A Hot Mess (17 page)

“From you.” Dylan opened his eyes and watched her. “To keep from making a fool of myself over you.”

“You can’t make a fool of yourself over me. That’s ridiculous. How could you?”

Dylan sat up and crossed his legs, still facing her. Cait felt odd lying down, so she copied his action and sat up as well. She crossed her legs but drew the sheet over herself. She drew the line at sitting so exposed, even though he was intimately acquainted with every inch of her body.

Dylan reached for her hand. He actually appeared nervous. In the dim light coming from the window, she saw his brow furrow in concentration. “Cait, I need to tell you something.”

Dread settled in the pit of Cait’s stomach. This was it. This was the moment Dylan put an end to it all. “What?”

“You’re probably not ready to hear this, but if I don’t say it now, I may never get the chance again.”

Cait grew nervous as well. She tried to give him an encouraging smile, but she was afraid it fell flat.

“You’re a great friend, and I don’t want to hurt you, but…”

Cait closed her eyes and took a steady, bracing breath. “It’s okay. Dylan. I understand what you’re trying to say.”

He gave her an odd look. “Huh?”

“You don’t want to hurt me, but it’s time to go back to just friends. Am I right?”

“No, Cait. You couldn’t be more
wrong
.” Dylan ran his hand over his shaved head. If he had long hair, she had no doubt he would be pulling it. “I love you, dammit. There, I’ve said it.”

“You…” Cait’s world tilted on its axis. She held up a hand. “Wait a minute. What did you just say?”

Dylan put his hands under her knees and pulled her forward, draping her legs across his hips. “I said I love you.”

“That’s what I thought you said.” Cait braced her hands on his shoulders and stared in his eyes. “But … but why? I’m nothing but trouble for you.”

The end of his mouth tilted into a fond smile. “I like trouble.”

Cait couldn’t believe what he was saying. He could have practically any female he wanted. Why would he want her? “And I’m nothing like your skinny model types.”

Dylan ran a hand down her thigh. “I don’t like skinny model types.”

She gently slapped his hand. She couldn’t think when he touched her, and she needed her mind clear. “I’m messed up, Dylan. You can’t love me.”

“Yes, I can and do.” Dylan leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. “I know all there is to know about you, Cait. But I want you to know this about
me
. I do love you. I swore I wasn’t going to push you until you were ready, but there it is. I love you.”

“Dylan, I can’t…” Cait paused in the middle of her sentence. Why couldn’t she? There was no good reason she could think of. “You love me?”

“Yes, silly girl. I do.”

Cait’s thoughts whirled around her head, none taking hold long enough for her to formulate a response. He loved her. Dylan Russell loved her, Caitlyn Myers, the last girl on earth he probably ever thought he would.

There was one thing she did know though, and that was it was too early to encourage him, no matter how much her heart screamed at her to take the risk and jump in headfirst. She owed it to Dylan after all he’d done for her. He was too precious to her to ruin it by making a mistake and leading him on.

“Dylan, I need time. Simon and I just broke up. It’s too early.”

Dylan nodded, but disappointment lit his eyes. “Take all the time you need. I’ve waited years for you. I can wait a little longer.”

A couple of days later, they returned to Atlanta.

Dylan left the airport with Cait, filled with regret that he had to take her to her apartment and return to his condo without her. He’d grown used to waking up to her lovely face.

Cait had not responded to his declaration other than asking for time. He could give it to her, but he hoped it didn’t take too long. He wanted her. He needed Cait to be his. He worried if she went home, she would write the memory of their time off to a rebound hook-up. He couldn’t let that happen.

Dylan fetched his truck from the Pay N’ Park garage and rode back to pick Cait up. She’d stayed behind with their bags. He turned to the right, and there she was. A jolt of lust shot through his body, even though she was dressed completely non-sexy.

Cait stood on the curb, beneath a covered area. A bright yellow parka nearly swallowed her whole. They’d flown through a thunderstorm to get home, and Cait’s fear of flying had lifted its ugly head. Dylan tried to comfort her, but she’d pulled away from him as soon as they’d landed. It was still raining, and the cold, miserable weather made him wish for the balmy days they’d left behind in Vegas.

Dylan drove up to the curb and hopped out to toss their bags in the back of the cab. Cait climbed into the truck and reached over to turn up the heat. “It’s freezing.”

“Lovely weather, isn’t it?” Dylan quipped as he shut the door behind her.

He got back in the driver’s seat and began the ten-mile drive to Cait’s apartment. Cait was silent for most of the ride, and Dylan didn’t press her to talk. His concentration was needed to navigate the wet, crowded interstate. Even though it was after five, they managed to miss rush hour traffic and made good time.

He turned off onto an exit and drove about another mile before he turned into the parking lot of Cait’s apartment complex. He stared at the pale brick building before him and silently cursed.

This was it, the end to their idyllic time together unless Cait came to her senses and admitted she loved him too.

“Well, you’re home.” His voice seemed unnaturally loud in the small cab.

“Thank you.” Cait didn’t look at him. “Dylan, I…”

He turned to her, hoping she would reveal her true feelings. Sadly, it was not to be.

“Call me when you get home, so I know you made it safely.”

Wow. At least she was concerned for his well-being, but it still hurt. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

“It’s not necessary,” she demurred.

“I want to.” Dylan took his keys out of the ignition and got out of the truck. He stuffed the keys in his pocket as he went around and opened the passenger door.

Cait slid out and wobbled on the heels she still insisted on wearing.

“Be careful. It’s slippery,” he warned as he took hold of her arm to steady her.

They headed up the sidewalk toward her building. With each step, Dylan felt as if she slipped away from him. He wished she would say something; admit she’d fallen for him too. But she didn’t.

At the doorway of her first-floor apartment, she turned and threw her arms around him.

Dylan didn’t question her sudden show of emotion. He embraced her, grateful to hold her once more. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled the scent of Cait. She was like a luscious fruit, just begging to be picked. The sad part was she was elusive as well.

He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to know. “Cait, I…”

She cut him off. “I’m not ready yet, Dylan. I’ve got to think about it first. You’ve got my mind so jumbled I don’t know which way is up.”

That had to be a good thing, right?
Dylan held her tighter. “Don’t take too long, baby. You’re killing me here.”

“I’m sorry.” Cait pressed a kiss to the base of his throat. “I care about you. You know I do. I just don’t want to risk losing you if it turns out bad.”

“It won’t turn out bad,” Dylan promised.

“You don’t know my luck with men.” Cait stopped to chuckle. “Well, yeah you do. I just don’t want us to end up like that, hating each other after a bad break-up.”

“I could never hate you.”

“You say that now. But you don’t know for sure.”

Dylan knew with every fiber of his being he could never hate Cait, but he didn’t argue. He knew she’d been burned in the past by jumping too quickly into a relationship. Hell, look what had happened to her in Vegas. If she said she needed time to think, he should take that as a good sign. It meant she was at least willing to consider it … and she was going about it in a decidedly non-Cait way.

Cait drew back to break their embrace. “I forgot my bags.”

“Wait right here. I’ll get them.” He turned and jogged back to the truck. He opened the door and leaned in to grab her bags. He walked back to her doorstep where she continued to wait for him.

“If you want to unlock the door, I can carry them in for you.”

Cait dug in her purse and pulled out her rabbit’s-foot keychain. She put a silver key in the lock and turned it. There was a clicking sound, and then she opened the door, pushing it with her foot. She motioned him inside.

Dylan stepped inside before she did, so he saw him first.

The bags dropped to the floor, and his fists clenched. “Bastard!”

Cait brushed past him and pulled up short. “Simon!”

Cait’s heartless ex-fiancé, the man who’d abandoned her in Vegas the day before their wedding, stood in her living room with a pleading expression on his face. Anger pulsed through Dylan’s veins, slow and thunderous. He wanted to wipe that false look of sincerity off the man’s face.

“Honey, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”

“I … I…” Cait stammered and seemed unable to respond.

Dylan put his arm around Cait, who was shaking like a leaf, and drew her to his side. He injected a possessive tone in his voice. He wanted the weasel to know Cait was his now. “She was with me.”

Simon’s gaze flickered to Dylan and then went back to Cait. “Now, Cait. I know you were upset, but you should’ve called to let me know where you were.”

Cait tilted her head to one side and seemed to have recovered from her shock. “And why exactly would I do that, Simon? Did you call to tell me where you were when you ran off with Sandy?”

“Mandy,” Simon corrected automatically.

Dylan rolled his eyes. Was this guy for real? Did he seriously think Cait would take him back?

Cait pulled away from him and advanced on Simon. “What are you doing here, Simon?”

A conciliatory smile crossed Simon’s face. “I was waiting for you. I missed you.”

Cait tossed her keys onto the coffee table and plopped her hands on her hips. “Sure you did. I think you need to leave.”

Dylan flexed his hands and curled them back into fists. “I’m more than happy to show him the door, Cait.”

Simon’s cool blue gaze moved back to Dylan. They’d met each other before, but neither had a great fondness for the other. “Excuse me, but I’m trying to talk to my fiancée.”

“Ex-fiancée,” Dylan and Cait said at the same time.

Simon took a few steps toward Cait and held out his hand to her. “Don’t be like this, honey. I came to apologize.”

“Forgive me if I don’t accept your apology.” Cait advanced on Simon and slapped away the hand he held out to her. She poked him in the center of his chest with the forefinger of her right hand. “You left me, Simon. You took me all the way to Vegas, and then you
left
me to run off with some slut you had just met.”

Simon’s calm demeanor slipped the tiniest bit. “I said I’m sorry, Cait. What more do you want me to do?”

Cait swung her hand around to point at the door. “I want you to leave.”

“You don’t mean that.” Simon tried to touch her, but Cait jerked away.

“Yes, I most certainly do mean it.” Cait drew herself up to her full height. “Go, Simon. Wait. On second thought, stay here just a moment.”

Cait strode toward her purse and dug through it. She returned to Simon and held out her hand. A diamond ring glinted in her palm. “Take this with you. Maybe you can find someone gullible enough to actually marry you.”

Dylan wanted to applaud her, but he knew Cait wouldn’t appreciate it. He hated to be a voyeur to such a painful experience for her, but he was glad he was there to see Simon’s reaction.

Simon gaped at her, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn’t think of a response. He recovered enough to snatch the ring out of her palm. He stuffed it in his pocket. “You will regret this, Cait. But don’t think you can come crawling back to me. I won’t take you back even if you beg.”

Cait laughed. “Are you fucking kidding me? There is no way I am ever taking
you
back, much less begging.”

Simon ran a hand through his hair, mussing his perfect moussed style. “You are making the biggest mistake of your life.”

“No, Simon. The biggest mistake was falling for you in the first place.”

Dylan covered his mouth with one hand, so they couldn’t see his grin. His Cait had claws. He loved that she’d finally put that dickhead in his place.

Simon lifted an eyebrow in a haughty manner and turned to leave. “I don’t know why I wasted my time with a bitch like you anyway.”

Dylan had to give Cait credit. She let the slur go right past her without batting an eyelash. She coolly angled her head to watch Simon leave, a satisfied expression on her face.

Regrettably, Dylan wasn’t that cool. As soon as Simon came near him, he drew back his fist and socked him right in the chin.

Simon dropped like a ton of bricks, holding his jaw and mewling like a newborn. “My jaw! I think you broke it!”

“No, I didn’t. But I should have.” Dylan leaned over him and gave him a hard look. “If you come here again, I
will
break it. You will be eating out of a straw for months as it painfully heals.”

“You’re fucking crazy,” Simon said as he scrambled to his feet. He shot an aggrieved look at Cait, who was trying her best to stop giggling. “Both of you.”

“Bye, Simon.” Cait called and gave a jaunty wave as her ex rushed out the front door. “Good riddance.”

Dylan shook his hand to ease the ache in his knuckles. He would have a bruise, but it was worth it to get rid of that jackass once and for all. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Cait said with a shake of her head. “He’s an ass.”

Dylan studied Cait, who stood in the center of the room with a pained expression on her face.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said in a soft voice.

He stepped closer to her. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Cait waved her hand in a blasé manner. “I’m not sad about it. Simon was a jerk. If anything, I’m mad that it took me a year to realize it.”