Wicked Love (Wicked White Series Book 3) (11 page)

Avery and I work on the next game, but lose quickly to Blake. The way Blake explodes after his victory, you would think he’d just won the Super Bowl, but he shouldn’t get so excited just yet. We’ve still got two more games to play.

The next game is just as intense, and when Avery sinks her ball into the last cup on the table, we all launch into a frenzy of shouts and cheers. It seems that most of the partygoers have now chosen to be spectators in our nail-biting event.

The last game has everyone on the edge of their seats. This one will make or break everything. Winner takes all.

As soon as we start the last game, Blake quickly sinks two balls into two separate cups for his team. Avery and I each take a cup and down the beer, and then take our turn shooting at the cups at the other end of the table. Avery surprises me and sinks two into the same cup, and I follow her up by sinking one of my own into a different cup. It doesn’t take long before there are only two cups sitting on the table. One on our end and one on Blake’s, and the first team to get a ping-pong ball into the cup wins. Blake’s team misses their shot and Avery answers by putting the ball into the last cup at the end of the table and winning the game for us.

I scoop her in my arms as the room erupts in cheers. It’s exhilarating to share this moment with her, and it hits me that I haven’t had this much fun in a long, long time. Matter of fact, this might just be the best damn day of my life and it’s all thanks to Avery. I don’t ever remember being this happy.

I wish my dad were here to meet her. He would’ve loved her. She’s beautiful and sassy but deep down I know she’s got a sweet heart that needs to be reminded of how amazing she is.

Avery kisses my lips. I cradle her face in my hands and deepen our kiss, allowing our tongues to dance together. If we keep this up, we will end up sleeping together.

“Get a room!” Blake shouts.

Avery smiles as she still clings to me. “Glad you brought that up, Blake. We’ll see you bright and early to help build my new bedroom.”

Blake frowns. “Come on, Avery. Do you actually expect me to come work on your house for free?”

“Would you have really made me come over here and scrub your toilets?” she fires back.

Blake’s lips twist, but he doesn’t give an answer.

Avery nods and laughs. “Thought so. Like I said, see you bright and early tomorrow.”

She turns to me with the biggest smile on her face and I instantly crush her against me. “You are such a badass.”

“What makes you say that?”

I give her a crooked grin. “Not only did you just whip Blake’s ass in beer pong, but I remember a certain scorned lady with a crowbar who was ready to bash a beautiful Camaro to smithereens.”

She threads her fingers through mine. “But in my defense, he was a complete asshole.”

I nod. “Any idiot who’s dumb enough to cheat on you deserves far worse than a couple broken headlights.”

Avery twists her lips. “Just remember that for future reference if you ever feel the need to stray.”

I chuckle. “For sure. My old truck doesn’t have full coverage, so you can bet I won’t be pissing you off anytime soon.”

“Good to know.” She walks backward toward the living room and tugs my hand. “Come dance with me.”

A song about finding a good girl to love blasts through the speakers and it strikes me to the core. It mimics a lot of what I’m feeling right now. The music rocks through me and the overwhelming urge to express to Avery some of the emotion I’m feeling rolls through me. I stare into Avery’s eyes and put as much passion as I can into the lyrics as I sing them directly to her. I want her to know that this thing between us—whatever it is—means a lot to me.

My hands fit perfectly on her hips and we dance and dance until I can barely stay on my feet. When the next song begins to play, she leans into me and wraps her arms around my neck.

“I’m getting tired,” she admits.

“We can go anytime you’re ready—just say the word.”

She looks up at me and grins. “Word.”

This girl fits so perfectly into my world. I can see myself being happy with her for a very long time. She doesn’t even know it yet, but I think I’m already beginning to fall for her.

AVERY

T
he next morning, I giggle to myself when I see Blake hop out of the passenger seat of Tyler’s truck. I head straight for the guys from where I just finished cleaning the stalls as I dust my hands onto my blue jeans.

Tyler’s face lights up as I embrace him in a warm hug. “Hey, beautiful.”

I pull back and then give him a quick peck on the lips. “Hey.”

It’s funny how at ease I’ve become with Tyler so soon. I know it’s really only been a week since he gave me a ride home that night, but I feel like I can trust him.

I flick my gaze over to Blake, who appears to be hungover beneath the dark sunglasses he’s wearing. He pushes back his thick, dark hair as he surveys the area of the house where Tyler and Dad have begun working on the addition.

“I was wondering if you’d show,” I say with a smirk.

Blake turns his attention to me and then shrugs. “A bet’s a bet, and I never welch on a bet. You won, so here I am.”

Tyler chuckles, and the sounds reverberates in his chest. “Doesn’t mean he’s excited about being here though. He bitched the entire way over here about being tired already, so I’m not sure how much help he’s going to actually be.”

“Fuck you, dude. Even with a hangover from hell, I’ll still work circles around you,” Blake snaps. “Get your tool belt and let’s get this show on the road.”

“Okay there, hard charger.” Tyler’s smile only grows wider, and I can tell this good-natured ribbing probably goes on between them all the time. Tyler kisses my forehead. “Got to get busy. I’ll catch up with you later.”

With that Tyler takes off toward the site and then motions for Blake to follow him.

The rest of the day I keep busy helping Granny around the house. She’s been teaching me to cook. When I explained to her this morning that I’m worried about eating all the fried foods, she showed me how to make some pretty damn good dishes that are a lot lower in calorie content. As Granny puts it, no woman should live on salads alone.

Just as I’m about to set the food out on the kitchen table and call the guys in for lunch, my cell chirps, alerting me to a new message.

Tyler:
I can’t stop thinking about you.

I bite my lower lip and grin as I quickly tap out a reply, letting him know that he’s a frequent face in my mind.

Avery:
Every time I close my eyes, I see your face.

It sounds unbelievably corny and I can’t believe I’ve just sent that message to a guy that I’m really beginning to like, but I meant what I typed. Tyler is really beginning to grow on me. For the last week, he’s been my source of comfort. The person who’s been there to help me when times are a little rough—the night he found me in the parking lot, the frat party embarrassment, and even being here in Wellston. Tyler has really helped me transition the last few days and realize that things aren’t so bad here.

If I’m being honest, Tyler’s actually the one thing that’s made me really enjoy being here. He accepted me with no questions asked, and seems to really want to spend time with me.

It hurts my heart to know that the time we have together has an expiration date, but I understand why he needs to get out of this town. Wellston is no place to launch a music career. Tyler owes it to himself, his father, and more importantly, his music, to find out how far he can make it in the business.

“Let them boys know it’s time to eat.” Granny’s voice interrupts my thoughts.

I nod as I fire another text to Tyler alerting him to come get his lunch.

A few minutes later, Dad comes in towing Tyler and Blake behind him. The guys take turns washing their hands and when it’s Tyler’s turn, he sets his phone down on the counter in front of Blake as he heads into the small bathroom that’s off the kitchen.

Blake leans in and reads Tyler’s phone screen and raises an eyebrow. “Who the hell is Crowbar?”

Both Tyler and I burst out laughing at the same time, and I find it endearing that he already has nicknamed me in his phone.

“That’s Avery,” Tyler replies while still chuckling. “You’ll have to ask her about the nickname. It’s all has to do with the way we first met.”

Blake’s eyes grow wide. “Oh, shit, bro. Avery is the crowbar-wielding chick? I didn’t think Avery was the same girl as the crazy one that you told me about meeting. I thought they were two totally different people.”

Tyler wraps his arm around my shoulders and tucks me close to his side. “Nope. She’s one and the same.”

“Avery, you never mentioned that you knew Tyler,” Dad chimes in, overhearing our conversation in front of the bathroom door.

Obviously, I never wanted to have to explain to my dad about the time I nearly lost my mind and damaged Chance’s car, but I can see the questions lingering in Dad’s eyes as he waits for my answer.

“It’s no big deal, really, Mr. Jenson. Avery and I met when I was playing music at one of the frat houses,” Tyler says, stepping in and saving me the embarrassment of having to relive the Chance situation with Dad.

Dad tilts his head. “How does this explain the part where Avery had a crowbar?”

I lick my suddenly dry lips “I, um . . .”

“She found a crowbar to help me fix my friend’s flat tire,” Tyler jumps in and saves me yet again.

“That’s not what you—” Tyler slaps Blake’s chest openhanded, causing Blake to grunt. “Umph. What the hell, dude?”

“Let’s eat.” Tyler abruptly changes the subject and I’m grateful for it.

Tyler glances over at me from across the table as we make our way to take our seats and I mouth the words “Thank you” to him, letting him know that I appreciate him covering for me.

We all quickly eat our lunch. Blake never says a word during the entire meal because he seems so focused on shoveling down as much food as quick as he can. Granny only smiles as she notices this, and judging by the satisfied expression on her face, I would say she’s loving that Blake can’t seem to get enough of her cooking fast enough.

Tyler, on the other hand, keeps a light conversation going with Dad about the way the room is turning out and how their visions for the place are all coming together. It’s nice to see Tyler get along with the one person who means a ton to me. Dad likes Tyler. He’s never had anything but good words to say about Tyler and the type of man he is. He’s earned Dad’s respect—and mine.

I wish he weren’t leaving because I can see myself really falling for Tyler if he were a permanent fixture in this town.

TYLER

M
y cell chirps again, and I laugh when I see Avery’s latest message with a picture attachment.

Avery:
We miss you.

Below it is a picture of her with one of the horses in the stalls.

Tyler:
I miss you too. Can’t wait to see you tonight.

It’s amazing how easy our relationship has become over the two weeks since we made our no-sex pact. We’ve fallen into a routine. Through the week, when I work at the lumberyard, I don’t see her much, so we stay connected via texting and simply talking on the phone into the wee hours of the morning. I’ve really gotten to know her by doing that.

She told me all about her mother, and how she left when the news broke about what happened at her father’s job. We’ve talked about everything from our favorite colors to our favorite movies, but I can tell she’s still holding back from me a bit about something in her past.

“Put your fucking phone down. We have to get this wood loaded up,” Blake complains as he grabs a stack of two-by-fours and loads them onto the forklift. “I’ve never seen you this distractible before. Crowbar has you so sprung.”

“
Distractible
? I don’t think that’s even a word.” I roll my eyes and stuff my phone into my back pocket.

“You know what I meant, didn’t you?” The wood bangs against the other boards when he lays down another stack. “So what’s up with that? Are you in love or what, bro?”

I grab as many boards as I can carry and head for the forklift. “I don’t know.”

“How can you not know? Either you are, or you aren’t. It’s not that hard.”

I sigh. “There’s nothing I can compare the way I feel about her to. I’ve never been in love before, so how do I know if I am or not?”

A smirk crosses Blake’s face. “My friend, you just answered the question. You’re in love.”

“What do you mean?” Curiosity runs through me. How in the hell does he think he can answer how I feel about Avery when I’m not even sure myself?

Blake leans against the forklift as I load the last of the wood on it. “When you didn’t immediately deny that you were in love, that told me right away that you were in fact head over heels for the girl. If you didn’t feel something for her—if she was just a simple piece of ass—your denial of being in love would’ve been immediate.”

I open my mouth to argue that his logic is crazy, but quickly close it when I realize that I really don’t know if I’m in love with her or not. She’s all I think about. That much is clear, and I’m always anxious to see her, but does that mean I’m in love?

I mean, how does a person really know? It’s not like there’s a chart to go by to judge if what you’re feeling is love.

Blake chuckles and then slaps me on the back. “Now I’ve got you thinkin’. See, you’re in love. You just didn’t realize it yet.”

I stand there with my mouth agape as Blake climbs onto the forklift and heads out of the building so we can load the customer’s truck. Since when did Blake become so damn observant and knowledgeable about matters of the heart?

The rest of the day flies by as I do nothing but think about the way I feel about Avery. How did I not know that what I was feeling was turning into more than an intense like? Granted, I’ve never felt like this, but I thought for sure I would know that I was falling in love before it was so obvious to everyone else.

Another texts pops up on my phone as I climb into my truck after work, and I smile when I see it’s from Avery.

Avery:
Are we going to Blake’s tonight?

Seeing as how partying at Blake’s on the weekend is really the only thing to do in this town, I type back a quick reply.

Tyler:
Yep. I’ll pick you up at seven and we’ll go eat before we head over. Sound okay?

Avery:
Perfect.

There’s never drama with Avery, which is surprising considering how I met her. It seems like people at her sorority were not very good friends to her, so I don’t believe Avery was able to be herself with those people. They didn’t seem to accept her, unlike here. In this town, she just seems to fit in.

After going home and grabbing a quick shower and checking on Mom, I head over to Avery’s place. When I pull up the long drive, I admire the work that Avery’s dad, Blake, and I have accomplished in a few short weekends. We have the frame nearly complete. Soon, Avery will have a room, and I know it will make her extremely happy to stop sleeping on her grandma’s couch.

Avery comes out of the door, and bounces down the front porch steps. She smiles at me as soon as she climbs up into my truck and shuts the door behind me. “Hi!”

I love that she’s excited like this every time she sees me. It makes me feel pretty damn good because I’m always anxious to see her.

I lean over and press my lips to hers. She tastes like cherries—good enough to eat. I pull back. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” she answers immediately.

We head over to the drive-in diner and then grab a quick bite to eat. The entire time we’re sitting in my truck, I can’t stop thinking about the conversation I had with Blake earlier. It is possible that I love this woman sitting beside me, but is it fair of me to tell her while knowing that it doesn’t change the fact that I have plans to leave this town behind? It wouldn’t be right for me to tell her that I love her and then walk away from her right after I say it. She’ll believe that I never meant it, and I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way because that’s exactly how it will appear.

“You look lost in thought.” Avery’s voice pulls me away from the things going on inside my head. “Everything all right?”

For a moment I debate telling her exactly what’s on my mind, but then decide against it. The best thing I can do is keep that fact bottled up inside me. It’s the right thing to do.

I smile at Avery. “Everything is fine. I was just thinking about work.” I know it’s a lie, but I can’t bring myself to tell her the truth. So I need to change the subject. “How was your day?”

Her eyes search my face, and I can tell that she’s not satisfied with the quick change of subject. She places her hand on top of mine. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“I do know.” I nod, but I’m nowhere near ready to talk to her about this. I might come off as completely crazy for wrestling with these feelings after only knowing her for a little over three weeks. “Things will be fine.”

As usual, Blake’s party is in full swing by the time Avery and I arrive. I smile as a few of the girls at the party greet Avery with a smile. It’s nice to see that she’s no longer the new girl, and locals are now befriending her.

The moment Blake spots us he heads over with three red plastic cups in his hands. He gives Avery and me each one and then shakes my hand, followed by a chest bump. “Nice to see you, man. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it tonight after the conversation we had earlier. I thought you’d be holed up in some hotel—”

Avery furrows her brow, and I can tell she’s suspicious, considering the way I was just acting when we were eating.

My heart hammers in my chest. This is not how I pictured letting Avery know that I’m developing a deep attachment to her. I don’t need my buddy spilling the beans about my feelings, so I quickly interrupt him. “Whatever, dude. It’s fine. We don’t need to talk about work shit in mixed company.”

“Okay . . .” Blake lifts one eyebrow and then drains the rest of his beer. “I’ve got to take a leak.”

He disappears into the crowd of dancing bodies, leaving Avery and me alone in the middle of a crowded makeshift dance floor. Avery opens her mouth to no doubt ask about that exchange, so I spin her around in front of me while wearing a crooked smile on my face to distract her. I pull her flush against me and begin to rock in time to the beat of the music.

She places her free hand on the back of my neck and twirls a lock of my hair between her fingers. “Dancing? What else are you good at?”

I grin. “Lots of things.”

“Like,” she prods.

“If you keep being nice to me, maybe tonight I’ll show you,” I tease, knowing that I’m tiptoeing around dangerous territory.

She bites her bottom lip. “Then I better behave because I can’t wait to see some more of your moves when we’re alone.”

My cock jerks to life in my jeans and just like that, this girl has me turned on like a fucking light switch. When she says things like that, it makes it so difficult for me to behave myself. It almost makes me want to say fuck everything and take her because I want her so damn much.

I press my forehead against hers and close my eyes as I groan. “That pretty mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble. I’ve been good and held back this long, but I don’t know how much longer I can control myself if you keep talking to me like that. If you tempt me one more time, I’m liable to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here right now so I can have my way with you.”

Avery grips a handful of my shirt. “I think I like the sound of that.”

Those words out of her mouth unravel my last thread of willpower. My ability to resist my desire is nonexistent. I take her cup from her and hand both of our beers to some random blond girl next to us before I bend down and hoist Avery over my shoulder. I warned her.

Once she’s up there, I smack her ass hard enough to make it sting a bit. “You’re so getting it.”

She giggles as I turn and head for the door.

I don’t know if she realizes what she’s done, but she’s awakened a sexual beast who wants nothing more than to find his way into that sweet pussy of hers. She doesn’t even know how bad she’s about to get it.