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Despite his question, he continued to take it easy on me as I gasped and let waves of pure pleasure crash over me. This wasn’t the boy I’d crushed on as a teen. He was a completely different person. He was more than I’d ever dreamed a man could be, and I was falling hopelessly in love with him.
I just hoped he wouldn’t break my heart.
6
SLADE
It took a lot of work, but we somehow managed to enter the house looking fully dressed. The ground had been good to Cheyenne’s dress, and my clothes weren’t too bad. If someone looked closely, though, they’d see a little smudge of dirt on the back of my pants and some wrinkles on the dress shirt I’d carelessly tossed to the ground.
Nobody would notice, though, because pure chaos had broken out inside. That was clear as we were walking through the kitchen.
“I’m a grown-ass woman. You can’t tell me who to date.”
Cheyenne and I exchanged a look, and then I held my hand out for her to stay back. I wanted to keep her safe while I checked out the situation.
There was no holding her back, though. I was a good ten steps behind her by the time I entered the living room.
The room was silent as everyone stood, watching Abbie and her father in some sort of face-off. They were in the area that was being used as a dance floor when we left. Now, it looked like they were putting on some sort of performance.
“Young lady, this is not the place to discuss this,” Abbie and Bo’s father, Jasper Phillips, said. “Why don’t you go to your room and calm down?—?”
“You can’t ‘go to your room’ me,” she said. “I’m twenty-four years old. Maverick and I are going to leave now.”
With that, Abbie grabbed Maverick’s hand and tugged him until they both started in our direction. They whizzed between us and through the door without even looking at us.
“Cheyenne,” Jasper said, his hard stare landing on my new girlfriend. “Go talk some sense into your friend.”
I moved closer to Cheyenne. I couldn’t help it. It was a reflex. I had to protect her from whatever was happening here.
But the scowl she tossed in Jasper’s direction made it clear she could hold her own. She took several steps toward him, forcing me to slide in behind her just in case I was needed.
“My friend has stuck up for you for years,” Cheyenne said. “We all told her your overprotectiveness wasn’t healthy. Let her live her life.”
Jasper started toward her, and I didn’t waste a second. My body moved without giving myself time to even come up with a plan. All I knew was my lady was being threatened.
“You’re part of the problem,” Jasper said. “Gallivanting with some nobody you know nothing about.”
I saw red. I didn’t know what he meant by “gallivanting.” Had someone seen us out there? Was our absence noticed?
But what I did know was that Jasper Phillips—known as J. J. to Blackbear Bluff old-timers—had called me a nobody. It was an elitist view that had no place in a town like this.
“Slade Shepherd is twice the man you’ll ever be.” Cheyenne took several steps toward him, but they were still separated by a good yard or two. “He’s kind and smart. When he’s a father, he won’t take over and control everything.”
I was so caught up in her compliments, it took me a second to notice people were staring at me then. Not everyone. Mostly the younger women in the room. One of the bridesmaids leaned toward Erika and whispered something, and Erika nodded, smiling. I knew that look. I’d been recognized. But why? Cheyenne had merely called me smart and kind. But she’d also called me?—
“You’re Slade Shepherd?” a woman in her thirties asked. “The guy who’s in that band?”
And then everyone was staring at me, and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. Not because my secret was out. Because Cheyenne had known my secret. She’d slept with me, knowing my secret.
It was exactly what I’d joined the military to escape. That hadn’t been enough, so I’d settled into this tiny town. Women couldn’t star-fuck me if they couldn’t find me.
But this was my biggest fear of all. I’d fallen in love with a woman, only to learn she’d used me.
“Excuse me,” I said, already backing out of the room.
Cheyenne turned to look at me, confusion marring her beautiful features. Just looking at her reminded me how close I’d come to having everything. This hurt. It hurt bad.
I ripped my gaze from hers, turned, and rushed from the room. From the building. I had to put some distance between us, and I had to do it now.
