Tell Me When (It's Kind Of Personal Book 4)

  TELL ME WHEN

  ANNA BROOKS

  Tell Me When

  Copyright © 2016 Anna Brooks

  Published by Anna Brooks

  Cover design by Cover to Cover Designs

  Editing by Editing4Indies

  Formatting by Champagne Formats

  Proofreading by Vivid Words Editing

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Other Books by Anna Brooks

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Bonus Scene

  Excerpt from Remember Me Now

  Acknowledgements

  Author Bio

  Other Books by Anna Brooks

  Other Books by Anna Brooks

  It’s Kind of Personal Series

  Make Me Forget, Book 1

  Show Me How, Book 2

  Prove Me Right, Book 3

  Not Your Hero

  Dedication

  To my sister.

  Because even though age and thousands of miles separate us,

  you still get me and I can always count on you to be there for me.

  And I forgive you for pouring hot sauce down my throat when I was sleeping all those years ago.

  Chapter 1

  Three years earlier.

  Pierce

  “I’m out, you guys.” I toss back one last shot and throw some money on the table.

  “Dude. It’s only …” Nik sets his glass down and glances at his watch. “Two-thirty. Don’t be a pussy.”

  He’s trying to get me riled up, but he won’t change my mind. “Sorry, man. Have fun.” Ignoring the ribbing from the guys, I head out of the bar in search of my room, or at least some peace and quiet. I step on the elevator and a drunk couple follows in after me. As the guy crowds his girl into the corner, I turn my back to them and pretend not to hear them sucking face. Not only is it nasty, but he’s also totally treating her like shit. I’d never do that to a girl of mine—make out with her in an elevator where a complete stranger is there to see. Thankfully, they get off on the fifth floor, and I only have two more to go until mine. When I get to my room, I take off my button-down shirt and untuck the white t-shirt I’m wearing underneath.

  My mouth is dry and gross, so I brush my teeth and then splash some water on my face, hoping to refresh myself. This trip was supposed to be an epic vacation. The guys and I wanted to just have a weekend to party and then go home. They’re having fun, at least. My brother’s best friend, Nik, and my friend Zack have noticed I’ve been in a funk. I ignore the question when they ask what’s wrong because I don’t even know. Nothing has really happened … and maybe that’s what’s bothering me. I’m just bored. Sick of dating. Tired of starting and ending every day alone. I just want to settle down and move forward with my life.

  Last week, I went out on a third date with a woman named Carly. I actually thought things were going well, but when I walked her to her door and she dropped to her knees, trying to unzip my jeans in the middle of her front porch, I lost it. It took much more willpower than I anticipated to walk away without saying something I’d regret. There wasn’t enough between us at that point, and I wasn’t about to have her mouth wrapped around my cock without knowing she wasn’t with someone else. I’m not a saint, and I’m definitely not a virgin, but when I put a part of my body inside someone else, there’s gotta be more than superficial conversation involved. Needless to say, Carly and I are no longer.

  My experience with her goes a lot like what I’ve had in the past. I want to date someone, get to know them. Talk. Laugh. Kiss. Touch. I need to know that the person I’m giving myself to is willing to give herself to me in every way possible. Not just a quick fuck. The last chick I did that with won’t leave me alone no matter how many times I politely tell her it won’t be happening again.

  I see my friend Travis so happily married to my cousin, Charlotte, and it makes me want it so bad. I’m sick of having to put on this front like I’m happy being alone, and just because I’m a guy, I’m supposed to want to sleep with random women. Been there, done that. I’m over it.

  Our ridiculously expensive hotel room door squeaks when I open it, and the stale smoke smell lingers bad enough that we left the fan on in the bathroom. The stingy dark purple curtain covers the sliding glass door, so I shove it aside and open the door. Chilly Vegas air hits my face, and I rub my hands together to warm them. The city lights hide the stars, and I crane my neck to look higher, but a ladder catches my eye instead.

  I jump up, grab the last rung, and pull on it hard to test its strength. Satisfied it can handle my weight, I swing my feet around and climb up the ladder, then grab the next one. My biceps begin to burn when I reach the top and climb on the roof. I’m a little upset I didn’t have to go farther, the pain taking away from my irritation.

  I shouldn’t have taken that last shot, because my legs are a little wobbly, but I steady myself and rest my hands on my hips as I look around. The city lights shine below and a ton of people and vehicles mull around, but their sound is nothing more than a muted hum. Perfect. A single lounger chair sits unoccupied, so I plop down on it and cross my ankles.

  When I agreed to come on this trip, it was months ago. If I had known I’d be in a mood, I would never have agreed to come. But I’d already paid for the ticket and the hotel, so it’d be a waste of money if I didn’t put them to use. Plus, I thought maybe getting away from responsibility for a couple of nights would help, but it did the opposite. Now, I’m more agitated than when we first arrived. I’m glad that we only have one more night after tonight. As much as I wanted to get away, I just want to go home now.

  “You’re not supposed to be up here.”

  I sit up and look around to find the shy voice. A girl, partially hidden by shadows from the moon, slowly walks toward me.

  “Sorry. I was just trying to get away from all the noise.”

  “Why’d you come to Vegas if you wanted quiet?” She stops a few feet away, and I squint through the darkness to try and see her.

  “It sounded good at the time, I guess.”

  She takes a step closer and hesitates before coming into full view and finally leaning on the le
dge of the building. I squeeze my fingers into my legs to keep from getting up and doing something I’ll regret, like pulling her into my arms and never letting her go. This girl is beautiful. I can’t see her hair because it’s tucked under a beanie, but her lips look so soft and her face is flawless. Tanned skin and innocent eyes hide under a pair of sexy glasses and a multi-colored scarf wraps around her neck. Her toned legs peek out from the blanket she has wrapped around her shoulders that hangs to the ground.

  “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, is it? The bright lights fade really fast, and even though it’s so crowded, it can be very lonely.”

  “What’s your name?”

  Her lips tilt up, and she looks away from me, shaking her head. “Yeah, no.”

  Her no-nonsense attitude sparks a fire inside me, a challenge. Too many women are so fast to give me everything. Tell me their dirty secrets and filthy fantasies, hoping I’ll be the one to stick around and take care of them like they should be on a pedestal just for existing. Less than a minute in this girl’s presence and I can tell she’s different.

  “I’m Pierce.” I stand and take a step toward her. As if a force beyond what I’m even capable of is pulling me to be closer to her, like a magnetic charge.

  She raises her head when I get in front of her, but she leans back a little bit.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” I assure her.

  “I’m not scared of you.” A few pieces of hair blow out from under her hat, and I bite my nails into the pads of my hand to prevent myself from tucking the strands back in.

  “What are you doing up here?” I ask, hoping to talk to her longer.

  “Getting away. It’s about the only place I can ever be alone.” She turns her back to me and gazes down at the city below. “It’s where I come when I want to get away from everything. When I want to remind myself how insignificant I really am.”

  “Hey, don’t say that.”

  She continues looking below. “It’s the truth, though. I mean think about it. If you died today, right now, aside from your family and close friends being sad, nothing would change. Life would go on, people would eventually forget you …” She shrugs as if this is a natural thought, something she thinks about often. I’ll do whatever I can to prove to her that’s not true. She matters. She doesn’t know it yet, but she matters a hell of a lot to me. It’s irrational, but it’s true.

  I stand next to her and lean a hip against the three-foot wall that separates me from falling. “I don’t think that’s the case. My family would never be the same. I have a business, so the employee’s lives would be affected.”

  “Temporarily. Until you were replaced.” An unconvincing smile forms on her lips and she turns to face me. “Look, I’m not a martyr or anything. I’m just being honest. You asked. This world is big, and there are so many people on it that being reminded of how small you really are is humbling. It’s just something I need every once in a while. I guess to remind myself that my problems aren’t all that bad compared to what they could be.”

  “If you died today, right now, you’re telling me that you don’t think your family would be affected? That it wouldn’t leave a lifelong hole in their lives? That memories of you wouldn’t sneak up at the most inopportune times, causing sadness until the day they died?”

  “No,” she answers immediately. “But then again, my family isn’t a ‘normal’ family. We don’t sit down to dinner together, and we don’t go to the movies together. I go days without seeing either of my parents, so for me, no, I don’t think it would.”

  I study her, the conviction in her words, trying to figure out what she’s really saying, what more there is to it, but she begins to laugh.

  “Sorry. I sound like a weirdo.” She shakes her head. “Let’s change the subject. Where are you from?”

  “Oh, it’s like that, is it?”

  Her brows rise slightly over her frames. “Yes, because I don’t even know you and I’m talking about something that two people who don’t know each other really shouldn’t be talking about. So where are you from?”

  “Wisconsin.”

  “Oh, that’s …”

  “Not exciting, I know. But it’s home. The people are friendly, the beer is good, and it’s a great place to live.”

  “Isn’t it cold all the time?”

  “Pretty much. But the summers can be wicked hot, and it makes up for the negative temps in the winter. I like it, actually. I’d get sick of the same weather every day.”

  A large sigh passes through her lips, and she nods. “I can see that. I mean sunny and hot is so overrated.”

  It takes a second for me to realize she’s being sarcastic and it draws me even closer to her. “Pretty and funny, huh?”

  Even with the little light, I see her cheeks brighten the sexiest shade of pink.

  She pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “So tell me about this family that loves you so much.”

  “Well, my parents have been married forever. They own our family’s bar, Kelly’s Pub. My sister, Meara, is a couple of years younger than I am, and my brother, Declan, is about six years older.”

  “Are you close with them?”

  “Yeah. I am. I have a cousin who’s a couple of years younger than Meara, and she’s just like a little sister. My brother and I are both really protective over the girls, but Charlotte, she’s my cousin, is married to my friend Travis, so I don’t really worry about her anymore.”

  “That must be nice.” She smiles a genuine smile and tucks those loose strands of hair under her beanie.

  “Do you have any siblings?”

  “Nope. So what do you do?”

  Okay, family is a sore subject. “I own a gym.”

  “Like, lifting weights gym?”

  I chuckle a bit and shake my head. “Not really. I have some weight machines and a couple of rows of cardio equipment, but it’s an MMA gym.”

  “Oh God, you’re one of those guys.”

  “What guys?”

  “Ya know? One of those, ‘I am man.’” She lowers her voice and hits her chest like a gorilla. “Those guys. The cocky ones.”

  My arms cross in front of my chest, and I laugh at how false her statement is.

  “What? What’s funny?”

  “First, I’m not a professional MMA fighter. I’m trained in several forms, but the main thing I do is teach kids Tae Kwon Do. Fighters use the rings to spar and train, but my focus is not to train for fights. It’s to develop confidence and to teach kids self-defense.”

  Her mouth parts and she licks her lips before she swallows. “And second?”

  I lean in just a tad closer and her scent, vanilla — delicious — hits my nostrils. “Second, I’m confident that I’m the kind of guy you’d want in your corner.”

  Her fingers twirl the ends of her blanket and she crosses her legs at the ankles. “In my corner, huh?” She giggles nervously and I lower my voice. “Yeah, angel. Trust that.”

  Her laughter abruptly stops and her eyes search until they find mine. They dance over my face and she takes a deep breath. “So what do you do when it snows?”

  Another subject change. Interesting how she’s only interested in hearing me talk. Her body is turned fully toward me, and she nods her head, listening closely. I haven’t moved my lower body an inch since I’ve been leaning against this ledge, so when I push away a bit, I sway, the effects of the alcohol definitely still swirling around.

  “Whoa.” She reaches out and grabs my arms. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m good. Guess I shouldn’t have taken that last shot. I’m gonna sit, though.” This is the worst. I hate not being in control — hence why I rarely drink. And now, of all times, to be drunk … damn it. I take a few steps toward the lounger and plop down. My head spins, so I close my eyes and lean back.

  The heat from her body tells me she’s sitting next to my legs. “How did you get up here anyway? There’s only one entrance.”

  “I climbed up the fire e
scape.”

  “You what?”

  I peek an eye open to find her with her mouth agape. “What?”

  “You climbed up the fire escape?” she asks, genuinely surprised.”

  “Yeah.” I open my other eyelid and try to blink away some of the dizziness. “Why?”

  “Nothing. I’m just shocked.”

  Her body shakes as a breeze passes, and I hold out my arms. “Lie with me. I’ll keep you warm.”

  “Oh, I shouldn’t.” She looks back, and I follow her gaze to a door I didn’t notice before.

  “Someone looking for you?” I ask, suddenly angry at the fact that she could have a boyfriend. Because I want her. I want to be her boyfriend, her protector, her man. I want to be her everything. I’ve never believed in any of that love at first sight stuff because I’ve never experienced it. Until now. Until her. I don’t let myself question it; I just know I’m not walking away from her.

  Chapter 2

  Ruby

  “No. Nobody is looking for me.” Not that I know of, at least. My mom is in her room and who the hell knows where Dad is, but he never checks on me. Stanley is asleep, so I have a few more hours of peace. Just a little bit longer to be able to breathe.

  “Then come lie with me.”

  Pierce’s invitation is tempting, but I don’t know him, really. I wish I did. I wish this were another life where I could even fantasize about the idea of having a boyfriend. Unfortunately, it’s not, though. It’s this life … my shitty life, and I have to deal with it.

  My body and my heart are telling me to stay, but my brain is saying I should go. It’s not smart for me to be here. “I should go.”

  “Please, only for a little while. I just want to talk to you. You don’t have to sit by me if you don’t want to. Everyone in this place is so fake, and you just seem real. I like talking to you.”

  I bite my lip in contemplation and his eyes dart to it. God, those eyes, a light brown that matches his hair perfectly. His jawline is set hard and his fingertips are turning white as his hands tighten on the armrests. He’s not like any man I’ve met before. He’s kind and sweet. Listening to him talk about his family just shows how good he is.