Forgive Me (Callaway Book 2) (13 page)

"What are you saying, Becca?" she asked, her voice laced with a combination of anger, irritation and hurt.

Becca braced her hands on her hips and Amanda knew she was preparing herself for a fight, or at least an argument. "I'm saying that you broke his heart once, and the feelings he has for you is enough to make him blind when it comes to you."

"I loved him, Becca. You have no idea what happened or why I left." she said through the tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't care why you did it, Amanda. I care that you did it without saying goodbye. I care that you were so selfish that you couldn't even give him that." Becca's voice was louder by that point, and when Amanda looked sideways, she caught Nick and John standing a few feet away.

She wrapped her arms around her waist. "I…I…." What was she supposed to say to that? Becca wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know.

"I don't know what's going on with you and Drew, but my brother deserves to be cared for by someone who won't run away, who won't make him fall in love all over again then leave. We both know you never wanted a life here, Amanda. But this life, this place, is everything to Drew."

Hurt was quickly replaced by anger about how judgmental Becca was being. She might have left five years before, but Becca had no idea who she had become. There was no way Amanda would stand there and let her belittle her feelings for Drew. "I would never ask him to give this up, Becca. I know how much this place means to him. I'm not going anywhere."

Becca snorted and laughed, and Amanda saw red as she listened. "For now. If you care about him, you'll commit to this life but if you can't do that, then you need to let him go."

"I know you love your brother, Becca, I get that. But my relationship with Drew is none of your business. I have loved him for more than a decade and if you knew that type of connection, you wouldn't be standing there judging me. I am not going anywhere. The sooner you can accept that, the sooner we can all move on." She couldn't take anymore. She grabbed her purse from the table and headed for her truck, desperately fighting the tears that were bound to fall.

Amanda knew coming to the barbeque was a risk, but with everyone being so nice and welcoming, she hadn't expected Becca to make her feel like she wasn't good enough for Drew. And maybe she was right. But Amanda also knew she was still in love with him, and as long as he wanted her, she wasn't going anywhere. But right then, she needed to be alone, needed to gather her thoughts before making a fool of herself.

She was a few feet away from her truck when she felt a hand wrap around her upper arm. "Amanda, don't leave."

She turned to face Cole and when she saw the concern on his face, the tears started to fall. Nothing she did could have stopped it. She wiped her cheeks. "Can you tell Drew I wasn't feeling well and I went home?"

"Don't leave like this, Amanda. Drew wants you here and so do we."

"Thank you for having me over, Cole." She kissed his cheek and closed the distance to her truck, not stopping when she heard Cole and Nick calling her name.

It took Drew an hour to barge into her house, angry and concerned. He stood in the middle of her living room silently for a few minutes, just looking at her, like he was trying to figure out if she was whole before he asked the question lingering in the air.

"What the hell happened?" He sounded so angry she could barely wrap her head around the tension rolling off his body and the emotions on his face.

"What are you talking about?" When she saw a flicker of annoyance flash across his eyes, she knew saying that probably hadn't been the smartest move on her part.

He sighed and looked at her like he was debating whether he should walk away or take her across his knee. "Don't fuck with me right now, Amanda. You just left without saying a word. You just fucking left." She knew he was hurt, but she had to leave. She couldn't stay at the party and let everyone see her break down.

She shrugged it off like it was no big deal, hoping he would let it go, even if she knew him better than that. "I wasn't feeling well. I'm sorry," she lied. Becca might not like her, but there was no way she was putting a barrier between Drew and his sister. She had done enough damage; she would not be responsible for a feud between siblings.

"Was that before or after my sister stuck her nose where it didn't belong?"

"She was just protecting you. Don't be mad at her." There was no way she would be responsible for coming between him and Becca.

"Unbelievable! She hurts your feelings, makes you leave, and you're protecting her." He sat down next to her and dropped his head to his knees before looking back at her like he couldn't believe what she was saying.

"I hurt you, Drew, and I hate myself for it. Maybe your sister is right. Maybe I'm not cut out for this life." Before the words were even out of her mouth, he pulled her over him so she straddled his thighs, his hands caressing her skin, showing her what he was feeling with his touch.

"That's not true. Look at what you're doing here. You're making friends, you're making people happy with food. You're getting involved. This is exactly where you should be." She believed every word he said. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she wasn't alone anymore.

"I'm sorry I left." She felt bad about leaving the way she did, and she just hoped they could move forward.

"It's okay, but remember what I told you. If you leave, I
will
chase you. I'm not letting you go again." Looking into his eyes, she knew he told her truth.

She sighed in relief when his lips touched hers lightly. "Is it wrong that I want to believe that?"

"No, baby, it's not wrong at all, because I know you still love me." She jerked her head at the sound of his words and smiled when she saw the smirk on his face.

"Pretty sure of yourself there, Callaway." They both knew he was right, though. Drew had always been able to read her thoughts, to know exactly what she was feeling no matter how much she tried to hide from him. He had a direct line to her soul, and to her heart.

"Are you telling me you're not in love with me, Mandy? 'Cause let me tell you, I'm so fucking in love with you, I can hardly breathe."

"I love you, too, Drew. I never stopped loving you." She crushed her mouth to his and knew she would never be the same.

When Cole had come
to him at the party and told him Amanda had left, he had seen red until Nick told him what went down with Becca. Suddenly, it didn't matter to him that she had left; all he cared about was making sure she was all right. After pulling his sister aside and giving her a piece of his mind, he jumped in his truck and drove as fast as he could. When he pulled up to Amanda's house, his heart was beating so fast he thought he might have a heart attack. After listening to his sister tell him exactly what she had said, he didn't know if he should leave Amanda alone or not. When he barged into the house and saw her curled up in a little ball on her sofa, her hair in a messy bun and her eyes red from crying, he knew he was exactly where he needed to be.

Once he had Amanda in his arms, and kissing him like her life depended on it, he felt like everything was right, like everything clicked for the first time in five years. Her body was crushed against his, as if she couldn't get close enough. Her breasts pressed into his chest as she rocked her body into his erection. She tasted so damn good he could kiss her for the rest of his life and never go hungry. Her fingers went to his hair, pulling him closer, and he was more than happy to oblige. He bit her bottom lip and ran his tongue over the bite as he let one hand wander up to her breast while the other squeezed her ass. He loved kissing her; she had always been a great kisser but feeling her lips on his, her tongue caressing his, was exquisite.

"Drew, Please." She threw her head back when he licked and nibbled a trail down her neck. He loved how wild she was in the moment, so free.

"Please what?" he asked, groaning when he her fingers slid under his shirt, nails scraping his chest.

"I need more." He loved that she didn't know what she needed, but what he loved even more was that she trusted him enough to give it to her. He grabbed the bottom of her dress and slowly lifted it up around her waist, using his other hand to squeeze the inside of her thighs.

He drew circles on her thighs with his fingers, relishing how responsive she was to him. When he rubbed a finger over her black panties and found her soaked, he threw his head back, fighting for control. "Fuck, you're so wet." He grabbed her panties on the side and with one pull, he ripped them right off.

She gasped in surprise, but he knew she was too far gone to care. When his finger travelled down her wet pussy, she arched her back into him, offering her breasts. Like a starving man, he took them. He used his hand on her lower back to push her forward and when her chest was within reaching distance, he leaned forward and put his mouth on her cotton-covered breast. At the same time, he rubbed small circles around her clit, teasing her, driving her on edge.

"Give me more, Drew. Goddamn it, I need more." She wrapped one of her hands around his and guided him exactly where she wanted him.

"You want my fingers? You want to feel what it's gonna be like when you come around my cock?" He didn't give her a chance to respond. He sank one finger knuckle-deep inside of her as he bit down on her nipple, making her scream in pleasure.

She was so tight, he was having a hard time moving his finger in and out. God, he wouldn't even last ten seconds inside of her. He thrust his finger faster and faster until she dropped her head in the crook of his neck, begging him for more. And that was when he used his knowledge to send her over.

"You're so fucking tight around my finger, baby. I can't wait to feel you wrapped around me, squeezing me dry. You like that? Yeah, I know you do. Let me take you over." She relaxed at the sound of his voice, so she still liked it when he talked dirty to her. He added another finger as she screamed his name, and he knew she was close. She was panting and screaming, and before he knew it, she was fucking his hand like she couldn't get enough.

"Oh, God, Drew. Don't stop. I'm so close. Oh, God, right there." Her hips bucked out of control, and he had never seen anything more beautiful.

At the same time he made a scissor motion with his fingers, he bit down on her nipple. She exploded in his arms, screaming his name, throwing her head side to side. He was so close to coming in his pants he had to hold her hips steady to keep her from rubbing herself on him. He brought her down slowly, kissing her neck and then her jaw before kissing her lips. She dropped her head on his shoulders, and he held her tight as she slowly came back.

She kissed his neck before cuddling closer. "That was…intense," was all she said before she erupted in a fit of giggles

"Intense is one way to describe it. I'm not letting you go, Amanda."

Chapter Seven

The weeks after
the barbeque had changed a lot for Drew, specifically regarding his relationship with Amanda. They had dinner together every night and spent every spare moment together, getting reacquainted with each other. If he thought the girl was everything he could dream of, the woman she'd become was an answered prayer. The more time they spent together, the harder it was not to make love to her, but he didn't want to rush her. Knowing she had kept that part of herself locked away for him was something he cherished, but not touching her, not owning that part of her was driving him crazy. He was pretty sure he wasn't the only one finding it hard. He wasn't blind to Amanda's frustration but he wanted their first time,
her
first time, to be perfect. Since the work on her house was done, he finally had the time to plan everything to a T. Everything had to be flawless.

Sitting in the kitchen, drinking his coffee, he listened to the quietness of the house he grew up in. He always imagined himself living in this house with Amanda and their kids; it had always felt right. But lately, her place had started to feel like home. He walked over to the counter to refill his coffee cup, shaking away the picture of Amanda pregnant forming in his head, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs that could only be his sister.

Shaking away the picture of a pregnant Amanda, he walked over to the counter to refill his coffee cup and heard his sister's footsteps on the stairs. He was still angry at Becca for chasing Amanda away, but he also hated being mad at his sister; it just didn't feel right.

"Do you have a minute?" He turned around at the sound of his sister's voice and leaned back against the counter. She had her hands in the pockets of her shorts; her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she looked so vulnerable it made his heart ache.

"Depends on what you want, Bec." As much as he wanted to forget what she had said to Amanda and move on, he couldn't allow himself to do it. He needed her to understand that he wouldn't accept that kind of behavior from her.