Page 31 of Never Till Now

I dumped a lot on Lauren to process. She nods, toying with her bottom lip and uncertainty fills her beautiful green eyes. There’s a softness to her face, almost an understanding of rejection. For all I know, she could have had a perfect life up to some point. Whatever made her switch off emotions must have been pretty shitty for someone with a stable career and looks that any Hollywood actress would pay for.

“That’s a shitty gut punch she gave you.” She takes a deep breath that turns into a yawn. “I promise I don’t need your name fame. I’m content with orgasms and maybe allowing you the joy of buying me ice cream.”

“Yes, orgasms and melted ice cream.” I laugh, catching her contagious yawn. “Weirdo.”

“I am sorry Britney was a greedy bitch.”

“We all have to figure out how cruel the world is at some point in life, right?” I shrug.

Her eyes shoot down and her soft smile tightens. She clears her throat and her brows scrunch together. Her cheeks suck into her teeth as she bites them. Whatever is going through her mind drops my heart. I reach over and give the back of her head a gentle rub. What event changed her demeanor? Someone her age should believe in love. I don’t press because, like Max, maybe she’s from a divorced or broken family too. Our frequency shifts.

I can feel the tension of whatever she’s not telling me. Anxiety radiates off her as her face hardens, her eyes darting around the car. She doesn’t want to remember. I place my hand gently on her forearm.

“I’ve unloaded too much, haven’t I. Do you want me to take you home?”

“You haven’t ranted too much.” She shimmies, trying to break her funk. “But I’d rather we go back to my place.”

“Of course.” I start the car back up.

“And Adam.” Her voice pitches to a question as she says my name. “When we walk through my door, please make me forget.”

And so I do. Three times that night. Whatever she needs to forget, I’ll do whatever it takes to block it out.

Chapter 10

Lauren

The time lights up my alarm clock, 5:08 a.m., but not from the piercing sound. I haven’t had to set an alarm once in my life. Relieved my inner wake-up call is nothing more than a haunting past, I lift my arms above my head to stretch my sore naked body and sink back into the mattress. Adam, without a doubt, took my request to make me forget seriously. I appreciated how there were no questions asked. The man just blew my mind and kept me panting for hours. It’s a wonder I didn’t sleep in for once.

But personal trauma calls.

It’s supposed to be a scorcher today in the city. Rachel’s flight arrives at noon, giving me enough time to throw in laundry and head to the gym.

As sore as my body is from last night, I still have steam to blow off. I enjoy the sun on my face as I walk the several minutes to the gym. I have no idea what I’m in for, but I figure with all the walking I’m doing around the city, I should learn how to throw a proper punch. The drop-in kickboxing class seems like a good enough start.

Max smiles at me, and I almost don’t recognize him. His muscle shirt is a nice trade-off from his usual button-down at the bar and shows off his muscular arms. Wow, who knew how toned they were? His sweats give great definition to his ass that his jeans and shirt normally hide. I wonder if Kelsie has ever thought of him as more than a friend. I know I could never stay friends with someone like that and not run my tongue over their body. His blue eyes smile at me as he runs a hand through his blond hair. Oh, he is dangerous in an innocent, brooding way. He and Adam must have all sorts of wild stories growing up together.

I find a spot beside two older ladies gushing about his radiant blue eyes and smile. The class is quite empty for a Saturday. Then again, it’s nine a.m. Wait, isn’t Adam teaching something today? Max leads a warm-up and I follow his eyes every few seconds as he glances toward the door. Once everyone is set up with their known routines, he makes his way over to me.

“Good morning, Shirley Temple.”

“Ugh, you and Adam both drive me crazy with that name.” I roll my eyes with a laugh.

“I coined the name first.”

“I guess you can have it. You have supplied me with enough plastic cherries, as Adam likes to call them.”

“I have now given you your own category on the inventory list,” he jokes, shooting me a boyish smirk. “I haven’t seen you much lately.”

“I’ll come in one night just for you then.” I walk closer to the little hanging punching bag thing. “I am sure you have very funny stories about you and Adam growing up.”

“Oh, there’s some we will take to the grave.”

“I heard about the teacher,” I dramatically whisper with a laugh.

“His teacher story, or mine?”

“What kind of school did you guys attend?” I shake my head. “They must have had their own curriculum.”