Forgive Me (Callaway Book 2) (12 page)

She started to cry, and he felt like the biggest asshole in the world, but they needed to have this conversation. They had to close that chapter if they were to have any chance at starting another one, one that didn't end up with taillights driving away. "I never wanted to hurt you, Drew. I loved you so much. That's why I had to just leave."

"Watching you drive away from me like that, drive away from everything we had planned, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life."

"I tried calling you a million times when I got settled in the city, but every time I attempted dial your number, I couldn't do it. Alone in a new city, I was so lonely, and I missed you so damn much. I knew if I heard your voice and you asked me to come back, I would." Tears ran down her face, and he realized leaving had hurt her just as much as it had hurt him. He knew it was something she had to do; he just wished she had done it differently.

He wished she would have given him the chance to say goodbye, the chance to tell her he how he felt one more time, but she had taken that away from him. "I'm not happy that you left like you did, and God, I missed you so fucking much. But looking back now, I get why you had to leave. I look at you and I'm happy you did it, because you became stronger for it but let me tell you this: if you walk away from me again, I
will
chase you, Amanda."

He lifted his hands around her face, his palms pressing against her skin, and he didn't give her a chance to move away or speak. He slammed his mouth down on hers, swallowing her gasps when their lips touched. God, the feel of her mouth moving against his, the warmth of her kiss, there was nothing else like it. He nibbled and licked her lips, slowly demanding she let him in, and when he took her bottom lip between his teeth, she surrendered. Her hands went around his neck, pulling him closer, like she couldn't get enough, and he enjoyed her out of control. He slipped one hand behind her neck, tilting her head to the side to deepen their connection. She was giving as good as he was, and when her nails dug into his scalp, demanding more, he knew he had to stop before things went too far. They weren't ready to take that step yet.

He slowly pulled away and they were both panting. She looked so damn beautiful with swollen lips and pink cheeps. He dropped his forehead to hers, giving his body a chance to adjust. "You got better at that," she told him, smiling brightly. He laughed loudly, like he hadn't in a long time.

She laughed with him, and he couldn't help it; he pressed a soft kiss to her lips before kissing her forehead "Are you saying I wasn't a good kisser in high school? I'm hurt."

She slapped his chest and grinned. "You know you were a good kisser, but now? You're, hmmm…."

"Can I ask you something else?" He had another thought on his mind that he hadn't been able to wrap his head around, and he couldn't let it go. He waited for her answer, even if they both knew he would ask her no matter what.

She smiled at him. "Go ahead."

He lifted off the steps and settled her so she straddled his thighs. He needed to see her for this conversation. "Why are you still a virgin?"

She took a deep breath and glanced away from his eyes. He thought he would have to force her to look at him, but she surprised him by locking her eyes with him as she spoke. "Honestly, I just never found someone I trusted enough to give that part of me to. I always thought it would be you that I would share that part of me with. Every guy I met, I compared to you, and they never measured up."

He let her words sink in for a few seconds, because the urge to claim her was becoming overwhelming. To know she hadn't given that part of herself to anyone, that she was somehow saving herself for him even without knowing she would end up back in Montana, made him feel all types of possessive toward the woman currently blushing at him. "Is it wrong that I love that no one has ever touched you but me?" he asked, his hands going for her ass. She had always had curves but after all this time, she was all woman. God, her ass fit perfectly in his hands, and the image of her riding him while he grabbed it invaded his vision.

"It's a bit primal, like 'I'm going to drag you into my cave primal'."

"Call it whatever you want, baby, but knowing there's a part of you no one has had, it's making me feel pretty fucking primal." When she pressed her breasts against him, his cock grazed his zipper.

"This primal side is pretty sexy," she told him as she licked her way up his neck to his jaw. She was driving him crazy and if she kept that up, he wouldn't last very long.

He grabbed her ass with one hand, pushing her into his erection, and let the other one travel up to her neck, bringing their faces as close as he could. "Yeah? Well, you're the sexiest thing I have ever seen, babe, and I'm never letting you go." He kissed her like she was the only thing keeping him alive. This kiss was rougher than the others, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to mark her, to own her and judging by how hard her nails were digging into his shoulder blades, she didn't have any objections.

Her body rocked into his erection, and her heat pressed against him through his jeans. He had to stop before she made him come in his jeans like a teenager. He slowed the kiss down before pulling away from her. Helping her off his lap, he pressed down on his erection, desperate for relief he knew he couldn't take, not yet.

He stood but before walking to his truck, he turned around. "We're doing a barbeque at the ranch tomorrow, since Becca is coming home for the wedding. I want you to come." It was important to him that his sister and Amanda healed old wounds. Amanda was a part of his family, and he needed them to get along.

"Okay," she answered him breathlessly, and his cock took notice. He had to get out of there before he laid her down on that porch and fucked her until dawn.

"Shit, that was easy. I had this whole speech ready," he told her, flashing her a grin. He loved seeing her all flushed, especially from his kiss.

"When you kiss me like that, I'll probably agree to anything." He knew she probably hadn't wanted to tell him that, but he was sure glad she did. Every tool he had in his bag, he planned on using with her.

"Good to know. I'll see you tomorrow. It starts at two."

He walked over to his truck, but not before he heard her whisper, "See you tomorrow."

Amanda woke up to the sun shining through her bedroom window with a smile on her face that could only be explained by one thing: Drew. The night before, something had changed between the two of them. They had spent weeks just flirting and spinning around each other, but as he pulled her into his arm, she felt like she had finally come home. As much as she wanted to fight that she depended on Drew to make her feel like this was where she belonged, she couldn't get herself to do so. And God, her whole body came alive as she remembered the way he had kissed her, the way he had marked her lips with his. There was no doubt she was his, and as she rolled her legs off the bed, she realized that thought didn't scare her, not even a little.

As she walked downstairs, she smiled at how much the guys had done to make her house safer. They'd made it feel like a home. She still had a ton of work to do but she knew she wouldn't have to do it alone, and that was something she never thought she would feel again. She started a pot of coffee and smiled when she saw a Post-it on the fridge with Drew's handwriting: See you at two!

She spent the rest of her morning making calls into the diner to make sure everything was running smoothly, checking the place hadn't burned down, and finalizing the menu for Cole and Jamie's rehearsal dinner and wedding reception. By the time she was ready to leave, she had changed five times, finally settling on a blue sundress with thin straps that flowed down to her knees. She figured it was probably too much for a simple barbeque, but she knew Drew would love her in this dress, and that was all she cared about.

When she pulled up to the Callaway ranch, she smiled when she saw Drew leaning against his truck, wearing faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt that hugged to every muscle in his chest. The man was breathtaking, and she couldn't stop looking at him. He had a baseball cap on and God, she loved the way his hair was long enough to peek from under the cap. She had spent so many nights wondering how all that hair would feel against her skin. She put the truck in park and gathered her thoughts before opening the door.

When she stepped out of the truck, Drew was right there waiting for her. He pulled her into his arms and lifted her off the ground as he kissed her lips softly. "You came."

He put her down, and she smiled at him when he looked her up and down, whistling in appreciation. "Did you think I wouldn't come?"

"It might have crossed my mind a time or two," he said without taking his eyes off her body, sending heat down her core.

"I told you I would be here. Although I'm not sure how happy Becca will be to see me," she told him, looking at the ground.

"Are you afraid of my sister?" To most people, Becca looked like a cool and collected version of the Callaway brothers but when you got to know her, you learned that was a lie. As sweet and welcoming as Becca could be, Amanda knew the fierce loyalty and love she had for her brothers could drive her to be overly protective.

"Have you
met
your sister, Drew? She's more possessive about you than your mom is, and I'm betting I'm not on her list of favorite people."

He pulled her closer to him and tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes as he spoke. "Well, I want you here, and she's just going to get over the past because I am."

As much as she wanted to believe Drew was over the past, there was still a small doubt clouding her thoughts. Rationally, she knew he had done nothing that would make her believe he was lying to her, but she wondered if
he
would have been the one leaving, if she could ever get over that kind of hurt. "Are you?" she asked honestly.

He kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear, "Yeah, baby, I am. Now, let's go get a beer."

"Sounds good to me." She smiled at him and in that moment, she knew the past was just that—the past.

She went on the tip of her toes and pressed her lips to his. She meant to keep the kiss light and fun but when his hand tightened on her lower back, pushing her closer to him, she moaned and that was all it took for him to take control. He pressed her back against the side of her truck, wrapping his hand around her neck, taking the kiss deeper and hotter.

She heard someone call his name in the background and when he started moving away, she grabbed his tee, keeping him close. He dropped his forehead against hers, and she could feel the heat and tension coming off his body. She was half-tempted to ask him to take her home, but she knew how important this barbeque was to him, so she just kissed his cheek. "Let's do this."

An hour into the barbeque, Amanda felt pretty good about being around Drew's family again. Everyone had made an effort to make her feel welcome, like they were happy she was there. She knew they meant it for the most part, but the one person she hadn't yet spoken to was the one she was worried most about. Growing up, she and Becca had been best friends and when Amanda started dating Drew, they had become like sisters. But after she left, Becca had made it clear with a very unpleasant email that they were done.

"Amanda." She took a deep breath when she recognized the voice calling her name. She knew this was bound to happen, yet no matter how prepared she thought she was, nothing could have readied her for the cold look in Becca's eyes.

"Hey, Becca, how are you?" She forced her voice to remain calm, her eyes searching for Drew. When she couldn't find him, she knew she was in this alone.

"I'm good. What are you doing here?" The coldness in her eyes was nothing to the ice in her voice as she spoke.

"Drew invited me, Becca," she managed to say through the ball of emotions lodged in her throat.

"I love my brother, but he's not seeing straight when you're around." Becca's words stung more than she cared to admit. She knew Becca would be hard on her, but she hadn't expected for Drew's sister to be this cold.