“Yeah, and it was awesome, actually. Very cathartic for both of us. We talked for a while, kissed—”
“Had hot monkey sex on every available flat surface…” Josh interjected.
She wrinkled her nose at him in annoyance. “Yeah, that too, but after we talked.”
“And you told him?” He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced when he found it to be cold.
She shrugged like she was trying to physically avoid the question. “Why I left? Kind of.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Either you did or you didn’t.”
Ellie pushed her plate away. “I told him I left so he didn’t have to choose. I figured that was enough of the story without getting all the way into the whys and wherefores.”
“And he obviously accepted that, for now.”
“He did.” At least, it had seemed so at the time. Her memory was somewhat fuzzy and still floating in the rum.
“So?” Josh opened his arms wide. “What’s the problem? Why are you here? Why are we not both enjoying breakfasts with our respective conquests?”
“It’s not that simple.” She stood and began to pace behind the chair. “See, I slept over, which is not my usual MO, and then his phone started ringing.”
Josh looked like he’d been slapped. “Before you called me? I take back almost everything I said about your manners.”
“Hush! Anyway, I kinda woke up, and I kinda heard him talking to someone about his ex-wife, and now they’re getting together this afternoon.”
“Mmm,” Josh grunted as he stood and began collecting dishes. “And that’s what you get for meddling. What’s the end game?”
“What do you mean? He and I talked last night about how he was divorced, how he was over her and she wasn’t in his life anymore and then BAM! Late afternoon tea.”
Josh returned from the kitchen with pursed lips and made a face that was clearly unimpressed. “Simmer down, Emeril.” He gestured to the living room and they took seats on opposite ends of his painfully tasteful couch. “Did you believe him last night?”
She nodded, and hugged a decorative throw pillow to her chest. “Yeah, we were both drunk enough that lying might have put us into a coma.”
“Okay, then. You’re gonna have to trust that whatever you heard is much different than what you’re imagining.” He put a calming hand on her arm.
“Why the hell do you have to be so damn sensible?” she groused as she abandoned the pillow and wrapped her arms around her knees.
Josh gave her his most winning smile. “Because sometimes, you get so cray that I can’t even say all the letters. Besides, you don’t own a stable if you don’t know about horses.”
“Not quite sure how I feel about that comparison.”
“Indifferent.” He stood and offered her his hand. “Now, get up, I have stuff I gotta do and you’re impeding my progress.”
“Okay, if you insist.” Ellie allowed him to pull her to her feet and shuffle her toward the door.
Josh paused before opening the door. “Oh, and clear your Saturday. My sage advice comes at a price.”
“Dare I ask?”
“Italian Fest. Wear something summery and look festive. You are now my official wingman, er, woman. Whatever. You’re going.” He knew damn good and well that she avoided that particular local event like the plague, and why.
Every fiber of her being wanted her to decline, but she knew she couldn’t. “Fantastic.” Hopefully in the ensuing week, she could get her freak out under control.
* * *
“You’re supposed to bring the ball back to me, ya goober,” Sean huffed as he chased after Guinness down the trails through Holliday Park. It was a gorgeous little stretch of Indianapolis, full of lush greenery, random jungle gyms, faux Greek ruins, and even had a creek running through it. It was an amazing place to have a date, enjoy the laughter of children, or chase the damn dog over hither and yon in an effort to retrieve a fluorescent yellow ball that was now, more likely than not, unraveling and covered in slobber.
When he’d first met Pia, she was a barista in a local coffee shop in Broad Ripple. He’d just come onto North Narcotics, and managed to come in for a while every day she worked. It took him the better part of a month to convince her to give him her number. This park had been the site of their first date. First couple of dates, actually. A picnic, a summer concert in the evening after a nice dinner, and they’d been perfect together. Amazing, and the chemistry had been off the charts. Their first kiss had been on the ruins; Guinness’s first adventures in puppyhood, on those trails; their marriage, in the middle of the park on a gorgeous Saturday in April.
The park held memories, but it wasn’t as personal as going back to the house, or worse, having her in his. Plus, he had the advantage of witnesses, which he knew from experience would keep Pia, if not polite, at least reasonably mindful of her surroundings.
She was like a Category 5 hurricane, destructive and all-encompassing. If she loved you, she practically drowned you in affection. Her signs of displeasure came with warnings from the National Weather Service. The fact that she wanted something from him, something as big as reconciliation, had him on guard for a full-court press. She was damn near unstoppable when she set her mind to it.
Guinness broke free from the tree line and into the clearing near the ruins and stopped, dropping the ball and sitting down for a rest. Sean, more winded than he’d like to admit, bent over next to him, his hands braced on his knees, as he caught his breath.
“Nice ass, O’Leary.”
Just the sound of her voice made his whole body clench involuntarily. He turned his head to see her walking up looking like a runway model. Freshly dyed ruby red hair up in a messy bun, she had on a pink patterned dress that tied around her neck and left her back open to the world, strappy sandals with thick heels, matching purse, naturally. She was, as always, showstoppingly beautiful. He stood and brushed his hair back out of his face, feeling sweaty and bedraggled by comparison. “Wish I could say it was nice to see you, too, Pia.”
Guinness, however, was more than happy to see his mommy, and ran over to her side, tail almost reaching flight speed. She knelt to pet the dog, and even submitted to his slobbery kisses, surprisingly. “Don’t be like that, Sean. I’m sure my father told you I was sorry.”
“Seems I missed that part.” He started for his car, where he’d stashed a cooler of water for him and the dog. Not to mention the extra tennis balls. He felt the need to keep physical distance between them as a way to keep the old wounds from opening all over her.
Pia and Guinness followed behind him. “Well, I am. Sorry. I was young, and I just…didn’t know how to love you back and be what you needed.”
Sean had to consciously remind himself not to grind his teeth at her words. “Might sound more believable if you didn’t sound like the words were choking you before they left your mouth.” He unlocked the doors and grabbed three bottles of water from the cooler and a canvas bowl from the floorboard.
“I guess I deserve that,” she said quietly, and the look on her face would have passed for contrite to anyone who did not know her well.
Sean filled up Guinness’s bowl—which the big red dog promptly laid siege to—and cracked the seal on his own drink. “So you called this meeting. I’m sure you didn’t want to just stand around in your $400 shoes and throw balls with the dog.” He offered her the extra bottle he’d gotten out as he sipped his own.
Pia shook her head, declining both the bottle and the sentiment. “No, I didn’t. I…came back for you. I missed you.” She took a step toward him that had him narrowing his eyes. If he wasn’t already leaning up against the Challenger, he would have backed away from her. “I love you,” she reached for his arm and he braced for impact, “and I’m sorry for the way I treated you.”
At the last moment, he sidestepped her touch and moved to a more defensible position toward the hood of the car. “Lady,” he drained the rest of his bottle of water before cracking open th
e one he’d offered her, “you are certifiable.” At her look of embarrassed shock, he tried to soften the blow. “Look, I appreciate, though not necessarily accept, the apology and what it took for you to come out here like this. A lot has happened since we broke up, and I’m not in that place in my life anymore. I’m sorry that you came all this way for that.”
For a moment, it looked like he’d gotten through to her, that she’d heard him and actually listened, too. Then, with a quick toss of her head, her cool façade returned and she was the same Pia he remembered: constitutionally incapable of hearing the word ‘no’ and taking it seriously. “Okay. Well, I know you’re busy. I’ll just go for now. Maybe we can get together later in the week. I really would love to see Guinness some more. Maybe we can have dinner?”
And maybe I’d sooner dine in hell, was the reply on his tongue, but all that came out was, “Okay, maybe.” For whatever reason, he was constitutionally incapable of making ‘no’ stick where she was concerned. That was his own cross to bear, and something he planned to examine later, with whiskey, and maybe a new sword to entertain him.
She turned to go, but stopped and looked back at him over her shoulder. “You’re going to the Italian Fest this coming weekend, right?”
He hadn’t really given it much thought, though the eagerness with which she asked the question was enough for him to say ‘no’ with confidence. “Hadn’t considered it, no. Why?”
She actually pouted. Like a three-year-old. “I just hoped I’d see you. I know you used to enjoy it.”
“Again, a lot’s changed since you’ve been gone.” He clicked his tongue as he opened the door and Guinness jumped into the front seat.
“Maybe,” she knelt down and picked up Guinness’s watering bowl to dump it out and hand to him, “we can talk about it over dinner next week.”
Sean took the bowl from her perfectly manicured hand, very careful to not actually touch her. Somehow, they’d gotten from maybe they’ll get together sometime to dinner this coming week. Damn, she worked fast. “Yeah, maybe.” He hopped in the car and gunned the engine, turning on the air conditioning so Guinness didn’t stifle in the heat.
He passed her on his way out of the park as she walked over to her drop-top silver Mercedes. He lowered the window when she looked up and said something. “I’m sorry, missed that.”
“I said it was good to see you,” she said with an uncharacteristically shy smile as she got into her car.
He returned her smile with a drained one of his own. “You too, Pia. Drive carefully.” And then he was gone, southbound on a winding stretch of city road past some of the giant, historic houses. The meeting disturbed him enough that he wondered if he should watch to see if she tailed him, but decided he was being silly. He looked over at Guinness while at a stoplight, who seemed just happy to hang his head out the window, with his long ears and floppy lips clapping in the breeze against the glass.
“Ah, the life of the untroubled,” he murmured as he turned on the radio. “Just when I think I’m finally there, real life smacks me in the head.”
As if in agreement, Guinness repositioned himself in the seat, whacking Sean in the ear with his tail along the way.
He snorted and looked at the dog, who appeared not to have noticed. “Thanks for confirming that for me, goober.”
* * *
In the three days after the unexpected reunion that she was determined not to dwell on, Ellie found herself in the same place, only this time, it was for Josh’s birthday. It was the same FOP hall, same low lighting and strong drinks, and generally the same crowd, but the world had changed for her in a just a few days.
As much as she told herself not to think about it, all she could seem to focus on for any length of time was Sean’s blue, blue eyes, the taste of his lips, his strong muscles under her hands, the feel of his hands on her, and damn, she was doing it again.
The bartender handed her a bottle of beer just as Josh breezed past her to pick up a refill. “You’re doing it again.”
She hummed in vague annoyance at his singsong voice, hearing each and every one of the jello shots they’d started the evening off with. “What? I’m getting a beer.”
“Mmm hmm.” Josh looked askance at her as he gave her the most disingenuous agreement ever. He was leading them back to their table full of friends and coworkers. “It’s the sparkling eyes and lovey-dovey expression, gives you away every time,” he whispered out of the side of his mouth, sotto voce, before they rejoined their party.
The door opened behind her and a cheer went up from the table. She looked over her shoulder to see Dane, Josh’s firefighter from over the weekend, waving to them as he stopped to get a drink at the bar. She could definitely see the appeal, aside from the possibility of neck strain. One look at her best friend told her all she needed to know. “Speaking of lovey-dovey expressions.”
“Shut it,” Josh snarled at her softly and curled up his lip in a sneer, but only for a moment. Then he was all smiles for the new arrival. They made a striking couple, both the kind of pretty that made women sigh in envy. He brought Dane over to meet her immediately.
“So, you’re the one who had me rousted out of bed on a Sunday morning.” He was laughing as he spoke, and when he shook her hand, his paw enveloped her hand completely.
Ellie rubbed the back of her neck in chagrin, then summarily drained her bottle of beer. “Yeah, about that. I really am sorry. It was a bad scene and there where complications, and things, and…” She was going for the vaguest response possible, because there was no way to short story it.
He held up a hand to forestall any further non-explanation. “Oh, Josh filled me in. Your life is better than an episode of Revenge.”
“Speak of the devil. In fine, fine blue jeans.” Josh put his hand on her arm and leaned in close. “Apparently I’m not the only one getting a do over.”
She turned in time to see Sean leaning against the bar, just inside the entrance, tip up and drain half a bottle of beer. Sometimes she wondered if her memories were too vivid to have been real, and then she looked at him and knew they fell woefully short. Under the recessed lighting, he still managed to look all dark and brooding, like he should come with theme music or something. Her shock and lust kept her feet rooted to the floor, until Dane ‘accidentally’ bumped into her, and her choice was to either move or fall flat and drop her beer.
“Fancy meeting you here.” Ellie slid onto the bar stool next to him and signaled the bartender for another round for both of them.
* * *
Sean didn’t look in Ellie’s direction, keeping his eyes fixed on the baseball game on the TV over the bar. “I guess so. You said you’d call me.” He’d seen her as soon as he’d walked in, but thought it might have been obvious if he just turned around and left. He’d been unable to think about anything else but her since she’d bolted out of his house on Sunday morning, and seeing her here unexpectedly, the place where they reconnected, was a little more intense than he’d anticipated. She looked amazing in her tight black shirt with a skull and crossbones on the chest and jeans, and so long as he watched the game, he could keep his prurient thoughts from showing on his face.
She snorted and paid the bartender when he showed up with two more bottles of beer. “I did, didn’t I?” Ellie stared at her hands as he saw her cheeks heat in embarrassment.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked it as he sipped his beer, doing his damnedest to appear casual, when that’s all he’d been wondering as the days passed without contact between them.
Her dark eyes widened. “No! Not at all, I just…” She looked away and mumbled something that he couldn’t quite hear over the din of the bar.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“I said, I didn’t want to be a nuisance.” She raised her chin in a show of defiance, but didn’t even try to make eye contact.
He dropped his head snickering. “Okay.” He finished his beer and reached for her hand. She looked startled
and more than a little unsure. “C’mon,” he inclined his head to the door behind him, “let’s get outta here. I got a question for ya.”
Ellie took his hand and looked over her shoulder at her friend. Thankfully, he nodded and mouthed ‘go on’, so she seemed to feel better about leaving with him. “All right, then. I might have an answer for you.”
Sean grinned as they stepped into the deepening evening, his hand at the small of her back. “I don’t doubt that in the slightest.”
* * *
He led Ellie into the parking lot, his Challenger parked at the far end, not quite in view of the streetlamps. His hand on her back was practically scalding, and her curiosity was eating a hole through her as to what his question could be. The escort ended with his passenger side door at her back and both of his hands braced on either side of her on the roof. “Yes?” He was so tall, she had no choice but stare up at him, his hair hiding his eyes in shadows.
“So about that question.” The corner of his mouth kicked up into a lopsided grin.
She pretended to think for a moment, rolling her eyes and surreptitiously hooking her fingers in his belt loops to keep him close. “Ah yes, I seem to recall that you had one for me. What was it?”
Sean was so close she could smell him, beer, some kind of spice, and a dark undertone that was distinctly, deliciously him. He touched his forehead to hers, nuzzling her nose.
“I was wondering…” his lips were so close to hers, she could almost taste them, and wanted to so desperately, “why you would possibly think…” he brushed his lips with hers once, twice, teasing her by pulling back, “that I would think you were a bother?”
He didn’t even give Ellie a chance to answer, smothering her reply in a kiss that was all heat. She could feel him from her hair down to her toes, pressed between the hard and unyielding car door and his equally hard and unyielding body. The touch of his tongue to hers was like tasting fire, feeling it flowing straight south through her. And as quickly as it started, he stepped back, hooking one hand in his back pocket while the other traced his lips like he was savoring her flavor and didn’t want to miss any.
The Ex File (Behind the Blue Line Series Book 1) Page 4