Page 45 of Talk Wicked to Me

“We all have baggage, and you’ve carried yours alone for a long time. It’s okay to let me help.”

“I’m glad you’re not running for the hills, but you probably should.” She was only half kidding. “Save yourself from my drama.”

The warmest smile curved his lips. “We all have drama. Would it make you feel better if I shared a secret with you?”

“Maybe.” Her interest was piqued. “But only if it’s emotional, so I’m not the only one standing on a street corner naked.”

He searched her eyes. “Is that how you feel right now?”

“Pretty much,” she admitted.

“Come here.” He put his arms around her, hugging her as he said, “If you were standing on a corner naked, I’d be right there with you, keeping away the hordes of men who were lusting after you.”

She laughed softly as she sat back. “I’m definitely making you an appointment with an optometrist.”

“Don’t waste your money. It’s twenty-twenty. As for the secret, I’ve only got one that makes me feel like I’m standing on a corner naked. It doesn’t compare to yours, so please don’t think that I’m under the impression that it does, and it’s a tough subject. Evie is the only person who knows about it.”

“Is it about the two of you?”

“No. And in case you’re wondering, because everyone does at some point, Evie and I have never been together. I kissed her once when we were young and our hormones ruled our world, but that was it. One kiss and we never went there again.”

“Was the kiss that bad?”

“No. It was meant to get her out of my system, and it worked.”

“Like that doesn’t leave me with a million questions? Geez. Why did it work? Are you a sucky kisser and she didn’t want to take it further? Was it so good that it scared you? I mean, inquiring minds need to know. Do you think you’ll ever go there again with her? You’re two good-looking people who obviously like each other.”

He shook his head, amusement shining in his eyes. “I am a phenomenal kisser, and she and I are friends, not meant to be lovers. Not now, not ever. Do you want to know the secret, or do you want to dissect my friendship with Evie?”

“The secret, but just so you know, guys who are great kissers don’t have to brag about it.”

“Jesus. I’m not bragging. I’m clearing up your confusion.”

“Uh-huh. Whatever you say,” she said sarcastically.

“Careful, Lockhart. The last thing you need is for me to prove you wrong and ruin you for all other men.”

Her pulse quickened at the idea of his lips on hers. She had to hand it to him. He sure knew how to take her mind off the sad stuff, but now she was thinking about kissing him. “We should get back to your secret.”

“Right. The secret.” He cleared his throat, averting his eyes for a few seconds. “When I was in college, I went out with this woman, and she got pregnant. I was really into her, and I thought we were headed for something serious, so I started making plans to introduce her to my family and rethinking my career goals. I couldn’t raise a kid if I was in vet school.”

“Oh. I don’t know what I expected to hear, but it wasn’t that. You said you didn’t have any kids.”

“I don’t. A week later she told me she’d terminated the pregnancy.”

She thought about how loving he was with Brennan, and her heart broke for him. “Oh, Baz. That must’ve hurt, but it couldn’t have been an easy decision for her, either. If I hadn’t had that dream about my parents when I found out I was pregnant, I might have done the same thing. And there were plenty of times during my pregnancy when I questioned my decision.”

“I know it wasn’t easy for her, and yeah, it hurt, but I wasn’t upset that she’d made the decision. It was her body, not mine, and she did the right thing for herself. She wasn’t ready for kids, and the pregnancy would have caused problems with her family. What hurt was that she didn’t trust me enough to talk to me about it, or give me a heads-up before she did it. I would have fully supported her, but she never even gave me the chance.”

“Maybe she was afraid you wouldn’t support her decision. It’s scary enough finding out you’re pregnant when having a family isn’t on your radar. Having a boyfriend get upset or try to change your mind would make things a million times harder.”

He nodded, his gaze serious. “I get it, but she knew I’d grown up in a family where trust and communication were everything. There I was, thinking we had that special bond and were working toward something bigger, and come to find out, she was just having fun. When she told me what she’d done, she also broke up with me to get back with her ex. It was a blow to my heart and my ego, and I was crushed.”

“I’m so sorry. I’ve never cared about a boyfriend enough to feel that way, so I don’t know that pain firsthand, but I can imagine how much it hurts from seeing Gwen go through it while we were growing up. Is that why you used to hook up with women and not think twice about walking away?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t like that before her. You can’t get hurt if you don’t let people in.”

The truth in his words had her lowering her eyes, fidgeting with the edge of her shorts, and whispering more to herself than to him, “I feel so seen right now.”