The UN Series Complete Box Set (105 page)

“Shit,” he hisses running his hands over his short hair. “I made a huge mistake last night,” he confesses, looking down at the floor as he starts to pace. “Like, a big fucking mistake,” he rambles.

“Did you get a tattoo of “your name” on your ass?” Parker asks excitedly.

“No. I…” He stops talking when he realizes that was Parker who asked.

“What did you do?” I ask looking to see if we have any water in our room since he hates coffee.

“Nothing,” he says keeping his eyes on Parker. “Call me later, Slade.” He goes to turn around when I stop him.

“Just tell us.” I look from Parker to him. “He’s going to find out anyways. Plus, how bad could it be?” It can’t be worse than Parker and myself almost getting booked in Las Vegas.

“Real bad,” he mumbles before he lets out a sigh. He stands there for a few seconds and closes his eyes as if whatever he’s about to say may kill him. “I slept with Missy.”

It comes out in such a rush that I almost miss it.

“Oh shit,” Parker says seriously, sitting up straighter on the couch. “Sam is going to kill you. Like literally rip off your dick and eat it so you can never use it again,” he says in all seriousness.

“Shut the fuck up Parker,” I snap. This is bad, really bad.

“Just saying,” he whispers. “Is it bad that I wish it was mine?”

I turn to face him this time “Parker. Shut the fuck up.”

He huffs as he sits back in the couch.

“What happened?” I turn back to Tate. “You sound like you just woke up and realized you slept with her? Were you so drunk last night that you didn’t realize it until this morning?”

“Well...” He sighs. “I had kissed her at the club last night before I could stop myself. I knew it was a mistake, but I couldn’t stop myself. Then I left with Jamie…” He waves his hand in the air when I frown. “Trying to get my mind off of Missy.”

“Who the hell is Jamie?” Parker asks.

“That brunette I left with last night.” He throws his hand in the air in frustration this time. “But let’s just say things didn’t go as I had planned with Jamie. Then later last night I kissed Missy again in the elevator when I ran into her here at the hotel. I couldn’t help it. When the elevator stopped, I found myself walking to her room. I couldn’t stop.” He looks around the room at a loss. “I woke up this morning and there was some blood on the sheets. I freaked. I had no idea she was a virgin.” He throws his hands out to the side letting out a puff of air. “I mean, inexperienced, yeah. But a fucking virgin? Fuck me!” he hisses.

What the fuck?
I had no idea either. Now I’m positive Angel is going to kill him.

“How did you not know she was a virgin?” Parker asks confused. “I mean, I’ve fucked virgins, and I could always tell,” he says matter-of-fact.

Tate gives him a death glare. “I…I don’t know. Parts of last night are still a blur. I just remember walking her to her room and then the next thing I remember we were rolling around in the bed.” He starts to pace. “I can’t believe I did this.”

“That sucks man,” Parker says, sounding sincere, and it makes me smile. “You slept with a virgin and can’t even remember how good it was.” He frowns. “They’re always the best.”

My smile drops off my face. He’s not sorry about how Tate feels, he’s sorry that Tate can’t remember fucking a virgin.

I decide not to comment about that, and I turn to watch Tate continue to freak out. “How did she act this morning?” I ask concerned for Missy.

“At first, she was fine,” he says somewhat disturbed by that. “I actually think she remembers every detail about last night. I, on the other hand, freaked. I got mad at her and started yelling. She started to cry. Goddamn it!” He turns away from us and runs his hand through his hair. “What the hell was I thinking?”

“That you wanted to get a piece of ass,” Parker declares.

“Shut up.” Tate raises his voice. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

Parker places his hands up. “Hey, I’m just stating the obvious. You’re the one who actually fucked her.”

Tate takes a step toward the couch with his arm pulled back, and I step between them, placing my hands on his chest. He is livid. His nostrils are flared, and his jaw is clenched.

“Whoa,” I say pushing him back. “Just ignore him.”

Tate takes in a few deep breaths and then spins away from me.

“What are you guys in here yelling about?” Angel enters the room rubbing her sleepy eyes.

I raise my mug of coffee to her. “Here. Why don’t you go and get ready for the day, babe.” I don’t want her to know all this yet. I think Missy should be the one to tell her, not me.

Parker sits up with a smile on his face. “Tate fucked Missy last night,” he announces happily.

She looks from Parker over to Tate. She waits for a few seconds for him to deny it, but he just stares down at the floor as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Please tell me he’s lying?” she pleads.

He looks up and throws Parker a hard glare before glancing back at Angel. “I fucked up. Hell, I didn’t know she was a virgin. I...”

She takes in a deep breath. “So that makes it okay? Because you thought she handed it out like all the other bitches you sleep with?”

Yep, she’s pissed.

“You thought sleeping with you meant nothing to her?” She walks up to him at a fast pace, and I take a step back. I know what that looks means. It’s usually followed by a hand to my face. “You have no idea how she...” She stops talking and takes another deep breath. “What did you say to her?”

His closes his dark blue eyes for a second and when he opens them, they are pleading with her. “I panicked. Yelled that it was a mistake and she should have told me.”

“I want to slap some sense into you, Tate, but I have a feeling it won’t work,” she states before she turns around and storms out of the room.

Parker squirms on the couch. “Damn, Slade. Your girl gets me so worked up.”

I ignore him as I look over at Tate. He looks miserable. The sleeping with Missy was not the mistake. If it were, he wouldn’t feel so bad. I’ve had plenty of one-night stands where I woke up the next morning and didn’t give a fuck that I had drunk sex—or what I did and didn’t remember. He just hates that it was a one night drunk fuck. The same thing I didn’t want for Angel and me in the beginning.

Angel walks out of the room now dressed in a tank top, pair of blue jean shorts, and flip flops, throwing her hair up into a ponytail.

“Where are you going?” I ask cautiously.

“I’m going to go explain to Missy that she is better than what she feels like right now. I’m sure she feels like a cheap piece of shit that was just used.” Tate flinches from her harsh words.

She looks Tate up and down with a scowl on her face. “I’m going to have to explain to her that some guys are just out for a piece of ass, and that I’m sorry she gave her virginity up to one of them.”

“Sam, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking,” he says with sadness on his face.

“Do you love her?” she questions placing her hands on her hips.

He looks at her wide-eyed for a few seconds before he shakes his head. She lets out a sigh. “Then keep your hands off of her,” she demands before she spins around and slams the door behind her without even bothering to say goodbye.

Tate starts to walk to the door. “Where are you going?” I ask.

“I should go and talk to Missy as well. Apologize or something…”

I step between him and the door. “Oh no you don’t.”

“Dude, do you have a death wish? Even the angel scares me.” Parker shudders.

I give him a hard look. “Don’t call her Angel. And don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

He lies back on the couch shaking his head with a smile on his face.

I turn back to Tate. “Why did you do it?”

He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Quit acting like you don’t have a dick Slade,” Parker interrupts. “You know what it’s like to want to fuck a hot piece of ass and not care about how they feel when you don’t give them anything else than a ride for a night.”

Tate takes a step over to him. “I do care how she feels,” he shouts. “That’s why I’m so pissed at myself.” He releases a long breath. He plops down on the couch next to Parker and places his head in his hands.

“Why did you lie to Angel?” I ask.

“What are you talking about?” Tate asks still holding his head in his hands looking down at the floor.

“You told her that you don’t love Missy. That was a lie, and we both know it.”

Tate’s hands drop, and he looks up at me. “I don’t love Missy.”

I stand there and watch him as he says the words. I believe a part of him loves the idea of her, but Tate won’t let that happen. He’s going to fight that as long as he can.

“So, how was it?” Parker asks as if he is referring to a football game. “Is it a piece of ass that I would like to chase? She did look fucking hot as hell last night.” He leans up on the couch. “Did she leave her heels on for you?”

I sigh when Tate reaches over and pops Parker in the side of the jaw, making him fall back into the couch. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Tate growls.

Too bad I didn’t add today to that bet last night, I would have won.

Parker holds the side of his jaw as he sits up and looks at Tate with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Hey. You’re one who fucked the virg…”

Tate goes to jump on him, but I reach down and grab the collar of his shirt. I pull him up off the couch turning him to face me. “Just let him go, Tate. He’s doing this on purpose.”

Tate pulls away from me and growls running his hand over his cropped hair before he spins around and walks out of the room, slamming the door as well. I expect to get a call from the front desk soon asking what in the hell we are doing up here with all the shouting and slamming doors.

I turn to face Parker. He smiles up at me. “What were you thinking?”

“He loves her,” he announces. “Or he wouldn’t have punched me. Plus, I really wanted to know if she kept those heels on.”

I want to explain to Parker how it feels to love someone when you feel like you can’t have them. I’ve been there with Angel. When you feel like you’re not good enough for them. When you know they deserve better than you. But I don’t. Instead I say, “Yes. I do believe he loves her, but can you please keep your smart mouth shut?”

“I was just trying to help.” He slumps back on the couch as he rubs his jaw again.

“Just help by shutting the fuck up,” I state before taking a drink of my coffee, which is now cold.
Shit!
This is turning out to be a bad day already, and it’s not even nine o’clock yet. I walk over to the mini bar and grab the rum. It’s gonna be a long fucking day.

CHAPTER TWELVE

SAMANTHA

I knock on Missy’s room again. “Missy open up,” I demand. I’ve been standing here for over ten minutes trying to get her to open the door.

“Missy.” I pound on the door.

I let out a puff of air as I pull my cell out the back pocket of my shorts to call her. Just as I look up her name the door swings open.

My eyes snap to hers, and she releases a heavy sigh. Her blue eyes look red, I can tell she has been crying. “May I come in?” I ask softly.

She nods her head and takes a step out of my way. “He told you.”

It’s not a question but I answer anyway. “Yes. Are you okay?” It sounds like such a stupid question. Of course she’s not okay. I know she loves him, and he just ripped out her heart and then stomped on it.
Typical guy.

She just stands there for a few seconds before she throws her arms around me. I stumble back a few steps not expecting her hug. Once I get my feet under me I wrap my arms around her shaking body as she sobs into my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, not really knowing what to say. Tate should be the one here on his knees apologizing. But would that really make her feel any better?

“It’s not…your fault,” she continues to mumble into my shoulder. “I should have known.”

I unwrap my arms from around her and pull back a bit to look at her face. “Missy, you did nothing wrong.”

She pulls away from me as she starts to wipe the tears off of her cheeks.

“I’ll be fine.” She takes in a few deep breaths and sits down on the end of her bed.

I walk over and sit down beside her. “Do you wanna talk about it?” I ask softly.

“There’s nothing really to talk about.” She fiddles with her hands in her lap.

“There has to be something,” I say slowly. I would think she is thinking it was a huge mistake. “Everyone makes mistakes,” I add softly.

“I don’t regret it,” she whispers looking down at her hands in her lap referring to my comment.

“Uh…” I don’t know how to respond to that.

She looks up at me. “I knew what was going to happen the moment he walked into my room.”

“But you have to…”

She interrupts me. “It was just sex to him, Sam. And I understand that now.” She releases a breath, lying down on her back and looking up at the ceiling.

“Just sex?” I ask stunned. “Missy you have to feel something. Tate is going crazy over what happened. How can you act like you do this all the time when we both know you were a virgin?”
And that you love him?
I think to myself.

She blushes and smiles as she continues to look up at the ceiling. “I don’t know why he’s freaking out.” She closes her eyes, and I see a tear slide down the side of her cheek. “It’s not like I was the first girl he slept with. I don’t care what he thinks. He can see me or think whatever he wants.” She shakes her head.

“Missy…” I say softly.

She raises her hand to stop me from saying anymore. “It’s okay, Sam. I’m a big girl. He regrets it, and I can’t change that.” She stands up. “But I don’t regret it nor would I change anything if I could relive last night.” She turns and walks herself to the bathroom shutting the door behind her.

I try to figure out if that was her dismissing me or not. After a few silent seconds I hear her shower come on and I realize it was and rise from the bed. I numbly walk back to our room. I enter our room and start to walk to our bedroom.

“What happened?” Slade asks. “How is Missy?” I can see the concern on his face.

“She’s fine.” I shrug, and he frowns. “She cried and then she just acted like it was no big deal. She doesn’t regret it. She hates that he does but…” I try to find the right words. “I don’t know,” I finally say when I come up with nothing.

“He loves her,” Parker announces from the couch.

I turn to him letting out a sigh. I figured he would be gone by the time I returned to our room. “How would you know?”

He rubs his jaw. “Because I asked how she was and if I could ride her,” he says casually. “He punched me.” He smiles proudly. “Clearly…”

I hold my hand up stopping him. “You give me a headache, and it’s too early for a headache.” I could care less to hear his philosophy if a man loves a woman or not. I’ve seen men be possessive over a woman and not love them. They just don’t want anyone else to have them. That is not love.

“You’re kind of bitchy. Are you on the rag?”

“Excuse me?” I snap walking over toward the couch where he sits casually.

Slade comes up behind me and grabs me by the arm. “It was just a question, sweetheart,” Parker says unaffected by my intent to kick him in the balls.

“Let up Parker,” Slade warns.

“Don’t you have some Advil to take for that problem?” he asks not caring that he’s pissing me off.

“A question?” I breathe. “One of my best friends is in love with a man, and he just took something that she can never get back,” I all but scream. Missy would probably kill me if she knew I just confessed she loved Tate, but I feel the need to protect her.

“He didn’t
take
anything, sweetheart. She gave it to him.” He stands from the couch. “Why do you care? At least it was with someone she likes and not some total stranger.”

“This coming from the man who fucks anything that walks,” I spit out.

“I remember when that guy holding onto you was the same way.” He nods toward Slade.

Just what I need. A reminder of all the women Slade has slept with. “What’s your point?” I snap.

“My point is to quit being a bitch,” he says hatefully. “If Missy is okay with it then let it go.”

“Do you not care about anyone besides yourself?” I shout. “She is not okay.” I fist my hands down by my sides. I’m about to punch this guy in the face.

*****

SLADE

“Go take a shower. I want to do some more shopping today,” I say turning Angel around to face me.

She opens her mouth to speak but I lift my hand and place it over her mouth.“Now. Angel,” I demand.

She pulls back from me quickly, eyes narrowed and clearly not pleased with my demand, but does so, giving Parker one last glance before she walks into our bedroom.

I walk over to Parker, and I square my shoulders when I see the smirk on his face as he watches her leave the room. I jerk him up by the collar at his t-shirt surprising him. And push him up against the far wall. I punch him in the same spot that Tate had, but only harder.

“That was for calling the woman I love a bitch,” I say in case he didn’t know why I did it.

He looks at me with big eyes, shocked that I hit him. “What they do is none of her business,” he says defensively.

“What
she
does is none of your business. She cares about her friends and their feelings. I’m sorry if you can’t understand that.” I turn away from him and walk over to the door. I open it letting him know he will be leaving now.

He walks over to it and lets out a long breath. “I understand you love her. And I apolo…”

I shake my head cutting him off. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry. I understand you still have the mentality that I once had. She does not, nor has she ever thought of people in that way. She deserves your apology.”

“Do I get an apology?” he asks with a grin as he rubs his jaw.

“No. You deserved that,” I say with a grin of my own.

He nods his head. “We good?” He holds out his hand.

I clasp it with mine. “As long as you never call her a bitch again,” I say in all honesty.

“Promise.”

I close the door and head into the bathroom.

“Did he leave?” she demands when she hears me enter.

“Yes.”

She opens the door to the shower. “Can you believe that idiot?”

I undress and enter the shower. “Babe, guys just see things differently.”

She places her hands on her hips as her mouth falls open. “Have you ever taken a girl’s virginity?”

“I had sex with virgins while in high school, but I didn’t take their virginity,” I say honestly. “They gave it to me.”

“Now you sound like
him
. What’s the difference? You probably broke their hearts,” she sneers.

I shake my head. “The girls I slept with knew what they were getting from me. I didn’t wine and dine them for weeks and then take to them to bed promising them my love. They knew what they were getting—a one-night stand.”

“How can you talk about it like their virginity wasn’t important?” she asks with total shock in her voice.

How do I explain this to her without making her mad? “Parker was right in some degree.” Her eyes go wide, and I continue before she can yell at me. “Some people just want to have sex. Not all women are like you,” I say with a smile as I place my hands in her wet hair. “Not all women want to love someone or be loved in return,” I say pushing my body into hers. “And not all men are sleaze bags like Parker and myself. Some men look for love and want more than sex.”

“Missy is not one of those girls that you just explained,” she snaps. “How can you think of her that way?”

“I don’t,” I answer defensively.

“Then why are you taking up for Tate?”

I sigh. “Tate truly was upset that he slept with Missy.”

“Only because she was a virgin,” she states. “If she had slept with other men before, he would have been okay with it,” she says clenching her jaw.

“Maybe,” I say in all honestly. “We don’t really know how he would feel had she not been a virgin. Maybe it was one of those things that just happened,”

“Oh my God,” she says her shoulders slumping. “You did not just say that.” She points a finger at me.

It’s hard to take her serious when she’s standing in front of me naked.
Think Slade.
What can I say to get her to see where I’m coming from? “Okay how about this.”

She rolls her eyes and turns away from me to get under the sprayer. She plans on dismissing everything I am about to tell her.

I grab her and spin her around before I pin her back against the wall. She is going to listen to my reasoning.

She lets out a puff of air getting more irritated with me. Then lifts an eyebrow. At least she plans on listening.

“You were not a virgin the first night I brought you to my house, but you begged for me to fuck you.” Her eyes narrow on me. “If I would have taken you up on that offer, the next morning you would have been mad at yourself. It didn’t change the fact that you weren’t a virgin.”

Her eyes soften and she bites her bottom lip as if in thought. “That’s different,” she finally says.

I shake my head. “You’re just saying that because you know you were pissed at yourself the next morning for wanting to sleep with me. Just because you had sex before didn’t mean you sleeping with me would have been less important to you.”

“How do you know that?” she snaps.

I wrap my arms around her. “Angel. I was awake while you were in the bathroom freaking out. You think I didn’t hear you talking to yourself? Then I stood in the kitchen for several minutes and watched you make coffee. I could read your body language. I could see the inner battle you were having with yourself.”

“But you turned me down. Tate did not turn Missy down.”

I sigh. Poor Tate, she is going to hold this over his head forever. “I let you give me a blow job. And if I remember correctly that was your first one. I wanted it more than anything. I was being so selfish that I could not turn you down. I wanted it more than you probably wanted to give it.”

She rests her head against my chest and wraps her arms around my waist. “We’re different. I just hate what happened. I know she loves him, and he just used her.”

“You don’t know that,” I defend Tate. “You weren’t there. You don’t know who instigated it, or what was said.”

She pulls away from me and her eyes bug out. “Are you saying that Missy begged him for it?”

That could have been the case. We both know she likes him. But I say, “No.”

“Yes you are.” Her lips part as she inhales. “That’s why you are comparing them to us. Because I begged you.”

I shake my head quickly trying to backtrack. My jaw clenches when I see that I’m losing this battle. She always wins when we fight.

I place my hands on either side of her face. “Just try to let it go. They are both adults, and it happened. You can’t change it. And Missy told you she wouldn’t change it even if she could.”

She pulls her head back and looks up at me. “I hate it when you make sense.”

I give her a victory smile, and she playfully punches my shoulder. “It doesn’t happen that often,” I say honestly.

“That’s for sure,” she quips as she pulls away from me to step under the water.

“Hey,” I say wrapping an arm around her and pulling her off of her feet as she laughs.

“So now what?” she asks through a sigh.