Chasing Aubrey Page 6

  Lust thundered through my veins, lightning emanated from where his tongue met my sensitive nub. He was creating the perfect storm inside of me and I already could feel the swell building within me.

  He devoured me and I surrendered to him completely. My hands clutched at the bed sheets and his hair, trying to find purchase while the world spun around me. His fingers thrust into me, demanding and possessive.

  Heat radiated from my core, spreading through my body like boiling lava.

  “Oh god, Tanner,” I moaned, unable to form a more coherent sentence. He was driving me wild, driving all the thought from my mind, driving all desires except for him out of my body.

  As the universe exploded around me and uncontrollable shudders rippled through me, Tanner cradled my sagging body in his strong arms. I felt spent, but I didn’t want this night to end. He petted my hair which made my eyes heavy and hummed a little tune to me.

  It was the sweetest, most loving thing anyone had ever done for me and I couldn’t help but feel guilty for not being forthcoming with him. I was going to have to leave him in the morning without an explanation, and it killed me inside.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, sleep clouding my brain.

  “For what?”

  “Everything,” I mumbled before drifting off.

  Chapter 11

  After my amazing night with Aubrey, I couldn’t wait to wake up with another good shagging. I stretched and yawned and reached over to the side of the bad where I’d left her and found it empty. With a frown, I ran my hand over the sheets and found them cool. I wondered if she was somewhere else in the apartment. I stretched again, my joints creaking and cracking from too much past damage.

  “Aubrey?” I called out, expecting to hear her sweet voice answer back.

  Nothing.

  I climbed out of bed reluctantly and wandered around the apartment. She was nowhere to be found.

  A pit of dread settled in my stomach.

  She was gone. Not a note, not a word. Just like that she’d walked out of my life. As abruptly as she’d entered my world, she’d disappeared from it.

  I hated myself for thinking that this was ever going to be something different. I wanted her to stick around. The one woman I actually wanted to stick around and she left without ever giving me a chance to tell her so.

  My stomach twisted in knots and I wanted to break something. More importantly, I wanted to find Aubrey. She was definitely hiding something and I was going to find out what it was.

  My doorbell buzzed and my head picked up. My heart pounded in my chest. Was that her? Maybe she just went out for coffee or breakfast to surprise me and couldn’t get back into the building.

  That was plausible, right?

  Sure it was.

  I buzzed her in without looking at the monitor or calling down. I was certain it was her. I wanted so badly to hope that our night together meant more to her, that it was as special to her as I thought it was.

  I never thought I would be this guy. I never expected to be pining over some strange girl with hope fluttering in my belly and my heart skipping beats.

  I threw on a pair of shorts quickly, intent on asking her where she’d been. I needed to know who she was. I didn’t care if she was poor. Hell knows I’d been poor growing up on the streets. I couldn’t fault her for that. I could fault her for keeping secrets, though.

  The elevator doors opened and I knew immediately that this wasn’t Aubrey.

  A petite teenager stepped off of the elevator. Her hair was a rainbow of various colors, her face had more hardware than a Home Depot and the jeans she wore were ripped to shreds, revealing a fair amount of tanned skin.

  There was a heavy looking bag slung over one of her slender shoulders and another in her hand. She looked like the weight of her bags could topple her over at any time.

  She stepped off of the elevator and inclined her head to me.

  “’Sup,” she said, her voice not quite fully matured. I would guess that she was sixteen, but it had been so long since I’d been that age that it was really anyone’s guess.

  “Um… can I help you?” I asked, utterly confused. I expected to see beautiful wonderful Aubrey, not some homeless hooligan. Talk about disappointment.

  “Uh, yeah, I’m looking for a place to stay,” her jaw worked diligently on a piece of bubble gum and she punctuated her sentence by blowing a big bubble before popping it loudly.

  “There’s a shelter about six blocks away,” I told her, still confused about why she was at my doorstep. Was this someone’s idea of a joke?

  “Well, I was told that you would give me somewhere to stay. I traveled a long way to get here, so the least you could do is be decent to me,” she said through loud smacking of her gum. She exited the elevator and dropped her bags on the floor before plopping down on the couch. She propped her feet up on the coffee table, dirty converse and all.

  “Well, I don’t know who told you that, but I’m not running a half-way house for troubled teens here if you couldn’t tell.” My responses were beginning to get a little snippy. But hell, I had a right to be snippy, she was in my home! I didn’t know her or why she was here and she needed to get out. I had other things to deal with right now.

  She rolled her heavily made-up eyes toward the ceiling.

  “Do you have any food in this place? I’m starving.”

  “Maybe you didn’t hear me? Get the fuck out of my house.”

  “Whoa, is that any way to talk to your baby sister, Tanner?” She scolded.

  My… what? I was an only child. At least, I thought I was. My mother left me when I was just a kid. My dad had been MIA my entire life.

  “What are you talking about?”

  She sighed, giving me another eye roll.

  “You really don’t catch on quick, do you? Tamara is my mother, too.”

  What was that sound? My ears were buzzing. I felt like I was going through a tunnel full of hornets, the sound was deafening. I needed to sit down.

  My knees buckled just as I made it to the couch and I fell into place next to her.

  “I don’t have… a sister.”

  “Surprise!” She said with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, my name’s Skye, thanks for asking,” Another eye roll and a loud bubble pop, “and, like I said, I need a place to stay.”

  I raked my hand over my face, scratching at the stubble on my cheek. This was insane. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Why?” I asked, nausea building in my stomach. A sister? I had a sister? All this time… I thought I was alone without family. I didn’t know whether I should be happy or upset.

  “Well, I turned eighteen a few days ago and Tamara kicked my ass to the curb. It’s kinda her thing if you don’t remember.”

  I turned to look at her, a look of shocked dismay on my face. I was having trouble processing all of this, but I knew all too well how my mother was. In my case she just ran away…

  “She always told me what a pain in the ass you were growing up, but that you grew up to be this big shot in California. I just thought you’d have a little place for your baby sis to crash.”

  I looked her over. Beneath all of the body modifications, make-up and crazy hair colors, the resemblance was definitely there. We had the same hazel eyes, the same straight nose and the same mouth perpetually cocked in a half-smile. She had my mother’s thin face and narrow shoulders which contributed to my thinking that she was younger than she was.

  I heaved a great sigh. I couldn’t exactly turn her away if she needed a place to stay. All of this time I thought I was without family. I envied Bryce for his happy little family and longed for my own. I couldn’t turn it away when it landed at my doorstep.

  “All right, you can stay. Are you in school?”

  She laughed.

  “Yeah right. I dropped out a year ago.”

  “All right, well, if you’re going to stay here, you’re going to go to sch
ool. I’ll get you enrolled. No drinking, no drugs. No staying out after eleven and absolutely no friends in my house. Understood?”

  She rolled her eyes and nodded.

  “All right, Big Brother, no need to control everything. Now, do you have any fucking food in this place?”

  If I closed my eyes, I could have sworn that my mother said that last sentence. There was no doubting her story, as much as I wanted to. Why couldn’t I have a secret sister that was normal and well-adjusted?

  Probably because my mother wasn’t capable of raising a child that turned out normal.

  “Do we have any other… siblings?”

  Skye shook her head.

  “No, I think Tamara gave up. All she ever wanted was something to love her unconditionally; she thought a kid would do that. I told her she should’ve stuck with puppies.”

  I laughed in spite of myself. The girl was funny, I’d give her that much.

  I wanted a family; that meant accepting that it may not turn out to be what I expected. I could deal with this.

  “So, what do you eat?”

  “I’m a gluten-free organic vegan locavore.”

  I stared at her for a moment, not really knowing what to say.

  “Um… okay, so do you want some grass?”

  “Was it grown in your back yard without pesticides?”

  “Uh…” I really didn’t know how to respond to her.

  She looked at me like she actually expected me to go pick her some grass.

  Then she cracked up and smacked my shoulder.

  “I’m fucking with you, man. I’m broke and hungry. I’ll eat anything.”

  “Well, what sounds good?” I asked with a sigh of relief. I was already freaking out about how to feed someone that had dietary restrictions I’d never even heard of.

  “A cheeseburger the size of my head.”

  “That I can do.”

  She was still chuckling as I led the way into the kitchen and started pulling out the various necessary ingredients. I didn’t cook very often, but I typically had a stocked kitchen in case the mood struck. If the food sat in my fridge for more than a few days, I typically just donated it to a homeless shelter. I would rather feed someone else than let the food spoil and the kitchens were always so grateful for whatever I could bring in.

  I started seasoning the meat and forming the patties as I heated up a cast iron pan on the stove.

  “I can’t believe you fell for that drivel…” Skye giggled, pulling up a seat at the breakfast bar.

  “Well, how was I supposed to know?” I teased back with a hint of a smile playing at my lips.

  “It’s not like you look all that different from the people that talk about that kind of stuff.”

  “Hey!” She exclaimed, her mouth open in a shocked expression, “I resemble that statement,” she mumbled before we both started laughing.

  Maybe having a little sister wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  I still wanted to find Aubrey, but for the time being, Skye had to be my priority.

  Chapter 12

  It had been four days since my little encounter with Tanner and I couldn’t get him off of my mind. Throughout the entire dinner with my fiancé’s family, I kept thinking of Tanner; his taste, his touch, his delicious scent and the incredible things he did to my body so effortlessly. I tried to keep my composure when talking to Mr. and Mrs. Westmore. I tried to be courteous and polite with Chester, even if he was about as interesting as a discarded paper towel.

  I couldn’t stop comparing him to Tanner. Tanner had this intangible magnetism that drew me to him like a moth to a flame. He set my body ablaze with desire and awoke something in my soul that I couldn’t put my finger on. I couldn’t get him out of my mind and I didn’t know what to do about it. I couldn’t go back to see him again. There was no reason to. We’d never exchanged numbers and it was just as well, because I knew he would be able to track me down as Elise if he had my number. I still wanted to see him desperately.

  The brunch went off without a hitch and I spent the next few days preparing for my Saturday race. I glanced at my watch. Only three more hours. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, the same way they did every time I had a race.

  My phone buzzed and I looked down at it; it was a new Twitter notification.

  @AubreyRed was a no show. No surprise there. She must know she’s going to lose today. #imjustsayin

  I glowered at my phone, the urge to hurl it across the room overwhelming me. I typed out an angry response, my fingers hitting the screen with more force than was necessary.

  @Rexthebest I hope you’re hungry; I’ve got a big humble pie all ready for you when you finally catch up to me at the finish line.

  I snickered at my own wit. He thought he was so smart. Well, today we’d see who the real racer was and who the little cry baby was. I knew which one I was, but Rex was in for a rude awakening.

  I started rummaging through my closet, looking for the right outfit to wear to the race. I needed something tight and comfortable. I ended up settling on a pair of jeans that hugged my ass perfectly and a simple tee shirt that clung to my body like a second skin. I put my long hair up into a high ponytail and ventured into my bathroom to apply my make-up.

  For races, Aubrey had a pretty distinctive look. I was kind of happy that I hadn’t met Rex at the wedding or my entire cover could have been blown. It was foolhardy to ever even go, but I found it difficult to regret it because I’d had that amazing night with Tanner.

  Heavy eyeliner and dark red lipstick made up my face and completed the look.

  I glanced at the time again: two hours. It was at least forty-five minutes to the location of the race and I needed to be there a little early just to make sure that no one thought I was going to chicken out. I had to get there early enough to do my shit-talking with the various bloggers and vloggers. There was actually a pretty big following for our little circuit, even if it was of dubious legality.

  Out of all of the races I’d participated in, only one had ever been crashed by the police. I had already had my race and was able to get out of there before the real action started. I considered myself to be fairly lucking.

  AubreyRed had over fifty thousand twitter followers. Rexthebest had thirty-two thousand. No wonder he was trying to start this petty little war. He was trying to capitalize on my fame.

  I took the stairs two at a time, trying to get out of my house as quickly as possible before my mother tried to ask me where I was going or what I was doing or could I go to dinner with this friend or that acquaintance. I didn’t have time to deal with her nonsense. I had too many things on my mind. And everything else faded into the background as my mind was consumed with the persistent thoughts of Tanner.

  I needed to get him out of my head. A good race was the perfect remedy. I couldn’t think about his fingers inside of me or his lips on my breast when I was hurtling down the strip at over 100MPH.

  Unfortunately for me, my mother just happened to be in my way as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “Oh my god, what are you wearing?” She asked, glaring at my heavy make-up and less-than-conservative clothes.

  “Mom, I’m just going out with some friends.”

  “Where, to a dive bar? My god, Elise, you look like… trash.”

  “Thanks Mom, love you too. I’ll be home later tonight.”

  “Elise! Wait, I need to talk to you about something!”

  “Whatever it is, it’s gonna have to wait. I’m already late,” I lied. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible to avoid any further confrontations.

  She shook her head with a sad sigh and let me pass. If there was one thing my mother understood and couldn’t argue with, it was social obligations. She would never try to keep me from having a social life because she thought it was such an integral part of being a successful wife. Of course, being a good wife was the extent of my mother’s aspirations for me. It made me a little sad that she had such a narrow view of life, bu
t I was just grateful that I hadn’t inherited that from her.

  I hurried to the garage and cranked up the ‘Stang. She roared to life and I couldn’t help but feel guilty for wishing that she was the Jag. My god that was a beautiful piece of machinery. My Mustang may not quite give the Jaguar a run for its money, but she would certainly give it her all. She was my baby and I’d never give her up, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t dream. I did have to admit that I preferred the look of the classic American muscle car over the sleek modern lines of the F-type. Maybe I was just an old-fashioned gal in that regard.

  Cruising down the highway with the windows down was one of life’s greatest pleasures. With the wind blowing through my hair, all of my cares and troubles melted away. I was still nervous about the race, but the drive calmed my frayed nerves and reminded me of why I loved to drive.

  The road didn’t care if I hated my life. My car didn’t care if I was stuck in a prearranged marriage. Rubber on the pavement, scenery rushing by, there was no place in my mind for any other thoughts. There was something magical and freeing about just driving without a purpose. There was something exhilarating and life-affirming about racing. The two combined made my life feel like it had meaning. Maybe that was a bit dramatic, but it was true.

  No amount of proper schooling, fancy parties or political maneuvering could ever make me feel as content as driving and racing did. My mother tried her damnedest to get my interested in something socially acceptable. She may not know about my racing, but she knew about my affinity for fast cars. That was not something that someone of my social standing should debase themselves with.

  I tried to push thoughts of my mother and my myriad other problems from my head as I cruised down the highway. I had to clear my head. I had to get in the right mind frame for this race. There was no way I was going to let Rex beat me after all the smack talk we’d done back and forth. I needed to prove to him and everyone else that I was still relevant, still as good as ever. Maybe I just needed to prove that to myself. With everything happening, it was easy to think that maybe I should just give everything up. Maybe I should just acquiesce and be the doting dutiful wife and daughter. It would be fewer headaches, for sure, but I would be so miserable. Regardless of what else I’d done in my life, I didn’t think I deserved that fate.