No Regrets (A Second Chance Romance)

by Vivian Ward

  “I have a question for you,” he sat his glass on the table. “Have you thought about just getting a regular apartment? Covington has income-based apartments that you could check into.”

  “I can’t afford rent on my own, Matt. I have a son who goes to daycare, and I don’t think I could make enough to pay rent, daycare, utilities and groceries, plus I still need to buy a car.”

  “My friend used to live there, and he and his wife were on public housing assistance. They had lost their assistance for some reason—I don’t remember the circumstances—but they moved in there, and once they got to him and his wife on the list, they started paying a portion of his rent.”

  “Yeah, but I’d have to do it for at least four months, and I know that once Lance tells our parents what’s going on, my mom’s going to demand her car back.” I put the last potato into the bowl, “I’m so screwed.”

  “What if I told you that I’d help you? I could move in with you.”

  “Live together?”

  “Come on, Stephanie. Covington is not the best apartments, and I’d like to keep you safe. I could watch over you and Andrew. It would be a good thing, I promise.” He looked into my eyes with a goofy grin on his face. “What do you say?”

  “Okay, it’s worth a shot because Susan might kill me if I tell her four months.”

  I couldn’t believe that I agreed to something on the spur of the moment, but I had been doing that a lot lately and was getting better at it. The smile that beamed across Matt’s face told me that he was the happiest man in all of Memphis. Susan walked in, but I decided not to tell her that it might be four months—at least, not right away.

  Chapter 23

  Matt

  We just couldn’t catch a break. Stephanie had called Covington and the woman in their front office told her that they didn’t have any units that were currently available, but they could take down her contact information and call her when something popped up. I only had one more day off until I went on my 48-hour shift rotation so my time was limited as to how much I could help her.

  Her next day off wasn’t until Sunday, which wouldn’t be an ideal time to call around to apartment complexes as most offices were only open on weekdays. I got on the computer in the break room and looked up all the surrounding apartments and wrote down their address and phone number. I still couldn’t believe that her brother was heartless enough to kick her and the baby out on the streets. What kind of person does that?

  “What are you up to now, White?” Chief asked as he walked in to grab a cup of coffee.

  “Huh?” He caught me off guard, and I didn’t know how to respond. “Just looking up some good hiking trails,” I said, quickly opening a new tab in the browser.

  “Sounds like fun. You’ll have to take me with you one of these days when you go.”

  “Yeah, I’ll do that,” I said, waiting for him to finish pouring his creamer so he would leave.

  “Have a good day, son. You’re on the right track.”

  “Thanks, sir. You have a good day as well.”

  Armed with my list, I decided to take a drive up to our local coffee shop to make my phone calls so the guys wouldn’t overhear me. It’s not that I didn’t want them to know that I planned on living with Stephanie, but I didn’t want them reporting anything back to Chief that might jeopardize my promotion. He already had it in his head that she was the whole reason I’d been getting in trouble; which I guess he did have grounds to base that argument on.

  After I had ordered a coffee, I opted for a table in the back of the restaurant where I would be by myself and could talk openly with the leasing offices. As I made my phone calls, I kept track of everything in a pocket-sized notepad. By the time lunch rolled around, I was starving and couldn’t wait to hear from Stephanie when she called me on her break. Even though I had made a lot of progress, there were still so many places to call and then, of course, driving to each of them to put in an application.

  Standing in line for food, my phone began to ring. It was Stephanie, so I got out of line and walked to the back of the restaurant.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, babe. How’s your day going? Any good news?”

  “Eh, I don’t know that I’d say good news. I did find some apartments that have vacancies, but I don’t know if they’re within our price range. I’ve just been telling everyone that I’ll get back to them.”

  “Where are you at? It sounds busy?” she asked.

  “I didn’t want the guys at the fire station all up in my business, so I came to the coffee shop. How is your day going?”

  “It’s good. I was hoping that you would’ve had better news for me other than you’ve been calling places.”

  “Well, babe, you have to start somewhere and today I started with phone calls.”

  “Okay, I’m going to grab a lunch real quick, and I’ll call you when I’m off work.”

  “Do you think Susan could watch Andrew for us tonight? We need to figure out our finances.”

  “I can ask her, but I don’t see why she wouldn’t.”

  She called me as she was dropping Andrew off at Susan’s house and agreed to meet me at the park, the same park we had gone to on one of our first dates. I stopped for a bucket of chicken and drinks on the way there so we could spread out over a blanket and have dinner while we figured things out. Life was so much simpler a few months ago, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.

  She parked next to my truck and got out, smiling as she walked over to our picnic area. “What do we have here?”

  “I thought we’d have a cozy little dinner. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes! I was so nervous at work all day that I could barely eat. Thank you for picking something up,” she kissed me. I’d rather die than never feel her lips on mine again.

  As we ate dinner, we discussed what type of apartment each of us would like and what our expectations were. She had far more expectations than I did, but she also had a son who would be starting school in a little over a year.

  “So I want to live in a good school district,” she said.

  “Out of all the apartments I called, this is what was available,” I pulled out the notepad that I had been scribbling in all day. “While I was on the phone, I wrote down all the prices so we could discuss rent. I figured after talking about finances; we could then figure out if we can afford a one or two-bedroom apartment.”

  “Okay,” she looked at the list. “Wow, some of these are expensive,” I could see the anxiety growing as her eyes swelled looking at all the numbers I had jotted down in the notebook.

  “Yeah, but don’t forget that we’ll have two incomes so it’s not like you’ll be paying for everything all by yourself. How much do you make?”

  “With or without overtime?” she answered.

  “Either. I make about forty-thousand a year, give or take.”

  “What?” her mouth fell open. “Why do you live at the fire station then? I figured that you didn’t make much.”

  “Remember how I used to have a drinking problem?” She nodded. “Well, I still do and staying there makes me accountable for my time and my actions. I know that I can’t just go out and drink while I’m staying there because the guys will know, they’ll smell it on me and notice if I’m stumbling in.”

  “Wow, I don’t make anything close to that. I make about twenty-three thousand with overtime and bonuses.”

  “Then we’ll be fine. I definitely think we can afford a two-bedroom apartment. We can go apartment hunting next week if you’d like.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s get back to Susan’s so I can give Drew a bath and get him laid down for daycare.”

  “Wait a minute,” I grabbed her hand and pulled her up off the grass. “Before we head back, I thought maybe we could spend just a few more minutes under the stars?” I nodded towards the bed of my pickup.

  “Nicholas White!” She grinned, “Okay! Come on, real quick.”

  I looked at her ass as
she ran in front of me, “Oh, don’t worry. It will be quick.”

  As soon as she climbed in the back of my truck, I looked around to make sure no one was watching.

  “Aren’t you going to get in?” she asked, giggling.

  “In a minute,” I grinned at her as my hands slowly slid up her legs.

  I folded my fingers inside the waistband of her yoga pants and slowly started sliding them down, allowing my fingertips to hook her panties too. As I pulled them off of her, I sat each of her legs on top of my shoulders and pulled her body towards me.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

  “Having dessert,” I growled as I parted her slit and traced her clit with my tongue.

  She was already wet. I slipped a finger inside of her with ease as my tongue swirled around her pussy, tasting every bit of her juices. My cock was hungry for her and the only thing keeping it away from her was the fabric of my jeans that separated us. I wanted her right then, right there in the park and I was going to take exactly what I wanted. I didn’t care who saw or what they thought.

  * * *

  Stephanie

  “Are you sure we should be doing this? Here? Now?” I whispered, not wanting to draw any attention to us even though I already knew what was going to happen.

  “Right here,” he pressed his finger against my G-spot. “And definitely right now,” he buried his face deeper, growling as his stubble tickled my thighs.

  As his finger worked in and out of me, I ground against it, wanting more. I could already feel the fire building within me, and there was only one man who could put it out. My lover, my soul mate and my closest friend. The man who always had my back and stood by my side no matter what. I knew that I could rely on him because he was always there to catch me when I fell.

  I removed my legs from his shoulders and dug my heels into the bed of the truck and thrust myself deep inside the frame, making him come after me. “Come here,” I said. “I want you now.”

  “Is that right?” he said, climbing between my legs, kissing my thighs as he slid up to my face.

  The warmth of his breath against my neck and ear sent tingles down my spine, making me break out in tiny goosebumps all over my body. I grabbed fistfuls of his hair and kissed him hard. “Yes,” I hissed. “Take off your pants.”

  He sat up, kneeling between my legs and slowly removed his pants, teasing me as he went. His raging hard on was obscured by his shirt, hiding the mass of musculature under it. I had never seen a man so well built, so cut and rugged as Matt Porter. His large, barrel-chested frame matched the rest of his menacing muscles in his arms and legs.

  I loved his body, mind, and soul. He was mine, completely and wholly. Nobody could ever take that away from me, no matter how hard they tried because, at the end of the day, we were in each other’s arms. I didn’t care what my family thought about him. I wanted him.

  The stars shone down on us, the moonlight cascading through his light brown hair. He made quick work of my bra, leaving my breasts naked before him. His hands slipped over my breasts before cupping them in his palms.

  “God, you are gorgeous,” he said, rolling my nipples between his fingers, giving them a small pinch. “If looking at your beautiful body was a sin, I’d go straight to hell for you. Do you know that?”

  I sucked in a deep breath as his mouth came crashing down over my erect nipples, flicking them with his tongue before he bit them. “If I would have known how badly you wanted me tonight, I would have made you work harder for it.”

  “I’ve worked plenty hard restraining myself up until now,” he said, using his knee to spread my thighs apart.

  He pushed his boxers down around his ankles, allowing his manhood to spring free. My eyes widened as I saw how turned on he already was. Did I have that much of an effect on him? His hand wrapped around the base of his cock, as he lined it up with my body, ready to penetrate me at a moment’s notice.

  “Take off your shirt, please,” I looked into his eyes. I didn’t care about his scars or his past. I loved him and wanted him for who he was.

  “Stephanie, you know that—” I leaned up and kissed him, shutting him up instantly as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “Matt, I want all of you,” I whispered.

  “I’m a monster.” His forest green eyes sparkled in the moonlight as I looked into them. I swore I could see his soul, how sad he was and how tormented his past was.

  “You are not a monster, Matt,” I spoke softly. “I love you, inside and out. I want you for you.”

  I leaned up and put my mouth on his, kissing him like my life depended on it. I wanted to show him that I didn’t care because all that mattered to me was becoming one with him. “Please,” I begged.

  His over-sized hands grabbed the bottom of his shirt, lifting it above his head. For the first time in over five months, I was finally seeing the man who loved me. The man whom I’d give up anything for, and he was gorgeous. I reached up to his torso with my fingertips, gently caressing his skin. Every twist and every turn showed me how much he had sacrificed for me years ago.

  “I love you,” I said, kissing his chest and stomach, allowing my lips to touch each one of his scars as if I was healing them. “Take me, Matt. Make love to me, now.”

  He groaned as he laid me down in the bed of his pickup and slowly pushed himself inside of me. I bucked my hips, matching his slow rhythm with my arms still wrapped around his neck. It felt so serene to make love to him under the Memphis star-filled sky in the park. The very same park where everything happened when we were apart.

  “I love you, Stephanie,” he said, pushing my hair away from my face as he continued driving himself into me.

  His teeth crashed down on my lips, gently biting my lower lip as he made love to me before his tongue began exploring my mouth. I wanted him more than ever. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I tilted my hips and melded our bodies into one. “Harder,” I said, pushing my hips into him.

  He thrust harder, burrowing his shaft deep inside of me as his tip collided against my G-spot. I cried out, begging for more as he pistoned in and out of me. His teeth sank into my breast, biting the top of it, pushing me over the edge.

  “Ohh, Matt,” I cried out. I didn’t care who heard me.

  Holding me tight, his fingers dug into my hip bones as he crammed himself deeper inside of me, allowing me to cum on his thick cock. I could feel the walls of my vagina clamping down, grabbing on to him as I panted and dug my nails into his back.

  “Come on, baby,” he breathed in my ear, moving my hair. “Let me feel it,” he buried himself balls deep, tantalizing my G-spot.

  I bit down on his shoulder as he sent me into overdrive. That’s when I felt him beginning to swell up inside of me. I looked into his eyes that were now glazed over under his heavy lids as he grunted. I grinned knowing full well what I was about to do.

  I wrapped myself around him tightly like a python squeezing the life out of its prey and thrust my hips, slamming myself into him over and over. His arms began to shake and sweat beaded off his brow. “Cum inside of me,” I moaned, wanting to feel him—all of him—inside of me.

  His hands pried my arms from his neck as he sat up, the moonlight bouncing off his chest. He grabbed onto my hips and thrust wildly inside of me as I felt him beginning to cum. It felt like hot, smoldering jets shooting inside of me until his last grunt when he collapsed on top of me. As we lay there under the starry sky, my hand ran over my stomach.

  I kissed him goodnight before climbing into my car, my legs still wobbly from the amazing sex we had in the back of his truck. “Call me tomorrow on my lunch break if you can,” I said.

  “I will, and I’ll let you know if I find any more places.”

  Chapter 24

  Matt

  I waited nervously in our meeting room. Sitting at the large, eight-person table was intimidating while I waited for my Fire Chief to bring in his superiors. It was time for them to review
me for my promotion and go over my personnel file. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time and to know that it was finally time made me worried and excited at the same time.

  It had been quite a while since I had been in any trouble though Chief never really wrote me up or recorded anything too bad in my file. I just hoped I had done enough to make him happy and prove to everyone that I had what it took to become the next fire captain. As I poured myself a cup of water from the water cooler, I heard them approaching the room.

  “Matt,” Chief smiled at me as they all filed in, “these are my superiors.” I walked to the table and sat the cup down. “This is our Battalion Chief, Gary Underwood,” I shook his hand, “and this is our District Chief, Herman Roiter.” I smiled and shook his hand, “And this is Kenneth House, our Fire Marshall.”

  “It’s nice to meet all of you,” I said, shaking Kenneth’s hand. “I’m Lieutenant Matt Porter.”

  “Go ahead, have a seat everyone,” Chief said, waving his hand around the table.

  As we sat around the table, I felt my stomach churning while they reviewed my files. Their voices became echoes as I thought about all the times I had fucked up, like the time I forgot to recharge our air tanks or the times when I had jeopardized my brothers while we were searching for victims in burning houses. I had made a lot of mistakes; too many.

  They continued discussing my file as they flipped through each sheet of paper inside the manila folder. “Matt, can you wait outside in the hall while we discuss things?” Chief asked.

  “Hm? Oh, yes, of course.” I nodded my head and quietly slipped out of the room. The anticipation was killing me.

  Waiting in the hall, I chewed my lip as I thought about my promotion and our apartment search. Stephanie had applied at an apartment complex that we both liked and we were waiting to hear back from them. All of this waiting was enough to give a man ulcers.