Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

WILDER

Fuck! Not even my hookups in college made me feel this out of control, this hot for someone else. I needed him. Maybe it had been too long because while I might not have been into Sheila, I’d never cheated on her. Tempted. Used my imagination a lot. But I never allowed myself to be with another man in the long five years we’d been together. Why the fuck had I done that to myself?

A car pulled up, and Micah pushed away from me before he dragged me to it. I was drunk, horny, and anxious. It had been too damn long.

The moment we were dropped off, we were on each other like we couldn’t get enough. I barely registered that this wasn’t my house, but as soon as my back hit the bed and Micah climbed on top of me, all other thoughts flew out of my head. All I could think about or focus on was him.

Morning came too soon. Sunlight peeked through the blinds and assaulted me, forcing me to bury my head under a pillow. It wasn’t that I had a headache or felt hungover, but I was too tired, and it was way too early for this shit.

“Hey.” Micah’s muffled voice sounded funny because he chose to yawn as he spoke.

Micah. Childhood friend, confidant, realtor…this was all a bit surreal, but I didn’t regret a second of it.

Turning over, I rested my head against his shoulder, breathing him in, allowing him to protect me from the sun. He laughed at my antics, which made me smile. “Not a morning person? I seem to recall someone who always wanted to be up before everyone else so you could get the best bugs.”

“First, I’m not five any longer.”

“I can vouch for that.” He reached down and wrapped his fingers around my dick, making me moan.

What was I trying to say? Oh! “Second, my desire to catch all the bugs, worms, and anything else as well as wake up before the butt crack of dawn left me long ago. Hate to break it to you, but I’d rather sleep in than deal with the creepy crawly things. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still deal with any bugs that get into the house by doing a catch and release, but I don’t purposely go out and collect them any longer.”

He sighed. “Damn. I think this has all been false advertising.”

“You think?”

“Yep.” He popped the p.

In retaliation, I tickled him. It turned out he still had the same trigger points. That led to kissing, which led to the need to use more lube, which eventually led to mutual orgasms. I couldn’t get enough of him.

It was mid-afternoon before we called for another Uber so we could get Micah’s car from the bar and drive back to my place. Micah had volunteered to help me unload my moving truck, and I had to admit, I was hoping he would help me christen the house properly. I’d had relationships in the past. Both hookups and long-term dating, and no one affected me the way he did, and we’d just reconnected twenty-four hours ago. He was different.

When we pulled up, I saw the one person I never wanted to see again. What the fuck was Sheila doing here, and how the hell did she get my address? I just fucking signed the papers yesterday!

Micah temporarily forgotten, I jumped out of the car and slammed the door closed before storming toward my front door. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Wilder! It’s about time you got home. I don’t have a key, so I couldn’t get inside. Now, be a dear and show me our new house,” she cooed, a giant smile on her face. It made my eye twitch.

“Our new house? Wilder?” Micah asked in a confused voice. Shit!

“No! Not ours. Mine. All mine. Mine alone!” I yelled to no one in particular.

“Now, Wilder, you know better than that.” She bent to the side, peeking around me, and her smile fell. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the man behind me. I stepped to the side to block her view. She would not do anything to him. “Who is this? I’m Sheila, Wilder’s fiancée.”

“Fiancée?” Micah choked out.

“No! She is not my fiancée. I dumped her ass and moved here.” I faced him and dropped my hands on his shoulders.

“Is that the part you were hiding? I could tell there was something you didn’t want to say.”

“Yes. I never wanted to be with her, but I didn’t want to disappoint my dad. So, I went along with it, but I never felt anything for her. When she wanted to get engaged, I dumped her at a huge family dinner. Apparently, she is stalking me, which is a crime.”

“Wilder, it is time you get those notions out of your head. I’ve allowed you to have some time, but it’s time to get back on the straight and narrow. We are going to be married and?—”

Whirling around, I glared at her. “We are not going to be married. Get it through your thick skull that you and I will never be anything to each other. I don’t want you. I want a man. I want to suck a dick, have one slide into my ass, or push my dick into another’s. I do not want anything you are offering. I don’t love you, never have, never will. In fact, your attitude and everything about you disgust me.”

“Wilder!” Sheila gasped.

Stepping back to Micah, I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Too bad he pushed me away. “No! I will not be part of this…whatever the hell this is. I am not a toy or a prop or anything else you are picturing. Fuck you! Both of you!”

Before my head could process what was happening, Micah left me standing there as he drove off. I had behaved like a total ass, and I had to fix it. First, though, I had to get rid of the menace on my front porch.

“How the fuck did you find me, Sheila?” My hands were clenched at my sides. I was doing everything possible to stop myself from hitting her or throwing her off my porch.

“Perhaps we should go inside and talk about this.”

“No. You have done enough. You are not welcome here, and you will not be stepping one toe in my house. How did you find me?”

She paled and looked to the side. Appearances mattered to her and her family. Other than my parents, I didn’t give a flying fuck what anyone thought of me. Actually, that wasn’t true. I cared about what Micah thought about me and this whole fucked up situation. As soon as I could, I’d make it right with him.

“Wilder, this isn’t like you.”

“It is. You just never bothered to get to know the real me. Find yourself another stooge because I will not stand meekly by your side and allow you to dictate my life to me. Now, tell me how you knew where to find me. Or should we just call the cops? Stalking is against the law, and I could have you arrested. What would Mommy and Daddy say about that?”

She backed up a step and stumbled down the two steps from the porch to the path from the driveway. “There’s a tile in your car. In the glove compartment,” she whispered, unable to meet my gaze.

“Son of a bitch!” I yelled, and she flinched.

Stomping over to my car, I yanked the door open and got into the glove compartment. Buried at the bottom, under a small stack of papers, was a tile. With it, she could see where I was anytime I wasn’t with her. The fucking bitch!

Dropping it to the ground, I slammed my foot down on it. I doubted it did anything, but it made me feel better. Once I was done with it, I picked it up, stalked back over to her, shoved it into her hand, and said in a low menacing voice, “Get the fuck off my property, leave me alone, or next time, I’m calling the police, and I’ll make sure it appears on all the headlines both here and back home. Do you understand me?”

She nodded and grabbed her bag, got in a car I hadn’t noticed on my arrival, and drove off. Now, if only I could convince Micah that she was the liar and not me. Plus, I had to somehow get him to forgive me for using him the way I did in front of Sheila. I didn’t know how I was going to accomplish all of that, but I would give it my best shot.

Pulling my car off the hauler attached to the truck, I peeled out of there and drove around until inspiration hit me. I stopped and got apology donuts, hoping his favorite hadn’t changed since we were kids, and then I drove to his house.

He wasn’t home.

When I knocked, his father answered and did not look happy with me. “What do you want?” he asked.

“Do you know where Micah is?”

“No.”

“Anywhere he might be?”

“No.”

I took in a deep breath, sizing up my obstacle, and released it slowly. “Okay, can you give these to him and tell him I’m sorry. I’m not going away, and Sheila means nothing to me. Never has. I don’t know what is between us, but I know it’s more than a fling or a one-night stand. We used to be good friends, and I’m not ready to say goodbye to him again. We have a second chance here. I don’t know if it will be friendship or more, but it’s something. I’m convinced of that. I’ll explain everything to him when he is ready. I’ll be waiting.”

He took my offering and asked, “Anything else?”

“Yeah. Can you tell him that I’m not going anywhere, and if he doesn’t come to me, I’ll come see him at the bar?”

“I could ban you.”

I grinned. “You could, but I don’t think you will.”

“You haven’t changed much. Sure, you started out as this sweet, shy kid who clung to his mother’s skirts, but after day one, it was usually you who was the instigator. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll tell him what you said.”

“Thank you, sir.” That was all I could hope for. I climbed back into my car and drove off, hoping for the best, fearing the worst.