400 First Kisses

by E. L. Todd

  Cypress finally broke eye contact when he knew he wouldn’t get anything out of me. He set his napkin in his lap then dug into his food, leaning forward and eating like a caveman. He didn’t make a mess, he just ate quickly.

  “Hungry?” It wasn’t the most intelligent thing to say, but it was better than nothing.

  “I went on a long run this morning,” he said between bites. “Dino did too.”

  He was still sitting on my foot. “No wonder why he’s so tired.”

  “After a nap, he’ll be running around at a million miles an hour again.”

  We enjoyed our meal, and Cypress didn’t mention anything about the two of us getting back together again. He seemed to have exhausted the topic and moved forward. If he thought something would happen on the first day we saw each other, he was arrogant. He could pick up any other woman on their first meeting, but not a woman he cheated on.

  When we finished, Cypress slipped cash onto the clipboard and immediately handed it back to the waitress. “Keep the change.”

  “Wait—” The waitress had already walked away with his money. “I thought we would split it.”

  “Breakfast is on Dino today.”

  “Well, if that’s the case…” I leaned over and patted Dino on the head. “Thanks for the food.”

  “He says no problem.” Cypress rose to his feet, getting the attention of the two French women at the corner. I assumed they were French because they were whispering to each other in a European language that didn’t sound like Spanish.

  We left La Bicyclette and walked back home, Dino energized again now that he’d had a short nap underneath the table in the restaurant. We walked side by side, and the sun broke through the cloud bank and poured sunlight onto the city.

  We walked toward the water until we reached Casanova then turned left. I made the walk by myself all the time and had never imagined Cypress would join me. Cypress pointed out some wildlife on the way, a loud blue jay and a group of crows sitting on the telephone pole wires.

  When we reached our houses, I was relieved the morning was over. While the same chemistry and attraction simmered between us, my walls were so high I had a skyscraper placed in front of me. “Well, I’ll see you later. I need to get ready and get to work.”

  Instead of going up to his front door, he followed me to mine. He got dangerously close to me, his cologne wafting over me. I could see the coarse hair over his chin and the brilliance of his eyes in the sunlight.

  I should have just walked inside, but I stood there instead. My neck suddenly felt warm, and my lungs ached for the air I wasn’t receiving. My knees felt weak and I wanted to sit down, but I held my ground. I couldn’t let my attraction to him cloud my thinking. I hadn’t gotten any action for a long time and I wouldn’t feel bad for using Cypress, not after what he did to me, but I didn’t want it to lead to something else.

  Now he was far beyond the friend zone. He backed me up into the door without touching me and pressed his face close to mine. “Thanks for having breakfast with me.”

  My fingers went numb, and my skin turned searing hot. My back was flat against the door, and my eyes were focused on his full and soft lips. I remembered exactly how our kisses used to be. It was something I couldn’t forget even if I tried. I told myself I wouldn’t let anything happen, but now my back was literally to the wall and I wasn’t doing anything to stop this from happening.

  And then it did happen.

  His hand snaked into my hair, and he gave me a soft kiss. It was restrained and gentle, feeling natural and sweet. His fingers lightly caressed me then moved down the nape of my neck, brushing against the sensitive parts of my skin. He brought my bottom lip into his mouth and fondled it between his lips, caressing my mouth with purposeful embraces.

  So good.

  My mouth moved with his, and I wrapped my fingers around his powerful wrists, feeling the corded veins that stretched over the surface. His strong chest was against mine, pressing against my boobs in my top. He inched closer to me until our bodies were completely combined together, hard against my mahogany door.

  I knew this wasn’t just wrong, but stupid. But in that moment, I didn’t care. It’d been so long since I’d had the affection of a strong man. Cypress was the last guy that I slept with, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the incredible sex. He was the best I ever had, hands down.

  The longer the kiss continued, the less I cared about the past. I just cared about how well our mouths moved together, how good his strong body felt against mine. All logical thought vanished, and I just enjoyed him.

  Cypress moved his hand around my back and opened the front door, knowing it was unlocked without even checking. Our feet tapped against the hardwood floor as he maneuvered me inside, Dino’s paws padding against the floor as he joined us.

  The sound shattered my arousal, and I had the strength to stop this before it turned into a huge mistake. “Look, this isn’t—”

  Cypress yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it on the ground. Like a warrior carved from stone, he was all muscle and flawless skin. He had strong, wide pecs that led to an eight-pack that was harder than the wood floor. Endless lines of muscle covered his body, and his well-formed shoulders and upper arms were just as tight.

  My mouth dropped open, and I couldn’t stop staring.

  Damn, he was hot.

  Like, H-O-T kinda hot.

  Cypress stared at me with the same intensity as before, waiting for the opportunity to crush his mouth against mine again.

  Now I didn’t care if this was a bad idea. I’d probably think it had been a mistake tomorrow. Oh well. “Never mind.”

  He charged me again and grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of my head. He kissed me hard, his erection outlined through his jeans and his arousal obvious in the heat of his kiss. Somehow, he knew my bedroom was upstairs because he scooped me into his arms and carried me up the three levels to my bedroom at the top. My arm was hooked around his neck, and I kissed the corner of his mouth as he carried me, listening to his heavy breathing as he worked to get me into the bedroom as quickly as possible.

  He set me on the bed then stripped off his jeans, working fast as if he hadn’t gotten any action in a long time. He didn’t hesitate before he pulled down his boxers and revealed his impressive length. Still long and thick, it had never looked more appetizing to me.

  He moved to me next and yanked my shirt over my head before he snapped my bra open within a heartbeat. He kissed me and pushed me onto my back before he yanked off my shoes and tugged at my pants until they were in a ball on the floor. When he took off my panties, he didn’t hesitate either. It was like he was afraid I would change my mind if he moved too slowly.

  No way in hell was I changing my mind now.

  With his perfect naked body, he crawled on top of me and spread my thighs with his knees. His weight dipped the bed, and his thick muscles tightened and looked even sexier. They bulged with masculine strength, and I had to fight the urge to plaster kisses all over his body.

  He leaned far over my body and locked eyes with me as he pressed his thick head inside me.

  My mind was totally in the gutter, but I still had a grip on reality. “Condom.”

  Cypress sighed like he was annoyed then got off me and opened my top nightstand drawer. He snatched one and ripped the foil before he rolled it onto his length.

  I wanted to know how he knew where they were, but I really didn’t care about the answer, so I gripped his arms and pulled him back on top of me.

  He returned his hand to my hair where I liked it then slid inside me, pushing through my wetness until every inch was thickly placed inside me. The stretching was incredible. I felt full in every way. Now I knew I would never regret this. How could I regret something that felt this incredible?

  He pressed his head to mine and closed his eyes. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

  I moaned so loud I was embarrassed by my own enthusiasm. I’d given him the cold shoulder at
least five times that morning, but now I was fucking him without any reservations.

  “Bree…” He gripped my hair tightly and gave me a hard kiss on the mouth.

  My arms hooked around his and underneath his shoulders, and I dug my nails into his skin. My ankles locked together, and I took a second to enjoy how incredible it felt. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten laid. It was at least a year ago.

  Why did I wait this long?

  Cypress rocked into me slowly, releasing suppressed moans he couldn’t contain. He’d always been good in the sack, but I’d never seen him this enthused, this passionate. “God, you’re beautiful.” He worked his hips as he locked his eyes on to mine, rocking the bed as he moved back and forth.

  “Shit, I’m gonna come…” I dug my nails into him harder, but I didn’t have a chance to be embarrassed. The second he was inside me, I was ready to burst. He was either that amazing in bed, or I was going through the driest spell of my life.

  Cypress fucked me harder, slamming my headboard into the wall as he drove into me with deep thrusts. The blood pounded into his muscles, making his skin flush and his body slick with sweat.

  I’d never seen anything sexier.

  I moved my hands up his back until my fingers dug into his damp hair. His cock felt incredible between my legs, just as it used to when we would screw all over his apartment. No other man had ever made me feel this good in my life. I didn’t even think sex was all that great until Cypress came along.

  “Come, sweetheart.” He gave me a wet kiss, his tongue diving into my mouth and exploring me intimately.

  On command, I felt my body tighten around him, and I came with a rush, the heat surging through my body like an erupting volcano. My nails slipped against the sweat coating his skin, and I dug into him harder to keep my grip. I breathed into his mouth as the sensation hit me right in the core, making me melt all over the bed. It was incredible, far better than anything I could do with my own hand. “Cypress…” It felt even more erotic saying his name, making love to a man who seduced me the second he kissed me.

  His eyes became lidded and heavy as he watched me. I’d seen that look a hundred times, and I knew what was coming next. His cock thickened inside me just seconds before he burst inside the condom.

  When we were together before, we’d never used condoms. I missed feeling him fill me with his seed. It felt so good to watch him give me everything he had. It usually turned me on all over again. Even though a piece of latex separated us now, it didn’t stop us from both enjoying it.

  He gripped my neck tighter and widened my legs farther with his other arm. He pounded into me harder, grinding against my clit as he slipped through the arousal that seeped from my walls. He gave a low moan as he came, filling the tip of the condom. “Fuck…” He kept his eyes locked to mine, his face even more handsome as he reached his climax.

  I didn’t have any regrets because I felt so good. Maybe having him next door wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I could keep him as a fuck buddy when I didn’t have any action going on in my life.

  He rolled over and pulled off the condom before he tossed it in the trash and put on another one.

  I watched him. “What are you going to do?”

  He rolled back on top of me and widened my legs farther than last time. “Have you again.”

  5

  Amelia

  After I dropped off the kids at school, I went over to Amelia’s Place, a diner we owned on Mission Street. Even though it was Thursday, it was packed with locals looking for a good breakfast. I liked the fast-paced environment, but more importantly, the food. I could eat there every day.

  When I walked through the door, I saw Cypress at the register. He was doing the books and making a wait list for customers. “Hey. How’s it going?”

  He had a huge grin on his face. “It’s going great. It’s a beautiful morning.” He shut the register and rolled up the receipts from yesterday.

  Cypress was generally pleasant and in a good mood, but he wasn’t ever this happy. The last time I saw him in a truly good mood was the day before Bree was in that accident. “Why are you so happy?”

  He shrugged. “No reason. Now that you’re here, I’m gonna seat the north corner. Is that cool with you?”

  I wasn’t buying it, but we had customers to serve, and I needed to get to work. “Yeah, I’m ready.” I grabbed my notebook and said good morning to the cooks. Cypress seated the guests, and the busser came over with coffee. Then I walked over and took their order, filling the last waitress shift for the morning.

  When I headed back to the kitchen with my orders in hand, I saw Cypress singing under his breath at the register. His wedding band was on his finger, which he usually wore when he was working, and he seemed different. I knew something was up, but I’d have to ask him later.

  “What’s up?” Blade sat at one of the tables in the corner with his folders covering the surface. He’d already ordered breakfast from the Hippopotamus Café, one of the restaurants we all ran together. Technically, Bree opened it first, but since she didn’t have a clue what was going on now, we had to run it for her. Not that we minded. We expanded to other restaurants in the city, and now it was a family business.

  Well, most of us weren’t related, but we were pretty much family. “Just closed Amelia’s Place.” I took a seat with Cypress next to me.

  Blade had dark brown hair against fair skin. He was tall and toned and wore reading glasses whenever we did paperwork together. He’d been friends with Bree and me for a long time, and Cypress had merged into our group once he’d earned our forgiveness. After they got married, we built our businesses together. “I just went over the orders. Let me know what you think.” He handed off the paper to Cypress.

  Cypress stared at the sheet, singing under his breath again.

  Blade must have known something was off too because he narrowed his eyes. “Why are you in such a good mood?”

  “I’m not,” Cypress said without taking his eyes off the sheet. But he stopped singing.

  Blade exchanged a look with me.

  I shrugged in response.

  “Bullshit,” Blade said. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing.” Cypress turned to the second page. “Everything looks good, but I say we change up the specials. We’ve been rotating the same ones over and over. Let’s do something new.”

  Blade wouldn’t let it go. “You got laid last night, didn’t you?”

  Cypress’s grin grew wider. “Maybe.”

  “I don’t know how you do it.” Blade shook his head. “You manage to get your ex to sleep with you in one day after you cheated on her. Unbelievable.”

  “She’s not my ex,” he said defensively. “She’s my wife.”

  Bree and I used to be close, but now I felt distant from her. The only time we spoke was when she called to tell me the same thing she told me every day. Now I just went through the motions and tuned her out. It broke my heart that she was gone. She didn’t know anything about her nieces. She didn’t know Evan was gone. She was just a ghost…and I missed her.

  “Whatever,” Blade said. “You still have amazing skill. Bree can be so stubborn.”

  “She has her bad days,” Cypress admitted. “But she has her good days too… And it was a really good day.” His grin returned.

  Blade nodded. “I don’t know how you do it, man…”

  Blade, Ace, and I had told Cypress to move on multiple times. It couldn’t be healthy for him, living for days when Bree would be in an exceptionally good mood so they could spend time together. He repeated the same conversations with her over and over again. His commitment was unbelievable. And as his friend, I worried about it.

  “I do just fine,” Cypress said quietly. “I know one day, she’s gonna come back. And I’ll be there when she does.”

  She wasn’t coming back. I knew it.

  Blade knew it.

  Ace knew it.

  But we let him believe this fantasy becau
se it kept him sane. One day, he would finally give up and move on. Of course, we would be there for him when that day came. We would love him like we did now—because he was still family.

  Ace was in the back kitchen of Olives, the Mediterranean place we owned on Ocean. When things got busy, he helped out by running food to the table or ringing up customers. The dishes clanked as they were stacked, and the dishwasher worked at full speed to get new plates ready to be served.

  “Hey, need help?”

  Ace stepped away from the line of hot food and came toward me. In slacks and a collared shirt, he looked as good as gold. He had a handsome face, one with a strong jaw and a sexy smile. Hazel eyes matched the green plants all around Carmel, and he was built like a brick house. “I think I got it. How’s the café?”

  “Good. We just put in the weekly order and decided on the new special.”

  “What’s it going to be?” He stepped out of the way when a waiter walked by.

  “Enchiladas.”

  “Ooh…sounds pretty good.”

  “Cypress is experimenting with it as we speak.”

  “He’s a great cook. I’m sure it’ll turn out good.” He wiped his hands together to knock off the pieces of saffron rice that stuck to his skin.

  “Yeah, probably.” I didn’t really have much to do here since we’d hired a manager to oversee the place. We each had our own territories, and we switched positions depending on our schedules. Since I had kids, I worked while they were at school and sometimes on the weekends when I had a sitter. Managing so many businesses was definitely a team effort, and we divided the profits evenly no matter how much or little we worked.

  “Well, I should get back to work.” He took another step when one of the workers needed to get past.

  “Are you doing anything later?” I tried to find a reason to stick around, but the restaurant was well managed on its own.