by Tia Louise
He blinks down briefly, and when our eyes meet again, his smolder. “I don’t know what happened or why. I only know you’ll tell me the truth, and we need to know the truth.”
“The truth about what?” My voice is as solemn as his.
We’ve reached an important moment.
A moment of truth.
Another step closer, and my heart beats harder.
“When I left… It seems so long ago.” With a bitter laugh, he runs an injured hand over his mouth. “I never wanted to let you go, Em,” his voice changes. His eyes are burning, intense. “Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Still, it was important. I went to school thinking I’d work hard, double up on my hours, finish early so I could get back here sooner…”
My stomach cramps. All of those days fly back, assaulting my memory like a riptide. Blinking fast, I watch as he struggles with the words.
“When I found out you weren’t waiting, that you were with someone else, I didn’t know what to do.” He clears his throat, blinking his gaze to the side. “I kind of lost it for a little while.”
“But…” My brow clutches, my chest tight. “I wasn’t… Why did you think that?”
He shakes his head. “It never occurred to me that my dad would lie. He says he didn’t. He says it’s the information he was given.”
“Given by who?” The words pass through my lips on a whisper, but as I say them, I know the answer.
I know who wanted to keep us apart.
“You didn’t just leave me here… to fade into your past.”
He shakes his head. “I thought you didn’t want me.” Blue eyes capture mine, and like a magnet, I’m drawn to him. I go straight into his arms, and they open, catching me, clasping me to his chest, holding me, surrounding me in the warmth and security I thought I’d lost.
In that single moment, everything melts away. The walls melt, all the things that kept us apart dissolve like sand in the sea. Lifting my head, I find his eyes, and he smiles, smoothing his palms along my cheeks, tracing my jawline with his thumbs.
“I want you back, Ember Rose. I want it all back.”
I nod, my eyes heating. “I want that, too.”
Leaning forward, he kisses me softly, just a nip of his lips against mine. It’s fire in my veins. “I thought I came here to get away, to find peace, but I came for you.” He speaks against my skin, kissing and inhaling. “You drew me here. I don’t care about the lies. I don’t care what we were told. They won’t keep us apart anymore. You’re mine.”
“Yes,” I repeat, my lips parting as his return to mine.
His tongue sweeps inside, and warmth floods my stomach. A bubble of happiness expands in my chest. Our kisses consume, and the jagged lines of the chasm in my heart slowly meld together.
“Jackson…” His grip on me is strong but gentle, firm and possessive as he carries me to the bed.
It’s only us.
The scars are gone.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he holds my back in his hand. His lips are on my shoulder, tracing a line and leaving chills in his wake. I shiver and look down, heat flooding my panties.
“I want you now.” His voice is thick with hunger, and all I can do is nod, touching his face.
Reaching up, I lower the spaghetti straps of my top. They fall down around my upper arms, and he kisses across the top of my chest, moving lower to pull a beaded nipple into his mouth.
“Oh, yes!” I gasp as my back arches.
It’s been so long.
I want him so bad.
He pulls my sensitive skin between his teeth then soothes it with his kiss, and I move like a wave, following the progress of his mouth.
Bending forward, I kiss his head, his soft hair, and he rises to cover my mouth as his hand covers my breast.
I catch his shirt and pull. My hands are on his body, smoothing the planes and lines, tracing the rippling muscles with my fingers. I feel him tighten with a groan.
“Ember,” he whispers, lifting me to stand and sliding the remainder of my clothes to the floor.
I hold his cheeks as his mouth moves across my navel to my hip.
“Oh, God,” I gasp as his fingers touch my core, looping in my panties and ripping them away.
The first pass of his tongue over my clit causes my knees to buckle. “Oh…” I moan.
“So good,” he speaks against my sensitive skin, his scruffy cheek roughing my inner thigh.
I catch his shoulders to find my balance, but he’s not letting up. He’s not slowing down. He’s hungry. He grips my thighs, pulling me closer, kissing and sucking eagerly at my clit, twisting feverish desire in my belly.
“Jackson… Jackson…” I chant his name as streaks of pleasure climb my legs like vines, centering in my core, drawing tighter with every pass of his tongue.
Fluttering starts in my feet, and I feel my wetness on my thighs. My hands are on his shoulders, and my fingers clench as the orgasm grows tighter…
Tighter…
Unbearably tighter…
Until it explodes.
I cry as the shudders wrack my body.
He’s kissing me now, slower, soothing passes. My fingers flex and release, and my legs tremble as he cups my ass, gently rotating me so I’m lying back on the bed.
I’m buzzing with aftershocks, and I watch with hazy eyes as he pulls his shirt over his head, leaving his dark hair in a silky mess. Next, he shoves his jeans down, allowing his erection to spring free. It’s thick and straining, just like I remember.
He doesn’t hesitate to come to me, kneeling on the bed and moving my thighs apart. His blue eyes are navy with hunger, and in one fluid move, he’s inside me.
“Oh, God,” I gasp.
“Yes…” His voice is at my ear.
Holding my cheek, he kisses my neck, my shoulder, as the thrusting grows faster, stronger. My knees rise, and he holds the back of my thigh, plunging deeper, impossibly deep as our bodies rock in time. The pace increases. He’s pumping hard, and little noises ache from my throat with every hit. It’s so good, my second orgasm burns hotter than the first. Stars shoot behind my closed eyes. My insides erupt in shimmering spasms of pleasure as I come.
“Fuck, yes.” His back arches, and with a low groan he holds me, steadying himself as I feel him break, pulsing and filling me.
Reaching up, I slide my hands over his shoulders, down to his waist.
His kisses are soft, slow, on my shoulder, my neck. “Only you, Ember. Only you.”
His heart beats against my breast.
Our hearts beat together.
We’re one, like we were before.
Like we were always meant to be.
Fifteen
Jack
Having Ember Rose in my arms is like winning the fucking lottery. It’s like being named King of Everything. It’s like…
I can’t help a grin. My mind is a lovesick teenager.
I’m the boy who left ten years ago.
In adult terms, having her again is better than graduating with honors from the hardest law school in the country. It’s better than winning the toughest case of my career. It’s better than anything I’ve done since I left this place.
She has matured since I knew her last, but she’s still so much the same. She’s a woman now, a mother, and she moves with a confident grace she didn’t have as a teen.
Still, holding her now, looking down into her dark eyes flecked with gold, I see the girl who stole my heart years ago. She’s everything I always wanted. Her fingers trace along the tops of my shoulders, and I lean down to kiss her again, inhaling deeply of lavender and rose. We’re lying, our bodies pressed together in her bed, and…
Fuck me, I’m suffocating.
“How do you sleep in this place?” Lines of sweat follow her fingertips down my back. “It’s hot as hell.”
She starts to laugh. “I don’t usually have a human radiator generating heat in the bed with me.”
“We
can’t sleep here.” Sitting up, I pull her with me. Her dark hair falls around her shoulders, and for a moment, I forget my name.
She’s sitting here naked, her small breasts round and full, her dark nipples peaked and straining. Her narrow waist leads down to her curved hips and bare legs with only the sheet tossed across her lap.
“Jesus, Ember,” I whisper awestruck. “You’re so beautiful.”
Dark brown eyes lift to mine, and they’re shining with emotion. I can’t help cupping her cheek, sliding my thumb over her lips, moving my hand down her slim neck to her chest, her breast. I cup it, a perfect handful, rolling her nipple between my fingers. She inhales audibly, and my dick stirs. I want to be inside her again.
Her hand covers mine, fingers spreading before sliding up my arm. “You’re the same boy who stole my breath the first time I saw you.”
“Am I the same?” I grin. “I can think of a few differences.”
White teeth appear when she smiles, and she traces her fingers along the line of my hair. “Your hair is shorter.” Her bottom lip goes between her teeth. “You’re more polished. You’re a man now.”
My stomach is tight, my whole body tense with lust. I’m a man who sees everything he wants in the world and who’s ready to claim it.
“Come on,” I say, clearing the thickness from my throat. “If we stay here much longer, I’ll have to fuck you again.”
That gets me a real laugh. “You’re a little dirtier than you used to be.”
Standing beside the bed, I pull her straight up against me, her soft curves melting against my hardness. “I’m a lot dirtier than I used to be.”
I feel her body shiver, and her eyes darken. That’s my Ember Rose, the girl who told me I would teach her to kiss. The girl who told me to teach her everything. The girl who eagerly went wherever I wanted to take her…
Remembering those days, the things we did, her innocence makes her more mine than any vows we might have made.
Stepping to the side, I hold her hand. “Get dressed. I’m taking you to my place.”
I watch as she goes to an old armoire. Her ass is round and soft like a peach, and shit if I’m going to be able to get my dick in my pants if she keeps prancing around here naked. She takes out a filmy dress and drops it over her head. When she turns around, she does a little shrug.
“Ready?”
Fuck me. Knowing she’s completely bare underneath is even sexier than her walking around this hotbox naked.
“I have an idea.” My jeans are on, and I’ve pulled the shirt over my head again.
Taking her hand, I lead her down the stairs and out to my truck. We’re moving fast and once inside, she scoots across the bench, leaning her head on my shoulder.
My insides are buzzing with joy, comfort, completion. Instinctively, I wrap my arm around her as I turn the wheel and take us up the street, through the quiet neighborhoods and out of town.
“Where are we going?” she asks, her hand tracing lines along the top of my thigh, an action that fuels my desire.
“I thought we could go to our place.” I’m thinking of washing her in the ocean, making love to her, holding her bare body against mine as the waves roll around us.
Her cheek moves, and she smiles against my shoulder. It isn’t long before we’re there. I pull off the road, parking in the brush, behind a tree and two small bushes like I always did.
She’s out the door before I’ve killed the engine, and I think of a night not so long ago near a lake with a different girl. I didn’t give a shit about following that girl.
Tonight, nothing in this world could keep me away.
Tonight, I’m chasing the girl of my dreams to the place I can never forget.
Her dress is on the dry sand, and her moonlit body moves slowly into the water. For a moment, all I can do is watch as the water rises gradually to her knees, her waist. Her dark hair falls in thick ripples down her back, meeting the water and spreading out around her the deeper she goes.
The moonlight tips the dark water with silver, and the stars are points of light in the midnight-blue sky above. She’s magical, a creature of the sea, an innocent seductress, and I’m bewitched by her beauty.
I quickly shed my jeans and tee and follow her, pushing through the surf, using my hands to help me move faster until I capture her in my arms.
“Hmm,” she turns to face me. She wraps her arms over my shoulders, pressing her breasts against my chest, and I sigh deeply. “It’s been so long since I’ve come here with anyone besides Coco.”
“You bring your daughter here?” I try to imagine the two of them, so similar in this beautiful place. I’ve only seen her daughter twice, but already she feels as much a part of us as anything.
“It’s the best place to get away from the crowds, to have some peace and quiet.”
Leaning down, I kiss the top of her arm, loving the feel of our skin against skin, warm in the cool water. We came here so many times that summer, stealing away in the dead of night. I remember standing at the head of the path, straining my eyes in the darkness for her to appear on that damn bike.
“You would never ride in the car with me,” I muse, sliding my hand down to cup her ass.
Her legs lift, wrapping around my waist and I walk us out further into the waves.
“I was so afraid of us getting caught together,” she says against my neck. “My mother could make people disappear. I was afraid she would make you disappear.”
“No one is making me disappear.” I turn and kiss her lips.
She gasps slightly as my hand moves lower, dipping into her core, testing her wetness. Her voice grows silky, like honey. “But you did…”
Two fingers inside, she moans, and I pull at her lips. “Not anymore. I’m never letting you go, Ember Rose.”
Happiness flickers across her face, but her mouth forms a little O. She’s focused, needing me. Leaning into her, I seal my lips to hers, replacing my fingers with my dick. I hold her thighs and pull her to me, letting the motion of the waves assist in bringing her flush against my pelvis.
A moan is consumed into my mouth. Her muscles flex, her thighs tightening over me as she rocks. It’s the closest thing to heaven on Earth, and it doesn’t take long before we’re soaring.
My release comes quickly, blanking my mind. I hear her moans of pleasure. Her core clenches rhythmically as she comes undone, and I wrap my arms tighter around her, holding us together in this reunion.
The water swirls around us. I hold her, and we drift together. I’m lazy and satisfied and already thinking about the future. I know what I want, and I’m ready to make it happen.
“Tell me about your daughter,” I say, kissing her ear. “How old is she?”
Her head lifts, and her eyes are round. “I had her four years ago.”
“What’s the status of her…” I try to think of a delicate way to put it. “Father?”
Ember’s eyes cloud, and something like worry fills her expression.
Reaching up, I slide a piece of hair behind her ear. “What’s wrong?”
“Does it bother you?” She’s studying my face, watching me closely.
“What?” A little wave crashes between us, sending salt into my mouth. I spit it out.
Her eyes flicker away, but I’m not having any more hiding. I give her a little shake. “What are you afraid of?”
“My mother said men don’t like other men’s children.”
Heat tightens in my chest. It’s becoming a regular occurrence whenever Marjorie Warren comes up. I’m mentally piecing together what happened after I left… The only unanswered question is why.
“Come on,” I say, leading us out of the water. We walk up the shore to our clothes, the light breeze cooling our heated skin, and I think about my words. “Your daughter is as beautiful as you. I’d like to get to know her.” Ember looks up at me, and I can tell she’s not convinced. “I expect the two of you are a package deal.”
She reaches down and quickly dro
ps the sundress over her head. “I won’t leave Coco behind.” I don’t miss the edge in her voice as she says it, almost like a challenge.
Jerking my jeans over my hips, I catch her around the waist as she tries to pass, pulling her to me. “I would never ask you to.” Leaning forward, I kiss the corner of her mouth. “I’d like her to come with you. Is that possible?”
Her shoulders drop, and she relaxes in my arms. “It should be.”
Releasing her, I scoop up my tee, shaking the sand out of it before dropping it over my head. “Tell me about her. Were you…” Unexpected jealousy hits me as I say the words. “Is her father someone you cared about?”
We reach the truck, and I help her inside before jogging around to climb in the driver’s side. She tells me the story as we drive back to the cottage. Her voice is quiet, cautious, and I hang on every word.
“I’m embarrassed to say it was a drunk hookup, but it’s the truth.” She looks down at her hands, twisting in her lap. I want to reach out and cover them with mine. “I don’t know what I’ll tell her when she’s older… about her dad.”
“Wait to cross that bridge. If she knows how much you love her, she won’t hold it against you.”
She glances up at me, and her lips press into a sad little smile. “I only went out with one guy after you left…”
“Mason Green,” I say, remembering the picture my father showed me.
The photo that killed all my dreams and changed the direction of my life.
“My mother wanted me to try. She said it wasn’t good for me to pine away after a boy who wasn’t coming back.”
My fists tighten on the steering wheel, but I don’t say the words in my head. “What made you believe her?”
She does a little shrug. “I guess I already feared it was true when you left. I knew I was only a kid. You were a man, smart and educated. It was easy for me to believe you wouldn’t come back.”
I feel as if I’ve been punched in the chest. “Was it?” Looking at her, I can’t keep the frown off my face. “I thought you knew how I felt.”
She chews her lip, and I can tell she’s thinking something she’s afraid to say. We drive through the neighborhoods of Oceanside Village in silence. We continue past her storefront, making the left turn headed north into the woods where my mother’s cottage is located.
