Lost Love (Cowboys & Angels 1)

I sat there with my mouth open. Not only did my best friend just tell me she fucked a guy, but she proceeded to tell me all the places they did it and how many times she came. And it was with Steed’s brother. His twin brother!

The silly dreamy look in her eyes should have caused me to freak out. After all, she’d slept with a Parker brother. Not exactly the type of guys who are rushing to get into relationships. And what about the brother code? I seemed to remember Tripp calling dibs on Corina.

Oh for Christ’s sake. Listen to me!

“Okay, I need a moment, or a few days, to process this. Corina, you do know Mitchell probably assumed it was only a one-night stand kind of thing. Right?”

Her smile faded. “I didn’t get that impression. Not with the sweet things he said. The way he made me feel. I’ve never had a guy worship me and love on me like Mitchell did. It was amazing.”

“And how much had y’all had to drink?”

My question must have felt like a slap in the face. She turned away. What started out as excitement in her eyes now turned to shame.

I sighed. “Wait, let me try this again.”

She stared back, her chin quivering. “Do you think it was a one-night stand? He was so sweet to me. The things he said…”

There was no way I was going to tell her how the Parker boys were known for being smooth talkers. They were romantics by nature, and if they wanted to show a girl a good time I had no doubt in my mind they couldn’t swoon the pants off any woman they wanted to. But more than one night? No. I didn’t think any of them had ever been in a serious relationship. Well, besides Steed and Tripp. His long-time girlfriend from high school, Harley, was the only woman he’d ever dated long term. Mitchell, he dated, but if I remembered right, as soon as things turned serious, he was gone.

Reaching for her hand, I smiled. “Don’t listen to me. It really has been a long time since I’ve been around Mitchell. Maybe his player days are over.”

Corina shrugged. “There was something there, Paxton. I felt it, and I’ve never felt that way about a guy. Our chemistry was crazy and it was like we couldn’t get enough of each other.” She frowned and focused on the floor. “Maybe I just thought all of that because I needed an excuse to justify sleeping with him.”

I felt like an ass. Here she was so happy and I ruined it for her. “No! It sounds like y’all had an amazing night. Has he called you?”

By the look on her face, I knew I had asked the wrong thing.

Slowly, she shook her head then buried her face in her hands. “Oh God! What did I do? I slept with a guy who’s a player! I’m so freaking stupid!”

I jumped up. “No! You don’t know that! You had chemistry! You even said it.”

I started to hear laughing and yelling down the hall. Students were starting to show up.

Corina stood. She straightened out her skirt, dabbed at the corner of her eyes, and stood taller. “No. You’re right. I let myself think it was something more than what it was. He didn’t even ask for my number and that should have been my first clue. I let my normal good sense down for a night and let my libido run the show. So I fucked a guy.”

My eyes snapped over her shoulder to the door. Thank God there were no kids coming in. Corina rarely swore and the way she stressed the word fuck told me she was now feeling ashamed.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“So what. I’m young and other women my age are out doing guys left and right. One hookup after another. I’m fine. It is what it is. It’s all good.” She forced a fake smile, but all I saw was humiliation and it was all my fault.

I didn’t know what to say, and I hated that I had made her feel this way. But I knew that there was no way Mitchell Parker hadn’t thought of last night as some random hook up. He wanted Corina and charmed her until he got what he wanted. Even after he had agreed to step aside for Tripp.

“Corina, I’m so sorry I even said anything. I feel like this is all my fault.”

She shrugged. “You were being honest. Friends need to be honest with each other.”

I reached for her hand as I walked around my desk. “Hey, maybe Mitchell will surprise me, and he’ll call you for dinner or something.”

Chewing on her lip, she forced a smile. “Well, considering he never asked me for my phone number, that might be hard to do right?” Corina turned on her heels and walked out of my classroom.