Hard Pass (Saints of Love Book 3)

by Elizabeth Perry

  I make a knee jerk decision to brush past details and get to the point. “He made a pass at me. I turned him down, but not as quickly as I should have. I’m not the kind of person who cheats on my husband, Wyatt.” I glance up at him, the memory of what he said to me the other day taking center stage in my mind. “Despite the fact that my marriage was falling apart, I still would have never cheated on Cole. I took a vow, and I kept it. But we were already on the brink of divorce, and I liked the attention. I’ll admit it. I was so flattered, that I hesitated before turning him down. He was constantly followed by reporters, and as luck would have it, my split second of hesitation was caught on camera. The pictures went viral, and as they did, their upcoming wedding was cancelled. In an effort to cover his own ass, he shifted the blame on me, telling the world that I had instigated it with him.”

  Fury rushes through me, the same as it always does whenever I allow myself to think about what happened. I can’t even put the rage that I feel over that day into words. That asshat did more than just put the moves on me, but the cameras failed to catch the way that his hands gripped my wrists, as he held me against the wall and whispered into my ear that he liked the games I was trying to play. That playing hard to get turned him on.

  I got away from him before he did all of the things that he wanted to, but enough happened to leave a scar, one that I’m still trying to heal.

  “So, instead of targeting him, they all labeled you as a whore.” Anger drips off of his words, and the food on his plate long forgotten. His entire demeanor changes, as a disgusted snort fills the air between us. “I swear to fucking God…”

  “Don’t.” I shake my head and lean across the table towards him. “I may not have initiated it, Wyatt, but I didn’t do enough to stop it. And fuck, I don’t know. Maybe I was leading him on without realizing it. I was really unhappy and…”

  “Don’t fucking do that.” He flops against the back of his seat. “Don’t take the blame, Gia. You and I both know that you’re better than that.”

  I swallow the rest of my wine in one gulp and refill my glass.

  “Alright, my turn.” Someone needs to lighten the mood here. “You got a question and an answer, now I get the same in return.”

  He’s still angry, still clenching and unclenching his fists at his side, but when he sighs, I know that I have him.

  “Fine. But just know, I’ve still got questions.”

  “Well, it’s not your turn to ask them.” I smile sweetly and sit up straight. “What made you decide to pose for pictures in your undies?”

  When his eyes close and he groans, the tension fades away. By the time that his eyes open again, his normal humor is back, and he’s shaking his head, an adorable blush filling his cheeks.

  “Compression shorts. They were compression shorts.”

  I roll my eyes, my smirk only growing. Watching Wyatt squirm might just be one of my most favorite things ever.

  “So?”

  “Half of the money went to charity, alright? That’s why I did it. Plus, that brand is American made, and pays their employees good wages with excellent benefits. I wear that brand exclusively, so to me, it just made sense.”

  “And, it also guaranteed you a spot in every woman’s spank bank.” When I wink at him, his normal smirk returns, the gleam in his eye ever present.

  “Nah, Princess. That’s where you’re wrong.” Before I can interject and chide him for calling me that again, he gives me another eye roll worthy set of words. “I was already in those women’s spank banks. I just gave them new material.”

  I pretend to gag.

  “Always so full of yourself.”

  “Always.” He agrees. “If I’m not my biggest fan, who will be?”

  15

  Wyatt

  I have no idea how much time passes as I sit across from Gia, but I promise you, if there was ever a night that I didn’t want to end, this would be it. Talking to her has always been easy, and the way that she puts me back into my place with such stride never ceases to amaze me. It’s always been one of my favorite things about her.

  We make our final decisions on the menu for Willow’s wedding, but as we rise to our feet, Gia tips ever so slightly on hers. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are sparkling from all of the laughs that we shared. Her feet are unsteady thanks to all of the glasses of wine.

  “Here.” I place my hand under her elbow, helping to steady her, as we thank the restaurant owner and move out towards the street. All of the snow that fell just a few days ago is long gone, and the air is warmer than it has been, a sure sign that spring is finally in the air.

  My phone buzzes again in my pocket. Just as it stops and I turn back towards Gia, it buzzes again. It’s been going off like crazy since halfway through dinner but while I was able to ignore it inside of the restaurant, out in the quiet night air, it catches Gia’s attention.

  “Someone is anxious to get ahold of you.” As she nods towards my pocket, she nearly loses her balance, falling forward and directly into my arms.

  “Easy there, beautiful.” I try to ignore the sensations that rush through me, over having her skin against mine. As it is, I fought a boner for the entire seven course meal. It started the second that I stepped into the room and caught sight of Gia in a white dress that hugged her curves like a glove. The ache has hardly eased in hours. Touching her is a surefire way to push me over the edge. The need to claim her body bubbles inside of me, threatening to erupt at any moment.

  “It’s just these heels.” She steadies herself and then takes a step back, breaking our embrace. I immediately hate the way that my arms feel without her in them.

  “Or the wine,” I joke, to which she giggles, the sound filling up the quiet night air.

  “Probably a good mix of both.” She stands tall as we walk towards the parking lot. I walk slower than normal, hesitant as hell to let this night end. I know that it has to-she has a life to get back to, and obviously Declan needs something from me, hence the reason that he’s called me about twenty times in the last few hours. Just as we reach our cars, my phone buzzes again.

  “Bitches be trippin.” Gia rolls her eyes, jerking her finger towards my pocket. “For the love of God, Wyatt. Please answer her. I promise you; she’s just going to keep calling. Guys like you tend to make women go insane.”

  “She is my buddy Declan, and yes, I agree, he’s acting like a bitch, and he is tripping.” I pull my phone out and turn it off. “But he can wait. First things first, are you ok to drive?”

  She bypasses my question, staring up at me with huge eyes. “Wait, Declan as in Declan Sanders?” As her face lights up, mine immediately darkens.

  “Yeah. He’s a friend of mine. He and my buddy Jude are downtown and are trying to get me to go out.”

  “Jude as in Jude Masters?”

  My lips flatten as I narrow my eyes at her. “Yes, Gia. Why do you keep saying their names like that?”

  She snorts. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because they’re two of the hottest men to have ever walked the planet?” Now I’m getting offended. “Declan is beautiful, Wyatt. And God, he seems like such a sweet guy. I follow him on social media, and the things that he does for charity really just blow my mind.”

  The fact that she just called two of my best friends the hottest guys on the planet and completely forgot to mention my name is the only part of this conversation that has my mind blown. “Are you trying to crush my spirit here, Princess? Because I’ll have you know, that there are a lot of women who find me dreamy, too.”

  “I thought that you were going to stop calling me Princess.” The way that she nudges me sends chills down my spine and sends an ache straight to the place that is already throbbing over her. I take a step back, putting some distance between us before I press my lips to that smart mouth of hers and show her exactly how sweet I can be.

  “I’ll stop calling you Princess when you stop drooling over my friends.”

  She stumbles slightly on her feet, q
uickly collecting herself. That’s the moment that I snatch her keys out of her hands. She grabs them right back.

  “I’m not planning on driving.” She pulls her phone out and begins to punch in a number. “I’m not drunk, but I drank more than I should have. No worries, I’ve got Uber on speed dial.”

  “I don’t think so.” I grab ahold of her elbow and steer her towards my passenger side door. “Let me give you a ride, sunshine. It’ll be my pleasure.”

  “I’m going to be honest.” I help Gia out of the car a short while later. We’re barely on the cusp of downtown, her place just a ten-minute drive from the restaurant. “This isn’t quite what I pictured your house to look like.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s because it’s not my house.” She glances up at the small white craftsman style home that sits right in the middle of the downtown business district. There are many other similar looking homes on the busy street, but they’ve all been converted into businesses. Gia’s is no different. Above the front steps, a plaque hangs from the ceiling with the words Ever After Wedding Design scrawled in black cursive letters across it. In the front picture window, is a mural of a wedding dress surrounded by flowers. “This is my office. I’m staying in the apartment above it temporarily, until I find a house. Cole got ours in the divorce.”

  What a bitch. I’ve always known that the guy was a chump, but what kind of man makes his woman move into an apartment above her business while he keeps the house in the hills? But I don’t say that. Starting on the subject of that asshat is the last thing that I want to do.

  “Gotcha.” I glance up at the building and nod. “So, this is where all of the magic happens.”

  “You sound like a cheesy infomercial.” She smiles back at me, and then starts to move towards the front steps. “But I guess you’re right. I have planned a lot of weddings in this place.”

  I’m not sure what comes over me. Perhaps it’s the way that she looks in the moonlight, like a dark-haired goddess in a magnificent white dress. Perhaps it’s the way that as the wind blows, it tosses her hair around, reminding me of the girl that I used to know.

  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but one thing remains crystal fucking clear. I don’t want this night to end. The main reason that I don’t want her to walk away, is because after tonight, I really have no reason to see her again. Sure, I could force my way into more of Willow’s wedding planning, but even I know that it will be short-lived.

  I leave for Florida in just over a week, and once I’m gone, she’ll move on without me, as if running into me never even happened. Before I have a chance to even think about what I’m going to say, the words tumble out of me, leaving my lips in a jumble.

  “I know that you’ve already got enough on your plate with my sister’s wedding, but how would you feel about taking over Willow’s engagement party too?”

  I’ve always prided myself on throwing damn good parties, so when the news of Willow’s engagement broke, I immediately got started, working on a party to celebrate. Most of the details are already handled, and to be honest, I don’t need Gia’s help. The difference though, is that I want it. I want every excuse possible to continue spending time with her.

  “I’m sure that I’d be able to help. Do you have a date?”

  “Gee, Gia. I’m flattered. As a matter of fact, I don’t have a date. Is this your way of hitting on me?” I take a step closer to her, wishing like hell that she actually was. If she gave me any kind of fucking sign that she was still interested in me, I’d back her against the wall of her front porch, pull her dress up, and bury myself inside of her, the way that I’ve fantasized about doing for so fucking long now.

  But of course, she doesn’t do that. Her eyes don’t even flash. All that she does, is laugh.

  “Not the date I was referring to, Casanova. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t date douchebags.” Her arms fold across her chest as I clutch mine.

  “Damn, Princess.” At the nickname, her lips flatten. “That hurt!”

  “I meant a calendar date, and you know it. And stop acting offended. I’m sure I’m not the first woman to call you a douchebag, and I doubt I’ll be the last.”

  Let’s be honest-if she gave me the chance, she’d be the fucking last of everything. The last woman I kiss, the last one that I ever slid inside. So many lasts, and they should all be hers. Deep down, I know that. It’s why I find myself hanging on her every word. Why my heart swells just from the sight of her face. It’s why I haven’t partied since my eyes landed on her. It’s because no amount of time could ever change the simple fact.

  Gia was always meant to be mine. I was just too young back then to realize it. But I’m not going to be able to convince her of that overnight. Planning this attack, is going to have to be slow and steady. I have to convince her that I’m no longer, said douchebag.

  So instead, I give her the date, to which, her eyes widen. I hurry on, letting her know that I only need help with the final details. Table décor, lighting, drinkware, etc. The venue’s already been booked, the DJ has confirmed, the help hired, and the invitations sent out weeks ago.

  She agrees, but when I tell her to give me a price for her services, she waves me off.

  “You’ve already paid me far more than I ever would have charged, even after giving fifty percent to the school charity. You really don’t need that much from me. We’ll just call it a wash.”

  I have no idea how I manage to back up from her and walk away. Every single voice inside of my head is yelling at me to make a move. To let her know exactly how I’m feeling. But it’ll all come in due time.

  Right now, I just have to figure out my next move.

  16

  Gia

  The bustling sounds of the busy diner fill my head as I walk through the door the next morning. The noise makes my head feel like it’s about to explode. Rubbing my temples, I drag my feet across the floor before sinking into the booth tucked into the corner, across from Serena.

  “Jesus,” she mutters, shooting me a disapproving glance. “If I would have known that it was going to take you ten years to move your car, I would have suggested that we eat first. I’m starving.”

  The waitress approaches us. I glance up at her briefly and say hello. I recognize her from Delilah’s school, and I’m certain that I know her name. The only problem is that so far this morning, my brain cells aren’t really functioning yet. That’s what two bottles of wine will do to a person.

  Serena orders her breakfast, and since I haven’t had the chance to look over a menu yet, I just ask for the same thing that she got. Odds are, I’m not going to be able to eat much anyways. My hungover stomach churns at the idea of food.

  “So?” The second that our waitress is out of earshot, Serena blinks over to me. “Are you ready to tell me why I’m assisting you in your walk of shame?”

  “It’s not a walk of shame,” I mutter, sinking back against the back of the booth and sipping my coffee slowly. “I just had a few too many glasses of wine at Vitale’s last night. I wasn’t ok to drive, so I left my car there.”

  Her eyebrows shoot up and her voice raises. I set my coffee down and hang my head in my hands. This feeling is precisely why I don’t usually drink this much wine. It always leaves me with one hell of a headache and a hangover. “Who was at this dinner? Please tell me that it was just you and Willow, drinking and having girl time. Because otherwise…”

  “Seriously?” If we weren’t in a family diner right now, I’d proudly wave my middle finger at her. “I can’t even believe that you’re even insinuating what I think you’re insinuating. And both Willow and her fiancé got called into work at the last minute. My dinner was with Wyatt.”

  Now I have her full attention. Her eyes widen as she stares across the table at me. I just wave her off. “Stop looking at me like that. Nothing happened.”

  “That’s why I’m looking at you like this. What’s the matter with you?”

  I make a mental note to myself. Next time
I drink too much and need a ride to my car in the morning, I’m not calling Serena. She’s got way too many questions for me to answer in a hungover state. I don’t even respond to her. I try to shake my head but the room spins. So instead, I use my silence as my answer. Too bad she doesn’t get the message.

  “Girl.” She grunts in disgust. “Wyatt Anderson would be the perfect rebound for you. No strings sex is exactly what you need in your life. I keep telling you that. The only way to get over Cole is to have sex with someone else. This martyr, waiting for the right guy crap just isn’t going to do it. You’ve got to get yourself back out there.”

  “With Wyatt?” I snort. “You’re insane. That’s not getting myself back out there, that’s pouring gasoline on my body and walking into an open flame. It’s a horrible idea. And stop mentioning Cole. I’m completely over him.”

  Everyone assumes that just because I didn’t run right out after our divorce and sleep with the first man to notice me, that it’s because I’m secretly still in love with my ex-husband. That’s not the case at all, but no one wants to believe me. Do I still love Cole? Absolutely. Despite what happened between us, I’ll always love the guy. For crying out loud, I dated him since the sixth grade. But I’m not in love with him anymore, and I hadn’t been for many years of our marriage.

  “I know you’re over him, you don’t have to sell that story to me, Gia. That’s not what I meant. I think that you’re having a hard time doing the deed with someone else, because Cole’s the only person that you’ve ever been with, and you’re afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid. I just don’t want to have sex with Wyatt.” Ok, I’ll be honest, that’s a lie, and I’m one hundred percent afraid of having sex with Wyatt. The man ignites something inside of me that I thought was long gone. When I’m around him, my body aches for him. Everything about him intoxicates all of my senses, leaving me breathless and damn near ready to be putty in his hands. I’m worried that a night with him would ruin me for anyone else. If sex with him is as good as I imagine it to be, there’s a damn good chance that no one else could ever measure up. And since I’m no longer foolish enough to think that the two of us have a future, I’d just end up being disappointed in the end, when it came time to settle down with someone who wasn’t him. No thanks.