by Ivy Jordan
A slow growl rolled from Liam’s throat and out his lips as his fingers sunk into my soft flesh. The throb was intoxicating as his cock calmed after the powerful eruption.
I placed my head on his shoulder, taking a moment to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. His arms were warm around me, making me feel safe, secure, and loved. At that moment, I thought I could stay in his arms forever.
No. He’ll leave. What are you thinking, Alyssa?
I scolded myself for letting this happen, for getting so close, letting my heart open once again. This is the man that left me, that didn’t come back for me—the man that broke my heart.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice thick and delicious.
My body had gone from limp to tense, and I was pulling away from his grip, sliding from his cock, to the driveway outside his truck.
“My shorts,” I whispered, pointing to them lying in the seat beside him, suddenly aware of how quiet it was out here, and how loud we must’ve been.
I felt sick to my stomach. I felt stupid.
“You want to come inside?” he finally asked, probably realizing the magic of the spell was gone, at least for me.
“I have to get home. I told my mom I would be right back,” I stammered, sliding into my shorts.
I didn’t say goodbye, or even look back, I just ran to my house, praying that the breeze would blow off his scent that was clogging all of my pores.
Chapter Fifteen
Liam
My head was reeling from the night as morning closed in on me. What the fuck had happened?
The sex was hot, not just mutual, but initiated by Alyssa. So why did she take off?
I reached through the sheet, grabbed my phone from the nightstand, and stared at the screen. No calls. No texts. Nothing.
The last texts were from Holly, where I’d checked on her after Alyssa ignored my calls, texts, and finally turned off her phone.
All she told me was her grandmother was there, that her mom and she were arguing, and she thought it was about Bruce. I wasn’t going to tell her she was wrong.
I sat up, debating on trying to contact Alyssa again, but ultimately decided not to. It’s best to leave it alone. She was pretty riled up last night. She’d come here to tell me to leave her alone, and then, fuck, I couldn’t quit thinking about the rest.
I tossed on a t-shirt, slid back into my jeans, and headed out the front door. The sun was shining, the wind blowing a sweet, cool breeze, and I knew working in the flower garden would ease my mind from thoughts of Alyssa.
“Hey, neighbor,” Bill greeted me with a cup of coffee in his hand.
I looked up from the garden, sweat already beading down between my shirt and flesh from the sun.
“Hey,” I smiled, unsure if he’d heard the scene in my truck last night.
“That garden’s looking good. Almost as good as when your mom tended to it,” he offered with a smile.
I stood up, pushed the shovel to the house to lean, and tried to read my neighbor's expression. He was good, a great poker face, leaving me no room to speculate on what he knew or what he didn’t.
“Thanks,” I replied, dusting off my gloves before shedding them from my hands.
“Looks like you got an early morning visitor,” Bill said, nodding in the direction behind me.
I turned to see Holly, walking briskly towards my house, her expression very easy to read. Upset.
“Pipsqueak, what are you doing here?” I questioned.
It was early, too early for her to be out running the roads. Alyssa had warned me that she didn’t like her walking to my house without permission, even though it was only a few blocks. The neighborhood was fine, and Holly was old enough, mature enough, but it bothered her mother, so I knew she came without permission.
“I had to get out of that house,” she sighed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Mom is acting crazy. One minute she’s sad, then she’s pissed, and grandma keeps telling her ‘I told you so.’ It’s nuts,” she gushed.
“So she doesn’t know you’re here?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Holly shook her head, and then looked up at Bill, smiling with that sweet face that made it hard to be upset with her.
“It’s probably just about last night,” I consoled her with a hand to the top of her head.
“No. It’s not Bruce. I heard your name,” Holly warned.
My stomach flipped upside down. This was not what I wanted at all. I could picture Maria in there now, shaking her finger at her daughter, telling her she was foolish. I dreaded the outcome, the lashing I’d get for this, even though it wasn’t entirely my doing, was it? Fuck, I guessed it was. I ordered the flowers, which made Alyssa call and make plans with Bruce. I shoved sugar in his gas tank, causing him not to show up for their date, and then I asked her for ice cream. It was like a well-orchestrated plan, but it wasn’t just my doing. Holly had a hand in it, and Bill. It was what was best for her, wasn’t it? Or was it just what was best for me?
“It’s okay,” I smiled down at the daughter who was growing so fast she’d be as tall as me soon.
“It’s not okay. She sounded really angry. Why was she mentioning your name? Did she find out about the gas tank?” Holly gasped.
“No. We just-uh, we had an argument last night, that’s all,” I admitted.
Bill let out a laugh, one that he couldn’t control. Great, so he did hear everything and probably saw plenty as well.
“About what?” Holly demanded.
“It’s nothing. We’ll get it sorted out, I promise. But, now, you have to get home; I’m calling your mother,” I insisted.
I went into the house, leaving Holly in the front yard with Bill. I watched out the window as they talked, wondering what they were discussing. Surely, Bill wouldn’t divulge any details of our encounter to an eleven-year-old.
My phone was lit up: two missed calls from Holly, and three from Alyssa.
I dialed Alyssa’s number, figuring she was willing to answer now that she wanted to know where Holly had gone off to.
“Hello?” she answered, her voice somewhat frantic.
“She’s here,” I replied calmly.
“What the hell is she doing there?” Alyssa growled.
“She said she just wanted away from the yelling there this morning,” I told her.
There was a pause of silence.
“I don’t like her taking off like that, even if it is close; she can’t just go there whenever she wants,” Alyssa scolded.
“I told her the same thing,” I assured her.
“Bring her back here, please,” Alyssa requested with a stern voice that made it sound more like an order than a request.
“Sure. Are things settled down there? She can stay here until they are, if not,” I offered.
“Bring my daughter home, now,” Alyssa growled.
“Our daughter, but only if things are calmer there,” I argued.
“They’re fine,” Alyssa snapped.
It didn’t sound like she had resolved any of her anger. I could hear Maria in the background rambling about how I had no right to keep Holly there. What the fuck? I hadn’t done anything. I called her, told her, and even scolded Holly for walking over here, even though I felt like she had a right to in this instance.
Her mother was acting crazy.
“Do you want to see me?” I asked.
“No,” Alyssa said quickly.
“I think we should talk,” I pushed.
“There’s nothing to talk about. Just bring Holly home,” she demanded.
I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and then walked outside.
“I’m taking you home, kiddo,” I announced.
Bill smiled, first at me, and then towards Holly.
“You have to listen to your mother, young lady,” he said sweetly.
“But, you’re my dad; why can’t you make the rules?” she aimed her question towards me, with giant blu
e eyes that filled with confusion.
“It’s not that simple,” I admitted.
“You’ve spent a lot of time trying to get your mom and dad back together. Don’t start acting up and mess things before they have a chance to get started,” Bill warned.
I smiled.
“That’s right. We have to do whatever she says. Make her happy,” I grinned.
It pulled a smile to Holly’s face. I knew it gave her hope that things may still work. I still had hope. I wasn’t ready to give up that easily, especially now, after that feeling was so strong in my truck. She had feelings for me; even now, it was clear.
Chapter Sixteen
Alyssa
Watching Liam walk up the sidewalk with Holly’s hand in his had my mind reeling. I loved seeing them together and had even dreamt about what it would’ve been like if we’d stayed together, or at least if I’d told him the truth.
“What are you daydreaming about?” Maria asked.
I looked up at my mother, her hair in a tight bun and her makeup perfectly applied.
“Where are you going?” I questioned.
“We have a meeting at church,” my mother replied.
A meeting; yeah, right. It was a single’s mixer, Saturday night get-together for all the single ladies, and usually one single man, two if they were lucky.
“Why do you go to those things?” I asked.
Maria looked frazzled, which was a rare look for her to display.
“It’s just a meeting. It gets me out of the house,” she stammered.
“There’s never any men there,” I stated, letting her know I was aware that it wasn’t a meeting as she’d like me to believe.
She’d been going to them since I was a young girl, probably about Holly’s age. There were no men, at least not any that were worth having.
“You’re a beautiful woman. You should try mingling outside of this town,” I scolded.
“Oh, yeah, because the next town over is much better. Maybe I can meet a Bruce of my own,” she snorted, pushing her hand on her hip.
“They’re not all Bruces,” I smiled.
“Yeah, some of them are Montes, or Liams, and they leave,” she snorted.
I hadn’t heard her use my dad’s name in years.
“Liam was going into the Navy; he didn’t just leave,” I retorted.
“Oh, so now you’re defending him after twelve years of not coming back?” Maria growled.
“I’m not defending him,” I argued.
“Sounds like it to me. Maybe there was more than just a kiss between you two,” she insinuated.
I didn’t want to admit to my mother I’d thrown myself at him, that I’d let him pull me into his truck and fuck me. She knew I was upset when I came home, so I had to tell her something, something close to the truth.
“I told you there was something between you two, that everyone saw it, not just me, not just Bruce,” she warned.
“Quit saying you told me so,” I snapped, just as Holly walked into the kitchen.
She carried her overnight bag and a pillow. Her eyes rolled at the argument that seemed to never end between her grandmother and me.
“I’m going to Kelly’s,” she said softly.
“Okay. Call me if you need anything,” I said, reaching for her to pull her into my chest for a hug.
“Her house is closer to dad’s; shouldn’t I just call him?” she asked.
Maria glared at me with cold black eyes.
“Sure, whoever you want to call, just be sure I know what’s going on,” I said, knowing it infuriated my mother.
Holly left, and even though the anger was visible in my mother’s eyes, she didn’t start the fight back up.
“I’ll see you in church tomorrow,” she hissed, and with that, she was gone.
I was grateful for the peace and quiet. The house was empty, and I was alone, left with only my thoughts.
My mother was cynical, especially about men. They weren’t all going to leave, and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t end up being like Bruce.
It wasn’t Liam’s fault that he didn’t know about Holly. It wasn’t his choice to leave her: only me. He left me. I had to remember that, to not forget it, as my heart ached for him now.
He could leave again, and that I couldn’t forgive or forget. It was too risky to chance. My heart couldn’t handle that pain again, this time worse.
But that sex. Wow. He had something that other men didn’t, something that Bruce didn’t. Just that short bout, it was enough to make up for all the mediocre and bad drunken sex I’d had with Bruce.
Why did he make me feel so good?
It didn’t matter. It had to end.
I’d been lying on the couch, daydreaming about Liam, contemplating how to handle my feelings, and time just got away.
It was nearly midnight. My phone was tucked by my side, Liam’s number ready to dial, but I couldn’t do it. I had to see him to tell him once and for all, it was over. He made his choice twelve years ago.
I made sure to put on a bra this time but didn’t bother to change form my t-shirt and sweatpants. My face had been washed hours ago, no makeup, and my hair was pulled into a tight ponytail on top of my head. There was no way he could accuse me of showing up looking a certain way of wanting his attention. Not this time.
My hand trembled as I lifted it to his door. I started to turn, to walk away, forgetting the speech I’d played out in my mind when a light turned on inside.
My heart beat hard against my chest as the door handle turned, and before I could run away, it was open, Liam standing in the doorway.
He wore a pair of boxers, red with a white band, and nothing else. My God, his body was perfection: chiseled, tan, and muscular. My knees started to weaken, and my throat started to close, itching profusely as I tried to swallow.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice calming and delicious.
“I-uh,” I stuttered, and then cleared my throat.
“Come inside,” he offered, standing out of the way.
“No,” I said sternly, louder than I intended. “I need to talk to you,” I said.
“Obviously,” he chuckled.
“This isn’t funny. Do you think this is funny?” my voice lifted to what sounded like a yell in the quiet of the night.
“Relax. Of course I don’t think this is funny, whatever this is. I just don’t know what’s going on with you,” he said.
What’s going on with me? Really?
“You broke my heart,” I sniffled, tears beginning to form in my eyes.
I couldn’t control the salty moisture dripping down my cheeks. I didn’t come here to cry. This was not what I was here for.
“Alyssa, please don’t cry,” he said with a smooth, soothing voice.
“You can’t just come back here and act like nothing ever changed,” I yelled.
“Shhh,” he looked towards his neighbor’s house.
“I don’t care who hears. This is a small town, Liam. Everyone already knows, I’m certain of that,” I shouted.
“Seriously, Alyssa, let’s talk inside,” he pleaded.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You need to stop,” I growled.
“Stop what?” he snapped, his tone strong and forcefully surprising. “I came back here for a job, Alyssa. I find out I have a daughter, seriously, a fucking daughter that no one told me about, not even you,” he snarled.
“You left,” I cried.
“I went into the military. I couldn’t fathom the idea of you here, waiting on me, worrying about me, not after…” he stopped, sighed deep and hard.
I watched his chest lift and then sink back down. His pecs were large and firm, and a few hairs grew above them, new hairs. He didn’t have those when he left. He was a boy when he’d gone off to the Navy. Now, he was a man.
“After?” I questioned, already knowing the answer.
“After you lost your brother. It changed you; it changed us,” he said calmly.
“You could’ve come back; if you loved me, you would’ve come back,” I snapped.
“I thought you’d moved on, that you were happy with a family,” he sighed.
“Well, I wasn’t. And you didn’t come back. So, now, you can’t just waltz back into my life and act like we’re fine,” I yelled.
He laughed. He tried to hide it, to stop it, but he couldn’t. He fucking laughed.
“You need to quit laughing at me,” I shouted.
“Shhhh. Get in the house,” he demanded.
“No. You don’t get to tell me what to do,” I yelled.
He reached out, snatching my arm, gripping it tightly in his large hand.
“You’re the one who attacked me in my truck, the one who’s standing here at my door at midnight looking the way you do,” he bit his bottom lip.
“‘Looking the way I do?’ I didn’t put any makeup on, I’m wearing the ugliest t-shirt I own, and my hair is in a freaking ponytail,” I rebutted.
“And you’re still irresistible,” he chuckled.
“Stop,” I yelled out.
Liam quickly covered my mouth with his free hand, using the other that was latched onto me to pull me inside. The door slammed behind me, and suddenly I was alone with Liam, in his house, at midnight on a Saturday night.
“I’m going home,” I scoffed.
“Are you?” he asked, releasing my arm.
I brushed it off, gave him a smirk, and then just stood there in front of him, my legs not moving, nothing on my body cooperating with getting me out of this house, away from him.
“Then go. I’m not stopping you,” he smiled.
Nothing. My legs were frozen in the spot where they stood. My eyes were locked onto his chest. I could see it rising, his heart beating so fast. Was he excited, angry, or turned on?
The emotional concrete that bonded me that spot started to crack, and suddenly I was in his arms, not turning towards the door. Our mouths pressed together, our tongues swirling viciously with long strokes, and our hands searched one another’s bodies like starving blind men searching for food.
My hands on the warmth of his flesh made my entire body tingle. He was much more muscular as a man than he’d been as a boy. I loved how my fingers traced through the ripples of his muscles along his sides, his abs, and his chest.
