Then He Came Back (Love From Austin Book 2)

by Chris Campillo

  The possibilities sent those damn electric pulses through her heart. How could she even consider a future with Trey? “Don’t you dare go there.”

  “Fine. So, it’s short-term. Recall, you’re the one who shooed me off to a weekend affair that had no possible future. How did you put it? A weekend of fun and fucking? And look how that turned out.” She flashed her brilliant wedding ring. “Cinderella can kiss my ass.”

  Now that made her laugh. God, she loved this woman. “What is this new, all-knowing attitude of yours? That’s my gig. There’s chaos in the cosmos.”

  “Yes!” Kate shot her hands up in victory. “The pupil teaches the master.”

  Enough of that. “Are we going to walk or not?” Sue took off at a rapid pace, but she could still hear Kate giggling.

  Chapter 39

  The rumble of thunder stirred Sue, but it was the feel of hands gliding over her hips that woke her. She jumped, then immediately recognized the fingertips, recognized the way they felt on her body. She settled back to enjoy the luxury of Trey’s touch. Unfortunately, the reality of motherhood broke the spell.

  “Where’s Wes?”

  “I dropped him at a midnight movie with Ryan.”

  “Mmm.” She slipped back into the sleepy pleasure, turning to nestle into him. Over the last two weeks, she’d come to relish the stolen moments when they could be alone and act on the attraction that burned hotter each day.

  But he wasn’t into the snuggling. He got up and moved around to the foot of the bed, grabbing her ankles and pulling her to the edge. By the time she could prop herself up on her elbows, she was wide awake and he was moving under the covers.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Give me a minute, baby. I bet you’ll figure it out.” He slowly pushed her knees apart, then moved his hands higher, triggering sensations that suddenly dulled her curiosity.

  With a sigh, she fell back and closed her eyes, giving herself over to the magic of his mouth. Bathed in darkness, her other senses were intensified. The crack of thunder highlighted the need building in her. The wind picked up as her body tightened. A deluge of rain pounded on the roof. She could see the flash of lightning behind her closed lids. Thunder crashed immediately after, rattling the windows, covering the cries of her release.

  Coming back to earth, she was sated, but her heart was raging with the storm. Branches hit the roof. The wind created its own haunting sound, only covered when the thunder boomed in time with the lightning. They were in the heart of the tempest.

  He emerged from the comforter, sporting bed head, but never looking more delicious. He flipped the covers off her. Lightning illuminated this shared moment, building the anticipation. It took but a second for him to shed his clothes. He crawled up her body, loving her with his mouth and hands along the way. “Hold on to my neck,” he demanded.

  She did, wanting to be close to him, willing to do whatever he wanted. He pulled them up to the center of the bed. As soon as he lowered her body, he drove into her. He groaned, she cried out, overcome with the sensation of their union. With the flashes of lightning, she could see the intensity in his eyes. “I can’t get enough of you, Sue.”

  His words stilled her, pricking at the feelings lurking at the surface of her heart. She pushed aside her emotions and fell into the sensations of their bodies. Lifting her hips, she encouraged him to move, needing the satisfaction that only he could give her.

  He answered, starting out slow, but his movements grew faster and harder as the force of the storm crashed around them. She worked her arms under his and grabbed onto his back, holding him, not able to get close enough. Her heart was trembling with her need for him, but it was so much more than physical.

  “Never enough,” he hissed. His words and the urgency in his eyes sent her over the edge, crying out his name. He was there, right behind her, shouting out as he found his release.

  Words moved to her lips, but she held her tongue and held him tighter. She forced away the dreams dancing in her mind and focused on the feel of his body still connected to hers. This was all they would have.

  He traced her neck with his lips, traveling up to her ear to murmur her name. Finally, he moved and pulled her in, spooning her. The touch of his hand resting on her stomach was pleasurable and unsettling at the same time. They lay without talking, listening to the thunder’s volume fade. Eventually, there was only a light rain.

  Nuzzling the back of her neck, he let out a contented sigh. “You’re killing me, woman. Killing me.”

  She giggled, relieved to leave behind the passion from moments before.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, gliding his hand over her hip. He had a favorite spot he always landed on.

  “I was just thinking about Sleeping Beauty. She only got a kiss to wake her up. Talk about a rip-off.”

  His laughter rumbled through his chest, caressing her back. She loved these quiet moments with him. Alas, reality was close at bay. She checked the clock. “It’s twelve thirty. What movie is playing in the middle of the night?”

  “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” He leaned up and kissed the spot just below her ear.

  “Hey.” She turned her face to see him. “How’d you get into my house?”

  “Wes drove tonight. He let me take his car after I begged out of the show. I used his key.” He continued with those light kisses that made her shiver. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be mad, but my plan was to earn my forgiveness.”

  “Hmm.” She pretended to think it over. “What would you’ve done if you walked in on me and another man?” She took a little pleasure in feeling his body tense. So, she wasn’t the only one with strong feelings.

  Before she knew it, she was flat on her back with his face inches from hers. “Don’t joke like that . . . Ever.”

  The harshness of his words and the anguish in his eyes filled her with guilt. She tentatively raised her hand and cradled his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  He wrapped her in his arms, holding her so tight, it almost hurt. She moved her hands to stroke his hair, then his neck, then she too was hugging him. Unwilling to move, she whispered, “How long before you have to leave?”

  “Three weeks.” He choked, burying his face in her hair. After a few seconds, he raised up. “I mean one hour. Can I stay until then?”

  “Yes,” she said, caressing his face. “Please stay.” He studied her, as if searching for something. Finally, he rolled over and pulled her close against his body. There was no kissing, no stroking, just an embrace that felt close to desperation. Did he think she was talking about staying in her bed or in Austin? She wasn’t sure of the answer herself.

  Chapter 40

  Wes tossed the shovel and picked up his bottle of water. Trey looked him over. His boy was strong. Not thick, but definitely muscular. He’d lasted longer than his old man. Trey was sitting down, his bottle already empty.

  “I normally give her a gift certificate,” Wes said, wiping his brow. “This pond is going to take forever.”

  “That’s why we’re starting in April. Don’t wimp out on me now.” But the same thought had crossed Trey’s mind. Trying to dig into the ground comprised mainly of limestone was a hell of a lot harder than he’d envisioned when he’d decided to build Sue a koi pond.

  He fought the temptation to call in a landscaping firm and stood up to resume the slow process, focusing on his motivation. This would be Sue’s Mother’s Day gift, an early one, officially from Wes, but the first one Trey’d ever given her. It couldn’t make up for all the years he’d missed, but now that he was here, he wanted to do something special.

  “The year I met your mom we went to a tournament in St. Louis. Afterwards, we stopped at the botanical gardens.” He lifted the mattock and slammed it into another rock. “Damn!”

  He studied the limestone, looking for the weakest point. “Anyway, as boring as you’d think that would be for a group of teenagers, your mother loved it, especially the Japanese garden.” Slamming the mattock again,
he finally cracked the mother of a rock.

  “Most of the group were running around, ruining the reputation of all high school students, but your mom wanted to stay at the koi pond, feeding the fish. When we finally left, she told me she was going to have her own pond one day.” He picked up the shovel and pried out the stone he’d broken up. “So, we’re giving her one.”

  Wes stood up and started working again. “I thought you were a senior when she was a sophomore. Why would you be on the same trip?”

  He’d wondered if Wes would ever ask about his and Sue’s past. The first time they’d discussed it, all those weeks ago, the conversation had ended in crap. But now Wes didn’t look angry, just curious, and he wanted his son to know what he and Sue had shared. Maybe it would prep Wes in case they ever told him about their current relationship.

  “I told you we were on the debate team together.” He couldn’t help but smile, remembering that time.

  Wes laughed. “Did anyone have a chance against Mom?”

  “Initially. Your mom wasn’t like she is today. She was young.” And innocent and trusting. “She’d transferred into St. Mary’s the second semester. It’s a private school. Did you know your mom received a full academic scholarship?”

  “No.” Wes’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she told her son this?

  “So, in comes this gorgeous girl, middle of the school year. Long, blonde hair and eyes so blue you couldn’t look away. And it didn’t take but one conversation to figure out she was smart as hell. She had no idea how she intimidated the guys. But the other girls noticed and that put a stop to any thoughts of welcoming her into the fold.”

  Wes’s brow furrowed, and Trey’s chest tightened knowing how much his son cared about his mom, then and now. Good man.

  “No one was mean to her, Wes.” No, that came the next year when word got out she was pregnant. “But she kept to herself.”

  “Are you saying my mom was shy?”

  “God, no.” He laughed. “Your mom’s never been shy, but she . . . she wasn’t in her own yet.” Wes looked at him as if he were speaking Latin.

  Trey tried to think of a way to describe the girl that existed before the power of Sue Brinkley was released, no doubt tempered by fire.

  “She was like a foal.”

  Wes cracked up.

  “Just listen, and don’t ever tell your mother I compared her to a horse. She was young, had no clue of her power, her talents. She didn’t know how to handle them. Of course, by the end of that class, she was getting a pretty good feel.” He smiled and shook his head.

  “Did you debate one another?”

  “Oh yeah.” He lifted the mattock and attacked another rock. “A state’s right to secede. It was close, but as we went on, she became more spirited, pulling out argument after argument. It didn’t help that even then she had that fire in her eyes.” He switched to the shovel, digging up loose stone. “During the last round, I just sat back and watched. She was a show unto herself.”

  “So, did she beat you?”

  “Hell yeah, but I didn’t care. I asked her out after class.”

  “Did she go?”

  Trey wiped the sweat off his brow and winked at Wes. “Not that time. But after my third try, she finally agreed.”

  Wes’s jaw dropped. “You kept asking out a girl, even after she rejected you . . . twice?”

  “Wes.” He shook his head and propped his hand on his shovel. “Some things . . . some people are too special to give up on, even if you have to face failure a few times.” His own words caught him off guard. He was speaking of Sue, but the words fit his feelings for his son as well. Wes looked as if the same thoughts were passing through his head.

  “I guess you’re right.” Wes went back to shoveling, apparently eager to avoid anything too serious.

  Trey would support that. He scooped out another shovel of broken limestone. “Your mom made it all the way to semis at the Tournament of Champions. That’s the most prestigious tournament in the country.”

  “You’re kidding. She never told me any of this.” He stopped shoveling and looked at Trey, eager for more information.

  “She was exceptional. At the beginning of her junior year, colleges were already talking to her about their debate programs. No doubt she would’ve had a free ride to anywhere she wanted to go.”

  The minute he said the words he wanted to kick himself in the ass. Wes’s face crashed, anger and guilt clouded his eyes. He turned and started shoveling with enough aggression to break through granite.

  “You don’t need to tell me. I figured out long ago I was an accident. I just didn’t realize how much I’d fucked up Mom’s life.”

  “Wes!”

  The kid started toward the house, but Trey grabbed his arm and held tight. After a long glare, Wes jerked his arm free, then sat down with his back to Trey. At least he would listen. “You might not have been planned, but you were never a mistake. Thank God, your mother had the sense to recognize that from the beginning. I’m sorry as hell it took me so long to figure it out.”

  Wes shook his head.

  “Anyone who watches her around you knows a woman couldn’t be happier. You didn’t mess up her life. You’re the greatest thing in her life. Yes, her future took a path no one expected, and she got no help from me, but look where she landed.”

  “Yeah, right. Community college.”

  “Oh, come on. Do you think your mother’s career has suffered because she went to a state school instead of Wellesley? Your mom will succeed no matter where she’s at. It has nothing to do with her diploma. She’s intelligent and driven and sharper than anyone I’ve ever known. She’ll go as far as she wants.”

  “But that’s not the case with me, right?” He jumped up, agitated. “It’s got to be Penn. Nothing less than the Wharton School of Business.” He kicked at a rock they’d loosened. “Didn’t matter for her, but it’s different with me.”

  The resentment in his son’s words radiated throughout the yard. It took a minute before Trey could respond. “She’s your mother. She’s wanted the best for you from the minute you were born, even when it wasn’t an easy choice. And yeah, maybe she’s more eager because she didn’t have as many choices, but even if she graduated from Harvard Law, she’d still be pushing you in the same direction.”

  Wes started to say something but stopped. He searched Trey’s eyes, looking so lost. What is it? Before he could ask, Wes picked up his shovel and went back to work. “We’d better get to it if we’re going to finish this before you leave.”

  Fuck. Two and a half weeks. He was running out of time. Time with Wes. Time to help him with whatever the hell was weighing him down. Time with Sue. There’d never be enough time with her.

  He thought about going back to Iraq and MSF. At one time that life had been meaningful, but now it seemed empty. He might not be saving lives here, but he was more alive than he’d ever been. He swung the mattock into the ground, cracking another boulder that slowed their progress. But he felt no satisfaction. He was only that much closer to completing the pond. That much closer to leaving.

  Chapter 41

  “Helloo?” Sue walked into Trey’s apartment. He hadn’t answered when she’d knocked, so she’d used her key. It still surprised her how comfortable they’d become in one another’s space, even if his was a furnished executive rental. A delicious aroma was coming from the kitchen. “Trey?” He had to be here with something cooking.

  “Hey, babe.” He walked out of the bedroom and shut the door.

  Interesting. He usually kept it open. She nodded toward his room. “What are you hiding in there?”

  “Nothing that concerns you . . . at least for now.” Giddiness replaced her curiosity when he smiled. That knowing look of his was so intoxicating. He pulled her in for a slow kiss that made her forget everything except what he could do to her body. This man was addictive. He pulled away before she was ready, but it was probably for the best. Wes was coming for dinner as well, and she didn’t
want her son walking in on her and Trey, halfway to heaven.

  “Want some wine?” he asked, heading to the kitchen.

  “Yes, please. Do you have any Sauvignon Blanc? From Marlborough?”

  “Of course. I know you love it. I’ll always have a bottle for you.”

  Always consisted of two weeks now. They’d come to an unspoken agreement that they wouldn’t talk about the time they had left, but it was there, voiced or not, constantly in the back of her mind. When she counted the days, she pushed down the lump in her throat by reminding herself that it was a good thing he was leaving. The situation was temporary. No point in worrying about the end. She would enjoy the moments they had.

  She leaned back into the deep, leather sofa and kicked off heels. God bless Fridays. Tonight, she could relax with her two favorite guys, eating something that smelled yummy, maybe Italian. Trey walked in with two glasses and handed her one.

  “Thanks.” She savored the crisp flavor. “This really is good.” She took another sip and set it on the coffee table. “I figured Wes would’ve beat me here. Traffic on MOPAC was a nightmare.”

  He settled next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Had she locked the door? She didn’t want Wes walking in on this. Somehow, they’d kept their affair a secret from her son. Lord knows, it took the strength of every mother cell in her body to stay away from Trey when they were all together. Of course, the man seemed to delight in tormenting her on those occasions, sharing “casual” touches, sending her looks that could melt a lesser woman’s panties. But truth be told, she loved his gall. She loved—

  “Wes isn’t coming.” He went on, oblivious to the wreck he’d prevented. “He called a while ago. He and Ryan are going to meet up with some kids and go to a movie or something.”

  She sat up. “We’ve had this planned since Tuesday. I can’t believe he’d be so rude.”