Compulsion: Magnetic Desires (5 page)

"How come?"

"I don’t know."

"No, I mean why did you take him back?"

"I..." she hesitated, "... love him." Did she realize the way she hesitated told me she only thought she loved him.

"You could do better." She could be with me. I took a step toward her.

She glanced about, unable to look me in the eye. "I don’t want to talk about this anymore."

Rejection stung like a bitch, and I needed to get away from her before I destroyed our friendship. Pushing my feelings down, I took her hand and led her out of the garage. "Come on, we better get inside."

"I
struggled to hide my feelings, so I started spending less time with her. She thought she loved him, and I would never be more than a friend. High school ended, and I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. The one thing I did want was out of reach."

Orion unfolds a pair of socks, and slips a foot into one. He pulls it up, and runs his hand down his pant leg.

"Clo would be leaving with Zack at the end of summer. They had both applied for the same university, and planned to rent a house together. The summer came to an end. I found a job as an apprentice bricklayer, working for a home construction business. A week after they left, I would throw myself into the job, and try to forget her." He finishes putting on the other sock, and pads over to the door to pick up the pair of black shoes lined up against the wall. Slipping them on, he bends down to do up the laces, before returning to the camera. "Chris threw a huge party to wind up our last year together, but I didn’t feel like celebrating."

August 2005

Clo staggered as she made her way across the crowded room. Tomorrow she'd leave for college, but I already felt her loss. It stung to know she’d be putting me behind her, but it was time to concentrate on the future. I couldn’t wait to start work and concentrate on building the life I wanted, even if it would never be with her at my side. She clutched my arm and swayed against me. "Can you give me a lift home?"

"Where’s Zack?" I asked, glancing over her shoulder expecting to see him and not finding him among the crowd.

"He said he was too drunk to drive, but that you weren’t drinking."

I put my cup down on the table. "No I’m not. Let’s get you home."

She fell asleep in the car while I drove, and my gut churned. Zack might have had a couple drinks, but that he hadn’t helped get her to the car had me curious about what the hell he was doing.

I parked out in front of her house and went to open her car door. Helping her to her feet, I took her weight, letting her lean into my side, and we shuffled along the path to her front door. She was almost asleep on my shoulder, and I fished her keys from her bag. Waving at the security camera inside the door, I mouthed the words, "Hi, Mr. Williams."

Sure, the man wasn’t behind the camera or watching us from some secret room, but he was still intimidating, and I was much happier on his good side. Bringing home a drunken Clo this late at night would either land me in a world of trouble or make me a saint, but as far as Hugh was concerned, I wouldn’t be a saint unless I made it out the front door in less than five minutes.

Unable to get her up an entire flight of stairs while she was still on her feet, I scooped her into my arms and carried her. She wound her arms around my neck, murmuring, "I love you," against my chest. I kicked open the door to her room and carried her to the bed. Balancing her weight with one arm, I pulled back the covers and tucked her in. My chest constricted as she settled into sleep. This was most likely the last time I would see her like this. Rolling onto her side, she moaned. She would have one hell of a hangover in the morning. I brushed her bangs from her face and kissed her cheek. "I love you too, Angel girl."

Racing out of her house, I headed back to the party on a mission. The flutter of something not right sat heavily in my gut, and I was damn well going to find out what had kept Zack from looking after Clo. By the time I got back, the crowd had dispersed, leaving a dozen or so stragglers. I poured a beer from the keg, hoping it would help ease the sparks of energy running through my tense muscles. Chris and some of the guys from school were talking in grunts and slurs.

"Hey man, have you seen Zack?"

"I haven’t seen him in a while." Chris’s smirk told me another story.

The beer tasted off, and I dumped the cup on the bench on my way to the second level. My heart thudded in my chest. I already knew what I would find and I curled my hands into fists. Throwing open door after door, I fought down the desire to vomit when I finally found him.

"What the fuck?" I stared at the naked bum bobbing over the foot board. The lily-white ass stopped in shock and Zack looked at me over his shoulder.

"Dude, get out of here."

The girl underneath him shrieked and grasped at the sheet, trying to cover herself with it.

Bile threatened to spill from my mouth and I sucked it down. "What about Clo?"

Zack’s eyes went wide as he stared at me, realizing what a tremendous fuck up he’d made. "You wouldn’t tell her. Would you?"

He jumped from the bed and struggled to pull on his jeans.

"She deserves to know what an asshole you are." I spun around and headed down the stairs. My blood rushed in my ears, and I clenched my fists over and over again. The only thing keeping me from thrashing the son-of-a-bitch was my need to get out of there.

"Orion, wait," Zack said, "I wasn’t thinking. I had too many beers. Shit."

He should have left it alone. I turned and punched him square in the jaw. "You’re a dirt bag, Zack. A real douche; she deserves better than you."

Zack crumpled under the onslaught, but I didn’t care. I was out the front door and halfway across the lawn before Zack caught up and dropped to his knees to beg. "Orion, I fucked up. I know that, but please don’t tell her. I love her. I can’t lose her."

Shaking my head, I paced across the lawn. She deserved to know what kind of an asshole he was. "This is bullshit. She is worth so much more than this."

I turned and stormed toward him. She was leaving for school in the morning and this would destroy her. What about her education and her dreams? Could I be the one who broke her heart and kept her stuck in this goddamn town?

Zack flinched as I towered over him. "It’ll never happen again, I promise you that, Orion."

"Fuck," I yelled, trying to relieve some of the anger surging through me.

If I didn’t tell her I’d be the type that let bastards like Zack get away with doing whatever they wanted, no matter whom they hurt in the process. I’d be the guy who stood back while guys like him got girls like her, only to cheat on them, and treat them as though they weren’t worthy of better. Clo was worth everything I had, but he couldn’t see that.

A small part of me considered the impact telling her would have on me. So many options flitted through my racing mind. Would she hate me if I told her? Or would it open up the door to what I wanted? She could be mine. Or, would Zack lie to her, and make her think I was trying to break them up? I glanced at Zack, who was watching me pace the lawn.

"Fuck, I won't tell her, but if you ever..." I shook my fist at him.

He understood the threat implied without having to hear the words. "It will never happen again. I promise you. I love her."

I left Zack half dressed, and on his knees in the grass. Climbing into my car, I gunned the motor and took off. Whether it was right or wrong, I’d made my decision. After tomorrow, they’d both be gone.

"C
lo disappeared from my life as suddenly as she’d come into it. Perhaps, it was easy to put me behind her. I worked my ass off, and started hanging out with Mike. At twenty-one I was running a crew, happily single, and loving my ability to go out any night of the week and bring home a different woman. Of course, I was careful to pick the ones that were only looking for fun. In the winter of 2008, Mike and I went into business together. He was like family, and when he talked about starting up his own company, I wanted to be a part of it. It was one of the best decisions I ever made." His eyes crinkle at the corners.

"But, being older, wiser, and knowing where my life was heading didn’t help when she reappeared years later. I didn’t know how to feel about the fact that the moment I saw her the years in between disappeared, and I was once again the boy who would do anything she asked."

May 2009

Rushing down the aisles of the grocery store, I glanced at my watch. Yet again, I was running late for dinner with Mom and Birdie. It would be a while before we had dinner together again. Mom had sold the house and was moving upstate to be with her parents. She’d put the house on the market when I’d moved out a month back, and Birdie had moved onto campus. I chose a pie and made a line for the registers.

In front of me a young woman unloaded her groceries. She had serious curves on her slender frame and I stared at her, drawn in by the way her back curved and her grabbable ass lifted each time she took more items from the cart.

Would a hot piece of ass like her be single? I shook my leg, in an effort to adjust my pants without anyone noticing. The idea of gripping her hips and sinking into her was more than a little arousing, but she was a redhead, and I didn't do redheads. Blondes, brunettes, and rainbow colored. I wasn’t fussy, but redheads reminded me of a girl I didn’t want to remember.

She pushed the empty cart forward, and I placed my item behind hers, keeping my gaze on the conveyor belt. When she turned in my direction, I peeked at her. One glance, an image saved for later when I was alone. Damn!

"Oh my God, Orion. Is that you?"

It couldn't be. I needed one more look. It was, and just like that I was seventeen again and no longer in control. I grasped at words that flitted through my brain but refused to roll off my tongue while she beamed at me. "Clo? What are you doing here?"

She launched herself at me, and I caught her in my arms, hugging her against my better judgment. Memories of hugs we’d shared resurfaced, but it was nothing compared to the sensual woman I held in my arms.

"It's good to see you." Stepping back, she kept a hand on my arm as she ran her gaze over me. "You look great."

"You too." I cleared my throat. "How have you been? How are Hugh and Genevieve? What are you doing back in Reverence?"

"We moved back. Isn’t it great? I missed you so much." She curled her arms around me again.

"You and... Zack?" God, I needed her to say she’d moved on from him. I could handle having her back in my life if he wasn’t a part of the picture. Even better if the
we
she mentioned didn’t involve any sort of boyfriend. Hell, I’d toss her over my shoulder, carry her out to my truck, and take her home if that was the case.

"Yep." She bounced on the balls on her feet. "Actually we’re on our way to see Mom and Dad as soon as I finish here."

The girl at the register cleared her throat, and Clo quickly jotted her number on the back of the receipt. "Come have dinner with us next week. I want to catch up, and I’m sure Zack would love to see you too."

"I’ll be there." I took the paper and shoved it into my pocket. Had I really fallen into old patterns so easily?
Wow, she’s back. You were moving on, but one look at her beautiful face, and you’re a fucking sucker all over again. If you hadn't seen your cock earlier in the day, you’d bet she carried it around in that purse of hers.

"I'll see you soon," she said, pressing her lips to my cheek. "Don’t you dare forget me."

My gaze followed her until she exited the store. What the hell was wrong with me? If I had known she would come back into my life, I would never have let her go in the first place. Shaking my head, I handed the cashier money. I was a fucking pussy. Too scared to lose her friendship, and unable to take what I wanted.

Back at the truck, I stared at the number on the back of the receipt before crumpling it up and tossing it. I wouldn’t go through pining for her again. There were plenty of available women who could fill my needs. Seventeen-year-old Orion piped up, a reminder that she was his friend, and I picked up the receipt, smoothed it out and put it in my wallet.

"I
stared at the damn number multiple times that day. She pulled at me in ways I couldn’t understand. Other women were fun in bed, but they held no attraction to me, outside the bedroom. When I typed her number into my phone I knew it was time to seek out a distraction. A woman who could make me forget she was home, and wanted me back in her life. That’s how I met Mellie."

May 2009

Thumping my beer glass down on a coaster, I staggered to the table to take my shot. The strawberry blonde on the other side of the pool table tried to distract me with her cleavage. We’d been playing this game for the past fifteen minutes, and it had nothing to do with the balls on the table. I ran my gaze down from her face yet again while I sunk the ball closest to the side pocket, and lined up my next shot. Her tongue darted over her lips, and she stroked the felt. Grinning at her, I sent another ball rocketing into a pocket. "Sorry, babe. You’re not going to win by trying to distract me." I lined up my third shot. After this one, I’d consider fouling a shot to give her a chance.

"The name’s Melanie, but you can call me Mellie. Feel like making a little wager?" This time she was the one to make it obvious she was more interested in what was below table level, rather than the actual game.

I chalked the cue. Was she measuring me up to it? The way she glanced from me to the stick made me think so. "What’s the wager, sexy?"

"If you win this game, you get to take me home."

Balancing the cue on my hand, I lined up the shot. It wasn’t much of a wager, since I would be taking her home at the end of the night anyway. "And if I lose?"

She leaned on the table, her tits trying to escape her dress. I eyed the white ball, and made sure the cue would hit where I wanted.

"You get to fuck me in the parking lot."