Tempting Boundaries

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  While she was still shaking, he pulled away and tugged her down so she was below him on the mat. He entered her in a single stroke, leaving them both breathless.

  “Jesus, I forget how big you are.”

  He laughed then kissed her, thrusting in and out of her in a short, teasing rhythm. “So. Fucking. Perfect.”

  Her eyes widened, and he kissed her again, trying to make sure she knew he wanted her, wanted all of her.

  When her shoes dug into his back, he moved to one forearm and lifted her ass with his free hand, all the while maintaining his rhythm.

  “Play with your breasts, baby. I love when you do that.”

  She gave him a small nod, and her mouth parted, then she rolled her nipples between her fingers. He thrust again, harder and harder until she let out a little squeal, and her body bowed as she came. He couldn’t hold on anymore, and he followed her, pumping hard one last time so he was deep within her to the root, filling her up and knowing that this was as close as he’d ever been to another person, as close as he would ever be.

  Their chests heaved together, and her hands lazily went up and down his back.

  “I’m still wearing my shoes.”

  He laughed then. “Well, it was a workout look for sure.”

  She rolled her eyes. “The next time you fuck me while I’m wearing shoes, it has to be the heels. Okay?”

  He kissed her. “Deal.”

  As that image filled his mind, he thrust inside her, once again hard. Her eyes widened, and then she grinned.

  “Oh yes, I so like working out with you.”

  “Anytime, Mir, anytime.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The suitcases on the floor didn’t make sense. Meghan blinked once. Twice. Why were there three suitcases on the floor? She wasn’t aware of Richard having a business meeting out of town. They weren’t going on a vacation together; they hadn’t been on one since their honeymoon.

  It wouldn’t be the first time he’d forgotten to mention that he was leaving, but then he usually told her to pack for him because he was so busy. He’d always said that, since she didn’t have a job and only had to deal with the kids, she had more time to help him with things like that.

  She’d always done so because it was easier than fighting.

  So why were his suitcases on the floor?

  In the back of her mind she knew what was going on, knew that her world was coming to an end, but she didn’t want to face that.

  If she allowed her mind to form the thought, then it was really happening.

  She swallowed hard and ran her hands over her slacks. She’d much prefer to be in jeans or a sundress, but she’d wanted to dress up for Richard since it was their anniversary.

  Oh, that had to be it. Maybe he was surprising her with a trip to celebrate their eight years of marriage.

  Even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t so, but she licked her lips and prayed she was wrong.

  The sound of stomping feet, little girl screams, little boy giggles, and claws on hardwood reached her ears, and she paled. No, they couldn’t see this. She didn’t know what this was, but her babies couldn’t be here for it. Her mother’s instinct told her as much. She turned toward the sound, holding out her arms.

  Sasha ran right to her with Cliff on her tail. Her baby girl wasn’t crying, so they must have been playing a game. Their lab mix, Boomer, shuffled after them, taking his babysitting duties seriously. That dog loved her kids more than she’d ever thought possible. She was lucky Richard had let her keep him.

  “Mommy! You’re it! Tag!” Sasha giggled, and tears pricked Meghan’s eyes. She ran her hand over her daughter’s baby-soft hair and sighed.

  She had to get the children in the backyard, or at least out of the living room.

  “Dork, I’m it and chasing you,” Cliff said, his smug smile flaring under bright eyes. He reached out and patted Sasha’s cheek with such a soft caress Meghan had to blink away the tears. “Tag. You’re it.”

  Sasha giggled again. “Okay. Mommy. You’re it now.”

  Meghan nodded then pasted a smile on her face. “I’m it? Well, it looks like you’re going to have to run away so I can chase you. Why don’t the three of you go out in the backyard so we can play?”

  She tried to keep her voice calm, but Cliff’s all-too-intelligent eyes saw too much. He always saw too much.

  The front door opened behind her, and she raised her chin. Too late. Always too late.

  “Good. You’re here. We can dispense with the formalities then.”

  Her husband’s clipped tone grated on her nerves, but she did her best to ignore it. She turned on her heel, putting her hands on her children so the two of them were behind her.

  “Richard,” she said, her voice calm. “What are the bags for?”

  Richard gave her one of his patented pitying looks, and something inside of her shriveled.

  “You’re really not that stupid, are you?” He shook his head. “Of course you are. You just can’t take a hint. I have to spell everything out for you. Without me to tell you what to do, well, you’ll fail, but I’m done.” He met her eyes and smiled.

  Actually smiled.

  “I’m leaving you. I have a place set up for my things. My lawyer will call you to handle the proceedings. Don’t worry, Meghan, I won’t leave you with nothing. You gave me nothing but cheap bitchiness and bad sex for eight years, but I will pay you for it like the whore you are.”

  She sucked in a breath. Her children cried behind her.

  “Get out,” she said softly.

  Richard chuckled. “What’s that?”

  “Get. Out.” She grabbed two of the bags and shucked them at him. “Get out. You can leave. Just go and never talk to me like that in front of my children.”

  Cliff shuffled a bag behind her, setting it next to the other two. Her heart broke then. Shattered into a thousand pieces, but she wouldn’t break fully. She wouldn’t cry.

  “Cliff, take Sasha and Boomer upstairs.”

  “Mommy!” Sasha wailed, but Cliff did as he was told.

  Her brave, brave boy.

  “They are our children, Meghan. Remember that.” He took his bags and set them on the porch. “My lawyer will be contacting you. Don’t break down and act like an idiot, Meghan. It’s unbecoming.”

  With that, he closed the door quietly, but in her heart, it slammed. The echo bounced around until it became nothing.

  Nothing.

  She shook her head. She couldn’t afford to break down, not yet. Instead, she called her mother, explained in soft words that Richard had left her.

  No, she didn’t anyone to come over.

  Tonight she just needed her babies.

  Tomorrow she would deal with the details. It was, after all, what she was good at.

  Tonight she would make sure her babies knew she loved them.

  She fed them dinner—pizza since she didn’t have the desire or energy to cook—gave them their baths and answered their questions as best she could, and held them until it was time for bed. They didn’t talk of anything important, but she assured them she would be there no matter what.

  She supposed that was the most important thing of all.

  The children had heard Richard’s words, had known he was gone. He hadn’t been there in truth for years anyway.

  When she went upstairs, she found their respective rooms empty, but the guest bed was filled with little children and a dog.

  “We want to sleep in here. With you.” Cliff’s lower lip trembled, and she nodded. She hadn’t wanted to sleep in her own bed anyway, and the children seemed to know that.

  She tucked the kids in on either side of her and let Boomer lay on her feet. After reading and whispering nothings, the kids fell asleep. She couldn’t, however. She wasn’t sure she would be able to sleep again.

  Instead, she quietly got out of bed and made her way to her bathroom. She ignored the large bed and the half-empty closet. Those would be things she’d deal with in
the morning and the coming days.

  She turned on the hot water and filled the bathtub, adding lavender oil and bubble bath to the tub so she could scent something other than betrayal.

  When it filled, she sank into the tub, ignoring the blistering heat. She could barely feel it anyway. With the door closed and the steam filling the room around her, she let herself go. Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs as she wept.

  She wept for what was lost.

  What she’d never have again.

  What she’d done wrong.

  Happy Anniversary.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Luc Dodd turned off his truck and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He didn’t know why he was so nervous about going in there and talking to people he’d known for years, or rather, people he’d known years ago. He’d moved back to Denver only a couple weeks ago, and in the time it had taken to set up his place and start looking for jobs, he knew he’d have to buck up and do what was right, not what was easy.

  Oh, who was he kidding? Nothing about this was easy.

  He’d left Denver for his own reasons, and the Montgomerys had been curious, but they were nice about him leaving them without an electrician. He was sure that they’d hired a new one or even a new set in the years he’d been gone. He just hoped there was room for him. There were only so many freelance jobs out there for a guy with his Master Electrician certification, but no business. He hadn’t wanted to own his own business. That wasn’t who he was. He also didn’t want to work for the city for lousy pay and even lousier hours.

  He could find another private company, but that’s not what he was going to do. It felt wrong not to try and go back to work for the company that had fostered his career in his early days. He’d known them since he was in high school, coming around to study with the eldest Montgomery girl, Meghan. The Montgomerys had opened their doors and their arms, never concerned that their daughter was hanging out with a kid over a foot taller than her and way bigger. She’d been one of his best friends, although it had taken a while for him to learn that he wanted something more.

  He’d been too late for that, and well…the rest was history.

  He made sure he hadn’t creased his resume then headed toward the front office of Montgomery Inc.

  Wes stood at a desk in the front area, a frown on his face. “Storm? You know where Tabby put that invoice? Shit. She’s going to kill me for fucking up her desk.”

  “Yes. Yes she will. Maybe you should just check your email. You know she probably sent it to you.” Storm’s voice came from the back, and Luc could hear the smile in it.

  Wes ran a hand over his neat hair. “Shit. I’m not normally this disorganized, but she leaves for vacation, and I lose it.” He looked up and froze, the tip of his ears blushing. Then he blinked, his mouth broadening into a wide smile.

  “Jesus Christ. Luc?” He came around the desk and patted Luc on the back in a half hug.

  Luc relaxed marginally at the welcome. “Some things never change around here,” he teased.

  Wes rolled his eyes. “Tabby runs our lives, and apparently I’m not as good as I thought I was.”

  “Someone mark this day on the calendar. Wes admitted to not being good at something,” Storm said as he came out of the back room.

  “Suck me.”

  “Uh, no,” Storm said then hugged Luc. “Dude, I didn’t know you were back in town. What brings you here?”

  Luc shuffled his feet and sighed. “I’m here for a job actually.”

  Storm’s eyes widened, and Wes smiled.

  “Seriously?” Wes asked. “Hell yeah. Is that your resume?” Wes plucked it out of Luc’s hands and starting studying it.

  Storm gave Luc a look that saw too deep. “You’re back for good? I mean in Denver. You’re not planning on moving out again?”

  Luc shook his head. “I’m home. I’m through running.” He hadn’t meant to say that last part, and Storm seemed clued in. Well hell.

  “You’ve been around,” Wes said then whistled. “I see you’re up to date on all your certifications for Denver and Colorado, so that’s great. When can you start?”

  Luc blinked. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that,” Storm said then grinned. Luc relaxed again. “You were one of us before, and now you’re back. Why wouldn’t we take you?”

  Luc ran a hand over his face. “I’ve been so fucking nervous coming back.”

  Wes shrugged. “Don’t be. We all need to do things on our own every once in awhile. You just did it for what, five years?”

  “Eight,” Luc corrected.

  Storm narrowed his eyes and nodded. “You’ll be happy to see Meghan then, I guess.”

  Damn, the man saw too much.

  Wes let out a curse. “She’ll be happy to see you with what’s going on.”

  Luc turned sharply to the other twin. “What? What’s wrong with Meghan?”

  “That fucking bastard left her last night.” Wes growled. “That little prick already had his lawyer call her, but we’re going to handle it like a family. I have a friend who is a fucking shark of a divorce lawyer, so he’s going to help Meghan. And well, Alex, too, if he’ll let me.”

  Luc let out a curse. “Alex too?” Jesus, what was going on with the Montgomerys?

  “I’ll fill you in later if you want to talk over a beer,” Wes said.

  Luc wanted to, but something else was clawing at him. “I’m going to pass on that tonight, but maybe tomorrow? I have things to do.”

  Wes nodded. “Sounds good. Oh, and can you start tomorrow, too?” He grinned and Luc rolled his eyes.

  “Yes, I’ll be here so you can tell me what I need to do.”

  “Good, see you then. And, man, it’s good to see you.”

  He said his goodbyes, aware that Storm was staring at him, and then, before he thought too hard, he found his way to Meghan’s. He knew her address by heart since she sent Christmas and birthday cards every year, but he’d never been to this place. He hadn’t had the courage, even after all these years.

  He pulled into her driveway and cursed himself. What the fuck was he doing there? She didn’t need him. She’d proved that years ago. But that was then, and now he was back and working for her family. He had to let her know he was here. At least as here as he could be.

  He got out of his truck and made his way to the door, praying he was doing the right thing. He knocked then sucked in a breath when the door opened.

  Jesus Christ, she’d gotten even more beautiful.

  Her long brown hair flowed in waves down past her shoulders. Though her face was pale, the softness radiated from her pores. She had on an old shirt and jeans with a hole at the knee.

  He’d never seen anything sexier.

  “Luc?” she said on a breath. Her eyes filled, and he cursed.

  “Oh shit, Meghan. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I can leave.” He took a step back, but she reached out and gripped his arm.

  “No, don’t go. Just…Luc. You’re here.”

  “I…uh…stopped by Montgomery Inc. for a job, and well, they hired me. So I’m back.”

  “You’re back,” she said softly, tears sliding down her cheeks.

  Unable to help himself, he brushed one away with his thumb. “Don’t cry, Meg.”

  “Mom took the kids so I could be alone. I don’t think I should be alone.”

  He cupped her face and nodded. “Want to make me some coffee and you can tell me about those babies of yours?”

  She gave him a wobbly smile and nodded, taking a step back so he could walk in.

  He knew it was a mistake to get close again, and the hauntingly beautiful pain that scattered in his bones reminded him of what he’d lost before.

  He wasn’t going to leave though. He was back in Denver, back with the Montgomerys. He just needed to know where he fit.

  And with the crying beauty by his side, he knew that would be easier said than done.

  Chapter Twenty

  The pain
was like nothing else, but she gritted her teeth and breathed through it. Miranda had done this before, after all, so it shouldn’t have been such a big deal. She would not make a fool of herself in front of her family.

  “How you holding up there, Miranda?” Austin asked, his voice soft, caring.

  Damn the man and his tattoo gun.

  Instead of cursing him, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a bright smile. Probably too bright from the way he grimaced, but whatever.

  “Is Austin hurting you?” Maya asked as she looked over from her station. “If you’d have let me do it, I wouldn’t have hurt you. That big lug is a sadist.”

  This time, Miranda’s smile was real. “You did my other tattoo, you weirdo. And it hurt just as much as this one. I’m just not into needles.” She would have said pain in general, but the memories of Decker’s spankings were too new.

  “From that blush on your face, I really don’t want to know what you’re thinking about,” Maya teased.

  Austin groaned and cursed. “For the love of God, please stop. I do not need to know. Now, Miranda, you ready for me to finish up here? This stack of school books is going to look awesome since it’s going to be toppling over your Montgomery brand.”

  She nodded. “I’m glad that you’re working it all into one piece. And once I figure out what nerdy math ink I want, we can add that to the other side.”

  Austin chuckled. “You’re such a geek, but we love you.”

  Miranda smiled then held back a wince as he went back to work. While she loved the look of ink, she wasn’t as into the process as her siblings. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, but at some point, she might have to take a break. Talk about being a wimp.

  Austin and Maya shot back barbs to one another while Callie, the newest member of the team, added a few of her own. The shop really was a family of its own and added on to the other Montgomerys, Miranda counted herself lucky.

  When her dad came into the shop, she blinked back tears. They’d told her he was on his way to finishing up his treatments, and the outlook was good, but that didn’t mean it was easy. From his build, it looked liked he’d lost a good twenty pounds or more. He looked frail, yet there was that inner strength she knew he possessed—the same kind that he’d passed on to each of his children.