Pretending Hearts (7 page)

“No,” she said quickly. “Casey told me about seeing you and Wyatt Johnston together and I didn’t mention that to him.”

“Why would Blake care if I’m going out with Wyatt?”

Autumn straightened up. “Because Wyatt is known for being a dick to girls. Especially after he sleeps with them.”

“I thought you were the one always advocating to not believe everything you hear. I’d hate to put stock in
petty rumors
.”

Autumn gave me a sad look and I could see how Blake ended up believing her over our dad. She had big expressive eyes that let me know exactly how she was feeling. My words had cut her deeply. She’d obviously come to my room expecting a different outcome.

“I’m not going to tell you who to surround yourself with,” she said and took a step in the direction of the door. “Who you want to be friends with and who you want to date is your business. But I trusted the wrong people before and I’d hate to see you hurt in the same way I was.” She reached for the door and pulled it open. “I’ll see you around, Delia.”

I didn’t reply and watched her walk away. The door shut with a heavy thud and I winced at the sound. I waited for my resentment to return, but I couldn’t find the source any longer. Maybe I had to change. Because I was fighting a battle I was guaranteed to lose. My brother wasn’t likely to simply fall out of love with Autumn Dorey because I wished it so.

“I love you in a dress. Can you wear one every time we go out?” Wyatt whispered into my ear. His fingers crept up my knee before resting on my thigh. He caressed his thumb over the bare skin.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I whispered back.

I tried to force my attention back to the movie screen, but my eyes kept returning to Wyatt’s profile. He was clean-shaven and sporting a new haircut. I liked the shorter style since the cut brought more attention to his symmetrical features. I could study his face for hours and still fail at finding a flaw. His handsomeness made me feel thrilled over his attentions. And what had started as mutual lust was evolving into something more.

Wyatt had taken me out several times over the last week. Although he’d been distant at first, I could see us growing closer. He was more open about his family and how he felt being the son of a senator. His father put a lot of expectations on him and he had rebelled by lambasting politics in favor of athletics. However, Wyatt had come to terms with his father only wanting the best for him and his interest in politics was renewed. He admired the way his father had the ability to change people’s minds and sway them to his manner of thinking.

“This movie blows. Want to go back to my place?” Wyatt asked and tightened his fingers on my thigh. My belly stirred at the contact and I nodded in reply. As I gathered up our things, my hands shook with excitement. Being alone in Wyatt’s condo would be a first.

I’d seen his place days earlier, but Georgie and Fallon had come along. The condo was swanky and most college students wouldn’t be able to afford the place without roommates. However, Wyatt’s parents paid for Fallon and Wyatt to have their own units in the complex. The siblings had only lived on campus for their freshman years.

The condos in the development had wall-to-wall hardwood floors and oversized rooms. Wyatt didn’t have a lot of furniture, but the pieces he did have were more expensive than functional. If I had to guess, he wasn’t the one to pick out the leather sofa and solid walnut kitchen table. The countertops in the condo were marble and all the appliances updated to the latest stainless steel models.

I’d been overwhelmed the first time I walked in. Blake was newly rich and the Johnstons were obviously old money. I didn’t want to feel like an outcast around Georgie and Wyatt, but I wondered how I could relate to them when they came from a world I knew nothing of.

I didn’t want to doubt my relationships, especially since Georgie had been very understanding about my choice to keep Blake a secret. I had told her I didn’t want to be used by people who only wanted to get close to my brother. She accepted my explanation and although she wanted to share the news, she promised to not tell Wyatt until I was ready.

Wyatt’s apartment was less than five minutes away from the movie theater. I followed him inside and he headed to the fridge. I adjusted my blue sundress as I settled on his couch. The leather stuck to my skin and squeaked each time I moved. Wyatt offered up a dazzling smile as he returned to the living room with two beers. He cracked open the bottles and tossed the tops on the glass coffee table.

He settled into the cushion next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I leaned into his solid frame and relaxed. Closing my eyes, I breathed in his cologne. I felt enthralled by Wyatt and the sensation confused me. Because I wondered if despite my protestations, I was having real feelings for him.

“I have to tell you something,” I said nervously. I was scared to open up to him because of how well our relationship had progressed. He no longer seemed intent on keeping things casual. He’d become reliable—calling and texting me nightly. When we made plans to go out, he arrived on time. Before, I had thought both of our end games were getting each other naked. But he was acting more and more like boyfriend material.

He chuckled at my expression. “You sound freaked out. You’re not going to tell me you’re really a man, are you?”

I became annoyed at his carefree attitude since I was a total mess inside. “I never told you I had a brother. I should’ve said something when we first met, but I didn’t want things to become weird.”

“Why would things get weird because you have a brother?”

“Because my brother is Blake Preston.”

I drew in a steadying breath and forced myself to keep eye contact. His brown eyes showed nothing of what he was thinking. After a torturous and long moment of silence, Wyatt let out a guffaw. “And why didn’t you tell me? What did you think, I'd go all fan boy and date you only because of him?” The way he assessed the situation did make me feel ridiculous. But he had only scratched the surface of why I had kept quiet about my family. He continued, “Do you get along with Blake? Because I can relate to having pain in the ass relatives.”

“No, we get along great,” I responded quickly. I had talked to Blake the day before. More than a week had passed since Autumn paid me a visit and she had kept her promise. Blake knew nothing about my argument with her. If she had told him, he would’ve lectured me instead of talking about how excited he was for Autumn to visit him the next weekend. He was scheduled to play a home game and she was staying in his Baltimore apartment and leaving after his game on Sunday. He sounded animated and I let him chat along about their plans while pressing my nails into my palms.

“Blake is such a big deal at Cook, I just didn’t want to make friends because of him,” I said.

Wyatt put his fingers under my chin when I began to look down. He lifted my chin to face him. “Hey I get it,” he said. “I’m always the senator’s son instead of my own person. That’s why I love soccer. The sport has nothing to do with my dad.”

He kissed me and I felt all of my reservations melt away. The kiss was sweet and his mouth lingered over mine. He drew my lower lip out with his teeth before sweeping his tongue inside of my mouth. He kissed me deeper—getting bolder from my response. He pulled me closer and I ended up on his lap.

He was out of breath when he broke the kiss. “You can tell me anything, Delia. I like you and I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time.”

His eyes searched my face and I wondered what he was looking for. Was he seeing what I had started to realize? Could he see we had the potential to be great together?

If I was completely honest with myself, I was afraid to have sex with Wyatt. Physically, I’d been ready to have sex with him since the get-go, but I wasn’t sure if I could psychologically handle the act. I’d started to develop feelings and I was scared of what would happen after we slept together. Autumn wasn’t reliable, but her words still rattled around in my brain. What if the rumors were true and Wyatt turned into a complete shit after we had sex?

My logic was flawed because I couldn’t seem to control how my body responded to his nearness. I shut up the opposing voices in my head and moved in closer to Wyatt. I straddled him as he leaned back deeper into the couch cushions. His hands circled around me and he cupped my ass as I tilted into another kiss. The kiss was hotter and wetter and I started to grind against him. Wyatt responded to the way I slid my body over him and I noticed him growing hard below me. While not breaking our kiss, I moved my hands lower until I had my fingers positioned over the button of his pants.

“You make me so fucking hot,” he said. His hand snuck under my sundress and smoothed over my ass cheeks. “Are you wet for me?”

His right hand left my behind and he brought it to the front of my mound. My panties were still in place, but he rubbed his thumb over the fabric and across my clit using firm strokes. As he continued his movements, I moaned, “Yes.”

He stopped and tugged at the side of my underwear. I didn’t hesitate and lifted up my body using my knees to give him better access. He slipped my thong off and tossed the fabric across the couch. He continued to touch me, inching his fingers closer until he was finally inside of me. After a few pleasurable strokes, he stopped and tilted his head in my direction. “I’m going to make you come hard for me, babe.”

His words were thick with desire. We were casually dating for more than three weeks and I’d been waiting for this moment. His promises left me eager to feel him inside of me. I was probably a fool, but I wanted to believe I was different. I wanted to believe I wasn’t simply another casual lay. Wyatt could’ve found sex from a lot of girls in the weeks since we started dating, but his interest had remained fixed on me.

After undoing the button on his pants, I felt his bulge while I carefully pulled down his zipper. He was rock hard and straining against his boxers. I touched him tentatively at first before applying a little more pressure. Wyatt tossed his head back and groaned. I snuck my hand beneath the waist of his boxers and used my free hand to circle his length. His arousal increased the longer I touched him.

“Delia, you’re killing me… I need you right now,” he murmured. He licked his lips as he peered up at me. “Let me take you to bed.”

“Do you have a condom?”

“I’ve been tested and I’m safe,” he said and pulled me with him off of the couch. I felt a slight rising panic as he tugged me in the direction of his bedroom.

I stopped in my tracks. “Wyatt, I don’t really feel comfortable—”

He cut me off by putting his forefinger over my lips. “No problem, babe. I just wanted to feel you when I rocked into you. I was going to pull out.” I was sure my face filled with uncertainty because he quickly added, “But I can wear a bag if it makes you feel better.”

I almost shook from relief. “Yes, it would make me feel better.” I didn’t care how hot Wyatt was, there was no way I’d have sex with him without a condom. I was dizzy with lust for him, but no man was sexy enough to turn me into an idiot.

I followed him into the bedroom and the passage felt as if I was moving onto a new chapter. I was finally having sex with a man who cared about me and wasn’t afraid for the world to see. I wasn’t the dirty secret who had to be snuck in and out of the back door because his parents wouldn’t approve of him messing around with the daughter of the town pariah.

I couldn’t predict the future, but I was optimistic. I wasn’t one for fairytales, but maybe Wyatt Johnston would be the one to make me believe in them again.

I woke up to gentle shaking on my arm. “Hey babe, it’s late. Are you ready to go?”

I yawned and stretched. I felt disoriented as I looked around at my surroundings. After a few seconds, I remembered I was in Wyatt’s bedroom. Noticing my nakedness, I pulled the bed sheet closer to my body. I looked up and saw Wyatt standing over me. He laughed at my modesty. “A little late to cover up. I already got the prime view a couple hours ago.”

My smile was strained. Why the hell was he waking me up? Was he kicking me out of his condo? “You’re taking me home?”

“I have an early practice tomorrow, so I thought it’d be easier if I drove you back to the dorms tonight.” He must have seen something in my expression because he frowned at me. “Don’t look at me that way. This isn’t me being a dick.”

I made a non-committal noise while grabbing for my dress. I slipped the fabric over my head while still remaining covered by the sheet. I’d have to locate my thong in the living room before leaving. I didn’t want him keeping my panties as some sort of trophy.

I felt sick and thought about vomiting over his thousand thread sheets. My worst fears were being actualized and I had no one to blame but myself. Autumn hadn’t been the only one to warn me. Casey had been involved with Wyatt and had told me at The Cellar what a creep he could be.

Once dressed, I stormed out of his room. I was humiliated and angry. I wondered if I should call a cab. I didn’t want to be stuck in a car with him for the drive back to campus. Bad enough that it was almost one in the morning and I’d have to do the walk of shame back into the dorm.

As I tugged on my underwear, Wyatt came out of the bedroom. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Delia, I had a great time and I’m going to call you tomorrow. I don’t want you leaving mad.”