“Shit, I never knew. God, I wish I’d known all this.”
“Can you forgive me?”
He looked down, momentarily lost for words. If she’d asked him that eight years ago the answer would have been “No, I can, never ever forgive you”, but they’d moved on. “Soph, I won’t lie and tell you my heart wasn’t broken. It shattered into tiny pieces, but we all make mistakes, which means we also have to eventually forgive one another.” He looked up at her. “And the baby? Does this mean you and Travis have a child in Seattle?”
Sophie shook her head as a tear flew off her face.
“Nope, I had a miscarriage six weeks after we got married.”
Wade rubbed his hands over his face. He hadn’t expected to hear any of this, not tonight, not ever. He had to admit he was shocked.
“And you and Travis never tried for more?”
“No, I wanted to, but Travis decided he wasn’t father material. That’s why we got divorced.”
He pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head again. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, the whole thing was a big stupid mistake.”
“And you didn’t think about coming back to Greenville after your divorce?”
“I guess I was too embarrassed to face everyone. I know some people did hate me for going off with Travis, but Gran said she’d never reveal my secret unless I wanted her to.”
“Soph, I just wish I’d known. I mean all these years you’ve kept this secret to yourself.”
She kissed him.
“Can we never mention any of this ever again?” asked Sophie.
“It’s fine with me.”
He looked at her. If only he’d been there for her, protected her. Gone to Seattle to see her when she and Travis parted ways they might have worked things out…even been married by now.
“However, you have to promise me no more secrets between us ever, okay?” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight, hoping she’d never leave his bed. Never leave his life and Greenville ever again. This was where she belonged, and even if she didn’t think that, too, he’d move heaven and earth to convince her otherwise.
Wade kissed her cheek and then her neck, making a silly noise against her skin.
“That tickles me,” said Sophie.
“Good, that’s what I wanted it to do.”
He ran his hands over her breasts and pulled at her nipples. They turned to tiny buds in his fingers.
“You feel like making love again,” he whispered in her ear.
“Oh yeah. I’d love to make up for all our lost time. How about you?”
“I could make love to you all night, all day, all eternity.”
Sophie turned around and pushed him onto his back. “Then why don’t you?”
“I’m game if you are.”
She slid one leg over his thigh. “Okay, cowboy, you like it when a cowgirl takes charge.”
“I love it. I can just lie here and let her do all the work.”
Wade took a deep breath when he felt Sophie sliding down his body.
Oh boy, he wasn’t expecting her to take him into her mouth. He closed his eyes as her fast little tongue ran over his shaft, flicked its head, and then she caressed his balls.
He liked it, loved it a lot. He ran his hands through her hair, feeling its silkiness against the rough skin of his fingers.
“Soph, I’m not going to ask how you learned to do this because I don’t want to know if it was with Travis or some other guy, but whoever it was they taught you well.”
She lifted his balls slightly and took his cock deep into her mouth. He had to pace himself. If he let himself go he’d ruin it. He’d come, and when he did he wanted to be inside Sophie again.
“Soph, stop.”
She did. “Something wrong?”
“Yep, you drive me crazy, and I want to be inside you when I see fireworks better than Greenville’s Fourth of July display.”
She lifted her body off his, parted her thighs some more and then spread herself open.
What a sight to behold, pink, luscious, glistening.
Sophie took his cock and eased him inside her. Her warmth gripped and welcomed him as she lowered herself down and sat her body on the top of his thighs.
What he wouldn’t give to stay like this for all eternity. She rocked a little, sending his cock tipping backwards in her pussy. It was tight, hot, and he loved it. She rocked some more before lifting her thighs slightly and then gently easing back down on him. The movement made a smacking noise as she picked up her pace, all the while her breasts swaying and nipples shaking with each movement.
Sophie rolled her head back and lifted up her arms like she was riding the mechanic bull at the bar just outside of town. She raised them straight up, causing her breasts to lift higher. He reached up, stroking her taut belly as she swayed and whimpered.
She was beautiful all the time, but when she enjoyed her climax, well, her face was a work of art with its flushed cheeks and pretty eyes.
“Wade, Wade, I’m…”
“What honey?”
“I’m…
He pushed upwards to help her get there and almost laughed when she screamed and shouted. He wandered if his neighbors were home and if they were, if they’d heard her. Holy crap, the wolves in Yellowstone Park probably had.
Wade hoped she didn’t mind what he did next. He sat up, got hold of her and in one fluid movement set her on her left side on his bed and dived back into her. Gripping her hips, he pounded into her.
He played with her nipples, tugging and rolling them, kissing her neck, nipping at it as his own orgasm built. One more thrust and he saw those fireworks and filled her.
****
Sophie woke when a soft cool breeze blew across her leg. She opened her eyes. It was dark, and she didn’t recognize where she was until she felt Wade’s arms around her and the tip of his cock nudging her crack. Now she remembered. It hadn’t been just a wonderful dream. They’d finally made love.
They must have fallen asleep on top of the bed, hence the breeze because the window was slightly open.
Wade stirred, and she hoped she hadn’t woken him.
“You cold?” he asked.
Too late, I have.
“Yep.”
“Me, too. You want to snuggle under the covers with me and spend the night in my bed?”
“Nothing I’d like better.”
He lifted the blankets and sheet, and they huddled together.
“I know you don’t approve of the quilt,” he said. “I know it sucks.”
“We’ll go shopping one of these days.”
“I’m sure we will. I’m betting by the time you’re done, the whole of Greenville will have a different look.”
He put his arm around her. “I’m going to start with Nelson’s Ice Cream Parlor. I couldn’t believe those were the same curtains hanging in their window.”
“Now how do you know they’re the same ones as when we were kids?”
“The stain on one of them, and the same cobwebs on the hem of the other were the dead giveaway.”
Wade laughed. “Good thing their ice cream is to die for.”
“Yeah, I could just eat some right now.”
She looked at him and raised her eyebrow.
“They’re closed, which is lucky for me,” said Wade.
“You think I’d make you go and buy me some?”
“Probably, and I promise you I will when you’re pregnant.”
“In that case, we better get to work,” said Sophie.
He smacked her backside.
“You want to have a baby?”
“One day, yeah.”
“Me, too.”
“You think I could be its father.”
“I’ll give it serious consideration.”
He smacked her backside again.
“Go to sleep,” he said.
****
Wade woke up to find Sophie had invaded his pillow some time during
the night. The first thing he saw was her lovely face. He thought about planting a kiss on her lips but then didn’t want to wake her. Not that he thought she needed to sleep longer but he wanted to observe her unaware.
He loved her so much that it took his breath away. Wade gently pulled a stray piece of hair from her eye. Her nose twitched, and he smiled. Yesterday evening had been quite something, Cathy catching him and Sophie together, her hitting him. He and Sophie making love for the first time. Her telling him the real reason she married Travis and left town. However, the most important thing was her spending the night in his bed.
Sophie turned onto her back causing the blanket to slip from her chest.
How he wanted to caress her nipples, take them in his mouth and make love to her all over again. But for now he’d just watch. Watch, observe and admire.
One of Greenville’s church bells rang out, and Sophie stirred on its third chime.
She opened one eye and then another and looked over at Wade who now had his head resting on his hand.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Morning.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”
“Just gone nine.”
“I bet Grans has discovered I didn’t spend the night in my old room.”
Wade leaned over and kissed her. “So what do you think she’s going to say about the two of us?”
“She already gave me a chat about that.”
“Us?”
Sophie nodded. “That you’d moved on and had Cathy, and if I thought otherwise I’d end up getting hurt.”
“But you didn’t, and you won’t.”
“I do want you to go and put things right with Cathy. I’d go with you, but I think that might make things worse.”
“I think you’re right. So that’s second on my list of things to do today. Third is going to my office and running that list of guests through the databases to see what I come up with.”
“And your first is to make Sophie breakfast in bed?”
“Nope, I’m going to make love to her.”
“Wade, I have to get back to Mountainview, and you have to get to Cathy’s. If we have sex again, we’ll be in this bed all day.”
“Now there’s a thought.”
“It’s not our honeymoon.
“I know, just wishful thinking on my part.”
Wade flopped onto his back. “But you’ll be spending the night here with me, right?”
Sophie rolled on top of him. He placed his hands on the small of her back while they rubbed noses.
“You want me to?”
“I insist on it.”
“In that case I will. Now, I’m getting up, getting dressed, and going to Mountainview for some of Grans’s famous blueberry pancakes.
“Oh, save some for me. I’ll be by after lunch, okay.”
He pinched her butt before she slid off the bed.
He put his hands behind his head and smiled, watching her lovely naked body before him. The breasts, those nipples, the tiny waist, the curls at the top of her thighs, and the treasure that they hid.
She blew him a kiss and was gone.
Chapter Eleven
When she arrived at Mountainview she found her grandmother sitting at the kitchen table reading the Sunday newspaper.
Grans pushed down her glasses onto the tip of her nose and looked over their rims at her.
“Well, well, look who decided to return.” She picked up her coffee mug.
Sophie put her bag on the table and pulled out a chair and sat. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took tiny sips hoping it would soon be cool enough to take a complete swallow because she needed a jolt of caffeine.
“You have something to tell me?” asked Grans.
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, then let’s hear your version of the story.”
“Wade and I spend the night together… that’s my version.”
“Sophie Richardson, in case you’ve forgotten, Greenville is a small town, and gossip travels fast. I’ve already heard from three people that you and Wade were caught in a compromising position and by his girlfriend no less. I thought I’d raised you better than to steal other women’s men.”
Sophie raised her hand, hoping she could plead her case.
“That might be the story Cathy is telling everyone, but Wade broke up with her before we, well you know. .” Sophie put the mug down, spilling some coffee on the table. She stood to get the dishcloth from the sink.
“And you don’t think your coming home and maybe confusing poor Wade had anything to do with that?”
Sophie turned around. “No, I don’t, so I’m not going to feel guilty about that.”
Grans took a deep breath. “And what happens to Wade when you go back to Seattle? I’m assuming you will.”
Sophie nodded. She had a business and home there, but she hadn’t thought of anything past today, tomorrow, the next day…finally having sex with the man you loved could do that to your brain.
“We’ll have to see how things work out. He can always move to Seattle.”
“Sophie, listen to me.” She slapped her hand on the table. “Do not break that boy’s heart again.”
“I have no intention of doing that. And by the way, he knows.”
Sophie reached for the dishcloth and wiped up the spill.
“Knows what?”
“About the reason I got married, the baby, the miscarriage…everything.”
“I always believed you should have told him years ago.”
“I know, but I wanted it to be our secret.”
Sophie sat down, and her grandmother put her hand on her arm.
“You know you’ve got a hickey on your neck?”
Sophie put her hand on the exact spot. Wade had suggested they give each other one while they’d fooled around in the middle of the night. She’d forgotten all about it.
“And you’re taking precautions I hope,” said Grans.
Sophie smiled. “You mean condoms?”
“Laugh if you like, but I’m not too old to talk about those things with my granddaughter.”
“Yes, Grans, that’s all taken care of.”
****
Wade thought about calling Cathy first before he arrived unannounced on her door step but then decided maybe it was best to surprise her. After all, he wouldn’t be too shocked or hurt for that matter if she didn’t want to ever see him again.
He walked up to the front door and knocked on the glass panel running down its center. When no one answered he leaned forward and peered inside. Didn’t seem that she or Max were home. He pulled out his wallet to write a quick note on one of his business cards but then decided he’d call back later instead.
As he walked down the driveway to his car, one of her neighbors was outside watering some pink flowers in a wooden planter near the road. She waved to Wade. He waved back.
“You haven’t see Ms. Moran or her son this morning have you?” Wade called across the street.
“Yes, they drove off with a man while I was cutting the grass. Oh, I’d say about an hour ago now.”
He wondered if that’s who Cathy had taken Max to be with yesterday afternoon before they’d headed out to the dance. Wade waved to the neighbor as he got back in his car and headed over to his office.
On Sundays he could park on the street. He pulled up, turned off the ignition and grabbed the folder with all the information he’d gathered from Emily’s records.
Wade made his way into the office building and walked up to the second floor where he pulled out his key and stepped inside. He took off his hat and placed it on the table and then went to his desk and fired up the computer. Opening up the folder, he logged in and then clicked on the icon for his database. He glanced at the first name and typed it into the search area.
He sat back and watched the screen as it flashed three addresses. He did the same for the next, but nothing in particular jumped out at him. However, on the sixth and eighth entry there
seemed to be some connection between the two guests. Both had come from Denver, Colorado on the same day but hadn’t checked in together.
Yeah, that might not be much of a coincidence. Lots of people from the same cities visited, but it was worth further investigation.
Wade clicked on another icon, bringing up another one of his databases. He glanced sideways at his files making sure he had the correct spelling for both names.
He sat back on his chair, hearing it creak a little. He tapped his fingers on his lips while he waited for the search to finish.
There it was, flashing in front of him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk so he could take a good look at what the search had found.
What he saw was beyond Las Vegas odds. Ambrose and another guest had both worked for the same company five years ago in Denver.
****
Sophie didn’t let on to her grandmother, but she was secretly making sketches of the reception area. She would give it a makeover, even if it was such a subtle one that Grans would hardly notice the change. Those old drapes and the artificial flowers in the bowl had to go.
“Caught you.”
She jumped when she felt someone squeezing her shoulders.
Sophie turned to see Wade standing there. He kneeled behind her and glanced over at the sketch book.
“When did you get to be such an artist?” he asked.
“In design school.”
“And would this be Emily’s reception area by any chance?”
“Ssh, I don’t want her to know what I have planned.”
He tried to take the book from her. “I’m betting a sketch of my place is in here, too. What will buy my silence so your grandmother doesn’t know about your fiendish plot?”
“You wouldn’t tell her,” said Sophie pulling on Wade’s arm hoping she’d give her the book back.
“I just might if I don’t get what I want.”
“Which is?”
“First of all a kiss because I’ve missed you the last four hours.”
Wade moved around and kneeled in front of the chair. Sophie leaned toward him and put her lips on his and then put her arms around his neck.
There was an obvious coughing noise. They both looked over to see her grandmother standing there.
“Emily. Just the lady I want to see. I’ve been working on your case,” said Wade quickly standing.
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