“Cheryl, you shouldn’t be doing it if the only reason you are is to make Jared angry.”
“Did I tell you that Jared had a vasectomy, and he didn’t tell me? He didn’t want me or his mistresses to get pregnant. I tried for five years to get pregnant and was about to take fertility treatments, and he didn’t once open his fucking mouth.”
Sutton could see the anger and hurt Cheryl was trying to get out of her system. If sleeping with the men Jared had to come in contact with helped, then Sutton wasn’t about to throw any stones.
“Then, no, it doesn’t make you a bad person.” There was no pain worse than being cheated on by the one you love.
“I’m thinking of leaving Treepoint when I get enough money saved up.”
In Treepoint, it didn’t matter how many women men slept with, but a woman with multiple sexual partners was labeled with only one title—slut.
“It might help take away some of the resentment you’re feeling toward Jared.”
“You don’t by any chance need a roommate, do you?”
“I’m afraid I already have a roommate, and I don’t think you and Stella would hit it off. I have a couple of friends who are looking for another roommate, though. If you’re interested, I could give you their numbers.”
“I would appreciate it. If I find a roommate, then I could move sooner.”
Sutton took out her cell phone, sending her the two phone numbers. “I think you would have a lot in common with Kazzie and Soria.”
“I’ll call them tomorrow. Thanks, Sutton.”
“Don’t thank me until you talk to them. Are you sure you want to do this? All your family is here.”
“They haven’t had anything to do with me since The Last Riders, so I’m really not too concerned with what they have to say.”
Sutton shook her head. “It’s not going to be as easy to leave as you think. The mountains are hard to leave. They stay in your blood.”
“If you missed it so badly, why did you stay away so long?”
“I didn’t have anything to come back for.”
* * *
Sutton let herself into the dark house, locking the door behind her. She crossed the floor, bumping into the couch. Unable to help herself, she started giggling.
“I see you had a good time.” Tate’s voice came from the chair beside the couch.
“I did.” She grabbed on to the back of the couch to steady herself.
“You drove yourself home in this condition?”
“No, one of Cheryl’s friends gave us a ride.”
“Cheryl doesn’t have any friends. Who was it?”
“She does, too. I’m one, and some guy named Rider.”
“How did Rider drive you and Cheryl home? He rides a bike, and both you and Cheryl wouldn’t fit on it at the same time.”
“Train gave her a ride.”
“I bet that won’t be the only ride he gives her tonight.” Tate’s sarcastic tone raised her simmering anger.
“Jealous it’s not you?” she said snidely. “Give her a call. She would be more than willing to give you a place to hide out.”
“You told her I was here?” She saw his shadow rise from the chair angrily.
“No. She was just talking about you and mentioned she wouldn’t mind you hanging out at her place.”
“Why was she talking about me?”
“She was comparing you to her other lovers,” Sutton lied. “She said you sucked. It’s good to know I didn’t miss out on anything.”
“You bitch. You’re lying.”
“Am I?” she taunted, drunk enough that she didn’t care how angry she made him. “Maybe I am; maybe I’m not. Why don’t you ask her when you go stay with her? I’ll even drive you myself when I sober up.”
Tate’s shadow moved closer to her. “What’s the matter? You’re the one sounding jealous. Did it make you mad that I fucked your best friend?”
Sutton held the couch as she took off her heels one at a time, dropping them to the floor. “You’re too fucking funny. Cheryl isn’t the first friend of mine you fucked. You nailed most of my friends even before the summer we were together. It’s why I didn’t sleep with you. I didn’t want to be just another notch on that shotgun.”
“How do you know—”
“That the row of scratches on the barrel of your rifle is how many women you’ve had? Greer told me. He thought it was funny. Every time we went anywhere and came back, I saw him looking at your rifle, so one day, I asked him.”
“Why would he tell you?”
“Because I offered him a twenty if he told me. Greer may be your brother, but cold cash is king with Greer.”
“I’m going to kick his ass.”
“Why? It was a long time ago, and it’s not like it made a difference with me. I was stupid enough to believe anything you told me, hook, line, and sinker.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “What are you waiting for, Tate? Don’t you want to rub my face in how many of my friends you fucked, how you paid me back for betraying you?”
“I only fucked one woman because I wanted payback. The others were because I was horny.”
“You make me sick,” she snarled at him, shaking in anger.
“Yeah? I don’t believe that for a second. I think you’re mad because you were too scared to fuck me then, and you’re too scared to now. You want to know the difference between Lisa, Cheryl, and you? They weren’t afraid to take what they want.”
“I don’t want you, you arrogant ass!”
“Prove it then.” Tate reached out, jerking her to him, her breasts plastered against his chest.
Her hands went to his shoulders to push him away, not wanting to hurt him by shoving them against his chest. When her mouth came open to blast him, he caught it with his, thrusting his tongue inside.
Furious, she bit down, tasting the metal tinge of blood in her mouth. She underestimated him, though; he didn’t break away. Instead, his hand went to her jaw, pressing hard so she couldn’t snap her teeth closed again.
It wasn’t like any of the kisses he had given her when they were younger. Then, he had been gentle with her, holding back until she would begin to respond. Now, Tate took, demanding her response by seductively exploring her mouth with experience, seeking the warm recesses as his hand cupped her bottom, pulling her closer to his hips. She felt the hardness of his cock behind the pajama pants he wore.
“Tate …” Sutton moaned.
“Don’t you wonder what it would have been like between us?”
The question brought her to her senses, and regardless of whether or not she hurt him, she pushed against his chest. His hands dropped from her immediately as he took a step back.
Her hand reached out, wiping the taste of him away. “No.” She started walking to her bedroom, deciding she was too drunk to deal with him.
Tate wasn’t a man to push, especially since he was already climbing the walls from being confined to the house.
“You want to hear something funny?” Tate asked softly before she could escape. “When you left town, I missed you, even though I knew you had been with Cash. Did you miss me? Did you even give me a second thought?”
Sutton placed her hand on the wall, desperately trying not to sink to the floor as his words cut her like a knife to her gut.
“You didn’t miss me.” She leaned against the wall, turning back to face him, glad the darkness in the room hid the tears coursing down her cheeks. “I came back to town three weeks after I left, just after your case had been dismissed. I was waiting outside in my car when Lisa came out with you, holding your hand exactly how I did at your parents’ funeral.
“Funny, isn’t it, how you always manage to have a woman to give you support, but you sure as fuck never manage to return the favor, do you, Tate? To miss something, it has to belong to you, become a part of you. I never missed you, because you can’t miss what you never had.”
Chapter 13
Tate heard the pain in her voice that the darkness kept hidden from him. He reached down, turning on the lamp sitting on the table at the end of the couch. Sutton blinked at him several times when the dim light flooded the room.
“I’m going to bed.”
“Why did you come back?”
Her head fell back against the wall. “I don’t even know. Perhaps to tell you the truth, to make you feel as miserable as I was. I honestly don’t know.” She brushed the tears away from her cheeks with her shaking hand. “I told myself that I only wanted to see you and explain. I couldn’t bear it that you hated me, that Rachel hated me.”
Tate stared at her hard, feeling as if he had overlooked something important. “What did you want to explain?”
“Nothing that matters anymore.” This time, she managed to slide along the wall until she reached her bedroom. When she went inside and would have shut the bedroom door behind her, he reached his hand out, pushing the door open, and she stumbled, almost falling. Tate grabbed her arm then helped her sit down on the side of the bed.
He crouched down in front of her. “Tell me now. Pretend Lisa wasn’t there that day. What were you going to tell me?”
Her lips remained stubbornly closed. Her injured pride of seeing another woman with him would never allow her to tell him.