Page 79 of This Time Around
It would take me at least a half hour to get there.“Can you hold her off a day or two?I’ll get there, I swear, I’ll meet her on her terms, but today is a shitty day.”
“Why?Something wrong?”
I was not telling Max his niece had my cock in her mouth last night.
“Rebecca and I had plans today, ranch stuff, you know?”I finished before he could get the wrong—or very correct—idea.
“Actually, no.”He laughed that fatherly laugh I was most used to.“Diane used to go on and on about it, but to tell you the truth, I never paid a lick of attention to her.”
“Nice brother.”
“And the clock’s ticking.Will you make the plane?I need to call Camilla’s lawyer, but my guess is if you’re not on it, she’ll be on one to you by the end of the day.”
“Yeah.”I scrubbed my hand through my hair.“I’ll be there.Let me know if anything worse than this comes up.”
“Hits just keep on coming for you, but I bet you do this and it’ll be done.”
“Yeah.We’ll see.See you soon.”I disconnected the call.It better be done.If Camilla didn’t stick to her word on this, I was done playing the nice guy.
I grabbed the rest of my clothes off the tile floor and didn’t bother putting them on since they were dirty from yesterday.As much as the idea of spending the day in bed with Rebecca sounded like the best idea ever, getting rid of Camilla was smarter.
Hurrying down the stairs, I made sure to move quietly, and I slid into my boots where I left them inside the back door.Dressed enough to make it to the guesthouse, I went straight there and packed.
I’d brought four suitcases of clothes with me, an entire wardrobe I’d barely worn except for a few T-shirts and jeans, but I’d ordered almost all new work shirts that first day I was here.I stood in front of the wardrobe hanging in the closet, debating, and quickly decided.
Screw meeting Camilla in dress pants and shirts and fancy, shiny polished shoes.She wanted to meet me, she could meet the guy I was today, the guy I’d been not only for the last month but for the first twenty-one years of my life.
I grabbed a few shirts and a pair of jeans, just enough to take in a small bag for a quick trip.I’d stay the night if I had to, maybe two, but I wasn’t staying.
A quick flick at the clock told me I needed to get moving.
I still needed to tell Rebecca what was going on, but that could wait until after my shower.And once I called an Uber.Shit, I hadn’t even thought of how I’d get to the airport and it wasn’t like Carlton had their own taxi company.Getting a ride could take awhile.
“Damn it,” I cursed, while I scrubbed my hair in the shower.Maybe Rebecca would let me borrow her other truck.It was old, rusted around the wheel rims and I knew without asking the truck was Joseph’s.The Iowa State decal in the background was a dead giveaway.Also the mess in the cab.Rebecca wasn’t a neat freak, but she cleaned.She was always picking up her house, de-cluttering it.No way would she leave food wrappers, receipts, and other items haphazardly strewn all over a truck.Plus, she hadn’t driven it since I arrived.
It was just the reminder that while she might have cleaned out his clothes and some other random items around her house of him, and she’d invited me into her bed she’d shared with him, he was still very much a part of her life.
Not that I expected different, but was it possible to compete with a dead, well-loved man?
And was I the guy to even try?
Until a few weeks ago, I’d never second-guessed my career despite all the drama and ridiculous bullshit I had to deal with.Like paparazzi caring about where I was or strangers who had no problem shoving their way into my personal life because they saw my face on the big screen.
I put up with all of it, willingly and happily, even thankful because it meant if I was wanted by the masses, I’d been wanted in Hollywood.It meant I was successful.
I still couldn’t shake the rot in my gut at the thought of leaving Rebecca, even if it was for just a few days.
She was still asleepwhen I returned to her room.My bag was by the back door and I’d brewed a pot of coffee before I came upstairs.Last night had been incredible.
I wasn’t the guy who took it lightly when a woman gave herself to me, and even before Camilla, I wasn’t the guy who filled his weekends with meaningless one-night stands.I was raised better than that, had seen my parents happily married for over twenty-five years before I left home.I’d been too busy to date when I moved to California and got my first large role, and even when my publicist tried to get me to date another actress for the PR opportunities, I refused.
I wouldn’t fake it and I refused to make my career by giving up my morals the first time I had the chance.Then, I’d been married to Camilla.I wasn’t just faithful, I thought I had all I wanted, would ever need.But damn, sometimes life threw you one hell of a curveball.
Much like the woman currently sleeping in her bed, one hand flung to the side.She was on her back now, covers lifted to her chest but her leg was bent, knee and thigh exposed.
And hell if I didn’t want to run my lips and fingers up the silky cream of her thigh right to her sweet spot.Bury myself inside her.Taste every inch of her beautiful body.
I went to her and sat on the bed next to her, in the curve of her body.Leaning over her, I brushed my lips over her mouth lightly.Her eyes fluttered open and she flashed me that same sleepy smile she’d done last night.
