Page 18 of Let Me Love You
“Whendidyou get back in town, Ren?” a familiar female voice said from behind him.
Ren stiffened.
He had known Carla Spruce most of his life and had sex with her more times than he cared to count. Some would have called them “fuck buddies,” and they’d have been right. She had been one of those girls who didn’t seem to mind a no-strings-attached relationship. At least that’s what she’d led him to believe for some time. But the last two times he’d been home from school, she’d hinted she’d be interested in more than a roll between the sheets or in the backseat of her car. He shut that door both times, and it bothered him he’d have to do it again because despite not wanting to carry on with Carla anymore, she was a nice girl.
He turned to see her sauntering through the crowd of people to stand in front of him. She held a beer in her hand, the fingers of her other feverishly working the label on the bottle. Her long, blonde hair hung over her shoulders, hiding the cleavage he knew would be on display. Her hazel eyes twinkled with a hint of her buzz.
“Hey, Carla! Got back yesterday,” Ren replied.
She was a pretty girl. Always had been. A banging body most guys desired. Hence, his own relationship with her.
Her gaze roamed over him from head to toe. When her eyes came back to his face, she wore an appreciative grin. An uncomfortable guilt settled over him. She appeared to think sleeping with him was a foregone conclusion and he had only himself to blame for that impression.
He didn’t want to be cornered by Carla as he knew what she wanted.Shit!He’d given her that same look in the past, looking for the same thing. But his interest in sleeping with her had passed.
“You home for the summer?”
He nodded. He planned to be home for good, but she had no need to know his plans.
She tossed her long, blonde hair over her shoulder before bringing the beer bottle to her lips and taking a sip. With her hair flipped back, nothing hid her large tits, which practically fell out of the white tank top. He never had any issue with a girl who wanted to show off her assets. Under most circumstances, he rather enjoyed the view. Looking at her now, putting everything on display, made him appreciate Stacey’s more subtle sexiness. An eagerness to get to her swept over him.
“You graduated, right?”
“Yep, I wrapped things up in Gainesville.” He glanced over at Tyler and gave him the “I’m out of here” head tilt toward the door. Tyler nodded.
“You guys wanna hang out?” she asked, peering at them both. Her eyes darkened as she looked them over. Ren grimaced.
Tyler had slept with Carla, too. In fact, they’d both slept with her at the same time once. Ren’s first threesome. But those kinds of days were over for him. Obviously, they weren’t over for Carla or perhaps Tyler.
“I’ve got plans tonight. But I’m sure Tyler won’t mind hanging out.”
Disappointment crossed Carla’s face, and Ren felt a pang of remorse for having ever given her the indication they would dothisbed-buddy thing forever.
For a while, sexual release was just that—sexual release. Now, he wanted more than sex. He needed more. A connection with someone. Well, not just someone. Stacey. For the first time, hemade loveto a woman, even if the sex was hot and dirty and fucking amazing. Better than any sex he’d ever had. Going back to meaningless seemed out of the question.
“Come on, Ren,” Carla begged. “For old time’s sake?” The pleading in her voice niggled him. In the past, those doe eyes and soft voice would have worked him over. Not now.
Ren shook his head. “Sorry, Carla.” He patted Tyler on the back. “You got this?”
Tyler nodded.
“I’ll catch you tomorrow at the beach. What time you get on duty?”
“I start at eleven. Beach access eight,” Tyler said, slipping an arm around Carla’s shoulder. She snuggled into him, but still focused on Ren.
“Okay, I’ll come hang out for a bit. Nice to see you, Carla.” Ren walked in the direction of the door, stopping to say hello to a few familiar faces before strolling out to the parking lot.
Jumping into his Jeep Wrangler, he started the engine and drove back to his neighborhood on Madeira Beach. He parked his Jeep in his parents’ driveway, but that wasn’t where he planned to stay the night. Not if he had anything to say about it. He would have to come up with a plausible story to tell his parents in the morning.
Noticing no lights on at Stacey’s house or her car in the driveway, disappointment rolled through him. Where could she be?
He climbed out of the Jeep and wandered over to her yard, peeping through the small window on the garage door. Her car wasn’t there. Maybe she went out with friends. He’d wait it out on the porch swing. It was only eleven o’clock.
****
“Ren, what are you doing sleeping on Stacey’s porch?”
Ren peeled his eyes open to find his father standing over him, and he startled. He’d been sitting on Stacey’s swing, messing around with his iPhone and must have fallen asleep.
