Loving Again: The Broken Hearts Club

by Michele Barlow

  “I do? That wouldn’t be a bad thing. I have a group of friends back in Colorado that helped me through the really rough times. I told them about our date, by the way. They are very good at meddling in other people’s lives so they don’t have to face their own.”

  “And what did they think?”

  “Pretty much what you said. Well, some were more graphic about opportunities.”

  “Opportunities? I like the sound of that. Like I said, I’m here for you, no strings. You need an ear? I’m a call away. You need someone to do some heavy lifting, and I mean that literally, I’m there. You need someone to hold you and tell you how beautiful you are and make love to you so you remember what it’s like to leave the world behind for a while. I’m here for you.”

  Leo looked over and saw her eyes were big on him.

  “You know, my friend told me I should sleep with you for the physical release. Honestly, I think she was just horny and wanted to live vicariously. But you’re seriously offering up sex as a comfort measure?”

  “Why not? It feels good, and I’m sure we would be good together. When was the last time you came?”

  Evie sputtered a bit and looked away guiltily. “Wow, rude, and kinda personal.”

  “I came this morning in the shower thinking about you. See, it’s easy to admit. When was the last time for you?”

  Her cheeks were turning red as she glanced at him then looked away again. “I…uh… can’t remember?”

  “If you really can’t remember that is a more pressing concern than what to do with the rest of your life.”

  Leo put down the stick and moved closer to her. He didn’t hesitate, he moved his hands up to her face, cupping her cheeks that had been warmed by the fire and leaned in to kiss her.

  She gasped as soon as their lips touched but he gave her a moment to enjoy the soft tentative kiss he was offering. He was testing to see if he was moving in the right direction or if it was too much too soon for her.

  Her mouth relaxed and she started to kiss him back. She was hesitant and her kisses were like a teenager who was over-thinking their next move.

  As she leaned towards him, Leo deepened the kiss, pulling her face towards him as he swept his tongue over her mouth urging her to open to him.

  She did.

  Leo kissed her deep, pouring his intent of pleasure and nothing else into it. Giving her pleasure was the only thing on his mind. She tasted sweet from the wine, her mouth hot against his. Her skin was soft under his work worn hands and he couldn’t remember feeling anything so delicate.

  “Thatta girl. You’re sweet, Evie.” He smiled against her mouth and then moved one hand down to her throat, his thumb tracing over the rapid pulse there. She was excited and nervous, his skin vibrating from their kiss.

  Breaking off the kiss, he leaned towards her ear and whispered, “I’m offering pleasure, as much as you want. No strings, no worries later, just this, right now. I want you to take it, Evie. Tell me how I can make you feel good. Because I can think of about a million things right now that involve every inch of you. I’ll give you anything, Evie. If you like kisses, I can do that. If you like touching, I can that too. If you like soft and slow, not a problem. Fast and rough, I’m on board. Your wish is my command.”

  He pulled away to see that her eyes had gotten even wider. She was licking her lips, those eyes glazed with a haze of sexual overload from his words.

  “Tell me, Evie. There is no wrong answer.”

  He watched her swallow, her lips parting as she searched for the words.

  Finally, a moment of clarity flashed in her eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes. All of it.”

  Chapter 12

  What was she doing? She was on a beach with a man that she’d just met and he was offering to do naughty things to her. Good things, things she needed, but still. She knew she shouldn’t. There were so many reasons to say no.

  There was only one reason to say yes. She wanted to. Simple, selfish, and the only answer she could come up with at the moment.

  While Leo was kissing her, or at least after her mind started spinning again that was, she checked her conscience. Was there guilt? A sense of wrongdoing? She expected there to be, yet she only felt resolve. She half expected to hear her husband’s voice booming in her head warning her of the dangers of late night beach hook-ups. But there was silence. There wasn’t any judgment. The only person that could have judged her was herself. Her mind was full of her girls, always steering her towards what was best for her. Giving her the confidence in her choices because she owned them. Good or bad, she was in control. Like this was a step towards accepting her new place in the world. Her husband had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want her to stop living if he was gone and that he wanted her to find love again.

  This might not be love, but it felt like a connection that she had been missing and needed so badly. She wanted to feel guilty, or she at least felt like she needed to. But the moment Leo had touched her face, she felt warm. She felt an instant calm wash over her. Leo smelled good, he smelled manly. It was a scent that you wouldn’t expect to miss. But it was the fragrance that made your nipples tighten and your panties dampen.

  “Evie, look at me,” he said. That deep voice of his was like a shot of rough whiskey. Heavy and soothing.

  She opened her eyes to see his staring back at her. His mouth was open and he was breathing deeply.

  “Just tonight. Don’t worry about tomorrow, yeah?”

  Evie was able to nod. If she spoke, she wasn’t sure what would come blurting out so she decided her mouth would only open again for his.

  He kissed her again, this time more urgently. She knew he’d been holding back before. Testing the waters. This time he’d gotten the green light and his hands moved over her as they kissed. His tongue was making deep sweeps into her mouth. She’d forgotten how great French kissing could be. It was something that had trailed off in the past years. That was something you did as you were getting to know someone. It was the fastest way to intimacy.

  Leo wanted her, he wanted to soak her in and help her forget about her pain for at least a few moments. It wouldn’t be a permanent fix, but he was willing and honored to be the one to give her pleasure.

  He normally would ask more questions, finding out exactly what she liked or wanted from him. Evie seemed to need someone to take charge, someone to make sure that she only had to take her pleasure without over-thinking it.

  With a gentle push against her hips, he laid her back onto the blanket he’d laid out on the sand. He kept his hands over her clothes, showing her where he wanted to go. His hand cupped over her breast, skimming one then sliding down to her hip and cupping the edge of her ass.

  “Evie, we need to move. I can’t make love to you on the sand. It’s… problematic.”

  Leo watched her beautiful eyes flutter open, and he really hoped he wasn’t going to see her change her mind.

  “Huh? Okay, yeah.”

  Leo made quick work of dousing the fire and packing up their meal. He had everything back in the bags and her hand in his as he helped her back up to his truck.

  Once they were in, he turned to her and saw that she still looked a little addled. “My place, okay?”

  She turned to him, a flicker of realization that they had just had a makeout session on the beach.

  “Leo…”

  “The offer stands, Evie. No pressure, we can sit and talk. I can take you home right now. We can go out again if you want. But I find you sexy and there is nothing I want more than to take you home tonight.

  Evie felt like she was hearing everything through a tunnel. She’d decided to kiss Leo. Hell, she’d even decided that having a quickie in the sand didn’t seem like such a bad idea. But the minute he touched her, her brain shut off and her body had taken over all control of her responses. When he stopped kissing her she thought that it was so they could strip out of their clothes. It wasn’t to re
locate. The great thing about making choices spurred by a little wine was that it was all about timing.

  Now Leo wanted to move and worse he wanted to get them horizontal on a real bed. Oddly, she wasn’t sure she was ready for that kind of commitment. And right now, being naked in a bed with someone else sounded like commitment. More commitment than she’d been prepared for when she had agreed to have dinner with him. Fully naked meant spending time with this man, who was still a stranger, possibly multiple rounds of intimacy, and the dreaded cuddling that followed. Evie was a cuddler. She latched on to people through touch. Her family didn’t mind, but strangers often thought she was a little weird.

  Leo looked like the best hugger, with big strong arms, she was sure would wrap completely around her. It was a slippery slope that she was a little desperate for.

  Evie couldn’t go to his house. She couldn’t cling to Leo just because he was offering her a little reprieve.

  Making a fast choice, she kicked off her boots and started unbuttoning her jeans. She had them shimmied down to her knees before Leo even had a chance to say anything.

  “Evie, what are you doing?”

  Feeling bold, she gave him a sly smile, or at least she hoped that’s what it looked like.

  “You never had a little fun in a car? Come on, you have a truck with a bench seat. Don’t tell me you’ve never done it in a truck before.”

  Normally, Evie wasn’t very confident in her body, but the look in Leo’s eyes made her forget any worry that he wasn’t really interested.

  “We don’t have to do this here, we can wait. I don’t live far away.”

  “You don’t want me here?”

  “Oh, baby, I want you. I just think you deserve the best. The front seat of my truck doesn’t seem like the best I can offer.”

  “Well, take it as a challenge then. Show me your moves, Leo Carr.”

  His eyebrow rose and he hesitated a few more seconds then he was across the seat and had her laid out under him on the worn seat.

  “You tempt me too much, Evie. I want to be gentle with you, but my cock is hard and you smell amazing. I’m not thinking straight.”

  “I’m deciding not to think, just to feel. Make me feel something good, Leo.”

  Evie wasn’t one to beg, and she didn’t feel like that’s what she was doing now. She was actually demanding something for herself. It felt good to be in control. She hadn’t felt that way in a long time.

  Leo gave her a hard, hot look and kissed her like he had on the beach. This time there was less fabric between them. Leo’s jeans were pressing against the damp place between her legs. She thought about tipping her hips against that to gain some friction against her aching parts. Then she figured, why not?

  Evie wrapped her legs around Leo and rubbed against the ridge that was pushing against his jeans.

  It felt good. She’d forgotten how good dry humping in a steamy car could be. Evie felt like she was back in high school necking in the woods. Actually, they were necking in the woods. They were on the side of the road and she really hoped no one came investigating the reason why they were parked there.

  “Leo?”

  He had been kissing along her neck and looked up at her, his breath coming in pants.

  “Are we okay here? I mean on the side of the road?”

  “People know my truck. They’ll assume I’m down on the beach. No one will bother us.”

  He went back to her neck, as he pushed her jacket off her shoulders then pushed up her shirt. Evie never thought her breasts were anything special. Leo must have thought differently. He sunk his face into her cleavage and she thought he was breathing her in for a moment before he started kissing each soft mound. He pulled down one of her bra cups and latched his mouth around her nipple.

  Evie arched off the seat, his hot mouth wet and slick over her nipple. He grazed the taut peak with his teeth and she felt electricity snap through her.

  Leo slid his hand down the front of her body and slipped his hand into her panties. He found the wet center of her. He was gentle, searching for what she liked.

  Evie appreciated the gentleness. She was super sensitive and it didn’t take much for her to come apart or worse for it to no longer feel good.

  She liked what he was doing so she told him so by leaning up for a hot kiss. Evie wasn’t one for talking much during sex. Quiet was the norm for her. Leo was a talker.

  “Damn you’re sexy and beautiful. Your mouth is soft and you smell amazing. I don’t want to do this here but I can’t resist. I want you to feel good. I want to make you burn for me.”

  Evie was already burning; she didn’t think she had much more that she could give. His hands were moving against her, applying pressure and then he slid a finger inside her and she gasped. It had been too long since she felt that amazing invasion.

  “So sweet. You want more?”

  “Yes,” she moaned. She didn’t want him to stop so she gave him the affirmative to keep going.

  Leo gave her what she wanted and focused on bringing her to her peak. He didn’t want to rush it, but he knew that she was already halfway there.

  He must have sensed how close she was. “Baby, come for me.”

  Evie didn’t know how or why, but at his words, she came hard and screaming. If she had been more aware, she would have been embarrassed but it felt to freaking amazing. Her body was desperate for the release. She greedily let all of the sweet static shocks flow over her, every nerve firing at the same time.

  “Good girl, so beautiful,” he murmured in her ear.

  Evie loved hearing that. It was like every tiny sprout of doubt or embarrassment was washed away at his words. He was padding her ego in a way she didn’t know she needed.

  Her ears had nothing in them but a roaring noise and she could feel the vibration of her throat as she mewled and whimpered. The aftershocks stinging over her. She could embarrassingly fall asleep at that moment she was so exhausted and relaxed. Why hadn’t she done that for herself months ago? Every time she even thought about it, life would distract her. It also felt self-indulgent and she was never one to be so selfish.

  Now she felt amazing and realized it was long overdue.

  “Wow.”

  “You seemed to have needed that. I’m happy to give you as many as you want, whenever you want. But I won’t be making love to you in this truck. Fooling around yes. But I want all of you laid out like a feast in front of me.”

  “Hungry are we?” Evie was feeling saucy and confident.

  “Yes, I am.” He gave her a look that made her shiver underneath him. Evie’s eyes closed and she groaned.

  “Can I take you home, Evie?”

  Evie had planned the whole truck sex to get out of that. Yet all it took was an orgasm that made her feel like the weight of the world had lifted off her to change her mind.

  “Yes, please,” she said, looking up at him. She knew he was just offering sex and right now, the thought of Leo holding her through the night was enough for her to agree to whatever may transpire at his house. He was gentle with her, he didn’t push, this wasn’t just about what he wanted, it was about what Evie needed.

  Chapter 13

  The fumbling of righting one’s clothing was usually a shared moment, yet it was only Evie that had so willingly disrobed. Once righted, they had a quiet ride through the winding roads of Friday Harbor. This time instead of sitting next to the window, Evie was sitting right next to Leo. Her head was resting against his shoulder as he drove. His right hand sliding between the steering wheel and her thigh. It was a gentle touch that still made her purr and sigh. She’d missed touch so much. Just the contact of another human being. A heartbeat and shared moment that meant you weren’t alone.

  Evie decided in that moment of relief that she wasn’t going to overthink what was happening between them. Maybe this is what Isaac meant by moving on and living with love. His note was very specific. Live with love, he’d said. She wasn’t sure if that mean loving their daughter or
loving life. Maybe he just meant that never giving up an opportunity to love, and be loved, was what living was really about.

  The ride could have been mere minutes or it could have been hours, Evie wasn’t sure. They pulled up to a modest house that was nestled into the trees. Leo turned off the truck and kissed her lingeringly before getting out. He helped her out and walked them to the door. Opening the front door, a dog of an indeterminate breed was sitting patiently on a rug.

  “Hey, Bud, good to see you. This is Evie.”

  She walked around him and gave the dog a scratch behind the ears.

  “That’s enough of the pleasantries. He’s got a dog door, he’s good.”

  With that, he grabbed her hand and led her down a hallway. Evie found herself in Leo’s room on her back in the middle of the bed with his mouth on hers.

  There wasn’t any tentativeness this time. It was both of them pulling at clothing, searching for skin. Their mouths clashed against each other, tongues tasting, lips seeking.

  “I need you, Evie.”

  She knew how to answer that. “I need you too, Leo.”

  Leo Carr knew his way around a woman, and he had her naked in no time. Evie had only managed to get his shirt pulled over his head by the time she was laid bare. Leo kissed his way down her body describing every part of her that he liked. Her breasts, her nipples, her ribs. Her belly button? That had her giggling and twisting away as he kissed it and told her it was the most perfect belly button in the world.

  “You’re nuts,” she said in between giggles.

  “Maybe I am. Or I’m just crazy about you. You’ve spun my head, Evie. I’ve never fallen so hard or so fast for a woman.”

  “I feel like I should feel guilty for liking you. We just met, but I feel good with you. I feel connected. Does that sound crazy?”

  “No, it sounds like we might have been put in the right place at the right time to meet each other. I, for one, am going to accept that gift. I want you to be able to accept it too.”