Just for Now (Sea Breeze #4)(17)

“He was pissed I woke him up with cold water. We argued. Y’all came back in the middle of him being grumpy.”

Willow didn’t look like she believed me, but she nodded anyway. “Okay. I won’t pry. But let me just say that Preston is dangerous. He is adorable and sweet and fun loving, but something about him is dark. He has had a bad past. I know because he grew up down the road from me. I think he may have had things worse than I did. Just be careful about that, okay? You’re still young, and you have been sheltered from so much. It isn’t my business, but just be careful.”

There was no need for this warning. But I nodded. “Okay.”

“Now, what are we girls gonna do today?” Willow asked, smiling down at Larissa.

“Swim!” Larissa cried out happily.

“Swim it is,” Willow agreed.

I would have to borrow one of Willow’s swimsuits. I started to ask, when my cell phone started ringing in my purse. I walked over to the table where I’d dropped my purse when I walked in, and pulled my phone out. Glancing down at the screen, I sighed when I saw Preston’s name. What was he doing?

“Hello,” I said in the most annoyed tone I could manage.

“I can’t find my keys. They aren’t in the apartment or in my Jeep. Can I have a ride?”

Dang it. When was I going to get some space from him? He was everywhere. I couldn’t get over this thing I had for him if I was always having to be near him.

“Okay,” I replied, and hung up.

I looked back at Willow, who was standing there watching me. “He can’t find his keys. I’m going to drive him home. I’m sure he has a spare set there.”

Willow chewed nervously on her bottom lip. I knew she didn’t like this, but then, neither did I.

“Well, be careful. I’ll let Marcus know you had to give him a ride.”

I understood that innocent warning. It wasn’t meant for me, but for Preston. I bent down and gave Larissa a kiss on the head. “I’ll be back later. Save some water for me.”

“Swim,” she repeated.

*

Smiling down at her, I headed for the door and downstairs. Maybe after I got him home I could put some distance between us.

Preston was leaning up against the passenger-side door of my car. He had on his Oakley sunglasses, and his arms were crossed over his chest, making the muscles flex. Why, oh why, did he have to be so freaking beautiful?

Even though I couldn’t see his eyes through the dark lenses, I knew he was watching me. I could feel it. And unfortunately, I liked it. Or at least my body did.

“Sorry about this. Someone must have taken them so I wouldn’t drive. Don’t know who, though.”

I unlocked the doors with my remote. I didn’t have to talk to him if I didn’t want to. I was giving him a ride only.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, I buckled up and ignored him while he got in beside me. The black leather was warm already from the sunshine. Reaching over, I turned on the seat vents to cool them down. My dad may not be good for a lot of things, but he sure came in handy when I needed a car. His owning several Mercedes dealerships assured me that I’d have the best when it came to vehicles.

“What did you mean upstairs about not kissing you while I, uh, did other things?”

What kind of game was he playing? Did he really want to relive this with me?

“Exactly what you think it means, Preston. You were there. You should know.”

He was staring at me. I didn’t glance over at him. I focused on driving.

“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t as confused as f*cking hell right now.”

How was he confused? I had been very specific. He hadn’t kissed me once while we had sex. That was pretty dang clear.

“I really don’t want to rehash this. It happened. We were acting like it didn’t up until just now, so let’s go back to that. M’kay?

I tightened my hold on the steering wheel and turned into the traffic. Neither of us said anything for a few moments. Maybe he’d decided to grant my request.

“Manda, are you telling me that we . . . had sex?”

The disbelief in his voice was my first clue. Well, maybe it was the first clue that I’d picked up on. I had missed the other clues. The ones where he didn’t explain or frowned like I was crazy. But slowly it was dawning on me. He didn’t remember!

If the humiliation could get any worse, it just did. He had forgotten we’d had sex. I’d given the jerk my virginity like an idiot, and he’d been with so many girls he couldn’t remember me. Wow. I thought I was over this rejection, but this new knowledge caused a lump in my throat. How could he?

“Manda, answer me, please. Before I force you to pull this car over and look at me.” Preston’s voice sounded panicked. Why? Didn’t he forget girls he’d screwed all the time? I was now one of many.

“I just want to take you home and leave. Let’s not talk about this.”

“Fuck,” Preston growled beside me, and threw his head back against the headrest. “It wasn’t a dream. It’s a memory. Shit.”

A dream? What was he talking about? Now I was confused.

“Manda, please tell me I didn’t . . .” He stopped and swallowed loudly, then took a deep breath. “Please tell me I didn’t . . . I didn’t have sex with you in a storage room. On boxes.”