Nitro Crew Complete Series, page 42
I did well hiding my feelings, but when put up against them face to face, I couldn’t deny I was hurt. Even though Jay didn’t mean to forget it, I still hurt.
I felt him shift on the couch and then I was in his arms. “God dammit, Delaney. I’m so fucking sorry. I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said lowly. “Hurting you is the last thing I ever want to do.”
Being in his arms was nice. I knew this from before. I didn’t fight him. I didn’t try to act like I didn’t want him to touch me.
I had been wanting this since the first time we had sex. Before I found out I was pregnant, I had talked myself out of finding Jay because he wasn’t trying to find me either.
Jay lifted me in his arms and laid back on the couch with my body covering him.
“Don’t cry over me, Delaney. I’m not worth one of your tears.”
And that was where he was wrong. If he wasn’t worth them, then why was I crying them?
You only cry about things that really matter to you.
That was what my mom had always said.
If you cry, you care.
And dammit it all to hell if I didn’t care about this man who didn’t even remember me.
*
Jay
She slept.
Finally
She had cried in my arms for a solid twenty minutes before she finally relaxed. I had grabbed the remote to turn back on the TV and settled her back in my arms.
This wasn’t sexual.
I wasn’t trying to get to second base.
I was consoling a woman I had hurt, and I was silently dying inside with each tear that dropped.
For years, I had dated around, going from one girl to the next, looking for something. I didn’t know what it was I was looking for until Delaney had relaxed into my arms.
I was searching for trust.
For something that was mine.
I was searching for Delaney.
*
Chapter Eleven
Delaney
He was gone when I woke up.
The alarm on my phone sounded at half past eight, and there was no trace of Jay.
All I had was a blanket draped over me and the dam spring in the couch poking my side.
I was an idiot last night. I should have told Jay I didn’t care about his past or the fact he didn’t remember me. But me being me meant I had to be straightforward and tell him just exactly I was thinking and feeling.
And now, he was gone.
“Bang up job, Delaney,” I muttered out loud.
My stomach growled, and I sighed.
Of course, I was hungry even though I had quite possibly ruined any kind of relationship I was forming with Jay.
It was the perfect time to eat.
I dragged my butt off of the couch and shuffled into the kitchen.
Sitting in front of the coffeepot I hadn’t used in months was the box of decaf coffee pods Jay and I had picked up yesterday while we were bumming around. There was also a note lying next to them.
Just give them a shot, Del.
-J
Short and sweet, but it gave me a little bit of hope that Jay hadn’t run for the hills.
I popped one of the pods into the coffeemaker and waited while it gurgled to life and spit out the decaf drink that was hopefully going to somehow jump-start my mornings better than the tea was doing.
So Jay wasn’t here this morning.
It didn’t mean anything.
It wasn’t like he lived here or anything.
I inhaled the heavenly scent of the coffee and sighed.
Maybe Jay would be right about this whole decaf thing. It smelt like my mornings used to, and if I tricked my mind into thinking it was real coffee, this would be awesome.
My phone dinged in the living room, and I wandered over to get it while the coffee brewed.
At work. It’s looking like I’ll be here all day. Need to do some testing on the car.
I had completely forgotten he needed to go into work today. Though he wasn’t going to be able to get off early like he had hoped. No problem. Be careful at work.
Can I come over after work? If it’s too late I won’t.
I bit my lip. It didn’t matter if it was late, early, or right now. Jay could come over whenever he wanted. Whenever is good.
I didn’t have to wait even a minute before his reply came through. Then I’ll see you later, Del. Think of me. <3
Think of him? That wasn't hard to do at all. I decided not to reply and left the phone sitting on the coffee table.
While things were a little clearer, they were more confusing in other areas.
Jay and I were in the middle of a delicate and complicated relationship, and I wasn’t sure what way it was going to go.
Either way, we were going to have a baby together, and we needed to figure out what we were doing.
*
Chapter Twelve
Jay
“We’re hitting Hilltop after work. You coming?”
I dropped a wrench in my toolbox and closed the top. “Nah.”
“Nah?” Remy laughed. “Did you really just say nah to going out?”
“Leave him alone,” Harlyn chastised Remy. “Maybe he has other plans.”
I pointed my finger at Harlyn. “I knew you were a good one when we found you on the side of the road.”
Harlyn rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure you were passed out in the back of Remy’s car when my car broke down.”
A huge smile spread across Remy’s lips. “You so were. Seems you pass out during important moments in life.”
“Yeah, because you meeting Harlyn was an important moment in my life.”
Remy slung his arm over Harlyn’s shoulder. “Was in mine.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and pulled her close.
She patted him on the chest and laughed. “Just why are you laying it on so thick right now?” she asked.
Remy held his hand over her hand and scoffed. “I’m offended that you think I’m being nice just to get something.”
She rolled her eyes. “Spit it out, Remy.”
“Fine,” he mumbled. “Mom wants to come out for the Fourth of July.”
“I’m not sure why that is a problem?”
“I might have told her we were having a Fourth of July party.”
“Remy,” she scolded. “We don’t have plans like that at all.”
“I know, I know. But she kept asking what we were doing, and I just sort of blurted out we were having a party.”
I shook my head and closed all the drawers on my toolbox. “Lord have mercy. Meg coming to town for a party. I can only imagine the trouble she’s going to get into.”
“Lo is coming with her. Along with Cyn and Rigid,” he reassured us.
“You should have stopped with Lo coming with. You know how she is when she has Cyn with her.” Harlyn folded her arms over her chest. “Even with Rigid there to help Lo, you know they can’t handle those two together.”
Remy’s mom and her friend were some of the coolest people I had ever met, but if there was trouble to be had when they were around, you better believe they were there getting into it. “Good luck with that, bro.”
“You’ll be there,” Remy laughed. “It’s at our place, and I told her your family would be there.”
“What? Why in the hell would you tell her that?” Since the Fourth of July landed in the middle of the week, I figured I would find something to do with Delaney. Her mom wasn’t due back for another two weeks, and I didn’t like Delaney being by herself too much.
“Because misery loves company, and I figured it was a good idea for Leelee to meet your baby mama.”
“Because that was your decision to make,” I mumbled.
“Okay, okay. This isn’t that bad of a deal,” Harlyn interrupted. “You know I love your mom, Remy, and maybe it is a good idea for Leelee and Kurt to meet Delaney.”
I grabbed my keys off the hook above the bench and shoved them in my pocket. “She doesn’t even know I’m having a baby, Harlyn. Don’t you think it would be better to tell her without shoving Delaney and her baby bump under her nose?”
Harlyn pressed her hands to her mouth and sighed. “She has a baby bump?” she cooed.
I rolled my eyes and pointed a finger at Remy. “You’re an asshole for doing this.”
He shrugged. “It is what it is, dude. You really wanna disappoint my mom and not have your family at the party.”
“She’s your mom, not mine.” I didn’t want to disappoint Remy’s mom, but come on. He not only wanted me to invite my sister to my house to meet Delaney but then he also wanted to have some party?
“Your ass will be there and your girl’s and sister’s asses better be there, too,” Remy ordered.
“Don’t talk about my sister’s ass,” I mumbled.
I headed toward the front of the shop, and my hand touched the door handle when Remy shouted.
“So you’ll be there, right?”
I closed my eyes and dropped my chin to my chest. “Yeah, I’ll be there.” I pushed out into the dark night and beeped open the locks on my car.
All I wanted to do was go to Delaney’s house to relax, but now, I needed to call my sister on the way there, tell her about Delaney, and then tell Delaney my sister and brother-in-law were coming for a visit.
I got into my car, connected my phone to the Bluetooth, then called Leelee on the way to Delaney’s.
“Holy hell. Did you actually just call me?”
I laughed and turned onto the main road. “Yeah. It happens every now and then.”
“Must be a full moon out or something,” she muttered.
It sure felt like there was. “You guys got any plans for the fourth?”
“Just the usual race but nothing exciting.”
Only Leelee would think the annual drag race at the strip wasn’t exciting. “Kurt doesn’t plan on racing?” I asked. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to make it.
“He blew his motor last week. Right now, he’s moping around while he rebuilds it. He thinks one of the parts he ordered is on backorder, but it’s not. I’m just teaching him a lesson he needs to lay off the NOS. Asshole goes through it so fast, he pushes his car too close to its limit.”
“Poor guy,” I laughed. Kurt was probably climbing the walls waiting for that part.
“Yeah, poor guy, my ass. Why are you asking about the fourth?”
I cleared my throat and turned onto Delaney’s street. It was nice she only lived about five minutes from the shop. “I thought maybe you guys would want to come out here. For the day or something.”
“Uh, I guess we could. But why?”
“Well, Remy’s mom is coming out, and he told her we were having a party and that you and Kurt would be there.”
“That’s odd,” she laughed. “But Kurt and I can be there.”
“But Leelee?”
“Yeah?”
I sighed. “There’s someone I want you to meet when you guys are here.”
The line went silent, and I thought she had hung up before I heard her scream.
“Kurt!” she shouted. “Jay finally has a girlfriend!”
I heard Kurt mumble but couldn’t make out what he said.
“He said you probably just got a new car and refer to her as a person.” She paused. “Please tell me he’s not right.”
I chuckled and turned into Delaney’s driveway. I did plan on getting a new car, but I wasn’t talking about that. “No. She’s actually a girl.”
“Hot damn!” Leelee shouted. “It’s a live and breathing woman, Kurt!”
“Does that mean you’ll be at the party.”
“I’m already booking a hotel,” she murmured. “We’ll be there the third and check out the fifth.”
Oh great. Three days they would be here. I was sort of hoping they would just drive in for the day. It didn’t seem like I had much luck today. “I guess I should be happy you’re not insisting to stay at the house.”
“Hell no,” she laughed. “That means I’d have to help with cooking and cleanup. No thank you. I did that enough for you growing up.”
Leave it to Leelee to say it how it was. “Then I guess I’ll see you in a few days.”
“You bet your ass you will.” Leelee hung up just as I parked in the driveway.
Now, I just had to let Delaney know she was going to meet my family sooner than I had thought.
*
Delaney
“What’s your work schedule like next week?”
I shoved a bite of ice cream into my mouth. “Uh, clinicals the day before and after the holiday, and I work Monday, Thursday, and Friday at the restaurant.”
“We’re having a party at my house for the fourth.”
“We?”
He nodded. “Remy told his mom he was having a party so I invited my sister and brother-in-law to come.”
I gulped and set my spoon down. “And they’re coming?” Holy hell. I was going to meet Jay’s family.
“Yeah. They’ll come in the third and leave out the fifth. Remy’s mom and step-dad will be there too, along with what I’m assuming is the rest of the race team.”
Everyone in Jay’s life was going to be there. “And you want me to come?” My stomach dropped to the floor.
“I was hoping you would. I mentioned to Leelee I wanted her to meet you.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“You don’t sound too sure you want to,” he chuckled.
That’s because I wasn’t so sure. “Does she know about the baby?”
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t think that was something I wanted to tell her over the phone.”
“Suppose not,” I mumbled. I grabbed my empty bowl and dropped it in the sink. “Does that mean you plan on telling her while she is here?”
Jay moved from the stove and grabbed my hand. He touched me more now. When he had come in the door tonight, he brushed his fingers down my arm then threaded his fingers through mine. Last night, I had slept in his arms, and even though he had left before I woke up, I could still feel him against me.
He pulled me into his arms and looked down into my eyes.
“You really are tall,” I mumbled. “I wonder if the baby will take after you in height?”
“You trying to avoid talking about my sister coming?” he asked.
“Yes, very much so.”
He chuckled and brushed his hand down my cheek. “You don’t need to worry, Del. I already told you how my sister is. She’s going to love you. Partly because you put me in my place when I need it.”
“I’ve never done that,” I insisted.
“You do it without even knowing it, Del.”
“Oh, well, yeah?” I don’t know how I had ever done that.
“Trust me, Del. You totally do it.”
I sighed. “So, I’m meeting the family?”
“Yup.”
“You’re sure we can’t do it another time?”
“No time like the present, Del.”
“I’m not sure I like that saying,” I mumbled.
“What if I said that about kissing you?”
My breath caught, and my eyes connected with his. “I might change my mind about not liking it,” I whispered.
“I know I’ve kissed you before, and it kills me I can’t remember what your lips feel like.” He brushed his thumb against my lips, and his arm around my waist tightened.
“I remember.” Lord have mercy, did I remember. I had kissed men before Jay, but after his lips touched mine, I couldn’t remember a single kiss besides his.
“Care to jog my memory?”
An invitation I couldn’t resist. I leaned forward, going up on my tiptoes, and closed my eyes as his mouth descended toward me. His lips brushed against mine, and I sighed. I had waited two months to feel this man’s touch again.
It was better than I had remembered.
My hands splayed against his chest, and his hand delved into my hair. His lips gilded against mine, and his tongue slipped into my mouth. They danced together while my hands roamed across his chest and over his shoulders. He pressed me against the counter, and he widened his stance. I was molded against his body, and my core was pressed against his dick.
“Del, son of a bitch,” he swore. “What the hell was that?”
I opened my eyes and gasped. “I…well…” That was amazing for me, but maybe it hadn’t been for him.
“How in the hell could I ever forget a kiss like that?”
I sighed heavily and sagged in his arms. “Thank God. I thought you were going to tell me that was a crappy kiss,” I laughed.
“Far fucking from it, Del.” His hand trailed down my neck and to my side. “Gotta say, now that I know what I had, I’m gonna be fucking greedy when it comes to your kisses.”
“Mine?” I squeaked. Had our kiss been as great for him as it had been for me?
“There isn’t anyone else I want to be kissing right now.” His lips captured mine again, and I relaxed into his hold.
This was what I had been wanting, and I wasn’t going to be an idiot and push him away. Honesty had always been the best policy, even when it meant I needed to be straight to the point.
I wanted Jay right now, and I wasn't sure I would ever tire of this man.
*
Chapter Thirteen
Jay
How in ever-living hell could I forget how kissing Delaney felt?
Her lips were soft.
Her whimpers were sweet.
Her touch ignited a fire inside me.
She was everything and more.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around me, and I lifted her up in my arms. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I moved into the living room.
“Upstairs,” she gasped.
“Delaney,” I moaned. If we went upstairs, things were going to get heated really quickly.
“Please,” she whispered.
“If I get you in your bed, I’m not going to be able to stop, Del,” I warned.
“You told me the same thing that night.”
