Fucking heaven. I’d never forget that smell of vanilla and coffee mixed together.
“Trevor,” she whispered, right before I pressed my lips to hers. Her hand landed on my chest, and I thought for a moment she was going to push me away, but she gripped onto my T-shirt and pulled me closer to her while she raised up onto her toes. Our kiss deepened as I pushed my fingers through her hair and held her tightly. I’d never in my life experienced a kiss like that.
When we broke apart, our breath was deep, labored. Leaning my forehead against hers, I was about to ask her for her phone number when she spoke first.
“I’m not like the girls you’re normally with, Trevor.”
My eyes closed. What did she mean by that? That we could never be together? I wanted to tell her I didn’t want her for that reason. That I knew she wasn’t the type of girl to love ‘em and leave ‘em. Hell, I wanted to get to know her. Talk to her. Find out what she loved, hated, dreamed about. But none of that would come out. I could only manage to get two words out.
“I know.”
Taking a step away, I stared into her eyes and willed myself to say the things I had just thought.
Nothing came out.
My hands were shaking so I slipped them into my pockets. It was like she was waiting for me to say something, and I had no fucking clue what to say.
Pulling in a deep breath, she let out a gruff laugh and shook her head.
“Right. Okay, well, thank you for the coffee.”
Scarlett spun around and opened her door. She went to close it, but I grabbed it before it could shut.
“I…I really enjoyed talking to you, Scarlett.”
With the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen, she replied, “Me too, Trevor. See you around.”
Nodding, I let the door go and took a few steps back. The car started and I stood on the sidewalk and watched until I couldn’t see her anymore.
My head dropped back as I closed my eyes. It was the first time in my life I felt like I had just lost something. Something special.
Present day
I downed another shot and stared straight ahead, watching the scene play out at my old high school buddy’s bachelor party in the private room at one of the local dive bars in Oak Springs. I was buzzed and that helped me to forget that Scarlett was still ignoring me.
“Why don’t you let me give you a ride home? You’re pretty trashed,” Wade yelled at me.
“Fuck no! It’s Brad’s bachelor party. I’m not leaving until I make sure he gets fucked by the stripper…and I’m not trashed.”
Wade rolled his eyes. “Dude, he’s not fucking a stripper a few days before his wedding.”
“Why not?” I asked as I eyed the blonde. Those seemed to be the type I was going for lately. They had to be blonde, or I couldn’t fuck them. As a matter of fact, I was finding myself having a hard time fucking any woman lately. I hadn’t been with anyone in weeks. Hell…it had been months—if I didn’t count Scarlett. I messed around with a few girls, but I couldn’t get past that. I didn’t want them.
I wanted Scarlett.
“I’d fuck her,” I deadpanned.
The stripper looked my way and grinned before she walked toward me. She had wrapped up her little dance and had been talking to Brad before she heard my comment. She sat right on my lap, her glorious tits all in my face.
“Want to go home with me, baby?” I asked, my mouth against her ear, my hand on her thong-covered ass. She winked as she pushed into me. Too bad my dick wasn’t really in the mood. Pushing her off, I stood.
“Hell yeah. I’m getting lucky tonight,” I said, reaching for her hand.
Wade pulled me to a stop and shook his head. “Damn, Trevor. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
He shrugged and then leaned in closer. “Scarlett?”
I tossed my head back and laughed—even her name felt like a knife in my chest. I acted like I wasn’t slowly dying inside. I’d tried calling her earlier when I was still sober. I wanted to stop by and talk, but she sent me to voicemail. Like she did every time I called her. She’d been avoiding me ever since that day she saw me talking to Traci Stephens, Sierra’s best friend, and the maid of honor in Brad’s wedding.
We’d all met that day to talk about the destination wedding Brad and Sierra were having. I hadn’t met Traci before and she was flirting with me something fierce. I gave her some harmless flirting back, with no intentions of doing anything. Scarlett had seen it all go down. I knew what it looked like. I also knew I was a motherfucker for the way I had treated Scarlett a month before that. It was the last time we’d slept together, and the only time I’d ever been reckless while having sex. The memory of that night came crashing back to me.