What Tears Us Down: A Single Dad Standalone Romance (Arrow Creek Book 3)

by A. M. Wilson

  “Are you crazy? I’m enamored by you. Embarrassment hasn’t even come close to crossing my mind.”

  I bring my icy glass to my lips and peer over the rim. “I like you too.”

  “Rosie.” His heated gaze drops to my lips.

  Right as things start to return to our normal, we’re interrupted by a busty brunette in a black body con dress. She leans her weight on her palm and injects herself into Rhett’s eye line. Curious to how this will play out, I lean back and take another refreshing sip of my crisp drink.

  “Hey, Rhett,” she coos in a voice rife with familiarity.

  “Melanie.” He greets her politely. If I were her, I’d take his lack of further interest as a cue to fuck right off. Rhett’s eyes meet mine across the table, over the hills of her breasts. The awkwardness forces a bubble of laughter to rise that I disguise with a sip.

  “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “Been busy.” He directs his answer at me.

  Her body hovers closer to him as if drawn by a magnet.

  “Never stopped you before.” She runs her hand down his arm to punctuate her throaty mumble.

  An eye roll here should suffice, but it doesn’t. He and I are just friends. Friends who’ve been intimate once, sure, but still friends. I have no right to feel anything about this woman leaning her giant tits across the table I’m about to consume a meal at, but for some reason, I want to grab her by the hair and yank her out of my space.

  “You’re being rude.” Rather than resort to physical violence, I use my words.

  “I wasn’t talking to you.” For the first time since she arrived, she acknowledges my existence by turning only her head. Her critical eyes rake from my haphazard messy bun down to my plain white tee. The comparison is stark in her eyes, revealing her opinion that there is none.

  “Now that I have your attention, I’ll say it again. You’re being rude.”

  “You can have him back after I’m finished.” She turns back to Rhett, but I’m far from letting her linger a second longer.

  “Honey, if you want to sleep with him, that’s fine. Leave your number, and he’ll call you later, but right now, I’m about to have some dinner after a long day at work, and you’re in the way of that.”

  Silence envelops the three of us, blanketing our table from the rest of the patio. Rhett breaks it first.

  “Don’t bother expecting a call.” He snags his drink. As the glass contacts his lips, his eyes burn into mine over the rim.

  Melanie straightens hastily. “You’re a player, Rhett.” She turns to me with a glare. “Enjoy him for the second you have him. He’s great in bed but will leave you the next morning.”

  I consume my drink to silence myself rather than deliver a response. Once she’s out of earshot, I set the slippery glass back on the table.

  “She was charming,” I say with faux sweetness. Really, I’m trying to tamp down the green dragon taunting me that she’s had something I might want to have, and she had no problem rubbing it in my face.

  “I know how to pick ’em.” He raises his glass in a mock salute.

  “Are there many more former conquests lingering around, waiting for me to go to the bathroom so they can get in your pants?” With a hand shading my brow, I scan the patio.

  His left eyebrow quirks. “Jealous?”

  “Merely gauging how much trouble follows you around.”

  “Why? Thinking about finding your own way into my pants?”

  One shoulder raises in a shrug as I blush. “You’ve already been in mine.”

  “I’d like to get in them again.” His voice is abrasive and deep. I wrap my fingers around my glass and slide them along the cool condensation.

  “Let’s go back to our earlier argument. We weren’t finished.”

  “I think we’re done.”

  “Maybe I have more to say.”

  “I’m starting to think fighting with me is your form of foreplay. Can’t say that it disappoints me, Rosie.”

  My obvious blush spreads to my chest. “What makes you think that?”

  Rhett’s hands grip the edges of the table as he rises slightly from his chair. Up close, I can see exactly how dilated his pupils are, and a waft of his whiskey breath dances across my skin. A shiver races down my spine.

  “Because…” He begins in a deep purr that wraps around me like a caress. “Fighting with you gets me really fucking hard. So hard that I can’t help but imagine how wet you are.”

  A gasp gets caught in my throat as he drops back into his seat with a smirk.

  “That’s what I thought.” He takes a swig of his drink and eyes me over the rim.

  “Your game does nothing to lessen my appetite after a long day at work. I’m starving.”

  “Me too.” The heat in his gaze implies he craves something other than food.

  “Buddy, I don’t think you understand what you’re playing with.”

  “Oh, I understand perfectly. Town player, remember?” He flicks his wrist to indicate our most recent intruder.

  “And my situation is temporary.”

  Through all the banter, this line appears to trigger him. He straightens from his relaxed position.

  “You’re planning to leave?”

  I swirl a finger through the condensation on my glass and shake my head. “No. Not yet at least. Out of the two of us, you’re the one who’s done the settled down thing. I ran away from commitment, so clearly, that’s not what I’m looking for.”

  He snorts and takes another drink. “Oh, no. One and done for me. I’ll never settle down again.” He tips his glass in my direction. “For you, Rosie, I’m happy to double-dip.”

  I roll my eyes. “How very gracious of you, Rhett.”

  Our heated staring contest is broken by the waitress. “Are you two ready to order?”

  “I’ll have a buffalo chicken wrap with a side of fries. And another drink, please.” My cell begins ringing from my back pocket. “Okay if I grab this?” I rise from my seat and fish out my phone.

  “Stay. It’s fine.” He turns back to the waitress as I answer my brother’s call.

  “Hey.” I drain my glass to wash away any residual throatiness. I face the back of the patio to block out the noise.

  “Sounds like you’ve ventured out into the public. I think this is the first time I’ve called and heard background noise.”

  I laugh. I’m usually alone in my car when we talk, but I don’t reveal that. “I’m just grabbing a bite to eat after work.”

  “Yeah? How’s it going? Are you building a steady base?”

  I think back to the five clients I have, two of which are directly related to Rhett, one is Nora, and the other two I found through a social media post I made. “Things are picking up.”

  Hearing my brother's voice in my ear soothes a part of me that's been missing him.

  “Are you ready for a visit yet? You know Caiti’s getting antsy. She says without our own kids to take care of, we have to travel before this time in our life is over. I know she wants to see you.”

  My heart judders behind my ribs. I never told my brother about the struggles I had with Tate, and at this moment, I regret it for his absence of compassion around the topic. The emotions throw me so much that I don’t filter my response.

  “If you’re looking for adventure, Arrow Creek isn’t it.”

  “And what state is Arrow Creek in?”

  Fuck it all to hell.

  “Forget I said it. I didn’t mean to share that.” Panic forces my voice higher.

  “You’re doing a terrible job of convincing me not to hop on a plane right now. What are you trying to hide?”

  “I’m not hiding anything. I just don’t have time to make a visit fun right now.”

  “It doesn’t have to be fun. We can stop by for a day or two and then catch a flight to see Tate.”

  Something touches my calf beneath the table, and I swear I jump a foot. The surrounding sounds filter back into focus, bringing a
long with it Rhett’s concerned stare.

  “You okay?” he mouths.

  I nod.

  “Look, my food’s here, and I want to eat while it’s hot. Can we discuss this later?” The lie rolls out easily as the urge to retreat closes in.

  “Sure,” my brother says, giving up with surprising ease.

  “I miss you. I’m really glad you called.”

  “Me too.”

  I hit the end button. My phone clatters noisily against the metal table.

  “What do you need?”

  Rhett’s voice pulls me from diving too deep into the well of self-disappointment.

  “A time machine, so I can go back and not tell my brother the name of this town.” I brush away a strand of hair the breeze blows into my eye.

  “What are you worried about? It’s me, isn’t it?”

  I can’t help but laugh. “I can’t imagine he’ll be too happy that the only friend I’ve made so far is someone who looks like you because he’s protective like that, but no. I’m worried he’s going to put up a fight to get me to leave with him.”

  He fiddles with the short plastic straw sticking from his glass. “That’s not so bad.”

  “We’ve talked about this. I don’t even know why I’m going over it again. It’s not like it matters. He can’t make me leave. And you can’t either,” I tack on the end. “I take that back. He might be thrilled I’ve found someone like you who wants me to take the easy way out.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  I hold up my palm and puff out a sigh.

  “I know. I’m over the arguing tonight. Can we just enjoy our meal?”

  “If that’s what you need, sure. But I’m paying to feed you. Not because you can’t, but because you’re stressed, and I want to do this for you.”

  I give my empty glass a sad face. “Luckily for you, I’m all out of fucks.” I manage to remain expressionless and lean back in my chair.

  “Luckily for you, I’m not.”

  He winks.

  Oh, my.

  I crack a wobbly grin.

  One thing’s for certain out of the turmoil of today. He sure knows how to pull a woman out of a funk.

  13

  Rhett

  I sit behind the desk in my office a few days after the incident at Calypso’s, frustrated that I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. Hell, I can’t seem to stop thinking about Evie most of the time, but it’s not only her. It’s Melanie. And Mallory. And the goddamn reputation I let myself build during a destructive spiral. Trying to decipher if Evie means something more to me is hard as hell. These other women provided a distraction and a good time—a mutual one—but with Evie, I’m enjoying the more.

  She’s the first woman I’ve spent considerable time with since splitting with Nora, and it’s barely been two weeks. That’s hardly substantial in a way that I know I need more.

  More time.

  More laughs.

  More conversations beneath black skies and twinkling stars.

  But the thorns of doubt poke and prod and nestle inside me while taunting.

  Do I need more, or am I holding out for the opportunity to fuck her?

  I worry that over the past year, I’ve lost the core of who I am. I’m not the guy who screws everything with a set of tits even though that’s precisely what I’ve been doing. Turning into that man was easy when I was bogged down with a hurricane of pain. Returning to who I used to be seems damn near impossible now that I’ve tarnished myself in a way I can’t erase. My soul will wear these stains for the rest of eternity.

  I want to move away from the person I’ve been, the one who enjoys a good woman and a good time, usually with a load of booze to do it. What sort of role model am I for Tommy if I have a constant train of women parading through my life?

  The question remains bouncing around my skull.

  Where does this leave Evie?

  I groan and settle my head into my hands. I could add the label of liar if I said I didn’t want to screw her into next week. Somewhere other than the back seat of my car would be nice. If this office hadn’t been owned by my grandfather, I’d consider bringing her here, but that wouldn’t make me much different than my soon-to-be ex-wife. Office gossip and security cameras would out my behavior in an instant.

  I can’t even sleep here out of respect for the man who raised me. He’d undoubtedly understand, being the type of man to love hard work and sacrifice. Knowing my situation is temporary is all the more reason to keep it under wraps and not have to dodge questions I don’t have answers to.

  Thoughts of Nora completely douse my sexual desire in an instant. She makes me perpetually cold and my dick soft.

  My cell vibrates loudly on my desk, and Evie’s name illuminates the screen.

  “Hey there,” I answer immediately, noting the way my mood lightens. I shuffle a stack of papers to the other side of my desk and out of my way.

  A pause lingers. “Hey.” The word is punctual.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t even know why I’m calling to ask you this.” Her tone alights something primal within me.

  “Ask me what?”

  Wind sounds across the line as if she’s on the move.

  “Did you… You didn’t by chance rough up a trucker?”

  My chest expands. “Are you asking or seeking confirmation?”

  “I don’t know. I guess confirmation. I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t suspect it was you.”

  “He threatened you,” I state plainly to conceal the contempt. Thinking back to finding Dan in her space injects anger through me. Comfort only comes by reliving the crack as I connected my knuckles with his haggard face.

  “I was okay. He left me alone.”

  “Not originally.” My tone darkens. I cross the room and shut the door to my office. “He lingered. I gave him a little motivation to get out of town.”

  She snorts. “A lot of good that did because I just saw him.”

  I lean back in my chair and gaze at the ceiling, focusing on the steady thrum of my pulse. “Did he approach you?”

  “No.”

  “That’s because I told him if he got close again, I’d make sure he was never found.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  That’s the million-dollar question.

  She keeps at me. “He looked pretty bad, even though the bruises have aged a few days. How’s your hand?”

  I flex my fingers and feel only a lingering ache. “It’s fine,” I answer softly.

  “I don’t understand why you didn’t just kick his ass that first night. Why wait and seek him out when I already made my point?”

  “Witnesses and cameras,” I answer honestly. “If my ex-wife got wind, she’d label me as violent before I could blink.”

  “Exactly!” she spouts off. I start talking before she can get too wound up. Though she’s sexy when riled, and I wouldn’t mind the entertainment.

  “I’m the only one you have here. I couldn’t let it go without making sure you’d be safe if I wasn’t around. And I’m glad I did because when I spend time with my son, I have to leave you alone in that parking lot.”

  “I told you I’d be fine.”

  “Say thank you and let it go,” I plead, not wanting to dig more than surface deep.

  A beat. Then a whisper. “Thank you.”

  My shoulders slump as the tension eases, but her breathy thanks directs the tension to the place below the belt.

  “I can’t just let it go, though.”

  “Evie,” I groan. “Leave. It. Be.”

  “When will you be back?” The creak of her car door sounds across the line.

  Lowering the phone from my ear, I check the time. “A couple of hours still. My office is a forty-five-minute drive out of town, and I have a stack of work on my desk I’ve been avoiding.”

  “Hmm. So you’re saying I couldn’t just pop by for lunch?”

  My tongue swipes my lower lip, and a rough chuckl
e slips free. “I’m afraid not. Sounds like you have something in mind. Why don’t you share with the class?”

  “I never got to repay the favor from before.” Her voice dips, husky and low.

  “You tempt a man with such ease.”

  “Quite the opposite, actually. This isn’t usual play for me, but you have to understand how long it’s been.”

  I don’t misunderstand. Not in the slightest. “Tell me,” I demand. Images of her naked and splayed with red hair spread like a halo assault my mind. “I want to know exactly how long it’s been since a man made you come.”

  “About two weeks, give or take a day.” Her sass sends blood rushing to my cock. If I wasn’t hard before, the ease of her discussing how I made her come on my hand turns me to fucking stone.

  “Before that.”

  Her breathing increases into brief pants over the line, and I’m grateful I closed my office door earlier.

  “A long time.”

  “Spell it out for me, Rosie,” I switch to using the name I can’t help but utter when she turns me the fuck on.

  “A year,” she gasps.

  The buckle to my belt clinks as I flick the stem through the hole and peel it away, wishing it were her hands preparing to reach into my slacks.

  “Are you touching yourself?” I rasp and wait on the precipice for her response.

  “I’ve had this thought of, um, reciprocating what you did to me in your car. And I want to thank you now with my mouth.”

  Fuck. I finally drive my hand beneath my boxer briefs and grip my dick.

  “Do you know how many times I’ve pictured your puffy lips wrapped around me?” I stroke slow, keeping the motion steady but not racing to the finish. I want to drag this out as long as possible.

  She gasps a sound that sizzles straight to my dick. “Probably not as much as I’ve imagined doing it.”

  “Show me,” I growl and pull the phone away from my ear to connect us to video.

  “Rhett!” Her breath hitches on my name. I assume she sees my abrupt change of course. Not a second later does the screen change from black to blurry.

  I hold my phone angled above me. Keeping the screen visible to me and giving her the perfect shot down my body to the steady pace I stroke myself.