Desperate Chances (24 page)

It had been a few days since I had ended up at Barton’s with the entire gang to celebrate Gracie’s new job. I had had no intention of staying, knowing it would be awkward. But after our talk about her mom, Gracie and I seemed to enter into a level of comfort we hadn’t felt in a long time. So I had ended up staying for another hour.

We talked about her job. We laughed with our friends. For a brief time it was simple. Uncomplicated. I had forgotten what that was like.

Then Sophie had called and I had to leave.

And I didn’t want to.

I would have stayed all afternoon, sitting across from Gracie, remembering what it was like to be her friend.

Her friend.

Wasn’t that what got us into this weird place to begin with?

But I realized that I had been a jerk to throw away her friendship because of my pride. I had lost something important in my haste to put distance between me and my broken heart.

I had lost the Gracie that I enjoyed being around.

“We keep bumping into each other, it seems,” she laughed. The wind was strong and her blonde hair blew into her eyes. She made a face and pulled the strands free of her mouth.

“The fun of living in a small town,” I said. I noticed that she was dressed in tailored black slacks and a cream silk blouse that molded to her breasts. The neck dipped into a modest V. It didn’t reveal anything really. Just the slight hint of cleavage. It certainly wasn’t anything most men would have fixated on. But it was Gracie. And I was Mitch. I couldn’t help myself from staring at the smooth skin of her chest.

She lifted her hair and draped it over her shoulder, revealing the long, graceful curve of her neck.

She tasted like strawberries and sweat. My tongue glided up the column of her throat and I wanted to devour her.

All of her.

She moaned deep and low in the back of her throat. I lifted her leg and hitched it over my hip. She was just the right angle to go deep. I slid inside of her again. Even though I had just come, I was already hard for her again. She was wet, so fucking wet. There was no resistance as I thrust into her.

“Mitch,” she whispered, her voice raw, her eyes heavy lidded. I covered her mouth with mine as I buried myself to the hilt inside of her perfect, wet warmth.

She repeated my name over and over as I began to move my hips. She rose up to meet each push. It was a litany. A prayer. We came together.

Together.

Always together.

“Hello. Earth to Mitch,” Gracie called out, wiggling her fingers in front of my face.

Damn. I had a hard-on. This was the problem with looking at her. Blue balls and mortification.

“Sorry, my mind’s somewhere else
.”
I blinked a few times and tried to think of dead kittens and naked grandmas. Anything to get rid of the straining bulge in my pants.

I finished pumping my gas just as Gracie was grabbing her purse from her car. We walked into the station together. I held the door open and she gave me a pretty smile.

“Always the knight,” she grinned.

“Always,” I grinned back.

We got in line to pay for our gas and without thinking I grabbed a pack of Twizzlers and a Baby Ruth. After I paid, I handed her the chocolate bar, not thinking it would elicit the reaction that it did.

It was just a bar of chocolate after all.

Gracie’s bottom lip quivered. For just a moment I thought she was going to cry. Crap. What had I done?

She took a deep, shuddering breath and quickly unwrapped the Baby Ruth, taking a big bite. “I haven’t had one of these in…well, a long time,” she said, after swallowing.

“I know how much you love them,” I shrugged. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Me getting her a candy bar. But looking in her eyes, I knew that it was.

Simple gestures between us could never be easy. Not now.

For years, every time that I went into a store I made sure to buy Gracie her favorite candy bar. I had done it because I knew they brought a smile to her face. And that was my favorite pasttime. Making Gracie Cook happy.

And I couldn’t ignore how good it made me feel to see that smile on her face now. Because of something I had done for her.

We walked outside and paused just beside the door. “So, what’s with the getup? You look nice.” I gave the compliment easily. Because it was true.

She flushed a little and that made my chest tighten. “It was my first day as a fulltime writer at the magazine,” she announced with pride.

“Oh, wow, that’s awesome, G! How did it go?” I asked her.

I had called her G.

Sometimes it just slipped out.

That level of familiarity.

I couldn’t help it. It was still there no matter how hard I had tried to pretend it wasn’t.

“It was pretty cool. It’s an amazing opportunity. One I never really thought I’d have, so I’m beyond grateful for it,” she said, shoving her hands down into her coat pockets. It was cold. Too cold to be standing outside shootin’ shit but neither of us seemed in a rush to go anywhere.

“Well, you’ve worked hard for it. I’m really proud of you, Gracie. You’ve come a long way,” I said.

“Sometimes I think about what happened before, when I almost died, and I can hardly believe I’m still standing here.” A piece of her hair got stuck in her earring and before I knew what I was doing, I reached out and tugged it free.

My fingers fell to the side of her neck and lingered there. Cold skin to fevered flesh. I could smell her. She still smelled like strawberries. I hadn’t been able to stomach the scent for almost a year after…

I dropped my hand, realizing I was still touching her.

“You’re too tough to let anything stop you. I always knew it. I’m just glad you’re finally figuring it out as well.” My voice shook, damn it. But I meant it. Every word.

“Thanks, Mitch. That means a lot.” And I could tell it did. Gracie had never been able to lie to me.

Except when you let her into your room and you thought you had a future together. She lied to you then. She made you think that by giving you her body, she was giving you here heart. She made you actually think that you had a chance.

“I’d better get going,” I said, jerking my thumb in the direction of my car.

“Yeah, me too. I’ve got to hit the grocery store before going home. Fingers crossed I don’t walk in to find Cole walking around naked in the kitchen, again.” Gracie made a face.

“Well, you can always use Chunky Monkey.” I hadn’t meant to say it. But I did. It was out there now.

Why did I keep doing this? Reminding the both of us of who we used to be to each other?

Because being back in Bakersville made everything different. We both felt it.

She gave me a small smile but didn’t respond to my offer. It was probably for the best. It had been a moment of weakness. I had a lot of those around her.

“You’re still driving that thing? It hasn’t blown up yet?” I asked her, indicating the ten-year-old Honda she had always driven.

“Not all of us can afford brand new Jeeps.” She motioned to my vehicle, one of the few splurges I had allowed myself with the advance money from the label.

“You need to get those tires changed. You’ll cause an accident,” I couldn’t help lecturing. I noted how bald they were. She shouldn’t be driving that thing. It was a death trap with bad weather in the forecast.

I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her…

“You should let me drive you home.”

Gracie laughed, shaking her head. “You’ve always been such a worry wart, Mitch. I’m fine. But I promise to get my tires sorted ASAP,” she promised even though it didn’t make me feel better. “I appreciate you looking out for me. It’s nice,” she paused. “I’d forgotten how much.”

Warmth flooded through me. My heart thudded painfully in my chest.

I had to go. I couldn’t stand there with her when I was supposed to be somewhere else. With someone else…

Sophie…

“Yeah, well make sure you do. I’ll be giving you grief if you don’t,” I threatened with a smirk.

“I’m counting on it,” she countered.

“I’m sure you are.” My voice sounded husky.

Were we flirting?

What the hell?

“Are you coming to our show next weekend? It’d be great to see you there,” I said suddenly. It was like word vomit. It came out of nowhere. With no warning. And it spewed all over the place.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she said, her fingers gripping her car door, her eyes burning into mine.

Why was I having such a hard time breathing?

Breathe, damn it! Before you pass out!

“Oh. Okay. Well. Um. That’s good. I’ve—uh—I’ve got to go,” I said in a rush, getting into my car and slamming the door shut. She waved at me and I waved back, putting the car into reverse and getting the hell out of there.

But I looked in the rearview mirror.

I could see her standing there. Watching me leave.

Fuck.

“L
et’s go,” Sophie said once I arrived to pick her up. She had run out the door as soon as I pulled into the driveway. I didn’t even have the chance to get out of the car.

I had only been to her house twice before and never for long. I had never met her Dad, who also lived there. I never really pushed it because it hadn’t mattered. Sophie came and saw me on the road or when I was home. She worked around
my
schedule. What suited me. It was convenient.

But as the two of us drove to Garrett’s, I found it strange that I didn’t really know a whole lot about the woman I had dated for a year.

I knew basic fact. Bits and pieces.

I knew that she worked at her dad’s garage, which is why she was able to get so much time off to see me. I knew that she had two older sisters who she didn’t really get along with. Her mom had left when she was in high school and that’s when she moved to Bakersville.

I knew that she was a nice person. She was sweet and shy and unobtrusive. She went along for the ride without ever questioning where we were headed. She was simple. Easy.

But I never saw her vulnerability. Her tears. I never looked into her eyes and saw the parts of her that she kept hidden from everyone else.

We were shallow. Barely touching the surface.

She had tried to help me heal my heart. But had it really worked?

I wasn’t so sure.

I didn’t think Sophie had ever really given me anything of substance that I could move on
to.

And I felt like shit for thinking that.

“I’ve missed you. I haven’t really seen you since we’ve been back,” Sophie said once we arrived at Garrett’s. We walked up to the porch, close but not touching. I didn’t feel the need to reach out and take her hand. I was okay keeping my distance. There was something seriously wrong with that.

“Yeah, it’s been a little nuts,” I excused. Lies. All lies. I could have seen her. But the truth was I hadn’t thought about it.

Being back in Bakersville always messed with my head. But this time more so than ever before.

And I had bought Gracie a fucking Baby Ruth and told her that I wanted her to come to the show.

I was ridiculous.

“Do you think I could stay over tonight? It’s been a while,” she murmured, pulling on my belt buckle, her eyes coy and meant to be seductive.

“Uh, well, I’m pretty tired—” I started to say.

Was I really giving her the “I’m tired” speech? Why don’t I just tell her I have to wash my hair?

Sophie pouted, her hands sliding up the front of my shirt and connecting with bare skin. Her nails scrapped along my abdomen and I felt…
nothing.

Not a dick twinge. Not a belly flip. Nada. Nothin’.

“I think you’ll feel better when I have my mouth wrapped around your—”

“Get your ass in here! We’ve been waiting for almost a fucking hour!” Cole yelled, throwing open the door.

Sophie let out an exasperated breath and pulled her hands out from under my shirt.

“It’s Tits McGee! Wow, I was starting to think you were history,” Cole remarked and I should have gotten pissed at his disrespect towards my girlfriend.

But I didn’t say anything. Sophie glared when I didn’t tell Cole to shut up and stomped into the house.

“Why did you bring the wet mop, dude? I thought you’d be done with her by now,” Cole asked, not even trying to lower his voice.

“Seriously, give me a break,” I said tiredly. Cole shrugged and went into the living room and I headed to the kitchen.

Maysie was at the counter, Jordan standing behind her, his hands on her hips. He was whispering something in her ear and I could see that she was blushing.

I wanted that. I wanted
happiness…

“Hey guys,” I said and they looked back at me.

“Hey man, glad you’re here. Maysie’.” Jordan said, slapping my hand and then resumed kissing the back of his fiancée’s neck. I had to look away.