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Every Kiss

Page 15

by Tasha Ivey


  “Callie?” Wes’ voice is edged with surprise.

  I spin around so fast that I fling a chunk of banana onto the floor. “Oh, hey.” He’s in his casual uniform of jeans and a black t-shirt today, and his hair is perfectly mussed on top, as always. But his eyes cut right through me, almost accusing.

  “I’m going to go check on Shane and Makenna. Be right back, doll.” Eve scrambles away to give us a moment in private, I’m sure.

  “Sorry,” I whisper, wiping my hands off and turning to him. “I had Shane and Makenna pick me up, but they brought me back here, saying they promised to have brunch. I didn’t know until we were on our way here. I swear.”

  He shrugs. “You don’t have to apologize. I came by to meet with my dad on a few things and Mom talked me into staying to eat, but I’ll be leaving right after.”

  “Okay, well, I just didn’t want you to give you the impression that I’m stalking you or something.”

  “I didn’t think that,” Wes says coolly, his facial expression not giving even a hint of emotion. “Before I leave, though, we need to talk.”

  I hate when people say that. “I know.”

  He gives a terse nod and walks out the back door toward the guest house, probably avoiding me at all costs until he absolutely has to be in my presence.

  I can’t blame him; I feel a lot more comfortable with him out of the room, too. To be honest, it’s a relief because, when he’s not around, I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to pretend that the way he’s acting isn’t a slap in the face. I don’t think I realized just how much this would suck. Just hours ago, I was in his arms, lost in perfect oblivion with him. His hands never left me; the desperation we shared kept us clinging to each other as if the world would end if the connection was broken.

  But the world hasn’t ended. It just completely stopped. Like everything I thought I wanted is hanging in the balance, just waiting for even a hairline fracture in his stone exterior. Unfortunately, though, what I thought had cracked has a new layer right over the top of it, just reinforcing what I’d worked hard to chip away. Not that I’d ever tell her this, but I think his mom is wrong. Just because he asked her for advice about me doesn’t necessarily mean that he’d be willing to free his demons long enough to give us a real chance.

  I don’t think he’s all that taken with me, really. I think he’s just flummoxed by me. The usual types he dates are more than willing to agree to whatever he says and spread their legs when he asks them to. I can’t help wondering if he sees me as a challenge because I don’t roll over like a trained dog. He admitted to me that he likes power and control, so I think all I am to him is something to conquer.

  And he did last night. I let him win. Now he’s done.

  I thought I saw his walls come down because that’s what I wanted to see. I only imagined that we shared any feelings on a deeper level. Most likely, it was all part of his game, sealing the deal to get me underneath him like he wanted all along. I thought he was a good guy, but he’s only a player. And I was just another one of his conquests. I should’ve picked up on all of that when I figured out he’s hiding the fact that he has a child.

  “You ready to help me get everything to the table?” Eve sweeps back into the room. “I’ll just finish the fruit salad while you start carrying everything in there, and we’ll be ready to eat.”

  “Okay,” I say, breaking my trance.

  Wes still hasn’t appeared again by the time everything is set out on the table and we’re all about to be seated. The massive dining table seats eight, but one chair from each side has been moved back against the wall. Shane and Makenna take the two seats on one side, so I take the one directly across from Makenna, leaving one chair to my left and one at each end. This way, all of the women can be at one end and the men at the other.

  “The other two guys should be on their way. I sent Robert to let Wesley know it’s time to eat.” Just as I thought, Eve takes the space on the end between Makenna and me. “Shane, if you would, pass the juice around, so we can start filling glasses while we wait.”

  “Yes ma’am,” he says politely and, like a gentleman, fills Makenna’s glass before standing to fill his mother’s and mine before returning to his seat to pour some in his own. I guess the hospitality training stuck with this one, too.

  A giant of a man fills the door frame, and a gleaming smile stretches across his face. “I bet you’re Callie.” He steps forward to offer his hand to me.

  “Yes, sir. I am.” I stand to greet him, craning my neck to look up at him. Wes’ biological mother may be tall, but I think this is who he got the real height from. Their stature is exactly the same, the width of their shoulders, the lean and lanky build. And those trademark Baxter eyes look even more aquamarine against his olive skin. Maybe my Greek god reference about Wes isn’t too far off base because his dad seems to have more than a little Mediterranean in his blood.

  He squeezes my hand before releasing it. “I’m Robert. Nice to meet you, finally. Makenna talks about you all the time, so I feel like you’re already a part of the family.” He motions to my chair. “Why don’t we get started? Wes will be here in just a moment.”

  Eve chuckles. “If we waited on him every time we sat down to eat, I think we’d all starve to death.”

  “Yeah, yeah . . . I’m here.” Wes strolls into the room, looking like it’s the last place he wants to be. Like the jerk he is, he walks around to the opposite side of the table and starts to drag one of the extra chairs up to sit between his dad and Shane, completely ignoring the empty space beside me.

  “Wesley Baxter.” Eve’s eyes are about to pop right out of her head. “We saved a seat for you right over here.” She points a long finger at the chair next to me.

  Shane and Makenna look at each other, fighting a smirk, while both Eve and Robert glare at Wes. Meanwhile, I just want to melt into a puddle underneath the table. He can’t even sit near me to eat. Nice.

  “Sorry, Mom. I’m just used to sitting here. I wasn’t thinking.” He moves the chair back and drops into the seat next to me without even a glance in my direction.

  Everyone is engaged in conversation as the dishes of food are passed around. Everyone, that is, except Wes and me. The room is far from quiet, but the silence from him is painful. It really pisses me off, and I refuse to let him think he’s getting to me. Okay, he is getting to me, but he doesn’t get the satisfaction of knowing it.

  The platters have all been passed around, and I’m about to take a sip of my orange juice when I catch Shane staring at my plate. “What?” I ask before taking a drink.

  “Just one tiny little sausage?” His eyes narrow as a devious grin spreads across his lips. “I thought for sure you’d go for four.”

  I immediately begin choking, setting my glass down so hard that juice sloshes onto the tablecloth. I jerk my napkin from the table, sending my silverware skittering into the floor, and I hold it to my mouth as I fight for the coughing to stop. Orange juice and lungs don’t mix.

  “Oh, honey, are you okay?” Eve jumps up from her seat and pats me on the back.

  I can barely see her through the tears welling in my eyes, but I nod my head, finally able to take a full breath. “Yes,” I croak.

  Shane and Makenna are suddenly really interested in their food. They’re both snickering quietly while staring at their plates and shoveling food into their big freaking mouths. After Eve grabs more silverware from the china cabinet, she and Robert go back to discussing the flowers they want to plant, like nothing had ever happened. And Wes stares at me. I can feel it.

  I flick a quick glance at him, and I can tell by the look on his face, he knows exactly why Shane said what he did. Because I have a big freaking mouth. This shouldn’t be anything new to him, though. He already knows this about me, so he has no reason to be pissed. Besides, wasn’t it him that said he wasn’t ashamed?

  But fine, if he wants to be irritated at me, I should at least get the satisfaction of earning it. “On secon
d thought, Shane, could you pass me that platter of sausage?” Everyone pauses to watch, suddenly interested in what I’m saying. Using the little serving tongs, I move several of the little sausage links aside to grab one of the bigger pieces of Italian sausage and put it on my plate before handing it back to him. “You don’t need four if you get a big enough one to begin with.”

  This time, it’s Wes’ turn to choke.

  AFTER EATING, EVERYONE retreats to the den to watch a movie. I’m surprised to find out that Eve is a classic movie buff, just like me. Now, I understand how Wes knew who Audrey Hepburn was. As soon as the music begins, I know the movie. Top Hat has my favorite dance scene of all time—well, next to Singin’ in the Rain— and Fred Astaire is one of my absolute favorite leading men. The way he and Ginger Rogers sweep across the floor in perfect, graceful synchronization while he sings Cheek to Cheek . . . it makes me swoon every time.

  I’m just settling into the couch by Makenna when Wes appears in the doorway, looking at me and jerking his head back toward the kitchen. “I’ll be right back,” I tell Makenna.

  “Yeah, right,” she snickers, obviously thinking we’re sneaking off for number five.

  “Follow me,” Wes orders as soon as I exit the room. He leads the way up the glossy wood stairs and into an office, motioning to an espresso leather wingback chair facing the desk. “Sit.” Once I’m seated, he takes the one at the desk, resting his chin over his folded hands. He looks tired, as I’m sure he is. There are dark haunting shadows beneath each eye, and his mouth forms a tight line. Tall, Dark, and Moody just collided with Sexy CEO, and no matter how much I want to hate him, I have to force away the thoughts of sitting naked on the desk in front of him.

  “Why do I feel like I’m getting fired?” I joke, trying and failing to lighten the heavy mood. “You know, there’s no need to have this discussion. I know what you’re going to say.”

  “I shouldn’t have ever let this happen, Callie. It’s my fault.” He hangs his head and fists his hands in the top of his hair.

  “I knew what I was getting into. Just like I also knew that last night was all we’d have. You won. You finally got what you wanted, and now it’s over. We really don’t have much more to say to each other.”

  He jerks his head up, his gaze is sharp, boring into me. “I won? Are you freaking serious?”

  “Yes. Very.” I fold my arms over my chest, resolute to stand firm. I won’t let him get to me. “Just like other women, I was a conquest. I presented a challenge to you, so you pulled out all the stops until you got exactly what you wanted from me. And I let you. I don’t know. Maybe there’s some really sadistic part of me that wanted you to win, that wanted to be used like that. I knew there was a definite risk, and I still took it. I agreed to it. So there’s no need for hard feelings here.”

  He stands but keeps his hands firmly planted on top of the desk, leaning over it. “You don’t have a damn clue what you’re talking about, Callie. You’re not part of some stupid game that I have to win. I’m not some immature college kid who runs around, trying to nail every woman he meets. Maybe after you get a little older, you’ll understand—”

  I jump up from my seat, interrupting him. “Don’t treat me like I’m a child! I’m a hell of a lot more mature than you are. I’ve been completely honest with you from the very beginning, even when it wasn’t easy, and that takes a lot of maturity. Unlike you, who keeps everything locked away, covering everything up so no one will ever know the real you. So no one will ever know what a real coward you are. That’s exactly what you are. A damn coward.”

  His face turns bright red as the blood boils just under his skin. “Well, if that’s what you think, I guess we have nothing further to say.”

  “You’re right. We don’t.”

  He stares at me for a moment, his breath heaving in and out of his chest. He’s furious, but I promise, that’s nothing compared to what I’m feeling at the moment. I know the moment that I feel tears prick my eyes that I’ve reached my boiling point. Whenever I’m absolutely livid beyond all control, I cry. I’ve always hated it because it makes me look weak, when all I want to do is rip someone’s eyes out.

  Luckily, before he has the chance to see the tears welling up in my eyes, he storms out without another word. Within a few seconds, I also hear the front door slam and his jeep squealing out of the driveway. As I’m sure everyone else in the house heard.

  Before someone can see me crying my eyes out, I run down the hall, finally finding a bathroom to duck into until I can calm down. He’s such an asshole. I don’t know why I ever agreed to any of this. I knew he was seriously temperamental, so I should’ve known he would be difficult to deal with. Especially for me. Guys, as a general rule, hate the way I speak my mind, and they certainly don’t like it when I’m not afraid to take their enormous egos down a few notches. Wes, it seems, isn’t an exception to that rule.

  I’m wiping away the mascara running down my cheek when there’s a light peck at the door. “Callie? You in there?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be out in just a sec.” I try to add some cheer to my voice, but I know Makenna will see right through it.

  “Why don’t you let me in and tell me what’s going on?”

  I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. I hate being a liar. I’m always the honest one, even if it has the potential to sting a little. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I can’t let Makenna know what I’ve allowed to happen. Shane will know. Their parents will know. It will likely create a shit storm for both of us, and as pissed as I am at him right now, I don’t want that for him. Or me.

  I take one last glance in the mirror, making sure I look halfway normal, and I open the door. “Oh not much. Just a stupid argument. That’s what happens when two people are way too much alike. He gets a little testy when I tell him exactly what I’m thinking, and I get irritated when he refuses to listen to me. So things got a little heated, and he’s throwing a childish temper tantrum. He’ll get over it.”

  She studies me a little harder than necessary. “You look like you’ve been crying, so I know he had to make you pretty mad. What were you fighting about?”

  “Oh, I called him a coward because he won’t open up and talk about things with me. Needless to say, he didn’t appreciate it much. But it was deserved.”

  Makenna sits on the side of the tub and shakes her head. “Callie, I know you mean well, but sometimes it’s all just too much. You don’t think about how your words can affect people sometimes, even if it is the truth. It hurts.”

  “I’m just being honest.”

  “Well, you need to dial it back a little. Sometimes it’s to the point where it’s no longer honesty . . . it’s just plain hurtful.”

  I look at myself in the mirror at my red rimmed eyes. “But withholding the truth hurts, too. A lot.”

  “Callie,” she begins, standing to wrap an arm around my shoulders, “haven’t you ever heard the old saying about how you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? It’s okay to sugarcoat the truth sometimes. It’s a little easier to swallow that way.”

  I force a sweet smile. “I know. You’re right about that. Everything will be fine.”

  “Good. You ready to get out of here? We really need to head home, so we can get ready for classes tomorrow.”

  I hug her, immediately getting tangled in her rusty brown hair. “I thought you’d never ask. I could use some laundry therapy.”

  She scrunches up her nose at me, also crinkling up her dark brown eyes. “God, you’re so weird.”

  Everyone is huddled in the kitchen when we come back downstairs and their whispering stops as soon as they see us. Robert and Shane immediately walk out the front door, and Eve leans her hip against the counter, a look of concern marring her usually bright face.

  “Is everything okay, dear?” she asks softly.

  I hang my head slightly. “Yes, ma’am. Just a little argument. I’m so sorry for causing a scene.”

  “Anyt
hing you want to talk about?”

  “Please don’t take offense to this, but if anything is said, I think it should come from him.”

  She nods and sighs. “No offense taken. But the offer always stands.”

  “Thank you.”

  Makenna walks up to her and envelops her in a tight hug. “I think we’re going to head home now. This weekend has been way too eventful for me, and I’m exhausted. Maybe we can get together for lunch one day this week if you come into Tuscaloosa?”

  “That sounds fantastic. I’ll call you in a couple of days.” She kisses Makenna’s cheek before turning to me. “And I’m glad you came today, Callie. I hope to see you again soon. Just remember everything I told you, okay?”

  “I will. Thanks.”

  Once we’re finally on the road, I think Shane and Makenna know not to broach the subject of Wes with me right now. I curl up against the door, willing myself to fall asleep, so I can forget how stupid I am for a little while. How stupid Wes is. But sleep evades me. I keep going over all of it in my mind, and I haven’t reached any new conclusions about anything, other than the fact that I’m stupid. Oh, wait . . . I already knew that.

  So much has happened in just a few short days, and I feel like I’m caught up in some weird soap opera. The last five days have been nothing but strange. Wes and I have gone from kinda being friends, to close friends, to lovers, and now enemies. Our relationship clearly had a short life cycle.

  And if you throw in all the other drama about the secret child, the biological mother, the stepmother. It’s all so much more than I want to handle. He’s definitely not worth all of the disruptions he’s thrown into my life. I mean, he can be a lot of fun when he lets loose and stops being so broody. I also feel safe when I’m with him, protected by him. Like no one could hurt me. Other than him.

  I was right, though. I knew it would really suck, and it does. I figured it would last a little longer before we got to this point, but once I figured out it was all a game, I knew it would end before it ever really started. I was pissed when Tanner used me without telling me, so I thought, since I knew going in, it would be different this time. I thought I was in control. But I was only fooling myself. I’m not mad about being used. It hurts. It hurts because I actually thought he felt more for me than that.

 

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