I smiled. “Okay.”
Chapter 29
* * *
Hollis – 6 years ago
I was sweating.
The last time I was this nervous was the day I had to stand up to give my mother’s eulogy in front of a packed church. I shouldn’t be sweating now. I’d never been surer about anything in my life than asking Anna to marry me. We’d been together nearly ten years. We’d lived together the last five. She was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I had no doubt she would say yes.
Over the last few months, she’d given me subtle hints that she was ready. Well, as subtle as Anna Benson could be. We’d pass a jewelry store, and she’d point out a setting she liked. When Addison got married a few months ago, she’d mentioned on multiple occasions that she couldn’t believe she was getting married instead of us. Granted, Addison married her asshole husband after only two months of dating—so not many people could believe she was getting married.
But I understood what Anna meant.
The time was finally right. My new business had taken off. Addison and I had earned the equivalent of our annual salaries at our old firms in the first three months of our partnership. Anna and I had moved to a nicer apartment, and I could finally afford to get her the ring she deserved.
I took said ring out of my pocket and looked at it one more time. Eighteen grand. I’d never shelled out that much money at once. Even the down payment on my new car had only been ten. But my girl was worth it. I’d have spent more if I thought she wouldn’t be afraid to wear it.
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped off and walked to our apartment. I stopped in front of the door, pausing before going inside. She had no idea what was coming tonight, and I’d figured out the perfect way to ask her.
I took a deep breath in and blew out a loud exhale. Screw it. Here goes nothing.
I opened the door.
“Anna’s home!” Squawk! “Anna’s home!” Squawk! “Anna’s home!”
I chuckled. Her bird was about to be the wingman in my proposal. “What’s up, Huey?”
Anna was in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher. “Hey. You’re home early.”
I leaned in and kissed her. “I thought we could go out to dinner tonight.”
“Oh, okay. I took out chicken to make, but it will keep for another night.”
“I made a reservation for six.” I left out that the reservation was also for seven people—I’d invited her father, and Addison and her new husband, as well as Anna’s good friend from work. Her father knew what was going down tonight, because I’d already spoken to him to ask for his blessing. But Addison and the others had no idea. I’d made up some story about celebrating a new account I’d landed.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
She smiled. “You have to at least tell me what to wear.”
“Something sexy.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’d say that if you were taking me for pizza.”
I took the plate she’d removed from the dishwasher out of her hand. “Go get changed. I’ll finish unloading.”
“Okay. But we have to let Huey out before we go. So would you shut all the windows when you’re done?”
Bingo. I’d been counting on her insisting on taking care of the bird before we left. “Sure.”
Anna liked to let Huey stretch his wings and get some exercise every day. We’d developed a little routine. When I got home from work, we’d shut the living room windows and the doors to all the bedrooms, and I’d put a treat in the bird’s mouth. The little shit flew around for a minute and then would land on Anna’s shoulder and turn the treat over to her. He’d only eat it if she gave it to him. Tonight, the treat he’d deliver was going to be one hell of an expensive one.
While Anna was in the bedroom changing, I closed all the windows in the living room and shut the doors to the other bedroom and my office. Then I slipped the ring box from my inside jacket pocket and tied the diamond ring to one of Huey’s treats, before stashing it back in my pants pocket.
When Anna came out, she looked gorgeous with her hair down and wearing a sexy, curve-hugging, light pink dress. Pink was her favorite color, but right now it was mine, too.
“You look beautiful.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Are we ready to let Huey out? It’s after five thirty already.”
While I’d been nervous before I walked in, suddenly everything felt right. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
Anna walked over to the cage and let Huey out, and he did his usual routine—flying around and then coming to me for a treat. I made eye contact with him as I pulled the treat with the ring tied to it from my pocket. Don’t fuck this up, buddy.
I held my breath while he fluttered his wings and circled the room with the treat in his beak. Anna was busy filling his water bowl and didn’t notice anything unusual. When she finished, it was time for Huey to have his treat, so he made his usual landing on her shoulder.
The ring dangled from a little string.
She took the treat, still completely unaware as I knelt down on one knee.
Time seemed to move in slow motion after that.
Anna saw the ring.
Her jaw dropped open.
One hand flew up to cover her mouth.
She turned to find me.
It was time. So many years in the making.
“Anna, I’ve loved you since kindergarten. But my love for you grew along the way. You’re still my best friend, but now you’re the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. You already have my heart. Will you do me the honor of taking this ring, too?”
Chapter 30
* * *
Hollis
Elodie covered her mouth when I got to the part of the story where I’d gotten down on one knee. Oddly enough, it was a lot like the face Anna had made that day.
“What did she say?”
It was still difficult to talk about the shit that went down, even after almost six years.
I cleared my throat. “She started to cry. I assumed it was happy tears. Until she began to shake her head and told me she’d met someone else.”
“What a fucking bitch.”
Her honest reaction made me crack a smile for the first time when I thought of anything to do with that day. “Long story short, we argued. I went to the bedroom to get my wallet and stormed out of the apartment. Anna followed me, and while she was gone, Huey flew out the open window in our bedroom because I’d left the door open. He still had the treat with the ring tied to it. He cruised around outside for a while and then found his way back in. But somewhere in his travels, he dropped the treat…along with the ring tied to it.”
“Jesus. That’s insane.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. You once said he cost you eighteen grand. That’s what you meant?”
I nodded. “The ring probably landed on the street near the building and someone picked it up. At least it was someone’s lucky day. Anna looked for it for days.”
“I hope it made her feel like shit.”
I chuckled. “Anyway. Damn bird cost me eighteen grand. Anna moved out a few days later, leaving him behind because her new place didn’t accept pets. The vet said Huey is probably about ten, and the breed can live as long as ninety years. So I only have another eighty years of him yelling Anna’s home to remind me of that shit every day.”
“How long were you and Anna together?”
I frowned. “We were friends since we were kids. Things changed to more when we were teenagers.”
“Wow. Okay. Well, thank you for sharing that. I can understand why you’re not a super fan of Huey a little better now.”
After that, we spent a few more hours talking. It was probably the longest time I’d ever spent talking to any woman since Anna and I split. While my past wasn’t a subject I wanted to rehash, it hadn’t killed me to talk about it like I’d always felt it would. And in the end, I was glad Elodie knew.
***
&n
bsp; I woke with an aching hard-on.
This wasn’t unusual, of course. Waking with a woody a few times a week had been a regular occurrence since the age of ten. But this wasn’t your basic, run-of-the-mill morning glory. My cock was so stiff it felt like I could have hammered a nail with the damn thing. Though today’s wood had less to do with a natural bodily function and more to do with the woman whose ass was pressed up against my crotch.
Elodie and I had fallen asleep on the couch together last night. The sexual mood from earlier in the evening had been sufficiently dampened after I’d told her about Anna. But neither one of us had wanted to separate and go back to our respective rooms. I woke with my body wrapped around her, one leg draped over her hip, keeping her tucked close.
I didn’t have my watch on, and I had no idea where my cell phone was, but morning had started to break outside the living room windows. It had to be close to six o’clock. I attempted to untangle our bodies without waking Elodie, but one of my arms was underneath her, and she stirred when I gently lifted her to free myself.
Her eyes fluttered open.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “I was trying not to wake you.”
She stretched her arms over her head and flashed a goofy smile. “Well, you did a pretty shitty job of that, didn’t you?”
I chuckled—a ball buster even at the crack of dawn. “I’m going to jump in the shower to get ready for work. Why don’t you go to the guest room and go back to sleep? Hailey won’t be up for hours, and it’s probably best she thinks you slept in there.”
Elodie nodded. “This couch is pretty uncomfortable, anyway. The metal frame was jabbing into my spine half the night.”
I gripped her hip and pressed my front against her back. “That’s no metal frame, sweetheart.”
“Oh!” She giggled. “Oh my. That must be uncomfortable.”
“You can say that again.”
It would have been so easy to free my cock from my pants, lift the flimsy T-shirt she had on, and slide between her legs. But it wasn’t the time or the place for that. Not to mention, the ball was in her court as to how fast we went with things. She needed to trust I wasn’t in this just for the sex, which meant I couldn’t push until she got there.
So I cleared my throat and extricated myself from behind her. Standing, I offered a hand to help her up.
Elodie was eye level with my crotch. She stared at the obvious bulge in my pants and licked her lips.
“Jesus Christ,” I grumbled. “Don’t do that.”
She looked up at me, wide-eyed. “What?”
“Look at me like you’re hungry for my cock.”
Elodie blushed and bit on her lower lip. “I was thinking… My condition was no sex. But we didn’t exactly define sex, did we? Maybe I could…”
I looked up at the ceiling and let out a string of muttered curses before crouching down to look into her eyes. “Your throat would be sore from how hard I want to ram my dick down it right now. Plus, unless you want Hailey walking out and finding me with two fistfuls of your hair and my ass pumping into your face like a wild animal, I think it’s best I go take that shower, and you take your ass to the guest room.”
Her jaw hung open.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Better close that sexy mouth before I’m not such a gentleman.”
***
I opened the door to the guest room, trying to be as quiet as possible in case she’d fallen asleep.
“Feel better?” Elodie smiled. She was lying in the middle of the bed, her blond hair splayed out across the pillow.
I had taken care of myself in the shower—the quickest jerk off session in the history of jerk off sessions—but no, I didn’t actually feel better. I felt like I could explode at any minute.
“Not really.”
She leaned up on her elbows. “The offer is still good if you want a little help getting some relief.”
I dragged a hand through my wet hair. “You’re the devil. You know that?”
She giggled. “At least you can relieve yourself. I need a little toy for that.”
Any relief I’d gotten from finishing myself off in the shower was long gone as I pictured Elodie using a vibrator to get herself off. I felt my cock swelling in my slacks.
“Were you serious when you said not all sex was off the table?”
“I was. I’d be happy to help you take the edge off before you go to work.”
Without breaking our gaze, I reached behind me and grabbed the doorknob. The clank of the lock bolting shut echoed through the room. “Slide down to the edge of the bed.” My voice was thick and gruff.
Elodie pulled back the sheet covering her and shimmied down the bed. Her eyes were hooded as she waited, assuming I was accepting her offer. But the only thing that could possibly come close to satisfying my appetite was a taste of her.
“Lie back and open your legs.”
Her eyes widened, but she did as I asked.
I walked to the bed, tugging at my tie to loosen it, and knelt before her. “Spread wider for me, Elodie.”
I reached up and gently rubbed two fingers over the soft fabric of the panties I’d bought her.
So soft.
So fucking in the way. With a quick flick of my wrist, I tore them from her body.
Elodie gasped, and I wasted no time diving in. My face burrowed into her pussy. I couldn’t control myself enough to start slow and let it build. There was no teasing, fluttering of the tip of my tongue over her sensitive skin. Instead, I licked from one end to the other, and my tongue tunneled inside of her. Her pussy tasted so sweet, and she was so fucking wet and tight. I needed more. Pushing on her knees, I stretched her legs wider. Elodie began to writhe beneath me and dug her nails into my scalp. If I’d had any concern that she might not enjoy the roughness of my actions, that was thoroughly put to bed when she yanked at my hair and pressed me farther into her.
“Oh God.” Her back arched off the bed.
I lifted one hand and pressed it against her flat stomach, holding her down. I completely devoured her, licking and sucking, delving my tongue deep inside of her until she began to say my name over and over.
“Hollis. Oh. God. Yes. Hollis. Like that.”
She grabbed hold of my ears, and I knew she was on the brink. Her juices covered my entire face, and if I could have drowned in them, I would have died the happiest man on the fucking planet. I licked my way up to her clit and sucked hard. She moaned. So I slipped two fingers inside of her and pumped in and out. Her tight muscles clenched down, and she started to come. And come…long, hard, and loud. It was the first time since I was a boy that I thought I might cream my pants without any friction.
After, Elodie lay on the bed with one arm slung across her face, and the back of her hand covering her eyes. She panted. “Holy shit. That was…”
Feeling like a king—hell, I felt like the pride of the whole damn jungle—I smiled and rose from my knees to hover over her on the bed. “Feel better?”
She peeked one eye open. “I’m on birth control.”
Not exactly what I’d expected her to say. But fuck me. I wanted to come inside her more than I could remember ever wanting anything.
“Well, then it’s too bad actual sex isn’t on the table.”
“I’d like to amend my rules.”
I arched a brow. For a second, it almost felt like I was the one in control here. “And what if I’m not amenable to your rule changes?”
Elodie hooked a hand around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. I fucking loved that she didn’t give a shit that I’d just eaten her out and had the taste of her on my tongue.
“If you’re not amenable, I’m sure I can find someone else,” she said. “Benito is probably available.”
My eyes darkened. The thought of any man coming anywhere near her made me crazy. She saw my face and smiled knowingly.
“You’re going to pay for that comment, smartass.”
“I hope so. When?”
; I dropped my head and chuckled. “You sound as desperate as I feel.”
“It’s been two years, Hollis. We need a whole night.”
I couldn’t agree more. Although something in the pit of my stomach told me a whole night wouldn’t scratch the surface with this woman. A whole year might not be enough to get my fill of her.
“Let me see what I can do. Hailey asked if the girl who had the pool party could sleep over. Maybe I’ll call her mother and suggest they do one night here and then one there.”
Elodie squinted. “I’ll call the mother. I didn’t like the way she looked at you when you came to pick us up the day of the party. That woman wants to see you naked. DILF, remember?”
I liked that we were on the same page. Normally, a jealous woman would be a complete turn off to me, but for some reason, I loved Elodie jealous. I wanted her possessive, because I felt the same way about her.
“It doesn’t matter who wants to see me naked. Because there’s only one woman I have any interest in getting naked for.”
***
“It’s about time.” Addison plopped down in the guest chair on the other side of my desk. Staring out the window, I hadn’t even noticed her walk into my office.
“What?”
She smiled. “You’re banging the nanny. It took you long enough.”
My brows drew together. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Addison sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’ve been softening for weeks. I was in the hall when you walked in this morning. The new receptionist was texting on her cell phone. Again.”
“And…”
“You smiled at her and said good morning instead of firing her.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
Addison arched a brow. “So you didn’t get laid last night.”
Technically, I hadn’t. I lifted a stack of papers on my desk that didn’t need straightening and straightened them. Looking away, I said, “I didn’t sleep with Elodie. Not that it’s any of your damn business.”
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