Chapter 3—Heather

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. I’d really hoped Nathan would have been here so I could talk to him, but of course, he wasn’t. His father was, though. A shiver wiggled up my spine. The way he hadn’t hesitated to comfort me, to offer his help. I honestly hadn’t expected that, but I couldn’t deny it thrilled me.

Darian James was hot—like make-your-panties-wet-with-a-single-look hot. He could make any woman drool, especially me. He was tall, well over six feet, with black, wavy hair and the most stunning blue eyes. They reminded me of a crystal-clear, tropical ocean. I dried my hair and let my mind wander to that night I’d walked into this exact bathroom to find Darian naked. Tattooed, muscular arms, well-defined pecs, and six-pack abs had stared back at me, wet and taut. And his cock. Long and thick. I groaned. He’d had the biggest erection I’d ever seen.

And he never tried to flaunt it, either. Not that I expected he would, but guys my age were always trying to show off their dicks. Like the night I almost had sex with Bryan. He’d taken my hand, put it on his crotch, and mumbled some ridiculous line about me making his cock bigger than it’s ever been. I’d laughed. I hadn’t meant to, but Bryan and dirty talk did not mix. But I’d bet Darian could talk filthy and not make it sound cheesy.

I wrapped the towel around my head and dug my cell phone from my shorts pocket. I had twenty-two missed calls, all of them from my dad and Corrine. I also had twelve text messages, which I assumed were from them, too. I shut off my phone and set it on the bathroom sink. I hadn’t been kidding when I’d said I didn’t want to talk to either of them. They could both kiss my ass.

Seriously, how did my life get to this point? I had a close-knit, group of friends that I thought I could always count on. Although now, I was questioning that. I had 4.0 GPA in college. I knew exactly what I was doing with my life—business management and accounting so that I could take over Dad’s company…if he even wanted me to anymore. For all I knew, he could decide to give it all to Corrine. And now, it was all slowly imploding.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I heard the front door open. “Darian, is that you?” I hoped so because all my clean, dry clothes were in the suitcase he was supposed to be bringing back with him.

“Yeah.”

I hurried into the living room. Darian stood near the door, my suitcase in his hand, and he froze. His eyes narrowed, and his lips thinned into a flat line, almost like he was scowling.

“Uh, everything okay?”

His gaze raked down my body like he was trying to memorize me. Or fuck me with his eyes. I wasn’t sure which. I held my breath, realizing I was standing before him in nothing but a towel, and I had a sudden urge to let the towel drop to the floor so he could see me like I’d seen him once before.

I swallowed hard and took a small step forward. “Darian?”

He gave a slight shake of his head and finally looked away. “Sorry. Here’s your suitcase. Car’s in the garage.”

“Thank you. Any idea what’s wrong with it?”

“Motor’s blown. You need to replace it.”

Groaning, I flopped down in the recliner. “How long will that take? And how much is it going to cost me?” I had my own checking account, and a couple of credit cards, but I doubted I had enough to cover such a major repair. And I was not going to call my dad and ask for his help. I did have a line of credit at the bank, though. I could use that to pay for it.

“Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll take care of it.” He walked into the kitchen. “Want something to drink?”

“No, thanks.” I stood and followed him into the kitchen. “What do you mean, don’t worry about the cost?” Leaning against the doorframe, I crossed my arms. “I can’t let you pay for this.” My dad was always swooping in and paying for things or taking care of my problems. I’d been trying to show him I was a responsible adult who didn’t need her daddy to take care of her. And there was no way I was going to let Darian step in and take over.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge, twisted off the top, and took a long pull before turning to face me. “You’re not going to have much of a choice if I don’t give you a bill, now are you?”

I stared at him, and he stared back, neither of us speaking. He took another drink of his beer, his gaze still locked on mine over the rim of the bottle. “Your serious, aren’t you?”

He lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. “I have the means to help you, so let me, okay?” His voice was raspy, bordering on pleading.

Dropping my arms to my sides, I nodded. “Fine, but at least let me do something to pay you back. I know it’s late, but have you eaten? I can make dinner tonight. Or we can order out and I’ll pay.” I was already taking advantage of his generous offer to stay here; I couldn’t take more from him without giving something back.

“You want to pay me back?” Setting his beer on the counter, he approached me. Our bodies touched, and my nipples hardened under the towel. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me again. Instead, he put his hands on my shoulders then dragged his palms down my arms before dragging his fingertips up. Goosebumps erupted on my skin, and I couldn’t suppress my shudder. “Then you can do two things for me.” His hands moved back down.

My eyelids started to flutter close, and I forced them open. “What?” I whispered, looking up at him under my lashes.

“First.” His hands moved up to my neck, his finger trailing across my jaw. My heart was in my throat, and I held my breath. Was it wrong I was hoping he’d ask me for a kiss as repayment? Or possibly more. My clit throbbed with the idea those words could come out of his mouth at any second. “Put some damn clothes on,” he said, his voice thick. “Walking around here in a towel is going to get both of us in trouble.”

My jaw dropped. Not at all what I’d hoped he’d say. My shoulders slumped with disappointment. And then a spark of anger ignited in my chest. “That’s hard to do when all of my clothes are in that suitcase.” I stabbed my finger toward the front door. “And you just brought it here.”

“Second,” he said, ignoring my defense. “I want to know why you’re so angry about your father and Corrine.”

I took a step back, shocked. “What? I told you already, I—”

“No.” He held up his finger to silence me. “You said you didn’t understand why. You never said what your issue was with their relationship. Is it the age difference?”

I shifted on my feet and hung my head. Why did he care? “No, not really. I mean, yeah, it’s a huge difference, but…” I sighed. “I feel betrayed, okay? Corrine has been like a sister to me since you and Nathan moved away. And now I feel like I’ve lost not only a best friend, but a sister, and my father. You really think he’s going to have time for me now that he’s got her?” I balled my hands into fists, letting the rage spread through me.

“Oh, c’mon. You don’t really think your father is going to ignore you because he’s dating Corrine.” He crossed his arms.

“They’ve been lying to me for weeks, Darian.” I mimicked his stance. “And why do you care anyway?”

“Because your father is a close friend, and I can’t imagine this is easy for him. You taking off the way you did, refusing to speak to him.”

“Oh, so that’s what you want? You want me to call my dad and make amends?” I shook my head. “Forget it. I’ll get dressed and get out of here.” I turned to leave when he grabbed my wrist, turning me back toward him.

“I never said you had to call him. And I sure as hell didn’t tell you to leave.” His grip on my wrist loosened. “And you’re fucking crazy if you think I’m just going to let you walk out of here so you can take off to God knows where so no one knows where you are.”

My heart thrashed in my chest. What the hell was up with him? I narrowed my eyes. “Is that the only reason you want me to stay, Darian? So you know where I am?”

He flinched. It was subtle, but I hadn’t missed it. Releasing his hold on my wrist, he crossed his arms. “Where would you go? And how are you going to get there?” An arrogant smirk flitted across his face.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“You didn’t answer mine.”

“Oh, that’s real mature.” I rolled my eyes, and he laughed. Actually laughed! I couldn’t believe it. “I do have other friends, you know.”

“I’m sure you do.” He cleared his throat, his laughter finally subsiding. And then he stepped up to me and took my face in his hands. “But I can promise you, none of them can take care of you like I will.”

My breath hitched, and I stared up into his eyes, which were darkening by the moment. That was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen. I realized in that moment that he was right. While I knew my other friends would help me, they wouldn’t take care of me—not like Darian was. He’d stepped up without me asking, and he’d taken care of business. No guy my age could, or would, do that. Not without expecting something in return.

“Now, for the sake of my sanity, will you please go get dressed?” His voice was pleading.

“Why? I’m covered.”

“Barely,” he snapped, letting his hands fall away from my face as he took several steps back.

I tilted my head and studied him. I didn’t have a lot of experience with guys, but I had enough to know Darian liked what he saw. He just wasn’t willing to admit it. Yet. “Does it bother you to see me like this?” I held my arms out to my sides and slowly turned around.

“Dammit, Heather.” He nearly growled the words. He was silent for a beat before he said, “I’m not sure ‘bothered’ is the word I’d use.”

I bit my lip to stop from smiling. “No? What word would you use?”

He pinned me with a look that was both sexy and dangerous. “Get. Dressed.” Then he spun on his heel and stormed into the living room without another word.

Hmm, that was interesting. If that had been Bryan, or any other nineteen-year-old guy, he would’ve yanked the towel from my body and taken whatever the hell he wanted. But not Darian. He clearly understood boundaries, probably better than I did. That could be problematic.

Since the night I’d walked in on Darian in the bathroom, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him—about how sexy he was, how big his cock was, how deep and raspy his voice was, how badly I wanted him to touch me. It had quickly become an obsession, and I’d been finding excuses to hang out with Nathan as much as possible, just so I could be around Darian. And now that it was just me and him in this spacious loft, I was going to use every moment I had to my advantage.

By the time I got dressed and did something with my unruly hair, it was well past ten p.m. I stepped out of the bathroom to find Darian standing in the hallway. He’d changed out of his dirty work clothes and now wore a T-shirt and gym shorts. I took a moment to admire him, letting my gaze work over his broad shoulders and muscular arms. God, those arms…they were absolute perfection.

“You about done?” he asked, snapping me out of my visual feast.

I glanced up at his face, and there was a hint of a smile. Was he asking if I was done in the bathroom? Or if I was done looking at him? “All yours.” I smiled sweetly and stepped aside so he could get into the bathroom. “Where am I sleeping tonight?”

His eyes widened. “Wherever you want. I mean, you can take the couch or Nathan’s room, if you want.”

“Okay.” I nodded. But the thought of sleeping alone tonight depressed me. I didn’t know why, but I had this deep need to be with someone, to know what it felt like to have someone care about me so much, nothing else mattered. That’s how I figured my dad cared for Corrine—he loved her so much, he didn’t care what I thought about it, or how it affected me. Would I ever find a love like that? “I think I might sit up and watch some TV. Are you headed to bed?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a long day tomorrow, and I want to get an early start. Need to get a new engine for your car.”

“Right. Well, have a good night then.” I headed downstairs, sat on the couch, and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels, not really paying attention to what was on the screen. Frustrated, I shut off the TV and grabbed my cell phone. As I waited for it to turn on and all my notifications to load, I wandered into the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the fridge. I returned to the living room and read through all of my text messages, which had doubled since I’d shut off my phone earlier—ten of them were from Corrine, five were from my dad, three were from Jessa, and the rest were from Nathan. I texted Jessa first. I really need to talk to you. Call me now! Although I knew I wouldn’t hear from her until tomorrow. She was probably in bed already. I swore that girl acted like she was ninety-one instead of nineteen.

Behind me, I heard the bathroom door close, followed by Darian’s footsteps. I waited, hoping he’d come down and sit with me for a while, but he didn’t. With a heavy sigh, I began the painstaking task of listening to all my voice mails. Lots of Corrine crying and apologizing and begging me to give her a chance to explain. I deleted every message. My dad, however…his messages became increasingly frantic.

“Heather Marie,” his last message started. “I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be, but you’re acting very childish and irresponsible. If I don’t hear from you tonight, I will call the police and report you missing.”

I stared at my phone, eyes wide. Would he really do that? Reluctantly, I sent him a text message. Dad. I’m fine. I promise I’m somewhere safe. But I need time to deal, so give me a break, okay? I hit send then immediately turned off my phone again. Exhaustion weighed on my shoulders, and my eyes burned, probably from lack of sleep and all the crying I’d done. Yawning, I stood and stretched. Darian’s couch wasn’t that comfortable, so I decided to take advantage of the fact that Nathan’s bed was empty. But as I made my way toward his room, I noticed Darian’s bedroom door was open a crack and the light was on. I didn’t know what propelled me to go toward his room, but I did. I peeked in the door, intent on making my presence known, when I noticed him on his bed. Naked. And stroking his hard cock.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to stop from gasping, and my eyes widened. His dick was larger and harder than I remembered, but it was still just as impressive. His hard, muscular body was on full display, and I stood there, unashamed. Watching. The way his hand moved up and down his shaft, the way he lifted his hips, the way his head pressed against the pillow, his mouth parted from his heavy breaths, the sounds of his low, throaty moans swirled around me. My clit throbbed, and I squeezed my legs, trying to alleviate the pressure building between my thighs.

My God. This was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever witnessed, and while I knew it was wrong to spy on him, I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to. Hell, I wanted to march into his room and offer to help him. Should I do that? Would he tell me to leave? My heart thundered, and I slowly removed my hand from my mouth and slid it down my body, right into my panties. I bit down hard on my bottom lip to stop from moaning. I was so wet, and I ached for release, but I knew my own fingers wouldn’t satisfy me. They hadn’t been for a while now, and after witnessing this, there was no way in hell I could keep my virginity any longer. I didn’t want to. I wanted to give it to Darian.

My name fell from his lips with a groan as he came; his body jerked then relaxed, a satisfied sigh cutting through the air. I froze, then yanked my hand from my panties. Did he know I was lurking? I risked another glance, but he seemed oblivious to me. Which meant only one thing: He’d been thinking about me while he got himself off.