Unexpected

Chapter 26

Dane

Megan was quick to try to distract me from what the hell just happened or is currently happening next door. Was Mallory trying to get a rise out of me? I look down at Megan, who is attempting something similar, but in a different connotation. I could have sworn Mallory invited her boy toy inside just to spite me. Why would I care? I don't, not really, but I hope she isn't stupid enough to do something like that because what I told her before is true. All guys have a thing for a hot librarian. I mean, she's not my type, per se, but she did look good tonight. There's this clean sweetness about her that is appealing to probably most guys. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing. Jonathan probably is . . . 

"Ow!" Megan yelps when I unconsciously pull on her hair a little harder than necessary. I pull her up and start kissing her mouth in a hard, demanding way that she seems to appreciate more than the hair pulling. I try to focus on the task at hand for several minutes until I hear what sounds like a car door closing. I unceremoniously push the bare chested Megan to the side to look out the window above my bed.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?" she demands angrily, but I ignore her and smile as I watch Jonathan driving off. 

There's no way he had time to live out his fantasy, or if he did, I feel sorry for Mallory. A shuffling sound beside me makes me turn to see that Megan is putting back on her bra.

"What are you doing?" I question her.

"Leaving, obviously."

She's mad, and rightly so. I have been distracted and not really into what was supposed to be going down.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Don't go. I'll make it up to you."

She plops down on the bed and stares at me with dead eyes.

"You got a thing for your neighbor?"

"What? No. Why do you say that?" I ask incredulously.

"Well, I'd like to think that would be the only reason you could so easily discard me while we were, ya know." She indicates the rumpled bed sheets between us.

Yeah, this isn't my best moment, I'd say, but I'd be damned if this is how my night ends. I grab her wrist and pull her back over to me, and without any further discussion, I live up to my reputation of being a bad boy in all the right ways.

                                              **********************************

The next day, Megan is giving me a long goodbye kiss at the door while her Uber is waiting in my driveway to pick her up. She leans back with eyes alive in satisfaction. She smiles as she slips a piece of paper into my hand.

"Call me?" she half asks, half demands.

I smirk and lean down to give her a final kiss, not committing an answer to her question. I watch her go, and then turn to go back inside, but some movement next door catches my attention. I see Mallory walking up her sidewalk from checking her mailbox. I wave to her, but she shakes her head and continues on into her house. Well, that was pissy. I go shower and decide to pick up around the house some. I play with Bull for a bit until my phone rings. It's Mark wanting to know if my mood got fixed via a little red head. I tease him with just enough details to possibly make him miss his wild and rowdy days for a moment, but it's all in fun. We both know that Liv is the best thing that ever happened to him. He'd be an idiot to mess that up. Once I hang up with him, my mind wonders to thoughts of Mallory. I'm curious how her night went and why she seemed mad at me. I'm looking at my phone screen debating whether or not to call her. What the hell, I think, and tap the call icon. I wait as it rings once, twice, three times before going to her voicemail. I hang up. I look out the window and see that her car is still in her driveway. What the fuck? Is she really that mad at me? I head out my door and go straight over to hers. I ring the doorbell, but she never answers, so I bang a little too hard on the front door from a mix of irritation and a little worry.

Finally, the door is pulled open. She's panting and a light sheen of sweat is glistening over her body. My eyes travel over the work-out bra and tight yoga pants she has on. She pulls an ear bud out of one of her ears and voices a breathy,

"Hey. You need something?"

It takes a moment for me to shake off this strange feeling at seeing her like this.

"Uh, hey. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Okay . . . sure." She steps to the side to allow me to enter. She closes the door and grabs a nearby towel, dabbing at her forehead and then the back of her neck. "So, what do you need to talk about?" She looks uncomfortable with my presence, so I get to the point.

"Why are you mad at me?"

"I'm not."

"You are," I counter back at her.

"Why do you think that?" She looks away, grabs her water bottle, and takes a swig.

"You didn't wave at me earlier."

"So that automatically means I'm mad at you?"

"Maybe not under normal circumstances, but you shook your head like you were disappointed in me or some shit and then just went inside. That's not normal for you."

"Like you know what my normal is," she scoffs.

"I know you're pissed, and I want to know why." I step closer to her.

"I'm not 'pissed.' You can do what or who you want and so can I. Just next time, don't come over to make fun of me or my date."

"So, there it is. You think I was trying to make fun of you?"

"Yes! And you did! You were all but mocking me in front of Jonathan. It was embarrassing. I had to invite him inside to prevent myself from looking like a total dweeb in front of you and your flavor of the week. Megan? Was it?"

I smirk at how cute she is all riled up over nothing.

"So, you only invited him in to get back at me or save face?" I love the feeling that knowledge gives me.

"I . . . No, I wanted him to stay before you came along. You interrupted our first kiss, so it was just awkward."

"It looked awkward way before I walked over. You call that a kiss with a guy you want to stay over? It looked like you were kissing your grandma." 

"How dare you! Get out! Right now!"

She surprises me by trying to shove me in my chest. In reflex, I grab her wrists and pull her up against me. She's shocked silent, staring up at me with her big green eyes. I look over her face with my eyes settling on her pink parted lips.

"Have you ever been REALLY kissed, Mallory? Not that peck on the lips that I witnessed last night, but thoroughly kissed. Where there is no decision to be made because you know there's no stopping what's been started . . ." I go to lean down to show her exactly what I mean when she whispers,

"Yes, and he broke my heart."