A small cough worked its way passed his lips and Brody cleared his throat, speaking the first intelligible words that came to mind. “We should move out of the way. We’re blocking the door.”
Avery felt Brody’s calloused hand brush lightly against the tips of her fingers as he relieved her of the heavy burden of her shopping bags. His free hand reached out and captured her wrist, pulling her out of the way of the flow of people waiting impatiently to pass. The contact of flesh on flesh sent an involuntary shiver up her spine, and she quivered under his touch. Even now, years later, her body still recognized him.
Think, damnit, think, Avery coaxed herself, but it was no use. Her mind was clouded with images of him from that night so long ago, and her brain refused to formulate a rational response to his words. He was speaking, wasn’t he? His lips moved as if they were forming words, but yet her brain refused to cooperate. Slowly, the hazy fog that filled her mind began to lift and distant sounds began to transition into a legible string of words. Avery snapped out of her daze and the husky vibration of Brody’s voice echoed in her ears.
“Avery?” he asked in a commanding tone. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, having finally found her voice. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you. You caught me a little off guard, that’s all.”
“Maybe you should sit down for a minute. You look a little pale.” Still gripping her trembling wrist, Brody led Avery to a nearby vacant table. He could feel her pulse beating rapidly beneath the surface of her tender skin, matching his own erratic heart rate beat for beat. After having settled her into a patio chair, he loosened his grip and placed the shopping bags on the ground at her feet. The cold cast iron pressed uncomfortably into his back as he lowered himself into the chair beside her.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again. Brody’s jaw stiffened and concern etched his face. “I could get you a bottle of water or something.”
“Really, I’m fine,” she assured him. Avery set her coffee on the table, and placing her hands palm down on the cool surface of the glass tabletop, waited for her heart rate to resume its steady pace before engaging in small talk with the one man she never thought she’d see again… ever. Taking a deep calming breath, she shifted in the chair and raised her eyes to meet his. “It’s been a while. How have you been keeping?”
“I’ve been busy with work.” Brody fidgeted nervously with the ring on his finger. “It’s been what, three years?”
“Closer to five, actually.”
“Wow, has it been that long?” He steadied his twitching fingers and stared at Avery. God, she was still beautiful after all these years. “And what about you, how have you been keeping?”
“I’ve been busy with school and stuff, but the semester is almost over.”
“School? I didn’t know you were a teacher.”
“I wish,” Avery replied nervously. “I’m in my final year of graduate studies at Harvard.”
“Harvard? Really? Impressive.” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a forced smile, but inside he was silently cursing her. For five years the same question had plagued his mind over and over again. For five years he’d wondered “What If?” Could the course of their lives been permanently altered with one simple gesture? But now wasn’t the time to ponder such things. Now was the time to man up and ask her the question that had kept him awake at night for months following their encounter, knowing that at any moment Avery could disappear from his life… again. Gripping the edge of the table for support, he opened his mouth and the words gushed out as if having a mind of their own. “Why didn’t you call me back? I must’ve tried phoning you a million times but you didn’t even have the decency to return one of my calls. Do you know how many times I sat outside your window silently begging you to pick up your phone? But no, you didn’t even have the guts to tell me to fuck off. That weekend we spent together was the best weekend on my life and I thought that what we had was special, but you obviously didn’t feel the same way, or maybe you did but were too chicken shit to do anything about it.”
“Brody, I…” Avery watched as he slumped back in the chair, dejected. If someone other than Brody had called her as obsessively as he did, she probably would’ve filed a restraining order. But this was Brody, the man she’d fallen in love with over the course of one all too brief weekend, and she owed him an explanation, now matter how half hearted it may be. “I wanted to call you back, I swear I did, but I was so busy with school. Life was complicated for me back then.”
“Complicated as in boyfriend complicated?” The question slipped past his lips before he could stop it. Why on earth had he asked the stupid question in the first place knowing full well that he didn’t want to hear the answer?
“No, nothing like that,” Avery replied, and averted her gaze. It was so long ago. Please just leave it alone, Brody.
“Why the cold shoulder then? Why didn’t you ever call me back?”
Before Avery had a chance to respond, a tall, slender woman appeared at Brody’s side, and nervously he once again began to fidget with the ring on his finger.
Caught off guard for the second time that day, Avery glanced up at the stunning woman who had placed her hand on Brody’s shoulder and was now leaning over to give him an affectionate kiss on the check. Her gaze wandered to his trembling hands and to the wedding band that encircled his finger, and wedding band that perfectly matched the on worn by the brunette standing beside him.
“Avery, this is Veronica, my wife. Veronica, this is Avery, an old friend of mine.”
A look of recognition flashed across the woman’s face and she scowled, but politely offered her hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Avery.”
He’s married? Avery searched her mind, trying to recall if Brody had worn a wedding band the last time she saw him, but was drawing a blank. Oh God, did I sleep with a married man? Not wanting to draw attention to her thoughts or to the frustration that was reddening her already flushed cheeks, she shook the woman’s outstretched hand and mumbled, “Pleased to meet you too.”
“Why don’t I give the two of you time alone to catch up? Meet me inside when you’re done.” Veronica placed a swift and tender kiss to Brody’s lips before retreating to the cool comfort of the coffee shop.
Tension mounted in his shoulders, causing his muscles to strain even more against his black, cotton t-shirt. “Avery…”
“Brody, please,” she interrupted, and raised her hand to silence him. Bile rose in the back of her throat. The thought that she may have slept with a married man made her physically ill. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Brody could visibly see the horror hidden deep in Avery’s eyes and rushed to explain. “Avery, look at me.” Leaning across the table, he gently cupped her face in the palm of his hand and tilted her chin upwards, bringing her eyes to meet his. “I wasn’t married when I met you. Veronica and I have only been married for a little over two years. I waited for you. I prayed that you’d come back to me, but you never did.”
“Maybe you weren’t married then, but you are now, and considering our past, it’s inappropriate for me to be sitting here talking to you.” Reaching down, Avery picked up the bags that sat at her feet and stood up. “It was nice seeing you again, Brody.”
“Avery, please don’t go.”
She wanted desperately to turn around and answer the husky voice that beckoned to her, but Brody was married now. That chapter of her life had officially come to an end. So it was with great strength and courage that she continued walking, leaving Brody sitting on the patio staring after her.
Chapter 2
“God damnit! Where’s my pizza?” Avery cursed to no one in particular and took a long, hard pull on her beer. Warm beer on a hot night wasn’t her poison of choice, but she’d have to make due.
Slinking further into the cushions, she rested her head on the arm of the sofa and used the back of her hand to wipe away the sheen of sweat that had gathered on her forehead. Six
hours after their chance encounter and she could still feel her heart in her throat. It wasn’t the sweltering heat making her hot and uncomfortable, nor was it the memories that seeing Brody had stirred. He’s married for Christ sake!
A million times she’d picked up the phone and attempted to dial his number, and a million times she lost her nerve and hung up. But finding out that he was married changed everything. Any hope that she’d secretly harbored about telling him the truth vanished in the blink of an eye. Avery sighed and set her beer on the coffee table. Images of him flashed through her mind, and the words he’d spoken to her the morning after rang in her ears. After a few moments, her eyes fluttered shut with exhaustion.
“Good morning, Beautiful.”
“Mmm… morning,” Avery mumbled contentedly and smiled widely as Brody pulled her close, his morning stiffness gloriously digging into the small of her back. The hot morning sun streamed in through the bedroom window, making it uncomfortably warm beneath the duvet. Avery threw the covers back and in an instant was straddling his hips, her hands pinning his arms to the mattress while she placed a chaste kiss to his lips.
Brody effortlessly freed himself from Avery’s grip and splayed his hands across her hips, repositioning her body so that his length nuzzled comfortably between the folds of her warmth. His head fell back against the pillow, and a groan that emanated from deep within his chest escaped his lips. He forced himself to think through the veil of lust that was slowly consuming his every nerve like a raging fire that destroyed everything in its path, and opened his eyes. Above him, streaks of gold cast by the morning sun silhouetted the most breathtaking woman he’d ever laid eyes on. A woman as beautiful as Avery deserved more than a one night tryst with a guy she didn’t even know, but he wanted so much more than a fling with this angel, who by the graces of God, had been sent to him. He didn’t have much to offer, but everything he had was hers, if she’d have him. Unsure of exactly what to say, Brody decided to let his heart speak for him. “About last night, there’s something we need to talk about.”
“I get it,” Avery replied sharply without giving him a chance to finish speaking, and quickly removed herself from his lap. “This is the part where you tell me how good it was but you’re not looking for something more.”
Brody sprung up from the bed and captured Avery in his arms, pulling her into his lap and hugging her tightly against his chest. His hand trailed across the silken skin of her shoulder as his mouth traced a line of feather-light kisses along the length of her neck, causing goose bumps to rise on her forearms. Taking a loose tendril of hair between the tips of his fingers, Brody tucked it behind her ear. His lips, still warm and red from overuse the night before, found her earlobe and began suckling it as he whispered softly against her heated flesh. “I would never say that to you. You have my word.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation.” Avery began, but found it increasingly difficult to speak as Brody’s hand cupped her breast, his fingers masterfully working her nipple into a stiff peak.
“Before you so rudely interrupted me,” he half murmured, half laughed, and released Avery’s ear from between his lips.”I was going to say that last night was one of the best nights of my life and I was hoping that you’d spend the day with me.”
Avery’s mouth curled up into an impish grin, and reaching between them, she grasped his arousal, methodically working it up and down as she pretended to ponder his request. “Well,” she hymned “I guess I could spend the day in bed with you, but at some point we’ll have to stop for something to eat. I’m famished.”
Brody placed his hand over hers, stilling her movements. “Actually, I was hoping that you’d let me take you to The Cape. As great as last night was—and as much as I’d love nothing more than a repeat performance—I’d really like the chance to get to know you better
Avery stared at him in disbelief. Had she heard him right, or were his words nothing more than a figment of her imagination?
“Well, what do you think? Will you go out with me?”
Avery’s smile widened. “I’d love to, but first things first.”
“Right, I’ll start breakfast while you get ready.”
“That isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Avery smirked, and rolled onto the bed, pulling Brody on top of her while they succumbed to a fit of laughter, a tangled mass of naked limbs.
A sudden knock at the door jolted Avery awake. Sleepily, she rummaged through her purse for her wallet while she stumbled across the living room floor, cursing the delivery guy for ruining a perfectly good dream by showing up an hour late with her pizza. Memories of that day at The Cape played through her mind like a motion picture as she tried to free a twenty dollar bill from her wallet.
Avery unlatched the deadbolt and turned the handle, opening the door just enough to pay the guy and snag her pizza. But what was waiting for her on the other side of the door was not the pimple faced teenager wearing a red Gino’s Pizza t-shirt that she’d been expecting. Instead, in his place was a disheveled looking shell of a man. Brody stood with his back against the wall, his shoulders slumped forward and his head hung low in his chest. His silver framed aviator sunglasses that earlier that day sat perched on the tip of his nose now hung lopsided from the neck of his t-shirt. His hands, strong and lean, were interlocked behind his head, and his red rimmed eyes looked as if they’d recently shed a thousand tears.
Avery took a tentative step into the hallway, closing the door behind her all but a fraction of an inch. Her heart was screaming at her to run to him and offer him the comfort of her arms, but her conscience reminded her of the wedding band that decorated his finger, stopping her from making such a brash move. Brody was a married man now. It wasn’t up to her to offer him comfort.
“Brody, are you okay?” she asked, and took another tentative step forward.
At the sound of Avery’s voice, he unlocked his fingers and raised his head, looking her square in the eyes, and without hesitation, asked her the question that had been plaguing him. His voice was hoarse, but the words flowed freely from his mouth. “Why didn’t you return my calls?”
Avery stood there speechless and returned his stare. Never had she expected Brody to show up at her door at one in the morning, and she sure as hell didn’t expect him to show up at her door demanding answers to a question that was better left in the past.
“Why didn’t you return my calls?” he demanded, only this time his voice was louder and laced with a hint of anger.
“Would you please keep your voice down? You’re going to wake my neighbors.”
“Answer my question and I’ll leave.”
Avery shut the door another fraction of an inch, leaving only a sliver of space between it and the door frame. Her palms grew sweaty and she hastily wiped them on the legs of her jeans. When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper. “I told you already, life was complicated for me back then. I wanted to call you, I really did, but I… I just couldn’t.”
“That’s not an answer,” he scoffed, choosing to ignore the visible tension that was mounting in her shoulders. “That’s not even a lame excuse.”
Avery lowered her head and averted her gaze as a wave of remorse crashed over her. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“Fine, give me a straight answer and I’ll leave. You’ll never have to see me again.”
Tell him something, anything, to get him the hell out of here before he wakes up the entire building and causes a scene. Avery sighed and shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Deep down she knew that she should tell him the truth, but the truth wasn’t something she was ready to deal with, so instead, she shut her eyes and sent up a silent prayer, hoping that Brody would accept her answer and leave well enough alone.
“I wasn’t lying when I told you that I was busy with school. It was the end of the semester and I was swamped with work. I figured that the faster I got through it, the more time I’d have to spend with you over the break.
I wanted to make plans with you for the following weekend, but I was called away on a family emergency.” Avery sent up another silent prayer. Please God, don’t let him push this any further. But before she could finish her thought, Brody snapped.
“Un-fucking believable!” he hollered. “I never hear from you again because you had to go out of town? Since when does going out of town impede someone’s ability to make a God dammed phone call, Avery?”
“I told you already, my life was complicated back then. Besides, I’m not the one who ran off and got married to the first person that came along,” she shot back. “And I’ve already asked you to keep your voice down. If it happens again, I’m going to ask you to leave.” Avery glanced anxiously over her shoulder at the door to her apartment and quietly pulled it shut the remainder of the way.
“What’s the matter, have you got a boyfriend in there that you don’t want to wake up?” Brody smirked, but the thought of her having another man in her apartment ripped his heart in two.
“What does it matter to you?” Avery replied, solemnly. “Don’t you have a wife to get home to?”
“Yes, I do have a wife,” Brody conceded, “but Veronica and I haven’t lived together in months.” He leaned back against the wall trying to gauge Avery’s reaction. If Brody didn’t know better, he was almost certain that a hint of a smile played on the corners of her mouth.
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