Cuff Me

I pushed at Wyatt’s shoulders and he moved away, sending me a puzzled look. I got out of his hold, avoiding that look. I gathered my clothing, hurriedly pulling them back on.

He touched my arm and tried to make me face him. I shook off his hold and I tried to put my hair back up

“Hey, what's the matter?” he asked.

“Grab your clothes. I’m leaving and I don’t think you want the whole library seeing you naked,” I told him.

“Let’s talk about this, Hailey. What’s bothering you?”

I cut him a cruel look. “That sounds awfully emotional, Wyatt. No emotions. Just fucking, remember?”

His face shut down, becoming void of all emotion and I instantly felt terrible for my words, but it was better this way.

“I remember,” he said finally and reached for his clothes.

A minute later, we walked out of the room, the air between us as cold as if we were strangers.

I didn’t look back as I grabbed my belongings from my study table and left without another word.

Chapter Eleven: Wyatt

The phone rang until it went to voice mail.

The recording played in my ear.

You have reached the phone of Hailey Clark. I am unable to take your call right now. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Beep…

I hung up without leaving a message. What was the use when the others I left had gone unanswered?

Hailey was ignoring me.

It had been two days since the hot session in the library. Two days since she left me in the building watching her walk away and not knowing what to do to stop it.

Two days since I felt like a part of me was missing.

Two days of trying to find a way to stop caring so much.

It was so much easier to be a playboy and keep my heart unattached, that was for damn sure. Being the guy I was before would make this situation so much easier to handle.

I had never cared for woman like this until Hailey. Even after we broke up, I had never connected with another woman like that and I was beginning to think that I would never again. My mind was settling into the fact that Hailey was it for me.

She obviously didn’t feel the same way about me though.

She couldn’t wait to get away from me every time we made love and damn, if her running out on me didn’t make me feel cheap and used.

The guys on my old military squad would have laughed their asses off if they heard that particular thought.

I should stop beating myself about this and let it go.

For a little while I had even convinced myself that I this was just a momentary bout of craziness I was feeling. It would go away soon. Maybe this distance was a good thing for me.

All that self-talk didn’t change the fact that I missed Hailey. Not just her body and the things it did to mine, but her smile, hearing her talk, her scent. Everything. I missed everything about her.

No matter how much I wished it, these feelings were not going to just disappear. I was forced to stop bull-shitting myself and man up and admit I was all kinds of messed up over Hailey.

If I knew where she lived, I would have gone and knocked her door down. I would have talked her ear off and forced her to listen to what I had to say.

It was probably a good thing I didn’t know her address then because I would have just looked like a damn fool.