Page 156 of Crazy for this Girl

“Never said you were.”

“You’re agreeing with everything I’m saying, which I know means you’re not going to follow through.”

I scoff through his truths. “That makes no sense.”

“You make no sense, but I dealt with you because, hey, you were pretty cool and fucking hot.”

I reach for my back pocket. “Say that one more time.”

“Which part?”

“That I’m cool.” I hold my phone up to his mouth to record it like a smartass. “I need it for the record.”

“Do you have it on?”

I hit the little red button and the timer starts. “Yep.”

“Good.” He steps forward, greens locked tightly onto my blues until it’s almost like he’s strangling my heart with moves. His chest almost brushes against mine to where my heart still thuds violently in my chest.

And it’s then that I know Cal is going to use everything he has against me.

His words, his voice, his body, those fucking memories, and the love that still hovers over my soul like a boobytrap waiting for me to fall back into it again.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve wanted you since day one of us meeting right here on this very porch. I waited, not wanting to fuck things up between us, but I did it anyway. I took an opportunity to banish every other girl and make you mine the day I kissed you over there." He points behind him at the steep hill that his cabin sits upon as if I wouldn't remember where it was. "You got me fucked up if you didn't think I was gonna try again for you, Laynee. The moment my eyes landed on you at your aunt's flower shop was the day your existence to never be in my life again ended. I've dreamt about you, reminisced constantly about everything you're ever done and said, and I'd like to think that I manifested your fine ass right back into my life again.

"So...build up any walls you need to construct, Laynee. Make sure your plans to keep me out of your head, heart, and soul are faultless because I plan on demolishing and tearing down your reservations toward me and leveling that shit to the ground. I'm back for the long haul. You’re here. And we’re either going to end up fucking, or we’re gonna become best friends again to where I become jealous of every single asshole not worthy of you that you date. The end.”

My lungs demand air as I lower my phone, hitting the stop button on the way down, and continue to stare back at him because this jerk of a man renders all motor skills of mine worthless.

Did he just say we were going to fuck?

I slowly inhale as my heart and mind go at it, attempting to decipher if we should believe him or not. If we can survive it.

Cal Harper back in my life will be like a flood mixed with a landslide. He’ll sweep me off my feet and drag me down into his scope of everything he just promised.

And everything he’s focused on.

I’m still in the dark about why he never showed up in North Carolina and why our conversations were fewer and far between. However, I can’t lie to myself anymore about how much he means to me and that any mention of someone else he left me for will devastate me to no end.

“Happy?”

“I…” Oh, I hate you, Cal. “Didn’t hear you say I was cool in there,” I quake, feeling my body buzz in excitement and fear at what he had just said. The only memory I have of him thrusting into me. The way he filled me and set my skin ablaze with his lips and the way he looked at me. The setback of every relationship I’ve ever had and never truly felt settled in.

My boss.

My best friend.

The first and only real love of my life.

“I’ll say that when I’m deep inside you,” he claims roughly, delivering the final fatality of all my rationality.

“Cal, I’m—” His index finger pushes into my lips, shutting me up and also saving me from stuttering.

“Lunchtime, remember?” I nod like an idiot. “Good girl. I can’t wait see what else I can make you do after so long of not having you underneath me and the sweet taste of you on my tongue.”

I can’t believe I’m in this house again, with this family, and conveniently sitting next to Laynee at the same table as I did when we were teenagers, and our only worry in the world was starting school up again.

Now, I came here on a stupid whim to figure out how I was going to deal with Laynee moving forward, but mainly to see how she felt about me.

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