Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (13 page)

Chapter Nine

I
take off my coat and hang it on the back of an empty chair at the table where Sawyer and Logan sit. Sawyer greets me while Logan gives me a thorough once-over, making me self-conscious and causing my face to color. He grins.

“I think Logan finds you looking extra fine tonight, Sofie,” Sawyer says. I give him a frown. “Isn’t that right, Logan?” I glare at Sawyer.

“Sofie always looks extra fine,” Logan
agrees.

“You two, stop it,” I warn.

“Now, Sofie, you can’t take offense at Logan complimenting you,” Sawyer teases.

Sawyer has no doubt already had a couple of beers. “No, but I can take my leave.” Which I do. Sawyer and Logan call after me.

Sam sits at the bar, so I join him. Several people are at the pool table. Andy Pearson is bent over the table, taking a shot. He’s not the one who catches my attention, though. Someone new stands by the cue rack, and I’m able to get my first good look.

He appears to be in his late twenties and handsome. Unbelievably handsome. Now I know why he kept his face hidden last night. Any man who looks as he does probably has to beat women off with a stick.

His hair, long enough to brush over the back of his shirt collar, is that true shiny black. His dark brows, finely arched, give his face a slightly sardonic expression. I’ve read in books of noses described as aristocratic, and I never knew what that meant, but I do now. His lips are sculptured, sensual even. He’s tall, at least six foot-two, lean, with wide shoulders. The man looks—well—fit. He certainly fills out his black jeans incredibly well, his arms and chest obviously muscular beneath his black T-shirt.

He exudes a dangerous, exciting kind of vibe that’s hard to ignore. I picked that up the night before. What I want is to see his eyes. As if he hears my musings, he looks up from the pool table, glances across the room, and meets my gaze dead on. I inhale sharply.

His eyes appear light from this distance, maybe light blue. With his dark brows and lashes, the effect is—startling. And the heat in his eyes—unnerving. He subjects me to a lingering appraisal, examining my face and then his eyes continue down, stopping at my throat. My pulse quickens and I swallow nervously as his gaze continues its path to my breasts. I feel as if his eyes give them a leisurely caress and my nipples tighten. I gasp at the sensation and his eyes snap back to mine, one of his arched brows lifts in silent question. A corner of his mouth twitches as if he’s amused.

I flush at his bold inspection as he continues his unconcealed regard, making me feel as if he’s touching me. A tightening starts low in my belly that makes me grit my teeth, and I begin to get angry. If he takes so much as one step in my direction to check my teeth, he’ll be walking funny and talking soprano for a week.

His gaze comes back to mine, and he must see the anger in my eyes because he throws his head back and laughs. I hurry behind the bar. My hands are shaking so badly, I have to take several deep breaths before I can pour coffee without spilling it. I turn to get some cream from the fridge and gasp when I walk smack-dab into him. I discover, when I instinctively push against his stomach, he’s rock solid.

“Whoa!” He grasps my upper arms, preventing me from pulling away.

I stare into a pair of silver-green eyes. Amusement teases the corners of his mouth as heat moves over my body. “Let go of me.” My voice trembles.

Completely disregarding my request, he leans toward me, inhaling deeply. He loosens his hold, and I step back. He regards me with an infuriating grin. “I’d heard you were a little girl with—ample charms.” My gaze flies to his and my lips part, in shocked disbelief. His mouth lifts in an amused smile. “It was hard to tell the other night in your oversized coat.”

Of all the gall!
“Y-You—” I sputter.

“Lucas,” Taylor calls as he approaches. “Sofie, how are you? You look lovely tonight.”

I tear my gaze away from the rude man. I hope he understands I’m dismissing him. “I’m good, Taylor, thanks.” I finger the charm around my neck and smile shyly at him, hoping he won’t notice my blush. I see Lucas raise an eyebrow toward Taylor.

Taylor clears his throat. “Well... ah, Lucas, mission accomplished.” He steps back behind the bar. “Let’s have a drink.”

“You’ll have to excuse me. Max just walked in, and I need to speak with him.” He gives a quick nod to Taylor. Lucas catches my hand in a viselike grip before I can stop him, pulling it to his face as he bends toward me. He doesn’t kiss the back as I fear, but turns my hand over and brings his nose to my wrist. I jerk my hand back, and he laughs under his breath as he straightens. “Sofia, it’s been a pleasure.” He quickly leans in close. “I like your lush mouth.”

Then he’s gone.

My mouth drops open, and I make an exasperated sound as I turn to Taylor. He’s smiling as he pours tequila into two shot glasses. Sawyer joins us.

“Did you invite him?” I ask, not even trying to hide my disdain. I glare across the room at Lucas. He stands with his profile to us and the corner of his mouth lifts before he glances at me. I turn and down my shot. I suddenly know what I want to do.

“I’m going over to Nick’s,” I state, tired of us being at odds. I set my glass down on the counter.

Taylor’s gaze flashes to mine. “Sofie...”

“What?”

He gives me a long look. Finally, he answers me in a low, steady voice, “I wouldn’t do that.”

It’s my turn to give him a long look. “Why?”

“Yeah, why?” Sawyer asks.

Taylor keeps eye contact a few moments longer and then exhales loudly, looking away and shaking his head.

“Sawyer, will you go with me?”

“You bet. Let’s go.” He motions for me to precede him.

I think of something and turn back to Taylor. He’s flipped his phone open, and he’s tapping the keypad. “Taylor?” He glances up as I lean over the bar. I want to m
ake sure he understands me. “If you call or warn him in any other way, I will
never
speak to you again.” I give him a good steady stare. He hesitates before snapping his phone closed.

Sawyer insists on driving. He assures me the only thing he’s had to drink is one beer. As Sawyer and I get into his Jeep, he studies me a moment before starting the engine. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He raises his eyebrows. “You realize he may be with someone.”

I look straight ahead after I buckle my seat belt. “I know.”

“Do you want to put yourself through that kind of hurt? I mean, it’ll hurt more than if you wait and confront him tomorrow.”

I think about it for about three seconds. “I need to be certain.”

“It might be pretty devastating,” Sawyer warns.

I turn to him. “What would you do?”

He fires up the Jeep.

“Emma Rae and I were talking earlier, on the way here, about...” I stop. “She knows! That’s why she asked me all those questions about my feelings for Nick!” More realizations come as Sawyer places the Jeep in gear. I reach over and touch his arm. “Wait!” He gives me a questioning look. “Wait, I’ll be right back.”

In about five minutes, I return with a different set of keys. “We’re taking Jake’s truck. That way... Nick will be more likely to open the door.”

“You’re thinking Jake knows,” he states.

“Oh, he knows.” I can’t let myself think about that now, though.

As the pickup clears the last rise in the road, Nick’s house comes into view. Sawyer hits the brakes as we identify the car in the driveway.

My voice holds disbelief. “Bobbi?”

“What the...”

So many things make sense now. All the Friday nights he hasn’t been with me, he’s been with Bobbi. She’s always saying she has a hot date on Fridays, but she’s secretive about with whom. The way he consoled her the night of the shower, her additional animosity toward me. Everything falls into place.

I ring the doorbell. “You call his name,” I tell Sawyer. He sounds a lot like Jake.

We hear the lock turning before Nick opens the door. “Jake, what’s...” Nick sees me standing at his door. He’s shirtless, shoeless, and his jeans are undone. “Sofie!”

“’Fraid so,” I say as I push past him into his house. He opens the door wide, allowing Sawyer to come in. “I finally put it together, but...” I make an exasperated sound. “I had no idea it was Bobbi. Pathetic, huh? Well, maybe you don’t think so. No doubt you appreciate I’m slow on the take.”

“Sofie...” He closes his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You mean sorry I found out? Thinking back, you’ve been dating us both this whole time.”

“I date
you
. We’re together most nights; you’re the one I want.”

“What? You don’t date Bobbi? Friday night belongs to her, right?”

“Yes! Doesn’t that tell you something?” He steps closer. I step back. He stops, holding out his hand.

“The thing is, you could have just been upfront about dating both of us. But instead, you’ve been playing games. Telling me you don’t want me seeing anyone else, leading me to believe I mean something to you. Do you say the same things to Bobbi?”

“No! I. Love. You.” I face him and have a clear shot of the hallway. Bobbi stands a few feet away, listening. I do something for which I will never forgive myself. I’m deliberately cruel to Bobbi. It doesn’t matter that I want her to realize what a snake he is. I do it on purpose, and it’s just plain mean. “What does Bobbi mean to you? Where does she fit into all this?”

He sighs. “I’m sleeping with her.”

“Well, obviously.” I glance at his state of undress. I twist the knife deeper. “So, if I’d slept with you as you’ve been pressuring me to...”

“What?” Sawyer asks, giving Nick an ugly look.

“There’d be no need for Bobbi,” Nick callously admits.

“You son of a bitch!” Sawyer exclaims. I close my eyes, sick to my stomach at being cruel on purpose.

Nick continues his brutal confession. “She means nothing to me.”

Bobbi’s sob, and the sound of her running down the hallway, is lost on Nick because at that moment, Sawyer knocks him flat on his ass. I hang my head in shame, wrapping my arms around my stomach. When I look at Nick, I have tears in my eyes, but they’re not for him.

“Don’t you ever come near me again,” I warn.

“Sofie, please...” He holds his hand out toward me. “I told Bobbi if you found out, it would be over with her.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “You’re a bastard.”

I turn and walk out the door.

We pull int
o my driveway, and Sawyer shuts off the engine. “Were you aware she was standing there?” he asks.

I look at him before bursting into tears. He pats my shoulder as I sob. When the crying jag eases, I declare, “I’m such a bitch!”

“You’re not a bitch, Sofie.”

“That’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever done.” My voice shakes with emotion.

“You just wanted her to realize what a bastard he is.”

“He is, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is. Bobbi may not think it now, but you’ve done her a good turn.” He squeezes my shoulder.

“She’s going to hate me even more now.” I sniffle. “But I wanted her to know... that he’s been playing us both.”

“He’s an ass.”

“Sawyer... I think I wanted to hurt her, too,” I whisper.

He squeezes my shoulder again. “Understandable. She’s been mean as hell to you for years.”

I try, unsuccessfully, to hold back a sob. “And my pride.”

He chuckles. “Well, your pride needs a little salvaging.”

“Knocking him flat like you did helped a lot.”

Sawyer laughs before sobering. “Sofie, when Jake finds out Nick was pressuring you—”

“Jake knows about Bobbi.”

“Yeah, maybe, but you need to talk to him.”

“I know.” We sit a little longer before I tell him I’m going in and he needs to take Jake’s truck back. I warn him not to say one word about what’s happened, and I’ll talk to him in the morning.

“I’m not leaving you alone!” He sounds astonished I’d even suggest it.

“Sawyer, I’m not suicidal. I told Emma Rae not three hours ago that I would never love Nick, and I meant it.” I smile at him and scoot over to open the door. “Now go.”

Inside the house, I lean against the closed door, listening to Sawyer drive away. I wrap my arms around my waist. All the old feelings of not being wanted, not being good enough, rush over me. I wipe my eyes with my fingertips. Nick Sinclair will
not
cause me to shed one more tear. I dumped his ass!

Still.

I crawl up into bed, pull off my boots, and drag the comforter over me. I close my eyes, shutting out the hurt and pain.

Sunlight coming through my bedroom window wakes me. Reaching above my head, I stretch from my fingertips down to my toes.

I take my shower and let the hot water beat against my back, releasing any tension still lurking. I dress in sweats and an old T-shirt Ben gave me from a Rolling Stones concert he’d attended in college. The need for coffee drives me to the kitchen, and as I come through the doorway, I stop abruptly. Sitting at the kitchen table are Diane, Emma Rae, Sam, and Jake. Sawyer sits on top of the cookstove. I narrow my eyes at him and consider turning the fire on under his butt.

“I’m not the stoolie!” He raises his hands in the universal sign of surrender.

“Nick called me after you left,” Jake admits, standing so I can sit.

“How upfront of him.” I move to the coffeemaker. Emma Rae gets the cream for me. I give her a meaningful glare. I sit at the table with my coffee. “Okay. You’re all here for a reason. Let’s get this over with.”

Emma Rae doesn’t need asking twice. “I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you, Sofe. I’d just worked it out myself.”

“You had the perfect opportunity to tell me last night. You chose not to.”

“Sofie, sometimes the messenger gets shot! I asked you those questions, and based on what you told me—”

“You should have told me.” I glare at her.

“I realize that now! Yesterday, I told Nick I knew about him and Bobbi. I told him if he didn’t ’fess up, I would tell you,” she insists.

“You did?”

“Yes, but I made up my mind I’d tell you anyway. That’s why I asked you to go with me to Murphy’s. Based on what you said, I decided to let Nick confess. I swear, I would have told you if I’d had an inkling of what would happen last night.” I am so happy she didn’t betray me. I stand and give her a hug. “You and Di are my sisters. I would never betray either of you.” Her voice catches.

I wish I could say I’m okay, but I still have a heavy heart. “I know why Jake and Emma Rae are here. Why are the rest of you?”
Please, don’t let anyone else have a part in this.

“The rest of us are here for support,” Diane reassures me, taking my hand.

“Thank you.” I squeeze her hand.

“Support for you,” she reiterates and gives Jake’s back a disgusted look. I chew my bottom lip.

“Do you want us to give you some privacy with Jake?” Sam asks. I’m grateful for his sensitivity.

Jake turns as the others file out of the room. “I didn’t tell you because... he’s crazy about you. I think he truly loves you. Bobbi—”

“Means nothing to him. Oh, he stated plainly he just uses her for sex,” I tell him.

“I’m ashamed he treats her that way, and then tells you.” Jake is clearly embarrassed. “I trusted him not to hurt you. Nick’s my best friend. I liked the idea of you two together.”