My body was betraying me. My nipples were hard, pointed and probably showing through my dress. My core had turned molten and was leaking my heated desire onto my panties. Damn him and his fuck me eyes.
My heart wasn’t doing much better, doing all sorts of flips and hops in my chest.
My brain was valiantly trying to erect my emotional defenses and I promised it that this would be the last time I let myself fall under this man’s spell.
I would allow myself the pleasure of his body one last time. I would risk my heart one last time, then I would put an end to this relationship and move on.
Just this one last time…
Besides I knew he was likely to hate me once he found out the secret I had harbored for all these years. And I knew is it was only a matter of time before he found out.
I got up and followed him, leaving my text book and bag behind.
He led me to one of the private study rooms in the back of the library.
The room was small and could barely hold a handful of people comfortably. The inside was outfitted with a table and three chairs. The walls were distraction-free and painted a plain beige color. It was the perfect place to focus on your studies, or for me to see Wyatt’s naked body again.
I heard the door close and the lock click. I turned back to find Wyatt leaning against the wood and watching me with heavily hooded eyes.
I swallowed hard and moved to undo the buttons of my dress. We were here to have sex. I was going to get to it as quick as possible so that I could go lick my wounds in private later.
I had only undone one button before Wyatt pushed away from the door and came to me. His movement was cool and confident. Predatory.
Sexy.
When he was within kissing distance, he stilled my hands with his and said, “Let me do that.”
I expected this romp between us to be quick and to the point just like last night.
Instead Wyatt took his time, unbuttoning my dress like he was unwrapping his favorite treat.
When all the buttons were free, he pushed the straps off my shoulders. His fingers caressed my skin in the process and made me shiver with yearning.
He was careful with my clothes, putting the dress carefully on the back of a chair even though he never took his eyes off me.
He moved to my hair next.
I had put it up into a high ponytail that morning. He gently pulled the holder away and my hair fell heavily around my shoulders. The strands teased my skin and goose bumps rose along my shoulders and upper arms.
He made a sound in the back of his throat then announced, “You’re so fucking beautiful I can’t stand it. You have no idea what you do to me.”
This was so unfair. He was acting like he cared. Like he felt something other than desire for me. This was giving my poor heart hope when there was none. I had to stop that mess in its track before it got out hand.
I pulled my eyes away from his.
“Hurry,” I told him. “Someone could knock at any second. You know they might want to actually study in here.”
He put his finger on my lip. Even that simple caress seemed so sensual when he did it.
With a gentle touch, he made he look back at him and whispered, “Shhh, don’t worry so much. Just enjoy the moment. I’ll take care of you.”
He finished undressing me with the same unhurried precision, as if we had all the time in the world. This was so different from the rushed race to the finish of last night.
Then he undressed before my eager gaze and I got my first clear view of his body in almost five years.
He was ripped with muscle. Strength was in every line of his body. I could see the evidence of his service to his country though. There were scars on his arms and chest. They were faint yet some looked deep. Also, there was a new tattoo on his pec bearing the symbol for medicine. I was drawn to those marks and my fingers touched him without my conscious permission. I traced them, trying to sooth away any lingering hurt.
He took my fingers away and kissed each one.
He then took my lips briefly before nuzzling where my neck met my shoulder. His tongue tasted my skin and he groaned low as if sampling a rare, delicious delicacy.
“Mmm, so fucking sweet.”
I shivered, hearing that sound and his following words. My eyes closed and air rushed out of my parted lips when his teeth closed on that same spot, reminding me of a wild animal claiming its mate.
He licked the mark before moving lower and capturing my nipple between his lips.
He loved my chest with his mouth, his hand moved over me in the process and brought me to a fevered pitch quickly. He moved lower still and knelt at my feet. He positioned one of my thighs over his shoulder and I watched with wide eyes as his face moved closer to my mound.
He opened my soaked lips with his thumbs, exposing me to his gaze. He licked me there and I had to bite my lips to contain the sounds that threatened to emerge from me. He serviced me with teasing soft touches that made my hips jerk closer to his talented tongue.
It felt so good but I was greedy. My fingers fisted his hair and I pulled him closer to me yet. I rested my upper body against the wall and tilted my lower half more toward him.
“More,” I whispered and he gave me just what I wanted. What I needed.
He opened his mouth on me and kissed my pussy like he did my mouth. My juices poured from me and he lapped it up. He probed my entrance with his tongue and sucked on my lower lips.
Then he added his fingers into the array and I had to make more drastic measures to contain my cries. I bit the inside of my wrist when he found the secret place inside me that took me straight to the edge once he touched it.
“Come for me,” he said and I did.
He licked me to completion twice then stood. He kissed me and I moaned into his mouth, aftershocks still rocking my frame.
Cupping my behind, he lifted me easily and pressed my back against the wall. My thighs immediately hugged his hips and my ankles crossed low on his back.
We were kissing. I was surrounded by him. His scent clouded my mind. The taste of his mouth on mine was an aphrodisiac. The feel of his body blocked out everything else. My fingers were in his hair, tangling in the strands and keeping his head close to me. I felt his cock press against me and then with a thrust he was inside me. Filling me.
Our lips remained locked the entire time and I was glad because the moment he rocked into me, I screamed from the mixture of pleasure and pain.
His mouth captured the sound.
He stopped, allowing me time to adjust to the hard intrusion. He whispered sweet nothings to me, telling me how beautiful I was and how good I felt.
“Fuck me harder,” I pleaded.
He started with small jabs of his hips that grew harder quickly to meet our carnal needs. He thrust a few more time before he easily moved and placed me on the only horizontal surface in the room – the table.
Wyatt was looking at me with blatant hunger. When he looked at me like this, I almost believed we could have more than just a shallow physical connection. I had to forcibly remind myself that I was only giving him my body for this last time and no more.
Then he began to move.
Again, the rightness of us like this had me reeling. When I was joined with him like this, I felt whole. Complete.
The smack, smack of his body meeting mine echoed around us and the scent of sex filled the small space. Our bodies came together like they were made for doing this. The motions were raw and basic and perfect.
The pleasure came over me like a great wave and swept me under. The intensity battered me from every angle. Three orgasms? This was a new record.
We clung to each other in the aftermath. We were wet with sweat and our chests were heaving. I wished the moment would never end but then a noise outside reminded me where I was. Shit.
Out time together was up.
I pushed at Wyatt’s shoulders and he moved away, sending me a puzzled look. I got out of his hold,
avoiding that look. I gathered my clothing, hurriedly pulling them back on.
He touched my arm and tried to make me face him. I shook off his hold and I tried to put my hair back up
“Hey, what's the matter?” he asked.
“Grab your clothes. I’m leaving and I don’t think you want the whole library seeing you naked,” I told him.
“Let’s talk about this, Hailey. What’s bothering you?”
I cut him a cruel look. “That sounds awfully emotional, Wyatt. No emotions. Just fucking, remember?”
His face shut down, becoming void of all emotion and I instantly felt terrible for my words, but it was better this way.
“I remember,” he said finally and reached for his clothes.
A minute later, we walked out of the room, the air between us as cold as if we were strangers.
I didn’t look back as I grabbed my belongings from my study table and left without another word.
Chapter Eleven: Wyatt
The phone rang until it went to voice mail.
The recording played in my ear.
You have reached the phone of Hailey Clark. I am unable to take your call right now. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Beep…
I hung up without leaving a message. What was the use when the others I left had gone unanswered?
Hailey was ignoring me.
It had been two days since the hot session in the library. Two days since she left me in the building watching her walk away and not knowing what to do to stop it.
Two days since I felt like a part of me was missing.
Two days of trying to find a way to stop caring so much.
It was so much easier to be a playboy and keep my heart unattached, that was for damn sure. Being the guy I was before would make this situation so much easier to handle.
I had never cared for woman like this until Hailey. Even after we broke up, I had never connected with another woman like that and I was beginning to think that I would never again. My mind was settling into the fact that Hailey was it for me.
She obviously didn’t feel the same way about me though.
She couldn’t wait to get away from me every time we made love and damn, if her running out on me didn’t make me feel cheap and used.
The guys on my old military squad would have laughed their asses off if they heard that particular thought.
I should stop beating myself about this and let it go.
For a little while I had even convinced myself that I this was just a momentary bout of craziness I was feeling. It would go away soon. Maybe this distance was a good thing for me.
All that self-talk didn’t change the fact that I missed Hailey. Not just her body and the things it did to mine, but her smile, hearing her talk, her scent. Everything. I missed everything about her.
No matter how much I wished it, these feelings were not going to just disappear. I was forced to stop bull-shitting myself and man up and admit I was all kinds of messed up over Hailey.
If I knew where she lived, I would have gone and knocked her door down. I would have talked her ear off and forced her to listen to what I had to say.
It was probably a good thing I didn’t know her address then because I would have just looked like a damn fool.
I put the cellphone away before I dialed her number again and pulled out a text book instead. I would try to get some studying done before I headed to bed. It was Monday evening. Hailey and I had Biology labs in the morning. I would confront her then and lay my feelings on the line.
***
Saying my piece was a lot easier said than done when I was confronted with a cold and aloof Hailey the next day.
I sat next to her in what had already become our usual spot.
“Good morning,” I greeted and was answered with an uncommitted nod.
She didn’t look at me directly. I may as well have not existed in the moment for all the attention she paid to me.
Ouch.
The professor came in before any more could be said and the lecture began.
My attention was mostly on the woman next to me for the next two hours but her eyes remained trained on the lecturer. She only moved them to take notes.
When the professor announced the end of class, she immediately started to pack up her stuff.
I stopped her as she stood to leave. She looked at where my hand was on her upper arm like the touched offended her and I removed my hand, that look hitting me in the gut.
I waited until the last student had filed out before speaking. “We need to talk.”
She lifted emotionless eyes to meet mine. “I cannot imagine what we have to talk about Wyatt.”
Even her tone was void of feeling. Fuck.
I tried to lighten things with a carefree tone, ignoring her immediate denial.
“There is plenty to talk about. Like the fact that you’ve been ignoring me. That’s not very nice of you, study partner. How about dinner tonight?” I asked. “You can apologize to me and I’ll pretend to be mad for a few minutes before we make up.”
I smiled to end my teasing speech but she remained as aloof as ever. It was like being confronted by a brick wall.
My smile fell and I became series once more. “Come on, Hailey. Meet me half way here. We can talk this out. There is no reason for things to be tense between us.”
She looked away from me and sighed impatiently. She added insult to injury by looking down at the small watch on her wrist.
“Look, Wyatt. This is not going to work out between us. Not as friends or as study buddies. We should just be classmates from now on. I am here to work hard and I do not have time for messing around with you. I cannot afford to be distracted right now.” My heart fell into my stomach.
“I disagree,” I said quickly. “We’re both smart people. If we put our minds to it I know we can make it work so that we both do great at school and maintain a stable, healthy relationship,” I said. “We were great together before, Hailey. I think we should give this thing between us a chance. We obviously have the chemistry. I know I hurt you before. I should have never shut you out like that. Things will be different this time. I will-”
She cut me off and stated, “What we had was in the past and we should have left it there. I want to leave it there. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you? I don’t want to do this. Please respect my decision and leave it alone.”
God, this rejection felt like someone had just pushed a fist through my chest and pulled out my beating heart.
Old habits die hard and I pulled my playboy cloak around me to hide my hurt.
I pulled forth a cocky grin even though I was hurting on the inside and said, “If you change your mind, you know where to find me. I will even reinstate our friends with benefits arrangement if you ask real nicely.”
I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively at her.
She just rolled her eyes at me and said, “Is sex all you think about?”
The question was rhetorical because she turned her back without waiting for an answer and left me standing there alone.
Chapter Twelve: Hailey
I was in the kitchen making dinner while Noah babbled on about his day at daycare and the new friend he made that day.
It hadn’t been long since we got home and I was so very glad that Noah was able to be on campus with me. It made my life so much easier because I didn’t know how else I would have been able to juggle classes, mothering and working part time.
I savored spending the quality time with my son, treasuring the minutes because they were becoming rarer with the demands of school.
Dinner was a simple pasta fare with cleverly cloaked veggies that Noah downed without realizing. We had his favorite desert – a slice of chocolate cake.
He helped me clean up afterward. In the way of kids, he made more of a mess in the process but I had fun watching him have try.
Next, we moved to the bathroom and he had a bath. I would have to clean up after t
hat too because he got to rigorous in his splashing.
After Noah was all cleaned up and dressed in Spiderman pajamas, we read a bedtime story and tucked into in to his bed.
“Good night, baby boy,” I said, smoothing his hair back to kiss his forehead
“Good night, Mommy,” he returned, speech slurred.
He yawned and I knew that his droopy eyes meant he would be fast asleep within minutes.
After cleaning up the bathroom and tidying up the living room, I pulled out my books and knocked out some homework before studying up the chapter that would be discussed in one my classes tomorrow.
I yawned and wiped my sore eyes after some time had passed.
Looking at the clock on the wall, I saw that three hours had already passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.
I put my books away and got up to stretch the kinks out. I checked on Noah, confirmed that he was sleeping peacefully then went to take a shower.
I dressed in an old tee shirt and a cotton panties. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun then patrolled the house one last time to make sure everything was secure.
I was about to turn into bed when my cell phone rang.
My heart jumped in my chest thinking it might be Wyatt despite the horrible way the talk we had had gone a few hours before. I had mostly been successful in keeping my mind off him and what had transpired between us earlier but there was no avoiding it now.
I was resolved in keeping my distance from him.
For a moment while we talked earlier I had faltered, thinking I saw pain his eyes at my words but the imagined emotion was gone as fast as I thought it appeared. He had been his old, no-care self.
I was slightly disappointed. A small part of me had harbored a secret desire that he would have fought to convince we that we could be more than fuck friends. His phone calls after we had parted ways at the library made me think he might want more than “benefits”. But when his last words to me have been about sex in bio class, I knew it was hopeless for us.
Our talk just convinced me that I had made the right decision.
A clean break from Wyatt was for the best.
Still, I was frozen for a moment as I watched the phone vibrate on the bedside table.
Twins Make Four: A Mistaken Identity Secret Baby Romance Page 49