First Shot: A Serial (Shot Serial Book 1) Read online

  Despite the number of drinks he had, Eric smelled more like the sandalwood soap than alcohol. Jennifer breathed in deep and sighed. There was something comforting in the smell.

  Eric leaned heavily against her and turned his face to her.

  “You are trouble,” he said quietly.

  She fought the urge to laugh. Of the many things she had been called in her life, trouble wasn’t one. Naive and trusting were often said. Sometimes stubborn, but never trouble.

  His dark eyes stared hard at her face and after a moment, she looked away. Dealing with him was so intense.

  Jennifer kept her eyes forward and focused on the door. All she needed to do was get outside and put him in the car. Then she could distance herself from him.

  They slowly moved his large body across the room. She could feel his hard muscles shift around her as they walked and tried not to focus on how powerful they seemed. Charles wasn’t built like this. As a matter of fact, she’d never been around someone like Eric. His body seemed made for some sort of sport, and she wondered if he ever played.

  The made their way up the stairs and out the door. She breathed in the crisp air and sighed. Not much longer.

  Patrick stepped away, and she slumped under the full weight of Eric. He was trying to help, but there was only so much he could do.

  “Sorry,” he murmured in her ear.

  The sound sent a chill through her and made her nipples tighten.

  Patrick pulled out a key and shoved it into the lock. She was relieved when he turned around and maneuvered under the other half.

  “’Kay, let’s get him in.”

  Her stomach dropped as she surveyed the cars around. Only one lone truck sat in front of the place. She should have guessed. Nothing else had gone her way today. Why would this be any different? She bit her tongue and made her way to the truck. A ride home was better than no ride.

  Chapter Five

  Jennifer sighed as they stopped outside a small house. It wasn’t exactly what she had been expecting for Eric, but then nothing about him seemed to make sense to her.

  It was small and cute. The outside was a bit plain, but it seemed well cared for.

  As they had been getting into the truck, she didn’t really know what to think of him. He’d fought to position himself in the middle seat and then promptly fell asleep against her. It made nearly no sense at all, and the best she could think of was that it was posturing directed toward Patrick.

  She shifted slightly in hopes that Eric would wake up on his own. His head dipped lower and came dangerously close to resting on her breast. Heart in her throat, she shifted again, just enough to knock him awake. His head came up, and he stared around the cab of the truck bleary eyed.

  “This is my house,” he said and looked over to her as if she had driven him there.

  Jennifer nodded and looked over to Patrick, who shrugged. She hated to think it, but Jennifer was fairly certain this wasn’t the first time he had done this, and from the looks of it, it wouldn’t likely be the last. But maybe it didn’t happen often. After all, Eric had been able to secure enough money to buy the bar and a house. That had to mean he was at least somewhat responsible.

  Slowly, she climbed out of the truck and stepped out of the way, so Eric could make it through. With more ease than she would have expected, he leapt down and stood firmly on his feet. It wasn’t until he took a step that she could even see the effects of the alcohol.

  Jennifer rushed forward to help, but he gently pushed her aside.

  “I’m fine,” Eric said tightly.

  She ignored his efforts to do it on his own and slipped under his arm.

  “I’m sure you can, but I’d like to make it home sometime tonight,” she mumbled.

  She could feel the rumble in his chest as he laughed.

  Patrick quietly followed behind. She didn’t really know quite what she was doing, but curiosity was getting the best of her. Everything in her wanted to know more about Eric. He was a mystery to her, and she was determined to see the inside of his house to know him better.

  Eric swayed as they took the steps to the porch, and he grunted when she steadied him.

  His face went hard again, and she could tell he hated that he needed to depend on her.

  He jammed the key into the lock and turned. The inside was dark when they entered. Patrick seemed to know the way and walked further into the dark room ahead of them. He clicked on the light, and she was finally able to see.

  Eric slipped his arm from around her shoulders and stepped away as she made her way around the room.

  It wasn’t what she was expecting. Jennifer moved further into the room as Eric moved to the back of the house, where she suspected his bedroom was.

  A cell phone cut through the silence.

  “Sorry,” Patrick said. “I need to take this.”

  She wondered who would call him this late. With the way he had been acting, she assumed that he didn’t have a girlfriend, but it was hard to tell. These men were very secretive about themselves.

  Jennifer walked slowly around the room as she waited for Patrick to get back.

  No photos hung on the walls. Nothing. There was a small black love seat, TV and coffee table. That was the living room in its entirety. There was an empty space to the right of her where she imagined a large dining table would normally sit.

  It was a blank canvas, as if the person who lived here only barely existed. It chilled her, and she rubbed her arms to keep out the cold.

  She took a breath and followed Eric and Patrick, who had disappeared down the hall. It was darker here, and she wished they’d thought to turn on the lights, but then again, maybe she wasn’t supposed to follow them there.

  Jennifer came to a door and turned the handle. Maybe she could just use the restroom.

  “Stay out of that room,” Eric said from behind her, and she nearly yelped.

  She jumped away from the door. His voice was dark, and the anger was clear. She hadn’t meant to upset him.

  “I…” She shifted slightly as he moved forward. “I was just looking for the bathroom.”

  Eric stopped in front of her. The little light from the living room caught his eyes, and she held her breath at the coldness that filled them.

  “Why are you here?” he asked quietly.

  Jennifer let out the breath she had been holding.

  “Patrick brought me,” she said and glanced around, somewhat hoping he might step out at any moment.

  Eric leaned in more and placed his hand on the door, just over her shoulder.

  “This is wrong,” he said and pressed his body into hers. His eyes shifted around her face, and she wondered if he was having a hard time focusing on her or if he was just messing with her.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered and tried to move away, but the door at her back was unyielding.

  “You can’t be here,” he said. His voice was strong, and she wondered what could be going through his head.

  “I’ll go,” she said quietly and tried to duck under his arm. The last thing she wanted was to force herself to be somewhere she wasn’t welcome.

  His other arm reached out and gripped her by the elbow.

  “I just don’t understand,” he said. His voice cracked at the end, and the pain behind it made a lump form in her throat.

  “Eric,” she whispered, not quite sure what he wanted.

  A tortured groan escaped his lips, and she wondered if maybe he’d hurt himself somehow. Before she could ask, his mouth was on hers. Unlike the earlier, almost frantic kiss, this one was slow. His hands found their way to the back of her head and threaded through her hair, drawing her in further.

  He tipped her head to the side and slipped his tongue inside. Despite all her reservations about him, Jennifer gave herself over to the kiss. It was warm and pulled her to a place she’d never been before. Eric drew out something in her she didn’t even know existed, and she liked the feeling. It was a power, a strength she’d never had
. She could feel his need and knew that whatever it was, she was the one person able to take care of it.

  One hand moved from the back of her head down the side of her arm. In its wake, he left a trail of goose bumps.

  When he reached her waist, he pulled her against him hard. She gasped as he ground his hard cock against her, and she ached to wrap her legs around him. Her center burned with desire, and more than anything, she wanted him.

  Patrick coughed, and she was once again standing cold and alone.

  “Fuck,” Eric grunted.

  She watched, slightly stunned as he scrubbed his hand over his face, her lips still swollen from his hungry kisses just seconds ago.

  “I need another drink,” he said.

  “The hell you do,” Patrick’s strong voice came from the room across the hall. “What you need to do is get your ass to bed and sleep this shit off.”

  Eric looked to her. His eyes drooped and he sighed. “If only it were that easy,” he mumbled.

  She watched in shock as he stepped past Patrick into the room.

  “Let’s go,” Patrick said. Her words were tight, and she wondered if she’d misread his intentions this whole time. Maybe it was her he was interested in.

  She followed him down the hall but paused for a moment to pull out the wad of cash Eric had given her earlier. She placed it on the table. Outside the door, she was able to pull in deep breaths.

  That had been close. Another few minutes and she might have followed Eric back to his room. Heaven knew her body certainly wanted her to do just that.

  They hardly spoke as she gave directions to her apartment. The loud rumble of the motor was the only sound.

  She opened her mouth and immediately regretted it.

  “You don’t seem to like Tommy much,” she said.

  Patrick’s frown deepened.

  “No,” he said.

  “He was the waiter who helped me earlier,” she said quietly.

  He let out a harsh laugh.

  “Why am I not surprised?” he said. “Always looking for his next conquest. I doubt he even noticed,” he spit out with venom.

  Jennifer frowned. “Noticed what?”

  The truck grew quiet.

  “Nothing.”

  She sat silently as they drove the rest of the way. All night it had been as if she was missing some piece to the puzzle, and no one wanted to talk about it.

  Jennifer shook her head. It didn’t matter. She just needed to keep her head down and hope she could redeem herself in the marketing world.

  The truck came to a halt.

  Worry ate at her gut as she readied to leave. Was it really possible to be fired from two jobs in one day? That would certainly be something to tell her parents about.

  “Are you still coming to work tomorrow?” Patrick said stiffly before she could even speak.

  Jennifer sat with her mouth open for a moment.

  “What?”

  Patrick sighed, and she could tell he was having a hard time getting out what he wanted.

  “Look, I know Eric can be a prick, but he’s not bad,” he said and glanced over to her. “He shouldn’t have done that back there. And I’ll understand if you don’t want to work near him.”

  She swallowed. Maybe the problem was that she did want to work with him. Maybe a little too much.

  “I want this job,” she said. Her words came out a bit more hurried than she intended, and she took a breath to steady herself. “I can do this,” she said. “He’s not going to be a problem.”

  Before he could protest, she was out the door. When she turned back, it was clear he was surprised with her revelation.

  “Thanks for the ride,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He nodded, and she turned back to her building. The rumble of the truck stayed behind her the whole time. She smiled. It was nice to know someone was looking out for her.

  Jennifer punched in the access code and stepped inside. As soon as the door latched closed, she could hear the rumble of the truck as he drove away.

  It had been a long day, and she was glad when she finally entered her apartment. Unlike Eric, her apartment was filled with color and pictures. She walked past a shelf where a picture of her and Charles sat on the couch. Some had said it was too much, but she liked seeing all the faces of the people she love. Charles and her parents had certainly made their thoughts known, but in the end, it was her space and she was doing what she wanted.

  She sat down hard on her comfortable mint green couch and leaned back. Something beside her buzzed, and her eyes shot open. She groped in her purse and pulled out her phone.

  Nothing but text messages and phone calls from both Charles and her parents. Jennifer tossed the phone on the couch. He hadn’t wasted any time recruiting help.

  “No more,” she whispered.

  Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as she processed the day. From pain to excitement. She had experienced more in one day than she had in the last five years.

  She opened her eyes and looked back over to the phone.

  “Tomorrow,” she whispered and forced herself to get off the couch. “I’ll deal with all this mess tomorrow.”

  She made her way to the bedroom. There she yanked off the ratty dress from the day and tossed it into the trash bin beside the bed. New day, new dress.

  Jennifer pulled out a nightgown from the drawer and slipped it on. All she needed now was sleep.

  The mattress sank under her weight, and she sighed. As her mind drifted, she tried not to let if fall on Eric, but his searing kisses were the kind a person didn’t easily forget.

  But it wasn’t his kiss that haunted her dreams. It was the tortured look he’d given her just before she left. It was like his very soul was wounded.

  Chapter Six

  Jennifer stared at the mirror. It used to be that she didn’t spend nearly this amount of time looking at herself, but after two weeks waiting tables, she quickly found that appearance mattered. More than she would ever like to admit. The more skin she showed, the better the tips. Not that she was willing to go too far with it, but showing a little didn’t seem to hurt anyone.

  The black tank top seemed to be the perfect fit. Of course, it didn’t seem to matter to anyone that it was the middle of winter and freezing outside. She quickly pulled on a jacket.

  Her mind drifted to Eric as she applied a little makeup. Ever since the night at his house, he’d kept his distance. She knew he was going out of his way to avoid her. It really shouldn’t have annoyed her as much as it did, but there was no helping how she felt. For as much as she knew he was trouble, she still couldn’t help but feel like he needed her.

  It was silly really. He was a grown man, and there didn’t seem to be much that he needed, but the thought was still there.

  The least she could say was that he didn’t seem to be drinking as heavily at work. She was sure he still did once he went home, but at least he was avoiding it at work. So instead of occupying the dark corner, he spent most of his time in the office at the back of the building running over numbers and mumbling to himself.

  Jennifer jumped when her phone buzzed on her bed with a new message. She glanced over and sighed.

  Charles.

  Every day he’d tried to talk to her. She thought about blocking his number, but it seemed so mean, and, in truth, she just hoped that he’d go away.

  This time it rang, and she smudged her eye liner.

  Anger coursed through her, and she picked up the phone.

  “What?” she said harshly.

  “Well, that’s some greeting you’ve got there. I bet you’re one hell of a waitress,” her friend Candice said.

  She sighed and cocked the phone up against her ear while she tried to fix her makeup.

  “Sorry,” Jennifer said. “My phone is just driving me crazy.”

  “Talked to your parents yet?” Candice asked.

  Despite their different upbringings, Candice always understood about intrusi
ve family. She had been raised in a very religious family. When she decided to go onto design, it had been as if she turned her back on them all. It never really made much sense to Jennifer but then neither did her family.

  “Nope,” she said and stepped closer to the mirror.

  Candice sighed and Jennifer knew what was coming next.

  “You can’t ignore this forever,” she said. “They are your parents, and in the end, they just want what’s best for you.”

  Jennifer snorted. “Is that right? Fine, let’s go there. Talked to your parents recently?”

  It was a low blow, but she was tired of having to defend her choice not to call them.

  “No,” Candice said quietly. “My grandmother is sick. Jake came to tell me.”

  The pain in her voice was evident, and Jennifer wished she hadn’t brought it up. Jake was one of the few siblings Candice had who would still talk to her on a regular basis.

  “I’m sorry,” Jennifer said and set down the makeup she was holding. “Is it bad?”

  The line went quiet for a moment. “I think it’s not going to be much longer,” she choked out.

  “Oh, Candice.” She swallowed the lump in her throat.

  “I just… She was always there, you know?”

  Jennifer did know. When everyone else had told Candice to follow the path of a teacher, her grandmother had been the only one to tell her to follow her heart. She had believed in Candice, and Jennifer knew how much that meant.

  “Enough about that,” Candice said brightly. “Tell me more about these yummy men at your work.”

  Jennifer laughed loudly. Every time they talked it always somehow ended up in the same spot.

  “Well,” she said. “Tommy came in last night.”

  “Oh, is this the stripper?” Candice asked excitedly.

  “He left some tickets.” Jennifer blushed.

  “Yes!” Candice said excitedly. “You know they are supposed to have some of the best shows in town.”

  Jennifer shook her head. She didn’t know that, but she suspected as much since he often rolled up with some nice wheels. Though it was hard to say given that he also worked as a waiter.