Loves Me NOT: A Small Town, Second-Chance Romance (Slade Brothers Book 4)

by Alexis Winter

  Without another word, she turns and runs away, stopping at the bar to grab her purse, and then she’s out the door. Julie looks from me, to the door, and back before grabbing her things and heading out too. I want to chase after her, but I know I shouldn’t. She needs time. Time to deal. Time to process. Time to find the love I know she still holds for me. I felt it in her touch, our kiss. I saw it in her eyes. It’s only a matter of time.

  The important thing is, I planted that seed. It will grow inside her, tormenting her, pushing her to come to me, to take what I know she craves. I know, because that seed has been inside me since the first day I laid eyes on her. Even though we’ve been apart, it hasn’t stopped growing. And it never will.

  6

  Destiny

  Fate is most certainly a bitch. How dare she dangle him in front of me? Is this a test? See if Destiny repeats the same mistake or if she’s learned her lesson? Did I just pass or fail? Is this even something I can walk away from? I just did, but that doesn’t mean anything. This is only the beginning. If I know anything, it’s that Wyatt never gives up—not when he finds something he wants. And dammit, he still wants me. After all these years, he still wants me.

  I still want him, even though I know I shouldn’t. You’d think after all this time, my body wouldn’t be able to connect to him so easily. I sensed him before I even saw him. One touch from him was all it took to have my skin tingling and burning. One kiss had me second-guessing every decision I’ve made since I left this town. It would be so easy to let him take me back to his place and spend the night reliving our past, but that may cause more harm than good.

  Wyatt isn’t the same guy I walked away from long ago. He’s older and wiser. He’s been places and seen things. No way could he ever be fully happy with a small-town girl like me. Sure, he’d have fun living in the past for a while. But each time we’d see each other, he’d just be working me out of his system little by little. I walked away from him once; I don’t know if I’d be able to watch him walk away from me. It would wreck me. He’s someone I’ll never get over or move on from, but maybe that’s the point. I know what it’s like to love and lose. Maybe this—him—was simply meant to teach me what love is and isn’t. Maybe we were never meant to be together. But if that’s the case, then why can he still control my body the way he does? Why was it so hard to walk away and leave him on that dance floor?

  One simple answer: because we’re not done. Not yet. I thought we finished what we started long ago, but I was wrong. There’s still so much more between us. We moved away from each other, but I know I never made a real attempt to get over him. I tried running, pushing away his memory, ignoring my feelings. I dated other people, but never let things go too far. Why have I been holding myself back? Why have I been so afraid of love? Because deep down, I know I’ll never love anyone the way I loved him.

  Given how drunk we are, we pass by Julie’s car and walk the block and a half to her house, where I crash for the night. We don’t talk about Wyatt. I can’t. I need time to sort through my feelings. Julie seems to know that without having to be told. She doesn’t ask questions or push for answers. She just goes to her room and lets me fall asleep peacefully on the couch.

  “Looks like the rain is coming in,” Wyatt says, looking up at the dark sky as we sit in the middle of the crowded bleachers, watching the football game.

  I look up just in time to get a drop on the cheek. The raindrop chills my warm skin. Then the sky opens up and sheets of rain come pouring down. Everyone makes a break for it, grabbing their things and scurrying down the bleachers as quickly as possible. When they hit the ground, they take off running for their cars. The announcer declares that the game has been canceled, and the teams start to make their way off the field, into the locker room under the bleachers.

  Now that the panic is over, Wyatt takes my hand and helps me down the slippery bleachers. I start heading to my right to exit the stadium, toward the car, but he tugs on my hand, holding me back.

  I spin around to face him, now completely drenched. “What is it?”

  “Dance with me,” is his request.

  I laugh. “What? Are you crazy? We’re getting soaked. We’re going to catch a cold out here.”

  “This’ll be worth it.” He tugs me to the center of the football field and pulls me to his chest. His hands find my hips and mine wrap around his neck. His dark eyes find mine. I’ve never seen them look more clear. “I love you, Destiny.”

  The words are stuck in my throat. He’s never told me he loves me. Deep down, I’ve always known, because I love him too. I’ve just been too afraid to admit it—to say it.

  “I . . . I love you too,” I say around a giggle.

  He leans in, pressing his mouth to mine. His tongue darts out and tangles with my own. My heart starts hammering away in my chest and it feels as though my lungs have suddenly forgotten how to work. My entire body is tingling. A shiver runs up my spine—not from the cold rain, but from hearing his words, feeling his love.

  He pulls away, cupping my cheeks. “Come on. Let’s get you warmed up.” His hands fall away, but one of them latches onto mine as he leads me out of the stadium to his car. We climb inside and he starts it up, setting the heat on full blast. In the darkness, he looks over at me. I look at him. It’s like we’re both reading each other. A decision has been made. We meet in the middle, my mouth finding his, his hands finding me. He pushes away my jacket and my fingers thread into his mess of dark hair. I tug him closer, but he pulls me onto his lap. His hands travel my body, his lips leaving mine only to kiss their way down my neck. I feel like I could explode with the slightest touch.

  “Wyatt . . . I want to,” I whisper, afraid of my own words.

  He freezes as he mulls over the magic words that just slipped out. He removes his lips from my collarbone and his eyes find mine. They’re full of fear, excitement, love. “You want to?” he repeats.

  I nod my head once.

  “Now?” His brows lift.

  I shrug. Obviously, I don’t want my first time to be in his car. “Not right now. But I’m ready. I just . . . want it to be special.”

  He nods, his hand coming up to brush the wet hair away from my cheek. “Let’s get you home so you can get out of these wet clothes . . .”

  I wake with a jump. My eyes flutter open, straining against the bright morning sun. My head is pounding and my stomach feels like it’s doing flips. I force myself to sit up. Looking around me, I take in the place.

  “Morning,” Julie says, walking out of her room and flopping down on the couch next to me.

  I groan. “How much did we drink last night?” I ask, rubbing my head as I gently lay it back on the couch.

  She giggles. “Enough to power an army, I think. You want some coffee?”

  “Please,” I nearly beg.

  She goes to the kitchen and is only gone a few minutes before she’s walking back with a cup of coffee in each hand. I grab a cup and take a sip. It’s heaven: three sugars, one cream.

  “This is perfect,” I mumble, taking another sip, and then one more.

  She laughs and takes a drink. “So, what are your plans?”

  I shrug. “Probably go home, take a long, hot shower, then see what my mom needs help with today. I need to start looking for a job. I only have a couple grand in my account, and it won’t take long to burn through that. I don’t want to make things harder for them, you know?”

  She giggles. “I meant about Wyatt.”

  “Oh,” I say, taking a drink. “I don’t know,” I breathe out, shaking my head.

  “Want my advice?” she asks, quirking one of her brows.

  I don’t reply, so she carries on.

  “Hear him out. Give him the benefit of the doubt. See where things lead. It could be your epic romance, or it could be a hot fling. Either way, I don’t think you can lose.”

  When I make it home, Mama is all over me. “You could’ve at least called, young lady. I was worried sick all night.” />
  I plop down in the kitchen chair, knowing she isn’t done yet. “I’m sorry, Mama. I didn’t realize I needed to call. I’ve mean, I’ve lived on my own for years now.” I want to roll my eyes but refrain, remembering the last time I did that. She whopped me upside the head.

  “Don’t you get smart with me, young lady. I don’t mind you going out and catching up with some old friends, but I do expect you to call or text if you decide to not come home. I left the door unlocked all night.” She pours a cup of coffee and hands it to me.

  “I really am sorry, Mama.” I bring the cup to my lips and take a sip. “How’s Daddy doing today?”

  “Same as any day. He just went for his walk through the barn and is back in bed for his midmorning nap. Looks like you could use one as well.”

  I laugh. “I probably could, but I need to shower and look for a job.”

  “Nonsense,” she says, shooting me a disapproving look.

  “Mama, I need something. Even if it’s only part-time. I can’t expect you to pay for my car insurance, phone bill, gas, and food. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure I still have plenty of time to help out around here.” I stand up, press a kiss to the top of her head, and walk upstairs to my room.

  I strip out of my dress and climb into the shower. I wipe the makeup from my face, wash my hair, and shave my legs. All of this keeps me busy, but the moment I find that I have nothing left to do, Wyatt fills my head. I slide down the shower wall to the bottom of the tub. I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I rest my forehead on my knees, closing my eyes to relax. His face is all I can see—his wide smile, his flirty grin, and his dark eyes that are always smoldering with lust when he looks at me. I can see the wrinkles that form between his eyes when he’s focusing on something. I can see the way his jaw ticks when he gets annoyed or angry. A sigh escapes.

  I wish I knew what to do about him. I wish I could just pull an answer out of thin air, like a Magic 8-Ball. My heart would love to feel his love again, but my brain is still angry. How can I let go of the anger? How can I ever trust him again?

  I shake my head and stand up to dry off.

  After I shower and dress, I sit on the bed with my laptop, looking for any local jobs. I see an opening at the local grocery store and submit an application. I scroll a little further and find that there’s a cleaning company hiring as well. The description for the job reads: We clean a variety of businesses and private dwellings. Must feel comfortable working alone and alongside others. Part-time position.

  I submit an application and close the laptop. I lean back and my soft pillows welcome me. It only takes minutes before I’m in a deep sleep.

  7

  Wyatt

  It’s been a week since that night at the bar. A. Whole. Fucking. Week. I have to hand it to her: I didn’t think she’d be able to stay away this long. What happened between us all those years ago clearly isn’t just “high school drama” like she told Julie. What gets me the most though is how she can forgive Julie and not me. I don’t understand it. If she can forgive one of us, then she should forgive both, right? I also feel guilty for ruining their high school friendship. It only makes sense for them to be friends again. Me, however, well . . . I’m still waiting.

  It becomes clear to me that waiting won’t get things done. Nothing ever happens if you just sit around and wait. So I’ve gone to the bar every night, hoping to find her. She hasn’t been back. I even went grocery shopping, hoping I’d run into her there, but that hasn’t happened either. Every morning, I grab coffee and breakfast from the bakery and get dinner from the diner. She isn’t anywhere. I actually start to wonder if she’s even still in town, but Julie insists she is.

  “Hey, did you happen to bring in those sketches you drew up for the new proposal?” Drake asks, sticking his head into my office.

  “Shit.” I hang my head. “I completely forgot. I’ll run home and get them.”

  “No rush. The meeting is tomorrow. I just wanted to look them over and pick my favorites.”

  “I’ll run home. I ain’t doing shit here anyway,” I say, pushing away from the desk.

  I jump in the car and head back to the house. When I pull into the drive, there’s a silver Malibu sitting in front of the garage. I check my watch and see that it’s going on 2 p.m. It must be the weekly cleaning service. I park next to the car and head inside. There’s music playing in the kitchen, so I peek my head in, not wanting to frighten the housekeeper.

  “Knock, knock,” I say, looking into the kitchen.

  The woman cleaning the stove lets out a squeal, spinning around to face me.

  My mouth drops open as I realize I’m face to face with Destiny in my own house. Her blue eyes are wide, and her plump lips are parted with surprise.

  “Hey,” I say, still recovering from the shock.

  “Hey,” she responds a little too quickly.

  “What, uh, what are you doing here?” I ask, walking closer as I feel my smirk starting to spread.

  “I’m cleaning. I’m with Hampton’s Cleaning Service. I didn’t know this was your house.” She’s twisting the towel in her hands as she bounces from one foot to the other.

  I lean against the island separating us. “Yeah, I had it built with my inheritance when I started working at the brewery after high school.”

  She nods once, her eyes downcast. “I meant to call you after the other night.”

  “Oh yeah? About what? About how you ran out on me?” I ask, slowly moving around the island, getting closer to her.

  “I wanted to explain,” she says, stepping back to lean against the counter. “I didn’t mean to tease you or make you think there’s still something between us, because there’s not.” Her eyes level on mine.

  I nod, taking another step closer.

  “What we had was a long time ago,” she tells me. “We both need to move on. I’ll admit, I never tried to move on. I just kept trying to outrun your memory. But this town is too small for the two of us to avoid each other with every step. We need to be adults about this.”

  Again, I nod, but keep moving closer.

  “Are you hearing a word I’m saying, Wyatt?”

  “I’ve heard you, but I don’t believe you.”

  She’s taken aback—I can tell by the look of surprise covering her face.

  “You never were a good liar, Destiny. You forget, I can read you like a book.” I’m only a few feet from her now, and I’m gaining on her fast. “I could tell how surprised you were to see me that night. I could see the way your body reacted to mine.” I’m directly in front of her now. “And right now, all I see is how badly you’re trying to hold yourself back.” I reach up, cupping her cheeks. “Don’t hold yourself back, baby. Just accept it. You want me as badly as I want you.” Without another word, I lean forward and kiss her.

  Her lips part for me, but her tongue doesn’t come out to explore. Not yet, anyway. Right now, she’s still trying to hold back. “Don’t hold back,” I whisper, deepening the kiss. Finally, her lips are moving forcefully with my own, our tongues meeting in the middle. Her arms wrap around my neck, pulling me closer the way she always used to. I pull her to my chest and her body molds to mine. My hands roam up and down her back, touching every inch, wanting to burn this into my memory. I need this right now. I need her. I need to be reminded that what we had was real, because it’s been so long now that it all feels like a dream.

  My hands find her ass and I pick her up against me as her legs wrap around my hips. I turn us around and set her on the island as my hands push her shirt up her flat, toned stomach. Our kiss breaks for only a moment. When the shirt is tossed over my shoulder, her lips are back on mine. Breathless, I kiss my way across her jaw and down to her neck. She tips her head back, exposing more of her throat. My hands get to work on the clasp on the back of her bra. My fingers are quick and nimble, and the piece of fabric is falling away within seconds.

  I lay her back, looking over her gorgeous body. Her tits are moving
up and down quickly with her heavy breathing—the peaks hardened with anticipation. Her stomach calls for me to run my tongue over each defined ab muscle. Taking this moment to slow things down a bit, I lean over and press a kiss right beside her belly button.

  She lets out a whimper that shoots straight to my aching dick. I kiss my way up to her breasts, sucking one hard nipple into my mouth while my hand massages the other.

  “God, Wyatt,” she whispers as I kiss my way from one breast to the other, my hands working on the button on her cutoff jean shorts. The button pops open easily, but as I’m lowering the zipper, her hand catches mine. I look up to find her eyes on mine.

  She shoots me a grin. “All this time and you’re just going to fuck me on the kitchen counter?”

  I pull her against me, carrying her through the living room, up the stairs, down the hall, and to my room, where we fall onto my bed. She lets out a giggle.

  “That better, princess?”

  “Much,” she says, wrapping her arms around my neck, directing my mouth to hers. With my lips back on hers, her hands come between us, pushing my shirt up my abdomen. I pull away from her long enough to yank it off. I kiss my way down her chest and stomach, coming to a stop at the top of her shorts. I get myself up onto my knees and look down on her as I push her shorts down her long, tanned legs. There’s only one small piece of fabric stopping me from taking what I want, what I need, and what I’ve been longing for all these years. My eyes lock on hers as my fingers dip beneath the cotton. Her baby blues shine bright, full of excitement—like she’s ready to go on this grand adventure with me. In the back of my head, I wonder why she’s allowing this, given how she ran away from me last week, but then again, I don’t care. I only need a few minutes to show her what she’s been missing.

  I lower my mouth to her thigh, sucking and biting as I move upward. I begin pulling down her panties as my lips navigate their way up. The second I run my tongue between her folds, her hips buck upward and her hands fist my sheets. She lets out a moan that makes my stomach tighten. I’ll do anything to hear that sound again—to know that I’m the one making her feel this way.