Love and Heartache (Love &... #2)

by A. J. Briar

  “How fucking dare you.” She spits out the words, and I watch Logan tense his jaw.

  “You don’t get to ignore me for weeks, then only bother with me when there’s another guy involved.” She continues her tirade. “Especially when I was doing fuck all with the guy, apart from talking to him.” She points at his chest, enunciating each word with each prod. Logan recoils, having no response apart from telling her the truth that she is blind to see. The tension grows between the two, the longer they stare at each other. Both trying to figure each other’s secrets without speaking.

  A shrill ringing slices through the silence. Roxy pulls out her phone, glancing down at it.

  “It’s Isabella.” She answers, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from Logan. I edge closer trying to hear what’s she saying. Nerves swirl around my stomach imagining all sorts of shit happening. As I near, Roxy pulls away.

  There’s fear etched all over her face and I’m moments away from snatching the phone off her. Logan pulls me back and whispers for me to calm down. Like that’ll ever happen when something is clearly wrong with Isabella. I shrug off his grip and sprint to where Roxy is now standing.

  “Ping me your location. Stay in your car. Lock the doors. I’ll sort it.” Roxy’s tone stops me in my tracks as I try to figure out what’s going on. Moments later, she hangs up and curses aloud.

  “Tell me what’s going on.” Roxy narrows her eyes, then sighs.

  “Her car’s broken down on some country road. She’s stranded and scared.” Roxy continues speaking but I’m already walking away. There is no fucking way, am I leaving her out there alone. I hear Logan shout my name and I swivel in time to see both of them catch up to me.

  “You don’t even know where you’re going.”

  “Get her to text me her location. You’ve both been drinking so there’s no way either of you are fit to drive. I haven’t.” To hammer it home, I continue. “I was already debating whether to go home to visit my ma anyway. I can kill two birds with one stone this way.” Roxy relents as she pulls out her phone, typing away. Logan pulls me to the side, out of earshot.

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do man.” The warning is clear in his voice, so I echo his sentiment back at him, gesturing towards Roxy. My phone vibrates as I receive Isabella’s location from Roxy. I nod to both of them and hightail it towards my truck.

  She’s a few hours away but with my driving I can cut that arrival time in half. Which I do.

  An hour later, I’m pulling up behind her mini, the darkness surrounding her has me leap out of my truck. I don’t even think about my actions, as I bang on the driver’s side window calling her name. Her screams echo in my ears and I realize I’ve scared her shitless. I try and make out her silhouette speaking again.

  “Isabella, it’s me, Nathan.” I tap on the window, gently this time, when a light flicks on in the car. She slowly opens the door, and I can’t help but pull her up into my arms. Her whole-body shudders against mine when she leans into my embrace tying her arms around my waist. I whisper soothing words into her hair, hoping like hell that I’m helping. After god knows how long, she unlocks her arms and retreats back, allowing me an unhindered view of her beautiful face. Her face becomes unreadable while taking another step backward, wiping her tears on her sleeve.

  “Sorry for screaming, I thought Roxy was coming to get me. I didn’t expect you.” Her gaze drops down and I find myself stepping forward to cup her chin upwards. I hate that I’m struggling to gauge her emotions. Is she upset I’m here? Or is it embarrassment? I have no idea, so I contemplate my next words.

  “You don’t need to apologize. I should be the one saying sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just had to make sure you were alright.” I debate whether to tell her that I’ve spent the past hour conjuring all sorts of scenarios; all of which contributed to me almost having a coronary. “Plus, I didn’t really give Roxy much of a choice. She’s been drinking and I haven’t. It made sense for me to rescue you.” She snorts, the laughter that she emits a pure joy to hear.

  “Rescue me? I forgot I’m a damsel in distress. And you’re the hero.” The sarcasm that’s thick in her tone causes me to roll my eyes. She’ll always be my damsel in distress, regardless of whether she’s in trouble or not. And no doubt I’ll always be her hero. Her phone rings, interrupting us. Leaning into the car, she plucks it from the passenger seat.

  “Hi Isla.” She barely gets the words out before I hear Isla screech down the phone at her. Isabella leans against the car while listening intently to whatever Isla is saying to her. I grasp my own phone from my back pocket, noticing its way past midnight. We still have at least another few hours ahead of us to get back to Grove Hill. Making a rash decision, I look up the nearest hotel. It’s pretty presumptuous that she’ll want to pull over for the night, but I’m hoping I can persuade her.

  “Fine Isla. We’ll check into a hotel. Are you happy now?” She murmurs into the phone and I send up a silent thank you to Isla. Quickly, booking a room at the nearest one, I pocket my phone and wait for her to finish.

  “Yes, I will text you in the morning. Love you too. Night.” In a huff, she ends the call, then peers over to where I’m still standing watching her.

  “So” The back of her chucks knock together, the nerves clear as fuck as she casts her eyes everywhere but me.

  “I’ve already booked us into a hotel.” Her head swings to mine, her eyes widening.

  “I heard your phone call, and I figured I’d find one close by. It makes sense.” I run my fingers through my hair and wait for her response. The silence that ensues almost breaks me. Her indecision about whether to spend the night with me wounds me to my core.

  “Alright. Let me just get my stuff.” She skirts round to the boot and slings her overnight bag over her shoulder. Her phone beeps again, to which she promptly checks it. Creases form on her forehead as she answers the phone.

  “Hello.” The wariness in her tone has me on guard so I shift closer to where she’s standing. A guy’s low tone crackles on the other side and I tense up wondering who the hell this dude is. Surely, if she was seeing someone, she would’ve told me. I lean in, closer than she’ll allow, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. Her breathing stutters, the closer I get and internally I fist pump the air. As much as she wants to deny our attraction, her body tells me a completely different story.

  I hear the guy mention a pick-up truck and relief courses through my body immediately. It’s just the tow truck guy. Not some secret boyfriend. While Isabella listens intently, I pluck her bag from her shoulder and throw it in my truck. She hangs up and I make my way back to her, her face scrunching up in an adorable way.

  “Tow truck guy says he’ll be twenty minutes tops.”

  “That’s fine. We can wait. I’m sure we’ll find a way to pass the time.” I shoot her a cheeky wink, unable to stop myself from flirting with her. She’s fucking gorgeous. Her berry red skater dress perfectly complements her hair, which falls in soft waves around her makeup free face. It’s insane how she can achieve perfection with little to no effort.

  A snort works its way up Isabella’s throat as she barely contains her laughter. She shivers slightly, drawing my attention to the fact that it’s probably only forty-five degrees out and all she’s wearing is a dress.

  “Come on. Let’s wait in my truck. It’s warmer.” She nods and I guide her to the passenger side, opening the door for her. Her eyebrow raises, along with one side of her mouth, before she hoists herself into the seat. I race around the hood, desperate to be in close proximity of her. Her presence is both calming and electrifying. I switch the ignition on, the heat instantly billowing out, warming the air around us.

  “I don’t know whether I said it earlier but thank you for coming to get me. I really do appreciate it.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. You have to know by now Isabella, that if you need me, you have me. Even if it’s the middle of the night and you’re craving an ice cream fix but
have none. I’ll be there. Anything you want. Everything you need. Always.” Isabella snorts but a smile beams on her face. The sight is pure ecstasy while she continues to giggle.

  “Surely not anything and everything.”

  “I think you underestimate me.” I shift my entire body to face her, the sincerity in my voice rings a loud and clear. I’m done playing games and I’m done waiting. As much as I won’t give her an ultimatum, I refuse to hide my feelings anymore. Sensing my movement, she mirrors my actions.

  “I’ll bear that in mind, when I have my next sugar craving.” Her phone beeps with an incoming text effectively ending that conversation. She skims read the message, her smile faltering a little the more she reads. I’m about to ask her what’s up when she pierces me with her gaze.

  “Isla has asked me to invite you to stay with us this weekend.” The words come out broken and stilted; my heart instantly deflates as its obvious she doesn’t want me too. Granted, I’m not sure whether spending a weekend with her and Isla is the best idea, but it hurts that she thinks that too. And that’s even before she finds out what went down between her sister and me. I struggle to formulate words, my mind replays the shitty things I did, taking me on a first-class tour of how fucked up I was after Isabella left. Moments pass, before I regain enough composure to speak.

  “I was going to see my mom actually. Thanks for the offer though.” Even though she didn’t really offer. She tilts her head, studying my expression, forcing me under a microscope.

  “Maybe we can still hang out? It’s Isla’s birthday and we were going to head to a few bars. I’m sure Isla would love to see you.” My eyes narrow trying to figure out her angle. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was trying to bait me. I offer her a non-committal shrug.

  “I’ll see what I can do.” The casualness about my whole demeanor surprises me because I feel anything but on the inside. Headlights beam in my wingmirror when a truck pulls up behind. Isabella notices and hops out at the same time I do. She converses with the guy, who is moments away from being punched, as he checks out her ass as she leaves to get the keys from the car. The whole interaction is over in the time it takes me to calm down. The dude makes quick work of attaching her mini to his truck and leaving us to it.

  I program the hotel’s address into my GPS, and watch Isabella settle in the passenger seat.

  We’re both quiet, the exhaustion taking over as Isabella closes her eyes briefly while I drive us towards our destination. I don’t have the heart to wake her, so I stay quiet, mulling over everything in my head.

  I love her. Plain and simple. From the moment she bumped into me in the hallway, I was a goner for her, and she needs to know. Granted, I’ve already told her this once but hopefully this time she’ll remember it longer than five minutes.

  By the time, we pull into the car park surrounding the hotel, I’m barely able to control the nerves, that swirl around my stomach. Gently shaking Isabella awake, she lets out a yawn followed by a moan, worthy of a fucking Oscar. My mind takes me to all sorts of dirty places, which I tamp down fast. I lead the way, partially to disguise the fact that just with one sound alone she’s ruining me. The need to get her alone, conveys in my actions as I grab her bag, check in and get to the room in record time. Considering its nearing two am, I expect Isabella to just pass out on the bed straight away, but her eyes trail around the room taking it all in. It’s nothing fancy but it’s not shabby either. The cream walls lack any sort of décor, but I can’t really expect much considering this place is practically in the middle of nowhere. A huge queen size bed sits in the center of the room making up for the lack of other furnishings. I expected a sofa, at least, so I wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor. As if our minds are following the same track, Isabella’s eyes bounce from me to the bed and then back. I open my mouth to say I’ll sleep on the floor when she says the same.

  “Isabella, there’s no way I’m letting you sleep on the floor. Get your ass changed and sorted and you can have the bed. I’ll make do with it.” She tugs at her bottom lip, the action lighting the desire inside me, while she pensively looks back towards the bed.

  “Why don’t we just share? It’s a huge bed, and it’s not fair that you’ve driven all the way out here, paid for the room and then have to spend the night on a floor.” I step towards her, bringing my finger to her lips silencing her. Her breathing hitches and I croak out an okay, imagining sharing a bed with her.

  Her eyes cloud with lust as her tongue darts out ever so slightly, touching the tip of my finger. All resolve leaves the stratosphere when our lips crash together causing an inferno to burn between us. Her moans are swallowed by my groans while I press her into the nearest wall. Cupping the back of her neck, I tilt her head back allowing my lips to trail small kisses along her jaw. Before I get completely carried away, I pull myself back slightly and heave a heavy breath in. Isabella’s teal eyes darken but her gaze focuses on my own unrelenting.

  “Isabella, wait. I have something I need to say.” I take another step backward out of the grasp I didn’t even realize she had on me.

  “I thought long and hard about how to say this but I’m just going to come out and say what I’m feeling.” Isabella holds her hand up to stop me, but I pull her hand into mine, linking it with my own fingers.

  “I’ve been holding back what’s truly in my heart, out of fear of pushing you in the wrong direction but I can’t hide it any longer. You need to know how I feel before we go any further.” I bring her hand to my lips and press a soft kiss to her knuckles before continuing.

  “I did this in the wrong order last time, so I’m making up for it this time. Isabella James, I’m irrevocably in love with you. I always have been, and I always will be. The first time you walked into my life, it showed me what life could be like with someone I loved. When you left, you took that dream with you. But seeing you again, it’s made me realize how much I want it and how much I need you to be beside me. I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve done some questionable things over the past few years, but all of it was to protect you. Even when you were thousands of miles away, you were always in my head and you will always be in my heart, Isabella.” Her hand trembles in mine and I loosen my grip on her, not wanting to push her any further. The rejection stings, coursing through my veins breaking my heart in the process.

  “Nathan,” She whispers when I cast my gaze to the ground. My shoulders slump in defeat.

  “Nathan. Look at me.” The waiver in her voice has me automatically seeking her out, the need to make sure she’s okay ingrained in my brain. I stare her down, reading her expression, shocked to see admiration all over. Her beautiful teal pools fill me with hope, seeing the love reflected back. She prowls towards me closing the distance before her lips close over mine. The taste of her cherry lip balm becomes my new favorite taste as her tongue and her lips move in sync with mine. She loves me. She may not have said it, but I feel it. That spark that has been simmering between us, is now a full-blown blaze. We tumble towards the bed and my mind is consumed by Isabella James. I realize in this moment, that no matter what happens when she finds out what I did, there’s no stopping my love for her.

  17

  Isabella

  One breath-taking kiss. One heart-stopping speech. That’s all it takes for me to get my head out of my ass and see what’s been standing right in front of me all along. Does it matter that I don’t fully remember our beginning? Fuck no, when I know he makes me feel like I’m floating on cloud nine whenever he’s nearby. Does it matter that we’ve already been here once before, and things ended badly? Fuck no, when I know that deep down he’d never do anything to hurt me. After all, it was me who decided to run. I’m fairly sure if he could give me the world, he would.

  We fall in a tangle of limbs onto the bed, barely breaking apart. The unstoppable desire courses through my body; his touch setting my skin a light. He trails his fingers ever so softly everywhere he can. I can’t describe the feeling of euphoria that erup
ts from me as he tugs my bottom lip with his teeth. I could very easily get lost in his embrace forever. Our actions become more frantic with each touch sending tingles to my toes. I didn’t think it could be possible to feel this close to someone, yet at every opportunity, Nathan draws our bodies closer. He flips us so I’m under him, his beautifully tattooed arms cage me in on either side. Each kiss reminds me of how much I don’t want this to end. We break apart, Nathan’s eyes silently asking my permission to go further. I don’t even nod, I simply just bring my lips to his, already missing his caress. Our bodies connect like two pieces of a jigsaw; perfectly in sync. Everything about the moment, makes me feel complete for the first time in a long time.

  Considering I can’t remember our time together before, this feels like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. Literal stars fill my vision and I know if I could lock this moment up, I would. I’ve already lost so much. This is one memory; I never want to forget.

  I curl up in his arms, my eyes fluttering closed. The feeling of pure bliss washes over me, pulling me into the best sleep I’ve ever had.

  The following morning, or rather later that morning, I wake to Nathan’s touch as he gently smooths wisps of my hair away from my face. Smiling, I reach out and trace my fingers lightly over his tattoos. The guy really is one beautiful specimen.

  “Good morning, pretty girl.” My god, his voice is deliciously dirty while he rasps out the greeting. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go, whether either of us would have any regrets. But judging by the shit eating smirk he’s wearing, as well as the fuck me eyes he’s shooting me, I’d say he’s on the verge of going for round two.

  “Good morning. Breakfast?” I smile sweetly at him, knowing full well, I’m driving him crazy. His grin falters slightly, though he still pulls me closer into his hold. The lips that were all over me last night, are tantalizingly close to mine. His rich earthy scent teases me when he whispers against my lips.