by E. L. Todd
When I was at work, all I could think about was him. I didn’t respond to emails in a timely manner, and I forgot a few appointments altogether. I was falling apart with every passing day.
My apartment was hollow and lifeless without his laugh. And when I lay in bed, I tried to pretend he was beside me, wrapped around me. It was if a piece of my heart had died and now the rest of my body wasn’t getting enough blood.
Troy came to me in my dreams, and sometimes they were explicit. I missed feeling his tongue run along my body, I missed his face between my legs, and I missed the way he made love to me, giving me all the pleasure another man never could.
I missed everything.
Perhaps my emotions weren’t justified. Maybe I was being unfair. I reexamined everything I once believed in. Did it really matter if he still had feelings for her? It was obvious he didn’t anymore.
Unable to sit still and let another day without him pass me by, I went to his apartment. Once I was outside the door, I stood there and forgot how to knock. Minutes passed and I didn’t know what to say. Should I apologize? Should I say anything? Could we just move on?
I finally found the strength to knock, and when I did, it was much louder than I meant it to be. My hands were shaking and out of my control. Self-consciously, I touched my hair and wondered if he was staring at me through the peephole. A minute passed and he didn’t answer. I knocked again and feared he was mad at me. Maybe I waited too long. After I knocked a third time, I called him.
It immediately went to voicemail.
Why was his phone off? If he wasn’t home, where was he? I called the one person who would know.
Rhett answered immediately. “Hey, Harper. What can I do for you?”
“I’m looking for Troy. Do you know where he is?”
“Why?” he asked calmly.
“I want to see him.” My voice came out weak. “He’s not home and his phone is off.”
“He wanted some time alone, I think.”
“Please tell me, Rhett.”
He paused for a while. “You really can’t figure out where he would go?”
Then it hit me. “The beach house?”
“Bingo.”
His Maserati was in the driveway when I arrived. The house looked quiet, like nothing was happening inside. Instead of knocking, I walked around the side since I assumed he would be outside. When I reached the porch, I saw him sitting in the sand a few feet away. He was staring out at the ocean, the breeze moving through his short hair.
I stood still and watched him, seeing the sadness on his face. His lips were pressed hard together like he was tense. His body didn’t carry the strength it usually did. Now he was slouching, like he was exhausted from carrying an invisible weight on his shoulders.
I eyed the pool behind him, and then an idea came to me. I tiptoed behind him then removed my clothes and set them in a pile on a chair. I stuck a toe in the water and realized it was fairly warm. Then I waded inside and put my hair in a bun. “Hey, you want to go skinny-dipping?”
Troy’s head snapped backwards and he looked at me in surprise. His eyes darted to the chair where he saw the clothes sitting in a pile. Then he turned back to me. There was no amusement in his eyes, just surprise.
“Come on,” I said. “Live a little.” I gave him a teasing smile, trying to recreate the first time we were here.
He stared at me for a long time before he left the sand and approached the pool. He reached the edge of the concrete then look down.
I covered my goodies. “I ain’t showing you nothing until you show me yours.”
A light smile upturned the corner of his mouth. The happiness didn’t reach his eyes, but at least he made some sort of reaction. He pealed off his clothes until he was naked then he slid into the pool. “Now let me see.”
I lowered my hands and bobbed in the water.
When I looked into the water, I saw his definition. At least he was hard for me.
“Cold, sweetheart?” The cocky grin stretched his lips.
I looked down at my hard nipples. “Why don’t you keep me warm?”
His eyes flashed in excitement. “I would love to.” He came closer to me then pulled me against his chest. My arms moved around his waist and I felt his hard cock against my stomach. Our faces were pressed close together, and now he couldn’t hide the deep sadness on his face.
Heartbeats passed, and within minutes, they synced up together. They were both dangerously slow.
“I’m sorry.” He looked into my eyes as he said it. “But I’m miserable without you and I don’t even know who I am anymore. I was broken when Alexia left me but…this is a million times worse. And that’s because you really are the one, and you’ve always been the one.” Sincerity shined in his eyes and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. “If you forgive me, I promise I’ll be the man you want me to be. I’ll give you everything, things you didn’t even know you wanted. You make me so happy and I don’t want to go on without you. I don’t want to find someone else and try to forget about you. You’ll always be the one who got away, and I’ll never be able to love someone else the way they deserve. So…please give me another chance.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt my breasts against his chest. “I forgive you.”
His chest expanded with a deep breath. “You still love me?”
“Always.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his bearings after this announcement. He held me closer, like I might slip away. “So, we can start over?”
“I don’t want to start over.”
His eyes were filled with confusion.
“I want to pick up where we left off.”
Finally, joy radiated in his eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and let it linger for a long time.
He closed his eyes at the touch, like the heat of the kiss burned him.
I pulled away then rubbed my nose against his. Our bodies were combined together and our souls were connected. Our heartbeats sounded in our chest, reminding us we were alive. I didn’t want to be sad anymore. I pushed Troy away when I shouldn’t, and I missed him after all these weeks apart. “Have you ever had sex in a pool?”
The cocky smug stretched his lips. “Why do you ask, Perfect Ten?”
“Because I never have. And I’d like to try.”
“Yeah?” He continued to smirk as he guided me against the wall of the pool. He pinned me back and hooked his arms under my legs, separating them. “You’re in for a wet surprise.” His eyes lightened at his own pun.
“Good one,” I teased.
He chuckled then positioned himself before he moved inside. Then he turned serious, like he was looking at me for the first time in years. “I love you, Harper. And I want to love you forever.”
My heart ached at his words. “I love you too. And I will love you forever.”
Also by E. L. Todd
This job is easy because I never get attached. It takes a lot to impress me, and so far, no one has ever impressed me.
Until I have a one-night stand on New Year's Eve...with one hell of a woman.
When I wake up the next morning to take her to breakfast, she's gone. She left a note, but not her name.
But fate steps in...and now she's my new client.
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