Forever & Again

by Allie York

  My phone buzzing woke me up before the sun, and I groped for it in my daze, answering it with a grunt. “You called the fucking cops, Lydia?” The voice slapped the fatigue out of me, and I checked the screen. I had answered her phone. Fuck. “Did you hear me, bitch?”

  “Don’t call this phone again,” I growled the words out, trying not to wake her.

  Torin laughed. “She has you answering her phone now? Typical fucking Lydia. Can’t deal with her shit head on, so she pussy whips some guy into doing it for her. Tell her to call the fucking cops off before I lose my daughter over some fucking whore. Got it?” I stayed quiet, waiting for more. “Oh, and every time you fuck her, just remember, that shit was mine for months.” The line went quiet and I struggled with the urge to throw her phone against the wall. The asshole was trying to get to me and it worked. All I could see was some other man deep inside her, her moaning his fucking name. Lyd was honest about it, but hearing him say it made me want to kill him even more. It wasn’t fair of me to be pissed, blind with jealousy, but I was. Being half asleep at two in the morning did not help.

  “What’s wrong?” Lydia rolled over, nuzzling into me.

  “Your boyfriend called.” I moved out from under her and got out of the bed. I needed some air, some space, needed to cool my shit. Lyd blinked awake as I put my pants on.

  “What? Wait, where are you going?” I was already near the door when she bolted out of bed, touching my arm.

  I whirled to face her. “Torin fucking called. He’s pissed about the cops and gave me a friendly reminder that I was getting his leftovers. I’m going outside, I just need a minute. Go back to bed.” It was harsh but true. Lyd stood, blinking up at me for a minute, like she was processing what I said. Torin was younger, younger than her from what I saw online, so of course she slept with him. I was stupid to think I could compete with any of that. Just like fucking Tera. I stormed out of her room, leaving her standing shocked at the foot of her bed. I made my way to the door, grabbing my keys, and went to cool off in my truck.

  I made it to the porch before Lydia caught me, tears running down her face. “You’re leaving? After your speech about how you aren’t going anywhere?” I swallowed the lump in my throat. Her tears reflecting with the yellow street lights would be the death of me. “Fuck you, Jacob. I should have known better. All you’re good at is fucking leaving. You treated me like a whore then, and I was stupid enough to let you do it again.” Then I saw red. Maybe I was letting the asshole get to me, but she wasn’t any better. I powered toward her, backing her into the door.

  “You are not a whore, Lydia, and I have never seen you as such, that doesn’t mean I get to pretend you weren’t fucking someone else a few nights ago. I came clean with you, put it all out there, and you kept fucking him. I wasn’t too old for you when you were hot for the teacher, but now I am? Now some fucking asshole is better than me?” Her hand came across my face with a loud pop, and it was hard enough to make me stumble.

  We locked in a stare down, both silent for a beat. Lydia was not one to back down from her actions, unwise or not. “I never hid anything from you, Jacob. I told you I had been sleeping with him. I’m not proud of it, but I was, and you have no fucking right to judge me for it. So leave, but once you go, don’t come back when you ruin it with another woman.” With that low blow, she spun back toward the house, trying to slam the door in my face, but my hand caught it. Her eyes went wide when she realized I was coming after her and her lips parted in a gasp when I slammed my mouth to hers. God, we were screwed up. I just wanted some space, just to think about the asshole who hurt her, but it wasn’t happening. Especially after the shit we had just exchanged. I grabbed her up by her perfect ass and her legs went around my hips. We bumped into furniture and walls on the way back to her room. I tossed her on the bed, kicking the door closed, and stalked up her body, kissing her again. Her tongue tangled with mine, making me groan and my cock even harder. What was it about fighting with her that made me need her more?

  “I’m sorry,” she whimpered in my ear while I kissed her neck, grinding my cock into her, “I don’t know why I went back to him after that. I’ve only ever wanted you. Always you.”

  “Never again, Lyd. You’re mine.” I dragged her body against mine, running my hands into her hair, letting it spill into my palms. Instead of an answer, she kissed me, hard and deep, caressing my beard with her thumbs.

  I tore our clothes off, one article at a time, tossing them onto the floor and kissed from her neck down between her breasts, stopping when I got to a scar just below her stomach. It was a faint line right above the patch of red hair leading to my destination. I kissed it and kept going. I didn’t even know she had a C-section with our son. I filed that thought away for later, throwing her legs over my shoulders and nuzzling against her inner thighs. Her soft hum turned into a moan when I dove in, licking and sucking on her. She came almost instantly, her walls clenching around my tongue and flooding my mouth. Then I nearly lost it. With her hands tugging at my hair and her hips bucking to meet my face, I was going to blow before I even got going.

  I tore my mouth from her trembling pussy, crawled between her thighs, and slammed into her. My mouth met hers as she cried out, swallowing her moan. “Fuck, Lydia.” I thrust into her again, her pussy milking me, and her nails clawing at my back. It was not going to take long with the pace we were setting. I sucked a perfectly pink nipple into my mouth and she came undone again, her hips meeting my thrusts and driving me toward my own release. I held back as long as I could, savoring the feeling of her skin sliding against mine, and loving the marks I would have on my back the for the next few days. When Lyd came again, her back arched and she bit her lip. The look of pure ecstasy on her gorgeous face was all it took, and I slammed into her one more time, coming hard and fast. I dropped to my elbows, not wanting to crush her and Lyd peppered my face with tiny kisses. I didn’t want to move. If anything, I wanted to be closer, but she rolled me off her and snuggled into my chest.

  “You’re not old.” Lydia rubbed my chest, drawing circles with her fingertip and covering my skin with goosebumps. I laughed, realizing my insecurity had shone through in our argument. The woman had also smacked me, but I had kind of deserved it. “I’m sorry I picked a fight, but if that happens when we argue, I can start another one.” She kissed me again and climbed over me, vanishing into the bathroom. I had picked that fight, and I knew it, but Lydia had a good point. We were always intense, but the fight made it more so. When she returned, I curled around her, holding on for dear life as we fell asleep. I could apologize when we woke up, and all the next day. I shouldn’t have answered her phone, I shouldn’t have tried to leave, and I certainly shouldn’t have talked to her the way I did, but impulsive was my middle name.

  Chapter Eleven

  LYDIA

  I woke up engulfed in Jacob, hoping the fight from earlier that morning had just been a bad dream. We both knew it was a long road ahead of us, but that kind of fight was not what we needed. My decision to seek solace in Torin, the time spent apart—all of it was enough drama for a lifetime. His arm cradled my head, the other was draped over my waist, and he had me in a death grip. I reveled in the sensation of not waking up alone again for a while longer and heard the boys stirring in the next room. It was a wonder we hadn’t woken them earlier in the morning. I wiggled free from his grip only for him to drag me back into him and grumble something into my hair.

  “I need to pee and you need to put clothes on.” With that, he let me go and I slid into the bathroom. Making sure to give his beautifully naked form one more long look. Yeah, still the most gorgeous man ever. Older or not, he was a perfect balance of lean muscle and imposing bulk, and the man was all mine.

  After studying my bruises in the mirror and peeing, I came back out to a mostly-dressed Jacob sitting at the foot of my bed with his head in his hands. I pushed between his knees and he buried his face in my stomach. “I didn’t mean to answer your phone. It buzzed and I gra
bbed it. I was half asleep.”

  “It’s okay. Better than if I had answered. I’m sorry about not giving you space. I kind of freaked out.” He lifted my shirt and kissed up my stomach, making my skin erupt in goosebumps.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Jacob whispered against me. “Tell me about the scar.” His thumbs traced my C-section scar.

  I moved away from him, stripping out of my night shirt and putting on actual clothes. “I got really sick. Preeclampsia. My blood pressure wouldn’t regulate and I passed out. Ollie wasn’t due for three weeks but I ended up with an emergency C-section. He was only six-pounds, three-ounces, and had a tiny tuft of black hair right in the middle of his head.” When I caught his eyes in the mirror, they were glistening with tears. I couldn’t imagine the pain Jacob felt for missing everything.

  Before he could speak, Ollie burst in. “Mom, Dad’s truck … is here …” At least we were both clothed. “Oh.” Our son moved his big brown eyes between his father on my bed and me at the dresser. “What’s for breakfast?” His cheeks tinged pink.

  “Ollie.”

  He shook his head, smiling. “It’s all right, Mom.” With his stamp of approval, Ollie backed out of my room, quietly closing the door. Jacob and I fell into a bout of uncomfortable laughter and he stalked toward me. We had just been caught by our teenaged son.

  “I need to get home.” His arms circled my waist. “But I can pick you and Oliver up at seven. Wear something worthy of Jake’s.” Then I got excited. Jake’s Watering Hole was the western style dance club and bar in town. I hadn’t been in ages, but loved going to line dance and square dance. The crowd was always eclectic with patrons aging from eighteen to seventy, maybe older. Even my parents went on date nights to Jake’s. Dancing with Amelia and Ollie at the party was fun, but dancing with Jacob again would be amazing. We used to dance in his apartment, a million years ago. He taught me how to waltz and I was terrible at it, but we stuck with it until I learned. Then I taught him how to swing, salsa, and tango. To be so tall, he was an incredible dancer.

  “Can’t wait. Now I should go feed the kids before they burst in again. Don’t want restless natives.”

  Jacob kissed Ollie’s head and patted Jude on the back before grabbing me up for a series of kisses before leaving. I started the coffee pot as his truck roared and then the sound vanished down the street.

  I fed the boys, and Mara picked up Jude. She couldn’t have made it easy, of course. Mara demanded every detail from the past and the present and wanted the good details. When I had enough talking about the size of Jacob’s manhood, I forced her to take her kid and get out so I could get ready.

  I started getting ready just before dinner, knowing that picking an outfit would take me forever. William called to tell me he was ordering pizza for Ollie and talked for half an hour about how excited he was to be spending the evening with his grandson. Of all the ways the scenario could have played out, the one I ended up with was the best. Jacob had eased in gracefully as far as parenting went, not making things any more complicated than it had to be, my family had welcomed him and my confession with much more openness than I ever imagined, and despite my stupid actions with Torin, Jacob and I were going to give things a chance. It was the happy ending I didn’t deserve.

  I was in my boots, denim skirt, and tied flannel shirt when Jacob showed up to get us. He went for a slightly less country look in a Henley and jeans, but still looked amazing. He chuckled at me. “You may be the hottest cowgirl I have ever seen.” Jacob jerked me into him, planting a kiss on my head before we retreated to his truck.

  Ollie was with William, eating pizza and learning poker, while we made our way across town to Jake’s. His big gold truck fit right in among the pick-ups, even if Jacob didn’t. The crowd inside was already thick and rowdy, only making my excitement grow as I clung to Jacob, dragging him to a two-top table and ordering two beers from the scantily-clad waitress. Then my favorite line dance came on. I polished off my beer, snatched Jacob by the arm, and dragged him out to the floor. We jumped in, squeezing between two men wearing hubcap-sized belt buckles and the laughter started. Somehow he managed to run into me at least a dozen times before retreating to the sides to just watch. Apparently, line dancing was not his strong point.

  I made it through two more songs, being tossed between partners, and losing sight of Jacob. To hell with him, if he didn’t want to dance with me, I would certainly find a man who would. That took me all of half a second. I may have been better than thirty with a teenaged son, but the tall, skinny guy in Wranglers didn’t seem to mind at all. The music switched gears to something slower and Wranglers guy tipped his hat at me, extending his hand. I had barely rested my hand on his chest when I was met with a wall of flesh behind me and a low growl.

  “Keep moving, buddy,” Jacob grumbled and Wranglers guy backed off, hands in the air. Such an animal. Jacob spun me into him, holding me closer than necessary and leading us into the dance. That dance almost rivaled the awesome make-up sex from the night before. There was nothing particularly intimate about it, but being in his arms like that, letting him have control and knowing exactly where he would step next, was a reminder of the past. My body knew exactly how his was going to move, react, and we were completely in sync.

  “Haven’t lost your touch, have you?” I strained my voice over the music.

  “This doesn’t happen with anyone else. Only you dance with me like this.” My chest did that irritating fluttering thing at his words and he pulled me even tighter. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he tugged it out, glanced at it, and replaced it without missing a step. His face changed entirely. The sexy smirk on his face vanished and his jaw hardened. I opened my mouth to ask but he shook his head, adjusting his grip on my waist. I let it go—when Jacob was ready to talk he would. Whoever was calling wasn’t up for discussion.

  Evening turned into night; Jake’s got louder, rowdier, and my one beer turned into a few more. To be honest, I lost count entirely, but Jacob had two and stopped. By the time he dragged me out, I was feeling pretty buzzed, but it’s not like I was driving and I knew I was safe with Jacob.

  “Have fun?” He buckled his seat belt, leaning close enough to flutter a kiss on my cheek.

  “Tons. I never drink that much,” He smirked at me and I looked him over. How was I so lucky? Jacob was sexy years before, but so much more then. The gray peppering his temples and beard made him even more gorgeous. I wanted to lick every inch of his body and enjoy it for the rest of my life. Then I got brave. Sliding over into the middle seat as Jacob pulled out of the lot, I let my fingers find the zipper of his jeans. He adjusted his posture and immediately went hard, straining against his jeans. I smirked to myself, working to free him from his jeans. I stroked him from base to tip a few times, watching him wiggle in his seat before he grabbed the back of my hair and shoved my face toward his crotch. I giggled and ran my tongue over the tip, making him groan. Then I quit teasing him and sucked every inch of his length into my mouth.

  “Fuck, Lydia.” Jacob bucked his hips into me as I pulled away, swirling my tongue over the head again, and starting the process over. He pulled over a few blocks from his place and cut the engine. “No way I won’t wreck and kill us both with you doing that.” His words were breathy and forced. His grip tightened on my hair, just slightly, and I moved faster, taking him to the back of my throat as his hips lifted to meet my mouth. His body tensed.

  “I’m gonna—” Jacob was cut off when I gently kneaded his balls in my palm and he came in my mouth, groaning and throwing his head back. I swallowed, reveling in the salty, needy taste of him and dragged my tongue all the way up to the tip. Without releasing his grip on my hair, he guided my head back up toward him and kissed my cheek lazily, leaving his lips on my heated skin. Then his phone rang and he shoved himself back in his pants, letting my hair go.

  “Yeah, Dad.” He composed himself, obviously not thrilled to be coming down from that high. “She what?” Jacob’s voice came out
as a growl. “Damn it. I’m sorry she bothered you. Leave Oliver there, I’ll take him to his room.” I kept still, not wanting him to stop talking on my account. “Dad, I gave her what she fucking wanted. I have no idea why that bitch is calling.” Jacob groaned, promising we would be home soon. At that point, his eyes caught mine. My buzz was gone and so was the high from the road head.

  “Who is she?”

  Jacob ruffled his dark hair. “My ex-wife. She’s been calling for over a week now, but I’ve ignored it. I signed her fucking papers, Lyd.” He huffed, and I rested my hand on his knee. He turned the truck over and threw it into drive. When he told me about her, he said she hadn’t wanted anything in the divorce, nothing, so he signed and walked out. Maybe she had changed her mind. Either way, Jacob should have told me the woman was calling.

  William was smoking his pipe in the recliner near the fireplace and Ollie was passed out on the couch when we walked it. I made a point to actually look around. The place was beautiful and old. Original hardwood floors ran through the entire house and the rust-colored walls were accented with cream trim. Even the furniture was Victorian. The staircase stole the show, though, with hand carvings and cream detailing that matched the crown molding. William kissed my cheek, passing the stairs and disappearing down the hall, while Jacob followed with Ollie in his arms.

  “His room was a guest room, so it’s all flowery and shit from Mom, but I repainted it last week. I’ll let him pick out curtains and bedding next week,” Jacob reached for my hand and pulled me behind him up the stairs. Before I could kick my boots off, he had me by the waist puling my back to his front. His hard length pressed into my lower back, making me shudder.