THRUST(61)

It’s not that I’m worried it will break his heart, because I know he doesn’t have feelings for me, but it’s just an awkward conversation to have to begin with. This is all new to me; very new and I’m hoping it will be the last time I have to do this.



TAKING A SEAT AT THE bar, I smile when Dane makes his way over, holding a pretty blue drink in his hand. It’s the same one I ordered the night I met Kyan. He’s good. I like Dane.

He smiles at me and sets it down in front of me. “Feeling a little adventurous tonight?”

Laughing, I reach out for the drink and tug on the straw, splashing it around in the glass. Seeing Dane feels good right now. He’s just so easy to talk to and be around. Nothing about him is complicated. I need that for a few minutes. “Thanks, Dane. You might want to keep these coming tonight. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a long night. A really long night.”

Throwing his towel over his shoulder, he leans against the bar and prepares to listen as if he has all night. “Trouble with the Wilder boys?” He lifts a brow and smirks when I give him a surprised look. “What? You don’t think that I’ve seen you around here with both of them? I have eyes you know.”

I clear my throat and place my straw to my lips, taking a long drink. Mmm . . . this is so delicious. Too bad I discovered that it’s not as adventurous as I had originally hoped. Scrunching up my face, I look up at Dane and smile awkwardly. “This is awkward.” I clear my throat again and laugh nervously. “It’s a long story. Sort of . . . complicated . . . and twisted. It was all just meant to be for fun. I promise that they both knew. I would never . . .”

“I know,” he interrupts. “You don’t have to explain to me how the Wilder brothers work. Kyan has his head stuck in his career and Hunter has his head stuck in partying. I haven’t known of either one of them to make a commitment. Those two sleeping with the same girl was bound to happen at some point. Don’t feel stupid. I’ve seen other women try and fail to be in your position. You’d be surprised at how many girls practically beg to be with both Wilder men.”

I tilt my head, suddenly feeling a bit of pride. Is that weird? Hell . . . this is all weird. Does it even matter now? “They have?” Seriously? I never would’ve slept with Hunter had I known. It’s not something I seek. You know?”

Dane lets out an amused laugh. “I figured that about you. I’ve seen other girls attempt many times. They usually end up in Hunter’s bed first and then attempt to hook up with Kyan. Kyan always turns them away, but I see something different when Kyan is with you. I noticed it the first night I met you. It’s not the same with you, Calla. He’s different. That’s a huge step for him.”

My heart skips a beat from his words and I find myself smiling. Knowing that Kyan looks at me differently than other girls definitely sparks a little excitement in me. The problem is . . . he doesn’t look at me differently enough. Not enough for us to be together. “Yeah well . . .” I let out a small breath, feeling the ache take over again. “Kyan walked away from me. I told him how I felt and he didn’t want it. I fell for him, Dane. I fell for him like an idiot and now he can’t even be with me. I messed up by getting twisted up in this Wilder mess.” I shake my head and sip on my straw. “I’m here to tell Hunter that we have to stop what we’ve been doing. I’m done with the Wilder brothers now. I have to be.”

He gives me a small amused smile. “Here comes the younger one now. I hope you’re ready.” He grabs a beer and sets it on the bar, in front of the stool next to mine. “I’ll be around if you need me.” He nods behind me, saying hello to Hunter, and then turns and walks away to check on people’s drinks.

I stiffen when I feel Hunter’s hand wrap around my waist from behind. He quickly presses his lips to my neck before pulling away and taking a seat next to me. “Shit, you smell so damn good.” He smiles and reaches for his beer, sticking his thumb in the neck of the bottle. Lifting a brow he says, “I have a feeling you have something on your mind. What’s up?”

I look at him for a minute, remembering the high school Hunter and how all I wanted was to have a chance with him. It’s so weird that I got that chance and now it might be the one reason that I won’t get the person that I truly want to be with. It’s crazy how that works.

Pulling my eyes away, I take a deep breath and just let it out. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can start my process of forgetting the Wilder brothers and moving on. “I feel like an idiot for saying this. I feel like an idiot for being in this situation to begin with, honestly. I never planned to just have . . . sex; especially with two guys, let alone two brothers. I can’t do what we’ve been doing anymore, Hunter. I need to stop just doing this for fun.” I look up to meet his eyes and he doesn’t seem surprised. Not one bit. It’s as if he saw it coming.