Kyle's Return (11 page)

“Kyle, what is this?” I asked in awe.

He took off his helmet and a mischievous grin spread
across his face. “Do you recognize something?”

“Oh my God,” I gasped as I ran my fingers over the
helmet. “The design . . . How is this possible?” It was of a
picture I’d taken long ago.

“When you stepped out of the living room the other
day, I took a picture of the photographs you have on your wall.” He
ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know, there was something
about that one that reminded me of you. Anyway, I had it designed
yesterday.”

My eyes burned. “Thank you,” I murmured. “It’s
beautiful.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, taking it from me. He
started to put it over my head, but I stepped back. “Wait, I forgot
something. Give me one second.”

He nodded and I took off toward the door. When I
opened it, Nic was walking down the hall and slammed into the wall
when I rushed past. “Whoa, slow down,” she laughed.

In my room, I found exactly what I needed. Snatching
it up, I gently placed it in my bag and grabbed a change of clothes
to throw in as well. I wanted to be prepared in case I didn’t come
home at the end of the night. Who was I kidding? I didn’t want to
come back. Rushing out of my room, Nic glanced down at my bag and
grinned wide.

“Is that what I think it is in there?”

I ran past her, laughing. It was way past time I got
my life back on track. “You’re damn right it is.”

***

“I’M TOO STUFFED to move,” I grumbled as we
walked out of the pizza shop.

Kyle put his arm around me and chuckled. “I know the
feeling. You up for a movie or do you want to walk the Strip?”

I looked down at my bag and smiled. “Let’s walk the
Strip. There’s something I’ve been dying to do.”

Since we weren’t near the heart of Vegas, we jumped
back on his bike. There were cars everywhere, but Kyle maneuvered
us through the gaps and got us there in record time. Heart
pounding, I blew out a shaky breath and got off the bike.

“You okay?” he asked.

I took off my helmet and handed it to him. He placed
it in a duffle along with his own and slung the bag over his
shoulder. “Yeah, just glad to be alive. You scared the shit out of
me.”

He chuckled. “It was fun and you know it. Now what do
you have in that bag of yours?”

Smiling, I pulled out the case in my bag and opened
it up. “It’s something I haven’t used in years.” My camera stared
back at me and my fingers itched to touch it. Taking a deep breath,
I reached in and pulled it out. “I thought maybe it was time I
tried again.”

He followed beside me as I took pictures of the
lights and the iconic hotels, secretly taking pictures of him in
the process. “So what brought this on?”

I turned my camera to him and took his picture.
“You.”

“Me? How so?” Putting his arm around my shoulders, I
let my camera rest on the strap around my neck so I could hold my
arm around his waist.

“You’ve made me feel things again I never thought
possible,” I admitted truthfully.

“Does this mean you’re not going to hide our
relationship?”

We stopped in front of the Bellagio where the light
show lit up the sky. It was beautiful and I’d always wanted to take
pictures of it. Kyle leaned against the rail and I took another
picture. “I’m here with you aren’t I? I’m not hiding anything.” I
walked up to him and held up the camera. “Now smile. I want a
picture of us.” I snapped the picture and it turned out perfect
with the fountain lights as the backdrop. What made it even better
was Kyle’s seductive smirk.

“So if Tyler asks you what’s going on, you’ll tell
him? What about Jameson and all your friends back home? You’ll see
them all next weekend.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I held him tight.
“That might be kind of hard since I don’t know what’s going on. We
haven’t exactly talked about it.”

Holding me around the waist, he pulled me in close.
“You’re right. But I think it’s kind of obvious what I want.”

“And what is that?” I asked, lifting up on my toes to
meet him face to face.

He looked into my eyes and brushed his thumb across
my lips. “You. And I don’t want you ashamed of the way you feel
about me.”

I kissed his thumb and leaned my head in his hand.
“I’m not ashamed, Kyle. I’m just worried my friends will think I’m
a traitor.” He nodded, taking a deep breath and releasing it. “But
that’s where you’re going to remedy that. If you can get their
forgiveness, then it won’t matter anymore.”

“And what if I can’t? What then?” he countered.

Before answering, I closed my lips over his and spoke
against them. “That’s not going to happen. I have faith in you. Now
all you have to do is have faith in yourself.”

Nodding once, he kissed me again and took my hand. We
strolled down the sidewalk toward the parking garage where his bike
was parked. “It’s getting late. Are you ready to go home?” He
looked down at me and I shook my head, biting my lip.

“I am ready to go, but it’s not to my house.”

His hand tensed and he stopped mid-step. “If we do
this, it’s only going to make me want you more.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that. Let’s go.”

My heart pounded faster than the speed he took to get
home. He spoke the truth when he said he lived in the next
neighborhood over. I was nervous and scared to death, but
completely sure that I wanted to spend the night with him. Kyle
Andrews wasn’t your typical guy next door, he was the one your
mother would warn you about. In this case, it would be the whole
world warning me.

“You weren’t kidding about being neighbors, were
you?” I said as I got off his bike.

Chuckling, he took off his helmet. “What, did you not
believe me?”

“No, I believed you. I just didn’t think you’d be
this close.” I looked up at his house and sighed. “And your house
is a lot larger than mine.”

He helped me with the strap on my helmet and slid it
off my head. “Come on. I’ll show you around.” He pressed a code to
get into his garage and there sat his damaged truck and an old
convertible Ford Mustang that looked brand new.

“I can see why you chose not to drive that to the
gym,” I said.

“Exactly. I don’t care what happens to my truck or
bike, but I
do
care about that one. Pax helped me rebuild it
years ago.”

I slid my fingers over the pristine white top and
peeked inside. “It’s beautiful. You’ve taken good care of it.”

“Thanks,” he said, setting our helmets down on one of
his many shelves. He had about five of them, all covered in various
awards and trophies.

“That’s a lot of trophies you have up there.”

He shrugged, not even acknowledging them. “Yeah, but
they don’t mean shit to me. That’s why they stay out here.” Turning
on his heel, he started for the door but stopped when I didn’t
follow. He sighed and faced me.

“Why do you say that?”

Clenching his jaw, he glanced over at the wall, his
gaze tormented. “Because what you see there isn’t real. I didn’t
earn
those trophies. The ones I did earn are inside.”

He turned and waited on me to join him at the door. I
squeezed his arm in passing and he shut the door behind us. With
his hand on the small of my back, he led me into his living room
where a glass case stood, emanating a soft glow into the darkened
room. Inside were three wrestling trophies, all from high
school.

He stood in front of the case and smiled. “These are
the ones I earned. I fought damn hard for each one of them.”

From behind, I wrapped my arms around his waist and
laid my head on his back. “Can I ask you a question?” Placing his
hands on mine, he nodded, his heart beating hard in his chest. “Why
did you like to sabotage your opponents? Did you think you weren’t
good enough to beat them?”

He placed a hand on the case, releasing a heavy sigh.
“In high school, I was a god. I was a leader. I could have anything
and everything I wanted. When I graduated and wanted to fight in
the UFC, I thought I’d be able to kick everyone’s asses. I had a
big head and it got squashed very quick and fast. I didn’t like
it.”

Letting him go, I stood in front of him so I could
see his face, but he wouldn’t look at me. “And that’s when you
decided to take matters into your own hands.”

He nodded. “I liked being on top, feared. I knew the
right people and I could get away with anything. It became a drug.
I was addicted to winning and I had to make sure I did, no matter
the cost. I didn’t care who I hurt.” Lowering his head, he snarled
and walked away. “You must think I am one fucked up human
being.”

“I
did
.” I grabbed his shoulder and turned him
back around. “Look at me, Kyle.” Reluctantly, he did and I gazed up
into his brown and green eyes with compassion. “You made mistakes.
We all have. I have to say it’s been nice having you open up to me.
It helps me understand you better.”

He snorted. “Believe me, who I used to be is the last
person you want to get to know.”

“True, but it’s who made you who you are today. I
don’t judge you for what you did, because frankly, I didn’t know
you then. I’m kind of glad I didn’t.” I placed my hand over his
heart. “But I do know who you are today. That’s the Kyle I want to
be with.”

Lifting his hand, he ran his fingers through my hair.
“I don’t scare you?”

“You do, but it’s not in the way you think. I’m not
afraid you’ll hurt me, but I am afraid of the way you make me feel.
It’s like I’m being pulled to you and the harder I fight it, the
harder it is to resist. It grows stronger every day.”

“And now?” he questioned, closing the distance. “How
does it feel when I touch you and kiss you?”

I looked up at him and smiled. “It all feels
right.”

Sliding his hand out of my hair, he rested it on my
neck and pulled me closer. I willingly complied and buried myself
in his arms as he kissed me. His breathing picked up and so did
mine. I couldn’t get enough of him. Picking me up in his arms, he
carried me down the hallway and into a room, lit only by a light
outside his window. The bed he dropped me on was soft and smelled
exactly like him. I breathed in deep and moaned when he covered me
with his body. Half of his face was cast in shadow, but it didn’t
mask the raw, untamed need I saw in his eyes. I shivered and let
out a shaky breath.

“There’s still time to back out,” he offered.

Shaking my head, I lifted his T-shirt off and ran my
hands down his smooth chest. “No, this is what I want,” I
whispered, sliding my hand over his groin and squeezing his cock
through his jeans.

He thrust into my hand and grunted. “Jesus, what are
you doing to me?” Sliding off the bed, he dropped his pants and
boxers to the floor. I squealed when he grabbed my ankles and slid
me down to the edge of the bed. He lifted my shirt over my head,
and I unbuttoned my pants. He helped me slide them off, letting
them fall to the floor.