Undeniable Love (Journey of Love 2)

“Why?” I asked as I pulled out of the garage and headed into town.

Letting out a nervous giggle, Liberty said, “I don’t know. I didn’t hear from you last night or this morning and I just got worried. I love hearing your voice.”

Sitting at a red light, I closed my eyes briefly then snapped them back open. Every time they closed I saw Dodge . . . fucking Ryn.

“Liberty, I didn’t want to have to do this over the phone, but since I’m not planning on coming back for two more weeks—”

“Two weeks?” Liberty shrieked.

Pulling the phone away from my ear, I shook my head. “Yeah, Liberty. I had the entire month off, but was planning to come back early. I changed my mind and decided to stay down here for a few weeks. I needed some time to myself. To think.”

I heard a door open and then shut. I imagined Liberty was getting up from her desk and either going to the breakroom or outside. She worked for the State of Texas as some personal secretary to some hotshot in the capital. “Honey, what are you thinking about? Us? Have you thought any more about what I said?”

Aw shit. Here we go.

“Liberty, I think I made it pretty clear when I packed up all my shit from your place and left. I’m not wanting to get married. I have no desire to get married. Marriage and me . . . we don’t mix.”

“Tristan, it’s time to grow up. We’ve been together for over a year now off and on. I’m tired of this scene. You either make a promise to me right now, or we are over.”

My mouth dropped open. Is she for real? We aren’t even together right now!

Pulling into Clayton’s, I put the truck in park and sat there listening to Liberty give me an ultimatum.

“So what’s it going to be, Tristan? I want an answer right now.”

Dragging in a deep breath, I quickly pushed it out. “Liberty, I’m sorry. I care about you, but I don’t love you. I don’t see the two of us having a future together. I’m sorry.”

Silence.

“Liberty?”

Silence.

“Hello?”

Clearing her throat, Liberty asked, “Is there someone else?”

Was there someone else? Hell, I didn’t know. If there was, she was currently being fucked by another guy who she considered her fuck buddy. Although, by the way I’d seen him looking at her and holding her close to him, he considered himself more than just a fuck buddy.

“I’m going to take your silence as a yes.”

Pushing my hand through my hair, I let out a frustrated breath. “Right now, no, there is no one, Liberty.”

She sucked in a breath of air. “So what . . . you’re breaking up with me for no reason?”

Jesus H. Christ. Has she always been this fucking dense?

“Liberty! I don’t love you. I don’t see a future with us. I thought maybe . . . at one point I might have seen what we had going further, but I just don’t see that now. I’m sorry. I just can’t keep living a lie.”

“A lie? So you mean to tell me the last year has all been a lie?”

More like a means to escape.

“No. I care about you . . . I just don’t . . .” Closing my eyes, I whispered, “Fuck, Liberty; don’t make me say it again.”

Hearing her sniffle, my heart dropped. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Liberty whispered, “Is it because I’m not into the things you like to do . . . in the bedroom?”

Yes. No. Maybe.

“That plays some part in it, Liberty.”

I heard her take in a deep breath. Another door opened and closed. “Tristan, I’ll admit all of your sexual toys scared me. But I’d be willing to try some of them, if that would make you happy. I’ll let you tie me up . . . hell, you can even fuck me in the ass if you want. I know you want that; you’ve told me so when you were drunk.”

My dick jumped and I cursed my betraying body. Liberty was right; I liked to play in the bedroom. A lot. Liberty was as vanilla as they came. Me on top, her on the bottom, and if she was feeling frisky she would ride me, but that was a once a month treat for her . . . and me.

Ryn, on the other hand, liked to be a bit daring. I had never brought her to my condo in downtown Austin. She’d only been to my house in Round Rock. My condo had my playroom; I had shown it to Liberty once. I thought she was going to pass the fuck out when I asked if I could tie her up and fuck her.

“Liberty, sweetheart, I’m not going to ask you to change for me. You are who you are, and I am who I am. We gave it a try and it just didn’t work.”

Liberty sniffled once more before clearing her throat. “Fine. I hope you’re happy with the tramps you pick up to fuck in your little playroom. You’re going to see how good you had it with me. I love you, Tristan. I’d have done anything for you.”

I needed to be direct with her. I owed her at least that. “Liberty, I have to be honest with you. I um . . . I have feelings for someone else. It’s someone I dated before, but I pushed her away because I was confused about my feelings for her, and I just can’t keep pretending everything is okay with us. I can’t do that to you or me.”

I waited for her to say something.

“Fuck you, Tristan. Asshole.”

Then the line went dead. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I looked at it. “That didn’t go as I planned.”

Walking into Clayton’s, I looked a

round. The smell of bacon filled the air and caused me to lick my lips and moan internally. I was starving. A young girl, maybe three years younger than me, looked my body up and down as she smiled. “Hey there. Breakfast?”

Nodding my head, she motioned for me to follow her to a table. She handed me a menu and asked, “You alone?”

Now I really looked at her. Yep, she was at least three years younger, maybe more. Her eyes danced with the possibilities. Two years ago, I would be asking her what time she got off and taking her back to my place, if we made it that far. Winking, I gave her the smile I knew melted their panties. “Yes, ma’am, I am indeed alone this morning.”

Tilting her head she said, “That’s a shame, guy like you shouldn’t be left alone.”

“Hey there.”

I looked up and the waitress turned her head. I smiled bigger when I saw the girl from this morning standing at my table.

Chuckling, I said, “Hey, paint girl.”

Throwing her head back she laughed. It was a nice laugh. She glanced over to the waitress. “Hey, Lisa.”

Frowning, the waitress said, “Hey, Sierra.”

“Um . . . would you like to join me, Sierra?” I asked as I peeked over to the very pissed off waitress named Lisa.

Pulling out the chair opposite me, Sierra sat down. She looked at me and smiled, “I’d love too, Tom.”

Lisa cleared her throat and asked, “Coffee?”

Letting out a chuckle, I nodded my head and looked at the waitress. “No cream or sugar, just black.”

Raising an eyebrow, Sierra smiled. “Ahh . . . a man after my own heart. It’s rare to find someone who likes their coffee straight up. I’ll take the same, Lisa.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Sierra? Like as in the mountains? That’s a beautiful name. Did your parents conceive you in the mountains or something?” Raising my eyebrow, I smiled as I said, “I believe the name also means dark.”

Sierra smiled bigger. I liked her smile. It was real. Nothing fake about it at all. Her eyes sparkled as she searched my face, landing her baby blues back to my green eyes.

“You’re seriously going to judge me when you were caught peeping at your ex getting screwed by what I’m guessing was the new guy?”