Page 23 of Losing Forever
“Why are you out with me then?”
“I like you, too. I also think a good way to find out if a certain person is into you is to show him you are desired by others and available—in case they aren’t taking the hint.”
“Wow.” I bark out a laugh. “You are quite the schemer. I mean that in a good way.”
“As are you. Didn’t you ask me out to make Braylee jealous?”
“What? No. I have no plans to date her.” I tug at my collar, my body temperature rising higher, and fiddle with the air conditioner.Work, dammit.
Gurgling sounds from behind me. I peer over my shoulder. Caitlyn is filling a paper cup with water from the dispenser near the door.
“Here.” She hands me one of the cups.
I down the cold water like a shot. “Thank you.”
She giggles. “More?”
“Yes, please.”
She fills her cup and mine.
I chug the second, which makes her giggle again, this one sounding deeper and throatier. “You’re lying to yourself if you think you’re not interested in Braylee.”
I shake my head and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “I’m not. I told you I'm not looking for a girlfriend.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waves away the words. “I know what you said. It doesn’t explain why you aren’t out with her right now, charming your dick into her mouth like you did with me.”
I choke on my spit. “First, I didn't charm my dick into your mouth. You helped yourself, and I loved that you did.”
“Not enough for a happy ending.”
I ignore her comment. “Second, Braylee… She’s Noah's cousin, and she isn't the kind of girl you take out on one date.”
“Because she deserves more than one date?” She scowls.
“That's not what I mean. She's…” I rake fingers through my hair, trying to think of what to say—what Icansay. “Look. She suffered a huge loss, a tragedy, not that long ago, and she's fragile. She's not ready for anything, least of all a guy like me.”
Caitlyn's shoulders relax and her features shift from anger to concern. “What happened to her? Is that how she got those scars?”
I shake my head. “It's not my story to tell, and I know a lot about privacy and wanting to maintain it. Mine was taken away from me when my dad made front-page news in every state from here to Washington.”
She doesn't acknowledge she knows what I'm talking about, just stares at me. It's a common response. When people know your family's darkest secrets, but don't want to admit it, they get quiet.
After a minute, she says, “I'm sorry for what happened to you. It couldn't have been easy.”
Again, I shake my head. “It's not.”
“I'm sorry about Braylee, too. It must be hard to care about someone and not be able to be with them in the way you want. I’m not a standoffish kind of girl.” She flashes a sassy grin. “I see what I want, and I go for it. I can tell you're that way too, which must make it extra hard to refrain. I don't envy you. She's really closed off. Beautiful. But what you said explains a lot about her behavior and how she just goes off to be alone and shuts down. She barely smiles. Whatever happened to her must have been really bad.”
I nod. “Much worse than what happened to me.”
She blows out a breath. “I knew this thing between us couldn't go beyond one night, even if I had hope for a round two. If you were good, that is—which has yet to be determined.” She tosses our cups into the trash and returns to me, walking her fingers up my chest. “How about we pick up where we left off and see if we can get a home run this time?”
Part of me, the sexually frustrated side, wants to dive in and knock this out of the park for both of us, consequences be dammed. But I can’t be that guy in this situation.
I’m here, hiding from the world as best I can until the media forgets my name and how I’m the son of a criminal. I’m trying to make a new life for myself, and I’m lucky Noah’s parents were willing to give me a chance. They could have dismissed me as untrustworthy by association like so many other people have. They didn’t, and this is how I repay their generosity? By screwing around with an office employee?
“What do you say?” Caitlyn’s fingers slide behind my neck.
