Bait (Wake, #1)(13)

She wasn't going anywhere until I let her go, so I had an advantage. One I thought I'd make good use of.

It was when she dropped her bags and wrapped her arms around me, deepening the kiss, that all hope was lost. There on the sidewalk, outside of a ladies’ under-thingy store, our first sober kiss pulled something tight inside my chest. I swallowed the taste of her in my mouth and I moaned.

There I was trying to make a mark on her, and she's successfully turned it around on me.

I really needed to break up with what's her name.



“You didn't do anything wrong. I think that we'd be better friends.” That part always sucked. I didn't enjoy making girls sad. I heard Aly sniff on the other end of the line. “Are you okay? I'm sorry, Aly.”

“I'm fine. I just wish I knew what I did wrong.” She blew her nose. She was a sweet girl. There wasn't a damn thing wrong with her, but she was a yes girl. It's hard to explain. I wasn't looking for a girl who yelled at me constantly, or even bitched about everything. Call me crazy. Call me a masochist, but I liked a girl who had a backbone, a girl with a fire inside her. A spark. A fuse. A girl who had an opinion and wasn't afraid to give it.

Aly was sweet, yes. But she liked me more than I liked her. She agreed with me all the time. I'd even spouted off things that a sane person would dispute in a heartbeat and she would go right along with whatever it was I'd said.

I knew it was a terrible idea dating my boss’s daughter. I really did. But what Aly had working for her had been her innocence. She wasn't a virgin, but she could play one on TV. I didn't know if that was really her, or the version of her she wanted me to see, but she gave off this vibe of purity that was appealing. She wasn't wild or aggressive, but she most certainly was willing.

But like her personality, her sexuality lacked an identity. She quickly learned what I liked and simply repeated that. That's a problem a lot of women have.

Sure, I loved that thing you did with your tits and my cock the first time, but every time? No, thank you. I liked it the first time because it was new, refreshing, a surprise. It's like opening up the same birthday gift every year when women find that special something and keep doing it. It became like a routine. And if there's one thing I didn't like, it was a routine.

“Aly, you're a good girl. You'll find a good guy and you'll be much happier. I promise. This wasn't going anywhere.”

Harsh. I know. But, like I said, I didn't lie.

“Whatever, Casey. You'll change your mind,” she bit back.

“We'll see. But I have to go. I'll see you Monday. Friends?” Even I winced. But shit. She was my boss’s daughter and she worked there, too. I'd be able to avoid her for a few days, but I was sure to run into her eventually. It was not that big of a business.

“Fine. ’Bye.”

“That was rough. Was she bawling?” said Cory as he straightened his tie.

“Yeah. You heard that?” I set the phone down and took a seat at our kitchen island.

“Sure did. What happened to breaking up with her in person?”

“Last night happened to breaking up with her in person. What did you want me to do? Break up with her at Micah’s party? No, thanks.”

I knew the look on his face; I'd seen it from my very own in the mirror. Being identical twins was a lot like that. Facial expressions are easy to read on someone when they're the same one's you make yourself. So, as he stood there with a look that begged for the details of last night, I tried to get out of it. “What? Nothing happened.”

“So you're telling me that after we left, you and Blake didn't go back to her hotel and f*ck like rabbits?”

I stalled. He noticed. Yeah, he knows the Jedi-twin-face trick, too.

“I knew it. I knew it the moment we walked in. You know she has a boyfriend, right? That he was supposed to come with her and then backed out last minute. Kind of a dick move if you ask me, but even so, what the hell are you thinking?” He sat on the arm of the leather couch in the apartment we shared. I said shared, but I meant that I lived there and he stored his belongings in it. He spent practically every night at Micah's, claiming it was closer to work.

“I don't know. It just sort of happened.” I raised my hands in defeat. I couldn't hide the pride last night gave me. I hooked up with the hottest, coolest chick at the bar. And made her scream my name. So, yeah. Who would want to deny that?

“Famous last words, bro. I saw you dancing with her. You should leave her alone. She's not available.”

“She was available to me last night.” I was defensive and, frankly, being a dick.

“You know what I mean. What would Mom say?”

“She isn't going to say anything, because I'm not going to tell her. Why would you say that? What the f*ck, Cory? Mind your own business.” Fuck him. I knew exactly what she'd say and what she'd think of Blake.

My dad cheated on her for years, with my stepmother, and that type of behavior didn't sit well with her. I guessed that she would probably say, “I bet your dad would like her.”

Play-by-the-rules-Cory didn't know what he was talking about. Blake chose to be with me and I chose her just the same. I was sure she felt bad about it, too, but things happen. And as bad as it was, I’d hope it would happen again.