Remember Me: A Calendar of Love Novel #4

by Parker, Lexy

  In a move that shocked that hell out of me, he swept his arm across his desk. It was just about the sexiest thing I had ever seen and was hotter than ever.

  “You just did that,” I gasped when he deposited me on his desk.

  He stepped between my legs, guiding himself inside me. We both groaned with ecstasy.

  “Watch what I do next,” he said through gritted teeth.

  My eyes met his as he began sliding in and out. I leaned back, lying across his desk. His hands grabbed my hips, holding me up as he used long and slow strokes to pleasure me. My eyes locked with his. His body moved in and out of mine. His speed increased, and the set jaw revealed just how serious he was about what he was doing to my body.

  “God, so good,” I moaned, my eyes closing as he began to move faster.

  His hands holding my hips kept me in place on his desk. I could hear the slapping of skin against skin from somewhere far away. His heavy breathing filled my ears. His gasps and moans were mingling with mine. Both of us were lost in the moment.

  “Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I cried out as the orgasm built.

  It was almost scary to feel it coming. I knew when it broke I was going to shatter into a million pieces. My hands reached up, grabbing his biceps and holding on for dear life.

  “Fuck me, oh God, I can’t, I can’t.” He gasped out the words, his own self-control slipping.

  He was waiting for me to come. I couldn’t. He had me on the edge, teetering, unable to fall and unable to step away. I cried out, begging for him to do something that would take me over the edge. I squeezed his arms tighter, my nails digging into his flesh.

  He thrust hard, shouting with the force of it before thrusting again and again. I arched, my head pushing against the desk as I rose up to take his thrusts hard and deep. My body exploded around him, the white-hot pleasure making me see stars in front of my eyes. I held on to him. His body rocked into mine, finding his own pleasure. I heard him shouting, using vulgar words that turned me on even more.

  Finally he stopped moving, his body stiff and still jerking as I relaxed against the desk, staring up at him. He was gorgeous, more handsome in his most vulnerable moment than any other time I had seen him. I felt my heart grow, actually enlarge as I stared at him. He opened his eyes and looked at me, a smile spreading across his face.

  He dropped his mouth to mine, kissing me passionately before standing up and pulling me to a sitting position. I looked down at my naked lower half sitting on his desk and felt myself blush a little. I looked around the office, cringing when I saw the mess on the floor.

  “Oops,” I muttered.

  He chuckled. “You just fulfilled my biggest fantasy.”

  “I did?”

  “Having a beautiful woman on my desk,” he said with a smile.

  “I’m happy to have been able to make your little fantasy come true.”

  I moved to get off the desk, walking barefoot, my ass naked as I strolled back into the garage to begin the process of redressing.

  “I have a hard time keeping my pants on when I’m around you,” he said with a laugh coming in behind me.

  “It does seem to be a bit of an issue with us,” I commented.

  “I hope we never find a cure for it,” he joked.

  I pulled on my pants and looked at him, suddenly getting cold feet. “Clay, you mentioned your little fantasy, I should mention mine.”

  “Oh?” he asked, walking toward me.

  “The garage, you being under the truck, it’s a turn on.”

  “I want to see you again,” he murmured.

  I nodded. “I’d like that, but I need to get home.”

  “I’d like to take you to dinner.”

  “I can’t tonight,” I mumbled, putting on my shoes.

  “Dani, are you okay? If you ever aren’t okay with this and what happens between us, just tell me,” he said, his voice low.

  “I’m fine. This is fine. I just can’t do dinner tonight. You need to get that part ordered and I’ll be back to take care of putting it in,” I said, not looking at him.

  “Okay, that’s cool, I get it,” he said.

  I finally looked up, meeting his eyes. I detected a hint of guilt in his. “Hey, I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

  He nodded, making no move to touch me, which was good. I didn’t want a kiss goodbye. That would make it feel too much like a relationship. I grabbed my purse and walked out of the garage, passing the office that was in shambles and headed for the front door. Clay followed me out, watching me as I got into the car and drove away.

  I let out a long sigh of relief. I had not gone there to have sex with him. I felt like a randy teenager, banging everywhere anytime the mood came over us. It wasn’t exactly a mature relationship built on trust and friendship. It was hot and dirty sex. A part of me felt a little guilty about it. The other part of me was thrilled. Sex with Clay was nothing to sneeze at. The man had a glorious cock and he knew how to use it. I was hooked.

  Chapter 23

  Clay

  It had been radio-silence with Dani again. I didn’t know what to think. I sent her a couple of texts yesterday and one today and nothing. I had no idea what the hell was going on with us. If there was an us. The sex was off the charts. I knew she felt it. How could she not? We had nearly blown our fuses. I had never had such an explosive reaction to a woman. But I was worried I had taken it too far. I hoped I hadn’t freaked her out with the desk incident. I couldn’t very well take her on the garage floor and I didn’t want her against the truck. If I hoped to have any kind of relationship with her, I was going to have to treat her like a real woman. I wanted to wine and dine her and take her back to my house and get her into my bed or her bed, but a bed. Hell, I’d take her to a nice hotel if she wasn’t comfortable at either of our houses. I was going to treat her with the respect she deserved.

  I closed down the laptop, knowing what was coming. I had stalled long enough. I couldn’t dodge my mom any longer. She was growing more persistent. I had finally relented and agreed to go over for dinner. I was dreading it. I turned off the lights, checked to make sure the front door was locked and headed out back to where my truck was parked. I froze when I saw Dani leaning against the front of my truck. She was wearing a pair of black leggings, knee high boots and a loose pink shirt that complimented her skin tone. Every time I saw her, she took my breath away. She looked like a poster, leaning up against my truck. If only my truck had been shiny and clean.

  “Dani? What’s going on? Is everything okay?” I asked, suddenly worried.

  About a million things ran through my mind. She could be there to tell me to leave her alone, quit harassing her. Maybe she was going to tell me she wasn’t interested and only needed me to satisfy her most basic needs. If I had a choice between the two, I was going for the latter option. I hadn’t had enough of her. I had barely scratched the surface.

  “What are you doing?” she asked casually.

  I looked around. “Nothing. Leaving work.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was a rhetorical question and answered the only way I knew how, with total honesty. She didn’t look mad, but I couldn’t understand why she would be waiting for me.

  She grinned. “I gathered that much.”

  I stopped in front of her, giving her a quick once over. I wasn’t sure what was happening. “What are you doing here? I didn’t get the part. I haven’t had the time to call around,” I lied. I didn’t call around because I was dreading the cost.

  “I’m not here to fix your truck. I wanted to see if you were hungry,” she said, shrugging a shoulder.

  I tried to hide my surprise. “I am hungry. Are you hungry?”

  “Can we get that dinner we talked about?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Hell yeah. Should I drive?”

  “Sure,” she said, smiling as she moved to the passenger door.

  I sprang forward to open it for her before jumping in the driver’s seat. I quickly wracked my brain with where to ta
ke her and settled for a mom and pop restaurant that had never let me down. Good food and a nice, relaxed atmosphere were exactly what we needed. I wanted to take things back a few beats, start over. We seemed to have skipped a few beats and jumped right into sex, which I loved, but I wanted to know her.

  We took our seats, both of us a little more relaxed than our first dinner. I ordered a beer with the fried fish dinner. I was surprised when she ordered the same. She poured hers into the offered glass while I opted to drink straight from the bottle.

  “I was surprised to see you outside,” I told her.

  She grinned. “I like surprise. Honestly, it was kind of a spontaneous decision on my part. I was driving home, saw your truck and decided what the hell.”

  I laughed. “I see. It was a very nice surprise.”

  “Good.”

  “How was your day?” I asked her, hoping to get her to open up a little more about her personal life.

  She shrugged a shoulder. “It was good. Normal stuff. You?”

  I smiled. “Well, my day was fine, but I was getting ready to go to my mom’s for dinner, which I was dreading. It’s why I was still sitting at work. I was trying to think of an excuse not to go. You saved me.”

  “You were supposed to have dinner with your mom?” she asked with surprise. “Clay, you should have told me. I would have been happy with a raincheck.”

  “It was dinner with my parents and my brother who is visiting from out of town. Trust me, it wasn’t going to be a pleasant dinner. I was dreading it, absolutely dreading it and had been trying to find a good excuse not to go,” I told her. “Dinner with them is never just dinner.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had plans. I really wish you would have told me. I would have never asked you,” she said, taking a drink from her glass.

  I shook my head. “No! No, I didn’t have plans. My mom had plans. She’s been on me to visit with my brother. After thirty-something years, you would think she would realize we are never going to be buddies.”

  “You don’t get along with him?” she asked.

  I smirked. “That’s an understatement. We are very different people. His morals and values are completely opposite of mine. We are like oil and water. He loathes me. I can see how much he hates me every time he looks at me.”

  “What does that mean? I mean, hate is a strong word. Is there some rivalry between you?”

  I sighed, not sure I wanted to air all the dirty laundry, but if I wanted to have a real relationship with her, she was going to know the story regardless. If I opened up to her, maybe she would be more inclined to open up to me.

  “My brother, older by three years, has always been kind of an over-achiever. He has to be the best and have the best of everything. He is very motivated by money. Money makes his world go around. He works for some big finance company in New York, pulling in a seven-figure salary and hates everything I am. He hates this town, hates that he has to claim us as his family,” I said, realizing I sounded like a jealous brother.

  “Some people like money. You can’t really blame him. I mean, money does make things easier,” she said.

  “It makes things easier in some ways, but when money is all you are focused on, that isn’t okay. Everything in his life has a dollar sign on it,” I tried to explain.

  “But it does. Everything does. If you had a million dollars, wouldn’t you buy yourself a whole new fleet of vehicles? Wouldn’t you like to be able to get up and go wherever you want without worrying about how much it cost?” she asked.

  “Yes, that would be nice, but I don’t want to work as hard and as much as he does. Don’t misread this. I’m not jealous. Not at all. I always admired him when I was younger, but it wasn’t until I realized what life was really about that I began to see him for who he really is.”

  “Because he likes money?”

  “No, not just that. I don’t like the way he treats people. He will step on anyone he feels is in his way. He doesn’t care about anyone except for himself and that makes me crazy,” I explained.

  “You’re more of a down-to-earth guy,” she commented.

  “Yes. I’m more about enjoying all life has to offer, including the little things that don’t cost a thing,” I told her.

  “That’s precious,” she said, and I wasn’t sure if it was sarcastic or genuine.

  “I don’t know how to take that.”

  “Take it for exactly what I said. I think it’s precious that you appreciate the small things in life. That was a lesson I’ve only recently learned.”

  I nodded, knowing she was referring to her recent loss. “At the end of our lives, all we have are the memories. I want to make memories, not money.”

  I thought a saw a shimmer of tears in her eyes. “That’s so true.”

  “Emmitt is convinced the more money you have, the happier you are. But he is the unhappiest person I have ever met in my life. Nothing makes him happy unless he is putting someone else down. I have to admit, I hate going anywhere with him. He’s really rude and I always feel like I’m apologizing for his shitty behavior, pardon my bluntness.”

  “Is he married?” she asked.

  “No. God, no. I don’t think a woman would have him.”

  She took a bite of a French fry. “Why is he here?” she asked thoughtfully.

  “I don’t know. I really don’t. He’s talking about sticking his nose in my business. He even suggested he might move back here, which I can’t imagine why he would want to. He’s been miserable ever since he stepped foot back in Hope,” I told her.

  “Where does he work?”

  I had to think about it for a second before I rattled off the name. “It’s some hotshot firm up there. He’s been there for years.”

  “Um, I think that place just filed for bankruptcy,” she murmured.

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  She was nodding her head, eating more fries. “Yes. It was a few weeks ago. It was a big thing in the news. Didn’t you see it?”

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t really watch the news.”

  I pulled out my phone and Googled the name of his firm. My mouth dropped open with shock.

  “I was right, huh?” she said with a small laugh.

  “Holy shit. I had no idea. He never mentioned it,” I said. “I guess he’s here because he needs a job.”

  “Maybe he needs his family,” she said gently.

  I couldn’t stop smiling. “He might want his mommy, but I have nothing to offer him. He deserves everything coming his way.”

  “Clay, I’m surprised by your response to what is obviously a rough time for him,” she lectured.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “He is not a good person. He has made my life hell at every turn. He treats my mother like crap. He treats everyone like crap. I’m not going to feel bad for him. If he was in such dire straits, all he has to do is take his ass to another one of the many financial firms up there and get another job. If he can’t get a job, then that’s on him. He has probably been a jerk to everyone and no one wants to hire him.”

  “He’s your brother, Clay,” she pointed out again.

  “Yes, he is, or at least that’s what they tell me. I’ve never seen any proof,” I quipped.

  She rolled her eyes. “It sounds to me like your brother needs some help. I don’t know you all that well, but I don’t think you’re that coldhearted.”

  “I’m not coldhearted. Not in the least. Emmitt is not a good person. He’s not nice. He is a bad guy.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a little harsh?” she asked.

  “No. I don’t. In fact, I think I’m going very easy on him,” I muttered.

  She continued eating her fish. I could tell she was irritated. I didn’t want her to be angry with me, but I wasn’t about to buddy up to Emmitt to make Dani think better of me. She didn’t know him like I did. She didn’t see the way he treated my parents and every other person he came in contact with. I had a feeling she would be singing
a different tune if she actually met him. I hoped she never actually had to meet him, but it would help her understand my opinions a little better.

  Chapter 24

  Dani

  I was looking forward to my girls’ day with Sadie and Jamie. We’d been planning it for a week. Sadie didn’t have school for the day and Jamie was anxious to take her shopping for summer clothes. I was looking forward to getting a few new things as well. I took a last look in the mirror and called it good enough before scooping up my keys and heading out the door. I was meeting the girls at their house and then we were headed to town.

  “Hello?” I called out after knocking on the door once.

  “In here!” Jamie called out.

  I walked down the hall to Sadie’s room. Jamie was putting a pretty headband with a sparkly bow on it in Sadie’s hair. I paused at the doorway, watching my friend take care of her daughter. Technically, Sadie was her stepdaughter, but for all intents and purposes, she was her mother. I felt like I had watched Jamie grow up over the last year. We’d gone from being crazy teenagers to a widower and a wife with a little girl.

  “I love it,” I told Sadie.

  “Thank you. We’re meeting Lacey for lunch today at the arcade place. Mom said you guys wouldn’t mind eating lunch there while me and Lacey hung out for a bit,” she announced.

  I looked at Jamie. “Did she now?”

  “They’ve got really good onion rings,” she defended.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “Works for me. I could use some greasy food.”

  Jamie paused, turning to look at me. “Uh-oh. I knew there was a reason you’ve been dodging me all week. We are so going to talk later,” she hissed.

  I nodded, needing to talk to my friend. With Sadie all put together, we headed out. Shopping was limited in Hope, but we still had some good success. We were all more than ready to head to the arcade for lunch. Sadie found her friend and took off to play with a card loaded with twenty bucks to feed the machines. Arcades had come a long way from the time we were kids. I was amazed by the games and half-tempted to play a few.