I understand what he’s saying and I totally agree. “I’m on it.”
“Give me a few days,” he tells me. “I’ll get to you as soon as I can, but until I can get to it, be aware of your surroundings and be as safe as you can.”
“Will do! I’ll be waiting on your call.”
As we disconnect, I have to figure out how in the hell I’m gonna tell Malone I’ve pulled her into this. “Fuck!” I throw the phone on the dash of my SUV. This is the last thing I wanted, last thing I expected, and definitely didn’t think it would happen in my damn hometown.
Forgetting where I’d been heading, I turn around, head for the Fulcher’s residence. Unfortunately this affects us all, and if we’re going to be vigilant, all of us will need to be on the same page.
Turning down the road, leading to their house, I dread this, completely dread the fact that my fame is going to play into this. I wanted Mal to love me for me, and just like all the other relationships I’ve had, this one will probably be tainted by the amount of money I have, the fans who think they own me, and my own inability to be proactive.
“Hey.” Malone smiles as she comes down the steps of her parents’ home. “I didn’t expect to see you today, but I have a few things to talk to you about with the social media platform.”
I kiss her, savoring the last time she kisses me before I potentially ruin what we have. “Yeah, we’ll talk about that in a minute. Right now, I have to tell you about a situation my agent has been tipped to.”
“Sounds scary or ominous.” She pulls away from me. “Should I be worried?”
“I don’t know, but I am,” I admit to her, circling my arms around her waist. “I may be over-reacting but someone’s taking pictures of us and it’s hitting the tabloids tomorrow.”
“What do you mean pictures of us?” I see the fear in her eyes and that’s the very last thing I wanted to see.
“Pictures of you opening the bakery, of us on our date last night.”
That one hurts to admit to her. What hurts worse is seeing her actual physical reaction to it. She crumbles into herself and I feel like a bastard. She already lost her privacy once with her boss harassing her, and now she’s going to lose it again thanks to me. When I reach for her she backs away, and that pain? Cuts worse than anything else we’ve been through together ever has.
“I’m so sorry, I never meant for this to happen to you.” My voice is barely above a whisper as I hand her what will be on the front page of every rag mag in America and on the internet tomorrow. “I thought being here with you in Willow’s Gap would keep you and our relationship safe, but apparently not.”
Handing her over my phone with the information on it, I watch her facial expressions as she realizes just how much they know. “How do they know my name? My parent’s names? That I work at the bakery? This is a total invasion of privacy, Slater.”
“It is,” I agree. One I’ve learned to live with since I came to the majors, but it’s never been easy for the people in my life. Half the time I walk around, not even realizing people are looking at me. “There are a couple of ways we can spin this.” I speak slowly, trying not to frighten her more than she already is.
“I’m a PR person, Slater, don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot. We need to get ahead of this.” She runs her fingers through her hair, irritation evident by the way her brow scrunches.
“I didn’t say you were, but sometimes when you’re in the situation, it’s hard to understand what can be done.”
“Okay, so tell me what your PR has instructed you to do.”
“We can either let them break it, the way they want to, or we can get out in front of it and make the announcement ourselves, which is what I’d prefer to do. You haven’t read the article, it’s pretty scathing in your direction. They spoke to someone who knew us in high school, who knew that you left me, and not the other way around. Because we’ve worked through that and I don’t want to keep bringing the shit back up again, I’d prefer to be the one to do this on my own terms.”
“How would we do this?”
It’s a good sign that she’s using we. “I’ll make a post on my Instagram, Facebook, and website. My PR people will forward it the second it hits to all the media outlets with a press release.”
“Is that what you think we need to do?”
She’s asking me, and I can tell she’s not sure. Used to making the decisions herself, and not having anyone tell her what to do, this has got to be difficult being on the other side of the fence, so to speak.
“This is exactly what I think we should do. Let us do it on our own.”
“Okay.” She nods, reaching out to take my hand in hers. “If this is what you think is best, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“C’mon over here and have a seat, they need a picture of us.” I pat my lap.
“Oh my God, Slater, let me go curl my hair, put, put on some fresh makeup.”
I grab her around the waist, pulling her down onto my lap. “No.” I push her naturally wavy hair back from her face. “This is exactly how I love you, sweetness, and exactly how I want the world to see you.”
She stops, we both do. I wasn’t prepared to tell her those words, not today, not here. But maybe they came out when they needed to.
“I love you too, I tried not to.” A tear makes its way down her cheek. “But I couldn’t help it.”
Reaching up, I push the tear away, put my phone out at arm’s length and take a selfie. When I look at the picture later, I love that neither one of us are looking at the camera. We’re looking at each other, both completely lost in the other’s eyes. This is how I want the world to see the woman who’s stolen my heart.
And as I post the picture, along with the letter to my Instagram account, I know nothing else will ever be the same. But at the same time, I hope everyone gives us the privacy I’m asking for. I know in Birmingham we can expect it, but here? Here I need the privacy.
Twenty-Four
Malone
I’m not sure why but Wednesdays have turned into the most boring days at Sweeties. It doesn’t help that it’s been raining the last few days. The wettest September we’ve had in a while.
“This shit is depressing,” Cherry sighs as she comes out from the back. “We’re gonna need a boat to float down Main Street if this doesn’t let up.”
“I know,” I agree. “I can’t even make my colorful board because it gets washed away as soon as I sit it out there. The only good thing is it looks like nobody else around here is getting any customers either. I think everybody is heading for higher ground.” I come out from behind the counter, going to one of the empty tables. “You mind if I work on some of Slater’s stuff?”
“No.” She waves a hand in my direction. “I’m legit about to put on some Sons of Anarchy on the main television so we at least have something good to watch.”
The two of us purse our lips, look at each other, and whisper. “Jax Teller.” At the same time.
“Damn that show for giving me unrealistic expectations of hot as hell bad boys,” Cherry whines as she logs into her streaming account on the TV in the lobby.
I smile, shaking my head as I listen to her. “They had the love though, until people got in the middle of it. They were happy, they had it all, until other people had to put their nose where it didn’t belong.”
“Do you kinda feel like that’s what’s going to happen with you and Slater? Now that he’s had to make a public post and you’ve had to make your IG private?”
Me making my IG private had been a knee-jerk reaction, and I know that if I’m going to stay with him, I’m going to have to learn to be more public. It’s who he is, and it’s what his fans and PR want to see. I know that from my own experience.
“I just wanted a little more time, ya know? This thing with him. Even though it’s the most comfortable feeling I’ve ever had, it’s still new. We’ve not really made a commitment to one another. He’s going to go away, and what if he doesn’t want me to
go with him?”
“That’s the biggest line of bullshit I’ve ever heard.” Cherry snorts as she turns the TV down a little so we can talk.
“No, hear me out. In some ways I feel like I’m in Groundhog Day, with the old Slade and Mal. We’re faced with some of the same decisions as we had back then.”
Opening the pages I need on my laptop, I sigh as I start making the graphics needed and begin setting up posts to automatically populate throughout the next few days.
“But wouldn’t you change how you did some things from back then? I know you’ve kinda talked about it. Fuck, it’s written all over your face when I ask about in a very non-threatening way.”
“I’d be stronger, I’d be willing to tell Slade the things that scared me, ask him why things have to be so cut and dry. I’d demand to be my own person but ask if I can be the one to support him. I’d do a lot differently, but I’m still not sure he’s completely ready for the stronger me.”
“You never know until you give it a try, and in the short time I’ve known you, I’ve not known you to be shy of anything.” Cherry glances over. “Or scared of anything, so I’m not sure why he intimidates you this much.”
To be honest I’m not sure either, but one thing I do know is that I don’t want to wonder what if anymore. I’m totally and completely done with that.
Savage
“Wanna run with me?” I ask Malone as we walk swiftly around the track.
“You know I’ve never been a good runner,” she pants.
Truth be told, I’ve almost got her running now, just trying to keep up with me. “Come on, we have two more laps to finish this mile and it looks like the rain is gonna come down again.”
“You’re killing me, Slade. Just go on without me.”
“Never leave your wingman.” I give her a grin.
“Don’t quote my favorite movie and act like you’re cute. I’m dying here,” she pants, holding her side.
“You’re about to be wet.” I stop, glancing up at the sky and just as I do, it opens up, rain coating our bodies thoroughly.
“No!” she screams, running back toward the truck.
“Now I see you know how to run,” I tease her as she picks up speed toward the truck I drove in high school and college. “You know that thing doesn’t have any air, it’s gonna be stuffy as fuck in there.”
She stops, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re right. At least the rain is kind of cold.” She tilts her head back, in turn thrusting her chest out.
“Yeah.” I grin, wiping away at some of the water on my lips. “I can see just how cold it is.”
She glances down at her chest. Two peaks poke out against the soaked fabric and my mouth fucking waters as I take her in, pretty as a picture.
“Don’t even think about it, Slade.” She holds up her hand, walking backward away from me.
“Oh, I’m gonna do more than think about it.”
When I capture her, she laughs into my chest. “We’re out in public.”
“Trust me, the only people out here are us and the fuckin’ ducks. Let’s have a little fun.”
She gazes up at me under impossibly long lashes matted together by the water, causing her eyes to look even more green than normal. “A little fun, huh?”
“As much as you can stand.” I pick her up with my hands on her ass, leaning her against the quarter panel of the truck, my mouth immediately going to the beaded skin underneath the fabric of her shirt.
“Oh fuck, Slade,” she moans as she threads her fingers through my hair, holding me tighter to her.
The rain has us in an almost dream-like state. It’s quiet, yet loud at the same time, washing over our bodies, causing our clothes to press against us so much it’s like we’re naked.
Walking us around to the back of the truck, we work together to let the tailgate down. Sitting her down, I stand in front of her, rubbing her thighs, pushing them as far apart as they’ll go before I climb up on the tailgate myself. Knee be fucking damned. And then we’re rubbing against each other, thrusting, humping, moaning, and grunting.
“Rub against me,” she whines as she angles her pussy in such a way she catches the bulge of my cock.
“I don’t even know how we’re doing this through clothes.” I fist her hair in my hand, exposing her neck to my hungry mouth.
Her taste is hers alone, and fuck me if I don’t crave it. Reaching up with my free hand, I rub my thumb against her lip, letting her suck slightly on me before pulling it away and then shoving that hand into her shorts.
“Are you wet?”
“In more ways than one, Slade.” She makes a joke, but there’s nothing joking about the way she opens to me.
Spreading her legs as far as they’ll go again, she gives me plenty of room to go underneath her shorts and panties to shove my finger into her tightness, to work her clit with the palm of my hand.
“Take me out,” I grunt as I continue thrusting toward her. “Take my cock out.”
“Here?” Her voice is full of awe. “What if someone sees? Are we gonnna be plastered all over the headlines again?”
“Don’t give a fuck, sweetness, I need you to come and I need to come. The outside world be damned, this is about us. Besides nobody is following us since I had my agent threaten to sue anyone who takes unauthorized pictures of us anymore.”
She does as I ask, jacking me slowly at first, but the circle of her fist feels better than I imagined it would.
“Faster.” I move my hips back forth helping her to jack me. “Don’t stop!”
She moans, thrusting her pelvis against my hand. I can feel her tightening, the quickening of her thrusts and the beating of her heart. “Kiss me,” she pants. “I’m gonna come. I’m gonna scream, kiss me.”
Right as I take her lips with mine, she does come and she does scream. It’s muffled as she thrusts through it, tightening against my fingers, tightening her grip on my cock. We keep kissing as she picks up the pace on my flesh, and out of nowhere I feel myself spill against her.
Tearing my lips away from hers, I give a grunt that I’m almost positive can be heard from at least a few feet away as I shoot against her clothes. Her hand falls to the side, and I reach down, giving my still-hard cock a few more tugs as a few more streams jet from the tip.
“Holy fucking shit.” I’m breathing heavily, as I kneel over her.
Her dark clothes are painted with splashes of white, and so badly I want to remember this moment, for one of those times when we won’t have it. I almost take my phone out and take a picture, so we can remember it when things aren’t perfect between us.
Instead I lean forward, kissing her softly. “I love you, sweetness.”
She grins, yawning softly as the rain stays slow and steady.
“Love you too, Slade. More than you know.”
“So next week, I have to go to my friend, Caleb’s wedding, which is about two hours outside of Birmingham. Think you’d want to be my plus one?”
She laughs against my shoulder. “Yeah, maybe one day I can be your forever plus one.”
I kiss her forehead, a smile spread across my face. “Maybe you can.”
And in that moment I have a thought. This is what life is supposed to be like.
Twenty-Five
Savage
“Do I look okay?”
My gaze travels up from the floor where I’m tying the laces of my dress shoes to where she stands in front of me. It takes in fuck-me heels, long tan legs, and thighs that grip me so tight when I’m in between them. Eventually I encounter the end of a lavender dress that hugs all her curves, showing off her shoulders. Which is fitting, since her shoulders are one of my favorite parts of her body.
A sexy, sophisticated woman stands in front of me. How different she looks here than she’d looked for prom, nervously wringing her hands in front of her. The parallels in our life before and our life now are sometimes crazy in how they mirror. I feel almost like we’re doing the same relationship, just a
s adults now. To be truthful, I’m in awe of her and how she carries herself.
“You look absolutely amazing.” I stand up, buttoning my shirt as I walk over to where she waits for me. “I like this hair.” I playfully grab hold of a curl, pulling on it, watching as it springs back into place. It’s tousled and looks like we’ve spent the afternoon in bed together. Her eyes are rimmed in kohl, and I love the way it makes the green pop.
“You don’t look so bad yourself there, Slade.” With those hands I love to feel on my body, she smooths my shirt over my chest, helping me to take care of the wrinkles. “Whose wedding is this again?”
She asks the question as she walks over to the dresser in the hotel we’re staying in. Watching her getting to the other side of the room is a pleasure. Her ass shakes as she balances on those heels, and I’m not ashamed to say my eyes are glued. Looking at me in the mirror, she gives me a smirk.
“Like what you see?”
“All the time, sweetness, all the time.”
I watch, enthralled with the way she’s putting on her jewelry. Everything about this moment is so intimate, everything I’ve ever wanted with her. “To answer your question, my college roommate, Caleb.”
“Oh yeah, the one who taught you how college life should be,” she teases as she puts her earrings in.
“I wouldn’t say that.” I grin back at her. “Probably taught him one or two things myself.”
“What does he do now?” She continues the conversation as she puts perfume on and goes to grab her purse.
Following in her wake, I roll my sleeves up. Even though it’s a wedding, fall in Alabama is still hot as hell. “He’s a cop, part of a specialized patrol here that deals with illegal moonshine.”
“Is it that big of a problem here?”
I’d wondered the same thing when I started college at Alabama and met his dad, who is also a member of the task force. “It is, but at the same time, he’s just a regular member of Laurel Springs PD, too. It just depends on what they have going on.”
On the DL Page 13
