“Hmm,” I hum nodding my head.
“Tell me what I have to do to convince you to say yes,” he whispers, tucking a lock of hair behind one of my ears.
“I don’t think you can afford me,” I tease running my fingertips across his jaw, enjoying the way his short beard scratches against my skin. Feeling it sends a tingling wave of lust south between my legs where I feel chaffed from the short hairs scratching along the inside of my thighs.
“I can barter. Maybe services,” he offers wickedly. “Tell me what you need.” The way his voice has turned husky and raw makes desire collect in my core.
“Are you asking my terms?” I raise an eyebrow.
“I am.”
“Okay, first off, we must continue more of what we did earlier.”
“Done.” He smirks, pressing his hips against me.
“Second, I need you to take me to momma’s to get my rental car and suitcase.
“Done.”
“Third, no judging me. I am who I am Sylas. Take it or leave it.”
“Done.” He nods.
“Fourth, no dredging up the past. There is nothing from back then I am compelled to talk out. It wouldn’t end well.” I watch him carefully. “Finally, when it’s time for me to head back to DC, you can’t fight me on it. I have a home there, a career, responsibilities, and I can’t ignore them for very long.” He purses his lips together and crinkles his eyes a little.
“Okay, Snow.”
“Do we have a deal Sylas Broussard?”
Sylas leaps down the porch steps and tromps over sodden earth to his truck.
“What the hell,” I mutter to myself as I watch him dig around in his truck. A moment later he’s back. “What in the world are you doing? I asked do we have a deal Broussard?” I feign impatience.
“Wait a damn minute woman,” he says holding up the latest model iPod. My throat immediately clogs. Sy seems to find what he’s searching for and he hands me an ear bud to listen.
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder.
“You got a deal, Snow.”
Chapter 16
Raegan
17 years old
“Hey Sylvie, is Sylas home?” I ask still confused by him not answering any of my calls or texts.
“Hey, Rae! He still isn’t back from Shreveport.”
“Shreveport?” I ask my confusion ratcheting up even more.
“Yeah, his Marine recruiter said it was best to just leave his phone at home so he wouldn’t lose it while he was there. Are you back from California yet?”
“Uh—no. No, I ended up changing my flight so I could stay another day,” I lie. “Do you know when he’s supposed to be back?”
“Yeah, he’s going to be back this evening according to Sergeant Hollis.”
“Okay. Listen don’t tell him I called. I want to surprise him later.”
“Aw! Y’all are so cute. I can’t wait until you’re my for real sister-in-law,” she coos, and the wounded animal in me howls at the knife twisting in my back.
“See ya, Sylvie,” I mumble then hang up.
I send him a text hours later once I’m pretty sure he’s back home. I tell him I’d like him to meet me at our spot on the bayou tomorrow for lunch. An hour later I get a simple text back in response.
K. Miss you, Snow.
I miss you too.
By the time noon rolls around the next day I’m fuming mad from simmering in my own thoughts for over twenty-four hours. I hop in my mustang and peel out of the driveway headed for the bayou. I snake my way around the perimeter of the baseball facility headed for our spot. I can already see his Jeep parked there. He’s sitting on the hood facing the water. I jam on the gas then come to a skidding halt by his jeep. I throw my car in park and jump out leaving the door wide open.
“Is it true?” I yell charging at him, the wind picks up whipping my hair back. Sylas looks genuinely shocked by my outburst. He slides off the hood of his jeep and scrunches his brows at me. “Is it true?” I demand pushing his shoulder; tears begin blurring my vision because his silence is answer enough. He runs one hand through his wavy dark brown locks, gorgeous hair that the fucking military will demand he keep sheared off to the skin.
“I’m just trying to do something good. I can pay for school now,” he offers his explanation.
“Don’t give me that crap. You’re smart! You could have gotten grants or scholarships, a student loan—anything! Did you even wait to see what schools got back to you?” The ashamed look on his face spawns a revelation. “Oh my god, you didn’t even try to apply to any schools, did you?”
“Baby—”
“No! You’re unbelievable. What else have you lied about Sy?” I scoff pacing in a circle in front of him. “I thought it was because of me you were draggin’ your feet on applications and everything because you were waiting on me to see where I got in. But you didn’t even bother with any of it!” I laugh an ugly humorless laugh.
“It is because of you. You deserve… more. I’m in love with you and I want to be worthy of you now and forever,” he rambles on. My fury reaches a fever pitch. “My parents wouldn’t let me go into debt to pay for college. They’d take it on themselves and I know they can’t afford that burden, Rae.”
“No, no, no.” I wag my finger at him. “You don’t get to put this shit on me—on us, or your folks,” I motion my hand between us, tears tip over my eyelids and stream down my face. “We were good—we’ve always been good! Now it’s all fucked up,” I grit even as my bottom lip quivers.
“It’s not. Snow, c’mere,” he says gently, reaching for me. I jerk away from him.
“Don’t! We literally just talked about our future. We made that stupid pact. Jesus, is that why you made me make that lame promise? Because you knew you’d end up being shipped god knows where while I’m going to school and carving out a career for myself—is this your way of keeping me on a leash, tied to you?”
“No! I don’t give a fuck where we are in the world, you’re always with me and I will always be with you. This,” he jabs a finger into his own chest then into mine. “… is permanent.” The fervor in his voice is almost enough to reduce me to a messy puddle of emotion.
“And what if—what if what happened to Teddy happens to you, huh? How does that benefit either of us? I couldn’t go through that,” I choke on my words, my chin crinkling as I weep. A look of complete pity and sadness transforms Sy’s face but I ramble on before he can say a word. “You lied to me. You let me think we were in this together—that we would make every decision as a team. You kept this huge decision to yourself and completely excluded me from having any say so. Worse still is you snuck and signed your life away while I was on vacation!”
“I’m sorry, Snow. You’re scaring the hell out of me talking like we’re breaking up. Just—please, just come here,” he demands gently. I look up at his handsome face and shake my head sending fresh streams of tears rolling down my cheeks.