by E. L. Todd
“But would it have really changed anything? If you’d known sooner, would you have interacted with him differently?”
“I sure as hell wouldn’t have snapped at him.” We went head-to-head, and I lost my temper a few times. My tongue had its own mind and said a lot of unforgiving things. “I definitely would have treaded a lot more lightly if I’d known he may be my future father-in-law.” I was so angry, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I spat out whatever came to mind, and that comment went soaring. There wasn’t time to cover it up or make excuses. I just let it roll.
Volt didn’t react to it. If he did, he hid it well. “I can’t take back what I did. It’s done. Can we move forward?”
“No.” I was stubborn and unwilling to let go of my rage—not yet. “I’m still pissed at you for lying to me.”
“I never lied.” He took a step closer to me, his eyes softening in fear. “It was a difficult situation, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I kept putting it off until it resolved itself.”
“Resolved itself?” I raised an eyebrow. “Volt, it hasn’t resolved itself. Now I’m just aware of the problem and don’t know how to fix it. When he finds out, he’s going to be in the same position I’m in now. And you really thought Natalie wouldn’t tell me?”
He growled under his breath. “I knew it was her…”
“Don’t blame her. She assumed I already knew, and when I didn’t know anything, it was pretty embarrassing. My own boyfriend didn’t tell me his father is my boss.”
He rubbed the back of his neck again.
I’d said what I needed to say, and his answers weren’t sufficient. I arrived angry, and I was leaving even angrier. Smoke was burning from my nostrils, and I didn’t want to look at him anymore. “Goodbye, Volt.” I made my grand exit without looking back, slamming the door behind me.
I could deal with his past coming back to bite us because I was aware of the situation. He didn’t hide anything from me just to keep me happy. We were a team that knew everything about each other. But this was different.
He left me alone—in the dark.
***
Natalie stared at me across the table. It was one of the rare times I saw her outside of work and her lips were free. She stirred her drink while keeping her eyes trained on me.
It’d been two days since Volt and I spoke. He didn’t try to talk to me because he knew I was pissed. He needed to give this some time to blow over. If I looked at him again, I would just throw another tantrum.
“So…still mad?” Natalie asked gently.
“Pissed.”
“Well, give him some credit. It was a difficult situation.”
“Difficult situation?” I snapped. “He was just never going to tell me. He was going to introduce me to his father and watch us deck it out.”
“That’s not true,” she said. “He definitely would have told you then.”
“He planned to introduce me to his parents without giving me any warning. It wasn’t until we got to the wedding that we found out his father had food poisoning. So don’t make excuses for him.” I snatched my drink off the table and took a long drink.
“At least he had good intentions.”
“And what good intentions are those?”
“He wanted to protect your relationship above all else. By keeping it a secret, it stopped outside problems from affecting what you have. He’s wanted you for so long that he wasn’t going to let anything compromise your chance to be together. If you think about it, it’s actually pretty romantic…”
“We have different definitions of romantic.” I stirred my glass, mixing the alcohol together.
“Does this really change anything?” she asked. “You aren’t walking away, right?”
I may be pissed, but I wasn’t crazy. Volt was the best thing that ever happened to me, besides this little episode. “Of course not. But I don’t know how this is going to work with his family. His dad doesn’t like me, and I’m pretty sure he’ll never like me.”
“That shouldn’t matter. Volt wants to be with you, so they’ll shut their mouths.”
“But will they?” I whispered. “He’s their oldest son.”
“Volt will make them shut their mouths. I can guarantee that.” Before we even finished our drinks, she ordered another round.
Everything would work out as long as we stuck together. But I couldn’t shake the anger I felt toward Volt. He purposely kept this from me—for eight months. We’d been dating for weeks, and he should have mentioned it at some point. What would happen down the road when something else came up? He’d just never tell me?
Natalie watched the expression in my eyes, practically reading my mind. “You’re going to be mad for a while, huh?”
“Yes.” I had the strong urge to slap Volt around and knock some sense into him.
“Just don’t break up with him. You guys have come so far.”
Break up with him? I may be angry, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. “He’s the man I’m going to marry. I would never let him go.” I stirred my glass again before I took another drink.
Natalie’s eyes were glued to my face, wide with shock. “Whoa…what did you just say?”
I didn’t put a lot of thought into my words before I said them. I just blurted it out. It was the truth of my feelings, the depth of how I really felt. It was something I just knew, a sensation that settled right into my heart. “I know I sound crazy for saying that…but I just know.”
“Have you said that to him?”
I shook my head. “We haven’t even told each other I love you yet. But…I don’t need to say it. I don’t need to hear it either.” It was one of those things that you just understood. It rang true like a bell, even if no one else could hear it.
“Then you should cut him some slack.”
“No. That’s why I’m not giving him any slack. This relationship isn’t like the others we’ve had. It’s the final one. We’re a team, and he needs to start acting like it. No secrets—at least not secrets like this.”
“Then talk it out.”
“We did. But I need my space right now. I’ll talk to him when I’m ready.”
The waiter brought our other drinks and set them on the table before he walked away. Natalie downed the rest of her first glass before she pulled her new drink in front of her face. Her eyes were trained on me the entire time. “Sounds pretty intense.”
“I guess it is.”
“Well, I hope you don’t make him suffer too long. I’m sure he’s moping around his apartment and licking his wounds.”
“He’ll be fine.” He was probably occupying himself with Clay or Derek. He understood this was just a fight, and it would blow over. When I was ready to talk, we would talk.
Chapter Ten
Volt
Goddammit.
I hated sleeping alone. When women spent the night, I never cuddled. Sometimes they would come to my side of the bed, but by the time I woke up the following morning, we were on opposite sides of the mattress. But with Taylor, I loved sleeping with her.
And now that she was gone, I was exhausted.
I couldn’t get any sleep no matter how hard I tried. I cleared my mind and even counted sheep, but that didn’t work. Instead, I pictured my girl giving me that disappointed look.
Damn, it sucked.
I couldn’t blame her for being upset. I purposely misled her and withheld information because of how it would negatively impact my life. I planned on telling her eventually. I wouldn’t want her to come over to my parents’ place for dinner without a heads-up.
But I’d been waiting until the last possible moment.
I just didn’t want to screw up what we had. I was protecting our relationship, which was still new and growing.
But I demolished it anyway.
I wanted to contact her, but I stopped myself from sending the endless number of text messages I composed on my phone. I wanted to call her just to hear her voice, but I kept my hand steady.
I missed her.
I spent my time working, tutoring Clay, and hanging out alone in my apartment. She was probably busy with her students, grading endless papers, and setting up future labs. Knowing her, she was keeping herself occupied so she wouldn’t think about how pissed she was.
How much space was I supposed to give her?
I hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time, and I wasn’t even sure if my most recent one qualified. If she was cheating on me with her ex, then I obviously wasn’t the best boyfriend in the world. She didn’t love or respect me, and like a fool, I was planning to make her my wife.
Did that really count?
As time went on and five days passed, I started to have a breakdown. When Taylor walked out, was that the end of our relationship? Was that a break up? Did I misinterpret what she meant and lose her completely?
I couldn’t lose her.
I couldn’t handle it.
I’d only had her in my arms for a few weeks, not even a month. And they were the greatest weeks of my life. She made me happier than I ever thought I could be. Her friendship was never enough. I always needed all of her to move on and find myself again.
I couldn’t let her go.
***
I knocked on her door and hoped she would answer.
If she took one look at me through the peephole then pretended not to be home, I’d have to break down the door. And if that just made her hate me more, then I’d have to hunt her down on her way to work, on her way home, wherever I could find her.
Because I had to make this right.
Luckily, she opened the door. She wore the exact expression I pictured her wearing, full of anger and irritation. And the worst one of all—disappointment. She was practically revolted at the sight of me.
She didn’t want to talk to me—clearly. I should just walk away because we would have the same argument we’d already had. I would apologize and she would refuse to forgive me. It would be like losing her all over again.
But I couldn’t lose her.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I should have told you about my dad earlier. I know I messed up, and I admit that. But I’m not going to keep anything from you ever again. I promise. But please don’t leave me.” I’d never begged for a woman to be with me. I’d never chased someone so hard. I’d never lowered myself to such pathetic words. Taylor brought out the best in me but also the worst. There wasn’t an ounce of pride in my body. I was willing to do anything to keep her. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind I would never be this happy ever again—without her.
The irritation left her face instantly, and the face I saw on a daily basis came back to me. Her eyes softened, and she pressed her lips tightly together in sadness. “Volt, I’m not going anywhere.”
“You aren’t?” My voice cracked with hope. I entered her apartment without being invited, needing to get a closer look at her face. I needed to see that sincerity, to know everything would be all right.
“Of course not.”
“You haven’t called me in five days, and I wasn’t sure if you would ever get over this. I started to wonder if I misinterpreted everything you said. I guess I became paranoid…and scared.”
“I’m sorry.” She moved her arms around my waist and looked into my face. “I shouldn’t have held on to this grudge for so long.”
Hearing those words immediately made me relax. All the fear left my body, replaced by overwhelming relief. My arms moved around her waist, and I held her close to me, treasuring the fact I got to hold her once again. “I’m just glad you’re still here.”
She rubbed her nose against mine and somehow she made it sexy.
Because she made everything sexy.
“Let’s not keep things from each other anymore,” she whispered.
“Done.” I didn’t have any secrets anyway, besides the one about my father. “I’m an open book.”
“Good. Because I want to read you.” She smiled against my mouth, her lips stretching against mine.
“Baby, you can read me anytime.” I hoisted her up and carried her down the hallway, my body craving hers since it’d been alone for so long. I hadn’t gotten any sleep, and I certainly hadn’t gotten any action. Instead of walking into her bedroom, I entered the bathroom.
“This is a surprising twist…” She eyed me incredulously once I put her down.
“Let’s take a shower together. I’ve always wanted to do that with you.”
“Ooh… Volt, wet and naked? I like it.”
I grinned. “You’re the perfect woman, you know that?”
“You may have mentioned that before…”
After we stripped down, we got underneath the hot water. Her hair clung to her neck and down her back. The warm droplets glistened as they ran down her gorgeous figure. Her tits were hard and pointed, and they were so perky they looked fake.
She grabbed the bar of soap and massaged it into my skin, scrubbing me down and making the soap lather with bubbles and foam. Her eyes raked over my body, taking in the lines of muscle and strength. Desire was obvious in her eyes, as well as something far deeper.
“My turn.” I grabbed the soap and immediately went to her tits. I palmed each one and lathered them with soap, getting harder by the second. She had a nice behind, but her tits really drove me wild.
“I like it when you do that.”
My eyes moved to hers. “Yeah?” I squeezed her tits harder, feeling my hands slide past her breasts. My cock twitched as I felt her arch her back and her tits pressed farther into my palms.
“Yeah…”
I was getting tired of waiting for the grand finale. I wanted to be inside her, to feel her tighten around my cock when I made her erupt. I wanted our bodies to be tangled so tightly together we couldn’t distinguish ourselves from the other. I wanted to make love to her—nice and slow.
But now wasn’t the best time.
“What have you been doing?” My hands moved to her hourglass waist, and I felt the prominent curve along her hips. She once told me she didn’t have the body to pull off a tight, short dress, but I had no idea what she was talking about. She was absolutely perfect. Even her dress with a bee pattern and her flamingo earrings were adorable. Her quirkiness just made her better.
“Just working. Hanging out with Natalie.”
“I’m jealous.” I was sitting home alone, thinking about my girl and wondering if she was still my girl.
“Nothing to be jealous about.”
“I meant I’m jealous of Natalie—for getting to be with you.”
“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there wasn’t much girl-on-girl action going on…”
My fantasies used to be about two women. I’d been in threesomes several times, and there was nothing like it. Having your cock in one pussy while your balls were licked by another mouth was heaven. But the thought didn’t turn me on anymore. Picturing Taylor with Natalie didn’t turn me on.
The only thing that turned me on was her.
My fantasies were about the two of us together, moving slowly into the mattress while her nails dragged down my back. She’d breathe hard underneath me, her sexy moans filling my ears. She’d wrap her legs around my waist and ask me to give it to her harder, to give her all of me. I’d feel her come around my dick with such ecstasy that she’d beg me to do it again—and again.
That was my fantasy.
“Natalie doesn’t do anything for me.” I thought she was pretty, but now she was just a shadow in the background. Taylor took up center stage, every stage light directed on her. “And I don’t care for girl-on-girl action either.”
“Oh, really?” She challenged me playfully, her hands running up my chest.
I kept a straight face as I answered. “Really.”
“I’m not sure if I believe that…” She danced her fingertips down my chest until she reached my stomach.
“Well, every time I jerk off, I picture you—and me. There’s no one else in the room.”
“Yeah?
” Her playfulness died out, becoming more serious. Her lips parted slightly, aroused.
“Yeah.”
My breath hitched when she reached for me, proving how much better she was at making me feel good than any fantasy ever could be.
***
By the time she was through with me, I was a little lightheaded, and frankly, shocked by what she just did. She acted as though she was inexperienced in the sex department, but she was a know-it-all in my eyes.
I helped her to her feet and looked at her with new eyes. What I felt for her was greater than lust. It contained so much more, feelings I wasn’t sure how to express. But now I knew a profound physical relationship was part of that. She was better than all the girls I’d fooled around with. She was the ultimate reward, the ultimate sex goddess.
As I told her before, I was a gentleman. And gentlemen make their ladies come. I wasn’t going to leave my woman hanging. Laziness like that was the best way to lose a woman.
And I wasn’t losing her.
I got down on my knees and moved one of her legs over my shoulder. My face moved to the area between her legs, the object of my obsession.
She gripped my shoulder for balance and looked down at me. “What are you doing?”
I moved my mouth against her center, doing all the things I already knew she liked. I licked and sucked the area, making her writhe while standing over me. There was no need to answer her question.
Because I was pretty sure I already did.
***
“So…where did you learn all of that?”
She lay beside me in bed, her papers scattered around the comforter. She had lab reports due the following day and hadn’t finished preparing everything. “All of what? Science?”
“No.” My hand moved across her flat stomach underneath the sheets. “All those sexy stunts.”
“What sexy stunts?” Her knees were up, and she was using them as a backboard to write on her papers. She stopped scribbling her notes in the corner and turned to me.
“The blow job, the hand job, the tit-fuck… It was all very impressive.”
Initially, her face was blank because she didn’t understand what I meant. But redness quickly entered her cheeks like it usually did when she was embarrassed. She pressed her lips tightly together as she tried to hide her smile. “I don’t know… I just did what I felt like doing.”
