I use the opportunity to clean myself up. Clean up the mess that Walker made of me.
Between my thighs, at least.
My head is still a mess.
I toss the ruined panties in the trash.
Then I stand at the sink and look at myself in the mirror and wonder how the hell I ended up here tonight, like this.
The reflection doesn't have much wisdom to offer. Just a clueless virgin staring back at me, naked under this dress I wore for the man who pushed it up around my hips and painted me with his cum and then let me walk away.
As I pull my hair away from where it’s sticking to my neck, I see the hickeys he left there.
I didn't notice until right now.
I don't cover them up.
I went out tonight to prove a point. To show myself I was moving on. Very convincing performance, right up until I found myself sitting across from Travis, thinking about a cowboy twenty minutes up the road.
And now the man I’m trying to move on from is sitting at my table ordering rounds like he belongs there. Acting completely out of pocket. Acting like myboyfriend.
I’m furious about it. Furious at the presumption, the meddling, the arrogance.
And also, damn it,thrilled.
Walker came for me.
He got in his truck and he chased me down and crashed what he thinks is my date without a hint of hesitation or shame.
I want to kill him for it and I want to kiss him for it.
I haven't decided yet which one is going to win.
After washing and drying my hands, I push the door open back out into the hallway.
Walker is standing right there.
He's leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The low light catches the angle of his jaw, the breadth of his shoulders. Somehow, he draws all the light in the room without trying to, even when he’s not performing.
I cross my arms. “What is this?”
“Been waiting for you.”
“I’m busy.”
“I don’t care if you’re on a date. I’ll wait all night if I have to.”
He pushes off the wall. Reaches out and gently unfolds my arms from my body, his hands wrapping around my wrists,moving them down to my sides. He steps into the space that creates. Close enough that I can see the way his pupils are dilated, turning his green eyes nearly black.
“Why are you here, Walker?” I demand.
“You know why I'm here.”
“Is this the overprotective dad thing? The bossy employer thing?”
“No.” His hands settle at my waist. “This is the ‘twenty minute drive and I made it ten’ thing. This is the ‘I can’t fucking stand you being on a date with anyone who isn’t me’ thing.”
His jaw tightens. “This is the ‘obsessed with you, can’t spend another moment of this one wild and beautiful life without doing this to you’ thing.”
