Bait: The Wake Series, Book One(16)

“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.

But even I knew she really wasn't a one-night-stand kind of girl.





Saturday, May 24, 2008


I WASN'T A ONE-NIGHT-stand kind of girl.

That was a fluke.

He said he wanted to be friends, so that was exactly what I was going to do. I planned on being friends with him. Sure. Like ever there was a man who said it and meant it. I scrunched my eyes together and rubbed them as I admitted to myself, I hoped he wasn't just saying it. Really, if he didn't want to be friends with me then he would have simply got up and left me in my hotel room that morning. But he hadn't.

If he hadn't wanted to be friends with me he wouldn't have bought me the coffee mug, which was still in my bag.

If he hadn't wanted to be friends with me, then he wouldn't have kissed me like that on the street.

Okay, maybe that one was something else, but I liked him. He was interesting. The way he thought, the way he spoke. The way he watched me. Casey was captivating.

I shouldn't have wanted to see him again, but I did.

I needed to call Grant before it got too late. I'd been at Micah's for about an hour and people hadn't started showing up in hoards yet. I was sure that would all change fast.

“Micah, do you care if I use your room? I need to call Grant.” She didn't know what happened the night before, I thought. She hadn’t mentioned it, but the look she gave me certainly had something in it.