Fail To Fight: A Second Chance At Forever Romance (Unrequited Love Series Book 1)

by Maci Dillon

  A true romantic at heart.

  “You always did love a good window scene, little one.”

  Will’s comment caught me off guard, and I spun back to face him. Was I that much of an open book? I was surprised at the nostalgia in his eyes, and instantly, I was reminded of his wife. Amanda.

  Perhaps I shouldn’t have reached for the phone and done some investigating after he called yesterday, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed a little knowledge of what I was getting myself into tonight. What I wasn’t expecting was to find out he’d married not too long after I left town.

  It fucking hurt.

  It tore open an old heart wound with rusty old razor blades.

  Apparently, they’d separated earlier this year, or I wouldn’t be here. But curiosity is a bitch.

  Had they enjoyed the same kinds of provocative scenes? Did he expose his vulnerabilities to her as he always had with me? Heat invaded my face. I was unsure whether it was the effect of the margaritas kicking in or the room closing in on me. Vulnerability took hold of me. Desire threatened to swallow me whole.

  And it fucked me off.

  “How did you find me, Will? And where the hell were you at dinner?” My voice rose in decibels and pitch.

  The knowing way his eyes danced over me threatened to bring me to my knees. So familiar. My pulse raced at the way he stood, within reach, waiting, anticipating my next move, knowing every one of my secrets and me his.

  Never has anyone known me—mind, body, and soul—so intimately. Nor did I want anyone to. I will never give myself to another the way I did with him.

  I had hoped this meeting tonight would prove our love was in the past, confirm our attraction was a figment of my imagination, something I wanted so desperately to hold onto all these years. But it’s unquestionable. More authentic than I ever anticipated.

  I snatched the glass and threw back a few mouthfuls of tequila. A hiss escaped my mouth at the burn in my throat.

  He stood staring at me as I licked the remnants from my lips. Neither of us willing to speak or make the first move.

  “You know what, Will?”

  The raw attraction was as present right now in this room as it ever had been. There was little room for words, but I demanded an explanation. The chemistry between us was so strong, it forced me to take a step back.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  “At least do me the courtesy of explaining why you bothered to call yesterday, only to stand me up tonight or get the fuck out.” I turned in the direction of the door.

  In a split second, Will was on the opposite side of the counter in front of me, his eyes fierce and glued to my lips. “I’m sorry, okay. I…” His familiar scent of Calvin Klein hit me as he moved to cup my face in his hands, “… I fucked up tonight, Chloe. I did, but please let me explain.”

  Words are nothing without emotion and sincerity. And there was evidence of both in the words he spoke. It pummeled my insides and clawed at my heart like a wild animal in a cage.

  I moved from within his grasp.

  “Okay, Will. Let’s have it.” I nonchalantly threw my arms in the air and turned away from him. “Tell me.”

  I sensed the relief in his sigh as he began to explain what happened and why he showed for our date but never made his presence known to me.

  “I arrived right on time. I heard your chuckle floating out of the restaurant before I laid eyes on you, Chloe. My heart skipped a beat. I never believed in a million years I would have the honor of hearing the melody of your laughter again.”

  Behind me, I sensed him approaching. His fingertips slid around my hips slowly as if testing the waters. My chest swelled at his caress, and mini fireworks descended from my core.

  I slowly edged away from him. My body relented, but my mind was too focused on the humiliation of being stood up. I threw a bewildered glance over my shoulder, warning him to keep his distance. He nodded and continued, his hands now safely tucked away in the pockets of his jeans.

  “You were talking to some guy who didn’t appear to be going anywhere. At first, I assumed you must have been with him, and I panicked. I never even asked if you were seeing anyone.”

  A recount of events bounced off the walls as I struggled with my feelings.

  “I was a coward, Chloe.”

  “That much is evident.”

  Will approached subtly. His hands skimmed over my curvaceous thighs from behind, ever so lightly as he continued to explain. My body shivered slightly in response. “I sat across the way watching you with him, hoping he would leave, but instead…” His words fell away, and he shifted his weight awkwardly behind me.

  “After ten years of waiting, the moment I finally laid eyes on you again, I feared what to say, not knowing if I’d get the words out.”

  My eyes drifted shut, trying to take in what he was saying.

  “Anything would have sufficed, Will.” I turned back to him as his hands fell away from my hips. “Showing up would have been a decent move.” Tension plagued my body.

  I raked my hands through my loose curls and tossed my locks to the side over one shoulder. I toyed with the ends, twirling them vigorously around my finger in frustration. His eyes followed the movement of my hands. I turned my back to him again, unable to deal with the affliction evident in his gaze.

  “Instead, I waited.” He continued, “Like a fucking crazy-ass stalker. When you prepared to leave, I followed you back here.”

  He followed me.

  We stood in silence for a few long seconds. “Chloe, talk to me. Please.”

  His breath whispered across my neck as his broad chest wrapped around me from behind, and his denim-clad thighs scraped teasingly at the backs of my legs. Arms snaked around my front until his hands clasped together low on my stomach. If the situation were different, I might have had the urge to push them lower and beneath my dress, but I stood. Unable to move. Half of me wanted to escape his advance, but the other wanted to seek comfort in his embrace.

  “What do you want me to say, Will?”

  Violated is what I should have felt. Being watched from the dark shadows as I sat dying inside, knowing he didn’t care enough to show up. Instead, I was thankful he eventually turned up to explain himself.

  “Who was the guy you were with?” he asked tentatively.

  “The guy I met at the bar? We chatted while he waited for a colleague, who, in the end, couldn’t make it.” If only Will had shown up when he was supposed to. I released a sigh of frustration.

  “He stayed, as it became alarmingly apparent you weren’t going to show either.” Spoken with the force of darts being thrown at a target, I failed to cover the hurt, and shame ate at me for letting it show.

  “I overanalyzed it, Chloe. I’m truly sorry, utterly appalled by my actions. Please believe me.”

  “I do, Will. But it doesn’t change what happened or didn’t happen.”

  “But I’m here now,” he offered as he lowered his chin to rest on the top of my head. I’m now fully embraced by him, back where I belong.

  Internally I shook my head. I can’t allow myself to go there. Whatever happened tonight, there was nowhere for it to go. He may be separated, but there’s still more than the two of us to consider.

  Besides, I wasn’t looking for forever, all I needed from this night was closure. It was the only reason I agreed to meet.

  Deep inside me is still the young woman I was ten years ago.

  Hurt, broken, abandoned.

  I fucked up, Will fucked up, and it ended. It was simple. It wasn’t, but I wanted to believe it to be.

  There was so much to discuss. How, after all the promises and the loving memories we’d shared, did we let each other walk away without a fight? I believed we owed it to ourselves to lay everything on the table, to enable us to leave here knowing we’d ended this chapter of our lives for good. On a happy note.

  “Will,” I whisper, twisting in his arms. “This isn’t—” My words were cut off when I met his eyes.<
br />
  Eyes so familiar, I became lost instantly in what we once were.

  Who we once were.

  My thoughts are swallowed up as Will crushed his lips to mine.

  Fuck me, I’ve missed his mouth.

  On my lips, my pussy—everywhere.

  But it’s not what I came here for. I made a feeble attempt to pull away, but his hands extended to hold my head to his. The wet tip of his tongue traced the curve of my mouth until I gave in to temptation and opened for his assault. Our tongues dueled ferociously, fought for control, and fueled our desires.

  Will’s hands descended, stopping momentarily to caress my breasts in his palms before they continued their journey, tracing the curves of my body until they got to my thighs. His grip was possessive, pulling me to him. The kiss was urgent, all-consuming. Our breathing was erratic as we gave in to a decade of desire.

  I clutched his shirt, immediately wanting nothing between us.

  My fingertips raked over his muscular chest and abdomen and caused a moan to fall from his lips as he pressed hard against me, tempting my restraint with his fully erect cock pressed into my tummy. My hands moved beneath the dark fabric of his shirt, and the moment they connected with his skin, his entire body tensed, his kiss increased in intensity, and I sheltered his groan with my mouth.

  He devoured everything I had to give, and he still demanded more.

  The world fell away. I was aware of only him as his hand pushed the hem of my dress up my thighs. His caress worked its way higher and slipped around behind me to grip the silken skin of my ass.

  I always loved the possessive way he handled me as if he owned me, and damn, if I didn’t want him to let me go again.

  “Fucking hell, little one,” he growled into my mouth.

  Will had called me his little one since we first met, even before we started officially dating. It gave me a sense of being his. I now questioned if the name was reserved only for me or if his wife was also accustomed to it. It made no difference in the end, but I desperately wanted it to be mine.

  I was his little one.

  Whispered moans filled my ears as he broke our kiss to trail his mouth across my cheek to the sensitive spot behind my ear. Amused by the way my body shuddered under his sweet caresses, I sensed him smile against my skin, and I groaned loudly, a mixture of frustration and arousal.

  Using my bouncy curls as an anchor, a hand ran up the length of my back, gripped my hair, and tugged. My head tilted to the side, and my neck opened to him in invitation.

  I’m lost in the sensations—lips that whispered over my skin, his free hand had worked its way from my ass up the curve of my lower back, across my rib cage until it lingered ever so lightly to the side of my breast. The anticipation killed me, and my body rocked against his cock still neatly tucked away in his pants. “I need you, Will.” The words fell from my lips in more of a whine than a demand, but who cared.

  I released his back from the torture of my hands, and my fingers moved to unbutton his shirt. I made quick work of it and pushed it back off his shoulders to expose his toned physique. When his hands fell away from my body, I silently cried out as the material dropped to the floor behind us.

  We shouldn’t be doing this. Was one night going to be the closure I needed, or would it open my heart to more hurt? I couldn’t be sure, but I pushed the notion aside.

  Gently, his fingers guided my chin toward him, and for the first time tonight, I gazed directly into his eyes without reservation.

  Devastatingly delicious brown eyes stared back at me, his arousal evident in their depths. A mixture of lust, regret, and something I couldn’t quite identify was also hidden within them.

  I’d be stupid to probe. It wouldn’t serve either of us to discuss our emotions, past or present, if there couldn’t be a future. But ideally, it’s what we came here for.

  “Chloe, we need to talk.”

  Will

  Fuck me!

  What was I doing?

  This wasn’t going to serve either of us well.

  So much has happened. Will and Chloe were a lifetime ago. How was it possible to fall so easily into a moment as if no time has passed at all?

  Guilt crept in as I pictured Amanda. Closure was what I came for, not new beginnings. But with Chloe wrapped in my arms, the past fell away.

  So natural.

  So perfect.

  Chloe’s ocean blue eyes stared back at me, deep into my soul, reading the thoughts I couldn’t fathom enough to speak aloud. Need stirred within me and pulled at my conscience. This woman flawed me, even after all this time apart.

  How is it possible to love two women at once?

  I had never stopped loving Chloe, but this feeling right now, it bewildered me.

  Not at all what I expected after a decade apart.

  Chapter Ten

  Worth Fighting For

  “The best things in life are worth waiting for, fighting for, believing in, and just never letting go of.” ~ Unknown

  CHLOE

  Will rested his forehead on mine as though silently contemplating something. Gently, he rubbed his palms up and down my arms. I wasn’t sure if he was comforting himself or me. I waited for him to speak, but instead, he placed a feather-light kiss on the top of my head and backed away from me to collect our drinks.

  It was like a bucket of cold water thrown over us, dissipating my arousal, making my head spin.

  Chloe, we need to talk.

  Five words that should have preceded the lust-induced make-out session. Not after, and not in the middle of it.

  I took my glass from him and drained the contents in one swift gulp. What was left of the small bottle from the mini bar, I emptied into my glass and took another sip before I responded.

  “What are you here for, Will? You wanted dinner, but you didn’t show. You waltzed in here, got under my skin, took what you needed, and now you want to talk?”

  In frustration, I slammed the glass on the counter, and a splash of clear liquid jumped out and landed on the back of my hand.

  Will reached for my fingers, lifted them to his mouth, and licked his way to the mess before it dripped on the floor. I turned my arm over, he planted his hot, wet tongue on the inside of my wrist, slowly licked his way up my arm, and stopped at the inside of my elbow. His eyes, thick with lust and still darkened with arousal, he followed my every moment of the journey.

  “So, I got under your skin already, did I?” he teased.

  Men!

  I scoffed at his show of arrogance, but a cheeky grin I never anticipated seeing again was enough to dispel my anger and leave me wanton, ready to play the game if that’s what this was to him.

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re the one who wanted to talk, and you haven’t told me anything yet, nor did you answer my question.”

  He held his cocky grin and moved into my space. The fireworks started up again in my core due to his closeness, and a trickle of moisture escaped my pussy and caused me to clench my thighs together.

  Will raised his eyebrows at my not-so-subtle movement. The bastard was well versed in what he was doing, and he loved every bit of it.

  “I’ve fucking missed the feisty bitch in you, Chloe.”

  I chuckled.

  He always loved riling me up.

  Fighting wasn’t much a part of our relationship, but we loved to banter and stir each other up in crazy proportions. It always ended in the best kinds of sex too. I missed the playful side of our relationship as much as any other.

  A pang of jealously shot through me as I imagined his life with Amanda.

  Was she anything like me?

  Did they enjoy the same kinds of fun and spontaneity as we once did?

  I was curious if he was going to mention her or not. I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up. For no other reason than not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing I googled him.

  “Every fucking thing about you I loved, and every day since I turned my back and wa
lked away, I’m reminded constantly of what I lost.”

  My eyes fell at his use of words. Immediately, his hands were on me and brought my face and eyes back to him. “Don’t look away from me, little one.” I forced myself to meet his eyes and cringed at the pain staring back at me.

  “You didn’t lose me, Will. You chose to walk away,” I reminded him.

  “I chose… for fuck’s sake, Chloe, I didn’t want you to…” He whirled around, arms wailing in frustration. “You had sex with another man, Chloe.” Contempt dripped from his words. “I’d already lost you.”

  And there it was, all my emotions bubbled to the surface and threatened to fall freely from my eyes. “Will,” I whispered his name with agonizing difficulty.

  It was now or never, I had to tell him the truth. A truth powerless to change the past, but it had to be shared. “I fucked up. And I apologized a gazillion times, but no amount of apology would change what was already done.”

  It’s true. I couldn’t repaint the past with words of what I only wished had happened.

  “Shit, baby, you’re right. I’m sorry.” His head dropped low, hiding his pain from me.

  “No, Will. There’s something you’re unaware of.”

  I reached for his arm in search of a deeper connection, hoping somehow to soften the blow of the words to come. “Something I neglected to tell you.”

  “Whatever it is, Chloe, don’t. There’s no reason to discuss—”

  “I never slept with that guy, Will,” I interrupted before I lost the courage to tell him.

  Why couldn’t I say this ten fucking years ago?

  Will’s eyes widened, and he ran his fingers through his hair and clasped his hands behind his head. He let out a deep, tortured sigh as he turned away from me.

  “I never let him set foot in our house, Will.”

  Will’s hands dropped to his side as he turned around to face me again.

  “It doesn’t change anything. I still did the wrong thing by having him there, and there was no excuse for it.”