by Hazel Parker
Lenard opened the door to the bridal shop just as Alissa was leaving.
“Going somewhere? I was just coming to try on my tux.”
“Lenard, it’s over.”
“What?” he asked, his mouth hanging open like a guppy.
“You’ll find a woman who loves you back someday,” she said over her shoulder as she all but ran to her car.
She had no time for explanations. She had a mountain to climb and a man to get to.
Chapter 12
Trevor was distraught. He shouldn’t be. He knew better. He knew not to get into his feelings.
He’d thought he was safe. All he had to do was stay aloof and keep women at arms’ length. If he didn’t live or even spend time with a woman, how could he build any intimacy enough to miss her when she left? And there wasn’t any doubt that any woman crazy enough to be with him would eventually leave. Case in point: Alissa. But she’d come barreling into his life, and he’d foolishly let her in. And now his heart felt like it was imploding.
Trevor figured missing her was only natural. They did spend a few wonderful weeks together. But to feel this gutted was childish. He wondered so many things—what happened to her dad, if she got home safe, if her ex was leaving her alone or if she was ever coming back.
Three weeks, though. Three weeks had passed without any word. She knew where he was. She knew how to contact him. Sure, he didn’t have a phone, but she could have called any number in town or sent a letter. That was what post offices were for. But no message had come. Which was a message all in itself. She wasn’t coming back. And so he tried to accept that.
He’d thrown himself into work, building a new natural spring water hot tub for himself just to stay busy. His mind understood that she was gone, but his heart didn’t seem to want to accept that. He thought about her when it rained, when he stood in front of the stove, when he showered, when he fucking fed the chickens. And in the dawn, in the moment between sleep and wakefulness, he still reached out across the bed, expecting her to be there.
Maybe he should move, build a cabin higher up in the mountains. His work on this tub would be wasted, but he had to face the reality that the safe world he’d built, his sanctuary, had been ruined. Everything here reminded him of her.
Despite his thoughts on moving, he continued to bend over his work table outside, sawing the wood planks that would surround his hot tub. Completely absorbed in the task, he jumped when Chuck barked.
A harsh frown took over his face because he heard a giggle. Great. Now he was hallucinating.
But then he heard it again, this time closer. And then there she was, laughing and shooing his huge dog off her as Chuck jumped and licked her face.
“Hey, Chuck,” she said, wiping spit from her face. “I missed you too.”
Too.
“Ally?” He slammed his saw down and cleared his throat to correct himself. “Alissa?”
They weren’t friends. Not anymore. They were just acquaintances now.
“Trevor.”
Appearing a little hesitant, she walked up to him until they were face to face. She looked at him through long eyelashes, looking beautiful without even trying, and he hated how it was playing with his heart strings.
“What are you doing here?”
He tried to keep the accusation out of his voice, but her brows scrunching made it clear he’d failed. God knew he wanted her here… but she’d left. He didn’t want her back if she was planning to do it again, if she wasn’t planning on staying.
She smiled, her lips quivering slightly. “I came back.”
He could see that. “And when are you going to leave?”
She winced but held her head high. “I deserved that.”
He shrugged. He didn’t have to act like a jerk, but he didn’t know how to stop himself.
“To answer your question, I don’t plan to.”
He doubted that. He doubted everything she said. How could he trust a single thing coming out of her mouth? If he hadn’t backed her into a corner, he doubted she’d ever have told him about her ex. And even if she’d somehow convinced herself that she truly wanted to stay, he was no fool. No woman in her right mind would give up a life of luxury in exchange of what little he had to offer. She’d go running back home in no time.
“I’m going to stop you right there, Princess,” he said, turning back to his tools. “You could vacation anywhere. The Alps. The beach. Europe. Hell, you can tour the world. You don’t have to waste your time here and make promises you don’t intend to keep.”
He wasn’t going to entertain this. She came a long way to play with his feelings. She could go back the same way she came.
“Trevor,” she said, grabbing his arm.
He pressed his lips together but allowed himself to be turned around. “What?”
“I was wrong.”
He stood there, not giving any emotion away. He wasn’t going to help her. If she had something to say, she could say it.
“I shouldn’t have left that way.” Her eyes glistened and her voice softened as she continued. “I shouldn’t have left you.”
“But you did!”
Yelling was a sign of weakness. He had tried to keep it all in, but his emotions were right there for anyone to see.
She didn’t back down. She stepped closer until there were only inches between them. “But I came back!”
He scoffed. “Until you decide to leave again.”
He ran his hands through his hair, not caring about the wood fragments he was probably running through the strands.
She glowered, showing no signs of backing down. “I won’t!”
“How can I believe that?”
He threw his hands up, bending down closer to her face. They were both panting, their breaths fanning each other’s faces.
“Because I’m here now! I left my family and broke it off with Lenard for good. I don’t want him. This is where I want to be. With you.”
“Those are just words, Alissa. They don’t mean a thing.”
“Then give me a chance to show you,” she said just before she wrapped her arm around his neck and slammed their mouths together.
Her mouth was like home and, despite his need to keep his guard up, his walls instantly crumbled. His tongue danced with hers and delved deeper. She sucked on his lower lip as his hands found her waist and the bottom of her ass. His hands were big enough to cover both her cheeks, squeezing as he picked her up. She moaned, wrapping her legs around his body.
Alissa was a wild cat, humping him, and he was right there with her, struggling to make it through the back door. The bedroom was too far and so Trevor dropped her on the couch unceremoniously.
“Naked. Now.”
Alissa scrambled to shed her clothes, ripping her shirt over her head and pushing her pants past her waist. Trevor mirrored her, kicking off his shoes while unbuckling his belt. Once naked, they were on each other again, kissing and licking as much skin as they could get to.
She stood, pushing him onto the couch so she could climb on top. There was no pretense about what they both wanted. He was hard as a rock, and she was trembling from the need to have him inside her.
“Oh,” Alissa moaned as Trevor rubbed his head against her clit.
His cock slid effortlessly through her lips, slick with her wetness as he tested to see if she was ready.
“Trev.”
She was already breathless and they hadn’t even started yet. She paused, still raised on her knees with just the head of his cock poised at the entrance to her sex. She grabbed his cock confidently, circling his thick shaft, and lowered herself onto it. Slowly, she guided him into her wetness, going deeper inch by inch. He held still, watching his cock disappear inside her and knocking the breath out of his lungs.
“Fuck,” he moaned at the same time she groaned.
He filled her to the hilt. Alissa was so damn tight he was wondering if she had been with anyone while she was away. She couldn’t have been. Her pussy w
as gripping him so tightly he knew her body had waited for his. She fit him like a glove, which reminded him that he forgot to put one on, but it was a little too late.
She pulled up, taking charge and riding him with ease. Her eyes were closed, her face was scrunched together in pleasure, and her teeth bit down on her bottom lip. He watched her face before pushing his face in between her breasts. The bobbing soft skin against his face was exactly what he needed it to be. His hands pinched her nipples, squeezing them against his face as he kissed and sucked on the skin. Her muscles flexed as she continued fucking him, gradually speeding up, allowing his cock to plunge deep every time. With each repetition, she increased her pace. The couch creaked in response, adding noise to the symphony of moaning and sex.
Alissa gasped, throwing her head back, gripping the back of the couch, and barely catching her breath. He was buried so deep inside her, so deep, begging him to come inside her. He could feel her muscles clinging and relaxing, milking his cock back.
Alissa was so small compared to him. His hands touched wrapping around her waist, and he had considered he might be too big for her, but she was handling his size. She was handling him. He was pleased that she was riding him, taking all of her own satisfaction and in his arms.
“I’ve never felt so full.” Her eyes opened, teary with pleasure as she fell forward, resting her head on his shoulder as her cunt slammed against his groin. He liked the slapping sound of their skin.
Trevor could tell her legs were getting tired. He helped her bounce, holding her ass and pumping into her as he bit the sides of her neck, kissing and leaving inevitable hickies he wouldn’t regret. Lowering her down as she swiveled her hips, adding even more pleasure and not paying attention, he tripped over some unseen line and stiffened as his body erupted.
His body succumbed to pleasure like a tidal wave, surging again and again inside her. She gasped for breath, arching her body into his and clenching her nails into his shoulder.
“Yes. Oh. Trevor. Come for me.”
She gulped, rubbing their bodies together at their centers. “I’m coming,” she said between clenched teeth and collapsed against him.
Trevor could feel her clenching spasmodically against him as she waited for the aftershocks of her orgasm.
“God damn, you know how to fuck,” she mumbled against his chest her head resting on his collar bone.
Trevor couldn’t help the smile on his face. Was it bad that he agreed with her as well?
“Well, I didn’t do all the work,” he said and waited for her response.
He looked down at her, wondering why she didn’t have any quirky comebacks and realized she was falling asleep. He chuckled and stood, carrying her to their bedroom. He laid her down, pulling back to the cover and smiled down on her naked form. It was too early to be asleep, and he knew she would wake up hungry. Fatigue was clawing at him, and he planned to join her, just as soon as he brought Chuck in.
He stood at the door, naked and uncaring and whistled loudly. Chuck barked loudly and ran into the house.
“Good boy,” he said rubbing the top of his head once before heading back to bed where Ally waited.
Chapter 13
Alissa sat straight up and ambled to the bathroom on autopilot, propelling herself forward until she reached the toilet to throw up everything that was in her body.
“Ally?” Trevor sounded so concerned. “Alissa? Are you okay?”
She slumped against the toilet without any energy to pull herself up. She hoped it was clean.
She didn’t have the energy to open her eyes and look at his face. “What’s wrong?” She was too tired to answer him, but it didn’t matter because if she had the answer, she would answer. Trevor pulled her up, helping her to the sink to wipe her face with a cold rag and help her to bed.
“Should I be worried?”
She sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know what’s wrong or you don’t know if I should be worried?”
“Both.”
“Tell me what you’re feeling.”
She was nauseous and tired and felt suddenly that the world was too bright.
“I’m going to run you a bath.”
“Okay,” she said still weak.
She heard him walk away and when he returned he had a glass of tea and toast on a tray.
“Thank you,” she said, trying to sit herself up and taking a small bite. “That’s actually really good,” she said wiping the crumbs from her mouth. After a sip of tea, she smiled. “That actually does make me feel better.”
She ate some more bread under his scrutiny, waiting to see if she looked sick again or might throw up. Once it was clear she was keeping it down, he relaxed a little and went to draw the water.
He came back after a few minutes. “I filled it with bubble.”
“Thanks,” she said with a weak smile. “It’s funny. I usually only feel this sick during my—”
Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.
“What’s wrong?” he said shooting up with a bathroom trash can in case she was throwing up again.
“I’m late.”
The announcement sat between them in the silence. She was afraid to meet his gaze, and when she did, she saw he was lost in his own thoughts tracing over the tattoo on his chest. Of course he was thinking about Emma.
“We need to get a test.”
She nodded, unmoving. She wasn’t ready to know. She didn’t want to know, but at the same time, the idea of carrying a child of Trevor’s made her heart flutter.
He held out his hand and she took it, standing before he pulled her to the living room to collect their clothing. There was nothing that needed to be said. Dressed and in the truck, with Chuck in the back, tongue wagging in the wind, they drove into town. He held her hand as he drove and she hummed along to the radio. If this were another day, they could have been on a date, driving to a picnic but this was the day to see where their relationship stood.
In the store Trevor took control, pacing to the aisle loaded with all types of brand name pregnancy tests and promises.
Alissa grabbed one and read the back.
99 percent accurate
Early detection.
Easy-to-read indicator.
They all said that. How could she pick just one?
They all promised her things, and she was overwhelmed.
“I’ll just get this one,” she said turning to Trevor to see he had five in his hand.
She giggled. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“We don’t know which brand is the best one so we should try a few of them.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I have enough pee for five.”
“You need a few,” he grumbled.
“How about two?”
“Four.”
“Three.”
“Deal,” he said, grabbing three of the most expensive ones and walking to the counter with purpose.
A thought occurred just as they drove past the hotel where Liza had stayed.
“Hey, can we stop here?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I need to make a quick phone call to my mom.” She slid from the passenger seat. “It won’t take long.” She didn’t recognize the woman at the front desk.
“Good afternoon. A room for one?”
“No. I’d just like to make a phone call.”
The woman arched an eyebrow and looked ready to say no before Sally came around the corner. “Hey, Alissa. Need to make a call?”
“Yes. Please.”
Sarah lifted the phone onto the counter and introduced the other woman. “Alissa, this is Rayne. Rayne, Alissa. She’s a new hire,” Sarah said explaining her hesitancy.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Alissa said, being polite as she dialed a number into the phone.
“Elaine Fontanne.”
She answered as properly as Alissa remembered.
“Mother. It’s me.”
&nb
sp; “Ally cat, please tell me you’re well.”
Alissa smiled at the childhood nickname and nodded though her mom couldn’t see her. “I am, mother. I am well. And you?”
“Every day is new.” Alissa could hear the smile in her voice.
“I can’t talk too long, but I wanted to let you know that you were right. Everything is well.”
“Good. I hope this time I’ll see you soon.”
“I won’t stay away so long.” And meanwhile, she planned to keep to in touch. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” her mom said before hanging up.
Alissa found Trevor leaning against the car, legs and arms crossed.
“Was it a good call?”
He walked around to open her door as she smiled up at him.
“The best.”
The ride back to the cabin was full of nervous energy and excitement. Alissa wasn’t one to go off based on feelings, but she had a feeling things would work out. Everything was going to be just fine.
Trevor followed her into the house, straight to the bathroom.
“Excuse you!”
“Excuse you,” he said calmly, not backing out.
“I can’t pee while you’re in here.”
“Why not? You’ve done just about everything else.”
She gasped and crossed her arms over her chest. “I have not. Some things should be private, mister.”
He looked like he might not get out, so she pressed against his chest. “Out. Go away. Go far away. I’ll call you when you’re needed.”
He backed out of the bathroom, allowing himself to be moved, and stood just outside of the door. “I’ll be waiting.”
She didn’t wait for him to say anything else as she closed the door in his face.
It was weird trying to angle herself to make sure she peed on the stick. She hadn’t thought it through and now that her pants were down and she was holding three pregnancy tests in her hand, trying to get drops of her pee on the right spot, she realized she should have just peed in a cup. Or would that taint the results somehow?
She squealed, clutching tightly to the tests, almost dropping them into the toilet.
“You okay?”