Wicked Love (Wicked White Series Book 3) (8 page)

AVERY

S
o after it’s decided that we’re going to give this new friendship thing a real shot, we decide to head home. I climb into the beat-up old Ford truck and wait for Tyler to crank the engine. It fires with a rumble that’s starting to sound very familiar. I snuggle into my seat and click the seatbelt in place. I’m actually excited about this friends-with-limited-benefits plan. I’m tired of being hurt by men, so this arrangement works out great for me. For all intents and purposes it’ll look like I have a totally caring and loving boyfriend, just no one will know our dirty little secret—that we’re not really a couple. I’ll appear to be a one-man kind of woman.

“We should have some rules,” Tyler says while he drives me home.

“I totally agree. Setting boundaries is an excellent idea.”

“We obviously go on dates, and hold hands, but we should limit everything else to keep from getting carried away.”

I nod and smile. “That’s sounds good. Anything else you planning to allow other than hand-holding and kissing?”

A mischievous grin lights up his face. “I don’t think much else should be allowed, considering I find you insanely attractive. If we allow anything other than kissing, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

I laugh while I think about how nice his lips felt pressed up against mine, and a shiver rushes through me as I think about going any further than that. He has a good point. Anything other than a few simple kisses might cause us to veer off the plan. “Noted.”

He guides the truck up the overgrown driveway leading to Granny’s and then parks before he turns the key and the engine rumbles to a stop.

“So . . . should I walk you to your door?”

I laugh. It’s cute seeing him ask permission to do anything. “That’d be okay.”

He jumps out of the truck while wearing a huge smile. My eyes train on him as he walks briskly around the front and stops at my door. Tyler jiggles the handle until it opens. He takes my hand like a true gentleman and helps me hop out of the truck.

We walk hand in hand to Granny’s front porch and then I turn to him as we stand there. “You’re a really good actor.”

“I’m not completely acting, Avery. I really do like you.” He touches my nose with the tip of his finger. “Believe me, if I didn’t have the fear that my dad is looking down on me from heaven and shaking his head in disappointment, I’d be all over you.”

“You think he watches you from heaven?” I ask.

“I think he watches me all the time. Since he passed, I’ve felt his presence at different times.”

“What do you mean?”

“There have been signs from Dad.” Tyler holds up his hand. “I know that sounds completely insane because I never used to believe in that kind of thing either, but I’ve seen some things that have made me a believer.”

“Like what?”

“Lots of things. Some small, a couple majorly mind-blowing. Like I can be driving alone and be thinking of Dad, and just talking out loud, pretending that he can hear me, and a song about a father’s love will pop on the radio at that very moment. Or dreams that seem so real it’s like he’s right there with me. It’s really hard to explain, and admitting it out loud to you makes it sound a lot crazier than it did in my mind, but it’s like I know these are signs from him, pointing me in the right direction like he’s my guardian angel. I want to make him proud of me.”

“I have no doubt he is, and he’s probably pretty proud of you for turning me down.”

Tyler laughs. “I think you’re right, and he knows how much of a struggle this is for me too.”

It’s crazy how when I was chunky Avery, a guy like Tyler would’ve laughed in my face if I’d thrown out an offer like I did earlier, which is why I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he didn’t like me. I guess I should be glad at times like this that I have a mother who believes your looks and style are everything. She’s the one responsible for starting me on a path to being healthier. To her being sexy is everything. I guess she was getting tired of me not gaining enough male attention so she pushed me to change.

“So,” he says in a singsong voice and then clears his throat. “I guess this is goodnight.”

“Yep,” I say, popping my lip on the “p.”

I’ve never been this anxious waiting on a guy to kiss me. Most don’t give me the chance to build up any anticipation. Most take kisses from me if that’s what they want. But Tyler is different than any other guy I’ve ever dated, and more than anything I want his kiss.

He grins, leans in, and gives me a little peck on the lips, but doesn’t linger long enough to allow the fireworks that were building to explode.

I’m left unsatisfied because Tyler’s holding back. If we are going to be
special friends
, I need a little more than
that
in the lip-locking department in order for this to work.

He begins to move away, but I’m not allowing him off the hook so easy.

I curl my fingers around Tyler’s neck and pull his face back down to mine. “Oh, no. You’re not done yet,” I whisper, then plant my lips on his and wrap my arms around his neck.

His arms snake around my waist and he deepens our kiss. A throaty noise erupts from the back of Tyler’s throat and he presses his toned body against mine. I can feel how much he wants me through the stiff material of his jeans. My pulse pounds in my ears as my panties grow wet.

Tyler pulls away and I let him this time because I feel satisfied with his last attempt.

He grins as he stares down at my face. I’m sure my cheeks are flushed as my mouth hangs open because I’d like nothing more than to continue this make-out session.

Tyler cradles my face in his hands before he leans in and kisses me lightly one last time. “Goodnight, Avery.”

I flex my fingers in a slow wave as I watch him turn toward his truck. The moment he’s out of sight, I press my fingers against my still-tingling lips. Stopping at kissing only is going to be a huge challenge for us both.

AVERY

A
s soon as I shut the door behind me, Dad shouts my name from his upstairs room. I take the stairs two at a time, surprised by my newfound energy. I still feel all fluttery inside. I’m just as excited about my relationship with Tyler as I would be if I were in a
committed
relationship. This is the first time a guy has ever made me feel this crazy after just one date.

“Yes, Dad?” I ask, nudging his door open a little more.

“You had a phone call while you were gone. I didn’t mean to pry, but you forgot your phone here and I saw the caller ID when it was ringing. Your cousin Stacy called,” he explains.

“Thanks. I’ll give her a call back.”

He nods with a worried expression. “Avery, I know it’s a big adjustment for you here, and the easy way out of this situation would be to move in with your mom’s family because they live in Columbus, but I hope you know things for you there won’t be easy. Your aunt Donna isn’t a fan of mine, and she’s a lot like your mother. So I’m begging you to not make any arrangements to live with them. Please consider staying here with us—where you’re loved unconditionally.”

I’m sure all the recent visits with my cousin Stacy before we moved gave away that I was planning on moving back to Columbus with them as soon as I could. I don’t like seeing Dad upset, so if he needs me to stay here with him a little longer then I will.

“Okay, Dad.” That seems to satisfy him because he smiles.

“Thank you.”

I head back down to the living room, feeling completely conflicted as to what I should do now. I do need to return the phone call and catch up with Stacy.

My fingers fly over the keypad as I search out Stacy’s number from the speed dial. The phone rings twice and she picks up.

“Hey, Avery!” Stacy says with an excited tone in her voice.

“Hey,” I respond. “What’s going on? Dad said you called earlier, but I forgot my cell phone here while I was out.”

We go through the motions of gossiping about people we both know from campus, and it seems that things are exactly the same as when I left. Stacy tells me that she saw on social media that Chance has dumped Charity, and has now moved on to yet another girl from my sorority. That guy is just begging for a girl who he wronged to chop off his penis.

Chance got off easy with me. I literally let him go without inflicting any damage in retaliation for him fooling around on me. Tyler is actually the one who saved that pretty car of Chance’s. If Tyler hadn’t interrupted me and made me question my actions, that car wouldn’t have been shown any mercy.

“So, what’s up with you?” Stacy quizzes. “You having any luck finding any yummy boys down there?”

I pause at the thought of filling her in about Tyler. She won’t understand the relationship he and I have if I tell her the truth about us. Stacy is a total gossip and I know whatever I’m about to tell her will be blasted onto social media and then will trickle all around the Greek society. It would be nice to have her spread the word that I have moved on from Chance and that I couldn’t care less about him at this point. “Oh yeah, I’m actually already seeing someone,” I admit.

“Well . . .” she pushes, “details.”

I explain how Tyler is actually the guy who gave me a ride home when my sorority sisters left me stranded in the parking lot the night I went after Chance’s car. She seems genuinely impressed by my tale of how we met again and he asked me out. I also tell her about the little lake he took me to.

“So how was the sex?” she asks, digging for dirt.

“We haven’t . . . I mean, for God’s sake, Stacy, I just met the guy!”

She laughs. “Calm down. I was only asking. I just assumed he probably got you in the back of that truck and then had his way with you.”

The idea of Tyler taking me in the bed of his truck is a scenario that keeps playing over and over in my mind since earlier tonight. Stacy doesn’t know how bad I wish that it had actually happened, but Tyler just isn’t that kind of guy. He’s the kind of guy who opens doors for ladies and rescues damsels in distress. He definitely isn’t like Chance, who tried to get into my pants on the first night that we met.

“He’s not like that. Tyler’s a gentleman.”

“I’m happy for you, Avery. I just hope he continues to be a good guy and isn’t just putting on some act to get you in the sack.”

“I really don’t think he is. He feels too genuine for games.”

I hope my gut is guiding me in the right direction this time. God knows I don’t think I can handle two douche-bag guys back-to-back messing around with my emotions.

TYLER

W
hy did Dad have to throw a wrench in my game? Just when I thought I knew every girl in town, and that keeping my junk in my pants was going to be easy, Avery has to come along. Her sexy-as-hell body is making the no-sex-with-random-girls thing pretty damn tough. I’m already addicted to her. It all started when I spotted her in the parking lot, ready to fuck up her cheating boyfriend’s car. Sure, it was a bit crazy, but I was amused that the hottest chick I’d ever seen was also a little bit of a badass. That made her hot, but when she decided she couldn’t do it, I knew she also had a good heart, which made her even more appealing.

It was so hard not to jump her bones in the back of my truck when she put out the offer. The woman I have the hots for is all but begging for me to fuck her, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to go against my promise to Dad. I mean, how many times does an opportunity like that present itself? Not many. But I know I did the right thing.

God, I can’t believe I passed on that. What the hell is wrong with me? This is going to be so rough. I’m not sure if I can keep myself from breaking my promise to Dad if she keeps on looking at me with those sexy blue eyes like she wants to rip my clothes off.

This could be a good thing, though. I’ve never actually gotten to know a girl before without trying to get into her pants right away. The no-sex thing may take a lot of pressure off. After all, Avery knows the whole truth about
why
I can’t sleep with her, and she seems cool with it. Maybe just having her around as arm candy will be enough to satisfy the obsession I have with her. She really is the prettiest girl around here,
and
she’s funny, which is a definite plus. It’s been a rough six months for me, and her ability to make me laugh is really awesome. I should really put some effort into getting to know Avery if this is going to work. She did invite me to go running with her in the morning. Damn it. I hate running, but if that’s what she likes to do, I guess I should give it a try.