“What do you mean? What happened?”
“Right when I was getting ready to walk out, this woman came bursting in through the door, almost crashed into us.”
“That’s odd. She didn’t knock or anything?”
“Nah, she barreled right in. The secretary seemed pissed about it. Sloan didn’t look happy to see her either, whoever she was.” He pops up from the sofa, heading for the staircase.
I have an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach at what he’s telling me and I don’t know why. But still, I ask anyway. “What did she look like?”
“Petite, about your height, red hair. Anyway, I’ll be back downstairs in a few. Will you still be here?”
“Uh, no. I’m heading out. I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Okay.” He walks back to me, giving me another hug, and telling me to have fun before he heads upstairs.
Why would Bridgett come to Sloan’s office? And there’s no doubt in my mind that’s who it was. I try to shake off my feeling of impending doom. Talking about Patrick has made me anxious and suspicious, neither of which Sloan deserves. I’ll ask him what it was all about when I see him. If I want a real relationship with Sloan, I need to make an honest effort, and that means no jumping to conclusions. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for why she was there.
I grab my keys out of the bowl and the overnight bag I packed earlier that I left sitting by the door. Tossing it into the backseat before climbing into my car and heading out of my neighborhood, I try not to let my mind wander as I drive to Sloan’s house. I’m sure his meeting with Bridgett was nothing for me to be concerned about.
Most of my fears have eased by the time I reach his house. He’s got his front door propped open when I get out of the car, leaning against the doorway all sexy and shirtless and delicious. He takes my bag from me when I reach him, slipping his hand past my cheek to grip the back of my neck, and pull me in for a toe curling kiss. His tongue slips along mine, drawing a moan from me. He pulls away long before I’m ready for him to.
“We’d better take this inside before the neighbors complain.” He drops his hand from my neck and places it at the small of my back as I walk through the door, him right behind me. He kicks it shut when we get inside, dropping my bag on the floor next to us, and this time gripping me with two hands and spinning me around before he takes my mouth again. His lips are soft, the smell of his soap from a recent shower drifting over me. It’s easy to get sidetracked and to forget I wanted to talk to him when he kisses me with those lips.
“I missed you.” He says, breaking our kiss.
“I missed you too.” He leans back in to take another kiss but I can get distracted again. I place my hand to his chest and hold him off. His look of confusion makes me sad.
“I need to ask you about something.”
He steps back, a confused look on his face. “Sure. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I have a question though.” I take a deep breath. “I was talking to Carson earlier. He said a woman came charging into your office today at the end of your meeting. A woman with red hair. Was it Bridgett?”
He doesn’t look surprised when I ask and he doesn’t hesitate to answer either. “Yes, she asked the other day at the coffee shop if she could come by the office and I told her no, that I didn’t want to see her. She showed up at my office today unannounced, and Sophie wouldn’t let her back to see me. She took off down the hall when Sophie wasn’t paying attention.” He sighs, taking me back in his arms.
“What did she want?” My voice sounds small and weak. I hate it.
“Nothing for you to concern yourself with. It’s not important why she came, but we did talk. We both said some things that needed to be said and that was the end of it. She shouldn’t be coming back again.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Now, enough about her.” He leans in kissing my forehead, then my cheek, then trailing kisses across my jaw. Between his words and the soft brush of his lips, my worries slip away. My hands slip around his neck as his lips reach a small spot near my ear that makes my knees weak and makes chills run down my body. His voice is quiet as he talks between kisses. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on you since the last time we talked.”
“You have?” I ask, playing innocent. Truth is, I’ve been dying for the same thing. Phone sex was fun, but nowhere near as good as the real thing. This man is amazing.
To solidify that point, he cups his hands underneath my ass and lifts me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. Sloan makes his way to the stairs, climbing them, occasionally breaking our kisses to watch where we are going. As much as we’ve done this lately, he should have the steps memorized by now. But, it’s better safe than sorry, I suppose.
We reach the top of the landing and he carries me into the bedroom. Without warning, he tosses me back onto the bed, making me giggle.
“What are you doing?”
The predatory look in his eyes should be scary, but all it does is elicit lust in my body and another rush of liquid into my panties. He removes one of my shoes, then the other. There’s no gentle sweetness to his actions. He’s rough, aggressive, and dominant. Leaning down over me, he slips his hands under the waistband of my tights and strips them down my body, only my panties left behind.
“I’m seeing if our phone sex scenario is as good in real life as it was over the phone.” He runs his fingers along my pussy and clit, over my panties, feeling the wetness seeping though. Without warning, he gathers the flimsy fabric with both hands and rips, the sound of the material giving way loud in the quiet room.
Holy fuck that’s hot.
“Holy fuck that’s hot.” He says aloud, echoing my thoughts. He doesn’t hesitate, kneeling onto the floor, spreading my legs wide, and wedging his broad shoulders between them. He slips his arms under my legs, grabbing my hips, and sliding me down to the end of the bed in one rough, jerky movement. My legs rest along his shoulders, and there’s no teasing this time as he dives straight in, the first touch of his hot tongue to my clit driving me wild. He licks me, flattening his tongue along my slit and flicking my clit with the end when he reaches the top.
A few passes with his hot, skilled tongue and I can’t hold on any longer. I’m wound too tight and it’s been too long since this man had access to my body. My orgasm rips through me, hard and intense, shaking me to my core. Sloan is relentless, refusing to let go of my clit as I shudder and shake beneath his lips. He’s grabbing a condom and sliding into me, building another orgasm before I even come down from the first one. My legs have slipped down from his shoulders, but his arms are still pinned under them, holding them open wide as he plunges into me. His feet are firmly planted on the floor, giving him the leverage he needs to pound into me, his cock sliding over my clit with each stroke.
“Damn, your pussy’s getting tight. That’s it baby. Come for me again. Let it go.” His words come in pants as he pumps into me, and I can’t hold on any longer. His name is loud on my lips as I come for the second time, unable to control the volume of my voice. He stills against me seconds later as he bottoms out, balls deep, his cock flexing and pulsing inside me as he finds his release.
“Fuck,” he draws the word out, resting his forehead against mine as he slowly slides his cock in and out a few more times, causing more shudders to rack my body. “I know it was quick and to the point, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to be inside you. Next time, I’ll worship you.”
His need to apologize for nothing makes me giggle, but true to his word, he makes up for the quick and hasty fuck.
Twice.
***
It’s Saturday afternoon, and I’m already itching to see Sloan again. I spent the night with him Thursday night, and it was nothing short of amazing. But between his work schedule and me prepping for Carson’s away games next week, I didn’t get to see or talk to Sloan on Friday. A few texts let me know my Saturday would be a waste too, because Sloan is spending the day ca
tching up on paperwork at his office.
That gives me a brilliant idea. I call in an order to Cade’s Tavern and being the amazing guy he is, Cade tells me to swing by and pick it up, that he’ll take care of everything. He knows what Sloan likes to order, which is helpful because we’ve only been here once and I was so hung up on Sloan’s good looks, charm, and sex appeal that day that I don’t even remember what he ate.
I pull the big door open, the air conditioning a relief from the humid Florida heat, and let my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Cade is standing over by the bar in the front and looks up when the light from outside streams in through the open door. I wave and walk in his direction.
“Hey. Thank you so much for getting this together for me. I appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone to.”
He’s all smiles when he greets me. “You’re welcome. And it’s no trouble at all. I’m happy to help. Let me go get your order. It should be ready in a few more minutes. Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?”
“Oh, no, thank you. You’ve done plenty.” He walks back to the kitchen and I’m left waiting at the bar. I’m only left alone for a minute, but that’s all it takes to ruin everything.
“Well, well. Elizabeth, right?” The voice comes from behind me and the smile drops from my face when I turn around and see her. I try not to let my expression give anything away, but I have nothing but hatred for this woman and what she did to Sloan. But as much as I try, I’m sure it shines through anyway.
“Bridgett, nice to see you again.”
Yeah, right. Like fucking hell, it is.
“I saw you sitting over here and wanted to come and talk to you, woman to woman. I hope you don’t have any hard feelings.” She frowns, giving me a sad, pouty look while she says it.
What is she talking about?
When I give her a look which clearly says exactly what I am thinking, she gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. “Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry. I thought he had already talked to you.”
Her mock horror is amusing, but I ignore it and find my words to ask, “You thought he talked to me about what?”
The smile on her face in no way says she’s apologetic for what she’s saying. “About the two of us getting back together, of course.”
Okay, seriously. What the fuck is this woman on? Is she delusional?
“Look,” I stand up, facing her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I know you came to see Sloan the other day. He wasn’t happy you showed up. I don’t know what you think is going on, but I assure you, the two of you are not getting back together.”
“Trust me honey, he was more than glad I stopped by after a few minutes. I left his office with a smile on my face, and believe me, I left a smile on his too.”
“Get to the point, Bridgett.” I’m getting frustrated with this conversation. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, don’t be naïve Elizabeth. We had a nice chat, and a nice fuck, and now we’re back together. We have history. Did you honestly think he would throw away everything we had for you?”
I want to scream at her, tell her she’s the one who threw it all away when she decided Sloan wasn’t good enough anymore. But I say nothing. I don’t believe her. I can’t. Not after what Sloan said to me.
But if I think about it, he didn’t say much at all. I asked him what she wanted at the coffee shop the other day and he didn’t want to talk about it. And I asked him what happened when she came by his office as Carson left and he told me it was nothing and not to worry about that either. Could it be true? Could she be telling me the truth right now? I know Sloan wasn’t happy to see her at first, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t happy by the time she left.
Flashes of Patrick float through my mind, the line between present and past blurring enough that I can’t tell the difference between what’s then and what’s now.
I hold back the tears threatening to fall from my eyes. I can’t handle this right now. Without saying a word, I grab my purse from the bar, take a couple of twenties out and put them on the bar top where another bartender is standing, and walk towards the door. I’m almost there when I hear Cade calling my name. His voice turns me around.
“Liz, where you going? I’ve got your order ready?” He looks at me, looking almost as confused as I do, but I can’t find my voice to answer him. I’m afraid it might break before I can get out of here and the last thing I want is for this bitch to see me cry. I turn and walk out the door, my heart shattering in two.
Chapter Nineteen
Sloan
I hate working on Saturdays, but if I have any hope of getting my caseload wrapped up, then I need to sacrifice some of my spare time. I’d love nothing more than to be spending the day with Lizzy, though. She’s all I can concentrate on—so much so, that I’ve almost walked out of the office three times since I got here. And as much as I want to throw my hands up and say, ‘fuck it’ I don’t. The more work I do now, the more time I’ll get to spend with her later. It’s that motivation that keeps me moving along.
It’s a quarter till one and I’m starving, trying to decide what I want to do for lunch when my cell phone rings. Picking it up hoping it’s Lizzy, I see it’s Cade. I connect the call. “Hey man, what’s up?”
“Hey, listen. Drama went down at the bar a few minutes ago and I think you should know about it.” He sounds worried.
“What’s going on?”
“Elizabeth was here. She was picking up an order to surprise you for lunch, but when I came back out from the kitchen with her bags, she was hauling ass out the door and Bridgett was standing at the bar where I’d left Elizabeth waiting.”
“What the fuck was Bridgett doing there?” My anger spikes because, knowing how angry Bridgett was with me, no good can come of this.
“I don’t know man. I never saw her come in. If I had, I would have told her ass to leave. Anyway, before I could give Liz her food, she ran out. Fuck, you’re not going to like this next part.”
Now my temperature is at a full boil. “Spill it.”
“I confronted Bridgett. Asked her what she said to Elizabeth to make her run. She said she came by your office and tried to get back together with you, but when you turned her down it was the biggest mistake of your life. She saw Elizabeth sitting at the bar, and told her you guys were getting back together.”
“What the fuck?!?! You know that’s not true! I can’t believe Bridgett would stoop so low!” I’m pissed now, so angry I’m shouting over the phone.
Cade sighs into the receiver. “That’s not the worst part. After I grilled her for a few minutes, Bridgett admitted she told Elizabeth that the two of you fucked in your office the day she came by to see you.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“I wish I was. I called out to her before she left, but she didn’t answer me and rushed out anyway. I don’t know where she went, but you should talk to her as soon as you can.”
Dragging my hand through my hair, I’m frustrated more now than I think I’ve ever been in my life. “I didn’t fuck Bridgett. I would never do that to Lizzy.”
“I know man, I didn’t believe her. But I don’t know if Elizabeth believed her or not. Judging by the way she took off out of here, I’m almost positive she did.”
“Fuck! Okay, I need to see if I can’t get this shit straightened out. Thanks for calling me.”
“Hey, no problem. I hope this works out for ya. Good luck brother.”
“Thanks. I’m going to need all the luck I can get.”
I disconnect the call and lean back in my office chair, willing my anger to subside and my heart rate to come down. Of all the shitty things for Bridgett to do to me, this takes the cake. She knows damned well I didn’t fuck her in my office—that day or any other day. Fuck, how am I supposed to fix this?
I pull up Lizzy’s number and try calling her. I’m not surprised when it goes straight to voicemail, but I’m not sure what to say, and hang up before leaving a message. Two
minutes later, I say ‘fuck it’ and call back, this time waiting for the beep to plead my case. “Lizzy, Cade called me and told me what happened at the bar. He confronted Bridgett after you ran out. There’s no fucking way I slept with her in my office or anywhere else. I need you to believe me. I lo… I care about you too much to ever do that to you. Please, call me when you get this.”
I disconnect the call and take a minute to ponder over the words I left on the message, or more importantly the words I almost said. Words that, after Bridgett, I never thought I’d say again. But it feels different this time. It feels more meaningful, if possible. I loved Bridgett, but I never truly felt in love with her. With Lizzy, I’m crazy for everything about her. I don’t know when it happened, but I’m absolutely in love with her.
And thanks to Bridgett, it may all be over before I can even tell her.
Fuck, I’ve got to talk to her.
I leave the office and go straight to her house, but no one answers the door. There’s no car out front—which is where she usually parks—but she could have parked in the garage. It’s bright outside, making it hard for me to see if any lights are on in the house. It’s likely she’s not even here, choosing to stay away since she knows this would be the first place I’d look for her. Then again, she might be hiding in her house, avoiding me. I call her again, leaving another frantic message as I knock, but no one ever comes to the door. I force myself to leave. I don’t think she’s home, or at least that’s what I tell myself to keep from admitting she wants nothing to do with me.
I call her a few more times throughout the day, but with each one I’m met with the same results. It’s fast approaching midnight and still I’ve heard nothing from her, not even a text telling me to fuck off, which I fully expected to get after blowing up her phone all day. She’s off the radar and avoiding me. Each second that goes by is crushing my hope with every tick of the clock.
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