Repair Me (Kin #1)(24)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“How about we just forget about that ass**le? The night is still young and he isn’t going to bother us.”

I looked down at the ground as we walked. “Maybe we should head back to your apartment? I’ve caused enough drama.”

He kissed me on the head. “Screw him! He isn’t goin’ to ruin this. Aren’t you havin’ fun with me?”

I looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile. “Of course I am. I’ve never been with someone like you.”

He laughed as he watched where we were going. “Can you understand why I haven’t wanted to get involved with anyone emotionally? People go all crazy when it comes to relationships. This thing between us works because we don’t expect anything. It is what it is.”

Except, it wasn’t for me. Call me crazy, but I was seriously wanting more than just a couple days of hot sex with this guy. I wanted as much as I could get. “Yeah. I agree.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and lied through my teeth. Once again, I couldn’t embarrass myself and ask him for something that he wasn’t willing to give.

As the moments passed, I realized that Ford wasn’t using me, we were using each other. It wasn’t love that we were feeling, but a desperate attempt to grasp lust at its best. I felt disappointed, but wasn’t willing to back off on what was happening. It felt too good to let go of. I think I deserved to be selfish.

Ford

The longer I was with Sky, the more interested in her I became. I know that sex had taken up the majority of our time together, and when she met me I was a complete douche. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about wanting to know more about the girl; it was distracting me so completely.

Then there was the ex, who had conveniently ruined our date. Had it not been for him popping up, I wouldn’t have been able to defend her again. After that was over with, I found myself liking the fact that I’d been there for her. I wondered if she appreciated it and if she’d want a boyfriend that would do anything to keep her safe. It was irrational to be thinking that way considering that we’d only known each other for a short time. She’d think I was crazy if I asked her to keep something going with me when we lived so far away from each other. Besides, it wasn’t like I would ever have anything to offer her. My life was shit and my future wasn’t looking too good either. Thanks to my worthless parents, I’d be stuck in the shit-hole town, working at a rundown auto shop for the rest of my life. What kind of girl would want that kind of future?

I had to stick to the truth, which was that no girl was going to want to be with me. Giving her false hope was just an ass**le move. Before the night was over, I needed to make sure Sky knew that this was as far as we were going to go, no matter how interested I was in getting to know her more.

We’d managed to walk out onto the dark beach. We were still holding hands as our feet got to the water’s edge. “I like the quiet out here. The sound of the water blocks out everything else.”

Sky looked out at the horizon. “Ford, thank you for canceling your plans and spending your time off with me. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come back with my purse. I wanted to come here to get away from him. My friends are ass**les for telling him that I was coming. I thought they had my back.”

“Did you tell anyone else that you were going to the beach?”

She shrugged. “I left my roommate a note. I guess she could have told him. It wasn’t like I said it was some secret. I just figured he didn’t care. Obviously, he had girls he could hook up with while I was gone. I mean, he did it while I was still around. The fact that he came all this way doesn’t change how I feel about him. Are all guys just meant to cheat?”

I laughed and sat down in the sand, using her hand to pull her into my lap. Once she was seated between my legs, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back into my chest. “Guys think with their dicks. It’s sad but true.” I paused for a second. “That doesn’t mean that we have to cheat to be happy.”

“Did you cheat on your ex?” She traced my arms with her fingernails, giving me goose bumps.

“Not exactly. I didn’t cheat on her when we were first together. We were good friends and I was happy bein’ with her. Even when we fought, it made us stronger. Our senior year things changed. We were partyin’ way too much and hangin’ out with the wrong people. You’ve seen Ash, so you know she’s beautiful. Everybody knew it. One night we were at a party at this guy’s trailer. Things were crazy. We were smoking some home grown shit and taking shots left and right. The next thing I know, Ash is taking off her clothes and letting people do body shots off of her while she’s in nothing but a pair of underwear. I was too f**ked up to realize that it wasn’t cool, but aware enough to know that if guy’s were lickin’ all over her, I should be able to have the same thing. So I took this chick into the kitchen and we started makin’ out. Next thing I know, we’re in the laundry room f**kin’. Shit, I don’t even remember most of it and I sure as hell didn’t plan it.”

Sky turned around and looked right at me. The moon was the only light that allowed me to see her concerned look. “What happened when she found out?”

I shook my head knowing it was going to disappoint her. “She never did.”

“Seriously? Nobody said anything?”

“Nobody knew about it. The girl was just as upset as I was. We were all friends and didn’t want a mistake to mess that up. We weren’t even into each other that way. It just happened.”

“Does Ashley know now?” Sky was still looking at me and I felt like I was being interviewed by the police or something.

“No. I ain’t a complete dick. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I still care about the girl, but I’ll never want to be with her again. Too much has happened for that.”

She finally sat back and leaned into me. I felt her grab my arms and wrap them tightly around her. “Maybe it’s better never knowing. I could have done without the visual proof that I got.”

I kissed the top of her head. “Did you ever cheat?”

She laughed. “No. I was innocent in all aspects until I agreed to have a one-night-stand with a complete stranger.”

“It wasn’t a one-night-stand, Sky. We’re still hangin’ out and it’s been days.”

She giggled. “And now you took me on a date. You’re terrible at one-night-stands.”