Denying The Bad Boy (Tattooed and Pierced #2) (13 page)

After taking a shower and getting dressed she headed
downstairs. Darcy was up, but barely, and that was clear by the way she was
draped over the couch, one arm and leg hanging over it, a blanket thrown
haphazardly on her body, and the television muted but playing some black and
white movie.

“
You feeling
okay?” It was
a stupid question given the bags under her eyes and the almost green hue to her
face. Darcy had far more to drink then Mary had last night, and clearly she was
feeling it this morning. Darcy cut her eyes to Mary, but other than that didn’t
move or speak for several long seconds.

“I feel like shit.” Her voice sounded like shit, gravelly,
and like she had been smoking for the last twenty years. She moved marginally,
but winced and flopped back in place. “I feel like an elephant chewed me up and
shit me out.”

“Nice analogy.” Mary stared at the TV for a moment
then turned back to Darcy who was watching her. “Why don’t you go back to bed?”

“I can’t. My head is pounding. I feel like throwing
up, and every part of me hurts.” She groaned and threw an arm over her eyes.
“Why did you let me drink so much?” Mary snorted, and Darcy lifted her hand and
glared at her. “All right, I guess I probably wouldn’t have listened, but
still.” That was an understatement. “Mind telling me why we had to haul ass out
of there so soon? Aside from you saying something about a guy, I don’t remember
shit.”

“You really don’t remember anything I said last
night?” Mary had told her about some douche-bag in the club, had even let
Alex’s name slip, but was surprised Darcy really didn’t remember any of that.

“Everything is a bit hazy after that third A Piece
of Ass.”

“Piece of Ass?”
Mary
had just seen Darcy grab a few shots, declining when her friend offered her
some, but hadn’t known what they were called. The fact that was the name of the
drinks had her laughing.

“Ugh, I shouldn’t be talking about alcohol right
now.”

“Sorry.”

Darcy waved her apology off, and they sat in silence
for a moment. Mary saw Darcy swallow several times, and hoped she didn’t throw up
this early.

Darcy knew she tutored, but didn’t know she was
helping Alex, or that she wanted him bad enough that she would have let him
take her right there in the club for anyone to see. That realization had her
cheeks heating in humiliation. Maybe she was no better than the girls he was
with? There had never been a time when she wanted to do something so daring,
but it seemed being with Alex brought out a lot of emotions in her that were
foreign. She stared at Darcy and knew if anyone could give her advice on guys
it was her friend. She slouched down in her chair and took a deep breath.

“I needed to get out of there because of Alex
Sheppard.” Darcy put her arm down and scooted up on the couch.

“Okay. And what does the star quarterback have to do
with you?” She glanced up at the ceiling as if in deep thought, and then a
light bulb went off over her head. “Wait, I think I remember you mentioning a
guy named Alex. You were talking about
that
Alex?” Gone was her hung-over friend, and in her place was a very curious
roommate.

“Yeah.
I
agreed to tutor him, and we had our first session last night. We made a deal
that if I tutor him he’d come with me to my sister’s wedding in a few weeks.”
Darcy stared at her like she was lost.

“I’m confused as to why we had to leave because Alex
was there and you tutor him. Did you not see the
hottie
with the body I was grinding with last night? He threw Dane right out of the
damn water.”

Mary took another deep breath. “I had to leave
because I have a major thing for him, and I know he does, too.” Darcy still
stared at her.

“Okay, so?”

“Because we were all but having sex right against the
wall for everyone to see, and then he turned into this major asshole, made me
feel like some kind cheap girl, and that is why I had to get out of there.”
Darcy made an O face immediately after she spoke.

“He told you this? I mean called you cheap?” Darcy
was far more interested in the conversation now. When Mary didn’t speak fast
enough Darcy said, “Just spit it out, girl.” Darcy smiled broadly.

“He didn’t actually call me that, but he made me
feel like that. I mean he kept going on about how he’s slept with all these
people, and how he doesn’t do relationships and stuff. He made it seem like I
was trying to get with him, like marry him or something.”

Darcy’s eyes got as big as saucers. Before Darcy
could start shooting off more questions Mary continued to talk.

“I’m sure alcohol had a lot to do with the lowered
inhibitions, because I was coming onto him just as strongly as he was to me,
but then everything became shitty and awkward.”

“Well, shit, Mary, I mean you do know who Alex
Sheppard is, right?”

Mary clenched her teeth and gave Darcy a look that
she hoped meant that was a dumbass question. “Yeah, I know who he is, but what
does that have to do with anything?”

Darcy sighed dramatically and threw her legs over
the side of the couch. “He
does
sleep
around, Mary, like
a lot
. I mean, no
girl that goes after him thinks he is going to give them more than that.” She
moaned and clenched her head. “My head hurts so badly.”

Good
.
Served her right for pointing out what Mary already knew. “I never said I wanted
anything more than sex with him. His ego is just so damn big he clearly thought
I was in love with him or something.”

Darcy dropped her hand and looked at Mary again.
“I’m not saying this to piss you off or make you feel worse than I’m sure you
already do. I can only imagine all of the stuff he said to you that you’re not
telling me. I’m only saying this because I care about you, and I know you’re
too smart and too good to let a guy like Alex Sheppard make you feel like this.
Don’t think about him, don’t worry about him, and move onto the next.” Darcy
flopped back on the couch and closed her eyes. “I feel like a steaming pile of
poo.” She cracked one eye open. “You’re not mad that I said that, right?”

“No.” Mary leaned back in the chair and sighed. “It
isn’t like I haven’t already thought about everything you said, but I felt
something different with him,
ya
know.” She cut her
eyes over to Darcy. “I mean, in the extremely ridiculous short time we spent
together, and the way he looked at me, I felt like I wasn’t just another piece
of ass for him.”

“Yeah, honey, I know. I think the female population
knows what you mean. He is gorgeous, built, talented, and can have girls
dropping their panties within a five mile radius with just a smile. But unless
your heart is made of stone and you are prepared to only
have
one night
, or hell, a few hours with him, it would be suicide to think
you’ll get anything else from him. He is no different from a lot of the pricks
that walk around thinking they own the world, and like they are God’s gift to
women. Guys like Alex Sheppard are only after one thing, and that’s sticking
their dicks in a warm hole.”

“You’re crude.”

“But honest,” Darcy shot back and offered her a weak
smile. “I may like having sex, Mary, but I know that if I wanted anything to do
with Alex, or guys like him, he’d just chew me up and spit me out.” They sat
there for several silent moments before Darcy started talking again. “Why did
you even offer to tutor him?”

“I didn’t. He actually got my number from another
guy I tutor, which happens to be his roommate.” Darcy nodded. “I just thought I
could use him for a little shock value at Margo’s wedding.”

“So
you
were using Alex?” Darcy started laughing and immediately closed her eyes and clutched
her head.

“I didn’t keep it a secret. I told him exactly why I
wanted him to come with me. I didn’t lie.”
 

“You actually going to
BitchTron’s
wedding?” Darcy yawned and stretched out
her arms at the same time. She had heard enough about Margo when Mary bitched
about her to know her sister was a pain in the ass.

“I kind of have to go to my
sister’s
wedding. Besides, I’m in the damn thing.”

“I can tag along, you know, cause a scene, maybe
wear my transparent shirt and daisy dukes.” Darcy wagged her brows, and Mary
started laughing. It was nice to feel happy instead of that dreaded gloom that
had lingered the whole night.

“That’s tempting, but I wouldn’t want to subject you
to that crowd.” It was Darcy’s turn to start laughing.

“Thanks, I don’t know if I could restrain myself from
slapping a bitch anyway. But what are you going to do about the whole Alex
thing?”

“What do you mean?”

Darcy threw the blanket off her lap. “I mean, are
you going to still tutor him and take him, or has that ship sailed?”

Last night Mary would have said hell no, but after
talking to her mom and really thinking about it she was not so sure anymore.
She could always keep her end of the deal and help him pass his course, and he
in turn could go with her to the wedding. They didn’t have to think or even talk
about the night at the club, and Mary could certainly keep the distance that
was necessary. He was an asshole, only thought about sex, and didn’t care who
he hurt in the process. But he was also the guy she couldn’t stop thinking
about, not since the first time she saw him. Yeah, she really was a masochist. Could
she actually still go through with this, pretend that what they had was
absolutely nothing, and still keep her heart intact?

Ugh, she was an idiot for even contemplating wanting
to help him, but in return he would also be helping her. She could do it, could
get through the next couple of weeks and then just a few days for the wedding.
After that she didn’t ever need to see him again. Feeling resolved that she
would push through her anger and hurt and just go over there as planned, do
this tutoring, and then be gone, Mary hoped shit didn’t hit the fan because of
it.

Chapter
Eleven

Someone had to be slamming a sledgehammer down on
his skull, because no way in hell could it hurt this fucking bad unless that
was the case. Alex cracked an eye open and immediately slammed it shut when the
piercing, bright light that came through his window assaulted him. He took
inventory of where he was, and what the fuck had happened.

His head fucking hurt, that was for damn sure, but
nothing else seemed particularly painful. Trying for the whole eye-opening
thing again, he shielded himself from the horrendous glare. Okay, so he was in
the spare room in his house since all he could see was the nasty old floral
wallpaper. This was the room he always took the girls he screwed, if he brought
them back to his place at all. But how in the hell did he get back here? All he
remembered was being a royal prick to Mary, finding Vince, and the two of them
throwing back the shots like they were water.

“Fuck.” He was on his stomach, so he pushed up on
his forearms and hung his head for a moment, willing the damn room to stop
spinning. He was also butt fucking naked, which wasn’t his thing when he went
to bed. Shit, how in the hell did he get naked? A low moan had everything in
him stilling. Looking to his left, he first saw an ass covered by a thin sheet,
and followed that up to the nude back with a pair of angel wings tattooed
between the shoulder blades. He continued lifting his eyes until he finally
stopped at the mop of wild red hair spread across the pillow.

It took him a moment, but then everything came
rushing back like a bad fucking nightmare. He’d gotten totally shitfaced with
Vince, that redhead he had been dancing with before he saw Mary found him
again, and then he had taken her home and fucked her. Shit, he knew they had
sex, but he didn’t remember it. Dread and horror settled in him because he
couldn’t recall if he had put a condom on.

Oh
hell no
.
He shot up in bed which only added to the massive pounding in his skull.
Looking at his cock he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the condom still
on. With a curl of his lip he pulled the fucking thing off, tossed it in the
trash by the nightstand, and looked over his shoulder.

“Hey.” There was a moment when he didn’t think she
heard, but finally she moaned and rolled onto her back. Her tits swayed from
her movements, and he turned away, feeling disgusted with himself. “You need to
leave.” He felt fucking dirty, and needed a hot as hell shower. Scrubbing his
hand over his cheek he felt stubble cover his skin. His mouth tasted sour, and
he tried to remember if he threw up. He had certainly drunk enough that it was
possible.

When the chick beside him didn’t move he said again,
“Hey, you need to leave. I have shit to do.” She looked up at him from her rat’s
nest head full of hair and narrowed her eyes.

“You asshole.
Are
you seriously kicking me out right now? I just got up.”

Not his problem. Cracking his back and feeling his muscles
protest at the movement, he searched around for his clothes. His boxer briefs
and jeans were in a heap on the floor at the end of the bed, and he picked them
up and quickly put them on. When he was half-dressed he turned around and
looked at her. She was spread across the bed, the sheet completely gone, and
her legs spread.