“More like a player. Not to mention since when is he into girls like Beth? I thought he liked country girls that wear boots and short cut off shorts, not divas who wear more makeup than most of the people in Hollywood and whose idea of a casual outfit is a dress I’d likely wear to someone’s wedding. She’s just so...”
“Prissy,” Chris finishes my sentence.
“Exactly.”
“Well, you never know. Maybe she’s a freak in bed.”
“Shut up.” I whack him across the arm with my hand. “I don’t even want to think about that.” I shake off the thought.
“I’m just saying. It takes more than a pretty painted face to get Ben’s attention. Not only does she have his attention, but she’s been able to hold it for weeks now. I took him to the bar last week and he didn’t move off the stool next to me the entire time. Normally I can’t find him because he’s off making out with some random chick.”
“Wow.” I’m not sure if I should be concerned that my younger brother has become such a man whore or impressed that one girl might be able to lock him down.
“Wow is right. I thought the asshole was sick.” Chris chuckles, draining the remainder of his beer in one long pull. “You want another?” he asks, snagging my near empty bottle out of my hand.
“Sure.” I smile up at him as he stands.
“Coming right up,” he tells me, disappearing inside moments later.
Chapter Nine
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two weeks that I’ve been home. I’m not sure whether I should be worried or relieved that time seems to be slipping by so quickly. Of course, it’s not hard to pass the time when I have someone as attractive as Thad around to day dream about.
It’s become somewhat of a game between the two of us. I’ll stare at him while he’s grease covered working on a vehicle or hauling bales of hay into the barn on his back. And I’ll catch his eyes on me while I’m working in the garden with Mom or tending to the horses.
It’s like I sense his eyes on me before I even know he’s there. One minute everything feels normal and then the next the air around me charges. I can’t deny the attraction. There’s no point in even trying. I can however make sure that I don’t let it go any further than that – no matter how much I’d like it to.
Tonight’s the night of Brylan’s party and I’m actually excited to get away. Being around Thad all day every day is starting to wear me down. I feel hyper aware all the time and it’s as trying as it is exciting.
Thad, or rather getting a break from Thad is the main reason why I gave in to go to this party. Seeing old friends is nice, but getting away from the tempting man right outside is even more of a reason. So here I stand, in front of the mirror in a pair of fashionably ripped skinny jeans and a fitted black tank top. Never mind the fact that this is the tenth outfit I’ve tried on. I felt like each one I put on before now screamed that I was trying too hard. So I settled for simple.
Knowing it’s not really warm enough for a tank top just yet, I grab a black cardigan out of my closet and drape it over my forearm.
Having opted to keep my hair down and straight and my makeup natural. Again, I didn’t want to seem like I was trying too hard. Though I’m not really all that sure why I care so much.
Slipping on a pair of black flats, I quickly slide out of my bedroom, coming to an abrupt halt when I come face to face with Thad the moment I step into the hallway.
“Hey.” I force a smile, letting my eyes travel the length of him. He’s dressed casually in faded jeans and a dark blue t-shirt – his messy hair hidden beneath a backward baseball cap that makes him look so damn yummy I almost whimper.
His piercing light eyes find mine and I suck in a sharp breath, not sure why my heart suddenly feels like it’s somewhere in my stomach.
“What are you doing up here?” I question, maybe a tad accusatory.
Thad has done a very good job at avoiding being alone with me since the night I fell asleep in his camper. At first I was offended, feeling like maybe I had done something wrong. Now I’m curious, because the way I catch him looking at me tells me it’s more likely that I’ve done something right and that excites me more than anything else.
“I came up to see if you’re ready.”
“For?” I question, not trying to hide my confusion.
“The party,” he says like it should be obvious.
“You’re going?” I squeak out, a little too high pitched.
“I am.” He nods. His expression is straight but his eyes twinkle with humor.
“Oh, okay. I didn’t realize,” I say, turning to pull my bedroom door shut.
“I wasn’t planning on it, but Chris has been riding my ass about getting out more. Thought I’d give it a go.” He shrugs, gesturing for me to go ahead of him.
I feel his eyes on my back all the way down the stairwell, my skin prickling under the heat of his gaze.
“Where is Chris anyway?” I question when we step onto the back porch and I see his truck isn’t in the driveway.
“He and Ben ran into town to pick up a few things. I told him I’d drive you.”
“Oh.” My cheeks heat at the thought of getting to be alone with him again.
“Come on.” He takes off toward my dad’s old pickup truck, which he seems to use more than my dad does.
Taking a deep breath, I quickly follow him, doing a shit job of not staring at his ass as I do. What can I say? He makes it really hard on a girl.
“You have to crawl across. The passenger door is jammed,” he says, opening the driver’s side door before gesturing for me to get in.
“You mean to tell me my father still hasn’t had that door fixed?” I shake my head, walking straight past Thad to hop up in the truck before shimmying my way over to the passenger side.
“I’ve tried messing with it but I’m not great with body work. Engines I can do all day long. But I’m afraid I’ll just make it worse,” He tells me as he settles into the driver’s seat next to me.
“Yeah, it’s been that way since before I moved to California. I’m guessing my father’s not all that worried about it.”
“It doesn’t appear so.” He throws me a crooked smile before firing the truck to life. The engine rumbles loudly, vibrating the floorboard against my feet.
It momentarily takes me back to when I was younger. How I would climb in this truck and roll the window down, eager to feel the warm summer air on my face as me and my father made our way into town. I used to love our little day trips.
My dad would always stop and get us ice cream when we finished getting whatever we were there for. He’d make me finish it before we pulled into the driveway and I always had to promise I wouldn’t tell any of the boys. Those drives are some of my fondest memories. The carefree summer days when I didn’t want anything but what was right in front of me.
The nearly ten mile ride to the lake is quiet. I keep looking at Thad out of the corner of my eye, wishing like hell I knew what he was thinking. What he was feeling. If I’m driving him as crazy as he’s driving me.
It isn’t until we’re following the winding, wooded path down to the water that Thad finally speaks.
“So Brylan?” He phrases it as a question, keeping his gaze locked on the road.
“What about him?” I ask when he says nothing else.
“You two serious?” His hands tighten around the steering wheel and I can’t help but stare at the way his forearms flex as he does.
“We were,” I confirm, rethinking my answer. “I mean, as serious as you can be with someone when you know you’re leaving.” I shrug.
“Did you love him?”
“I did, but clearly not enough.”
“Why do you say that?” He chances a quick glance in my direction before his gaze goes forward again.
“Because I left. And as much as it hurt to hurt him, it didn’t hurt me to leave. What Brylan and I had was fun but it was never going to last.”
“Because yo
u were leaving.”
“Exactly. He was never going to come with me, not that I really wanted him to. And I was never going to stay.”
“What about now?”
“What about now?” I repeat his question back to him.
“You’re going to his party.”
“And?” I look at him like he has five heads.
“I don’t know. I mean, he is your high school boyfriend who’s clearly still into you and has bent over backward to make something of himself in the hopes of winning you back.”
“Where are you getting your information because I’m pretty certain it’s misguided?”
“From Ben. Who’s getting it from Brylan’s sister.”
“Wait. Beth told Ben that Brylan...”
“Wants you back,” he finishes my sentence. “Why do you think he’s going to law school?”
“Because he wants to be a lawyer,” I state what I feel is pretty obvious.
“Did he ever strike you as that type when you were together?”
“Not really,” I answer truthfully. “But people change and he always said he was going to do it.”
“Yeah, especially when they’re trying to prove to the girl they love that they’re enough.”
“That’s not what he’s doing.” I refuse to believe his life decisions have anything to do with me. “Besides, becoming some fancy lawyer isn’t going to win me back. We’re too different. We always have been.”
“You say that now. The power of money has more pull than most people realize. He becomes an attorney and starts raking in the money, you won’t be able to resist.” The way he says it feels almost offensive but I refuse to let him rile me.
“I don’t care if he becomes a millionaire. It won’t change anything. I don’t care about the money.”
“Says the girl who moved to L.A. to become an actress.” Thad throws me a disbelieving look.
“Because I love acting. I’d do it for free if it weren’t for needing money to live.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I don’t care what you believe. You know my family and therefore probably have a really good idea of how I was raised. Why would you ever believe that I would choose my career or my future husband based on money?”
“Have you looked in the mirror lately? You don’t exactly fit in with the rest of your family.”
“What? Because I take pride in my appearance suddenly I’m a money hungry wench who cares about nothing else?” I can’t shake the irritation from my voice.
It’s like he’s purposely taking shots at me and yet I have no idea why.
“If the shoe fits.”
Even though he says it almost teasingly, it snaps the thread holding my temper at bay.
“You know what? Screw you. You don’t know a damn thing about me,” I bite, crossing my arms over my chest as I shift my body toward the passenger door.
“I know you’re easy as hell to make mad.” He chuckles to himself which only serves to piss me off more.
“Are you purposely trying to make me dislike you?” I say to the window.
“Depends. Is it working?” There’s still humor in his voice.
“What do you think?” I grind out, not willing to play into his hand further.
“Look,” he says after a long beat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“I think that’s exactly what you meant to do,” I accuse, whipping my gaze toward him. “You wanna know what I think?” I don’t wait for him to answer before continuing, “I think you want me and this is your way of keeping me at arm’s length. Piss me off and insult me so you never run the risk of me getting too close.”
The statement is total bullshit. I don’t really think that’s what he’s doing. Or maybe I actually hit some sort of truth. I mean, it would explain why one minute he’s flirting with me and the next he’s stone cold. Why one day he volunteers to ride horses with me and the next three or four days he avoids me like the plague. It’s like he wants to be around me but once he is, he pushes me away.
“Got it all figured out, don’t ya?” He smirks, shaking his head.
“Damn right I do.”
I want to say more, to push the issue and find out if I really am onto something, but before I have the chance, Thad pulls the truck behind a long line of cars. They stretch along the whole side of the road – the party already in full swing. Several people are hanging back around the cars. A few are talking and drinking, while others are grabbing stuff to take down to the water.
When Thad shoves the truck in park and kills the engine I’m not sure if I want to jump out of the cab to escape the way he makes me feel or beg him to keep driving and take me somewhere where we can be alone and I can prove this wild theory I’ve suddenly concocted in my head.
Before I can even think to suggest the second option, I catch sight of Brylan making his way toward us. A wide smile on his face. I don’t even question how he knows it’s me. The truck is a dead giveaway.
He looks good – I’ll give him that much. Not nearly as good as Thad, but good enough that I’m forced to take notice. Dressed in jeans and a red ASU shirt, he looks every bit the popular jock he was in high school.
“You made it.” He steps up next to the passenger side of the truck and reaches for the door handle.
“Oh, it doesn’t work,” I quickly inform him, deciding to climb out of the open window rather than ask Thad to let me out. “You coming?” I look back through the window the instant my feet hit the ground.
Thad, who looks like he’s not quite sure what to think about me right now, nods once before quickly exiting the truck.
“Who’s this?” Brylan steps back when Thad crosses around the front of the truck and stops directly next to me.
“Brylan, this is Thad. Thad, Brylan. Thad’s a family friend,” I explain.
“Nice to meet you, Thad.” Brylan gives Thad a curt nod before his attention comes back to me. “Come on, let me get you a drink.”
“Okay,” I agree, eager to get the hell away from Thad so I can decompress and try to process what the hell happened on the ride over. “Thad, you coming?” I turn, praying like hell he doesn’t but feeling obligated to ask.
“Nah, I’m good. You two go ahead.” He gives me a stiff nod.
Disappointment settles in my gut and I realize that as badly as I wanted him to decline, I wanted him to accept even more. Forcing a carefree smile as to not let him see he’s gotten to me, I turn and follow Brylan toward the group of people congregating feet from the lake where a large fire is raging.
Everyone’s here. All of my old friends from high school – with the exception of a couple who have moved away – are all in attendance. I find very quickly that my concern over how they would react to me being here was completely unwarranted.
The beer flows as does the conversation and within an hour of arriving I feel like this is just another high school party and no time has passed at all. And as much as I’m enjoying myself and the light buzz I’ve managed to catch, I still can’t stop myself from looking around for Thad every chance I get.
Shortly after Ben and Chris arrived, I saw him talking to them. Then a few minutes later he was leaning against a tree talking to two pretty girls who I instantly wanted to slaughter. Now, he’s sitting on a log next to the fire, a gorgeous blonde practically in his lap.
And even though his eyes keep coming to me at every turn, I find myself getting more pissed by the second. I swallow down the jealous knot in my chest and drink harder, determined to drink away any and all thoughts of Thad Mitchell.
The only problem is, the more I drink the harder it is to do that. This is why when Brylan snags his arm around my waist half way through the night I let him. It’s why I don’t pull away when he kisses my neck and tells me how much he’s missed me. It’s why I stupidly find myself stumbling into the woods behind him after he suggested we slip away.
It isn’t until my back comes to rest against a tree and Brylan
’s face is hovering inches from mine that I realize how desperately I wish it were Thad standing in front of me. Thad pressed against me. Thad’s lips lowering to take mine.
I close my eyes and tilt my face upward, picturing his handsome face, his scruffy jaw, his crisp blue eyes. I wait, anticipating a kiss I know is coming only to feel the weight of Brylan’s body suddenly disappear.
My eyes shoot open to see Thad standing between me and my ex-boyfriend, his back to me.
“What the fuck, man?” Brylan objects, clearly as intoxicated as me by the way his voice slurs around the words.
“We’re leaving, Laken,” Thad tells me, not once looking in my direction.
“Excuse me?” I blurt, the alcohol adding to my confusion, making it impossible for me to keep up.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Brylan takes a step forward only to be met with Thad’s palm to his chest, giving him a hard shove backward.
Brylan stumbles slightly but manages to stay on his feet.
“I’m the guy who’s gonna keep you from taking advantage of Laken while she’s drunk.” In my inebriated state I consider pronouncing my love for him for defending me.
“Laken’s a big girl. She knows what she’s doing.”
“You would say that after force feeding her shots for the last two hours,” he spits, turning just enough to snag my arm. “Let’s go,” he growls, giving me a rough tug so that my only choice is to follow him or end up flat on my face.
“Man, fuck you,” Brylan yells from somewhere behind us, but I’m too busy trying to keep up with Thad’s quick pace to look back.
“What are you doing?” I finally find my voice as we reach the edge of the woods where the party is still in full swing.
“Keeping you from doing something you’ll regret.”
“Who says I would regret it?” I challenge, hiccupping loudly over the last word.
He stops so abruptly that I end up running right into his back, nearly losing my balance on impact. He spins on me so quickly the ground sways and then he’s in my space, his arm wrapping around my shoulder to keep me from falling.
Force of Nature Page 6
