Perfect Chaos(17)

This was me. It was rather contradictive because I hid behind a curtain of falsity pretending to be someone I wasn’t and making Deck pity me. Yet, if he knew the truth, he’d probably hate me. Either way I lost.

I looked away from him. I couldn’t help but think about the risks Deck took, what he did for a living. Every time he left, I wondered if it was the last time I would see him. Sometimes, I wondered if it would be better if I didn’t see Deck anymore, so I didn’t have to go through this. Not like he’d allow that anyway.

“Oh, sexy, I’m not pretending shit.” Lies. It made my stomach lurch. I flattened my palm on his chest and felt the steady beat of his heart. Did it ever speed up, or was it always as calm and collected as he was? He put his hand over top of mine, and for a flash, I thought he was going to caress it, hold it, and drag me closer. That flash lasted half a second as he pulled my hand off him.

“Take a shower.” He turned and walked to the door then stopped, looking over his shoulder. “And Georgie … you ever pull shit like that again, I’ll lock you up.”

The door shut and I grabbed his toothbrush and threw it in the toilet.



I WALKED OUT of Deck’s bedroom, my hair wet and dripping down my back. I was wearing one of his dress shirts, which reached my mid-thigh. Who knew he had a dress shirt? And in white. Raiding his closet had been fun considering I’d never seen him in anything but t-shirts and cargo pants or jeans. He didn’t have much, but he owned a wicked loft penthouse with a terrace and plunge pool.

I stopped.

Josh, Tyler and Vic sat on the bar stools at the island with Deck. They were talking quietly until they noticed me, and then they all turned and stared. Their eyes took in my naked thighs and Deck’s shirt I’d only buttoned partially up my body. It wasn’t like Deck took notice of me anyway.

Deck moved and his chair scraped the hardwood floors. The men lowered their heads and avoided looking at me. He stood and now I was wondering why I hadn’t gotten myself off in the shower. It would’ve eased some of the sexual tension I had bundled inside me.

Deck was hot, no question, but that wasn’t what wrapped me up so tight with him. It was him. The way his eyes looked at me as if he could read every thought tap dancing in my head. How he strode toward me, not a flicker of unease—ever. How he made me feel … okay, nix the getting all wet and bothered … it was more than that. He made me feel taken. Protected. Wanted. His.

Yeah, I was fucked. Not only did Deck not see me that way, but it was the last thing I needed.

I cocked my hip and put my hand on it, knowing full well when I did, it pushed up the shirt a little further on my leg. “Looks like a cupcake meeting. Hey, Tyler, Josh, Vic.” The boys nodded but still didn’t look at me. Well, Tyler did, winked, and then got up and poured himself another coffee.

“I thought you guys were overseas?”

“We were. Met Deck and Tyler in New York then flew back here,” Josh said. “We’re headed back overseas.”

“What was in New York for all the boys?” I already knew, but I was better off asking. What I didn’t know was what was overseas. They’d been going over there a lot.

“A strip bar with hot women,” Tyler offered. Of course, they’d never tell me.

I walked over to the kitchen and pulled a mug down then slid it in front of Tyler. “Fuel me up, hot-stuff.”

Tyler poured coffee into my mug then leaned back against the counter, cradling his coffee in his hands at chest level. He had this devilish look about him, handsome with a dash of hot sauce. Early thirties, never been married, had wealthy parents he was estranged from. Tyler’s left arm was inked up and he had piercing green eyes, which contradicted his dark walnut curls, lazily falling in every direction.

Deck nodded to the men and Josh and Vic got up, each making excuses and going into Deck’s office. There was a moment’s hesitation before Tyler decided he better follow suit, but not before he gave me his crooked grin.

I sipped my coffee, brows raised while waiting for the hammer to come down.

“Vic will stay at your place with you.”

“What?” Now, this was a new one. His men never stayed with me—ever. Shit, this was so not good. Total bad timing. Plus, I wasn’t sure about Vic. He wasn’t ex-military, but I’d heard he had skills with torture tactics. He was friggin’ scary; a real dark scary, as if he had a closet full of dead bodies and liked to look at them before bed just so he could sleep. “So, not happening, Deck. Vic is creepy and I like my space.” I licked my upper lip to get the remnants of coffee, although it was more for Deck’s sake. It caught his attention and he watched, but I was disappointed as usual that there was no reaction out of him.