Chapter nineteen
Rory
Iwasn’t sure if Owen’s call was an annoyance or saving my ass.
Everything with Wyatt had become so intense that I didn’t know how to find my way out.
And truthfully? I didn’t want to.
He clutched onto my thighs, carrying me back down the path like I weighed nothing, and fuck, that turned me on again.
“You don’t have to go with me,” I said, even though I liked spending as much time as possible with him.
He shook his head. “I’m not bad with a car. If there’s something I can do to help, I will.”
Except if Wyatt showed up with me, Owen would definitely be able to put two and two together. My stomach flip-flopped. “You realize what you’re offering, right?”
A mere month ago, he’d believed he was straight, but already he wasn’t blanching on being seen out with me. The only point of complication was that Harper was my friend, and this was her father. Guiltstirred in my gut again that I’d even put us in this position in the first place. Maybe if I hadn’t flirted so hard—fuck.
Yet, then I wouldn’t have had any of these moments with him. We wouldn’t be here now.
“I’m aware,” he responded, a husky seriousness in his voice that stroked straight to my core. “That asshole in high school might’ve gotten cold feet, but I won’t, Rory.”
Damn him.
My eyes stung at once, the past colliding with the present, as if with those simple words he’d somehow begun to soften the cracks of my past. “Tell you one secret from my past, and suddenly it’s all, ‘remember that time in high school.’”
He pinched my thigh, and a moan escaped me. “Your avoidance games don’t work on me.”
“I wish they would,” I grumbled, even though that wasn’t the truth. I loved that he saw past my constant jokes, my protective measures a reflex at this point. We reached the parking lot, and he came to a stop in front of my car. He let me down, and I missed the closeness at once.
Wyatt stared at me with a seriousness amplified by the surrounding night, and he brushed a thumb under my chin. “I asked you on a date. If that alone didn’t make my intentions clear, I’m happy to explain when we get back to my place.”
“Right, so, detour back home after bailing out Owen,” I teased.
Wyatt nipped at my lower lip. “Brat. How do I not have your address yet anyway?”
I shrugged. “Maybe I like to live a life of mystique.”
“Right. I’ll follow you over to Owen’s car, and then we’ll finish our date back at my house,” he responded. His hair was all sex-rumpled, same with his clothes, and damn if that didn’t make him even hotter, especially after he’d railed me against the tree until I came.
“If you insist,” I continued, except then I lifted up to my tiptoes and pressed a feverish kiss to his lips. As much as I might run my mouth, this man did it for me more than anyone ever had. He’d somehow smashed through my evasions, saw right through me, and fuck, I was so addicted to him.
The idea that it might all crumble to dust made me sick.
Physically ill.
This was why I didn’t open my heart to anyone. Because I wasn’t the hearty bounce-back-up sort. No, I’d tried it once, the attempt had devastated me, and I’d been too much of a coward to ever try again.
Wyatt nipped my lower lip again before pulling back. “Come on. Let’s go.”
God, but for him, I wanted to be brave.
“Make sure you keep up,” I teased before hopping into my car. Before I got rolling, on impulse, I shot him a text with my address. There, he had it now. I started the engine and then pulled out of the spot, waiting until I caught the headlights of his truck behind me before I set off onto the road.
I clutched the wheel tight and tried to focus on the road, even though my mind bounced around to a million different places. Could I do this with him? If Harper wasn’t okay with us, I didn’t think we’d survive, though. And the idea of hurting my friend made my stomach curdle.
When I was with Wyatt, all I could think about was him. I was surrounded by his scent, his presence, his sturdiness. However, whenever I’d worked or talked with Harper, the guilt had begun to grow.
