Never Wanted More (Nashville Nights #0.5)

by Stacey Mosteller

  Wyatt turns suddenly to grab his phone off the nightstand, looking at it before he falls back onto the bed with a groan. "What is it?" I ask, alarmed.

  "It's almost noon. Clay and Emmett will probably be back soon, and I'm sure they won't be alone." His eyes are apologetic and I know he's not looking forward to sharing me anymore than I am to sharing him.

  Sitting up, I wrap the sheet around me more securely, hoping that feeling less exposed physically will help with how exposed I feel emotionally. The fight that we had yesterday shook me much more than I would have thought, and it made me realize just how attached I am to Wyatt. His lips touch my shoulder and I flinch, unprepared for the touch. Wyatt puts a hand on my cheek, turning me to face him. He studies me, his eyes moving back and forth between my own. When he doesn't find the answer he's obviously looking for, he frowns and the lines I was so happy were gone just a few minutes ago are back.

  "What's wrong, baby?" he asks gently, the concern in his voice obvious.

  I try to turn my face away, but his hold is firm. "Nothing," I murmur, "I'm just a little nervous about all of this."

  Dropping his hand from my cheek, Wyatt turns slightly so that he's facing me instead of just sitting beside me. "Nervous? About what?" I know he's confused, and maybe nervous isn't the word I should have used. This is all just so new to me.

  "Everyone is going to be staring at us, wondering what went on this week. I just don't know how to deal with it." I shrug, trying to play off how uncomfortable I suddenly feel.

  Wyatt knows me enough by now that he knows I'm getting ready to withdraw from him. It might just be self-preservation, a way to keep myself from getting hurt, but he grips my upper arms, pulling me around so that we're facing each other. "Who cares what everyone else thinks or wants to know? What happened this week is between us and only us. Quit worrying so much about what everyone else thinks."

  He's right, but I always worry about what everyone else thinks. No matter how much I act like an untouchable ice queen, and trust me, I've been called that too many times to count...especially by Brad. Ugh, he's the last person I want to think about. Wyatt pushes me onto my back before hovering over me and pressing his lips to mine. "I know I said not to worry, but if we don't get up soon, everyone will be here and you'll be smack dab in the exact situation you're trying to avoid." Getting up, he extends a hand to me and pulls me up so that I'm standing in front of him. Wyatt wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into his still very naked body. "Come on, let's take a shower," he whispers against my lips.

  ***

  After sharing the shower, which was another new experience for me - who knew showers could be so...enjoyable? - Wyatt makes us breakfast. It's nothing fancy, just scrambled eggs on toast, but it's delicious. "Wow. Good in bed and you can cook? Will wonders never cease," I say teasingly, and he smiles at my words.

  "What can I say...you're a very lucky girl Peyton Williams," he says with a laugh and I grin back at him, enjoying the back and forth banter.

  I feel more at ease with him than I ever have with anybody else, even Scarlett. There's just something about Wyatt that makes me let go and lower the walls I keep around myself. He teases me, but he's the type of person who never takes it too far. I never have to worry that he's masking a nasty thought with a joke. There's been entirely too many people in my life who would.

  We're standing side by side at the sink doing dishes, me washing and him drying, when the front door opens and loud voices yell his name. Wyatt looks over at me with a half-smile before shouting back, "In here assholes." Shaking his head at their replies, "are you decent" (Emmett) and "Dude, you didn't fuck her on the table did you?" (Clay), he mouths "I'm sorry" as they walk into the small kitchen. Emmett has his arm around Olivia and Clay is leering at SarahBeth who looks about as uncomfortable as I am around him while Max and Kat just shake their heads.

  Clay's look changes to sorrow when he looks over at me. "Oh man, I was hoping y'all would be naked," he groans with a wink as I roll my eyes at him.

  Emmett smacks him on the back of the head and everyone laughs. Obviously, this is something that happens often for Clay, someone always seems to be smacking him for making a suggestive comment.

  "Hey Peyton," Max says with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about Clay and his poor manners. I promise he wasn't raised in a barn."

  "Don't worry about it," I tell him, waving away his apology as Kat comes over to give us both a hug. I'm still not that comfortable with hugs though, so it's a little stiff, but she doesn't say anything about it.

  After she hugs both me and Wyatt, she looks between us thoughtfully, "Something looks different..." she trails off when Wyatt puts his arm around me and smiles proudly.

  Her eyes widen, but just as she starts to say something, Clay shouts, "Go Wyatt! You actually did score!" Coming over, he holds out a fist for him to bump, but Wyatt pushes it away with a frown.

  "Shut up you moron." He says grouchily before grabbing me by the hand. "Come on Peyton." Wyatt pushes past everyone, heading for his room. Closing his door, he deflates with a sigh before looking down at me nervously.

  "What is it? What's wrong?" I ask, worried about what's going through his head. Was the reality of us being together too much for him? I quickly run through the events in the kitchen in my head, but come up with nothing. I don't know why he's looking at me like he's afraid I'm going to bite his head off. When he still doesn't say anything, I start to panic, "Will you please tell me what's wrong, Wyatt?"

  "Hey," he murmurs, pulling me into his arms so that I can rest my head on his chest, "I'm fine. I promise."

  "You are not fine," I argue, crossing my arms over my chest. "Fine isn't leaving the room where all your friends are, and it definitely isn't pulling me into your bedroom away from everyone else. Are you...are you ashamed?" My voice cracks on the word, and is much lower when I continue. "If this is too much --"

  Wyatt cuts me off. "Don't be an idiot," he grumbles, and I can feel him shaking his head back and forth against the top of mine. "I was just worried about how you'd react to Clay putting all our business out there. I know you're pretty private and I know you were worrying about how it would be with everyone here now. I just...I didn't want you to have to deal with that." Still keeping me tucked under his chin so that I can't see his face, he says softly, "If you want to go home, I'll understand. Just...will you let me stay?"

  "You really are an idiot," I say with a huff. "Clay doesn't bother me. I mean, yeah, he's an ass and he has absolutely no filter, but I knew people were going to wonder what went on this week. I'll be okay."

  Pulling away, Wyatt looks down at me, studying me carefully. "Who are you, and what have you done with the Peyton Williams I met a few months ago? That Peyton would have kicked Clay's ass...and then mine too just for being friends with him."

  Laughing, I punch him lightly in the stomach. "Jerk. I'm still the same girl. I'm just not as uptight." Looking up, I give him the naughtiest smile I can, or at least I hope it's naughty, and not just a weird grimace. "I guess you relaxed me this week."

  Now, it's his turn to laugh. "Oh, is that what it is? Well, I guess I'll have to make sure you stay relaxed then, huh?" After a moment, he opens the door and gestures out toward the main room. "Well, are you ready to face the firing squad then?" Instead of answering, I grab his hand and lead him back to the kitchen, where our friends are all still talking, only now, Scarlett and Annabelle are here too.

  "Peyton!" Scarlett screeches before running over to me. I try to push Wyatt in front of me, but it's no use. Scarlett flings herself into my arms, jumping up and down with her arms wrapped around me, leaving me no choice but to wrap my free around her. "Ohmigosh! I missed you soooo much! How was your week? Did you and Wyatt have a good time?" She barely takes a breath as she looks down to where Wyatt's hand is entwined with mine, "Ahhh!" she screams, "Are you guys together?!?"

  I haven't been able to answer any of her questions because she's just firing them all at me, but after t
he last one, she's just staring at me with wide eyes. "Jeez, Scar, calm down would you? To answer your questions, my week was great, and we did have a good time." I don't answer the last one right away and she releases me so she can glare at me. "Okay, okay. Yes, Wyatt and I are together now." Turning back to him, I smile at him and he grins back at me before dropping a quick kiss on my lips.

  Scarlett squeals before hugging me tightly once more. "Oh wow, this is so great!" she enthuses. "Now, we just need to find me a man," she muses, looking first at Max, then Clay before bringing her gaze back to mine. "Or..." she starts, "maybe your new man can set me up with someone!" Wyatt laughs, but doesn't agree or disagree with her.

  "Fuck guys, are we going to have to listen to the "OMG Wyatt and Peyton are boning" show all night, or can we go do something? This is fucking boring," Clay complains.

  Wyatt wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me in so that my back is against his front. "You guys want to go race go-karts?" His voice is excited, and I'm reminded of the time he took me to the go-kart track. I am so ready for a rematch!

  ***

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  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my husband and kids, for allowing me short spurts (ha!) of time so that I can get writing done. Even bigger thanks to my mom for letting me take a "vacation" at her house so that I could actually do the writing I needed to get done! And, for putting up with my crazy while I was trying to get Wyatt and Peyton's story out.

  My betas, Bianca, Bianca, Adriana, Mel and Crystal for reading (and for begging/threatening) as I wrote. Your suggestions always make my stories better, and y'all are my biggest cheerleaders!

  My assistant Courtney, I'm the worst "boss" ever, but you're amazing! I have writing ADD and you always keep me on track.

  Aly and Tessa, writing would not be the same without you girls! Without the wine, FB chats and Tweets, I'd never get anything done. Or maybe that's why I don't get anything done, I'm not sure. I love you both and can't wait to hang out with you again.

  I know I'm going to forget someone, but thank you to the amazing bloggers who stalk me for more and pimp me out. You guys are awesome and I know how much time blogging takes, so I appreciate you even more! And, thank you to the amazing readers who message me, tweet me, or friend me on Facebook to ask for more. You guys rock! I'm so glad y'all love my stories and the characters as much as you do!

  About the Author

  Stacey is a 32 year old wife and mom to 3 boys, ages 15, 13, and 8! She lives in Hickory, NC. She's always been a huge book lover, and back in 2012, she found Fifty Shades, and after staying up all night one Friday to read all three books, Stacey was hooked! She started a book blog, and kept reading everything she could. Then, she found Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines, and couldn't stop reading. Her husband told her that she should write her own book since she was spending so much on Kindle books – by June, she'd read over 500! – and after blowing him off for a few months, Stacey decided to try to write the story she kept seeing in her head.

  Connect with Stacey

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  Other Books by Stacey Mosteller

  Save Me From Myself (Nashville Nights #1) - Available Now!

  Lyric Hayes spent the first 22 years of her life trying to be the perfect daughter and the perfect girlfriend. After a tragedy and her fiance's betrayal, she's running. Starting over far away from the person she used to be.

  She's made herself a vow - no relationships. She's trying to heal, not complicate her life further.

  David Pearson has it all. Confidence, awesome friends, successful business. But, David's dealt with loss too. He knows better than anyone not to judge by what's on the surface.

  Drawn to Lyric despite her inability to trust, he'll do anything to own her heart.

  Will secrets and misunderstandings send Lyric running again? Or will David finally save her from herself?

  Available at all Amazon (ebook & paperback), Barnes & Noble (ebook and paperback), iTunes, Kobo and Google Play

  Everything I Shouldn't (Nashville Nights #2) - 6/26/14

  It's been eight days, sixteen hours and forty-seven minutes since life as I know it ended. I know, it sounds so melodramatic and teen-soap worthy, but it's the truth. Eight days, sixteen hours and forty-seven minutes since David found out. Since he kicked Jeremy out, ended their friendship and told me I could never see him again.

  I didn't count on David getting suspicious, and I definitely didn't plan on getting caught. My selfishness has cost Jeremy everything, my brother won't even look at me, Lyric must hate me for practically blackmailing her to keep silent and my best friend is barely speaking to me.

  Now my life is full of secrets. The people around me have been affected by the choices I've made and the lies I've told. But what will they do when they discover the biggest secret of them all?

  Jeremy is everything I shouldn't want, and the person I can't live without.

  Add to Goodreads

  Save Me From Myself (Nashville Nights #1)

  Prologue

  Shutting the door to the upscale Manhattan apartment that I hate but my mother pays for, I lean my head back against the door and close my eyes. I just want to go back and restart this god-awful day. The past year has been full of nothing but a few ups, lots of downs, and heartaches that are guaranteed to break a person just by having to experience one of them. Me? I'm so lucky I get to experience them all one after the other like a row of dominos. I never used to understand why people would decide they didn't want to go on living, but if there's one thing I've learned this year, it's that that whole "God doesn't give you more than you can handle" platitude thrown around by everyone who's never been through what you have, is a load of crap. Because, if that's the case, he obviously thinks I'm stronger than I am. Either that, or he has way more faith in me than he should.

  Once I've calmed my breathing, I head into the living room and sit down on the couch to call my sister. I'm sure she's been expecting this phone call since she left my apartment earlier this afternoon. Aria answers the phone before the first ring even finishes, "Lyric? Are you okay?"

  "How long have you known what he was doing?" There should be some kind of anger in my voice, right? It shouldn't sound so flat, so lifeless.

  My sister sighs, and her next words come fast, like she's trying to reassure me. "I saw them at a cafe on Lexington this morning. I swear Lyric, that's the first time I saw anything." Well, at least my sister didn't keep the secret. She was over here at lunchtime to tell me about it. "I'm guessing you confronted him then?"

  "No A, I didn't get the chance to confront him." Not that I'm sure I would have anyway. "I went over to his apartment and when I walked in, I could hear them in the bedroom. After I saw it for myself, I took some of my stuff back and left."

  "Seriously, Lyric? You didn't do or say anything? You didn't rip him a new one, or beat her ass? You just saw them and left?!?" She sounds really confused, but I don't know how to explain my reaction to her. I know the normal response to finding your fiancé in bed with another woman is not to calmly walk out and leave, but that's exactly what happened.

  "Why would I fight her? For all I know, she knows nothing about me." I sound like I'm speaking to someone who isn't all there. I don't get how this is the girl's fault. Matt's the one at fault in this situation.

  Aria lets out a frustrated groan, making me roll my eyes, "Do I need to send Edward and Phillip to talk to him?"

  I don't even try to stop the snort at that mental picture. Talking is so not what she really means. And while my stepbrothers are awesome, they aren't exactly the uber-macho type. Well, Edward isn't at any rate. He'd probably refuse to punch him because he doesn't want to ruin his suit. If he did, his wife Grace would probably kill him. I don't even think she lets their two kids get dirty. Phillip would probably beat him down though. He's extremely pr
otective over Aria, Kaitlin and I. Kaitlin's starting her freshman year at NYU later this month, and I'm fully expecting Phillip to follow her around growling at every guy who looks in her direction.

  To answer Aria's question though, "No, sending the two of them over there won't accomplish anything. I'll handle it."

  "Right. Sure you will," Aria sounds beyond skeptical, but I need to do this my way.

  We talk for a few more minutes, mainly about my last semester in college. I ended up taking a semester off after everything happened last year, so instead of graduating last spring, I'll be graduating around Christmastime. Finally, I'm able to get my sister off the phone, and I don't know how long I sit on the couch staring blankly at the TV, the TV I didn't even turn on. Yeah, I'm pretty pathetic.

  ***

  Standing at the doorway of my fiancé's bedroom, I can't even bring myself to really be surprised. Aria tried to warn me that this was happening, and I wouldn't listen to her. I didn't want to listen. Really, I guess I didn't want to believe that after everything that has happened over the last ten months that he would do something like this to me. Was "the accident" as he refers to it not enough of a blow? Now, I have to deal with this too?

  Without saying a word, I back out of his bedroom and pull the door closed. Does it make me a coward that I didn't interrupt him and the buxom blonde on top of him? Even if it does, I'm past the point of even giving a damn. I've been numb for months now. Numb to everything, everyone, and every situation.