Page 13 of Meant for You

I wanted a taste of my best friend so bad, holding back felt like I was spread on a rack having my insides removed one organ at a time with a rusty fucking spoon.

She licked her lower lip and I jolted, my whole body getting in on the act as if I’d been nailed by a live wire.

I cleared my throat. Her face was flushed, and she was still looking up at me, eyes kind of bright and unfocused.

“I’ll give you your time, Eves,” I said, voice broken and husky. “You take your time to think about what you need from me, what it’ll take to get you back in my life, and let me know.” I tucked her hair behind her ear, because I had to touch her. I’d missed touching her. “I’ll be waiting. I won’t ever stop.”

She ducked her head and a moment later she was in her car.

I stood back, watching her drive away, doing my best to ignore the confused feelings battering me from the inside out. Once we were back to the way we were, I wouldn’t be confused anymore. It was just…she looked different, and I was so protective of her and…

“Brother, you are so fucked,” Riff called out.

I looked at him standing in one of the open windows of my apartment upstairs, smirking down at me. “Don’t trip and fall, asshole,” I called back.

He threw his head back and laughed, and I looked in the direction Everly had driven, knowing deep down that Grifter was right.

I was completely and utterly fucked.

Chapter Four

Everly

Ariel trotted around me on the end of a long lead, throwing her head around, kicking up dust, letting me know she wasn’t happy that I’d brought her in from her field. She was young still, one of the first foals from Cassy’s mare Tierra when she began her breeding program, and I thought she was magnificent.

She was also headstrong.

“All right, girl. It’s all right.” She finally calmed down, and I approached her and patted her nose, letting her know she’d done a good job, even if reluctantly.

After I released her back into the field closest to the barn, I headed back to my room to shower. My muscles ached in a way I liked after a hard day working and riding, and on a hot day like this, I was looking forward to a long cool shower.

“Hey, Eves!”

I glanced up, shielding my eyes from the late afternoon sun as Cassy headed toward me looking stressed, with Jack in her arms.

“What’s up?”

Cassy bit her lip, brows scrunching. “Our Springhaven ranchers’ committee meeting was switched to tonight, and I completely forgot. It’s an important one, and I really don’t want to miss it, but it’s going to run late, and trying to look after Jack while I’m there will be difficult, and I wondered…” She winced. “If you’re not doing anything tonight—”

“Of course I’ll look after Jack.”

I hated that she felt bad asking. I owed her so much, more than she would ever know, even though I’d tried to explain that to her more than once. But words didn’t seem to cut it. “You know I love that kid.”

“Are you sure you don’t have any plans?” Cassy said, still worried she was inconveniencing me. “A date maybe?”

“Nope. Nothing.” I wasn’t in a hurry to repeat my last dating disaster. I’d have a scar on my forehead to remind me what a dork I was for the foreseeable future.

My experience with guys before that was extremely limited, between my aunt, her rules, and her disapproval of every guy who’d ever asked me out, except that one time, and that had almost ended in Dane going to prison. Add in Dane scaring away any guy that came near me before that, and I’d not really had many opportunities to meet guys, and it showed.

I wasn’t completely innocent, of course. I’d been with a guy, I just didn’t know how to be with a guy in a normal dating situation and not be ridiculous. A lot of that boiled down to my extreme nerves over my lack of experience in all aspects of romantic relationships. Most almost-twenty-two-year-olds had already had a handful of lovers. I’d had one, and the idea of fumbling through number two gave me hives.

And I was so ready for number two.

Maybe I was overthinking it, but I didn’t think so. Evidence was stacking up—case in point: trying to kiss a guy and almost knocking myself out on his beer bottle.

Cassy bounced Jack on her hip. “Um…the only problem is I have to leave in, like, ten minutes, and Cal’s still working and won’t be done until late, and Jack hasn’t had his dinner yet.”

“No worries. I’ll grab a shower at the house once he’s fed and asleep.”