She squirmed and pulled my face closer to her. God, I had missed her, so damn much. I wanted to bury myself so deep inside her she would never forget what it felt like to have me be a part of her.
“Anson. I’m going to come!”
Her body shook, and when she cried out my name and squeezed around my fingers, I knew there was no way in hell I was going to last when I pushed inside her.
Her hands pushed me away then pulled me back. I smiled when she cried out again.
“Mercy! My God! Stop. Anson, wait. Don’t stop. I need you inside me now.”
I sat up, pushed off my boxers, and smiled. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Bristol
I HAD JUST had one of the most intense orgasms of my life. And my body still trembled as I watched Anson strip out of his boxers in record time.
His long, thick cock made my mouth water. I didn’t even care how it made me look, I spread my legs open and nearly dragged Anson on top of me.
“Fuck, I want you so much,” he said as he peppered kisses over my body while he made his way up and settled between my legs.
The need to feel him inside me again was all-consuming.
I lifted my hips, silently begging for him to take me. To be inside me. To make me feel something I hadn’t felt in so very long.
Anson cupped my head with his hands and kissed me so gently, I wanted to sigh. The taste of myself on his tongue made my core throb. Only Anson had ever given me oral sex. Only Anson could make me come and see stars dance across the ceiling.
Only Anson made me feel like a complete woman.
Only Anson.
He pressed the head of his cock against my entrance, and I gasped with both anticipation and pain. It had been way too long since I’d last had sex with a man—my vibrator didn’t count.
“Bri,” he panted against my lips.
I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him closer, feeling him slide into me one deliciously warm inch at a time.
“Oh, God,” I gasped while he drew in a hissed breath through his teeth.
“You feel so good. Baby, I’ve missed you so much.”
I ran my fingertips lightly over his back as we both waited a few moments for my body to fully adjust to him inside me.
“You’re so tight. Shit. Wait, don’t move for a second.” He was almost hyperventilating while trying to rein in any movement.
I couldn’t take it, though. My hips jerked in an effort to get him to move. “Anson. Move, I need to feel you moving inside me.”
He pulled out, then slowly pushed back in. It was a blissful torture. To feel the only man I had ever loved make love to me again nearly brought me to tears. The way our bodies moved together—it was as if we hadn’t ever been apart.
“Bristol, oh, God, Bristol.”
His whispered words and the way they crashed into my heart caused another orgasm to rush over me. Good Lord, as if the first one hadn’t been mind-blowing, this one made me feel like I was going to blackout.
“My God! I’m going to come again.”
I felt my legs wrap tightly around him as he moved harder and faster into me.
“Bri, baby, I can’t…I’m going to…”
“Yes. It feels so good. Don’t stop, Anson!”
I felt Anson grow bigger inside me, and then everything exploded. When he called out my name, when my orgasm reached the peak, each thrust inside me was better than the last. His body trembled, and he whispered my name as he came. When he stilled inside me, it was all too much. The emotions, the feeling of being with him again. I didn’t want it to end. My body hummed with satisfaction, and I was positive I was still shaking.
Anson’s face was buried in my neck as he fought to get his breathing under control.
I smiled when neither one of us even attempted to move. There was something so amazing about having him inside me.
As the sex-induced coma slowly drifted away, my smile faded and a sense of fear clogged my throat. He was still inside me. Anson had come inside me, and neither of us had given a second thought to a condom, only thinking about chasing the passion that pulled us together like magnets.
The way my heart jerked in my chest, I had to fight not to react. Had he gotten so lost in our lovemaking that he didn’t realize we’d just had sex with no protection?
I slowly loosened my hold on him and allowed my legs to fall to the sides. Anson lifted his head. Those blue eyes searched my face before he met my gaze. He smiled, then softly kissed my lips. I fought with everything I had not to cry. Not because I was sad, but because that had been the most beautiful moment of my life.
I was so happy to finally have Anson look at me like he just did.
But I was also afraid. We had unprotected sex. I had never in my life had sex with a man without making him wear a condom. Even with Anson before he left for Nashville; he always wore protection.
Then, it was anger’s turn to show up. Was this something Anson did often? Have sex with women and not even bother to talk to them about protection?
Oh, gosh. I couldn’t even be mad at him. I had gotten so caught up in it all that I hadn’t thought of it either.
He gently kissed along my jawline, down my neck, and then back to my mouth. The anger I had felt only moments ago was long gone.
When he finally moved to withdraw from me, he froze.
There it was. The look of utter panic.
“Fuck. Oh, shit. Bristol, I’m so sorry. God, I’ve never…I’ve never forgotten to wear a condom before. I swear to God, I…I…I’ve never forgotten, but we got so caught up.”
I nodded and tried to keep a calm expression on my face.
“You’re on the pill, right?” he asked.
“Why do you assume I’m on the pill?” I asked, not even sure why I was so offended by this normal question. He had every right to ask me that.
“Um, I guess I assumed.” He pulled back more, and this time, he did withdraw from me. The instant absence of him inside me left me feeling lost.
“Let me go get cleaned up—I’ll bring you back a washcloth.”
I nodded and watched as he walked into the bathroom.
Turning my head, I stared out of one of the stained glass windows. It was dark out, and I suddenly felt like the walls of the little old chapel were closing in on me.
Anson came back, still naked, and sat on the bed. He went to clean me up, and I was so taken aback by the sweet gesture, I smiled. I wanted to purr with how good it felt. It was crazy insane, but I wanted him again. How in the hell could I possibly want him again this soon?
When he stood, and I looked at that body, I knew why. I felt why between my legs.
I sat up and pulled the covers with me as I rested my chin on my knees. Anson reached down and picked up his boxers. A strange look was on his face. He sat down on the edge of the bed and let out a slow breath.
“Have you…have you ever had unprotected sex?” he asked.
My mouth nearly dropped open. “No! Never.”
I couldn’t help but notice his shoulders drop as tension instantly left them.
“What about with Josh?”
It felt like he had slapped me across the face.
“Josh?” I asked, utterly confused, “I just told you, I’ve never had unprotected sex, Anson.”
Anson turned and looked at me. His eyes were dark with something I had never seen before. “But you did sleep with him?”
“Anson, why are you asking me that now? Are you trying to ruin what just happened between us?”
He frowned. “No. Of course not. I guess I’m just…I’m…”
I moved closer to him. “You’re what?”
Slowly, he shook his head. “You slept with my best friend.”
Anger pulsed through me, nearly making it so that I couldn’t breathe.
“And what? Did you remain celibate the last six years? You haven’t slept with anyone since me?”
“Of course I have.”
His confession
took me by surprise. I knew he had, of course, but hearing him say it hurt more than I thought it would. Anson saw it on my face, and he cursed under his breath. I pushed the covers off of me and quickly searched for my panties.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m getting dressed.”
He got up and rounded the bed. He pulled me into his arms, and I tried with all my might to push him away.
“I’m sorry. I’m confused right now, Bri.”
My eyes widened in shock. “Confused about what?”
He pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear and softly asked, “Are you going to answer me? Are you on the pill?”
I felt my throat working to swallow. My mouth suddenly went dry. If Anson knew I wasn’t on the pill, what would he think? Would he be angry? Would he think I did this on purpose? Looking to tie myself to his money? His fame? For a moment, I wanted to lie. To tell him what he wanted to hear.
With a heaviness in my chest, I answered him.
“No. I’m not on the pill right now. I missed some pills about six months back, and my cycle got all messed up. I stopped taking them since I’m not dating anyone and didn’t foresee me dating anyone anytime soon.”
His brows pulled in slightly, then he took a step back, letting me go so that I could grab the T-shirt and slip it on. “When are you supposed to start?”
I stopped to think about the date. “In about two weeks.”
He nodded and then let me go. “I’m sorry I was so careless like that, Bri.”
“We both didn’t think about it, Anson.”
“I don’t regret it.”
His eyes met mine, and when I didn’t answer right away, he nodded and went to walk away.
“I don’t regret it either. Anson, my head is swimming here. There’s so much left unsaid between us. But I do not regret what we shared together. I’ve…I’ve missed you. And what happened between me and Josh–”
He lifted his hand. “I really don’t want to talk about that right now.”
“You brought him up.”
Anson sent me a cold glare. “Do you know what it was like to have him ask me if I wanted to compare notes on how you fucked, Bri?”
Lord, I could only imagine. I shook my head.
“Do you have any idea how that made me feel? Knowing you’ve slept with him?”
“I wasn’t going to wait around for you, Anson. If it wasn’t him, it would have been someone else.”
He let out what almost sounded like a growl.
“I read the dedications,” I blurted out, without thinking. “It was a mistake for me not to read them all this time, and I fully admit that. But, Anson, why didn’t you send them to me? If Ida and Pearl read them, why didn’t they tell me to read them?”
“My family wasn’t going to force anything down your throat, Bri. And Grams said she told you that you needed to read the dedication when the first album came out.”
Had she? My mind raced through memories of me and Ida talking about Anson. Lord, there were too many to think about.
“I’m not going to stand here and argue about what I should or shouldn’t have done. But Josh was there for me when I needed someone, and yes, I was with him for all the wrong reasons, so I ended it when I realized he was more serious about us than I was.”
Anson drew his brows in tightly. “What do you mean, you were with him for all the wrong reasons?”
I tossed my hands up in the air. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Try me.”
“He made me feel…closer to you.”
That had his eyes widening in shock. “He reminded you of me? So, you fucked my best friend and what, thought of me?”
I flinched and took a few steps back.
Suddenly, I felt dirty. Like I had done something wrong. My arms instinctively wrapped around my body, a shield to protect me from the hurt, and I felt my eyes burn with tears I fought to keep back.
“I thought we were over. He was a friend who became something more.”
He nodded. “Did you love him?”
My head jerked up to look at him. “No. I always told him the truth about how I felt. I wasn’t interested in taking the relationship beyond what it was.”
“Sex?”
I sighed. “Can you honestly look me in the eyes and judge me like this? You can stand there and say you never slept with anyone in hopes of forgetting me, if for only a little while? Even when I was with someone else, Anson, you were always there. I loved you even if I was angry and confused about you. So don’t judge me like that unless you’re innocent of doing the same damn thing.”
His hand went to the back of his neck, and he rubbed it. “No. I guess I’m guilty as charged.”
My stomach jerked once more.
I dropped onto the sofa and closed my eyes. The past twelve hours had been too much. I was about to tell Anson I wanted to go home when his cell phone rang.
He walked across the room and picked it up. “Hey, Mom.”
Then his face went white, and I stood.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
The fear in his voice had me wringing my hands together.
“I’m on my way home.” Anson ended the call and then rushed over to his bag. “I need to leave. My mother took my father to Peterson Regional ER. He’s having chest pains.”
Bristol
ALMOST A WEEK had passed by since I last saw Anson. He had sent me a few text messages to tell me his father had been discharged. It wasn’t a heart attack, thank goodness. The other texts were short. He asked how I was. Then, that was it. Nothing else from him.
As I watered the flowers outside the tea room and my house, I tried not to think of that night we spent together. Or how he hadn’t called me to talk about that night or about anything else. Coincidentally, since that night with Anson, Josh had the nerve to stop by the tea room to apologize for what he’d said to Anson. I politely asked him to leave and to not bother texting or calling me ever again.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out while trying not to get myself wet from the water hose.
Mindy: We have to talk.
Me: About?
Mindy: I’m walking down your way, give me a bit to get there.
Me: Sounds good, see you soon.
I finished up watering the plants, then made my way into the tea room. I turned off all the lights, made sure everything was ready for tomorrow, and headed back out.
As I locked the door, I heard Mindy’s hello from behind me.
“Hey! You look amazing,” I said as I made my way down the steps of the tea room and hugged my best friend.
I knew in an instant something was wrong. “What’s wrong? Did Jim contact you?”
“What? God, no. He knows better. But I did hear from my lawyer…once the required time is up, Jim’s lawyer told him he’ll sign the papers no problem. He dropped a bomb, though. Said he’s going to sign over his parental rights.”
I shook my head. “How can he not want his own baby?”
“Who knows. I hope you have some sweet tea and whiskey. I’m going to need the sweet tea after that walk, and you’re gonna need the whiskey.”
“Why?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer.
“Let’s get into your house.”
We walked the short path from the tea room to my house. Once we were inside, Mindy went straight to the cabinet where I kept the booze.
“I’m pretty sure I don’t need whiskey.”
“You will.”
A feeling of dread washed over me. “Do I really want to know what you’re about to tell me?”
She nodded. “If it were me, I’d want to know.”
I grabbed the bottle from her and headed to the living room.
“No glass?” Mindy asked as she sat down.
“After the week I’ve had? No.”
“Did you ever hear back from Annie?”
Annie and I hadn’t been able to meet that morning to talk about Farmhouse Tea
going into her boxes. Since Anson and I had to rush out of the hotel, I had forgotten to even text her until later that morning. She responded that she understood and would be getting back to me on the tea. I took that as a ‘Screw you, sister.’
“I doubt I will with how I blew her off.”
Mindy raised a brow. “I wouldn’t think that too quickly. It appears Annie had a little more to do with that night than we thought. She might have thought you found out and was embarrassed to contact you.”
I sat down with a thump. “What do you mean?”
“I went over to Ida’s today. She offered to teach me how to make an apple tart.”
“Craving?” I asked with a chuckle.
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Big time. Anywho, Ida started to talk as we rolled out the crust. She asked me if you had mentioned anything about that dinner. If anything had happened between you and Anson. I laughed and said that if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was Annie who set it all up.”
My stomach dropped. Everything slammed into place in a rush. How Annie knew exactly what Anson and I would eat. The clothes and shoes in my exact size. The romantic room, the lingerie.
“Oh my gosh. She didn’t,” I said as I covered my mouth with my hand.
“She did, and it wasn’t just her. Pearl was in on it too. And your mom knew. I think Pearl and Emmie got in on it later after the afternoon tea, but they were for sure in on the whole plan. That’s how Annie knew your size on everything.”
Our own mothers set us up.
I opened the whiskey and took a drink.
“So that was all a show? Pearl freaking out about Annie and Anson?”
She shook her head. “No, not at first. She really did panic. But then, Ida started to talk to Annie and gave her the four-one-one on your relationship with Anson in the short version that only Ida can do when she’s on a mission. She said she needed help getting you two to finally get together and talk. Annie thought it was romantic and agreed to play along with Ida. That’s why Annie insisted on you going to dinner.”
“But Pearl told me she thought Annie would hit on Anson, and when it didn’t go well, she would back out of our deal.”
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