Wrecked (10 page)

“I am hungry,” he said thoughtfully, “but not for food.”

He turned me around, staring at me as if memorizing my face, then his gaze seemed to narrow in on my lips. He pulled me close, his eyes dark, primal, and I felt his arousal pressed against me. Someone cleared his or her throat, effectively throwing ice water over us. I put my forehead against his chest once I realized who it was.

“May I have a word, Mylie?” Nikolas asked.

I looked up to see Xavier’s confused face.

“Xavier, this is my brother Nik. Nik this is Xavier Bane.”

I turned around to finish cooking, but then Nik gave me a look that I had never seen before.

“I’m coming. Mind keeping an eye on the bacon?” I asked Xavier sweetly, who only smiled and kissed my forehead.

I followed Nik to his bedroom and shut the door behind us.

“What the hell has gotten into you Mylie? You’re on top of one guy on the porch, and then you are on the verge of bumping uglies with another in the kitchen?”

What the fuck?

“First of all, I wasn’t bumping uglies, butthair. How do you know about what happened outside?”

“Because I saw it through this window,” he said as he pointed to his bedroom window.

“I went to help him up, and I lost my balance and fell, that’s all,” I said it nonchalantly.

“Really? Since when do people wrap their arms around someone who fell accidently and make another run out there like a bat of hell? Did he force himself on you? I’ll kill him!” I saw as his face turned various shades of red and purple in a split second.

“God, no! It was an accident! Will you relax? I have company. We will talk about this later.”

“Exactly Mylie! Company? Since when do you bring guys over here?”

“I’m a grown adult and can do what I want. Jeez, Nik, since when did you go all paternal on me? Aren’t you the one who is sleeping his way through all of the girls in Sigma Phi Beta?”

I didn’t wait for an answer. He knew I was right, but it didn’t make me feel good to know that he was seeing me in a new light, in a way I had never wanted him to see me. I had spent my life looking for Mr. Right, and now, here I was, playing with two guys, and I wasn’t sure how I was feeling. I wondered if my mom was watching from above and could only imagine that she would be disappointed.

What am I doing? Can I get a sign please?

Damien

“It wasn’t long ago when I remember standing with a gentleman, not unlike you, who was chasing love.” She smiled as she sipped her Earl Grey tea.

“Is that so? Who was he?” I asked, genuinely interested in her story.

“Jonathan Justin Pierson,” she said as she winked. She seemed to become lost in thought for a moment before she continued.

“You see, Mylie reminds me a great deal of myself, and J.J. was a lot like you. The difference is, I was engaged. It was another time, and my family wanted me to marry Lucas Bane because his ancestors owned the largest cotton plantation in Pointe Hope. I wasn’t in love, but it didn’t stop my father from forcing my hand to marry Lucas.

“It was in the summer that I met J.J. at the local cotton festival, where I was crowned Pointe Hope’s Cotton Queen for the parade. I was speaking with Louise LeBaron, the wife of the Mayor Fred LeBaron, when she introduced me to her nephew, J.J. I tell you, it was like the parade around us disappeared, and it was just the two of us. I would never forget that feeling. He escorted me to the float and kissed my hand. I thought I had been electrocuted, as emotion shot through me like lightening making me pull my hand back abruptly.”

She stared at me, and I realized she somehow knew about the connection between Mylie and me.

“It was unfortunate that Lucas saw the interaction. He started telling people that I was a harlot and was sleeping with the mayor’s nephew. It was the biggest scandal in Pointe Hope at the time. My father was distraught because I had ruined his name in society. It was nothing more than an innocent gesture. One night, I heard a clinking sound and awoke to find J.J. throwing rocks at my window.

“He whisked me away that night, and the next morning we were married. It was the most amazing forty-eight years of my life, until he passed. It’s funny though, because it seems that history is repeating itself with the young Mr. Bane.”

Bane? Thor?

It was true, her story had in fact repeated itself in my mind. Xavier Bane was the son of Lucas Bane, but everyone knew that Lucas was a womanizer just like his father. Could I live with the fact that Xavier could very well be just like his father and grandfather? What would Mylie do?

“So, you see the problem now? Can you live with the idea that Mylie may marry the wrong man because the right one was too afraid to fight his own demons?”

I left Mrs. Pierson’s home, reflecting on what she had said. I was deep in thought when I saw Xavier leaving in his pickup truck.

Wasn’t expecting that one
!

He drove away when Mylie came out. She was wearing cut off shorts with gardening gloves tucked in her back pocket. She had put on a white tank top, and with her gardening tools in one hand, she slipped on her faded blue Yankees baseball cap. She looked incredible. I didn’t realize I was walking towards her until I found myself standing next to her. She was reaching down to tie her shoes when she finally felt my presence. Startled, she screamed and fell on her butt.

“Jeez Professor, you scared me! What are you doing here?”

She got up and dusted her shorts with her hands then began to fix her shoes. I watched and said nothing.

“Cat got your tongue?” she teased, but never looked in my direction. She focused, instead, on the last loop on her laces.

She finally turned to look over her shoulder to look at me. The sun was shining in her face, and she covered her eyes with her palm to protect them from the rays.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She got up and stared at me.

Was I okay?

I shook my head even before I knew it. She quickly took off the gloves and grabbed my hand in between hers.

“Hey, you can talk to me.”

I knew I could, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to love this woman, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to fall in love with anyone. I pulled my hand away and walked from the woman who could ruin everything.

Chapter Eleven

Mylie

What just happened?

I stared as he walked away, AGAIN! I was angry as hell, glaring at his broad shoulders as he walked away without a care in the world.

Oh, hell no!
I ran after him and pulled his arm.

“You can’t do that Damien. You can’t just come to my home show me you care and just walk away.”

He was glaring down at me. As much as I wanted to shrink away, I stood strong because I was too angry with this man.

“I. Don’t. Care. I will never care,” he said it through clenched teeth.

“I say you do and you’re just too afraid––,” he grabbed my arm and dragged me back through the yard into my house, pulling me down the hall.

I wasn’t trying to fight him because I was only thinking of the delectable possibilities rolling through my mind. He pulled me through my door and threw me on the bed.

“Is this what you want Mylie? Someone to manhandle you? Does this turn you on?”

I tried to get up from the bed, but he pushed me down and straddled me. His strong legs pinned my legs together, and one hand had my arms above my head holding my wrists down. Lord, this felt wrong, but right at the same time. I was excited, and it scared the shit out of me. He grabbed my jaw and held my face only inches from his. The reminder of our kiss came to the forefront of my mind.

Kiss me!

“Is this what you want Mylie?” he whispered.

I felt his rage, but I couldn’t resist the temptation so I nodded. He clenched his eyes closed and when he opened them, I saw it: lust, desire, and raw hunger. We were feeling the same emotions.

“You can’t do that.” He let go of my wrists, but I pulled on his shirt, locking him in place.

“If you leave Damien ––,” he placed one finger over my lips, stopping me.

“Say it again?”

“Say what?”

“You never call me by name. Say it again,” he pleaded.

“Damien,” I said softly as he sighed in contentment and pressed his forehead against mine. He stared into my eyes. “Don’t leave,” I pleaded.

“I am not good for you Mylie, and as much as I want you, I am not good for you. I’m sorry.” Quickly jumping off me, he left the room, taking my heart with him.

I finally couldn’t take the conflicting feelings. I cried because I had, at long last, fallen in love, but with the wrong man. I asked for a sign, and I got it; I was undeniably in love with Damien James. And he was too fucked up to love me in return. I heard the front door close, and I let it all out. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why I finally fell in love but with someone who couldn’t love me.

Then there was Xavier. He was perfect in every way. We had spent the afternoon getting to know each other. We had so many things in common, and it would be easy to fall in love with Xavier, but I couldn’t as long Damien was in the picture. I got up from my bed and walked into the hallway.

The string hung from the ceiling like a constant reminder. “Never look until you are ready,” my grandmother had said. I was ready. I pulled down the attic ladder and started to climb. The smell of dust tickled my nose. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves only to cough uncontrollably. In the corner, light reflected off the latch of a gold trunk.

I can do this.

I opened the trunk and there, on top, was journal after journal that had belonged to my mom. I picked up one that was dated June 1985.

Dear Diary,

I met the love of my life. He is amazing. Jon makes my heart flutter, and I don’t think I can ever feel like this again.

Jon? Who the hell is Jon?

We arrived at camp this afternoon. I was introduced to the staff, and then I saw him. He had arrived late. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He has these amazing bedroom eyes that are the color of chocolate with long curly lashes. When he walked into the cabin with the other camp counselors, I knew then and there that I had to have him. Our gazes locked, and it was like the rest of the room disappeared, and it was only he and I.

I remember feeling like I was punched in the chest by his presence, and the explosion of butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach. I never believed in love at first sight but I know now that this is exactly what it was.

I quickly shut the journal. I couldn’t believe it. My whole life I had pictured my mother only loving my father, but she’d loved someone else. I felt my anxiety peak, and my chest started to constrict. The room began to spin. I felt a sharp pain in my head and then fell into a peaceful oblivion.

Damien

I arrived at the Pointe Hope University campus with the idea of setting up my syllabus for the fall semester, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Mylie. The desire we had for each other was lethal, addictive, and would only end one way, with me getting hurt. The best course of action was to avoid her. There was no way I was going to look for her again, and if the blonde buffoon hurt her, then that was her problem.

I looked over the roster and noticed a memo.
Wonderful, I was getting a teaching assistant.
There was nothing more irritating than a clueless suck up, but I’d make him or her work for the credit. I read over the information regarding the TA. Strange, there was no name. I read over the credentials and was thoroughly impressed. Whoever it was, he or she had a 4.0 GPA and was working on a graduate degree—in law.

Hmm. I went ahead and completed my syllabus, as well as the lesson plans for the first week. These kids wouldn’t know what hit them.

I left the campus and went in search of Andrea, my colleague, amongst other things. We had an understanding: we got off and went our way. She had been in a loveless marriage for ten years while her husband, business tycoon Pierce Belafonte, was sleeping with his secretary as well as their daughter’s friend. Why men cheated was beyond me, but I was not one to judge a woman who was willing and waiting.