After everything Becky had been through with her asshole ex, she and her kids deserved whatever happiness they could find. Karen only wished she had half that certainty about herself and Warner.
Warner was whistling again as he turned his truck onto Parker Street
. The big old painted ladies were a mix now, some still rentals, but most single-family residential, and he could easily see himself and Karen settling down here, touching up her great-aunt’s home, maybe filling a few of those extra bedrooms with kids. He pulled into Karen’s driveway with a wide grin on his face. Now all he had to do was convince her that he was in it for the long haul. He sure hoped it didn’t take too long.
Carrying a bag of groceries, he climbed out of his truck and started up the walk. Her push mower was leaning on a tree, but Karen was nowhere in sight. Then he heard her laugh and he looked across the street. What was she doing at Joe Harris’s place? A low coil of jealousy tightened in his gut. Then he saw that she was talking to another woman, a petite blonde. It was one of her old housemates, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall the name. While Warner set the groceries on her front steps and started across the street, Joe came out of the back yard and wrapped his arms possessively around the blonde, a sappy look of contentment on his face.
So that’s how it was. Good.
Warner stepped up to Karen’s side, wrapped one arm around her waist and kissed her, hard.
“W-Warner,” Karen stuttered when he released her mouth. She tried to pull away, but Warner held her firmly against his side while he reached out a hand to Joe.
“Hey, Joe. How’s that new roof holding up?”
“Like a dream,” Joe told him. “You bringing that truck in for new brakes anytime soon?”
“I guess you two know each other,” the blonde said dryly. “But would someone mind enlightening the new girl in town?” Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked at Karen.
“Becky, this is Warner Beckett,” Karen said. “He used to live at the frat house down the street. Warner, this is Becky Belker. She was one of my roommates when I lived at Gracie’s during college.”
Warner held out his hand and smiled. “I knew you looked familiar, but I’m horrible with names. Nice to meet you again, Becky.”
“Becky and her two kids will be moving here in a week or two,” Joe said proudly. “Hey do you guys want to stick around, have dinner with us?”
Karen’s eyes went wide as she started to speak, but Warner shook his head. “We’ll take a rain check soon, okay? Today we’ve got some stuff we need to talk over.”
“I figure I’ll have a big end of the season barbecue as soon as Becky and the kids get settled in,” Joe told them. “We can catch up some more then.”
“We’ll be there,” Warner assured him despite the dagger look Karen cast him. He turned, tugging Karen with him as he moved back toward the street. “Nice meeting you, Becky.”
They got halfway across the street before Karen lit into him.
“What the hell was that? How dare you speak for me in front of my friends?” She wrestled herself away from him and glared.
“Because we do need to talk, and I didn’t think you’d want to do it in front of your neighbors—or in the middle of the road for that matter.” He took her arm and pulled her to the curb.
“You could have asked, instead of just assuming,” she fumed, poking her finger into his chest. “Spending one night together does not give you the right to tell me what to do.”
“A little louder, baby. I don’t think the guys in that frat house heard you. Though the three on the porch look mighty interested.”
Karen blanched and she hurried up her walk, nearly tripping over the sack of groceries. Warner followed, scooping up the steaks and potatoes as he loped up the stairs. He ducked into the living room behind her before she could slam the door on him.
He hadn’t taken two steps into the room before she rounded on him, pointing at the bag. “What is that?”
“Dinner,” he replied. “I told you I was picking up steaks.”
“Exactly. You told me. You didn’t ask me, you just told me. Just like you did across the street. I’m not an infant, Warner, nor am I a helpless idiot. Did it ever occur to you to let me make my own decisions?”
“No. Not today it didn’t. While you’re one of the most fucking intelligent people I’ve ever known, I didn’t want you thinking too hard today. I could tell this morning that you were chickening out, and I didn’t want to give you the chance to tell me to take a hike.”
She paused, some of the fight draining out of her. “Most guys don’t like women who are, as you say, ‘fucking intelligent.’ And that still doesn’t give you the right to tell me what to do.”
“Well I happen to find brilliance attractive as hell,” he extended a hand and touched her cheek. “And you’re right. I was a prick. My only excuse is, I was scared. I was afraid if I left it up to you, you’d throw me out and refuse to see me again.”
“And would that have mattered?”
“It would have mattered more than anything.” It was time to lay it all on the line. “I know it was fast, but one night with you was all it took. I’m in love with you, Karen. And I’m pretty damn sure it’s the happy-ever-after, to-death-do-us-part kind of love. I know that scientific brain of yours is going to want to quantify and analyze that, and it scares the shit out of me that you might decide it isn’t worth taking a chance on our emotions.”
“Wow.” She reached out and laid a hand on his chest, her fingers crinkling the cotton of his oxford shirt. “Fast is right. How can we be sure? Earth-shattering sex doesn’t necessarily equal the love of a lifetime.”
“No. But maybe being with the love of your life creates the incredible sex. It’s never been like that for me, Karen. And the difference wasn’t just physical. The difference was—is—the way you make me feel. I love you. That’s all there is to it.”
“I don’t know, Warner. I—I think I love you. I didn’t want to—I’ve tried not to since the night you kept your two drunken frat brothers from raping me. But the next day you broke my heart. I’m not sure I could take that kind of devastation, magnified the way it would be after we were in a grown up relationship. If I let myself love you, you’ll have the power to destroy me.”
“I knew, even then, that you deserved something better than a guy like me. But I’m not that kid anymore. I’m a man now, with good friends, a successful business and a life that seemed just fine until I saw you again. Now it will be empty without you. Please put me out of my misery, Karen. If you won’t agree to marry me yet, at least let me try to convince you.” He was dangerously close to begging. He’d never done that in his life, but he would now, without a qualm. Nothing had ever mattered more.
Karen just started at him, her aquamarine eyes going misty. “Okay.”
Warner’s heart leapt. “Okay, you’ll marry me?”
“Maybe. But for right now you can go ahead and try to convince me.” Her clever fingers began to unbutton his shirt.
Warner didn’t hesitate. In thirty seconds flat, he had them both stripped naked, and was on the floor with Karen straddling his hips. He couldn’t have come up with a single persuasive sentence if his life had depended on it, because he couldn’t speak anything more than her name. When Karen slid that hot tight pussy down on his aching dick, everything else in the world disappeared.
When she leaned down to ride him, he lifted his mouth and caught the tip of one breast between his lips. She squealed his name as she rocked frantically back and forth, while Warner nibbled on her succulent nipple. He pinched the other with his fingers, and it didn’t take long for Karen to come, milking his erection with viselike contractions. Warner shuddered and emptied into her, his body arching up off the floor as he poured what felt like rivers of fluid into her slick heat.
Finally, the aftershocks faded and Karen rested on his chest in a boneless heap.
“Okay,” she said with a weak giggle. “I’m convin
ced. As long as this isn’t just a ploy so you can get my house.”
“You caught me,” he whispered, his heart swelling with happiness. “It’s the house that had me walking around all day with a two-by-four in my pants. I love you Karen. I’d like to live here, but if you don’t want to, I’ll build you whatever house you’d like.”
“Here’s good.” She sighed, then sat up on his stomach and looked at him. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, a sure sign that she was thinking too hard again. “We didn’t use protection.”
Warner arched an eyebrow, trying to fight off the little thrill of satisfaction that she’d let him into her bare. It had felt like heaven. “Does it matter? I wouldn’t mind a baby or two.” Waiting for her to respond tied his stomach up in knots. He didn’t want to play games about starting a family again—he needed to know her feelings right up front.
Karen just slowly smiled. “It’s a good thing I got my tenure this year,” she said. “I have time to plan a wedding—and more, if we need to. I wouldn’t mind a couple kids either.”
His throat filled up and he couldn’t speak. All he could do was wrap her in his arms and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. Then they fell back onto the rug, limbs still entangled.
“I love you, Karen.” His voice broke, and he hoped she didn’t notice, or didn’t mind the moisture that had filled his eyes. “I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”
“I love you too, Warner. Forever.”
There was a hearty laugh somewhere in the room, and a strong scent of violets.
“See, girl?” said a woman’s voice that Warner didn’t recognize. “I told you this one is a keeper.”
About the Author
Cindy Spencer Pape has been, among other things, a banker, a teacher, and an elected politician, though she swears she got better. She does volunteer work in environmental education, when she can fit it in around writing. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two teenage sons, a dog, a chinchilla, and a lizard, all of which are easier to clean up after than the three male humans.
Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/cindyspencerpape
Newsletter Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cspapenewsgroup/
Blog; http://cindyspencerpape.blogspot.com/
Cian Fey: http://cianfey.blogspot.com
Author Group: Infinite Worlds of Fantasy Authors (IWOFA) http://iwofa.net/
Are you in the mood for another Carnal Reunion?
Find more of this delicious anthology now available at Resplendence Publishing
IOU by Paris Brandon
The morning after her final exams, Bliss Harper woke up in her own bed wearing only her underwear. She’s never remembered how she got there or why she found an I.O.U. tucked into her panties for one night of “Bad Boy Sex,” signed by her favorite pizza delivery guy, Nick Santucci. But she had a ten-year plan that didn't include any more bad decisions and handsome men. But all work and no play make for a dull life and she’s headed to her ten-year college reunion with every intention of collecting on a debt that's long overdue.
Ten years ago, bad boy Nick hadn’t usually looked twice at shy, thrift-store fashion reject Bliss Harper. He just hadn’t been able to avoid it when she’d started doing a tabletop, drunken striptease at a frat party the police were raiding. These days Nick’s not delivering pizza, he’s delivering deals and he’s headed to his ten-year college reunion determined to negotiate one night into many with the woman who holds the marker on his heart.
G-Spot by Taylor Tryst
Lily Sutherland. No, Detective Lily Sutherland, a title she worked her ass off to earn, has returned to Heartwood Indiana for her ten-year college reunion. An ex-Lady Hawk, and a star athlete on the volleyball team, Lily used her competitive edge to win on the court. She dove into the male dominated world of law enforcement where she once again rocked the foundation and shot up the ranks to homicide detective in record time. As far as Lily is concerned, she’s just one of the boys until she reunites with Dakota Reese, the love of her life.
Special Agent Dakota Reese has always been too smart for his own damn good. Specializing in serial cases, Dakota attends his college reunion at Western Indiana University for what he believes will be a reprieve, only to discover that his life just became much harder…literally, when he see’s Lily Sutherland at the grand old Victorian down the street. Dakota and Lily had split amicably ten years prior, each of them marrying for all of the right reasons. Unfortunately, they married someone else, and were now both divorced. There’s a natural animosity between the cops and the feebs, but can Lily put their differences aside long enough for her ‘G Man’ to find her g spot and rock her world, forever?
Prisoner of the Heart by Anny Cook:
When Rebecca Iversen graduated from college, she headed home with nothing on her mind but wedding plans. Less than a month later her plans were in ruins when she discovered she was pregnant the same week her fiance was arrested for selling drugs. Anxious to provide legitimacy for her child, she married Tom while he was still in jail. Years later, Becky finally divorced him, resolved to make a peaceful life for her children and herself.
When the reunion invitation from Karen arrived in her e-mail, her Aunt Mary urged her to take the time to enjoy a little adult time at the reunion.
Young Joe Harris lived across the street from the old Victorian where Becky lived during college. He spent those years secretly yearning for the “older woman”. Now that Becky is back and single, Joe plans to do everything in his power to convince her that he’s exactly the man she needs.
First and Ten by Fran Lee
What Fran Jamison and Jack Gerrard have in common, you could balance on the head of a pin. And to make things worse, Jack blew his chances to hell back in High School with the BBW.
Neither goes to their 10th college reunion expecting sparks to fly, but when they collide in the airport, painful old memories quickly evaporate to make way for two people desperately needing to scratch 12-year-old itches.
Jack royally blew it when he let other people's opinions stop him from pursuing the 5'11" bombshell so many years back, and by the time he realized he was a jackass and tried to apologize, a traumatized and hurt Fran had shredded his ego in public, leaving him to lick his wounds and move on.
She thought she would hate him on sight. She didn't. She thought she could walk away. She couldn't. She certainly didn't expect to find herself making out like a madwoman on the hood of a borrowed car in the airport parking ramp. But she did expect one thing...she was not going to walk away again. Not when he was so damn good at scratching those itches...
Training Randi by Tessie Bradford
Miranda Ellson graduated from college with a degree in design in one hand and a ticket to London in the other. Ten years, five job changes and three boring, unfulfilling relationships later she’s back at WIU to re-connect with old friends, enjoy the campus activities and take a break from…oh who the hell is she kidding?
Jeff Briggs, former college neighbor and best bud, now successful gym owner, lives in town. He’s the only guy she has ever known who could set her panties on fire by simply walking into a room and Randi is sick and tired of only hooking up with him in her dreams. This may be her only chance to discover exactly what kind of personal training he has to offer.
Smokin’ Ace by Regina Carlysle
A college reunion and seeing her best ‘gal pals’ is just the thing widow and single mom, Chloe Wells needs to put a little oomph back into her boring, routine life. For her, those carefree years and the friendships she made with six other women in the old Victorian were unforgettable and, hey, what’s wrong with revisiting a past that was fun and full of laughter? But when she bumps into Michael “Ace” Banner other memories surface. Memories of hot nights and rumpled bed sheets. Memories of the loss of the one man who burned her to ash.
Former college tennis star, Ace Banner, now a renowned sports photographer, has just
one chance to regain the love of pretty, sweet, very sexy Chloe. Yeah, he blew it years ago by walking away but he’s a man now and not about to let her get away again. Ace is prepared to pull out all the stops in reclaiming what he lost all those years ago. It’ll take a slow hand and an easy touch but he’s up for the challenge.
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