by Hope Ford
Whatever the reason, I know I can’t completely move on until they’re gone.
10
Juliette
We’ve been dating for a while now, and things are heating up between us. We both work Tuesday through Thursday and then spend as much time as possible together on the other four days. He’s taken me into the city, and I’ve met his friends and seen his office. We go riding on Vlad and Mr. Blue. But still, we haven’t taken our relationship to the next level.
He’s at my place and I’ve made him dinner. We ate on the back porch and watched the sun set over his property before moving inside to watch a movie together.
But it barely gets going before we’re making out. Each time we get closer and closer and I’m hoping that tonight is the night. He’s lying across me, his hard body pressing into me. He’s trying to hold his weight off of me, but I put my arms around his waist, encouraging him to get closer. I’m breathing hard, wanting him to keep going and to touch me everywhere.
He grinds his hard cock against me through his pants. “I want you so much,” he whispers against my ear before he nibbles at my lobe and kisses my neck.
I lift my hips to meet his and he throws his head back and groans. “Are you wet for me, baby? Tell me you want this.”
“I want this, Michael. I want you,” I tell him, my voice raw and filled with emotion.
He gets up on his knees, moving the couch and rocking the table next to it. We hear the sound of crashing, but it doesn’t sound as if anything broke.
I hold him, not wanting him to get up, but he does anyway. He gets up and looks to the floor. “Nothing is broken.” I’m surprised by the sound of his voice and I sit up. His jaw clenches tight and I can see the anger setting in. He’s picking up the letters, one by one, and setting them on the table. There’s a few from my sister, but the majority of them are from my ex-husband.
“Forget those,” I tell him. “Come back over here,” I plead.
He lifts his glittering eyes to mine, and I gasp at the mixture of lust and anger that fills them. “As much as I want to fuck you, to bury myself deep inside you and never stop, I can’t dive in like that if you’re not all in with me.”
I get up on my knees on the couch and reach for him, my hand on his arm. “I am.”
He pulls from my grasp and sets the last of the letters into my hand. “No. You’re not.”
I look down at the letters as if they’re going to burn me. When I look back at him, he’s already at the door. I drop the letters onto the couch and follow after him. “Where are you going?”
He gets to the bottom of the steps, out of my reach. “I’m going home and then I have a meeting in the city tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
And then he walks to his truck and pulls out. I stand on the porch for the longest time, willing him to come back. When he pulls into his driveway, and around the corner so I can’t see him, I walk back into the house. The offending letters are scattered on the table and the couch. I step over them and go straight to my back porch, hoping to see Michael. But I make it just in time to see him walk into his house.
I stand there, tears rolling down my face, knowing what I need to do to make this right but still wondering if I’m strong enough.
Michael
Leaving Juliette was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. A part of me had hoped that maybe, just maybe, me leaving that way would cause her to follow after me. Maybe she would admit how much I mean to her. But when she doesn’t, I know I can’t stay right next door to her and not go to her. I pack my bag in the middle of the night and drive into the city. I get to my apartment and take a cold shower because even now, I can still feel her in my arms. When I lie down in the bed, hoping that sleep will come, all I can do is stare at the ceiling and think of her.
I’m in love with Juliette.
Maybe I should have told her. But I shake my head at the thought. She’s not ready to hear it. Her stupid ex-husband still has a hold of her and until she lets him go, there’s no way she’s ready for everything I want with her.
How do I go from women falling at my feet to falling for a woman that I can’t have?
I roll onto my stomach and put my head in my hands. How long am I going to give her to get her shit together? How long can I stay away?
With a determined shake of my head, I pick up my phone and scroll through my pictures. My photo app is full of pictures of Juliette and of us together. One by one, I scroll through them until I stop at my favorite one.
I’m holding the camera out and smiling at it, but instead of the phone, Juliette is looking at me. I can see the emotion on her face and the first time I looked at it, I knew she loved me. I know she does. The way she talks to me, the way she’s always reaching for me, touching me and laughing with me. She loves me. And I love her. I’ll wait as long as I need to for her to come to terms with this and figure it out. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.
Juliette
He’s gone. His truck was gone when I got up the next morning. I knew he had to go back into the city, but I was hoping we could talk before then.
I thought about it most of the night and I don’t blame him for leaving. If the roles were reversed, I would have done the same. And I also know he’s right. I need to let go of my past if I’m ever going to move on to my future.
I gather up the letters and without opening them, I put them into the burn barrel at the edge of my yard. I light them on fire and watch as they sizzle and fall into ashes.
Once they’re gone, I go back into the house and pick up the phone. I dial my sister. Before she even gets a word in besides hello, I tell her that she’s forgiven for what she did to me. I don’t know if that’s what she sent in the letters but I’m assuming so. Even if she didn’t apologize, I know that I need to forgive her to clean my heart.
“I’ve moved on and I want to thank you and Tyler for doing what you did to me because I’ve come to realize that it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me, really.” And even as I say the words, I know how true they are. “I’m in love with someone else now, so there isn’t a need to keep sending me letters. You can tell Tyler the same.”
She interrupts me. “Tyler has been sending you letters?”
I shake my head. I had wondered if Sherry had known that Tyler was sending me letters. Before she can ask me any more questions, I tell her, “Yes. But I haven’t opened them, and I just burned them in the back yard. I don’t need to know what they said. It’s over between him and me. But you are my sister and I will always love you.”
I can tell she’s confused and unsure, but she tells me she loves me, and I tell her goodbye, I’ll talk to her soon.
After all that, I go over to the Hewitt Ranch and take some apple wafers to Vlad and Mr. Blue. Just being there makes me feel closer to Michael. I take a selfie of me and Vlad with the caption We miss you, and I send it to him.
I can tell he read it, but he doesn’t respond to me and I can’t say I blame him. I brush the horses and then put Plan B into effect.
11
Juliette
I couldn’t wait for the weekend to see Michael. It’s only a few days, but what I had to say to him couldn’t wait. So here I am, standing at his office door. Luckily the receptionist recognized me and she buzzed me in. But now that I’m so close, I’m filled with nerves. I raise my hand and softly knock on the closed door. I’m hoping he’s not in a meeting.
His voice echoes through the door. “Come in.”
When I walk in, there’s a man with his back to me, and Michael jumps from his seat and comes around his desk. “Juliette, what are you doing here? Are you okay?”
I nod and reach out for him, not caring that the strange man has his full attention on us. “Yes, everything is fine. I had to see you, but I can wait until you’re done. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Michael shakes his head. He’s looking at me, but he addresses the man sitting down. “Leave us, Tanner. I’ll find you
later or maybe next week, and we’ll finish our discussion.”
The man gets up and walks out of the office, patting Michael on the shoulder before leaving. Michael shuts the door behind him and then pulls me over to the couch and sits on the coffee table in front of me. “Why are you in the city? I was coming home this evening.”
I bend my head and study my hands that are both being held by his. I don’t even know if he realizes it or not, but whenever we’re together, he always has his hands on me. “I couldn’t wait. I had to tell you. I threw out the letters. I didn’t read them or anything, just dumped them in the burn barrel and lit them aflame. I called my sister and told her I forgive her and wished her all the best. I also told her to tell Tyler that I wanted to thank him too. If they hadn’t done what they did, I never would have met you… and that would have been a shame, Michael, because I love you and I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.”
His hands cup my face, lifting it so I’m looking into his eyes. He’s searching my face, wanting to see the truth there, and I don’t look away. I want him to know. “I’m in love with you, Michael. I love you for moving slow so I could catch up. But I’m ready now. I want you… and only you. I prayed the whole way here that I wasn’t too late.”
He moves to the couch beside me and pulls me to his lap. His arms are so tight around me, I can barely breathe, but I’m not going to complain. “I love you, Juliette.”
He kisses me and I feel the strength in his words in that kiss. He devours me, making me whole again. When he tries to pull back, I turn in his lap, straddling him, the skirt of my dress high on my thighs.
His arms go to my legs. “We don’t have to do this now. I can wait, Juliette. We have forever.”
I smirk and pull my dress over my head in one swift tug. And then release my bra and drop it to the floor behind me. I’m completely bare to him then, coming to him with no panties on because when I imagined it, I imagined it just like this. I’m hovering over him, hoping he doesn’t refuse me. “Oh I’m ready. I’m more than ready.”
Michael
And that’s all I needed to hear. I’ve been waiting for today. I knew she needed time, but I still couldn’t stay away from her. I planned on going straight to her as soon as I got home today. My hands go to her hips and she moves seductively over me. She pushes down and the way her head falls back when she brushes along my hard cock is everything. Her curvy body is on full display. I cup her breasts, feeling the weight of each of them before my hands dip down between us, and I feel her moisture coating my fingers.
Her hands go to my belt and she quickly undoes it before unbuttoning my pants and then pulling down the zipper. “Hold on to me,” I tell her as I lift my hips and pull my pants down to my knees. I’m long, thick and hard for her.
She grabs on to my girth and circles it with her hands. When she lowers herself to the floor and opens her mouth on me, I almost come right then. How many times have I fantasized exactly this? She bobs her head, taking me deep into her throat.
I groan and grab her hair, pushing it off her face so I can see her sweet mouth surround me. When she’s about to push me over the edge, I stop her and pull her back up my body. “I want to be buried deep inside you, Juliette. I want to feel you climax all around me and know that I’m the one that’s making you orgasm. I want all of you… forever.”
She positions herself over top of me and slowly lowers down until I’m balls deep inside her and her pussy vibrates around me. I clench on to her hips tightly and move her up and down over and over until she takes over. Her hips move in circles until I’m hitting her just right and then there’s no stopping her… there’s no slowing down.
I piston my hips up and down. With each thrust, I hold on to her, watching her breasts bounce up and down and when I look at her face, she’s so far gone, I know she’s close. I touch her chin, having her look at me. Staring into her eyes, I move in and out of her and watch the emotions pass through her face. I don’t want there to be any doubt what I’m feeling right now so I tell her.
“I love you, Juliette.” I thrust again. “You’re mine and only mine.” Thrust. “I’m never giving you up, even when we fight and argue, I’m still going to beg for your forgiveness because I know that no matter what, you are the one I want.” Thrust. Thrust. Thrust. “Now, come for me, baby. Show me how much you love me.”
Her mouth forms a perfect “o” as her body loses all control. Her eyes never leave mine, and as the orgasm rages through her body, she still doesn’t look away. Instead, she bears down on me, milking me until I’m completely empty and I’ve given her everything. “I love you, Michael. Forever.”
Epilogue
Michael
One Year Later
I knew all along I was looking for something, I just wasn’t sure what. I wasn’t happy in the city, so I moved to the country. And now here I am, full-time living the life I want. I’ve hired someone to take on my company and I only have to go in a couple days a month. I handle most of it remotely from the ranch.
And I found Juliette. If I lost everything else and only had her in my life, I know I’d be okay.
Juliette and I dated for six months before I asked her to marry me. I was ready the day she came into the office to see me, but I wanted to take it slow for her and make sure she was ready. But once she said yes, I was done. She was and always will be mine now.
“What are you thinking about out here?” Juliette asks me as she puts her arms around my neck.
Her protruding belly pokes into me and instantly my hands go to our baby growing there. “I’m thinking how lucky I am to have found you.”
She rests her chin on my chest and my hands slide around to her backside. She smiles up at me with love shining in her eyes. “Technically, I found you first. You were riding Mr. Blue in the pasture behind my house.”
I run my hands up and down her back. “We found each other. That’s all that matters.”
She lays her head on my chest, looking out at our land. “Thank you, Michael. I mean it. You made me whole again. After well, everything, I never knew if I could love again, if I could trust again.”
Her voice clogs with unshed tears. I take her hand and pull her over to a chair, sitting down and then bringing her to my lap. “I will never cheat on you…” I start.
She opens her mouth to say something, but I stop her. “I will never cheat on you. I will always love you and only you. We are building our family together. Everything that happened before us, before me and you, is over. All that matters now is you… me… and our children. That’s it.”
A big fat tear rolls down her cheek and I catch it with my thumb. A smile trembles over her lips. “I love you, Michael Hewitt.”
I stroke my hand slowly up and down her back and lean in and whisper to her, “I love you, Juliette Hewitt.”
Makes My Heart Race
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About the Author
Bestselling short romance author Hope Ford writes short, steamy, sweet romances. She loves tattooed, alpha men, instant love stories, and ALWAYS happily ever afters. She has over 80 books and they are all available on Amazon.
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