Wednesday (Timeless Series #3)

by E. L. Todd

  “Mmm…” He licked it away then pulled my thumb into his mouth. “That’s delicious.” He sucked my finger dry before he moved another one inside.

  This tongue tickled my skin slightly so I pulled my hand away. “You can eat right out of the bowl.”

  “I’d rather eat off of you.” He wiped a spoonful on my neck then licked it off.

  The affection felt nice but I was worried an employee would walk in. “Did you come here for a reason?”

  “Do I need to have a reason?”

  “No. Just don’t slow me down.” I turned back to the pan and poured the batter inside.

  He came behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Have plans this weekend?”

  “No. Just sleeping.” Kyle and I never revisited the argument we had the previous week. He dropped it the second Hawke appeared and never brought it up again. He must have realized he would have lost the argument anyway.

  “Well, would you like to sleep with me?” He pressed his lips against my ear, his lips brushing the shell as he spoke.

  “Always.”

  “How about we do all this sleeping at my beach house?”

  “I forgot about that. You still have it?”

  “I do. And I want to make love to you all over it.”

  “What about on the beach? I’ve never done that before.”

  “We can give it a try,” he said. “But sand will get everywhere. You’ve been warned.”

  “We’ll just have to shower afterward.”

  He snapped his fingers. “I like your thinking. So, let’s clean up here and get going.”

  I chuckled. “I still have to finish the workday.”

  “You’re the boss. You do whatever you want.”

  “Yes, but I’m not a lazy one like you. I have a lot of stuff that needs to get done.”

  “So serious all the time.” He moved his hand to my ass and rubbed it gently. “I’ll pick you up later tonight.”

  “Okay. Be warned, I pack a lot of crap.”

  He squeezed my ass then kissed me on the cheek. “Yeah, I remember.”

  ***

  Kyle unlocked the door then we walked inside. The place was exactly as I remembered it, sleek and nice. The large back window faced the pool and the ocean, the sand just beyond that. Everything was clean because no one was ever there. “Home sweet home.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t just live here.”

  “Eh. Gets boring after a while. And it’s a lot more fun when I have a hot date.” He carried the bags inside and set them in the entryway.

  “You bring a lot of girls here?”

  “Not a lot. Just the ones who are good in the sack.” He winked then turned on all the lights.

  If I had a beach house, I’d probably shack up with a ton of guys too. “What should we do first?”

  “What do you want to do?”

  I peeked through the back window. “I think I want to go skinny dipping in that hot tub…”

  “That sounds like a great idea.” He stripped down to his briefs then walked outside.

  “People might see you.”

  He looked beyond his backyard to the sand and the water. “What people?”

  ***

  We laid in bed for most of the day. We had a quick breakfast of toast before we got under the covers again. We shared a book together then played a game on his iPhone. With Kyle, we never really did anything but the time still flew by.

  His phone rang and his mother’s name appeared on the screen.

  He answered it immediately. “Yo, Mom. What’s up?”

  Her voice could he heard through the speaker. “Hey, sweetheart. What are you up to?”

  “Nothing much. Just being lazy like always.”

  “My son is never lazy.”

  I had to stop myself from chuckling.

  “What are you doing? Going shopping?”

  “Rick is off on a business meeting so I’m home today.” She sighed at the end of her sentence, like being alone in a mansion was torture.

  “I’m staying at the beach house this weekend. Want to have dinner?”

  The idea of seeing his mom again gave me anxiety. I doubted she wanted to see me.

  “Oh, I would love that.” Her voice lit up like a Christmas tree. “I love seeing that handsome face of yours.”

  “You and everyone else on this planet,” he said with a chuckle. “I have a sexy lady with me and I’m going to bring her along.”

  “Really?” Now she sounded even more excited.

  I shook my head vigorously, telling him I wasn’t going to dinner.

  “Yeah.” He shrugged then ignored me.

  “Who’s this girl?”

  “Actually, it’s Francesca. I’m sure you remember her.”

  “Oh…yes, I do.”

  I couldn’t tell what that reaction meant. It wasn’t clear if she was revolted by the idea or intrigued. If it were me, I’d be pissed if my son was dating a girl that left him in the past.

  “How about that Mediterranean place you like?” he said. “That hummus rocks.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. I look forward to seeing both of you.”

  “Me too.”

  “Love you, sweetheart.”

  “Love you too, Mom.” He hung up and tossed the phone on the bed.

  “What the hell?” I sat up, pissed I was forced into this dinner.

  “What?” he asked innocently.

  “You really think it’s a good idea to have dinner with your mom?”

  “Why not?” he asked. “You don’t like her?”

  “Of course I do. But do you think we’re ready for that?”

  “I don’t see what the big deal is. My mom has already met you, and I hang out with Axel pretty often.”

  “Doesn’t she hate me?”

  “Hate you?” he said the words in an awkward way like he’d never spoken them before. “Not at all. Why would you think that?”

  “Because we broke up…”

  “I told my mom it didn’t work out. I didn’t give her any details.”

  “But, she doesn’t dislike me for leaving in the first place?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know what my mother thinks. I don’t really pick her brain about it.” He propped himself up on one arm. “But I really doubt she feels that way. Of all people, she knows love can be complicated. If you’re the only girl I’ve ever brought around, then she knows there’s something special about you. She trusts my judgment.”

  I couldn’t fight the feeling in my chest, the stress that wrecked my entire body. What if this dinner was a complete nightmare? I agreed to a relaxing trip to the beach, not hanging out with his mom.

  Kyle saw the uneasiness in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have asked you first.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I’ll say you aren’t feeling well or something.”

  “No, you don’t need to do that. I’ll be there.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “Yes.” Kyle’s mother was important to him, and I witnessed their close relationship the first time I was around them both. I wouldn’t put a wedge between them.

  “I think we’ll have a good time.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And if we don’t…I’ll make it up to you.” His lips grazed the valley between my breasts.

  “Orgasms are the best way to fix any problem.”

  “They really are.”

  ***

  The moment his mother walked in, she hugged Kyle like she hadn’t seen him in forever. “My baby.” She squeezed him like a teddy bear. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too, Mom.”

  Did they not see each other much?

  “Mom, you remember Francesca?” Kyle turned to me, giving me a look of support.

  “Of course. I could never forget.” The smile on her face seemed genuine, and there wasn’t resentment in her eyes. She pulled me into a hug and held me fir
mly, like she missed me as much as she missed him. “It’s great to see you again.”

  Kyle mouthed to me behind her back. “Told you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  She pulled away and looked at my outfit. “Your dress is very cute.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Here you go, Mom.” Kyle pulled out a chair for her.

  “Thank you, dear.” She sat down then picked up a menu.

  Kyle quickly came to my side and pulled out a chair for me as well.

  I held back the smartass comment that came to mind and took a seat.

  Kyle sat beside me then rested his hand on my thigh under the table. “So, what’s new?”

  “Nothing much,” she said. “I did some landscaping for the house, new flowers and stuff.”

  “What kind?” I said.

  “Hydrangeas.” Her blonde hair was shorter than it was last time I saw her. She seemed thinner as well, even though she was already on the slender side. “Some pink and purple ones. I needed some color since the house is fairly plain.”

  She thought her mansion was plain?

  “Gardening is good,” Kyle said. “I’ve never had a knack for it.”

  “Your sister was so good at it. Her garden felt like a completely different world.”

  His sister? Kyle had a sister?

  “Yeah,” Kyle said. “I remember. Her cucumbers were practically the size of melons. I still think she buried dead bodies back there to fertilize them.”

  Why did they keep talking about her in past tense?

  His mother’s eyes trailed off, distant with old memories.

  Kyle cleared his throat then opened the menu. “I’m getting a fruity drink tonight. Maybe a mai tai.”

  “That sounds delicious,” his mother said. “I’ll have one too.”

  “Talk about peer pressure,” I said. “I guess I’m in.”

  His mother chuckled. “What have you been up to, Francesca?”

  “I’m thinking of opening another shop. My business has really grown and now the building isn’t big enough to hold the customers.”

  “A good problem to have,” she said. “I remember when Kyle’s father opened his law firm. It was a small little office in the back of a deli. It was all he could afford at the time. But over the years, his business grew into the law firm it is now.”

  “That’s amazing,” I said. “He must have been a great lawyer.”

  “He was awesome,” Kyle said. “The best lawyer I’ve ever known. He never lost a case.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Not once,” Kyle said. “He had a perfect record. That’s unheard of.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah,” Kyle said proudly. “He was badass.”

  “He was a great man,” his mother said. “Truly. I’m so grateful I have a son that shares his likeness so much.”

  Kyle looked away, clearly touched by the compliment.

  I wanted to ask about his sister but I decided to do it later. Maybe it was too personal to mention in front of his mom. But then again, Kyle would have told me about her if he wanted me to know. Maybe he wasn’t ready to talk about it at all. I’d never got into detail about my parents. Kyle just knew they passed away but he didn’t know the specifics.

  Kyle looked at the menu I was holding. “Baby, what are you getting?”

  He called me baby right in front of his mom but I didn’t react. “I don’t know. What do you recommend?”

  “I always get the chicken kabobs,” he said. “Mom gets the vegetable panini.”

  “Hmm…chicken sounds pretty good.”

  “You’ll like anything you order here,” he said. “This place is awesome. Dad and I used to come here all the time.”

  I closed the menu and set it down. “Then it sounds like I made a good choice.”

  “You did.” He kissed my hairline and squeezed my thigh at the same time. Then he turned his gaze out the window and looked to the sea.

  When I looked up, his mother was staring at me. She had a wide smile on her lips, and she looked happier than I’d ever seen her.

  ***

  “Told you. You were being paranoid over nothing.” Kyle headed into the bedroom and stripped his clothes off, like he couldn’t wait to get back into bed.

  “I guess.” I grabbed a t-shirt from one of his drawers and changed before I got into bed beside him.

  “My mom doesn’t dislike people. She just doesn’t think that way.”

  “Everyone thinks that way—whether you want to admit it or not.”

  “Well, whatever,” he said. “We had a great time like I thought we would.” He spooned me from behind and wrapped his thick arm around my waist. The bedroom window was cracked so we could hear the ocean waves.

  The subject of his sister never left my mind. It wasn’t like me to be nosey but I was curious as to what happened to her. It was clear she was no longer on this side of the living. “Can I ask you something personal?”

  “You can ask whatever you damn well please.”

  “It’s about your sister…”

  “Oh…that.” He tightened his arm around me. “That’s a very sad story. My mom will never get over that.”

  “What happened…if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I don’t,” he said. “I never mentioned it before because it’s hard to swallow.”

  I prepared myself for the worst.

  She was living in the city like I was, getting her Ph.D. in sociology. She was always ambitious from a young age. She was walking home one night when…some guy grabbed her. He raped her and beat her to death.” Kyle said it without a single sign of emotion. “My father and I took the case and didn’t stop working until the guy was behind bars and Kylee had some justice. This happened five years ago.”

  My hand moved over his and I squeezed it. Agony like I’d never known washed through me. It was such a tragedy that shouldn’t have happened at all. Kyle’s entire family had to suffer because of inexplicable violence. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I know.” His lips rested near my ears. “Mom’s never recovered from it. Dad was worse. And I…I’ll never be the same.”

  Now I understood why he was strictly interested in sexual assault cases. Those were the only ones that got him into court. When it came to anything else, he didn’t seem to care.

  “Then Dad passed away and that was even worse on Mom. As a result, she and I became a lot closer. I try to see her as much as I can and make sure she doesn’t feel alone. That’s why I was so relieved when she started seeing Rick, who’s a great guy. She needs a companion to make life enjoyable.”

  “She’s still so sweet…”

  “Yeah. There were a few years when she shut down altogether. I try to forget about those.”

  “I’m so sorry, Kyle.” If I lost Axel, I’d be a wreck. He and I spent more time arguing than anything else, but I couldn’t picture my life without him. And if he had a violent death, that would only make it worse.

  “It’s okay. Kylee wouldn’t want us to grieve over her death forever. She’d want us to move on and be happy. So, I try to do that as much as possible. Mom follows my lead, but she can only do that so much. The reason she’s so excited about you is for grandchildren. I’m her only hope now.”

  “That’s a lot of pressure.”

  “I’ll have them someday—because I want them.”

  I ran my fingers along his forearms, soothing him the only way I could.

  He kissed my neck then pulled up my shirt slightly, exposing my ass in my panties.

  No matter what kind of mood Kyle was in, he always had to get some before he went to sleep. I looked over my shoulder and watched him stare down at me. His hand pulled down my panties before he positioned himself up against me. “But tonight I want to practice.”

  Back In Time

  Hawke

  My sessions with the therapist were surprisingly helpful. I bared the complete, honest truth to an objective person, and the feedbac
k I received gave me a surge of hope. If I could fix myself, then Francesca might give me another chance.

  Kyle was a serious problem but I didn’t know how to remove him. He obviously made Francesca happy and was stupidly in love with her. It was written all over his face anytime he was in her presence.

  But she still wore my locket.

  She’d never taken it off since I gave it to her, so she can lie to herself and me about her real feelings, but I knew what that really meant. She still hadn’t let me go—and she never would.

  I had a chance.

  Francesca erected her walls and wouldn’t let me in, committing to Kyle and completely shutting me out. I knew she really wanted to make it work with him because he was a safe haven to her. Without any emotional problems, he was a safe bet. He’d give her the life she wanted.

  But I was her soul mate.

  The only way I could spend time with her was if I asked for help. Otherwise, she would ask me to leave and she’d return to ignoring me. I didn’t want to abuse her generosity so I found something I truly needed help with.

  I walked into her bakery just before lunchtime and pushed through the crowd of customers. The employees knew exactly who I was from my frequent visits so they never asked any questions as I walked directly into the back of the shop.

  She was in her cake kitchen, working on a four-tier cake with zoo animals on top.

  I watched her work the frosting with her styling aid, smoothing out the creamy sugar to perfection. Her small hands were perfect for intricate detail. Her eyes were focused on the task at hand, and the love she had for her work was written all over her face.

  Francesca dipped the utensil in a cup of water before she moved her focus to a different part of the cake. A spot of frosting was on her right cheek, and a few strands of hair came loose from her ponytail. The sight made me miss her more than ever. If this was a year in the past, she would turn to me with bright eyes and visibly melt at my presence. Her arms would wrap around me and she’d give me a kiss that could floor any man.

  But now all I’d get was a stare and an interrogation.

  I slowly approached her and tried not to startle her. “That’s cute.”

  She flinched slightly when she recognized my voice. She pulled her utensil away from the frosting and looked at me. “This couple went to the zoo on their first date.” Her voice contained enough indifference to make me weak.