Break You Down

Baby Steps

“Aunt Brit, what’s he doing?” Hailey asked, watching Chris pacing outside of my house. He had a single rose in his hand. The stem was starting to look mangled from him gripping it so tightly while pacing and biting his nails.

“I don’t know, baby girl, but get out of the window before he sees you.” I then muttered to myself, "I'm going to need to get pest control soon."

“Can I tell him to come in? He looks sad,” she asked, turning the blades of the blinds back in place.

“No. No you can’t,” I said flatly. “He can stay sad outside.”

Hailey giggled. “You’re funny, Aunt Brit. You get grumpy every time Mr. Chris is around. You were mean to him earlier too.”

“That’s because he doesn’t know when to quit,” I mumbled.

Earlier, when we were unloading my stuff from Adrian’s truck, Chris tried to take half my crap into the house on his own on one trip. He had both arms hooked in the straps of two large duffel bags, then rolled both of my suitcases to the stairs where he fumbled to get them up. I put all my books in the suitcases since they would be heaviest and I could roll them around. Watching Chris struggle was amusing, but aggravating at the same time. Adrian was watching him like he had a few screws loose, and Dad was staring at me and my reaction the whole time.

Stupid Chris. Dad was too observant for him to be acting like that.

When everything was unloaded into the house, Chris cornered me in my temporary bedroom and offered to stay and help unpack. I refused bluntly. A little too bluntly. I said, “No, you freak. I don’t want my underwear to go missing,” not knowing that my niece was just behind him. She laughed and said Chris couldn’t fit in my underwear, and that his butt was too big. I thought that was the end of it when he left with my dad, but now he is back here on his own after everyone else left, pacing outside like a weirdo.

“Josh Donalds brought me a flower to school yesterday,” Hailey told me proudly while plopping herself on the single loveseat in the living room. “He was nervous about giving me my flower too.”

“Who’s Josh Donalds?”

She shrugged. “My boyfriend.”

Oh, my brother is going to love this. “Does your daddy know about Josh Donalds?”

Hailey gave me a ‘what do you think’ look that made me laugh more. “I told mom, and she said we could just be friends.”

“Then he can’t be your boyfriend.”

“Yes he can. He’s a boy and my friend. Boyfriend.” She looked at me accusingly. “You aren’t going to tell daddy, are you?”

I laughed at her expression. “No. Just don’t tell your daddy about Chris and we can be even.”

“Deal,” she grinned, flipping over the cover of her iPad to open her messenger app. I’m going to have to take a look at that app later, just to be sure Joshy-boy was nothing to worry about. They’re eight, so I’m sure everything is still pretty innocent, but as her aunt, I’m still going to check. I’ll be working at her school soon, and can keep a better eye on her then. I'll play the cool aunt now and turn into crazy stalker aunt when she's not looking.

I was in the kitchen, trying to figure out where to put a coffee maker without kitchen counters when I heard a knock at the door. I rolled my eyes. Seems he got the nerve to finally get rejected again and get out of here. The man just doesn’t take no for an answer.

“Door!” Hailey yelled, not looking up from her iPad.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get it,” I said sarcastically.

She giggled at me, “I don’t think it’s for me, Aunt Brit.”

“Yeah,” I murmured to myself. “Me neither.”

I opened the door in a huff, but was surprised to see that Chris wasn’t alone on the other side. Missy was standing there too, with a glintful smile on her face. Chris had a big cooler in his arms and a sheepish expression, while Missy was now holding the man-handled rose.

“We brought you dinner,” she said, her voice full of amusement.

“We?” I lifted my eyes at Chris. He now had the proudest smile on his face.

“I’m helping carry it.”

He walked past me into the living room saying, “Hey squirt!”

“Where’s the flower?” Hailey asked, eyeing the cooler.

I turned an accusing glare on Missy. She was biting her bottom lip to restrain her smile. She lifted the flower towards me. “I think this is for you.”

I yanked it from her hands and tossed it in the bush beside my door. “Are you the one that asked him to come back here?”

“Oh, no. That was just a happy coincidence,” she laughed.

“Happy for who?!” I hissed quietly, trying not to raise my voice while Chirs was inside with Hailey.

“Hmm, for me?” She said it like it was a question. “The boys passed out when we got home, so Adrian stayed back to watch them. I liked not having to carry that heavy cooler.”

“I could have carried it!”

“Why when Chris was willing to help?” She bit back her laughter. I’m glad she is finding this all so amusing. I basically have a stalker and she is encouraging him now.

I suddenly felt heat radiating behind me. When I turned to look back, Chris was right there, not four inches away from me, close enough where I could smell his cologne mixed with the musky natural scent he usually had from being a blue-collar worker. That scent still gets to me. It makes me remember that night. If it wasn’t for that damn scent, it would have been easier to be close to him. The memories involved with a single scent can be so heavy sometimes. So binding.

So f*****g frustrating.

“Anything else, Missy?” Chris asked, his voice rough but cheery, as usual.

“There’s a bag for Hailey in my passenger seat. Do you mind getting it?”

“Not at all,” he smiled, gently brushing past me, his hand barely grazing the small of my back like he was trying to steady me.

“i***t,” I muttered, feeling a heat traveling up my spine. If he heard me, he didn’t let it show.

Damn it, Missy. I don’t know why she helps him worm his way into my space. She knows how disarming he can be....

“Mama, what did you make?!” Hailey called to her from inside, trying to unfasten the latch to the YETI cooler.

“Fried chicken and cheesy potatoes,” Missy answered, patting me on the shoulder with playful sympathy before going inside, closing the door behind her. There was a smirk on her face. She’s being too obvious with her intentions.You would think with her history with Chris she wouldn’t be playing this game right now.

I stood exasperated, with a scowl on my face, staring at Chris as he made his way back to the porch. Noticing his muscled arms with his shirt sleeves rolled up, and his rough, rugged hands gripping Hailey’s small pink backpack made my scowl deepen. Is he so smug because he knows he’s attractive? Is he just not used to being told the word ‘no’?

“You’re not invited to dinner,” I informed him, blocking his entry with my hand planted firmly against the door frame.

“Why, yes I was. Missy invited me herself. It’s my reward for all my help today.”

“So, you just helped for free food? I’ll give you ten dollars to spend at the diner right now.”

“Come on, Brittany,” he leaned in and husked deeply in my ear. He still had that bright smile on his face, while I was still frowning. “You know why I really helped.”

“Weaponized persistence?” I muttered.

He chuckled deeply, making me want to squirm and punch him at the same time. I stood stiff as he slid the backpack up my arms and onto my shoulders. He somehow made the action seem s****l with that sleazy smug smile on his stubble-ridden face. “Why let something that was so good go?”

“Because no means no,” I seethed in a whisper.

“Does it?” he tilted his head. “I remember you saying no a lot that night too, but it was followed by ‘don’t stop’. Said it so much that it must have stuck.” He pressed his lips next to my ear. “I don’t think you really want me to stop now either.”

I closed my eyes, not letting his hot breath tickling my neck make me move away. I’m standing my ground. “Why do you think that?”

“Because you never stop me from doing this,” he said, right before his mouth came down on mine.

Damn it.

~

Chris POV

Damn it, she tastes good. I know I keep pushing my luck, but every time she lets down her guard enough for me to kiss her, the reward is too great for me to give this up.

Her breath hitches as I run my tongue over the seam of her lips, giving me the opening I crave. The sweetest tasting furious moan leaves her, making my lips smile against hers.

She might tell me no every time I ask her on a date, or every time I call her just wanting to hear her voice, but when I get the chance to kiss her, ‘no’ never leaves those sweet lips. It makes it impossible to give her up, no matter how much she fights me.

She’s not fighting me now. She was clenching her hands at her side, like she was refusing to touch me, but she didn’t stop me from touching her. Her skin felt so soft as my hands spanned her waist. Her shirt rode up, and the chilly air was making her flesh cool to the touch. Man, what I would do for a chance to thoroughly heat her body up, but that really would be pushing it right now.

Baby steps. I’ll be content with sneaky kisses for now. Now that she has moved back home and is on her own, I’ll break down the rest of her defenses until I make her mine.

“Stop,” she whispered, but then her mouth molded to mine again. It’s like this every time. It’s like she is starved for lovin’. I wish she wouldn’t fight me so much, because I would give her all the lovin’ she could ever want or need.

The door suddenly opened behind her, startling her and making her stumble back as our lips broke apart. My hold on her waist was the only thing preventing her from falling backward into Missy.

“I’m sorry, I-” Missy froze, her eyes widening and a slow grin lifting her face. “My, my, my. I did not mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” Brittany said venomously, pushing me away and stumbling against the door jam. I reached out to help her but she slapped my hands away, stumbled a bit, then let out a frustrated growl before retreating into the house. “Stupid, persistent, infuriating bastard,” she mumbled, dropping the backpack on the ground and bending to pick up a beer off the floor, walking in the direction of the kitchen.

“We got to work on our pet names for each other, sweetheart!” I yelled after her. She flipped me off without turning around, disappearing around the corner.

“Look at you,” Missy giggled. “You are just asking for a black eye, aren’t you?”

“She would never,” I shrugged, barely containing my joyous smile.

“She would and so would her brother, so watch it,” Missy stabbed me in the chest with her finger. “Hailey might keep secrets, and so will I for now. I’m betting on you too,” she made a bit of a face. “You have been the distraction she needed. Just don’t let anyone else see you making out with her on her front porch. This is a small gossipy town. Adrian does occasionally sign your paychecks.”

“Good thing my boss’s boss is betting on me,” I said, feeling pretty smug.

“Your boss’s boss can’t stop him from killing you,” she laughed. Missy then patted my cheek. “Thanks for the hand. Enjoy the fried chicken. I packed extra,” she winked at me before turning to leave.

I waved goodbye to my boss’s boss, then let myself in. I closed the door behind me, and that’s when Brittany yelled out, “Hurry and lock that, Hailey, before he comes back.”

Hailey looked over at me, grinning as I pressed my finger to my lips. She nodded at me then yelled back, “Okay, Aunt Brit!”

I quietly crept into the kitchen, stifling my laugh at seeing Brittany fumbling frustratedly with a bottle opener and her beer.

“Persistent, arrogant, no-good, prick of a-”

“Let me get that for you, sweetheart,” I surprised her, wrapping my arms around her from behind and catching the beer when she accidentally tossed it to the side.

“You asshole!” She gasped, stomping her foot over my steel boot, then turning to threaten me with the beer opener. “I thought you left!”

“Weaponized persistence, remember?” I grinned, carefully taking the bottle opener from her hand and opening her beer. I took a big swig of it before handing it back to her. She narrowed her eyes at me, giving me a cute little glare. I chuckled and quickly pecked the tip of her nose, then jumped back before she could land a swing at me.

“Get out!”

“Can’t,” I grinned. “I’m hungry.”

“Then go to the diner.”

“I’d rather eat here with you,” I said, taking a step towards her. "I would rather eat, well, you, but I'll settle for fried chicken for now."

She rolled her eyes but didn’t make any movements to stop me. Not until her phone, which was wedged in an exposed kitchen drawer with no counter overtop, started to vibrate loudly. She looked down at the screen and her face changed completely. There was anger there, but it was mixed with some level of pain I hadn’t seen since that night. The night we slept together.

She dropped the call, then tossed the phone at me.

“You know what? Fine. Stay for dinner,” she muttered before taking a long swig of her beer. “I could use the distraction,” she muttered to herself, combing her fingers through her blonde hair. “Just don’t let me answer that tonight.”