by Lauren Wood
“Cece is a big girl. I don’t worry about her with anyone. She can handle herself.” I kissed her on the cheek and saw a bit of surprise in her face as I did so. I had never kissed her before, not even on the cheek and I wanted to do more, but it wasn’t done for that. It was done to let Cliff know that I was here and I wasn’t going anywhere. He may have her attention for now, but Cece was still mine, whether she knew it or not.
“Have a good night.”
I walked away with what dignity I had left, which wasn’t much. I didn’t know what to think about it all, but I did know that there was no way I was going to be able to watch them leave together. What had started as such a promising outing with the boss had quickly turned on its head. I don’t know what I was going to do with myself, but the natural thing was to find a bar and find a broad. The two mixed together could take care of anything that ailed me.
Getting back on the elevator, I made it to my room and changed finally. I had a lot on my mind, but I tried to clear it. It wasn’t the first time that I was left wondering about Cece. Now though, I had to imagine her with another man, something that I never wanted to do. She should be with me. She was mine. I just had to convince Cecelia of that and Cliff wasn’t anything to worry about. He would be out of the picture soon enough.
Chapter 4
Cecelia
I was stumped when I didn’t see Cliff right off the bat. I had thought he had stood me up and it was going to be even worse if Dante had been there to see it. I would have never been able to live it down, but now he was here and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. It was almost unbelievable that he was here, in the flesh right next to me, just as charming and handsome as I had imagined him to be. It was surreal ad the more I thought about it, the more I was sure I was the luckiest girl in the room.
What I didn’t count on was the way everyone else reacted to him. I wasn’t the only one that recognized him and I wasn’t the only one that was getting his attention. Twice before we got to the restaurant, we were stopped for a picture and an autograph. At first it was nice, but then it became tiresome. I wanted him all to myself because I didn’t know if I was going to have another chance. The last thing that I wanted to do was to feel like I was a third wheel on our own date.
He must have figured that out though, because he finally gave me a sheepish smile and apologized. “Sorry about that Cece. The fans are what keep me going and I don’t want to be rude, but it can be too much sometimes.”
I just nodded my head and tried not to look as steamed as I was. I knew that he was right of course, but that didn’t mean that I had to like it. I didn’t like it, not at all. I wanted to be the one that had his attention, all of it. This was a night I was going to remember forever and I had plans on where I wanted it to end up. I wanted it to end up in a bed somewhere and it wasn’t going to get there if we kept on this way. There were too many beautiful women vying for his attention at once.
When we got to the restaurant, I wasn’t sure if this was all a good idea or not. I didn’t know what to think of it all, but no one else stopped us and he made sure that we had a private table where he wouldn’t be bothered. I was starting to feel a little better about it all, but I still wasn’t sure about anything. I really did want to be with him and I had to push the feelings out of the way that were bothering me.
“Are you okay Cecelia?”
“Yeah, I am fine. I don’t know how you do it. I think it would drive me crazy if I had someone wanting something from me all of the time. It is like you don’t ever get to just be yourself.”
He waved me off. “At first I used to get put off by it and sometimes I still do, but there are benefits as well.”
“Yeah?”
“Well if I wouldn’t have been me, would you have talked to me?”
He was a gorgeous man, surely he could see that and he had to know what kind of a spell he had over women, over me and most that knew who he was. It was a power, no doubt about it and he seemed to do just fine with it.
“I am sure that I would have Cliff. You are a handsome man. You know that.”
He grinned and for a moment I thought of Dante. He had been acting strange when I saw him on the elevator. There was still the banter between us, but it wasn’t like before. Something was different and I really think that it was because of Cliff.
“Where did you go just now?”
“Huh?”
Cliff smiled and shook it off. “Just looked like you were off in your own little world just then.”
I felt my face getting red and heat going to it. “Oh, well I assure you I was just thinking about something. You reminded me of someone.”
“Please don’t tell me that you were thinking about that guy down at the lobby, your trainer.”
That was out of nowhere and I worried that he somehow could read my thoughts. “No, not at all. Me and Dante are just friends. He has worked for me for over a year now.”
“And nothing?”
“No, why?”
“He looks at you like I do. He wants you Cecelia and I just wonder if I have competition or not.”
“Well I am out with you Cliff, not Dante.”
He didn’t seem quite so settled with the answer, but then the waitress came and we had to cut the conversation short. It was just as well as far as I was concerned. I didn’t want to talk about Dante. It was already weird to have let him pop in my mind and even stranger that Cliff seemed to pick up on something when there was nothing to pick up on. Dante worked for me. That was it.
The waitress left and the conversation took another turn altogether. I liked hearing the man’s stories about his career and he seemed interested in what I had going on at the ranch. He wasn’t self-absorbed or rude. He was quite nice and down to earth. It wasn’t at all what I had expected, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.
As we left the restaurant, it was clear that both of us wanted to keep it going and I invited him up for a drink. It was a classic line and it had the same indications that you would think when I offered it. I wanted him and after the state of mind I was in as of late, I needed him. That it was Cliff McGow, a man that I had fantasized about for so long, it just made it all the better. What would it be like to be with my high school crush, in real life?
***
I woke up the next morning to a knock at the door. My sight were blurry and I had to close my eyes back up to get them to focus. My gaze went to the man that was next to me in the bed. It had been an interesting night and Cliff still being there made me feel kind of strange about it all. I don’t know what that meant for tomorrow or the next day, but last night was a night I was never going to forget, for many reasons.
I heard a knock at the door again and I remembered why I was sitting up in the first place. Not really thinking too much about it, I just wrapped the sheet around me and headed to answer the door. My head was booming a bit, a direct result to the little bit extra that I had imbibed to give me the courage that I needed the night before. In the light of the morning, my head was heavy and I didn’t care near as much as I should have.
It was only when I saw Dante that I started to rethink it all. He saw what I had on and had this look on his face. It wasn’t one that I was going to forget any time soon. I don’t know if I like the smoldering heat that they held because it made me feel good that he was so into me. But I did feel awkward when he wanted to come in and like Dante, he didn’t ask. The next thing I knew he was moving in past me and started to tell me about the plan for the day. I had some promoting to do and he was going to help me.
I forgot about Cliff in bed until he made a noise in the other room and I saw Dante looking his way.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you had someone here.” The tone of his voice and his eyes told me that he wasn’t happy about that revelation, but I was doing nothing wrong. Why did I have to keep telling myself that? I was single and able to do what I wanted, with whom I wanted. The sheet was wrapped tighter around me, but I could still feel his eye
s and wondered how much of me he could see. The fabric of the covering was thin and I felt like he could see me all with his roaming eyes.
“Yes, well, I kind of forgot for a moment.”
“If it was me here with you, I guarantee that you wouldn’t forget that I was here. I don’t know if you would be able to even get out of bed. I might just tie you down so you couldn’t go anywhere.”
I sighed to myself and tried to push the thoughts that he was bringing to mind back into the far recesses where they belonged. I couldn’t think like that. It was all just too awkward when Cliff was in the other room. It was normal for us to talk this way, but after the comment that Cliff made before, I am not so sure I wanted him to see Dante here, with me in such a state.
It got worse, considerably worse when Cliff came moseying into the entry room that we were standing in and he was completely bare. I got his attention to help him realize that I wasn’t the only one there and he didn’t even seem to mind.
“Oh, hey Dante.” His hand went to cup the semi-hard cock swinging between his legs.
Dante was seething. I could see it and actually feel it from where he stood next to me. It was like heat was emanating off of him at a record rate. I know that he was ready to lose it and even though he had no right or claim on me, I can’t say that I found it the worst thing in the world.
“Go get some clothes on Cliff.” I shouldn’t have had to have said that out loud, but he seemed to realize that he was naked. Either way, he left and I tried to get my face to stop flaming before I looked up and met Dante’s gaze.
“Sorry about that Dante. I don’t know what he was thinking.”
Dante had a tight look on his face and I didn’t like him being upset with me, but at the same time, it wasn’t really something that I plan to happen. I didn’t want them to ever meet after the night I had with Cliff, but especially not with Cliff still in the room with me. It was embarrassing to no end and I didn’t know what to think or what to do in this situation. I really just wanted it to end somehow.
“You shouldn’t ever apologize for a man Cecelia. You should be with one that doesn’t give you a reason.”
I just shook my head. I didn’t need this from him. Not while I was feeling like this. “Let’s go get some coffee. My head is killing me and the last thing I want to do is go sell the ranch.”
“Do you want to tell your boyfriend that you are leaving?”
I would have, if he hadn’t said it like that. After he said it like that, all I could do was nod and go on with it. I wasn’t going to give Dante the satisfaction and I didn’t like the way he grinned so big. Why did Dante love to bother me so much? It was like he was seriously happy about it all and it just drove me crazy to think about it.
“So how was it? I can see that he didn’t live up to the hype.”
“Why do you say that?”
Dante just grinned and again I hated his mirth for some reason. Why was he so dang happy about everything and what did he mean that he didn’t live up to the hype? I had found Cliff more than adequate.
“Nothing, sorry I brought it up. I am sure you two had a nice time.”
“We did, thanks.”
“Just seems a little small in proportion.”
I groaned out loud. Was he seriously talking about what I think he was talking about?
“Dante…”
“What? It is just an observation. If you can be satisfied with just that, who am I to judge?”
I just shook my head. Cliff had been adequate, but I had thought the same thing when I had seen it first as well. He was just such a big guy, but that didn’t matter. That sort of thing didn’t matter to me. This is what I told myself anyways.
“Well I had a great time for your information.”
“I am sure you did Cece, but if I had a night with you, I would make sure that you couldn’t walk afterwards.”
I shivered from his words and ignored his gaze for the rest of the time. I mean really, what the heck was I supposed to say to that? Dante just loved to get me hot and bothered and this time as no exception. He was really good at it.
**END OF PREVIEW**
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FALLING FOR MY EX: SNEAK PEAK
PREVIEWS
A Second Chance Romance
BLURB:
Old flames die hard.
I’m the one that got away.
Now he is determined and not taking no for an answer.
It’s hard to ignore him.
I know what he wants.
He is a player, incapable of love.
He’s flawed. I still want him again.
I need the only man that can make me scream.
***
Chapter 1
Kendra
I avoided the mud puddle that had been made in the last ten minutes since I started walking. The rain was really starting to come down, making me regret not taking my car. I was on my way to work just a few blocks away, but of course I had forgotten my umbrella, never once looking up at the sky to see what it was going to do. My hair was wet and I could feel it sticking to the sides of my face and I finally just went into an all-out sprint the last block and a half to the Harris County Youth Shelter, also known as Link. I was already soaked to the bone.
When I got to the door, I had to push the intercom button to get buzzed in. The first person I saw was Craig with a grin on his face and a towel in his hand.
“Come on Kendra. You are looking like a drowned rat. Get out of the rain. Didn’t you see the weather channel?”
My eyes met Craig’s and I smiled at him. “Thanks. You always know how to make a girl feel good. Always got just the right thing to say. And no, I didn’t watch the weather channel. They are always wrong anyways”
“You know that it is a compliment Kendra. You are the only one I know that can pull off the look of being drenched in a pop up thunderstorm. Every other girl would have melted with all of the makeup that they wear. Why didn’t you just drive in?”
“It’s only a few blocks, but I would have if I would have known. I never do get used to these summer random showers. It seems like they come out of nowhere and I am never ready for them.”
“You will get used to Miami. The weather just takes time and you will learn to always carry an umbrella because it is going to more than likely rain at some point most days.”
“I’m learning.”
He smiled at me and for a minute there was something else in his brown eyes that I had seen before, desires. I knew that Craig liked me, but I tried hard not to encourage it. He wasn’t my type, if I even had one. He was too needy, too nice, too much of all of the good things that you wanted in a man, but somehow it all became too much when culminated together in Craig. I liked him as a friend, but I don’t think that I was going to be able to like him in any capacity past that.
The man wasn’t bad looking, not really. He was tall and muscular with a shock of longish red hair and a few freckles on his face. It was the intensity of everything that made Craig hard to even consider a romantic relationship with. He was a good friend though and great with the kids at work. I liked working with him and over the years working together, we had an easy relationship that I would miss if I didn’t have.
“So how was your weekend?” I was trying to get his mind off of me and back on something that he could have. He was trying to worm his way into my life, a little more every day.
I shrugged and started towards the employee’s locker room. I probably did look like a drowned rat, but I kept extra clothes in my locker just in case. Changing and drying my hair with another dry towel as best as I could, I clocked in and went into the facility. Craig was already doing a roll call and I walked in on the last of it.
“So is everyone here?”
He nodded and I started in on announcements that were posted. It was a
big day for many of the twenty-four girls in the youth center because it was a field trip day. Every girl there was in their teenage years and had gotten in trouble for one thing or another. It didn’t mean they were bad, but it did mean that their movement was limited to say the least. This was a day that they got to go back out in the real world and see how they did.
It was a good time and it was a stressful one for me and Craig because we had a lot of kids to be responsible for without the benefit of the center to help keep them contained. After the roll call was done, everyone was given some time to get their things together before we left. We planned a skating party at the nearby skating rink. We had tried to get it for the whole two hours exclusively, but there was another party going on, so there would be more than just the girls there. I was anxious how everything was going to turn out. These things would either be really good or really bad. Link was just that sort of place and I had learned to take the good with the bad and prepare for the worst.
Craig asked me if I wanted to drive and I agreed. He drove too slowly in my opinion to ever get anywhere on time and I knew that this way we would get there at a decent time, even though we were already running a little late. We all lined up and went to the van, counting heads one more time before we took off. It was procedure and even though it was tedious most of the time, I had gotten so used to the constant count that it was almost like second nature.
“I guess we are all here. Why doesn’t everyone take a seat and we will be on our way. If everyone follows the rules, we will stop for pizza and ice cream on the way back.”
There were several cheers and I looked back through the rearview mirror of the bus, studying everyone’s face to give me an idea of who was and who wasn’t going to mind. Sarah and Jessica were looking moody today and I told myself that I was going to have to keep my eyes on them.
We got there in record time and the girls were excited to be out. I tried to get a tally as they raced off of the bus, but I knew there was no use. They had seen boys, the bane of all our existence and instead of going in, they were far more worried about standing outside of the bus, giggling and looking towards the teenaged boys that were there for a birthday party. My day just went from bad to worse and I looked over at Craig.
