“And did you get everything you hoped for?” I ask bluntly, picking up my drink and swallowing it down in a long gulp.
“Not everything, but close. I got to travel and see the world. I fell in and out of love. I made new friends along the way. I’m happy.”
“Good for you,” I grind out. “While you were running around making yourself happy, you left me here. Alone. To deal with your loss. I mean, damn, Casey, I couldn’t find the coffee filters for three months!” I know it probably sounds funny. But first thing in the morning when all you want is a cup of coffee and there are no filters in sight, it’s aggravating.
She laughs. “Why didn’t you just buy more?”
“Not the point,” I say, glancing over at her. “I didn’t have any of the passwords to pay a damn bill. Fuck, I didn’t even know we had so many bills. A little talk would’ve gone a long way before you left, don’t you think?”
She shrugs, now looking a little guilty. “I guess I should have tried to make things a little easier for you. But at the time, I just felt trapped. I needed out, and in that moment, I knew if I didn’t go then, I never would. So I packed my things and left.”
“Good for you. I’m so proud of you.” I’m still bitter and I don’t care if she knows it. I’m not bitter about my entire life now, though. Not since I found Celeste.
“So, who was the woman you were just with?”
“That’s Celeste; she’s my new lawyer.”
“That looked like a whole lot more than a business dinner. You kissed her. With passion. I saw it, Drake Slade. It’s been a long time, but I remember just how that felt.” She smiles and it causes her cheeks to burn crimson.
“We’ve been seeing each other for about six months now.”
“Only six months? So how many women have there been? Who’s been keeping you company all this time?”
I let out a deep chuckle. “No one before Celeste.” I look her square in the eye. “I waited for you far longer than I should have. Then she showed up. One look from her was all it took to take away all the pain you left me with.”
“You—you waited?” she asks, seemingly ignoring the rest of my sentence.
I nod. “Yep. I waited. I was in love with you, Casey. I thought you loved me too. I thought you’d be back after you got all of this out of your system. Guess I was wrong.”
She scoots closer. “I had no idea, Drake,” she whispers. “If I’d known, I would’ve come back sooner. I thought you hated me for leaving the way I did.”
“Hate you? I fucking loved you. Maybe . . . maybe a part of me still does.” I shake my head, not wanting to say anything I’ll regret. My emotions are all screwed up right now. I’ve been feeling things I shouldn’t for Celeste, and now, seeing Casey is bringing up things I thought I’d gotten over. It’s all mixing together. I can’t tell which feelings are meant for whom right now. The alcohol probably doesn’t help, but damn it, it’s the only thing holding me together right now.
“I still love you too,” she whispers, causing my eyes to pop up and lock on hers.
I’m frozen. I never thought I’d hear her say those words again. I never thought I’d want to hear those words again from her. Celeste has helped me move on. Celeste. I should’ve left with Celeste. Then I wouldn’t be here having this conversation with Casey. All this confusion would be gone. I’m stuck: a part of me staring at my past, and my future calling me home. It’s hard moving on, especially when you know that future will just up and leave you in five months. But my past is right here, reminding me of how good things used to be.
I don’t even see her leaning closer. All I know is that her lips are on mine. Her fingers are laced into my hair and she’s tugging me closer. Her tongue is soft and sweet. Her skin is warm against mine. Memories of all our past kisses flood my mind. But over time, something changed. This doesn’t feel the same. It doesn’t feel as good. Not anywhere close to how I feel when I’m with Celeste.
The kiss slows and she pulls back, looking into my eyes with her hooded ones. “Take me home, Drake.” She stands up and takes my hand in hers, pulling me to my feet.
My mind is a cloud of confusion as she tugs me toward the door. My feet move on their own, but my mind is trying to catch up. She finds my truck and leads me to it, but before we complete the walk, she’s spinning around and throwing herself into my arms. I catch her on impulse, and her lips land on mine once again. Her tongue is back in my mouth, kissing me like no time has passed at all.
“Take me home and make love to me, Drake,” she says against my lips. Suddenly, the cool night air really hits me, waking me up and clearing me from this fog.
She opens the door to my truck and pulls my hand, wanting me to climb behind the wheel, but I jerk my hand away. She looks back at me, confused.
“No,” I say.
“No?” she questions.
“No,” I confirm. “You thought you could just march back into town and everything would be the same between us? That you’d only have to bat those long lashes at me and I’d be eating out of the palm of your hand?” I shake my head. “That’s not how it’s going to work, sweetheart. There’s too much between us now. I have something better. Someone better.”
She juts her chin into the air and straightens her back. “The lawyer? That girl you were just in here with?” She laughs. “What is she—10 or 15 years younger? You can’t tell me you’re in love with her or that things will actually work out between you two. You need someone more mature, Drake.” She reaches for me but I step back.
This angers her and her eyes squint at me. “Seriously? You’re going to tell me how you’ve waited all this time for me and how you might still have feelings for me and then turn me down?” She points at her chest. “If I walk away, it’ll be the last time you see me. You’d better think long and hard about what it is you want, Drake. Do you want me, the woman who was by your side for years, who knows everything there is to know about you—the woman who’s finally come back to you? Or do you want to take the shoddy chance that this younger girl won’t leave you? You think you’ll be enough for her—that this will be enough for her?” She motions around the town.
I shake my head. “This has nothing to do with her, Casey. This has everything to do with us. You left. You broke my heart. And I’m not giving you another chance to do it again. I’ve finally got a normal life. You’ve taken enough from me already.” I step past her and climb into my truck. She stands outside the window, watching and waiting to see if I’ll change my mind. But I won’t.
I twist the key and the truck roars to life. I hit the gas a couple times to make the engine roar louder due to my anger. Finally, she steps back when I shift into drive and the truck jerks forward. Without looking back, I pull out of the bar parking lot as fast as I can.
13
Celeste
LIGHTS flash quickly through my room, pulling me away from the work that’s spread out in front of me. I pull back the curtain and see Drake climbing out of his truck. Confused, I stand up and move toward the door. I open it before he gets there, and his eyes look me up and down slowly. The cold wind blows against my bare legs and arms since I’ve changed into pajamas for the night.
“Hey,” I say as he steps though, but he doesn’t reply. Instead, he pulls me against him and his lips are on mine. His strong hands land on my ass, picking me up against his chest. Using his foot, he kicks the door closed behind him. I want to ask what’s brought this on, but everything he’s doing feels too good to stop. We fall onto the bed and he climbs up my body—his hands pulling clothing out of the way as they trace every curve.
He uses his hips to push my legs apart and then he settles between them. His mouth moves quickly with my own. All I can taste on him is the beer he’s just finished. Surely he can’t be drunk. Not from the one beer he had at dinner. His lips move from mine, down to my jaw, and then to my neck. A quiet whimper slips past my lips. With that sound, I feel him harden against my center.
“What’s gotten
into you?” I whisper as he continues to kiss his way down my body.
“You have,” he replies, pulling my shirt over my head and exposing my breasts. “You’ve worked your way deeper than I ever thought possible,” he says, sucking one of my nipples into his hot mouth. His tongue lashes across it, making my back arch up off the bed. I suck in a loud breath, my eyes fluttering closed. Suddenly, I’ve forgotten what we were talking about. Every last thought slips from my mind. All I can think about is the way he’s moving above me, controlling me, dominating me.
His hands push my shorts down my hips as he sits back and watches them fall away. After he tosses them onto the floor, he rips his shirt over his head and drops it. He cocks his jaw and licks his lips like he’s about to devour me.
“I can’t believe I never saw how perfect you are for me,” he whispers as he leans in and closes his mouth around my clit.
I want to ask what that means, exactly, but a sudden blinding, building passion takes over. My eyes flutter closed and my mouth falls open, sucking in a breath. His tongue flicks against me as he slides a finger inside.
I grasp the sheets at my sides and cry out his name. He continues with his torture, only pushing me to my breaking point. My release builds and builds until it can go no higher. Suddenly, I’m bursting at the seams and shattering, raining down like a late summer storm. My toes go numb, my legs shake, and my breathing stops completely. It feels like every nerve ending has been lit on fire—like every hair on my body is vibrating. My body goes limp and forces me to take a breath. My eyes open and they’re a little hazy. When my vision clears, all I can see is him taking his place on top of me. Suddenly and without warning, he’s thrusting into me. He lets out a deep moan the moment he fills me completely.
“Oh, fuck, Celeste,” he moans out, his lips finding mine once again. His hand wraps around the back of my neck, keeping my lips to his as he slides out of me. With just as much passion and force as before, he’s pushing into me again. His hips tilt upward, hitting that magical place that has spots forming before my eyes.
His hands squeeze and caress every inch of my body, leaving goosebumps in their wake. His mouth never leaves mine. He kisses, sucks, and licks. It’s like he’s trying to squeeze this into his memory to never be forgotten. As my release begins to rise and my muscles start tensing around him, he doubles his pace, pushing us both over the edge. He fills me with a loud moan that makes my toes curl. Before Drake, I never found sounds like that to be a turn-on, but just knowing I caused him to moan like that has me fired up again.
He pauses for only a moment, pressing his bare chest against mine as we catch our breath. Softly, he presses kisses to my cheek, jaw, and shoulder. When he lifts himself up and pulls out of me, I feel empty, cold. He settles at my side, wrapping his arms around me.
“So . . . I ran into Casey,” he says softly.
His words make my blood run cold. “You did? Tonight?”
He nods his head, his beard tickling my shoulder. “Yeah, after you left.”
“And how did that go?” I ask awkwardly. Suddenly, I’m filled with fear. The butterflies in my stomach take flight.
“She kissed me,” he confesses. He takes a deep breath. “At first, I couldn’t believe it. She’s the woman I never thought I’d get over. I mean, six months ago, I was praying for her to randomly show up and throw herself at me.” He lifts his hand and rubs his eyes. “And that’s what she did tonight. She dragged me outside, wanting me to take her home. She threw herself in my arms and kissed me like I’d always wanted her to.”
I feel the heat of tears filling my eyes and it feels like there’s a lump in my throat.
“But then I realized that I don’t want her anymore.”
His words make me turn to look at him. His darkening eyes meet mine and he cups my face. “I don’t know how you did it, but you cured me of her. It’s no longer Casey I want. It’s you.”
I’m speechless. My mouth opens but no words come out. I couldn’t force any out even if I wanted to, because I have no idea what to say to that. We’re both in deep. Too deep. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. We were supposed to take it for what it was: someone to waste time with, someone to feel good with. That was it. Now, here we are, messed up over the thought of losing each other. I don’t know how we got here or what we’re going to do. But his words hit me right in the heart and I can’t stop myself from rolling over to face him. My hand moves up to his jaw as I look into his eyes, which are focused on mine. He runs his tongue over his lower lip, then slowly leans in for a kiss that’s both deep and slow.
His hand lands on my hip and he tugs it over his. Rolling over to his back, he pulls me on top of him. He’s long and hard again, pressing against me. My body burns hot, needing him. My stomach muscles tighten in anticipation, and goosebumps prickle my skin as he drags his calloused hands over my hips and up to my breasts. He caresses them and skims across my nipples before going back to my hips. Lifting me up, he positions himself at my entrance. Slowly, he pulls me down on him, filling me inch by inch. Being connected again so soon, everything is tender. I already feel like I could shatter.
His hands stay on my hips, moving me up and down his length, teasing me slowly. His tongue dances with mine until he breaks our kiss and stares longingly into my eyes, watching the expressions change on my face due to how my body responds to his. When I bite my lower lip and my eyes fall shut, he loses all patience.
He flips me over and moves behind me. Seconds later, he’s filling me again, but he’s not being slow or gentle. Now he’s a wild man who’s taking what he wants. What he needs.
“Fuck, Celeste,” he says between thrusts, “I know I shouldn’t . . . but I fucking love you.” He pounds into me hard, making me move up the bed and cry out with pain and pleasure. My release floods over me, causing my walls to milk him of every last drop.
We keep up with this routine for most of the night. We make love, rest, and start over. It’s like the first time, but so much better. We can’t get enough of each other. When we rest, we don’t talk. I think we’re both too afraid of the words he said when he was buried deep inside me: I fucking love you.
Love. He loves me. Deep down, I love him too. I’ve known for a while but I’ve refused to let myself believe it. I told myself I was just enjoying our time together and that I loved the way we connected. It’s no longer easy to ignore. Now, it’s out there.
As my eyes flutter closed from exhaustion, I feel him peppering my skin with soft kisses. They’re light and teasing, but I have no energy left to go back for another round. Sleep consumes me. His heat warms me. His strong arms shield me, making me feel more safe than I’ve ever felt.
When I wake in the morning, I roll over to find the bed empty. I look at the clock on the nightstand. It’s going on noon. I sit upright and shoot out of bed. How did I sleep so long? I knew I was tired, but I guess Drake wore me out more than I thought. It was going on 4 a.m. when we finally fell asleep. I wonder how he managed to crawl out from under me and leave without me waking?
I quickly pull on my shorts and a tank top and grab my phone to see if the office has called. I know I had morning appointments. There’s one missed call from the office and one unread text from Drake.
Sorry to sneak out on you, but you were out cold. I couldn’t wake you . . . not even with my lips. *winky face* Call me when you’re up and we can grab some breakfast. Or maybe lunch, given how many logs you were sawing lol.
I laugh and roll my eyes. I quickly type out: You’re so funny . . . not! I’m late for work now because you couldn’t keep your hands off of me. I’m charging you for my missed appointments j/k. *kissy face*
After I send the message, I call the office.
“There you are!” Debbie says, obviously seeing my name on the caller ID. “Are you sick today?”
“No, I’m not sick. I just stayed up a little too late with some . . . work I brought home. I’ll be there as soon as possible. Can you try to reschedule my appointmen
ts for me?”
“Will do. See you soon,” she says, hanging up.
I toss the phone and run to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
An hour later, I’m walking into the office freshly showered, dressed, and ready to start my day. I brush past Debbie with a quick wave and head directly to my office. I turn on my computer and start setting things down as it warms up. Debbie walks in with a notebook.
“Your 10 a.m. appointment has been rescheduled for 4 p.m., and your 11 a.m. has been moved to tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Debs.”
“Oh, and you have an appointment at 2 p.m. with a . . .” she squints at the name on the paper, “Casey Edison.”
I freeze. “Did you say Casey Edison?”
She nods. “Mm-hmm.”
I flop down in my chair. Why is she coming here? Does she know about Drake and me? Is she angry or coming to threaten me?
“Di—did she say what she wanted?” I ask, tying my fingers in knots.
Debbie stares at me for a moment and shrugs. “Something about needing help getting her late grandmother’s affairs in order. Typical lawyer stuff.” She turns and walks out like it’s an ordinary day.
To her, it is an ordinary day. But to me, this is anything but. I’m not afraid of Casey, per se. But I am afraid of what she could try to do. I’m not the type of girl who gets into fist fights over a guy. Drake isn’t just any guy though. He’s special. He loves me and I love him. If she comes at me, I’ll just punch her in the throat! She can’t threaten me. She walked out on him, not the other way around. Sure, he chose me over her last night, but if she’d never left, that never would’ve happened.
I sit for an hour, running through different scenarios in my head. Suddenly, Debbie beeps me. “Your 2 p.m. is here.”
I take a deep breath and check my reflection, wanting to make sure I look presentable and not like I’m worried out of my mind. I straighten my shirt and push the button. “Send them in please.”
Billionaire's Unexpected Bride (Slade Brothers Book 1) Page 17
