30. Bedazzled
Bedazzled
Elena
Pounding on my door nearly has me crashing onto the floor.
“Elena! Wake up!” Wade’s voice booms through the wood.
Shit. He sounds pissed.
What did I do?
Tugging the comforter up around me, I know it won’t offer any protection.
Would he hurt me?
No. I don’t think he would. My heart tells me I can trust him, even though my damn baggage tries to tell me otherwise.
Fuck my dad for putting that thought in my head first every time.
“Is everything okay?” I call out.
“Can I open this?” A sound like his palm smacks again, not nearly as loudly as before.
Blinking rapidly, I grab my phone to check the time.
Geez, I slept in. I shouldn’t have stayed up all night crying.
All I could focus on was how badly I screwed up and how much he probably hates me now.
“Yea.” I don’t even want to think about how horrible I look.
When he pushes the door open, he holds out his cell. The bright screen is just a blur for my gritty eyes.
But his broad grin tells me it’s something good.
“What am I trying to look at?” I squint, yet the words still stay as squiggles.
“I found her! And she’s really my daughter!” Excitement radiates from his body.
That’s when I notice he isn’t in his uniform, but a snug pair of jeans with a button down western-style shirt.
Damn he’s sexy.
I should say that.
My tongue refuses to form the words, though.
Instead, I fixate on my sister. “I’m so happy to hear that! Where is she? Can we go and get her right now?” I jump out of bed, then frantically try to straighten my crooked tank top that’s revealing more than I want it to.
His eyes flick down, following my movement, then he clears his throat.
“She’s up near Billings. I don’t have the exact address yet, but I’ll leave as soon as I do.” He leans against the frame, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
It makes the fabric so tight on his biceps it looks like it might rip.
I want him to squeeze me to him until I tear in half.
Except when I walk towards him, he backs into the hall, careful not to touch me.
Damn him.
No, damn me. I’m the one who fucked this all up.
“Did you already have coffee? I can make us a pot?” I try to throw out a peace offering.
“I’m fine, thanks. I was going to head up to Val’s for lunch.” His gaze narrows, like he’s waiting for my reaction.
My stomach twists. “Oh. That’s nice.”
I hope he knows that’s code for “I hate that you’re torturing me like this”.
All I want to do is climb up the trunk of his body and beg for forgiveness.
He jaunts his hip against the counter. “Did you want to come with me?
Play it cool.
“Sure.” Maybe a little time with him will give me the chance to apologize for overreacting.
I just can’t seem to make myself spit out the words.
He lingers like he wants to say something, but turns away. “Will half an hour from now work?”
“Yea.” Filling the decanter is enough of a distraction at the moment.
What am I going to do? Apologize because he fucked my mom?
No, but I will because I held it against him.
He’s right. I was a kid. I had no claim to him before a few weeks ago.
Do I even have one now?
I would if I pulled my head out of my ass.
While the coffee is brewing, I change out of my wrinkled sleeping clothes and put on a dark blue blouse with a pair of white shorts.
Top button? Let’s just leave that undone.
I want him to be tempted by my tits.
Mesmerized by my mammaries.
Bedazzled by my boo—
Stop.
Preening in front of the mirror isn’t telling him the important stuff.
Like the truth.
I have no doubts I could seduce him again, but he deserves more.
We’ve been living like roommates the last few days, barely exchanging any conversation.
I miss it. I want that connection back and more.
After tossing my long, black hair up in a ponytail, and giving myself a swipe of lip gloss, I find him stretched out on the couch.
His hat hangs low over his eyes, but raises so he can appraise me. The muscle of his jaw tightens into a starburst below his temple. “You’re fast,” he grunts.
I can’t see enough of his face to tell if he’s being sarcastic or not.
So I shrug. “I didn’t want you waiting too long.”
Reaching into the top of the cupboard, I grab out two to-go cups and fill them to the top.
He might not have asked, but I know he drinks a lot of coffee and it won’t go to waste.
When I hand him his as he stands next to the passenger door, his brows shoot up his forehead. “Thanks?”
Last time we left together, he didn’t open my side.
This time he does.
Interesting.
Maybe he’s not horribly mad at me?
“So, I was thinking after lunch we could pick up some stuff for Cynthia’s room? I have no idea what she’d like.” He drapes his arm on the console, tempting me to want to reach out.
Geez, I’m such a chicken shit. I stuff my hands between my knees as we drive. “That sounds very kind. You’ll like her, she’s an easy going kid.”
“We still haven’t pinpointed who put her in the foster home.
Apparently it’s a group facility run by a retired nurse.
Hopefully that means she wasn’t hurt while she was there.
” He grits his teeth, then squeezes the steering wheel.
“I better get a copy of her paperwork. That’ll tell us who sent her there. ”
My heart races at the fact that I might get to see my sister soon.
After all of this, just knowing she’s safe and will be taken care of makes it worth it.
Pulling into the parking lot of the Hilltop Bar, my hackles rise knowing Val will be in there.
Here I am, feeling jealous over him, yet keeping him at arm’s length.
What the hell is wrong with me?
He crosses quickly around the front of the truck to get to my door, then holds up his palm.
Gingerly, I slide my fingers over his, the burning from his touch runs down my arm to sizzle deep in my belly.
“Thank you.” I almost add a daddy to the end.
There aren’t many people inside, so we have our choice of tables.
Wade leads me towards the far corner, then takes a seat where he can see the room.
Must be some sort of cop thing to always be watching?
“Howdy.” Val appears, sliding a plastic covered menu in front of each of us.
She offers me a wide smile with a hint of mischief twinkling in her green eyes. “Did Wade tell you I’m hiring? I told him if you get bored, I could use the help.”
Wade glances between the two of us.
“I appreciate the offer.” I don’t want to commit to anything.
“Since you’ve been staying at Wade’s, I hardly get to see him anymore. Maybe if you worked here, I’d get to see his handsome face a little more often.” She turns and throws him a blatant wink.
What. The. Fuck?
My pulse rages in my ears.
His neck turns a dark shade of violet as he reaches for a glass of water. “Funny, Val. I’ll take a Philly cheesesteak. Elena?”
He pierces me with his amber gaze.
I’ve forgotten how to read. The letters swim in front of me. “I’ll have the same,” I say curtly, then hand her my menu.
It’s a struggle to control my breathing watching her saunter away.
Wade shifts his chair closer until our knees brush. “You know she’s messing with you, right?”
My jaw clenches around my words. “Why would she do that?” I have the urge to kiss him in front of everyone.
He chuckles, draping his wrist on the back of my seat. “Because I told her the other day you were pissed at me. She said it was because you liked me. By the look on your face, I think she’s right.”
“So you and her never—”
He leans close enough that our shoulders touch. “Zero interest. If I had to be perfectly honest, Val scares the shit outta me.” The corner of his mouth rises in a smirk. “I don’t like to be bossed around as much as I like being in charge.”
“I like it when you do,” I admit quietly.
That lovely rumble vibrates deep in his chest that makes my thighs clench under the table. “When you listen.”
A tiny bell rings above the door, heralding the entrance of the devil.
Well, Paige.
Seeing her walk in and immediately land her eyes on Wade makes me want to jump up and yell at her to leave.
Then a tall, good looking cowboy with a trimmed beard follows her, and she turns to him.
They talk closely before choosing a table a few feet away.
“Who’s the guy?” I whisper to Wade.
“Her husband, Ollie.” Wade lets out a long exhale, then kicks his legs out in a relaxed recline. “He’s got a construction outfit so he’s gone a lot.”
I watch their stilted conversation for a moment. I didn’t expect her to land someone cute.
“We can go if you want? There’s other places to eat.” Wade keeps his voice low.
There’s a part of me that considers it.
But then I see her eyes land on us over her husband’s shoulder.
The thought of her, or anyone else with Wade sends a feeling of possessive rage through me.
Turning to him, I give him a sweet smile, then stroke his cheek with my fingertip. “No, daddy. I want to stay right here with you.” My touch winds down the buttons of his shirt until I reach down to cup his thigh, just brushing the bulge of his crotch.
His sharp inhale tells me everything.
“Elena, don’t start something you don’t want to finish,” he hisses while my thumb moves a slow circle over the taut denim.
“I should have never stopped. It drives me crazy thinking you could be with anyone else. It’s what scared me enough to pull away. I’ve never wanted someone like I want you.” I meet his eyes, unwavering.
His head shakes and his hand moves from the back of my seat to splay across my spine. “There will never be anyone else. You’re all I see.”
I believe him, because I feel the same.
“Kiss me, Wade.” I move closer, tucking my other hand between his legs.
A smirk drifts over his lips as he stares into me. “Are you asking me because you really want it, or is it to make Paige jealous?”
“Is it wrong that it’s both?” I can’t fight the grin.
He lifts his arm, tracing my chin with his thumb. His gentle touch sends a wave of goosebumps over my body. “No, I like that you want me to publicly claim you. Does this mean you trust me to take care of you, that you’re my little girl?”
“Yes, daddy,” I exhale and let my eyes fall closed.