Never Over You

by Ryleigh Andrews

  He crashed and fell on her. She held him tight against her. He wanted to tell her he wasn’t going anywhere, but he knew she wasn’t ready for that. Not right yet, but soon. And when that happened, he was never going to let her go ever again.

  “I must be crushing you,” he said a few moments later, rolling off her. He lay on his side, watching her as she did the same, her hand resting on his chest above his heart. God, he wanted to cry. Over two years since she’d touched him like that. And without thinking, he said what was on the forefront of his mind.

  “I love you, Mia,” he said, his hand in her hair again. He still couldn’t get over how soft it felt.

  “I know, Ethan.”

  I know? Was she channeling Han Solo or something? Shit, if so, that made him Princess Fuckin’ Leia!

  He wanted to hear her say she loved him. He hadn’t heard those words from her since the day she left their house almost two months ago.

  “Come back to me, Mia,” he begged. It was worth a try. He needed her to know he wanted it.

  And he was shocked when she spoke, “I’m thinking about it.”

  “You are?”

  He really hadn’t expected a yes. He was pretty sure the answer would be no. But this—this gave him hope.

  The corner of her mouth was curled up in a half-grin. That thought made her happy. He wanted to kiss her and make that half-grin cover her face.

  “I am,” she replied, quirking her eyebrows.

  “Holy shit!”

  She laughed at his curse. Goddamn, she wanted this, he realized. She really did want this to work.

  “I just need a little more time,” she added.

  He decided to go for it and asked her if she loved him.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about that. On what this whole situation did to my love for you. I know for certain that before this I loved you. No doubt at all,” she said this with a perfect little smile. She was quiet in her thoughts but then her smile faded. “I don’t have that certainty anymore. I have doubt. There are things I love about you, but there are also things that I hate.”

  He didn’t like that and wondered what she hated and whether he should ask her. He knew that she hated that he’d cheated on her. He hated it too. Hated that he hadn’t trusted her.

  “My problem right now is answering whether there’s more love than hate. There is progress though. I don’t hate you now like I did a couple months ago.”

  He still felt that insecurity over her feelings for him, the wondering if she loved him. The doubt he’d had for over a year now. It ate at him, distorted what he should have known, believed. He knew that soon they would need to discuss how and why this all happened. She needed to know how he felt and he needed to know what had been going on with her the past couple of years. And there was something. He knew it wasn’t Todd, but what?

  For now, he needed something to hold on to, something that made it clear she did still love him, that there really was a reason to hope. “Can you tell me something that you love?”

  “I love the life that being with you brought me.”

  This sounds promising, he thought. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it kind of started out with an I-wish-I-never-met-you kind of moment and then I kind of went with that train of thought. And I realized some things. Without you, I may not have been as successful if you hadn’t been in my corner cheering me on. Without you, I probably would not have met Allie, the sister I never had. Without you, I would not have faced my past. Without you, I don’t know if I’d actually be here—alive, knowing your love, feeling my own love for you. And most of all, without you, I would not have Rory or Pierce. You made my life what it is and I love you for that.”

  Fuck. Why hadn’t he remembered any of that when Kristen was pushing him to the bed? Why didn’t he think of the life they had created together? Because he thought his entire world was falling apart. It had been for the past two years.

  He would always hate what he’d done to her, his part in ruining this life he had with her.

  Meeting her eyes, he kept his gaze on her expressive dark eyes. Telling him that left her vulnerable, and boy, did he know how she hated being in that spot. She was definitely uncomfortable. He needed to do something to keep her from bolting, to keep her there with him. They needed to get past this bit of discomfort, and to do that, he needed to defuse the situation.

  “Heck, all I was expecting was that you love the way I make you laugh or something like that. Not something so deep.”

  It worked. She laughed and relaxed in his arms.

  “Well, I do love that too.”

  “I love to make you laugh. One of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard … well, along with those little moans you make,” he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

  Her breathing changed. She took in a deep, controlled breath, her chest rising with it, and as she let it out, her eyes smoldered with passion. He smiled, his gaze riveted on her now flushed face. He loved that she still desired him after all this—his stupid insecurity about her and Todd.

  Damn, that wasn’t the whole of it. It was his insecurity about what she felt for him and whether she still did.

  He pulled her closer, her hands on his chest, her index finger meandering a path of tingly heat over his pecs down the center of his stomach, stopping at his belly button. Her eyes followed her finger and when she stopped, she smiled boldly.

  “You make me moan like that,” she said, staring at his lips.

  Oh, he liked where this was headed. Leaning in, he placed his lips on hers in a soft kiss while he lifted a breast and teased her nipple. He grinned against her lips as she moaned for him.

  “Like that?” he asked.

  “Mmm hmm,” she whimpered as he continued. Leaving her mouth, he took her hardened nipple between his teeth and lightly bit it. With a loud groan, her body arched in response.

  “Oh, God! Ethan, don’t stop,” she called out, her fingers grasping his hair, holding him to her breast.

  He didn’t plan on stopping. He wanted this forever, if only she would let him. For now, he’d take what she could give him. She was trying. She wasn’t out to hurt him. She was doing her best to figure out the situation he’d put them in.

  Rolling her on top of him, he then sat up. And without missing a beat, she wrapped her legs tight around him. As her gaze met his, he entered her, both of them moaning. He needed to be in her and from the way she was clutching him, she needed it too.

  Her hips rolled back and forth, moving her along his cock as he threaded his fingers into her long hair and brought her mouth to his, possessing her lips in a fierce kiss.

  “You feel so good, suga.”

  “I feel really good,” she replied with a wink.

  “That’s not good enough,” he said. One hand left her hair and made a quick trek to that magical spot between her legs. When he touched it, she bucked up on him.

  “Oh, God!” she exclaimed. He held back for a few short moments before continuing, flicking and teasing her. He loved that she was already so close.

  Breaking his concentration were the mumbled voices on the other side of the door. They should have bothered him, but he didn’t care. He was loving his wife until their lovemaking was over and he didn’t care who heard.

  She looked up at the noise.

  “Ignore it,” he ordered, his eyes on hers. “Focus on this. On me.”

  She put up no fight with him and closed her eyes and leaned back in his arms as he pumped inside. A few moments later, he felt the orgasm rip through her. She clamped down hard on him and screamed out his name. He was a goner and groaned her name as he filled her.

  “Oh my God!” she called out, grasping him, catching her breath. She molded herself so tightly to him that he could feel her heart hammer against his chest. He smoothed her hair, lightly massaging her neck.

  She kissed him fast and hard at first and then she came after his lips again, and this time, the kiss was beyond sweet.


  “You are amazing,” he whispered against her lips, holding her gaze, seeing the emotional battle playing out in her turbulent brown eyes.

  “I’d say that performance was an eight or a nine. What do you think, Allie?” Luke said, breaking the spell, sounding very much like a color analyst for a gymnastics or ice skating telecast. His voice hushed, but loud enough for Ethan and Mia to hear him through the closed door.

  “You know, Luke, I’m going to have to go with a nine-point-five on this one. Did you hear the way she screamed out his name at the end?”

  “The whole house did,” Luke said under his breath.

  Mia chuckled against his shoulder and the lightness of the mood enveloped him, lifting his spirits, giving him more and more reason to feel that they were going to make it.

  “What do you two want?” Ethan grumbled, though he was far from upset. He hadn’t been this happy in a really long time.

  “Where’s the rest of the food?” Luke asked. “The caterers said the steaks should be here already, but there are none down in the kitchen.”

  “Damn, completely forgot about that!” she said, making to get off him, but he held her to him.

  “No, just tell him,” Ethan said, sucking on the skin right beneath her ear. He could get her to do anything he wanted while he sucked and caressed on that sensitive spot.

  She moaned softly before speaking. “Uh, fridge in the basement … lots of steaks marinating. I’ll be down there in a few minutes.”

  “Just so you know, it’s quarter to twelve.”

  She cringed and Ethan knew their time was up. She had lots of things to do before the guests started to arrive.

  “Now, we are very happy that you’re having all the sex with your dumbass husband, but people should be here in the next half hour or so.”

  “Dumbass?” Ethan muttered and she giggled.

  “Have they set up out back?” she asked.

  “Yes, it looks great. The boys want to go in the water oasis thingy. So clean up and get your ass out of bed,” Luke ordered.

  “God, he’s so demanding!” Mia complained.

  “He’s your friend,” Ethan replied, toying with a tendril of hair near her breast, feeling her tighten around his hardening cock.

  Right in that moment, he knew she was happy and his hope was growing that he would have his wife and family again.

  “Whatever! He’s yours! Ow!” she yelped when his teeth nipped at the soft skin of her breast.

  “I can hear you,” Luke announced.

  “Maybe we should get out of bed,” Ethan suggested, pulling out of her. And he was very happy when she started to pout. He moved her off him and placed her on the bed where she fell back against the pillows. He told Luke they’d be down shortly.

  Standing beside the bed, he looked down at her. He’d missed this woman so much, but he also missed this happy side to her. That had been missing for years, this easy-going, silly part of her. What had caused it to go missing?

  “Did you have fun?” he asked, hovering over her, his face just a few inches above her. She blushed and her lips twitched a little before she smiled. And it was his favorite kind of smile—her dopey, I’m-so-happy smile. That was the smile he wanted on her face at all times.

  “I did.”

  “Good.” He kissed her soft lips again. “Happy birthday, suga,” he said, gazing into her beautiful chocolate eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  He grabbed her hand and proceeded to pull her out of bed. “Now, get your lazy butt up.”

  She chuckled. “My lazy butt?”

  “Your sexy butt?” he offered.

  “That’s better,” she said, heading in to the bathroom. He followed her, watching her bottom sway as she padded barefoot to the shower.

  “Damn, Mia, you are so beautiful,” he stated, feeling his body start to stir again.

  She looked at him, a thoughtful smile on her face, then shook her head. Closing her eyes, she sighed softly before training her eyes on him.

  “Thank you.”

  Her acceptance of his compliment floored him. No belittling herself, no disparaging humor. She finally wasn’t discounting how he felt about her. He smiled and took a few steps forward.

  “Thank you.”

  “Joining me?” she asked, stepping into the glass-enclosed shower built for ten. Not really, but it was large.

  He nodded.

  And because he knew the time constraints that they were now under, he stayed strong and did not touch his wife’s luscious body. Well, maybe a few caresses, but that was all. And that was only after she did the same to him.

  They quickly got dressed—Mia wearing a short white summer dress that showcased her tanned skin. He had to tame the beast when he saw that she put no bra on beneath it. He put on an aqua blue polo shirt and a pair of tan shorts. His summer uniform.

  They were ready to make their appearance down at the party. While they were getting dressed, Ethan had heard the first guests arrive. Time to get their lazy butts downstairs indeed.

  Heading down the back stairs, they ended up in the kitchen and Mia veered off to talk to the caterers while Ethan went out back to see his boys. He heard their joyous cackles as soon as he opened the door to the side yard. The boys were running about in their swim trunks, their excitement unleashed. They saw Ethan and bolted to him.

  “Daddy! Can we go play now?” Pierce asked, pointing at the very large and very colorful inflatable water slide-slash-splash pool. Ethan wondered if it would support his weight because, damn, he wouldn’t mind a time or two on the slide.

  “Where’s Bridgette?”

  “Right here,” she said, coming out with towels and sun shirts for the twins.

  “Are you set to watch them?” he asked her. She nodded just a little too excitedly and Ethan felt a stab of jealousy.

  “You’re going on it, aren’t you?” he accused playfully.

  “Just doing my job,” she said with a wink.

  “Okay, boys! Off you go!”

  And with that, Daddy was forgotten.

  He returned to the house where his wife was still talking things over with the caterers. He knew how much she loved to cook and giving up the cooking reins to others was hard for her. Entering the kitchen, he offered his apologies and directed Mia to the living room. Luke and Allie were in there with Marty, his wife, Bekah, and his four-year-old step-daughter, Sydney.

  Luke noticed them first and walked towards them, a wicked grin on his face. Ass.

  “Happy birthday, Mia!” he announced jovially. “Don’t you look good and fucked.”

  Allie burst out laughing, slapping her husband on the forearm. Mia turned a shade of red he’d never seen before. He liked it on her.

  “Oh, sweets,” Luke said, noticing her embarrassment. “You know I mean that in the best of ways.”

  He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head and whispered something that only she heard and then her beautiful laughter filled the room. She left his embrace and continued to her bandmate who raised his eyebrows at her before a knowing grin covered his face.

  Fuck. Of course, she would have told Marty about what happened. Ethan wondered if everyone coming knew about what he had done. He blew out a deep breath. Time to face the music.

  “Happy birthday, brat!” Marty gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. Bekah wished her a happy birthday as well. Ethan stepped forward and greeted the couple and then bent down to address Sydney.

  “I hope you brought your bathing suit because I happen to know that there’s an awesome water slide out back. Rory and Pierce are probably already playing.”

  Her eyes went wide in excitement and then she looked up at her mother. “Please, Mommy?”

  “Of course. Let’s get you changed.”

  A few moments later, the doorbell rang again. Mia went to open the door and was greeted by a chorus of “Happy birthday.” She moved aside and in walked Marc and Lizzie with their two kids, plus Clark and Todd.

 
Damn it! He forgot that Todd would be here, forgot that he and Mia shared a birthday. Todd was easy with his affection for Mia, pulling her to him and hugging her. She looked up at her drummer and smiled brightly at him, her affection for him plain on her face. She wished him a happy birthday and rose up to kiss his cheek.

  Ethan felt like he had just been kicked in the nuts. All his insecurities, the reasons why he’d cheated on his wife were being played out right before his eyes.

  Luke came to his side and spoke quietly to him. “Rein it in, buddy.”

  He took a deep breath and nodded at his best friend, needing to remember nothing had happened between Mia and Todd. That it was all a figment of his overactive imagination.

  “You guys still need to get everything all out.”

  “I know. Not today for obvious reasons.”

  “Real soon, I hope.”

  “Yeah, I know. I need her, Luke. I’m a damn fool without her.”

  Luke clapped him on the shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. “I know you do. For now, let’s get these people outside.”

  Ethan and Luke corralled everyone to the back yard. The kids were having a blast on the water slide. Kaitlyn had even made her way out there and was playing with the younger kids. She was so great with them.

  “She’s going to be a great big sister,” Ethan mentioned to Luke. His friend’s proud grin had him smiling as well.

  “She is. I can’t believe I’m going to be the father to a teenager and a newborn in a few short months. I’m forty-one years old, Ethan,” he spoke. Ethan heard the man’s worry as Luke looked on at his daughter playing in the splash pool with Marc and Lizzie’s youngest.

  “You’ll do just fine. You’ve done this already. Look at what a fine young woman your daughter is. You did that. And this time around you have Allie. So stop worrying.”

  Luke laughed and clinked his beer bottle with him. “You’re right.”

  Now if only he could be so sure about his future with Mia. Speaking of her, he hadn’t seen her in a bit. Ethan scanned the yard for his wife and found her chatting with Lizzie and Allie at a table under the tent she’d brought in for today’s party. Their eyes met and she smiled warmly at him. His return smile to her came easily as he took his empty beer bottle to the recycle bin.