Until I Found You: A Second Chance Standalone Romance (Heart's Compass Book 3)

by Brooke O'Brien

  She narrows her eyes at me, stepping out from behind the tree. Her hands are planted firmly on her hips, clearly not amused.

  “Are you mocking me?”

  “Me? Mock you?” I laugh, holding my hand up against my chest. “I wouldn’t dare.”

  She huffs at the sight of my smirk.

  “C’mon, Halle, just let me give you a kiss. A little sweat now will make up for the misery you’d be putting yourself through later,” I joke.

  I take a step toward her, then another. I get a foot away from her before she attempts to bolt again. Reaching out, I grab her by her arm and pull her back to me.

  “Oh, Graham, you’re wet,” she cries, her back pressed against my chest as I lean forward kissing her neck.

  “Oh my God, you’re so gross.” She laughs, feigning that she’s mad and hates it but the giggles that ensue tell a different story.

  “Don’t try to run from me again, Halle Keegan. I let you go once, I’m not going to let it happen again,” I growl, kissing her neck.

  “Promise?”

  “You’re damn right I promise. I’m never letting you go.”

  Wrapping my arms like a band around her waist, I hold her close to me and she melts into me at those words.

  “You’re lucky I like you,” she whispers, and I moan in appreciation.

  She turns in my arms, giving into me and finally letting me kiss her. We are lost in our own world, like we always are, when Halle breaks her lips apart taking a step away from me.

  “Do you smell that?” She looks frantic, looking over at the house scanning across the yard, then back to me.

  “Smell what?”

  “You don’t smell that?” she asks, looking concerned. “It smells like something’s burning.”

  The words are no more out of her mouth when the sound of an explosion hits. Flames erupt toward the side of the garage.

  Panic surges through me, quickly replaced with adrenaline. I hear Halle cry my name, as I run over toward where the fire hits.

  “Halle, I need you to get my mom out of the house. Now. Hurry.”

  Halle races over to the deck and up the stairs. “Call 911!” I yell, as she disappears inside.

  Flames burst from the garbage cans sitting along the side of the garage. Thankfully I already had the hose out, watering the flowers in the backyard. Grabbing it from where it lies on the ground, I spray water on the fire, doing everything I can to stop it from spreading. I just want Halle and my mom to get out of there.

  “Graham, they’re coming!” Halle shouts, standing in the street. I see my mom across the street in our neighbors’ yard, her hand covering her mouth.

  The tightness in my chest eases seeing they are both safe as sirens blare, approaching.

  It all happens so quickly. Firefighters, police officers, and EMT workers show up.

  Just like that, I’m pulled back to the night of Gage’s accident as I run across the street, wrapping my mom and Halle in a hug. Watching as they furiously work to put out the fire, I picture the red and blue lights flashing in my face that night. The same burning sensation in my lungs as I struggled through every breath.

  I whisper in my mom’s ear that I love her and pull Halle in a hug pressing a kiss against her temple. Our earlier banter is gone, as she wraps her arms around me holding me against her. Her body trembles in my arms, the adrenaline we both feel running high. I rub my hand over her back, reassuring her it’s okay.

  I’m reminded how life can change in a moment’s notice. Holding the two women I love more than anything close to me, I vow once again to myself and to God, I will give my last breath before I’d ever let anything happen to them.

  Twenty-One

  Halle

  Graham: Got plans tonight? Thinking about hitting up the races with the guys. Wanna join? Wes is gonna talk to Kins about coming too.

  A smile breaks out across my face at the thought of seeing him. We used to go to the races all the time growing up. In fact, we all thought Wes was going to be the next big star to hit motocross until he injured his back right after high school. It was devastating to him, something I think still bothers him to this day.

  I shoot back a text telling him I’m there and he replies saying to be ready in thirty minutes. I check the clock, seeing it’s already after six. It’s crazy how fast the day has flown by. Although I feel like I’ve been milling around in a cloud since I got home.

  Spending the weekend with Graham was totally unexpected but meant everything to me. Although I still haven’t been able to get my mind off the fire at his mom’s house. I keep thinking about what could’ve happened had we not been there. What if it would’ve spread to her house and she didn’t know it until it was too late?

  I shake myself from my thoughts, pressing my fingers against my forehead massaging them.

  “You okay?” Kinsley asks, catching me off guard.

  “Yeah, just thinking about how bad the fire at Sandy’s house could’ve been had we not been there.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she says, bending her knee on the edge of my bed. The look on her face matches mine. She understands the worry I feel thinking about all Sandy’s been through and now to add this to the situation.

  “I’m sure it’s okay. I mean, really, who would try to do something to Sandy? She’s the sweetest woman in town. I’m sure after they investigate it, everything will be fine.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” I sigh, walking over to my closet looking for a change of clothes.

  “Wes just texted me about heading down to the track to watch the races. He mentioned you and Graham are coming with.” She smiles. I know she’s loving how much time we’re spending together, but even more that we’re all now doing things together again.

  “Yeah, he said he’s going to be here to pick me up in a bit.”

  Clapping her hands together, she jumps to her feet. “Yay, that makes me so happy.”

  She bounces around the room gleefully, pausing to check herself out in the mirror.

  “I’m going to change quick and head over to Wes’s to meet up with him. We’ll see you down there shortly then.” She reaches up and starts gathering her long dark hair into a ponytail. She checks her reflection as she ties her hair back, before she pecks a kiss against my cheek and flounces out the door.

  I spend the next few minutes busying myself with getting ready too. The warm August sun will start to set here soon. When the sun goes down and the night sky takes over, it will get chilly. I grab a hoodie out of my closet and opt for a fitted T-shirt, denim shorts, and my Chucks.

  After spending a few minutes styling my hair in a messy bun, I’m right on time when I hear the doorbell ringing. I don’t bother checking who it is, as I swing the door open and smile up at Graham.

  The look on his face is all serious and I realize my error in that exact moment. I almost want to slam the door in his face and do it all over again.

  “Halle,” he growls.

  “Whoops.” I lock my jaw, forcing a smile through gritted teeth.

  “What did I tell you about checking who it is before you just swing the door open? What if it wasn’t me?”

  “I knew it was you.” I grin, wrapping my hand into the front of his shirt and pulling him inside.

  I wrap my hands around his waist, holding him close to me as I press my face against his chest. At the risk of looking like a total weirdo, I take a deep breath and inhale him in. He smells so good. Woodsy, like he just spent the afternoon in a forest cutting down trees.

  His strong arms surround me, and I just want to get lost in the feeling of being close to him. You’d think it’s been months, not just a few hours, since we stood exactly like this. I don’t know if I’ll ever get enough of him after being apart for so long.

  “I missed you,” he whispers against the side of my head and I don’t hold back the grin that takes over my face.

  It’s like he was reading my thoughts, knowing how much I missed being away from him.

&nb
sp; “I missed you.” I smile, tilting my head back so I can stare at him.

  He winks at me, pressing a kiss against my mouth. Running my palms over his firm chest, I wrap my hand around the base of his neck and hold him to me. When his tongue brushes along my lower lip, seeking entrance, I don’t even hesitate to let him in.

  And just like that I’m lost in this moment with him again. When our lips break apart, we stand here with his forehead pressed against mine as we both work to regain our breath.

  “How was your day?”

  I wait for him to answer, all while thinking about how crazy I’ll probably look to him when I tell him how I literally couldn’t keep my mind off him all day. How I was tuning out my clients when they talked, thinking back about our time in the dining room followed by our long night together in his bed.

  “Busy,” he says, running the palms of his hands over his eyes. The fatigue I noticed the night of the wedding is still there. It hurts a little thinking about how different his day probably was for him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Just a lot going on at the office. Then, the fire chief stopped by to talk to me about the fire at my mom’s.”

  The mention of the fire piques my interest, as I pull him behind me into the living room. I urge him to sit down beside me on the couch, taking his hand waiting to hear what he says next.

  Not liking the way we’re seated, he scoots back and picks up my legs so they’re laying across his lap before wrapping his hands back around mine. I rest my head on his shoulder, as I wait for him to continue.

  “They confirmed it was arson,” he sighs.

  Sitting up, I look at him. I know they were going to investigate it, and despite the worry in the back of my mind, I still expected them to come back with a different answer.

  “Do they have any suspects?” Immediately my mind jumps back to our conversation about Krate and what he told me the other night. I imagine someone trying to hurt Sandy and it kills me to think about the extent they would be willing to go now to do so.

  “They do,” he says, pausing as he looks at me. “Apparently they think it’s some kid who lives nearby. He was caught doing the same thing last month at a house down behind Brodie’s.”

  “Do you believe them?”

  He looks over at me, and I see the answers in his eyes. This is what is wearing on him. He doesn’t believe it for a second.

  “Not at all. I can’t help but think it has to do with Krate and his guys. After that night he bothered you outside of Hudson’s, we think he’s been trying to send a message for us to back off him. We know something is about to go down, we’re just not sure what. He’s trying to scare us into backing down.”

  “Graham,” I say, confirming my earlier fears. What lengths are they willing to go to try and get them to back down?

  “Halle, do you trust me to always keep you safe?”

  Squeezing his hands in mine, I hold them up to my mouth as I press a kiss against his skin. He leans forward and presses a kiss against my lips. I want to get lost in him right now. I want to forget about the world outside my doorstep and just stay here, just the two of us, forever.

  “Do you trust me?” he asks, as our lips break apart.

  “You know I do,” I whisper. I realize then that I do. Despite everything that happened between us before, I do believe he’s always done right by me. We may not always agree on what that means, but I do believe he wants to keep me safe and protect me.

  “Good, I need you to trust me right now. I would never let anything happen to you or my mom. I’d go down fighting, I’d give my very last breath before I’d ever let anyone hurt you.”

  Tears form in my eyes because even though I know without a doubt he means what he says, I hope it would never come to that.

  He presses his hand against the side of my face, running his thumb underneath my eyes to catch a tear trailing down my cheek.

  “Don’t cry, baby. You’re too beautiful to be crying.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper, running the palms of my hands over my face. “I’m okay, I promise.”

  Taking a deep breath, I flash Graham a hesitant smile as he moves my legs to stand.

  “C’mon, let’s forget everything and go have some fun.”

  He holds his hands out in front of me and I grab them, as he pulls me to stand with him. As soon as I’m standing, he wraps his arms around me in a hug as he whispers “I promise” into my ear before grabbing my hand again and pulling me alongside him over to the front door.

  The excitement I had felt earlier feels like it’s been sucked right out of me.

  “Do you think we should still go? What about your mom? Maybe we should go over and stay with her for a little bit.”

  “Halle, I promise you she’s alright. I have eyes on her place right now. I need you to trust me,” he whispers.

  Hearing him mention he has eyes on her right now, my mind drifts to when I was outside Hudson’s, the night I ran into Krate and how quickly it seemed like Maverick swooped in and ran him off.

  I can’t help but wonder if he has eyes on me too. He just promised he would go down fighting to protect us both and to keep us safe. It dawns on me there are times when we are not together, and I wonder if he’s protecting me from a distance when that’s the case.

  “Now c’mon,” he says, swatting at my butt as he winks at me. “Let’s get moving.”

  My eyes narrow at him, challenging him which earns me a laugh. He’s in for it alright.

  Standing in the entryway, I prop my foot up on the bench and slip on my shoe, leaning forward to tie it.

  Glancing over my shoulder at Graham, I watch the way he stares at me. His eyes eat up every inch of my lower body. He’s always had a thing for my legs, that goes back to our days in high school.

  Clearing my throat, his eyes dart up to mine and he realizes then he’s been busted. He doesn’t even argue how he was blatantly staring at me. Picking up my other shoe, I move to slip it on and bend forward once again to tie it.

  “We’re not going to get very far if you keep looking at me like that.”

  “Tell me, how exactly am I looking at you right now?”

  “Like you want to bend me over this bench and forget every plan we had made for tonight.”

  Without a word, his body is pressed against my back, leaving little room between us as his arms band around me holding me to him. One hand is wrapped around my lower body, skating along the waist of my denim shorts while the other is draped over my chest, his palm holding the curve of my breast in his hand.

  “Don’t tempt me, Halle,” he whispers in my ear, running his nose over my cheek before he presses a kiss there.

  I know I’m challenging him, pushing him to follow through with his warning. Sticking my ass out farther, I rotate my hips just enough to rock back and forth over him. I bite my lip to keep from moaning when I feel how turned on he is already.

  “God, you drive me fucking crazy.”

  He reaches up, grabbing my jaw in his hand as his other arm is still wrapped tightly around my waist. Moving my face to look at him, he presses a kiss hard against my mouth swallowing my groan.

  I rub my ass against him again, wanting more. I whisper “c’mon” to him earning me another deep growl. I want to grin, loving his reaction to me. I think back to the other night and how he has continued to take care of me, pleasure me.

  The thought of me on my knees in front of him, like he was with me, giving him every ounce of pleasure and hearing his moans in response to how I’m making him feel has my body breaking out in tingles.

  I reach my hand out behind my back, flexing my hand around his steel length. He lets out a deep hiss and hearing how much it’s driving him wild only urges me forward.

  “You’re tempting me,” he grits out, as my hand continues to jack him through his denim pants.

  “I know,” I breathe out, tilting my head back onto his shoulder. The move gives him better access to my neck and he goes in for the
attack sucking and nipping every inch of skin. I know without a doubt that he’s leaving a mark and I love it.

  His grip on me loosens and I move to turn so I’m facing him, adjusting my hand but never stopping the steady rhythm of my hand jerking him up and down.

  “Halle,” he warns, and I know he’s telling me he’s close.

  I drop down to my knees in front of him. The move takes him by surprise, causing his eyes to widen and I can’t help but smile gleefully at his reaction.

  Undoing the button and sliding the zipper down, I wrap my fingers into his boxer briefs as I tug them forcefully down his legs freeing him from the confines of his pants. Dear God, he’s a fucking sight to see, as his hard length bobs in front of me.

  Wrapping my hand around him again, I circle my lips around the head and take him deep into my mouth. Feeling him bump against the back of my throat, I moan around him. The vibrations have him muttering out a curse, as his fingers wrap around my chin holding me close to him.

  I add suction as I pull back before I force him deep in my throat again. I pick up the pace, keeping the same movement over and over. His fingers wrap around my head, but he’s careful not to tangle them into my hair, as he moans repeatedly. Seeing how he reacts to me, how tight his body is wound up, I want to practically beg him to let me taste him.

  I don’t let up and I can tell he’s close when he locks his legs and shouts my name. He’s warning me again, only this time I know he’s telling me he’s close. I don’t stop though, and he moans in appreciation, followed by a deep “fuuuck.”

  His body vibrate with release, as I hold onto his thighs. His hips piston in and out of my mouth, until they finally come to a stop. His legs almost give out as he moves to sit on the bench seat in front of me.

  He leans forward, wrapping his hand around my chin, pressing a hard kiss against my mouth. Leaning back, I run my finger over my chin before sliding my finger into my mouth.

  Graham watches me in awe, before he presses another deep kiss against my lips.

  “You are trouble,” he moans, kissing me again. “Fucking trouble.”

  I want to laugh because I feel like I’m right there with him.