Perfect Bastard (Mason Creek Book 16), page 7
I had one of my legs bent, with my foot perched on the wall behind me. I pushed off, but he caught my wrist. “You know my name. What’s yours? Or should I continue to call you Haley?”
“You won’t be calling me, and you haven’t earned the right to know my name.”
His lips twitched, and with that, I walked away.
I found Haley wrapped in Agan’s arms. I wanted to call it a night. Nate was getting under my skin and not in a completely bad way. Something about our verbal sparring made me like him a little more than I should have. I wanted another drink, as one beer had done very little, and got another. I’d just put the Solo cup in the bin next to the table with all the cups when the DJ said, “Let’s take it down a notch.”
The overhead lights went off and the room was left in only the glow of the crisscrossing string of overhead lights as a song came on that I remembered my mom singing once. A hand caught mine as I tried to remember the name of it. I was twirled before landing on a hard chest.
“I bet you could sing the hell out of this song.”
The way our gazes connected; I could almost believe the lyrics. “‘How do I live,’” I said, and found myself murmuring the lyrics. “‘And tell me, now, how do I live without you? How do I breathe without you…’”
Somehow dancing with a man, I should have hated, became magical with twinkling lights above us and his eyes glued to mine as I softly sang about not being able to live a good life without him.
As the last bar was played, his head descended toward mine and I didn’t stop him. The kiss was barely a touch until I leaned into it and opened myself for more. In all my life, I’d never been kissed like this. Our tongues did a slow dance of their own, slowly, tentatively sliding in his mouth and tasting the whiskey on his tongue.
His hand glided up my back. Our bodies melded against each other so naturally I couldn’t stop my hands from reaching up and cupping his cheek before grabbing onto his hair as if we could get closer.
It was only in the silence that the spell broke. I gasped as I yanked back, wiping my hands down my sides as I glanced around, noticing all eyes on us. I turned completely away from him, unable to meet his eyes, and caught Haley’s shocked stare.
Then, after grabbing my coat, I fled like Cinderella running against time. I couldn’t get far fast enough.
Gulping air like I was going to drown, I fell against the back of my Jeep, hidden from anyone standing in the doorway of the barn.
I couldn’t fall for this man. I had an obligation to bring him down. Revenge should have been my only motivation. Yet I wanted him like the air I couldn’t seem to get enough of.
My knees nearly buckled, and I pressed my back further into the truck to keep from falling. I covered my eyes, not wanting to cry. How could the only man I’d desired for as long as I could remember be the one man I couldn’t have?
“Let’s go.”
I looked up into Haley’s concerned but confused gaze. I wiped my eyes. “What about Agan?”
“It’s us against the world. You and Zoe are my everything. Agan can wait.”
“Haley—”
“Don’t. It’s not like I can blame you. He’s—” She shook her head. “Can you drive?”
I shook my head and fished my keys out of my pocket. I held them out to her. She took them, looking disappointed, and I closed my eyes against a wave of shame. Shakily, I got to my feet and came around to the passenger side. I made the mistake of glancing up, and there he was, a shadowy figure in the doorway. Though I couldn’t see his expression, I felt the weight of his stare on me.
“Get in,” Haley chided.
I tore my eyes away and got in the car. The tires kicked up leftover snow as Haley peeled out of the lot.
We didn’t speak the entire ride to her place. When she closed the door to her room, I sank onto her couch, sure I couldn’t drive home. I was letting everyone down.
Who was this man? Nothing compared to my father and Haley.
As I closed my eyes, I fought against his presence, invading my thoughts as his kiss lingered on my lips. I rubbed gently over them as I tried like hell to block that look he’d given me right before he kissed me. It had been a question. Not the one I asked myself. If I could do it all over again, would I kiss him? The genuine answer was yes…
THIRTEEN
Nate
The woman whose name I’d yet to get fled like Cinderella again. There was no other way to describe it. At first, I followed, but stopped myself at the barn door. Why would l chase a woman who obviously had her reasons for fleeing?
A second woman breezed past, but I didn’t catch a glimpse as I’d been focused on the other woman. But then the second woman found her friend. She said something I couldn’t make out. Then they were in the Jeep tearing away.
“What did you do to her?”
I turned to find Fanboy. “Who, Haley?” I now knew that wasn’t her name. It was a ploy, and it worked.
“Her name’s Avery, not Haley. Haley is her best friend.”
Things were coming together. I patted his shoulder. “Thanks. And tell Avery”—I liked the way the name slipped over my tongue, and it suited her—“I have her glass slipper.”
He looked confused, as he should. I decided it was time to leave. I hadn’t wanted to come here in the first place. There were things I needed to do at the ranch with Dad coming home this week.
As I walked to my car, I fingered the item in my pocket. It wasn’t a glass slipper, as I’d told Fanboy. It was something she’d left behind. Before she’d fled, I’d reached for her wrist and it had slipped through my hand, leaving her bracelet in my palm.
I’d see her again. After getting in the car, I turned on the light and held it up. It dangled a charm that read, “I’m enough.” It couldn’t be truer. I put it back in my pocket and turned the engine on my car. I really needed to switch vehicles. I’d heard something about snow, the kind that was more than the average for around here. Dad would likely prefer his truck over my car anyway.
The ranch was the same from the outside, but as I walked in, I noticed the difference this time. I’d stained the floor an ash-clay color. The wide planks looked as good as new. The furniture had come in, a big comfy couch and a modern recliner I hoped Dad would approve of.
I hung my jacket on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs and headed up. The crews were gone, only finishing work left. The house looked amazing. I was sure Mom would have loved it. Jean said I should have had a crew taping as we could have sold it to HGTV as a limited series.
That wasn’t my thing. My life was too much of an open book to the press as it was. This… home was mine and my family’s. So far, the press hadn’t shown up at my door, likely because the property wasn’t in my name.
When I reached the top, I glanced around, remembering Mitch and I as kids fighting over everything but making up games at other times. It had been a great childhood.
I stopped in the doorway of my room. Gone was the twin-sized bed and bookshelf full of trophies. The bed had been removed from the house. The trophies were packed up and in the attic.
In the place of my former twin-sized bed was a king that actually worked. The room was large and now held a door that went to my private bath. I wouldn’t have to share with my brother.
I discarded my clothes and headed for a shower. I needed to loosen up and work out the kinks in my muscles from lifting the kegs and all the work I’d put in at the house.
The water pressure was better than I remembered, and the temperature was just right. I’d added in a rainfall shower head and now I just stood under the spray, trying like hell not to remember how Avery felt in my arms. Or how our kiss had been like fire.
It ended up being a long night. After my shower, I was still too wired to sleep. By the time I crashed, it was in the early hours of the next morning.
A pounding on my door woke me up. The crews were working on the bunk house renovation this morning, as we were waiting for the tile grout to cure before finishing the other two bathrooms.
“Okay, already,” I said, wondering who the hell it could be.
I swung open the door to find a tiny demon woman ready to pound on the door again. She looked good, from her hair piled up on her head to the oversized sweater and the jeans that clung to her legs in all the best ways.
“Avery,” I said, not holding back a smirk as her eyes grew the size of quarters before narrowing.
“How did you find out? Never mind. Tugboat.” Was that the fanboy’s name? She waved a hand. “Just hand it over.”
“What?” I asked innocently as I caught her eyes drifting to my bare chest. I hadn’t had time to do anything more than pull on the jeans I’d worn last night that were tossed on the chair in my room.
“You know what. My bracelet,” she snapped.
“You mean the glass slipper you left behind as you fled to avoid turning into a pumpkin?”
Her glare could have cut daggers. “Stop with the metaphors and just hand it over.”
“Go out with me,” I said before thinking it through.
Her frown turned to amusement. “What? On a date?”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s you. The guy who objectifies women and treats them like disposable goods.”
I pursed my lips. “A second ago, you were objectifying me. And don’t deny it.” I let the door go and crossed my arms over my chest. “I saw you looking.” I glanced down before meeting her eyes again. “And besides, you believe everything you read in the headlines? What happened to being innocent before proven guilty?”
“You’re proving yourself guilty now. You stand there all smug and assume because you’re attractive, I’m going to fall all over myself to go out with you. Forget it. Never going to happen.”
“Then let’s just fuck and get it out of our system.”
She pointed at me. “See?”
“No. You have me all figured out and you’ve put me in whatever box you wanted. That doesn’t change this thing between us. You want me and I want you. We fuck and then we can walk away from each other.”
She stepped back. “Let me enunciate myself better. Never. Going. To. Happen.” She extended her hand, palm up.
“One date. No sex.”
She shook her head. I sighed and reached into my pocket. I pulled the bracelet out slowly, realizing I was reluctant to part with it. “Avery…”
“Nate,” she parroted, but in a mocking way.
When I placed it in her hand, that spark was there like a live wire. She snatched her hand back and spun on her heels, marching away. The view going was as good as it was coming.
A truck pulled in just as Avery reached her Jeep. Aiden glanced at her and then at me as he got out. I shook my head. He pulled a six-pack from his truck and had to dodge Avery’s Jeep as her tires kicked up lingering snow and mud as she hightailed it out of my drive.
“So that’s her?” he asked when he reached me and followed me in the house.
I frowned. “Her?”
“You know, the girl from the bar you sang with. Emma showed me the video from last night.”
My mouth opened. “What video?”
“You haven’t seen? According to Emma, it’s all over social media.”
I dashed upstairs to get my phone. Before I could search for it, I noticed I had several missed calls from Jean and Mitch. I came downstairs slowly as I watched the video Jean had sent.
The view was dark, but my face and hers were lit by the tiny glowing lights above our head. Our eyes were locked and in slow motion, as if magnetized, our mouths met, and things went deeper until the video ended. The caption read, “Who is Nate’s mystery girl?”
“Fuck my life,” I muttered. Aiden was in the kitchen putting the beer in the fridge. “I’m going to make a quick call to Mitch.” I’d already texted Jean that I’d seen. But my younger brother was going to hand me my ass.
“What the fuck, bro?” Mitch said instead of hello. “I thought I told you to stay away from that chick.”
“It wasn’t planned.”
“It never is,” he shot back.
“FYI, I have you on speaker. Aiden’s here.”
“Aiden can’t save you. I can. Whatever you do, don’t piss her off and you’re going to have to keep her happy until I get these contracts negotiated.”
“Too late for that,” I said.
“I second that. She did not look happy when she left,” Aiden offered before letting the two of us go at it.
“Jesus, Nate. You can’t keep you dick in your pants.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“I’m not in the public eye. You are. And you have half a billion dollars in contracts in limbo over your dick’s action, since apparently you have no control over it.”
“For your information, I haven’t touched her,” I yelled.
“That video says otherwise.”
I took a deep breath. “We kissed. That’s it. Nothing else.”
“Yet she’s leaving your house this morning.”
“No. She stopped by to pick up her bracelet.”
“So she left it at your house.”
“No, and stop acting like Dad. She lost it last night. I gave a message to a friend of hers that I had it. She stopped by. End of story.”
Then Mitch switched his tune. “You have to date her. If you don’t, you’ll look like you hooked up with another random woman.”
“Too bad she doesn’t want to date me.”
“Find a way to fix it, bro, or you can kiss your endorsements goodbye.” He hung up.
“It’s that bad?” Aiden asked.
“It’s not like I need the money. I’ve made enough. If I ever had kids, their kids would want for nothing. But yeah, shit’s bad.”
“You like her.” He said it like it was a fact.
“Damn if I don’t. Thing is, I’ve never been this interested in a woman ever. I don’t know if it’s because she’s making me chase her or…”
“Or if she’s that one. That one woman who will linger in your mind no matter what other options are out there. Emma was that for me. Hell, I moved away, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her.”
“Thing is, I don’t know two shits about the woman. She’s got a mouth on her that makes me want to kiss her every time we have a battle of words. She sings like an angel like my mom did. And she’s stunning. Though she’s not the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, I can’t seem to focus without wondering what she’s like naked. I’m not even sure I care.”
“She’s the spark.”
I nodded, but more to myself because I’d thought that very thing. “Who knows? We may not even get along, but I want to find out.”
“Give her some time to cool down, then try again. Be honest with her about whatever you’re feeling. And not just the naked part.”
I laughed. “Good advice. But who knows when I’ll see her again? I don’t have her number or her last name.”
“She’s not done with you. I’ve seen that look before. God help me. She reminded me of Darcy when we’d break up, only for her to be back the next day. Did you ever figure out her name?” he asked.
“Avery.”
He handed me a beer. When I took it, he held up his. “To Avery. And good luck, my friend. You are about to fall into a rabbit hole.”
Boy, was he ever right.
FOURTEEN
Avery
My nerves were frayed as I white-knuckled the steering wheel. How had I let him get to me?
It was stupid to want him, especially when I had valid reasons to hate him and all the Bowmens. My family and friends meant more than one night with practical stranger.
Besides, when I went public with my one-on-one experience with the man, he would hate me.
I dialed Haley using the handsfree setting.
“Did you get it?” she asked.
“Yes, but what the hell grows in Mason Creek? As I was leaving, this guy shows up, and he’s hot, too.”
“I met Agan there.”
“Agan isn’t from Mason Creek,” I said.
“Yes, but it’s like a hot guy convention. The fact that Agan isn’t from Mason Creek means he’s less likely to be a dick. Anyway, did Nate give you a hard time?”
Should I tell her or not? “He asked me out,” I blurted.
“Smooth. What did you say?”
“What do you mean, what did I say?”
“Stop avoiding it. You like him, not that I blame you.”
“I don’t like him,” I denied.
“You act like we didn’t grow up together like sisters. I saw you two, kiss. Hell, everyone in the barn saw it. The fireworks were crazy. In fact, someone added them to a meme.”
“No way.”
“Yes way, girl. You are going down in social media history.”
“Ugh.”
“You know, if you played your cards right, you could get more ammunition if you went out with him.”
“I thought you didn’t want me to.”
“No, I didn’t want you getting caught up. I know how easy that is. Your video has a half-million views already. Imagine how interested people would be in a tell-all by you. This is your moment.”
It had been so easy to come up with a plan and metaphorically destroy the life of someone I hadn’t met. But now I had. And I was beginning to doubt that he was the asshole they said he was, despite our verbal wars. I was almost one hundred percent sure he’d bought Zoe that dollhouse and I’d forgotten to ask him about it.
“What if…” I trailed off.
“What if what? He’s everything they say he is. Take your own advice to me about Agan. I know once his business is done, we’re done. You’ve got to know Nate Bowmen knows how to charm a woman.”
I closed my mouth because she was right. Everything he did, even when he was being a dick, was charming in a way.
“I’ll talk to you later. I’m at the shop.”
Tonight, I would start on the article about Nate. I’d planned to pen it using a similar style to Carrie from Sex in the City. I would tell my story almost conversationally. While laughing at my mistakes, I would enumerate all the ways Nate was a bastard. It could work.
