by Iona Rose
Luke turned to me, his eyes wide with surprise. “Love Penelope? Hell, no! It’s a little hard to love someone who betrayed you and ran off with a man, and scarred your daughter for life.”
His voice vibrated with emotion and my tension ebbed away. I had nothing to fear from Penelope. The person I needed to be careful about was Luke himself. If he found out I had developed feelings for him, it would be the end of us. I felt sure about that.
“I’d promised myself that if she ever came back, I wouldn’t let her see Molly,” Luke explained. “But a lot of things have changed. I’m not bitter about her anymore. All I am interested in is what Molly needs. Penelope is around because there is a chance she could be the thing Molly needs to heal completely. If she ever gives me the impression she is not making things better for Molly, she’s out of here in a flash.”
What he said made sense. I nodded. “It’s worth a shot. Anything that can help Molly is worth it.”
“I really hope she has truly changed and won’t just up and leave again, making Molly worse,” Luke said, voicing my own worry.
I turned to face him. What Luke needed from me was support, not pointing out all the things that might go wrong. “The only thing you can do is to give it a try and hope for the best. Molly is older and emotionally stronger now, and she has you and me that love her. She’ll be fine.”
A smile lit up Luke’s face and he placed a hand on my bare knee. “How did we manage without you? Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, keeping my voice light.
Luke took my glass from my hands and placed it on the table together with his. He pulled me onto his lap. “I’ve been wanting to do this all afternoon.” I hiked up my dress as I straddled him. He raised his head and cradled my cheeks to kiss me. I tangled my hands through his hair. His hands circled my thighs, clutched my ass, and he gently pulled me forward.
His hard cock was the flame and my pussy was the tinder. And as soon as it pushed against me, my whole body became fire. Soon, I was moaning and rocking against his cock.
“You feel so good in my arms,” Luke said, his voice husky and sexy. He gripped my thighs and bounced me up and down on his cock.
Our bodies created waves of delicious friction but I needed more. A sense of urgency came over us and I grappled with Luke’s pants.
He moved my hands and undid his button and zipper himself. Holding me, he raised his hips and pulled down his pants and boxer briefs. His cock stood up proudly between us and I wrapped my hand around it.
Luke snapped my bra open and my breasts came free. He grabbed both of them then proceeded to lick and bite each aroused nipple while I fisted his hair and moaned loudly. Usually, I loved the foreplay part of our coupling, but today I needed Luke inside me. To make me feel whole again.
Seeing Penelope come into this house and behave as if she belonged here had hurt and disturbed me in a very profound way.
I got up and pulled down my panties, all the while Luke’s hungry eyes were gazing at me as his hands caressed my thighs. I straddled Luke and he arranged the entrance of my pussy over his cock.
“I’m so hard for you,” Luke growled.
My pussy clenched at his words. In one smooth motion, I impaled myself on his cock. I held his shoulders for leverage and rode him again and again. Luke’s hands gripped my thighs and each time I came down, he thrust upwards, burying his cock even deeper inside me.
I looked down at his big cock glistening with my juices as it disappeared in and out of my pussy and moaned helplessly. Luke’s gaze remained glued to my tits as they bounced up and down. This is what we were about. Great sex. Sex that could make me forget all my problems.
I had to remember that and enjoy it while it lasted. It was just sex. Nothing more. The sooner I got this fact through my thick head the better.
Ella
Bean’s soft bark filled the air as he ran for the softball Molly had thrown. Luke and I had taught her how to throw a ball for Bean and she was loving it. Bean seemed to love it too.
For me, it just felt nice to sit on the grass and watch them.
It was a beautiful afternoon to be out. The sun felt warm on my skin and the skies were a gorgeous shade of blue.
Luke was cooped up in the library working on something he had termed to be a problematic project.
The sounds of a back door opening made me turn around.
Penelope stood in the doorway. Paul must have let her in on his way out. She looked amazing in a skintight pantsuit. I felt my stomach clench. Like it did every time I saw her.
Molly’s face lit up and she looked over at me questioningly.
“Go on to your mom. I’ll take care of Bean,” I told her with an encouraging smile.
But she didn’t go towards her mother. Instead, she stood staring at the house.
Penelope walked towards us. She had a frown on her face and stepped along carefully as if the grass might destroy her shoes. “My girl,” she cried and opened her arms to Molly.
Molly went to her mom and stood inside the circle of her arms. “Do you want to meet my puppy?” she asked.
“Oh, no!” Penelope cried. “I hate the smell of dogs.”
Molly’s face fell.
What was wrong with this woman? Couldn’t she see how important the animal was to Molly?
“I have a better idea. Why don’t we go to the park? We could ask your dad to go with us?”
Molly nodded but the light had already gone from her eyes.
“Where’s Mr. Meyers?” she asked without bothering with niceties.
“He’s in the library,” I said in an equally unbothered tone.
She patted her hair. “Well, I’ll just say hello to your dad and then we can go. Do you want to take me?” She smiled at Molly.
Hand in hand, they walked towards the house.
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
Bean made mournful noises, lay on the ground, and buried his face between his front paws.
I went to him and patted his head. “She’ll be back, Bean,” I murmured.
As I usually did in the hours when Molly was with her mother, I went up to my room to work on my designs. My notebook was already more than half-filled with designs and I was excited about the new styles I’d come up with. I had no concrete plan of what I wanted to do with them when the notebook filled up.
I just enjoyed the creative process. With time, things would fall into place.
I plopped down on my bed, grabbed my notebook, and was soon lost in my work until I heard Luke call my name. I ran to the top of the stairs and looked down.
Penelope, Luke and Molly stood in the hallway.
I swallowed heavily. They looked like a real family.
“We’re going out for a spot of shopping,” Penelope said cheerfully.
“Okay,” I said, coming down the stairs slowly.
Molly dropped her parents’ hands and flew up the stairs to me. Meeting me halfway, she wrapped her little hands around my waist.
I kissed the top of her head. “See you later, sweetheart.”
“Can you come with us?” Molly asked.
We all froze.
Then I smiled at her. “No, sweetie. I’ve got things to do. But you go ahead with your dad and mom. I’ll be right here when you get back, okay?
“Let’s go,” Penelope said tightly.
I watched them walk down the hallway to the door.
Luke glanced back at me.
His stare was blank and I couldn’t read any emotion in his eyes at all. I shivered and when the door shut, I slipped back into my room.
I tried to capture my earlier concentration, but failed. I kept thinking of Luke’s expressionless eyes. What had he been thinking? Was he regretting what we had? Penelope was a beautiful woman and she was Molly’s mom.
She had broken his heart, but human beings had a big capacity for forgiveness. Maybe he would try again for Molly’s sake. I folded my legs and wrapped my hands around my knees. If Luke and Penelope managed to s
alvage their relationship, they would have no use for me.
From what I had gathered, Penelope had taken care of Molly herself when she and Luke had been married. I’d be out of a job, but that wasn’t the issue. I had my own plans for the future which included taking some classes and looking for a part time job with a designer.
I was willing to take on a low paying job just to have the exposure of working in my dream industry.
No, losing the job was not the issue. It was losing Molly and Luke. They had become important to me and I couldn’t fathom life without them.
I pictured Luke walking into the dining room to join us for breakfast, as he did every morning, his hair ruffled from forking his fingers through it.
The way he turned his gaze to me after greeting Molly, his eyes dropping to my mouth and I’d know he was thinking about kissing me. How he made impromptu visits to the playroom to check on us, and when Molly was distracted, he would kiss the back of my neck.
Restlessness came over me. I needed to talk to someone, or I would go crazy. I reached for my phone on the bedside table and called Ruby.
“Hi stranger,” Ruby greeted in her cheerful voice.
“Hi you,” I replied.
“What’s going on? You sound down.”
I explained to her about the way Penelope had inserted herself back into not only Molly’s life, but also Luke’s.
“Whoa, that’s not good at all. She wants him back.”
Dismay came over me. Ruby had just confirmed what I didn’t want to believe, but knew was true. Penelope’s real mission in coming back was to win Luke’s heart. And she had went about it the right way, too. Through Molly. There was no way I could compete with the mother of his baby. Not to mention her looks.
“She said she came back to get to know Molly again,” I said weakly.
Ruby made a dismissive noise. “Don’t be fooled. She’s after Luke. A woman who leaves her child for a man doesn’t just develop a conscience. She misses the life she had with him. I mean, she was a fool to leave in the first place. God, she must have a head full of air to walk out on a man like him and her own child.”
“People make mistakes, Ruby.”
“Not those kinds of mistakes. Can you imagine running off with a man and leaving your husband and baby girl behind?”
I tried and failed. I couldn’t.
“You have to fight for him, Ella,” Ruby said fiercely.
How could I fight for someone I did not have? “We’re not about that,” I said miserably. “We’re fuck buddies, that’s all.” Even saying it aloud sounded false. We had become more than that. We had developed a friendship and we cared about each other.
“Well, have you kept your end of the bargain?” Ruby asked.
I sighed deeply. “I don’t know.”
“Shouldn’t that be a hard no? I’m looking at the photos from that night you went on a date with him right now, and you look like a woman deeply in love to me.”
“I’m not deeply in love.”
“Hey,” Ruby said softly. “It’s not a bad thing to open your heart, you know. All men are not like Stan. You’re a good person Ella, and you deserve to be happy.”
After we ended the call, I thought about what Ruby had said. What if I opened up my heart to Luke and he rejected me? What if he chose Penelope, where would that leave me?
Opening your heart to someone wasn’t as easy as it sounded. People hurt you when you gave them that power. Had I not loved Stan? I would have walked away from that relationship the first time he put me down in public if I hadn’t had feelings for him. He would never have had a chance to treat me like his boxing bag.
My self-esteem would not come close to being destroyed… not ever again.
Ella
I felt relieved when I heard Luke’s car at three thirty in the afternoon. There would be time for Molly to catch a quick nap before dinner.
“Hi sweetheart,” I said to a tired looking Molly as she trudged up the steps holding her dad’s hand.
I kept my gaze on Molly, frightened of what I’d see if I looked at Luke. What if he’d realized how much he’d missed his ex-wife? Or maybe he knew I had feelings for him and would look at me with pity?
“Let’s get you to bed,” I said to Molly and took her hand.
“Did you have fun?” I asked, as I tucked a light blanket around her.
“Yes,” Molly said sleepily, her eyes already half closed. Then she stuck out her hand and touched my cheek.
I melted. I covered her hand with mine.
Seconds later, she was snoring gently.
I kissed her forehead and tiptoed out.
I stood outside her room indecisively. I could have gone to my room to continue working on my designs, but a strong urge to see Luke came over me. I knocked softly on the library door before pushing it open.
His face lit up with a smile when he saw me and all my insecurities melted away. You couldn’t fake such a reaction. Smiling, I went to him.
He stood up and pulled me into his arms.
All the tension in my body ebbed away as he held me tight. I inhaled his masculine scent and let my head rest on his chest.
“I missed you,” Luke said, his voice gruff.
“I missed you too,” I said and raised my head, needing to feel his lips on mine—to lose myself in his kisses.
Our kiss was gentle and probing, familiarizing each other with our tongues and mouths, though we’d only been apart for a few hours. From the corner of my eye, I caught a movement and broke the kiss. When I looked again, there was nothing.
“How was your afternoon? I’m sorry we couldn’t go together,” Luke said.
“It’s fine, I got a lot—”
“Here you are,” Penelope said and stepped into the library. “I promised Molly I’d stay for dinner, so I thought I’d take in a swim and catch some sun.” She twirled around.
My jaw dropped.
She wore a skimpy bikini, if it could even be called a bikini. The bottom was a silver colored thong with the scrap of material disappearing into the crack of her curvaceous ass.
“Anyway, we had better let you get back to work,” she said, favoring Luke with a sexy look. “Come on, Ella.”
I had no choice but to follow her out.
She held the door for me and then shut the door. She faced me and smiled. Her lips curved and her teeth showed, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ve missed my family so much. Do you have any of your own?”
“No,” I said stiffly.
She caught my meaning because her eyes narrowed. “Do you want to join me for a swim? We can continue with our girly chat.”
The sudden interest in me made me suspicious. I suspected she had been the shadow I had seen when Luke and I were in each other’s arms. I had just moved up from being part of the furniture to her main competition. I had no choice but believe Ruby’s instinctive assessment now. Penelope was working her way back into Luke and Molly’s lives. “Thanks, but I need to tidy up the playroom,” I said and smiled politely.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll be out in the back if you change your mind.” She turned and sashayed down the hallway, her ass cheeks jiggling with every step.
I climbed the stairs wearily. I was at a loss about what to do. Penelope was Molly’s mom and she needed to be with her daughter.
Molly had been opening up more day by day and that was all because of her mother’s presence. I couldn’t do anything about Penelope wanting to seduce her ex-husband. It would be up to Luke now what happened. If he wanted her back, I would have no choice but to bow out and give them their space. Even if it broke my heart into a million pieces.
For now, I would continue to do the work Luke had hired me for and enjoy what we had while it lasted.
Luke
“Do you always sit down to dinner with the staff?” Penelope asked with a sweet smile.
That smile could deceive someone who did not know her as well as I did. She had an acidic mouth but she
always accompanied it with a smile, so whatever she was saying seemed innocent.
Ella was in my line of vision and I saw her turn to Penelope.
Before I could answer, Ella spoke up, “If you mean me, the answer is yes. We’ve always had dinner together since I started working here. Molly likes it.”
I hid a smile. I wanted to cheer Ella for standing up for herself. Penelope was a bully, but she had picked on the wrong target.
Penelope’s lips tightened.
“Ella has been a wonderful addition to our family,” I added.
“That’s nice,” Penelope snapped. “Though, I don’t know how long we’ll need her now that I’m back.”
I stared at her. “Back?” I asked.
She had the grace to look embarrassed.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll leave you two,” Ella said, and pushed her chair back and turned to walk away.
I swallowed down my disappointment. I couldn’t protest with Penelope there. If she got an inkling of something going on between Ella and me, she would try her damnedest to make life difficult for Ella.
“Have a good night,” Penelope said to her and then smiled at me as she placed her hand over mine. “Shall we move to the living room and have a drink? I miss those cozy evenings, sipping wine, and dancing the evening away.”
I snatched my hand away. What the hell? Had Penelope lost her mind? I used to put in a lot of hours at work and I had no time to sit around drinking wine. What she was saying had to be a figment of her imagination.
I wanted to set her straight but, even more importantly, I wanted Ella to know, I was there for her. She was walking away when I pushed my chair back and said, “Ella, may I take a moment of your time. I need to go over a clause in your contract. In the library, please.”
I needed fuel if I was to spend another minute in Penelope’s company. My fuel came in the form of having Ella’s soft body molded into mine and her sweet tongue entangled with mine.
Penelope stood up and made as though to come with us.
“Could you wait in the living room,” I said to her. Then I placed my hand on the small of Ella’s back as we left the room.
