I glance over at Branson, who is in a whole other world. His eyes are wide as saucers as he casually sips on his drink. He’s watching to the left of us. What the hell is going on?
“Holy fuck, Beau,” he yells.
“What?”
“Check out that fine piece of ass.”
My eyes dart in the direction he’s currently gawking. Fuck me, I’m not seeing things. “Don’t fucking look at her like that or I’ll kick your ass.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m doing the one thing you’re too big of a pussy to do. I’m looking at women.”
My eyes blink several times as I attempt to focus on what is just a few mere inches away to the left. I have to make sure I’m really seeing this before I make a massive ass out of myself. The blonde hair is cascading down her back, and those legs. Damn, what those legs to do me. It’s her. It’s Shay.
“That’s her, you dickwad. Quit staring at her like that.”
“Wait…” He laughs. “That’s her? That’s the girl you moved here for? Well, what are you waiting for? Go talk to her.”
If only it were that easy. If only I could walk up to her like nothing is wrong and she doesn’t have someone new in her life. “I can’t. She has a boyfriend.”
Branson rolls his eyes and begins mocking me. “Waa, my name is Beau and I’m a fucking pussy. I don’t see a guy anywhere near her. The only person by her is another girl who, might I add, is fine as hell. Get over there and talk to her or I’m dragging you, kicking and screaming.”
“It’s not that easy, Branson,” I argue. He won’t hear it though and maybe, just maybe, I’ll be thanking him for this later but right now I’m not sure. He grabs my arm and yanks me forward, nearly causing my drink to slip from my grasp. I hold onto the glass with everything I have. I have a feeling I’ll need this extra liquid courage for what I’m about to do.
The next few steps feel like an eternity. Her back is turned and she doesn’t even see me coming. Talk about an ambush. My palms are beginning to sweat and the glass is becoming slippery in my grasp.
“Let go of my arm, asshole,” I hiss at Branson.
“Fine, but if you try and make a run for it, I’ll chase your ass down.” His grip loosens and eventually leaves my arm. I move the glass to my other hand and take several deep breaths as we close in on a very unsuspecting Shayleigh.
The brunette standing by Shayleigh notices us approaching and her face lights up. I notice her elbow nudging her to turn and look. As she begins to turn, my heart plummets and I think about how nice it would be to run away but Branson really would chase me down, so I keep my feet cemented to the ground. When her eyes lock with mine, a faint smile forms but she keeps herself in check. I wish she could just let go and remember everything we had. I wish she could act on it, but she’s not going to.
“Well, who do we have here?” her brunette friend asks as she bats her eyelashes at Branson.
He runs his hands through his short brown hair in a very suave manner then reaches for her hand and pulls it up to his lips. His green eyes are burning with desire, lust, or whatever you want to call it. Gag me. “I’m Branson. I believe these two already know each other.”
Shayleigh and I both shoot him the same dirty look. Her friend looks at us before dropping her jaw. “Oh my God, this is Beau? Oh, I’m Farrah, by the way.”
“Yeah, I’m Beau,” I answer, breaking the silence because Shayleigh doesn’t look like she’s going to say anything anytime soon.
“What are you doing here, Beau?” Shayleigh asks quietly, so quietly no one heard her but me.
Branson and Farrah can’t take their eyes off each other, so they aren’t paying attention. Branson leans closer and whispers, “Go get her, man, I’m taking this fine girl to dance.”
Farrah giggles as he grabs her by the hand and pulls her away to the dance floor, leaving me and Shayleigh alone. She shuffles a little uncomfortably and I can’t say I blame her. I’m nervous as fuck. My stomach has erupted into a bundle of ravenous butterflies.
“Branson brought me here. What are you doing here?” I ask her.
Her eyes lock on mine again. The sadness in them breaks my heart. I’d do anything to be able to read her mind right now. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and takes a deep breath. Obviously she wasn’t anticipating this tonight and neither was I, but here we are.
“I’m out with my friend but she’s run off with your friend, so now I’m alone.”
“You aren’t alone. I’m here. Where’s what’s his name?” I ask. What the hell did I ask her that for?
“My boyfriend isn’t here and his name is Wyatt.”
Her words hit me like a stab to the chest. Why did she have to call him that? “Well, where is he?”
“That’s none of your business, Beau.”
“Once upon a time you used to be my business, Shay,” I tell her softly.
She turns her head for a second before turning back to face me. “Yeah, once upon a time. But this isn’t a fairy tale, Beau. Did you think you could ride back here on your big white horse and save the day? This is real life, it doesn’t work that way.”
“I didn’t come over here to argue Shay, please. I just asked a question. I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer it.”
I almost forgot I have a drink in my hand. I press the glass to my lips and take a long, hard drink.
“If you need to know, he’s at a gala for the hospital.”
“Why aren’t you there with him?” The questions continue to spill out like word vomit.
“What is this? Twenty questions? He didn’t think it would look professional if he brought me so he went alone.”
I could roll my eyes, but at least she’s talking to me. I don’t want her to stop. “Oh, well, how have you been?”
“Beau, please stop.”
“What? I’m just talking to you.”
“And that’s what I’m afraid of,” she admits.
I notice the song changes to something a little slower. I’m not even listening, I just want her to be able to trust me. “Dance with me, Shay.” She looks at me like I just sprouted an extra head. “Come on, it’s just a dance. Nothing more, I swear.”
Reluctantly, she presses her lips together and nods her head yes. My heart pounds triumphantly inside my chest. I can’t believe she said yes. I don’t bother to drink the rest of my drink but instead I set it on the bar. I reach for her hand and when she places it in mine, I remember exactly how perfectly our hands fit together. I slowly pull her to the dance floor and turn her to face me. I place my hands on her hips as we begin to sway to the music. Her chest is so close to mine as she wraps her arms around my neck that I swear I can feel her heart beating. So many memories invade my thoughts but I push them back so I can live in the now. Even if this is just for tonight, at least I have her in my arms where she truly belongs. Time stands still as we move to the music. Neither of us says a word, it’s just us and the music. For a whole two and a half minutes, she’s mine. When the song ends, an upbeat song begins and I pull away and wink.
“Thank you, Shay.”
As I begin to lead her off the dance floor, she stops me, grabbing my hand. “He’s not my boyfriend, Beau. He never put a label on us until the day he saw you at my house. I wanted you to know that.”
“If he’s not your boyfriend, then why can’t you be with me?” I don’t care how desperate I sound, I need to know.
“It’s not that easy, Beau. I do like him, but I-I—” She’s interrupted when someone accidently bumps into her. Their beer spills all down her top and her eyes instantly fill with tears. “Dammit.”
The girl apologizes profusely and stumbles off. Shay’s sopping wet from the beer and I see no sign of Farrah or Branson anywhere. “I guess this is when you leave?” I ask with a lump in my throat. Just when I thought we’d finally be able to have some sort of conversation to sort through all this mess, something bad had to happen.
“I can’t. I rode with F
arrah and I don’t see her anywhere so it looks like I’m stuck like this.”
“I can take you home, Shay, it’s not a problem. I won’t do anything but drive you there and leave,” I offer.
She stares at me with tears filling her eyes. “Fine. I can’t believe this just happened. I’m so mad. Let me text Farrah and we can go.”
She grabs her phone out of her back pocket and begins to type her message. She waits a second for Farrah to reply and when she does, Shay looks at me. “I’m ready.”
We walk outside into the night air. Shay hasn’t sat in my truck in so long and I can’t believe this is happening. If this isn’t fate, I don’t know what is. I unlock the door and open it for her. She climbs in and the sight of her sitting there in my truck makes my dick hard. Fuck, I can’t be thinking like this. I told her I would do nothing but drive her home and here I am letting my body take control of the situation. I walk around to the driver’s side, trying to adjust my dick in my pants. I’ll have the worst case of blue balls tonight but I don’t care. I climb in, thanking God that it’s dark outside and she can’t see the effect she has on me.
“Thank you, Beau,” she says as I start the truck.
I reach over and grab her hand to give it a small squeeze. “You’re welcome, Shay.” I let go of her hand and begin the drive to her house.
Chapter 4
Shayleigh
This isn’t how tonight was supposed to go. I was just supposed to have a few drinks with Farrah and dance, not run into Beau. I can’t keep my feelings for him away, especially if I see him again. Everything resurfaced. Every kiss, every touch. He’s worked his way back into my heart and I’m left wondering what I’m supposed to do. Wyatt is a great guy, he’s almost too perfect; and Beau, well, he’s gorgeous and we have history. Beau is driving me home in his truck. I can’t wait to get inside and get this gross beer washed off of me. It would be my luck to have someone spill on me. Farrah cracked me up with her response to my text. She said for me to forget Dr. Wyatt and get some of Beau. She’s full of herself. I could put money on her going home with Branson but I’ll just wait for her to tell me that herself tomorrow.
Beau drives in silence and I almost want to ask what’s on his mind but I’m sure I already know. I dropped the bomb on him that Wyatt isn’t really my boyfriend. I don’t care that Wyatt suddenly thinks we should be labeled. He shouldn’t want to label us all of a sudden just because he feels threatened. I like him and all but I don’t need him to be all masculine and claim his territory.
“I know you may be in whatever it is with Wyatt, but I’m glad I ran into you tonight,” Beau says, breaking the silence.
I turn to look at him as he nears my house. “I’m glad too. I don’t want to talk about him right now, Beau.”
“Shay, you know I love you. I love you so damn much and you have no idea how hard it was in that bar not to kiss you, but I’m not that guy. You have something with him whether he’s your boyfriend or not. You have ties to him and I’m trying really hard to respect that.”
I hate that he’s right. Dammit. “You’re a good guy, Beau. That’s why I love you.”
“You can’t say that, Shay, not when you’re sleeping with someone else.”
I can’t win for anything in this conversation so I decide to finish what I have to say then I’ll go back to saying nothing at all. “I’m sorry, Beau. I just want you to know that.”
“I am too.” He gets quiet again as he turns onto my road.
The tears are begging to spill from my eyes but I keep them at bay. I don’t want to appear too weak in front of him. It’s bad enough that my heart feels like it’s being ripped out of my chest. The truck stops and I look up to see the porch light on. Every light in the house is off so Dad will be sleeping. I don’t want more questions about why my shirt is drenched in beer.
Beau leaves the truck running but reaches to unbuckle his seatbelt. “I’m fine, Beau, you don’t have to walk me to my door. Thank you for bringing me home.”
He freezes and stops. I expected him to argue but he doesn’t say a word. I unbuckle my seatbelt and lean across the console to him. Softly, I press a kiss on his cheek. He turns to look at me, his eyes laced full of desire. I shouldn’t have kissed him but it was just on the cheek as a thank you gesture. He unbuckles his seatbelt suddenly and grabs my hand, pulling me across the console to straddle him.
“You shouldn’t have done that baby girl,” he growls as he crushes his lips to mine.
The kiss is hot and raw. Our tongues dance together as he pulls me closer. His erection digs into my thigh as a moan escapes my lips. My arms wrap around his neck as the kiss continues to deepen. I almost forgot just how sweet and toxic his kiss could be. I almost forgot how badly I need this kiss because it’s better than anything in my life right now. Our lips fit perfectly against one another. He fumbles with the hem of my wet shirt and when his hand touches my bare stomach, I shudder. I can’t help it, his touch is everything I’ve been longing to feel and I want more. The ache between my legs grows when he brushes the waist of my shorts. The urgency to feel him touching me down there is imminent. My hand wanders down to his jeans where his erection is begging to break free. I lick my lips as I attempt to undo the button. I struggle for a moment before he moves his hand to assist me. When his cock springs free, my hand wraps around it as his hand moves back to my shorts. My body begins to tingle as he slides his hand down my shorts and when he brushes against my clit, it takes all the power in the world to not come undone. He removes his hand quickly, leaving me frustrated and out of breath. Why is he stopping? Can’t he see I want this as badly as he does?
“Take your shorts off, Shay…I need to remember what it feels like to be inside you,” he growls.
Immediately, I raise myself up and do just what he asked. My body aches for him, and in the heat of passion, I lower myself onto his erect cock and close my eyes as I moan his name. He thrusts upward, filling me, and I throw my head back as he brings my body to ecstasy.
“Fuck, Shay, you’re perfect. I’m about to come, baby, come with me,” he moans as I take control and ride him. I crash my lips to his as I grind my hips, bringing myself closer to an amazing orgasm.
I break the kiss and cry out as my body convulses in sheer pleasure. Beau thrusts up, holding onto my hips as he moans my name. We’re both out of breath and gazing at each other. My eyes jolt downward quickly as realization hits me, I acted so quickly neither of us thought about a condom. I dismiss the thought though, trying not to ruin this moment. Even if we just had sex in his truck, it was still a pretty damn good moment. Beau brings his lips back to mine and eagerly, I meet his kiss. I could kiss him all day long and never get tired of it.
My phone rings loudly in my pocket, bringing us back to reality. Beau breaks the kiss. “Do you need to get that?”
“No,” I reply, bringing my lips back to his. As soon as it stops ringing, it begins again. Who the hell is calling me right now? If I didn’t answer then, why am I going to answer this time?
“Make sure it isn’t Farrah or something,” Beau tells me. He’s right. Maybe it is Farrah, she can be persistent at times.
I climb off his lap and reach for my shorts that got kicked to the floorboard. I search my pockets for the phone and pull it out to see Wyatt’s name on my phone. Fuck. Beau glances down at the bright light in the dark truck and runs his hands through his hair. “W-We shouldn’t have done this.”
“This was my fault, Beau, not yours,” I tell him as I hit ignore on the call. “I’m sorry.”
I begin to put my shorts back on but he grabs my hands. “Don’t be sorry. I wanted that as bad as you did.”
My phone begins ringing again with the third call in a row from Wyatt. “Damn, he really knows how to ruin a moment, doesn’t he?”
I sigh as I hit ignore yet again. “I better get inside and get this beer off of me. Thank you for bringing me home, Beau.”
I finish putting my shorts on. I don’t want to look
back and see the hurt in his eyes but I can’t help it. He’s sad, he looks like someone just stole his dog and there’s nothing I can do about it right now because Wyatt won’t quit blowing up my phone. I give Beau a weak smile as I open the door and climb out of the truck. I shut the door and walk to my front door. I turn back to see Beau still sitting there. Part of me keeps hoping he’ll open the door and come after me but he doesn’t. Instead my phone starts ringing again. I sigh loudly as I slide my key into the door and tap the answer button.
“Hello?”
“You had me worried to death, Shay. I’ve been trying to call you.” Wyatt sounds exasperated.
“Sorry, I was on my way home. I’m about to go shower.” I turn the doorknob and look back to see if Beau is still there but he’s gone now. My heart sinks in my chest as I walk inside.
“Where were you?” Wyatt asks.
“I went out with Farrah for a few drinks.”
“What did you do that for? You know that isn’t safe.”
“I’m not a child, Wyatt. You were at the gala and I wanted to go out with Farrah. I’m safe and I’m home. Can I talk to you later? I need to shower.”
“What’s the big rush, Shayleigh? I could come pick you up and you could stay the night with me.”
“No thanks,” I say as I close my bedroom door. “I had beer spilled on me and I really just want to shower and go to bed.”
Wyatt begins to scold me even more for going out. I ignore him and fake a yawn. He tells me goodnight before we hang up. I grab a change of clothes before going to shower. I feel much better once I get out but my heart is so confused. I want to text Beau and apologize more but I just don’t know what I want. If it wasn’t so late, I’d call Sienna. She always knows how to fix things and just what to say. When did this get so damn confusing?
Destined for A Dirt Road (Dirt Road Summer #2) Page 3
