Break My Fall (16 page)

God I hated being the one to put that look in her eyes.

I wanted to know why she didn’t finish school, there was more to this than she was saying.

I was like a dog with a bone.

I didn’t know her mom had died when she was a baby.

Damn Rachel and her razor tongue for bringing that up.

I couldn’t believe I told her about my mother.

I didn’t talk about my mom, ever.

It was too fucking painful…

Touching her on the couch had been a bad idea, I was fucking riled up.

I shifted off the couch in frustration, and went upstairs.

I couldn’t believe I had agreed to this friendship thing.

The thoughts I had of her were far from ‘friendly’.

I shook my head, fuck I was going to do this.

I could be her friend.

I needed to run, get out of this house for a while, or take a very cold shower.

She was costing me sleep, every night I slept in the room next to hers.

Chapter Fourteen

LEE

Since Cam and Derek were a couple, I found myself spending a lot of time with Kyle when we were at home.

I think I secretly used the couple card as an excuse to allow myself to be around Kyle so much.

He made me feel alive, and he was easy to be with.

I had even gotten used to being around him without drooling…well almost.

He was still the most beautiful man I had ever seen in real life, I didn’t think that could ever be changed or altered.

We had even started hanging out outside the house, purely platonically of course.

He gave me a ride home from work most nights if he was free, and I tagged along with him to the library where he was a member.

It was heaven in that library.

I loved reading, and hadn’t had the opportunity to join a library since I arrived.

I had always loved reading; it was my thing.

Besides, I had never been in a library so well stocked; the library in my highschool had been outdated, by about thirty years.

To be fair to him, Kyle had said no more on the subject of college, and bravely faced the tufting of the elderly librarian on several occasions to check out romance novels for me.

‘Girly porn’ he called them, I preferred the term ‘romance novels’.

He helped me set up my own membership.

He was great, and we had become friends, good friends.

I spent most of my free time with Kyle, and with every day that passed, I became more and more enthralled with him.

Most days it felt like I had no balance in my life anymore.

My plates had shifted, and now focused entirely on Kyle.

I lived for our private talks, when he sought me out at work, or when he touched me without realizing he was doing it.

The one thing I struggled to deal was Kyle’s women.

Every time I had a shift waitressing, he was there.

He had a different woman at his table, every single time.

It drove me crazy.

I tried to be rational about the whole thing; Kyle owned the hotel and many of his lady friends were business clients, but that didn’t stop my skin from crawling and the acid burning my throat every damn time he came in.

I had already snapped four pencils taking his orders.

Of course, we were friends now, so he always sat in my section, but some days I wished he could read just my mind and see how he was hurting me; flaunting these girls in front of me.

The worst days were the ones when he brought Rachel to the hotel.

When she was with him, he sat in a different section and ignored me.

Those days I cried in the bathroom, because being ignored by Kyle Carter was about the worst feeling in my world.

“You with me princess?”

I jumped, startled from my reverie.

We were sitting in his truck, and Kyle was looking at me curiously.

He unbuckled his belt.

“Are we at the library already? Sorry I was miles away.”

I fiddled with the buckle on my belt, but it didn’t budge.

You would think, from the amount of time I spent in Kyle’s truck, I would have mastered unbuckling myself, but sadly no.

“Yep, what were you thinking?”

I pulled some more at my buckle, flustered and embarrassed.

I was not telling Kyle that he was all I ever thought about.

I was obsessed.

“I was thinking you should get a jeep with normal belts, not these baby harnesses.”

Kyle burst out laughing, “Baby harnesses?”

He leaned over and swiftly unbuckled me.

“It’s an off road harness.”

I snorted.

“Off road? It’s a pretty jeep but why don’t you have a nice little car, something girl-friendly?”

Kyle leaned over and clasped my chin gently in his hand.

“Truck, it’s a truck princess. Besides, you’re the only girl who rides in my baby.”

His eyes twinkled, his dimple deepening as he grinned.

His closeness thrilled me, and I had to tell my body to calm down.

He released my chin and hopped out, it was so much easier for those not vertically challenged.

He walked over my door and opened it, “And please don’t call my truck pretty, you’ll hurt its feelings.”

I giggled, heat swelling inside at his close proximity, “Oh I’m sorry sir. It is the prettiest, most manly truck I’ve ever seen.”

He groaned in feigned frustration.

Kyle clamped his hands around my waist and pulled me out of the truck, setting me down on the sidewalk in one swift movement.

I held in the gasp was forcing its way up my throat.

It did funny things to my insides when he did that.

I should have been used to it by now; he always helped me in and out when of his truck.

But every time was like the first for me.

“Your sarcasm wounds me,” he joked, grabbing my hand.

I looked twice at the casual gesture. ‘Be calm you idiot, this means nothing,’ I chanted to myself as I followed Kyle up the steps to the entrance of the library.

I couldn’t contain my excitement when we got inside.

I loved this place.

I loved that Kyle was the one who brought me.

KYLE

“Oh I love this place,” Lee squealed, the minute we walked through the door. She squeezed my hand tighter.

Goddammit, I was jealous of the library now.

I wanted to get that kind of reaction from her.

It was a major blow to my ego when she reacted indifferent with me, but squealed with pleasure over checking out some books.

I realized quickly that Lee loved books.

She quietened in crowds, was absent for parties, but the girl loved to read.

I silently thanked baby Jesus that I asked her to check out the library that first time.

I had to run into the office to sign some paperwork, one afternoon I was collecting her from her shift and had asked Lee if she wanted to check out the library down the street from the hotel, rather than sit in the truck for an hour.

She had been so excited, skipping down the street to the library.

I had brought her half a dozen times since then, and every time she was as excited as the first.

I pulled on her hand, bringing her closer to me, “Calm down geek, you’ll get your word food soon enough.”

She smiled up at me, her plush lips stretching to reveal those straight white teeth of hers.

God bless her, she was a poster girl for orthodontists worldwide.

Her grey eyes sparkled as she beamed at me.

My breath caught in my throat; she was stunning.

“Well let’s hurry. I need to be filled right now.”

My cock twitched the minute those words came out of her mouth.

Lee, unaware of the suggestiveness of her words, let go of my hand and darted to the closest aisle, her ass swaying in those damn jeans, oblivious to my raging hard on.

“Kyle, are you coming?” she called after me.

Damn.

“Yeah, I think I might.”

Chapter Fifteen 

LEE

I had always dreaded Saturday mornings in Montgomery.

After four months of living in Boulder, I could safely say I still did, for less painful, but far more embarrassing reasons.

“You know Lee; this dress would look gorgeous on you.”

We were in Deacon; Cam’s favorite department store. The very store she dragged me to on my first day off work every weekend.

I hated shopping, but Cam coveted her customary Saturday splurges, and always dragged me along with her.

The boys had come with us today, but had gone off in the direction of the liquor store.

There was a party tonight at Dixon’s, and Derek and Kyle had decided that the case of beer at home wasn’t enough, and they were low on supplies, even though our refrigerator was crammed with beer.

I partially guessed it was an excuse to evade Cam.

I wished I had gone with them, but my arms were Cam’s shopping basket, and were currently holding more bras and panties than I owned.

I hoped the other shoppers didn’t think they were for me.

I could never be as saucy as miss agent provocateur in front of me.

I held up a pair of the panties for closer inspection and blushed immediately.

“Crotch-less panties, Cam? Really?”

She smirked, as her eyes glided over the rails of dresses.

“What? Derek may get hungry.”

Uh, I thought I might vomit. I made a gagging noise.

“Seriously babe, you would look fierce in this dress. Try it on for me?”

I paled when I saw the dress Cam was suggesting.

“No way. Put it back.”

Calling that scrap of material a dress, was pushing it; it looked more like underwear.

It was a short sparkly little number, red in color, with a deep plunge line.

“Oh come on Lee, it’s fabulous and you’ll look smoking hot wearing it tonight.”

That was never going to happen.

“If my daddy thought I was wearing clothes like that, he’d whoop me from here back to Louisiana, Camryn Frey.”

Cam grinned wickedly, “It’s a good thing your daddy isn’t here then isn’t it.”

Cam walked towards the counter and I practically tackled her.

“No, Cam please put it back, besides I’m not going to the party so buying me something to wear is pointless.”

I tried to grab the dress from her hands, but the damn giant held it up out of my reach.

“Chill Lee, don’t be so square,” Cam laughed, as she handed the dress to the girl behind the counter.

“Oh and FYI, you so are going to be at the party tonight. I am tired of watching you hide away from life. It’s high time you got off the side-lines and jumped into the game.”

I reddened and huffed loudly.

That was not going to happen.

I liked the side-lines.

“Hell will freeze over before I wear that Cam. Put it back. Please.”.

She ignored my pleas, as I stood there pouting.

“Easy princess.”

Kyle’s voice came from behind me.

I automatically jumped.

“Who rattled your cage?” Derek asked, glancing from me to Cam, with an amused expression.

Great the guys arrived to witness my shame. I winced.

“Oh guys, maybe you can tell Lee to loosen up.”

Cam handed her card over to the cashier, who swiped it through the machine, then bagged the dress, “She’s having a coronary over a little dress shopping for the party tonight.”

I glared at Cam.

“Little, being the operative word. And I told you I’m not going.”

Kyle raised his brow in surprise.

“Whatcha buy?”

I could hear the humor in his tone.

“Nothing, I didn’t buy anything and I won’t be wearing anything,” I grumbled.

“Whoa, Lee it’s not that kind of party,” Derek joked, covering his eyes with one hand and pretending to bat me away with the other.

I grabbed the bag from Cam before she could embarrass me any further by showing them.