“Kinda,” she agreed as she looked around. “About the weekend, West. I’m on the schedule to work on Saturday night. I do have Sunday and Monday off. I can stay Sunday but I don’t want you to have to wait for me so late on Saturday night.”
He sighed as he unhooked her bra. “That stupid job, Aulora. Really, how much money did you make in the last week?”
The bar had been slow all week long. Her tips didn’t amount to a hill of beans. And everyone told her she was an idiot for not taking him up on his offer to live with him. Even though they barely knew each other, everyone told her she was certifiable. They all saw the huge change in her usually blah demeanor.
Aulora was head over heels in love and there was no hiding it!
Chapter 2
His hands held hers above her head as he teased her aching nipple with his mouth and played with her pulsing clit with his free hand. He was true to his word, he was toying with her, making her climax time and time again, wearing her out.
When she moaned with her fifth orgasm, he saw fit to let her hands go and finally move inside her. She was panting as he entered her and soaking wet. “Yes!” she moaned as she ran her hands over his muscular back. “That’s what I’ve been craving!”
He was pleased she wanted him so badly. The previous week had brought them closer and they’d gained so much knowledge about what made the other happy in the bedroom and in everyday life too. He kissed a soft patch of flesh just behind her ear. It made her arch up to him every time. He whispered, “I love you.”
She moaned the words back to him, the way they’d fallen into doing. Their bodies knew how to work together. There was no denying Aulora brought more out in him than anyone had ever done before.
Weston found himself looking at engagement rings one afternoon as he waited at the mall to meet her for a quick lunch. The jewelry store was nowhere near the caliber he’d really buy a ring from but he’d stopped and looked them over. One of them caught his attention, and he’d toyed with the idea of looking for a real engagement ring for her.
When he told his friend, Dylan, what he’d done, they guy smacked him on the back and told him he should go for it. He’d told him that he’d never seen him so smitten. “Why wait?” were Dylan’s actual words.
But he decided to wait anyway. Things had been going so great. So smooth. So unlike how things had started for them. He didn’t want to press his luck. And he’d had bad luck before when things got rushed.
Weston made easy, long strokes as he looked into her steely blue eyes. Her hands moved over his cheeks as she gazed back into his. They had a deep connection, of that there was absolutely no doubt. He knew he should tell her the truth. But that had always led to words about feeling sorry for him and he hated to hear those words.
Most of the time, he didn’t let that dark memory come to the surface. It was too painful. It had been ten years since things had changed so drastically. His future had been altered but only for what seemed like a moment. Then it was back to normal again. Only a hole was left in his heart that he knew would never fully mend.
A swift intake of breath from Aulora had him focusing on her face as she gave him what he wanted. Her body squeezed his and he had no choice but to give into what her body demanded from his.
They watched each other through their simultaneous climaxes. At the end, they both whispered, “I love you.”
Never had he felt more for anyone. Not another soul. Aulora was it for him. He just wished like hell that time would pass rapidly, so he could ask her the question he wanted to so desperately.
Pushing her damp bangs back off her forehead, he asked her one question that had been bobbing around his mind since they’d gotten serious. “Aulora, do you think you’ll ever want to have kids?”
Her laugh was quick and caused him a sharp pain in the middle of his heart. “Kids? Not anytime soon.”
He nodded, kissed the tip of her nose and rolled off her. Lying back on the bed, he pulled her to lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her. Venturing a bit further into what he wanted to know, he asked, “Do you like kids?”
“I haven’t been around any to know. I would guess I’d like mine,” she said then laughed again. “I’m only twenty-two, I have plenty of time to have kids. I want to focus on my art right now. I barely have time for you.”
He nodded. He knew she was right. But he also knew he wanted to have kids sooner rather than later. And he had an offer on the table he couldn’t ignore.
He hadn’t thought seriously about what had been asked of him. Until that very moment when Aulora told him kids weren’t anywhere near her mind at that time.
“Aulora, how long do you think it will be before you want kids?”
“I have no idea, really.” She leaned up on her elbow and looked down at him with a smile. “West, do you want me to have your baby or something like that?”
His smile told her he did but his words came out, “No. I just want to know when you think that would be something you would want.”
“So, you don’t want me to have your baby?” she asked with a frown, suddenly irritated that he’d bring up kids but not say he wanted them with her.
“Not if you don’t want to. That’s not a thing I’d ever push on you. Parenthood isn’t a thing that should be forced. If you don’t want kids, then I just want to know that.”
“I didn’t say I never wanted them. Just not now. With school, work, and my art that would be too difficult.”
“You graduate in six months,” he reminded her. “Work, at that bar, is a thing that should end soon. Your work as an artist doesn’t conflict with pregnancy or raising children. I should think you could start thinking about having children as soon as one year from now.”
“One year?” she asked with a high tone to her voice. “One year? Really? I think twenty-three is too young to have a baby. Especially, if you have no clue what to do with one. I’ve never changed a diaper, have you?”
He looked at her for a moment, weighing his answer.
“I have. It’s not so difficult.”
“What about learning how to feed them? Remembering to feed them?” she asked him. “I have to set an alarm to remind me to feed Bruce.”
“A baby pretty much lets you know when to feed them.” He pulled her back to lie in his arms, trying to settle her back down. Her brows had furrowed and she looked like she might be getting upset.
“We don’t have to talk about this anymore. I can see you’re nowhere near ready.”
“I feel like that means something to you, Weston. Does it?” she asked him, sensing him closing off a part of himself to her.
“Let’s just go to sleep, peach. I shouldn’t have brought that up. It’s far too early in our relationship to ask such things.”
She nodded and they closed their eyes as he wondered to himself why he wanted to force something that important so early in what they had. He knew deep down that it had everything to do with what he’d been asked.
Once he’d loved another woman, a long time ago. Once they’d built dreams of a future together. That had all been lost and he knew that young love was nothing compared to what he’d found with Aulora. But something nagged at him about what he’d lost.
He wondered if he’d be able to keep the thing he longed for at bay, long enough for Aulora to want to give him what he so desperately desired. Or would he eventually give in to the offer that was made to him?
Chapter 3
With a quick kiss, Weston left Aulora’s apartment early the next morning, so he could go out to his place and get ready for his work day. Aulora didn’t have to be in her first class until ten, so she went back to bed shortly after feeding the cat and letting him out for a minute. The cold air had him right back at the door, meowing to be let in.
Cozying up on the small sofa with him, she found her phone ringing and saw it was Brittany.
“Early for you, isn’t it?” she answered the phone.
“It is,” Britt rep
lied. “And how was your evening, if I may ask?”
“Great. Well, anytime with West is always great. That sounds so weird coming out of my mouth. But it’s true. And yours?”
“I met someone last night,” Britt told her. “He’s tall, dark, and extremely handsome and I know this might sound insane but Aullie I think he might be the one!”
Aullie sat up straight. “Huh?”
“I met him at the beginning of my shift and he hung out the whole night and we went out for breakfast when I got off and we talked until the sun came up. That’s why I’m calling you so early. I haven’t even gone to bed yet. It was amazing!”
“His name?” Aullie asked as she tapped her fingertip to her chin. Her friend’s news had ignited something inside of her. Was that jealousy she was feeling?
“His name is Julio Garcia. He’s a Latino. My parents will be thrilled,” she gushed. “We talked about everything. Our hopes for the future…”
“And what are they?” Aullie interrupted.
“Kids, a big house, great jobs. He already has one. He’s a manager at a car dealership. He’s living in an apartment in Queens but he’d love to get a house. And he already told me to stop by the dealership, later on, today and he’s going to set me up in a demo car. Can you believe that?”
“I can’t believe you’d let him do that,” Aullie said as she shook her head. “You’d let him take care of you that much?”
“I don’t see why not,” Brittany said with an air of agitation to her voice. “He and I are like complete soul mates. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I wouldn’t?” Aullie asked with more than a bit of anger in her voice. “I think Weston and I are pretty damn close to being soul mates. So, I think I should understand what the hell you’re saying, Britt.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not as committed as we are,” Brittany touted, further aggravating Aullie. “He wants three kids, just like I’ve always wanted. We’re both dog people. We both love beef enchiladas and raspberry tea. It’s like he was cut from the same cloth I was. When he touched me, I felt like electricity went all the way through me.”
“Did you have sex with him?” Aullie asked as chills ran through her. When she and Weston touched, the same thing happened. She thought that meant they had a special connection. But if Brittany had found the same thing with a random stranger, maybe it wasn’t so damn special after all.
“Sex, no,” Britt said. “We made out hardcore, though. I thought you’d be more excited for me, Aullie. You’re kind of making me feel like you don’t care.”
“I care,” Aullie said, beginning to feel bad about not being there for the one woman she was actually close to. “I’m happy for you. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“I’m pretty sure he’ll come to the bar again tonight. You can meet him then,” she said. “Aullie, are you feeling okay? You sound a little down in the dumps.”
“I wasn’t down. I was pretty damn great.”
“Until I called you?” she asked.
“Well, yeah. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. You see, last night Weston asked me about when I’d be ready to have kids and I told him it would be a good while from now. And you felt confident telling a man you didn’t even know about your feelings where kids were concerned. It makes me feel like something’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you. I wear my heart on my sleeve is all. You keep yourself wrapped up in a tiny bundle that few get to know very well.”
Aullie thought about what she’d said and felt like her friend was right. “I don’t want to be a closed off person. Not where Weston is concerned.”
“Then open up to him about everything. Really let him know who you are and what you’re about.”
“Even I don’t know that. The only thing I know for certain is that I love to paint and would do it even if none of my art ever sold. And I do love that man. That’s all I know.” Bruce crawled onto her lap as if to remind her of his existence as he purred, loudly. “Oh, and I love my kitty cat, Bruce too.”
“Okay. But what about other things, Aullie. Think about it. How many kids do you see in your future?”
“So much talk about kids I’ve heard in the last twelve hours. They aren’t a thing I’ve ever thought about. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. I just have never contemplated anything past graduating from college.”
“That’s a bit shallow, don’t you think, Aullie?”
“Maybe. Damn! I gotta go, Britt. I’m happy for you and can’t wait to meet this man who’s swept you off your proverbial feet. Have a great morning and I’ll see you tonight at work.”
“You sound mad,” Brittany said, making Aullie feel even worse.
“I’m not mad. I’m just aggravated at myself. I just want to go take a long bath and reflect on my life.”
“Okay, sorry for upsetting you. It wasn’t my intention. Bye.”
Aullie ended the call without so much as a goodbye. Her mind was elsewhere. On one hand, she thought her friend was moving way too fast. One the other, she wondered why she held back so much.
With a tickle to Bruce’s ear, she mumbled, “I’m a mess, kitty.”
He meowed and she was unsure if he was agreeing with her or trying to tell her she wasn’t such a mess. But she knew, deep inside, that she was. And Weston had tried to have an adult conversation with her about kids and she had laughed.
Like a child too young to understand adult relationships, she’d laughed when the man she loved tried to have a real conversation with her about what he wanted in his life.
What the hell was wrong with her?
Chapter 4
“Peach, I have a meeting out of town. I’ll be gone for the night,” Weston told her over the phone as she made her way into work. She noticed a brand new Nissan Sentra in the employee parking area and figured it must belong to Brittany.
“Oh, okay. That’s alright, I have early classes tomorrow, anyway. I’ll miss you,” she told him. “And when we get together on Sunday I want to talk about that baby thing we were talking about last night. I’ve been thinking about all of that.”
“You do?” he sounded happy and more than a bit surprised. “I can’t wait!”
Odd sensations ran through her with his obvious excitement. “Want to tell me where you’re going?”
“I can’t. More of that business that it’s better you don’t know a thing about.”
“Are you a spy, West?” she asked with a giggle.
His silence had her giggle stopping. “Aulora of course, I’m not a spy. I just have to try to settle something. I’ll call you tomorrow when I get back.”
“And where is it you’re going?” she asked, beginning to feel odd about all his secrecy. Surely, she could know the town he was going to.
“Los Angeles,” he said. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, peach.”
“Love you too,” she said then ended the call.
Something about it all was unsettling. What was in L.A. and why did it come up all of a sudden?
Brittany met her at the door and pointed out her new car. “Did you see it, Aullie?”
“I did,” she said as she gave her a smile. “It’s a great looking car. And I’m sure you enjoyed the heat that your old car didn’t have.”
“Boy, did I!” she said as she gazed out at her new car then closed the door. “Julio took mine in trade. That POS is history.”
“And now you have payments, huh?” Aullie asked as she made her way to the back area to take off her bulky coat and put on her waitress gear.
She nodded. “They’re really low, though. I can afford them. Not that I have to. Julio said he’ll pay them for me.”
“And the full coverage insurance too?” Aullie asked, feeling that green monster rising inside of her.
“You seem kind of, oh what’s the word, bitchy! Yeah, that’s it. Bitchy!” Brittany turned on her heel and walked away from Aullie.
Aullie stopped and thought about running after her and apologizin
g for her behavior. She knew she was wrong to be taking her own petty jealousies out on her friend.
Weston had offered her a car to use. She’s the one who turned it down. He’d offered her to come live in his mansion. She was solely responsible for turning that down too. So, why was she mad that her friend didn’t take the road she had?
Going into the back, she heard Eric’s annoying voice talking on the phone to corporate, she supposed. He was using words like bottom line and costs of inventory. She was quiet when she put her things away but somehow, he’d heard her.
When he got off the phone, he called out to her.
“I need you to come here, Aullie.”
With a silent sigh, she put on her apron and went to see what the little troll could possibly want. “Yes, Eric?” She stepped into his office.
He looked at her for a moment then said. “I’m making you an assistant manager. Corporate is pleased with your work and they told me to give you the position. It means you’ll be on salary and I’ll need you to be here more hours than you usually are. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be coming in at four and staying until one. I’ll be here until eight then the bar will be yours to handle. Great, huh?”
“Not great!” she said as she was astounded that anyone thought they could throw so much on her without even asking her what she wanted to do. “I don’t want that at all!”
“It’s more money,” he said as he wore a stunned expression. “I hear you complaining about money all the time, Aullie. So, now you won’t have any reason to complain. The salary is nearly what I make.”
“This isn’t my career. Ask Brittany to do it. This is what she wants to do with her life. Not me. I’m an artist,” she said as she tapped her chest. “This isn’t all there is for me. For her, it is.”
“Excuse me?” came Britt’s voice from behind her. “Are you talking about me?”
“She is,” Eric said with a sniveling, little, ratty voice. “I handed her a job and she wants to hand it to you. What she doesn’t seem to understand is corporate decided who got that job. I can’t hand it over to anyone but her.”
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