“I knew it was you.” She rested her legs between mine, looping her arms around my neck. “I checked the peephole.”
“Oh yeah?” I was teasing her mouth with mine, just barely brushing her skin as I moved across her cheek and jaw before nipping her earlobe.
“And lost the cover-up,” she whispered, drawing my attention to a black cotton robe on a nearby couch.
“You wanted me to see you like this?” I asked, toying with the end of the beaded string. Two quick tugs, that’s all it would take to overdose on eye candy.
“Wanted you to remember what you were missin’,” she whispered, trailing her hands down my back to curl around my ass.
“Believe me, I remember every little detail.” My breath was fanning her ear when I said, “Like how much you used to love it when I licked you…”
She groaned, drawing me in tighter.
“Or when I bent your legs back and took you hard and fast—”
“Pierce. Pool,” she said, grabbing my hand and hauling me outside.
Her brother was a lawyer, and they had a nice home on a good-sized piece of property surrounded by mature trees. Very private.
She was eye-fucking me as she walked backward toward the pool, her eyes landing on the bulge in my jeans before she finally inched down the steps into the deep end.
I watched her reach behind her back and tug on the string before reaching under the water. A few seconds later both scraps of dark fabric landed in the water and my mouth was watering.
“Aren’t you gonna join me?”
I swallowed, reminding myself to breathe. “Don’t have a swimsuit.” My voice sounded hoarse like it used to back in the day when I’d smoke a pack of cigarettes.
“You don’t need one.” She licked her lips as she crooked a finger, beckoning me.
I tore my shirt over my head and watched her gaze roam my chest with appreciation. I’d spent the better part of the year working out my frustrations in the gym and I knew it showed. Some days the heavy bag was the only thing that kept me sane. Especially since I couldn’t take a drink.
She licked her lips as she glided to the opposite end of the pool. She stretched her arms out, resting them on the edge while her full breasts bobbed above the water, taunting me as I took my jeans off.
This was all about the anticipation, I realized. We hadn’t even kissed yet, but we knew this was going to happen—this moment that I’d been waiting for since I watched her walk out of my hotel room after throwing her diamond ring back in my face.
I dove in, wasting no time closing in on her. I came up from under the water, grasping her tits as my mouthed claimed hers.
She closed her legs around me instinctively, opening to me, inviting me to take her.
“Condom might be pretty useless here, baby,” I whispered, kissing her neck.
She moaned, tipping her head back as I sucked on her nipples. “Don’t care.”
She’d always been on the pill, not that I would’ve cared if she’d gotten pregnant. We both knew babies were an inevitable part of our future. But things were different now, I reminded myself. Our future wasn’t written in stone anymore. And she hadn’t worn my ring in a long time.
“You still on the pill, sweetheart?” I closed my eyes, bracing for her response. Of course she was on the pill. She’d had to be. She’d had other lovers this past year. I hadn’t.
“Yeah.”
I curled my hands around the pool’s ledge behind her, securing her weight between my body and the tiled wall. “And you’ve always been, uh, careful?” Fuck. I hated this conversation. I hated knowing my girl had been with other guys. That I’d driven her to that.
“We always used a condom.”
I sucked in a breath, trying to get the picture of her fucking someone else out of my head.
“Don’t do that,” she whispered, trying to guide my face back to hers. “Don’t think about shit like that now. Damn it, Pierce. You’re the only man I’ve ever made love to. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?”
“It does.” I closed my eyes, blocking out those images as I kissed her. She was mine now. That’s all that mattered. Those other dudes were gone, barely a memory. But I was her past. Her present. Her future, if I had my way. I’d been her first lover, and I’d damn well be her last.
I eased my hand between her legs while I watched her respond. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and I loved knowing that she was trying as hard as I was to hold back. We were outside, and while there was property surrounding us, there were still signs of life. Music, dogs barking, kids playing. No one could see what we were doing underwater, but my girl was a screamer, and the only way our tryst would remain private was if I swallowed those screams.
I kissed her while I thrust my fingers deep, arching just enough to make her pull my hair while her mouth devoured mine. I rubbed my thumb in circles over her clit while her teeth sank into my shoulder as she tried to remain quiet.
“Pierce,” she whispered, her eyes glazed as they met mine. “That feels…”
As soon as I felt her body tighten, I withdrew and plunged deep, filling her. I wanted to feel those tremors rock her body while she rode out her orgasm. I wanted to feel her heart pounding against my chest while she struggled to keep it all locked inside, even though she was so desperate to let it out.
“Torture, isn’t it?” I whispered, licking her ear. “Wanting to scream and knowing you can’t?”
“I’m gonna die.”
I chuckled. “But what a way to go, right?”
Her eyes came back into focus and she seemed to be scanning my face as I inched us over so she was sitting on a ledge, at the perfect height to take me. I forced her knees back, driving deep while our eyes fused together, neither one of us blinking or looking away.
“This is the way it was meant to be,” I said quietly, pushing even deeper when she gasped. “You and me. Like this.” It had been so long for me, yet I was nowhere close to coming. I wanted this to last forever.
She nodded, biting her lip while I fucked her hard, picking up the pace when she dug her nails into my biceps, letting me know she was close again. “I know.”
“Tell me,” I said, letting her legs fall as I brought her body close to mine. “Tell me it’s never felt like this with anyone else.” I couldn’t let that go until I knew for sure what we shared was special, unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
“You know it hasn’t.” She tilted her head back, her mouth wide as her tits bounced with the force of my thrusts.
“You are so fucking sexy.” I drew her nipple into my mouth, rolling it around my tongue while she tried to stifle a desperate moan. “Everything I’ve ever wanted, baby.” I was still licking, sucking, and devouring her between words and breaths, becoming as desperate as she was. “I could never want anyone else like this. Not ever.”
“Neither could I,” she gasped, gripping my shoulders while I drove into her like a man crazed by a force I couldn’t control.
I was trying to protect her back from the brunt of the impact against the tiled wall, but my brain was short-circuiting, driven by the harsh call of my need for this woman. I wanted to slow the fuck down, but I couldn’t, especially when she seized me, making it impossible for me to move, like we were fused together while she pulsed, her spasms shaking me.
I gave in, knowing I had no choice, but instead of roaring like I wanted to, I grunted softly, swearing before I claimed her mouth while she drained me.
We were both shaky by the time she collapsed into my arms, letting me hold her until we remembered how to breathe.
She tried to laugh, but it sounded like more of a sob than a giggle.
“Hey,” I said, drawing back to look at her. “You okay?”
She bit her lip before slapping a hand over her mouth.
Damn it. She was trying not to cry. My stomach lurched when I removed her hand before cupping her face in my hands, “Baby, don’t tell me you regret this.”
She
shook her head, wide-eyed.
“Then what it is, sweetheart? Tell me what you’re thinkin’.”
The hot burn of her tears felt like they were scalding my hands and searing my heart. I didn’t want to make her cry again. Yet somehow, I had. Was my brother right? Were we destined to keep hurting each other if we didn’t figure out how the fuck to let go?
She wrapped her arms around me, holding on tight as she sobbed on my shoulder.
“Please don’t cry, baby.” She was slaying me. The tightness in my chest cutting off my air supply as I tried to figure out how to make her stop crying. “I’m sorry. So fuckin’ sorry,” I whispered fiercely. “If I’d known I was gonna hurt you like this again, I would’ve kept my distance.”
“No!” She was sniffling, her eyes still spilling tears when she pulled back to look at me. “These aren’t sad tears.”
“They’re not?”
“No.”
She kissed my lips, smiling when I frowned and shook my head, trying to figure out what caused her outburst. Keira had never been an overly emotional woman, and if she cried, it was always with good reason.
“I never thought…” She bit her lip, staring at my chest. “I just never thought we’d be together like this again. I convinced myself we couldn’t be. Because no self-respecting woman would be with a man who cheated on her with a groupie, right?”
Before I could interject, she said, “But then when I found out you hadn’t cheated on me, I had to try to process that. I mean, I wasn’t happy that you lied, but I understood it. Kind of.”
I wasn’t sure I understood it myself, but in my mind, I’d been doing the right thing—trying to give her the simple life she always wanted surrounded by the people she loved. Now I wasn’t sure what she wanted.
But finding out was my top priority.
“Now, we’re here.” She looked around as though she could scarcely believe she’d been brave enough, or dumb enough, to have sex in her big brother’s pool in broad daylight. “We’re together again and it feels so right.” Wrapping her arms around my neck, she whispered, “I never stopped loving you. You know that, right?”
If it were possible to bottle the elation I felt in that moment, I’d be a billionaire because no chemical high could ever compare. “I love you too, Keira.” I kissed her hard, needing her to experience the depth of my feelings. “So. Damn. Much.”
Chapter Eight
Keira
After cleaning up at my brother’s place, we stopped for burgers and fries and took them to an out-of-the-way roadside stop for weary travelers. It was a forested rest area with a little pond, picnic tables, and a small play area for kids. There were plenty of other places we could have gone, but Pierce would have been noticed and I didn’t feel like sharing him.
We sat next to each other on the picnic bench, and I rested my head on his shoulder while I nibbled my fries. “What did you and Carolyn talk about?” If I knew my best friend, she’d led the conversation with anger, followed by disappointment, and finally forgiveness. That’s the way she was. Like me, quick to anger, but just as quick to forgive.
“She told me I’d made a lot of assumptions,” he said, sighing. “That I thought I knew what was best for you, but I never bothered to ask you.” He kissed my forehead, the tender gesture making me smile. “I’m sorry about that. I was trying to protect you, and in the end, I hurt you more.”
“I forgive you.” I realized I had forgiven him. Now that I knew he hadn’t cheated on me, it was easier to forgive. Not forget. Because it still hurt that he let me leave without fighting for us.
“You do?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“The past is the past,” I said, sitting up and taking a bite of my burger. I wasn’t all that hungry, but Humber’s made the best burgers in town, so there was no sense letting it go to waste. “I don’t want to live in the past anymore.”
For the past year that’s all it felt like I’d been doing—living in the past and trying to get over the pain of his betrayal. Even when I told myself I was moving on and trying to date other guys, I wasn’t. I was just killing time, maybe hoping one day I’d have the opportunity to confront him so I could get the closure I needed. Now that I had learned the truth, it felt like the right time to let go and move forward.
“I don’t either.” He looked introspective, like he was wrestling with something he wasn’t sure he wanted to share.
“But can we move past it? I guess that’s the question, right?” There was no point skirting the issue. Just because we still loved each other and our chemistry was off the charts didn’t mean forever was in the cards for us.
“I guess.” He was staring straight ahead, barely blinking, as though he was waiting for me to answer my own question.
“What do you think?” I asked finally, needing to hear his thoughts before I could share my own.
“I know I want to.” He sighed, picking up a french fry before tossing it back down, like he’d lost his appetite. “But you’d be the one makin’ all the sacrifices, Keira. And I’m not okay with that either.”
I understood where he was coming from. I’d never seen him happier than when he was living in Nashville, but this was my happy place. The place where I’d love to get married and raise a family. But could I really see myself raising that family I’d always dreamed of without Pierce? That didn’t seem possible either.
“Can’t read your mind, sugar. You need to tell me what you’re thinkin’.”
“I’m small town,” I said, afraid to voice our differences. I knew once they were out there that there’d be no taking them back and maybe it would make them seem insurmountable. “I’ve always lived in this protected little bubble.” That’s what it was like growing up in a community like ours. You always felt safe, like you were never alone. Even when you wanted to be, which was the rub.
“I know.” He nodded. “And I love my life on the road.”
I cleared my throat. “Right.”
“I love all the people, different places, bright lights, big stages. I was born to live that life, babe.”
“I know.” I’d known that was his dream when I fell in love with him, so I couldn’t claim to be surprised or even feel resentful of it now. It was a part of him. Just like his love for his brother and mama. His huge heart. His beat-up guitar. Scuffed cowboy boots… and his drinking problem.
“But I love you too, Keira. So damn much.” He hung his head. “And I know it’s not fair, but I want it all. I want you and my music.”
Of course he wanted it all. Anyone would. “Can I think about it?” I asked, knowing I’d have to uproot my entire life if I wanted to be a part of his again. It made me uneasy before—spending time in his world—but this past year had changed me too. I’d grown up a lot, and maybe, just maybe I was ready for his life now.
“Of course you can.” He leaned in to kiss me. “I’d never want to pressure you. And you need to know I didn’t come here with any expectations. I just wanted you to know I hadn’t cheated on you, that I was sorry, and that I still loved you. I didn’t expect you to forgive me or take me back. And I sure as hell didn’t think you could still love me.”
Our food long forgotten, I linked my arm through his, resting my head on his shoulder. “How could I not love you? Like it or not, we’re a part of each other.” I’d grown up with this man by my side. First as a crush, then as a friend, then as my… everything.
“We are, aren’t we? I guess that’s why I couldn’t let go.” He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled something sparkly out.
Oh my God, it was my engagement ring. No! I wasn’t ready for that. I loved him, but I couldn’t promise him forever. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
“Pierce, you know I love you. But—”
“Don’t worry,” he said, chuckling. “I wasn’t going to ask you to marry me again.” He handed the ring to me. “But this is yours. I want you to have it. You don’t have to wear it… now. But maybe someday you’ll want to.” He shrugge
d. “Maybe not, I don’t know. But either way, it belongs to you.”
I hadn’t seen it in so long I almost forgot what it looked like. It was bigger than anything I’d ever seen, and when I first started wearing it, I felt like I was carrying a boulder around on my hand. But I knew he’d been proud to give it to me, and it was a symbol of how far he’d come to be able to afford something like that, so I wore it with pride, letting the world know with one glimpse that I was definitely taken. Which I was pretty sure had been his intent when he’d selected it.
He stared at the two-carat oval shaped solitaire. “You could, um, maybe wear it on your right hand. You know, if you don’t want to stick it in a drawer or something.”
It was too beautiful and too valuable to tuck away, out of sight, but I wasn’t sure I was comfortable wearing it on my right hand. He’d given it to me to symbolize a promise of marriage, and if I wasn’t wearing it to be reminded of that, it would probably hurt too much to look at it.
“I’m not sure,” I said, curling it into my hand.
His mouth tipped up, but he didn’t look amused. “You need time to think about it, huh?”
“I guess so.” It looked like I’d be doing a lot thinking in the coming weeks.
“I was thinkin’ about takin’ a room in town. I’d like for us to have some privacy while I’m here.”
“You don’t think your mama would mind?” I asked, tucking the ring into a zippered pocket inside my purse. “You did come here to visit her, after all.”
“I think she understands we have some things to work through. Besides, it’s not like I wouldn’t see her. I’ll have to go over there every day anyhow. We have a lot of work to do if we’re gonna pull this benefit concert off.”
“What benefit concert?”
“Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that, didn’t I? We’re gettin’ Mama to put together a benefit concert for the military families around here. Trev and I’ll perform and we’ll call in a few friends from Nashville. Carolyn even said she’d sing a few songs.”
“Shut up!” I slapped his arm. “You asked her to sing? Oh my God! That’s amazing. She’ll be so excited!”
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