Caught Up in You Read online

“Myles Franco.”

  Tom had been sitting quietly listening to us talk, when he piped up, I couldn’t help snickering. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “You’re talking about Myles Franco,” Tom said. “We were on the football team together in high school.”

  “Awesome.” Freaking small town. I should’ve known better than to run my mouth in front of a stranger in a town where everyone knew everyone else.

  Livvy looked over at Tom. “Well, is he?”

  Confusion spread across his face. “Is he what?”

  “Hot shit,” she said.

  “Liv!” I pointed at Tom. “You don’t need to answer that.”

  Probably because he knew he was going home with Livvy, Tom ignored my request not to talk about my neighbor. “We used to be friends, but hell, I haven’t talked to the guy in a couple of years. After high school he left for college. I only know he’s back in town because I’ve seen him at the hardware store a couple of times. He’s changed—I hardly recognized him with the tats and earrings.”

  “So he’s about twenty-three and frequents hardware stores.” Liv winked at me and turned back to Tom. “What was he like in school?”

  “He played just about every sport and was in most of the clubs.” Tom shrugged. “He was smart—honors society and all that shit.”

  Liv laughed. “So you guys didn’t have any classes together then, huh?”

  “Yeah, none,” he said smiling back at her.

  “Alright—playtimes over,” I said, grabbing a rag to wipe down the bar.

  When my neighbor was just a nameless douchebag it was funny. Gossip spread like the plague in Baylor Grove and I didn’t want anyone to tell Myles Franco we were talking about him. It was bad enough I knew just enough about him now to make me curious.

  “Fuck…” I went on to the next key on the ring Lou gave me while trying to hold my phone up for light on the dark front porch. I’d already been through them all twice and none even came close to fitting.

  As much as it fried my ass to admit it, I should’ve taken Myles’ suggestion and figured out the key situation before going to work. Now I was stuck out on the porch at three in the morning with dwindling hopes of getting inside.

  The lights in the downstairs apartment were on, so I knew my angry new neighbor wasn’t in the process of getting his beauty sleep. Ringing his bell would only give him ammo to fire at me though, if he even came to let me in at all. Still, I had to be back to work at ten in the morning. Every minute I wasted just standing there meant less sleep. I’d been up for nearly twenty-four hours as it was.

  I was about to suck it up and ring the bell when the front door was unlocked and pulled open. Myles Franco stood in the doorway, looking at me with those blue eyes I truly believed had no business on that body.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  I stepped inside and shouldered past him. “Is that just gonna be your standard greeting for me?”

  “If I keep finding you doing weird shit, then yeah, it is.” He reached over and flipped the switch on the wall to turn the light on. “Guess my directions weren’t explicit enough earlier.”

  “Seriously—fuck off.” I started up the stairs thinking how I’d like to give him some explicit directions on how to get straight to hell.

  “Lemme see your keys,” he said, holding his hand out.

  I kept walking without looking at him. “I’ll call Lou first thing in the morning to sort it out.”

  “Or you could just stop being such a bitch and let me see them.”

  “Fine.” I whipped around and pulled my arm back, throwing the keys at him like a fastball.

  Myles snatched them out of the air without flinching. “See how easy that was.”

  I bit back my response and walked down the stairs, checking out Myles while he checked out my keys. The guy had absolutely no reason to be looking so good at three in the morning, but there he was, reeking of hotness—literally. The scent of whatever cologne or soap he used filled the air around me. He smelled every bit as good as he looked.

  His door was open so I leaned over, trying to get a look into his apartment. I rolled my eyes at the only thing I could see—a bench with free weights. The guy slept all day and probably spent all night pumping iron while drinking water from a gallon jug. Freaking Dumbellina.

  I wondered if there’d be a parade of chicks with fake boobs in and out of his apartment once the weekend came. I was a little disappointed I’d be at work so much. Watching the douchebag downstairs work his mojo had tons of entertainment potential.

  Myles looked up and caught my eye. “None of these are the right key.”

  “Really?” I dropped my jaw and pretended to gasp. “I’m so lucky you were here to figure that out.”

  He turned and headed toward his apartment. “I’ve got a spare you can have.”

  I moved to the bottom step. “No more killer comebacks?”

  “Nope.” Myles came back and tossed the key ring to me.

  I looked at the ring and then back at him. “So, which key is it?”

  “This one.” He held up a single brass key just out of my reach. “The coveted front door key comes with a stipulation.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I should’ve known you weren’t trying to help me because it’s the neighborly thing to do.”

  Myles took a step closer. “Well, you haven’t shown up at my door with a casserole yet, have you?”

  “That’s probably never going to happen, but I won’t discourage you from holding your breath.”

  Myles smiled slightly. “No more firing up the mower before four in the afternoon.”

  “Two.” I shot back immediately. “I work at four.”

  He twirled the key around with his fingers as if he was thinking and then shrugged. “Done.”

  “Give it here,” I said, holding my hand out to him.

  “No screwing around out—” His eyes locked onto the faded scars on my palm and along my wrist. “Hell…”

  I snatched the key from him and crossed my arms, kicking myself for being so careless. “They’re not from what you think.”

  “Listen, I…” Myles jammed his hands in his pockets and shook his head. “I didn’t say I thought anything.”

  “You didn’t have to.” I’d seen the same expression he had on his face dozens of times before. I turned and went up the stairs without looking back. “Thanks for the key.”

  And so began my first sleepless night on the floor of my new apartment. It absolutely killed me that Myles was part of what was keeping me awake. Usually when I met someone new, I did one of two things. I hid the scars so I wouldn’t have to lie about how I got them, or I just went ahead and laid out my standard tall tale about falling out a window before they got the chance to see them.

  Myles hadn’t given me the opportunity to do either of those things. He just came at me with his little comments and blinded me with his good looks. He threw my whole game off. I cringed as I imagined what he was probably cooking up in his head about the crazy new chick upstairs with the slice marks on her hands and wrists.

  I scolded myself for even caring what he or anyone else thought. Getting over what others perceived about me was something I’d been struggling with for the past three years. The last thing I wanted was people feeling sorry for me and I sure as hell didn’t want their pity.

  Myles

  “Wake the fuck up,” Pete said. “Are you even listening?”

  I looked up at the computer screen. “Yes…”

  Pete tossed his pen down. “You realize we’re on a video conference. I can see you zoning out.”

  “I’m just beat.” I leaned back in my chair and sighed. “These backward fucking hours are killing me, man.”

  “Any word on getting your passport back?”

  I shook my head. “Lawyers are on it, but you know how that shit goes…”

  “Yeah,” Pete said. “As soon as you get it, your ass is coming over here to run this shit so I can go home. I hav
en’t seen Ashlee since she came to visit two months ago.”

  “Right, and after she left you were bitching that she was too clingy.”

  Pete looked directly into the webcam. “Eight weeks—no sex.”

  “And surprisingly you’ve survived…”

  “Not all of us hate chicks, asshole.”

  “I don’t hate them—that much. I just don’t want one in my life.”

  Unfortunately, it looked like I had one. Ever since I saw the scars on the girl upstairs, she was all I could think about. I honestly hadn’t thought anything when I first spotted them on her palm and wrist—she hadn’t given me time.

  My immediate reaction could’ve been a little better, but that’s not exactly the kind of thing you’d expect to find on a girl who looked like her. Every part of her body I’d seen so far was perfect. The parts I’d imagined seeing were even better.

  I forced the image of her out of my mind and stuffed down the curiosity I felt about the scars. The last thing I needed was a chick screwing up my life again after spending the last two years trying to get it together.

  Four

  Brantley

  Sleeping on the floor every night sucked. Not only did I hardly sleep, my body was sore all the time from tossing and turning. Getting a bed, or at the very least an air mattress, was right at the top of my shopping list when I got some extra cash.

  Unfortunately, tips hadn’t been very good over the last couple of weeks and I was packing every penny I made away for rent. Anything beyond very basic food needs was being sidelined for the moment.

  The current snafu in my life was a flat tire. I was going to have to walk to work. That wasn’t the worst thing about the situation though. My car was parked behind the black truck belonging to Myles in the driveway.

  Just like Lou said, I hardly even saw my asshole neighbor. It’d been three weeks since I’d moved in and I’d only seen Myles twice since that awesome first day. Both times I’d just caught a glimpse of him when I was coming in from work.

  That was all about to change. It was nine thirty in the morning and I was standing at his door knocking. I couldn’t just leave with my car blocking his truck in. Not that I minded pissing him off—there were just better ways to do it.

  Right on cue, he jerked the door open and cut into me with his eyes. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “Still with the cheery hellos…” I intentionally dragged the words out as I took a few seconds to gawk at him. No shirt and a pair of shorts hanging low on his hips—yeah, I wasn’t above giving him a long shameless once-over. “So my car has a flat.”

  He held his hands up. “And I need to know because…”

  I pointed at my car keys on the bottom step. “I’m about to walk to work and I thought I’d stop down here and to let you know I left those there in case you absolutely have to get your truck out of the driveway.”

  He looked at the keys and then at me. “Just leaving a note with them never even occurred to you, did it?”

  The thought actually hadn’t even crossed my mind. “Honestly, I just missed your stellar personality.”

  Myles nodded at me. “Did you get your fill?”

  I took another long look at his bare flesh. “More than enough.”

  “You’re welcome then.” He stepped back and slammed the door.

  Myles

  I flopped back down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I truly was an asshole. Not only was I rude to her when she was just trying to be courteous, she was now walking to work and I hadn't even offered to give her a ride. Asshole. Completely.

  Maybe Pete was right. Maybe I’d been so burned that I simply didn’t have it in me to deal with girls anymore. The games, the lies, the manipulation—I just didn’t want any part of that shit.

  If that was true, then why had I been hoping it was her when the knocking woke me up? How come I couldn’t shake the image of her standing there with her long brown hair in a ponytail, looking back at me with her hazel eyes?

  Oh fuck. I actually knew what color her eyes were. It dawned on me that it got even worse than that. I knew when and where she worked. I knew when to expect her to come through the door. Hell, I’d even been conveniently going down to the basement a couple of times when she came home just to catch a glimpse of her.

  I turned over and closed my eyes. It wasn’t really that bad if I just stayed interested in her from a distance. Outside of some physical attraction—a fucking ton of physical attraction, I didn’t know anything about her. I seriously needed to keep it that way.

  Brantley

  Typically, business at the bar on Saturday nights was pretty steady, but for whatever reason the place was so packed that people were standing around waiting for a table or stool to open up. With the pub so jammed, I was glad to be working with Livvy. Even though she didn’t take life very seriously, she was a fantastic waitress.

  “He’s a nice guy,” Livvy said, sticking straws into the drinks as I placed them on her tray. “I’m half tempted to take him for a spin myself.”

  I grabbed a bottle of vodka and started filling shot glasses. “You’re such a little slut.”

  “True story,” Livvy said, flashing a smile. “You should take Tom’s friend to your aunt’s wedding.”

  “I’m not taking anyone but you, baby,” I said, bumping Livvy with my hip. “The majority of the people on the guest list know about my past situation. It’s not going to be a first date friendly atmosphere.”

  “So just let him take you out on a date then. You can double with me and Tom.”

  “And tell me again how we went from me being surprised you’re still seeing Tom, to you trying to convince me to go out with his friend?”

  “I’ve decided you should be dating. You’re wasting a good thing—before you know it you won’t look so hot in that tank top and those short shorts.” Livy looked me up and down with a long lingering stare. “One day, in the not so distant future, those knee socks you’re rocking will be replaced with support hose.”

  I looked at my reflection in the mirror behind the bar and shrugged. “When I get too old to be dressing like this—you’d better tell me.”

  “I’m just saying you’re way cuter than you think—I see the way guys look at you around here.” Livvy picked up her tray and started backing away from the bar. “It’s a shame you’ve taken a vow of celibacy.”

  “You fuck around enough for both of us.”

  Liv winked at me and turned away.

  Avoiding the entire dating thing wasn’t a choice necessarily. I wouldn’t mind finding someone—no one really wanted to be alone despite what they might say. Getting close to a guy meant sharing the private details of my life with him. I just wasn’t ready for that yet. I looked down at the scars on my hands and sighed. I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever be.

  It was one thirty in the morning before the place started clearing out. Livvy’s boyfriend Tom was sitting down near the end of the bar with his friend Kyle. He was the guy they were trying to fix me up with. He was decent looking enough and from what I could tell, pretty nice. I just wasn’t all that interested.

  Livvy came behind the bar with a tray full of empty glasses and started unloading them onto the sink. “Did you see that guy at the end of the bar?”

  I sighed, knowing I had to smother her hopes of me dating Tom’s friend right then. “I saw him. He’s nice, and I appreciate you and Tom trying—”

  “Not Kyle.” Liv motioned with her head down to the other end of the bar. “That guy.”

  I casually glanced over. As soon as I realized who Liv was drooling over, I broke out laughing. “Yeah, I’ve seen him—he’s my freaking neighbor.”

  Livvy’s jaw dropped. “That’s mornings aren’t my thing guy?”

  I nodded. “I saw him half naked this morning. It was nice.”

  “Lucky bitch,” Liv whispered, sneaking another peek at him. “I could seriously burn through the bulk of my life just looking at him.”

  �
�He knows it too,” I said, glancing over at Myles. “The guy probably spends hours in front of the mirror making sure he looks like he couldn’t be bothered to drag a brush through his hair.

  “Right and shaving simply slipped his mind,” Livvy said.

  I cut my eyes toward Myles. “Think he irons his t-shirts?”

  “Probably his boxers too.”

  As if he knew we were talking about him, Myles picked his head up and stared right at me. I promptly poked Livvy in the back. “Go see what he wants to drink.”

  “He’s sitting at the bar—that’s your territory.” She grabbed her tray and smiled. “I have tables still.”

  I swore under my breath as I walked down to where Myles was sitting. I grabbed a napkin on the way and put it down on the bar in front of him. “What can I get you?”

  “Just a beer.”

  “What kind?” I had to actively stop myself from rolling my eyes. “They’re all listed up there,” I said, pointing to the chalkboard above the bar.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever...”

  I turned around and pulled open the cooler, scanning the labels. I smiled as I reached in and grabbed a Heineken—yeah, he was definitely a Heineken kinda guy.

  I pried the cap off and placed it down in front of him. “Six dollars.”

  “I asked for a beer, not a stigma,” he said, looking at the bottle as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He placed a ten down on the bar and shook his head. “You may as well have dropped a fucking jager-bomb on me.”

  “Its last call,” I said, picking up his money and dropping four singles in its place. “Maybe another time.”

  He placed his hand on his change and pushed it toward me. “Here.”

  “Thanks.” I scooped it up and jammed it in my pocket. It was way too much considering I’d given him a beer he didn’t even like, but I was in no financial position to turn it down.

  I made my way down the bar, cashing out my customers and saying good night. I’d never been so glad to see closing time. It’d been a long day and the place was trashed. By the time we cleaned up, I’d be lucky to get out of there by three.