Finding West (15 page)

17

KAT

What the hell just happened?

One minute I was deliriously happy, baking cinnamon rolls—
and I only make those on truly special occasions, which meant I hadn’t made them in years—and the next, I was finding out that I was just another name in a long list of conquests.

It hurt like a motherfucker. My chest felt tight
and my head was pounding from trying to wrap my mind around his new revelation. West was a womanizer. Of course I fell for the act in the space of a few days. I wanted to kick myself for being such a dumbass.

But a p
art of me wanted to believe him when he said he cared about me. I didn’t want to be wrong about the sincerity of his kisses and his touch. He had listened and gotten to know me before anything else. That had to count for something, right?

Memories of people pointing and laughing behind my back
echoed in the recesses of my mind, reminding me of the humiliation I’d suffered and run away from many years ago. But this—this burning ache in my chest had happened once before, when Kyle had invited me to prom. He had pretended to understand me, pretended that he actually cared about me, when in reality it had all been an act. All he’d wanted was to prove to his friends that he could tame the shrew and get her on her knees.

I hoped to hell he still had my teeth marks
on his dick.

“You need to get your ass out of here before I really break your nose
.”

West
didn’t move to get his stuff. Instead he kept his bare feet planted on the linoleum floor, his arms folded across his chest. “I’m not leaving.”

“Excuse me?”

He lifted his chin. “You’re going to have to get a bulldozer if you want me out of here.”

I stalked over to him and
pushed against his stomach. West remained unmoved, standing tall like a fucking statue. I think I might have even spied a tiny lift to the edges of his mouth.

“I thought you were stronger than that?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“Get out of here!” I pushed again, bending my knees and digging the balls of my feet into the floor to get some leverage. I knew I was getting somewhere when I felt him lean his weight against my shoulder to not topple backwards. The harder I pushed, the heavier he became.

So I dove
to the side and allowed him to fall forward.

He stumbled to one knee
but quickly recovered, spinning around to grab me around the waist. I struggled against him, clawing at his arms and kicking my feet. I jabbed with my elbow and felt him flinch.

Before I could react, he flipped me over and I found myself on the floor, staring up into his face.
His hands were like manacles on my wrists and his large body held me down, his legs clamped around my own to keep me from kicking. I struggled for a few seconds but gave up the fight. I admit: I let myself become trapped because deep down, I was still hoping to be proven wrong. I was still holding onto the hope that my West would never betray me.

He was breathing hard
as he stared down at me with his eyebrows drawn together.

“
I told you to leave.”

He shook his head. “No, Kat. I’m staying right here until you believe me.”

“Believe what? That you’re a—”

His mouth
descended upon mine, his tongue pushing its way inside. I opened up to him and kissed back, lifting my head up off the floor to get more of him.

When we were almost out of breath, he pulled away.
“I love you,” he said between breaths.

I blinked up at him.
“Get off me.”

With a flare of his nostrils, he rolled off me and
onto his back, folding an arm over his eyes.

My entire body broke out in goosebumps
from the absence of his warmth. Without his weight I was finally able to take in deep breaths, but it didn’t help the tightness in my lungs. Those three words floated around my head, but I refused to acknowledge them, refused to think a man like him could actually feel that way about anyone, especially me.  

He turned his head and fixed those gray eyes on my face.
“You know, I’ve never fought for anyone before. I’ve never wanted to. But you changed everything.”

“I don’t want to be just another notch on your bedpost,” I said, my voice hitching with my confession.

“Kat,” he sighed and touched my face tenderly. “You’re not a notch. You’re the axe that broke the bedpost in half.”

I laughed despite myself and leaned my face into his palm.
I must have hit my head on the floor and suffered mini-amnesia of my own because I was starting to forget the reason I was resisting him.

“
God, I love you,” he said, trailing his thumb along my lower lip.

“
You said that already.”

“I love you.”

I took a deep breath and fought off a smile. “Okay, I get it.”

“I love you.”

I covered his mouth. “Stop.”

He pulled my hand away. “I love you,” he said once more.

I knew what he was waiting for, knew that he’d probably stay there all day and repeat those same three words until I responded in kind.

He kissed my nose. “I love you.”

I took a deep breath and tried to control the heart that was pounding wildly in my chest. “I believe you,” I said, finally giving in.

~

For the next few days West and I were holed up in my house, screwing like rabbits, trying various positions that I’d only ever imagined. It was, to be honest, the most liberating, exhilarating time of my life, as if nothing outside my house mattered. Only West and I existed in our little bubble where time stopped.

On the third day
I suggested we venture outside and eat out for a change, out of fear he’d grow tired of me and only me.

I questioned this decision as soon as we step
ped inside The Diner and everyone’s heads swiveled in our direction.

“Is it like this for you every time?” he whispered as
we walked towards an empty table in the back.

“No. Usually I slip in without any
one noticing.”

Franny appeared at our
table almost immediately, setting down two mugs and filling mine from her carafe. “Coffee?” she asked West with a flirty little smile.

He gave a small nod. “Please.”

After she took our orders West said, “I’ll be right back,” took a gulp of coffee, then stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll tell you after,” he said with a wink. “I’d rather not jinx it.”

I watched him walk out, noticing other customers doing the same. When he wa
s out of sight they spoke amongst themselves, casting quick glances my way. I looked away, pretending I hadn’t seen them gossiping about me. It had been a while since I’d given them anything juicy to talk about; I suppose I was due for another run through the Ayashe gossip mill.

“Okay, girl, tell me everything,” Franny said, sliding in the seat
vacated by West. “Word is that he’s an outsider and that he’s staying with you.”

I nodded, surprised at the accuracy of the gossip. “True.”

“I heard a theory that he’s an actor and he’s hiding out here from the paparazzi.”

I was
amused until I realized there might be some truth in that. “Why? Do you know anything? Is it on the news or something?”

She laughed. “Not that I know of. That was Dale’s theory, but you know him,” she said,
drawing circles around her ear and lifting her eyes to the ceiling.

“He’s lost his memory,” I found myself saying
, surprised that I was actually conversing with her. “So he’s staying with me until Drew figures out what to do with him.”

Her eyes were wide when she asked, “
Are you two…?”

I took a sip of coffee to delay answering the question, actually considering telling her the truth.
Franny had access to every person in town and could very well spread the news by the end of the day, but a part of me wanted to trust her. Hell, I’d already handed my heart over to a complete stranger; might as well trust the person who’d served me food for years too.

I nodded. “But please don’
t tell anyone.”

She locke
d her lips and smiled. “I won’t. Promise,” she said. “But I have to warn you, everyone assumes that already.”

I snorted.
“Figures.”

A bell dinged in the kitchen, lett
ing Franny know an order was ready. “Okay, I gotta go and waitress,” she said, getting back to her feet. She gave me a tentative smile. “This was nice, chatting with you.”

“
Yeah, it was,” I said then found myself adding, “we should do it again sometime.”

“Yeah, I’d love that.”

West came back a few
minutes after our food arrived, taking off his coat before sliding into the booth. “You are now looking at an employed man,” he said with a pleased grin. Without further fanfare, he picked up his fork and began to eat.

“Wait, what?” I asked. “Where?”

He held up a finger and finished chewing. “At Laurie’s General Store.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Laurie gave you a job?”

“No, Jim did, Laurie’s uncle. She’s been out with a broken ankle and Jim needed some extra help,” West said. “I’ll be working a few hours a day, stocking and whatever else he needs me to do.”

“What did you write down as your permanent address? Social security number? Name?”

“I just told him I was your boyfriend and he said that was good enough for him. He wants to pay me cash to avoid any paperwork.”

I had to admit, I halfway stopped listening after he uttered the word
boyfriend
.

I must have looked shell-shocked, or maybe my mouth was hanging open, because West said, “Don’t look so
aghast. Would you rather I call myself your lover?”

I closed my eyes
as the roughened texture of his voice sent tingles down my spine. We’d used up an entire box of condoms the past few days, and still he could turn me on at the drop of a hat.

When I opened my eyes, he was
shoveling food in his mouth like nothing had happened.

“Are you done here?” he asked after finishing his scrambled eggs.

I looked down at my half-eaten plate, food the last thing on my mind. “I guess.”

“Good,” he said, grabbing our coats and my hand, practica
lly dragging me out of the restaurant. “Because I need to be inside you right now.”

“Jim’s going to think we’re sex maniacs,” I said when West produced a new box of condoms in my room.

He ripped open a package and rolled it
on his erect shaft. “Come here,” he said, crooking a finger at me. “And let’s prove him right.”

He positioned himself above me
, lowering his hips slowly until he filled me completely. West closed his eyes and groaned. “That will never stop feeling amazing,” he said, his large hands grabbing my legs and pulling them further apart. He pulled out then drove back in, filling me deeper.

He grabbed my wrists and held them above my
head. “Tonight you’re mine,” he said against my lips.

“
You think so?” I asked, enjoying the weight of him stretched on top of me. I clamped my ankles around his butt to keep him from moving.

He flashed me a wolfish grin, baring his teeth as he
moved, deep little thrusts that hit the spot in the most exquisite way. I tightened around his shaft and dug my nails into the headboard, no doubt creating indents in the wood, feeling my entire body clenching with anticipation.

I came with a soft cry, my entire body quavering. Free
from my hold, he wrapped his arms around my back as he lengthened his strokes and plowed into me. He grabbed my hair and pulled, exposing my neck and planting kisses along my jaw.

He buried his face in my hair, his
entire body bowing as he climaxed. I grabbed his ass and pulled him deeper into me; he grunted in appreciation and bit my earlobe as he continued to come.

“I love you, Kat,” he groaned as he came down from the high.

I wrapped my arms around him and felt his heart beating against my own. “I know, West. I know.”

It still bothered me that he’
d been with many women before me, but I convinced myself that I could look past his past promiscuity and focus on the man before me now. If nothing else, I knew one thing for certain: West was telling the truth when he said he wanted to stay.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt a little
vine of hope crawl across my heart.