“Have there been other men, after me?” I had to know.
She nodded her head, and it almost destroyed me. “Yes. A couple. But they never were you. Not even close. You?”
“I did what you wanted me to do, Mer. I fucked my way around and got it out of my system.”
She took a sip of her wine. “I guess I deserved that.”
I relented with wanting to hurt her. We had wasted enough time. “They were never you. I never wanted to take things further because I had already found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” I paused. “I just didn’t know where she was.”
“Garrett, I should never have listened to Tana. I was a fool. Though I like Rhode Island. I don’t regret moving from Brooklyn. This place is beautiful. It feeds my soul.”
I looked around me. “It looks a great place. You chose well. I saw her you know? Tana.”
Her gaze flicked up towards mine again. “You did? When?”
“A couple of months ago.” I told her and I recounted the conversation I’d had with her friend.
There she was ahead of me pushing a pram and smiling into it like the cat that got the cream. That was until she saw my face, saw that she was walking towards me. Her face showed she recognized me instantly.
“Prof. Geller.” I said. “It would seem congratulations are in order.” I looked into the pram.
“Lia,” she said.
“You must be very happy,” I told her.
“Yes, she’s perfect.” That smile at her daughter came again.
“It must be nice. To have that. A loving husband and a baby. Whereas because of you I don’t have that happiness.”
She flinched and looked around her, looking for potential escape routes if this got out of hand.
“Meredith left. I don’t know if you ever found that out because you were sick, but she just upped and left. No forwarding address. I have no idea where she lives or even if she’s okay. I would have married her. We could have been having our own family now, but you made her feel ashamed of what we had.”
“She was screwing a student. It was against the rules.” Judgment clouded Tana’s features.
“You ever screwed your husband somewhere you shouldn’t? Streamed a movie on an illegal channel? I was over the age of consent. The worst we did was screw in the classroom. That was stupid. We were carried away with lust, but we loved each other and because of you, now I’m unhappy, have been ever since she left. Anyhow, when you go home tonight, take a good look at what you have around you and feel very grateful for it, because other people’s actions can take it away, just like that.” I snapped my fingers.
Her eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”
“No.” I sighed. “I’m sorry if it came out that way. I’m just saying that when your daughter grows up and maybe she meets a guy who doesn’t fit your perfect standards, cut her some slack, or you might just ruin her life, like you ruined mine.” With that, I turned and walked away.
“Wow.” Mer stated.
“Yeah. She called me back as I walked away. Said for what it was worth she was sorry and she hoped that maybe someday I would find you again. I just turned away from her and carried on walking. I wasn’t just angry with her. She might have lit the stick of dynamite that blew us apart but you were the one who let it explode.”
“I made a mistake, Garrett.” Those brown eyes fixed on mine, her gaze determined. "Now we can sit here, order a dessert and continue to punish each other for it, or we can get the check, go to my room and start living the rest of our lives. It’s up to you.”
I got the check.
Chapter 13
Meredith
I was so goddamn pleased he got the check.
We hurried back to my room and once through the door, clothes were shed like they were aflame. We kissed and nipped at each other’s bodies as we shucked off our clothes and fell back onto my bed. It was like we wanted to devour each other. I couldn’t stop running my hands over the grooves of his body, feeling the sinews of his still toned arms, the smoothness of that taut, ripped abdomen. Our bodies remembered each other’s instantly and clamored to make up for all that lost time. Juices pooled between my thighs.
“I just need to be in you, Mer. I can’t wait.”
“Yes, do it. I feel the same.”
Without hesitation, he took hold of his erect cock, lined it up at my entrance and thrust into me all the way home. We groaned and moaned in unison as our bodies made the most intimate connection. His thrusts were frenzied, and I bucked up to meet every one of them. Sweat poured down our faces, and we were breathless as frustration, anger, loss and lust made themselves known.
We exploded, reaching our crescendos together.
The relief about now, or sadness about the time we had lost made tears course down my cheeks.
“Mer, no. No, no, no. Don’t cry. I’m here, don’t cry.”
“I could have lost this forever. Damn, I was so stupid.”
His fingers came under my chin and he tilted my face up to look into my eyes. “We have found each other again, Mer. No looking back, okay? No looking back, ever.”
I nodded and his lips swept down, his tongue licking up every last drop of my tears and replacing them with brushes of loving kisses.
The kisses then trailed down my neck, down onto my chest, around my breasts, down across my stomach and then down each thigh one at a time, until he rested his head between my legs and his tongue darted out and licked my core, causing my hips to raise from the bed. God, I’d missed him. This second time we took all the time we needed. His tongue delved and teased, building me back up to ride yet another crest of a wave as I came against his mouth. He sucked in my juices greedily.
I moved us so that he was sitting at the edge of my bed and I took him in my mouth. I don’t know if he realized it -his eyes seemed to understand, as he looked at me, although they were filled with lust - that this was where we had been, the exact position, all those years ago when I had allowed Tana to drive me away. Right now I had taken us back to that time, and I was holding on for dear life.
I took him to the back of my throat, sucking hard and caressing his balls with my fingers. Then I moved him so he was back in my hand and I flicked my tongue around his tip and teased the underside of his cock. Then I took him back in my mouth increasing the strength of my sucks and I looked up at him while I did it. Watching him watching me. I hoped I looked like I was serving him, giving my all to the worship of his cock, and to him. His hands came around to hold the back of my head as his hips thrust upwards. He fucked my mouth hard, and I held fast until he came, his cock shuddering in my mouth as spurts of creamy, salty cum bathed my throat.
We moved up to my bed and got under the comforter and Garrett held me in his arms while we dozed. It was all so familiar from what we’d enjoyed before, but I didn’t know what would happen from now. I let sleep take me so I could face whatever happened next.
I stirred as I felt Garrett move away from me.
“Garrett?” I questioned, panicking that he was leaving me.
“Babe, I’m just going to your bathroom to freshen up. I’ll be right back.”
My heart beat fast as I collapsed back against my pillows, praying that he wouldn’t leave me, like I had him.
He returned from the bathroom, pulled me into his arms and made sweet love to me all over again.
When the morning came, I explained he might see my roommates’ downstairs.
“You made new friends, huh?”
“Yes, I did.” I smiled. “I really needed some.”
“It’s good to have girlfriends,” He said. “Just make sure to let them know that you will have less free time to spend with them now though.”
“I am?” I asked him.
“Yeah. Because you’re dating me now, Meredith Butler. Dating me exclusively.” He ran a hand over his body. “And see this here? I’m a man. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, babe. I don’t give a crap about the age difference between us.” He r
olled me under him again and thrust his dick against my core once more. “Feel that? We fit together perfectly. You and me. That’s how we roll. We’re perfect.”
And he proved that to me again.
By the time we made it down to breakfast, my roommates had gone.
“Ah, well, I’ll meet them another time. Right now, I just want to eat you, not breakfast.”
I went to the stove and cooked some bacon and eggs. “We need sustenance, Garrett. I am ravenous. Then I need to get to work. I have never been late a day in my life and I am not starting now.” I winked at him, “Even if it would be worth my while.”
We ate our breakfast, drank some coffee and went into work where Garrett finished the job on the computers and got ready to drive back to Boston.
“So, when am I going to see you again, boyfriend?” I asked him. I tried not to show him but I was nervous that once he drove home, he might never come back. It seemed too good to be true that he was back in my life and part of me wondered if this was a plan of revenge and he would never return. Until he took me in his arms and kissed me and reassured me in that kiss that he was going nowhere.
“I will be back tomorrow evening to take you to dinner again, Miss Butler. I fancy trying the lobster next time. Get dressed, ready for about 8:00 pm, and I’ll come call on. We’ll have a pleasant stroll hand in hand down to the harbor.
“I will look forward to it.” I said, and I kissed him hard and watched him leave.
“That guy must have done a really great job on the computers.” Quipped Jack.
The smile that broke across my face was huge.
Chapter 14
Garrett
As promised, the next evening I returned and picked up my girl at 8:00. We had a booking at the restaurant at 8:30 and so had time to take a lovely stroll together. I held her hand in mine the whole way. She was wearing the most beautiful red dress that ran close to her hips but then floated at knee length. All I could think of was getting my hands under it and into her panties, but we were eating food before I got to eat her.
They had set us a table for two out front, looking out over the harbor. I could imagine you would never get bored with this view.
Mer ordered a glass of wine and I chose to have a beer this time. It might not complement the food, but it would help settle my nerves. Meredith ordered a starter, so by the time the main arrived I could barely hold my glass. Thank God she had not protested about me ordering the lobster. The waiter brought out a silver platter and as he placed it on the table in front of us; I watched as Meredith’s gaze fixed on the lobster’s claw, which was holding a diamond engagement ring. A simple solitaire that glistened under the evening sunshine.
I dropped to my knees at the side of her. “Meredith Butler, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes.” She nodded. A tear forming at the corner of her eye. “Oh my God, yes, Garrett. Yes.”
I took the ring and placed it on her finger. It was a little loose, but the jeweler had assured me that could be fixed, no problem.
“Could we have a bottle of champagne, please?” I asked the wait staff, who ran to get some.
I toasted my future wife, and we enjoyed the rest of our meal. Mer kept staring down at the ring like she couldn’t believe it was there, like she was dreaming or something.
“I’ll move to Boston,” she announced. “Garrett, I want to be wherever you are.”
“I’m going to be right here, baby.” I told her. “My work takes me all around here. I can set up an office here if I need to.” I caught her hand in mine and stroked her fingers. “This place looks like a great place to bring up kids and I think we need to go house hunting and get one of those lovely colonials for ourselves. One with plenty of room for babies.”
“You mean it? We can live here?”
“Seems perfect to me.” I told her. “Just like you are.”
Epilogue
Meredith
“It’s about time that boss of yours realized you were over eight months pregnant,” Garrett scolded me as he watched me get ready to head to work.
“Oh, don’t you start again. Jack is the same. Says if I ruin his carpets with my waters breaking he is going to make me replace them.”
“So why aren’t you listening?”
“I love my job, Garrett, and you know my obstetrician has no problem with me continuing to work. Says I am as fit as a flea.”
He gathered me into his arms and kissed the top of my head.
“Now, you go too. Get off to work and I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“You’re so damn bossy.” He raises a brow at me. “Anyone would think you used to be a teacher.”
He winks.
***
Newport Echo
Births and announcements
To Garrett and Meredith James.
A son
Chance Miller James.
7lb 6oz
Born 26 September 2017.
FATE
Chapter 1
Pete
I closed the ledger and leaned back into the rich cherry colored leather of the desk chair. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, thinking about how much easier things had been when my father was around running things at Killarny Estate. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t become accustomed to over the years. Being the oldest of the five Killarny brothers, it was expected from birth that I would be the one to take over the day to day running of the ranch. While all the brothers were equal partners in running the ranch, it was I who was the most responsible. Ask anyone. It was also me that my dad had turned to back when my mother, Emily Killarny, had first been diagnosed with breast cancer.
At my mother’s request, I took on the additional tasks that my father had usually taken care of. Most of it was business, the sort of thing that didn’t capture my attention quite like the quiet, meditative work with the horses, but I knew what had to be done. Most of all, I hadn’t wanted to let my mother down.
Emily Killarny was a force unto herself, but she had a kind and good heart, and above all, she loved her children. I was aware that I had a special place in her heart when she had gone out of her way to be the best kind of grandmother she could be to Emma. I’d been dejected and alone, raising a two year old daughter alone after my ex-wife, Kelly, decided one day that motherhood and married life wasn’t for her. My parents had been so kind to us in the days following that abandonment, and I would forever be grateful to both of them. My mother had especially done all that she could to make sure that Emma felt safe and loved after her mother’s abrupt departure.
Back then my major responsibilities had been tending to the horses, something I still loved and wished I was able to do more of, but being the oldest, and since my father had relocated to Costa Rica, I knew I had to be the one to step up to the plate. My mother’s death three years prior had taken a toll on the family patriarch, and after suffering a severe bout of depression, he finally decided to make some major changes. One of those changes included leaving the states and relocating to a warmer climate, leaving the green Kentucky hills behind him in favor of sun and sand. Some days I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of that, but I knew that my heart would always be right here, wherever Emma was.
I opened my eyes again and looked at my computer screen for a moment before getting up and heading for the door, grabbing my jacket on the way. There was still a chill in the air that early in the Kentucky spring and it was invigorating to step out into the morning air, breathing in the fresh smell of new grass and the less pleasing scent wafting from the nearest barn. The smell of manure might not have appealed to everyone, but for me, it was a reminder of home and childhood.
I breathed in the air and made my way over to the stables where my brother Alex was brushing out the coat of a two year old mare.
“She looks beautiful,” I said as I came up to stand on the other side of the stall door.
Alex nodded. “Siobhan is quite a looker.” He brushed her russet coat
to a glistening sheen that caught the early morning sun and made the horse look like a copper penny.
“You think we’ll run her next year?” I asked him as I looked over the horse from nose to tail. She was beautiful, but I wasn’t sure if she was one of the horses that we would end up taking to the many derbies we were involved in.
Alex shrugged. “Not sure. She hasn’t been run that much, and I really think that if we had planned on doing that with her, she should have seen a little more practice at this point in her life. I think she is a great horse, but I’m not sure the derby life is the one for her. However, I do think she is going to give us a lot of talented foals.”
Alex was probably the quietest of all the brothers, so hearing him talk this much was a little unusual. The only time Alex had much to say was when he was talking about a horse. Not much for words and usually keeping to himself, he was definitely the most horse whisperer like among us and was more involved with the training of individuals here at the ranch. He was so in tune with the horses that it helped to have his expertise around to help people become accustomed to green horses. While most of our horses were bred here on the ranch, we did keep a group of wild ponies from the Dakotas on one of the spreads of land that was fenced off from the rest. Alex’s house was out there and visiting that part of the ranch felt like entering a wilderness. I could see why my parents had given him that parcel when they were divvying up the land to us. It fit my younger brother’s personality perfectly, and he was never happier than he was when he was among the wild horses.
“Her mother is Spring, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, and her father was David’s Lariat.”
David’s Lariat had been one of Alex’s favorites. A horse that my father had acquired from a Colorado ranch when we were still very young, the horse had been a monster of an animal when we got him. He stood taller than any of our other horses but managed to be faster than almost any horse half his weight. He was a marvel and had produced many of our fastest horses. David’s Lariat had died just a year before, but we still had a few of his offspring around the ranch and would likely see his influence in our derby horses for decades to come.
Teach Her: A forbidden Professor and Student romance (School of Seduction Book 2) Page 9