“Just fucking drive,” I replied, relaxing into my seat and pressing my throbbing head against the propped up hand that rested on the window.

“What kind of present are we getting?”

The girls didn’t know about Madeline. Only Jett knew, but he wasn’t able to come with me this year, so he’d sent the next best thing. She would understand my need not to talk about it, unlike Goldie, who would be asking a million questions. Babs was pre-occupied with helping out at Justice, and Francy and Tootse were no use because they were either too occupied with each other or Francy was trying to explain everything to little blonde Tootse. I would rather take Goldie over Tootse and Francy, and that was saying a lot.

Answering Pepper, I said, “A present for a little girl.”

“Um, that’s an odd thing for you to be getting. Care to explain?”

“Nope,” I replied, resting my head against my window.

And that was that. We sat in silence as Pepper drove to the French Market. We could have easily walked from the hotel, but I wanted to go straight to Madeline’s house afterward, and with the bitch of a hangover I was nursing, walking up and down the vendors row at the Market was going to be hard enough.

Since it was a Saturday, the Market was full when we pulled up, but we were lucky enough to find parking on a side street. With my sunglasses covering my bloodshot eyes, we walked through the Market, dodging tourists and avoiding the cheesy souvenir stands. I was looking for something handcrafted and original to New Orleans. Ever since the first time I’d bought Madeline a gift, it had been a tradition of mine.

I had no clue if she actually liked what I got her, or if she even opened the box. Her mom could have flagged the boxes as something from a psychotic and not even given them to her. If that was the case, I would continue to bring her presents on her birthday and Christmas because she deserved them, even though they might not be given to her.

“What about a voodoo doll?” Pepper suggested, grabbing a creepy-looking one off a table.

“Probably not the most appropriate gift,” I replied, trying to avoid eye contact with the doll’s wandering eyes.

“I had them when I was young. They never worked though. I asked for my teacher’s hair to burn every day, and every day she walked in with a full head of hair. Damn thing was a hoax.”

“That is so disturbing on so many levels, I’m not even going to ask.”

“Best you don’t.” Pepper smiled at me and continued to walk down the aisles of vendors.

We passed a vendor selling knock-off sunglasses and looked at each pair, examining the color and size.

“You know we’re not shopping for you, right?” I placed my hand on her back and leaned close so she could hear me over the bustling crowd.

“Can’t stop a girl from shopping.” She smiled back at me. “Hey, what about a necklace?”

Pepper led me over to one of many jewelers in the Market, but there was something about this vendor that was a little different. Her necklaces had more of a French feel to them rather than the typical beading. Silver pendants, dangling on delicate strands, were displayed on black velvet stands, catching my eye.

“These are kind of nice,” I said, looking at a circular pendant with a purple gem stone in the center. “But are they too old for a little girl?”

“Maybe,” Pepper said, eyeing a chunky turquoise necklace. I didn’t like it, but who was I kidding. I knew nothing about jewelry, so who was I to judge?

“Fancy meeting you two here.”

I froze and my hand instantly retreated from Pepper’s back as if she’d burned me. Not taking my aviators off, I looked up to see Lyla standing in front of us with a fake smile on her face. Even though I told myself not to check her out, my eyes betrayed me as I took in white shorts that showcased her gorgeous legs and a mint green T-shirt that dipped too fucking low in the front. She wore a pair of brown sandals that matched the belt she was wearing. Her hair was up in a ponytail, exposing her neck, her silky, caramel-colored neck, which enticed the fuck out of me.

She was breathtaking.

“Hey, Lyla,” Pepper said with a little too much cheer in her voice. She gave Lyla a hug. While Lyla wrapped her arms around Pepper, she maintained eye contact with me, searing me with her green eyes. From the way her jaw twitched and the hard set of her brow, I saw she was not happy. I didn’t blame her.

“Hey, Pepper,” Lyla practically whispered. “What are you two doing here?”

“Shopping,” Pepper answered innocently, not knowing the history between Lyle and me. “What are you up to, girl? We haven’t seen you in a while. Are you not working out with us anymore?”

Interesting. Lyla had stopped working out with the other girls, even though she still had access to all the amenities. Was that because of me?

Of course it was because of me. She was best friends with Goldie. The only reason Lyla wouldn’t be working out was because she was worried I would be in the vicinity.

Lyla shrugged. “I like to do my own thing.”

As Lyla and Pepper continued their small talk, I left their conversation and considered Lyla’s pink glossed lips glistening in the sun. Images of them sliding over my cock, over my rock hard body, over my own lips, ran through my mind. Yearning took up a place inside the pit of my stomach, and I itched to reach out to her. I not only wanted this woman, but I needed her.

Standing a few feet away from her, I felt the pull of our souls, the heady urge to claim her as mine. It was undeniable. Lyla was my other half. I’d known it from the moment I met her. I’d known she was supposed to challenge me, understand me, and give me everything I ever wanted. That was why I couldn’t love her, why I couldn’t be with her. There was no place on this earth for my happiness.

“How are you, Kace,” Lyla asked, taking me out of my thoughts.

“Fine,” I responded, not elaborating.

“Doing some shopping?”

“Looking for a present,” I answered.

She nodded. “Well, I guess I will leave you two to your date.”

Date? Oh hell.

“Not a date,” Pepper and I said at the same time.

Lyla smiled. “Could have fooled me.”

And then she walked away. I watched her retreat, her short shorts dancing dangerously with her ass cheeks. I wanted to rip her out of the crowd and block her from view of all the other men in the vicinity. I hated that she flaunted her body for the whole world to see. I hated that she worked at a fucking strip club, where men could see what belonged to me.

Fuck, what should belong to me. A tidal wave of torment attacked me as I tried to steady my beating heart.

“Hey, you okay?” Pepper asked, gripping my hand.

“No,” I replied, looking after Lyla.

Before I could stop myself, I moved forward until I stood right behind Lyla. “Lyla….”

She turned slowly, gripping her purse with one hand and putting the other in her pocket, striking a casual pose even though the tension between us was palpable.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

Fuck, what did I want to say? Many thoughts ran through my mind.

Forgive me. 

Be with me. 

Fucking save me. 

But I couldn’t speak any of those truths.

“I don’t have time for this,” she said, not giving me much time to gather my thoughts. Before she could entirely shut me out, I grasped her arm and made her face me. I slid my hand down her arm until our fingers linked together.

Her shoulders visibly deflated and the strong façade she’d erected around her heart came tumbling down with one squeeze from my hand.

“I’m sorry, Lyla.”

“For what?” she asked, searing me with her green eyes. “For treating me like a whore the other night, taking what you wanted, exposing me, and then leaving? Or are you sorry for not being man enough to be with me?”

My heart twisted in my chest. The last thing I wanted was to hurt Lyla. I needed more than anything to hold her in my arms, brand her as mine, live in her beauty. I’d never wanted to cause her pain, but that’s exactly what I’d done. I’d let her into my world temporarily and wound up hurting her because I wasn’t strong enough to say no.