Always Remember (Memories) (9 page)

They’re full of promises, but promises are easily broken.

They
’re full of the future, but the future is easily changed.

“
Why?” I ask, my voice stronger than I feel inside. “Why am I so different to the others, Sam? Why me?”

He slides his hands up my arms until they
’re cupping my face the way they did when he burst through my front door and kissed me.

“
Because,” he says. “Because you’re you, Jen. You’re the light in a world forever doomed to darkness.”

I close my eyes, conflict warring inside my crazy damn brain.

Trust him. Don’t. Trust him. Don’t.

The little devil on my left shoulder is hopping with glee. The angel on my right is glaring and shaking her head defiantly. If she wasn
’t holy, I’d bet she’d be cursing the fuck out of the sex god stood in front me.

“
What about the others? The girls that can’t seem to keep their hands off you. The ones that would do anything for you,” I say. “The ones that would give anything for one night with Samuel Edwards.”

“
What about them?” He shrugs carelessly. “I can’t keep my hands off you. I’d do anything for you. I’d give anything for another night with you - for every night with you. Don’t you get it, Jen? I’ve wanted you since I saw you lying on the beach a year and a half ago in Lilac Bay. I’ve wanted you ever since you opened that smart mouth and ripped it out of me.”

I smirk.
“I’m kinda good at that.”

“
I love your filthy mouth.” He dips his head and bites my bottom lip gently, his lips grazing the surface of mine.

“
What if I trust you, Bing? What if I give you everything and it turns to nothing?”

“
It won’t turn to nothing,” he replies. “I won’t always be perfect, Jen, baby, but I’ll try to be the best I can. I want you, girl, just you. No-one else. Trust me. Once. That’s all I’m asking.”

Once. It
’s easier said than done. It’s easier said than thought.

“
I knew the second you chased me with a prawn you’d be a bit of a bad boy.” I whisper.

“
I knew the second you stole my sister’s hermit crab you’d be a handful,” he whispers back, a glimmer in his eye.

“
What if I can’t take it, Bing? What if I can’t deal with the girls that will throw themselves all over you?”

He runs his fingers through my hair, pushing it away from my face. My head tilts back slightly.

“Then maybe, baby...” He moves in close. “Maybe, you can come to me, and I’ll remind you exactly why they’re nothing more than a shadow in the night and you’re the light.”

“
I can’t promise you forever, Bing,” I whisper. “Not until you can prove that everything you just said is it, the real thing.”

He stops and sighs.
“You don’t believe me do you?” He shakes his head and turns away. I grab his arm.

“
Walk, Bing, and that’s it. This is what you can’t do. I need to know that what you’re saying to me is how you actually feel. It’s what you want.”

“
Why?”

“
Because I don’t know
you.
I don’t know as much about you as I want to. Show me you’re being serious, that I’m everything you want, more than sex, then I’m yours. Until then, we’re in uncharted territory.”

His eyes meet mine and in them I see steely resolve, determination.
“You’re gonna wish you never challenged me to that, Jennifer Mason.”

“
No,” I say, stepping against him. He wraps his arms around me. “I’m hoping I’ll be glad I challenged you to it.”

~

The knowing gleam in my baby sister’s brown eyes is disconcerting to say the least. She’s way more observant than even she knows, and she eyes both me and Jen with amused interest.

“
So...” Lexy clicks her tongue. “Anything interesting happen while I was away?”

“
Not much,” Jen says, her eyes fixed on the television.

“
Ah-huh,” Lexy teases her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m sure that in a big ol’ city like London absolutely
nothing
happened.” She rolls her eyes and shoots me a sly glance.

I
’m fucked if she knows.

And she does.

She knows.

So I
’m fucked.

“
Nope, Jen’s right.” I shrug. “Absolutely nothing has happened.”

“
Nothing in general... or nothing worth sharing?” Lexy grins. An ‘I know’ grin.

“
Princess...” Alec puts his hand over her mouth. “‘Nuff.”

“
Mm mm mm,” she says behind his hand, and he moves it. “I said, no it’s not. I’m only asking!”

“
Asking and interrogating are two different things.”

“
Then I’m interrogating.”

I watch as Jen smiles and
hides her mouth behind her hand. I want to reach out and touch her, but hey, this whole ‘let’s keep it between us’ thing was her idea. And I know why.

She wants me to prove to her tomorrow night when we all go out that I can stay with my eyes on her. That I won
’t even look at another girl. Her challenge is accepted.

Gladly accepted.

“I’m going for a drink. Any of you miserable gits need one?” Jen stands.

“
I’ll come with.” Lexy follows her and winks at me. Goddamn her!

“
Didn’t take you long,” Alec says with a slight hint of bitterness.

“
Na, mate. It ain’t what you think.” I twirl the bottle between my fingers.

“
Then what is it? Cause both of you have got that just fucked look about you.”

“
Yes, I had sex with her. Several times. Happy?” I raise my eyebrows. “I gave her the chance to stop, and she said no. But it isn’t what you’re thinking. It isn’t just sex... Hell, I don’t know what this is.”

“
What what is?”

I sigh, leaning my head back on the sofa.
“I told her I wanted her, right? Not just as a quick fuck, but as something more.”

“
A girlfriend?” Alec smirks.

“
Wipe that damn look off your face.” I flick my head back up. “Yes. And she said no. Fucking no!”

“
Why did she say no?”

Even Alec is confused. Bloody women.

“She said something about not being sure if she can trust me and wanting to get to know me. I want her. What more is there to know?”

Alec chuckles and shakes his head.
“Oh, man. Girls like to know the soppy shit. Ya know, favourite films, favourite food, can you make them smile?”

“
Jesus Christ,” I groan, rubbing my forehead. “I’m guessing a list won’t do the job?”

“
Oh no,” Alec laughs. “I hope you’re ready for weeks of flowers, early morning text messages, and candlelit dinners. Also, don’t forget the TV cuddle nights. No sex.”

“
You’re kidding. How am I supposed to hug that girl without wanting to rip off her clothes?”

“
You think you’ve got issues?” He takes a swig of beer. “Your sister still makes me do that romantic shit.”

Jesus fucking Christ. When did I step into a chick flick?

“I don’t do romance,” I protest.

“
Then you gotta get a romance guide for dummies, ‘cause she ain’t gonna take anything less than everything you got.”

“
Why does convincing a girl you’re worth it sound a lot like divorce?”

“
Because on the pain in the ass scale, it’s about the same.”

“
Okay.” I close my eyes. “Shit, man. I can’t believe I’m gonna do this. What’s first?”

“
Early morning texts,” Alec says without batting an eyelid. “Every day.”

“
Might as well send flowers for a fucking wake up call.”

“
Good shout. Do that.”

“Bing looks happy,” Lexy says, taking the wine from the fridge.

I raise an eyebrow
, and set two glasses on the counter. “Girl if you have somethin’ to say, say it. Don’t you go pussyfooting around my ass.”

She laughs
, and pours the wine. “Tell me what happened.”

“
He jumped on me. Literally. No hello, no nothing.” I sigh. “I’m not going into details though ‘cause that is
so
wrong.”

“
I’m glad you two are finally working it out. It doesn’t take a genius to work out you’ve been fantasising over him for months!”

“
That is so…” She raises an eyebrow. “…Damn messed up you know that. Shit. How do you know that? Are you Derren Brown’s long lost daughter?”

She bursts out laughing.
“No! It’s just kinda obvious. At least now you’re together.”

“
Ha,” I say in a small voice. “Yeah. Funny you should mention that...”

“
Jen...”

“
Teeny tiny major detail.” I hold two fingers up with a small space between them. “We kinda are. Kinda aren’t. In between. Ish.”

Lexy
’s eyebrows go up. “Go on.”

I take a big gulp of wine.
“I now know how much bullshit I fed to you before you and Alec got together. It’s not that I don’t trust Bing, ‘cause I do, sorta, I just know his woman-eating ways, and I want him to prove he wants me.” I shrug a shoulder.

“
And how on earth do you plan on achieving that?” My best friend smiles.

“
I don’t know. It’s not my job to tell his hot ass what to do. Besides, Alec did it for you, and I figure that if Bing really, really wants me, then he’ll keep his snake in its cage for every woman besides me.”

“
I’m gonna ignore that last part, but I agree with you. Huh.” She tilts her head slightly. “But you want him, right? I can tell you have more than just the bed bug for him.”

I glance through the opening to where the two guys are laughing o
n the sofa. Bing turns his head as if he can sense me watching, and his soft brown eyes meet mine. There’s a challenge there.

What will I do now? Will I sit next to him or will I go back to the other sofa?

His lips curl upwards, and I’ll be damned to hell and back several hundred times if I don’t want to feel those against me again, but let it be said that Jennifer Mason is
not
an easy lay. Ah huh, you heard me.

I was totally distracted the last
errrr, five times.

Oh, sheesh. Five times?

“Yeah,” I say, answering Lexy’s question. “I do. I’m pretty sure of it.”

She winks, smiling, and we go back into the front room. I sit next to Bing on the sofa, leaning against the arm
, and crossing my legs. My jeans strain against my skin, and I rest my head to the side on my hand. My hair falls down exposing the side of my neck.

I can feel his heated eyes on me as I glance at Lexy
, and she’s hiding a smile behind the rim of her wine glass. I bite the inside of my cheek and lick my lips.

I don’t think we’re on the same agenda here.

I
’m on romance and she’s on seduction.

Don
’t get me wrong, I’m never one to turn down a seduction, and especially not from the blonde haired goddess next to me. It just doesn’t fit with the roses and chocolate plan.

It fits with the plan of my second head though. Yep, brain number two likes the way her jeans tighten when she crosses her legs. In fact, my first brain does too. Oh, who the fuck am I kidding? If my sister and her boyfriend weren
’t here, I’d take this girl on the rug, romance be fucking damned.

Her mouth twitches as she hides a smile. She
’s doing this deliberately, and it’s working. She knows it. Okay, then, gorgeous, we’ll have it your way.

“
Is it hot in here?” I ask no-one in particular. Alec smirks like he can read my mind.

I put the beer bottle on the table next to me
, and pull my shirt off. The smile drops from Jen’s lips, and she licks them again. Her eyes travel slowly over my torso and I see that spark of desire flare deep in them. Her come and fuck me eyes.

“
If it wasn’t before, it is now,” Lexy mutters as she looks between us. “It’s like mating time at the zoo.”

“
Fitting.” I smirk at Jen. “Cause there’s at least one animal here.”