by Claire Adams
“Make love to me,” I whispered.
He slid home. I wrapped my legs around him and felt his mouth on mine. He filled me, pausing to let me adjust to him. I felt so complete, and part of me wanted to cry as I slipped my arms around his neck.
“So tight. So perfect.” Austin eased back and plunged forward.
He filled me again, and I moaned. We moved together after a few thrusts, our bodies rocking together. I felt him stroke me right where I needed him.
“Austin,” I croaked. Something washed over me, sending me over the edge as he held me. He started to move again, hard and fast for a few more thrusts. I cried out. He filled me with a low groan.
I knew that I was complete at this moment, and it scared the shit out of me.
Chapter Fifteen
Austin
I woke up to the sun shining through the blinds and pressed myself against the warm body beside me. Rebecca was curled up against my chest, sleeping soundly. I kissed her messy hair. I looked down at her for a long moment, then around the room. A sense of peace filled me.
Is this what I’d been looking for all these years in New York?
I smiled as I imagined her there with me, waking up every morning in my bed. Last night was perfect, and I knew that we would be great together. My heart soared when I played the night before through my head.
I pulled her against me gently. I’d stay in this bed until I convinced her to leave with me. I knew that my feelings never ended for Rebecca, and last night only made me realize how much she meant to me.
I could never regret feeling her around me again. Hell, a few years of experience made it that much more intense. Still, I would erase everything I’d ever done with any woman besides Rebecca. I didn’t care about any of them. I thought back to the short discussion about regrets and realized I regretted touching any other woman now. I had the one I was meant to be with in my arms.
I had to accept that life happened as it was meant to. I also hoped that it would continue to do so.
I listened to the sounds of the wind outside, memorizing the warmth of her skin and the citrus scent that would always remind me of her.
In about half an hour, Rebecca stirred in my arms and graced me with a brilliant smile. “Hi,” she told me.
I pushed her hair back to see her face. She was so flawless, and I didn’t think she’d ever see that. I loved the glow of her skin this morning, hoping that I had something to do with it.
“Morning, Austin.” Her lips moved against me, brushing mine softly.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I replied.
She looked down between us and blushed. “A lot changes in eleven years. I think that you got better with age.” She kissed me again.
“I can say the same about you, Rebecca. I think that being alone in a house with a bed helps, too. That was rare when we were still in school.” She laughed against me. “I loved how much you wanted me.”
“Wanted? I still do.” She pushed me to my back and crawled over me. I raised an eyebrow as she leaned down to kiss my neck, drawing the skin between her teeth.
It was slow this morning. I felt her above me, wrapped around me as our lips met in soft kisses. Her body was so sensual as she moved. I held her hair with one hand and her hip with the other, feeling the pressure building inside of me.
Once we were both sated, she dropped against me with a happy sigh. “Are you hungry? I can make something for us.”
I was, and my stomach growled to prove the fact, making her laugh. Rebecca kissed me again and pushed herself up to go to the connected bathroom. She came out in a robe. I stretched and looked around for my pants.
My phone was sticking out of the pocket, and I froze for a second. Holy shit. I never told Mom I was going to stay here. I was a grown man who had been on my own for a long time now, but I knew my mom deserved to know that I was safe.
Rebecca headed towards the kitchen with a smile on her face. I grabbed the device and checked it to see a text from Mom. She was going to be so mad at me. I was a little shit in high school and terrible at telling her where I was, but being with Rebecca eased her worries.
Mom: I had a feeling you wouldn’t be home last night.
I shook my head. She wasn’t worried. Mom was fucking thrilled about this. I laughed as I told her where I was in a message. I dropped the phone on the bed and slipped my pants on, buttoning them as I slid the phone in my pocket. I left the bedroom to go through the bright house, finding her making coffee in the kitchen with a carton of eggs on the counter.
“Mom sent me a text at some point saying she didn’t think I was going to be home last night.” Rebecca smiled at me. “That was such a setup.”
“I don’t have a ton of food right now, but do eggs and toast sound good?” she asked me. I nodded with an easy smile. “I have to go grocery shopping.”
“I’ll take you,” I offered.
She poured me a cup of coffee. Rebecca handed it to me and leaned up to kiss me before she got to work on breakfast. I made sure she was good before I wandered around the living room. She’d made it her own in some ways, but I recognized all the family photos from the many times I’d been over here. I glanced towards the kitchen and wondered how she’d ever leave this place and all the memories. Was I enough for her to start over?
Rebecca finished the simple meal, and we set the oak table before sitting down to eat. She sat near me on the side facing the window, sipping her coffee. I took in the quiet as I sat beside her, knowing that I’d hear all the people and traffic of New York if I were home. My place was high up on an upper floor, but any time the windows were open, you couldn’t escape the noise.
“Do you really enjoy living in New York?” Her question broke into my thoughts, and I looked at her in surprise. Could Rebecca read my mind?
“I do. Life is always moving there, Rebecca. There’s always someplace to go, something to see, and a great place to get a meal. It’s a beautiful city.” I looked at her.
She shrugged.
“I don’t like the idea of life moving so fast. I like to take every moment in, like this.” She waved a hand around, and I glanced around the room. “This is a gift, Austin. I can sit here and taste this food, see the wind blowing outside of my sweet little house, and feel the peace that surrounds me. How often do you even spend time in your house there?”
I thought about it for a moment. She gave me a knowing look. “Not that often. I sleep there, and when I’m awake, I am usually working.”
“That’s not how it’s supposed to be.” She shook her head. “Mom always told me that life was a gift from God, and it won’t last forever. She made me promise her that I’d do my best to enjoy every moment of that. I don’t want to regret rushing everything later.”
“I enjoy it. I like things that way.”
She searched my face as she broke off a piece of toast.
“What about a family, Austin? Are you going to have one there?” I almost choked on the coffee that I was drinking at the bluntness of her question. That was something I never considered in New York. “Have you considered children at all?”
“I suppose,” I said as the answer formed in my head. “I never pictured it happening with my life like this. I want my kids to grow up with parents like mine were, and yours. I want to have the time to commit to them and teach them, but I can’t see that happening with my career.” I looked at her, seeing her wide eyes. “In New York, everyone hires nannies for their kids. You see it everywhere, and I hate the idea of my kids being closer to their babysitter than they are me. I know that I could give them a full-time mother, but I want to be involved as well. Even with his hours, my father was always there for me. I want to do it all like he did for me.” I shrugged. “I made my bed by building this career, Rebecca. I might not ever have a family, but there’s more to life, isn’t there? You don’t have any kids.”
Something darkened in her expression. She took a deep breath and nodded.
“You’re right. I don�
�t, but it hasn’t felt right yet to me. It doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t love to fill this house with babies and take care of them.” Rebecca looked around slowly. “Mom also told me that I'd make time for the important things in life. I saw them do it for us tirelessly, dropping everything if we needed them. I know it wasn’t easy for them, but all of us? We were happy.”
I knew that about her family, as well as my own. Most everyone in this town was happy, and I always saw them taking care of others as needed.
I thought about New York for a moment. It was so different than what I saw here. While I always dreamed of living there, now I wondered if it was what I truly wanted. I loved my career and the hours that I put into it, but I had little time for anything else. I enjoyed being here and relaxing, despite all the problems that surrounded the new deal. It still wasn’t New York, and the idea of returning to that life filled me with dread.
Nothing was permanent there. Any relationship that I’d had with a woman lasted a few months at best since I didn’t want to invest in anything real with them. It was a few nights out on the town and some sex at the most before it fizzled out. Most of the women didn’t seem to care about holding onto me. There were the Mias out there that wanted her name in the media and would use me to do so, but I knew that her behavior was not based on any real feelings for me. I hadn’t considered telling a woman that I loved her since leaving North Reed, and even now, the words were on the tip of my tongue as I looked at Rebecca.
I could look at my phone and see several contacts, but were any of them true friends? Would they make time for me if I needed them like any of the people I knew in this town? Would they do anything for me if there wasn’t something in it for them?
I was always paying for nights out at clubs in the VIP section with my social group, realizing how much all of that added up to. I had parties and dinners with both friends and clients to get more business and wealth. It was always about my money, and I seriously doubted if they’d be in my life without it.
Was I willing to change my life to pursue new goals? Was Rebecca willing to change something to have a life with me?
I finished breakfast, and we washed the dishes together, making small talk as we worked. I knew that Rebecca was aware that her words made me think from the way that her eyes met mine several times throughout the task. The woman always made me think, and I knew that I’d have to make some choices about my life.
I looked forward to talking to my parents about all of this and excused myself to return home after the kitchen was clean. I kissed Rebecca gently, reminding her to be safe when she went to work for the night shift later.
Chapter Sixteen
Rebecca
It was comforting to be at Grayson’s today. I was still flying from the night before, despite my uncertainty about what would happen next. I chose to be optimistic for the moment. Austin was even better in bed than before. No matter what would happen between us, last night had been amazing. I always tried to focus on the present, which was something I’d learned to do when Austin left North Reed.
I had just finished a cut, and I looked over the computer schedule to see who was next. It was Maria.
She was an older woman who had lived here for years since she got married and moved here. At seventy, Maria was as spry as anyone I knew. I welcomed her with a hug before she took a seat. She’d been a regular here since I got that job, at least of mine. I don’t know who she went to before that.
She was a six-week regular. With her curls, it made sense. I secured the cape around her neck. “Just a trim today, Maria?”
“Yes, my girl,” she said brightly. “How are you?” She looked at me in the mirror.
“I think I should be asking you that.” Her husband had only died three months ago.
“I’m getting by, sweetheart. I had a lot of years with Mack, and I will always cherish them. It was just his time.”
“I’m glad you’re doing well,” I said. “Would you like a shampoo first?”
She nodded and stood, indicating that she agreed to the wash. We walked over to that side of the shop together. Maria sat down and leaned back easily, familiar with this routine. I chose to remain quiet during the process as always, though it was out of discomfort in this moment. What could I say to her to make everything right again?
I missed Austin to pieces when he left, and he was alive. Losing your husband of fifty years had to be heartbreaking.
I finished the wash and wrapped a towel around her neck before we walked back to my station. I dried it gently then ran a comb through the curls. She smiled at me in the mirror. Something was up with her, but I was going to play innocent for as long as I could.
Mary was working this shift. She always turned on the television over music when she was here. I preferred the radio, but she had seniority over me. Tonight, the news was just coming on, and I glanced up at the weather report. It was just going to get colder. I was thankful for my collection of thick sweaters, like the one wrapped around me right now. I also welcomed the coffee that everyone seemed to bring in for us, taking a long sip from the cup that Laura gave me earlier.
The crime report came on after the weather, and I rolled my eyes. “We could be listening to Christmas music!” I called out to Mary.
She shot me a dark look. “I get enough of that in my car and every store that I enter after Thanksgiving. No, thank you. I like us all to learn a little something.”
A few people laughed.
“All I know is, I’m happy to live in North Reed,” another woman said. “Too much danger in the bigger cities.” She shook her head sadly. Being a huge state, Texas had its fair share of crime, but that wasn’t present in North Reed.
It led me to thinking about New York and how much crime must happen there. People said you couldn’t even walk around without someone trying to steal from you. How could Austin feel at home in a place like that? I never would, with so many people on the streets at any given time. Fast-paced and exciting seemed overrated to me.
“Here, here,” a few people murmured in agreement, bringing me back to reality.
I took another sip of coffee and looked down at Maria. I pulled a section of her hair straight, snipped it carefully, and moved to another part. Her hair was thick and gorgeous. I asked her for years what she did to it. She gave in to the natural gray years ago, but it was still in amazing shape.
Maria claimed that she used Suave for years, as well as a little coconut oil here and there. That went against everything we were taught as stylists. We were supposed to sell the high-end products that we carried. I felt it was best to leave it up to the customer. Most of these women were older and set in their ways, like Maria. It was pointless to try to sway them. I kept cutting her hair, and the reporter droned on and on about the various crimes happening around the world. I felt safe here.
The next story was about business, which usually bored me. I heard Austin’s name in a story about a big investment and stopped snipping. My head swiveled to look at the screen, along with most of the salon. The reporter mentioned the money involved in the deal. He also said that it was a tremendous game changer in the tech sector, making me realize that Austin knew what he was doing. The location of the company worried me for a moment. Singapore. That was so much farther than New York. Would he have to move there?
“I can’t imagine making that kind of money with every deal like that,” Maria mused. I nodded with awe on my face. “That boy has made a name for himself.”
“He sure has,” said the customer next to her.
Everyone began discussing the story. Occasionally, they would shoot me knowing glances. I felt like a spotlight was on me. I wanted to add something to the conversation just to feel like I was one of the girls. Maria beat me to the punch.
“I think I need to find myself a rich man like you,” she said. “So I can live out my remaining years in style. I could live somewhere exotic and die there.” I met her gaze in the mirror, my eyes wide and questioning. She shook h
er head with a knowing smile on her face. “This is North Reed, sweetie. Everyone was waiting for you to fall in love again, and the trip to the store gave us all a chance to celebrate.”
“Oh, it isn’t like that,” I told her. It seemed like everyone in the salon stared at me now. This was the only thing I disliked about living in a small town. They all wanted a story from me, but I would never share the details of my time with Austin. Especially what had happened last night. That was just for him and me, and I wasn’t the type of girl to kiss and tell.
“Austin’s mother invited me over to dinner. I hadn’t spent any time with her in forever. So, Austin and I just bought some food for dinner.”
“Uh huh,” Maria told me. I blushed. “He’s grown up to be a good-looking man, and he can give you the world on a string. Who wouldn’t want that?”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I assured her. “We were just spending some time together. As friends.”
The news moved on to sports. No woman in this room cared about that. Their focus was all on me. I was in the hot seat for a while.
I thought that Maria and Mack had a simple life here, but they raised four children and were very happy. They didn’t need huge bank accounts and excitement to do that, and neither did I. To me, the new deal Austin was working on sounded like too much, given that he already had so much money. Was he trying to get further away from North Reed… further away from me?
“You were happy living here, weren’t you?” I asked Maria.
“It was the best,” she said. “The kids had a ball growing up here, and we were always so content.”
All of her kids lived in various parts of the state, after going to college and forming their own families, but they visited often. I’d seen their cars a lot in the last few months.
“I can’t wait for the kids to come back for Christmas. It’s so good to have them around. And it will be the first Christmas without Mack. I could use all the company I can get. We all miss him so very much.” Tears formed in her eyes.