by Jenika Snow
As the hours past and her tires ate up the pavement, Chloe couldn’t help but think about where her life had taken her. Her fondest memories where the ones at the cottage she was now heading to, and how sad was that? A childhood where you are happiest at a place that isn’t even your home, with a person that isn’t even blood related.
Once she started her internship she wouldn’t have time for anything else. During this break, before she started her residency, she needed to see the lake again, needed to see the little things that made up the memories she thought about the most.
When she had asked about whether the cabin was empty, her aunt hadn’t even questioned her. It was hard speaking to Clara, knowing that she was in love with her aunt's ex-husband but not able to confess it, broke Chloe’s heart over and over again.
****
The sun was starting to set when she finally reached the cottage. The lights were off and the last rays of that giant orange ball illuminated the wraparound porch and pristine landscaping. Chloe pulled the car in front of the porch and turned it off. When she got out, she stretched, her vision landing right on the lake. She couldn’t help but smile at the warmth she felt. Everything looked the same. As far as she was aware, no one had been at the cabin in years, yet everything looked well taken care of, right down to the mowed grass.
She pushed the thoughts away and grabbed her bags, and then headed up the porch. The same rock that sat by the front door sat by her feet and she lifted it. Chloe grinned when she saw the rusted spare key.
When she entered the house she immediately smelled lemon and lavender. She turned the lights on and walked through each room. The feeling of “home” instantly washed through her. It was strange being here all over again, after being away for so long.
She took the stairs quickly and opened the door that led to the room she always stayed. The room she lost her virginity in. Although she couldn’t help the tingle that raced up her spine at the memory, she also felt tears prickle behind her lids. The same bed she shared with Dominic sat before her, a painful reminder of what she missed most.
The cottage was very clean for no one living in it for years, but then again she didn’t doubt a cleaning service had been hired to do the upkeep on it. Her aunt was a stickler for neat and tidy.
After putting her belongs away, she went into the kitchen and empted the bags of food she brought. She thought it odd that there was food in the cupboard and even some in the fridge, but pushed her suspicions aside. After making herself something to eat she headed out onto the porch. It was just like old times and the feeling of never leaving had adrenaline going through her. The night was fairly warm, but even so, she decided to start a fire in the fire pit. Flames blazing in front of her, Chloe enjoyed her meal. Leaning back in the chair, she stared at the stars and started to count them aloud. The time seemed to blur as she counted those little, bright orbs of light, wishing she could be that far away, looking down at someone else.
“You used to do that when you were a kid.”
She gasped and stood up so fast her plate fell off her lap and broke on the paved patio. Chloe turned around. Staring wide eyed at the man that stood in the back doorway, she hadn’t even known he entered. Oh God, what am I going to do?
Chapter Ten
Her body’s response was instantaneous. Heart pounding wildly, adrenaline pumping through her veins, she felt the same rush she had felt all those years ago when he held and kissed her.
“Uncle Dominic.” The words were breathless as they left her. He looked the same. Aside from a few silver hairs that reflected off the moonlight, he was still all hard, powerful muscle and imposing frame. It was awkward, to say the least, because all she could think about was what they had shared. Was he thinking the same? Picturing what they had done?
He stepped onto the patio and moved toward her. Her throat was suddenly bone dry. “I thought you were overseas.” She closed her eyes. The words had just fell from her mouth, and she instantly felt like an ass. When she opened her eyes he was watching her with a hint of amusement.
“I was.” He didn’t elaborate and she didn’t probe for more details. If he wanted her to know more he would volunteer the information.
A pregnant moment of silence suspended upon them and Chloe found herself shifting uncomfortably. She cleared her throat and never thought she would be in a moment more awkward than the day after she lost her virginity to Dominic. How wrong she was.
“Listen, I really didn’t know you would be here. I’ll go because I don’t want to step on any toes." Moving the chair out of the way so she didn’t have to get too close to him, Chloe landed right on one of the broken pieces of broken plate that littered the ground.
She cried out in pain, lost her footing, and started to fall forward. The ground came closer and closer, but right before she landed face first, Dominic was there, his arms wrapped tightly around her. He swept her off her feet and into his arms. Chloe gasped, could do nothing but wrap her arms around his neck and hold on as he carried her inside.
The feel of her body against his sent a flush of heat through her. Uncomfortable wasn’t even a word she would use to describe what she felt. When they entered the kitchen and he set her on the counter, it brought back memories she tried to suppress. He was on his knees in front of her with her injured foot in his hand in the next moment. She squirmed at how close he was. Chloe stared down at his dark head.
“The cut isn’t too deep, but it’s going to hurt like hell. Hang on and I’ll get the first aid kit.” He stood and stared at her for a moment before striding off. Could she leave before he came back? Making a quick getaway crossed her mind, but how childish did that look? Not to mention she would be a coward. If he wanted her to leave then he could tell her, if not, well, maybe they could just talk. That would be really nice after all these years of silence.
When he came back in the kitchen, he held a small white first-aid box. He grabbed a chair and slid it across the floor until it stopped right in front of her, Dominic sat down and lifted her leg. He looked at her foot again and made a tsking sound under his breath.
“You should be more careful, Chloe.”
“I tend to hear that a lot.” Mumbling it under her breath, their eyes met at the same time.
“If you weren’t so anxious to get away from me you could have avoided this.”
She instantly felt her face heat at his words, and had no retort to his comment. As the silence progressed and he cleaned and dressed her wound, Chloe couldn’t help but think about the last time she sat on this counter in this kitchen.
Trying to steer her thoughts elsewhere, she rambled, “I’m really glad you aren’t hurt. When my mom told me you had reenlisted, I was afraid. It wasn’t like I thought you couldn’t handle yourself, but, well, you know. I worry. Anyway, I’m just glad you’re okay.” She could have ripped out her tongue for how fast she talked. The words all seemed to roll together and it was clear, even to her, that she was nervous as hell.
After he bandaged her foot, he didn’t let it go right away. He searched her face and then smiled. “No need to worry, I’m always careful.” He patted her foot twice. She could have sworn he lingered just a bit longer than necessary, but then he set it off his knee and stood. “I’d ask if you want to walk around the lake and talk, but I’d say you’re out of commission for a while. Can I talk you into a nice, boring evening on the couch? Maybe a movie?”
He was trying to lighten things up, because no doubt he felt the tension and awkwardness as well. She would have loved to walk around the lake with him, but when she hopped off the counter and put pressure on her foot, she knew that wasn’t going to be a possibility.
“Whatever you have in mind is good with me.” As soon as the words left her mouth she felt her face heat. Why was her mind in the gutter constantly when she thought about Dominic? Either he hadn’t noticed or he didn’t care, because he showed no reaction. He did move toward her and helped her into the living room, though. The feel of him next
to her, his muscles to her softness, made her close her eyes momentarily and had her praying for strength. Even after all these years she still loved him, and not in the way a niece should love her uncle.
He settled her on the couch and sat in the chair across from her. It would be a lie if she didn’t admit she felt a little deflated that he didn’t sit beside her. Either he didn’t know what to talk about either or he was waiting for her to say something. She licked her lips and flicked a glance around the room. “I can’t believe everything is the same.” She watched as he shifted his large body in the almost too small chair.
“Even if I hadn’t been away all this time, I don’t think I would have changed anything.”
“I always thought you hated Aunt Clara’s sense of design.” Biting her bottom lip, she hoped she hadn’t just stuck her foot in her mouth about bringing up Clara. When he smiled and shook his head, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.
“Nothing is changed because, frankly, I'm too lazy to do much with it. I had ideas for this place when I retired, but now I kind of figure, what’s the point? It suits my purpose of living.” She nodded and looked around at the neutral colors and purely feminine décor. “Have you talked to your aunt lately?”
She looked over at him with what she knew was a surprised expression. Chloe nodded once. “I talked to her briefly before I came up here. I didn’t want to come if you were here, you know, I didn’t want to interrupt you or anything.” He was silent for a time and she grew uneasy from his hard stare. “I don’t really talk to her, though. Not anymore.”
“Really? If you don’t mind me asking, why not?”
It wasn’t as though she didn’t want to talk to her aunt, and she certainly hadn’t meant to bring this up, but if he wanted to know the least she could do was be honest.
“Well. To be honest. she travels so much I find it hard to keep in contact with her. When she remarried…” She bit her tongue and gauged Dominic’s reaction.
“Yeah, didn’t she marry a doctor?”
Chloe nodded, surprised he actually knew. It wasn’t as though it had been a secret, in fact, she had gotten remarried so quickly after her divorce with Dominic was finalized it was like she hadn’t even been single.
“She deserves to be happy. Hopefully she found what she was looking for.”
How can he say that after what she did to him? She wasn’t about to ask him that flat out, but the fact that he seemed so good natured about it, that he actually wanted her to be happy, was odd. If it had been Chloe in his shoes, she would have told her to fuck off. That, of course, was Chloe.
Maybe it was wrong of her to come here when she knew she had no business visiting, but she had thought it harmless enough when the idea came to her. She did think it was strange that Dominic was here, given the fact her aunt had given her permission to stay here. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?” He chuckled good-naturedly.
“I live here, Chloe.”
Her face heated in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to imply differently, it’s just, well, Aunt Clara is the one that gave me permission to come up here so I just assumed…”
“Your aunt has a hard time letting go of things, materialistic things that is.” He smiled again and she wondered if he was as nervous as she was.
“Oh.” What else could she say?
“I got the cabin in the divorce, but she seems to think it's a mutual ownership. I just don’t have the energy to argue with her anymore.”
Thinking it best to change the subject, Chloe said, “I’m really sorry about just showing up. I know I have no right just coming here, not how everything turned out with Aunt Clara and…well you know.” Her face heated, and she cursed the fact she could never hide her feelings.
“You are always welcome here no matter what. It doesn’t matter that your aunt and I are no longer married, you are still my niece and this is as much your home as it is mine.” She heard the catch in his voice when he had called her his niece.
Chloe didn’t know what else to do or say. She worried her bottom lip.
“Congratulations on finally getting over that last hurtle, by the way. Your graduation is next month right? I heard you’ll be valedictorian. I'm so proud of you.”
Sitting up straighter, she couldn’t help but smile. The fact that he was proud of her made her feel so good. “Yeah, but how did you know?” She hadn’t even told her parents that information yet, not that she didn’t think they would eventually find out or that they wouldn’t be ecstatic, but because she just didn’t want them to have one more thing to brag about to their friends.
He smirked and shrugged. “You know what they say about knowing someone who knows someone.”
“Yeah, well, I’m just glad it’s finally over with.”
He stood and walked over to the bar in the corner. She watched him move, like a wild animal in the wilderness, all graceful movements and stealth power. Still, after all these years, she couldn’t get over how attractive she found him or how much she wanted him.
“Would you like something to drink?”
Chloe thought about the last time he offered her a drink. “Sure, but no lemonade this time, okay.” She couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I’d say you’re well past the legal drinking age.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. I just keep getting older.” He rolled his eyes as he put ice into two square cut glasses. The sound of the ice clanking against the glass seemed almost deafening. His shirt sleeves were rolled up his arms and she couldn’t help but watch as his forearms flexed as he did the simple act. Her pussy became wet and she crossed her legs.
“I wish I was still in my twenties. Your life is just starting, sweetie.”
She could hear him swallow, even from the distance, as he said the last part, as if he hadn’t meant for it to come out. When he handed her the glass, she could tell he was trying to keep that iron strong composure he was known for, but she didn’t miss how his hand shook ever-so slightly.
Chloe took a sip of the liquor. Sputtering once, the fire water slid down her throat. Her eyes started to water, and she raised them to Dominic’s. Amusement laced his face even as she continued to cough.
“A little stronger than the lemonade you’re used to?”
“Yeah.” Her voice sounded as if she had gargled with stones. She set the glass aside and watched as he took several long drinks from his own glass. Silence came back once again.
Finally he spoke, “So where do you plan on doing your residency at?”
Her throat still burned something fierce. “Not sure yet. I’d like to stay some place local, but I haven’t decided yet.
He stared at his glass for several long minutes, and she wondered what he thought about. She didn’t know what else to do, she swallowed more of the alcohol that felt like acid down her throat.
“Holy shit. What the hell is this?”
He chuckled. “It’s called Diablo. It is a rare whiskey that I got when I was overseas. It's been aged longer than you’ve been alive.”
“Well it tastes like shit.”
“It is an acquired taste.” The way he watched her was intense. “I’m really proud of you, Chloe.”
She shifted on the couch. Her foot throbbed, but what was at the forefront of her mind was Dominic, not the pain. “Well, you’re about the only one.”
“You shouldn’t say that. Your parents love you. Your whole family loves you, even if they don’t show it like they should.”
She wanted to argue how her parents had never been there for her. Aside from school related functions or anything that would make their reputation excel, they paid little attention to her. “I wish you were right, but you know what, it really doesn’t matter.” Feigning a smile, the look on his face told her she hadn’t pulled it off.
“Look…” He glanced away from her to stare at the television that wasn’t even on. She longed to go over to him and run her hand along his cheek.
All the things he might be about to say r
ushed through her and her heart slammed in her chest. What if he told her again that what they had shared was a mistake, that it was disgusting and immoral? She didn’t think she could stand to hear those words come from him again.
“There are a lot of things I've wanted to tell you over the years. I can’t remember how many times I sat down to write to you but ended up throwing away the letter. What could I say to possibly rectify the situation?” He turned and looked at her then, and she could see so much anguish in his eyes. “I stole your innocence. Took it from you without any consideration to how it would make you feel. I shattered your youth.” He dropped his head and she thought he was going to cry. His words had sounded choked, strangled even.
Her heart ached from the pain in his voice. All those years ago she had told him it was right, that what they had done felt so right. He hadn’t believed her and she knew he wouldn’t believe her now. She had to try, though, because she still loved him, so much.
Chapter Eleven
Chloe got off the couch and moved toward him. Dominic lifted his head and looked at her. When she stood in front of him, she dropped to her knees and clasped his hands in hers. She stared down at their entwined hands and noted how much bigger his were. Several scars littered the tanned flesh. How she wished she could wipe them away.
“Chloe.”
She shook her head and dragged her eyes up, looking into his face. He looked like a defeated man, like he was scarred, not just on the outside but on the inside as well.
“What happened eight years ago is not something I regret. I've thought about it every day, wishing things had gone differently afterwards. I know why you reenlisted with the SEALS, and I know it was because you couldn’t stand yourself or the guilt you felt.” He opened his mouth to speak but she lifted her finger and placed it on his lips.
“I know you. I know that you're an honorable man that thinks only of others. You have no guilt to feel over what we shared that night. I know I don’t.” Rising so that she was face-to-face with him, Chloe knew she had to speak from the heart if she was going to get through to him. This scene had played out in her head over and over throughout the years.