FRAUD: An Unfit Hero Novel

by Faiman, Hayley

Dammit.

  I sigh. “I’m not,” I mumble. “Let’s go to dinner.”

  Beaumont lowers his face, his nose sliding alongside my own. Unable to stop myself, my eyes flutter closed, and my mouth lets out a long hum of contentment. Dammit, again.

  I hate how good that feels, how good he feels so close to me. I should hate his touch, his mouth, his tongue, and his words. I don’t. I love it all, a little too much. Then he releases me, taking a step back. I watch, blinking, as he steps to the side.

  “Dinner,” he announces.

  I nod, following beside him as we descend the small porch steps of my home. My place isn’t anything fancy, a small two-bedroom, one-bathroom that I rent. I’m not home much, choosing to spend most of my time and money at work.

  One day I’m going to have enough to buy a house of my own, but right now, everything gets invested in my shop. I’m content with that. Having my own home would be nice, but my salon is what drives me every day to be better, so my shop is where I’m focused.

  Beaumont opens the pickup door and I look up to the lifted truck with a sigh. I really don’t like climbing up into these monstrosities, but this is Texas and lifted trucks are more common than not. This is another reason I hardly ever wear short dresses.

  Lifting my leg onto the Nerf bar pipe, I grab ahold of the door handle in an effort to haul myself up and into the seat. Beaumont laughs low behind me as his palms cups my butt and he pushes, giving me the leverage that I need to get into the seat.

  I huff, looking down at him with a small frown. He is completely unaffected, his lips twitching as he closes the passenger door behind me. I watch as he jogs around the front of the truck, then swings himself into the driver’s seat much more effortlessly and gracefully than I had.

  He starts the truck. Rock music fills the cab and I smile as he turns it down.

  “Still like your music loud?” I ask.

  He clears his throat, pulling the beast out onto my street. I try to keep my gaze straight ahead, but can’t help it that my eyes shift to his profile almost immediately. He’s even more handsome than he was ten years ago. His arms are bigger than I remember, too.

  It doesn’t help that I’ve seen him shirtless on dozens of magazine covers while waiting in line at HEB for groceries. Also, I just saw him shirtless the other night, and those pictures weren’t even photoshopped like I had tried to convince myself that they were over the years.

  “Always, Hutton. Music is just part of who I am,” he says, his lips smiling as he continues to look forward.

  I want to comment, to say something, but I don’t know what to say. I feel nervous next to him. So incredibly nervous. I don’t know what he expects for tonight, but not only that, I don’t know how to act around him.

  He’s no longer Beau that would hold my hand and lace his fingers with mine while we laid in bed together. He’s not Beau who would whisper his dreams of becoming famous.

  Now he is famous.

  He’s Beaumont Griffin.

  He’s bigger than just Beau from ten years ago. He has lived this life that I couldn’t even imagine while I’ve been here cutting and styling hair.

  BEAUMONT

  Hutton is quiet, which is fine by me. I’m honestly tired of people who talk too damn much. I don’t tell her where we’re going, she’ll probably be disappointed, but I have no desire to deal with people tonight. I just want to talk to her, get this serious shit out of the way then sink inside of her warm body.

  “Where are we going?” she asks as if plucking the thoughts from my head.

  “My place.” I shrug, sliding my eyes to the side to catch her reaction.

  I’m rewarded with her lips parting and making a sweet little O shape as her eyes round. Then she narrows her gaze on me, which only causes me to chuckle. Cute. That’s what she is and I’ve missed cute. I’m used to sultry, sexy, obvious women. Hutton is different, refreshingly different.

  “I think you should just take me home,” she mumbles.

  I smirk, turning down the dark dirt road that leads to my property. “No,” I state. I hear her gasp, but don’t allow her to speak. “Hutton, this is dinner. I have food there and we’re going to talk. We’ll do other stuff later, but you wanted to talk, so that’s what we’ll do and this is the only place where we can do that uninterrupted.”

  She doesn’t respond and I hope that means she agrees, though I can’t tell because her eyes are her most expressive feature and I’m too busy keeping my own on the road, so I can’t tell what she’s feeling or thinking.

  I honk as I pass Ford’s family ranch, then again about ten minutes later when I pass Louis’ place. Hutton stays silent, continuing to stay quiet as I pull down my personal road. Punching the button on my visor when we reach my gated entrance, I hear her gasp.

  Turning my head to the side, I look over at her. Her lips are parted, but her eyes, they’re wide with wonderment as she watches my gate open. Looking ahead, I see my property’s entrance through her eyes and I smirk, knowing that it is impressive.

  The entrance has two limestone pillars on each side, the actual gate is wrought iron and has a G fashioned in the middle with cliché music notes surrounding it. The drive is long, large hundred-year-old oak trees line it and every single one has lights that illuminate the drive and the treetops.

  Once we’re in front of the house, I shift the truck into park and open the door, jumping out before I make my way to her side to help her out. Opening the door for her, she slips her fingers in mine and I help her climb down.

  Wrapping my hands around her hips, I flex, gripping her with my fingers. Her eyes eventually move from the house behind me to my own.

  “Beaumont.”

  Shaking my head, I release one of my hands from her hip and cup her cheek. “Hutton. I’m still Beaumont. Nothing has changed, at least not yet.”

  “Yet?” she breathes.

  Dipping my chin, my lips hover above her lips. “Not yet, but it will.”

  “You’re sure of yourself,” she whispers.

  I smile against her mouth. “I am.”

  Taking a step back, I let my hands fall from her body before offering my palm. She takes the offer, slipping her hand in mine and lacing her fingers with my own. Holding my breath, I walk toward my front door with this woman behind me, this woman that I can’t lose again.

  It feels really fucking poignant.

  Chapter Ten

  BEAUMONT

  The food is set up in the dining room. I smile at the way it’s all displayed, complete with silver domes covering the plates. Inhaling a deep breath, I’m glad to find the smell from the other day is now gone.

  Thank fuck.

  “You went all out,” Hutton states.

  I shake my head. “Not me. It’s nothing fancy, I promise, but I did hire someone to cater tonight. I just wanted to have a quiet evening with you, talking.”

  She lifts a brow when I say talking, as if she knows without a doubt that I want more, I do. I doubt that I’ve been subtle in my desire for her, but at the end of the day, it’s all on her, on her wants and desires.

  I’ll probably always want her. Always regret what I did to her, but then again, know that had I not turned away when I did, I would have ruined any chance of having her in the future, having her now.

  Pulling a chair out for her, I slide it beneath her perfectly shaped ass, scooting her close to the table. Walking around to the other side, I sit down across from her. There is a pitcher of water, so I pour us each a glass.

  Reaching for the handle of the silver dome that covers my plate, I lift my gaze to Hutton’s. “Shall we?” I ask.

  She nods, her lips smiling as she reaches for her own dome’s handle. We tug them off and I grin down at the food in front of us. I don’t know if she’ll remember, but I hope that she does.

  “Brisket, white bread, pickles, and butter beans?” she asks. I watch her as she slowly brings her gaze to mine. She remembers. I can see it in her eyes.

  �
��Our first date,” I murmur.

  “Our only date,” she practically snaps.

  I flinch at her words and the anger they hold. She’s not wrong. Most of our dates consisted of me bringing over pizza or just myself and falling into bed with her.

  “Opie’s BBQ.”

  Hutton nods, then I watch as she wordlessly reaches for the napkin and places it on her lap. I feel like I need to say something, but I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had problems talking to women, but this is so far out of my element, I’m not sure what to do or say.

  “You used me, Beaumont,” she announces.

  I lift my eyes from my brisket and find her staring at me from across the table.

  “Would you believe me if I told you that I hadn’t intended to do that?” I ask.

  She shakes her head and those green eyes of hers, they look pained and it’s all my fucking fault. Jerking my chin, I reach across the table and offer my palm to hers. Hesitantly, she lifts her hand from her lap and allows me to hold on to her.

  “When we met, I was still nursin’ some feelings. I won’t say that it was a broken heart, because I’m not sure that’s what it was, but I do know that because of what happened, I vowed that I would never trust another woman again.”

  “So because you were hurting, you destroyed me?”

  Squeezing her hand, I shake my head a couple of times. “Never meant to do that to you, Hutton. I was so fuckin’ young back then,” I try to explain. “When I was a kid, my mom disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a note. Then I met Chelle who ran off with some guy, Charlie is his name. We were dating, and she ran away to be with him.”

  Hutton frowns, her brow knitting together as she watches me. “I can understand trust issues stemming from parents,” she says with a nod. Then she lifts her eyes to me. “But this Chelle, she left you for another guy, over ten years ago, and that’s why you can’t trust women?”

  Dropping her hand, I shake my head, feeling stupid. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through my hair and tug on the ends.

  “It’s not like that. She alluded to being held against her will. I thought this guy kidnapped her, Hutton. She was my girl, and I thought he was raping her, abusing her. I didn’t sleep for two months straight. Then when I finally found her, I discovered that they were together and all of it was to just fuck with my head.”

  Hutton blinks. For the first time since I’ve known her, I can’t read her expression. I don’t know what she’s thinking. I practically hold my breath as I wait for her to respond to me.

  “Who does that?” she whispers.

  I snort. “Chelle does.”

  Hutton shakes her head. “No, seriously,” she says, lifting her eyes to meet mine. “What kind of person does that to someone that they’re supposed to love?”

  I shrug one shoulder, still not fucking sure why Chelle did what she did, but Ford is right, I need to let her go. She’s been haunting my life long enough. Hutton’s who I want, not some ghost of a bitch hanging around in the shadows.

  “I’m not trying to make excuses for my past, Hutton, I just want you to know why I wasn’t ready for you. Why I left the way that I did and never contacted you again. I liked you a hell of a lot and I knew that leaving to pursue my music would take a lot of trust on both of our parts. Trust that I wasn’t capable of at the time.”

  “Are you capable now?”

  Gulping, I look away for a moment, then back to her. “I want to be,” I admit. “I’ve been through a lot, figured a lot of shit out about myself. I’m happy with the way that my career has turned out, but my personal life could use an overhaul. Seeing you again, I know that one of the things I regret is not only pushing you away but walking away from you and never looking back.”

  HUTTON

  Regret is a funny thing. I’ve never regretted Beaumont. I should have, I should have regretted ever letting him inside of my body, allowing him to take my virginity, but I never have. I didn’t like how I allowed him to treat me, but that was all on me and not so much on him.

  If I had more of a backbone, I wouldn’t have accepted the late-night booty calls. I wouldn’t have accepted a lot of the things that happened back then. Especially, him walking away without an explanation and leaving me standing on the sidewalk a downright disaster.

  “I don’t want this to cause an issue with your sobriety, Beau,” I say.

  He nods, his fingers gripping mine a bit tighter before he releases me. “I know that I shouldn’t even be having this discussion with you so soon after rehab, but I also know that I can’t let you go.”

  “Why now?” I chance asking. “It’s been years.”

  He lifts his gaze to mine, his eyes focused on me and nowhere else. I feel as if I’m the only person on this planet, the way he watches me is almost unnerving, yet, I can’t look away. He clears his throat, pausing for a moment, then he finally speaks.

  “You’re there, Hutton. Always. You’ve always been in the back of my mind. Hated the way I was with you back then.”

  “So, you feel sorry for me, because you used me and dumped me on the sidewalk without a backward glance?” I ask.

  He shifts his gaze to the side. Shaking my head, I stand to my feet. The chair behind me falls to the floor. Beaumont quickly stands as well. I’m already backing away from him, away from the sweet gesture of his dinner.

  “No,” I say, lifting my hand. “No way.”

  “Hutton.” His voice rumbles as he starts to walk around the table.

  I can’t look behind me, because I’m too focused on him with each backward step that I take. “You don’t get to do that, Beaumont.”

  “Do what?” he asks, looking genuinely confused.

  “You don’t get to ease your own guilt just so that you can sleep better at night. So, what are your plans? You were going to apologize to me, fuck me again and then send me off with a sweet kiss and a memory for me to cling to because I slept with the great Beaumont Griffin?”

  Beaumont freezes, his eyes widen and then he lets out a chuckle. “Hutton, don’t be ridiculous. Do you really believe that I think that highly of myself? Have I acted like that, at all, since I’ve been back?”

  “You’re leaving in what? Two, three days?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Hutton,” he growls as his feet move faster toward me.

  He’s too quick. I try to scramble away from him, but my leg catches on something and I start to fall backward. Beaumont reaches for me, wrapping his arms around my back and roughly pulls me against his chest. I place my palms against his hard chest and tip my head back to look up into his eyes.

  “Beau,” I breathe.

  He shakes his head. “Quiet, darlin’ girl. Seems you had your say, and I didn’t like it much,” he grumbles.

  I open my mouth to respond but the simple shake of his head accompanied by the way his dark eyes glitter causes my mouth to snap shut and my lips to press together.

  “Don’t you decide shit for me, Hutton. I’m a goddamn man. I got enough people makin’ decisions for me and on my behalf, every fuckin’ day. What I don’t need is for anyone to make a goddamn decision about my personal life for me.”

  He dips his chin, lowering his head and moving just centimeters from my face. I can feel his warm breath wash over my skin, his eyes are so dark that they’re almost black and so glittery I wonder if he’s got confetti contacts in, they’re that shimmery.

  “I ain’t easin’ my guilt by asking you out to dinner. What I’m doing is trying to date you. I liked you back then and unless you’ve become some screamin’ bitch in the past ten years, then I think that I’ll still like you. All I’m askin’ for is a chance to get to know you again, to see if my instincts are right, to see if my feelings for you are still what I imagined they could be.”

  My eyes fill with tears and I shake my head a couple of times before I stop and pinch my eyes closed, trying to calm myself down. Inhaling a deep breath, I let it out through my nose, doing it a se
cond time before I open my eyes to look at him again.

  We’re frozen, me in his arms, him holding onto me with an iron grip. “I’m stupid,” I whisper.

  Beaumont’s lips twitch. “Not stupid, Hutton. I hurt you. I know that I did, I knew it when I did it.”

  “I loved you,” I breathe.

  He nods once, dipping his chin a little more and sliding his nose alongside my own. “Wasn’t capable of love like that back then, but I knew you did. I did adore you, Hutton, I always have.”

  “Are you capable now?” I ask stupidly, because I’m some kind of glutton for punishment or something.

  He hums, his mouth moving to the shell of my ear. “I want to be, darlin’ girl.”

  I shiver in his arms, his words make my entire body fill with need, desire, and want all rolled into a warm ball in the pit of my stomach. His lips move and before I can come up with some kind of response, his mouth is on mine.

  Just like last night, just like at my house, and every time he’s had his mouth on mine, I melt against him and open for him. Beaumont knows what he’s doing and when one of his hands slides up the center of my back, it finds purchase in my hair, gripping the strands and holding me tightly. His other hand slowly travels down to my ass and grabs ahold of me, pulling me even closer against his body.

  I moan, my eyes rolling in the back of my head. His hard length is pressed against my belly, his tongue filling my mouth and dancing with my own. It’s sexy, intimate, new and familiar all at the same time.

  Slowly he breaks the kiss, his teeth nibbling my bottom lip as he does. He smiles down at me, his eyes focusing on my own hooded gaze. He lets out a long sigh.

  “Can we maybe, forget the pains of the past and try to get to know one another again? We’re not the exact same people we once were, you know?” he asks.

  God, do I want to say yes. My body screams for me to agree, mainly because I haven’t had a decent lover since him. That’s a long time to give yourself the only orgasms you have. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I look up at him and for the second time in my life, I listen to my body rather than my head.