Page 67 of When the Storm Breaks
“Happy now? Did you get what you wanted?” I couldn’t help myself, could I? But unlike in the past, there was no anger in my voice.
“You’re such a dumb shit. I knew you were lying.”
He was referring to the night two years ago when he asked me if I had ever been in love with Lila. “You weren’t ready to handle the truth.”
I’d lied to protect both of us. All three of us, really—myself, Lila, and Jude. The most fucked-up triangle that ever was.
“Thank you,” he said, surprising the shit out of me.
Guess we were finally growing up, letting go of all the shit we’d both been holding onto for too long. I couldn’t say it felt good, exactly, but it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. After all these years, we’d cleared the air and I was finally free.
“Don’t expect any more favors from me,” I told him. “You’re on your own now. If you fuck up, I won’t be there to rescue you from your own stupidity.”
He snorted. “Still an asshole.”
“Takes one to know one.” With that, I swaggered away like the cowboy I was.
“Bring Shiloh tomorrow,” he called after me.
I kept right on walking as if I hadn’t heard him.
“If you don’t do it, I’m going to invite her,” Lila shouted.
Oh Jesus. “Keep your nose out of my business,” I called back, knowing damn well it would fall on deaf ears.
That was how I ended up taking a rock star to a family dinner at a BBQ joint.
* * *
“You don’t haveto do this,” I insisted later that night while we were skinny dipping in the lake under the moon and stars. It was one of Shiloh’s favorite things to do. By the time I’d come over, Shiloh had already been informed of the birthday dinner. Not by Lila. Kate had called to invite her. Everyone and their mother were conspiring to get us together.
“I love your family. Why wouldn’t I want to be there? Unless you don’t want me to be there... is that what this is about?” Her arms and legs were wrapped around me and we were spinning in a slow circle, my legs treading water, her body slippery wet against mine.
Normally, I would say, “Come. Don’t come. Up to you.” As if I didn’t give a shit one way or the other. Which might have explained my shitty track record with relationships. But I was thirty-three fucking years old, and it was about time I started acknowledging what Ireallywanted.
“I want you there but it’s not a private event,” I warned her. “It’s a roadside restaurant and you’ll have to deal with other customers and my family.”
“I know how restaurants work. Nobody will even notice me. It’s not like I’m Carrie Underwood.”
I laughed at that one.
“I’ve been here a month and nobody’s so much as looked twice.” She smiled like it made her happy to go unnoticed.
Too bad it wasn’t true. Every male who laid eyes on her looked twice, if not three or four times. And tomorrow she would be surrounded by all the McCallister men. This should be interesting. I preferred it when it was just the two of us and I didn’t have to share her with anyone. But you can’t always get what you want.
And right now, I had her all to myself, in a cool lake on a warm June night under a sky reeling with stars. I kissed her lips and she kissed me back, her velvet tongue sliding against mine and her legs cinching tighter around my waist. And under her breath she said,Hallelujah. I didn’t even know what she meant by that. All I knew was that I wanted to get the hell out of this lake and get her into bed.
Right the fuck now.
* * *
We never madeit to the bed.
We got as far as the back porch and dropped our towels. I fucked her against the wall, cedar shingles digging into her back, her moans muffled by Drake’s “Fake Love” blasting from the speakers inside.
“This is going to mess you up,” I said as I thrust into her. I was referring to the skin on her back getting scraped. She took it differently.
“It already has. I love the pain you give.” She grabbed my face and held it in her hands, her chest heaving against mine, lush lips parted on a gasp as I stilled inside her. Buried so deep I wanted to stay there forever, her muscles clenching around my hard cock, the heels of her feet digging into my ass. I looked into her stormy grays, black hair slicked back from the swim in the lake, those high jagged cheekbones so prominent, and at that moment I knew that this was what falling in love really felt like.
