Romance Me: A Collection Of Standalone & First In Series Books

by Florella Grant

  "When I met you the other night at Shooters," Kimberly started, "I almost thought you and Gavin were a thing."

  Elizabeth shook her head and leaned back on the picnic table. "We're just good friends; known each other since we were knee high. We were all good friends; Misty too, if you can believe that."

  Kimberly's jaw dropped. She never asked how Alex met the mother of his daughter. She assumed it was none of her business. "Oh, Alex didn't mention that."

  Elizabeth chewed on a french fry as she continued the conversation. "He won't mind you knowing, in a town this small, you'll find out soon enough." She paused and took in another bite of food. "Gavin and Misty were the thing back then. They were voted most likely to wed in our senior yearbook. I can read him like a book, and I don't think he ever quite got over what Misty did to him."

  She felt guilty for listening to the story from her new friend and not from Alex himself, but Kimberly loved having a female moment with another woman. "Gavin and Misty?"

  "Yeah, he loved her; would do anything for her," Elizabeth sang. "But after Alex returned home from the military, Misty started flirting with him. Of course, Alex would have nothing to do with his best friend's girlfriend. Personally, I think she had already started using drugs by that point."

  Elizabeth stopped talking, and Kimberly wondered if she'd been thinking about the past. She shouldn't have been intrigued to hear about it, but she wanted to know what happened. "So, if he rejected her, how did," Kimberly didn't finish talking but pointed to Ariel instead.

  "Gavin wanted Misty to be happy even if that meant giving her to Alex. Don't get me wrong. Alex wasn't having any of it for a long time, but Misty had her ways. She was always such a pretty girl and, at one time, a nice girl too. We know now that it was always a façade. There's nothing nice about her. It took her a while to break him but, with Gavin's approval, Alex finally took the bait."

  "And then she left?" Kimberly almost cried hearing the story.

  "Basically, yeah."

  ALEX SAT IN THE DUNK tank. His swim trunks were bone dry. Many people have tried to dunk him, but even the high school basket ball team failed. He looked at his watch and knew his time in the tank neared an end.

  When he looked up, he noticed Kimberly and Ariel. He waved to them. "Hey, you two. I'm almost done. I'll be out in a minute." He stood to leave the tank but heard Kimberly pleading for a chance.

  "Wait," she called out. "I just bought a ticket."

  "Oh? You think you can dunk me, huh?"

  Alex adjusted his seat and watched as she spun the ball in her hands. He'd been in the tank for two hours, and nobody had been able to get him wet. He laughed at her enthusiasm.

  Kimberly stretched her arm as a crowd formed around her and cheered her on. He noticed Ariel jumping up and down and was too distracted by his daughter's cuteness to realize Kimberly threw the ball. The next thing he knew, his seat collapsed. Alex plunged into the icy water.

  He came up for air and heard the crowd laughing and chanting Kimberly's name. As he pulled himself out of the water, he saw her blow him a kiss and turn to walk away with Elizabeth and Gavin. Alex laughed and planned his revenge.

  PEOPLE SHE DIDN'T KNOW congratulated Kimberly on dunking Alex. She didn't know he held a record for not going under, but she would boast about it when she saw him again.

  Kimberly glanced back and noticed Alex toweling himself off. She couldn't help but admire his bronzed skin and muscled arms. She'd seen him dressed the same at the swimming hole but, somehow, seeing him nearly naked right there in town made her breast ache. She'd been so deep in thought that she didn't hear Gavin ask her a question. "I'm sorry," she stated. "What did you just ask?"

  "I asked where a city girl like yourself learned to throw a mean ball like that."

  She looked down at Ariel who looked happy to see her daddy fall into the tank. "Luck, I guess."

  "Well let's not tell him that," Gavin suggested. Kimberly and Elizabeth laughed, and he followed suit.

  IT TOOK ALEX A FEW minutes to change his clothes and gather up his belongings. When he finished, he began to search for Kimberly and Ariel. The sun warmed his skin, but his hair remained wet. As he walked through the street, people stopped and asked him what happened as if they didn't already know.

  He knew he needed a payback and knew that Kimberly was a good sport. He intended to have a little fun with her. Alex thought about what to do to her. As he passed a food tent, he noticed a young boy dumping ice water onto the grass. A grin spread across his face as he approached the boy to see if he had any more iced water.

  Within minutes, he found the small group standing in front of the merry-go-round. He wondered how many times Ariel suckered Kimberly into putting her on her favorite ride.

  Gavin saw him coming, but Alex placed his finger over his mouth to tell his friend not to let Kimberly know he neared her. Gavin remained quiet. Before Kimberly could sense him behind her, Alex lifted a bucket of iced water and poured it over her head.

  Kimberly screamed and jumped. "Couldn’t let you stay dry when you dunked me in front of all of Pottersville."

  The others laughed, but Alex waited for Kimberly's expression. As soon as the shock wore off, she laughed with them. Alex reached for her waist and pulled her close to him. Kimberly kissed him then shook her wet body all over his dry clothes.

  Chapter 20

  KIMBERLY COULDN'T ASK for a better day spent with Alex and Ariel. As they drove home, she could still hear the live band play in her head. The image of him holding Ariel in one arm while wrapping his other arm around her as they swayed to the music caused Kimberly's smile to spread from ear to ear. She never felt so close to someone before.

  They tucked Ariel in together. The little girl hugged her teddy bear and closed her eyes. The day had been busy, and it wore Ariel out. Alex put the book he was about to read down, knowing she fell asleep before he could begin to read. Kimberly pulled the blanket over her and bent over to kiss Ariel's forehead. "Sweet dreams," she whispered.

  Alex led Kimberly out of the little girl's room and down the hallway. He swung her body so it faced him then lowered his lips onto hers. Kimberly held his neck and let his kiss carry her away. She felt her feet leave the floor as he twirled her around.

  "Alex," she whimpered in his ear.

  Alex stood still and held both of her hands. Her brown eyes pleaded for more attention from him. Kimberly felt Alex pressing her against the wall and she took a deep breath. Alex started by planting a kiss on her forehead then lightly brushing her skin with his lips. He dipped down and kissed her neck, from one side to the other, then up to her earlobe.

  Kimberly melted beneath his touch. She traced her finger through his hair, down his arms, and back up his spine. Alex shivered beneath her fingertip. She looked up and met his kiss once again as his hand gently cupped her breast.

  "Alex," she breathlessly whispered. "Please."

  He didn't waste any time. Alex pressed his forearms below her bottom and lifted her body off the floor. Kimberly moaned at his strength. Alex spun her around a couple more times as her lips trailed his face then carried her like a bride into his bedroom.

  Kimberly gently pushed the door shut behind them. The moonlight shone through the window; the only light in the room. Alex held Kimberly tight and placed her down on his bed. She reached up and grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him down with her. He held her hand over her head and asked, "Are you sure?"

  Kimberly nodded and answered him with passionate kisses. Alex returned each one. She ran her hands under his shirt and felt his skin burn with desire. Her breasts heaved in and out. Alex noticed and reached for them once again. He pulled her shirt up and exposed her lacy bra. Alex circled her nipple with his finger and watched as she moaned in delight.

  He removed the shirt completely and trailed his lips down her arm, onto her neck, and licked her breast until her nipple hardened beneath the wet bra. Kimberly tugged at his shirt until it came off. The feel of his skin int
oxicated her. The scent of his cologne threw her over the edge.

  They removed each other's clothing, throwing everything onto the floor. Alex pulled the blankets down and invited Kimberly to get comfortable. His body inched next to hers. Kimberly ran her hand along the side of his face and brought it close to her for more kisses.

  Alex disappeared under the blankets and Kimberly did her best to control her moans. She knew the little one couldn't hear her, but she thought it best to contain herself just in case. Her thoughts of the child sleeping down the hall didn't last long as Alex brought her to a new level of ecstasy.

  He came up for air and Kimberly couldn't help but latch onto his mouth and kiss him uncontrollably. He rubbed her nipple as she arched her back. Kimberly felt his hardness pressing against her and couldn't wait to feel him inside.

  At last, he penetrated deep inside of her. Kimberly wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tighter which each passing minute. She never imagined such a beautiful moment when she first drove into Pottersville, Indiana. She and Alex seemed to connect so easily. He thrust himself one final time then devoured her mouth with his. She held onto him for as long as she could, and he did the same.

  There wasn't any time for pillow talk. Kimberly could tell by his soft breathing that Alex drifted to sleep. She placed her back against his abdomen, pulled his arm over her, and found sleep herself.

  THE SUN WAS SHINING through the window when they woke up. Alex was happy that Ariel didn’t try to climb in bed with them. All he thought of the night before was being intimate with Kimberly. The idea of his daughter coming to him didn’t cross his mind. Kimberly read his thoughts. “She’s still sleeping in her room?”

  Alex hushed her, and they giggled as their naked bodies once again touched. They weren’t ready to wake the little girl up. Alex and Kimberly still wanted to be with each other. This time it wasn’t as prolonged as the night before, but Alex made love to her again. It might have been faster, but the moment was just as magical as the previous time.

  As expected, they both heard little footsteps outside the door. Alex threw his jeans on and opened his closet to find something for Kimberly to throw on. He reached for a robe and the bar came crashing down. He apologized and told her that the bar was loose and that it always fell when he wasn’t careful. Kimberly put the robe on just in time. Ariel came barging in. She told Kimberly that she was hungry by rubbing a circle around her belly. Kimberly looked to Alex and told him that she could clean up the closet. He objected and said it wasn't her fault. Ariel was fussing, so she left Alex to clean up his mess to go prepare breakfast.

  Chapter 21

  KIMBERLY CLEANED THE house while Alex was out in the fields and finished in his bedroom. Forgetting about the problem with the bar, she reached into Alex’s closet to hang up one of his jackets. The heaviness weighed the bar down and, before she could stop it, the entire shelf came tumbling. “Darn it,” she mumbled. She readjusted the bar, rehung the clothes with caution, and placed items back on the shelf. A cigar box had fallen and opened. Its contents spilled out onto the floor.

  Kimberly didn't feel comfortable going through his personal belongings. She quickly picked up the papers to stick them back into the box when something inside of it caught her eye. Her throat swelled with emotion when she retrieved the item to get a closer look. A cheap bubblegum machine ring, silver plastic with an orange gem, just like hers lay in her palm.

  For a moment, she thought the box was Ryan’s. Why would he still have the ring? Why would Alex have it now? Kimberly put everything back the way she found it except the ring. She hated to snoop around, but her instincts told her that something was wrong. She had to find out what. She looked all over his room keeping things neat but nothing looked out of the ordinary.

  Ariel was still taking a nap when she passed the girl’s room. The next room down was Ryan’s. She never stepped foot inside; never had a need to. Now, she had a feeling to check it out. It was locked, and she wasn’t surprised. Kimberly went to her room and came back with a credit card. Living in the city had its advantages. One of which was the art of breaking into a locked door. Within minutes, she opened the door and her jaw dropped to the floor. It wasn’t a bedroom. This wasn’t Ryan's room. She broke into the hallway closet.

  Ring or no ring, Kimberly was starting to feel wrong for looking in there. Maybe the closest was locked to hide something valuable to Alex and his family. She decided not to snoop. Before she could close the door, a shelf of photo albums whispered her name. What harm could there be in looking at old family pictures, she wondered. She flipped page after page and saw a little boy growing up, but he looked alike in all of them. Where was Ryan? She had no idea what her husband looked like. Book after book, she found Alex; pictures of Alex with his parents, grandparents, school mates, girls, but no pictures of him with his brother. That seemed odd to her, but then figured that Ryan must have had his own set of albums. She picked up another album and almost dropped it when she turned to look at the first picture inside. It was a 5x7 of young soldier in uniform. He looked like he was in his early 20s. She recognized the man in the picture. It was Alex. Right away, Kimberly thought how handsome he looked. Then it hit her: the writing under the picture read RYAN ALEXANDER CALVIN.

  KIMBERLY PACED THE floor waiting for Alex to return home. Ariel woke up from her nap and watched cartoons. She could sense that something was wrong and would stop watching the television to look up at Kimberly. Kimberly didn’t want to upset Ariel. She’d smile at her and Ariel would turn her attention back to the screen.

  Finally, she heard the truck pull up and Alex approaching the door. He walked in and she regained her composure. There had to be a reason for everything that was going on. He walked in and kissed Ariel on the head then attempted to kiss Kimberly. She backed away. “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “We need to talk,” Kimberly walked into the kitchen away from the innocent little girl. Alex followed again asking her what was wrong. Kimberly turned to him and held the ring up to him. “What's this?”

  “It's a ring. Looks like it came out of a candy machine.” Alex noticed her face grow crimson and didn't dare say anything else.

  "I know it’s a ring," she paused. "Do you know where it came from?" She said a little louder than expected. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ariel hiding her head between her knees. Kimberly made a point to not let Ariel see them arguing. She stepped back out of the little girl's view.

  "Yes." Alex frowned and lowered his head. “Where did you get that?” He looked up with puppy-dog eyes and reached for her, but Kimberly backed away.

  Kimberly knew if she wanted honest answers then she had to be honest herself. “I cleaned up and hung your jacket in your closet. The bar fell like you said it does. I put everything away, but this little box fell and opened.” She paused and looked at him. Alex sat there expressionless. “I didn’t mean to see anything but, when I went to put the papers away, this caught my eye.”

  “Kimberly,” Alex started towards her, but her rant wasn’t over.

  “Is your name Ryan Alexander?”

  “People have always called me Alex, short for my middle name.”

  Kimberly considered that a confession and saw red. It angered her knowing he was Ryan and that he deceived her. She was mad that he held onto the ring all these years.

  "How did 'Ryan' text me?" Kimberly shook her head, trying to figure everything out.

  Alex looked away from her when he answered. "There's an app."

  "You mean, like catfishing?" He didn't answer her, just sat down at the table and placed his head in his hands.

  Suddenly, the memories from the past couple of weeks flashed before her. The guilt she felt for falling in love with her husband’s brother brought tears to her eyes. She thought he was the perfect gentleman. She made love with him. All that time she was reunited with her husband and didn’t know it? “Why did you ask me to stay here? Why didn’t you just sign the divorce papers when I arrive
d?”

  ALEX HAD KEPT SO MUCH inside for so long. He knew he was in boiling water with her. It would have been better to come clean from the start but then they wouldn't have had a chance to fall in love. He couldn’t hold back anymore. “I didn’t want the divorce. I never did. You don’t remember that night, but I could never forget it. I knew it was crazy, but I fell in love with you years ago. I thought you felt the same way, but I was wrong. We had plans to go separate ways that night to pack our belongings. You told me you’d meet me at my hotel, and we were going to live here together. I waited, but you never showed...”

  “Why didn’t you get an annulment?”

  “I assumed you did. I waited three days for you to come back to me. When I realized that you weren’t coming, I came back here. Never, in a thousand years, did I think you wouldn’t have fixed the mistake.” Her back was turned but Alex could tell that she was crying. He knew it was wrong to let her think that her husband was away, but he never forgot that moment when they wed so long ago. He loved her then. To see her at his doorstep made him want to love her all over again. He got his second chance but at a high cost. That day she arrived, he wasn't sure if it was her but almost immediately learned that it was. Alex couldn't let her go. He sat there quietly and waited for her next words.

  “You wasted so much of my time already.” She turned around and set her eyes on the table. Alex saw the papers laying there with a pen. “My things are packed, and I'm leaving right now. Sign those, Alex. The game is over.” She stormed off to go get her bags out of the bedroom.