The Mess You Left Behind: An Enemies-to-Lover Romance

by V. T. Do

I came without warning.

  Wyatt prolonged my orgasm with his continuous licking and sucking and biting.

  Tears sprung to my eyes, but these weren’t painful or sad tears. They were a testament to how hard that orgasm had hit me.

  With him, I could see that the orgasms I had given myself before, the ones that had seemed to come quickly and fade away just as quickly, were nothing. Those could barely be described as an orgasm, because this was... earth-shattering.

  When I came back to myself, Wyatt was sitting on his haunches beside me, smiling. His lips were shiny from me, and I knew he could still taste me on his tongue.

  He seemed to enjoy my taste; I wondered if I would enjoy his.

  I made a move to grab his still hard cock, when he stopped me. I looked at him questioningly. He gentled his rejection by bringing my hand up to his lips and kissing the back of it.

  “You don’t want to?” I asked.

  “Not want to? Baby, just the thought of that could make me lose control. But that’s not what tonight is about. I didn’t do all of those things for you because I wanted you to return the favor. You don’t owe me anything. You understand that?”

  “I don’t mind.” I might be pouting.

  He smiled, though there was something different about his smile. Something softer. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. Or perhaps I might like it too much. He had never smiled at me like that before.

  “Not tonight. I want you to stay here, while I go take care of this.” With a self-deprecating smile, he turned and walked into his bathroom. I moved up until my head was on his pillow. I loved how much his bed smelled like him.

  If I could, I would bottle this scent and take it with me everywhere. It would be my own personal brand of perfume.

  Letting out a sigh, I grabbed his blanket and covered my naked body. I might feel less vulnerable if I were dressed, but my clothes were on his bathroom floor, and I didn’t want to go in there and see what he was doing.

  I stared at the white ceiling instead.

  Just to keep myself from imagining Wyatt touching himself...

  God, wouldn’t that be a glorious sight? My cheeks flamed just from the image alone. How his big muscles would tense up, how his callous hands must feel, with his messy, wet hair, swollen lips, and smoky gray eyes.

  I shifted in bed.

  Would he like it fast and rough?

  Or would he slowly build the tension, like he had for me just moments before?

  Would I ever find out?

  I wished then that I were brave enough to walk into that bathroom and see for myself.

  But I was shy, and I didn’t know how to initiate anything with anyone, especially him. I was out of practice. I looked away from the bathroom door and to the other wall, which was blank. There was nothing in this room that told me what kind of man Wyatt was, only that he was very neat.

  The shower turned off, and I closed my eyes, feigning sleep. But when I didn’t hear any more noise coming from the bathroom, my curiosity got the better of me. I opened my eyes and turned to look.

  And there was Wyatt, standing at the threshold of the bathroom, a white towel wrapped low around his hips and nothing more. His hair was wet, his skin damp.

  His eyes were hungry.

  That was the only way I could describe them. My cheeks flushed, and I looked away. I heard him move. Into his closet, I thought, before I felt the bed dip with his weight.

  He crawled under the covers, moving in so close to me that our legs touched. And then he tentatively wrapped his strong arms around my body and cradled me against his chest.

  I sagged against him and buried my face in his naked chest.

  I was still too embarrassed to look at him, so when he told me to go to sleep, I didn’t argue with him, despite the fact that the sun hadn’t even set.

  I was out before I could count sheep.

  Chapter Seventeen: Distance

  Emery

  I woke up with a start.

  A look around told me I was in an unfamiliar setting. It took a while before everything came back to me, as well as why there was a large man sleeping beside me.

  I looked to my left, and the digital clock on the nightstand told me it was a little after midnight. I didn’t know if I would be able to go back to sleep. Tomorrow night would be hell, I was sure. This was going to mess with my sleep schedule, and I would no doubt pay for it during class.

  I laid back down and stared at the ceiling. Wyatt’s bed was comfortable, and he had the heater on, bathing the room in warmth, tempting me to just stay here. I told him I would spend the night with him, but would it be considered cheating if I bailed halfway through?

  Because that was what I wanted to do.

  I didn’t want to stay so he could have more pieces of me. Yet the masochistic part of me wanted to give it all to him.

  To say, The hell with it, take me, and take all of me.

  And that kind of thinking was dangerous in my world. I sat up in bed and slowly slid out of the covers. If I was careful, I was sure I could find my clothes without waking him up.

  Unless, of course, Wyatt had washed them.

  I was willing to risk it. If anything, I could borrow his clothes. I’d return everything except for a shirt and a sweater, which I might just keep for personal reasons. But I would keep no more than that. With my plan set, I made my move.

  But just as my feet touched the floor, feeling the softness of the rug beneath them, I felt his arms go around my waist. I tensed.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, his voice a low timbre from sleep.

  “I think I should go,” I said quietly.

  His arms tightened around me a fraction, the movement so small I wasn’t sure if I had imagined it. “It’s late, Emery.”

  “I know.”

  He pulled me back so quickly that I wasn’t sure it had happened until I was back in bed, my body lying on top of his. “Go back to sleep,” he said simply, as if my going to sleep next to him was an everyday occurrence. “I’ll drive you home tomorrow.”

  “I can find my own ride.”

  He squeezed me. “Stop arguing with me. Normally I don’t mind, but the sun’s not even up, and I’m too tired to think of a comeback.”

  “Wyatt.”

  “Shush. Now go to sleep. You can lay in my arms. I don’t mind.”

  I wiggled against him. He tightened his hold. It wasn’t painful, but I knew he didn’t intend to let me go. All the fight left me then.

  His arms were too tempting, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep fighting.

  Not anymore.

  At least not tonight. Everything that had happened in the last day came rushing back. My heart skipped a beat as I thought about those moments with him. That I was no longer a virgin. That I gave him a piece of me I had been unwilling to give to anyone else.

  It wasn’t a big deal. I wasn’t special, and just because this really special thing happened to me did not make the world implode.

  Everything was still the same, and people continued to live their lives as they had before, yet it felt like something had shifted in me the moment I kissed him in that bathroom.

  Why couldn’t I make what we did into something that did not matter?

  Why couldn’t I get it into my head that we had no future and he was only going to break my heart in the end?

  He even said so himself. So then...

  Why did I still want him?

  ***

  Wyatt stirred in bed several hours later, when the sky had turned from pitch-black to twilight blue.

  I felt him breathe beneath my cheek the whole night, wondering why I couldn’t have that kind of peacefulness, if only for a little while. Instead, my mind had been running all night with thoughts I couldn’t shut off even if I tried.

  It was still early, but with how early we went to bed last night, I wasn’t surprised to see Wyatt wake up already. I feigned sleep as he ran his hand gently up and down my back. When he got to my neck, he
paused, his large hand curving around it. I was sure he felt my pulse beating out of control.

  “You’re awake,” he said.

  Instead of answering, I snuggled further into his chest, all the while trying to convince myself to get up and leave. I gave him and myself the night, but now that it was over, whatever we were doing should be over as well.

  “How did you sleep?” he asked, his voice gruff. I liked the sound of his voice.

  “Hmm,” I said in place of an actual answer. I didn’t know how to tell him that I hadn’t slept. That I was up all night trying to analyze our relationship, or lack thereof, to death and I still had not come up with a good answer. Or at least one that I could believe.

  “I think that just might have been the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.”

  I smiled into his chest, even if what he’d said was no smiling matter. I didn’t need sweet, flowery words from him. I needed him to treat what we’d done for what it was. A one-night stand.

  That way, our relationship stayed clear-cut.

  “I should go,” I said.

  “The sun’s not even up yet,” Wyatt pointed out.

  “I have a lot to do today,” I said, pulling away. There was just enough light in the room from the twilight sky for me to make out his features. In that moment, his gray eyes looked dark. And he had stubble on his face. My hands itched to reach out and touch it, to see how it would feel against the softness of my palms.

  Wyatt touched the tender skin beneath my eyes. He was frowning as his thumbs stroked gently back and forth over my upper cheeks. “What?” I asked.

  “Did you sleep at all last night?”

  I looked to my left, forcing his hands away from my face. He held them up for a moment, a heavy pause between us that somehow felt louder in his silent room, before resting his hands on his chest. I followed the movements with my eyes. “I don’t sleep well in strange places,” I lied.

  “Is that all?”

  I shrugged, unable to meet his eyes. “I should go.”

  I climbed off the bed and walked into the bathroom, trying to resist the urge to cover myself. I was as naked as the day I was born, and I knew he was watching me. I closed the bathroom door gently behind me and leaned against it.

  My eyes burned, and I wanted to know why I suddenly felt like crying. It was unlike me to become so emotional.

  A quiet knock came near my head. I startled and jumped away from the door. “Are you really okay?” Wyatt asked.

  I cleared my throat before speaking. “Yeah, I just need a minute.” A look around confirmed my suspicions from earlier this morning. My clothes were nowhere in sight. “Wyatt?”

  “Yeah?” He sounded close. He was still standing on the other side of the door. I wasn’t sure why, and I didn’t ask.

  “Do you think I could borrow something to wear? I can’t find my clothes.”

  “Yeah.” I heard his feet padding away. A few moments later, he came back and knocked gently three time. I was looking down at the ground as I opened the door, using it to shield my nakedness from his eyes. His feet came into view.

  He placed the clothes in my open hand. “Thanks,” I said, closing the door once again. Then I sat on the counter as I tried to get my bearings. Looking at the clothes he’d brought me, I found a large blue T-shirt and gray sweatpants. They were obviously his, the shirt fitting me more like a dress. And his sweatpants required me to roll the waistband and pant legs several times for them to fit.

  I looked small.

  I dabbed some of his toothpaste in my mouth and washed as best as I could. When I came back out, I felt almost human.

  Wyatt was sitting on his bed, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt. His short hair stood up on end, as if he had been running his hands through the soft strands. His eyes followed my every move.

  “Thank you. For last night,” I said, my face burning a little. “I should probably go home.”

  Wyatt stood up and walked toward me. “What’s wrong, Emery?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Yeah? Then explain to me why you can’t even look me in the eyes.”

  I looked at him, as if to prove him wrong. He cupped my shoulders and pulled me in close. I backed away to put some much needed distance between us. “Nothing’s wrong. But I have a lot to do today.” I tried to put on a smile. It didn’t look like I’d succeeded, if his frown was anything to go by.

  “At least let me drive you home,” Wyatt said after a moment. It was on the tip of my tongue to protest, but he shook his head, cutting me off. “Emery.”

  Something about his voice made it impossible for me to say no. I didn’t know how. My shoulders sagged. “Okay.”

  “Okay. Just stay here. Let me brush my teeth and wash my face. I’ll be out in five minutes.”

  He didn’t wait for my response. He was probably afraid I would change my mind. I watched as Wyatt disappeared into the bathroom, and I stood there in the middle of his room, feeling uncertain.

  Was I supposed to make myself comfortable?

  I hugged my chest and looked around instead. As if I could actually get comfortable here. Fortunately, Wyatt didn’t take long in the bathroom, and when he walked out, using a hand towel to wipe his wet face, I froze, taking in the very male sight of him. Tracking the water droplets as they made their way down his strong, manly neck. I was mesmerized.

  He threw the towel on the unmade bed, bringing my attention back to the fact that we’d slept there the whole night, most of the time with his arms wrapped around me.

  “Are you ready?” Wyatt asked, sounding way too close for comfort. I jumped back in response. He grabbed me by the wrist to keep me from going anywhere. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  I pulled out of his grasp and shook my head. “It’s okay.” Wyatt looked at me. I didn’t want to think too much on that look. “Should we go?”

  He nodded mutely, letting me walk out of his room first. In the light of day, when I wasn’t feeling so all over the place, I could finally take the place in. The decor was the same, but it felt like I was seeing it with new eyes. And this was a bachelor pad through and through.

  As he ushered me out the front door, I had a terrible thought, wondering just how many women he had brought here before me, as if I had become nothing more than a walking, talking cliché.

  We drove to my house in tense silence. I had sat in silence with Wyatt before, but never had the silence echoed so loudly in the air between us. I knew he wanted to say something to me, anything. I just wasn’t emotionally strong enough to hear it.

  Our night together was supposed to have been something the two of us could handle. It was to absolve Wyatt’s unfounded guilt and my sudden, unnerving obsession with him. It was supposed to make him easier for me to walk away from.

  Yet each mile the Jeep ate up, bringing us closer to my house, made my stomach feel like it was weighed down by lead. My insides were twisted into knots, and I was confused whether that was a good thing or not.

  Finally, Wyatt pulled into my driveway. The house was silent from the outside, and I tried to imagine what Wyatt must see whenever he looked at my house.

  Did he see remnants of the rose bushes, dead in the winter, and think, This is my favorite thing about this house, like I did? Or did he see the balcony on the second story, the French doors leading inside to a massive library, where I spent most of my childhood?

  It was a whimsical thought. Of course he didn’t think of those things. I felt for my phone inside the pocket of his gray sweats I was wearing, making sure I had it.

  There would be no reason for us to see each other anymore.

  The thought brought on a bout of sadness that took me by surprise.

  “I guess this is it,” I said, breaking the silence. “Thank you, for driving me home. And... for last night.”

  “Don’t say it like that.”

  My brows pulled down in confusion. “Like what?”

  “Like you’re trying to commit this
to memory because there won’t be any new ones. Like you’re saying goodbye to me.”

  “I am saying goodbye to you.”

  “Then tell me you’re going to see me again.”

  I looked away, lest he be able to tell what I was thinking just from looking at me. I was feeling too raw. I could still feel his touch on my skin, from the small bruises he’d left, to the soreness between my legs, evidence that he had been there not even twenty-four hours before.

  “I will see you again.” I shot him a smile I didn’t feel. “We both know Joey and Cole are a thing.”

  “Is that really how you want things to be between us?”

  My eyes moved back to him, startled by the coldness I heard in his voice. “Why are you acting like this? You’re the one who told me we didn’t have a future. I am just going along with what you said!”

  I grabbed the door handle, but Wyatt stilled my movement by wrapping his hand around my wrist. “I changed my mind,” he answered gruffly.

  “You can’t change your mind. Nothing’s changed!”

  “Dammit, Emery. Everything has changed. Everything. Since the moment you kissed me in that bathroom, everything’s changed.”

  I shook my head, refusing to believe his words. I couldn’t. Not when Wyatt brought out feelings in me no one else had. Not when there was a voice deep inside me, a voice that had only gotten louder with each passing day, warning me that I needed to stay away from him because he was the only man capable of breaking my heart.

  My self-preservation kicked in, and I didn’t want to find out what would be left of me when he was done.

  I pulled my wrist out of his grip. “Goodbye, Wyatt.”

  And then I opened the door and climbed out. I didn’t walk to my front door, I ran. And I went inside the house without looking back. I locked the door behind me and leaned against it, afraid to look out the window to see if he was still there, yet unable to leave this spot.

  My phone vibrated against my thigh, alerting me to several text messages. I pulled it out of my pocket, and when I saw who had texted, a flutter of excitement—or anxiety—ran through me.

  Wyatt: If you think I’ll give up that easily, you don’t know me very well, baby.