Twisted Paths

by L. L. Collins

  Liane, you’re being ridiculous. Knock on the damn door and get the man. You act like you’re some sort of prude or something. He told you to give him five minutes. He knows you’re coming in. Forcing my hand up, I knock on the door, feeling my face flaming bright red at the thought of him naked behind the door.

  Within seconds, the door swings open and I step backwards, trying but failing to keep myself from swaying at the sight of Blake McIntyre. Since we’d seen each other again, I’ve seen him on the beach, in the pool, in my condo and now in his house. But, this… this is something different altogether. He is… sinful with his bare chest and towel slung low on his hips, accentuating that vee of muscle that makes women stupid. Sex on legs, and looking at me like he wants to eat me.

  “Li,” he murmurs. My stomach constricts at the rasp in his voice and the look in his eyes. He reaches one of his hands out and clasps mine, and I hope and pray that he doesn’t feel me shaking.

  “Blake,” I answer, my tone matching his. Before I can register what’s happening, his warm chest touches my clothed one, and I swear that he ignites my shirt. “Let’s lose this. Are you okay?”

  Am I okay? That’s the million-dollar question. I feel desire like I have never felt before, but I also feel overwhelming fear that what I’m doing is wrong. That I will never get to have him for good because that just doesn’t work for us and we aren’t meant to be. That I will upset Carter and he won’t want anything to do with me anymore.

  Before I can think any more, Blake leans in, his manly scent making my eyes close. How he can still smell the same as he did all those years ago, I have no idea. I remember everything about the young man he had been then, and I want to see who he is now.

  “You’re breathtaking,” he murmurs, his breath wafting over my face. He smells like aftershave and mouthwash, and my mouth waters thinking about tasting him. He lifts his hand to cup the back of my neck, and I force myself to open my eyes so I can make sure this is really happening.

  I lift my hand to touch his face, so similar but so different all at the same time. He has obviously shaved. I study the fine lines that make him a man, my eyes connecting back to his again.

  “I want you, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life,” he whispers. “But no matter what, I’m not pushing you. If you aren’t ready, we stop this right now. Because I want every single thing about the first time we get back together to be perfect. No doubts. No regrets. Because once we do this, that’s it for me. I can’t go back. Not after all the years I’ve spent dreaming of this very moment right here. You’re even more beautiful than my mind conjured up. You’re my angel, Liane Kelly.”

  It isn’t lost on me that he used my maiden name, though I guess I will have to get used to that again. As terrified as this entire thing makes me, I know in my gut that I want to be nowhere else. I have put everything that I want on the back burner for so long that I have no idea how to assert myself anymore. It’s time to change that for good.

  Dropping my hand from his face and stepping back, I lift the hem of my shirt and fling it behind him. Blake’s eyes widen as his eyes scan my black lace bra. “I’m here, Blake,” I whisper, my voice catching. “Where I should’ve been all along.”

  The air crackles with electricity as the music changes, a slow, sexy beat pulsing through the room. I run my hands down Blake’s chiseled stomach and stop at the edge of the towel, my insides quivering in anticipation. He begins swaying with me, his hands tucked into the back of my shorts. Sliding my hands around his waist, he dips his head down to mine and touches his lips to mine while one hand drops my shorts and touches me intimately. I gasp into his mouth, the feeling of him touching me after all this time making me weak in the knees. It’s what I remembered, yet so much more.

  The lyrics surround us, words that blanket my nerves. There’s nothing to fear, I’m going to make you feel loved, the song croons as Blake’s tongue begins moving with mine. His hands cup my face, and when I dare to open my eyes I realize he is looking right into them as our mouths express everything we haven’t yet been able to say.

  He unhooks my bra and flings it behind us, his gaze on my bare chest making me squirm. “Beautiful,” he murmurs, using both hands to touch my bare skin. I throw my head back, the sensation of him touching me sending need pulsing through my body. When his hands leave, I feel the loss. He unbuttons my shorts and I step out of them, leaving me now in only a black thong.

  “Damn,” he mutters, his hands on my hips. “I may not even last as long as I did all those years ago.” We both laugh, lightening the mood. He loops a finger in both sides of my underwear and drops them to the floor, whistling as he watches me step out of them. I don’t even want to cover myself, because the way he’s looking at me makes me feel bold and sexy.

  I step forward and pull on the towel around his waist, dropping it to the floor so that we’re both standing in front of each other, every part of our souls and bodies bared to each other. His sculpted body makes my mouth water, but when I wrap my hand around him, steel under silk, we both hiss a breath out of our teeth. That’s all it takes for him to start touching me again, first his fingers inside me and then his mouth on my breasts. We’re frantic, and I know this isn’t going to be slow or loving. Not this time. There’s all the time in the world for that.

  “Li,” he growls as he nips my neck, his fingers rendering me speechless. “I need you. Like yesterday. Are you okay?”

  I step back, forcing him to let go of me. When he’s no longer touching me, my body screams for me to hurry up. I can’t wait much longer, either. His eyebrows furrow, but I’m in charge here. I lay back on the bed, crooking my finger at him. “Come here, Mr. McIntyre,” I say, forcing myself out of the comfortable little box I’ve put myself in for so long. He hesitates for a mere second before he hovers over me on the bed. I smile, reaching between us and guiding him inside me. His eyes roll as I arch my back and moan at the contact. It’s Heaven; right here, right now.

  He wraps his arm around my back and flips us, pushing his hips so he fills me deeper and fuller than I can ever remember feeling before. Now I’m on top, and I push my arms up so I can guide myself up and down. He grips one hip with one hand and caresses my breast with the other, both of us looking directly into each other’s eyes.

  “Dear God,” he mumbles as I lace his fingers with mine and take control of the rhythm. We’re both panting, and I fight to keep my eyes on his as I begin to fall over the edge. When he sits up and takes my breast in his mouth, biting gently on my nipple, I cry out, the first wave of ecstasy washing over me. He grabs me and turns me so he’s behind me as he continues taking me over the brink. His hands are everywhere as he pushes into me over and over again, neither of us able to stop the sounds that come from our mouths. I feel like I’m spinning in a vortex of need, want, and overwhelming ecstasy.

  “Blake!” I cry out as he reaches in between us and touches me. I follow, mirroring his touch as I feel him moving in and out of me while simultaneously stimulating me with his fingers. I reach my arm back and pull his face to mine, kissing him with everything I’m feeling right now. He’s relentless, and I lose control again, shuddering on him as he finally loses control with me. He breaks free of my lips, panting into my neck as his thrusts slow down. His hand caresses slowly up my body, cupping my breast before reaching my face and turning it to him.

  “I have no words for what that was,” he says, sliding his tongue in between my lips. I feel a familiar stirring inside me, and I can’t believe I’m actually getting turned on again. Not after the best sex of my life. “You’re amazing, Li. If I die tonight, I’ll be happy.”

  “No dying,” I laugh, turning so I’m facing him. I can feel him against me, and he’s definitely feeling like he’s ready for round two. “Because I have a lot left I want to do with you, Mr. McIntyre.” He grips my hair as I lower myself down his body, ready to show him how many ways I missed him over the years.

  “MELINDA, THIS IS Liane. Liane, M
elinda.” Blake holds my hand as we step into the classroom. This should be awkward, right? Me meeting Blake’s ex-wife. But she’s just the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen, and she envelops me in a hug right away. She has strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and makes me look tall. After last night, nothing is awkward with us anymore. After hours of lovemaking and learning what the adult version of ourselves like now, we’d passed out in each other’s arms. When I woke up to my alarm this morning, I’d never felt better in my life. Blake is dropping my things off on his way to his shop this morning. I’m going to go there later to finally get to see the place that Blake made a reality. I can’t wait.

  “I’m so glad to finally meet you!” she says. “Are you ready for this?”

  Butterflies attack my stomach. “I’m as ready as I’m getting, I think.”

  She waves her hand. “You’ve got this. How many years of experience do you have?”

  “Fourteen,” I answer. “But all at the same school. I’ve never worked anywhere else.”

  “You’ll love it here,” she says. “And best of all, your room is connected to mine! I’ll help you with anything I can. Do you have things to bring in?”

  I pat Blake’s firm chest. “Sure do. That’s where he comes in.”

  Blake groans in mock annoyance. “That’s all I’m good for. Carrying boxes.”

  Melinda looks back at him, then to me. “I’m so not going there. Come on, Liane. Blake, run along and be the big man on campus.”

  We all laugh, and Blake walks out shaking his head. I’m going to like this woman. “Thank you for getting me this job,” I say.

  “I just called Blake to tell him about it. Your reputation and who you are as a teacher got you the job, sweetie.” She stops, looking up at me for so long I wonder if I have something on my face. “You’re just as beautiful as he described.” I blush, trying but failing to not feel weird talking about this with her. “Don’t think this is weird. It isn’t. I loved Blake, but our relationship was different. I know that now that I’m married again. Both of us were in a place that we felt it was right, but it wasn’t.”

  “You saved his life,” I say, and she looks surprised. “He told me.”

  A sad look crosses her face. “He was in a really bad place, Liane. I’m glad I was there at that point in his life.”

  “I’m glad too,” I say, blinking to keep the tears from accumulating in my eyes.

  “I feel like I know you, I’ve heard so much about you over the years,” she says. “I hope you don’t mind that I heard what happened with you and your ex. He sounds like a real winner.”

  “Yeah. You could say that. So I think it’s pretty neat that you and Blake are still friends. I can’t say the same about me and my soon-to-be ex. If I never saw him again, that would be too soon.”

  “Well, yours was a different situation,” Melinda says. “Blake and I should’ve never gotten married. We’re friends. And I’m so happy that both of you are getting the chance at a do-over.” She grabs my hand. “Now, let’s go see your room.”

  THE DIRECTIONS BLAKE gave me tells me I’m making the final turn to his shop, the address just ahead on the left, and nervous butterflies take flight in my stomach. I don’t really know why, because I’m beyond excited to get to see it. I realize that we’ve never even discussed what it’s called, and I feel foolish. How could I have heard all about it, and spent hours upon hours talking to him only to forget to find out what it’s called?

  I start scanning the businesses, figuring once I see the name I’ll know I’m in the right place. It has to be something that I would recognize, right? I look down at my paper, laughing that I just didn’t type in the address in my GPS. I slow down, pulling into what is definitely a mechanic garage. It’s huge, with six garage doors that are full of cars. People mill outside, and guys go in and out of the doors, wiping their hands on rags. A large office with a waiting area is to the left. I turn the car off and look up at the sign. LKM Automotive. I furrow my brow. What does that mean? It looks like it’s someone’s initials, but that doesn’t make sense. I’ll have to ask him.

  Stepping from the car, the door to the office swings open and Blake steps out, grease across his forehead. I pick up my pace, wanting to get to him as fast as I can. Being away from him all day was torture, and I can’t wait to feel his arms around me again. His dark pants and shirt only accentuate the rippled muscles underneath. My eyes catch his name embroidered over his right pec, then LKM Automotive underneath it, and the word owner. Pride bubbles up inside me. He’s really done it. And from the amount of people I see there, he’s doing really well.

  “Li,” he says, hauling me into his arms. I bury my nose into his neck, smelling the shower gel that had been in his shower mixed with sweat and grease. I love it. “God, I missed you.”

  “I missed you too,” I say, kissing him softly. “This place is amazing. Show me around?”

  “Of course,” he says, squeezing my hand. “But first, how was your first day? Did Melinda help you get settled?”

  “Yes,” I laugh. “She’s great. I met my new team and had a great meeting with the administration. I can tell it’s a great place. My classroom is about halfway set up, thanks to Melinda. I’m not sure that she got anything done in her own room, though.”

  “Sounds like her,” Blake says, holding the office door open for me. “Mitch, Dave, Larry, this is Liane.” I wave as the guys standing around the computer smile at me. “This is the office. My private office is behind here. Come on, I’ll show you.” I take in the large waiting room with flat screen televisions, kids’ toys, and complimentary snacks and drinks before he drags me through a doorway.

  We step into his office, which is a rather large room with shelves of auto parts locked up and catalogs of cars and parts. His desk is against the wall and has a computer and a stack of papers. Above it is a huge LKM Automotive sign that looks like it once hung outside, and it reminds me that I want to know what that means.

  “Having you here is so surreal,” he says, shutting the door behind us. “I can’t believe you’re standing here. Sorry.” He laughs. “I think I’m going to say that for a long time until I get used to you being a part of my daily life.”

  “I’m here,” I say, closing the distance between us and hugging him tightly. “Blake? What does LKM stand for?”

  He’s quiet, his chin resting on my head as he strokes my back. Just when I’m about to wonder if he didn’t hear me and repeat myself, he pulls back and lifts my chin.

  HOW DO I answer this question without seeming like a nutcase? I know I‘m going to have to tell her why the name is what it is, but to have her standing here in front of me, her innocent green eyes blinking up at me, I’m unsure she’ll want to know. I’d known I was going to name my shop that for a long time, years before it ever even happened. I’ve been asked over the years what it stands for by several of my guys or customers, but I always just smile and say it’s for someone I love. Not even Melinda had known what it stands for until after we’d divorced and she figured it out.

  Well, here goes nothing. “It stands for Liane Kelly McIntyre,” I say, avoiding her eyes. I’m embarrassed to admit just how much she has affected my entire life, even while she wasn’t in it. And why had I done it? Having her initials (well, her initials had she been mine all this time) over my heart as I worked and above my shop had kept me going on days when being without her had just about stolen my resolve to go on.

  She doesn’t say anything, so I finally force myself to look at her. Her chin is quivering, and tears stream down her face and drip onto her neck. Her big green eyes are full of water, and they’re looking right through my soul. “What? Are you serious?”

  I nod, knowing that she now knows just how pathetic I am. “I had to keep you close to me,” I admit, wishing I could turn off the faucet of words that just keeps running. “And there’s nothing I wanted more than for you to have my last name. Even if it wasn’t true. At least over my door, it was.” />
  “Blake,” she cries. “I-I can’t believe it. I’m floored and honored. And it tears out my heart, all at the same time.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I should’ve been LKM,” she says. “I should’ve all along, Blake. I can’t believe you did this for me.”

  I pat the patch over my heart. “I kept you here, all day, every day. When I could barely go on, this kept me going. But never did I think I’d have the chance to make it right. I love you, Liane Kelly. I always have, and I always will.”

  I wrap my arms around her and she holds me so tight, it almost hurts. But I get it. It’s how I wanted to hold onto her this morning when she left my bed to go to work. This is something we’re both going to have to work through, the fear of walking away from each other and wondering if it’s the last time. I make a note to talk to Mia about that when we go tomorrow for our first session together.

  “I love you, Blake. God, do I ever love you.”

  LIANE’S BEEN IN there with Mia by herself for over an hour. I stand, unable to sit any longer. What has she been talking about for so long? Is she regretting things? Is she upset over the shop? Is she having second thoughts about us? When we arrived, Mia wanted to see Liane alone. She also said she’d see me alone after, but I don’t need that. I want to see Li, and right now.

  “Blake?” Mia’s voice comes from the open door. “Come on back. We’re ready for you.” I follow on her heels, needing to see for myself that Li is not only still in the room, but that she’s okay.

  When Mia steps into her office and Li looks up at me and smiles, I breathe out. Her eyes are red and she’s holding tissues, but she’s smiling at me. I sit next to her on the plush couch and take her hand in mine. I want to ask her if she’s okay, but I can’t. I’m afraid of the answer.