My Only Exception (8 page)

He nodded slowly, his eyes raking over me, making goose bumps pop up everywhere. I tugged my short sundress down a little on my thigh where I felt it riding up. His eyes followed the movement, darkening as he took in the tan leg exposed almost to my hip.

He squatted down to eye level with me so I wouldn’t have to look up into the sun to see him. “Yeah, I’ve got rehearsals with the band. Big show coming up next weekend.”

With our faces just inches apart it was hard not to want to press my lips to his. My fingers itched to slide into his wavy hair the way they had a couple of nights ago. I quickly pushed those kinds of thoughts to the back of my head. They were a sure-fire way to get myself tangled up in a hot little fling with Braden —and that was the last thing I needed right now. The best thing for me would be to continue on as before, like nothing had changed. Hopefully we could just go back to being friends. I’d hate to lose that. I still wanted, maybe even needed, him in my life in some capacity.

I took a steadying breath and gave him a tentative smile. “Yeah, your concert’s all anybody can talk about around here. How could I forget?”

He gave me a mock look of hurt and covered his heart with one of his hands. Hands that I could distinctly remember being slightly rough, probably from playing guitar. They’d felt amazing brushing over my skin. Okay, so I was doing a terrible job of putting that night out of my thoughts. If he’d not been so damn good maybe it would have been easier. But good God, the boy was talented in more ways than singing.

“You wound me, Presley. Don’t sound so excited.” He was giving me that half grin that drove girls wild.

I rolled my eyes, knowing it would take more than anything I could say to wound him. The guy had an abundance of confidence —almost to a fault. I smiled back at him. “That’s not what I meant. I’m totally excited for you. I mean you’ve signed with a label. You’ll be traveling the world before long. And I’m sure there’ll be gobs of adoring girls screaming your name this very weekend. What’s not to be excited about?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do I sense some jealousy? Don’t worry, Presley. Nobody could ever compete with you. Trust me. I have that on good authority.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and then slipped my sunglasses on. “Are you teasing me, Braden?”

“Never, sweetie.”

I pressed my lips together and grabbed my car door. “Hmm. If you say so. I’ll see you later, Braden.”

I tugged the door to close it, but he held it firmly in place.

“What are you doing later tonight?”

Little butterflies burst into flurry in my belly. He wanted a hook-up. And, man, did I want it too. But I wasn’t starting that. “I’m busy, Braden. Hope you have a good practice.”

I tugged the car door again and this time he let me. I cranked my car and backed up, trying to pretend I didn’t notice him watching me. It was hard though, because I felt his hot gaze on me as he stood by with his hands tucked into the back pockets of his perfectly fitting jeans. He was wearing a black T-shirt that fit
just
right and was almost convincing me to forget about my resolve to not get too involved with him. He had that effortless hotness that came across so much more intensely because he didn’t have to try. He just was.

As I pulled away, I threw my hand up in a quick wave, barely glancing his way. I thanked God for the large sunglasses I was wearing. They afforded me some protection from his intense gaze. As I pulled my car from the parking lot onto the road, I let out a sigh of relief. I hoped that Braden had gotten the hint that what happened the other night wasn’t going to be a regular thing. And if he didn’t... I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, because I didn’t know how much longer I could resist him before I gave in completely and utterly.

The next few days flew by. Things at school were getting intense and I had a ton of studying to do before finals. I’d also worked two shifts at the restaurant and it had been crazy-busy there as well.

And a little depressing. Braden had been such a huge presence and it was noticeably absent. I missed locking eyes with him from across the room or feeling his gaze following my movements when I wasn’t looking. He’d somehow made working at Luigi’s not seem like work.

And I didn’t even have Wyatt there to make it more bearable. We were working opposite schedules… as usual.

Braden had sent me a text the day after I’d basically blown him off in the parking lot. It had simply said,
Rehearsing with the band day and night this week. Hope I see you this weekend.

I’d responded back,
Have fun. We’ll see
.

A big part of me hated myself for being so distant. The truth was that I was terrified that if I kept spending time with Braden, especially intimately, I’d be shattered next week when he left. And even more so when I had to see pictures of him with other women. And it would happen. It was pretty much inevitable with him.

But I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at his apartment all week to see if his Jeep was there. It rarely was. He and the other members of Chronic Need had a lot going on, so I guess that was to be expected.

I just couldn’t believe I was already hurting and he hadn’t even left yet. Knowing that soon he’d be living a completely different life, one where I couldn’t see him anytime I wanted, had me feeling sick to my stomach. This type of emotional attachment was foreign to me and I was pretty sure if Braden ever realized just how hard I’d fallen for him, he’d run for the hills.

Maybe this was the feeling my mother had, in her own way, been trying to protect me from.

*  *  *

By the time Friday came around, Braden was monopolizing my thoughts completely, against my will. I wondered if he would really call that weekend to get together. He and the band were performing one state over on Saturday night, but that still left a lot of time to get together. I still wasn’t sure what I would do if he did call. I couldn’t help but think that this time next week he’d be boarding a plane to L.A. and there was no telling when I’d see him again. Sure, he might want me now, but would he still want me when he was in a new place with a ton of fresh new faces around him?

I didn’t think so.

*  *  *

And what do you know: I didn’t hear from Braden all weekend. By the time Sunday night rolled around, I had finally realized my stupidity in letting him get to me the way he had lately. He’d obviously gotten what he wanted from me and moved on. Per the usual. Just like I knew he would. And just like I’d seen him do with other girls a million times over.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to regret anything with him. He might not have had genuine feelings for me, but my feelings for him were genuine then and still were. I was positive I’d never find anyone that would make me feel the way he did as long as I lived.

I knew that for me he was that one person to whom I’d compare every other guy, and they’d never measure up.

*  *  *

I was surprised at how well I was able to put Braden out of my mind and go back to my life, purposely avoiding looking at his apartment building. I wouldn’t let myself care whether his Jeep was there or not. Soon it wouldn’t matter anyway.

On Thursday I met Bree and Wyatt for lunch at a local deli. The owners were from Germany and made the absolute best sandwiches around. It was sunny outside, with just a scattering of white puffy clouds and the temperature was a near-perfect 72 degrees. I was wearing a new aqua-colored sundress and was having a great hair day. In other words, life was good.

But, in the very periphery of my mind was the small reminder that Braden was leaving the next day. I was spending time with my friends and enjoying my life the way I did before I’d given into my feelings for Braden.

It just didn’t feel quite the same. He was like a small sore on my heart that throbbed just enough to let me know I wasn’t in perfect condition.

And of course there was no way I’d make it through a lunch with Bree without being asked about Braden.

Bree was sitting across from me in a maxi dress with her red hair piled on top of her head. She dipped a home-style fry into ketchup and wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“So how is it going on the Braden front?” she asked. As my best friend, she knew that Braden and I had gotten together the other night. I’m sure she thought things were going great since she hadn’t heard from me all week.

I pressed my lips together and glanced quickly at Wyatt, who had become very interested in his food all of a sudden, before responding, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him all week.”

Bree froze mid-bite, her mouth dropping open. She snapped it shut, slowly chewing her food and swallowing before saying, “Have you talked?”

I shrugged. “He sent me a text one night and said something about getting together last weekend but I never heard from him.”

Her eyes widened and her neck broke out in the red splotchiness that was a sure sign she was angry or upset. “What!?”

I shook my head and decided I’d better calm her down before she showed the temper she was famous for. “Look, Bree, he did try to talk to me the next day, but I blew him off. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get too involved with Braden when he’s leaving tomorrow.”

“Presley. He’s not dropping off the face of the earth. There is such a thing as long-distance relationships and he and Liam are keeping their apartment to come back to.”

I gave Bree a look of disbelief. “Really, Bree? Can you see Braden Worthington in a long-distance relationship? I’ve never even seen him in a serious relationship with someone who lives in the same town as him.”

I took a deep breath. “Look, I knew when I went home with Braden that it could never be anything serious. I’ll just have to deal with the feelings that I have for him. I knew the deal before I became involved.” This matter-of-fact way of thinking was the only thing that was getting me through the situation.

Wyatt, who had remained silent, finally cleared his throat. He looked to be slightly in pain. I probably shouldn’t be talking about hooking up with a guy in front of him considering he was so protective of me, and especially not about Braden.

He had a look of disgust on his face. “You hooked up with Braden? Come on, Presley. You usually avoid guys like him. I can’t believe you fell for his crap.”

I gave Wyatt a warning look. “I am
so
not discussing this with you, Wyatt. It’s fine. I’ll get over it.”

Wyatt shook his head. “You can do so much better, Presley. You’re way too good to be his latest hookup.” He met my eyes with his clear blue ones. He had the kind of classic good looks that currently had girls all around us sneaking glances at him. And he was beyond sweet, when he wasn’t worried about me. He’d make some girl very happy one day. “If he ever hurts you…. I’ve been wanting a reason to knock some of the cockiness out of him.”

Bree rolled her eyes. “Alright, knight in shining armor, no need to go running to defend your lady. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. I just hope she knows what she’s doing. I happen to think she might be letting the best thing that’s ever happened to her get away.”

She looked at me with a seriousness that was totally out of the norm for her. “Presley. That guy loves you; I don’t care what you say. I think he doesn’t know how to tell you, but he’s sung it to you twice already. Either way, he’s communicating it to you and you’re just too stubborn to hear it.”

Later that night I was hanging out in the comfort of my apartment in a pair of skimpy pajama shorts and camisole, lounging on my sofa and drinking my second glass of wine. I was watching season reruns of
Downton Abbey
and doing anything and everything I could not to think about Braden leaving the next day and how much I’d miss him. He had gotten under my skin like no one else ever had and I had done a terrible job of not letting myself fall for him, that much was clear.