Take It Off

by Cheryl Douglas

  “This thing between us is a hell of a lot more than just sex and you know it,” I said, pulling up my jeans and refastening them. I couldn’t help it, but I was pissed that she’d try to reduce what we’d shared to just a physical act and that it didn’t mean more.

  “No, I don’t know it.” She touched my forearm. “But I’m trying to figure it out. Think you can give me time to do that?”

  Like I had a choice. She could tell me it might take five years for her to figure out whether I was the one she wanted and it wouldn’t matter. I’d still be waiting, ‘cause there was no one else for me. This girl owned me.

  “Sure.”

  “Please don’t be upset,” she said, gripping my thigh. “You’re not regrettin’ this, are you? Us messin’ around tonight?”

  “No.” I curled my hand around the back of her head and brought her in for a kiss. “But I’m not gonna lie, this isn’t easy for me. I want you to be mine again, and I hate that you’re not.”

  “I can make you a promise,” she said, running her fingertip over my lower lip. “I don’t wanna be with anyone else—like this—until I can figure it out.”

  At least I knew no one else would have the right to touch her. That would allow me to sleep at night. “I think I can live with that.”

  Her lips curved up in a smile. “This was nice,” she whispered. “Bein’ with you like this again.”

  “Yeah, it was,” I said, kissing her.

  ***

  My brother was still up when I got home, so I sank down on the couch beside him with a heavy sigh.

  “Uh oh, what’s wrong? Things didn’t go as planned?”

  “I didn’t have a plan.” Yes, I did. To get closer to Keira, and that sweet kiss and hug she gave me before slipping into her car proved I’d gained some ground.

  “Yeah, right.” He chuckled. “With Keira, there’s always a plan.” He dug into the potato chip bag on the coffee table, grabbing a handful. “First you planned to get her number, then a date. Then you wanted her to sleep with you, be your girlfriend—”

  “Other way around,” I muttered, snatching the bag.

  Keira was a good girl who wouldn’t sleep with random guys when we’d met. She was young, still a virgin, and refused to sleep with someone until she was sure she was in love. It took her four months to decide, but she made every one of the cold showers I had to suffer through worth it.

  “Then you wanted her to marry you. Then you broke up with her and now you want her back.”

  “I’m gonna get her back,” I said, trying to convince myself. “Tonight was a good start.”

  “Oh yeah? You talked about what happened when y’all broke up?”

  “We talked.”

  “Is that all you did?” he asked, nudging me.

  “If you think I’m gonna talk to you about my sex life, especially with Keira, you’re crazy.” What happened between me and that girl would never leave my lips. I had too much respect for her for that shit.

  “I know, I know,” he said, sighing.

  “If you know, why the hell did you ask?”

  “I just want to know you’re not settin’ yourself up for a fall.” His look was serious when he said, “I know you can’t be impartial where she’s concerned. You might be seein’ things that aren’t there.”

  I didn’t need to hear this shit tonight. Yet I was a sucker for punishment so I asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I know you want her to give you a second chance. You want that more than… anything. But you can’t force things, man. You guys have been apart more than a minute. A lot of shit’s gone down.”

  “None of that matters to me.” I thought about the other guys she’d slept with. That mattered to me, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it so I couldn’t get hung up on it.

  “It should matter.” He reached for the remote, turning the volume down on the TV. “You can’t pretend like she hasn’t changed. It’s obvious she has.”

  “Yeah, and I’m the reason.” I hated that I was the reason. She’d been so sweet and innocent before, and now she had this edge to her. She didn’t trust people the way she had before I’d forced her to believe that I betrayed her.

  “You don’t know that. Maybe she’s just growin’ up, gettin’—”

  “Trev, I know what I did, okay? I know I fucked her up.” When I told Trevor what I’d done, he’d sworn a blue streak before throwing a bottle at me. I’d ducked just in time to watch it collide with the wall. “You can’t get over something like that, believin’ your fiancé cheated on you, without it messin’ up your mind.”

  “So maybe the girl she is now ain’t the girl you wanna be with. You ever thought of that?”

  “No.” She could never change so much that I’d stop wanting her. “I still want her as much as I ever did. Maybe more.”

  “You want what you used to have. Before you got famous. Things were easy then. If you recall, things weren’t so easy after you moved to Nashville, Pierce. You guys were fightin’ all the time.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Just hear me out,” he said, raising his hand. “Your mind only wants to remember the good shit. It’s my job to remind you of the bad too. I care too much about you and Keira to see you guys hurt each other again.”

  “You think I want to hurt her?” I’d rather lose her than hurt her again.

  “No, I don’t think you want to. But I think you might if you don’t think this through.”

  “I’ve been thinkin’!” I tried to tamp down the frustration, but it wasn’t easy. I knew my kid brother was only trying to help, but I’d only seen red lights for the past year. I wanted to see green for a change. I wanted to floor it. “I’ve been overthinkin’, analyzin’ this shit to death. I’m sick of it!”

  “All you’ve been thinkin’ about is how to get her back,” he said, unfazed by my outburst. “When what you need to think about is why you broke up in the first place. You loved her too much to make her live a life that didn’t make her happy. I sure as hell didn’t agree with your tactics, but I got why you did it.”

  “You were the one who suggested we come back here. Why would you do that if you didn’t think us gettin’ back together was a good idea?”

  “Honestly?” He shrugged. “Closure, I guess. I thought maybe you could have a conversation. You’d tell her the truth, she’d tell you she forgave you. You’d hear about all the ways she’d moved on and you might finally be able to let her go.”

  “Guess your plan backfired then, didn’t it?”

  Trevor got up, tossing the remote on the couch beside me. “Yeah, and honestly, I feel pretty shitty about that ‘cause I’m afraid you two are in for a whole world of hurt if you think about rewritin’ history.”

  Chapter Seven

  Pierce

  My brother’s warning was still doggin’ me the next day, so I went to someone who could give me some perspective, help me figure out whether I was being selfish to want Keira back.

  Carolyn looked up when I walked in. “Hey, I thought I locked that door. We don’t open for another hour.”

  “You mind if I sit for a minute?” I asked, gesturing to the bar stool where she stood. “I’d like to get your take on somethin’.” Carolyn and I had been friendly when Keira and I were a couple, and she was a straight-shooter, so I knew I could always count on her for the truth.

  “Suit yourself,” she said with a shrug. “But I’ve still got some work to do before we open.”

  “Don’t let me keep you.” I sat on a stool, facing the tables. I watched Carolyn wipe them down for a minute before I said, “So I guess it’s no secret I want Keira back.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, you made that pretty obvious the way you were eye-fuckin’ her in here the other night.”

  I crossed my arms, trying to keep a straight face. “Is that what I was doin’?”

  She shook her finger in my direction. “Don’t you play dumb with me, Pierce. We all know what you were
up to. And I heard you paid a little visit to that nice farmhand she was seein’.” She frowned. “What the hell was his name again?”

  “Doesn’t matter. He’s out of the picture.”

  “Yeah, you saw to that, didn’t you?”

  “You think I was out of line?”

  “That depends.” She stood upright, glaring at me. “You just messin’ with my girl or are you serious about y’all gettin’ back together?”

  I could always count on Carolyn to cut straight to the chase. “I never stopped wantin’ her. That’s not the problem.”

  “What is the problem then?”

  “I don’t see her fittin’ into my world.” God, that was so hard to admit. I wanted nothing more than to build a life with her, but I didn’t see how it was possible. Maybe my brother was right. Maybe I was selfish to even try.

  “Is that for you to decide?” she asked, spraying the table with some lemony polish.

  I didn’t see why she bothered polishing the wood. Nothing would bring the shine back after all those years of use and abuse.

  Her gaze dropped to the table, where my eyes rested, and she laughed as if she could hear my thoughts. “I know it’s silly, but I like the smell. Kind of covers up the dank beer smell that seems to linger in the air every mornin’ when I come in.”

  I shrugged. “If you say so.”

  “Are you tryin’ to avoid answering my question?”

  I thought long and hard about her question, letting the silence stretch on while I watched her complete her task before reaching for a mop and bucket filled with soapy, lemony-scented water.

  “You think I should leave it up to Keira to decide whether she could live with my lifestyle?”

  “Well, duh!” She smacked her forehead with her palm sarcastically. “This is her life we’re talkin’ about, isn’t it? She knows what she wants and what’s best for her, doesn’t she?”

  Carolyn was a sexy little green-eyed, ginger-haired pistol with a temper to match. I was half-expecting her to pay me a little visit in Nashville when she got word I did her best friend wrong.

  “Yeah, but you can’t tell me she was happy with the way things were before.” I knew if Keira had confided in anyone during those days it would’ve been Carolyn.

  “She was happy bein’ with you.” She raised a shoulder. “Seems that was all it ever took to make her happy.”

  “If she’d moved out to Nashville, I’m not sure she would’ve been.” I’d agonized over that, wondering if I could really ask her to leave everything and everyone she loved behind for me.

  “You do realize it’s a four-hour drive, right?” She frowned. “Yes, you’re on the road a lot. What would’ve stopped her from drivin’ out to see us whenever she got lonely? Hell, she could hop on a plane just as easily, but you know our girl, she loves the open road. The wind in her hair and tunes blarin’, that’s her thing.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

  “You know she’s takin’ a bookkeeping course now, right?”

  “No, she didn’t mention it.”

  Not that I was surprised she hadn’t since it would be her summer vacation now, unless she took courses all year-round.

  Last year, she’d decided to put college off until after we got married and settled. I was glad she’d decided to pursue it after… our plans fell through.

  “Pretty versatile job,” she said, winking. “You can do it from just about anywhere, and if she got enough clients, it would keep her busy and fill those long days when you’re on the road. But I wouldn’t worry too much about that, you know Keira’s a people person. It’s always been real easy for her to make friends.”

  “Then you’re saying you think we could make this work?” I raised a hand. “Not that I’m gettin’ ahead of myself or anything. She’s nowhere near bein’ ready for a commitment, I get that. But maybe, somewhere down the line, you think she could be?”

  She nodded slowly. “I’ve known her a hell of a long time. She’s never wanted anything more than she wanted to be your wife.”

  I grinned. Damn, it felt good to hear her say that. “Then I shouldn’t give up?”

  “You’d be a damned fool to give up if you want her as much as you claim to.”

  “I do. Shit Carolyn, I’d give anything for another shot with her.”

  She swiped the mop across the floor a few times, before leaning on the handle and looking at me. “I heard y’all had a little fun at the drive-in last night.”

  I swiped a hand over my face embarrassed. “Is there anything you girls don’t talk about?”

  “No.” She laughed when I shook my head. “But if I were you, I’d strike while the iron’s hot.”

  “Meaning?”

  “You promise you won’t tell her I told you this?” she whispered, even though we were alone as far as I knew.

  “I promise.”

  “She kinda regretted not takin’ it further last night.”

  I willed my dick to behave, but it wasn’t taking orders today. Just the thought of taking that next step with Keira had him getting all excited. “It’s probably best we take it slow right now.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Since when do you ever take anything slow? You’re a pedal to the metal kind of guy if I’ve ever met one.”

  I couldn’t argue with that. “But I can’t afford to fuck this up by pushing her too hard.”

  “You think I’d tell you to do this if I didn’t think she was ready?”

  “No, but—”

  “I happen to know she’s at her brother’s house right now.”

  “And you’re telling me this because…?”

  “He’s out of town. She’s watering his plants and feeding his cat. He told her to make use of the pool too.” She glanced out through the twin windows spanning the front of the bar. “She said since it was hotter than hell she was gonna take her swimsuit with her and go for a dip.”

  “Which brother?”

  She had three older brothers—all mean as hell—not that I’d ever been intimidated. They made it clear as long as I didn’t live up to my reputation as a womanizer and treated their sister right, we wouldn’t have any problems. I hadn’t seen any of them since I’d been back in town, but I suspected we just might have a problem this time if our paths crossed.

  “Glenn.”

  “He still lives in the same house?”

  “Yup.”

  We shared a smile. “Thanks, Carolyn.”

  “Anytime.”

  I was walking to the door when I heard her singing softly. Some country ballad I hadn’t heard in years. Damn. I’d forgotten how good she was. “You wanna do a show with me?” I asked, turning back to face her before I reached for the door handle.

  “What?” Her jaw dropped. “Me? You can’t be serious!”

  I chuckled at her excitement. I used to get that excited about every performance too. I tried to remember when I started to lose that feeling. Probably about a year ago. When I lost my enthusiasm for life in general.

  “Trev and I are gonna be puttin’ on a benefit show here for the military families. I’m gonna call in a few buddies from Nashville to perform with me, but I thought you might wanna sing a few songs. What do you say?”

  She bit her lip before diverting her gaze. “Pierce, I’m not good enough to share a stage with you. Sure, I can hold my own singin’ here, and I’ve done a few county fairs and—”

  “You’ve always wanted to do this, so why not give it a try?” She and I used to share the same dream. Mine had come true. Maybe hers could too. “Come on, you know I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think you were good enough.” Before she could object, I said, “If you’re not workin’ tomorrow, stop by my mama’s place late afternoon. We can get a rehearsal in so you are ready.”

  “Seriously?” She was breathing hard and she let the mop fall to the ground with a loud crash when she started jumping up and down. “Oh my God, this is so exciting!”

  I laughed when she ran across the floor, lun
ging at me for a hug. “Jesus, girl,” I said, catching her. “Will you be careful? That floor might still be wet. All we’d need is for you to fall and break a leg before the show.”

  “You are the best!” She squeezed me hard before peppering both my cheeks with kisses. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome, darlin’.” I leaned in to press a soft kiss to her cheek. “But I should be the one thankin’ you. Thank you for listening to me and helping me with my girl.”

  She grabbed my hand before I could leave. “Just so you know, I’ve always been rootin’ for you two.”

  “Thanks, hon.”

  “But…” She squeezed my hand. Hard. “If you ever hurt her again I swear to god I’ll hunt you down and—”

  “I get it, I get it.” I held my hands up in surrender. “You don’t have to worry, sugar. I’ll be good to her.”

  She seemed to consider that for a second before she nodded. “I know you will.”

  ***

  It wasn’t like me to be nervous, but ringing her brother’s doorbell made my gut clench. What if she sent me away? Or what if she wasn’t alone? Or…

  Holy shit! She opened the door wearing—no spilling out of—a black string bikini.

  “Pierce,” she said, resting an over-sized pair of glasses on her head. “What are you doin’ here? How’d you know where I was?”

  “I paid Carolyn a visit at the bar. She told me I could find you here.”

  “You were at the bar?”

  I could hear the question she was afraid to ask. Alcohol had fueled too many of our fights. And I didn’t want that to happen, ever again. “Just to talk, not to drink.”

  She nodded, seeming satisfied with my answer. “Come in,” she said, stepping back.

  I crowded her against the door as soon as she closed it, resting my hands on her hips. “You always open the door lookin’ like this?” I asked, skimming her neck with my lips. Her nipples pebbled almost instantly.