She was right. The interior was just as warm and just a bit stuffy but not unpleasant. Even the music playing sounded the same. She smiled to herself, sticking her hands into her back pockets as she strode in with easy, elegant strides.
She felt several eyes turn to her, and a few looked familiar. But she kept her expression bland as she headed for the counter. Among the heads in the room, she’d seen one in particular turn in surprise when she appeared – but she especially ignored him.
At the bar, she found good old Ted waiting, looking his age a bit but as charming and welcoming as always. He saw her, started, and his broad face broke out in a huge smile.
“Well well, if it isn’t Diane! Fancy you coming round here. Haven’t seen you in ages, and now you show up looking like quite the lady. The little princess is all grown up now, huh?”
“I should hope so,” she said, beaming at the owner of the well-loved “watering hole” for many in Hollows. “At least, I’m old enough now to order some decent liquor so make me happy tonight, Ted.”
The old man chuckled, and she made her order. She was tapping her French-manicured fingers on the counter expectantly, before her drink arrived and she smiled at Ted with thanks.
Soon enough, she was joined at the bar by a few recognizable faces. One or two were old schoolmates, running their own businesses in the area, and a couple she recognized as sweethearts back then also came over. Kimberly and Brad; they’d been together forever and now Diane was told they were happily married.
“Three toddlers now, at home with my Mom,” Kimberly said, her pretty face wreathed in a proud smile. Diane was happy for them; Kimberly had always been nice and Brad too. His family ran a contractor business handling constructions, and they seemed to be doing well. They asked her about herself and she gave them some vague details about her writing, mentioning somewhere along the line that she was single, no kids. Hey, she was only twenty five. Kimberly was around her age, true, but if the girl felt happy churning out the babies so soon then good for her. Besides, they never implied her life sucked in any way so she didn’t feel defensive when Kimberly asked about her own personal life.
“So I guess you aren’t bothered about the wedding coming up then,” Kimberly said, when her husband excused himself to go to the rest room.
Diane’s eyebrows perked up. “What wedding?” Her mind went instantly to Brent. Was he getting married? Was that why he’d said something about hoping she was not staying very long? Son of a…
“Why, I’m talking about your old beau, Nathan. He’s getting married to Pamela – Pamela Gibbs. Remember her?”
Diane felt her eyes widen even further. Nathan, getting married? In Hollows? Well. How had she missed something like that?
“You mean you didn’t know?” Kimberly said, when she saw Diane’s dumbstruck expression.
“I must have lost my invite in the mail,” Diane said with a twist to her smile. So…Nathan finally ended up with that Pamela chick. Good for them. It was weird though, thinking about it, and it made her chuckle to herself at how things were turning out. Well, at least two old flames were kicking it back up. While in her case…
“I guess that means you’ll be attending,” Kimberly was murmuring as she too, smiled. “The whole town’s agog with the news. Looks like it’s going to be something.”
“I wouldn’t want to miss it. I’m sure I…,” Diane began, only to be interrupted by the shadow of a very looming, very familiar figure. She didn’t even need to turn around to know that he was there. Somehow, she had some kind of in-built radar that told her exactly when he was within two feet of her. Blast it!
“Oh – Brent!” Kimberly cooed, her eyes twinkling with pleasure at the man who’d come up to them at the bar. “Guess who’s back in town?”
“Diane and I have spoken earlier,” he said in a light tone, but Diane didn’t miss the underlay of steel in his words – which only she could detect, of course. She twisted on her stool to shine a feigned smile up at him.
“Yes…it was indeed a pleasant reunion,” she replied, and saw his eyes glowing with a cross between irritation and warning. What was up with him? His antagonism where she was concerned was beginning to irk. Immensely.
“That’s so great to hear,” Kimberly gushed. “Brent, will you be making it to Nathan and Pamela’s wedding? Because if you are, why don’t you and Diane go together? I don’t think she has a date for the occasion – or do you, honey?”
Diane tried not to choke over the drink she’d just been sipping from. Placing down the glass, she quickly replied before Brent could, saying, “Oh, I don’t. But I’m sure Brent has other arrangements…”
“I don’t, as a matter of fact,” he drawled, regarding her with narrowed eyes. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea since I don’t have a date either. I’m sure it will just like old times, wouldn’t it, Diane?” His sardonic smile was not lost on her.
She bit back a rude retort as she heard Kimberly clap happily, beaming from ear to ear. Obviously, she believed she was doing some smart matchmaking of her own. If only she knew, Diane thought with an inner twist of her lips. The last two people who could be matched were her and Brent. And the first chance she got, she’d point it out to the man in question.
“Oh, there’s my hubby waving to me at the entrance. I must run, guys. Mom’s not good with staying up late so Chad and I will be leaving now. Lovely to have you back, Diane. See you at the wedding.” Both girls kissed on the cheeks, and then Kimberly gave Brent a warm hug before she went to join her husband Chad at the door. Diane smiled and waved goodbye to him, only to turn to meet the ominous expression of the man next to her. Now what?
“What are you doing here?” he asked coldly.
Diane rolled her eyes dramatically. “Excuse me?” Was he always going to begin a conversation with that?
“You don’t show your face for two days, and then suddenly you’re here, mingling. What do you think you’re up to?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she asked sweetly. Gosh, she could kick him where it hurt! And yet…he looked so damn hot when he was angry. But then he was always angry, it seemed. Standing there in his light blue shirt tucked into his snug jeans, his black scuffed boots making him look like something from a very hot, spicy Western…Diane found herself turning to gulp quickly from her drink once again. Damn she needed a refill!
*
“What is your problem with me?” she asked on a deep sigh, finally facing him again.
“What do you think?” was his pointed, laconic reply.
Now Diane was really getting pissed off too. “Oh…so just because I didn’t stay around to be your small town missy…”
“You wish,” he cut in coldly.
“…No, you wish,” she gritted out, thunking down her glass with force. She’d shown up here specifically to let him see that he didn’t scare her. She’d been hoping he’d be present and she’d been banking on riling him up, especially after his comment about her leaving town. He had to see that he couldn’t intimidate her and certainly couldn’t make her feel unwelcome in her own hometown!
She continued on an angry breath, “You could never forgive me for leaving Hollows – leaving you. Well get over it, Brent. I’m sorry if I hurt you but that’s life. The sooner you put it behind you, the better it will be. Carrying that huge chip on your shoulder…”
“Oh, I think I know what I’d rather be carrying over my shoulder,” he broke in once again, eyes smoldering into hers as he looked into her furious face. She stopped short, surprised by his swing of mood. Why didn’t he ever stick to one emotion? One minute he was tearing into her, and then the next, he looked ready to throw her on her back, spread her wide and…
Diane shook her head at him. “I think I know what’s biting you,” she said sagely, slipping off her stool and standing face to face with him. Well, face to chest considering that even in her high heeled boots, she was more than a head shorter, but still…
“And what could that be?” he
asked, tipping his head in exaggerated interest.
She smiled thinly. “I think you know, Brent Harper. You and I…we have some unfinished business. Maybe it’s high time we brought things to its logical conclusion.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, and her smile merely widened. She leaned closer, near enough so that her body was not even an inch away from his. She let herself into his personal space, teased him with her softness, her sweet heat. She looked way up into his eyes and saw them darken and flash with instant awareness.
She grew breathless just standing this close to him. Everything else seemed to fade around them; the other patrons, the music, the sounds of glass against glass…It melted away beyond time and space till Diane could swear she could hear the distant thumping of his heartbeat banging in time with hers.
“Something tells me you do. You need to get me out of your system, Sheriff Harper. That’s all there is to it,” she purred, shocked by her own audacity. But heaven help her she was sick of skirting around; they had this thing burning between them and it needed to be fed and extinguished so they could move the hell on. Or so she told herself….
*
Brent seemed to hiss in a breath as she pressed forward till the curve of her breast was all but magnetized to his hard-packed torso. He didn’t say a word; his eyes watchful, blazing. Filled with cautionary glints that warned her she was stepping on dangerous ground. But he didn’t scare her, uh uh.
“It looks like you’re off duty for the night, Sheriff,” she went on in a soft, stirring tone while her hand slid up his arm. Just a light, feathery touch that teased the dark hairs swirling there. She swallowed at the hint of sensation beneath her fingertips, and bit on her lip for a moment before adding, “So maybe you and I can go someplace and get this…settled, once and for all.”
“You think?” he finally growled, but Diane could hear the husky depth in his voice. She sensed the powerful heat he gave off that was all masculine energy just seeking to spill itself into a willing receptacle. She had to smile wickedly to herself that in this case, she wouldn’t mind doing the honors, so to speak…
Chapter Four
Without another word, she turned smartly away from him, walking off and taking the path through the tables to the back where the restrooms were located. As she remembered, it was also the way to the exit door which led out into the alley. Diane didn’t need to look around to know that Brent was following her – as she intended.
But she couldn’t be totally sure – not until she’d reached the exit into the alley and was about to duck into a doorway, when she felt a strong hand tug on her arm.
Brent shoved her into the nearby wall with just enough force to make her gasp. Instantly, she felt his solid, throbbing body pin her back against the wall. Their lips met in a kiss that needed no preamble before it corkscrewed into hot, lustful passion.
She moaned as he took hold of her wrists and held them up on either side of her head, keeping her prisoner so he could rampage the insides of her mouth with his firmly demanding lips and moist, sweet tongue. Unable to help it, she rubbed up against him with her lower body, and felt that tell-tale stiffness that meant only one thing: she just might be getting what she wished for tonight…
*
“Tell me you were just talking crazy,” he growled minutes later, when he peeled his lips from hers to look down into her glazed over face. She could feel his fingers tighten around where they restrained her against the wall, and she shook her head firmly.
“I wasn’t.” Her clear brown eyes held his with equal amounts of purpose and desire. “It’s always been there, Brent. The ache. You and me. Well, it’s time we scratched that itch or else it’s never going away.”
“Is that what you think this is? An itch?” Brent said in his gruffest voice yet, and her heart pounded the more. “You really think a romp in the sack is going to cure everything that’s happened? Is that the miracle pill, Diane?”
She licked on her suddenly parched lips and tried not to think how good he felt pushed up against her. The buttons of his shirt bit into her soft flesh, making her involuntarily squirm against him.
“Damnit woman stop moving!” he rasped, and she went still, even as her insides turned to jelly at the fiery look of desire in his eyes. He went on thickly, “Yes, it’s true that I want you. Yes, it’s been biting into me all these years till every woman I ever bedded just seemed like a shadow of what I could have had with you…But this isn’t happening. This isn’t how I want it to happen.”
“Then tell me how,” Diane said on a breathless sigh. “Because now I know deep down why I needed to come back…why everything suddenly seemed empty and unstable all around me. I needed to be safe. And that’s how I feel when I’m around you, Brent. I feel like I belong. When you touch me…something melts deep inside. It’s always been like that. Back then…and even more so now.” She inhaled raggedly, adding with soft ache, “Deep down, I never forgave myself for throwing away my chance with you. And I wish I could turn back time but…”
Her eyes held his imploringly, wanting, needing him to understand. He burned her with his gaze as he seemed to want to pierce through to her soul. At last, she felt a shuddery sigh escape him as his forehead rested on hers for a moment.
“You make me so mad with wanting you…and since I knew you were back, I don’t think I’ve had any decent sleep. I’ll wake up rock hard in the middle of the night and all I can think of is how I want to possess you…own you till my name is the one thing you’ll have imprinted in your brain.”
Diane’s whole body shuddered at the intensity in his voice, his words. She felt the lips of her pussy swell and strain against the crotch of her tight jeans, making her press her knees together to repress the ache.
“So…what happens now?” she asked softly, her chest heaving as she gave her lips another moistening lick. His eyes followed the movement, and she could swear she heard a feral groan rumble in the base of his throat.
“Well…for starters, I’m not going to let our first time happen here in some cramped back alley,” he said with certainty. He released her wrists, before grabbing her round the waist for one more deep, eating kiss that held enough sensual promise to make her weak at the knees…
Chapter 5
It took Diane several moments to even remember where she was or how she’d got there. Lying prone, with the pillow propped beneath her belly so that her ass was raised in a hump.
She was naked, of course. Though she couldn’t recollect exactly when her clothes had been separated from her body. She tried to move her arms, but then felt the slight scrape of metal on her wrists and she raised her head to find her hands were handcuffed on either end of the bed.
Brent’s bed.
Suddenly, it all came back in a rush. Her whole body thrummed in total recall…and all at once, she became aware of the soft, teasing lips running up the slope of her back.
“Are you okay,?” Brent’s voice tickled upon the tiny hairs on her flesh, and she shivered. Holy cow…she must have passed out that last time when he’d brought her to yet another universe-blasting climax…
*
From the very first kiss when they arrived past the door of his place, it had been like setting off an explosive.
They’d barely made it to the bedroom before ripping out of their clothes which suddenly seemed to be on fire. Impossibly aroused by the sight of his gorgeous, toned body with its near zero percent fat, not to mention his rock hard, purple tipped cock that rose impressively to point at his chin…Well, she couldn’t help herself from lowering to take him into her mouth.
Grasping his considerable girth in both hands, she’d made him groan out loud as she sucked on his cock, bobbing her head steadily over his thickness so that every time she went down on him, he bumped against the back of her throat. Then she’d slide up again, and then down…coating him keenly with her slippery saliva while pumping on his base with firm, ravenous strokes. She heard her name spi
ll from his husky tongue again and again as he’d cupped the back of her head, rocking his hips in time with her sucking motions.
And of course she couldn’t resist those rugby balls that hung so deliciously in his sac. She took those in her mouth as well, tenderly rocking them on her tongue and finally forcing him to the brink. By this time, he’d gripped her by the shoulders and drew her up to cling to her lips in the most passionate of kisses.
Then Brent had swung her in his arms before he unceremoniously dumped her in the middle of the bed, making her squeal. In seconds, he’d got her face down and kicking, and she’d giggled and squirmed till suddenly, she heard the “chink” of metal and looked up to find he’d handcuffed her left hand to the left bedpost.
Huh?
Then he’d taken her other hand and did the same, effectively shackling her to his bed. Instantly, a rush of red-hot excitement had rippled through her frame…
Slowly, with utter care, he began to work his way all over her from neck to toe. His lips, his tongue, his hands…they’d done things that no man had ever known to do to her. Diane had lain there with her face pressed in the pillow to muffle her cries of bliss as with every lap of his tongue, with every stroke of his fingers and with every touch of his lips, he drove her insane.
It had been amazing to feel him bury his face in the cleft of her ass cheeks and suck at the juices frothing from her pussy. He’d spread the luscious orbs wide so he could access every inch of her swollen cunt, chewing ravenously on her folds and then sipping on her clit till it throbbed with a mighty rush of arousal. In no time, she was racked by her first orgasm of the night, so impossibly powerful that she’d thrashed and shuddered for several minutes.
“You love it when I touch you…your body sings to every beat I strum,” Brent told her with his own voice ragged with desire. His body pressed over hers and she could feel his full length pushing her into the mattress. Bound by the cuffs, she had nowhere to go as he sank his teeth into her earlobe. His hands slipped beneath her to cup her breasts, tweaking the eraser-thick nipples till she felt another fountain of want begin to bubble within her once more.
Unfinished Business (Erotic Reunion) - a SEXY romance short Page 2