I stare into his darkened eyes that show how vulnerable he’s feeling. He has a tough exterior, but when you look closely, you’ll see he wears his heart on his sleeve. His massive heart is the main reason I left him.
“But I need you to promise me something, Kylie.”
I nod without pause for consideration. I’ll promise him anything if it means he’ll be in my life again.
“Promise me you’ll never leave again without saying goodbye. No matter what happens, no matter how bad it seems, I need you to promise that you won’t leave without saying goodbye.” He stares into my eyes, his hurt unmissable. “I barely survived it the first time; I won’t survive it a second time.”
My eyes burn from the sudden rush of moisture forming in them. Nothing but hurt is reflecting in his beautiful eyes. Hurt I placed there. Hurt that’ll take me years to repair. Hurt I promise will never mark his face again.
“I promise.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Slater
Instant relief. That’s what I feel when Kylie promises she won’t leave again without saying goodbye. She never makes a promise she can’t keep, so I can take her vow at face value—thank fuck. I wasn’t joking when I said I barely survived it the first time. When she left, she took my heart with her. You can’t function without your heart. Believe me, I tried. It wasn’t fucking pretty.
I’m not saying being heartless is my excuse for the poor choices I’ve made the past two years, but have you ever tried to live without your heart? Trust me, it’s hard to live with morals when you don’t have a heart. I truly became heartless without her.
Call me a coward, but I shut down Kylie’s confession because I’m cautious about bringing up the past. I’ve done some shit I’m not proud of, and although Kylie would never judge me, I don’t want her to look at me differently than how she is now. Her eyes aren’t just beaming with lust, but also love.
Furthermore, nothing she could say would change how I feel about her, so why bring all that anger back to the surface? Even without her telling me, I’m reasonably sure I know the reason she left. . .
When Nick removes my baseball bat from the saddlebag of my bike to smash Jenni’s car with it, the theories I’ve been suspicious of the past few months ring true. Jenni and Nick are a couple.Fuck. Me.I thought Jenni was smart.
Noah motions his head to Nick, requesting my assistance, but I shake my head. When Kylie spots my gesture, her eyes narrow before her head jerks like Noah’s. Her eyes thin even more when I shake my head for the second time.
“Jenni needs to see him for who hereallyis. This might be the final push she needs to stay away from him.”
“What about Nick?” Kylie locks her eyes with mine. They’re steaming with anger. “Isn’t he your friend? Shouldn’t you help him too?”
I shake my head once more. Nick isn’t my friend. I can’t stand the guy, but since I’ve never told Kylie what happened between us, she’s unaware I caught him sleeping with my fiancée inmyfucking bed.
“You’re better than this.” With a disappointed sigh, Kylie paces toward Nick and Noah, who are lying on the ground next to Jenni’s demolished BMW. I’m shocked when the moonlight glistens on Nick’s cheeks. I’ve never seen him cry, not even when I knocked him out after the whole Nikki incident.
I was having doubts about Nikki for a few months, but I promised her my hand in marriage and had every intention of keeping my promise. My parents were together from a young age, and I wanted to emulate their relationship. I tried to convince myself that every relationship, even the best ones, have rough patches, but the instant I walked in on her with Nick, I knew that was one bump we’d never smooth out.
Cutting Nikki out of my life was easy. Nick was a lot fucking harder. Noah was adamant we needed him in our group. He stupidly believes he’s the final piece of the puzzle that makes our group whole. I fought tooth and nail to have him kicked out of Rise Up. I even quit at one stage. If it hadn’t been for Noah saying he’d do anything to make me stay, anything at all, I’d still be laying down bricks at all the housing developments popping up around Ravenshoe.
After a night of drinking, an agreement was reached. Ten percent of Rise Up’s profits for the rest of our musical career would be donated to the Serena Scott Foundation, and I was allowed to punch Nick once. Marcus agreed to the charity donation without a second thought but refused my second request. After a few beers and numerous whispers in his ear, he finally relented—on one condition: I wasn’t allowed to knock Nick out.
He was pissed when Nick lay unconscious on his grandma’s garage floor for twenty minutes after I hit him. It wasn’t my fault. I thought he’d take more than he did. His fighting skills certainly lacked at that time, but with how hard he swung my bat at Jenni’s car, I’d say he’s rectified that now.
“Noah is taking Nick to a hotel.” Kylie slides back next to me before resting her head on my shoulder. “Maybe you should go with them?”
She gasps when I shake my head. Hating that I’ve disappointed her, I pull her to sit on my lap. I’m about to head on the road for three weeks, so I don’t want to spend my final weekend with her worrying about Nick. Another gasp seeps from her lips when she feels my cock jabbing into her curvy backside. With the vein in her neck throbbing, her eyes shoot to Marcus and Nicole, who are seated across from us. Satisfied they’re not paying us any attention, her lust-filled gaze returns to mine.
“Pool in ten minutes.” She fakes a yawn before slipping off my lap and darting toward the infinity pool at the front of the property.
I wait approximately five seconds before taking off after her.What? I’m impatient as fuck when it comes to anything Kylie-related.I muffle her squeals with my hand when I catch up with her. She’s screaming so loud, she’ll wake up Noah’s neighbors, and I’m barely touching her—yet.
When we reach the pool, Kylie steps away from me before slipping her cotton dress over her head. Her pale beige skin illuminates in the full moon. After peering past my shoulder, she unclasps her bra and slides her panties down her legs.Fuck, she’s gorgeous.Her body is pure perfection: lush curves, pert tits, and a slit that tastes sweeter than honey. My cock aches to be inside her.
She winks before diving into the pool without so much of a splash. By the time her head surfaces out of the water, I’ve removed my boots and shirt and am in the process of removing my jeans. She watches me with needy, hungry eyes when I slide my jeans all the way down my legs. She’s seen my cock a hundred times already, but she can’t get enough.
I fuckin’ love that.
My entrance into the pool isn’t as elegant as Kylie’s. I run up to the edge and dive-bomb into the water. Her giggles boom around the pool area, only dissipating when I lower my mouth over hers. I’m glad the pool is heated, but even if it weren't, nothing would dampen the hotness. I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight than Kylie’s lust-filled eyes glistening in the moonlit ocean.
