The Object of His Desire Read online

  “That was so delicious,” I exclaim. Peyton giggles as she finishes her own food. She grabs our empty plates and heads toward the dishwasher.

  “I agree. It’s my absolute favorite. I can’t wait to take my shower so I can get some while it’s hot,” Giselle says. “So Neveah. Have you had a chance to get settled?”

  “No, I . . . ,” my sentence dies on my lips. I feel his presence before I actually see him. A fucking sex god walks in, clad only in sweatpants hanging low on his hips. His fuck me lines taunt me and I force myself to look away. I’m ogling my new roommate’s boyfriend. Shit, he’s my roommate too. I swallow the lump in my throat as I silently chastise my girly bits to settle down.

  “God, you took long enough babe. Come meet our new roommie.”

  This Adonis steps into the brightly-lit kitchen and the wind is knocked from my sails. I can’t breathe. I put my hand across my chest as I swallow the sip of wine I’d just taken. Recognition reflects in his hazel eyes and the smile he entered with fades. Fuck my life. How could this be happening? I’m literally speechless as my world tilts on its axis. I thought Peyton said his name was Thor. Landon watches me shift uncomfortably in my chair—gathering his own composure.

  “Nice to meet you—Nevaeh is it?” He asks feigning unfamiliarity.

  “Yes. And you must be Thor?” I reply to go along with his charade. He extends his hand out and I shake it. His grip is firm and ignites a fire low in my belly. This is not good. Old feelings that were once buried threaten to peek through the surface. He pulls his hand back before running it through his still damp hair. I follow the motion and I catch myself staring. His hair is tapered close on the sides and slightly longer on top. This is not the boy I was in love with in high school. No, I crushed that boy’s heart. The man before is the epitome of all male. His chiseled facial features are lightly bearded with an absence of a mustache, giving his beautiful face an edge. From his broad shoulders, rock hard chest, and etched to perfection abs, he is so fucking gorgeous. Time has truly been good to him. Lean muscles have been replaced with slightly more bulk and he exudes virility.

  “Yes. The name is Landon Blake, but everybody calls me Thor. And I see that you’ve already met my girlfriend Giselle,” he says pulling her into his arms. I sense this is for my benefit. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a twinge of jealousy.

  I have no right to feel this way. I threw him away. I wrecked myself in the process. There hasn’t been anyone since him. Not as a boyfriend anyway. I’ve been suppressing my love for him for the last two years. Nobody else could quite measure up. With my attention solely on taking care of my mom and our bills during the final stages of her cancer, I didn’t have time for a relationship anyway.

  “Yes,” I say simply.

  “Babe. I’m all sweaty,” Giselle says while squirming away.

  “I love your sweat,” he replies while pulling her back into his embrace. He tilts her head up to him and kisses her right in front of me. I have to look away. I grab my glass of wine and head toward my room.

  “Nice to meet you both,” I say not looking back. “Peyton, I’m going to use this time to unpack.”

  “Okay,” she agrees. What did I just walk into? So, it’s evident he’s moved on. I never expected to see him again. I don’t know how to begin to process this. I just need to keep telling myself he’s my past as I am his. He doesn’t want the others to know about our past connection and neither do I. I won’t be able to avoid him so I need to resolve these residual feelings and move on as planned with this new chapter of my life. Who knew he would be a part of it?

  I’m moving about the room, unpacking my suitcases when I hear a soft knock on my door. Peyton walks in and plops on my bed. “I’m so glad you’re finally here. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Same here. Not to mention I can’t wait to finally go to a real beach. I want to see this clear water you always brag about,” I laugh. Galveston was the closest beach to us in Houston and that water was disgusting looking.

  “I knew that would be high up on your to-do list. That is why we’re all going to Panama City beach in the morning. It’s about two hours from here so get some sleep.” She jumps off the bed and gives me a hug. “Night Nevaeh.”

  “Night Peyton.” She leaves and I’m once again left alone with my thoughts. How does Landon feel about me being here? His coolness toward me was unsettling, but our last encounter was nothing short of fucked up. I told him that I was breaking up with him because I was seeing someone else. I told him that I had given my virginity to this person after he had been so understanding and willing to wait. That confession brought him to his knees, but my insistence that I didn’t love him, completely broke him. It was all lies. Every single bit of it, but I had no choice. I couldn’t tell him the truth and I knew he would never leave me other wise. I was every bit of his first love as he was mine. When my mother announced later that we were moving to Houston to be closer to MD Anderson Cancer Center, it left me with ambivalent feelings. This was the escape I needed to avoid the hell I had just brought down on my relationship with Landon, but it also meant that I would never see him again. Or so I thought. After two years, does he still hate me? I undress and slide into bed. I’ll find out soon enough.

  I WAKE UP BEFORE my alarm goes off on my phone. The digital numbers read that it is 7:00am, but it would be my normal wake up time of 6:00am back home. I throw back the covers, anxious for what a day with Landon will bring. I pull open the top drawer where I put the few swimsuits I own last night. The black one piece and red bikini is definitely out. They’ve both seen better days. That leaves the white fringe bikini top with the Brazilian bottoms. I’ve never worn it. It was a gift from Peyton the last time she came to visit so I know she’ll be happy to see I’m wearing it. I grab a pair of cut off jean shorts and a tank and head toward the bathroom down the hall. After my shower, I wipe the steam from the mirror and try to decide what to do with my hair. It’s black, thick and wavy, and reaches just past my breasts. The raven color makes my silvery gray eyes pop. Many have told me that my eyes are my best feature. Yeah, right after starring at my breasts. I embrace my curves most of the time. I would love a nice fit body like Giselle, but I like pasta too much. Perhaps that’s why Peyton is just as curvy—just a little taller. We love our pasta. I pull my hair in a messy bun and call it a day. Nobody to impress anyway.

  The smell of coffee brewing has me heading toward the kitchen. I round the corner and stop dead in my tracks. Landon is leaning against the counter, shirtless again.

  I force myself to look him in the eyes to avoid being overwhelmed by his rock hard pecs and lickable abs. “Morning Landon,” I say barely above a whisper.

  His eyes bore into mine. All traces of politeness and facade are gone. “It’s Thor sweetheart. No one calls me that.” He stalks closer and my breath hitches.

  “What’s up with the nickname? Why do people call you that?” He is mere inches from me now, but I won’t look away.

  “Because, I’m a fucking beast that’s why. Are you not familiar with the super hero from the Marvel comics? I’m the star quarterback for FSU. When I get the football in my hand, I wield it like Thor does with his hammer. The guys all want to be me and the girls all want to fuck me, but you’ll see that for yourself once the semester starts,” he smirks.

  “Cocky much?” Who is this douche? Landon was never this arrogant.

  “Never cocky, just confident.”

  I roll my eyes. “Well, I’m not calling you that. Landon,” I emphasize.

  He grabs me by both arms and pins me against the wall. “You don’t get to call me Landon. It’s too personal. You lost that right when you fucked me over, so don’t come in here thinking you’re special because we have a past.” His eyes are hard and glacial. His words hurt, but I refuse to let him see how much. “You’re my fucking roommate and that is the extent of our relationship. We’re not friends. If you breathe a word about our past, you’ll be out on your ass. Capisce?” His
cologne is intoxicating. I want to kiss him and throat punch him all at once. I yank my hands out of his grip instead and he lets me.

  “Don’t be so freaking full of yourself Thor.” It kills me to call him that. “I don’t want anyone to know about our past either. I’m sure Giselle would be disappointed to learn she got this version of you instead of the person I once knew.” I storm away but not before hearing him yell that version of him was a dumb ass for ever falling for the likes of me. That jab stung. He is maliciously trying to hurt me, but I refuse to let him. If things remain like this between us, I may have to look for another place to stay. I won’t let him get in the way of my degree plan, but I don’t have to take his shit either. I was so close to telling him the truth—well some of it. But screw him. Let him believe the lie. He hates me and I can’t say I truly blame him. I really wanted that cup of coffee, but I don’t want shit he’s brewed. I’m not going back out there without a buffer. I lie across my bed and wait for Peyton to come and get me.

  An hour later, Peyton and Giselle are calling me to join them for breakfast. Landon is nowhere in sight. Yes, in my private thoughts, he is still Landon. I hate the name Thor. The name even sounds cocky. I take a seat at the small dinette table where a plate of food and coffee is waiting for me. I flip the omelet over with my fork—looking for the meat.

  “It’s an egg white omelet with spinach,” Giselle giggles. “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Oh, I can get it,” I reply. “Thank you.” I pour milk into my coffee from the carafe and add two sugars.

  “Giselle always cooks healthy stuff when it’s her turn to cook,” Peyton warns. “When I cook, I always try to make a healthier alternative just for her.”

  “Well if we all ate healthy, then we wouldn’t have to make extra food,” Giselle replies. We eat breakfast in silence. When we’re done, Peyton loads the dishwasher while I put all the ingredients away.

  “I’m going to check on Thor. He was trying to get out of going to the beach with us to hang out with his football friends, but I wasn’t having it. Today is our day with our new roommate,” Giselle announces. She goes to get up, but Landon walks in. It’s weird that she calls him Thor, but whatever.

  “Gavin and Michael will be joining us. They’re on their way now. They’re going to ride in the Escalade with us,” he announces.

  “Well they need to hurry. And I’m not driving, but I call shotgun,” Giselle says while pouting. Landon walks over to her and smacks her on the ass.

  “Don’t you always baby, when I’m driving?” He leans down slightly and gives her a small peck on the cheek and a grin creeps across her face.

  “Let’s head to the truck sweet talker.” She grabs him by the hand and I follow them out the door. Their interactions are making me nauseous. I know Landon is not going to take it easy on me with the constant displays of affection. Gah. He doesn’t even like PDA. He is purposefully trying to torture me. This is going to be a long day.

  Gavin and Michael arrive and I’m pleasantly surprised to see that they’re eye candy too. Not nearly as yummy as Landon, but at least I’ll have a distraction from his PDA with Giselle. The day is looking up. Both men sport dirty blond hair and sun kissed tans. Gavin has green eyes, while Michael’s are blue. Both are alluring. I can tell from their board shorts and fitted t-shirts that they have nice physiques. I’m careful not to stare as the men load the truck. After quick introductions, I climb into the third row with Peyton so I can be as far from Landon as possible. This truck is really nice. I like that we all get captain seats. I sink down into the leather and watch the scenery as we drive for what seems like forever.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” Peyton observes.

  “Just getting a feel for everyone,” I lie. “Whose truck is this? I know it had to cost a pretty penny.” I know it doesn’t belong to Peyton since she picked me up from the airport yesterday in her used Honda Accord. Her family doesn’t have money to buy her a truck like this. They don’t even own a ride this nice.

  “Oh, it’s Giselle’s.” She looks up front before lowering her voice. “Her family is actually loaded. She could have had an apartment by herself, but she didn’t want to live alone. She pays a large chunk of the rent so that’s why she gets the master bedroom,” she reminds me.

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Don’t worry. She is not one of those stuck up bi-otches. She is as sweet as they come—real down to earth too.”

  “I believe you. I got good vibes from her when we met.” I look up front once more and I see that she is joking around with Landon. I’ll have to try to be happier for them. I’m reaping what I’ve sown as the saying goes. I knew I still harbored feelings for Landon, but I didn’t know things would feel this way. I never expected to see him again. He is a walking reminder of my past and my actions that forced us apart. I don’t want to remember that dark time in my life. I want to stand in the light. That girl is gone forever. I deserve to be happy damn it, so I will make it my mission to be. Landon is just a small hiccup. I need to be open to change. The truck stops and I’m pulled from my internal monologue. The view is amazing. I can’t get out of the truck fast enough. I pull off my flip-flops and let my toes sink into the cool white sand. The turquoise water and the salty smell of the ocean mesmerize me. This is so on the opposite end of the spectrum from Galveston’s beach. The sounds of Peyton and Giselle snickering behind me break my trance

  “Breathtaking, right?” Giselle grabs my arm and pulls me with her closer to the water. “The guys will get our stuff.”

  “I love this beach,” I reply. I let my head tilt back and bask in the warmth of the sun as the water runs over my feet.

  “Come on. Let’s take a dip while the men set up a spot for us,” Peyton suggests as she catches up to us. She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I’m already pulling off the tank and shorts that are over my bikini. I throw the clothes onto the sand and run further into the water. Peyton and Giselle are only seconds behind me. We splash and play around for at least twenty minutes before heading to find the guys. I try to stretch the now wet material of my bikini bottoms to cover more of my ass, but it’s no use.

  “Stop fussing with your suit Nevaeh. It’s Brazilian cut. It’s supposed to show off that amazing ass of yours babe. Remember I bought it. That wasn’t an accident,” Peyton says while pushing my hand away.

  “You do have an amazing ass,” Giselle agrees. “I would trade you in a heartbeat.”

  “Whatever. I’ll trade you my ass for your fit physique.” I roll my eyes at the obscurity of our conversation. It’s probably true that women are never happy with the body they have.

  “Deal,” she quips. We laugh at our own craziness and head towards the guys who are in deep conversation. They have six umbrella chairs set up for us with a cooler full of drinks and snacks. Landon and I make brief eye contact before he looks away. I see that my stuff is put in the chair farthest from him and Giselle and that’s fine by me.

  “Let me put some sun block on you baby. You know you burn easily.” Landon pulls Giselle in between his legs and begins to apply the lotion to her back. I grab some out of my bag and begin applying some to my legs.

  “You need some help?” I look up into a pair of green eyes and the cutest dimples ever. Gavin is so much cuter when he smiles. I answer his question by handing him my sun block and turning so that my back is facing him. His touch is firm yet his hands glide over my skin like silk. I roll my neck to the side to give him better access. I let myself sneak a peek over at Landon and his face is hard as stone. Hmmm. So it seems someone is just a little jealous. It’s nice to know that I’m not experiencing this bout of jealousy by myself. I look over and see that Michael is applying Peyton’s sunblock. Interesting how we’ve seemed to pair up.

  “Come on Gav and Mike, let’s throw the football around,” Landon suggests—successfully halting my sunblock massage.

  “Sure,” Gavin agrees while winking at me. I blush crimson at the attention and he chuckles.
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  “What is up with you and Gavin?” Giselle teases after the guys are out of hearing range. She joins Peyton and I on our end. She digs into the cooler and pulls out a beer. “I don’t usually drink this crap, but what the hell? You ladies want one?”

  “Sure,” I say taking the Corona from her. “And nothing is up with me and Gavin. He just applied my sunblock. Why aren’t you asking Peyton the same question? Michael applied sunblock to her back too”

  “Because we weren’t making goggly eyes at each other,” Peyton points out.

  “We were not, you shit starter,” I say pushing her in mock frustration.

  “Whatever,” she says as she digs around the ice for a beer.

  “You should totally let him hit that,” Giselle grins. “He could be your ‘welcome to Florida’ piece.”

  Peyton damn near chokes on her beer.

  “I’ll keep that in mind Giselle,” I say rolling my eyes.

  “What? Gavin is hot . . . just saying,” she defends. We spend what seems like hours talking about our favorite movies, celebrity gossip, the sorority they belong to, and what to expect once classes start. When the men finally rejoin us, Gavin has the bright idea of us playing “Truth or Dare.” As the sun begins to set, Mike and Landon build us a small bonfire in the sand. They overhear Gavin’s suggestion and agree to play. We gather around the fire in preparation for the game and as luck would have it, I’m first. I choose truth until I see what kind of antics these people dish out. Gavin can’t wait to jump on this opportunity.

  “What is your favorite sex position?” he asks. I flush crimson for the second time today. So there will be no easy questions I’m guessing. I don’t want to answer that so I have to take a shot of tequila that the guys pulled out for this game.