Bleeding Love Read online

  My books got a little dark during the first year after losing Jack, but it’s the books that I hit publish on during that time that are some of the most raw feelings I ever, to this day, have put into my pages.

  It’s not hard to write about fear, loneliness, pain and heartbreak when you’re living it. It was through those characters that I was able to start rebuilding my life.

  I place the phone to my ear and wait for it to connect.

  “You’ve reached the Reid house, where we can put the plea in pleasure in seconds. ”

  My eyes round and I burst out laughing when I hear Nate’s answering voice.

  “Give me the phone, boy! Sometimes I wonder if you were dropped on your head,” I hear Axel gruff in the background.

  “Oh come on, I knew it was Megan!”

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  There’s a sound of shuffling through the line before I hear the phone clatter against the floor.

  “You crazy old man!” Nate laughs.

  The phone clatters again and I laugh listening to the two Reid men acting like children.

  “You two take it outside! Overgrown apes. Hello? I’m so sorry,” Izzy’s sweet voice comes over the line and I laugh again when I hear the men clearly have not taken things outside.

  “Hey. It’s Megan,” I say between giggles.

  “Hey honey. How are you? How is that sweet little princess?”

  “I’m good. However, Molly has basically insisted I call because she says Mr. Axel promised her he would be willing to play tea party every second of her life. ”

  Izzy laughs, the sound bringing a smile to my lips. I’ve been so lucky to have formed such a close relationship with Dani’s parents. In the last year they’ve become family to Molly and me.

  “Like you even have to ask,” Izzy says.

  “You know I do. Plus I know she loves you to pieces, but she was very specific that she wants that tea party and she wants it with Mr. Axel. I swear that kid could talk the heavens into rain. ”

  “If I tell Axel that I turned that princess away he would wring my neck. I swear the older he gets the more insane he is. Molly is a sweetheart, Megan. Bring her over, I’m sure you could use the time to write. Hey, why don’t you pack her an overnight bag and we can have a sleepover. I’ll have Dani bring Owen over. Maybe a little girl’s night is just what you need. ”

  I laugh, “I don’t need anything, Izzy. I couldn’t ask you to keep Molly overnight!”

  “Darling girl, you need more things than you can see. ” She oddly tells me. “Bring her and bring a bag or I’ll lock you out, take her shopping for clothes, and not give her back until tomorrow afternoon. See you soon!”

  I pull the phone back when I hear her disconnect and stare blindly at my cell. What the hell?

  “Mommy!”

  I shake my head and turn from my desk to where Molly is standing. All thoughts of Izzy’s strange comment gone when I see she has turned herself into a real life Disney princess. She’s wearing head to toe dress-up gear consisting of about five different princess costumes.

  My girl, never a dull moment.

  “Come on, let’s go get you packed. Mrs. Izzy said she wants you all night and just won’t take no for an answer. ”

  “Yay!” Molly screams and smiles a huge smile up at me.

  Looks like I’m going to have a night to myself whether I want one or not.

  DING.

  I stop mid-step and turn my head to my front door. I‘ve been back from dropping off Molly for about two hours and in that time I had managed to clean the house and catch up on about two weeks of emails.

  DING.

  I narrow my eyes and walk to the door. As long as we’ve lived here, we still don’t know our neighbors. They’re all older and don’t want to be bothered to meet the widow and her kid, which is fine, we’ve gotten used to it. Since Cohen pulled me into his group of friends it isn’t odd that one of them pops over. Usually it’s Cohen or Chance checking on things around the house, but with Chance gone I know it’s not him. Cohen, since getting married, doesn’t stop by as often. I know he’s busy, but he makes a habit of coming by and making sure we don’t need anything.

  He’s done that every few weeks since we lost Jack. He and Jack were good friends and I know Cohen uses those visits to make sure Jack’s family is okay. I wish I had the heart to let him know how much those visits hurt more than help, but it’s on those rare bad days that I slip into that depression that never seems to go away all the way, his visits are just what I need.

  And now, having grown into an amazing friendship with Dani and her group of girlfriends, my life is almost bursting with people when before there was no one but Molly.

  DING.

  “I’m coming,” I mumble to no one and hurry to pull the door open.

  I pull the door open with a smile and quickly frown when Dani pushes her way in, brown bag in hand and dressed for the club.

  “What in the hell?”

  “Don’t give me any lip. You’ve been avoiding me and I get it, I over stepped, but it’s been two weeks. Mom called, said bring Owen over because you need a girl’s night but won’t ask for a girl’s night because—her words—that girl is stronger than she has a right to be—not sure what the hell that means, other than I’m pretty sure my mom is calling you stubborn. Either way, time to get ready for a night out. ” She ends her rambling and turns to face me in a huff.

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  “Uh,” I stutter.

  “Nope. No timid or unsure Megan now. The girls are on the way so it’s time to get your ass ready!”

  She holds up the brown bag and my brow lifts in question when I hear the glass clink.

  “Liquid courage, my friend. ”

  I laugh, because really what can I do. Dani’s going to get her way here or she will just bring the party to my house and I’m pretty sure old Ms. Timmons will shit in her diaper if a party hosted by Dani Cage starts next door.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, turning my back to walk toward my bedroom, knowing she will follow.

  “Don’t know. I guess we’ll figure it out when we get there. There’s a new club downtown that I’ve been told is a great place. Ember dragged Maddi out there last week and Mads said it was pretty chill. ”

  “Maddi and I have a different interpretation of chill. ” I remind Dani.

  Maddi—or Maddisyn Locke—is another friend that I met through Dani and I swear that girl is always working some hidden angle. If she’s in on this little impromptu party then I know something’s up.

  “Whatever. It’ll be fun. Plus, I haven’t had a night without Owen in a few weeks. I love my boy, but mommy needs some girlfriend time. ”

  I glance away from her with a roll of my eyes and head to my closet to try and find something appropriate for going out with the girls to some club downtown.

  “That one,” Dani says absentmindedly after watching me flick some hangers around and then turns to sit on my bed.

  I look over at Dani to judge her outfit before I even dare follow her barked order. She’s dressed for a night out, but I’m shocked Cohen let her leave the house like that. She’s got on a tight black dress that hits right above her knees with a slit in the middle giving her boobs a highlighted ‘v. ’ The dress is long sleeved so really she isn’t showing much, but I know Cohen is the type of man that doesn’t like his woman’s assets showing and with her still nursing their son, there is plenty of boobage to show.

  “Where is Cohen tonight? I find it hard to believe he saw you leave the house in that. ”

  “Of course he did. He’s in tonight. Something about a game on television or something. ”

  Had I not been flipping through my clothes I might have caught the look she gave me when she finished talking, but because I was too focused on the fact that I have nothing to wear to a club, I missed it. Probably just as well, because if I had caught Dani Cage in her lie about w
here her husband is, there is no way she would have been able to drag me out of the house.

  I PULL THE HEM OF my dress down. Again. And look over at Dani from under my lashes while I take another sip of my drink. A large sip this time.

  “Smile,” Maddi says loudly in my ear, causing me to jump and rattle the whole table when I bump into it.

  Maddi laughs, throws her hands up, and walks around to the other side of the table. She gives Zac a hug before walking to Nate and giving him one as well. Well, what I’m sure started out as a hug but ended up with her jamming her elbow into his stomach when he pinches her butt. She throws a look over her shoulder at her sister before walking back over to me and picking up her drink.

  Maddi—like me—is wearing a form fitting dress. Hers is a light purple color that looks amazing on her tan skin. Her long, black hair is up in a high ponytail and her make up is done to perfection. But unlike me, she doesn’t have to struggle to keep her dress from riding up her ass. Mainly because even though she has a great ass, she doesn’t have the hips that I do. Which is a major reason why I have avoided wearing anything this . . . tight.

  The dress that Dani insisted I wear, ended up being one of the ones that she had her best friend Lyn drag over. Something that they claim they just had, but being that I’m the only one of them that has hips for days, I know they’re full of shit. Which was confirmed when Lila, Lyn’s twin sister, apologized for being late because they took too long at the mall.

  The deep blue dress fit me perfectly. I have to admit it’s stunning, there’s a thin layer of lace that covers the blue material of the dress and takes it from looking like a cheap bar dress to something a little classier. I should be happy because it covers all the important places, but the low neckline makes me boobs stand out. Then there’s the whole back of the dress issue . . . or I should say lack of the back. The blue material stops at my butt and the lace continues about two inches and then it’s nothing but skin except for a thin line of blue that crosses mid back, holding it together. A thin and tight chain connecting each side that I’m convinced is going to snap. A very stupid thin line that prevented me from wearing a bra, so with the added joy of being free, I’ve been praying that my nipples just keep the fun under control.

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  I tug the hem down again and pull the straw from my drink, toss it on the table, and down the rest of my Long Island Ice Tea.

  “Ha! Chug it babe!” Nate yells across the table with a smile. “Wanna see who can drink more?” He challenges.

  “Uh, no? Why are you here, anyway?”

  “Someone isn’t so sure. I’m here because I know you want to play with Nate Dog?” He wags his eyebrows and I cough out a laugh.

  “Did you seriously just call yourself Nate Dog?” I hear Stella yell from the corner.

  “Sure I did. ” Nate says and puffs out his chest. “Don’t you know how much dogs love to play with cats?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I inquire.

  “Cats, babe. You know, pussy. If there’s one thing that a dog can chase, it’s pussy. Wanna play?”

  “You’re such a child,” Dani groans and slaps him on the back of his head.

  Despite the fact that he has the maturity of a teenager sometimes, he does look hilarious pouting at his sister. He reaches up, pulls his shoulder length hair from his topknot and fixes the man bun that his sister knocked loose. Looking at him, strong bone structure, handsome features and green eyes just as stunning as his sister’s, I have to admit he’s without a doubt one good-looking man.

  When he catches me studying him, I get a wink and he thrust his hips, earning him another smack from his sister.

  “Leave her alone,” she yells.

  “Whatever, sis. ” He holds up his hands and looks back at me with a wicked smile. “So, wanna drink meow?”

  I laugh and walk around the table and loop my arm through his. “Sure, big boy, let’s go get some drinks. Right, meow,” I jest.

  I push my arm through his offered elbow, and start to walk toward the bar. I feel like I have to stand on my toes even with my heels to keep our height even as we walk through the crowded dance floor.

  An hour later, I’m pretty sure I’ve lost the ability to stand up straight. Not because I’m drunk, well . . . I might be a little, but watching Nate work the room with what has to be the worst pick-up lines in the world has me laughing so hard that I’ve almost fallen over more times than I can count.

  “And then he said to her, ‘You sure are beautiful. Almost as beautiful as my sister, but you know that’s illegal. ’ And you should have seen her face. She looked like she swallowed a fly. Didn’t even take a second for her to turn and run. ”

  Everyone laughs when I finish telling them about one of Nate’s attempts at picking up one of the chicks he walked into after our third trip to the bar. Well, everyone except Dani.

  “You are so disgusting. I swear Mom and Dad picked you up on the side of the road. ” Dani turns her head and rolls her eyes at me.

  “What? Hey, I called you beautiful. Doesn’t that give me brownie points?” Nate holds his hands up and actually looks confused by why we find his failed pick-up lines hilarious.

  “Dude, you basically told her that your sister is hotter but you can’t do her because she. Is. Your. Sister. ” Zac says, holding his sides as he laughs as hard as I am.

  “That wasn’t even the best one!” I yell. “He looked at that one,” I pointed across the room to a tall, stunning blonde before looking at Nate and laughing so hard I almost fall off my stool again. Thankfully two strong hands grab my hips before I can move too far off. I look up at Zac and smile my thanks for him catching me before I fell on my ass. “Then he says to her ‘Taco Bell isn’t the only thing that’s open late and I love tacos’ and she,” I pause to laugh harder when he narrows his eyes at me, “And then, she said ‘baby I’ve been waiting to have someone offer to play with my taco since I had my sex change!’”

  After that, there was no way my laughter could have been stopped. Everyone around us starts laughing and Nate just rolls his eyes and takes a pull of his drink.

  “Hey, I love this song. ”

  I jump from my seat and run around the table and into the mass of bodies dancing on the dance floor. I turn and see Dani, Maddi and Stella have joined me as we dance and laugh as each song starts to blur into the next.

  We had been dancing for a while now, each of us laughing and having a great time. Nate and Zac seem to be on watchdog duty, because each time someone tries to get too close, they step in. I have a good feeling that they both only showed up for girl’s night to keep an eye on us. Or at least they had been until Mr. Cowboy started to get too grabby.

  I had just turned to straighten my body after spinning around in a few circles and wiped my hair out of my face with a smile that died instantly. The stranger that we had been fending off for the last five or so songs gives me a sinister looking smile before pulling me into his arms. I look around, frantic, before I realize my spin dancing must have separated me from the group. I can just see the top of Nate’s head standing a good distance away from me. At six and a half feet, the fact that I can only see the tip top of his head has me swallowing a hard lump of fear. Being this far away, I know he can’t hear me if I call out for him.

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  I watch Nate’s head disappear as Mr. Cowboy starts to pull me further away.

  “Hey! Let go, jerk!”

  Pulling me against him, he drops his head and puts his mouth against my ear. The feeling of his breath making my skin crawl instantly. When his mouth opens and he pulls my earlobe into his mouth I start to struggle against him with renewed vigor. My fear turns to panic when his teeth bite down on my ear, causing me to scream out—only to have the sound be swallowed up by the loud beats of the music around us.

  “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me,” he slurs and pulls me against his hips. I wan
t to vomit when I feel his erection poke me in the stomach. Memories long since suppressed, start to float to the surface and I start struggling harder. I can feel his frustration as his grip on my arms tightens. My arms burn with the strength of his hold and I just know I’ll have two nasty bruises.

  “I could tell you wanted some of Big Daddy,” he moans when I stumble as he pulls me toward the back hall and my stumble does nothing but push me closer to his body. “Yeah, baby. I knew you wanted some of this. ”

  “Let me go,” I whisper, the panic starting to close in on me. “Please,” I squeak out.

  He lifts one hand from my bicep and takes my jaw roughly, his thumb digging into my flesh and he jerks my head up. My eyes water and I let out a whimper.

  “You want me. I’ll show you what all that teasing your dancing has been doing gets you. ” He grinds his hips one more time and I almost lose the contents of my stomach.

  “What the fuck!”

  Before I can even process the move, a fist comes out of nowhere and crunches into Mr. Cowboy’s nose. The sickening sound of his bones breaking takes that battle I’ve been fighting against my stomach to a whole new level. Mr. Cowboy goes back but doesn’t remove his hold on my arm so I’m jerked like a rag doll.

  “You think about taking my toy and I’m not going to be very happy, pretty boy,” Mr. Cowboy says through the blood pouring from his nose and into his mouth.

  My stomach heaves.

  “Get your fucking hands off her,” I hear Nate growl and his warm hand gently goes to the arm that isn’t being held. In my mind I picture some sick game of tug of war beginning.

  “Fuck you,” he spits and in a move quicker than I can process he lunges forward and clocks Nate right in the left side of his face, jerking my body again so hard that my head snaps back and I feel a sting against my back as the chain on my dress snaps.

  He doesn’t even flinch. I can see Nate torn and not wanting to fight while I’m in the middle of them like some convoluted game of monkey in the middle. Well, that is until the jerk that is still holding on to me moves to punch Nate and gets me right in the back of my head.