Kyle's Return (6 page)

I nodded. “I have an older brother and some aunts and
uncles. I don’t see them much anymore now that I work at the gym
all the time. My mother died from drinking and driving a few years
back and I never knew my father; he left when I was young.” Kyle
nodded, his brows furrowed. “What about yours? Talking about my
family can get kind of depressing.”

Before he could reply, Nic barreled into us,
laughing. “You guys should seriously be out there dancing.”
Grabbing our hands, she pulled us onto the dance floor and pushed
us together.

We were surrounded by gyrating bodies and if that
wasn’t awkward enough, I had Nic waggling her eyebrows at me from
behind Kyle’s back. I stood there like a limp fish, until Kyle
grabbed my hands and wrapped my arms around his neck. He then put
his hands on my waist and moved me closer, and closer.

“Don’t think about the music, love. Just move at
whatever pace you want.”

“I’m not a dancer.”

Smirking, he moved his hips against mine and I
shivered. “Neither am I, and you don’t see it stopping me.”

I closed my eyes and concentrated on my body and his.
His large hands were splayed on my hips and I could feel the heat
of his touch on my bare skin. The techno music that blared over the
speakers was kind of dark, erotic. It was perfect, considering it
reminded me of Kyle. He had a dark presence to him, but there was
also light.

His hands moved a tad lower on my back, pulling me
harder into his groin. The way my leg rubbed against him, I could
feel him getting harder. I started to panic, but he held me tight.
“Don’t stop,” he begged in my ear. “I’m not going to ask you to do
something you don’t want to do. It’s just been a while for me.”

I pulled my head back to look at him. Was he
serious?

“Since the accident . . . I’ve been focused on
walking,” he answered my unasked question.

“Wow, I bet that’s been total hell. If it makes you
feel any better, I haven’t been with anyone in over two years.”

“Why is that?”

“Long story,” I shouted.

We continued to dance together and I let go all of my
inhibitions and just moved to the rhythm. My body was sweaty and my
makeup was probably running down my face, but I had a good time.
“Do you want some water?” he asked.

I fanned myself and nodded. “Yes, I’m dying over
here. It’s hot as hell.”

Taking my hand, he led me to the bar and bought me a
bottle of water. I sucked it down quickly and gasped for air when I
was done. I was so damn thirsty. Kyle chuckled and offered me his
but I shook my head.

“
Meg
,” Nicole shouted. When I turned, she
bounced up with a guy in tow. It happened to be one of our friends,
Greg Mullen. Greg worked at one of the strip hotels as an
entertainer and dancer. He was gorgeous and he knew it, but the
ladies loved him.

“Hey Greg, I figured you’d be working tonight.”

“Nope, this is my one weekend off for the month. I
figured I’d check out the new club.”

“And there’s a party,” Nic cut in. “Greg asked if we
wanted to go.”

Greg nodded, looking at both Kyle and me. “Both of
you are more than welcome to come. It’s at a coworker’s house just
down the street from mine.” Nic folded her hands in front of her
heart, pleading.

“You can go,” I laughed. “I’m not really up for a
party.”

“Are you sure? What about the car?”

Kyle put his hands on my waist and leaned in close.
“I can take you home if she needs the car. In fact, it’d be a
pleasure.”

Nic glanced at us both and I nodded. She threw her
arms around me and squealed. “Yay, thank you! I’ve always heard
there are famous people at these parties.”

We both laughed and Kyle shook his head, trying not
to smile. “Good luck with that,” I said. “And be careful. Don’t
drink any drinks that a guy gives you.” I tilted my face toward
Kyle and whispered, “Greg lives in the neighborhood next to mine.
I’ve seen some of his friends and their morals are
questionable.”

Nic rolled her eyes and gave me a hug. “I heard that.
I’ll see you later tonight.” When she pulled back, she kissed me on
the cheek. “You be safe tonight too.” Her eyes snapped to Kyle and
I got her point. She had nothing to worry about.

“I know what I’m doing. Now go.”

She disappeared out of the club with Greg and now I
was left with Kyle. He dipped down to my ear. “Are you ready to go
home now?”

“I’m getting close. I think I’ve danced enough for
the night.”

He chuckled. “So have I. My legs still hurt like a
bitch from the squats. I wasn’t about to let you beat me.”

“But at least they’re getting stronger.”

His lips tilted up and he held out his hand. “Come
on, let’s get out of here.”

“Let me pay for my tab and I’ll be ready to go.”

He winked and took my hand. “I already did it.”

“What? You didn’t have to do that. I’ll pay you
back.”

“No worries, love. But if you want to pay me back I’m
sure we’ll figure out something.”

Grinning from ear to ear, I squeezed his hand and
slid off the bar stool. Before we could take the first step, the
bartender slid a drink in front of me.

“Compliments from the gentleman at the end of the
bar.” It wasn’t until I got a good look at the drink that I gasped
and stumbled back.

Kyle caught me and the bartender looked at me like
I’d lost my mind. “Megan, are you okay?”

I slid the drink back to the bartender. “What is
it?”

She grabbed the glass and moved it to the side. “It’s
a raspberry martini from the guy in the red shirt down there,” she
said, pointing toward the edge of the bar.

Kyle snorted. “Please tell him thank you, but it’s
not needed.”

The bartender shrugged as if she didn’t care and
tossed the drink down the sink before moving along to someone else.
Swallowing hard, I glanced down at the guy in the red shirt and
breathed a sigh of relief. He waved at me and I nodded, but
couldn’t find it within myself to smile. I don’t know what made me
think it would be Alex, but the fear of seeing him again always
weighed on me. He would get out of prison eventually and then it
would be up to me to make sure I couldn’t be found.

We got out of the bar and I could finally breathe
when the fresh air blew across my face. I stopped and leaned
against the wall, my heart beating out of control. Kyle stood
beside me, his arm brushing against mine. “You want to tell me
what’s going on? Your face turned pale back in there.”

“I tell you what. Get me home and I’ll tell you all
about it.”

***

I DIDN’T REALLY want to tell Kyle about my past,
but after the way I freaked out, there was no way he’d let it just
slide. When he pulled into my driveway, he smiled.

“What are you grinning about?”

“I think I live in Greg’s neighborhood. I’m just a
few houses over that way in the next development,” he said,
pointing toward the road.

“I guess we’re neighbors then.” I licked my dry lips
and opened the door. “Do you still want to come in and talk?”

“Only if you want me to. Don’t feel pressured.”

A sad smile splayed across my lips. “Come on. I’d
rather tell you the story now then wait for later.” He shut off his
truck and got out, his gaze slightly guarded. When I opened the
door, I made sure to lock it before turning on the lights. “The
living room is straight ahead. Go take a seat. I’m going to change
clothes.”

He nodded. “All right, I’ll be in here.”

I started up the steps, but then stopped to watch
him. Instead of taking a seat, he walked around the room and looked
at all the pictures. Most of them were ones I’d taken when
photography was my passion; it was before Alex came in and ruined
it all. I lost all creativity when I let him run my life.

As fast as I could, I rushed into my room and changed
into some comfortable clothes. I didn’t care if they weren’t sexy
because that definitely wasn’t what I was going for tonight. Not
with Kyle and I alone in my house. When I got downstairs, he was
still standing in front of my favorite picture.

“I take it you took these?” he asked, pointing to the
canvas.

“How can you tell?”

He walked from one frame to the next and glanced back
at me over his shoulder. “I don’t know. It just seems like
something you would do. I knew there was more to your story than
just a girl who works at a gym.” His gaze then landed on my pink,
cupcake flannel pants. “Nice PJ’s by the way. If you’re trying to
go for unsexy, you failed.”

I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks. “Nothing’s
going to happen like that tonight.”

“I know, love. I was just giving you a hard time.” He
sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside him. “Let’s
talk.”

“Do you have any idea how awkward that sounds?”

“Not anymore awkward than it was to say it. I can
roughen it up for you, if you want.” He slouched down and spread
his arms out wide with a devilish smirk. “Come on, baby, you know
you wanna sit on my lap.”

Rolling my eyes, we both laughed and he sat back up,
beckoning me over. “Were you really like that?”

His smile faded. “Sometimes. But the women loved it.
It was kind of hard not to when I knew I could have anyone I
wanted.”

I sat down and faced him, curling my legs underneath.
“Yeah, I guess I could see where that would get to your head. If
you don’t mind my asking, I still want to know the answer to my
question from the other day.”

He sighed. “You mean the one where you asked how it
was not being able to walk?” I nodded. “And if I answer, will you
tell me what had you freaked the fuck out tonight?”

I nodded again. “Promise.”

Averting his gaze, he took a deep breath and let it
out slow. “Scared. That’s how it made me feel. I’ve never admitted
that to anyone until now.”

“Did the doctors say you would never walk again?”

He shook his head. “They said there was a chance I’d
be able to. But we all know what that means in doctor talk. Over
time though, the feelings started coming back. That was when I made
a choice to walk no matter what the statistics said. I sought out
the best physical therapy team available and worked my way
back.”

“And what if Kacey doesn’t forgive you for what you
did? Are you going to pack up and leave?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, his gaze searching mine.
“It all depends on if I have something to stay for.”

Grabbing my hand, he pulled me closer and put his arm
around me. It made me feel safe. “It’s your turn now.”

I closed my eyes and then opened them up, focusing on
my pictures. “A few years ago, taking photos was what gave me
peace. I didn’t need anyone or anything if I had a camera in my
hands. As you can see from the shots on the wall, I love color . .
. light. I hadn’t been able to capture anything like that for a
long time.”

Pulling out of his arms, I turned and faced him.
“What I’m going to tell you goes against everything I am now. I’m
not the same person, just like you aren’t the same asshole that you
used to be. I don’t want you to think differently of me.”

“What happened?”

“I met this guy at a party. He was everything I was
looking for at the time: smart, funny, charming. Unfortunately for
me, he was none of those things. I just didn’t realize it until it
was too late.” I explained to him everything that happened from the
first time Alex hit me and on to the last.

“So that’s why you learned self-defense? To protect
yourself?”

“If I didn’t, I’d be dead.”

His jaw clenched and he huffed. “No wonder why you
teach it at the gym.”

I nodded. “Some of those women have been in
situations like mine and barely survived. They just want to know
how to protect themselves.”

“Do you know when he’ll get out of prison?”