Fight With Me (Fight and Fall) Read online

  Before I can think of a reply, Lucas starts leaning towards me, slowing diminishing the gap between our lips.

  “This is what I wanted to do,” he whispers.

  Before I can place my lips on his, I hear loud footsteps behind us. Angry, determined ones from the sound of it.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get the fuck away from her!” I hear behind us.

  Lucas and I quickly break apart and I twist my body, directly looking at Aiden. His expression is one I’ve never seen before and one I think I never want to see again. The skin on his face stretched so tight against the bones, his eyes blazing.

  I look closer at him and notice a deeply masked hurt, slightly camouflaged but still apparent. My lower lip trembles, reflexively sorry for making him feel this way. I don’t fucking know why I feel repentant but I do. Cutting Aiden to pieces doesn’t give me the pleasure that I thought it would. I guess you’re not so heartless after all, Emma.

  “Can we help you, man? We’re kind of busy if you couldn’t tell,” Lucas finally says with a haughty smile.

  I can’t figure out if I’m pissed or proud of him for speaking to Aiden this way. I’ll have to contemplate this later.

  “Emma, how the fuck could you do this to me?! You said nothing was going on between you two. You lied to me,” he says to me, completely ignoring Lucas.

  My mouth falls open in shock. I lied to him? Me?! What fucking nerve! I don’t even know how to respond to that accusation.

  “Look, Aiden. She’s done with you. You had your chance with her and you blew it, so could you just leave it alone? She’s moved on, you know, kind of like you have. Where is the sweet little wife, anyways? I doubt she would be happy to see you outside getting jealous and making a jackass of yourself,” Lucas says smirking.

  Damn, for a young guy, Lucas sure has balls. If I wasn’t in so much shock, I would probably crack up at his insulting words.

  I look over at Aiden and notice his hands clenched at his sides. He starts to turn away from us, going back inside the bar. He freezes on mid-step and turns back on his heel, walking full force at us.

  Before I can react, Aiden pulls his arm back, punching Lucas right in the nose. I scream in shock, not really believing my eyes. Lucas stumbles back slightly, cursing under his breath.

  “Oh my God. Lucas, are you okay?” I ask him, not waiting for a response. “What the hell, Aiden?! What the fuck is wrong with you?” I yell, whipping my face at him.

  I try to keep Lucas upright, putting my arm around him. Poor guy, getting sucker punched by a very pissed off ex-boyfriend. I look over at Aiden and see that his expression has gone from bad to worse. He looks at my arm around Lucas, as I mentally prepare myself for Armageddon.

  “What’s wrong with me? Well, let me think, Emma. I walk out here and find my girlfriend about to make-out with this prick,” he says motioning to Lucas’s slumped form, “and she’s actually mad at me. He wants what’s mine, and I won’t fucking sit back and let that happen.”

  “Aiden, I’m not your girlfriend anymore, for one. And two, I’m…” I say, my sentence being cut off before I can finish.

  I watch in awe as Lucas miraculously recovers, returning a sucker punch to an equally surprised Aiden. I see Aiden stumble backwards, the echo of flesh on flesh still ringing in my ears. Shit, I hope that he’s okay. I hate the bastard but I don’t want him injured. Not ever.

  “Damn, that hurt,” Lucas curses, shaking his wounded hand in the air.

  I roll my eyes at him and make my way over to Aiden, desperate to know that he’s okay. I easily push my hatred aside, wanting to aide him. I don’t know what is wrong with me but I just can’t help it. I’m drawn to him like a magnet. A stupid, stupid fucking magnet.

  “You’re fucking dead, Lucas,” Aiden says forcefully, spitting out blood on the sidewalk.

  I move my hand up towards his face and he freezes underneath my touch, realizing that I’m right before him. He grabs my hand in his, brushing his thumb back and forth over my palm. He looks down at me, eyes softening, all thought of pummeling Lucas quickly forgotten.

  “I’m so sorry, baby. Please, just let me explain everything,” he says to me under his breath.

  Before I can nod at him, I feel a harsh slap across my cheek. I look up stunned, my skin burning from the sudden contact.

  “Get the fuck off of my husband, you cunt!” Jessica spits out at me.

  I blink in shock and then I realize exactly what I’m doing and who I’m doing it with. My adrenaline picks up and I’m instantly in tigress mode.

  Who the fuck does this woman think she is? Going around, bitch-slapping innocent people! My jaw clenches and just as I’m ready to retaliate on this plastic whore, Aiden gets in between us.

  “What the hell, Jessica? Fucking try that shit again and see what happens,” he says in a menacing tone, threatening her.

  I smile in admiration and confusion. Yeah bitch, you’re husband just backed me up, not you. Wait, what?

  “What was that, sweetie?” she says biting off, a look of understanding passing between them.

  What the fuck is going on? Why does she have him wrapped around her little finger? Is he so in love with her that he does whatever she asks of him? If that’s the case and he loves her and not me, why did he even bother defending me? Maybe he’s one of those guys that love it when women fight over them. Uh, not going to happen, Aiden. If you want that kind of woman, you should look elsewhere. She’s not me and never will be.

  “You win, Jessica. Let it go,” Aiden bites off, as Lucas comes up behind me.

  At this point a few of the patrons from inside the bar have gathered around to watch the show. Sorry to disappoint people, but the festivities have officially ended. I see Leo walk out of the bar too, his brow furrowed, probably wondering what just went down.

  “You know, Aiden, I knew you were an old man but I never thought I could take you. It’s good to know that I can loosen those pretty whites of yours. Whenever you wanna do it again, I’m here, man,” Lucas says draping his arm around my shoulder.

  I look over at Aiden and he seems about ready to pounce on Lucas for that cruel jab. It looks like Aiden has some inner turmoil going on because he instantly sobers. Almost as if he’s having a mental battle within himself. He gives me a pained looked but turns away from me, trying to usher Jessica away from us.

  “Listen home-wrecker, leave my husband alone. He told me all about his mistake with you and he’s disgusted. You’re nothing to him. He’s mine and I won’t have some groupie around him anymore. Stay the hell away from him,” she says raising her voice.

  I look around at the good sized crowd around us, cringing from the wonderful character assessment she just made. Jesus, this is so fucking embarrassing! Now everybody thinks I’m the other woman. In reality I am but it wasn’t to my knowledge. If anyone is the innocent party, it’s me.

  I crack my jaw in anger. This bitch is fucking crazy. I’m through with keeping my cool. I’m ready to spar with her. The fucking gloves are off now. I see Aiden ready to open his mouth but I beat him to it.

  “Well, I guess you need to keep a leash on your husband because he made a lot of mistakes with me. All them ending with him moaning my name and begging me for more. Maybe you should keep him satisfied instead of running off with other men. Although, I doubt you could ever please him like I did. I’m a tough act to follow,” I say haughtily to her.

  Wow, Emma. You hit below the belt there. It’s not like I had much of a choice though. The bitch was just asking for it.

  I inwardly cringe because I practically confirmed everybody’s suspicion of me being a home-wrecker. Hello everybody, meet the town slut! I’ll be signing autographs later.

  Jessica starts walking towards me, pure hatred in her eyes. Aiden grabs her arm from behind, stopping her.

  “Enough,” I hear him whisper harshly to her.

  “Everybody watch your husbands! This skank likes men that are taken,” she yells t
o the enraptured crowd.

  “You’re one to talk, Jessica. Make sure to say hi to Brian for me, won’t you sweetheart?” Lucas retorts.

  I wonder who Brian is. Whoever he is, she doesn’t look too pleased by the memory. Just when I think she will turn her violence to Lucas, I see Aiden grip his hand harder on her waist, pulling her with him and away from the crowd.

  I swallow back bile, trying not to be sick from seeing his hand on her. I close my eyes, willing myself not to throw up.

  “Well, that was something. I just had my nose almost broken and you get attacked by a crazy bitch. I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I had planned when I brought you out here,” Lucas says smirking.

  How can he have such good humor at a time like this?

  Lucas grabs his nose groaning and chuckling simultaneously. God, I think Lucas really enjoyed all that drama. I sure as hell didn’t. I feel numb, not sure how to process the events that took place tonight.

  “Okay, guys. Let’s all go back inside and leave these two alone,” I hear Leo say, snapping me out of my stupor.

  Everyone seems to follow Leo’s suggestion, shuffling back inside the bar. Leo comes over to us, his eyebrow arching.

  “You’re going to tell me what exactly happened later on. Do you hear me, Lucas?” he says sternly.

  “You’re not going to believe it, but I definitely will,” Lucas says to him smirking.

  Leo frowns at his casualness and I groan, only imaging the story that Lucas will tell him.

  “Do you think you can get back in there and finish your shift, Emma? You guys only have about an hour left,” Leo asks me, looking concerned.

  I robotically nod at him, desperately needing a distraction. I just hope I can concentrate enough to do my job properly.

  “Where are you staying tonight? I’ve come to the assumption that you’re not going over to Aiden’s,” he says to me.

  Before I can speak up, Lucas interrupts me.

  “Oh, I figured that all out. Meet my new roommate,” he says smiling, wrapping his arm around me proudly.

  Leo frowns at him and then frowns at me.

  What the hell? What did I do?

  “We’ll talk later,” he says, looking directly at Lucas.

  He walks back inside the bar, leaving Lucas and I alone on the sidewalk.

  “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to end this shift and take you home with me. We have some unfinished business that’s needs to be dealt with,” he says smirking at me.

  I roll my eyes at him, can’t helping but to chuckle. Lucas may not fully grasp what just happened to me earlier, but I give the guy props. He really knows how to make any situation feel less heavy.

  “Lucas, I swear, living with you is probably going to be the death of me. I don’t know how you can be so fucking lighthearted all the time,” I huff out with bewilderment.

  He moves his arm from around my shoulder, down to my waist. His other hand follows suit, both now keeping a firm grasp on my hips. He presses his lower body against me, and I feel his length through his jeans. My eyes widen in astonishment.

  “I’m not lighthearted all the time, Em. Does this feel light to you?” he breathes, his smirk dissipating.

  I groan at the contact, closing my eyes. I instantly have flashbacks of Aiden and I like this. Him pushing himself against me, me begging him to touch me.

  I mentally punch myself for having such depraved thoughts. This isn’t Aiden, this is Lucas. You’re not with Aiden anymore, and you never will be because he has a fucking wife. Get him out of your thoughts and focus on Lucas who is here right now in front of you.

  I open my eyes, looking at Lucas’s blue ones. I clear my throat and back away from him.

  Oh my God, I don’t know if I can go through with this, being with Lucas. The only eyes I truly see are Aiden’s. I don’t want it to be that way but that’s the reality. How can I fuck Lucas when I know that I’ll be thinking of Aiden the entire time? Not to mention that I’ll probably feel guilty as hell being with another man. It’s like a made a sacred vow to be faithful to Aiden, one that I must find a way to break.

  Lucas chuckles at me and I look at him with confusion.

  “I know how you feel. I want you so bad, but we’re outside where anybody can see us. Plus, we have to inside, like, right now. We’ll finish this soon,” he says adamantly.

  I nod at him, inwardly frozen in fear. What am I doing? How can I lead him on like this? Lucas is a great guy and I’m fighting my urge to be with him. Physically I want him but emotionally…well, I’m just not capable of that yet.

  He grabs my hand, leading me with him back into the bar. I look around, noticing the looks on the customer’s faces. Some of disgust, others of pity.

  Oh my God, here we go again. Just like in Arizona. I’m public enemy number one, punished for crimes I never even committed.

  “Hey, it’ll be fine, Em. We’ll push through tonight and worry about everything tomorrow,” Lucas says to me, squeezing my hand in his.

  His encouragement is the only comfort I have right now. I have nothing else to keep me going and I’m going to have to find a way to change that.

  The rest of the hour goes by pretty uneventful. Sure, I got a few stares but nothing as bad as some I’ve received in the past. I meet up with Lucas back in the kitchen to clock out for the night.

  He grabs my hand, pulling me close to him. He wraps me in a hug, resting his chin on my head, breathing in deeply. I stand statuesque, not knowing what to do. I pat him on the back, trying to end the display of affection.

  “Somebody’s anxious to go home, huh?” he says laughing.

  He obviously can’t understand my real reason for ending the embrace. If he knew how I really felt it would hurt him.

  I put on a brave face, the opposite of the nervous one I’m sporting on the inside and grab his hand in mine. You have to do this, Emma. Just give it a go. Try and see if you can be with him.

  “Yeah. I want you, Lucas,” I say to him, silently dying on the inside.

  His eyes widen, probably because I’ve never spoken to him like this before. I’m telling him exactly what I want. Well, not exactly what I want but he doesn’t know all the minor details.

  “Shit, Em. Well, why didn’t you say so earlier? Let’s get out of here. I’ll just call my dad later and explain everything to him. There’s no way I’m staying here any longer. Let’s go,” he says, practically dragging me out the back door of the bar.

  I inwardly sigh at his evident rush to get me to his apartment. I have to think of a good way to go about this entire Lucas thing. Should I politely decline sleeping with him or just go for it? God, Aiden, why did it have to be this way? Why did you make me fall in love with you and then break my heart?

  We turn down the corner of the street and I see a tall apartment building, comprised of rusty-colored bricks. He doesn’t utter another word and I appreciate the silence. What really can be said at this point?

  We get inside the building, and he takes me down the first floor hall. He gets his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the last door on the left of the corridor. He flings it open, bringing me inside with him. He slams the door behind us and starts to back me up against it, a look of hunger in his eyes. My heartbeat increases, my breath coming out in puffs. I’m terrified. Not of what he’s about to do but terrified that I’ll like what’s he’s about to do. I panic, realizing I need to end this because this is moving way too fast.

  “Lu…” I barely finish saying his name before he knocks the breath right out of me.

  He silences me with a desperate kiss, pushing his tongue inside of my mouth. My eyes grow large in shock. He grabs my waist in his hands, pushing himself up against me. I shiver, loving and equally hating it. My still lips start moving along with excitement, as I mingle my tongue with his. He moans into my mouth, pushing up my dress in the process.

  Yeah, this is way too fast. I pull my mouth away from him, needing to halt this before it�
��s too late.

  “Lucas, it’s too much. I….” I say as he silences me with another kiss.

  “No. It’s not enough, Em. Let me make you come. I need it,” he breathes.

  He moves his lips to my ear, biting the lobe gently, sliding his incisors against it. I tremble, chills breaking out across my skin. He traces his tongue around it, sucking it into his mouth. My eyes roll back in my head.

  He takes my silence as an invitation, moving my dress up farther. His thumb brushes against the edge of my panties and I moan. He moves his lips to my neck, and he continues to suck my sensitive skin. I move my head to the side giving him better access. An image of Aiden appears in my head, ending any sexual thoughts between Lucas and I.

  I roughly push him away from me, panting with exertion.

  “Em?” Lucas asks in a wounded tone.

  “I’m so sorry but I can’t. I’m not ready yet, Lucas. Aiden and I just broke up and everything is just so confusing. Please understand,” I say to him, hoping that he will forgive me.

  I hate to be the one to reject him but if I need to be a bitch and put my foot down, then so be it. He sighs in frustration. Yeah, you and me both, buddy.

  “No, you’re right. I’m being an insensitive asshole about the whole thing. It’s just that I’ve wanted you all week and I thought…shit, I thought that you wanted me just as much. I’m sorry for rushing this,” he says avoiding eye contact.

  Is he embarrassed by his lack of restraint? I hope not. It’s flattering but unfortunately unwanted at this point in time. I smile at him, trying to diffuse the situation.

  “Trust me, you did nothing wrong. I thought I could go through with this, us being together tonight, but I was chicken-shit, I guess. Sorry for being a total cock-block,” I say trying to lighten the mood.

  He lifts his eyes up to meet mine and chuckles. Oh, thank God! Back to the friendly repartee.

  “Yeah, that really sucked. Guess it’s just me and my hand tonight,” he says smirking, looking down at his hand. “This guy has his work cut out for him.”

  Dirty bastard! I laugh at him, loving the fact that he can just brush off the entire situation. Lucas is just that kind of guy and I admire him for it. He’s a troublemaker but I know deep down that he means well.