Up in Flames (Rosemary Beach 13)

I started to say more, but he turned and walked off without another word.

I won. I got the girl back and would get the info and complete my mission.

First, I had to get her to respond to me. I called her number this time.

She answered on the third ring. “I’ll meet you at the deli next to Starbucks in twenty minutes” was all she said before ending the call.

Smiling, I hung up and finished my coffee, while hatching a plan in my head.

Nan

Meeting with Major after my night with Gannon wasn’t something I wanted to do, but Major was apparently stalking me. I had to go deal with it. I didn’t want Major approaching me if I was out with Gannon.

I kept waiting for Gannon to call or text, but I hadn’t heard from him yet this morning. Which sucked. Maybe he was letting me sleep in?

I didn’t fuss with myself too much as I got ready to see Major. Impressing him wasn’t on my to-do list anymore. I had tried it all, and nothing I did was enough for him. No use in pulling out the goods now that I didn’t want him.

A simple short Prada sundress and a pair of my more comfortable Louboutins, and I was ready to face him. Let him say whatever bullshit he had come here to say; I’d just be sending him on his way the moment he was finished. He could go back to whoring around Rosemary Beach, and I could go back to Gannon and Vegas life. I liked Vegas life. A whole lot.

I knew the back of his head and the way he stood from admiring him so much in the past. He was ridiculously pretty, but God, he was an asshole. I was done with all that. Besides, I didn’t need to date a man who was quite possibly prettier than me.

When he heard the click of my heels, he straightened and turned to face me. That easy, charming smile that won him whatever he wanted spread across his face, and for once, I didn’t want to slap it or kiss it. I was just done with it. That was a relief. One I needed. The knowledge made the moment much less dreadful.

“You look gorgeous,” he said. He put his hand on my waist and pulled me closer to kiss me, but I stepped away. We weren’t on those terms. Not surprising that he’d think that was all it would take to get us there.

That in itself was annoying. There were so many things about him that were annoying when you stood back and really looked at the whole picture. I had been so wrapped up in the few precious moments he gave me that I’d been willing to overlook everything else. This was all before Gannon, though. I wasn’t that easy to please anymore.

“You’re angry with me. I deserve it, but I want to fix it.” He looked completely heartbroken. Which was almost enough to soften me up. I didn’t like to make him sad. He seemed so easy to hurt. Never mind the fact that he hurt me regularly.

“I’m just done with you. We tried. It didn’t work. Why keep trying?” I said, using a well-rehearsed bitch face and tone. I was a pro at this. Covering up my emotions so no one knew I was hurt had been my superpower since I was a kid.

“Nan, don’t say that.” His eyes actually looked sad. “I messed up. I’m going to prove to you, though, that I’m better than that. I can be what you deserve. I want to. The others don’t matter. You do.”

Those were pretty words, and maybe a week ago or even two days ago, I would have fallen for them. But I was over it. Major wasn’t enough for me. I had started to respond when he held up his hand to stop me.

“Just sit down with me. Let’s eat breakfast and talk through things. I can’t lose you. I’ve just never done relationships before, and I don’t know how to do it right, but I’m going to bust my ass to show you I’m worthy of you.”

More pretty words to go with his pretty face. I wanted to have an excuse, but Gannon still hadn’t called or texted me. I scanned the area for any sign of him, but this was a huge casino, and there were thousands of people here. No chance I would actually see him walking by. Finally, I looked back at Major. “Fine, let’s eat. But you’re paying for it. You invited me.”

He broke into a grin like he had won something. I hated to tell him he’d won nothing but the chance to buy me a meal because I was hungry. “Of course. I wouldn’t let you pay.”

That comment was complete and utter bullshit. He let me pay for his meals all the time. That was his thing. I rolled my eyes and walked past him toward the hostess. “Two, please,” I said, without looking back at him. I couldn’t believe I was giving him the time of day.

I sat on the outside end of my side of the booth, leaving him no option but to sit across from me. Why was it that when men thought they’d lost you, they suddenly wanted you? It was a game to them, and I was done with games. What Gannon was doing wasn’t a game. He was straightforward and easygoing. I liked that about him. It was refreshing.

“Are you going to give me a chance? Or is this how the whole meal is going to be?” he asked. I was forced to make eye contact with him, which was admittedly difficult. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes on earth, and I was only a woman. Girls were powerless when it came to pretty things.

“There’s no chance to give. If you want to eat, chat, and remain friends, I am completely on board with that, but you had your chance. You were very careful to make sure I knew it wasn’t serious or exclusive between us, and then you showed me just how uninterested you were over and over again. Guess what? I got it.” It felt good to tell him this. I’d bottled up so much that it had started eating at me. Now being able to just blurt it all out and not care if he never spoke to me again was like a weight lifting off my chest.