Hometown Hotshot

by C. Morgan

  “You were in Chicago?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Yep. Worked at this little Italian restaurant. The owner was Eastern European, and he’d never been to Italy. The food was absolutely horrendous.”

  “Oh, no,” she said, giggling.

  “Oh, yeah. I mean, I saw more food get sent back than anything else. No one wanted to eat the stuff. The man ended up resorting to threatening people into his restaurant. I shit you not.”

  She gawked. “Threatening them? Just like, on the street?”

  “Yeah! He’d hand out samples, and they’d try to be polite. Then, he’d usher then in with the promise of some massive discount if they just didn’t give him a terrible review online. It was insane.”

  She laughed. “How did the man stay in business?”

  “He didn’t. I worked with that man until the place shut down, and he gave me a great recommendation that snagged me the job I had in Miami for a spell.”

  She laughed. “How did you like Miami?”

  “Too. Fucking. Hot.”

  I continued telling her stories to make her laugh. It was an amazing sound, one I had missed for a long time now. I watched her relax and stuff herself with that salad. I’m glad I decided against the bar, because this diner was our place. It had our mark on it. And it was private, so I didn’t have to share her with anyone.

  A much better place to have a conversation about the rest of my life.

  “How’s that wine?” Liv asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s wine. Dry, like I like it. Want to try?”

  She surprised me by nodding, so I handed her my drink. She took a sip of it, then another. And before I knew it, she had drained my entire glass. She blushed with embarrassment, and I smiled. Such a beautiful color against her skin. I raised my hand for the waitress, and she came running, ready to do my bidding.

  At any other time in my life, I would’ve taken full advantage of that. But I was staring into the eyes of my future, into the eyes of the woman I’d never stopped loving.

  She just didn’t know it yet.

  “Yes, can we get a bottle of this wine for us to share?” I asked.

  The waitress nodded and quickly skittered off, ready to serve in any way she could.

  “Thank you,” Liv said.

  I shrugged. “No need to thank me. I’m glad you enjoy it. So, what’s changed around here since I’ve been gone?”

  She grinned. “We got a new Italian restaurant.”

  I laughed heartily. “Don’t tell me the owner is Eastern European.”

  “Nope. Though, it almost didn’t happen.”

  “Wait, why not?”

  She giggled. “The owner tried to do this whole ‘fine dining’ thing. And the first review they ever got in the local paper pointed out that the menu was impossible. Almost everything was in Italian, and no one knew what the hell anything was.”

  “I bet the prices were nuts.”

  “Jake, I kid you not, you could’ve bought an entire cow yourself with the prices that damn restaurant wanted.”

  I laughed. “Well, if they’re still around, it sounds like they got their act together.”

  “Eventually. Took them a while, though. I’m pretty sure they’re still swimming in debt over it. But, other than that, nothing else has really changed.”

  “Except that you’ve gotten more beautiful.”

  She snickered. “Wow. That was a line.”

  “Not a line. Simply the truth. But maybe we can try that new Italian place sometime soon.”

  She smiled. “Yeah. Maybe we can.”

  Chapter 6

  Liv

  His compliment warmed my insides. Between the wine, the full stomach, and his charming smile? The evening quickly became intoxicating. I mean, this meeting was something I’d rehearsed in my head a thousand times. I never actually thought it would happen, though, and certainly not like this. There were so many things I thought I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him how lonely I was the day after he left. How hard it had been for me to open up to someone else. Anyone else. About how unfair everything had been. How he was selfish for not thinking of me.

  But tonight? With the wine? And his disarming smile?

  None of those words seemed right.

  Just take the compliments, Liv.

  He’s not sticking around anyway.

  He always hated this place. He’s just back to climb another mountain, to put another notch on his bedpost.

  Just enjoy his company and get closure in your own way.

  Don’t worry about him.

  We drained the bottle of wine before walking back to the parking lot of the tavern. The darkened expanse we parked in lent an atmosphere that screamed “vulnerable.” He walked me to my car and reached for the door handle. I unlocked it with just enough time for him to open it for me, and when I looked up at him, I held my breath.

  He looked hot as hell in the moonlight.

  “Thank you for dinner. And the wine,” I said.

  He grinned. “You good enough to drive this old hatchback home?”

  “You tease me about it, but you know I don’t like change.”

  “Don’t tell me…”

  “Yep.”

  “You still live in that stupid apartment we rented after high school?”

  I laughed. “It’s not stupid. It’s a nice place.”

  “It was nice for the time, sure. But it’s definitely not a long-term place. You’ve been there all this time?”

  I nodded. “I have, yeah.”

  He paused. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Want me to prove it? I’m serious. A few renovations is all it needed. You never could see that.”

  He laughed. “Oh, yeah. I need to see this to believe it.”

  I winked before I ducked into my car, and away we went. He followed me back to the apartment we’d rented together back when, well, things were different. Scarier. Newer. He parked beside me, and I led him up the stairs all the way up to that third-level apartment. I unlocked the door for him and stood off to the side. I couldn’t wait for him to see what I’d done with the place.

  How much of a home I had made it, despite his insistence it wouldn’t ever be one.

  “Let’s see if this as much of a time capsule as my be—bedroom…”

  I giggled as I walked in behind him. I closed the door as he slowly meandered into the living room. The walls had been repainted, pictures hung up on them. The microfiber couches he couldn’t stand had been covered with these soft couch cushions in beautiful earth tones that helped me relax the second I walked in. His head was on a swivel. He whistled softly to himself as he walked into the kitchen. He fingered the pots and pans hanging over the stove before venturing farther into the apartment, before winding up in the bedroom we used to share.

  “So, what do you think?” I asked.

  He nodded. “You’ve done an incredible job with this place, Liv.”

  I smiled. “I told you it looked nothing like you remembered.”

  “And everything like you imagined it would.”

  His eyes found mine, and it felt right, having him there. Standing next to the bed. Standing in the bedroom. My bedroom. Our bedroom.

  Why did you have to leave?

  “There’s one more thing I’m curious about, though,” Jake said.

  “Oh?” I asked.

  He walked toward me, forcing me to back up. I met his steps, each one a bit farther back than the last until my back fell against the bedroom door and it closed shut. His hand fell against the door beside my head. His other hand crept up, cupping my cheek. His touch ignited a fire in my gut. And maybe that was the wine talking.

  But I didn’t hate it.

  “What is it?” I whispered.

  “I’d like to see if something else is still the same.”

  Then, he pulled me into his arms, our lips inches away. I clung to his shirt, trying not to fall over as I pressed against him. His muscles caught me. His eyes sparkled with mischievous
delight. That boyish smile crossed his face as I got my feet underneath me. He held me close, and I felt his breath against my skin. And as his eyes fell to my lips, he sighed.

  “I’ve missed you, Liv.”

  Chapter 7

  Jake

  Her lips pressed against mine, and it shocked me. Liv had never been one to take the reins or make the first move. I slid my arms up her back as the kiss deepened. Her tongue fell against mine, and it felt like coming home. Her curves pressed against my muscles, and it felt ever better than before. I pulled her against me, her breasts spilling against my chest. And as she moaned down the back of my throat, something inside me popped.

  I fisted her thick ass cheeks and hoisted her against my body. I pinned her to the door as her skirt began to ride up. She’d always been voluptuous, fraught with curves that made me salivate. But her warmth was what I missed. Her comfort. The familiar sound of her gasps and sighs. I kissed down her neck. My hands massaged her clothed tits. And as I pushed her skirt up higher, I felt her panties wetting for me.

  “Jake. Don’t stop.”

  I growled against her neck. I held her to the door with my body as I pulled my cock out. My pants barely fell to the floor before I had it between her legs, closer to her pussy than I’d been in years. I slid her panties to the side. I felt her arousal coating me. And as she cupped my face, she pulled my eyes to hers.

  “I’ve missed you, too,” she whispered.

  I crashed my lips against hers as I sank into her pussy. She moaned against my tongue as my hands pressed against the door. My knees quaked. My thighs trembled. Her walls wrapped around me, beckoning me farther into her body. She left me breathless. Her thickness gave me a safe place to fall. And as I eased myself into her, feeling her quiver around me, our hips connected like they had so many times before.

  I pounded into her and watched her body jump. I sucked on her lower lip as her hands slid through my hair. My toes curled in my shoes. Her head fell back against the door. I ripped her shirt up and sank my teeth into the jiggling meat of her tits.

  “Yes!”

  I sucked marks along her skin, marks I wanted to see in the morning. She clung to me with her legs, locking them around me, pulling me in deeper. The rest of me sank into her. I felt her pussy give way, and as her body bucked ravenously against mine, my balls pulled up.

  “Jake. Jake. Jake. Yes, right there. Right there. Shit. Oh, fuck me, Jake!”

  Her moans sent a shudder throughout my entire body. Her pussy clamped down around my cock, massaging me and throwing me over the edge. I grunted into her tits that comforted my entire face. I pressed her deep into the door and felt it rattling as I rutted against her. Her pussy sucked me down, pulling me closer, squeezing the release from my cock as it shot from my tip, marking her in ways I’d only dreamed of for five long years.

  “Fucking hell, Liv.”

  I chuckled against her skin. I didn’t know what else to do. Holy shit, stars still burst behind my eyes. I felt thrilled. Excited. Happier than I’d been in a long time. And as I lifted my face, my mouth started going a thousand miles a second.

  “I knew this would be good. I knew things would be the same. I knew not much of that had changed. I felt it in my bones. From the second I saw you in that store.”

  “Jake, I—”

  “And now that we’re back together, I know we’ll be happy. You felt that, right?”

  “Jake, you need to—”

  I kissed up her body. “Let me take you out tomorrow night. A repeat performance. We can talk. Drink wine. Come back here and make love until the sun comes up. Like we used to. Yeah?”

  “Jake, stop.”

  The harshness of her voice caught my ear. My eyes met hers, and she looked stern. Much more stern than I would’ve ever expected after what we had just shared. She pushed at my chest, forcing my cock to fall from between her legs. As I settled her onto her feet, she pulled away from me.

  She walked away from me.

  “We’re not back together,” she said, quickly turning around.

  I blinked. “Okay. No. That’s totally fine.”

  “You can’t just waltz into my life, fuck me against my door, and reclaim me as yours. That isn’t how this works. It’s not that easy.”

  I took a step toward her. “Did you not just feel what we shared?”

  She snickered, but she didn’t answer.

  “I’m serious, Liv. Look at me.”

  I gripped her arms, and her eyes slowly met mine.

  “Did you not feel that? The connection? The vulnerability? Did you not feel that we’re meant for one another?”

  She shrugged me off. “I need to get changed.”

  “Liv.”

  “I need clothes.”

  “Olivia.”

  “Jake, damn it! That isn’t how this works!”

  I’d never heard her yell at me before. The sound forced me to take a step back. She quickly got her clothes straightened out, and I stood there watching her, wondering where in the world my precious, beautiful Liv had gone.

  “Maybe five years ago it worked that way, when we were young and dumb and we thought we were pregnant. But I wasn’t. Okay? False positive, no pregnancy. And two weeks later? You were gone. I woke up in this very room, and your shit had been packed. You were gone. You didn’t even bother to lock the damn front door, Jake!”

  I sighed. “I’m sorry, Olivia.”

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it. Not now. Not this time. You abandoned me, Jake. I got those fucking annulment papers in the mail because you were too much of a pussy to bring them to me yourself.”

  “Liv, please—”

  She pointed at me. “I meant those vows, Jake. Better, and worse. Sick, and not. No matter what. But you?”

  She glared at me, and I felt my future slipping through my fingers.

  “You only agreed to them because you thought I was pregnant and it was the right thing to do,” she hissed.

  “I didn’t. I swear,” I said.

  “Then, why did you take off? Huh? And what the hell is stopping you from taking off again?”

  “I’m here to stay. What can I do to convince you that I’m serious about this?”

  “For starters, you can put your clothes on.”

  “And then?”

  She shook her head. “What do you want, Jake? A to-do list to win back my heart?”

  “I mean, that might be helpful.”

  She threw her arms up. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  I reached for her and pulled her back into my arms. I felt her fight me, but not by much. I wrapped her up in my arms and held her there, until she stopped fighting and looked at me.

  “What?” she whispered.

  My forehead fell against hers. “Tell me what I need to do, and it’ll be done.”

  Chapter 8

  Liv

  “So, what did you tell him?” Jo asked.

  I blinked. “Seriously?”

  “What? You drag me out to breakfast early on a Saturday morning because you say you’re losing your mind, and you’re upset because I want to know what you said?”

  “So, no reaction with how he approached things? How he did things?”

  “You’ll get that once you finish the damn story, girl.”

  “Do you even want to know how I felt about things?”

  My best friend giggled. “Girl, I know how you felt about things. It’s been a while since you’ve seen him. You like it, but you hate him. You’re conflicted. Blah, blah, blah.”

  “Thanks,” I said flatly.

  “Anytime. Now, what did you say to him?”

  “I think I’m done talking about this.”

  She sighed. “Fine. Then I’ll talk. I know you like to tiptoe around things, so I’m gonna lay it out for you. I know you never got over Jake.”

  “I don’t love the man.”

  “Doesn’t mean you don’t care about him. You’re scared because he’s a risk. A risk that’s burned you in t
he past. And you’re scared he’ll do it again because you know you can easily love him again. Am I close?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “I mean, come on. You haven’t been with any guy since he left. And not for lack of men trying. There are more broken hearts around here because of your no’s than anyone else.”

  “Because it hurt too much, Jo.”

  “Yes. But now? Lately? I think it’s something else. What do you think?”

  I sighed. “None of them seemed right. I already told you this.”

  “Because none of them were Jake, honey.”

  I leaned back in my chair and sighed.

  “Look. I’m gonna go out on a limb and tell you what I think happened last night,” Jo said.

  “I know you are,” I said.

  “You told him you’d think about things. Then he kissed you, and you left. Right?”

  I shrugged. “Just about.”

  “So, you wanna know what I think you should do?”

  “Sure. Hit me with it.”

  “I think you should come up with a list.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  “I’m serious! Girl, the man did you wrong. You were pregnant, he married you because you were pregnant, you turned out not to be pregnant, and he packed his shit and left. In the middle of the night. That’s some bullshit, if you ask me.”

  “Yeah. It is.”

  “So, come up with a list. Put this fucker’s ass to work. He wants to work? Let him work.”

  I laughed. “I’m not going to make him do my laundry.”

  “I mean, you’re a better girl than me.”

  I giggled. “You’re a mess.”

  “Liv, you’ve been down in the dumps for too long. Ain’t nobody gonna judge you if you wanna try things out with Jake. But if you don’t trust him? Come up with ways to test him, to prove to you that he’s in it for the long haul, and not just for the good sex. Know what I mean?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I mean, he was willing to grow up and get a big-boy job when you two were pregnant. Right?”