Five Hearts Anthology

by Sandy Sullivan

Sure enough the love of his life stepped out of the truck and drew her coat closer to her body. Pressing closer to the glass, he recognized her red hair gleaming in the light overhead as she smiled at the new vet in town. Damn it! Seeing her smile at someone else twisted his gut into a knot. He'd let her go. He knew that, but it didn't make seeing her dating any easier. He hadn't seen her except from a distance, in almost a year to the day. Valentine's Day last year, to be exact.

  Before he could stop, he stood at the open door of his bar as the couple walked arm-and-arm toward him.

  "Hi you two."

  Her steps came to a faltering stop. "Seth."

  "I don't believe we've met. I'm Marcus Milton, the new vet."

  "Seth Reardon. I own the bar."

  "Ah. I haven't frequented your establishment yet."

  "I don't believe you have, Doc. I know everyone who comes into my bar." His gaze never left Becky. "It's good to see you, Becky."

  "You too, Seth. How've you been?"

  "Good."

  "We should go, Becky. We have reservations at the restaurant."

  "Oh. Yes, of course."

  "I guess I'll see you around," Seth said, not quite ready to let her leave.

  "Probably not. We don't seem to run into each other very often anymore." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

  "True."

  The urge to draw her into his arms and kiss her until she yielded under his touch again—like she used to—almost drove him to his knees.

  She glanced back one last time as Marcus led her down the sidewalk.

  The door moved easily under his hand as he stepped back inside the bar and slammed it shut. "God damn it!" The glass shattered when he threw it against the far wall and dropped his head back on his shoulders. Nothing but the rough beams of the ceiling above him, stared back. His eyes burned from unshed tears. He needed her. Wanted her with every fiber of his being, but he couldn't have her. He wasn't good enough for her.

  Maybe you should have given her that choice. You never told her why you broke it off.

  "Shut up!"

  * * * *

  "Are you all right?" Marcus asked as they were led to their table.

  "I'm fine."

  Once they had been seated, he took her hand in his. "What's the history between you and Seth?"

  "Nothing, why?"

  He shook his head sadly. "Come on, Becky. The longing in both of your eyes took my breath away. I hope someday to have a love like that."

  "It doesn't matter, Marcus. He broke up with me almost a year ago," she replied, grabbing her menu and flipping it open. Seeing Seth made her want to cry. Her chest hurt and she knew it was from her heart breaking inside. Damn the man! Why did he have to ruin my date?

  "Did he tell you why?"

  "No. I guess I wasn't good enough for him or something."

  "Not good enough? If that's his excuse, then he doesn't deserve you." Marcus picked up his own menu and glanced over the top at her. "We'll have a nice dinner and I'll take you home."

  "I want this to be a regular date. I'm not letting Seth Reardon ruin it anymore than he already has."

  "If you didn't care about him, he wouldn't have ruined it for you."

  She slapped the menu down on the table as anger swept through her. "All right. I care about him. Okay? It doesn't matter what I feel. He doesn't want me. He's made his lack of feelings perfectly clear and I'm tired of sitting at home alone. Now, if you'd rather not finished this date, you can take me home."

  "Whoa! Hang on here. I never said I didn't want to finish our date. I'd love to learn more about you and maybe someday you can move on without him if he doesn't return your affection. I just wanted to make sure you knew I was aware of your feelings for him," Marcus said, taking her hand again. "Who knows? Maybe we can push him to decide one way or another."

  "I'm not following you."

  "Do you want him to either cut loose and let you go completely or declare his true feelings?"

  "I want him to love me like I love him."

  "Let's give him something to stew over then, shall we?" Marcus brought her hand to his lips, smiled a teasing little grin and then kissed the back of her hand.

  She wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing until he whispered against her flesh, "Seth just walked in. Alone." She moved to look, but he stopped her. "No. Look at me. Think of me as Seth and give me your best loving look."

  Marcus' face morphed into Seth's and the teasing little grin he loved to give her before he kissed her silly. The twinkle in his dark eyes melted her insides like butter in the hot summer sun. "I love you, Becky." Seth's dark, rich voice washed over her like a warm, fuzzy blanket.

  "Yeah, perfect," Marcus said, breaking the spell. "He's taken a seat at the bar, but he's watching us in the mirror. Whatever you do, think of me as him and he'll be eating his heart out inside of thirty minutes."

  She did exactly what Marcus said and imagined him as Seth. Using Marcus like this didn't sit well with her, but he seemed to want to play matchmaker like Emma did two summers ago when she forced the two of them to talk out their differences. Once she knew a relationship with Seth wouldn't give her father a heart attack, she'd embraced it and the attraction with both arms wide open. The eight months following were the best of her life. She'd fallen so deeply in love with Seth and thought he had with her too. The break off had been such a shock, she didn't eat for days, missed work and wanted to die.

  Now, she was about to let him hurt her all over again.

  Chapter Two

  Son of a bitch! Watching Becky with Marcus tore at his gut and his heart. He wanted her—no needed her and there she sat looking so lost in love with that vet, he wanted to gag.

  The way he kissed her hand and she melted on the chair made him want to punch something. Preferably her new boyfriend. How dare she find someone else. How long had they been dating? Months, probably. Hell, she'd more than likely started dating the guy right after he broke it off with her.

  Marcus stood and leaned over Becky. The kiss he planted on what appeared to be her lips, made Seth growl low in his throat as jealousy seared his heart. The next moment when Marcus slid his hands around Becky's waist and held her close as they danced, Seth could have thrown up had there been anything in his stomach besides alcohol.

  He hadn't moved on and found anyone else. The town knew he wasn't good enough for any of the ladies of Red Rock and so did he. Owning a bar didn't qualify as a good catch around here. Several of the town's families including the Weston's and Dunn's were founding fathers of the town and a guy like him wouldn't be welcome. Even Becky's father, the local preacher, didn't like him. Hated him in fact because of his Jewish heritage. Even if he wasn't a practicing Jew.

  Well to hell with them all. Seth Reardon didn't back down from a fight and if he had to fight for something, he’d damned well fight for Becky's love. Yes, he loved her. Had loved her for two years.

  He hadn't thanked Emma for sticking her nose in their business, but he should have. The summer she'd given him a virtual kick in the butt to talk to Becky, gave him the courage to go after the one woman he'd admired from afar for too long.

  Enough's enough. He did own a bar and it paid the bills. He might not have a lot to offer a girl like Becky, but he had his love. If it wasn't good enough, then she had to tell him so.

  He slid off the barstool and stumbled. Too much to drink. I'd better wait to talk to her until I'm sober. After a quick glance in her direction and noticing her continued lovey-dovey look at Marcus, he made his way out the door and down the sidewalk to the back door of his apartment. The stairs mocked him with silent laughter as he sighed and methodically pulled his now weary body up each step and fished his keys out of his jeans pocket. A good night's sleep would do him good, even though he hadn't gotten one of those in months.

  The next morning, he woke still dressed and lying diagonal across his bed. How the hell he managed to even make it there, he wasn't sure.

  His mouth tasted pasty like
he'd been snoring, which he probably had. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling for a moment as images of the night before flashed through his foggy brain.

  Running into Becky and Marcus outside the bar. Following them to the restaurant and mooning over her like a lovesick fool in the mirror while she smiled, laughed and simpered over the new vet. The conclusion he'd come to. Make it right or leave her alone. He had to do something. This situation was out of control and he either needed to move on or come clean with her over why he'd broken up with her. The thought of getting back together with her left him almost giddy.

  First a shower and then he had plans to make. Wouldn't it be fitting to get back together with her one year exactly to the day he'd stopped seeing her? All he could hope for was she hadn't moved on without him and the scene last night with Marcus was a mistake.

  After he pulled himself up off the bed, he stumbled to his feet and held his head. Damn it. Whiskey hurt the day after. He hoped he hadn't made a complete fool of himself the night before in front of Becky, but he couldn't quite remember everything. The one thing he did remember drove him crazy. The looks Becky gave Marcus. He wanted her looking only at him with those big green eyes and loving smile.

  He headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Once he'd completed that task, he could concentrate on what he had to do to win Becky back.

  The warm water felt invigorating as it pounded against his back and shoulders even in the small enclosure. He always imagined showering with Becky although they'd never got to try it out. Nothing better than shower sex on the spur of the moment.

  His cock hardened at the thought. Her warm mouth would envelope the head, sucking softly until she swirled her tongue around and around. The rough pad of her tongue would trace the veins running along the underside until she slowly engulfed the entire length of him in the hot cavern of her mouth. Suck, swallow. Suck, swallow.

  Ah hell!

  Unable to lose the image now, he wrapped his fist around his cock and moved it up and down. This had become a ritual in the last year. The pictures of Becky on her hands and knees as he fucked her from behind, tortured him day and night. More of her on her knees sucking his cock until he squirted every last drop of cum down her throat. Yes, they'd been intimate.

  The first time they'd made love came back in sharp clarity.

  They'd dated for six months before giving into the lust and attraction screaming between them. She hadn't been a virgin, but he hadn't anticipated it anyway.

  A candlelight dinner, soft music and flower petals everywhere set the mood. She'd actually seduced him rather than him seducing her. When he'd shown up at her house, she was wearing a soft green wrap around dress and no shoes.

  She'd looked so beautiful, she took his breath away. The dress matched her eyes and set off her red hair. The light behind her reflected the gold highlights like fire around her head when she'd opened the door to his knock.

  "We're staying in tonight. My treat. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

  "What's the occasion?"

  "Nothing special." She shrugged and then smiled. "Maybe our six month anniversary or something."

  "Has it been six months already?"

  She smacked his arm. "Like you didn't know. You've been hinting at it for weeks." With his hand in her grasp, she pulled him inside and shut the door. Moments later, he found himself against the door with her lips on his.

  Damn, could she kiss. Her lips tasted sweet with a little bite from a soda she'd drank before he got there. Taking control of the situation, he quickly reversed their positions and pressed her hard against the wooden panel. The attraction between them sizzled in the air and had from the moment he'd laid eyes on her. She released a small groan into his mouth when his hand found her breast. God, he wanted her. Needed her.

  After he lifted his head and stared into her eyes, he said, "Not now, Becky."

  "I want you, Seth."

  "I know. I'm right there, but I want it to be special. Not just a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am. You're extraordinary and what I feel for you can't be described in simple words."

  "What do you feel for me?"

  "I think I'm falling in love with you."

  "Good. Me too."

  "What?" he asked, afraid he hadn't heard her correctly.

  "I'm falling in love with you too, and I want us to make love. Have sex. Do the horizontal mambo. You know." Her hands made quick work of the buttons down the front of his shirt.

  With a heavy sigh, he stepped back. "After dinner…maybe."

  "Maybe? Don't you want to make love to me, Seth?"

  "More than anything, but we need to slow down."

  "Why?" she asked, returning to her task of undressing him as she talked.

  "Damn it, Becky. Stop!"

  Her eyes widened and her face drained of all color. "I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't be so forward."

  "God no, sweetheart. It's not that. I'm just so fucking horny right now, I could chew nails and having you all over me is driving me crazy." He framed her face with his hands. "I want you so bad, it's killing me, but I want this to be special, baby. You've already started with the dinner, flower petals and all this. Let's just take it a little slower. Okay?"

  The tears on her lashes about did him in, but he breathed a sigh of relief when she nodded and stepped back.

  "We'll do this your way."

  Dinner seemed strained even though he tried to lighten it up by teasing her and joking with her. The lines around her mouth told him how tense she held herself waiting for him to give her the signal it would be okay for them to make love now. Although, he wasn't sure now was the best time.

  "Don't you dare change your mind, Seth Reardon. I won't wait anymore. I've been trying to get you to make love to me for weeks, but you keep pushing me away. If you don't want to, just say so and we'll move on without each other. But let me tell you one thing. I'm getting laid tonight with or without you," Becky said, before she jumped to her feet and grabbed her plate.

  Well now. She's got a bit of a fire under her ass apparently.

  "Oh, we're gonna make love, Becky O'Rourke." He slowly climbed to his feet and followed her into the small kitchen. When he touched her shoulder, she spun around seemingly startled by his proximity. "In fact, make sure the table is cleared and wiped down, baby. Because I'm gonna take you on it."

  "I'm no virgin afraid of rough sex."

  "Good. I won't have to play nice then because I like it a bit on the rough side." His lips latched onto hers in a bone melting kiss. Her lips parted in a gasp and he drove his tongue inside her mouth to taste and explore. The perpetual hard-on he'd been sporting for six months ached for release in some other method besides his fist as he wrapped his hand in her hair and tipped her head back.

  After several moments, he lifted his head and stared down into her eyes. "Get this cleaned up and I'll be right back." He had something to retrieve from his truck.

  * * * *

  The day after the dinner with Marcus and pretending he was Seth, Becky stood by the window in her house letting the memories swamp her. Thoughts about the first time she and Seth made love came rushing back as her heart ached for the man who'd dashed her hopes of an everlasting love with the words 'I can't see you anymore.'

  He'd come over for a normal dinner date with her, but she'd decided earlier in the day seduction was her plan. Candlelight dinner, soft music, and rose petals set the mood, but he'd been so damned stubborn about it, she'd almost given up on him ever making love to her.

  From the moment he'd walked in through the front door, she'd taunted, flirted and did anything and everything to flip his switch.

  What the hell was she thinking teasing him? Her whole body quivered with anticipation. Seth didn't come across as the forceful type, but all this tough talk had her so hot, she thought she might combust.

  She quickly cleared the table and put all the dishes in the sink. Without a second thought, she grabbed some of the rose petals she's strewn about the
living room, throwing them on the dining room table. If he planned on taking her on the hard surface, she wanted to make sure it was at least a little romantic.

  "Romantic hell. I want him to take me hard and fast." Her stomach turned over just thinking about his cock buried in her pussy or her ass. It had been a long time since she'd had anal sex and unfortunately for her sometimes guys didn't go for it.

  "Ready?" he asked from the doorway.

  "For?"

  "Toys, baby, toys."

  Her stomach dropped. "What kind of toys?"

  "Vibrators, butt plugs, lots of lube?"

  She sighed knowing tonight would blow her mind. "All of the above?"

  "Strip."

  "Yes, Sir." Nervous now, she worked the tie at her waist on the right and then loosened the dress across the bodice.

  Seth leaned against the back of the couch, his treasure sack clutched tight in his hand as she let the front of her dress fall to her waist. Never having stripped in front of a man before, she wasn't quite sure what to do next, but the appreciation in his eyes gave her courage. She slipped the rest of her dress down over her hips, taking her silky pants along with it. Standing in front of him naked as the day she was born made her self-conscious of her thicker thighs and too round butt.

  "Well?" she asked with her hands spread wide.

  "Magnificent. You're so beautiful you take my breath away."

  "Are you going to strip too?"

  "Eventually, baby. For now, I want to look. A man likes to look, you know."

  She bit her lip and tried to calm the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

  "Turn."

  "What?"

  "Turn around. I want to see the back."

  "But I have a big butt," she said as she turned her back toward him.

  The sting of his bare hand against her flesh startled her into a yelp.

  "You have the nicest ass I've seen anywhere and I'll not have you talking bad about the body I want so much I hurt." His arms snacked around her waist and he drew her back against his chest. "I love you, Becky, but make no mistake. I like my sex with a bite. If you aren't up to it, let me know now."