He winced. “I’m sorry. I hate hearing about people in a career they don’t like.”
“Yeah, well, I never finished my degree. I got my associates at the local community college and then…” Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip as if she suddenly decided to stop herself from continuing with that topic. “Life got in the way and I changed directions.”
“Life does that.” Their meals arrived, giving Cole some time to think and regroup. This was so out-of-body. He’d known he might see her this week no matter how often he’d lied to himself about avoiding her, but he’d refused to think about how it would affect him. A stake to the heart might have been less painful.
She was smiling at him as she finished chewing a bite of her taco. “These haven’t changed in ten years.”
“Do you not come here anymore?”
She shook her head. “The last time I was here was with you.”
He flinched. “Why?” he asked before he could stop himself.
She shrugged. “It was kind of our place. Didn’t feel right. I was afraid it would be too… Never mind.”
He stared at her, his palms sweating. Too what? Too emotional? This surprised him. He hadn’t been sure if she would have given him a single thought after he’d left. Apparently, she hadn’t even gone to eat at their favorite restaurant.
His phone buzzed on the table and he glanced over to see it was from the shop. Luckily, his dad had six people on the payroll, so four of them were still working even though Jacob wasn’t there this morning. He tapped on the screen. “The guys are fixing your car. Looks like it was just the starter. They’ll have it done in a few hours.”
“Oh, good.” She pursed her lips.
“You don’t seem very happy about that,” he joked.
Her face took on that pained expression again. “Finances are tight.”
“Oh. Well, don’t worry about it. It’s on me.”
“I can’t let you do that, Cole.” Her cheeks turned that cute shade of red he remembered she got every time she was embarrassed. In the past, she’d usually been embarrassed because he’d gone too far joking with his friends.
“It’s done, April.”
“Okay,” she murmured as she pushed her plate back. She’d eaten most of her meal. That hadn’t changed in ten years. One of the things he’d always liked about her was the fact that she didn’t pick at her food like other girls, pretending they didn’t actually eat.
April didn’t fake anything. She’d always been forthcoming. What you saw was what you got. It was one of the things he most loved about her. That and the fact that she kept him in check.
“You’re different,” she pointed out.
“How so?”
“Not sure. More…serious.” She shot him a narrow-eyed look. “Except when you’re still cracking jokes. Maybe that’s because you aren’t here for a comedy show. I guess your serious side is more mature.”
“Yeah. Well, I do have a serious side, you know. I’m not always the fun guy.” He lifted a brow. “You might recall there were plenty of times when we were together that I wasn’t joking around.”
She swallowed. “Yeah. I remember.” Her gaze shifted down and he was pretty sure she was shaking. He was also certain her blush deepened.
He may have been voted the class clown and spent most of high school making people laugh, but when the two of them were alone, he’d taken life more seriously. He’d never wanted to waste a moment of their alone time acting like a clown.
“I can still make people buckle over in stitches when it’s appropriate. My nickname with the team is Joker.”
She chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?”
He held her gaze for several moments, wishing things had been different between them. Her smile still made his insides turn over. It had gotten him through many tough times in high school even though he’d never told her that. “Ready to go?”
She nodded.
He paid the bill and led her back out to his rental car. The last thing he wanted to do was take her home. “Is that park still the same? The one where we took our prom pictures?”
“I think so,” she responded when they were both in the car. “Gosh, I haven’t thought about that place in ages. We took all our pictures there on that little bridge with the gazebo. Every homecoming and prom.”
He started the car and headed that direction. He was a glutton for punishment apparently. Why on earth would he want to stir up old memories like this? Somehow today was going to end badly and he was going to pay a price for trying to reconnect with her.
She didn’t say a word when he pulled into the parking lot of the park and jumped down from the SUV. When she joined him in front of the car, he took her hand in his and ambled toward the bridge. It was a little more worn than it had been a decade ago. At some point, it had been repainted, but even that new coat of paint was starting to chip away.
At the center of the bridge, he stopped and pulled her in front of him, taking the bold action of setting his hands on the railing on both sides of her, his chin on her shoulder. As he stared out onto the small lake, he could almost pretend they were eighteen again.
April stiffened in his arms at first, but then relaxed and leaned her elbows on the railing. “It’s still beautiful here,” she said.
“Yeah. Of course, every time we came here, the reason it was so beautiful was because you were here.”
She chuckled. “That’s so cheesy.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but we were always dressed up. You wore those sexy dresses and had your hair done and your makeup perfect. Those heels you used to wear… God, that silver pair you had on for our last prom…”
She twisted her face around to look at him, only an inch separating their lips. “You remember my shoes?”
“Fuck yes. I remember all five of the dresses you wore for three homecomings and two proms. How could I forget?”
Her eyes widened in shock. “No way. I don’t even remember those dresses. Hell, they’re probably still hanging in my closet in my parents’ house.”
“First there was the yellow one. It was short and tight and we were only fifteen. I thought I would swallow my tongue. The next year, you wore that dark green dress. It had that thin material that flowed around your legs and made you look ethereal. For prom our junior year, I did actually choke on my tongue. My dick was so hard when you came to the door, I thought your parents noticed.”
She bit into her bottom lip, making his dick almost as hard now as he remembered it from that day. “I can’t believe you remember all of this,” she whispered.
He continued, his trip down memory lane making him nostalgic. “That dress was navy blue, but what I recall most was that it was so low cut I could see your cleavage. At that point, I had yet to see your breasts, so I was salivating at the thought that I might get to finally.”
She giggled. “Not yet though. I wasn’t ready.”
“Nope. Not that night.” He grinned. “But God, the homecoming dress you wore senior year… Shit. Pale pink. All innocent and pretty. Your boobs were bigger by then…”
She swatted playfully at his arm. “Is that all you cared about? My boobs?”
He chuckled. “Mostly. I was a horny teenager. Plus, that night was memorable. That night I did get to see them for the first time.”
She sighed. “I remember that.” A tremor shook her body and she pulled her arms in close to her chest as if the memory aroused her. It certainly aroused him.
“The last prom dress I don’t remember as well. It hit the ground as soon as we got to the hotel room.”
She spun around in his arms and swatted at his chest this time. “Cole,” she admonished.
He leaned back playfully, not moving his hands from the railing. “Kidding. It was just as gorgeous. Silver. Matched those silver fuck-me heels perfectly.”
Her face turned beet red as he spoke. “And we did. Fuck I mean.”
“We did not,” he insisted.
Her eyes went wide aga
in. “Don’t tell me you remember all those stupid dresses but you can’t remember the night we first had sex.”
“Oh, I remember perfectly. Every detail.” He softened his voice. “I just mean it wasn’t fucking. Our first time together was not fucking.”
She stared at him, and a tear slid down her face. “You’re right,” she murmured as she wiped it away.
He straightened and cupped her face, swiping at the wetness that slid down her cheeks. “Hey, ladybug. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She tipped her face back and licked her lips, holding his gaze for so long that he couldn’t resist the temptation.
He lowered his lips to hers slowly, giving her plenty of time to stop him. But she didn’t. She angled her head to the side in the way they’d always fit together, while her eyes slid halfway closed.
When their lips met, his heart picked up the pace. God, it felt so good. Like nothing had changed between them. He angled farther to the side and deepened the kiss immediately, his tongue sliding into her mouth to tangle with hers.
Home. That’s what she was to him. Home.
He stepped closer, pressing his body into hers, swallowing the soft moans she still made after ten years. Did she moan like that with every man she kissed? Or were those moans for him?
Finally, he broke free and set his forehead against hers.
Her eyes were wide again. “Cole…”
“Yeah, that was… I didn’t plan this. It just happened.”
“We shouldn’t…”
“Why not?” She was right, but damn, he wanted to hold her. No woman he’d dated since leaving Alabama had come close to making him feel the way he’d felt with her. They may have been young, but he’d known his mind. She’d been it for him. He’d known it then, and he’d never forgotten. If he wasn’t careful, she could break his heart all over again.
Was there a snowball’s chance in hell she might feel more for him today than she did ten years ago? Given the chance?
He wasn’t sure he was willing to risk his heart to find out. Plus, he only had a week. Even if she agreed to see him every spare moment to see where things might go between them, it still wouldn’t be enough time.
He shook the thought from his head. They’d had one kiss. It was hardly enough for him to put so much hope into what a second kiss would lead to. Nor had she given any indication she would let him kiss her a second time.
And damn, another thought came to mind. “Are you seeing anyone right now?”
She swallowed. “No.”
Chapter 3
Holy shit. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Cole Landry was standing on their bridge with her, kissing her senseless. His hands had come to her face, but now they slid back to the railing, trapping her in his space, making her feel things she’d stuffed to the back of her mind.
If she let him, he would totally destroy her. She almost hadn’t survived the first time he’d left her. She couldn’t do it again. She never should have agreed to lunch with him or even the offer of a ride home. Her heart wouldn’t be on the line if she’d just stuck to her guns and gotten an Uber.
He inhaled slowly and kissed a path from her lips to her ear, nibbling that spot on her neck behind her ear that always made her nipples stiffen. Nothing had changed in that department either. Her panties were wet too.
She let her eyes slide closed as he continued to torment her with memories. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up in bed with him. They wouldn’t even have to sneak around like they had in high school. She had her own apartment now. Her body trembled at the thought of being with this sexy man again. A man who was much larger and had lost every bit of his boyishness.
Even though they’d been young and floundering when they first had sex after their senior prom, Cole had made sure she enjoyed it. He’d brought her to orgasm with his mouth on her clit, holding her legs open and moaning as if she were the finest feast he’d ever eaten.
They’d both been virgins, but he’d later explained how much porn he’d watched in order to ensure she enjoyed their first time. It had worked. Cole had proven himself to be an amazing lover who always, always took care of her first. They’d only gotten that intimate a few months before he’d left her, but in that time, they’d had fucking hot sex.
More importantly, no other man had ever made her feel like that. No other man had ever brought her to orgasm. Cole had ruined her and left her. At eighteen.
She’d thought he’d loved her. She’d hoped anyway. It had been hard to tell. He’d spent a great deal of time joking around when they were in public. Everything was humorous to him. Too many things sometimes. He could crack up an entire roomful of people. It was his schtick.
Sometimes, he’d taken things too far, and she’d reined him in with a look. The only times she remembered him being serious were when they’d been alone. Those times, he’d been all hers. Attentive and loving…like he was right now.
She’d thought they had something that would last a lifetime. She’d hoped she was right. And then he’d left and never looked back.
“Cole…” His name came out on a moan as he continued to nibble her neck. She grabbed his hips and leaned backward, away from his lips.
He drew in a breath and centered himself, meeting her gaze. “You smell the same.”
“What are we doing?”
“Kissing?”
She shook her head. “No. I mean. Cole… God, don’t be obtuse. You know what I mean.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “Spend time with me. At least let me take you to dinner.”
“You think that’s a good idea?”
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate. His hands slid to her shoulders. “Please, ladybug. Say yes. At least to dinner.”
“We just finished lunch.” She didn’t comment on the nickname he’d used twice now.
He smiled. “So, you’ll have to entertain me until we get hungry again.”
She hesitated. Half of her wanted to be with him more than anything in the world. Half of her was scared out of her mind. This man had the power to destroy her. He’d done it before. He could do it again.
On the other hand, if she didn’t do this—spend time with him—she’d never know what could have been. Maybe he’d changed. Maybe he wouldn’t hurt her this time. “Okay.”
His grin broadened. “Yes?”
She nodded. “One condition.”
“Anything.” He shifted his weight, excitedly.
“Keep your pants on, big guy. We’re not having sex. So, if this is a booty call, the answer is no.”
He gasped dramatically, pretending to be insulted. “I would never.”
She rolled her eyes and slid her hands up his chest. “You’re like two times larger than you were in high school.”
“The military will do that to a guy.” He glanced down at her body and then back up. “Parts of you are larger too.” He winked.
She narrowed her gaze. “You sayin’ I’m fat?”
“God, no, ladybug. You are beyond perfect.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her back across the bridge. “Let’s go back to your apartment.”
She trailed along behind him. “Did you catch the part where I said we’re not having sex?”
“Yep. I promise to keep my lips above the shoulders.”
She shuddered. “Your lips can wreak a great deal of havoc above the shoulders, Cole.”
He smiled at her again as he practically dragged her toward his SUV. “I enjoy kissing you. Always did. Scout’s honor, I won’t try to take your clothes off. I managed to keep my cock in my pants for almost three years when we were dating. I bet I can do it for a week.”
She laughed. “You were never a scout.”
They’d reached the car and he turned to face her, cupping her cheeks again as he pressed her against the passenger door. “True, but I never pressured you then, and I won’t now. You know me at least that well.”
She melted under his gaze. Now she had a new problem. What if he made h
er want to drag him to her bed? She couldn’t break her own rule. She needed to keep her clothes on. She was smart enough to know that if she let him get her naked, she would never be the same.
Chapter 4
“Do you keep in touch with anyone from high school?” he asked when they were back at her place. He was wandering around her living room, looking at her pictures and trinkets again.
“Not really. Michelle sometimes, but that’s about it.”
“Michelle was your best friend. I’m surprised you don’t see her often. Doesn’t she still live in town?”
“Yeah, but she’s married and pregnant, so we don’t have a lot in common anymore.”
He nodded. “I see.” His gaze roamed up and down her body for the millionth time as if he couldn’t quite believe she was in front of him.
She couldn’t believe it either. This was surreal and not entirely in a good way. She wanted to ask him why he’d left. Why he’d abandoned her without a word, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer, and she didn’t want to ruin the nice time they were having. She could ask him later in the week.
What she knew for certain was that no way in hell would she let this man steal her heart or take her to bed without answers.
“What about you? You don’t talk to any of the guys from the football team?”
“Nope. Like your friends, we don’t have anything in common. I’m the only one who went straight into the military. I can’t picture sitting down to chat with people who went to college and now work in an office all day. What would I say?” He cocked his head to one side, changing his voice to imitate a fake conversation. “Yeah, well, I killed four men who were holding a roomful of young kids hostage last week.”
April gasped.
Cole winced. “Sorry. That was way too blunt.”
“It’s okay. It’s just strange. I mean knowing what you do for the country.”
“Yeah. I won’t mention it again.”
“I don’t mind.” She stepped closer, reaching out to grasp his biceps as she tipped her head back. “If you need to talk about it, I’ll listen.”
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