Chapter 29

Everything inside of him told him to go after her. To ease the pain, to make it better. It was what he did after all. He was the diplomat when the personalities started taking the downward spiral into diva-land. He was the one that mediated the fights in the group and kept Jon on an even keel when the world hammered at him. Easing was what he was best at.

His fingers fisted and he felt the flex of tendons and the ache of wanting her back in his arms already. He didn’t trust it…the wanting that was already eating at him. She was already capable of twisting his brain into an unsolvable Rubik's Cube, what could she do to him in a few months? She was the type of woman that would destroy him and no amount of blues would help him recover.

He couldn’t afford that on top of the tour.

She stopped and leaned against a tree and pulled her heels off and tossed them to the curb. Already, the harsh sidewalk matched her mood, uneven and rough to the touch. She wasn't going to look back, she’d bleed before he saw her tears. As she passed his building she yelled up for Kate. She kept walking, she just couldn’t stay still. Someday, maybe he’d grow up enough appreciate something more than the plastic dolls he was used to.


~


Kate breathed a quick sigh of relief. Could things be any more uncomfortable on a morning after? "Shit, that's Elena." She turned back to Jon and swallowed down a bit of bile with a good throat full of pride. She could thank him and not have the gates of hell open up. Right, of course she could. Training from the crib kicked in and she pasted her most southern smile on her face. "Thanks for calling the cab anyway. When she has her mad on, there's really nothing you can do but ride out the storm."

Jon arched a brow. "Her mad on? I think we moved well past that, babe. What the fuck happened to Teensy? She seemed so calm this morning then…” he trailed off and rubbed his neck. It wasn’t like she really hurt him. His brother, Anthony, inflicted a helluva lot more damage with just a headlock, but the pride factor left a lasting ghost of pain. “Look, how about I just get the keys and we forget about the cab. Maybe you can talk her into the car if we leave right now."

"I really appreciate the offer, but we should just—“ a stray pillow on the floor caught her eye, leading directly to the dented couch. Damn, even just the thought of what happened on the couch had her squirming. She wasn’t a prude, she’d had her fair share of one nighters over the years, but at least she remembered most, if not all of the encounter. She cleared her throat. "Look about last night..."

He watched her a moment, not knowing what to say at first. "Look, it was an awkward night, right? Richie and Teensy left us alone, we felt uncomfortable and we got drunk.” He wrapped his fingers around his thumb and popped his knuckle. “Things happened last night that we may never remember, but the only thing we can do is move on from it.”
Wary, she folded her arms over her belly, gripping the stretchy fabric that didn’t quite stay over her jeans. “Well, good thing we won’t see each other again, then.”

“To be honest here, Katy, I like your style.” When her eyebrow lifted into her mussed bangs he bit back a laugh. “Is it so crazy to think I’d like to remain friends? If that’s even possible considering...” he trailed off. He wasn’t sure why he’d said that. It wasn’t like she was local. When she opened her mouth to respond he just shook his head. “Let me drive you two to your car. It'll give my idiot friend time to calm down.” Deciding it was time for a little humor to break the thick awareness, he looked down at his feet, then up through his bangs. “I so don’t want to be around him if he’s anywhere near as mad as Teensy is."

The bubbling acid in her belly eased. The cocky attitude was gone and there was a guy standing in front of her that probably did the right thing most of the time. When his testosterone could be placed in another room. "I," she sighed. "All right. If we can leave Richie here, I think that would be alright." She re-crossed her arms under her chest. "I didn't see an um..." She cleared her throat. "A condom over there in our mess. Did you get rid of it?" she asked hopefully.

He winced, "Ahh no, I didn't." He flushed, "It’s not normally something I forget either.”

“Oh,” she closed her eyes. Great.

He lifted his chin. “I own up to my responsibilities—“

“Ohh, let me just stop you there.” She did some quick calculating and sighed in relief. Well no wonder she’d been tempted to do just about anything last night. “I think a rush of crazy…um, hormones are at fault for most of last night. I’m not in the danger zone.”

“Even if it was a factor, I would take care of,” he cleared his throat. The thought of a baby right now had his balls so shrunk in he thought they’d disappear, but he kept his eyes locked on hers. “Our baby.”

Kate knew she could trust her own calculations and it would be a million to one chance that she was pregnant, but the fact that he was so adamant about his responsibilities left her a little unsure of herself. "I appreciate that,” she reached out and gripped his arm. “You really won’t have to worry.”

Jon nodded. “A possible pregnancy wouldn’t be the only reason I want to see you again.”

She broke off the contact. That was one complication she just didn’t have the head for right now. “Life is a little crazy," she said vaguely. "But right now I need to worry about Elena. She's not built for the one night stand." Shut up, Kate. He didn't need to know about that and she doubted her friend would want the world to know she wasn't the party girl, especially after her reaction to Richie.

He accepted the tidbit of info with a smile. He was more than happy to change the subject if it meant spending a little more time with the pretty doctor. "Right, so off to rescue the friend. Just protect me from her ok?"

"That was your own fault. You tripped over your stupid ego and fell right into her lap," she said as she closed the door.

The girl didn’t pull punches. Enjoying a woman for the first time in a long time, he kept up the sparring. "Hell, I just called her Teensy. She’s all about the nicknames anyway. Not like I’m far off, she’s a tiny little thing.” He winked. "I like seeing her riled up though, she’s nearly as exciting as you are."

"Well, it’s kinda like you being called, Shorty."

"Low blow, Katy, real low." He laughed genuinely. "We can’t all be all be tall, like Richie." He glanced at his friend a moment before moving on to the car. "Let’s dash before he gets to the door."

"Hey Lains, why don't we get outta here, ok?” she waved her over. “Jon said he'd drive us back to the car.” When her friend heisted she took a step forward. “We can leave Richie here."

Elena stopped pacing, glanced at Kate then Jon, hoping they couldn’t see the tear tracks on her face, "Sure, just get me outta here." She opened the door, remembering last night when she’d been so excited to get into this same car. Stop it. She crawled into the backseat, doing everything in her power not to look back down the street.

Jon slipped into the driver’s seat, noting that Elena’s sad eyes were quick to avoid his. Jesus, maybe he’d been wrong about her. She was lacking the hard look of a woman who knew the score. Just what had Richie said to her?

Kate sighed and scooped up Elena’s boots. She’d caught the tears, but decided now wasn't the right time to ask about them, nor what had happened between the one time lovers. "Here babes," she handed the boots to her. "We'll get back to reality and put this behind us, okay?" She slipped into the bucket seat and flashed a grateful smile at Jon. "Let's get outta here."