Deaf (Senses Series Book 2) Read online

  Deaf

  Senses Series, Book 2

  Xavier Neal

  DEAF

  Copyright© 2014 by Xavier Neal

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Dedication

  To The Universe, Thank You for blessing me with talents in the seen and the unseen.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 1

  Logan

  Have you ever woken up and decided that it was time to make a couple changes in your life? Well, if you haven’t caught on yet, that’s the story of my entire existence. Change is what I do. I change eating habits. Workout routines. Fight Night competitors. Girls in my bed. Change is a good thing. Change means I’m safe. As a kid, when the old man would change jobs, that first week at his new one, meant that beatings would be at their lowest. I’ve told you my old man was a sonofabitch right?

  Taking the stairs two at a time, I see Erin exactly where I knew she would be. At the kitchen table behind one of her school books. The expression on her face half interested, half bored.

  Who knew that in order to be able to shove eyeshadow sticks in people’s eyes and spray funky ass smelling crap in the air you’d have to have a license or some shit.

  “Hey Erin,” I cheerfully call to her shoving my hands in jeans.

  Suspiciously, she looks up at me and her brown eyes narrow. “What do you want Kellar?”

  “What makes you think I want something?”

  “Because you only say my name like that when you do.”

  True.

  “So what is it?”

  “You busy?”

  She glances down at the textbook in front her. “No. Just filing my taxes.”

  Smartass. Now you see where Maxx gets it.

  “Take me shopping?”

  My question causes her to shut her book. “For what? You religiously believe in wearing jeans and plain t-shirts like some permanently hungover college frat boy.”

  I look down at my dark jeans and white t-shirt. “Fuck you, it’s comfortable.”

  You’ve seen me in my jeans and t-shirts. I look like a fucking model. Jeans frame my lower half, my t-shirts show off my toned abs and tatted arms perfectly. Not too tight so people don’t think I’m gay, but not so loose that people think I’m lazy as shit.

  “And stale.”

  “Classic.”

  Erin crosses her long legs, her jean shorts inching up higher. “No. Your choice in cologne is classic. At least there’s variety there.”

  “Are you done?” I ask. Once she grins I sigh. “I need new sheets and shit.”

  “Tired of yours being covered in jizz?”

  “Actually, yeah.”

  Please hold your opinions about the condition of my bedding to yourself.

  Puzzled, she prepares to say something else, but stops. Leaning back she merely mutters, “Hm.”

  I prepare myself for the twenty questions I know she wants to ask. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  Nothing my ass. You can clearly see she wants to ask me something regarding this.

  “Erin…”

  “Do you want me to grab my keys or not?”

  I shut my lips tightly and motion for her to go ahead. My eyes follow Erin as she stands, adjusts her off the shoulder crop top, and strolls around the counter to grab her purse along with her keys.

  You know, I get why guys drool over her. She’s fucking hot. Sun kissed skin that she keeps tanned, dark brown hair she keeps down to her ass, her body thin and in great shape since she hits the gym like a Victoria’s Secret model. Come to think of it, that’s exactly what she looks like. Do I have the hots for her? Are you fucking kidding? There is only one girl in this household that causes my cock to stir and it’s the one who wore a Legend of Zelda t-shirt yesterday while we watched en entire season of Family Guy. Before you go down that path and ask if I’ve ever been into Erin like that, I’ll go ahead and stop you. The answer is no. Yeah she looks good, but it would be like dating my own reflection. And while occasionally I like me, I fucking hate myself most of the time.

  Once we’re in Erin’s car headed towards wherever it is she does her magical shopping thing, my body finally settles into the relaxation zone. It feels like I haven’t breathed in days. Ever since Maxx and I made up with that text message, I’ve been walking on eggs shells.

  Suddenly, I’m some sort of a pansy who’s afraid to say or do the wrong thing. Yeah. What the fuck is happening to me? I blame you for this.

  I shift against the black leather seat of Erin’s Audi as she turns down the radio, a clear indication that this little adventure is going to be filled with questions. Obviously.

  You have them too, don’t you?

  “So what exactly is it you are looking for? I’m trying to make a map in my mind of the best route to shop in the mall.”

  I turn my attention in her direction. “You need a route?”

  She glares at me. “You wanna do this alone?”

  “So what? You want an itemized list? Should it be color coated and in alphabetical order too?”

  “You only get this snarky when you haven’t had your penis touched in awhile.”

  Her comeback closes my mouth.

  Fuck her for being right. And you. You didn’t need to know that.

  “Well lookie there,” she hums proudly tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Looks like I hit the nail on the head.”

  “If you’re trying to offer me head, Erin, just be up front about it. And I don’t mind a little bit of nails or teeth.”

  “Ugh,” she belts out in disgust.

  That round goes to me.

  “Anyway,” I start, desperate to change the subject before I have to explain my lack of sex.

  Fine. I’ll admit it. I haven’t slept with anyone since the first time Maxx touched my dick. Happy now?

  “I need some sheets. A comforter. Couple of blankets. Some new pillows. Maybe some towels and a couple of candles or something for smell.”

  “Basically, a complete room makeover?”

  “And bathroom.”

  “And bathroom?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Were you up late watching the DIY channel? You’re not gonna try and re-stain furniture again are you? Did you not learn from your dresser incident?”

  I did learn. I learned that I am good with my hands in the ring and in bed. I’m not really the home improvement type. Hey, at least I can admit that. No. I don’t think it makes me any less manly. Want me to prove it?

  With a short smile I shake my head. “That is not a lesson I could forget. Those were my favorite pair of shorts.”

  “Who does home improvement projects in their favorite shorts?”

  “Someone who clea
rly shouldn’t be doing those kinds of projects.”

  Erin giggles and asks, “So what brought on the change then?”

  Fuck me, we all know the answer to that. Come on. It’s so fucking obvious you’d have to be blind not to see it. What she doesn’t know is just how bad things have gotten for me. You know, at first, I figured these feelings for Maxx would pass. You know the way you feel about a stomachache or bad gas? It’s okay. I’m a guy, you can talk to me about these things. But the feelings never faded. They only changed. I am in it deeper than I was before. Doing things I’ve never even thought about before. I’m shopping for Christ sake! Willingly! My cock hasn’t met pussy in weeks! Weeks. Once upon a time if I went longer than twenty-four hours without getting my dick stroked I would find a way to make it happen and double up on partners to compensate. Yes. There really are that many chicks willing to have threesomes. You really just have to know the right way to ask. But back to the topic. There’s something about knowing that Maxx wants to be underneath me as much as I want her there that twists something inside of me. It’s a hard, excruciating twist. It feels like something inside me is on the verge of breaking.

  Isn’t there a phrase that says old habits die hard or some shit? That’s what’s fucking happening to me. Those habits are trying to die for Maxx. Because she deserves better. I’m gonna give her better. Fuck. Listen to me. Just a couple months ago I would’ve never even considered anything more than a one night stand and now look at me. Holy shit…am I becoming pussy whipped?

  Not ready to admit what a pussy whipped bitch I am being right now I shrug. “Just time I guess.”

  “Just time you guess?”

  “Do you enjoy repeating everything I say with an added question mark?”

  Her lip twists and I know to brace myself since that’s her attack mode face. “How are things between you and Maxx?”

  “How are things between you and C.J.?” I counter.

  “How hot does she look without her top on?”

  “How hard was he when he saw you topless?”

  “And what does Maxx sound like when she comes?”

  “And what’s C.J.’s dick size again?”

  The car gets quiet between us but, surprisingly enough, not tense.

  This is how we operate. Doesn’t make sense to most people. Hell, doesn’t make sense to you does it?

  Turning my body slightly towards her I say, “Tell me, what exactly is it about him that’s got you all knotted up, Erin? You act like the guy is just the scum of the earth, and he adores you.”

  “I do not—” She cuts herself off as she pulls up to a stoplight. “Did you say he adores me? How do you know that? Do you two talk about me? Since when are you friends?”

  “I’m friends with everyone who works at the bar.”

  “Except Tony.” The response causes me to glare and her to smirk. “Right? You don’t like Tony.”

  Just his name makes me want to break her windshield.

  “I don’t like the way he looks at Maxx.”

  “You mean like the way you look at her?”

  “Like the way C.J. looks at you?”

  And we’re back to where we always are.

  Believe it or not, this is the strange way we communicate. We always have. Remember I told you dating Erin would be like dating my reflection? Do you get it now? We have the most in common when it comes to relationships much like Luke and Maxx do. They crave stability while we crave satisfaction. Neither of us handle discussing our feelings very well. Clearly. At the same time though, we understand each other.

  While gently pushing the accelerator, Erin asks, “Why do we do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “This.”

  “Talk to each other? I assume it’s because other people get tired of our attitudes.”

  “Push people away, Jackass.”

  I don’t answer.

  That’s the only place people are safe from me. Away. Fuck. What am I even thinking about trying to get close to Maxx like this? You need to take the hint too. Being close to me never ends well. For anyone.

  “Why do we push away people who just wanna get close to us? Just to prevent ourselves from ever truly making a deeper connection outside of our family? That’s not healthy.”

  I turn to face the window as if I’m not listening. Like I can ignore her.

  Maybe she’ll stop talking. Maybe she’ll stop pushing. Maybe she’ll stop—

  “Don’t ignore me,” she demands loudly.

  It was worth a shot.

  “Why Logan? Why do you push people away?”

  “Why do you?” my voice snaps along with my head. Erin doesn’t answer. She merely grips the wheel tighter. “Why does it matter why we do it?”

  “Because maybe if we can figure out why we can figure out how the hell to get through it!” Erin pulls into a parking space. “We can’t go on like this forever, can we? Anytime we get to close to someone who cares for us, or threatens to love us, we run.”

  We don’t run. We fucking sprint.

  “I don’t know about you Kellar, but I’m really tired of fucking running…” Her head hits the back of the seat as she looks out the window in an attempt to collect her thoughts.

  Fine. Yeah. Sometimes I’m tired of running. But I’ve spent my entire life running. It’s how I stay safe. It’s how I protect the things I love. It’s how I keep the things I love alive.

  Chapter 2

  Maxx

  I nibble on the soft pretzel Tony brought me for lunch. The salty taste lingers on my tongue while I continue to listen to his ideas for the ‘Ho-Down Sho-Down’ coming in a few days. He’s been showing me western themed templates for the last forty-five minutes and, had he not brought this pretzel, I might have considered duct taping his mouth shut. While I’m glad that he’s passionate about his job, I don’t necessarily feel the need to know every small detail.

  Honestly, it just interrupts the reveries I keep losing myself in. Yes, of course they’re about Logan! And yes, I replay him pushing me against the wall while his fingers search for the thong I wasn’t wearing, but my imagination has also taken on a life of its own. Me on my knees with him open for me to take on the couch. Me on the stairs spread eagle for him to taste. Wow. Admitting that to you has made me realize that maybe I’ve been daydreaming about Logan a little too much today. After our little text message convo almost a week ago, things settled back down to normal. Or what is considered normal for us. Laughs. Cuddling. Napping together. But no other sexual anything. Can you believe that? We are back to square one. After the embarrassment of the car episode, we’re back to square fucking one. Ugh. Now can you blame my imagination for running wild?

  “Are you even listening?” Tony asks, leaning forward and sliding a pencil behind his ear.

  “Mmhm.” I lick the salt off my fingers.

  Don’t rat me out.

  Before he has the chance to prove that that’s a blatant lie, Erin opens the office door. “You ready?”

  “Yes!” I hop down thankful to get away from the wonderful world of computers.

  Tony swivels around in his chair. “Where are you two headed?”

  “Costume shopping,” Erin answers quickly, shoving her phone into the butt pocket of her jeans. “Maxx and C.J. need their costumes.”

  “You already have yours?” I question Tony who is now leaning back in the chair, his arms folded above his head, looking like a nerd’s fantasy.

  Is it wrong I wanna climb in his lap and pounce his lips? Yeah. You’re right. I know better. But can we just let this one pass? I haven’t gotten any action in over a week and it’s starting to take its toll on me. I thought life before knowing Logan’s touch was rough, but life after is like some sort of new age torture. I feel like a damn prisoner of a sex war. I’ll ta
lk! I swear I’ll tell you everything you wanna know if I can just feel Logan’s lips on mine again. Or his fingers on my nipples. God, I can’t keep getting this fucking horny.

  “It’s a cowboy theme. You really think I could live in Texas and not own a few cowboy things?” A small smile crawls onto his face. I wanna crawl on his face. Bad Maxx! Bad!

  “Way to play into the stereotype,” I fuss at him, swinging my computer bag over my shoulder.

  “Oh like your boy Unbreakable doesn’t?” The jab makes Erin snicker.

  Remind me to chew her out later.

  “Own cowboy clothes or play into stereotypes?”

  “You tell me…”

  Before I can snap out a response, Erin grabs my hand. “Come on Sally Sue, we’ve gotta get started. Something tells me this process is gonna be longer than any of the others.”

  “Have fun girls.” Tony’s voice fades behind me as Erin pulls me out the front of the bar.

  Is it just me or did Tony seem a little annoyed about the subject of Logan? Was that jealousy? I mean I figured he was a little jealous, but that sounded well…almost too harsh. Were those words meant to be harsh towards me or towards Logan? Damn it! Why did Erin have to drag me away so soon?

  ***

  In the car I listen to Erin talk about her classes that are wrapping up, how she will be graduating as one of the top five students, and how her final exam is giving her a bit of anxiety.

  Even I knew that. Here’s the thing with her. When she gets stressed out, she cooks. Not just cooks like ‘Hey here’s a hot meal for dinner’ but cooks like ‘Hey our house is now a full menu Mexican restaurant.’ She has a weakness for Mexican food. Her mom and dad met at a Mexican restaurant, so her mother cooked it quite often and passed the habit down to her. Good thing we all like Mexican food.

  The conversation regarding her classes fades once we’re in the store looking at clothes that I would never wear outside of the ring.