Chapter 24
Ican’t get over how much growth this area has seen in the time I’ve been gone. I’ve been driving around in my dad’s old truck for over an hour, taking it all in. Right on the outskirts of town, there’s a relatively new shopping center with various stores, including a Piggly Wiggly, a CVS, and a Walmart. Luckily for me, they also had a Verizon store, so I didn’t have to travel forty-five minutes each way to get a new phone. For obvious reasons, I needed to get rid of my joint account with Sebastian. As much as things have changed around here, I’m pleased to see Main Street seems relatively untouched, except for a few new businesses, namely the coffee shop I’ve got my eye on. It’s not even noon yet, and I’m already dragging, so I decide a caffeine boost is in order.
I haven’t slept well in quite some time, but it’s been even worse over the last few weeks. I’ve been plagued with these horrible dreams about the night I confronted Sebastian. I keep reliving that moment again and again with startling clarity. When I wake up, my heart is racing out of my chest, and I’m so distraught, falling back asleep is next to impossible. Last night was especially rough because I had only been asleep for two hours before the nightmare woke me.
A bell dings over the door as I walk into Java House. I take a deep breath inhaling the aroma of freshly ground coffee. When I look up and see a familiar face behind the counter, my eyes widen.
“Nicky?” Damn. She was always pretty, but she’s become even more beautiful over the years.
Nicky’s pale blue eyes narrow, and her lip curls. What the heck?
“It’s Nicole now.”
“Oh. Um... okay. How’ve you been, Nicole? It’s good to see you.”
I don’t understand why she’s giving off such hostile vibes, but I know I do not imagine it. Is she mad at me for not reaching out to her after I moved? We were friends in high school, but we weren’t especially close. She wasn’t the person I confided in or spent any significant time with except cheerleading. Beck and I were together so often, we didn’t see our friends much outside of school or bonfires.
Nicky... uh, Nicole smiles. It’s a practiced smile, one I’m familiar with. Whenever Sebastian needed me to attend a business function with him all night long, I’d be on the receiving end of those plastic smiles.
“Why, I’ve been great, Presley. Aren’t you sweet for askin’?”
I don’t miss the fact that she doesn’t ask how I’ve been.
“Sure. Of course.” I look around the cute little shop. “So, you work here?”
Nicole straightens her spine. “I own it. All by myself.”
“Oh, that’s great. Congratulations.”
There’s that smile again. “Aw, bless your heart.”
Okay, I’ve been up north for a long time, but I haven’t forgotten the versatility of that statement. In the South, “Bless your heart” can serve as a genuine sign of sympathy or concern. But when it’s spoken in that tone—the one that’s sugary sweet but laced with arsenic—it’s typically a precursor to an insult.
I tilt my head to the side. “I’m sorry, Nicole, but I get the feeling you’re mad at me for some reason. Is everything okay?”
She places her open palm against her chest. “Of course, it is. Everything is wonderful. Business is great. I have a sexy, oh-so-talented man to warm my bed all night long. What could be bad about that?”
Well, this is awkward. I don’t remember Nicole being so brash.
“Uh... good for you. I hate to cut this short, but I really need to get back to the ranch. Could I please get a twelve-ounce vanilla latte for the road?”
“Sure, hun.” Nicole gets to work brewing some espresso and steaming the milk. “How long are you in town, Presley? Beckett mentioned you were back, but he wasn’t sure how long you were stayin’.”
My chest tightens as she says his name. “You still talk to Beckett?”
“Of course, I do, silly. Well, when we’re not too busy burnin’ up the sheets, anyway.” Nicole winks.
I blink rapidly, stunned. “You and Beckett are... seeing each other?”
She nods. “For about two years now.”
“Oh.” I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. “Is it... are you two serious?”
I know I have no right to ask, nor reason to care, but the words just seem to fall out of my mouth.
She chuckles. “Well, we were recently talkin’ about marriage, so I think that’s pretty serious, don’t you?”
Wow. I don’t know what to say. I never expected Beck to be a monk, but I’m caught off guard by the fact that he’s dating one of my old friends. Like the song says, I guess that’s just how it goes when you break up in a small town. Obviously, my brother was wrong about Beck not letting anyone get close to him.
“Speakin’ of marriage... if you don’t mind me pryin’. I notice you’re not wearing a wedding band.” Nicole sets the to-go cup on the counter. “You poor thing. Is that why you’re back? Because your marriage to that handsome billionaire failed?”
My face flushes with anger. Nicole was always insecure, which I never understood because she’s absolutely gorgeous. But I don’t ever remember her being downright nasty. Her motive couldn’t possibly be any more apparent. She’s not happy I’ve returned—probably because she considers me a threat due to my history with Beck—and she’s going to do her damnedest to cut me down, so she can make herself feel better. Too bad for her, I’m well-versed in this game, and I have no intention of letting her walk all over me. I’m so over biting my tongue. That was something Presley Winters would do. Well, as this scornful woman is about to learn, Presley James is making a comeback.
I dig a ten-dollar bill out of my purse and set it on the counter before grabbing the cup of coffee. “Nicky, I know you’re threatened by me, but let me assure you?—”
“Threatened by you?!” she sputters. “Hardly.”
I hold my hand up. “As I was saying, let me assure you, I am not in the market for a man, so you need to get that through your head now. If you and Beck are havin’ troubles, that has nothing to do with me. Your relationship with him is none of my business, just like my relationship is none of yours. Don’t project your insecurities onto me. I’ve got plenty of my own shit to worry about; I definitely don’t need any of yours piled on top of it.”
“You have some nerve!” Nicky folds her arms over her ample chest. “I don’t have a single thing to be insecure about, least of all my relationship with Beckett. If anyone’s projectin’ somethin’, it’s you. If you think he’ll come running back to you, you’re sorely mistaken, Presley. He wants nothing to do with you after the way you treated him. In fact, he once told me he’d prefer it if you never came back, so maybe you should think about that next time you want to throw around accusations. You’re nothing to me and nothing to Beckett.”
This is pointless. Nicky obviously has no interest in listening to reason.
I hold up the coffee. “Thanks for the latte. Good luck with everything.”
Her shrill scream is cut off as I leave the store. I’m in such a hurry to get out of there, I’m not looking where I’m going until it’s too late.
“Shit!” I stumble backward after bouncing off a hard chest, hot coffee spilling all over my hand.
“Damn it!” a deep voice booms, reaching out to steady me. “What the hell, Presley? Where’s the fire?”
I gasp as his large hand curls around my elbow. My eyes are trained on his white T-shirt, more specifically, the spot where my coffee has soaked through the cotton, making it cling to his rippled abs. Jesus. Beckett had a great body when we were younger, honed by good old-fashioned manual labor, but this is the body of a man. My stomach flutters, stirring up feelings I thought were long gone. I don’t know which one of us moves first, but we’re suddenly so close that only a few inches of space exist between us. I close my eyes, inhaling the same woodsy cologne he wore when we were together. Beck drops his head, our foreheads nearly touching as I breathe him in.
He releases my arm and moves the hand lower until his fingertips are digging into my denim-clad hip. The hunger between us is palpable. There’s an urgency to it that scorches my insides, overwhelming my senses. The outside world doesn’t matter. It’s just me and him, drawn together by this magnetic force neither one of us could ever deny.
My toes curl when Beck groans, then whispers, “Pres.”
I lean in a little farther, closing the gap between us. I think I moan when my peaked nipples brush against his upper abs. “Beckett.”
My voice is breathy, needy in a way I didn’t know I was capable of any longer. Like a rubber band stretched too thin, as soon as the words leave my mouth, Beck snaps back, breaking the spell we seemed to be under. We both look at each other, bewildered, as the cloud of lust dissipates and reality sets in. Now that I’m thinking clearly, I remember why I was in such a hurry in the first place.
My eyes narrow. “Excuse me. Obviously, I didn’t mean to ruin your shirt. If it doesn’t wash out, I’d be happy to replace it.”
“I don’t need you to replace my goddamn shirt, Presley,” he growls. “I just need you to watch where you’re goin’.”
“Duly noted. Now, if you’ll excuse me...” I try stepping around him, but Beckett’s hand lashes out again, grabbing my wrist.
“Hold on a second.”
My eyes flicker to my wrist. “Let go of me, Beckett. I didn’t give you permission to touch me.”
He pulls back again, shaking his head. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was confused about how his hand got there.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“Why does it matter?” I let out a tired sigh.
Beck’s bourbon eyes fall to my cup before making their way back to my face. Ah, I get it now. He’s wondering what just went down inside that store.
I roll my eyes. “Why don’t you go ask your girlfriend? You might have better luck.”
He briefly glances over my shoulder. We’re off to the side of the coffee shop, so I don’t think he’s able to see Nicky, but it’s obvious he’s thinking about her.
“What did she say to you?”
I scoff. “Don’t you mean what did I say to her? Don’t worry, Beck. I’m sure her precious feelings are just fine.”
He looks me dead in the eye. “What did she say to you, Presley?”
I startle, thrown off guard by the vehemence in his tone. I take the few steps necessary to get to my vehicle. Beck doesn’t try grabbing me again, but his eyes follow my every move.
“Nothing special. She was just needlessly marking her territory.”
His forehead creases. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
I hold my hand up. “Don’t bother, Beckett. I’m a big girl. A few bitchy comments aren’t going to break me. Trust me, I’ve been exposed to much worse. Catty women are nothing in the grand scheme of things. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back. Send me the bill for your shirt if the stain doesn’t come out.”
He opens his mouth to say something but snaps it shut when I open the truck door and seal myself inside. I can feel Beck watching me through the windshield as I put the key in the ignition and crank the engine. I can still feel the burn of his stare as I’m backing out and driving away. The buzz crawling beneath my skin doesn’t subside until I’ve turned a corner, completely cutting off his line of sight. I curl my shaking hands around the steering wheel, telling myself to calm down. I shiver when I remember the feel of his warm body pressed against mine and how strongly I reacted to his proximity.
Seriously, what the hell was that? How can Beckett still have that kind of effect on me? After everything we’ve been through, after everything I’ve been through since, it shouldn’t be possible. Yet, as I glance down at the evidence of my arousal poking through my shirt, I know it’s true. My mind and my heart may be in tatters right now, but my body remembers his touch.
And unfortunately for me, it desperately wants more.