Commando (Rogue Rebels MC Book 1) Page 16

  I sounded pushy but I couldn’t help myself. I felt panicked that she was leaving already.

  “No,” Hailey said firmly. I blinked in surprise. She had never used that tone with me before.

  “It’s good to see you, Wyatt, but I don’t have time. Sorry.”

  With that, she moved around me and headed down the path.

  Joe shot me a glance before he followed her.

  “Hailey,” I called again, impulse driving me again.

  She stopped in her tracks and look back at me wearily.

  “This is not the end of this,” I promised. “I’m not letting you get away from me that easy.” I tried to make it sound light and joking, but it wasn’t. She would be mine again.

  Her mouth opened by nothing came out.

  I had shocked and surprised her. Hailey’s wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, she had never been. Her face was an open book most of the time. I was glad to see that hadn’t changed.

  I smiled, knowing I had rattled her.

  It was only fair since she had definitely shaken my world.

  She closed her mouth then just to look at me for a few seconds before turning and walking away without a word.

  I stood still, watching them go until they disappeared. My class about to start as well, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I stared after Hailey, hoping she would reappear and say she changed her mind.

  I should have known she would turn down my offer though. It had been five years and we hardly parted way on amicable terms. She had always been prickly, the charm that worked on other women was not as easy to play on her. The history between us would understandably make her weary.

  Her refusal was still a hard pill to swallow though and every one of my instincts was screaming at me to follow her and convince her to change her answer, no matter what.

  I didn’t follow my gut though, my common sense rebooting its self.

  My legs finally moved and I forced them to go in the opposite direction. As I slowly walked down the path, I could still hear her voice in my head as she said no.

  She had been so firm. So final. No matter what I still felt Hailey, it didn’t matter. She obviously didn’t feel anything for me.

  Hell, I had no idea what I really felt for her after so long.

  Now that I had seen her again though, that fire I felt for her had reignited and I couldn’t accept that no for an answer.

  I couldn’t let things rest as they were.

  This wasn’t the last Hailey had seen of me.

  Not by a long shot.

  Chapter Six: Hailey

  I was early for Bio labs this time.

  I had taken a seat closer to the front of the room and was unpacking my notebook and laptop.

  The laptop was bulky and outdated. I couldn’t afford the latest gadgets like some of the other students here but the device worked and served its function well enough. It would keep me from writing my fingers off at least.

  I arranged everything on my part of the table then pulled up the recorder app on my phone – again not the latest on the market, but it did what it had to do.

  All I had to do was press the start button when the lecture started.

  With no more preparations to do, I looked up and around the space. Only a few other students were already inside the room. A group of girls were having a discussion around an open notebook while a guy lounged in the back with a pair of headphones hanging from his ears and effectively saying “leave me alone”.

  Wyatt wasn’t here yet.

  The thoughts had my stomach cramping and sweat suddenly breaking out all over my body.

  I had been dreading seeing Wyatt again.

  The week had passed quickly and it was Friday when I stepped into the biology lab. My head is still reeling from that chance meeting along the path.

  I’m not letting you get away from me that easy.

  His words haunted me. They made me hot and bothered one moment, then panicked and angry the next.

  Wyatt was a bad boy to the bone.

  He tried to hide it behind a friendly smile and a laidback attitude, but the ruthless light in his eyes showed what an alpha he was under the veneer.

  He was the kind of man so set to go after anything he set his sights on and determined that he wanted.

  Once upon a time he had wanted me with that single-minded intensity.

  His persistence was one of the things that drew me to him even when I hadn’t wanted it to. I hated the thought of being one of the cliché girls who fell for the bad boy but when I let myself for Wyatt, I had fallen hard.

  When he left, it had destroyed me and had me doubting everything I thought I knew about myself.

  I could never allow myself to feel so deeply for a man again.

  Never.

  Especially not a man like Wyatt.

  As if I had conjured him, he suddenly appeared in the entrance.

  I gasped, then my breath stuck in my throat.

  Wyatt Murphy was the most gorgeous man; even if I didn’t want to admit it.

  He was the walking definition of tall, dark, and handsome. His tall frame filled out a plain tee shirt and a pair of jeans. His attire was simple but he looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine.

  He was accompanied by three other guys. They were all obviously younger than he was, yet none of them carried even one tenth on the raw sex appeal that he did.

  I had been so overcome with the panic and worry his presence brought that I had mostly overlooked how sexily he had aged.

  The force of all that sexiness hit me right then. There was no ignoring or pushing it to the side.

  I was sensible to a fault according to some but all my senses went right out the window then. Hormones that had been dormant for almost five years flared to life and I could remember his intimate touch so clearly is was like those five years hadn’t passed.

  I wasn’t the only one who noticed Wyatt’s entrance or his attractiveness.

  The female students all perked up, smiles at the ready and trying to subtly fix their hair and clothing before he looked their way.

  I caught a growl in my throat, barely suppressing the sound.

  Being Wyatt’s girlfriend had brought out an unexpected streak of jealousy in me and it seemed to have reawakened with his reemergence in my life.

  I moved to turn away, angry with myself for reacting so strongly to him still when his eyes landed on me. There was no turning away from his gaze. The heat of it brushed my skin like a physical touch.

  Electricity raced up my back and made the hair at the nape stand on edge.

  Wyatt’s grin was slow and knowing as if he knew exactly how my body was betraying me. My cheeks became hot and I knew they were red.

  He said something to the guys he came in with.

  Without waiting for an answer from them, he sauntered over to where I sat and took the seat next to me without invitation.

  He never looked at those other women preening for his attention. I noticed one of them sending me a dirty look from the corner of my eye.

  Go ahead girlfriend, been there done that. Not going down that road again.

  At least that’s what I was telling myself. Or trying to.

  More students suddenly rushed in and the professor came along with them. From then on, the atmosphere changed as everyone focused on the starting lecture.

  I was able to tear my gaze away from Wyatt in the sudden bustle but he didn’t let me forget his presence like I wanted to.

  The professor asked us to pair up in groups of two to work for the rest of the class.

  Wyatt immediately scooted closer. He leaned toward me and his words feathered hotly against the skin of my neck when he said, “Told you, you aren’t going to get away that easy, partner.”

  ***

  The class was a lesson in self-control and I was so very glad that I punched record on my phone because my concentration was shot.

  The professor handed the groups each a sheet to complete as h
e lectured. We were to hand it back to him by the end of the class.

  I tried to keep my focus on what the white-bearded man was saying. I really did. Just like I tried to take notes as the minutes went by as well as give my input on the answers to the handout.

  However, the spicy scent of Wyatt’s cologne wrapped me in a fog of female want. I remembered that scent well. Late into the nights we used to spend together so long ago, I would put my nose against his neck and inhale a big whiff as we cuddled our way to sleep.

  That same scent had clung to the huge shirts he gave me to sleep in and his hoodie when I borrowed it.

  It had wrapped me in an invisible cloak of security and love.

  I fought against the memories that scent invoked but it seemed like an uphill battle. I almost sighed in relief when the professor announced the end of the class.

  Wyatt went up the professor’s desk to hand in our assignment and I took this as my opportunity to escape. I hurriedly stuck my belongings into my bag. Everything inside, I hopped out of my seat and rushed for the exit.

  “Hailey,” Wyatt called but I ignored him.

  In the hallway, I headed straight for the parking lot and my car. This was my last class for the afternoon and I had to pick Noah up from the daycare.

  “Hey Hailey, wait up,” I heard Wyatt’s voice call.

  The voice sounded a lot closer than I expected and I turned only to run into what felt like a wall.

  A warm, hotly fragrant male wall.

  I bounced off the hardness of Wyatt’s chest. The force of the sudden contact sent me toward the floor. I was falling and couldn’t stop the descent.

  I let out a startled squeak in anticipation of the hurt from landing on the tiled floor but strong, male hands grabbed my upper arms to keep me from becoming intimate with the tiles. They pulled me back to that hard chest and my breasts became plastered against him. I drew in a sharp breath as my nipples immediately pebbled at the contact. Damn his hotness.

  At the same time, my fingers tangled in the fabric of Wyatt’s shirt. I flew a startled gaze up to his to find him watching me with a warm mirth.

  “We worked well together today. Just like we did before.”

  “That's probably not a good idea.”

  I gave him a look.

  “With our history, I don’t think I have to explain why.”

  “I hardly think our history factors into the fact that we work well together.” He said this slowly as if speaking to a child.

  His tone didn’t help my disposition one bit.

  I sighed, not about to get into this in the middle of the hallway where several other students were moving about.

  “It's just not a good idea, Wyatt. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  I hoisted my bag on my shoulder, ready to continue on my way. The considering look Wyatt gave me sent a premonition of impending disaster but my feet remained rooted in place even though I told them to move.

  Before he opened his mouth I knew he was going to say something that would make me mad.

  I was right.

  “No, let’s discuss this. Why don't you think we should study together? Is it because you don’t think you can keep your hands off me?”

  He raised an eyebrow to end his proclamation.

  My outraged inhale seemed loud even with the noise around us.

  “You’re not nearly as irresistible as you think,” I told him, hand coming up to rest on my hip in a show of attitude.

  Something inside me said, Liar.

  I ignored that voice.

  “Then prove it. Let’s be study buddies. We hit the books without letting the past get in the way of our school stuff. We are both responsible, sensible adults. There’s no harm as long as we act that way. I mean unless you don’t want to…”

  There a challenge in the words he spoke and I could stop from accepting his dare.

  “Wyatt!”

  “Fine, I’m joking, but really let’s study. You were always a good partner.”

  I sighed. I would show him. After all, responsible and sensible were my middle names.

  “Fine,” I said, the word coming out from between clenched teeth. “We can study together.”

  His smile was wide. Triumphant.

  I wanted to kick myself for falling so neatly into his trap but I couldn’t back out now though.

  “How about we start tonight?”

  That eyebrow rose again in challenge and I found myself unable to back down. Again.

  “Tonight,” I agreed.

  “Want me to come over to your place?”

  “No!” My denial was too loud as I imagined the horror of Wyatt coming into my home. Of him meeting Noah.

  I couldn’t let that happen. Not for as long as I could help it.

  Wyatt gave me a puzzled look and a few of the other students did too.

  “No,” I said more calmly. “We can meet up at your place. Are you staying with your mom?”

  “No, I got my own apartment so I could be closer to campus.”

  Oh. Wyatt and I all alone in the confines of a space that smelt like him. Where I couldn’t escape his charm, or have a distraction from his sex appeal.

  What could possibly go wrong?

  He pulled out his smart phone – a slick-looking, clearly new model - from his back pocket and said, “Give me your number and I will send you the address.”

  He looked at me expectantly.

  Even though warning sirens were blaring in my head, I began to rattle off my number. He picked up from the middle, finishing the last four numbers for me.

  “You have the same number,” he realized before adding, “So do I. It’s-”

  I become stuck on the fact that he still had my number memorized but then remember that I knew his by heart too. Even after all this time had passed.

  I made a big deal about scrolling through my phone like I was entering the digits but they were already saved.

  I never deleted them.

  “I’ll text you my address in a few minutes.”

  “Okay, I have to go now. I am late for… an appointment.”

  If Wyatt noticed my hesitation, he didn’t show it.

  He beamed another smile at me and said, “See you tonight, Hailey.”

  I walked away knowing I was making a huge mistake and still helpless to stop myself.

  Chapter Seven: Wyatt

  I was as nervous as a high school virgin out on his first date. What the fuck was wrong with me?

  I looked in the mirror hanging on the wall for the umpteenth time, smoothing my hair down and looking for imaginary creases in my clothes.

  I turned away, making an impatient sound at my lovesick behavior.

  It was fucking ridiculous how hung up I was on this woman.

  Even now there was an uncomfortable snugness in my jeans just thinking about her. My attraction to Hailey was undeniable from the moment we sat in that lab almost eight years ago. It grew with every day we spent together and blossomed into heated desire when we started dating. Now though…

  Now was a whole other ballgame.

  The desire I felt for Hailey back then felt like firecrackers compared to the fireworks I felt now.

  Hailey was all grown up. She had always had a curvy figure but the way she filled out her clothing now damn near left me panting.

  It was puzzling how strongly I felt for her now. My feelings for her before seemed soft and innocent compared to the basic rawness of them now.

  I wanted between her thighs and my brain was clouded by thoughts of how I could get here.

  I couldn’t claim that my offer to be study buddies was completely innocent. Yes, I would love to have her as an academic partner again but plain and simple, I needed to be close to her as often as possible and this was the perfect excuse.

  I moved over to where I had my laptop, textbooks, and notebook set up at the kitchen table.

  After rearranging the tools on the surface yet again before I began to pace the hardwood floors. I
threw a look at the clock on the oven.

  It read six forty-three.

  Seventeen minutes until our scheduled study date.

  The anticipation and nerves drove me to the refrigerator and I grabbed a bottle of beer.

  I acted confident but I felt anything but. I was so far out of my element it was almost laughable. The feelings Hailey stirred in me left me unsettled and I had no idea what to make of them.

  Hailey’s knock on the door, announced her arrival a few minutes later.

  I put my half-finished bottle on the kitchen counter and made my way across the space. I wiped sweaty palms down my jean covered thighs and took a look around to make sure everything was tidy.

  Of course it was.

  I had never been a messy person but being in the military had drilled being tidy into my bones. I had only just moved into my apartment and so only the essentials were here. The space was open concept. The kitchen and living room were separated by a small table.

  The kitchen carried all the essentials for cooking but I barely used them. The living room carried a two piece set, a center table and a huge television mounted on the wall. A hallway led to the only bathroom and bedroom.

  I hurried to open the door when she knocked again.

  I opened the door and promptly lost my breath.

  Fuck. She was smoking hot.

  She was dressed in a sleeveless top and plain dark blue skirt that skimmed her knees. Her feet were encased in a pair of sandals to reveal her toes, which were painted a light pink color. Her book bag hung off her right shoulder.

  Without trying, she was easily the most gorgeous woman I had ever met.

  She looked at me with those shy eyes framed by widened lenses. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, but a few strands had broken free of the confines to fall over her grey-blue orbs.

  She pushed them back impatiently, the movement automatic.

  The fact that she seemed completely unaware of how sexy she was just made her more appealing,

  “Hey.”

  Her breathy greeting pulled me out of the spell I was under.

  “Can I come in?” she asked as I continued to stare at her.