When our lips parted, we held each other’s gaze. “Finally,” she whispered with the sweetest smile.
A lump formed in my throat. I felt like a dick for all the times I led her on, only to push her way. My own stupid insecurities played a role in that and I still wasn’t sure if I was the guy she needed. That first night alone in her apartment when she told me her dreams of wanting to become a financial analyst for her grandfather’s company in Austin, I knew she would never be happy being a rancher’s wife. It was my dream. Not hers.
I made it down to the restaurant with a few minutes to spare when I saw Cammie North walking up to me.
“Fuck,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Where were you?” she asked with a fake smile.
We had messed around a few times and had one crazy night I wanted to forget and put behind me. The best thing for me to do was nip this shit in the bud. “I was with Taylor.”
Her eyes turned dark. “Taylor?”
“Yes, Cammie, Taylor. We’re together now, so whatever fun you and I had in the past, it’s in the past.”
Something moved over her face. “What would Taylor think if she knew you got drunk and fucked me and then my best friend?”
I grabbed onto her arm and pulled her closer to me. “Are you trying to threaten me?”
Her eyes searched my face before letting out a curt laugh. “With that little bit of information? No. I highly doubt she’d care she is so fucking infatuated with you.”
With a glance over my shoulder, she looked back and kissed me before I could stop her. Grabbing onto her, I pushed her away while she let out a chuckle.
“Listen, I don’t know what game you’re playing here, Cammie, but I’m not interested in you.”
Something evil moved over her face. “You’ll never make her happy, you know that right?”
My hand pushed through my hair as I sighed. “So you’ve told me before.”
“Your little princess would never be happy playing farm girl after she lands her dream job.”
My heart felt as if someone was squeezing it. “And you would?” I asked.
Taking a step closer to me, she nodded her head and went to grab my dick. Pushing her away again, she softly said, “To have you every day for the rest of my life. Yes, I would be very happy. But I’m warning you, if you walk away from me Jase Morris, it will be the biggest mistake of your life.”
Letting out a laugh, I replied, “I’ll take my chances.”
Turning, I saw Taylor standing there. She looked over my shoulder at Cammie.
“Think she saw the kiss?” Cammie whispered as she walked past me. “Hey, Taylor. Hope you’re feeling better. You look awful.”
Taylor shot daggers at Cammie as she walked by.
“Don’t listen to her, Taylor. She’s a bitch.”
When she looked back at me, she asked, “What happened?”
I knew it was best to be honest with Taylor. For all I knew she had seen Cammie kiss me.
“She kissed me, but I pushed her away immediately. She was just trying to cause trouble like always.”
Glancing down, she pressed her lips together before looking back up at me. “Is she one of the girls you’ve slept with before?”
I wanted to tell her no, but I would never lie to her. “Yes.”
“I see.”
Taking her by the arms, I pulled her closer to me. “It’s my past, Taylor, and it has nothing to do with us right now. I swear to you, nothing has happened between us in over a year.”
“Okay,” she barely spoke.
Placing my finger on her chin, I lifted her eyes to mine. “I swear to you. Please say you believe me.”
She paused for longer than I wanted her to before she offered a weak smile and said, “I believe you.”
“Let’s eat okay, sweetness?”
She nodded as I slipped my hand around her waist and led her to the restaurant.
After we ordered drinks, Taylor and I quickly forgot about Cammie.
“So, what are your plans once we get back to Texas?” I asked as I took a bite of food.
Her smile lit up as she said, “I’m starting work for my grandfather. He’s offered me an analyst position within his company.”
My stomach twisted and Cammie’s words rushed through my head. How would this work between us if she worked in Austin and I worked in Llano?
“That’s awesome,” I said with a forced smile.
“What about you?” she asked.
With a hard swallow, I reached for my beer and took a drink. “I’ll be heading to Llano to work on my father’s ranch full time.”
Her smile faded as she looked down at her food and pushed it around. “How often will I get to see you?” Glancing up, she continued to talk. “I mean, with you living in Llano and me in Austin, how are we . . . I mean . . . I could always go part-time at my grandfather’s company.”
It was then I realized I could never let Taylor walk away from her dream . . . no matter how much I loved her. I knew what I had to do and it was going to destroy both of us in the process, but it was the only thing I could think of.
Taking in a deep breath, I slowly blew it out. “This isn’t going to work.”