Romeo for Hire

by Ali Parker

  I didn’t understand. Candice had barely spoken to me since last night, and when she did, her tone was clipped and her eyes narrowed.

  “I don’t understand,” I said. “Why have you been so upset then?”

  “Because I’m scared!” she yelled. “Letting my mom back in isn’t an easy thing for me to do, Ryan. You of all people should know that.”

  “You have to try,” I said firmly.

  Candice’s eyes narrowed further. “Why? Why do I have to?”

  I swallowed hard and ran my finger through my already messy hair. I’d been so stressed out about this dinner that I hadn’t bothered to comb it before getting in the car. It didn’t matter anyway. This night was not about me.

  “Paisley doesn’t have a mother,” I said slowly, barely able to meet Candice’s gaze. “I’ve seen the toll that takes on her, and she’s just a little girl. Not even five years old yet. I don’t want to see the same thing happen to you.”

  “It’s different,” Candice said. “My mother is—”

  “Here.”

  Candice’s mouth fell shut. She shook her head and looked away, frustrated that I was pushing her so hard. But I couldn’t help it. When I thought about Candice not having her mom in her life, the way Paisley no longer didn’t, it broke my heart.

  “She’s your mom,” I said. “And she’s here. She’s in your life, loving you every day. And yes, she’s made horrible mistakes, but at least she’s here. Not everyone can say that.”

  Turning back to me, I watched as Candice’s face softened. She sighed and nodded, putting her hand on the door handle with a grimace.

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  I smiled encouragingly and got out of the car. Hurrying around to meet her, I put my arm around her waist and steered her toward the front door.

  Deborah’s home, so intimidating the first time I was there, now seemed like nothing special. The steps leading up to the door felt smaller, the climb less steep. We stepped up to the door, and I tightened my hold on Candice, making sure she knew I was still there for her.

  “Don’t leave my side tonight,” she said quickly. “Promise me.”

  “What if I have to pee?” I teased.

  “Watch it, Winters.”

  Grinning, I turned Candice toward the door and nudged her forward. She reached out her hand, and I was surprised to see that it was steady. My own palms were covered in sweat, but I refused to let Candice see.

  She rang the doorbell, and we waited.

  Deborah’s footsteps echoed inside the entryway, drifting out onto the front stoop and into our nervous ears. I saw her step up to the door and pause. Her head was ducked. She was just as nervous as we were.

  “Candice!” She trilled, throwing the door open and extending her arms wide. “You came.”

  “Of course, I did,” Candice said without emotion. “Ryan was nice enough to set this up. The least I could do was show up.”

  Deborah’s face fell slightly. Quickly putting the smile back on her face, she motioned for us to come inside. I kept my arm tight around Candice as we did. I could feel the tension in her shoulders as she leaned into me.

  “Thank you for having us, Mrs. Smart.” I smiled.

  “Call me Deborah,” she said. “I think we’ve been through enough to render formalities unnecessary.”

  “Ya think?” Candice scoffed.

  An awkward silence fell over us. I glanced at Candice, eyes wide with meaning. She glared at me and looked away. Despite knowing I was right, Candice wasn’t going to make this easy for anyone.

  “Shall we eat?” Deborah asked, breaking the tense silence.

  “Sure,” I said brightly. “Candice?”

  “Is there any wine?”

  “Red?” Deborah asked.

  “Do I drink anything else?” Candice snapped.

  I nudged her hip with mine and shot her a warning look. She brushed me off and breezed into the dining room without another word. With an apologetic glance at Deborah, I hurried after her.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed.

  Candice blinked, feigning innocence. “What?”

  “You aren’t even trying.”

  The fight drained out of her body. She lowered herself onto the closest chair and looked behind me to make sure I’d followed her alone.

  “I don’t know if I can do this,” she admitted. “Just seeing her—”

  She glared at the floor, her fists clenched with rage. Sighing, I sunk to my knees in front of her and took her hands in mine.

  “Talk to her about it,” I said. “Be angry. Be pissed off. But just start talking.”

  “What’s the point?”

  “Come on, Smart.” I grinned. “You know the answer to that.”

  Before I could say anything else, Deborah appeared in the doorway carrying three glasses and a bottle of wine. I hurried forward and scooped the wine from her, quickly setting in on the table and raising my eyebrows at Candice.

  She hesitated for a split second, long enough to for Deborah to set the glasses down and for me to uncork the bottle.

  “Mom,” Candice said. “Before we start dinner, I think we should talk.”

  “Oh, Candice,” Deborah said. “Can’t we just eat first? Before things get nasty.”

  “I don’t want to fight,” Candice promised. “Just talk.”

  Deborah nodded and sat down. I poured each of us a glass of red. Setting one in front of each Candice and her mother, I sat down in the chair beside Candice and waited.

  It was few more minutes before anyone spoke. Candice and I drank our wine and exchanged nervous glances, our eyes darting away from each other to stare at an empty wall or through the window behind Deborah.

  “Maybe I should go first,” Deborah finally said. Candice opened her mouth to protest, but Deborah held one hand up to silence her. “No, I should. Candice, you may not believe this, but I am sorry for hurting you. That was never my intention.”

  “Why did you do it then?” Candice asked, finally finding her voice. “After you promised to stay out of my personal life, why butt back in? Why try to give Ryan that money?”

  “Because I can be a real bitch sometimes.”

  I was so shocked that I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The snort just burst out of my nose, leading to an eruption of snickers that I could barely suppress. Deborah smiled at me kindly and then turned back to her daughter.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “He can laugh. You can too. It’s the truth, and we all know it.”

  “Mom—”

  “I don’t have a good reason for doing what I did,” Deborah said. “So Candice, don’t ask for one. Just know that I am sorry, and this time, I truly will stay out of your life.”

  “That’s not what I want,” Candice whispered.

  Deborah blinked, confused. “It’s not?”

  “No.” Candice sighed. “Mom, I just want you to respect the choices I make. To respect me. And to know that no matter what, I’m going to be okay. You don’t have to micromanage me anymore. I know what I’m doing now.”

  “I know.” Deborah smiled. “And I’m sorry I haven’t always been able to see that.”

  “It’s okay.” Candice sniffed. “We just have to start over. If you think you can.”

  Deborah nodded. “I can.”

  “And—” Candice looked pointedly in my direction. “If you can promise me you won’t try to interfere with my relationship with Ryan. Ever again.”

  “That’s the last thing I would want to do,” Deborah said. She looked at me softly, her gray eyes full of an emotion I’d never seen from her before. “Ryan, I see how much you love my daughter, and for that, I can never thank you enough.”

  “You don’t have to,” I said. “Candice makes it easy.”

  “Well.” Candice chuckled. “Not always.”

  We all laughed, and I could feel the tension drain from the air around us. Sipping our wine, we talked more about everything that happened and why it did. Deborah apologized
for being pushy, Candice apologized for not involving her mother in her life more often, and I watched as the bridge slowly started to form between them.

  I knew it was going to be a long time before their relationship was completely fixed, if ever, but I was glad that I’d tried. Knowing the first step had been taken was enough. I finally felt like Candice and I could really move forward without anything holding us back.

  “So, Seattle?” Deborah asked while we ate dinner. “What prompted that decision?”

  Candice reached for my hand. “We just loved it.”

  “You should see her business plan for the new branch,” I bragged. “It’s impressive.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen it.”

  Candice blinked. Frowning, she stared at her mother and waited for an explanation that didn’t come.

  “Mom.” She cleared her throat. “How have you seen it?”

  “Bart,” Deborah said simply. “He emailed it to me as soon as the board approved the deal.”

  “Of course, he did.”

  Deborah dabbed her mouth with the corner of her napkin. Laying it down, she turned in her chair so she was facing Candice.

  “Sweetheart,” she said. “You may not believe this, but I have always been proud of you.”

  “Really?” Candice’s voice was weak. “So, you think it’s a good move then? That the branch could be successful?”

  “I think,” Deborah said, “that with you running things, there’s no way it could be anything but.”

  Candice beamed, and from that point on, I saw a shift in the way she interacted with Deborah. They were far from friends, but Candice opened up to her more. She let her in on the details of her life in a way that she never had before.

  Back at my place that night, Candice and I sat on the front stoop and peered up at the night sky. The city lights illuminated it so completely that even as midnight came and went, we could still see everything around us.

  “Thank you,” she said. “For making me see her.”

  “I would do anything for you,” I said. “Don’t you know that by now?”

  She looked at me with warm eyes. “I think I’m starting to,” she said. “You love me, right?”

  “Whoa!” I teased. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Smart.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it, Winters.”

  Chapter 88

  Candice

  The night air enveloped us as Ryan’s arms moved around my waist. He pulled me to him, holding me close while he rested his chin on my shoulder. I leaned back and closed my eyes, exhausted but not at all ready for sleep.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  “No.” I sat up and turned to face him. “Really. Ryan, I love you. I can’t imagine anyone else doing that for me. You’re—”

  He stopped me with a kiss. I forgot everything I’d wanted to say just seconds earlier as his lips overwhelmed my senses. Sighing, I sank into him, my tongue darting forward to meet his.

  We sat on the front stoop, wrapped in each other’s arms, kissing until neither of us could breathe. It wasn’t until a passing neighbor cleared his throat and shouted at us to move on that we broke apart and hurried inside, silently giggling the whole way.

  The second the door swung shut behind us, Ryan had me in his arms. He kissed me like before, slow and full of emotion. My arms flew around his neck, my fingers searching for his hair. His own hands found my lower back as he pressed me against him.

  I don’t know how long we stood at the foot of the stairs before Ryan lifted me into his arms and carried me to his bedroom, but it didn’t matter. I would have stayed right there, kissing him until the sun came up.

  Ryan’s strong arms held me easily as he kicked open his bedroom door. We crossed the threshold together, and Ryan laid me gently on the bed. My head hit the pillows softly as my eyes searched for his.

  He pulled away just long enough to look down with eyes full of wonder. His green irises almost disappeared in the late-night light, but I could just make them out as he lowered his lips back to mine.

  Poised above me, Ryan kissed me with all the passion he held inside. It was a kiss deeper and more intense than any we’d shared. It not only left me panting and needy but trembling with desire and overcome with love.

  I held his body to mine and refused to let go. The kiss stretched on into the night while Ryan’s hands slowly roamed over my body. We’d never moved this slowly, like two teenagers trying to memorize the way the other felt. Our fingers barely inched over the other’s body, trembling as we removed each other’s clothing.

  Naked and breathless, I rolled on top of Ryan. His fingertips slid down my spine, landing gently on my ass. I shook violently at the sensations such a small touch could create.

  I didn’t have long to enjoy them before Ryan flipped me onto my back once again. He pinned me to the bed, his hands pushing my arms above my head. His lips collided with mine for a second before he lowered them to my neck.

  Ryan kissed every inch of my body that night.

  My neck. My chest. My nipples. My stomach and my ribs. He licked his way between my hips, causing them to rocket upward with anticipation.

  His slow movements were the most amazing form of torture I could have imagined. I never wanted his lips to leave my skin.

  Sliding back up to my face, Ryan dropped my arms and took my face in his hands. He kissed me once and wrapped his arms around my body.

  I trembled in his arms. Our eyes met as Ryan moved one hand between my legs. I cried out when he touched me, already so overcome with need that one touch was enough to send me cascading toward the edge.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  He kissed me once and then put his forehead to mine as he slid himself inside me. Gasping, I clutched him with everything I had and pushed my hips up to meet his.

  We froze, holding each other and reveling in the intense pleasure already shooting through us. It would have been enough to just feel him all around me, but with one thrust, Ryan made every emotion I’d ever felt come rushing to the surface.

  I buried my face in his chest, kissing and licking every inch of his skin I could reach. He tangled his fingers in my hair before lifting my face to his. His lips found my neck, and he moaned deeply in my ear.

  Sweat covered us both in seconds as our bodies took full control. Ryan gripped me tighter than he ever had, enveloping my entire body in his strength.

  I’d never loved him more. I’d never felt closer to him than I did now. With him above me, inside me, and all around me, I exploded with ecstasy that was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

  “Ryan!” I dug my nails into his back and bit down on his shoulder, moaning and crying out so loudly, I thought the walls might shake.

  The sound of my voice was more than Ryan could take. He pushed himself upward and pulled me along with him. Positioning me on top of him, Ryan lifted his hips and thrust inside of me. Once. Twice. Endless times.

  His dick throbbed, making my orgasm last longer than it ever had. The pleasure dragged itself out so much, I slipped into a state of oblivion unreachable by anyone else. I was putty in Ryan’s hands, ready and willing to give myself to him completely. And forever.

  Arching my back, I wrapped my arms around Ryan’s neck and rode him hard.

  Screaming out his name, I closed my eyes and did nothing but feel. Ryan buried his face in my breasts and grunted with each thrust, beads of sweat pouring down his face and mingling with my own.

  We were so connected that our rhythm was effortless. Our bodies faded into one being, twisting around each other and inside each other, never to be disconnected again.

  “Fuck.” Ryan gasped and bit down on his lip. His eyes raked down my body as I arched my back farther, giving him a chance to enjoy the show.

  Pushing him onto his back, I rode him hard and watched as his eyes rolled upward

  “Fuck! Candice.” His breathing was more than
ragged. He sucked in jagged breaths that were exhaled sharply through his nose.

  His face turned beet red as his hands flew up to grip my ass. He pushed me hard on top of him and rolled his head back. It hit the bed with a thud as his body began to shake. Squeezing me so tightly, Ryan erupted inside of me and let out an earth-shattering cry that sent my own pleasure flying over the edge and crashing into the waves beneath.

  Our pleasure mingled as I slowed my hips but didn’t stop. I wanted him to feel every inch of my pleasure as it dripped down his cock. From the way he continued to moan and cry out my name, I knew he felt it too.

  “Holy fuck.” He moaned. “Baby, don’t stop. Fuck. God, I love you.”

  I pushed my breasts against his chest and searched for his lips. When I kissed him, he groaned and put one hand on the back of my head. Tangling his fingers in my hair, he held me there, his tongue flying into my mouth to taste mine.

  We stayed that way until our breathing slowly returned to normal and my toes uncurled. My legs still didn’t work, so I laid my head on his chest and let the world slowly revolve around us. We were back in our little bubble, and I never, ever wanted to leave.

  Ryan played absentmindedly with my hair while I kissed his chest. I savored the taste of the sweat on his skin until the feeling of my tongue became too much for him to stand.

  “Dammit, Candice.” He flipped me onto my back and attacked my body one more time.

  I writhed with renewed ecstasy, crying out his name and feeling it slip off my tongue, landing on Ryan’s ears and filling him with even more need than before.

  He rocked my body against the headboard until we came together, clutching at each other’s bodies and finally too exhausted to go on.

  “Oh my god.” I moaned and curled up next to him, feeling his arms wrap protectively around my sweaty body. “That was amazing.”

  Ryan couldn’t speak, so he just held me tighter and placed hurried kisses on my head. He breathed in my scent and slowly exhaled, desperately trying to bring himself back down from the high I’d given him.

  It was minutes before either of us could speak a word. My body felt hot to the touch like my skin had been set on fire over and over again all night. And in a way, it had been.