Forbidden First Times: A Contemporary Romance Collection

by Sofia T Summers

  And I did.

  By the time I managed to finish all my work, it was already pushing five-thirty and I grimaced. I’d wanted to go home and freshen up, change my outfit, but now it was impossible. Quentin was already aware of me staying late. He’d text me and said he’d meet me in the employee parking lot instead. So, once I was finally finished with everything, I raced down the stairs and across the gravel toward where his car was parked.

  “Billie!” he called out when he saw me approach. He was standing to the side of his car and watching me with awe.

  “Quentin!” I cried before colliding with him, practically jumping into his arms. I was so excited to see him that I forgot all about the reasons we shouldn’t do this. I forgot that we were still at work and that anyone could see us and I didn’t care. Instead, I kissed him with all the force of the love I felt for him.

  Thankfully, Quentin didn’t seem to mind. He grasped me tight around the arms and slid his tongue inside my mouth before moaning. When we finally drew apart, he was grinning at me. “Well, that’s a lovely way to end the week, don’t you think?” he commented.

  I giggled.

  “Shall we?” he said as he opened the door to the passenger seat.

  “Thank you,” I said as I slipped inside.

  Soon we were speeding off through the vineyard and down an old dirt road that I had no idea existed before now. It was only a short drive before Quentin pulled over and helped me out of the car. He’d brought me to a grassy field with a small pond in the middle. From the trunk of the car, Quentin brought out a big, thick, patchwork blanket and laid it across the ground next to the pond. Next, he retrieved a basket filled with sandwiches, pastries, and fruit which he laid at one end.

  “After you,” he said before helping me to sit down on the blanket.

  I grinned at him as he sat down as close as possible to me, our thighs and hips touching. “You did all of this for me?” I asked, feeling touched as I looked at the prepared food.

  “I mean, I didn’t make it if that’s what you mean,” he replied with a smile. “But I did buy it for you, yes.”

  I leaned my head on his shoulder and smiled as I gazed into the water of the pond. The sun’s rays were reflecting off of it and making it shine a beautiful cobalt blue. It was breathtaking and I couldn’t believe we had it all to ourselves. The tranquility and silence that surrounded us was wonderful and I couldn’t help but enjoy it.

  “Where’s Linc?” I asked.

  “He’s with his grandparents,” he told me. “We can stay out as late as we want.”

  “I like the sound of that,” I replied with a grin.

  The rest of the evening passed far too quickly. We spent most of our time making out as opposed to eating while the sun set behind us. Quentin retrieved a torch light for us once the last of the sun’s rays had died down and we snuggled close until the evening’s chill was too much for us to bear and he finally took me home. I should have been disappointed that we didn’t spend the night together, but there was no way I could. It had been such a magical evening, one I wouldn’t forget even if I lived a thousand lifetimes, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

  30

  Quentin

  While the rain pounded the window outside, I curled a little deeper into the blanket that covered both Lincoln and myself. My son’s eyes were fluttering closed as he fought desperately to stay awake and watch the Blue Planet special I’d put on the television for him. I couldn’t blame him. It was just one of those days. I’d retrieved an old book from my shelf that I’d been planning on reading for years and tried my best to get into it with no avail. Now, it lay forgotten next to my foot on the floor.

  It is just one of those days, I told myself with a sigh. The outside world was wet and miserable, the sky was gray, and the couch was far too comfy and warm. It was almost impossible not to feel lazy and sleepy, right?

  Just as I was feeling like I could drop into sleep at any second, the buzzer rang and both Lincoln and I jumped in surprise. Lincoln’s hair was mussed adorably and he blinked a few times before glancing up at me, confusion etched on his little chubby face.

  “Who’s that, Daddy?” he questioned.

  “I don’t know, buddy,” I told him with a shake of my head. “I’ll go find out though.” I pushed the blanket off my lap and padded toward the door sleepily. I rubbed my tired eyes with my fist as I pressed the button to buzz whoever it was through.

  I waited at the door for a few minutes until I heard a knock. When I opened up, the last thing I expected to get was an armful of excited dog. I almost fell backward from the force and I had to grab hold of the door to steady myself.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Lucky, get down!” Billie called as she helped pull the happy dog from my arms. “I’m so sorry. She’s usually much better behaved than that. I don’t know what got into her.”

  Despite the shock, I was overwhelmingly happy to see Billie on my doorstep. She was dressed in a soft-looking cashmere sweater with a pink cotton dress on underneath. Her legs were covered by stockings and slipped into a pair of leather boots. She looked cozy and warm and I wanted nothing more than to cuddle up close to her, but Lincoln was right behind me.

  “Billie! Doggy!” Lincoln cried in excitement before running straight toward them. His tiredness had suddenly vanished and was replaced with raw enthusiasm. “Daddy, look! It’s Billie’s doggy!” The little tyke wouldn’t keep his hands off the soft fur of his new companion and the dog rewarded him with a friendly lick across the face.

  “I hope I’m not intruding,” Billie continued. “I brought rainy day supplies with me.” She lifted one hand which held a large canvas bag.

  “No, you’re not intruding at all. Please, come in,” I said with a bright smile on my face. I stepped away from the door and held it open so Billie could get inside. Lucky and Lincoln, however, were still playing in the doorway together, unaware of our movements.

  “Lincoln, come inside now. You can play with the dog in the living room,” I told him.

  “Okay, Daddy.” Lincoln went running and slammed himself down on the shaggy rug. The dog followed soon after him.

  “Lucky, be good! Lincoln, take care of her, okay?” Billie called after them.

  “Okay!” the kid replied.

  Alone at last with Billie, I grinned and leaned in to kiss her quickly before taking her bags. “It’s really good to see you,” I told her.

  Billie’s face grew pink and she smiled over at me. “It’s good to see you too.”

  I glanced down at the bag and then back up to her as we headed toward the kitchen. “What’s in here?” I asked.

  “Oh, um…” She trailed off as she thought about it for a moment. “Just a few things I thought we’d all enjoy. There’s some ingredients to make s’mores, a new science kit for Linc, a silly card game about dogs that we could all play, some treats for Lucky, and some wine for us.”

  “Wow, you really thought about everything,” I remarked, feeling impressed by her foresight.

  “I know. You’re very lucky to have me in your life,” she teased with a wink.

  Believe me, I know, I thought before emptying the bag and putting the food away. Billie helped me before leaning over to give me a quick kiss on the cheek and then heading for the living room. “You guys better not be having too much fun without me!” she called toward Linc and Lucky.

  I watched her go with a satisfied smile on my face. What was going to be a lazy and boring day had just brightened up considerably and I couldn’t wait to see where the day would take us. Since I was still in the kitchen, I decided to whip us all up some root beer floats. By the time I was done, I entered the living room to find all three of them on the floor wrestling with one another.

  “Well, looks like you guys might need some refreshments,” I called as I placed the drinks tray on the coffee table.

  “Wow! Thanks, Daddy!” Lincoln said as he scooted across the floor and guzzled down his drink with enthusiasm. />
  Billie brushed down her outfit and stood up off the floor. She crossed the room to stand near me and cuddled into my side. “I like days like this,” she told me.

  A soft smile came to my face and I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her closer. “I love days like this,” I replied. It was official. I was totally smitten with this woman and I couldn’t wait to spend thousands and thousands of days just like this with her.

  After Lincoln drank down his soda, he wanted to get stuck into his new science kit. It turned out to be one based on physics that looked a little too old for him. It discussed force and gravity and acceleration which he struggled to grasp, but it did have instructions to make a pretty cool catapult that he enjoyed using to launch scrunched up pieces of paper across the room. Billie was more than happy to help him with it while I pet Lucky and spent some time getting to know her.

  It turned out that this rescue dog had the sweetest soul. She enjoyed being pet and warmed to me right away. After scratching behind her ear, she decided to jump up onto my lap and curl up for a nap. It was so precious, I felt my heart ache.

  The rest of the day was spent making s’mores over the fireplace and watching Lincoln launch paper balls across the room. We ended up even making a little competition out of who could throw theirs the farthest which naturally, Billie and I both let Lincoln win. For dinner, the three of us made our own pizza and ate it while warming ourselves over the open fire and watching a family film together.

  My heart felt like it was growing in size with every day Billie spent in my life and I felt like a better man for it. Everything was going well and life was good.

  31

  Billie

  The day we spent together was wonderful. It was the first time that being with Lincoln and Quentin felt like I was part of a family. The fact that they both took so well to Lucky only made things better. In fact, after dinner, Lincoln had sat in front of the fire with Lucky on his lap who promptly fell asleep. Shortly after, Lincoln began to doze off too.

  It was a problem. I turned to Quentin and bit my lip. “I think I should go,” I said. “Lucky looks exhausted.”

  “No,” Quentin hurried to say. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Stay.”

  I hesitated. It was a tempting offer, but I had responsibilities to think about. “I didn’t bring any of Lucky’s things,” I explained. “I don’t have her food or her bowls or her bed.”

  “Well, I can cook up some meat for her,” Quentin offered with a shrug. “And we have bowls she can use for food and water. Besides, I think she’s found a pretty comfy bed already, don’t you?”

  I reluctantly moved my eyes away from Quentin to look back down at Lincoln and Lucky. They looked so sweet curled up together and I couldn’t bring myself to tear them apart. It just seemed wrong.

  “Okay, okay, fine,” I agreed with a sweet smile.

  “Good. Let’s get them into the bedroom then before Linc falls asleep like that and hurts his neck,” Quentin stated before pushing up to his feet. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and snapped a quick picture of Lincoln and Lucky curled up together. It was the sweetest photo ever and I saved it as my lock screen before I put my phone away again.

  I helped wake Lucky up so Quentin could lift Lincoln and carry him into the bedroom. Lucky followed on Quentin’s heels and I watched as she climbed up onto the young boy’s bed and snuggled back into his side again. Clearly, I wasn’t the only girl in love with this little family.

  Quentin came back out but left the door ajar just in case. “Care for a glass of wine?” he asked in a hushed voice when he reached my side again.

  “Yes, please,” I told him and smiled.

  The two of us walked back toward the kitchen and I leaned against the counter while Quentin retrieved the wine and glasses. He began pouring out a generous amount of alcohol while I watched.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?” I asked with a flirty giggle.

  “Of course not,” Quentin shot back quickly before passing me my glass. “But if you did get a little drunk, it would be a happy coincidence.”

  We both laughed before taking a quick sip of our drinks and smiling at one another. Quentin reached over and turned on his stereo to a gentle, melodic jingle. Our eyes met again across the counter and I smiled.

  “Did you have a good day today?” I asked him.

  “Yeah, I really did, Billie,” he told me. “Did you?”

  “I did. Today, I really felt like I was…” I paused and took a breath. “I felt like I was part of a family.”

  There was a beat of silence and all of a sudden, my nerves got the best of me. I looked over Quentin’s face to see how he felt, but his expression was unreadable. So, I waited and my fingers tapped against the glass. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long.

  “You can be a part of our family, if you want to be,” he finally said with a gentle smile.

  My heart started beating rapidly in my chest and I found myself inching closer to him. “That’s wonderful,” I admitted, but there was still something on my mind that I couldn’t shake. “But I… I want to know more about you before I let myself get in too deep.”

  Quentin nodded. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

  “I’m glad,” I responded with a nod. “I… I want to know about your past. What happened with Linc’s mom and where she is now. I had a good idea that things weren’t exactly happy after that phone call in the office the other week…”

  “Yeah,” Quentin agreed before settling his wine glass on the counter. “Before you, Billie, I had some messy relationships. My ex-wife, Carmen, was a lovely woman or at least, I thought she was. We dated for about five years before we got married and had Lincoln, but then…” He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “She wasn’t exactly cut out to be a mom. She cared more about herself than she ever did about Linc. She put shopping and salon appointments above daycare and doctor’s appointments. I knew right away I’d made a mistake, but I didn’t want to leave her. I didn’t want to lose Linc and I never wanted him to grow up without his mom…”

  I nodded. “That makes sense. I think I’d feel the same way too,” I told him as I reached out and began rubbing his shoulder.

  “In the end, I had no choice. I came home one day and found her in bed with another man,” he continued.

  “Oh my God,” I said with a gasp. “I’m sorry, Quentin. That’s awful.”

  “It’s okay, I’m over it now. At the time, however, it was a huge shock. I filed for divorce and custody with the help of my parents and thankfully, the only thing she ever fought me about was money. She wasn’t even interested in seeing Linc.” He shook his head. “It was pretty rough and recently, she’s been hassling me for more money, but aside from that, I never really hear from her.”

  “What a shame. Poor Lincoln,” I lamented. The idea of growing up without a mother really got to me and made me feel for him. Even though my mom and I had our differences, I was grateful for her support and insight growing up. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

  “Yeah, I won’t lie. It’s been pretty hard on him,” Quentin confessed. “I don’t think it helped that while I was on the rebound, I ended up getting pretty close to his previous nanny.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. I was a little foolish, I’ll admit. She was nice and I was pretty depressed over my failed marriage. I slept with her a few times before Peter found out she was using me for my money.” Quentin paused and shook his head. “It feels like whenever women look at me, all they see is dollar signs in their eyes.”

  My heart ached for the man in front of me. I couldn’t bear to see him hurting. I reached out and took both his hands in mine. “That’s not what I see,” I told him with fervor. “I see a kind, funny, handsome man, not someone to use like that.”

  Quentin smiled at me. “I know, but it’s nice to hear you say it.”

  I nodded.

  “What about you?” Quentin asked.

/>   “Huh?”

  “Well, it took you a while to get onboard with dating me. Why was that? Was I too handsome for you?” he joked with a wry smile.

  I laughed and shook my head. “It’s a long story.”

  “I’ve got all night.”

  His easy reassurance helped calm my racing heart and I felt happy enough to open up to him about everything. I told him the story of my mother and my father. I explained everything to him while he listened and nodded his head.

  “At the end of the day,” I continued with a sigh, “my mom instilled the fear of God in me about the way things ended between my father and her. Ever since, I’ve been so scared to get involved with you because of it. I wanted to stop myself from getting hurt like she did.”

  Quentin was suddenly leaning in and kissing me hard. When he drew back, he whispered, “I’m not saying we’re forever. After all, it’s a bit quick for that, but I’m definitely all in. I want to see where this journey can take us and I hope it leads to a happily ever after.”

  Tears spilled from my eyes and I couldn’t hold myself back. I closed the gap between us and kissed him with all the love I felt. It had been a long day and I was tired. I was tired of pretending I didn’t want him and acting like I wasn’t head over heels in love. Now, I just wanted to bathe myself in his comforting embrace.

  Thankfully, Quentin didn’t push me away. No, he only pulled me closer. Once again, we clambered from the kitchen to the bedroom where Quentin pushed me down on the bed and began kissing me like he was desperate for me and his touch alone was driving me crazy with lust.

  His hands smoothed down my clothes before he hiked up my dress. He pulled my sweater over my head and pulled my stockings down my legs until they were off and discarded. With my dress pulled up to my waist, Quentin descended between my legs and began kissing my creamy thighs. He licked a trail upward toward where I wanted him to taste most before finally planting a kiss on the silk of my violet-colored panties.