First to Bid: A Bachelor Auction Romance (Unraveled Book 2) Read online

  Damn, she was cute.

  Despite the sun shining through the picture window and the birds chirping cheerful melodies outside, a cloud dimmed my outlook on the day. I had to run to town and meet with John Woods. Normally after spending the night with a girl, I was planning two things: one last round or two of sex, and a good excuse to get the fuck out of Dodge. A work meeting was hands-down the best, but I didn’t want to leave the bed.

  I should get a quick run and a workout in before I left. The sheets were tenting admirably, thanks to the sex bunny I’d uncovered in Tilly. So a good workout and cold shower were even more warranted to keep me from sprouting another erection during my meeting.

  An unbidden smile appeared on my face. Tilly had surprised both of us. She’d been an uninhibited and enthusiastic partner. No shyness, no hiding her body. She accepted herself. And she should. Curves in all the right places, she was so free with herself and me that she had the most astounding orgasms until I thought she’d clamp off all blood supply to my dick. And she didn’t do it on purpose. No artful body positioning, no whatever the hell those vaginal calisthenics women did to fake enjoyment. Just Tilly coming like a force of nature. I was one lucky son of a bitch to have experienced it—to have been the one to cause it.

  As if my ego in the bedroom needed more stroking, but once puberty had passed, sex was just one more thing I’d had to master and dominate. And last night, I’d dominated.

  Carefully, I extracted myself from my slumbering partner. Fucking work.

  I sat up and shook my head. I never thought like that. It was always fucking time off.

  Dressing in running shorts and a T-shirt, I made little noise, but Tilly rolled over, letting out a soft moan in her sleep. Her head popped up with a floof of hair. She rolled again to face me.

  “Morning.” She yawned and pushed her hair out of her face. I wanted to fist my hand in that hair and take her again.

  I’d gotten a pack of twelve condoms, but I’d need to pick another one up if we were going to share a bed this week.

  “Hey. I’m going for a quick run before I leave for the city.”

  She stretched her hands overhead and fuuuck… Her breasts jutted up to the ceiling, her lean legs curved at an enticing angle. A quickie instead of a run would— No. Too soon for my pride for a quickie. And since we’d had another round in the middle of the night, she could use a recharge.

  “I should try a run. Is there a nice trail nearby, or should I run on the road?”

  I should offer to go with her, but I hated missing my workout. I kept my runs short and hard because I usually had a long day of work in front of me.

  She must’ve noticed my indecision. “Don’t wait for me.” Waving me off, she sat all the way up. “I have all day to bond with nature.”

  Guilt ate at me. What had made me think sneaking away for a day of work was okay?

  I didn’t dare touch her before I left. “I’ll have my phone on me if you need anything,” I called as I walked out of the room.

  “ ’Kay.” Her soft footsteps faded as she went into her bedroom to dress.

  I frowned as I went down the stairs. If she was okay with me leaving for the day, then I shouldn’t whine about it.

  My run wasn’t as brutal as usual. I let up on my pace and stuck to the dirt roads that wound around the lake and its various cabins. Vibrant green trees surrounded me, rustling in the breeze. Glittering blue beckoned. The water would be nice. Tilly wanted to go fishing. I hadn’t been fishing in forever, always had too much to do, and lacked the gumption to sit on a boat with nothing but my thoughts. But with Tilly… I’d have to rent a boat in town, but I’d make it happen. I looked forward to it.

  After a couple of miles, I turned around and sped up. If I dithered any longer, I’d be late and John was already antsy about the project. He was only my age and I suspected that was why he was so skittish about trusting such a big project to me. But I had come highly recommended, and even I could tell the dude was all about image.

  The cabin came into sight and so did the swaying, scrumptious behind of Tilly. I started covering the distance between us. Startled, she whipped around to look at me—and skidded over a loose patch of gravel. My chest froze as she went down, sprawled on the ground. That had to have done some damage.

  “Oh, shit.” I sprinted the rest of the way, but she was already on her feet, brushing herself off.

  “I’m so clumsy.” She threw me a smile and started jogging.

  I fell in next to her and peeked down at her knee. “You’re bleeding.”

  “Just a little road rash. Wow, it’s so gorgeous out here.”

  Her breathy tone reminded me of sex, but I glanced back down to her knee. She hit a good pace, one I honestly hadn’t expected of her, but a rivulet of blood ran down her leg. I’d gotten enough road rash to know how painful it was, but she’d barely paused.

  “Do you want to stop and take care of your wound?” I wanted to stop and take care of her wound.

  “Nah. We don’t have anything for it here anyway. It’ll wash off in the shower and I’ll slap a bandage on it.” She passed me a smile when she caught my perplexed stare. “Really, it’s okay. I’m a big girl.”

  With a high pain tolerance. I’d been known to limp home after a wipeout. We were a few hundred yards from the cabin when she punched me on the shoulder.

  “Race ya!” She sped off.

  I could only shake my head before I raced after her. I passed her—sort of—easily and reached the cabin first.

  I stopped to stretch, but she darted up the porch and ran inside, her laughter filtering out. “I’m going to shower,” she yelled from inside. “Wanna conserve water?”

  I’d been about to drop for some pushups, but the inner debate over whether to finish my workout or fuck a hot chick in the shower was over in a heartbeat. Rushing in the cabin and up the stairs, I was about to detour for a condom when I spied a trail of foil packets leading to the guest bathroom.

  When had she…

  I didn’t care. Snagging one on my way, I was naked before I hit the bathroom.

  Chapter 8

  Tilly

  “I think we should go out to eat tonight,” Flynn said.

  I dipped my fishing rod, hoping to entice a bite. No luck. “Sure.”

  The fishing boat rocked with the waves. We were in the middle of the lake, and instead of nervous tendrils twisting my gut, I was as relaxed as I’d ever been. I still didn’t know how to swim, but Flynn had bought me a life jacket and refused to let me pay him back. It was already Saturday and he’d been treating me to my bucket-list vacation all week.

  Stellar sex—a few times a day. Hiking, done. Fishing, done. Fishing out of a boat—I hadn’t caught a damn thing but done. Swimming in the lake. Flynn had worked with me on some swimming strokes, then given up, but he was determined to teach me something. He’d made me promise to take lessons when I returned home. I’d only accepted because now I wouldn’t be saving every penny for the adult resource center.

  “I don’t think they’re biting today. Let’s head back.” Flynn packed up. He fished and maneuvered the boat like he came out here every weekend.

  Maybe he did. After almost a whole week together, I still didn’t know much about him. But I knew him. He was a perfectionist, for some reason I hadn’t figured out yet. If he found any tiny task to be done in the cabin, he was on it. That giant truck of his carried a massive toolbox in the back. I loved watching him tinker. The subtle tension in his face eased as he lost himself in the task. He liked to take care of himself, but I’d noticed more carbs sneaking onto his plate and he was no longer killing himself with every morning workout. He’d even worn athletic shorts and a performance T all day yesterday instead of his usual jean shorts and polo.

  His job must be stressful for him to have so visibly relaxed since arriving a week ago. When I’d first seen him at Arcadia, he’d worn his suit like a second skin—or so it had seemed at the time. But I bet if I crossed paths wit
h him again, Flynn would be pulling at his collar or twitching his cuffs like he couldn’t wait to shed his apparel.

  When we retired to the cabin in the evenings, we didn’t just go to bed, nor did we each talk about ourselves. Instead, we had Iron Man and Captain America marathons. I’d even produced Suicide Squad and he’d requested that I put the swimsuit on again so he could rip it off—with his teeth.

  My Puddin’.

  We reached the dock and he helped me off. I took care of the tackle while he got the boat hooked to the pickup. Tomorrow we’d go back to regular life, so he had to return the boat tonight.

  I couldn’t fight the heavy feeling of this week coming to an end. My resolve to keep everyone at a distance was fading around Flynn. My mission to pay back my debts had been accomplished. Well, except for my school loans, but those just cut into my fun money more than anything.

  It was daunting to think about talking about my life with someone. After the hot tub incident, I’d been prepared for Flynn to ask. Only he hadn’t.

  Disappointment sat like lead in my belly. Like me, he seemed to be making the most of our time together but not digging too deep so we could part ways.

  Did I want to go back to a Flynn-less life?

  What about him? He didn’t seem worse for wear after spending a week with Crazy J. Other than being more relaxed, he laughed more every day we were together. Each superhero movie we watched spurred conversations about what we’d played with as kids. It was a safe topic and we didn’t venture beyond our experiences with the toys.

  I’d tried to learn his favorites. Work. Candy? He didn’t eat candy. I’d die without Hot Tamales. Color? Whatever he stripped off me. I couldn’t pick just one color. Pet? I’d said cat and changed the subject.

  After everything was put away, I went into the cabin and up to my room. Well, his room. My stuff had migrated over by Tuesday, when it had become apparent we were tearing through the stash of condoms.

  I dug through my clothes to find something suitable for eating out. Flynn’s footsteps landed behind me and a smile twitched my lips. He liked me bent over, and I liked that he liked it.

  I straightened with an armload of clothing. “What kind of place are we going to? I need to know what to wear.”

  He kissed my neck and I leaned into him. “Wear whatever.”

  Eying my linen shorts and plain shirts, I was grateful I’d packed something without an emblem of some kind. Standing out in a crowd was my thing, but with Flynn, I didn’t want to be Crazy J.

  He backed up and I missed his heat. With a light touch, he spun me around. “What’s wrong?”

  I looked into his green depths, eyes I loved gazing into, then back down at my plain-as-hell clothing. “I don’t know what to wear.”

  He chuckled. “There’s nothing fancy—it’s a lake resort town. There’ll be pizza places and bars and grills. We’ll go someplace fun to celebrate our last night here.”

  “Okay.” The faint churning in my belly was back. Last night with Flynn. Did it bother him, too?

  The cabin was his, though. He could come back anytime he wanted…with anyone he wanted. I worried my lower lip. Wow. That thought fed the acid boiling in my stomach.

  “Tilly, what’s wrong?”

  He stood in front of me like a wall and his voice was full of concern—for me. How long had I wanted someone to care about me? And Flynn genuinely seemed to. When I went back home and spent my nights alone, at least I’d have that.

  I answered with honesty, but not full disclosure. “I’m sad my vacation’s coming to an end.”

  His eyes dimmed. “Yeah, me too. I needed it.”

  “Maybe we can do it again sometime.” My tone was light, joking, but the words fell hard between us.

  “Maybe.” We said nothing for a moment and I shifted my feet. He wasn’t looking for a wife and I wasn’t looking for a husband, but the silence made me feel like I’d asked for a lifetime commitment.

  He dug in my bundle of clothing and withdrew a gauzy blue top. “Wear this. It brings out your eyes.” He tossed it on the bed, went back to my clothing, and snagged a pair of white shorts. “And this because they make your legs look a mile long and I want to peel them off you.”

  I giggled as I shoved the rest of my armload in the suitcase. “That’s, like, the plainest outfit I’ve ever worn. If I see one of my students, it’ll be like I’m Clark Kent with the glasses. They won’t recognize me. They’d be so disappointed if they saw me this week.”

  An odd expression swept through his features. “You dress up for them?”

  I shrugged. “It’s fun.”

  “What was your excuse in high school?” His question sounded like a joke, but all humor drained from me.

  I snapped the shorts from his hands. “I wore what I had available.”

  Stepping around him, I went to the bed and picked up my shirt. Wacky clothes plus jaw wired shut plus social awkwardness equaled Crazy J. I refused to apologize for being myself. And Flynn—

  “Tilly, I was kidding.”

  I spun, holding my shirt and shorts close to my chest. A part of me argued to keep my mouth shut, but I never listened, not even when it’d earned me a broken jaw. “You were. But here’s the thing. I’m still Crazy J.” I’d started to hate that name almost as much as Tulip. “I can’t change how I dressed then, or how I acted, and since I’m standing here, a survivor of my childhood, I don’t want to.” Stop talking! “I liked you a lot, that was no secret. But you were one of the few guys I never caught laughing at me. You even helped when the mean girls ganged up. You seemed to not mind how I was. So I’m a little hurt to find out that I was a freak to you, too.”

  He stared at me for a second. “What exactly happened when you were a kid?”

  “I don’t want to talk—”

  “I know, but you’ve told me enough that I can deduce what went on.” He folded his arms and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’d like to hear it from you.”

  “Why? After tomorrow, are we going to talk again?” My frustrations from the week welled and I let them roll off my tongue. “Are we going to hook up or are you going to take me out?” I laughed and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his gaze tracking the move. “I can see it now. You in your suit and expensive truck, taking me out after Wacky Monday at school.”

  “Wacky Monday?” Understanding dawned and he nodded. “That was why you were—”

  “And the rest of the week isn’t much better. The kids love it and I do, too. I quit caring about what people thought of me when it was obvious they didn’t care about me in the first place. Unless I have some pretentious bitch as a client who won’t pay me unless I dress to the lowest of her standards, then I dress how I want and fuck what others think.”

  “That’s freedom not all of us have,” he muttered. I was about to ask him what he meant when he kept going, his voice low. “Why’d you drop out of school, Tilly? Why’d you change your name? Why did you bid such a specific amount?”

  I stomped to my luggage and dropped my items on top. Going out for dinner was no longer appealing. Tears burned the backs of my eyes because the thing was, I wanted to tell him. I wanted him to care about me, but he didn’t. He was only asking for the story, and I had no idea why.

  If I let my past spill out, maybe I could just pretend that Flynn cared, that the emotions I unleashed wouldn’t scare him off. If they did, then he wasn’t the guy for me. An easy platitude, but after the last week with him, I couldn’t imagine another man in my life. “My dad was abusive and my mom was passive and afraid of losing him. When he’d rage, she wouldn’t step in. After each episode, her depression got worse until she quit buying groceries, quit buying food. Clothes shopping? Forget it. I pilfered money from both of them and when I got caught…” I paused to gulp because I’d never admitted this to anyone. “Well, I might’ve talked funny with my jaw wired shut, but it was harder to talk with a broken jaw.”

  Color leeched from Flynn’s face, but I continued. “I shou
ld’ve left home after that, but Mom stepped in to care for me. I like to think she felt guilty, but she’d never admit it. Why’d I drop out? I left home after Dad caught me feeding a stray cat our precious milk that he’d bought from a gas station because Mom never picked any up.”

  My throat swelled and I blinked rapidly, but the tears rolled down my cheek.

  “He beat the cat, then he started on me.”

  I sniffled and looked around for a tissue. There were none.

  “But I got away.” I swiped at my eyes. “Why the specific amount? That’s how much of my hospital bill the Center for Abuse Recovery covered. I didn’t even count the supplies and food they gave me while I stayed there. Or the support I got to get my GED. I owe them more than I can ever pay, but it was the least I could do.”

  Flynn stayed quiet, his expression grim.

  I lifted a shoulder. “So that’s my shitty life story. I’ve never told anyone. I have no relationship with my parents and my life is my work. So, that’s me. What about you?”

  Flynn

  I needed a drink, but I couldn’t do anything that’d take me away from Tilly. “I can’t believe you went through all that. How did I not know?”

  She rolled her eyes at me.

  Yeah, I deserved that look. I’d thought of her as nothing more than Crazy J, had wanted her to walk away and leave me in peace. Asking about her life hadn’t occurred to me then, and I’d been avoiding asking the past week. Tilly was a drug. I wanted more and more and more until her absence would leave me shaking with need. Work on Monday would’ve been hard enough after the week with Tilly, but I would’ve pushed through, trying to forget her.

  As if I could ever forget her.

  I patted the spot next to me, staring her down until she trudged to the bed and plopped beside me.

  “I’m sorry.” When was the last time I’d apologized to anyone? It certainly wasn’t because I was perfect. In my business, admitting I’d done something wrong threatened my future. I worked tirelessly to make sure I didn’t have to apologize. And as for personal relationships… I didn’t see Wes and Mara enough. “I’m sorry I didn’t know everything you’ve been through.”