The Lover

by E. L. Todd

  “Pepper is going to stay at my place. She’ll be able to keep an eye on him and use my truck.”

  “So you let her use your truck but not me?”

  “She’s got a license now.”

  “Still…”

  “And she’ll need to pick up groceries and grab dog food.”

  I spun my fork in my noodles and grabbed a large helping of pasta before placing it in my mouth. “Well, I’m going to miss you. It’ll be weird not having you around for a month.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. And I’ll be stuck with Pepper all the time.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t act like you aren’t looking forward to that.”

  “Whenever you’re at work, she raids my fridge.”

  “That’s your fault for moving across the hall from her—again.”

  I guess that was true. “Where will you be staying?”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes a tent. Sometimes a hotel. It just depends on where they put me. But I’m there to work, and since I’m free labor, they’re going to squeeze every last drop out of me.”

  “You won’t have a paycheck for the entire month?”

  “No. My food and expenses will be covered, though.”

  “What about your mortgage?”

  “That’s what a savings account is for.”

  I had some money stashed, but not enough that I could quit working for a month without stressing. “And the hospital is fine with it?”

  “They were the ones that told me about it.”

  “That’s pretty cool. Any other doctors going with you?”

  He stabbed his pasta with his fork and spun it around to get a good bite. But he kept staring at his plate without bringing it toward his mouth. “Yeah. One other doctor.”

  “Someone you know?”

  He sighed. “Layla.”

  I lowered my fork, annoyed that bitch wouldn’t give it a rest. “Geez, she needs to back off.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure if she knew I was going when she volunteered. Could have been a coincidence.”

  I narrowed my eyes.

  “But it probably wasn’t…”

  “Pepper must have been pissed.”

  “I haven’t told her yet.”

  She would lose her shit once she found out. “She’s not going to be happy.”

  “I know. I’m dreading the conversation.”

  “I thought you weren’t scared of anything?”

  He lifted his chin to meet my gaze. “Pepper is an exception.”

  12

  Pepper

  He gripped both of my wrists against the small of my back as he pounded into me. His large dick hit me deep and hard every time, and he kept one hand pressed against the back of my neck as he buried himself inside me.

  I breathed against the sheets and felt him dominate me, filling me with come over and over again. He used my body as much as he could to satisfy his needs since it would be so long before he had me again. Sometimes he made love to me, and sometimes he fucked me like I meant nothing to him.

  Since I enjoyed both, I had no preference.

  He rocked his hips hard as he thrust into me, making my body shake with his momentum. His powerful arms kept me in place as he consumed me, as he treated my pussy like he hadn’t been destroying it all night.

  Then he shuddered with his release, filling me with another load that would barely fit. He groaned as his fingers tightened on my slender wrists. His grip deepened against the back of my neck, reminding me that he owned me.

  He finished with a satisfied sigh then pulled out of me.

  I couldn’t believe I’d have to survive a whole month without this.

  He lay on the bed, his long body stretching out on the king-size mattress. His hand rested on his chest, and he breathed hard as his body returned to a comfortable state.

  I stayed on my hands and knees then slowly slid down into a prone position. My knees bent, and my toes pointed toward the sky.

  He stared at my ass then rested his arm in the deep curve in my back. “Be careful, baby.”

  “What?” I asked playfully.

  “You know what.” He pulled his eyes away from my ass to look at me. “I’ll pound you into this bed until you can’t walk again.”

  “I’ve never been fond of walking anyway.”

  His fingers grazed my skin lightly, feeling the curve from my ass all the way to my shoulder blades.

  He was leaving in the morning. I had to drop him off at the airport and feel my heart break when he walked away. I would still have his t-shirts, his bed, and his dog, but I would miss him so much. Being supportive was a lot harder than it seemed.

  He continued to watch me, his fingers following the path his fingers took. “I have good news.”

  “The storm stopped and didn’t cause that much damage, so you don’t have to leave?” That would fix all my problems, allow me to stay with him every single night.

  “Not that good.” He smiled slightly. “I told my mom I was leaving.”

  “She must have thrown a hissy fit.”

  “No. A month is a piece of cake to her.”

  If that was good news, he didn’t understand what good news really was. Good news was saying he picked me up a cake from the bakery and I could eat all of it without gaining a pound. That was my definition of good news. “That was your good news?”

  “Not entirely. I told her about us…”

  I hadn’t known if Finn would tell his parents about our relationship. No reason to get them excited when it might not be that serious. But if he told them, then he obviously thought this would last a long time.

  And that was good news. “What did she say?”

  “She was happy…as I expected her to be.”

  “Good.”

  His fingers stopped at the top of my ass. “She said it makes perfect sense, and there’s no better woman for me.”

  That was nice of her to say. Hopefully, she would always be my mother-in-law. “I’m glad we won’t have any problems there. I was afraid she would think it was too weird or something.”

  “No. She loves you too much.” His fingers started to move again, to touch my skin as he enjoyed the sight of my curves. Minutes ticked by as he enjoyed the sight of my bare skin. Then his eyes returned to mine as he stared into my soul, as he gazed at me so openly. “I have something else to tell you…”

  “Your tone implies it’s bad.”

  “Well, you aren’t going to like it.”

  “Alright…” Every time I feared the worst was about to happen, I was wrong. So instead of being afraid of what he might say, I stayed calm. “You always make everything ominous, but it’s never that bad.”

  “We’ll see you if you feel differently about this one…” He pulled his hand away and rested it on his chest.

  “What is it?”

  He faced the ceiling and broke eye contact. “There’s one other doctor who volunteered with me.”

  He didn’t even need to give me a name. It only took me a nanosecond to figure out who the culprit was. Only one bitch would be desperate enough to follow a man across the country in the hope of cornering him. “That skank needs to give it a rest.”

  “I’m not sure if she volunteered because of me. She’s done stuff for the Peace Corps in the past.”

  “Oh, whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “We both know she’s taking advantage of this opportunity to get your dick.”

  He didn’t deny it.

  I was annoyed this woman wouldn’t quit, but it also didn’t change anything. He was already committed to going, and I knew he wouldn’t cheat on me. She could try to get him into her room at night, but nothing would happen. Unless she full-blown raped him, nothing would happen. And even then, I doubted he could get hard.

  “Do you want me not to go?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m not. It’s just going to be the two of us, and unfortunately, we’ll be spending a lot of time together. Like, every day.”
/>
  I didn’t want to think about her checking him out every single day, but I couldn’t control what she did. I couldn’t stop all the women in the world from wanting him. That wasn’t possible. Even when he was in his fifties, it wouldn’t be possible. “Whatever. Doesn’t change anything.”

  “You’re serious.” His eyes narrowed on my face, genuinely surprised that I wasn’t calling this whole thing off.

  “Of course, I’m serious. She can want you all she wants, but she can’t have you. I know you would never betray me.”

  Slowly, his hard features softened, and he looked at me like I’d touched his heart in a new way. His eyes fell slowly as his hand moved up my back, his breathing picking up slightly. He breathed a deep sigh before he moved closer to me. “You trust me.”

  “Of course I trust you.” This man told me he loved me almost every day. He didn’t say it when we got off the phone like most couples, but he said it during lovemaking or across the table at dinnertime. That made it more special.

  He rolled me onto my back and placed his heavy body on top of mine. His hand slid into my hair, and he locked his eyes on mine. “But you really trust me.” His legs separated mine, and he pressed his rock-hard dick against my clit. He’d taken me so many times throughout the day that it didn’t seem like he could get so excited again, but there he was, harder than he’d ever been.

  “You love me…”

  He pointed his dick at my entrance then slowly slid inside. “Yes. I fucking love you.” His hand returned to my hair, and he moved inside until he was completely sheathed. “You’re my woman, and I don’t want anyone else. This is the only pussy I want.” He gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “This is the only mouth I want.” He rocked into me. “You’re the only woman I’ll ever love. So yes, you should trust me. Because I’m desperately, pathetically, in love with you.”

  I drove his truck to the airport and parked in the loading zone at the curb.

  Ugh, I really hated this.

  Putting the truck in park was almost too difficult for me. I wanted to start crying because this was so difficult. He would only be gone for a month, but I felt like I was losing him for a lifetime.

  I could barely look at him.

  “Baby, it’ll only be a month.”

  I kept my voice strong even though I felt so weak. “I know.” I raised my chin and met his gaze, forcing myself to smile and pretend everything was alright.

  “I know you’re about to cry.” He moved his hand into my hair and pulled it from my face. “I know you better than you give me credit for.”

  My lips turned into his palm, and I kissed it as a tear slipped free and streamed down my cheek.

  He wiped it away with his thumb. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too.”

  He brought his lips to my forehead and kissed me. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

  “Yeah…” Maybe for him but not for me.

  He got out of the truck and pulled his bag from the bed.

  I got out so I could hug him goodbye. I didn’t care if anyone noticed my red eyes and puffy cheeks. I was tempted to handcuff his wrist to mine so he could never leave.

  He set the bag on the ground. “I’ll call when I can. Send me some dirty videos, okay? I need something to get me through this month.”

  “No internet down there to watch porn?”

  The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I’d rather fantasize about you.” He moved in close to me and cupped my cheeks with his palms. “Especially when you’re in my bed wearing my t-shirt. That’d be hot.”

  I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but nothing could erase the pain throbbing behind my eyes and in my chest. “I’ll see what I can do.” My eyes felt someone staring at us, so I glanced to the left and found Layla standing there. She’d just stepped out of the cab, and she wasn’t dressed for a long flight. She was in a tight t-shirt and skinny jeans, pumps on her feet. She looked over at us, but she seemed to only notice Finn.

  This was going to be a long-ass month.

  Finn didn’t take his eyes off my face, indifferent to the people surrounding us. “I love you.” His thumbs swiped across my cheeks before he leaned in and kissed me on the mouth. It was a soft kiss, one filled with love and devotion, not desire and lust. He kissed me like he loved me, just like the men did in the movies. He made me feel as secure as any woman could be when a drop-dead gorgeous rival was prepared to do everything she could to take him away from me.

  He ended the kiss and rested his forehead against mine, his thick arms around my waist. He pulled me close to him and closed his eyes, enjoying the last few minutes we had together. The truck couldn’t stay in the spot much longer, but he didn’t seem to care.

  “I love you too,” I whispered. “So much that it scares me. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you…not even Colton.”

  “Because we’re supposed to be together.” He rubbed his nose against mine. “And we’ll be together when I get back. I want my drawers to be stuffed with new lingerie by the time I get back. I’ll make sure I have a few days off so we can make up for all the time we lost.”

  “That sounds nice.”

  He pulled away and grabbed his bag. “Take care of Soldier for me.”

  “I will.” This was the moment where I had to say goodbye, to let him leave me for an entire month. I had to let him go and let Layla do whatever she wanted.

  “And Colton,” he teased.

  “Of course.”

  He hooked the bag over his shoulder. “Bye, baby.”

  “Bye…”

  He gave me one final look of longing before he turned around and walked off. He didn’t notice Layla standing off to the side waiting for him. He walked inside without giving her a second glance.

  I wasn’t heartbroken that this woman would try to take him away from me. I was devastated that I had to live without him for so long. I didn’t even make it back inside the truck before the tears hit my cheeks.

  13

  Colton

  Tom sat across the dining table from me, eating the tacos I’d made for dinner. “Have you talked to her?”

  “No…” It’d been five days since Finn left, and Pepper had disappeared off the map. She didn’t respond to my text messages, so it seemed like she wanted to be alone. She took his absence even harder than I expected her to.

  “Maybe you should go over there.”

  “If she wanted company, she would respond to my messages.”

  “But maybe you need to force her. Get her out of her funk.”

  “Yeah…maybe.” The situation reminded me of our divorce. She took it really hard and vanished for a long time. We didn’t interact at all, and it broke my heart that I couldn’t comfort her…because I was the person responsible for her heartache. This time, I wasn’t.

  “What if we wrap up some tacos and drop them off? I’ll give you a ride.”

  “Really?” I asked. “It’s supposed to be our night.”

  “Who cares,” he said. “We have plenty of time for date nights later. Be there for your friend. She’s a good girl going through a hard time. I admire Finn for what he’s doing, but I also feel bad for Pepper. I would never be able to leave you.”

  “And I would never let you leave.” I felt guilty for being so happy when Pepper was so miserable. I had a great guy with a deepening relationship. We only seemed to get closer, become more compatible. If he had to leave for a month, I’d be in tears too.

  He set his napkin on the table. “Let’s box this up and get going.”

  “Thanks, Tom. I appreciate it.”

  He shrugged. “She’s family. Family comes first, right?”

  I knocked on the door a few times before she finally answered. In Finn’s t-shirt and sweatpants, she was wearing clothes a million sizes too big for her. She didn’t flash me a smile, not even when she noticed the food in my hands. Her face wasn’t stained with tears, but her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, like she couldn
’t sleep.

  “You want some tacos?” I held up the container. “They’re fresh.”

  “That’s nice of you, but I’m not hungry.” She kept her hand on the door and didn’t invite me inside. Soldier was stuck to her side, being her guard dog.

  “You gonna invite me inside?” I asked, stepping into the house without waiting for her answer.

  “Oh, sorry.” She stepped aside then shut the door behind me.

  Soldier seemed to have absorbed her melancholy because he didn’t paw at me with excitement. He seemed just as sad by Finn’s absence.

  I walked inside and carried the container to the kitchen. “You want me to heat some up for you.”

  She crinkled her nose. “No thanks. I’m not hungry.”

  “Maybe you should eat anyway.” I suspected she hadn’t been eating much since Finn left.

  “I’ll eat later.” She moved to the couch and took a seat, Soldier squeezing into her side and laying his snout on her thigh. Her hand automatically moved to his head and pet him gently, used to having him right beside her.

  I got comfortable on the same couch and looked at the TV. She was watching the news, seeing the coverage of the storm and the destruction it was causing. People were still missing, and the causalities were piling up. People were taking shelter in stadiums and churches. I turned to Pepper and watched her stare at the screen blankly. “Have you talked to him?”

  She shook her head. “He hasn’t called. He’s probably been working since he got there.”

  “And he might not have cell service in those conditions.”

  “Yeah…” She continued to pet Soldier.

  “Did he mention Layla?” I assumed my brother wouldn’t lie to her about it. He wasn’t a coward.

  She nodded.

  “You know nothing is gonna happen, right?” After my brother confided his deep love for Pepper, I knew there was no chance he would ever betray her. He was head over heels for Pepper. Layla didn’t hold a candle to her.

  “I’m not worried about her.”

  “You aren’t?” Layla seemed pretty adamant about getting in Finn’s pants.