by S. Nelson
The first song they played was one of my favorites, a ballad telling of heartbreak and redemption. Jameson’s silky voice wrapped around every woman in there and it was hard not to be affected. Completely losing myself to the music drove home my own dilemma of the heart.
After waving over a waitress and ordering another drink, then another, losing some of my wariness to the alcohol coursing through me, I thought about the guy sitting next to me. He’d been my everything once upon a time. He was someone who loved me back with such intensity, I thought I’d die if he ever walked away. Turned out, I didn’t, not physically, anyway.
What would happen going forward only fate knew, but I didn’t want to get mixed back up in that dance again because I barely made it out alive last time.
20
Walking toward a room on the lower level where the band was now hangin’ out didn’t dispel my agitation toward Kaden and what he’d tried to do right before they started their set. In his warped way, he attempted to lay some sort of claim on me, but he would be sorely disappointed. I didn’t belong to him or anyone else for that matter. I was my own woman and would no longer give my heart and energy to someone who didn’t deserve it.
As we all filed one by one down the corridor, I heard Braylen ask a question I’d been curious about myself.
“Why aren’t you guys wearing your cuts?” The members of the Knights wore their club vests almost everywhere they went, unless it was an occasion which called for more formal attire, which rarely happened.
“Some shit happened, and we thought it best not to call attention to ourselves,” Jagger answered. There was no way these four could go anywhere without all eyes on them. I’d been aware of the women who stared over at our group, some of them staring too long for my taste.
“There you are,” a deep raspy voice called out from down the hall. The man who approached was none other than Kevin Drake and he had Kena in his arms before Jagger could make a move to stop him. He released her quickly, then extended his hand toward her husband. I peered around Braylen and Ryder who stood in front of me to see what would happen. I was curious if Jagger would say anything to the guy.
“Jagger. It’s nice to see you again.” He didn’t leave Kevin hanging too long before he reciprocated his greeting. “Follow me if you wanna meet the guys and kick back.” Kevin’s laughter trailed behind him as he ushered Braylen and Kena toward the double doors up ahead.
Chelsea rushed up next to me and grabbed my arm. Her initial excitement over meeting them had returned, and while she pulled me toward the room, Ace kept his distance, cursing under his breath before leaning toward Kaden to say something.
After introductions were made, we hung around for a while, Kena and Braylen telling stories about Kevin and the days he worked in the kitchen at their family restaurant. They also delved into tales about some of their earlier performances at Rustic and other local places before they hit the big time.
All the guys from the band seemed genuinely nice and we were all having a good time, but there was one person present who looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here, and that was Ace. He watched Chelsea like a hawk as she chatted up the drummer. I believed his name was Silas. She laughed at whatever he said and touched his arm a few times, but she wasn’t being overly flirtatious. I’d seen her flirt before and what happened between her and Silas didn’t even come close. Although, I doubted Ace would agree.
“I’m gonna get another drink.” I stood up quickly, and as soon as the room spun around me, I dropped back onto the leather sofa I’d just vacated.
“Maybe you’ve had enough.” Kaden reached for me when I moved toward the edge of the couch, pulling me back and practically onto his lap. I scooted over to put some distance between us, and when I dared to look at his face, I saw him frown right before he shook his head, like he was annoyed I didn’t want to sit that close to him.
“I’ll say when I’ve had enough.” I wasn’t drunk but was well on my way.
“You’re gonna get sick.”
“I’m fine.” I waved down a waitress who’d been assigned to the room, figuring it was better if I stayed seated, and ordered another rum and Coke. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need your help.”
“Watch and see. I’m gonna be the one to carry you out of here.” His blue eyes shone brightly when he smiled at me, and when he licked his lips, I got lost in a memory of us kissing. It’d been years since he laid his mouth on mine, and while I’d kissed other guys after Kaden, I hadn’t enjoyed it nearly as much.
“Miss?” I looked up and saw the waitress standing back in front of me with my drink stretched toward me.
“You okay?” Kaden touched my hand right before I reached out to grab my drink. “You looked like you were thinking about something.”
“Fine.” I took two healthy swallows of my beverage before leaning back on the couch and resting the glass on my leg, the contents low enough now the liquid wouldn’t spill if I moved.
I remained in my same position for the next hour. I downed yet another drink before I gave in and decided to call it an evening, or morning, seeing as the time was after one.
Kaden had bounced around the room but always had his eye on me, and while I appreciated his concern, I didn’t need it.
I waved to Chelsea, who then stumbled over to me. When Ace tried to help her, she swatted his hands away. Collapsing onto the cushion next to me, she rested her head on my shoulder.
“I had so much fun.” She hiccupped, then laughed.
“Sounds like it.” While I was a bit more than tipsy, Chelsea was full-on drunk. We’d taken an Uber to the club so neither of us had to worry about driving. “You ready to go or are you stayin’?”
“I think I’m done.” She closed her eyes and settled in closer. If I didn’t get up in the next two seconds, she’d pass out on me, making it that much harder to get her home.
I shrugged my shoulder and her head bounced upward. “Up you go.” I rose from the couch, swaying on my feet while I tried to get my bearings. Kaden had been in conversation with one of the band members right before he rushed toward me, grabbing my shoulders to steady me.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you home.”
“Your home or mine.” My tone was flirty, although I couldn’t fathom why. Well… I supposed I could. It was called liquor.
Kaden laughed, wrapped his arm around my waist, jerked his chin toward somebody and turned us toward the door.
The next thing I knew I was in the front seat of his truck, driving the opposite way of my house.
“Where are you taking me?”
“My place.”
I straightened up as much as I could, then slumped back down. “Why?”
“Because I don’t think you want your parents to see you like this.”
Fair enough.
“Are you gonna try and have sex with me?” All the embarrassment I should’ve felt never surfaced, the alcohol running through my veins the reason why.
“I haven’t even tried to kiss you yet. Why would I jump right to the sex?”
“’Cause.”
“That’s a viable argument,” he said, tapping his fingers against the wheel.
“Shut up.” I leaned my head against the coolness of the passenger window, the world speeding by so fast I had to close my eyes. “Just get me to bed.”
21
Just get me to bed.
Even though I knew what she meant, my dick hardened all the same, my mind wandering, conjuring memories of the past.
Riley… lying on my bed naked. I used to tease her so badly she’d plead with me to fuck her.
But those days were gone, and if I had any hope of resurrecting them, I had to play my cards right. Taking her back to my place would normally seem presumptuous, but there was no way I was gonna drop her off at home, as drunk as she was. She needed to sober up first.
For as much as she had to drink, I thought for sure she would’ve passed out on the ride, but she was a
lert. Sluggish but awake. She sang along to some pop song on the radio, her words slurred, but the smile on her face when she leaned into me was contagious.
We soon pulled onto my road, the houses gradually spaced out, giving all the neighbors a sense of privacy. The gravel of my driveway kicked up beneath the truck’s tires, the sound making Riley twitch in her seat. When we came to a stop, I killed the engine and hopped out, making my way around to her side. She never made a move to open her door, so I did it for her, reaching for her arm to help her down and to make sure she didn’t fall once her feet hit the ground.
“I’ve never seen your place.” She tripped on the first step, but I caught her before she hurt herself. “You moved in after we broke up.” Riley’s eyes drooped, and she made a loud noise when she yawned, holding on to me when she swayed forward. “We were supposed to move in together. ’Member?”
“Yeah, I remember.” Apparently, she was fine with talking about the past and quite freely, too. I should remind her that she was the one who cut ties with me. That she was the one who’d leave wherever she was, even her own house, the second I showed up. She was the one who flashed me dirty looks and cursed under her breath whenever she saw me. But there was no use getting into it with her when she was in this state. In fact, curiosity made me want to hear what she’d say next, to see what she’d reveal while her inhibitions were lowered.
Once we stepped inside, I shut and locked the door behind us before punching in the code for the alarm. I then walked her to the couch and had her take a seat while I headed to the kitchen to get her a drink of water. She needed some sort of hydration before she passed out, otherwise she’d have a killer headache in the morning, and I had no doubt she’d somehow manage to blame me for it.
“Here.” I shoved the glass toward her. She shook her head and pushed it away. “Ry. You have to drink this.”
“If I drink any more, I’m gonna puke.” She leaned her head against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes.
“It’s not alcohol. It’s water.” I bumped her leg with mine. “Come on. I’m not going away until you drink it.” She didn’t move, and at first, I thought I lost her to sleep, but when I hit her leg again, this time with a little more force, she groaned. “Let’s go.” My voice raised. “Riilleeyy.” I’d stand there and irritate the hell out of her for as long as it took for her to do what I wanted. “Helllooo.”
Her eyes popped open. “Oh my God! You’re so annoying.” She blew out a breath, leaned forward and grabbed the glass, some of the contents spilling onto the carpet at her feet. But she gulped down the water without any more resistance, then thrust the glass back at me. “Here. Happy?”
I took it from her and placed it on the coffee table. “We gotta get you to bed now.” I ducked down and put her arm around my shoulder so I could easily lift her from the couch.
“I don’t wanna have sex with you,” she slurred, lolling her head to the side, her lips close to my neck. “I mean, I wanna.” She slapped my chest. “But I’m not gonna. Not till you ’pologize.”
I didn’t want to argue with her, but I had apologized. So, what I said instead was, “Okay. Let’s just get you upstairs.”
Riley was quiet the rest of the way up the stairs, down the hall and even when I sat her on the edge of my bed. I moved away from her and she fell onto her back, her arms spread out on each side of her. After I removed her heels, I stood up and reached for the button on her jeans. Once it popped free, I pulled her zipper down, then shimmied the material down her legs. She slapped at my hands once but didn’t bother again until her jeans were completely off.
The hard part was gonna be getting her to sit up long enough for me to remove her shirt, but before I attempted that feat, I grabbed one of my T-shirts from my dresser drawer, so she’d have something comfortable to sleep in.
“Come on, sleepyhead,” I said, leaning over her to pull her up and into a sitting position. Thankfully, she didn’t fight me, her eyes remaining closed. I chuckled to myself because I’d been in her shoes before, so tired all I wanted to do was pass the fuck out.
Her shirt cleared her head seconds later and she was left sitting there in her matching zebra-striped bra and panties.
Riley’s eyes opened a little, and when she saw me in front of her, she looked down at herself before making eye contact again.
“Do you like my underwear?” Her crooked smile was sweet, innocent even.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Do you want to see more?” She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra before I realized what she was doing. I didn’t have time to react before she tossed it over her shoulder, her perfect tits on full display. I’d like to say I was a gentleman and didn’t look… but I did.
My mouth watered at the sight of her perfect, hard nipples and all I wanted to do was wrap my lips around them. But I wouldn’t. I might not be much of a gentleman, but I wasn’t a bastard, either.
When she moved her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and tried to pull them down, I removed her hands and pushed them to the side.
“Okay, enough stripping for tonight.” I rushed to tug my T-shirt over her head before pulling back the comforter and helping her underneath it.
“Kade?” She hadn’t called me Kade in years.
“Yeah?”
“I have to… tell ya somethin’.” She reached out her hands and wiggled her fingers.
I leaned in.
“More.”
I leaned in closer. “This good?”
She didn’t answer me. Instead, she grabbed me, pulled me toward her while her head came off the pillow at the same time and sealed her lips over mine before falling back to the bed.
“I dream about you,” she mumbled before she rolled over and finally passed out.
I stood over her for the longest time, wondering if she realized she had just cracked open the door to our future.
22
“How ya feelin’?”
The mattress dipped, and instead of responding, which I was incapable of doing since I no longer had any saliva in my mouth, I groaned, then rolled onto my side, giving Kaden my back.
When I’d first woken up, confusion settled over me until the events of last night filtered in and I realized he’d taken me back to his house.
I was in his bed.
Under his covers.
Dressed in one of his T-shirts.
“I made breakfast if you’re hungry.” The mention of food made my stomach growl, but I wasn’t ready to get up and face what happened just yet. I planned on keeping him at a distance, probably for the rest of my life, then everything was destroyed because I wanted to drink myself into numbness so I didn’t have to face my feelings toward him.
Talk about backfiring.
When I sensed he wasn’t going anywhere, I rolled back toward him.
“Why do I have your shirt on? And where is my bra?” I couldn’t remember every minute detail of last night, but I was almost positive we hadn’t done anything.
“I was gonna put you to bed in your underwear, but you took off your bra before I could stop you.”
“I’m sure you put up a fight.”
He shrugged. “At least I gave you a shirt. It can get a little chilly in here at night.”
Clutching the covers tightly under my chin, I locked eyes on him. His mouth curved into a sexy smile, but his eyes were serious, if that made any sense.
“Did we do anything?”
“Like what?”
Rolling my eyes allowed me to release some of my frustration, but not much. “You know what.”
“I don’t think I do.”
“Stop being an ass and tell me.” I suddenly became warm, pushing the covers halfway down my body, my lower half still remaining covered.
Kaden placed his hand on the side of me and inched closer. “We didn’t have sex, but….” He tilted his head back and forth, clearly indicating something had happened.
I racked my brain, but some parts of the night
were fuzzy. Nothing happened at Rustic. Nothing in his truck, or on the couch. Once he brought me to his room, my recollection became hazier. I barely remember him undressing me and I certainly didn’t recall taking off my bra.
Then it hit me.
I’d kissed him. It was brief, but his lips had been on mine.
“That kiss didn’t mean anything. I was drunk.”
“And you know what they say?” I stared at him, waiting for him to finish. “A drunk man doesn’t tell truths.”
“First off, that’s not the saying. And secondly… I’m… I’m… not a man.” I stumbled over my words, my brain barely able to string together a coherent sentence, let alone execute it correctly.
“And then you told me you dream about me.” He was full-on smiling now, licking his lips and drawing my focus to his mouth instead of trying to figure out if what he’d just said was the truth.
I had been dreaming about him, but why would I reveal such a thing? Then again, why did I kiss him?
Deciding to deflect, or flat-out lie, I said, “I said no such thing.”
“Loose lips and all that,” he said, finally getting off the bed, giving me room to breathe.
“You’re just spouting out sayings. And they’re not even relevant.” I bit back a smile when he laughed, not wanting to add any more confusion to our already puzzling dynamic. If we started joking around, that would lead to casual chitchat which would eventually lead to becoming comfortable around him which would lead to… I didn’t want to think about what that would mean because I’d been protecting my heart for so long, I didn’t want to be that exposed ever again.