“Damn you, Kyle. I’m never going to give up my ass to you again,” Chaz said, going with a new tactic.
It worked too. I released the tight grip I had on the base of Chaz’s cock and stopped edging him so he could come down my throat in spectacular fashion.
“I… oh… that was,” he said in between pants.
“Good?” I asked, feeling ridiculously pleased with myself for reducing him to breathless rambling.
“I’ve never come so hard,” Chaz said. “I feel lightheaded. I need to get up and head to my room to change clothes and get ready for breakfast, but I don’t think I can move.”
“You want me to go get your things and bring them over here so we can get ready together?” I offered.
The confliction I saw in his eyes confused me because the question wasn’t complicated. I could tell that a large part of him wanted to stay and get ready with me, but I also saw that his cautious side was going to win the war.
“Um,” he said uncomfortably. “I think…”
“It’s okay, Chaz,” I told him. “I didn’t mean to pressure you or anything. I guess that I’m just not ready to let you go. It was an amazing night, and morning,” I added, “and I hate to see it end.”
I rose to my feet and held out my hand to help him off the bed. I didn’t like his answer, but I chose to be a gentleman about it instead of a jerk. I pulled him to me for one last long, lingering kiss.
“I’ll see you down at breakfast,” I told him.
Chaz rose on his tiptoes and pressed his lips to mine briefly. “It was an amazing night and morning.” He repeated my words back to me, but it sounded awfully close to a goodbye when he said them.
I nodded because there wasn’t anything else I could say or do. A feeling of dread washed over me as I showered and got ready to meet my friends for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The feeling turned to hurt and anger when I saw that two seats were left empty: Chaz’s and mine. Fuck! I knew damn well that I couldn’t sit there and pretend that everything was okay when my heart felt bruised and battered. I felt like the only choice open to me was to leave quietly and apologize for my behavior later.
I turned to do just that and nearly collided with Chaz. “Going somewhere in a hurry, Dr. D?”
Kyle didn’t answer my question right away, so I crossed my arms over my chest and quirked a brow.
“Uh,” Kyle stammered, which I found fucking adorable since he always seemed so composed. I was happy to make him… flappy.
“Were you about to leave without saying goodbye to me?” I asked, covering my heart dramatically to show how badly he wounded me.
Kyle’s body tightened with tension, and he looked at me with an incredulous gaze. “Me?” he asked before he snorted. “I thought you left without saying goodbye to me.” It was cute the way he used his pointer finger to help narrate his response even though he enunciated the words clearly.
Truthfully, I had planned to bolt when I left his hotel room and did the walk of shame back to mine while silently pleading that none of my friends caught me exiting his room. You know damn well that fate wasn’t working in my favor, right?
“Well, well, well,” Meredith said when she opened the door and found me creeping down the corridor. “What do we have here?” A smug smile had crossed her face before she said, “It’s about damn time. Don’t blow this, Charles Bailey!”
I passed up the opportunity to give her a snarky reply about how much I like blowing things. My night with Kyle deserved more respect than brash, bawdy words. Instead, I smiled at Mere and said, “I’ll try my best.” I should’ve been offended by her tone and implication that I was the one who would blow things with Kyle, but she was right. I was on the verge of self-destructing after the most amazing night of my life. To make things worse, I still would’ve gone home if I’d had access to a car, but I rode to Cincinnati with Mere and Harley.
“See that you do, baby doll.” Mere blew air kisses at me and shut the door. How did she even know I was in the hallway? It was like she was watching for me through the peephole or something. I pitied her future kids because they wouldn’t get away with anything.
That line of thought reminded me of how close I had come to revealing my secret the night before when I used the phrase “okay then” with Kyle. It was one I had used almost nightly as Drew and I internally cringed as soon as the words left my lips. I held my breath while I waited to see if he caught my slip. I thought for a brief second that recognition dawned in his eyes, but it either never took root or was replaced by lust for another round of sex.
I had no right to sleep with Kyle without him knowing the truth, and despite his declaration that morning, I knew he was going to care a great deal about the revelation when it happened. Yet, I discovered how quickly I could push my shame away when he locked his mesmerizing blue eyes on me.
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” I told Kyle. A hopeful smile bloomed across his face, and I kicked myself for giving him the wrong impression. “I rode with Mere and Harley.”
The smile slid from his face, and it seemed like the joyous light behind his eyes dimmed a bit. “Oh,” he said flatly. Fuck! I only wanted to set him straight, not kick him in the balls. “Can I drive you home after breakfast?”
Damn, the man drove me home like I’d never been driven before, or was it ridden? Either way, my ass would sting for days, but it was so worth it. I grinned wryly at him. “Again so soon?” I asked teasingly. My confidence soared when Kyle got flustered again. I liked catching him off guard and pushing him outside his comfort zone. “I’d love to catch a ride with you, but I need to eat breakfast to refuel first.”
“Okay then,” Kyle said then smiled suggestively at me. “After you.”
It felt like everyone at our table was staring at us when we entered the dining room. Their scrutiny made me uncomfortable, and I felt my cheeks get hot as my skin most likely turned an interesting shade of pink or red. I tried to bullshit my way through the discomfort with a friendly smile.
“Good morning,” I said with mock cheerfulness. “Everyone sleep well?” I realized my mistake when most of the people around the table snorted.
“We didn’t come here to sleep,” Josh said teasingly. “We can nap later.”
“Speak for yourself,” Adrian’s wife, Sally Ann, said. “This is the first night I slept more than two hours at a time since Adrianna was born. Everyone keeps telling me that she’ll eventually sleep through the night, but she hasn’t yet.”
“How well did you sleep, Chaz?” Josh asked me.
I picked up the menu and began looking over the breakfast selections so that I wasn’t looking into Josh’s eyes when I lied through my teeth. “Like the dead.”
“Uh huh,” Meredith said but didn’t betray where I stayed.
I looked up and found her smiling fondly at me. She winked playfully, and I rolled my eyes at her. I glanced over at Josh to see if he picked up on the exchange, but he had switched his attention back to Gabe.
Kyle leaned closer until his mouth nearly pressed against my ear. “I recall very little sleeping.” His words triggered memories of the two of us tangled and entwined in his hotel bed.
I fought the urge to lean into him or look at him to avoid making a fool of myself in front of an audience. I’d given these people enough fodder over the years to tide them over. “Yeah, but I slept hard for that hour or two before dawn,” I softly whispered so only he could hear.
“Me too,” Kyle whispered back.
“What’s everybody ordering?” Gabe asked. “I want a huge stack of pancakes and a pound of bacon.”
“Wow, someone worked up an appetite,” Harley said.
I often wondered if it was awkward for Kyle to hear references about Josh and Gabe’s sex life. I looked over to see what his reaction was, but he was still looking at me. I couldn’t tell if he even heard Harley’s comment because I was too caught up in the heat I saw in Kyle’s eyes.
“I think I’m going to hav
e an egg white omelet loaded with veggies and turkey sausage,” Kyle told me. “I need to replenish my supply of protein.” He whispered the last part to me.
Damn him! He was giving me a freaking hard-on at the most inconvenient time. How the hell was I even able to get it up after a night like we had? “If you could order anything off the menu, what would it be?” I asked to distract my brain from sex.
“French toast and full-fat bacon,” Kyle replied without hesitation.
“You don’t believe in cheat days?” I asked him. Kyle and I had never discussed his childhood obesity or his dieting habits as an adult, but you only had to be around him a few times to notice that he didn’t eat bad foods.
“No. I don’t trust myself,” Kyle replied. “It’s better if I avoid the temptation altogether.” I saw the ironclad determination in his eyes, which meant he’d completely cut me out of his life like chocolate cake if he decided I was bad for him. The thought hit me hard like a punch to the stomach. Kyle’s phone rang, pulling his attention off of me so I could recover from my sobering thoughts. He frowned when he looked at the caller ID. “This can’t be good; it’s the police department,” he said soberly. “This is Dr. Vaughn.” I watched Kyle’s expression morph from concerned to angry. “I’m in Cincinnati right this minute, but I can be there in forty-five minutes.” The alarm in his voice captured the attention of everyone at our table.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as soon as he hung up.
Kyle stood from his chair. “I need to head back to Blissville,” he said. “Someone broke into the animal hospital. Officer Wen said it looked like they trashed the place in a fit of rage when they couldn’t get to the drugs. It doesn’t sound like there’s a lot of damage, just a big mess.”
“Prescription drugs for animals?” Meredith asked.
“I have some pretty powerful pain pills on site,” Kyle told her then looked at me with regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry that I have to run off.”
“We can all head back to help you clean up,” Gabe said before I could respond to Kyle. He rose to his feet and the rest of us did too.
“No, please stay and enjoy your breakfasts. This sounds like a case of petty vandalism and there is no need to ruin your morning.”
“Are you sure?” Gabe asked. I could tell he wasn’t comfortable just going on with his morning like nothing happened.
“I’m positive. I’ll let you guys know if it’s worse than I thought,” Kyle told us. He turned to look at me again. “I’m sorry.”
Although I hated the circumstances, I thought it was best for me to have some time and space apart from Kyle so I could get my head on straight. He was the temptation that I couldn’t resist, and I wouldn’t allow myself to fall harder than I already had for a man who wouldn’t want me once he learned the truth.
“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’ll get a ride home with Mere and Harley.”
I could tell that Kyle wanted to reach for me, but wasn’t sure how I would react. Instead, he offered me a crooked smile and said, “Okay then; I’ll call you later.”
Even though I wanted space to clear my head, I missed him like crazy once he left. Instead of thinking of ways to distance myself from him or tell him the truth, I wondered how much damage there was to the animal hospital. The morning was duller once Kyle was gone and I quietly sat back and watched everyone else interact. I could tell I wasn’t the only one thinking about Kyle. The lighthearted banter that occurred before Kyle got the phone call was replaced with a more somber dialogue about the sad changes happening to our small town. Murders, drug busts, and robberies were becoming too common in a town where people didn’t use to lock their doors at night. Gabe excused himself to make a few calls and I knew it was about Kyle and the vandalism.
I was happy when it was time to check out and leave so I could do what I did best when I was conflicted. Meredith noticed my withdrawal, but she didn’t say anything about it in the restaurant or during the ride home. Instead, we talked about things happening at the salon and our best friend’s upcoming wedding the following week.
“Twenty bucks says that Josh is holed up in the supply closet taking inventory tomorrow,” Meredith said when Harley pulled into my driveway. Josh was a control freak to his core and transferred his energy to the things he could control when he was overwhelmed. Everything sounded like it was on track for the wedding, but it was a sure bet that Josh would fall back on his old routines and habits before the week was up.
“I’m not taking that bet because I’d lose,” I told her. I blew her a kiss and unlocked the front door. “Harry,” I called. “Where’s my boy?” I heard him jump down off my bed followed by the sound of his nails clicking against the hardwood floor as he headed toward my voice. “I’ve missed my baby.” I squatted down when he rounded the corner, and he made a mad dash for me. I picked him up and cuddled him against my chest.
Meow. It sounded like there was a whole lot of judgment in his greeting.
“I did miss you, Harry. I hardly slept at all last night.” It wasn’t a lie, but he didn’t need to know the real reasons why I was up all night. Harry flattened his ears and narrowed his eyes as if he could read my mind. “I know how I can make it up to you.”
Harry was purring madly by the time I set him down by his food dish. He watched me eagerly to see if I pulled out a can of soft food or his bag of dry kibble. The purring increased and he wove in and out of my legs shamelessly when I opened the can of chicken and gravy. The shit smelled nasty, but my little guy loved it madly.
I spent a good half hour kissing up to Harry with belly rubs and ear scratches before I opened my laptop to my latest chapter for Gideon and Jamie. My writing had felt a little stilted the previous weeks, and I wasn’t sure if it was due to exhaustion from trying to do too much or dread for the scene I needed to write. My weekend away must’ve been just what I needed because the ideas started flowing when I opened my document.
I typed until I couldn’t feel my fingers, unsure of where the hell the chapter was taking me but loving the journey. Sometimes the hardest part was finding the perfect ending for a chapter. You wanted it to wrap up the current chapter and entice the reader to want to turn the page. Who the hell cared about laundry, cleaning, or mowing the grass when the story was getting good? And Jamie and Gideon were getting sooo good.
Guilt clawed at my insides while I watched Jamie sleeping beside me. How did I arrive at this moment in my life? Jamie McManus was innocent, not a monster like his father. I deceived him, took his innocence, and used him to further my plan for revenge. Didn’t that make me a monster also?
I ran the back of my hand over his cheekbone and couldn’t keep the smile off my face when he whimpered and leaned into my touch. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and resisting him had been futile. I couldn’t undo the damage I’d done by having sex with him, but I could make sure it never happened again. I could break his heart now so that he could begin to heal and find someone who deserved him.
I rose from the bed and quietly dressed so that I wouldn’t wake Jamie. I needn’t have worried though, because he was exhausted from the night of passion we shared and didn’t move a muscle. I stood over him, memorizing every inch of his body and curve of his face. When I started my journey, I didn’t expect to fall for Jamie, but then again I didn’t think I was capable of love anymore. I hated myself, the world, and everyone in it. Somehow, Jamie McManus showed me that good existed in the world and I repaid him by destroying his trust and shattering his illusions that good men existed. It was bad enough that he would learn who I was and the real reasons I sought him out at the fundraiser, but learning the truth about his father had the potential to destroy him.
The urge to take Jamie and run from it all came on swift and strong. No! Running wasn’t the answer and since when did I let a good lay interfere with my plans?I turned from the bed suddenly and pushed all thoughts of Jamie aside to focus on the single goal I’d had for the last twelve years: Take down Connor McManus
and to hell with the casualties.
I sat back and stared at what I’d written, amazed that it flowed so naturally. Gideon’s mind was often in a dark place, and I struggled at times to write his chapters. Maybe I felt like I could relate to him more after the deceptive night I shared with Kyle. To be fair, I never intended to hurt anyone, but Gideon sought Jamie out so that he could get closer to his father. Even I wasn’t that big of an asshole, but I wasn’t sure Kyle was going to feel the same way once he found out.
I was startled out of my revelry by a knock on my door. My heart pounded with hope that Kyle might be waiting for me on the other side of the door, but I knew better. I heard the Matrons of Maple Lane chattering and could smell the familiar aroma of my mama’s spaghetti and meatballs. Comfort food at its finest. The long shadows on the floor told me that the sun was setting and my growling stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Even so, I would’ve preferred to heat up a microwave dinner and wallow around in my misery by my lonesome. Instead, I plastered a smile on my face and whipped open my door.
“Evening, my ladies.”
The bad thing about small towns is that everyone knows your business. The good thing about them is that also means they show up and pitch in when it’s needed. Word had spread faster than a wildfire that someone vandalized the animal hospital, and my employees were on hand to help me pick up the shattered pieces. Gabe had called me once and Officer Wen twice before I arrived on the scene to make sure I hadn’t been downplaying the damage. Apparently, Wen must’ve appeased him because Gabe and the others honored my request to enjoy their morning.
“Anything missing?” Officer Wen asked after I’d gone from room to room.
The sound of broken glass crunching beneath my feet had the same effect on my nerves as someone scraping their nails down a chalkboard. “Not that I can tell,” I told Wen. “They were most likely looking to score drugs.”
Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville, #1) Page 9
