Scarred

by K. Webster

  “Andi is fine. She just invited me to her party tomorrow,” I told her, hoping she would move on to other topics. I rolled my eyes when she squawked on the other line.

  “Oh, Bray! I knew you two would work it out. Tell her I love and miss her.”

  “Mom, I’m going as a friend. She has a new boyfriend now, remember? They love each other.”

  “Oh crumbs! I was afraid of that. That’s why I went ahead and set up a dinner tonight for you to meet my bridge club friend’s daughter Kacey.”

  “I wish you would stop trying to do stuff like that. You know I hate going on these blind dates,” I grumbled to her. When she started sniffling on the other line, I instantly felt guilty for having been harsh with her. I was such a damn Momma’s boy.

  “Son, I just want you to be happy. If it isn’t going to be with Andi, I think you should move on and start dating again. You haven’t dated anyone since she broke up with you. I still don’t understand how, after four years of being together, she could dump her fiancé so suddenly,” she complained.

  The guilt washed over me like it did every time we had this conversation. I’d never told my mom about the chick I’d fucked in a moment of stupidity. She still thought I was her perfect son who was dumped by his would-be wife.

  “I know, Mom. That sounds good. Where do I need to meet this Kacey?” I asked. There was no point in avoiding the inevitable now. Might as well try it out and see. Eventually, I would get over Andi, even though it was really fucking hard when she bounded into my office all day every day.

  “Thank you, honey. I’ll text you her number so you can set something up with her. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.”

  “Love you, Mom.”

  “So what do you do for a living?” I asked Kacey after the server had left to put in our order. She was really pretty, but there hadn’t been an instant connection. I felt myself counting down the minutes until it was over, but unfortunately, our date had only just begun. Sometimes I could be such a dick.

  “I’m an esthetician. There’s a pretty swanky spa near here that caters to a ritzy crowd. You have to put up with some snobs, but the tips are great,” she revealed, smiling brightly at me. My eyes flitted down to her breasts, which were practically spilling out of her top, before they made their way back to her face again.

  “Sounds cool. So, uh, do you have any siblings?” I questioned in an attempt to keep the conversation going. So far, she would answer my question and then smile at me as if waiting for another one. You’d think she was a contestant at the Miss America pageant.

  “Nope, just me.” And there it was again—the expectant look and pearly white smile.

  I refrained from rolling my eyes. Instead, my eyes dropped back down to her chest. There hadn’t been anyone since that slut from six months ago and, before that, Andi. My dick was starting to feel neglected. Surely I could just allow myself a pity fuck.

  “Let’s see… Tell me what you like to do,” I solicited, hoping for more information this time. While she talked about yoga, I looked at her breasts again. They slightly bounced as she animatedly spoke about crouching dragon poses or some shit. Her tits were perky, and she was definitely flaunting them for me. I could totally fuck her. The problem would be getting rid of her afterwards. It would definitely only be a one-time thing.

  After what seemed like a really long dinner, I wondered if I could casually have sex with this girl. Casual sex wasn’t normally my thing, but I was starting to think I could learn.

  Kacey definitely wanted me based on the way she batted her eyelashes and giggled every few minutes. On the way back to drop her off, I continued to try to converse with her to no avail. She happily answered any questions I threw at her but didn’t ask one single question of me. I was used to Andi. The thought of her made my heart clench painfully.

  What the hell am I doing?

  In the end, I decided against my dick’s wishes. There was no way I’d ever be into a girl like Kacey, so there wasn’t any point in leading her on. When I pulled up in front of her building but made no attempt to turn off the car or get out, she looked over and frowned.

  “I had a nice night,” I lied.

  Her eyes lit up and she smiled broadly. Leaning over, she pecked me on the cheek, but I didn’t turn to meet her kiss. I could sense the rejection she felt, which in turn made me feel like an ass.

  I thought she would pull away and leave, but instead, her hand cupped my cock through my jeans, which made me jump in surprise.

  “Kacey, what are you doing?” I inquired, my dick growing hard underneath her hand.

  Instead of answering me, she undid the top button of my jeans and slid down the zipper. My cock betrayed me as it fought wildly to escape my boxer briefs. They must have been on the same team because she freed it, taking it into her mouth. I groaned as my hands went automatically to her hair.

  Kacey wasn’t good at small talk but the girl could suck dick. I clutched her hair as she bobbed wildly up and down. When she took it deep in her throat, I came unexpectedly and she choked a little before swallowing it down. Pulling away, she pecked me again on my cheek and hopped out of the car.

  That was the last time I ever saw Kacey.

  The cake was chocolate—Andi’s favorite. That girl had a passion for food and was surprisingly rail-thin. I put the cake, still in the box, in the middle of the table and went back over to check the mail. There was a check from my last modeling job. Every check that came through, I tried to send most of it to Momma. She might not have wanted to talk to me anymore, but I knew how poor she was, and every little bit would help her.

  Pepper would be back at any time, so I figured I better get ready for the party. I dug around my closet until I found a dressy pair of grey shorts and a black dolman top. When I pulled off my t-shirt, I stepped in front of the mirror to look at my scars. They were a daily reminder that I had survived a horrific situation that had taken the life of my baby and nearly my own. Tears filled my eyes and I quickly batted them away.

  “Olive? Are you here?” Pepper shouted from the entryway.

  I tore my eyes away from the horrible scarring on my abdomen, tossed my shirt on, and slipped on my flats. “I’m in here babe,” I called to her, stepping out of my bedroom.

  She met me there and gave me a huge hug. Ever since Pepper had met Jordan, she’d been a new woman. I’d never seen her so carefree and happy before. Those two were a perfect match. Between Andi and Pepper both finding love, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

  Walking back into the kitchen, she was all business.

  “Did you get the cake?” she asked.

  I smiled at her and pointed at the table. “I got her favorite—chocolate. When will everyone get here?” I inquired. Being a homebody meant that I thrived on hanging out with my girlfriends. And as nervous as I was for the guys to be there, it was also sort of exciting. I still felt bad that Andi had decided to have her party at home rather than at a bar or someplace. She always considered my needs unselfishly.

  “Everyone will be here after work. They should be showing up anytime. Lucky for you, tonight you get to meet Andi’s ex-dickhead. I hate that her stupid shrink is encouraging this friendship. Dr. Sweeney wasn’t fucking there when she almost died because of Bray’s ass,” she spat angrily.

  Pepper hated Bray and so did I. We’d never met before, but she’d told me countless stories of their awful breakup and his infidelity. He was lucky he would even get to step foot in our apartment. Pepper really loved Andi to honor her wishes because I knew she absolutely hated Bray.

  Someone knocked on the door and Pepper went over to answer it. “Fucking Bray,” she muttered only loud enough for me to hear. I was strangely eager to see this notorious guy who’d hurt my best friend so badly.

  Bray stepped into the apartment and my belly flopped. I cursed myself but couldn’t help but stare. He was absolutely gorgeous. The man was tall and muscular, and he had dark-blond hair that was styled to look messy.


  “Just put it over here,” she ordered, glaring at him.

  He frowned as he passed her. His eyes lifted to meet mine, and my stomach felt jittery when he smiled the most breathtaking smile at me.

  My knees felt shaky underneath me as his eyes blatantly skirted up my body. I felt naked under his gaze and fought back a shiver. No matter how hot he was or how badly I wanted to stare at him all day, it couldn’t happen. Andi was my best friend, and this could in no way ever evolve into anything.

  Pepper said something snide to him and I brought myself out of the spell my mind had gone under.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Bray,” he greeted me, still grinning. He held out his hand for me to shake.

  Afraid I wouldn’t let go, I kept my hands clasped together in front of me and smiled tightly at him. His smile fell and I immediately felt my heart drop. There was something magnetic about him, and I felt sick to my stomach for allowing myself to be drawn to it.

  “You too,” I clipped out and bolted into the kitchen away from his dangerously gorgeous face. I tried to busy myself with pulling the cake out of the box and putting it on the table. If Bray was going to be hanging around us more often, I was going to have to get my hormones in check. Andi would be devastated if she saw the way I’d been drooling over him. This is so bad.

  “Olive, contrary to what Andi and Pepper may have told you, I’m not a bad guy,” he murmured from behind me.

  My body betrayed me as tingles tore across my skin just from the sound of his voice. Whirling around, I nearly gasped when I saw his beautiful form leaning against the counter. His tight Henley shirt stretched across every curve of every muscle. Peeling my eyes away from his chiseled body, I brought my gaze to his. He was smiling warmly at me.

  I had spent the last few months avoiding people, especially men, because of the horrors Drake had caused me. Every man that looked at me made me feel like prey. But Bray? He just made me feel like I was on the menu—but in a good way—and I was conflicted by those feelings since he was clearly Andi’s horrible ex-fiancé.

  “Bray, all I’ve heard are bad things. How can you come in here and act like you didn’t nearly ruin Andi’s life?” I questioned in nearly a whisper, not trusting my voice to go any louder for fear of it shaking.

  His bright grin fell and he rubbed his palms across his stubbly cheeks in frustration. “What I did with Andi was wrong and I’ll always carry that with me, but I am not a bad guy. I made a mistake. One mistake.”

  Dragging my eyes from his, I turned back to the cake. He was completely beautiful, but I had standards. Crushing over my best friend’s ex was not something I could do. Ever.

  “Fine, Bray. Let’s try to be friends since Andi clearly wants us to be,” I sighed as I turned to look at him again. The way he stared at me, with such unmasked desire, made my stomach flip once again.

  “What if I want to be more than just friends?” he asked, one eyebrow cocking up. My face burned with embarrassment at his blatant insinuation.

  “Make yourself useful and help me put out all of the food,” Pepper barked at him when she walked into the kitchen.

  I was saved from his blazing stare and grabbed the bags from her. Bray came over and started opening boxes with me.

  “Jordan! Cut it out!” Pepper screamed at Jordan, who’d just come in and hauled her out of the room.

  Once again, I was left alone with Bray. Well, so much for that.

  “Those shorts are nice on you, but I need to ask. Why in the world are you wearing shorts in November?” he chuckled. His voice was smooth, and it melted my insides. I hoped my reaction to him wasn’t as noticeable as it felt. If so, I would be in trouble with both Andi and Pepper.

  “I like shorts and I’m inside. What does it matter?” I retorted. He smiled that panty-dropping grin of his and lazily dragged his gaze down my legs again. My heart fluttered as I watched him.

  “I like shorts too,” he agreed as his eyes met mine. The humor was gone and his gaze was full of heat, probably matching my own.

  Jordan walked back into the kitchen looking much like the cat that ate the canary. Bray looked at him quizzically. Moments later, Pepper followed him into the room, her skin flushed. Those two had obviously just gotten freaky. Bray grinned at me as if noticing as well, and I couldn’t help but return his smile. That smile of his was going to get me in a lot of trouble.

  Olive was a long-legged beauty, and I wanted her the instant I saw her. Her face was incredibly expressive, and I could see that she was attracted to me but fought it wildly because I was Andi’s notorious ex-fiancé.

  Andi and Jackson came through the front door, causing both Pepper and Olive to squeal as they ran over to wish her a happy birthday. Jackson moved past them to join Jordan and me in the kitchen.

  “You guys need a drink?” he asked, rolling his eyes at the girls’ noisy chatter. We both nodded and he made his way over to the bottle of Jack Daniel’s on the counter.

  “How come you guys never told me Andi and Pepper’s roommate Olive was a freaking goddess?” I asked Jackson and Jordan. My question immediately earned me a glare from Jackson, who’d spun around from his task, nearly knocking over the bottle in the process.

  “Bray, leave her the fuck alone. She’s a fragile girl, and you tend to leave a path of destruction wherever you go,” he spat at me.

  “What the fuck is everyone’s problem? Did you and Pepper place bets on who could be the biggest ass to me?” I asked him angrily.

  He visibly tensed, and I wondered if I would get a chance to punch him in his jaw tonight. The guy rubbed every nerve I had the wrong way. Clearly I had the same effect on him.

  “You two need to chill out before Andi gets pissed. Let’s eat,” Jordan said quickly in an effort to keep things from escalating. Jackson was lucky his brother was a good guy. Because of my respect for Jordan, I refrained from going off on Jackson like I really wanted to.

  Everyone grabbed seats around the table. Olive reluctantly sat down in the empty chair beside me. When her knee accidentally bumped against mine under the table, she jerked it away and looked over at me. I just grinned at her and threw her a wink. Her cheeks reddened and she quickly looked away. It amazed me that someone with mocha-colored skin could blush so noticeably.

  Dinner went great and everyone conversed easily. While everyone was having cake and teasing Andi over her love for food, I took the moment to look over at Olive again. She smiled happily at Andi. Olive was so damn attractive. Her brown skin was absolutely flawless, the perfect shade of milk chocolate, and damn if I didn’t want to taste it. As if on cue, she peeked over at me again. I could tell she couldn’t keep her eyes off me any more easily than I could from her.

  “What?” she mouthed to me as to not bring attention to our exchange.

  I studied her pouty lips a moment before answering. “Do you really want to know?” I teased. Her impossibly light brown eyes narrowed as she tried to determine if she really wanted to know or not. Finally, she gave in to her curiosity and nodded.

  Leaning over close to her, I pulled the hair away from her ear, dragging my fingers across her neck in the process. She shivered but didn’t move away. Her lips parted as she waited for my answer.

  “I was just thinking I wanted to have a little nibble of you to see if you really do taste like chocolate,” I answered, my hot breath in her ear.

  “Are you guys ready for presents?” she asked suddenly, jumping up from her seat. Her cheeks were flushed and she avoided eye contact with me. I was confident she wouldn’t be immune to my charms for much longer.

  After Andi announced that we should all get drunk once she’d opened her presents, we all did just that. Olive was stuck between the arm of the sofa and me. She wasn’t making any moves to pull away, which I took to be a good sign. Everyone was feeling the effects of the alcohol and were pretty much sticking to each other. Since Olive and I were the only single ones, it was only natural for us to hang out together.

  “How tall
are you?” I asked her, not taking my eyes from her sweet lips. She smiled, showing her perfect white teeth, and I suddenly felt the need to kiss her but refrained.

  “I’m five foot eleven. They seem to like my height at the agency,” she confirmed.

  I nodded, and my eyes swept over her bare legs again for the hundredth time of the night. Her thin, long legs were divine, and I couldn’t seem to get enough of them. As the alcohol warmed us both, she didn’t seem to be holding herself back as much or embarrassed by my overt ogling. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it.

  “Olive, you’re so beautiful. Why are you trying so hard to resist me?” I questioned as I stroked my pinky along the outside of her thigh. Andi and Jackson had already moved on to her room, and from the corner of my eye, I’d seen Jordan scoop up Pepper and take her to her room. Finally, I had Olive alone.

  “Because, Bray, it’s wrong for me to like you. You are my best friend’s ex. And in case you’ve forgotten, she almost lost her life because of the depression she endured from your infidelity. The list of reasons to hate you is a mile high,” she informed me. Even though her words said one thing, her body told me another as it shivered at my touch.

  “It may be wrong, but you still want me. I will forever be pissed at myself for that moment of stupidity and the horror I caused Andi, but I have to go on and live my life at some point. She’s happy now. Why can’t I be?” I asked, genuinely wanting to know the answer.

  Olive frowned, which made her bottom lip poke out. I really wanted to suck that lip into my mouth. She turned to look at me and I had a hard time not doing just that.

  “You can be happy, Bray. Just not with me. What would it do to Andi if she knew I was completely hot for her ex-fiancé?” she asked sadly. I grinned at her, which ultimately caused the corners of her lips to tilt up in a smile.

  “You’re hot for me?” I teased. Her cheeks turned red and the lip poked out again.