by Kristy Love
“How was your evening, love?” David asked. I startled. He stood up from the swing on the darkened side of the porch and sauntered toward me, his hands in his pockets.
“It was great!” I tried to inject enthusiasm into my voice. I turned the key and opened my front door. “Would you like to come in?” I wanted to bite off my tongue as soon as the words left my mouth. Why would I ever invite him in? He was the enemy.
Suddenly, the date with Nick made a lot of sense.
David walked past me and into the house. I sighed and followed him in. I kicked off my shoes and tossed my bag onto the entry table. David stood in the living room, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he watched me. I felt like his prey, the way his eyes followed my every move.
“Would you like a beer?” I offered. There I was again with the hospitality.
“Sure.”
I went into the kitchen and grabbed two beers, then came out and handed him one. I sat on the couch and he stood, taking long pulls from the bottle as he gazed down at me.
“How was your evening?” I asked. I hoped to break the tension that boiled around us.
“I raced over here to stop you from going out on a date. Instead, I was met with an empty house. I sat on your front porch for,” he paused to look down at his watch, “about an hour and a half. Either he stood you up or that was the fastest date in the history of first dates.” He cocked an eyebrow.
“The quality of the date is more important than the length.” It sounded like a weak argument, even to me.
He set down his bottle of beer and stalked toward me. I straightened and watched him come nearer. God, he was glorious when he moved. The way he walked was sexy in itself. My eyes drank in his features as though I’d been stranded in the desert for weeks without water. He grabbed my hand, pulled me off the couch and straight into his hard chest. His hands pressed into the small of my back and I couldn’t escape how hard he was everywhere. Or how right it felt in his arms.
“See, love, I think you’re mistaken. When the date is good, you don’t want it to end. You want to feel their hands on your skin.” He brushed his fingers over my neck as he shifted my hair off it. “You want to feel their body pressed up against yours.” He pulled me tighter against him, though I wasn’t sure how that was possible. “You want to taste their lips.”
He pressed his lips to my neck, right below my ear. My eyelids fluttered closed and my breathing quickened. “You want to touch them everywhere.” His breath danced over my ear and caused goosebumps to erupt all over my body. “You want to soak in their presence and never leave it.” He pressed a series of small kisses up my throat, over my chin, until he reached the corner of my lips. “Did you feel that, love? Did you want him to hold you? To kiss you? To taste you?”
My breath came so quickly that I felt light-headed. My heart pounded against my ribs until I was sure it was bruised. I fisted my hands in the back of his shirt to remain upright. I felt as though my knees were about to give out. Suddenly, everything my mom had said earlier made perfect sense. I shook my head once, quickly.
“I didn’t think so.” He chuckled. His breath still ticked my skin. His scent enveloped me. God, I missed being so close to him. “I think you want to taste me right now.” I nodded. He brought his lips close to mine. Oh, so close, yet so far away. The tip of his tongue danced over my bottom lip, then he abruptly pushed me away. “Not yet. Not until we talk.” He squeezed my shoulders before letting go. I collapsed onto the couch, still attempting to collect my thoughts and catch my breath. The corner of his lips quirked up into a smirk as he sat down next to me.
“That was unfair,” I huffed.
“All’s fair in love and war,” he responded.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“About what a giant arsehole I’ve been.”
A smile curled my lips up. “You have been an asshole.”
He grabbed my hands and pressed kisses to my palms. “I’m sorry, Roxie. I’m sorry I hurt you. I was hurting and not thinking straight.”
The smile dropped from my lips. “What about the girl in the restaurant?”
He curled his hand around the back of my neck, then pulled my face closer to his. “That was a fucking mistake. I’ve been trying to sign a contract with her father for a long time. He asked me to pick her up from the airport, and I knew he would try to start a relationship between us. I’d told his wife a million times that I wasn’t interested, that I had a beautiful girlfriend, but she wouldn’t listen.” He sighed and his eyes focused somewhere over my shoulder.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t thinking. I hurt and I thought you were too good for me, so I thought that’d push you away.” His eyes returned and locked on mine. “She means nothing to me, Roxie. Nothing. I didn’t kiss her or touch her. I swear. Shortly after you left the restaurant, I made an excuse and left. I felt awful about what I’d done, but I knew the damage was done.”
Thoughts of David with her had tears stinging my eyes. “You hurt me,” I whispered. Admitting to being hurt was a big deal to me. It meant I cared enough for him to wound me.
“I’m sorry, love. I’m so fucking sorry. I wish I could take it all back and treat you right. I have no idea why you stuck around as long as you did, but I’m glad you did. I don’t want to hurt you ever again.”
I grabbed his arm to keep his hand on me. “I was scared that you didn’t want me anymore.” My chin wobbled. Fuck, these emotions. “I don’t want to lose you.”
He pulled me across the short space between us. I climbed onto his lap and straddled his legs. “You will never lose me.” He sealed his promise by pressing his lips to mine, hard. I pushed my lips against his just as firmly. I wanted to erase any space or doubt between us.
He made a guttural noise and stood. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me down the hall as our lips continued to devour each other.
I’d missed this heat, this intensity, and this rightness. When I was in his arms, I was home. It didn’t matter what was going on in my life, how messed up things were, he always made it all disappear.
“I’ve missed you. I promise to never be an arsehole again,” he said as he lay me on the bed. His eyes swept over my body. He grabbed his shirt and whipped it over his head. It landed on the floor somewhere.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” He smiled at me and my heart melted. He undid his pants and they fell to the floor, then he crawled over top of me. His weight was delicious and perfect.
It felt as if everything about this man was made just for me.
He pushed my dress up around my waist. “I’m sorry, love. It’s been too long. I need you. I need to feel you.” He pulled my panties to the side and slid inside me. I cried out at the rightness of it. It felt as though my chest would explode with each thrust. I touched him with my fingertips and watched his movement. Our eyes remained locked on each other. Tears formed in my eyes, and escaped. How did I ever think I could go the rest of my life without this? Without him? Before long, I was tipping over the edge and he followed right behind me.
We climbed under the covers and he pulled me close. I rested my head against his chest and listened to the beating of his heart. “I’m sorry I went out tonight,” I whispered as I traced my fingers over his chest.
“I understand why you did it.”
“I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
He was quiet for a few long seconds. “You were trying to forget me. That’s what hurts. That I did something to hurt you so badly that you wanted to forget me.” He kissed the top of my head.
“I don’t think I could ever forget you.”
“I don’t want you to. I want it to be us, always.”
The thought of always no longer scared me or made me want to run. Instead, it made me want to burrow deeper into the bed and into his arms, and never, ever leave.
David
ROXIE SLEPT BESIDE me, her hair fanned out and her lips slightly parted. Her face turned toward me and her hand
rested on the mattress between us, her fingers stretched out as though she was reaching for me. She lay on her stomach, the sheet pulled up over her waist, though it hung low enough that I could take in the beauty of her back. The side of her breast tantalized me. I could easily spend all weekend in bed with her, enjoying her body and her personality, and be content.
I was glad things were okay between us again, although I wasn’t sure she’d listen when I finally told her the truth. I felt as though I had to make it all up to her, that my words and apologies meant nothing. I wanted to do more. I needed to do more. We had too many uncertainties in our relationship, but now I needed to hold on to her. I didn’t want to lose her.
I’d gotten too close once before.
I traced my fingertips lightly over her skin and she stirred. A soft moan erupted from the back of her throat. She didn’t wake, so I kept grazing my fingers over her skin.
Something inside of me, as I touched her smooth skin and felt her soft breaths, changed. My heart softened and fully entwined with hers. She became a part of me, one I never wanted to leave.
I was becoming soft. Oddly enough, I didn’t want that to change. I’d be here with her, always, if she’d have me. I was thankful I hadn’t completely fucked everything up. I was here with her next to me. I needed to do something to make up for being an arsehole.
Roxie stretched out her limbs next to me and opened her eyes. Her eyelids blinked a few times. A smile spread across her face as she gazed into my eyes.
“Good morning,” she said in a sexy purr.
“Morning, love.” I ran my fingers over the contours of her face.
“Do you have any plans for today?”
Really, I had a lot of things I should probably do. I wanted to check in on Gia, on Mia, and then go by the shop. It was the weekend, but I had paperwork I needed to get done and clients I needed to contact. Instead, I made the decision to spend it with Roxie. I’d still call Mia, but I wouldn’t go in to the office. “I’d like to spend it with you.”
Roxie moved closer to me. “Aw, are you getting soft? Do I already have you pussy whipped?”
“I’d totally love to be whipped by you.” I smirked. Roxie exploded in laughter.
“I’ll whip you anytime you want.” She pressed her lips to mine for a quick kiss, then climbed off the bed. I reached out to grab her, but was only met with soft skin. She smiled at me over her shoulder. “I just have to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I don’t want to knock you out with my morning breath.”
I rolled out of bed and followed her. We both brushed out teeth, though we kept touching each other. Before long, I had her up on the bathroom counter as I kissed, licked, and touched my way around her body. She writhed, moaned, and pulled my hips to hers, then guided me inside her.
She collapsed against my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. “Sometimes I wonder how we ended up here.”
“I can think of a few ways we ended up here.”
She laughed and looked up at me. “No, I mean here. The two of us together. What started as a one-night stand all those years ago grew into this.”
I cupped her face in my hands. “I’m glad we’re here. We fit together well.” She wiggled her hips, reminding me just how well we fit together. I groaned and nipped her neck. “You’re insatiable.”
“Only when it comes to you.” Her stomach growled and she threw her head back and laughed.
“I guess you’re hungry.” I kissed her one last time.
“I am.”
“Let’s get dressed and I’ll make you breakfast.”
“Damn, I get to sleep next to you, have sex, and then breakfast. A girl could get used to this treatment.” She hopped off the counter and sauntered past me. Her hand slapped me on the arse as she went.
We made it through breakfast before we were entwined again and I had her on my table.
I’d never get enough of her.
“HEY, MIA. HOW are you?” Roxie spoke into her phone from her position propped against the headboard beside me. We had just finished watching a movie in bed. The majority of the day had been spent reuniting and getting reacquainted. I’d forgotten how much fun I had with Roxie. I forgot how happy she made me.
The sadness over Gia was still there, a throbbing ache that wouldn’t go away. I missed her and I hurt for her. I wished she’d wake up, but I realized that I’d been handling it wrong. I needed Roxie and Mia. I needed them to keep me grounded. If—no, when—Gia woke up, she’d need her family around her, supporting her. Her father was gone—he didn’t seem to care, certainly never visited. She’d need her mom and Uncle David to help her heal.
What I wouldn’t give for her to call me Uncle David again. The thought of her never saying those words again were like a knife through my heart.
“Sure, hold on,” Roxie said. She handed me the phone.
“Hey, Mia.”
“I’m so glad you pulled your head out of your ass,” Mia greeted me.
I chuckled, though I didn’t miss the sadness in Mia’s voice. “I am, too. How are you today?”
She let out a long sigh. “I’m okay, I guess. I’m at the hospital.” There was shuffling as though she moved around. “I’m not sure how much longer I can do this, David. Watching my baby girl lie here like this . . . it’s tearing me apart.”
“Do you need us to come to the hospital?”
“I love that you said us,” she responded. I could hear a smile in her voice. “No, enjoy your time together. I just kind of want to be alone with her.”
I let my lips press into a line. I didn’t like her answer. Something sounded off in her voice, though I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. “I’m a phone call away if you need me.”
“You’ve been here so much, David. You need to take care of your life. Spend time with Roxie. Relax. Take care of you.”
“What about you?”
“No one has taken care of me in a long time.”
Her words were like daggers. I tried to take care of her, but I failed. If I had taken care of her, none of us would be in this mess. “I’m sorry, Mia.”
“Don’t be sorry. Please. I chose to marry Brock and I chose to stay with him. It’s my cross to bear.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself.” She was silent a long time, so long I wondered if the line disconnected. “Are you okay, Mia?”
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with my mom.” I’d pieced together over time that things weren’t okay with the family. They’d been hard on her, that I knew from bits and pieces of conversations we’d had.
“I’m sorry, Mia.”
“I miss my baby girl.” She sniffled, clearly wanting to change the subject. “I miss being a mother. If she doesn’t wake up, I’ll never be a mother again.” Her voice broke and I could tell she was struggling. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” She hung up before I could answer. I set my phone down and pinched the bridge of my nose, my eyes closed. I hated that Mia was so unhappy. I hated that her heart was broken and there was nothing I could do to help.
I also felt guilty that I was so happy and content with Roxie here beside me. In so many ways, I felt I didn’t deserve all this, but I was entirely too selfish to let Roxie go again.
“Is everything okay?” Roxie asked. Her voice was soft as she rested her hand against my chest.
“I’m not sure.” I relayed what Mia said.
“It’s hard for her, David. You can’t blame her for it. She has to go through the emotions. If she’s sad, she has to feel sad. It’s okay. She knows we’re here for her.”
I nodded, though it weighed heavily on my mind. I wasn’t sure how to process the emotions inside of me. How could I be so happy and so sad at the same time? I pulled Roxie closer to my side and kissed the top of her head. I didn’t want to talk anymore. I didn’t want to feel, either, but I had to keep myself from being a self-destructive arsehole. If I let Roxie down again, that would be it. She’d be done with me. I wasn’t sure that was a
reality I could handle.
We spent the rest of the day in bed. We ordered pizza for dinner and ate it tangled up in each other and the sheets. It made me realize what had been missing from my life after the accident. As much as I blamed myself, I couldn’t lose Roxie. She kept me grounded. She was my rock. She did the same thing for Mia. There was no way to replace that. She was everything we both needed.
“ARE YOU SERIOUS right now?” Mia demanded. I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she was close to tears by how her voice wavered.
“I’m not doing this to you, Mia.” I rubbed my hand down my face.
“Oh, my God. You agree with them, don’t you? You blame me for everything.” Panic made the pitch of her voice raise to almost a squeak. “How many times do I have to apologize before you believe me, David? What do I have to do?” She broke into sobs and I fought a sigh. I hated hurting her, but I felt stuck. I needed to do this.
“I don’t blame you, Mia. I won’t even speak to them, okay? I promise.” Our parents had been awful to Mia since the accident. When she heard that I was going to be dealing with them, she started sobbing, thinking that I was siding with them.
She sniffled. “You haven’t spoken to them yet?”
“I haven’t spoken to them since they first blamed you for the accident. I have no desire to see them.” I sighed. “This is business, Mia. It’s strictly business.”
Silence stretched between us as she continued to weep. I let her carry on, supporting without words. She needed to work through it on her own. She was worried that I would rally with our parents against her. After the way they treated her, I had no interest in speaking to them, let alone seeing them.
“I’m sorry I’m being unreasonable and emotional. It’s just so much. I feel as though I’ve lost everything, and I can’t lose you as well. I need you, David. You’re all I have left. I look at Gia and I wonder how much longer I can go on like this.”
“You can go on because you have to, for her and for you. You’re not losing me, I promise.”
“Okay,” she said. It sounded as if she was trying to convince herself as well. “Okay. I understand. I’m sorry.”