by Leslie North
“You have me now to help.”
“I do, but…” She bit her lip, then plunged ahead. “I’m afraid you’re going to do something to make it worse,” she confessed. “Your sense of justice hasn’t changed, but in this instance, you can’t fix this. If you take out Walter, the bookie will just send someone else and that guy will come after you and me harder than before. And one man can’t take on an entire corrupt organization.”
His lips thinned and his eyes sparked.
She leaned forward. “Please, talk to me before you get any ideas.” Pausing, she debated whether or not to bring up their past, but they had to hash it out or they’d fail before they started. “Don’t treat this like you did your Navy decision.”
Every muscle in his body turned to stone. “You mean the decision to give us a future?”
“We already had a future,” she countered.
“You always said you believed in me.” He leaned forward. “I trusted you meant it. When I talked to that Navy recruiter, he showed me how we could have a fresh start. They’d teach me how to channel all that anger into something productive and I could use it to protect people.” His chin lifted. “My scores on the aptitude tests were really good. I couldn’t wait to tell you how that meant I’d start with a higher ranking and it’d give us more money to begin our lives.” Memories clouded his irises. “Instead of being happy and proud, we fought and you broke up with me. I can’t tell you how much that shredded me. You left me without an explanation.”
Pain lanced her heart, and she tried to take her hand back but he clamped her fingers tighter. “You destroyed me too, Chance.” Giving up on putting some space between them, she stilled her movements. “Not once did it occur to you to talk to me about our future before making plans that impacted both of us. I thought we were on the same page until you slapped me in the face by signing that contract behind my back.”
“Not behind your back—”
“Did you ask me what I wanted for us?” she interrupted, needing him to finally hear her point. “My dream had always been to take over the garage and marry you.” A tremor stole over her at telling him her deepest wish. She’d always assumed he knew, but saying it out loud all these years later still got her heart racing. Especially now with them on the cusp of…something.
Plunging ahead, she forced herself to confess it all. “I thought we’d run the shop together and maybe have kids one day. When you showed up with that signed contract, you in essence told me my dreams didn’t matter and our life here—the life I wanted and planned on—wasn’t enough for you.”
Tears crowded the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Swallowing around the lump in her throat, she croaked. “You did the same thing my mom did to my dad. She stuck around long enough to make him fall in love. Long enough for him to have a taste of all his dreams coming true, then left when she decided she didn’t want his life.”
The hard edges fell from his expression and his shoulders slumped.
“Mandy,” he whispered. Small quakes shook his body and he dropped his head.
She continued. “I never wanted to be shuffled around the world on the Navy’s whim or be left behind when your team went out on missions.” A traitorous tear skittered down her cheek. “I wanted to build a life in Springwell around you and the garage. But then you joined the Navy, so proud and excited. I couldn’t ask you to stay, and I knew I’d be miserable if I went with you.” Her throat throbbed from pushing words past the lump. “I refused to beg to be enough for you when you’d already made your choice to leave, so I ended things.”
Chance rose from the chair and rounded the table. Craning her neck, she braced herself for the rebuttal. She never expected him to drop to his knees in front of her.
Cradling her face in his hands, his thumbs swiped at the tears she couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It never occurred to me you’d see it that way. It should have, but it didn’t.”
Relief at finally releasing the pain and him actually listening to her hammered at her defenses. Cracks crept into fissures, destroying the wall she kept around her heart.
“Jesus,” he breathed. “I’m ashamed to admit you’re right. I didn’t ask you about the future, or where you wanted us to build our life together. I was so focused on ending the constant battles with my dad and the reputation I had in this town, I latched onto a way to escape that kept you with me.”
He pulled her head down to rest on his forehead. “I always wanted you by my side.”
“And I wanted to be by your side.” She kissed his hairline. “Just here.” Mirroring his hold on her face, she gently forced his chin up. “Chance, we’ve both had time to grow up since then. We’re no longer the same kids. I’m learning so many new things about you every day.”
Crinkles deepened around his eyes and they lightened. “And I’m enjoying getting to know you all over again.” He shot her a devilish grin. “In fact, I’m feeling the need for another lesson. How about we skip breakfast and really devote ourselves to—”
Mandy lurched from the chair and pulled him until he stood. “Food can wait—the diner’s got a late lunch special.” Tightening her hand, she led him to her bedroom, but hoped they didn’t surface until tomorrow morning for work.
11
Chance plucked the economy sized box of condoms off the pharmacy shelf and tossed it in the handle basket. It landed on top of the deodorant and body wash. Every bachelor’s staples.
Days had gone by since he showed up at Mandy’s house to cook her breakfast and had a sex-a-thon instead. Since then, they’d been flipping back and forth between her house and his. Thankfully, Pepper had a lot of late shifts at Lunar Brewery and Chance and Mandy took advantage of having the place mostly to themselves.
Spying the digital clock above the pharmacy counter, he cursed. He only had a few minutes left on his lunch break and he still hadn’t picked up any food. Hating to leave Mandy alone for any period of time—both due to his inability to keep his hands off her and due to concerns about Walter returning—he decided to grab something quick and eat it in the garage.
The condoms shifted in his basket and he hesitated. Should he grab another box? The rate they were going, he should invest in the rubber supplier.
“Chance McCallister,” a stern female voice barked.
He snapped his gaze from studying the condom selection to the tall woman with styled, wavy gray hair standing beside him. Despite the ninety-two-degree temperature outside, she wore gray slacks—without a single wrinkle—and a pink cardigan sweater set.
“Mrs. Foster,” Chance greeted, inwardly cringing. This woman had made his sophomore year hell in high school. She had never approved of him and no matter how many tests he aced, he’d still ended up barely passing English Literature.
“I’m sorry to hear about Ray,” she barked, her mouth pulling down.
Did she disapprove of his father dying or having to offer Chance her condolences? “Thank you,” he answered, not really caring how she meant it.
“You’ve really turned a new leaf,” she kept going. “I can see it. You finally grew up. Stopped all that fighting nonsense. Learned to put your God-given life to use.”
“Um, thank you.” Chance had no clue how to respond. The statements weren’t really compliments and yet he didn’t feel like arguing.
She plunked on a pair of silver-framed glasses and studied him from head to toe. “The Navy did a good job with you. And you’ve come home and found an honest job.”
Like he hadn’t had an honest job before he’d left? He’d never been a thief, or an entitled kid expecting the world to cater to him. He’d worked long hours in the garage.
“I’ve always loved working for the Loomises,” he responded, racking his brain for a way to end this bizarre conversation. “They’re good people and George taught me so much.”
Her gaze slid to his basket and her lips thinned. “Yes, well, you and Mandy have certainly picked up where you left off.”
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Spots of warmth burned his cheeks but rather than feeling embarrassed, he mostly wanted to laugh. Thirty years old and he felt like a teenager getting caught having sex. “Yes. We’ve fortunately been able to work things out.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She snatched her glasses off and let them dangle by the pearl beading around her neck. “You’re the type we want to stay in Springwell.”
Since when?
“You’ll be a good role model for the next generation of kids.” Her blue eyes sharpened. “You graduated high school, joined the Navy, served our country, and came home to find employment.” Her chin dipped. “Your mother would be proud. Welcome home.”
Chance snapped his jaw closed at her retreating back. What the heck was that?
Chance strolled out from the last bay in the garage when he spied Mrs. Winchester—a beloved Springwell resident who used to work in the mayor’s office before she retired—getting out of her twenty-year-old Cadillac. She plucked a plate off the passenger seat and waddled toward him, her large frame making him wince for her poor knees.
First yesterday in the pharmacy, now today. Had he become a magnet for the matriarchs of this town? A waft of chocolate hit him, wiping all thoughts from his mind.
“I pulled them out of the oven right before I left the house.”
“They smell delicious.” Chance accepted the plate of brownies shoved into his mostly clean hands. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble.” His mouth watered despite the protest. He hadn’t had an honest-to-God home-baked treat since he’d left Springwell.
Mrs. Winchester swished her wrinkled hand. “It was nothing—what you did is worth more than an hour or two of my time.” That same hand fluttered to the cross hanging from a gold chain encircling her throat.
“Those shysters were going to overcharge my Arthur two-thousand dollars,” Mrs. Winchester declared, her Southern voice so scandalized, he had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. Her husband had taken their Cadillac to a garage in Columbus when he’d visited his brother for a week. Chance didn’t catch exactly how it ended up in the shop, but those mechanics were about to gouge him with needless repairs before the wife found out and demanded he bring it home to Springwell and Chance happened to be the one who worked on it.
“We’re on a fixed income,” she whispered as if imparting a secret. “We can’t afford to go throwing money around.”
“Your husband knows he married a smart, shrewd woman,” Chance praised, not sure how to wrap up this impromptu thank you. He had cars waiting for service, and if he could manage to keep his hands off Mandy, they might actually finish the ones they’d promised to complete today.
“Married fifty-four years,” Mrs. Winchester crowed, her short white hair glowing in the sun, matching the beaming smile on her face.
“You have any more trouble with the Cadillac, you know where to find me.” Chance fished a brownie square from beneath the plastic wrap. “Thank you for these.” He groaned at the warm chocolate bursting over his tongue.
Mandy strolled out of the center bay, wiping her hands on a rag. Her curls rioted around her head and she had smudges of grease on her beautiful face.
Tonight, he planned to make her a healthy dinner at home, then eat her for dessert—
A heavy bass beat blaring tore Chance out of his inappropriate X-rated fantasy. Toby, Springwell High’s dashing quarterback, rolled through Main Street in a souped-up Honda Civic with the windows down. He honked and waved before he went zooming past.
“Hi, Chance!”
He smiled at the brand-new mother pushing a complicated stroller as she power-walked past the garage.
He wasn’t sure how it happened, but sometime between him landing on his father’s doorstep to this minute, he’d begun to become an accepted part of Springwell society, and the residents started welcoming him. Everywhere he went, people waved or called a greeting. They seemed to forgive the angry kid who got into fights and appreciated the man who retired from the military. Not everyone opened their arms, but overall, he no longer felt that dread when he thought of staying in Springwell.
More and more his thoughts circled around Mandy’s confession. He wanted her dream too.
Back when he was eighteen, living in Springwell hadn’t been enough. If she’d begged him to cancel his enlistment and stay with her then, he would have done it, but he wouldn’t have been the best man for her had he stayed. Letting him go was the best thing she could have done for him. They’d both needed time to grow up and truly learn about themselves.
“Hello, Mrs. Winchester.” Mandy stopped beside him, her head barely reaching his shoulder. Her lips twitched as she eyed the plate before she met the older woman’s gaze. “Thank you for bringing brownies. They’re a welcome treat.”
“You’re welcome, dear.” Mrs. Winchester puffed up and smiled wide. “I just wanted Chance to know how much I appreciate his honesty and hard work.”
“Brownies are the perfect way to show it.” Mandy motioned to the garage behind them. “I hate to be rude, but I need Chance to help me.”
“Oh, of course.” Mrs. Winchester dropped her hand from the necklace. “I’ll be by in a few days to pick up the plate.”
“Sounds good.” Chance itched to snatch another brownie but resisted. They only had another hour left before they officially closed, and he had a whole meal planned for dinner.
“Thanks,” Chance murmured to Mandy, following her back inside.
Her laugh warmed his heart. “She’s sweet but a talker. I figured you needed saving before she launched into one of her stories about Arthur.” She plucked the plate out of his hands and danced backwards.
“Hey!” He lunged forward, but she dodged his half-hearted grab. “You’re risking your life taking baked goods from a military man. Those are like the golden ticket in care packages.”
Still backing up, light gleamed from her hazel irises and she stuck her lip out. “Awww. Are you trying to guilt me into giving these up?”
“Hell, yeah.” He stalked her around a minivan. “Is it working?”
“Not even a little bit.” She snagged a brownie off the plate, then handed it back over. “We’ve got three cars left on the list beyond these.” She pointed to the two on the lifts. “If you can help me finish them by five, then I’ll make you a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch.”
“Only if you’re naked and I get to lick the spoon.”
“You mean there’s another way to bake?”
The shower’s hot water thundered against Chance’s back. He drove his fingers into Mandy’s wet hair and wound the locks tight around his hands.
She moaned and he cursed at the vibrations dancing along his dick buried deep in her mouth. On her knees in front of him, her hazel eyes lifted to his and they burned so hot, he grit his teeth to push back the tingling sensation building way too fast.
“I want to come inside you,” he ground out, pulling her hair.
“Umm-umm,” she murmured around him, grabbing the backs of his thighs and flattening her tongue along the underside of his dick.
“Christ,” he cursed, driving his feet into the ceramic tub to keep from toppling over. “Suck me hard.”
Her cheeks indented and she pulled on him to the point of pain.
Moaning, he threw his head back. “Again.”
Her lips stroked up the full length of him and her tongue encircled his head. Just shy of freeing him completely, she plunged down his entire cock, then sucked hard as she scraped her teeth lightly on the way back up.
The tingling building in his balls intensified. “Enough.” Gripping her hair even tighter, he stopped her.
A loud pop echoed in the acoustical space of her ending with another strong suction.
Shuddering, he had to swallow hard to stop from coming. “Just for that,” he snatched a condom off the soap dish and ripped the foil open, “you only get to come once instead of twice.”
The saucy grin she threw him let him know he ha
d to work on his threats. Whatever. He’d think of a better punishment later. Lifting her up, he slammed her against the back wall, out of the water’s reach. Her legs wrapped around his waist and in one swift motion, he drove inside her.
She cried out and threw her head back, hitting the tile. “Chance.”
Adjusting her position, he grabbed her hips and pulled out to the tip, then drove back in. The tingling sensation continued to build in his balls and he thrust into her again and again, setting up an almost violent rhythm.
“More,” she moaned, clawing into his shoulders as she held on.
Her breasts bounced with every lunge, her nipples hypnotizing him with their sway. The sight was so erotic he had to stop staring in a bid to hold off the orgasm barreling through him.
“Touch yourself,” he commanded, needing her to climax with him.
Releasing his shoulder, she inched her hand between them, and played with her clit.
“Fuck, that’s sexy.” His pace increased.
Hot, tight walls gripped him to the point of strangling just as she cried out.
Once, twice, he rammed home, then held her tight against him as his orgasm ripped through him.
He wasn’t sure how long they sucked in air, but he eventually realized he was smashing her against the tile. Moving back, he pulled out as she dropped her legs to stand.
She grabbed onto the ceramic and grinned, the smile so satisfied he wanted to beat his chest caveman style.
“Take as long as you’d like to finish up.” He kissed her quickly, then swished past the shower curtain and got rid of the condom. “I’ll start dinner.”
After throwing on a T-shirt and athletic shorts, he padded to the kitchen in bare feet. He snagged a carrot out of the bag and chomped on it as he pulled together the items he needed. On the counter by the microwave, Mandy’s phone buzzed, and the screen woke up to display an incoming text.
He knew he shouldn’t look, but of course, curiosity overruled his decency. He looked.
