by E. L. Todd
Trinity broke the kiss then turned her face away like she’d been burned.
Slade looked like he lost the world all over again. His eyes were coated with tears, and even at this distance, I could see the emotion.
Trinity felt her lips with her fingers like she was searching for a drop of blood. Then she walked away. She spotted me then headed toward me. When she reached me, she didn’t say anything. But she looked even worse than before.
Silently, Cayson walked away and joined Slade.
“Skye.” She gave me a painful look. It seemed like she would break down at any moment. “No matter how much I miss him, and no matter how much I say I love him, don’t let me go back to him. Don’t let me settle for him. It’s getting harder and harder every day, and I feel like I’ll crack because it’s so painful to be without him…”
All my hopes were shattered. I was too optimistic to think they would get back together, at a baseball game of all places.
“Skye, please help me. Don’t let me give into him.”
“I’ll help you, Trinity.”
Her eyes started to coat with tears. “Remind me why I’m doing this.”
“Slade doesn’t want to marry you. He doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life with you. He won’t commit and give you the life you deserve. He’ll never be your husband or give you children. And if he does, it’s only because he’s forced to.”
She nodded her head slowly. “Thank you, Skye. That’s what I needed to hear.”
I looked over her shoulder and stared at Slade. His face was contorted in pain and he looked like he’d been stabbed. Watching his expression made me want to cry. His pain suddenly became my pain. All I wanted was for them to be together again. Why couldn’t he just make that happen?
Chapter Eleven
Clementine
While Ward was gone at work, I snacked on everything in his refrigerator and roamed the house. His place was big for just one person, but it had a quaint coziness to it.
I headed down to his laundry room to wash a few things when I noticed the stairs that led to the basement. Intrigued, I headed downstairs. It was pitch black so I turned on the light. The room was made of concrete and a punching bag hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room. He had weight machines, a jump rope, and a set of free weights. Now I knew how he stayed in great shape.
Trying to be kinky, I slipped off my thong then left it on the seat of the bench press. It contrasted against the blue padding and would catch his eye the moment he walked inside. Then I headed back upstairs and got ready for the party.
***
Ward came home right at three. “Darling, I’m home.” He set his wallet and keys on the granite countertop.
I left the couch then wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a long kiss.
“Someone missed me,” he said into my mouth.
“I always miss you.”
His hand slid down to my ass and he squeezed it. “I missed you too. Desperately.”
“Well, the wait is over now…”
His hand slid under my dress and felt my bare ass. He smirked when he realized I wasn’t wearing underwear. “Commando, huh?”
“So? You got a problem with that?”
“Not at all.” He lifted me onto the counter then undid his slacks. They fell to his knees as he pulled my ass to the edge of the surface. Then he slipped inside me, feeling my slickness immediately.
I wrapped my legs around his waist then gripped the back of his neck. Every thrust felt euphoric, and I clung to him while I enjoyed every second. I kissed him while I felt him rock into me. All I had to do was hold on for the ride while he pleased me the way I loved. Soon, I was spiraling down. “Oh…Ward.”
“You make me feel like a god when you say that…” He groaned while he released inside me, filling me with his warmth.
“You are a god. Only gods can fuck like that.”
He gave me a gentle kiss before he pulled out. “I have to get ready for the party. I was going to work out before I showered. But now I’m a bit exhausted…”
“I know I’m good but I didn’t know I could knock the wind out of you,” I said playfully.
“Well, you just did.” He pulled up his pants and headed upstairs. “I’ll be done in about an hour or so.”
“Okay.” I jumped down and adjusted my dress.
He returned a few minutes later only wearing running shorts. His bare chest was wide and expansive. I loved staring at it when he pounded me into his mattress. “I’ll be in the basement if you need me.”
“Okay.” I tried not to smile, knowing what was waiting for him.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I tried not to seem conspicuous.
“You only act like that when you’re up to something.”
“Act like what?” I asked innocently.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I’ll figure it out sooner or later.” He grabbed a bottle of water then headed downstairs.
A few minutes later, he returned, the black thong in his hand. “Found some knickers…”
“Oh. Who’s are they?”
He chuckled. “A very kinky woman’s.”
“Kinky?” I asked in surprise. “Well, I’m not kinky so it can’t be me.”
“Right…” He came closer to me then shoved the thong into his pocket. “I’m keeping this, just so you know.”
“To do what…?”
“That’s between me and my bottle of Vaseline.”
I released a quiet groan. “That sounds…hot.”
“Think about it next time I’m not around.”
“I may.”
He stepped away and headed back to his basement. “And I knew you were up to something.”
***
After Ward showered, he wore jeans and a gray t-shirt. His clothes looked a little old, but then I remembered what he said about the pie-throwing contest they always had.
“You look lovely.” He eyed my skinny jeans and teal top.
“Thanks…” I couldn’t shake the nerves I felt. This seemed like a bad idea. Meeting his parents when we were only casual seemed pointless, but he didn’t seemed concerned about it. Perhaps he brought tons of women around his family, so it really didn’t mean anything. Maybe I was worrying over nothing.
“Don’t be nervous.” He spotted my unease even though I tried to hide it.
“I’m not.”
“How do I look?”
“Like you’re about to paint a house.”
He laughed. “When it gets stained with pudding you’ll see what I mean.” He grabbed the large pink gift off the counter then headed to the garage. “Ready to go, love?”
“Yes. But should I bring anything? I don’t have a gift.”
“This will be from both of us.”
“And should we bring food? Or flowers?”
“No,” he said immediately. “My mom loves cooking. She would be offended if you brought something.”
British customs were different than American ones. “If you say so.”
“Don’t stress. You Americans always stress.”
“You Americans?” I asked incredulously. “No, I think that’s a human thing.”
He pulled me close to him then kissed me. “Shut that pretty mouth of yours, alright?”
I melted at his touch. “Okay…”
“Good.” He patted my ass. “Let’s go.”
I was too much in A daze to say no.
***
His parents had a quaint house just outside the city. It had a rose garden, and ivy stretched up the walls of the house. A white fence blocked the house from the road, and the nearest neighbor was a hundred feet away. “What a cute house.”
“Yes, it is.” He stared at it for a moment before he turned to me. “I had a wonderful childhood.”
“You grew up here?”
“You see that window?” He pointed at the corner of the house.
“Yeah.”
“That’s where m
y room used to be.”
“That’s where all the magic happened?” I teased.
“So much magic.” He got out of the car then retrieved the gift from the trunk. Then he grabbed my hand.
“Should we hold hands…?”
He dropped it then wrapped his arm around my waist. He pulled me close to him. “How about this instead?”
There was no winning with him.
“I could put my hand on your ass, if you’d like.”
I nudged him in the side playfully.
He laughed then guided me around the side to the back yard. White picnic tables were laid out under the sycamore trees, keeping it shady from the spring heat. Kids were running around, and pink and white balloons were tied to all the tables.
“Ward is here!” A plump woman left the table covered in food then rushed to him with a smile on her face. “Oh, my handsome boy.” She hugged him like she hadn’t seen him in years then kissed his cheek. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you too, Mom.” He returned her affection then turned to me. “Mom, this is Clementine. Clementine, this is my mom, Adeline.”
She cupped my cheeks and gave me a bright smile. “Such a beautiful girl. And what a beautiful name.” She hugged me like she’d known me my entire life. “Thank you for coming. We’re so excited to have you here.”
“Thank you.” I returned the embrace, caught off guard by her warmth.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me from Ward. “Richard, Clementine is here!”
A middle age man came outside then smiled at me just as warmly. “Clementine is here?”
Why were they all acting like they knew me?
He kissed each cheek then hugged me. “Thank you for coming to Patricia’s party. We’re glad you’re here.”
Geez, his parents were nice. “I’m glad I was invited.”
“Are you hungry, dear?” Adeline shoved a plate of food into my hands. “I made everything from scratch.”
I glanced down at the food then turned back to her. “Wow, everything looks great. Thank you.”
“And you have to try my berry pie for dessert.”
“I will,” I said. “Ward said nothing but good things.”
“Well, Ward is the sweetest boy in the world.” She waved off my words. “Now eat, dear.” She handed me a fork.
“Oh okay…”
Ward came to my side. “Mum, let her say hi to everyone first.” He grabbed the plate and put it on the table.
“If she’s hungry, you let her eat,” she said firmly.
Ward humored his mother. “Of course. She’ll be right back.” He guided me to his sister. “I’m sorry. My parents are a little enthused.”
“A little?” I asked.
Willow was sitting at the table with Billy beside her. She stood up when she noticed us. “Hey, thank you for coming.”
“Well, thank you for inviting me.”
She hugged me then stepped back.
This family was a group of huggers.
“Patricia and Billy are excited you’re here,” Willow said.
“I’m excited to see them too. They’re adorable.”
A man came to her side and put his arm around her waist. “I’m Jack, Willow’s husband.” He extended his hand to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I shook his hand.
Jack embraced Ward like a brother. “What’s up, man?”
“Not much. Just got off work,” Ward said.
“I hope you didn’t go over the top on her gift,” he said. “You always make me and Willow looked bad.”
“Well, I’m supposed to,” Ward said with a laugh. He guided me to the table then sat beside me.
“I should probably go get that food before your mom gets mad at me…” I didn’t want to piss her off the moment I met her.
“I’ll get it.” Ward left and retrieved it.
Jack stared at me like there was food on my face. “How do you know Ward?”
“He works with my father.” That was the best way to explain it. If I told them we met at a strip club and I was the girl on the pole, it wouldn’t make a great impression.
He nodded. “Cool. American?”
“Yeah…please don’t hate me.”
He laughed. “No. I could never hate someone Ward is so fond of.”
Ward returned to the table with two plates of food. “Make sure you eat all of it. Mum will know.”
“You make her sound creepy,” Willow said.
“When it comes to food, she is,” Jack said.
The kids played on the small jungle gym in the yard. They were having too much fun to notice us.
“What do you do, Clementine?” Willow asked.
“I’m a violinist. I play in a symphony.”
“She’s first chair,” Ward said proudly.
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Willow said.
“Extremely,” Jack agreed.
“Mum will love that,” Willow said to Ward more than to me. “She loves classical music.”
“I know she does.” Ward shoveled the food into his mouth unnaturally fast. He probably feared his mom was watching him, and she would be disappointed if it didn’t seem like he absolutely loved her food.
I ate my food quicker than usual just in case his mom caught me.
“How’s work, Ward?” Jack asked.
“No complaints,” Ward said. “You?”
“No complaints either. I’m off by five every day and I get to see my family. That’s more than most people can say.”
“Yeah.” Ward suddenly seemed down.
I wondered if it was because his constant traveling affected his personal relationships.
Willow seemed to pick up on his mood. “You didn’t get her a pony, right?”
Ward smirked. “Well…”
“You would think he’s joking,” Jack said. “But since you buy them every thing I really don’t know if you are.”
“You’ll have to see,” Ward said with a shrug.
His mom came to the table and sat beside me. “Clementine, tell me about yourself.” She had her own plate of food.
Ward rested his hand on my thigh, like that would make me feel less nervous.
“Well…I play violin.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” she said. “I love classical music. Do you play professionally or personally?”
“Actually, I’m in a symphony in New York City.”
She covered her face because she was so excited. “That’s beautiful! That’s just lovely. Oh, I’ll have to tell Richard when he gets over here.”
I felt my cheeks burn from her enthusiasm.
“What else, dear?”
“Well, I grew up in New York. It’s a great city. I love my friends and family. There’s not much else…”
“Nonsense,” she said. “You’re just humble.”
“Well, I also play the bass, the piano, and the guitar.”
“So accomplished,” she said. “That’s absolutely wonderful.”
His family seemed particularly amazed. I felt like I was visiting family I’d known my whole life.
She told me about her time raising Ward and Willow. Apparently, they were angels, with a few exceptions, and she attended to the house while Richard was in the military. Her father fought in World Ward II but she didn’t say much about it. She was a cute woman that didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
“I’m going to check on the pies.” She took our dirty plates then returned to the house.
“Your mom is cute,” I said to Ward.
“I know,” he said. “Every teacher I’ve ever had adored her.”
“But it’s a miracle neither one of us were obese,” Willow teased. “Whenever she watches the kids, I have to pack them lunches so she won’t stuff their faces.”
“If Patricia is obese, at least that’ll keep the boys away,” Jack said.
“No, you and I will keep the boys away,” Ward said seriously.
Seeing how protective he w
as of his niece was adorable.
Realizing how close he was to his family made me understand how difficult it was for him to travel back and forth constantly. He wasn’t gone very long, but he probably missed birthdays and weddings often. If he didn’t love his job, he would probably quit.
Ward left the bench. “Excuse me. I’m going to ask Mum if she needs help.” He walked into the house.
When I was alone with Willow and her husband, I was the focus of their attention.
“How long are you staying?” Willow asked.
“Until Ward returns to the States in a few days…”
“Will you come back?” she asked.
“Uh, we haven’t talked about it.” Being around his family made me want to come back. His house was comfortable, and I liked sleeping with him every night. And not staying out late at the strip club was nice too.
“Well, I hope you return. My brother really likes you.”
I watched the kids play together and let the words wash over me. “I’m going to use the restroom. Please excuse me.” I walked across the yard and into the house. Hearing her words gave me butterflies but it also made me feel sick. Spending time with Ward was only making me fall for him. Our relationship had continued for a month, so it wouldn’t last much longer. But I didn’t want it to end—ever.
I searched for the bathroom in the small house and arrived at the kitchen.
Ward and his mom were standing in front of the oven.
“Ward, I love her.” His mom set the pie on the counter.
I stopped in my tracks and stood still. I was behind the wall, hidden from view. If I headed to the bathroom, they would hear me. And they would know I overheard their conversation. I remained quiet and tried not to breathe.
“She’s a sweet girl,” Ward said.
“And she’s so beautiful.”
“That she is,” he said simply.
“I’m so happy for you, dear.”
“Thanks, Mum.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to bring a girl home. When Willow told me about her, I thought it was too good to be true. But she really is as wonderful as Willow said.”
He’s never brought a girl home before?
“She really is. She makes me happy, Mum.”
“Well, hurry up and marry her. You’re getting old and I need grandkids.”
He laughed. “Mum, I’m not even old.”
“Well, I want grandkids either way.”