Desirous next book 8, p.1
Desirous (NeXt Book 8), page 1
DESIROUS
K.M. SCOTT
CONTENTS
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About the Author
Books by K.M. Scott
Books by K.M. Scott writing as Gabrielle Bisset
DESIROUS
Somebody’s got it out for Kat Truesdale, and to her surprise, it isn’t her one-time nemesis Alex March. Not that their brief romance hasn’t crashed and burned, just like she worried it would.
There are two types of people in this world: the ones like Alex, who get all they want, and the ones like Kat, who always seem to have to fight for every last thing they need.
Kat knew it could never work with someone like him, but she secretly hoped this time would be different.
Alex loved his life and being single, but something about Kat Truesdale made him want to try being a one-woman man for once. Now that their relationship has gone to hell, he feels like something’s changed in his life.
Gone is the desire to just be the player he used to be, but can he win her back now that she’s sworn she never wants to see him again?
Desirous is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
2022 Copper Key Media LLC
Copyright © 2022 Copper Key Media LLC
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Published in the United States
ISBN: 978-1-955335-16-4
CHAPTER ONE
Alex
The entire March and Jackson clan is here at my grandmother’s for one of our family get-togethers to celebrate something or another. Knowing these people, it’s a party to commemorate the wind blowing. My family can’t pass up a chance to gather all of us up at this house and eat and drink like we aren’t sure we’re going to make it to tomorrow.
Normally, I don’t mind these impromptu events, but today, the last thing I want to do is hang out with my family and have to make conversation with them. So I’ve found myself a nice spot down near the water where I hope no one will bother me.
That’s a pipe dream, of course. None of these people could leave someone alone if they had a gun held to their head. It’s just not in their nature.
Closing my eyes, I let the sun warm my face as I listen to the gentle sound of the water lapping against the sand. I’ll have to move my spot in a little while, but until then, I’m enjoying nature alone, the way I want to be today.
I hear them all laughing and toasting something or another. Liam and Mia probably just walked in. Everyone gets very excited when a star shows up to the party.
Not that I blame them. She’s a big deal. Liam hit the motherlode when he got together with her. Beauty, money, fame—she’s got everything going for her. He’s a lucky guy.
Cash and Cade are too. Their girlfriends are both beautiful and sweet and crazy about them. I’m happy they found the ones they’re meant to be with for a lifetime.
Until recently, that’s all their happiness meant to me. It was a good for them kind of thing. I didn’t want that for my life, but hey, if they wanted to settle down, who was I to say they shouldn’t? I planned on having to wear a tux a few times in the near future and that was it.
And then I met Kat, and everything changed.
I don’t even know when it happened. Somewhere between her expressing her loathing for me at the beginning of the reality show and the moment I stood there in the parking lot outside the studio watching her drive away after telling me she hated me and never wanted to see me again, I fell for her.
I push that thought down, hidden deep inside me so I don’t have to think about it. I didn’t fall for her. That’s ridiculous. I’m a guy who plans to spend the rest of his life enjoying it, and that doesn’t include falling in love with some woman whose go-to emotion seems to be misery.
So she hates me. Welcome to the club. I can name at least ten women who said they hated me at some point of another, usually once they wanted things to get more serious and I headed toward the door.
Go ahead, hate me. What does it matter?
My shoulders slowly inch up toward my ears as I think about Kat, so I force them down and tilt my head left and then right to crack my neck. Talk about stress. That woman comes with a boatload of it. Even when she’s nowhere nearby, I can’t help but be a stressed-out mess merely thinking about her.
If this is what it’s like when you care about someone, the world can keep it. I haven’t had a moment’s happiness since she drove away. Why would anyone willingly want to put themselves through this for anyone?
I sense someone coming up behind my chair to interrupt my perfectly relaxing time and open my eyes to see Cade standing next to me. He has a look of intention in his eyes, like he’s been sent on a mission. Likely by my mother.
“Did you come to sit quietly and enjoy the sound of the water as it rolls in?” I ask, hoping he’s like he used to be and understands the concept of not wanting to talk.
“No. I came to see why you’re sitting down here like some curmudgeonly old man who doesn’t want to socialize with anyone he’s related to,” he says, answering my question with the only words I didn’t want to hear.
I twist my face into a hard grimace and pray to God he understands that means go away. But he doesn’t. Instead, he plops down onto the sand next to me and draws his knees up like he’s getting ready for some long chat between us.
The chairs that usually accompany mine aren’t here for a reason. You’d think my family could read the room. Or the beach, as it were.
My best friend never used to be so unwilling or unable to see when I wasn’t in the mood to talk. That’s what made him such an incredible friend. Cade could tell just by my expression if he should back off and give me some space, but ever since he got together with Hailey, it’s like he completely lost all ability to understand me.
That’s what women do for you.
“So are you going to tell me what the hell is wrong, or do I have to bring out the big guns?” he asks with a smile.
I narrow my eyes in disgust and let my gaze roll over his arms. “Big guns? I’m not sure I’d call what you’re packing the big guns.”
Even though I know what he means when he says that, I can’t help but bust his balls a little after he intentionally interrupted my time alone down here. That’s what you get for ignoring the bro code, dude.
I get a frown for my teasing and then an eyeroll. “I’m talking about your mother, shithead. She’s all concerned up there on the porch and wanted to come down to see if you’re okay. I told her I’d do it since I knew you wouldn’t want to tell your mother what the hell is wrong.”
As if that helps me any.
“I don’t want to tell you either, so feel free to go back to hanging out with your girlfriend and all the other happy March and Jackson people. I’ll be fine down here.”
Once more, I close my eyes to enjoy the sounds of nature around me, but this time it’s also to give Cade the clearest sign that there’s nothing to talk about with me. He doesn’t say anything for a long time, so I assume he came around to remembering that we don’t need to discuss about what’s bothering us like the rest of our family does.
And then he disappoints me by opening his mouth.
“Alex, what the hell is wrong with you? Dude, you’re sitting down here sulking like Wilder, for fuck’s sake.”
That makes me open my eyes, and I turn to give a look that could kill for his mention of the one cousin we both can’t stand. “First you threaten me with the big guns, and now you go low? That’s shitty, man. Wilder? Come on. Really?”
A slow smile lights up Cade’s expression. “I needed something to get your attention, so I figured I’d hit you with that and see how you reacted. At least I know you haven’t completely changed your personality and now you actually like that asshole.”
“Nobody likes Wilder, dude. Well, Kane and Abbi do, but even Liam can’t stand his bullshit. The guy is nothing but trauma drama and hassle.”
Cade levels his gaze on my face and gives me the raised eyebrow look like I’m missing something big. “And you’re any less drama sitting down here all by yourself knowing everyone will want to know what’s going on with you? Come on, Alex. You had to know they weren’t going to let you hang out here in peace. This is the March family we’re talking about.”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. Drama. Like I want any of them to bother me. Fucking drama would be telling everyone how I feel and then expecting them to feel bad like Wilder does all the time.
“All I wanted was some peace and quiet. I’m here, aren’t I? I didn’t bail on the family get-together, even though all I wan
But nothing I say makes Cade walk away, unfortunately.
“So what, now you’re thinking the people in our family suddenly aren’t the nosy bastards they always are, Don Quixote? Where oh where can I find a windmill for you?” he says with a healthy dose of sarcasm in his voice.
“It isn’t quixotic to want a single day when I don’t have to talk to anyone, even though I came to this thing today.”
He laughs at my need to tilt at that windmill. “You know, Mrs. Mapleby would be so impressed with our use of that word right now. I feel like I’m channeling eighth grade vocab class today.”
The memory of the two of us causing trouble for that poor old lady every day of the school year makes me smile. We used to be a pair of jackasses back then.
“Remember her mumbling under her breath every time one of us said anything? What did she call us?”
Cade grins from ear to ear. “The Trouble Twins. She had no idea what we were capable of.”
“Used to be capable of,” I say in a low voice.
“Is that what this whole moping around shit is about? I know you and I don’t hang out as much as we used to, but we still get together.”
Of course, he misunderstood what I meant. Everyone thinks I’m unhappy because Cade, Cash, and Liam are all with someone they love and I’m still single. As far as I can tell, love isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, so I don’t know why anyone’s wishing it on me.
The truth is I’m more disgusted with myself and what I don’t seem to be able to do anymore. There was a time when I could go out at night and pick up women with no problem. We’d go back to my place, enjoy ourselves, and then part ways, everyone happy and content with the good time we gave one another.
Now I’m some sad mess who can’t stop thinking about one woman, despite the fact that I’ve had ample opportunities to go out and find women since Kat and I slept together.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with you, Cade,” I say as I stare straight ahead at the blue water in front of me. “I don’t begrudge you your happiness with Hailey. I know the rest of you think I do or I have some resentment about everyone finding someone, but that’s not it at all.”
“Then what is it? You seemed happy as a clam that night when you came to see me at Club X. I know you hooked up with those two women, which can’t be the reason you’re unhappy because come on, a threesome never fails to make you happy. So what the hell is wrong?”
I wish all it would take is a threesome to make me happy again. Hell, I’d do that in a heartbeat if it meant I’d be myself and not this miserable mess I’ve become.
Then again, I probably wouldn’t because neither of the women would be Kat. There goes that great plan.
“I really don’t want to talk about it, Cade. You know me better than anyone else in the world, so I need you to see that talking isn’t what I need right now.”
Thankfully, that gets through to him, and he stands up to leave me alone. “I get it. Okay. If and when you want to talk, I’m always around, Alex. For what it’s worth, nobody is trying to get up in your business. It’s just that we aren’t used to seeing you like this.”
“I’ll be fine. I just need to be alone for a little while.”
“Is this about that show?”
Turning my head, I give him a death stare and hope he gets it now. He lifts his hands like he’s surrendering and begins to back away.
“Okay, forget I asked. I’m going to go now. Let me know when you want to talk again, okay?”
I force a smile and when he walks away toward the house, I return my focus to the water in front of me slowly creeping closer. Soon my feet will be covered, but maybe I’ll stay here and let myself get wet. It’s not like I have anywhere to go after this.
Just home. Alone.
But not five minutes later, I hear someone walking down the yard toward me. That’s the problem with this family. There’s no goddamned respect for anyone’s wishes. I wonder if smaller families come with this much hassle.
“Alex, honey, won’t you come up and join us? Your Aunt Abbi brought a peach cobbler, and I know that’s one of your favorites. She’d love it if you’d come up and have some.”
I don’t want to unload on my mother, but I swear it’s taking every ounce of strength I possess to not bark at her that I just want to be left the fuck alone. How is that so difficult to understand?
Her dark eyes so like mine are filled with such hope that I can’t snap at her, but I don’t want to join them all for peach cobbler. I don’t know what to say to make them see I just want to be left alone.
“Mom, thanks, but not now. Maybe later,” I say with a smile pasted onto my face in the hopes that she’ll take that and be happy.
“Are you sure? She worked really hard on it. It would mean the world to her if you came up and had some.”
My façade of geniality fades a little as I say, “And it would mean the world to me if everyone would leave me alone.”
That’s all it takes to make my mother frown and sadness fill her eyes. “Okay. Do you think you’ll come up anytime today?”
I let out a heavy sigh, already done with all these attempts at making me join in the family fun. “I don’t know, Mom. I’m okay, so you don’t have to worry. I just don’t want to socialize today.”
“Okay.”
She leaves, but I see the beginning of sulking come over her, which means my father will be down here in about a minute after he sees her pouty face. It never fails. He always feels like he has to ride in on his white horse when her feelings are hurt. I didn’t mean to upset her, but it won’t matter.
Down he’ll come.
And just like clockwork, less than a minute later, my father appears at my side like some disgruntled hero ready to make things right. Except there’s nothing he can do for me, so I wish he’d go back up to the porch and make my mother feel better.
“Alex, what’s going on? Your mother says you don’t want to come up for some of your aunt’s peach cobbler. I thought you loved that every time she made it.”
I want to bark at him, but I don’t, even as the idea occurs to me that he would never pull this shit on Cash. My brother gets to be silent because it’s his way. Because everyone’s used to me being happy-go-lucky, I’m not allowed a single day of solitude.
His blue eyes gaze down at me with more than a little curiosity. I’ve seen that look before with him, usually when something happens at the restaurant.
But we aren’t there, and I don’t have any obligation to say another word since I’m not his employee right now. I’m just his son.
Still, I know if I don’t say something, he’ll end up leaving and someone else will come down. They’ll probably send Liam down next. Or maybe Stefan, but I doubt that. They might suggest it, but I can see my uncle telling them a hearty fuck no. Out of all of my family, he gets it when someone doesn’t want to talk. I’ve always gotten the vibe that he could never come to another one of these March and Jackson family get-togethers and be completely happy about it.
Worst would be if they sent Kane down. He’s generally more sullen than anyone else, and that would just put me in an even more unpleasant mood. Misery certainly would love company then.
“Dad, maybe later, okay? Right now, I just want to be alone. That’s it. I’m not asking for anything that costs a thing. Really. I just want to be left alone for a little while.”
“Does this have anything to do with a girl?” he asks with all the earnestness of a priest.
That’s it. I can’t handle this today. I need to get the hell away from all these goddamned questions before I flip out.
