Behind the dazzling smile, silver tongue, and painted lips, was a lonely girl with an empty space where her heart used to be. So Sierra Palmer began to take tiny pieces from the hearts of the men who foolishly welcomed her into their beds. Slowly cr...
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Sierra felt shock as she took in Scottie's form as she came out of the coffee shop with her vanilla bean Frappuccino in hand. He had his faded baseball cap on again, dark denim hugging his toned thighs in the most delightful manner. Sierra's mind was already conjuring up the mental pictures she had taken from the night they had spent together in his office. He had such a powerful body, the wicked things he had done to her with that body were impossible to forget. Scottie was the type of man that left a lasting impression. At that thought, she adjusted the purse hanging from her shoulder, shifting it protectively in front of her stomach. Subconsciously trying to put another barrier between him and her secret.
"Were you waiting for me?" She questioned, voice wavering slightly with suspicion. It was a little unsettling that he known where to find her, though considering he had run into once before that this coffee shop perhaps it was a coincidence he had run into her again. Sierra knew she was probably being paranoid but ever since she kicked Chloe out, there had been a tension in her universe. It went beyond the pregnancy. It was like she knew there was someone out there, working hard to make her miserable.
Scottie pushed away from the wall, holding up a large hand as if to signal that he came in peace, "I know how this must look..." He reached up and pulled off his hat, smoothing his hand over the wildness it had been containing, "I was passing by when I saw you. I wanted to make sure we were cool because it feels like you've been avoiding me. I'm starting to think it has something to do with the things that Drew was saying that night..."
Sierra fought off the urge to smile as he stumbled over himself. He was not smooth, at least not in the way that she was used to. Most of the men she got involved with had silver tongues and charm to spare. Scottie had an honesty and innocence that seemed to cling to him like warm light. He was one of the good ones, and sadly he had gone and gotten himself tangled up in her web.
Sierra relaxed a little, though the guilt sat in her stomach like a pile of rocks, "Drew says a lot of things—Mostly he talks out of his ass. Everyone who knows anything about him knows that, especially when he's drunk." She didn't want him to stress over what had happened. That was nothing in comparison to the secret that she was keeping from him. She still hadn't been able to come to a clear decision about what she should do. It wasn't something easily dealt with, there were so many layers and things to consider.
Scottie let out a small sigh of relief. He really must have been sweating over the fact that they hadn't spoken since that night. Sierra had thought that she was saving him from the disappoint she would most likely bring him. He deserved more than to be a one day guy—he seemed like the kind of guy that deserved to be the only guy.
"That's good. So, then you haven't been avoiding my club because of me and what happened between us right?" His cheeks turned a light shade of pink, "I mean..." He cleared his throat, "I thought that we both enjoyed ourselves..."
Sierra smirked at him, reaching out and placing hand on his arm, "Trust me, nothing that happened between us would have me avoiding you. You were amazing." She meant what she was saying to him. He wasn't really the reason she had been avoiding him, it was her—per usual.
He smiled at her, making her stomach feel heavier, "Yeah, you were amazing too. To be honest I haven't been able to stop thinking about you..."
She pulled her hand back, trying to look calm even though her heart was starting to race. These were the kind of attachments that she had been trying to avoid. Sierra was a broken person, a broken person who didn't know how to love people right anymore. Maybe the truth was she never knew how to love people. Either way, all that mattered was that Scottie was a decent person and she was deceiving him because she liked that the way he looked at her. The moment he found out who she truly was...Well she didn't want to think about that any more than she wanted to think about the fact that she was pregnant with his kid.
"Oh now you're just trying to flatter me—" She tried to dismiss whatever he might be feeling, hoping to lessen its importance.
"Hey, I'm on my way to have lunch with my sister, do you...I don't know, maybe want to come?"
Sierra felt shocked by his question, "You want me to go with you to have lunch with your sister? I wouldn't want to intrude on your family thing." She couldn't remember the last time she actually hung out with a man without ulterior motives to get him to take her to bed. She didn't go on dates or anything like that. Jonas was the only male in her life that had moved into a position beyond a bedmate.
Scottie shrugged his wide shoulders, looking completely at ease, "Trust me, it would be more like you doing me a favor. Natalie is always bothering me about why I don't bring girls around. She'll be thrilled to have you there."
He was cutting down her excuses like they were nothing. She could make up another lie, already had plans or something to do with work. She probably should tell him the truth about everything but it was the yearning look in his eyes that kept her from speaking. He seemed like a fairytale, there had to be something about him that was wrong.
"Alright, I didn't have any plans that couldn't be moved around. Plus, I'm feeling a little hungry..." Sierra could use this opportunity to get a true look at Scottie. Maybe that would help her make up her mind about the baby and what she wanted to do about everything.
Scottie's smile seemed to grow bigger that she felt the need to remind him, "This is just lunch between two friends—"
He nodded his head, though his eyes were full of a secret mischief that made her think she may have been wrong about him being as innocent as she thought him to be, "Of course, but if you could know give me a loving look every once in a while—a touch of my arm here and there—totally innocent, it would really help me out...I'll owe you one."
She snorted at his comment. Sierra was the one that already owed him, "I think I can handle that as long as I don't have to call you something like pooh bear or snookum's—also you pay for my lunch, and I'm warning you now...I'm a girl with a very healthy appetite."
"We can stick with Scottie the most handsome lover the world has ever known."
Sierra found herself throwing back her head and laughing at his joke. There was more to him than she had given him credit for, "That's a bit of a mouthful—"
"That's what they all say." She found herself laughing again, the tension and guilt that she had been carrying around for days was fading away. Maybe she had been wrong to avoid Scottie after all. He seemed to have much needed effect on her life, well minus the baby part.
"You keep thinking that, Casanova..." She reached out and playfully patted his chest.
He reached up and caught her hand in his, "I'm pretty sure we both know how much of a mouthful it is, Sierra." Scottie winked. She rolled her eyes but her face heated at the images in her mind. It wasn't often that someone knocked her off balance, that someone had her perfect mask slipping.
She forced herself to recover quickly, leaning toward him, "Keep talking like that and we might never make it to lunch...which is a shame because I'm starved..." She ran her tongue over her lips seductively, enjoying the way his eyes followed its motion.
Sierra pulled away from him, "No, seriously I am starving. Let's get to this lunch date." She knew that she was such a tease—as much as she could go for another ride with Scottie, that would be a bad idea. Very bad. So, friends were all they could be. Scottie let out rumbling chuckle clearly amused by the little game she had played with him. The sound sent warmth through her veins and planted a longing in her heart that she thought she had rid herself of a long time ago.
