Page 15

“Hell to the no,” Brandy exclaimed and grabbed the remaining bags. The four of us, laden down, carried them to the entrance of The Midnight Hour, and Madisen phoned Levi for Jinx.

“Levi’s sending him,” Madisen said, hanging up.

“Good. I’m heading out for a meeting, catch you all later,” Brandy stated and waved goodbye.

I wished the pavement would swallow me when I saw Jinx coming, but he wasn’t alone. Sunny was with him. Madisen sent me a knowing glance but didn’t say anything.

“Thought I’d come because of the Jinx effect,” Sunny stated. He picked up two bags, and the handles broke. Tami gasped and caught them before they hit the ground.

“Stay here and don’t touch,” she ordered as Jinx winced.

Tami returned moments later and doubled all the bags up.

“They should survive,” she said and hugged me before leaving.

“I’m going to head to The Midnight Hour, I need to check a few things. You know, we’ve been here a few hours, Callie probably wants a drink, Sunny,” Madisen suggested and skipped off.

That wretch!

“Let’s get these back to the car,” Sunny said with a glint in his eye. What did that mean?

I followed along as they carried the majority of the bags and couldn’t help appreciating how well Sunny’s jeans fit his tightly muscled ass.

As we approached the parking lot, butterflies erupted in my stomach.

Sunny was up to something. I didn’t know what, but I knew I had to escape whatever he’d planned.

I popped the trunk and allowed them to place the bags inside, and I headed for the driver’s seat. Sunny reached out and gently snagged my arm.

“Where you going, kitten? We’re getting a coffee.”

“You don’t have to! Madisen shouldn’t have put you in an awkward position,” I stuttered, trying to figure a way out of this mess.

Sunny smirked. “Nobody makes me do anything, Callie, you know that. And we’ve got to talk.”

“We have.”

“I do not remember much of that night. Ain’t gonna lie. That moonshine kicked my ass. But I do remember a beautiful pair of eyes and soft moans.”

“Let’s go!” I squealed as I glanced in Jinx’s direction. To his credit, he’d already begun walking off and was ignoring our conversation.

“Where would you like to go?” Sunny asked as he fell into step with me as I scurried away.

“Somewhere private,” I hissed as I felt butterflies in my stomach. My wonderful day was turning into a nightmare.

Sunny took my elbow and turned me towards Clio’s tearooms. “Come on.”

“They ain’t private!”

“No, but they do the best coffee around, and we can get them to go. We’ll head to the park,” Sunny said.

“Okay.”

Sunny smirked at my tone; he fully knew I wasn’t fine with any of this. I waited outside as Sunny grabbed two coffees and was surprised when he came out with a bag as well.

“Come on, Callie,” he said, and we began walking in the direction of the park. The silence between us felt awkward, although it didn’t seem to affect him. We turned into the park, and he led me towards a bench.

“What is this about?” I demanded.

“Callie, take your coffee and food,” Sunny ordered, pulling out a sub and handing it to me.

I glanced at it and swallowed the urge to throw it at him. His infuriating smirk appeared again as he read my thoughts.

“Eat, you know you’re grouchy when you don’t,” Sunny said and bit into his own sub.

In response, I viscously bit into it and chewed.

“Wonder if you bit me like that that night. Didn’t check for teeth marks,” Sunny mused, and I nearly choked on my food.

I glowered at him as I swallowed, and Sunny chuckled.

“I’m sorry. That moonshine did a number on me, I have never in my life been so drunk I couldn’t recall my actions. I am embarrassed that I didn’t.”

“Sunny, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I murmured as I fought the blush on my cheeks.

“Don’t do that. Do not lie to me, Callie.

I know you and I spent the night together, and I’ve flashes of memories, smooth skin, your smile, your eyes holding mine.

Kitten, I am sorry I forgot it. Believe me, I want nothing more than to remember because I bet it was fuckin’ fantastic,” Sunny said as he put a hand on my leg.

“Couldn’t have been that great if you forgot it, Sunny.”

“Callie, I was totally off my head. My question is, I don’t believe you were.” “Why couldn’t I have been?” I demanded. I placed the sandwich down and wrapped it back up. My gut was so tied in knots I could not eat.

“Because you never lose control. Never.” “Are you saying I’m uptight?” I gasped, offended.

Sunny’s eyes narrowed. “Stop trying to pick a fight with me.”

I sighed. Sunny was right, I was being belligerent because of the hurt I still felt.

“Okay. The truth is, I do remember that night. Why did I sleep with you? Because I’ve been attracted to you for a while.

I thought you had no interest in me, so when you kissed me, I took the opportunity to grab a memory for myself.

What I didn’t expect was that memory to become tarnished when you didn’t remember our time together. ”

“I hurt you.”

“Yes. No woman likes to be forgotten. And worse? You then asked me if I had seen you with anyone. That kicked me in the teeth. That night was amazing. You made me cum more times in one night than I’d had with my previous boyfriend.

He never made me orgasm. So yeah, Sunny, that night was special, and you spat on it,” I said honestly.

The blush rose on my cheeks, but I held Sunny’s gaze even as my embarrassment showed.

“You were attracted to me? Callie, there’s over twenty years between us.”

“And? I like you, and age doesn’t matter to me. Seems to be a thing in my family as Clio and Thalia picked older men.” I realised what I’d said as Sunny blinked and scrambled to clear it up. “I don’t mean I’m looking for a relationship.”

“Callie, calm down before you have a panic attack. Shit, I wish I could remember that night, but I only recall snatches, images. That is going to be my biggest regret. I’d no idea you felt like that about me.”

“Sunny, you mean that you’d no idea I was attracted to you. I don’t feel anything else.”

“Stop scrambling. Fuck. A beautiful, stunning, fuckin’ amazing woman spent the night with me, and I don’t remember.

The scent of your perfume has driven me wild.

I didn’t wash my pillow for weeks. I’ve smelt every woman around me, trying to discover who it was until I had a flash of your eyes.

Then I knew, and I was filled with regrets.

Callie, I wish to high hell that I could remember because I am sure I’m forgetting something wonderful. ”

“Well, I felt like crap after you didn’t remember. I was nothing to you, just a random lay, and you couldn’t even remember me. It deeply hurt me and has made me incredibly wary. That night meant everything, and you brushed it off. Even asking me if I knew who you’d slept with.”

“Callie, I never meant to upset or hurt you. Don’t let one drunken idiot ruin it all for you,” Sunny said.

“I have trust issues. This just exacerbated them. I get it, okay, you’re not looking for anything, and neither am I.

But that night went from a dream to a nightmare.

And can we please finish with this conversation?

It’s causing bad memories and making me feel hurt all over again.

You forgot me, like everyone else in my life.

The truth is, I’m so unforgettable than I should be used to it. ”

“Don’t say that! You’re anything but forgettable, Callie!” Sunny exclaimed, leaning towards me.

Sadly, I got to my feet. “But I am… because even you, who I thought was a friend, forgot you slept with me.” I walked away as Sunny called my name. “This is done. Let’s forget stuff happened and go our own ways.”

Sunny

He stared after her. If Callie thought he was going to let shit slide, she had another thing coming.

Sunny didn’t know what to call his feelings towards her; it wasn’t love, but he liked her a fuck load.

He was not prepared to walk away from her and let her hurt in silence.

Nor was Sunny going to let her wallow in self-pity.

Callie was a fighter, or she wouldn’t be where she was today.

Sunny had watched Callie grow and had enjoyed the experience. And now she’d admitted she was attracted to him despite their age difference? Yeah, she was in his crosshairs and was going down.