with everything around me. She cried with me when I cried. Talking about it again ripped open old wounds.
I walked her through meeting Ryder at the bar. I told her how I thought we slept together for a while. I told her about the bonfire and the warehouse party. She gasped when I told her about what we did upstairs while the party raged on below. I blushed thinking how we could have been busted, but at the time, nothing else mattered but what he was making me feel.
Chloe listened intently when I told her about Josh coming to find me and about my father's heart attack. I didn't tell her about Ryder and Logan's involvement in the accident, though. That wasn't really anybody else's business, and I didn't want her to judge them. I forgave them long ago, but I wasn't sure everyone else would do the same.
I explained how I became wrapped up with the store and working all the time when I came home to help my father out. I reluctantly told her how I started to ignore Ryder, guilt filling me up inside. I never meant for that to happen, but I let it anyway. I told her about the upcoming wedding and how I didn't like the groom to be. She was patient and listened for almost an hour while I told her everything that had happened since I left school.
"So, I'm just not sure what to do," I finished. "He may never forgive me, and I'm not sure I can be without him."
"First off, yes you can. You are strong. You don't need a man to make you happy. You proved that once," she said sternly. "And another thing, he'll forgive you."
"I don't know," I mumbled.
"Give it time, babe. I think he just needs to see that you won't hurt him again. So, my question is, what are you going to do about the douchebag?"
I busted out with laughter. "Who? Adam? Nothing," I giggled into the phone.
"Kallie, I know you too well. You may be the sweetest thing ever, but you have little tolerance for those who screw over your friends. You also have good intuition."
"He didn't screw her over," I said confused.
"But he probably will, and you know it. Remember that jerk, Kevin? You met him once and hated him," she reminded me. He was a jerk and she was blind to it. "You told him off and I was so mad at you."
"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry." It was out of sorts for me to be rude to someone and tell them to get out of my apartment, but it seemed necessary at the time.
"Don't be. A week later, I found him with Slutty Sasha in his car."
"What?!" I shouted. "You never told me that!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't want to admit how wrong I was. Look, you're only a little over an hour away from me. Why don't I drive up tomorrow night? You gotta be lonely in that hotel all by yourself."
I yawned. "I am. That would be great."
We hung up after making plans for the next day. I felt relieved after telling someone my story. I didn't realize how badly I needed someone to talk to. I took a quick shower and climbed under the sheets. I fell asleep quickly, feeling lighter than I had in months.
C HAPTER S IX
Ryder
I was running late for work. Again. I dashed out of the apartment, taking two steps at a time. I jumped in my truck and glanced over at Kallie's M5. It was odd knowing she was here, in my town, but not in my apartment. As I raced to work, I thought about how I left her last night. It killed me not to shove her into the room and carry her to the bed.
I cursed at myself all the way down to the car. When I first saw the hotel room, all I thought about was all the places we could have sex. The couch, the coffee table, the bed, the tub, or even the balcony. The idea that we could have been there all alone with no one to hear was on the forefront of my mind.
Last night, I dreamed of the way she looked at me before going into her room alone. She looked like she wanted me as bad as I wanted her. She did that lip bite that usually was my undoing. She was staring at my lips like she wanted to devour them. This was going to be a long few weeks if I couldn't stop thinking about
I walked her through meeting Ryder at the bar. I told her how I thought we slept together for a while. I told her about the bonfire and the warehouse party. She gasped when I told her about what we did upstairs while the party raged on below. I blushed thinking how we could have been busted, but at the time, nothing else mattered but what he was making me feel.
Chloe listened intently when I told her about Josh coming to find me and about my father's heart attack. I didn't tell her about Ryder and Logan's involvement in the accident, though. That wasn't really anybody else's business, and I didn't want her to judge them. I forgave them long ago, but I wasn't sure everyone else would do the same.
I explained how I became wrapped up with the store and working all the time when I came home to help my father out. I reluctantly told her how I started to ignore Ryder, guilt filling me up inside. I never meant for that to happen, but I let it anyway. I told her about the upcoming wedding and how I didn't like the groom to be. She was patient and listened for almost an hour while I told her everything that had happened since I left school.
"So, I'm just not sure what to do," I finished. "He may never forgive me, and I'm not sure I can be without him."
"First off, yes you can. You are strong. You don't need a man to make you happy. You proved that once," she said sternly. "And another thing, he'll forgive you."
"I don't know," I mumbled.
"Give it time, babe. I think he just needs to see that you won't hurt him again. So, my question is, what are you going to do about the douchebag?"
I busted out with laughter. "Who? Adam? Nothing," I giggled into the phone.
"Kallie, I know you too well. You may be the sweetest thing ever, but you have little tolerance for those who screw over your friends. You also have good intuition."
"He didn't screw her over," I said confused.
"But he probably will, and you know it. Remember that jerk, Kevin? You met him once and hated him," she reminded me. He was a jerk and she was blind to it. "You told him off and I was so mad at you."
"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry." It was out of sorts for me to be rude to someone and tell them to get out of my apartment, but it seemed necessary at the time.
"Don't be. A week later, I found him with Slutty Sasha in his car."
"What?!" I shouted. "You never told me that!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't want to admit how wrong I was. Look, you're only a little over an hour away from me. Why don't I drive up tomorrow night? You gotta be lonely in that hotel all by yourself."
I yawned. "I am. That would be great."
We hung up after making plans for the next day. I felt relieved after telling someone my story. I didn't realize how badly I needed someone to talk to. I took a quick shower and climbed under the sheets. I fell asleep quickly, feeling lighter than I had in months.
C HAPTER S IX
Ryder
I was running late for work. Again. I dashed out of the apartment, taking two steps at a time. I jumped in my truck and glanced over at Kallie's M5. It was odd knowing she was here, in my town, but not in my apartment. As I raced to work, I thought about how I left her last night. It killed me not to shove her into the room and carry her to the bed.
I cursed at myself all the way down to the car. When I first saw the hotel room, all I thought about was all the places we could have sex. The couch, the coffee table, the bed, the tub, or even the balcony. The idea that we could have been there all alone with no one to hear was on the forefront of my mind.
Last night, I dreamed of the way she looked at me before going into her room alone. She looked like she wanted me as bad as I wanted her. She did that lip bite that usually was my undoing. She was staring at my lips like she wanted to devour them. This was going to be a long few weeks if I couldn't stop thinking about
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