He moves in to try and kiss me but stops abruptly when East has him by the back of the neck. “Is there a problem here, son?” I swallow hard. I didn’t even hear him get back out of his truck.
“No problem.” Darin lets go and shoots us both a dirty look. “Don’t text me ever again, Wylla Mae.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.”
Darin storms off and East places his hands on my shoulders. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“He hasn’t…has he ever hit you or forced you?”
I shake my head. “No. He was just upset. He wanted me to go with him. It’s no big deal. I was trying to break up with him anyway.”
“Right.” East drops his arms, and I immediately miss his touch. I’m sick in the head and going to hell because Darin had things partially right. I do want East. He just doesn’t want me.
I follow him to the truck, and he opens the passenger side door for me. I pause and slip my graduation gown off. I toss it, my diploma, and cap in the backseat. East is getting in the driver’s side. He looks over at me. His throat bobs and his chest hitches. Our eyes meet and he smiles.
“Missed you, Wylla Mae.” The deep grit of his voice rakes over me, and I shiver at the sound.
“I missed you too. Thank you for coming.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” He reaches across the seat and my breath catches in my throat. I can’t breathe. I don’t know what he’s doing until he goes for the glovebox. “Almost forgot.” He produces a black envelope and a small box. “I got you a little something, but you can’t open it until after dessert.”
“That’s totally not fair.”
The items drop into my lap. “Have some patience. The anticipation will be worth the wait.”
I shake my head and pick at the corners of the envelope as he starts up the truck.
“Buckle up.”
The radio starts blaring classic rock, and I lay my head back gripped by the sensation all is right in my world for the first time since he went away. I wish East would just keep driving and we could go somewhere far away from here. Where no one knew us. Where no one would judge us.
There’s this electric current buzzing between us, and I wonder if he picks up on the sensation too.
Chapter 9
Easton
The moment I see Wylla Mae exit the school I know this was a bad idea. Hell, I knew it before I even got out of bed this morning. I took a ride to try and talk myself out of coming, but I couldn’t bear to break her heart again. She cried when I didn’t show on her birthday and there is nothing I hate worse than her tears. Fuck me, she’s all grown up. Her graduation gown is hanging open revealing the tight white dress hugging her shapely frame. Long legs, thick curves, big tits. I shake my head. I shouldn’t be checking her out, but I can’t look away.
That little prick she dates notices me, and I see his fists clench. I’d like to say he has no damn reason to worry. But that’d make me a damned liar. Well if I were about fifteen to twenty years younger, he wouldn’t stand a chance but I’m not. I’m thirty-eight years old and have no business looking at Wylla Mae and experiencing the shit that I am. Yeah, she’s eighteen, but that doesn’t make it right. I thought distance would make these emotions go away. That I could forget the way she gazed at me in the dark, craving things neither of us had no business wanting. But those damn doe eyes have haunted me along with her words, “No one would know.” They always will.
I’ve tried to fuck the image away of her going down on her knees for me, innocence and longing in her doe eyes, with countless whores and women on the road, but no matter how many times I push the vision away it returns stronger than before. This urge inside me that screams that she’s mine and always will be mine. It’s not right. I’m too damn old for her, but I told myself I could push it all away for one day. That I could be strong enough to show up for her. Damn I was wrong. I shouldn’t be here but it’s too damn late.
Her smile beams so goddamn bright it lights up the world by twenty shades. Wylla Mae runs to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I lean in unable to help myself and smell her hair. Apple and cinnamon invades my senses. Her breasts press against me. Fuck. I’m torn between holding her tighter or letting her go. My palm itches to drop down to the curve of her ass.
“Told ya, kid.” I use the word ‘kid’ to remind myself of who I am to her and who I’ll always be. I know my role. I wish like hell I could forget even if for a minute, but I can’t.
“I’ll be in the truck.” I move away, letting her go, already missing her light and the weight of her breasts pressing into my chest. I watch though I shouldn’t, feeling a twinge of pleasure when she doesn’t let Darin kiss her goodbye, but then the fucker makes the mistake of getting handsy with her. I don’t even realize what I’m doing until I have ahold of him by the back of the neck asking if there’s a problem.
He gets smart and takes off. I have to ask her as much as I am afraid of what my reaction will be if I hear some shit I don’t like. But I need to know if he has ever hit her or tried to force himself on her. I didn’t appreciate the way he was gripping her arm. That shit doesn’t fly with me.
She assures me that he hasn’t, so I let it go for now. We get in the cage, and I can’t breathe. Her scent fills the interior, and she gazes at me with those deep brown eyes that melt me every damn time I gaze into them. I distract myself with her gift that’s in my glovebox. I have to reach across the middle of the truck to get to it. I didn’t think this shit through because she’s so damn close yet unreachable.
Untouchable.
I quickly drop the stuff in her lap and get on the road. I have no idea where I’m taking her. “Where do you think we’re going to go for dinner?” I use a trick on her I used to pull when she was still a brat. I ask her to guess and if her first one is good, I agree and pretend she got the answer right.