MANTRUM Read online

  I grab hold of her hand, taking her by surprise and hauling her into my arms. “Good. I want you to feel at home here.” Does she realize I mean in my arms as well as in my house? My hands slip around Danika’s back and I smile down at her. She carefully lays her palms on my shoulders as if she’s unsure of what to do with them. “Thank you for being here. It means a lot that you took time out of your weekend to help me.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I was happy to help out.”

  “I’m not worried. I just want you to know I’m not taking you for granted. Having you here with me made being around my family more enjoyable.”

  “Rex, I don’t know why you have any issues with your family, and Catherine seems wonderful. They were so much fun. And it’s obvious they all love you.”

  “I don’t know why they sometimes affect me negatively. Maybe it’s because it can turn into a pissing contest with everyone together. And there are times when that’s a blast, but there are also times when I don’t want to have to be at the top of my comeback game.”

  “We haven’t spent a huge amount of time together, but I’ve never seen you when your wit wasn’t razor sharp.”

  “You like my wittiness?” I grin.

  “I didn’t say I liked it. I said it was sharp.”

  “Who doesn’t like sharp wit? Isn’t that associated with intelligence? Who doesn’t like an intelligent person?”

  “Stop trying to get more compliments out of me. I think you’ve been complimented enough already by yourself.”

  “Yeah, but not by you.”

  “You have to work more than your charm to get compliments from me.”

  “Is that so?”

  “You better believe it. If you make it through the anger management class without any more issues, I’ll be happy to smother you with compliments.”

  “I don’t want you to smother me. At least not with compliments.” If she wants to sit on my face, I’d be happy to suffer through a lack of oxygen.

  “There have been times I’ve been tempted to smother you.” She giggles.

  “When?”

  “That’s for me to know and you to find out,” she replies smugly. My fingers slip forward, sliding up to dig in near her rib cage. She thrashes from side to side, hysterically laughing before panting, “Please stop.”

  My fingers ease up, resting on her sides. “But you were going to tell me about all the times you’ve wanted to smother me.” I press them into her sides again and she howls. Immediately, I cease, quirking a brow in inquiry. “Tell me.”

  “Okay. Fine.” She inhales a long breath. “The only time I wanted to do you bodily harm was the day we met. Wait.” She holds up a hand. “That’s not true. I wanted to make you disappear when you walked into the anger management meeting that first night.”

  “I thought as much. You didn’t look pleased to see me.”

  “Pleased? Pfft. I was miserable.”

  “Why? Am I so bad?”

  “No, but I didn’t know that back then. I only had the ticket fiasco to go by, and you were annoying as fuck. And then the fight capped it all off nicely. And I got chewed out at work.”

  “You did? I’m sorry for that.”

  “I didn’t really get chewed out, more of a stern talking to. And spending time with you has helped.”

  “So, now that you know me better, you want me to live, right?”

  “Are you fishing for another compliment?” I shake my head. “Okay, then. I guess I can tell you that you no longer make me want to inflict bodily harm on you. So, you have that going for you.”

  I grin down at her, my arms sliding around her waist once more. “I hope I have more than that going for me. Maybe you need me to show you a side of me you’ve never seen.”

  “What side would that be?”

  “This.” I lean forward, closing the distance between us and brush a whisper-soft kiss over her lips. She doesn’t protest, so I repeat the motion, this time lingering, lips feathering over her pillowy mouth. Her lips cling to mine as I draw back slightly, and her lids are slow to raise. She already looks drunk on my kisses and I’ve barely touched her.

  My hands slide up to cup each side of her neck before tipping her face to the side. I capture her mouth with mine, tongue sweeping along the smooth inside edge of her lower lip. Her fingers clutch my shoulders, nails digging into my skin. She moans when our tongues meet, and our kiss flips from soft and seeking to hungry and passionate.

  Gripping her shoulders, I tug her closer, until her tits are pressed against my chest. Torsos plastered together, there’s no space between us.

  My hands glide up and down her spine and over her perfectly rounded ass to grip each cheek in my palms. My cock is painfully hard; I’ve never been so turned on from just kissing someone before. I bend my knees and I’m about to scoop her up in my arms when she presses her palms to my chest and turns her head to the side.

  “Rex, we need to stop.” Her eyes are open so wide, the whites around her irises are visible. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we can’t.”

  “Says who?”

  “It’s ethically wrong.”

  “For whom?”

  “For us. We met under unusual circumstances. And now I feel like I’m crossing a line I shouldn’t be.”

  “Because of your job?” She nods. “You didn’t arrest me, Danika.”

  “I know, but I was there.”

  “I don’t think one has anything to do with the other. We obviously like each other.”

  “Rex, we’re adults. We can share a kiss or two without it turning into anything else.”

  “After a kiss like that?” I arch my brow skeptically. Those kisses rocked every inch of me, and I know they had the same effect on her. “I only see this chemistry we have being resolved one way.”

  “And how’s that?”

  “Naked and preferably in a bed.”

  “Oh God.” She rubs a hand over her forehead and takes a step back, out of my grasp. I let her go because she needs to come to the realization that this storm of attraction and emotion brewing between us isn’t going anywhere. It’s only going to grow bigger and bigger until it takes over and neither of us can do anything but get sucked up in the whirlwind ride.

  Spinning around, she walks away from me. “Danika,” I call out, following her into the kitchen. She grabs plates and cups, clearing away the leftover trash from the table and countertop.

  “You don’t need to clean up. I’ll take care of it.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind. I said I’d help you and this is me fulfilling my side of the bargain.”

  I place a hand on her arm and she stills, head swiveling my way. “Danika, you said you’d help me stay calm and you already did. If you want to leave you’re welcome to.” Her eyes tell me she doesn’t want to go, but I have a feeling her brain is sending a different signal.

  “Are you sure?” she questions with a crease pressing between her brows.

  “Absolutely. Get out of here. I’ve got this.” I give her a reassuring nod. As much as I want her to stay for hours longer, I know that kissing her has made her panic and she needs to leave.

  “Okay. I’ll see you Thursday night.”

  Leaning over, I kiss her cheek. “Thank you for coming.”

  “It was fun. I can see myself out.” She graces me with a small smile before striding off. I want to shout ‘Wait. Don’t go,’ but I can’t. Giving her some space right now seems like the prudent option. As I hear the thud of the front door closing, I instantly regret that decision.

  I miss her already.

  * * *

  Larsen climbs into the golf cart and immediately starts poking me with his elbow “Sooo, tell me about Danika.”

  “What about her?”

  “Are you guys together?” I can't believe him. He's asking for himself. If he thinks I’m going to let him move in on her, he’s out of his fucking mind.

  “I’m
working on it.” I try to ignore him and steer us over to the first tee.

  “In other words, you're failing." He cackles.

  “I wouldn’t say that. We’re getting closer.”

  “Getting closer? Sounds to me like you've already been stamped and left out on the dock, big brother."

  "Stamped? What the fuck does that even mean?"

  He leans in close. "It means, much like a shipment of bad produce that's been inspected and rejected, it sounds to me like your woman has already decided that you're… unfit for consumption."

  “No. It means Danika’s the kind of woman you can’t rush. She’s special. At least she is to me.”

  "Shit, man, it sounds like you’re really into this woman. I don’t ever remember you talking like this before."

  I stop the cart and jump out. Adam and Jack are already waiting for us up in the first tee box. "All right, let's go, boys, gather up," Adam calls out.

  “I can tell you I’ve never cared about getting to know anyone else this much before," I tell Larsen, as we each grab our drivers from the back of the cart. "And it’s not just that she’s gorgeous. Although, if I'm being honest, it definitely plays a part," I continue, blathering on like a lovesick teenager. "But I really find her... interesting. I admire her work ethic and her independence. And I actually like that she’s not falling all over me.”

  "Not that this isn't all fantastic news…" Larsen smiles and I suddenly realize I've been rambling.

  "Oh fuck off, Larsen." I walk up to join my other two brothers in the tee box.

  "You ladies done chatting?" Jack asks.

  "Fuck you, Jack," I bark back.

  "It’s always so nice to get together like this, isn't it?" Adam joins in.

  "Annnd fuck you too, Adam." I flick the tee in my hand at his chest as we gather in a loose circle. "Let's go."

  Adam catches the tee and tosses it in the air like a coin. It flips around and lands on the ground at our feet with the tip facing me. I'm up first.

  "Ten bucks a hole?" I ask the group.

  "Sounds good," Jack answers first.

  "As usual," Adam agrees.

  "Let's make it twenty," Larsen adds.

  "Whatever." Adam just wants to get started.

  "Feeling it today are you, baby brother?" Jack smiles. "Fuck it, I'm in."

  They all look at me.

  "Oh, I'm definitely good with it." I can't help but laugh a little. I'm much better at golf than all three of my brothers. "Sounds like easy money to me."

  I'm still smiling when I hit a monster drive off the tee. I hold my finishing position longer than usual as we all watch my ball drop in and carry along the middle of the fairway, close to three hundred yards away. "Oh, that's nice." I then stand in smirking silence and watch each of my brothers fail to reach my drive with any of theirs.

  "So, I didn't mean to upset you about Danika." Larsen sounds serious, for once. "I just figured seeing as she's obviously not interested in you, I might give her a go." And there it is.

  "Shut the fuck up. And if I were you, I'd worry about your approach shot, little brother. You've got a long way to go." I hit the brakes and stop the cart short near his ball.

  "I got this, no problem," Larsen assures me.

  I wait behind the wheel as he takes out a fairway wood and lines up his approach. After two quick practice swings, he hits a nice ball that lands just shy of the green. “See.”

  “Not bad. Not bad,” I admit.

  He drops the club in his bag and hops back in the cart. Jack and Adam’s shots are closer to the green than Larsen’s but still behind mine, so we pull up close and wait while they each drop their next shots onto the green.

  “Did she ask about me?” Larsen leans in to me and asks quietly while we’re waiting.

  “Who?”

  “Danika. Did she say anything about me?” He pushes for an answer.

  “What? No. Why would she?”

  “Hey, Tiger Woods, let’s go, it’s your shot,” Adam shouts from up ahead, as Larsen sits back in silence with a smug look on his face. I’ve seen this look before, he’s plotting. I don’t like it.

  As I’m lining up my next shot, I see him in my periphery, whispering with Jack and Adam. He’s probably asking them right now about Danika and what they think his chances are.

  “Oh, fuck me.” I swing too hard and my approach shot soars high up over the green and straight into the sand trap behind it. “Goddamn it.”

  I drop a nice wedge shot out of the bunker, three feet from the hole and one putt for par, winning the hole and going up sixty bucks on my brothers.

  The next two holes play out the same, and I should be feeling good, but I’m not. Larsen asking about Danika is still on my mind and it’s affecting my game.

  “Do you think she likes oral sex?” he blurts out, as I’m lining up my putt on the fourth hole.

  “What? Shut up.” I try to stay calm.

  “I mean who doesn’t, right? But those lips of hers are epic. I bet she’s all kinds of outstanding with those gorgeous lips.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” I raise my voice.

  “Relax, relax. I’m just saying.” He shrugs sheepishly, as if he can’t understand why I’m upset.

  “Let him putt the ball, for Christ’s sake,” Jack snaps.

  “Alright, alright,” Larsen relents.

  Needless to say, my putt did not go in, nor did the next two attempts. At this point I’m about ready to rip my baby brother’s head off.

  “Shit, sorry, bro. I guess I better not tell you what my plans are for that ass of hers, then.”

  “You can…” I snatch the club he’s holding out of his hand as I walk by, stop, and break the shaft in two pieces over my knee before handing it back. “I wouldn’t.”

  “C’mon, Rex, take it easy. Larsen, knock it off and come ride with me. Adam, you can ride with Rex.” Jack tries to play peacemaker.

  “Hey, bro, you’ve got to settle down. Larsen is just fucking with you.” Adam tries to calm me down. “Don’t let him get to you.”

  “You’re probably right. Fuck him.” I manage a halfhearted smile.

  “Although, I was surprised at how much she was staring at him during the party.” Adam’s voice fades to a near whisper. “But in the end, he’s your brother, he wouldn’t…” And then he realizes what he’s saying and the impact it’s having on me. “I’m sure it was nothing.”

  I try to calm down but I’m distracted and very angry. My drive off the fifth tee pops straight up in the air, landing almost exactly where it started. My blood is boiling and I’m about ready to snap my own club into a dozen pieces.

  “Your ball didn’t get past the red tees, Rex. You know what that means. You’ve gotta play the rest of the hole with your pants at your ankles.” Larsen starts needling me. “I suppose that’ll be the only way those pants are coming down anytime soon. At least not with Danik…”

  Before he can finish what he’s saying, I’m on him. I grab hold of his shirt and flip him down onto the ground.

  “Knock it off.” “Rex, let him go,” Jack and Adam shout as they try to pull me off him.

  “Fuck you. Fuck you all. I’m out of here.” I release him and jump into the golf cart, making sure to undo the strap holding his golf bag so it spills out onto the cart path as I drive away.

  “Rex, you gotta relax, man.” Adam catches up to me as I’m getting into my truck. “It was all just a stupid bet. Larsen saw how into Dani you are and we made a new bet.”

  “A bet?” I’m still fuming.

  “Yes. We bet that you’d get so angry that you wouldn’t finish the round.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “It’s true. He wanted to bet me that he could make you so mad you wouldn’t finish the round.”

  “No hard feelings, big brother,” Larsen shouts over from his car across the lot.

  “Asshole.” I give him the finger.

  “Well, I guess you lost that bet.”

  “Hell no. I sa
id I could make you quit before the ninth hole.” Adam laughs as he explains.

  “Oh fuck you too.” I close the door and drive away.

  13

  Danika

  “What’s going on with you and the angry man?” Roxanne asks, her shiny red lips twisting into an amused smile before wrapping around her straw. Violet sniggers beside me.

  “The angry man?” I play dumb. She sets her glass down and gives me the look that says ‘cut the crap and spill the details’. “Fine. Rex is good, I guess.”

  “You guess? Don’t you have class with him?”

  “Yeah, I do, and um, I went to his daughter’s birthday party yesterday.” I bite my lip and wonder why I blurted that out.

  “What?” Roxanne and Violet chorus.

  “You heard me. Don’t be annoying and make me say it again just for effect.”

  Roxanne places her hand over her heart. “His daughter?” Her lids close on a sigh before opening again. “I didn’t know he was a single father. That makes him one hundred times hotter.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re crazy.”

  “You don’t find single dads attractive?” Violet asks.

  “Not as a rule.”

  “Ah, but you do find Rex attractive as a single father?” Roxanne presses.

  “I do. He is. His daughter just turned fifteen and she seems like a great kid.”

  “Did you meet his family at this party?” Violet questions.

  “Yeah, I did. They’re all extremely nice. His brothers made me feel so welcomed.”

  “His brothers? How many brothers?” Roxanne tips a well groomed brow.

  “He has three of them.”

  “Married or single? Hot or not?” she rapid fires questions.

  “I’m pretty sure they’re all single. The oldest one is divorced and has two kids in college. The other two are younger than Rex.”

  “I think I need to meet these guys. Can you arrange for this to happen?” Roxanne looks hopeful. Sure, I’ll just snap my fingers and it will be done. Roxanne has a little problem with expecting things to go the way she wants. Sometimes she can be selfishly unreasonable, but none of us are perfect.