by Ash, Nikki
Realizing I’m still sitting in line, with cars behind me, and with Landon still standing here with an unreadable expression on his face, I say, “I better get going. I’ll text you later.” And even though I can see in his features he wants to say or ask me something, he just nods once and walks away.
As soon as I drive away, Richard starts in on me. “Was that who you were with the other night? Landon?”
“Not now,” I say, not wanting to have this conversation in front of our kids.
“Wow, it was, wasn’t it? How long have you been seeing him? Were you with him while we were still married?” My eyes swing over to his and the vehicle swerves slightly.
“That’s enough!”
“Mom, you know Coach Landon?” Hunter asks.
“Your dad, Landon, and I all went to school together,” I tell him.
“You went to school with Coach Landon?” Hunter asks. “Dad, did you play baseball with him?”
Richard grunts out a, “Yeah,” and Hunter’s face lights up in excitement.
“That’s so cool! You got to play with him! He’s the best baseball player ever.”
Richard rolls his eyes and I snort out a laugh.
We get to the house and everyone sits in the living room. Before Richard can say anything, Hunter speaks first. “Is this about you moving? Because if it is, I’m not going.”
Ella’s mouth pops open. “Daddy, you’re moving?”
“I haven’t taken the job yet,” Richard says, which shocks me because when we were talking, it sounded like it was as good as done. “I’m considering it, and Samantha and I are going to visit the city tomorrow. We would like it if you guys would come with us. Help us look at the different houses and tell us which ones you like.” He looks at me, his eyes lingering for a beat too long. “But I’m not sure if I’m going to take the job.”
“I have camp,” Hunter says. “And so does Ella. Right, El?”
“Yeah,” Ella says softly.
Hunter’s phone goes off and he glances down at it. “Brendan’s dad said I can go with them to the batting cages since Dad’s too busy to take me. Can I go? He can pick me up.”
My eyes widen at Hunter’s straightforwardness. He’s not being rude, only stating the facts, but damn, as he gets older, he doesn’t beat around the bush. It makes me wonder how bad it’s going to get during his teenage years if we don’t figure this out.
“I didn’t say I was too busy,” Richard says in a defensive tone.
“Can you take me or not?” Hunter volleys.
“I already told Samantha—”
“So you can’t,” Hunter says, cutting him off.
“No.” Richard sighs. “I can’t today.”
“Go ahead,” I tell Hunter.
“Can I spend the night at Madeline’s house?” Ella asks next, holding up her phone. “Aunt Renee says I can.” She’s only allowed to message her family and verified friends on it. Everything else is locked down. Madeline is Ella and Hunter’s cousin. While Richard isn’t close with his sister, Renee, even though she lives in Providence, I am. After we divorced, I was afraid she would turn her back on me, but she told me she didn’t blame me at all and promised we were still family no matter what. Ella and her cousin are close and are attending the same gymnastics camp.
“That’s fine,” I tell her. “Can you drop her off at your sister’s on your way home?”
Richard’s jaw clenches. “We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t.” I stand. “Ella, go pack and don’t forget your leotard for tomorrow.”
She nods and runs upstairs.
“Brendan’s here,” Hunter says, running out the door. “Be back later.”
“Bye, love you!” I yell.
“Love you too!” he yells back, slamming the door shut and leaving me and Richard alone.
“You didn’t tell me Landon was running the baseball camp,” Richard says, annoyance evident in his tone.
“That’s because he’s not. His brother, Brian, is, but I didn’t know they were brothers. Brian teaches and coaches at the public high school.”
“And what, you two just ran into each other and are back together now?” Richard crosses his arms over his chest.
“How we met back up or what we are isn’t your concern,” I tell him, refusing to let him railroad me. When we were married and I stayed home, he loved to pull my puppet strings because I had to rely on him. But those strings have been cut, and I’m not about to ever let him do that to me again. “If Landon and I decide what we have is something worth mentioning to the kids, I will do you the courtesy of letting you know. Not that you’ve done that for me the dozens of times you’ve brought women around our kids. As a matter of fact, I’m almost positive the kids and I found out about your last marriage after you returned from Vegas.”
Richard opens his mouth to argue, but Ella comes running back down the stairs. “Ready!” She runs into my front. “I’ll see you tomorrow after camp, Mommy.”
“Yes, you will.” I bend down and give her a kiss on her cheek. “Have fun and be good. Love you.”
“Love you more!”
“This conversation isn’t over,” Richard says lowly as he walks toward the door.
I bark out a dramatically loud laugh. “Oh, but it is.”
The minute he’s out the door, I pull my cell phone out and find Landon’s number, hitting call. He answers on the second ring.
“Harper…”
“Hey,” I breathe, his voice instantly calming me. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Well, damn, getting straight to the point, huh?”
“Oh… umm…”
“Harper.” He laughs. “I’m just messing with you. Whatever it is you need, I got you.”
I sigh in relief. “Thank you.”
“So, what do you need?”
“I was wondering if you could teach me how to play baseball.” When Landon is quiet for several seconds, I check to make sure the call wasn’t disconnected.” Hello?”
“Wait… you’re serious?” he asks with a chuckle.
“Yes,” I say dryly. “I need to learn how to catch and throw and bat.” Since Richard isn’t willing to step up to the plate, it’s up to me to give our son what he needs.
“Sorry.” He chuckles again. “I thought you were kidding. Damn, took you almost thirteen years, but you’re finally interested? Is this because you want to impress me? Because if it is, I promise you, you don’t need to know anything about baseball to do that. What you did with your tongue the other night—”
I roll my eyes. He’s such a cocky bastard. “Okay, I get it,” I say, cutting him off. “No, this is not to impress you. Hunter is upset because his father is too busy to practice with him, so I want to be able to help him, but I suck at baseball and you’re good at it.”
Landon is quiet for another moment and then sighs into the phone. “Of course I’ll help you, Harp. You’re a damn good mom. Are you guys doing anything right now? We can hit the batting cages if you want. I know Hunter wants to practice hitting.”
“He already left with Brendan and his dad, but what about tomorrow after camp?”
“That sounds good,” he says. “So, if Hunter’s gone, are you and Ella making it a girl’s night?”
I love that he remembered my daughter’s name.
“No, she actually went to her aunt’s for the night. She and her cousin are almost the same age and are best friends.”
“So, you’re alone?” Landon asks, his voice deep and husky.
“I am… I was thinking of doing some painting in my studio tonight. Maybe try out a couple possible lessons.”
“Lessons?” he asks.
“Oh! I didn’t tell you!” Because I was too busy defending my job to my ex-husband. “I got a teaching position at the kids’ school. I’ll be teaching art.”
“Congratulations! That’s amazing. I bet you’ll be the hottest art teacher there.”
I laugh out loud at what a damn flirt he
is.
“What do you say I bring over dinner later to celebrate?” he offers.
The thought of seeing him tonight has me feeling nervous and excited. “That sounds perfect. I’ll be painting in my studio. Pick up whatever and I’ll leave the door unlocked. The code to get into my neighborhood is two-four-four-one.”
We hang up, and after changing into one of my outfits I wear when I paint, I head into the den, which doubles as my studio. With my earbuds in my ears, I grab a blank canvas and get lost in painting. I’m so engrossed in what I’m doing, I don’t realize how much time has passed or that Landon has arrived and is watching me paint.
I don’t even hear him enter the room. But when his hand lands on my shoulder, I feel him, and forgetting that I was expecting him, I spin in a circle, paintbrush still in my hand, and swipe it across his chest, as if my paint-covered brush is going to do anything to defend me from an intruder.
The moment I see it’s Landon, and that he’s doubled over in laughter—realizing I can’t hear him because my earbuds are still in my ears—I rip them out.
“Oh my God!” I gasp. “I’m so sorry!” I hurry over to the small sink I had installed and wet some paper towels. As I’m running back over to him, I’m not watching where I’m going, and I trip on the leg of the easel.
Landon steps forward to try to save it—and totally does—but not before the paint, which is all open and sitting in the wood container attached to the front, flies forward with the easel and splashes the entire front of his body.
Kill me now…
Twenty
Landon
After making sure the easel is stable, I glance down at my outfit, which is now dripping with purples and reds and yellows. My shoes are covered as well. When I look over at Harper, she’s standing about a foot away in shock, holding some paper towels in her hands. She opens her mouth then closes it, then opens it up again, before she bites down on her bottom lip nervously. She’s waiting to see how I’m going to react. But what she forgets is that I’m not her dick of an ex-husband. I love Harper just the way she is—clumsiness and all.
I spot the paintbrush she discarded on the floor, and before she can figure out what I’m doing, I pluck it from the ground and swipe it through some purple paint. Her brows are knitted in confusion, but the second I bridge the gap between us, her eyes widen knowingly.
“Landon…” she warns half-heartedly, taking a step back.
“Harper…” I say back, taking another step toward her. Before she can stop me, I paint a purple line straight down the middle of her forehead and nose. She squeals and tries to run, but I grab her from behind, wrapping my arms around her in a bear hug, and rub the front of my body against the back of hers.
“Landon!” she shrieks, knowing I’m spreading the paint I’m covered in all over her.
“It’s only fair,” I say, holding her tight with one hand while flicking the brush all over her cheeks and neck with the other.
Harper drops to the ground and rolls onto her back. Grabbing one of the open containers, she flings it at me, so whatever’s left in the container flies out and splashes my front.
As she reaches for another container, cackling like a crazy person, I drop to the ground and grab both of her hands, pinning them above her head. My knees are between her thighs, and in this position, our bodies are flush against one another.
Harper’s laughter immediately dies down, her gaze hazing over in lust. Her legs lock around my waist, and she pulls me toward her.
Our mouths unite. Her lips are soft, and her tongue moves in perfect sync with mine. I release her hands, and she uses them to unbutton my shirt and then yank it off my body. We continue to kiss, our tongues moving frantically against each other—as if we can’t get enough. And that’s the damn truth, at least for me. I’ve only had Harper back in my life for a little over seventy-two hours, and I can’t get enough of her.
Breaking our kiss, I tug her shirt over her head then pull the cups of her bra down, releasing her perfect tits. “You’re so beautiful,” I murmur, taking one nipple into my mouth. I suck on it for a couple seconds before I move to the other one, giving it equal attention. Harper moans out her pleasure, her hips coming up and bucking against me.
“What is it you want, baby?” I ask, kissing my way up her body.
“You,” she breathes, “in me.”
“Done.” I kiss her mouth.
Reaching down, I yank her shorts and underwear off her body, then pull my pants and boxers down, kicking them off.
For a brief moment, I drink in the gorgeous woman in front of me. Her hair is a mess and she’s covered in different colored paint. She looks like the most perfect piece of art. And I know without a shadow of a doubt I would do anything to make her mine again.
“Landon,” she whines, not liking the fact she’s laid out on display. Her adorable button nose scrunches up in annoyance. “C’mon.”
Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, I reluctantly tear my gaze from her body.
As I’m about to spread her legs, she edges backward. Confused as to what the hell she’s doing, I try to grab her ankle, but she’s too quick and moves out of my reach, laughing like she’s hilarious.
“What the hell are you doing?” I growl, as she gets on her knees and starts to crawl. I’m about to go after her until I realize she’s crawling toward me and not away. Her perky tits sway as she makes her way over to me, and all I want to do is grab them and suck on them until she can’t stand it anymore.
She pushes me back slightly and my back hits the wall, my legs kicking out in front of me. I can’t take my eyes off her tits as she crawls into my lap, and guiding my hard as fuck shaft, sits down on my dick. Her hot, tight cunt swallows me whole, and we both release a moan at how perfectly she fits around me.
Her tiny hands grip the tops of my shoulders and she circles her hips, up and down, riding me like a fucking pro. Her tits bounce in my face, and I latch on to one, biting her nipple.
“Landon,” she moans breathily.
I take the other one and bite down even harder.
“Oh my God.” She groans. “Jesus, fuck, I’m going to come… I can feel it.”
I glance up and see her eyes are closed and her face is tilted back, exposing her sexy, slim neck that’s covered in paint. And I wish I could freeze us in this moment.
She’s so close to the edge, I can feel her pussy walls tightening around my dick. Gripping her hips, I take over, slamming up into her. It’s enough to send her over the edge, and she screams out my name as she milks my cock of every drop of cum.
“Wow,” she breathes, dropping her head onto my shoulder and nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck. “I never knew it could feel like this.”
I wrap my arms around her body and hold her tight. “It’s not always like this,” I tell her. “As a matter of fact, for me, it never is.” She lifts her face and locks eyes with me. I kiss her mouth. “It’s us, Harp. It feels like this because it’s you and me.”
She sucks in her bottom lip and nods. “It’s all my fault,” she chokes out, tears filling her eyes.
“Whoa, what’s wrong?” I ask. “What’s your fault?”
A fat tear runs down her cheek and I wipe it away. I hate when Harper cries. It feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest.
“Everything,” she sobs.
I stifle a laugh at her dramatics. Surely, everything isn’t her fault. “You’re going to have to be a bit more specific, baby.”
“The reason we aren’t together. Why I married Richard.” Her cries turn harder.
“Harper, it’s not your fault,” I say. “I was hours away. You couldn’t have known I would get moved up to the Majors. You moved on.”
“But that’s just it,” she cries. “I didn’t move on.”
When she backs up slightly, she pulls on my now-soft dick, reminding me I’m still inside her. “How about we get cleaned up and dressed, and we can talk over dinner?” I suggest.
/> “Okay.” She nods.
When we step into the hall, she glances around her like she’s not sure where to go. “Bathroom?” I mention with a laugh, then point toward my paint-covered body.
“Yeah.” She snorts a nervous laugh. “Umm… there’s a bathroom right down the hall. There are towels under—” Oh, hell no. We most definitely aren’t showering separately.
Before she can finish her sentence, I cut her off by pulling her into my arms. She has a sheet wrapped around her body and when I tug on her, it comes loose and pools around her feet. “We’re taking a shower together,” I murmur against her lips. “In your bathroom.”
She swallows loudly but nods in agreement. “Okay.”
With our fingers laced together, I follow her through her bedroom and into her bathroom. She tries to let go of my hand, but I’m not having it. I can feel her trying to push me away and I’m not about to let that happen. Reaching into the shower, I turn the water on. While we wait for it to heat up, I lift her onto the sink, and spreading her thighs, step between them.
My eyes meet hers and she bites down on her bottom lip nervously. It reminds me of the way she would act when we first started having sex when we were younger. She was always self-conscious of her body. Never believing me when I would tell her how fucking perfect she was—still is.
“You’re covered in paint,” I say, drawing a line from the pink splotches covering her cheek to the blue ones splashed across her neck. She shivers and I love that just my touch alone can affect her in such a way. “If you behave this way in your classroom, you’re going to have all those pubescent, hormonal boys drooling over you while covering their hard-ons.”
Harper’s eyes go wide. “Oh my God! That’s not true.”
“Fuck yes, it is.” I nod. “If you were my teacher, I would definitely be hitting on you. Staying after school for some special hands-on art tutoring.” I wink and she throws her head back with a laugh.