Breaking the Chain Page 3

  Sitting on his couch, in his suddenly, completely empty apartment, he felt guilt, relief, and dread. Relief because he'd finally put his foot down. Marissa was gone. And for the first time, she'd actually gone. She hadn't threatened to kill herself. She had thrown a tantrum but...

  Maybe this time, for the first time, she'd realized how serious he was. How done he was.

  Because Adam had been right. If it wasn't for Leigh, if Jared didn't want to try to protect Leigh from Marissa, he wouldn't have even considered letting Marissa hang around again this time. And that was a really fucked up reason for letting Marissa stay in his life.

  "It's over," he muttered under his breath, running has hand over one of the cushions he had propped up against the back of the couch.

  The dread rose up, nearly obscuring his relief and guilt, because he didn't really believe it.

  ******

  "What are you two doing?" Adam asked, his voice filled with a kind of resigned amusement.

  Leigh lifted her head off of Angel's breast, which made for a very comfy pillow, and grinned sleepily at him as Angel twisted her head around, reaching for him with one arm. Standing on the bottom step into the basement, his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a black, button-down shirt, and black leather pants, he looked like a kinky, Viking sex god. Lucky Angel.

  "Cuddle puddle!" Angel said cheerfully, wiggling her fingers at him invitingly.

  Adam sighed as he came over and carefully laid down atop both of them while they giggled and squirmed, adjusting so that everyone was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as they could be with her and Angel wrapped around each other and Adam on top of them.

  "You know, someone walking in on this could really get the wrong idea about our relationship," Adam mumbled into Angel's neck.

  Both of the women giggled.

  "You're my man and Leigh's my woman," Angel said cheerfully. "What's so hard about that?"

  "It's like that show on TV," Leigh said. "The Mormon one... we're um... what's the term...?"

  "Sister wives?" Adam asked dryly.

  "Right!" Leigh squeezed his bicep. "You're my sister-wife!"

  "Don't you mean Angel is your sister-wife?"

  "Nope. Nope, definitely not," Angel said shaking her head before pressing her lips to Adam's shoulder and giving him a possessive little nip. "That would mean Leigh's your woman, but she's mine. You're both mine."

  Adam snorted, and Leigh gave him a look. "Did you really think she meant it any other way?"

  "A man can hope."

  Angel squealed in outrage, and then in shock and excitement as Adam suddenly rolled off the couch, taking both Leigh and Angel with him so that he ended up on bottom and they were on top.

  "Cuddle puddle!" Angel shouted.

  "So how much did you two have to drink?" he asked, obviously amused. Leigh just laughed, snuggling into his side. She was a lot less drunk than Angel, but was still feeling warm and tipsy and quite lovely, really. Much happier than she'd been earlier in the day. All the snuggling didn't hurt. She and Angel had been cuddling on the couch for about an hour before Adam arrived, just talking and giggling and watching the movie. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was about half an hour away from ending. She didn't want to watch the sixth movie tonight anyway... way too depressing of an ending.

  Cuddling with Adam was always fun too. He was so cute about it, because he was always checking to make sure that Angel didn't care, and always seemed kind of surprised that she didn't even take a second glance at him and Leigh. Leigh knew she never would. The trust that they had in each other went way beyond being secure that there would be no boyfriend stealing. Not that Leigh thought Adam had even a hint of a feeling more than brotherly towards her, but he was always concerned about what Angel might think, which she thought was adorable. She was also glad that Adam never seemed particularly bothered by her and Angel's extremely affectionate and snuggly friendship. It had bothered Michael in the past. Especially when people would joke that they never knew who the real couple was - her and Michael or her and Angel.

  Then again, Adam was definitely a more confident man than Michael in a lot of ways.

  "How was Stronghold?" Angel asked, without answering him. She'd rolled onto her tummy and was currently nibbling her way up his bicep from his elbow. There was nothing sexual about it. Angel just had a tendency to do whatever popped into her mind when she'd been drinking.

  "Busy, but no trouble tonight," Adam said easily, grabbing a handful of his girlfriend's hair and pulling her head upright when she got too near to his armpit for his comfort. Angel grinned at him and Leigh giggled again, snuggling in when Adam tightened his hold around her shoulders while he dragged Angel down into a matching position on his other side. "Can't you be a good girl like Leigh?"

  "You wouldn't like me so much if I was," Angel said, right as her teeth made a bid for his nipple. Adam's fingers in her hair managed to catch her before she could actually bite down, and he sighed. "You like it that I bother you."

  "I tolerate that you bother me. There's a difference."

  "Yeah, but you like tolerating her," Leigh felt moved to point out. Adam's blue eyes turned to her, looking wounded.

  "You're going to turn on me too, sister-wife?" he asked plaintively. Well, as plaintive as Adam ever got, which was to say not much. Both Angel and Leigh started giggling and found that they couldn't stop. Adam actually calling Leigh his sister-wife... every time they caught each other's eye they just started laughing again, while Adam grumped in between them and pretended to be offended. Finally, apparently tired of their giggling, he brought out the big guns. "Don't you want to know what Patrick did to punish Lexie tonight?"

  "Patrick punished Lexie?" Leigh asked, sobering immediately. Right after her breakup with Michael, she'd become very close to Lexie. Not as close as she was to Angel, obviously, but if Leigh needed a girlfriend and Angel couldn't be reached, Lexie would be her very next call. She knew that Patrick loved Lexie and would never really hurt her, but he'd been pissed as hell about being coaxed into dancing in front of everyone. Having it videotaped and then uploaded so the other club members could see it...

  Well, Lexie hadn't been allowed out of his apartment since New Year's Day, as far as Leigh knew.

  "Yeah, and I don't think she'll be doing anything publicly humiliating to him ever again," Adam said with a slight smirk.

  Strangely enough, his superior satisfaction in Lexie's punishment made both Leigh and Angel relax. Lexie was like a little sister to all the guys, and while they were getting better with having her in the club, they were all still very protective of her.

  "Are you going to tell us what Patrick did or not?" Angel asked, poking Adam's side and then squealing when he tickled her back - much more effectively than she had him. Leigh giggled but didn't poke his other side. She didn't know if that made her more of a "good girl" or just smarter.

  "He tied Lexie to the bar and had everyone in the club who had seen the video come over and give her butt a smack with a two-foot paddle."

  Both Leigh and Angel gasped.

  "And you were okay with this?!" Angel asked, poking Adam again, but this time not playfully.

  Adam instantly went from boyfriend mode to Dom mode, pinning Angel with a look that made Leigh wish she was a turtle, so she could just pull her head inside her shell and hide.

  "Lexie chose to be Patrick's submissive, which means she chose to accept whatever punishments he deems appropriate. And yes, I found this punishment to be particularly appropriate. She embarrassed him in public, so she was embarrassed and disciplined in public. I think it was the perfect punishment. Something that you should keep in mind."

  Even though Angel was glaring back at Adam defiantly, she visibly shuddered at his authoritative tone. "You wouldn't do that to me."

  "Not as long as you don't deserve it," he said blandly.

  "Bah." Angel tucked her head into his armpit, hiding from him. Chuckling, Adam turned his focus back to Leigh who was
trying very hard to pretend she didn't exist.

  "Don't look so worried, Leigh. You're such a good girl, I doubt you'll ever be in trouble like that. I don't suppose you could try to be a good influence on Angel?"

  Leigh giggled as Angel's head popped up to glare at her boyfriend. She grinned at Adam, shaking her head. "What makes you think that I haven't already been?"

  "Hey now, Leigh's been a terrible influence on me! She's the real troublemaker!"

  "It's not about making the trouble," Leigh said primly. "It's about not being caught."

  ******

  Over twelve hours and not a peep from Marissa. Jared didn't know whether to take it as a good or a bad sign. Part of him hoped it was a good sign, that she had finally realized their relationship really was over. Another part of him was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  At least he was about to have a distraction from his own issues. As a bonus, he was also going to get to see Leigh again.

  During football season, Adam usually held gatherings at his house to watch the games. Granted, Adam and Olivia were the only ones who really cared about the games, but everyone liked the chance to get together and hang out outside of the club. It was more relaxed, the subbies tended to be more mouthy, and everyone had a good time. Well, except for Olivia who, as a Redskins fan, took a lot of game losses. Hilary and Jessica usually provided a good amount of entertainment just because they got really into watching the games even if they didn't care who won or lost. It was the only time anyone ever heard Hilary curse, usually when she was screaming "Run, fucker, run!" at a running back.

  Today should be even more interesting than usual because, for the first time, Andrew's ex-girlfriend and her best friend would also be there. Kate had returned from California and, on her first night back at Stronghold, been injured in the club's parking lot when she'd tried to rescue Leigh from a wannabe, asshole Dom that had just been kicked out of the club. That had immediately endeared her to Angel and Leigh, no matter what the history with Andrew was. Surprising everyone, Andrew didn't seem to have a problem with Kate's presence. They'd all thought, for years, that she had broken his heart and that's why he hadn't been in a relationship since, but from the little bit that had been said about the past when they'd faced off in Patrick's office, things were way more complicated than that.

  But it remained a bit of tense situation, not the least because Angel and Leigh already adored Kate while the other girlfriends were more reluctant to welcome her presence, and everyone that had known Kate when she'd been Andrew's girlfriend, and gone by Kathy, didn't quite know how to feel about her. After all, when her and Andrew's relationship had ended, she'd stepped out of all of their lives, effectively ending the friendships without ever telling them why. The guys and Lexie were all getting used to having her around again, and since Angel insisted on inviting her to everything and Andrew seemed to like having her there, they were getting plenty of practice. Kate had personally apologized to each of them for dropping out of their lives and explained that she hadn’t wanted anyone to have to choose between her and Andrew. She’d just wanted to get away from the area, make a clean break of it. All of them could at least empathize with that, even if they wouldn’t have made the same choice. So things were getting better. Kate's outspoken best friend, Sharon, helped a lot, because all of them had befriended her before Kate’s return, so she was kind of the bridge when things got awkward.

  Jared was actually kind of glad for the drama that was inherently part of Kate's reappearance into their lives – otherwise, everyone would be totally focused on what was going on between him, Leigh, and Marissa. This way their attention was divided, which took some of the pressure off of him. He hated being the center of attention.

  Swinging by the store on his way over for beer and chips, Jared took a detour into the produce section to pick up vegetable and fruit trays as well. Something healthy for Leigh, since football day usually meant everyone brought over a bunch of junk food. He still remembered how, on their first real date, he'd made her cookies and then found out that she struggled with high blood sugar. Not that that had kept her from eating a bunch of the cookies.

  It made him want to spank her ass.

  Which then made him feel guilty that he was already thinking about spanking her ass when he'd just forced Marissa out of his apartment yesterday. Not that he and Marissa had gotten back together, or even been together for months, but it still felt like another breakup for some reason.

  It was a huge relief to get to Adam's and find that things were already rolling. Justin and Chris were in the kitchen with their girlfriend Jessica - Justin was the best cook out of their whole group of friends - while Liam and his fiancé, Hilary, sat on the other side of the counter, chatting and probably taste-testing.

  "Jared!" Hilary said, jumping up to give him a big hug. Jared smiled down at the pretty blonde, giving her a one armed hug as he unloaded his burden while everyone else said hi.

  "I'd give you a hug too, but..." Jessica grinned as she held up her meat covered hands. It looked like Justin had her rolling meatballs.

  "I'll pass, thanks," Jared said, chuckling. "Where's everyone else?" He knew he'd seen more cars outside, including Leigh's.

  "Downstairs," said Chris, giving Justin a doleful look. "Having fun." The two of them were like brothers, which was how they'd ended up sharing a girlfriend rather than breaking up their friendship when they'd both fallen for Jessica and she'd fallen for both of them. Jared thought they were all good together, even if it wasn't the kind of relationship he'd ever choose. Not just because he didn't like sharing, but Jessica had lost friends over it, and her family still wasn't 100% accepting. Plus, she and Hilary were best friends, and Hilary had met Liam through Justin and Chris, but she and Liam were already engaged, whereas the threesome had yet to figure out exactly how they were going to handle a legal arrangement. He knew it was something Justin and Chris worried over pretty much constantly, especially now that Liam and Hilary were getting married. Jared didn't think they needed to be concerned Jessica would leave them for that, but you never knew.

  "Cooking is fun," Justin told Chris, completely unperturbed, as he gave Jessica a kiss on the cheek before passing by her to check something in the oven.

  "It smells amazing," Jared said as Chris looked at the ball of meat in his hand like he was considering throwing it at the back of Justin's head. Chris was definitely the less serious of the two; they had different but complementary personalities, despite the fact that with their dark hair and eyes and similar builds they were physically alike enough that some people mistook them for twins.

  "Why do you think I'm hanging out here waiting for the first taste?" Liam asked, laughing. The redhead had one arm draped across the back of his fiancé’s chair, keeping physical contact with her the way he always did. Jared felt a little prick of jealousy. Even when he and Marissa had been together, she hadn't been into that kind of physical connectivity. Leigh was definitely more the type, but Jared didn't know if he had the right anymore... bah. He should really go downstairs.

  And he was just about to when the door from the garage opened again and Patrick and Lexie came in. Impatience to see Leigh warred with curiosity about how Patrick and Lexie were doing. The little imp seemed like she hadn't suffered any lasting harm from last night, although she was moving a bit gingerly as everyone said hello and more hugs were sharing around. Patrick looked surprisingly placid, considering how amped up and possessive he'd been last night while Lexie was getting spanked by everyone but him.

  While they were all saying hi, Leigh came up into the room with an empty bowl of what had been tortilla chips, going by the crumbs in the bottom, and Jared saw his chance. After she said hi to Lexie and Patrick, he gently tugged her away from the laughing, chatting group.

  "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

  Her mismatched eyes, one green-hazel and the other brown-hazel, looked up at him solemnly with a hint of wariness in them. "Yeah, sure."

  Relief s
urged through him at her easy agreement. He hadn't been sure she'd want anything to do with him. After all, other than the texts they'd exchanged, he hadn't talked to her since he'd told her Marissa was back and he needed some space. Even though she'd seemed fine then, he'd hated the idea that might have hurt her.

  She didn't look hurt right now though, as she led him into the front room, away from the kitchen and their friends. She just looked sweet and gorgeous. The jeans she was wearing hugged the curves of her ass perfectly, and her sweater hung loose on her slim upper frame while still dipping low enough to show just a hint of cleavage. For the middle of winter, it was a sexy outfit. Jared hadn't even realized how much he'd gotten used to being able to touch her until now, when she was right in front of him, and his first impulse was to put his hand on the small of her back... but he couldn't.

  Could he?

  ******

  There was a tension between her and Jared that had definitely never been there before, and it wasn't entirely an awkward one. Something had changed. Leigh just didn't understand exactly what it was or why now. When he'd asked to talk to her alone, her initial thought had been that he wanted to tell her, himself, that he and Marissa were back together. But he hadn't brought Marissa today...

  And when she'd turned around to face him, the look in his dark eyes wasn't a regretful or anxious look. He'd been looking at her ass.

  A feminine smugness fluttered through her. Okay, she probably shouldn't be feeling good about that if he had gotten back together with his ex, but she couldn't help it. A girl had her pride after all.

  "So," she asked after a moment of silence hung between them. "What did you want to talk about?"

  Jared cleared his throat, suddenly looking awkward and not at all confident. Considering he was such a big guy, it was pretty cute. "I um.... I just wanted you to know that I'm not back together with Marissa. And I'm not going to be."

  Well that hadn't been what she'd expected. Leigh blinked as his words sank in, and she tried to think of how to respond. Blurting why or because of me? just didn't seem quite right.