Undo Me (The Good Ol' Boys #3) (12 page)

“You ready, darlin’?” Dylan asked, lying on my bed with his arm behind his head. He was watching some fishing show that bored the absolute hell out of me.

A few months had passed since the incident from the beach. The one that I cared to forget about, and to my surprise, Dylan never brought it up again.

All our birthdays had come and gone. The boys were seventeen, Austin and I sixteen, and Half-Pint fifteen. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was part of a family again, and I loved that more than anything. Summer was in full swing and the boys surfed now more than ever, but I didn’t mind because I got to spend time with Half-Pint. She began working at her parents’ restaurant a few weeks ago. She said she wanted something to do, and that it looked good on college applications. She was starting high school with us and was already thinking about college.

It was a lie.

I knew why she really wanted to work.

“Almost,” I replied, trying to figure out what I was going to wear.

“Jesus Christ, suga’, fucking put anything on, you’ll look gorgeous regardless.”

I smiled, placing my hands on my hips. “Say that again, except this time add a please.”

“Kiss my ass.” He grinned. “Please.”

I laughed, rolling my eyes. I looked back in my closet, sliding hangers back and forth, with nothing special catching my eye.

“Is Alex working today?” I turned my head to ask him.

“Yeah.”

“Remind me to ask her if she wants to go shopping with me. I could use some new clothes.”

Dylan rolled his eyes and shook his head at my overflowing closet. “I’m not going to say one fucking word to that. The boys are meeting us there in a bit. If you would hurry your pretty little ass up, we may get there today.”

“I’m sure Lucas is already there,” I commented, ignoring his impatience.

That was just Dylan. Patience was not his middle name. I ignored most of the stuff that left his mouth. He was still an asshole. Except now, he was
my
asshole.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he snapped in a tone I didn’t appreciate, which made me turn to look at him.

I cocked my head to the side and arched an eyebrow in a questioning gesture.

“I believe I asked you a question, darlin’.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it, McGraw.” I hesitated a few seconds, debating if I really wanted to go there. I did. “But what if I do?” I challenged.

“Don’t talk about things you don’t know, baby.”

“I’m not the one that doesn’t know,” I muttered under my breath, turning back to look in my closet.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Yeah… that’s what I thought.”

I took a deep breath, annoyed. “You know, sometimes things happen in life that you can’t control, Dylan. All that’s left is to accept them, whether you like them or not.”

I heard the bed dip, and I knew he was sitting up.

“Well, sweetheart, you best be puttin’ on your big girl panties if you’re going to be throwin’ out vague theories like that.”

“It’s not vague.” I shrugged. “You just want to assume it is, and you know what they say about people who assume shit, Dylan McGraw.”

“Well, fuck me runnin’. That went over about as smooth as sandpaper.”

“Now, that’s a vague assumption,” I mocked in the same condescending tone.

“Hot damn, darlin’.”

He stood, walking over to me all confident, a predatory look in his eyes like he was going in for the kill. I didn’t cower when his large, muscular frame overshadowed mine as he pressed me up against the wall, closing me in with his arms on the sides of my face. A bit of my resolve shattered when he leaned forward, kissing my cheek, slowly moving over to my ear, which sent tingles down my spine. His hot breath radiated off my skin, causing all sorts of other sensations. He had me right where he wanted me.

Vulnerable.  

My heart fluttered, my stomach dropped, and my mouth parted. I hated this.

No, I didn’t.

He knew exactly what he was doing when he rasped, “If you’re looking for a fight, little girl, then I’m your man.”

He cocked his head to the side and stepped in toward me, it didn’t take much for his mouth to be close to mine. Although, he pulled me closer to him by the nook of my neck and I didn’t flinch, if anything I stood taller.

I cleared my throat, trying to steady my voice. “All I was trying to say was for someone who’s so observant, you’re ignoring what’s blatantly in front of your face.”

He looked me up and down. “You’re the only one that’s in my face,” he groaned, inches away from my lips. “What do you want to do about that, huh?” he added for good measure.

I shoved his chest as hard as I could, but he didn't move an inch. It didn't faze him one bit.

Asshole.

He suddenly grabbed my wrists and brought them above my head. Holding them in his tight grasp. I had nowhere to go now. I could barely move. I was at his mercy and as much as it pissed me off, it also turned me on in ways that I never experienced before.

What the hell?

“Because I could think of plenty of things to do with that sweet little mouth of yours that knows how to push every single one of my goddamn buttons.”

“I—”

“Did I say you could talk?”

My eyes widened and mouth dropped. “Who the hell do you think you are? This is not how it’s going to go, McGraw.”  

His eyes dilated, dark and daunting. “Or what? What are you going to do, suga’? Because I’m not the one that’s backed up into a wall, am I?”

I jerked my body around, trying to break out of his hold, but the second I felt his fingers tug on the ends of my hair I froze.

“Sweetheart, you’re not going anywhere unless I want you to.”

He softly gripped the front of my neck, his thumb and index finger clutching my pulse that only heightened with his touch. He cockily smiled when he realized how much he was affecting me. He moved his hand from my neck down to my inner thigh and slowly caressed the soft skin of my bare thighs.

Dylan had never touched me like this before. We barely made out. I didn’t recognize the guy before me, and that thrilled me more than it should. I swallowed the saliva that had pooled in my mouth. My breathing elevated, showing him just how much he was getting to me.

“Does it excite you to be at my mercy, darlin’?”

I clenched my thighs. Even the way he was talking to me was new and unfamiliar. This wasn’t
my
Dylan, this was the Dylan that all the girls were talking about, lusting after. He moved closer to my core, and I resisted the urge to moan.

“What’s wrong, baby girl? No witty comeback? No sexy banter? No smartass mouth? Where’s my tough girl? Huh? Not so tough when I have my hands near her pussy, is she?”

I sucked in air, startled by what he just said.

He continued his gentle torture for a few seconds, enjoying the feel of my skin against his calloused fingers. Moving closer to where I wanted him to touch me the most. The exact same place his filthy mouth just called it. I hated that word, but you wouldn’t think that by the way I desperately wanted him to say it to me again.

As if reading my mind, he tilted his head to the side, tempting me with whatever he wanted to do. I could see, feel his internal struggle. He was fighting something deeper than I could ever truly understand.

“I know where you want me to touch you, baby,” he paused to let his words sink in. “But what I’m fixin’ to do and what I want to do are two very different fucking things.”

He backed away and took his warmth with him. It was like a bucket of freezing cold water washed over me. He turned around to leave but stopped at the last second to look over his shoulder.

“But just so we’re clear… I’m not ignoring shit. Alex is too good for Lucas, she deserves better.”

I opened my mouth to say something.

“Yes, darlin’, I’m fully fucking aware that you’re too good for me and deserve better, too.”

You couldn’t fault me for who I was.

For who I am.

I wanted to touch her so fucking bad. It physically pained me to restrain myself. My cock throbbed and my balls ached to sink into her sweet pussy. I wasn’t trying to play mind games or go from hot to cold, but damn I couldn’t help myself. Her sassy mouth had been my initial draw to her in the first place. That didn’t change just because she was mine now. I hadn’t so much as touched more than a hair on her pretty blonde head.

It had been nine months since we met.

Six months since I last fucked someone.

Five months since we started dating.

Trust me… I wanted her. I wanted her so damn bad I couldn’t see straight. It took everything inside me to not claim every inch of her creamy white skin right then and there. To get lost in her body for hours at a time, until I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began.

Except, I never tempted myself.

I never gave myself the chance to get inside her panties. We barely made out. Even then, I never allowed it to get too out of hand either. I endured the worst case of blue balls every time I was with her.

That’s dedication.

And trust me, I knew about Lucas and Alex’s feelings for each other since we could all walk. Just like I knew that Aubrey was very much a virgin. She was also inexperienced with everything that happened in between, but that wasn’t the reason that I held back. If anything her inexperience was what drove me fucking mad. The mere thought of making her mine, being the first man to claim her, drove me insane to the point of no return.

Alex was right.

I respected her.

That shocked me to the core.

It wasn’t as hard as I imagined it would be to keep my dick in my pants, but when she talked back to me… fuck it did things to my cock that I couldn’t control.

I am only human.

A man used to getting what he wants and never holding back.

I had to walk out of her room and into the bathroom before I did something I knew I would regret. She wasn’t ready. That much I knew. Splashing cold water on my face, I gazed into the mirror.

“Jesus Christ, McGraw, get your shit together.”

The whole ride to the restaurant Aubrey didn’t say one word to me. When I reached for her hand, she immediately tore it away from my grasp. I swore to everything that was holy I almost pulled the goddamn Jeep over on the side of the road and had it out with her right then and there. But, I continued driving. She was out of my Jeep before I even had it in park, slamming the door behind her, and rushing into Alex’s parents’ restaurant. Not bothering to wait one damn second for me.

Half-Pint peered from Aubrey then back to me as soon as I walked in, a knowing expression written clear across her face. She stepped toward me, and I instantly shook my head no. I was going to let my anger go on the wrong fucking girl if she came near me, and Alex didn’t deserve that.

I’m not quite sure Aubrey did either.

I did the only thing I could before I flipped my shit. I grabbed my board and took out my frustration on the water.

“I. Hate. Him!”

Alex sighed, looking toward the ocean where Dylan had just disappeared to. I followed her worried gaze, except my eyes were filled with fury.  

“What happened?”

“Dylan McGraw happened.”

“Aubrey…”

“No, Half-Pint, you don’t get to take his side without knowing the facts. God! He’s such a fucking asshole!”

Her eyes widened, and I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. Lily, Lucas’ baby sister was standing right by Alex’s side. She was only ten, but she started to follow Half-Pint around everywhere.

I knew why Lily did that, too. But that was a whole other story that I didn’t feel like getting into.

“Yeah, you know he is, Alex!” I pointed to both of them. “You both do!”

“What did he do?” Lily asked with caring eyes. She was the sweetest little girl who I thought would grow up to be like Alex. Boy was I wrong.

Hell no, she didn’t.

Sometimes I thought Lily was worse than I was.

“What didn’t he do? Let’s start there!” I argued.  

“Calm down,” Alex coaxed, her tone laced with nothing but concern. “Tell me what happened?”

I took a long, deep breath, blowing all the air out of my lungs before I started. “We were hanging out in my room. I was getting ready to come here and I said—” I stopped myself.

Alex never told me about her and Lucas, but she didn’t have to. It was blatantly obvious. I didn’t want to push her to tell me something she wasn’t ready for me to hear.

“That’s not important,” I sidestepped. “He just… God… he just… fuck I can’t even explain it.” I glanced at Lily. “I’m sorry, Lily baby. I shouldn’t say those kinds of words.”

“Why?” She shrugged. “The boys do all the time.”

I chuckled and Alex just shook her head.

“I don’t understand him sometimes. He gives me whiplash. Normally it’s a good thing. Today it was not.”

“There’s this boy at school named Adam,” Lily said out of nowhere, surprising both of us. “I didn’t like Adam. He was mean to me. He’d pull my hair, he’d cut in front of me at lunch, and he’d take my pink marker when I’ve told him several times that it’s my favorite color.”

Alex and I both looked at each other confused and then back at Lily.

“I told my mom all about him. She just said that it was because Adam liked me. That boys don’t know how to express themselves, so they act out to get your attention. Dylan and Jacob came to pick me up from school the next day and told me to wait in the car. I waited for a long time. The next day at school Adam was nice to me. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t been mean to me since.”

Alex and I busted out laughing. That poor little boy probably didn’t see them coming.

“What I’m trying to say is Dylan is mean to you because he likes you, Aubrey. But only he can be mean to you because if someone else is than he’s going to kick their a-s-s. I’ll take a Dylan over an Adam any day.”

“What, Lily, how—” I muttered.

“Well… well… well… if it isn’t my so-called best friend,” I heard a voice snicker behind me. My head whipped around and came face to face with a very pissed-off Dee.

I hadn’t been hanging out with her that often since Dylan and I started dating. She always said she was busy. I saw the looks she gave Dylan and I in the hallway. Every time I tried to talk to her about us, she blew me off. There was only so much I could do. She didn’t give me a chance to explain myself. I would never want to hurt her. It’s not like Dylan and her were ever together in a relationship. I hadn’t broken some girl code. I went to bat for her and put him in his damn place.

She never even thanked me for it.

“How’s it feel to be his new whore?” she spewed without an ounce of remorse on her face.

“Excuse me?” I jerked back as if she smacked me across my face.

“Oh, come on, Aubrey, you can’t actually think he likes you. I thought you were smarter than that. Don’t you see he’s fucking using you? As soon as you give it up he’s going to dump you and move onto the next one. That’s who he is. You think you have a wonder pussy or something to change him?”

“You don’t know—”

“Oh, I know! Why do you think I can’t even talk to you anymore? Because I know! I know what he’s going to do to you, and I never thought you would be so fucking stupid to fall for it!”

“You mean stupid like you? What are you more pissed about, Dee? The fact that he slept with you and was done? Or the fact that I haven’t slept with him and he’s still with me?”

“Girl, you’re getting my sloppy seconds. I thought you were my friend, Aubrey.”

“I am your friend,” I simply stated, trying to not let her vicious words get to me. She was hurt, I got that. “And because of that I’m not saying every shitty thing that I want to say to you, like you are to me. I didn’t do anything wrong! What you’re doing right now is because you’re jealous! You’re jealous that I have, what you want.”

“God, Aubrey, with friends like you who needs enemies?”

“Dee, I would never want to hurt you. I’ve been trying for months to explain! I can’t help it that he likes me, that we like each other. I’m not going to stand here and defend my relationship to you. I don’t owe you anything. You seem to forget I actually went to battle with him for you. Now take a step back before you say something that you’re really going to regret. Or before you piss me the fuck off.”

“What did he tell you?” She ignored my warning. “You’re his only one, you’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen or wait, I got it, that he could make you forget about your pain? Right? Poor little new girl. Everything you wanted to hear, wrapped in a big red bow.”

I fervently shook my head and Alex grabbed my wrist, but I ripped it away. “You don’t know him. You don’t know anything!” I screamed back, letting her get the best of me.

“No, it’s you who doesn’t know anything.” She stepped toward me, getting a few inches away from my face, looking me up and down with a snide glare.

She scoffed in disgust. “He’s just like your daddy, Aubrey. He’s going to leave you too without so much as a fucking goodbye!”

My arm was swinging toward her face by the time she had the last word out, but someone saw my intention and gripped my wrist mid-air. Before I could turn to see who stopped me, Dylan stepped out in front of me, placing me right behind him.

He cocked his head to the side, and I could physically feel the heat searing off of him.

“You better back the fuck up,
Dee
, right? That’s your name?” he sneered in an eerie tone as I watched with my heart in my throat.

“That right there… is how much you meant to me.”

My mouth dropped open, nervously looking around me. The boys were standing beside us with a look on their faces that I had never seen before.

They were waiting. 

Alex’s expression mirrored mine while Lily just stood there with a mischievous gleam in her eyes and the biggest smirk I’d ever seen. She would be a force to be reckoned with one day.

“Now, I’m fixin’ to let you know, darlin’, that the difference between you and Aubrey is that I care about her, she is
my
girl. You… you on the other hand were just a piece of ass I got to tap. And not a very good one at that,” he paused to let his cruel words sink in. “Which is surprisin’, seeing as you’ll give it up to anyone who will give you just a little bit of attention,” he jeered as tears formed in her eyes, but he didn’t falter. “I would know. I barely fucking looked at you and your legs spread faster than butter.”

I felt bad for her. I knew I shouldn’t, but I did. I opened my mouth to say something and she cut me off.  

“How is she any different from me? You know you’re going to get what you want and leave her. It’s in your blood, Dylan… it’s what you do. She will be where I’m standing in a few months. They say girls end up with men just like their daddy’s, well it must be true.”

She wasn’t backing down. Hateful words just came one after another. The one thing she said that was true, I was stupid.

I was stupid for thinking she was my best friend.

He smiled big and wide, not fazed by her response in the least. “You mention her daddy again, I won’t stop her from beating your ass this time.”

“What game are you playing, Dylan?”

“That would imply that I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t play fucking games. This is your first and last warning. You fuck with Aubrey again, and I’ll give you something to cry about.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. Aren’t you just her knight in shining armor? You’re a modern day hero. I can’t wait until she’s the one who’s crying and I’m here to pick up the pieces.” A combination of anger and hurt came out of her in waves, but McGraw surfed every one of them with ease.

The irony was not lost on me.

“Darlin’, the only reason she’d be crying is from fuckin’ happiness.”

He walked over to her, each step precise and calculated. Each stride more unnerving than the last, his conviction never wavering, right in front of me. He didn’t care who saw. He was a man possessed with his heart on his sleeve and I waited, holding my breath with my heart on mine.

“See, you oughta’ know that I love her. That I’m in love with her so when you fuck with her you fuck with me.”

Just. Like. That.

The words fell off his lips for the first time into the face of a girl that wasn’t
me
.

“Now scurry along, we’re done here.” And with that he turned around and left her standing there without a bit of guilt for what he just shared. 

I vaguely heard Lily whisper in my ear, “Told you,” before Dylan made his way over to me with a confidence I couldn’t quite place.

“You okay, sug—”

I. Cold. Clocked. Him.

“What the actual fuck?” I roared, gripping my jaw, glaring only at Aubrey.

She slowly stepped back with her hand out in the air. “Don’t follow me, McGraw,” she ordered with a pissed off look on her face.

“You gotta be shittin’ me,” I gritted out.

“I mean it.” She shook her head, her body shuddering with every step she took away from me. “I’m out of here.”  She took one last look at me and left.

I peered around the beach for the first time. Everyone was standing around with wide eyes, frozen in place.

“The show’s fucking over,” I growled out to our audience, glancing over at the boys who were grinning like goddamn fools. “You say one fucking word, one fucking word, and I will knock you the fuck out,” I warned, my fists at my sides.

I could see it in their eyes, they wanted to laugh and give me shit, but they just shrugged their shoulders not breaking eye contact.

I spun around and Alex gripped my wrist.

“I don’t think—”

I glared at her, letting her know that now was not the right time.

She let go immediately, stepping back. “Okay.”

I got in my Jeep, throwing it in drive before the door even shut. Tearing through the parking lot and down the street until I saw her. She was walking with her arms folded over her chest, her pissed-off stance still very much alive and thriving.

I pulled up next to her. “Get in!” I barked.

She looked over at me, surprised. “No!”