by Parker, Ali
“Did you have some bad ones?”
She shrugged. “Not bad, but when you meet someone and you get to know them in a particular setting and then you get out of that setting and they are not the same. What you thought you had in common and what you actually do is very different.”
“What about us?”
“What about us?” she repeated.
“Were you uncomfortable on our first date?”
She smiled. “Not at all. I knew you well enough. Before we ever went out, we had spent hours talking and getting to know one another.”
“Yes, we did,” I remembered with fondness. “I know it was difficult back then and we were always worried about getting busted, but those were some of the best days of my life.”
“Mine too.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurted out.
“For?”
I knew digging up the past was not smart, but I needed to get it out there. “The way it ended.”
She smirked. “I didn’t even know it ended.”
That was a zinger. “I know. I’m sorry. I was a coward. I didn’t want to see your face when I told you I was leaving.”
“So you left without a word.”
“Like I said, I’m a coward. I felt like I was in too deep. You know how I felt about you back then. It was a lot. I was young and dumb and didn’t know how to process it.”
She grabbed a napkin, wiping her fingers and face. “I know. It was probably a little too much for me as well. I was young. Honestly, I’m glad I got some time to grow up and have life experiences.”
“I’m still sorry. So many times, I wanted to go back and apologize. Then, well, too long had passed and I just couldn’t do it.”
“Let’s go for a walk,” she said.
I carried our bags to the nearby trash can and tossed them inside before taking her hand. We slowly walked along the paved walkway. It was a peaceful evening with a slight chill in the air, but I didn’t feel it. I was warmed by her presence. It felt different between us. It felt real. It felt like my entire life had been building up to that moment with her.
“Are you looking at moving out of your apartment still?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” she answered. “I thought about it, but it isn’t like Hayden really needs a yard to play in.”
“No, I don’t suppose she does.”
“I like my apartment. I like the neighborhood and I think it is all relatively safe. When she starts high school, she will be able to walk if she wants.”
“We’ve come here before,” I said. “Do you remember?”
“I do. It seems like forever ago.”
“It’s hard to imagine the us then to the us now. You are talking about the right neighborhood for schools and making all these adult decisions.”
She laughed. “Honestly, I feel like I grew up overnight.”
“That’s how it happens. Or so I hear. One day, we are young and carefree, and the next, we are making adult decisions.”
“Do you sometimes feel like we were cheated?”
“Cheated?” I questioned.
“We had something great. At least, I felt like it was great. Circumstances made it difficult and we both gave up. I don’t think it was just you who gave up. I did too. I sometimes feel like I was cheated out of years of happiness with you.”
“I did too at times, but I also think the time apart allowed us to grow up, live, have those experiences we both needed to become who we are today.”
“Aren’t you wise?” she teased.
“I can be.”
We walked for an hour until the sun began to set. “I should be getting back.”
“Where is Hayden tonight?” I asked.
“She is staying at Carrie’s tonight,” she answered.
It seemed like I had an opportunity waiting to be taken. “In that case, you can stay out past curfew.”
She laughed. “I don’t know about that.”
“Let’s go back to my place and have a drink.”
She looked at me as if she was considering it before nodding. “Okay.”
She drove us back to my place. I led her into the kitchen. “What would you like?” I asked. “I’ve got wine, beer, something harder.”
“I think I’d like something a little stouter.”
I grinned. “Your wish is my command.”
I quickly made us both a drink before gesturing with my head to lead her out of the kitchen and into the living room.
“What did you do today?” she asked.
I shrugged. “A lot of nothing. I did a little browsing, watched TV, and then went for a run. What about you?”
She laughed. “Oh, my day was far more exciting. I did several loads of laundry, cleaned both bathrooms, and then cleaned out my closet.”
“We did get old, didn’t we?”
“I suppose we did.”
We sat on the couch. Initially, she sat toward the opposite end. I grabbed her around her waist and carefully tugged her against me. I was tired of pretending we didn’t like each other in that way. We did. We’d wasted enough time already.
It wasn’t just a like I had for her. It was so much more than that. “I’m going to say something to you and I hope you will not react badly.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I love you,” I said the words that had been lodged in my throat for too long.
She turned to look at me. “You love me,” she repeated with a silly grin.
I held her gaze. “I do.”
She leaned forward and put her glass on the coffee table before taking mine. Her green eyes flashed before she climbed into my lap, straddling me. Her hands held my face in her hands as she looked into my eyes. “If you want to get laid, you just have to ask. No need to flirt.”
“I’m not flirting. I do want to get laid, but I’m not asking for it.”
She kissed me and then pulled away, her face still close. “You are a flirt. You are lucky I fed you first. It was close. I nearly climbed you like a tree the second you opened that door. You were teasing me.”
I smiled, both to hide the pain that she didn’t say it back and because I liked knowing she wanted me as much as I wanted her. “I think you are the lucky one. I would have passed out cold.”
She grinned. “That’s okay. I would have taken full advantage of the situation. I really don’t need you awake for what I have planned. I want to use your body in every way.”
I reached for the back of her head and pulled her mouth to mine. I was done talking. If she didn’t want to say the words, that was okay. I said it because it was how I felt. I didn’t mind that she knew. It felt good to have her know the truth.
Chapter 57
Mae
I writhed against him, grinding my core against his erection. From the very moment he opened that front door, I had been thinking about riding him. He was too good to be true with his wet hair, shirtless torso, and the sweats riding low on his hips. Just thinking about that image made me wet.
“God, do you know how much you turn me on?”
“I’m getting a good idea,” he growled.
His hand threaded through my hair, pulling gently and exposing my neck. His mouth slammed over my throat. It was like being attacked by a starving vampire. His ferociousness was turning me on even more than I thought was possible. I was on top and I wanted to attack him. I reached my hand up and grabbed a handful of his hair and jerked him away from my neck. It was my turn.
I attacked his neck with my tongue and teeth, sucking on his flesh and leaving bright red marks all over. His hands were all over me, tugging and rubbing. I couldn’t keep up with him. In a flash, he sat forward, lifted me, and then dropped me on my back on the couch. He was jerking off my clothes with such haste I was helpless to do anything. Anytime I tried to help, I ended up hindering the process.
“Dammit, I’m so fucking hard right now,” he growled.
With my panties out of the way, his hand plunged between my legs. W
ith no warning, he pushed one finger inside. I screamed in shock and pleasure. We were alone and I could be as loud as I wanted. He did it again, pulling another loud cry from me.
“Again,” he demanded, working a second finger inside me.
I cried out, bucking as the orgasm tore through me. I felt as if my back would break with the violent spasms. “More!” I screamed and dug my nails into the flesh on his back.
“Fuck,” he roared, jamming his fingers in and out of me and drawing out the orgasm.
My writhing on the couch pushed me to the edge. Without warning, I felt myself falling. He never stopped what he was doing between my legs. He pushed hard and fast as my body hit the floor.
“Oh god, oh god,” I gasped. “I need you inside me.”
He was on his knees and then on the floor taking off his clothes with jerky moves. His chest heaved as he came over me again. I spread my legs wide, balancing one foot on the couch while my other splayed open. His cock found my entrance and shoved inside.
I shouted again. “Yes!”
“Dammit Mae,” he yelled just as loud. “You turn me inside out. I can’t get enough. I can’t get deep enough.”
He thrust hard, sliding me across the floor and surely leaving me with a rug burn. I hooked my leg around his hips and held on as he fucked hard and fast. We clawed at each other, snarling like wild animals. I had never felt so ravenous. I had never been so wild in bed.
I shoved at his chest. I pushed him off me. He got to his knees while I sat forward. We were both breathing hard and staring at one another. I pushed him again, knocking him on his ass. He propped himself up against the couch before jerking me forward. I willingly went and crawled over him, straddling him once again.
My breasts rubbed against his chest as I bounced up and down on his dick. Our mouths melded together as I continued to ride him. “I like it like this,” I whispered.
“Like this?” he repeated.
“Me riding you. Me pressed against you. I like being this close to you when we are doing this.”
One of his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer while his hand went to the back of my head, his fingers weaving to my hair. “I like it like this. I like it all ways with you.”
I slowed my movements, adopting a more languid, sensual approach to the activity. Our tongues dueled as we enjoyed the slow motion. As always, it didn’t last long. He pushed me off of him and got to his feet before reaching down and helping me up.
He started to walk out of the living room and toward the stairs. I watched his fine, tight ass and couldn’t resist the urge to grab him. I stepped closer, grabbing one firm cheek before sliding my breasts against his back. He reached for me, spun me around, and pushed me onto my knees on the stairs.
I looked over my shoulder at him. He stepped behind me, dropping to his knees and spreading my thighs. I leaned forward, my hands on the stair above the one I was kneeling on. He pushed inside me again.
I moaned low in my throat. “This is so good,” I told him. I dropped my head low, arching my back.
“Better than good.” His hand stroked over my ass as he fucked me at the bottom of his beautiful staircase.
It was strange and wild and awesome. “I like the stairs,” I gasped.
“I like you. I like me inside you.”
His hand slid over my hip and reached forward to grab my breasts and tug. I didn’t think we were going to make it to his bedroom at the rate we were going. I didn’t want to stop long enough to get there. I was having way too much fun.
“Tyson,” I murmured his name as a warning. I felt the orgasm coming on.
“I feel it,” he replied. He sounded like he was in pain. I knew it was pleasure.
He moved faster, one hand holding my hip and the other holding my breast. He used two fingers, pinching my nipple as he moved with more purposeful thrusts. I was lost. It was all too much. I fell into the orgasm without trying to hold back. I cried out, slapping my hand against the smooth wooden surface of the next stair.
When the orgasm subsided, he pulled out of me again. He got up, his hands on my waist as he helped me to stand once again. My legs were a little weak, but I managed to make it to the top of the stairs. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me soundly.
“Here,” he growled.
“Here?”
He backed me against the wall in the hallway and lifted me up. With the latest orgasm, I was slick and easily accepted him inside me as I slid down on him. One hand grabbed mine. He pushed it against the wall beside my head and used his other arm to hold me on him as he rocked inside me.
We were definitely never making it to his bedroom. He was showing off the endless stamina. I didn’t mind a bit. I was thrilled to be going along for the ride, literally. “Harder, Tyson. Harder. Show me what you have.”
He growled, releasing my hand and holding me close as he thrust over and over. The wall behind me kept me up. I would have sunk to the floor without it. Suddenly, it was gone. He was on the move again. I held on, wondering where he was taking me next. He kicked open his bedroom door and carried me to his bed. The soft mattress was a welcome change to my poor spine.
He slid inside me once again. He didn’t stop until I had a third orgasm. Then, and only then, did he finally take his own release. When he finally rolled to the side, I was convinced I would never walk right again.
“You can’t leave,” he said, still out of breath.
I laughed and threw an arm over my head. “Can’t is the right word. I don’t think I can physically walk.”
He chuckled and rolled over to kiss me. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
I rolled my eyes. “You weren’t alone. I think I played a small role.”
“You played a very big role. Stay the night. You don’t have to go home.”
Part of me knew I shouldn’t. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep my feelings tucked away in a safe little box. “I’ll stay but only because I don’t think I can make it back down those stairs.”
“I have a really big house,” he said.
“Yes, you do.”
“I want to do you in every room in every space.”
I burst into laughter. “Pace yourself.”
A lazy grin spread over his face. I could see he was exhausted. I was as well. “Let’s get under the blankets,” he said.
I groaned. “I don’t think I can move.”
He pushed at me, rolling me over. “Up.”
I climbed off the bed and helped him pull back the blanket and adjust the pillows before getting in. He tucked me close against him. “I have to get up early,” I told him.
He made a sound of acknowledgement but nothing more. The poor man had exhausted himself. It was cute and endearing. I sighed and adjusted my head on his chest. His arm was around me, growing laxer by the second as he drifted off to sleep.
I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop replaying the words he had spoken not long ago. He loved me. In all the time we had been together in our youth, he never said the words. I felt in love, but he never said it. Now, I was afraid to. He held so much power over me. It was hard to give it away when I knew he would probably end up hurting me.
I traced a fingertip over his chest, rubbing over the little hairs. “Tyson?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer me. He was out cold. “I love you too,” I said. “I love you and I will hate you forever if you hurt me again.”
I wanted to tell him how I felt. I could see the pain in his eyes when I didn’t say it back. I was confused. I loved him and I was afraid of that. Things had changed. He had changed. I had definitely changed. Was it enough? Could we truly be together?
My mind drifted to that day so long ago when I realized he had left me without a word. I remembered thinking it was a mistake. I went to the apartment he lived in and used the key he had given me to let myself in. It had been cleaned out. His cell phone was disconnected. He had left me shattered. That wasn’t something a person got over,
especially a young woman who thought she was in love.
It had taken years to get over that. Not over. I never truly got over it, but it wasn’t a festering wound. It was a scar. Scars were reminders of injuries. Scars were a reminder to not do whatever caused the scar in the first place. Getting into bed with Tyson again was not smart.
But I loved him. I never stopped loving him. The man would always have my heart. I could choose to enjoy his love for as long as I had it or walk away and live with the emptiness. I already knew I couldn’t do the latter.
I wasn’t that strong.
Chapter 58
Tyson
I was riding the high of waking up to Mae in my bed. Granted, the moment her eyes popped open and she realized she was in my bed, she flew out of the house at five o’clock in the morning. It didn’t matter. She had stayed the night. I slept like a baby with her in my arms. I wished she could tell me she loved me, but I would wait. I would keep wearing her down. I would get her to open up to me. She would be able to tell me she loved me.
For now, I was going to take it one day at a time. The subject of the merger didn’t come up last night. I got the impression she didn’t want to talk about it. I knew I sure as hell didn’t. I was hoping the paperwork would just evaporate. We could just pretend it never happened.
I heard a knock on my office door. I checked the time and knew I had no meetings scheduled. “Yes?”
My secretary popped her head in the office. She had a strange look in her face. “Are you busy?”
I shrugged. “Not really. Why?”
She opened the door a few inches and slid inside the door as if she was afraid to open it any wider. “There are a couple of men here to see you,” she whispered.
“Are they carrying guns?”
She looked confused. “What? No. Why? Should I expect that?”
“No, but you are acting a little strangely. Don’t you agree?”
“They are from the Louvre,” she hissed.
“What?” I asked with genuine surprise. “That’s what they said?”
She approached my desk, handing me a business card. It certainly looked legit. “They asked if you were in. I said yes. Then they identified themselves. What am I supposed to tell them?”