Page 9 of Unscripted Love
Kyle indicated that he would call me, but instead, he reached out to Drew. Damn, it hurt more than it should after nothing more than a kiss. I told myself to just delete the app without reading his message, but I was a glutton for punishment and opened it.
Hey.
Kyle shared a steamy kiss with me, but Drew was the one on his mind? As sick as the thought made me, it was better that I found out sooner rather than later. Okay, maybe I was overreacting to the one-word message, but I didn’t think so. The last thing I needed was to give my heart to a guy who was pining after someone else, even if that someone else was technically me. Damn, I’d made a huge fucking mess of my life and wasn’t sure how to fix it beyond deleting the gamer messaging app.
Kyle finally got around to calling me a few days later like he said he would, but I didn’t keep my end of the bargain. I closed my eyes and tried to block the image of sadness I imagined in his eyes when I hit the button to decline his call.
The situation with Chaz confounded me. I didn’t understand him. One minute we were kissing and the next he was running away from me. One minute he was telling me he’d answer if I called and the next he ignored me when I did. He didn’t even pretend to miss it; he hit the decline button and sent my ass to voicemail before the second ring. What the hell had I done to him? Or Drew for that matter? The only two men who held my interest since my breakup with Gabe didn’t seem to want anything to do with me. What was it about me that sent men fleeing?
I had a lot of free time on my hands—too much if I’m honest—to reflect on my life. I was happy to be home in Blissville with my family and loved my career. Being a vet was more than a career to me; it was a calling. I knew that I wanted to follow my grandfather’s footsteps since he took me to work with him the first time when I was six. I was grateful every day that I could make a living from my passion for veterinary medicine. It wasn’t enough to make me truly happy because in the still of the night I missed the warm body of a man who belonged only to me. I wanted to be able to reach out and touch his back or spoon in behind him. I craved the feel of my leg bumping into his—whoeverhemight be.
Family, friends, and love surrounded me, but I had never been so lonely in my life. Drew’s rejection was a little easier to swallow, or at least overlook because he was a faceless man on the other end of a gaming app. I couldn’t avoid Chaz no matter how hard I tried to unless I wanted to move, which I didn’t. I don’t know what prompted me to reach out to Drew the morning after the kiss with Chaz. I didn’t expect him to answer, but I was hoping he would have so that I could have a little bit of closure.
Closure.Ugh! I sounded like a chick. How many times had I heard my sisters use that term while discussing a relationship that ended? Too many to count. But the sentiment rang true. Drew and I developed a type of relationship, and it ended abruptly with no warning. Part of me wanted to know what happened so I could have closure and move on while the other half feared what he had to say. What was it about me that made me so… unloveable? It turned out my closure wasn’t needed because the guy didn’t want anything to do with me.
I decided I wouldn’t make a fool of myself with Chaz the way I did with Drew. I sent Drew messages daily for I don’t know how long. I had given Chaz two chances before I gave up and stopped calling him. How much rejection could one guy take? I’d avoided running into him for a few weeks by not going to Sunday dinners at Josh and Gabe’s, but my reprieve ended when I walked into Curl Up and Dye for my haircut appointment with Josh.
Chaz stared unblinkingly into my eyes for several awkward moments when I arrived. Our connection broke when he took a deep breath and shifted his features into a mask of cool professionalism, but not before I saw the hurt in his eyes.Hurt?What the hell did he have to feel hurt about? I was the one who put myself out there, and he ignored me.
If asked, I would tell you that my greatest personality trait was my patience and my laid-back attitude was a close second. I rarely lost my temper, but I felt my blood simmering beneath the surface that day. My heart pounded in my chest as fury rose inside me. I had half a mind to toss him over my shoulder and carry him off so I could kiss a confession out of him. I hadn’t mistaken the desire in his eyes when he looked at me nor had I imagined the sparks that flew between us when our lips first touched. I just needed to find out why Chaz turned cold on me so suddenly.
“Jazz is running a few minutes behind,” Chaz coolly said, as if he spoke to someone who hadn’t experienced the pleasure of his tongue in their mouth. “Please help yourself to a beverage and a magazine while you wait in the reception area.”
That little imp was dismissing me, and I wasn’t about to… My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of heavy work boots walking across the polished hardwood floors. It wasn’t a sound I associated with the classy salon, so I turned to see who was wearing them. My mouth dropped open at the sight of the sexy stud approaching Chaz and me, but I don’t think he even noticed I was alive because he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes off of Chaz.Was this guy the reason Chaz didn’t answer my calls or return my messages?
My eyes raked over the tall, dark stranger with bulging biceps and perfect pecs straining the fabric of his white T-shirt that was three sizes too small. His tool belt hung low over jeans much too tight to wear while constructing anything except wet dreams.
“Hi, Andy,” Chaz said cheerfully. “How’s it going?”
I didn’t care if Andy constructed orphanages in third world countries in his free time; I hated his fucking guts because of the way he looked at Chaz and the way Chaz returned his interest. Andy leaned artfully against the high counter of the reception desk and smiled at Chaz.
“It could’ve been better,” Andy said. “A certain someone could’ve joined me for a drink like I asked.”
Chaz laughed uneasily and darted a glance in my direction to judge my reaction. I thought the soft blush that bloomed across his cheeks was adorable and wished that I was the one who put it there. His eyes widened when they met mine, and he licked his bottom lip nervously. Could he sense how angry I was right then? Was anger even the right emotion? It felt more like… jealousy. I could feel that I wasn’t the only one who had ideas of what Chaz could do with his sexy tongue. I turned to face my new nemesis.
“I don’t believe we’ve met yet,” I said to the newcomer. “I’m Dr. Kyle Vaughn.” Even to my own ears, I sounded a bit pretentious, but I couldn’t take it back once the words left my mouth. I extended my hand to him, which he accepted in a vise-like grip.
“Andy Mason,” he told me. “Carpenter.” I could tell he wasn’t impressed by my title and didn’t like the possessive gleam he saw in my eyes. I narrowed my eyes as the beefcake squeezed my hand harder instead of releasing it.
“Guys,” Chaz said, trying to interrupt the standoff between us. We ignored his attempts and continued to stare one another down like two MMA fighters at the press conference before fight night. “Andy.” The flirty way Chaz said Andy’s name penetrated the carpenter’s brain and he jerked his attention back to Chaz.
“Yeah?” he asked, sounding hopeful.
“What’s the real reason you came downstairs?” Chaz asked, his flirty tone replaced with a professional one. “As flattering as it would be, I’m pretty sure you’re a man on a mission.”
“I’m a multitasker,” Andy boasted. “I can—”
“Andy!” Josh happily exclaimed, cutting Andy off as he walked up on the small gathering. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
“I came down to look for you too,” Andy told him.
“Really? It doesn’t look like you’re looking for me,” Josh said as he darted a shrewd glance between the three of us. I knew damn well that Josh would be #TeamDimples. “Kyle, I am so sorry that I’m running a few minutes behind. You can go ahead and…”
“Dr. Vaughn!” a familiar female voice exclaimed. “Oh my goodness! You’re the answer to my prayers.”
I spun around and faced Katie Davis who operated the Carter County Animal Shelter. “That’s whathesaid,” I replied, jerking my thumb in Chaz’s direction without thinking my actions through. Chaz gasped, Josh threw his head back and laughed in delight, and I’m pretty sure that Andy growled. I chanced a peek at Chaz and caught him staring at me with a dumbfounded expression on his face. How much more obvious did I need to be that I wanted to see where things could go between us?
“Is this a bad time?” she asked nervously. “I’d like to ask a favor of you.” My staff and I volunteered ten to fifteen hours a week treating the dogs and cats at her shelter. The last time I was there, she mentioned that she needed to raise money for the shelter. I figured that she wanted to discuss a fundraiser with me.