Hard to Resist (23 page)

“I can understand where you’re coming from,” I say. “I want the same thing. For my writing to be seen. Picked up and published, even.”

“That can’t happen if you don’t get yourself out there, Bunny. Open Mic is the perfect opportunity.”

“You’re one to talk.” I giggle, leaning in to punch his arm playfully. “You don’t sing for people but you want your dreams to come true. That’s nearly impossible. How else will people get to know you if they can’t
hear
you?”

His eyes drift as he thinks on it. “True,” he finally says as his lips press. “I’ve been thinking about singing the song that I wrote for you on one of the Open Mic nights. But we have to make a deal,” he inquires.

I lean against the wood rail as I cross my arms. “You’re full of deals. Let’s hear it.”

“At the next Open Mic session, I’ll sing the song, but only if you read one of your best poems.” His gaze grows serious but it can’t be as serious as mine is at the moment.

“I wasn’t planning on reading one of my poems so soon. That’s only three days away.”

“Three days to practice.”

Sighing, I push from the rail and begin to pace in front of him. I take my last bite of pretzel before tossing the wrapper into the trash bin. “I don’t know, Nolan. It’s nerve-racking to read in front of all of those people. What if they think I’m crazy? What if they don’t understand it?”

“A part of attending an Open Mic sessions is to have an open mind. Most people that go there plan to explore. They plan to go deeper and put themselves in one another’s shoes. I believe that every person that attends Open Mic sessions has a dream. Why else would they show up? It has to be a reason behind it.”

“Which is why you were so willing to go?”

“Yup,” he says then grins. He pushes from the wooden rail to make his way towards me. His hips swing in a manly way before he comes to a halt, stopping barely an inch away from me. Centered on the path of the entire boardwalk, he stares into my eyes. I stare back into his and somehow, I become lost.

“How about we share our dreams,” he murmurs against my lips. He reaches to press his fingers against the nape of my neck. My skin scorches from his touch alone. My hair is pinned up but a few strands blow with the gentle breeze. With my hair up, this only allows me to feel everything.

“How can we do that?”

“We’ll work together on it. I play a guitar, you read poems. I could play a melody to go along with each and every one of them—but only if you want to. It would be an easier way for me to hear what you’ve written.” Tilting my head back softly, his lips inch closer.

“But I still want you to sing,” I breathe.

He chuckles. “I will.” As he stares into my eyes for only a few moments, his lips finally find their way to mine and they clash. He doesn’t even hesitate to slip his tongue into my mouth. I savor the taste of him. The sweet and tangy mix of lemonade on his tongue. His fingers continue to press against the nape of my neck to pull me in closer. My fingers braid between the locks of hair at the nape of his neck. I pull him in closer as the heat thrashes. I just want to feel him. I want my senses to take in the way that he touches me. It’s so delicate, sweet, and memorable. I would never have suspected that he had hurt anyone. Nolan just doesn’t seem like the type that would cause damage to another person’s heart.

His free hand glides its way from my shoulder blades to the small of my back. His fingers press their way around until they reach the button of my shorts. His hand then slides into my pants and a groan erupts from the heart of my chest. Inching his fingers along my pelvis, his feet begin to move. My feet move backwards until my back hits against the trunk of a thick tree. Then, as he slides a finger into me, my eyelids fly open, but his are hooded.

His head falls forward as his lips press against the crook of my neck. He really is making me enjoy having sexual relations in public. But right now, I don’t think sex is the cure. Right now, I just want to be with him. I just want him close.

“Nolan?”

He pulls back, jerking his hands out of my shorts while looking into my eyes. “Yeah?”

“I don’t think tonight is really a good night for sex.”

He bites back on a smile before nodding his head. “That’s cool with me, babe.”

“You aren’t mad about it or anything, are you?” I ask, in hope that he isn’t. I don’t want it to seem like I’ve just turned him down.

“Bunny,” he breathes, pressing his hardness against me. I choke on my next breath as the rock in his pants makes the sweet spot between my legs tighten pleasurably. “I’m gonna have blue balls, yeah, but that doesn’t mean that I’m mad. I respect what you want. If you don’t want sex tonight, we won’t have sex tonight. Although, I was hoping for a good fuck against this tree.”

My mouth gapes as his eyebrows shoot up. “Right here?” I screech. “People could walk by and see!”

“I don’t mind.”

“You do know that sex in public is illegal, right?”

He chuckles and reveals all of his teeth. “It would have been worth it to break the law.”

I giggle as he presses his lips against the crook of my neck again. God, I love when he does that. It turns me into a pile of sweet mush every time. It’s delightful.

“How about you two get a room!”

Nolan pulls away quickly and I gasp as I spot Harper and Dawson making their way towards us while walking along the brick path.

“You guys are a load of freaks!” Dawson adds on with a broad grin.

Nolan laughs and I bite back on a smile.

“The lady here wants to grab a bite to eat. What do you say to Buffalo Wild Wings?” Dawson looks down and squeezes Harper’s hands. She smiles up at him, revealing all of her teeth. Wow, she really likes him. I’ve never seen her smile so big at a guy. Not since she’d dated Bobby.

“That’s cool with me,” Nolan says, reaching for my hand. “Cool with you?”

My head nods quickly. “Yeah. I can chow down on a few good wings.”

“Cool shiz,” Dawson says with a lazy, surfer vibe. He turns around with Harper’s hand still in his and they begin to walk towards the parking lot that is a few feet away. Stepping ahead, I begin to follow after them but Nolan stops me, gripping onto my hand while reeling me in by the waist.

“Think about it tonight,” he murmurs against my ear, positioning his groin against me. My legs tighten as his voice causes my ears to blaze.

To be quite honest, sex tonight with Nolan doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Buffalo Wild Wings was too crowded so instead, Harp and I ran to the store to grab a few groceries that would make a meal of tacos while Nolan and Dawson kicked back and watched the game at Nolan’s apartment. We decided that dinner at his place was better because he had a large patio with a large table that we could eat on.

Scrolling through the aisles of the grocery store, I scan each product until I see the bags of cheese. I grab two of them and toss them in the buggy. My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I reach for it quickly.

Gracey.

A wide smile glues to my lips but then thoughts of Mark come to mind. How am I supposed to tell her about Mark? Grace may have never admitted it but I could tell that she had some sort of feelings for Mark for a very long time.

Hesitating, I press the answer button and press the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby doll!” she chimes. At least she sounds happy. That takes a load off of my shoulders.

“Hi, honey bear.”

“Listen,” she says and right after it is a loud popping noise. “Sorry. Good gum,” she mumbles. “I called Mark last night. Guess what he said!”

Oh, no
. I gulp as I continue to push the buggy forward. “What?”

“When he comes back, he wants to go on a date with me!” she squeals.

I frown. “What about Trey?”

She groans loudly. “Fuck Trey. I hate him. He just wants me for my ass. But Mark . . . he is just too beautiful for words. I decided to be bold and send a text to Mark telling him to be straight-up with me. He told me the truth then immediately asked me on a date.”

My eyes roll slightly. “Listen, Gracey, there’s something I have to tell you—”

“He told me that he ran into you down there.”

This time, guilt burns the heart of my chest. “Oh really?” I gulp again, swallowing the brick in my throat. “What did he say?”

“That you look better than ever without Bryson. You know, I find it beyond weird that they are down there of all places. I could have sworn that they said they were going to Ocean Isle beach for their summer getaway.”

“Yeah. So I thought. Look, Grace—”

“Nat!” Harper screeches from behind me.

I spin around to face her as she smiles widely with a case of
Ferrero Rocher
chocolate in her hands. “They have it! I’ve been craving for this!”

I nod before she dips around the corner to continue her snooping around for snacks. “Who was that?” Grace asks. “Harper?”

“Yeah. Look, I’ll call you tonight, okay? I’m going to be spending some time with Nolan.” Plus, I keep getting interrupted and I take that as I sign that I shouldn’t be telling Grace about the altercation with Mark.

“Yum. Snap a pic for me foreal this time!” she says. “I’m gonna call Mark.”

“Grace, don’t call him.”

“Why not?” I can tell that her eyebrows are raised and her hazel eyes are wide with a spark of confusion.

“Because . . .” I hesitate. Somehow this has become harder for me to say. “Mark
kissed
me.”

“Kissed
you
?” she spits. A low growl erupts from her throat before she huffs. “What the fuck? I used to see the way he looked at you but I always ignored it.” She groans and silence fills the line. “I guess I have to find someone else.”

“I’m sorry, Gracey,” I mumble as I twist my buggy around to walk down the aisle and look for my other best friend.

“Did you kiss him back?” she asks.

I scowl. “No, Grace! You know me better than that. He came onto me. Nolan fought him.”

“Nolan!” she screeches in more of a joyous shrill than anything else. She giggles heartily. “I bet he whooped Mark’s ass bad. I gotta see this Nolan guy. Send me a pic tonight. I’m serious. But, Nat, I gotta go! Mom’s calling for dinner. I’ll be expecting a picture from you.”

The line ends and I sigh as I pull the phone away to place it in my back pocket. I turn to make my way down the main aisle but as I spot the straight, pale-blonde hair, the bright blue eyes, and the way her hand is placed on her hip as she talks to the brunette in front of her, I come to a screeching halt.

Sara Manx!
What the fuck is she doing here? I begin to turn around, reeling my buggy in the opposite direction but as Harper yells, “Nat!” again, I freeze. I turn to the sound of Harper’s voice and spot her standing in the middle of the main aisle with a bottle of Coke and two packs of cherry flavored Kool-Aid.

“Kool-Aid or Coke?” she asks, her lips pouting indecisively. “Lazy,” she says lifting the bottle of Coke. “Or hard working wifey-material?” She lifts the pack of Kool-Aid with a coy smile.

I push the buggy her way, keeping my eyes solely on her. Gripping her by the wrist, I drag her towards the nearest aisle.

“Is that really Natalie Carmichael?” the familiar voice that I absolutely hate asks before I can even make it out of plain sight.

“Who the hell is that?” Harper asks, tugging her wrist away as she takes a step back. “Who the fuck are you?” Her eyes narrow at Sara.

Finding the will to be bold, I remove my sweaty palms from the handle of the buggy and step back with Harper. I stare straight into the heavily mascaraed light-blue eyes of Sara. It’s a shame. She still looks the same. Still disgustingly hidden behind a bag of make-up.

Sara cracks a laugh as she tucks a pack of carrots beneath her arm. “I must say, Natalie, you look somewhat . . . incomplete.”

“You still look completely shitty,” I mumble through clamped teeth.

Harper tenses at my side as she clutches the bottle of Coca-Cola in her hand. “Is this the bitch that Bryson cheated on you with?” she asks. She then laughs as her eyes scan Sara’s extremely mini-skirt, tight pink tank-top, and her straight hair. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Nat. Did he really stoop this low to this worthless broad?”