by K. S. Adkins
“I don’t know,” Bridget said slowly. “Maybe, twenty minutes before you did?”
“Did you go inside?”
“No,” Connie answered with bite. She was not Team Eddie anymore. “We haven’t broken the seal yet. Why?”
Sidling up to Pharis I explained, “I need to run by the station, I won’t be long.”
“We’ve got time on the truth clock,” she said eyeing me. “What’s going on?”
“Work,” I lied. “I won’t be long. Enjoy happy hour, okay?”
“Uh huh,” she nodded clearly not believing me.
Knowing she was safe with her girls, I offered my goodbyes, hauling ass to Aaron’s place.
Thirty minutes later, after a long overdue detailed explanation of our split, Aaron was as furious and concerned as I.
“Did you tell her?”
“No. I didn’t want to ruin happy hour.” Or my chances with her...
“Eddie,” he groaned. “Come on, that’s a cop-out and you know it. Don’t make the same mistakes twice. She has a right to know.”
“I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
“This is so fucked up,” Aaron said, rereading the letter out loud.
We’re going to find out if your scream is as pretty as you are
I’ve been practicing for this moment for so long
Shh
Relax
It will all be over soon
“He must know her,” he finished, but I was thinking whoever this was knew me.
Running my hands through my hair in frustration I reminded them, “She works in a male-dominated field. She has a large fan base. It could be fucking anyone.” It could be Casanova.
“First, we talk to the neighbors. Then we need to really look into her dates,” he said, grabbing his keys. “She’s had four so far and the tatted one showed real interest.”
“Let me guess, pillow talk with Connie?”
Ignoring my jab, he said, “Let’s go sweep her place. Whoever broke in got back in far too easily, twice.”
“Fuck, I should have thought of that.”
Slapping me hard on the back, he said, “True. But I’m not thinking with my dick, you are.”
With that, we drove back to Pharis and the girls, dialing Butch on the way.
For being naturally incredibly hot, Bridget was actually quite shy. Whereas she used fashion to express the things she dared not say, Connie was not born with a modest bone in her loud, gorgeous body.
Me?
I was just one of the guys who didn’t care what you thought of my body.
Sure, I was in shape, but I didn’t wear form-fitting clothing or give makeup much consideration either.
So, I was used to being accepted by the guys and not fighting off advances.
At least I was until Connie had interrupted our game reel highlights by nudging me at the frat party to say, “Future baby daddy, five o’clock.”
Looking over my shoulder, my breath caught and I immediately felt every single hormone in my body flare to life. For the first time ever, I felt all female. This guy...he was perfect. Tall, strong, and filling out a flannel better than any farm boy I grew up with.
It was all I could do not to drool, and he was zeroed in on me.
Me!
Once he was in my space and towering over me, I focused on his stormy eyes and was proud I managed to introduce myself. As soon as our hands touched, I knew it, but hearing him say, “your future husband,” didn’t hurt either.
In that moment, I was a believer in love at first sight. Because it had happened to me.
My friends possessed a single-minded focus I was envious of.
Even after showing them the graffiti on the walls and explaining that someone broke into my house, the only topic they would entertain or seemed concerned with was Eddie.
Specifically, Eddie and I dating.
“—so, you’re dating your ex-husband,” Bridget sighed dreamily. “That’s so romantic.”
“It’s bullshit,” Connie argued. “He’s had what? A year? Why now?”
“Shit, Connie,” I hedged lamely. “It’s not easy to explain.”
“Because he knows you’re leaving, Pharis!”
As much as I wanted to yell back that she’s wrong, I feared she may be right so I said nothing.
What could I say? Eddie and I agreed to date exactly one day ago, it was too soon to analyze. So, I didn’t.
Plus, my girls watched me fall apart during and after my divorce.
They knew how hard it was for me to lose Eddie.
And they had front row seats as I lost myself in the process.
But I was surprised how quickly and effortlessly it was for me to slip back into the role of defending my ex-husband/boyfriend. I could actually feel my blood pressure rising.
“I’m sorry,” Connie said, breaking the silence and my need to slap her. “He broke you once, Pharis. The idea of him having the chance to do it again pisses me off. Plus, I’m dating a cop. It’s not like it’s going to be easy to kill one, you know?”
“I know,” I said, feeling the sincerity of her words, thus sinking further into my chair.
“And I know you still love him, that you never stopped. Just please...be careful.”
“Why is Butch here?” Bridget said, pointing at the driveway where Butch was, in fact, pulling into.
“He stops by from time to time,” I said waving, happy to see him.
“Does Eddie know that?” she asked with a concerned look on her face.
Shrugging, I take my drink with me over to meet him at his truck. Giving him a big hug, he returned it asking, “You okay?”
“Yes,” I smiled, enjoying my buzz a little. “It’s always good to see you, Butch. Bridget’s here, by the way.”
Ignoring my matchmaker ways, he squeezed me and said, “Guys’ll be here in a minute.”
“All of us in one place like old times?”
Losing his rakish grin, he said, “To sweep your place, Pharis.”
“Sweep my—”
Right on cue, Aaron and Eddie pulled up within seconds of each other and Eddie wasted no time pulling me from Butch’s embrace. The look that passed between them was new.
Because it was competitive.
And coming from Eddie, I didn’t like it.
Especially when it came to Butch.
“Thanks for coming,” Eddie said tightening his grip around my waist. “I got it from here.”
Rolling his eyes, Butch walked over to the porch to wait for us. But I knew it was to be closer to Bridget. He thought he was subtle, but he was wrong. “What the hell was that about?”
“Guy shit,” Eddie huffed. “Listen, I need you to stay outside with the girls while we—”
“Sweep my house.”
“Fucking Butch.”
“At least he includes me,” I fired back. And I don’t care if it bothered him that Butch kept me informed. It’s what friends do. It’s what ex-husbands now boyfriends should do.
Clearly wanting to say more, Eddie closes his eyes and silently counted to ten. “Wait outside.”
“Yes, sir, captain ass biscuit.”
“Pharis,” he warned. “This isn’t a fucking joke and seriously, while you wait, work on your swearing skills.”
“Fine,” I agree. “But this is fucking bullshit and creepy as hell. I want that on record.”
Kissing my temple, he said, “Noted,” at the same time Aaron asked Connie for her phone.
“Why?” she asked handing it over.
“Standard procedure,” he said gently as if he feared I’d lose it.
“You’re going to grill my dates, aren’t you?”
“Pharis...” Eddie said in the you-are-testing-my-patience-tone I hated.
“I went out like four times and nothing came of it, literally.”
“Let me be the judge of that,” he snarled. “Aaron will be discreet.”
At this, everyone laughed except Eddie.
&
nbsp; Because Eddie was full of shit.
Any man that tells you he doesn’t get jealous when other men are around his woman is a fucking liar. Dating, broken up, or even divorced, we get fucking jealous.
Even when logically we know we have no reason to.
Even when we trust her, trust him, it still happens.
In fact, when you know the motherfucker I’m pretty sure it makes it worse.
Did I like my buddy touching my girlfriend/wife?
No, I fucking did not.
Not at all.
After our sweep, I grabbed a beer out of her fridge and debated how I’m going to drop this bomb on her.
Following suit, Aaron and Butch looked about as wrecked as I felt.
This kind of shit was never supposed to follow us, it wasn’t supposed to affect family.
But goddammit it was.
First to break the silence, Butch said, “You can’t leave her on the back porch forever, Eddie.”
“I need a minute to process this shit,” I grumbled. “Fuck.”
“Rip the Band-Aid off,” Aaron suggested. “She can take it.”
“The point is she shouldn’t have to,” I argued the obvious.
“She doesn’t have a choice now,” Butch added.
“What don’t I have a choice about?” Pharis asked as soon as she walked in flanked by Connie and Bridget.
Shit, I cursed inwardly and faced her. As calm as possible I confessed, “We found three cameras.”
“Okay,” she exhaled hard as the girls each take a hand, squeezing it. “Where were they?”
“Living room, kitchen, and bathroom,”—I said with a calm I wasn't feeling.
Pharis saying, “None in the bedroom? Weird,” was the last thing I expected to hear. Stepping forward, Butch pulls her into a hug while promising her, “You can rest easy now, superstar. We’ll talk to your dates and keep watch on the house. Whoever this is will slip up.”
Having enough of Butch’s Superman bullshit, I pried him from her with the reminder, “And I’ll be here, round the clock.”
Looking into my eyes, I saw that despite having every reason not to, she trusted me. After she whispered an, “Okay Eddie,” I kissed her tenderly, ignoring the tension around us.
Butch and I would be addressing his easy affection toward her privately and probably violently.
Not taking my eyes off of Pharis, I told Aaron, “Report back on the dates and neighbors.” I also advised Butch to, “Cross check those cameras. Whoever installed them knew what the fuck they were doing.”
Glancing at me, Butch asked, “Yeah, but do you?”
“Wanna try that again?”
When she tensed in my arms, Aaron cut in, “Outside,” and without argument I followed.
We no sooner had I cleared the back door that I got all up in Butch’s face. “The fuck is your angle?”
Unfazed he argued, “I’m not the one using fear to get back between my ex-wife’s thighs before she leaves. None of us like the idea of her in danger, and while I can’t speak for Aaron, I have no problem telling you that I ain’t about seeing her wrecked twice.”
“Using fear, motherfucker?” I roared. “You keep looking for ways to be my wife’s hero, but I’m her goddamn hero. She belongs to me!”
“I’m not trying to weasel in on your ex-wife, asshole!”
“Wife!” I said, shoving him. “She is my wife!”
“Butch,” Aaron intervened. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“Enlighten me then,” he suggested, pushing off of me in return.
I told him everything from start to finish and all the grit in between. Looking none too pleased with my explanation, he shook his head muttering, “You are playing a dangerous game, brother. Just because you ain’t heard from him in a while don’t mean he quit. Maybe he’s been watching and waiting?”
“I’ve considered that,” I admitted. “But I can’t live without her anymore, Butch. She’s my superstar, my other half.”
With a punch to the shoulder he said, “Then you best pay fucking attention.”
“I know, I will.”
“Good,” he said with a nod. “And Eddie?”
“What?”
“Don’t ever fucking accuse me like that again. I love her, that’s true. But I love her like family. Since she insists on staying here we all need our heads in the game. So put your dick away, Eddie. We both know mine's bigger.”
“All right,” Aaron said, breaking the tension. “We’ve got shit to do, let’s touch base tomorrow.”
Nodding, I pulled out my phone. When Butch asked who I’m calling, I let him know, “The chief. I’m due vacation time.”
Once that was done, I went inside to settle things with Pharis.
Oh and for the record, my dick was bigger than Butch's.
I was miked up and about to head onto the field when Butch called.
Motioning my camera man to wait, I run back into the tunnel to answer.
No sooner did I say hello when Butch said, “He’s okay, Pharis.”
Using the wall for support, I cried into the phone, “What happened? Where is he?”
“He made me promise not to call you until after the game, but I can’t keep this from you. He's lucky, superstar. He got clipped in the shoulder and they’re stitching him up as we speak.”
Sliding down to my ass, I couldn’t stop the tears if I tried.
Something happening to Eddie while he was on duty was my biggest fear. Here it was, in real time and I couldn’t function. “Pharis,” Butch said gently. “You gonna hit the field?”
“No,” I whimpered.
“Didn’t think so,” he said. “I’ll send a car, be ready in ten.”
“Thanks, Butch.”
“If Eddie asks, blame Aaron.”
And I totally did.
Normally cool under pressure, when Eddie walked in I gave my girls the clear out signal and wasted no time rushing into the safety of his arms. Not only did someone break in and graffiti the place, he also installed cameras inside my home. I was twisted up about it. But more than anything, I was fucking furious. A stranger had been spying on me.
How fucked up was that? I mean the dance moves I used in the shower alone.
Holding me tight, Eddie vowed, “I’ll handle this. I promise.”
“I know.” And I did. If I knew anything it was that he wouldn’t rest until I was safe.
But that meant Eddie was in danger too, which caused me to start shaking even harder.
“Shh,” he whispered in my ear to settle me. “It’s okay, superstar.”
With adrenaline pumping through my veins and desire rolling through my body, I decided words wouldn’t be enough but maybe actions would convey how I was feeling.
Sinking my hands into his hair, I gripped Eddie tight, absorbing the shudder he gave me.
Arching up to my toes, I sealed my mouth over his, allowing instinct and history to take over.
I may not know how to deal with police work or potential stalkers, but I did know how to make us both feel good.
Slamming Eddie into the nearest wall, I furiously undid his pants, sliding them down to his ankles with my foot. Returning the favor, he stripped me of my clothing uncaring if he destroyed them.
With his hands under my ass, he hefted me up with ease, and though I wouldn’t say it, I did have to give the divorce diet props for helping me lose that extra twenty.
Shuffling to the countertop, he set me on it first, dropped to his knees second, and when his mouth finds my clit, I nearly gave myself a concussion when I threw my head back.
Fingers pumping, mouth sucking, I watched Eddie get me off with fascination.
With my nails digging into his neck, I screamed the most powerful orgasm I’d had in years for all to hear. I wasn’t even done shuddering when he stood, lined up, and slid home.
Coming again, this time all over his cock, I nearly cried at the pleasure of it.
But there was no time for th
at.
Because tonight wasn’t about making love or taking it easy.
It was about being primal, it was about rutting.
Reconnecting.
So that’s what we did.
Pumping into me hard, Eddie grunted, “Take it, baby. Take me.”
“Harder,” I said, scoring his chest. “I want it harder.”
“That’s my girl,” he praised and just as quickly pinned me down, fucking me so hard on the counter top the refrigerator shook.
When I was yanked down and bent over, the force of our mating frenzy sent my salt & pepper shakers and eating single cookbook soaring. I mean, that was fine because cooking as a single person sucked anyway...
Ready to come again, Eddie suddenly stopped and looking over my shoulder at him, I came undone.
Staring at the skin of my back, lost in his own thoughts and feelings, I witnessed Eddie’s tears.
Had I not seen them, I’d have felt them.
Because when they fell onto my skin I was seared clean to my soul.
As if coming back to himself, he leaned over my body, cupped my tits in his hands, and kissed the back of my neck. Wanting to comfort him, I attempted to turn around but was held firmly in place.
Spreading my legs further and bracing my hands on the countertop, I let him know I was ready.
And with a mighty roar, Eddie fucked me until my knees buckled.
Tonight, we let our bodies say the unsaid.
I never stopped loving him. Even the day our divorced was finalized, my love for him didn't diminish. But it did change because we had changed.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to me that I was falling in love with my husband again.
But it did.
Because this love was stronger than it had been before.
Honestly, I never thought I could love him more than I already did.
I didn't think it was possible.
But it was.
And when it came time for me to leave, I wasn't sure I could.
A thinner Pharis was going to take some getting used to.
Not that I didn’t find her sexy as fuck, I absolutely did.
