Um… Sorry, what was your name?” Myles asks Matt as the boyfriend-stealer watches Myles all gooey-eyed.

“M-Matt,” he stammers.

“Right. Matt, gotta thank you for being a douchebag. I’ve been waiting for Flynn to be free for quite some time.” Myles lets go of his suitcase to drape his arm over my shoulder. “Had you not screwed around, I would have never got her back in my life.” I want to say that Myles is putting on a good show, but his words are so sincere. My insides turn to mush.

Holy shit!

Maddy lets out a long sigh.

“You are one lucky girl,” she says, looking at me then Myles dreamily. Matt’s jaw drops, and he narrows his eyes to slits. It’s priceless.

“Okay, well…have a good life.” Myles waves and smiles again. He guides me so that I am out the door first then swats me on the ass again. I jump and yelp. I want to kill him and kiss him in one breath.

“Yeah, okay, bye,” Maddy says, walking up to the door and closing it.

We head back to his SUV, and my grin is wide. Myles is laughing, too.

The drive back to our apartment building is quiet. Our adrenaline rush clearly has crashed, and I’m exhausted. Myles looks pretty wiped out, too. Once he parks, he cuts the engine and turns to me. “I meant what I said back there. I’m happy you’re back in my life.” His words fuel my confusion. I always thought I couldn’t bear to see him again because I would feel sad. Now that I’ve spent a little time with him, I see that isn’t the case. If only there weren’t larger issues standing in our way, things I can’t seem to look past, even now.

“Tonight was fun. I just…” I am at a loss for words.

“I don’t want to push,” he responds, and I appreciate the space he’s giving me.

“Thank you.” I smile and it’s sincere.

“Baby steps,” he says.

“Yeah, okay.” I sigh.

“I know we have a lot of crap to work out, but this…spending time together. It feels right. Always has.”

I can’t deny that.

“Would you at least agree to hang out with me when I get back to town?” The look in his eyes is so hopeful, I don’t have it in me to reject him. My broken Peter Pan.

I nod. “Yeah, okay.”

He exhales. “Good.”

I let out a heavy breath. “I’m tired. Can you please help me get my things upstairs?”

“Sure, Tink. Let’s get you to bed.” He smiles softly and leaves the car. His blue eyes glisten, I don’t understand him. If he’s happy to spend time with me, why didn’t he try sooner? I didn’t want to see him, I remind myself. Both he and Oli knew that. Despite everything, though, a part of me hoped he would try to see me anyway. It’s completely irrational, but nothing about our situation has been normal.

He takes the luggage to my room and places a kiss on top of my head like old times.

“You have a good night.” He walks away.

I want to scream out to him and ask how I am supposed to have a good night when I’m so confused about the past and my present, but Myles is long gone.

I dream of a hockey player, a kind and giving man that I once thought the world of until my life came crashing down on me.