Wyatt: Military Romance (Overwatch Division Book 1) Read online

I climb out of bed and open the door from my small bedroom. I step into the living room and scream out when I see Wyatt standing in the kitchen, shirtless. My head is punishing me and starts throbbing as I say, “What the hell are you doing here?” As if I didn’t already know.

  “Well, look who finally woke up,” he says, walking over to me and handing me three ibuprofen and a bottle of water. “Take this and after you shower, we can go grab some breakfast to soak up the rest of the alcohol. I’m sure is still swimming in your body.”

  What the fuck?

  Who the hell does he think he is? He’s just going to dismiss what happened last night and take me out to breakfast. What for? A thank you for the lay?

  I know that last night I thought a one-night stand with my brother’s best friend would be a good idea, but that was before it actually happened. I mean it’s Wyatt. How did I let this happen?

  I quickly swallow down the pills and wrap my arms around myself. “What the hell happened last night? Well, I mean obviously I know what happened, but why would you even want to have sex with a woman that drunk?”

  He chuckles and shakes his head. “Nothing happened last night.”

  “You expect me to believe that? I’m wearing your t-shirt and I wake up with you in my room, but nothing happened? You know what, I don’t even want to hear the details of it.” How stupid does he think I am?

  “Hey, I said nothing happened,” he says, crossing his arms over his muscular chest in a defensive way.

  “Right, I’m sure that’s why you’re still here,” I say before turning to walk to the bathroom.

  He grabs my arm and spins me around to look at him. He looks pissed, but I don’t give a shit. He’s the one standing in my cabin shirtless, with his incredible upper body on display. It’s so obvious what happened, and he refuses to admit it. He moves his face a little closer to mine and says, “Nothing happened. That’s not the kind of guy I am.”

  I laugh and pull my arm out of his hold. “Actually, that is exactly the kind of guy you are. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to shower. When I get out, I’d like for you to be long gone, Wyatt Drake.”

  “You want me to tell you what happened last night?” he growls, looking at me with daggers in his eyes.

  “Wyatt, look I already told you I don’t want details. Please get out of my cabin,” I say, walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

  I don’t know who the hell he thinks he is. What kind of guy sleeps with a woman who is clearly too drunk to give any sort of true consent, not to mention he’s Malik’s best friend. Then act like nothing happened the next day while standing in my kitchen shirtless. You need not be a fucking genius to figure it out. You do, however, need to be a complete asshole to lie about it.

  * * *

  Later in the day, after a long visit with my mom, who said my dad and Malik won’t be back for another two weeks from a hunting trip they went on, I decide to take a trip into town to get some groceries. There is no food at my place. I have no idea how long I’m going to stay, but I need food. When I get to the small store, I get a shopping cart then make my way through the aisles grabbing a few things I need — completely bypassing the aisle of alcohol.

  I can’t stop thinking about Wyatt, and not because of his sexy body that was right there in my face earlier but because he was even more of an asshole than I thought. When Gail told me to stay away from him, I should have listened. I figured he was Wyatt. And maybe, just a guy who likes to sleep around, and I guess part of that is right. I just didn’t think he was the kind of guy to lie about it the next day. What’s the point of that?

  I don’t know what it is about the men that come crashing into my life, but all of them suck. None of them are like Wyatt, but the complete opposite, boring and predictable. I knew I needed a change, but Wyatt Drake is not the change I need. He was a mistake.

  Thinking about how pissed I am with myself as well as Wyatt, I’m not paying much attention to what I’m doing when I accidentally hit another shopping cart.

  “Oh shit. I’m so sorry. I’m not paying any attention. Are you all right?” A good looking guy smiles at me, and for the first time since I woke up, I feel a smile pulling at my lips.

  “I’m fine,” he says, checking me out, and I’ll admit it feels pretty good to have his attention. “It’s my fault, I have my cart just sitting here. I just can’t figure out what kind of cheese is best for this wine I just picked up.”

  I lean over and hand him a mild cheddar. “Here, you can’t go wrong with this one.”

  He takes it from me and drops it in the cart. “Thank you so much. I’m sure my wife will be happy with this.”

  Are you fucking kidding me? I just smile and say, “I’m sure she will. I’m sorry again.”

  I walk away and roll my eyes. I think right now it’s best to just spend a little time with myself. I’m obviously not good at picking men. Some are boring, some are married, and some are complete lying assholes.

  Chapter Four

  WYATT

  I’m sitting on my deck looking out into the lush forest that surrounds me. Taking another long sip of my beer, I shake my head to clear it of thoughts of Kendra. She was a complete bitch this morning and didn’t even want to hear an explanation as to what I was doing there. She just assumed something happened.

  I don’t know why she thinks she knows me, but obviously, she doesn’t. I haven’t seen her since I was a kid just out of high school. She doesn’t know the man I’ve become. She doesn’t know shit about me. As pissed as I may be though, she still consumes my thoughts.

  I’d never take advantage of a woman.

  I might sleep around, but I’ve never been with a woman who didn’t consent to being with me. I never have nor will I ever sleep with a woman so drunk that she can hardly stand. It bothers me she thinks so little of me, and I can’t understand why. Why do I care?

  Normally, I couldn’t care less what someone thinks of me, but with her it’s different. I want her to understand that I was there taking care of her, not taking advantage of her.

  I want her to know the real me, not the Wyatt that I let everyone see. I want to explain. I want her to listen. I want her respect. I realize that she is Malik’s baby sister, and I should back off, but damn it, I’m drawn to her.

  I throw back the rest of my beer, just as my buddy Todd drops by. “Hey man, what’s up?” I ask.

  “Wyatt, we need to go to the bar tonight. I heard there’s going to be an awesome band playing after open mic night, and when the bands are there so are the chicks,” he says with an excited grin.

  My first reaction is to say no. The last thing on my mind is spending the night out trolling for barflies after what happened (or what didn’t happen) with Kendra, but maybe it’s just what I need. Maybe I need to just jump right back in the saddle on my horse again and get my mind off of my friend’s baby sister. I’m giving what happened with her way too much air time.

  “All right, let me just change my shirt and we can go. I’ll drive.”

  When we get to Gail’s Bar, I’m not surprised to see the number of people here since it’s open mic night. Todd and I walk up to the bar and Gail hands us each a beer.

  “Boys,” she addresses us with a grin.

  “Gail.”

  We accept our drinks and take a seat.

  “Hey Wyatt, how did things go with the beautiful bombshell you picked up last night?” Gail asks.

  “Yeah, did you tap that?” Todd asks as well.

  My body shifts uncomfortably at the mention of last night.

  “I took her home and made sure she was good. Not a very exciting night,” I say nonchalantly as I draw back a sip of my beer.

  “Sure, that’s what happened,” Gail mocks, but before I make my defense known she is off helping another customer. I shake my head and look over at Todd.

  He grins and slaps my back. “I’m sure you made sure she was all good.”

  “Todd, nothing happened.”

  “Not
hing happened that you want to talk about because let’s be real, when has nothing ever happened with you?”

  “Todd–”

  “Naw, I get it, man. You can just tell me about the next woman,” he says chuckling as he walks off to a table closer to the stage so we can sit and watch the performances.

  I’m regretting coming out already. Gail I could give a shit about, but Todd doesn’t even believe me and that pisses me off. I’ve never lied to him. He knows as much about me as Malik does. Why he thinks I’d lie on my dick is beyond me, but honestly, I couldn’t give a shit right now.

  I follow Todd over to the table just as Jim and Dave take a seat. The four of us and Malik grew up together and through the years, we’ve been through a lot together.

  We’ve always got each other's backs, even in the case of those deceitful women who forget to mention their boyfriends… or in Dave’s case, husband. When I left for the military, these men stood by me. And when I returned they had my back yet again.

  Thinking about Todd’s reaction again makes me realize it’s no wonder no one believes that I didn’t sleep with Kendra. When I leave the bar with a woman, I always sleep with her.

  A lot of the visitors at Day’s Ranch have definitely visited my bed, and I’m not ashamed of that fact. I enjoy women and they enjoy me. It’s always mutual, always respectful. There’s nothing wrong with that.

  “Hey Wyatt, how was last night? I saw you leave with that chick, who is fucking hot by the way,” Jim asks as the first guy climbs on stage for open mic.

  “Actually, nothing happened,” I repeat myself.

  “Yeah, right. If you didn’t get a piece of that beautiful ass last night then you’re slipping.”

  All three of them chuckle loudly, and I shake my head. I’m getting pissed off at this point, and am ready to tell them just who she is. They shouldn’t be talking about Malik’s sister like this. Even though her ass is spectacular.

  “Yo, I’m fucking serious. I didn’t sleep with her. Why the hell is that so hard for you to understand? Do you have any idea who she is?”

  I’ve lost their attention and turn to see what they are looking at. Two beautiful women who just walked in. They are with an older man and a dude that looks to be about their age. I’ve never seen them around, so I’m sure they are here for open mic night.

  “Damn, look at that one chick with the red hair. She’s hot and looks like she could use a little company tonight,” Dave says, never looking away from her.

  “Make sure she isn’t married to that older guy before you make a move,” I say, causing them all to chuckle again.

  Gail interrupts our laughter when she announces that Alex is about to take the stage. We sit back and listen to him and damn, he’s got a great voice. It always amazes me when people as talented as he comes into this bar for open mic. He should be singing on a stage in front of thousands of people, not just a few handfuls worth.

  I won’t be surprised if one day I turn on the radio and hear his voice, though. He’s that good, plus he’s singing a song he wrote. The guy is multi-talented.

  After a few more people get up and sing — no one nearly as talented as Alex — I go to the bathroom. Before I even make my way to it, I’m stopped by no less than five of the bar’s regulars telling me they saw me leave with Kendra last night. It’s making my blood boil at this point, and I have no one to blame but myself.

  This is the reputation I’ve made. I sleep around and never get involved. No one views me any other way, and for the first time ever, I don’t like it.

  When I get back to the table, I sit down and look around at the guys. I can’t do it. Being here just pisses me off more. I need to get out of here and confront Kendra. I want to make her understand that nothing happened because even if no one else believes me; I want her to.

  “Guys, I need to call it a night. I have something I need to take care of. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” I don’t even give them time to question me; I just get up and leave.

  The drive over to Kendra’s place just pisses me off more. I don’t know if I’m angrier with myself or everyone else. I still don’t understand why I give a fuck all of a sudden.

  That’s not true.

  I know it’s because of who she is and my quest to have her respect. I don’t want her thinking I’m some bar bum who gets wasted and sleeps with every random woman who is attracted to me.

  I get out of my crappy Toyota pickup and slam the door. Knocking on the door, I can hear her moving around inside. She pushes open the door and looks at me with disgust.

  “We need to talk,” I say, leaning against the railing.

  “No, actually we don’t,” she says and goes to close the door in my face.

  I wedge my foot inside of the doorway. “Is this how you treat a veteran?”

  I try this route and it only pisses her off more. So, I grab the door to keep her from closing it and move closer.

  “Believe me, Kendra, you’d know if we slept together. That I guarantee,” I say in my most seductive voice with a smirk on my face. “You’d feel it. You’d know.”

  She pushes me away from her and stands in the doorway with her arms crossed, with that same look of disgust on her face.

  “You are the cockiest son of a bitch I’ve ever met. You had to come over here this late, just to say if we slept together I’d remember? Well, you know what, Wyatt, maybe it’s something I don’t want to remember. Maybe it was just that unmemorable.”

  “I didn’t come over here to be a cocky bastard. I came over here to try to make you understand that nothing happened with us. I came over here to assure you that I don’t sleep with inebriated women.” She rolls her eyes but I keep going. “You don’t even know me, yet you assume you do. We haven’t seen each other since we were kids,” I say in a much calmer voice than the attitude she is throwing at me.

  “You’re right. I don’t know you, not since you left. However, I clearly know your type. The whole bar knows your type. You sleep around, never giving a shit about anyone else but yourself.

  “Sometimes you don’t even bother to get to know more than her name. Am I getting warm?” she says in an angry whisper. She’s right, though. She is a hundred percent right.

  I softly laugh but out of disappointment and say, “You’re right.”

  She gets a cocky smile on her face and I turn to walk away. When I reach my truck, I turn to look at her. “That night, though, I did the right thing. I took care of you, which is a lot more than the average dude in that bar would have done.”

  I get into the truck and slam my door.

  And then I try to forget about the beautiful ass that slams the cabin door in response.

  Chapter Five

  KENDRA

  After Wyatt leaves, I go into the house and sit down on the couch. No longer am I interested in TV or this bowl of ice cream. I’m so confused.

  What kind of guy comes to your place to tell you nothing happened and then admits that he normally sleeps around? I felt satisfied when he admitted to his hoe-ish ways, but when he said that he actually did the right thing and took care of me, I don’t know; I think I believe him.

  The way he said it with such sadness in his voice, it felt truthful. He never broke eye contact with me; he didn’t sweat or smile. Holy shit, what kind of lawyer am I?

  I should be able to know immediately if someone is lying and now I’m questioning it all. I think I may have judged him on what I heard at the bar that night. I don’t know him, not anymore, yet I assumed I knew it all. I was a bitch.

  I go into the bedroom and pull out Wyatt’s shirt that I washed earlier and frown. When I told him to leave yesterday, I didn’t bother taking it off, and he didn’t ask for it. Maybe I shouldn’t have been such a bitch and rushed to label him. I should have listened to what he had to say instead of kicking him out of my trailer.

  Oh my God, what kind of person am I? I mean he is one of my brother’s best friends. I should have given him the benefit of the dou
bt.

  I flop down on the bed and cover my face. Even though no one can see me, I feel the need to hide. I’m humiliated that I was so awful to him, not once but twice. I’m sure he thinks I’m a bitch and he wouldn’t be wrong considering how I treated him the other day.

  Not wanting to think about it anymore, I close my eyes and hope that sleep pulls me under quickly.

  Chapter Six

  KENDRA

  After a restless night of sleep, I get up and shower. It’s strange not to have a schedule. I’m used to getting up, showering, going to work, and repeating the whole routine again every day.

  Having this time to myself is wonderful yet confusing. I feel like I should do something, not just sit around drinking coffee. I look around the beautiful resort my parents have put their blood, sweat, and tears into, and decide that today I will go exploring. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here and I’d like to reacquaint myself.

  Changing into a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a pink tank top, I toss on my flip-flops and head out. Following the different trails, I admire the surrounding beauty. There is such a vast variety of trees, bushes, and flowers all mixed throughout the resort that I could walk around for weeks and never identify them all.

  One path leads me to the lake, and I love the tranquil feel when I reach the water’s edge. I sit down and take it all in. It is so quiet and peaceful. The only sounds I hear are birds chirping, leaves rustling, and the water kissing the shoreline. It relaxes me, pulling me into a meditative state.

  In the city, I never take the time to enjoy the world around me. It moves at a sprinter’s pace and you do your best to keep up. There is no time to slow down and enjoy yourself, not if you’re trying to climb the corporate ladder.

  The sounds I usually hear are honking horns, construction, and loud talking, and that’s just on the way to work. Once I’m there, it is the sound of my keyboard, the phone ringing, and the sound of the damn clock hand ticking, taunting me with how much time is passing while I do nothing to make me truly happy.