Copyright © 2012 by Lucia Jordan
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Dear Reader
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Lucia Jordan
Chapter OneDiane heard the knock on her door, and was surprised. No one really knew she was back in town – or did they? She’d driven in two days ago and hadn’t bothered to go beyond the front porch, holing up in the lonely, tree-shaded house. So who could it be?
Sighing deeply, she walked up to the door, peeked through the peephole, and caught her breath.
The last person she’d ever expected to see was standing on her doorstep.
He was holding flowers, and a bottle of wine. Diane felt her mind whirl as she wondered what next to do. Act like she wasn’t home? Or open up and face him bravely and with a smile?
Before she could decide, he was already turning to leave. And then even as she hated herself for her weakness, Diane found herself quickly opening the door and calling out, “Brent.”
The broad-shouldered man turned around swiftly at the sound of her voice, and faced the petite woman standing in the open doorway. A sudden grin broke across his handsome face, and once again, Diane felt her breath seize in her throat. Five years and he looked even hotter than ever. How was that even possible?
“Diane,” he said, his voice deep with pleasure as he came forward. “I wasn’t so sure you were home. Welcome back.”
He handed her the flowers, lovely white orchids – her favorite. Then he handed her the wine, also a favorite of hers. He remembered everything. What else had he remembered?
She looked at him quizzically, stealing a glance over his tall, muscular frame. He was dressed in snug jeans, and light denim shirt rolled up to reveal his muscled, tanned arms lightly dusted with hairs.
“Thank you, Brent,” she said, not sure what else to add. He too, was viewing her with interest. She wondered if he thought she’d changed much. She was still as slim as she was when she was twenty, and now, at twenty-five, she felt she was coming into her own in terms of looks. Her breasts were a sizeable C-Cup, and firm beneath the sleeveless top she wore. In the cut-off shorts she had on, her slim legs seemed endless, though she was barely above five feet. Next to the towering Brent, she knew she appeared even smaller.
“How did you know I was back anyway?” she asked with a nervous laugh.
“I’m sheriff, Diane. Hardly anything misses my attention.”
“Oh.” Sheriff, huh? Why wasn’t she surprised? Brent’s uncle, Jerome Harper, who’d raised Brett and his sisters, had been sheriff of the town when they’d been younger. Looked like he’d groomed his nephew to step right into his shoes, Diane thought.
“I’m impressed,” she said with a smile. “Would you um…like to come in?” She was so sure he’d say no. That he’d only come to say hello and rush back to work or home or whatever. But instead, he shrugged and told her he’d be happy to.
Sighing inaudibly, she let him in, shutting the door behind him and then leading him into the small, neatly kept living room. The house had belonged to her parents; she’d lived her most of her life till she’d gone to college in faraway New York. When her parents had died within months of each other last year, Diane had managed to make it to the small town for the funeral. But she’d stayed in a hotel and hadn’t lingered, but went back to the city where she worked once the whole thing was over.
So she’d never really had the chance to see many of the old faces the last time she was here. She’d certainly didn’t catch a glimpse of Brent. And yet, she had wondered about him then, and for long after that, she wondered if she should have at least tried to stay on after the funeral, even if for a day or two to meet up with old friends.
Well, looked like she was getting the chance now. Though she wasn’t prepared for it, she decided to face the situation with brave calm.
“It’s good to see you, Diane. You look great,” Brent said, turning in the living room to finally face her. She looked up at him, smiling stiltedly and trying not to squirm beneath his piercing grey eyes. She’d almost forgotten how stirring his looks were. His dark brown hair, his square-cut face. He was quite the hottie now, though she knew he probably wasn’t aware of his own charm. Back then he was broody Brent, who hardly liked to socialize and wasn’t so into girls – even though they were wildly into him. The only girl he’d ever really had eyes for, Diane recalled – was her.
But she’d broken his heart, hadn’t she?
*
It was so long ago. She’d been so young, the belle of the small town. Brent had “crushed” on her since high school, but they’d only ever really been just friends. She’d been more focused on winning the attentions of Nathan Hill, whose father was the immensely rich Royce Hill.
Diane knew of all people what a shallow nineteen year old she was, and how she’d been drawn by Nathan’s gorgeous blond looks and rich background. Nathan had finally asked her to be his girlfriend, and for a few months she was over the moon. And then they had a big fight – Diane had gotten jealous over his interest in a certain newcomer to the town named Pamela or something.
Nathan had called the whole thing off, and Diane had been so furious, she’d fallen straight into Brent’s arms. He was three years older, and smitten with her. He’d never guessed her new interest in him was due to the fact that she just wanted to make Nathan jealous. Once Nathan found out about her and Brent, Diane was so sure he’d come crawling back…
What Diane had never bargained for, was getting to feel passion within Brent’s embrace. In the few weeks she’d been with him, she had shared kisses and caresses that had stirred her more than any Nathan had ever given her. She’d been confused and surprised. She wanted to be Nathan’s but was attracted to Brent. It put her in a quandary when Nathan did come begging to get her back.
Diane had hated to hurt Brent, but she’d had to do it. She broke up with him and went back to Nathan.
*
She’d been so sure she was doing Brent a favor by walking away. In her heart, she told herself they were too different.
She wanted to see the world outside Hollows, their little town. She loved high society, longed to experience the kind of exposure that only Nathan, who travelled around the world, could provide. Brent was a loner, preferring the company of only his family and a few close friends. He had loved her though, Diane knew. In his own way, his feelings had been real. But they hadn’t mattered, not to her.
She finally left Hollows as Nathan’s fiancé, and they got enrolled to the same university. But in six months, the fairytale was over and Nathan moved on to some oil magnate’s heiress.
Since then Diane had grown, matured, and learned. She finished college, and found a job working as an assistant in a prestigious publishing house. Before long, she started to write her own boo
ks. Once she got the first title published, there was no going back. Her work became an instant hit in its genre and she soon won fame.
Not that her face graced the covers of magazines or anything, but many people knew the name and work of Diane Wilson. She made good money, moved up in the world. She had come into her own.
The only thing was…since earlier that year things seemed to take a downturn. Diane was way behind schedule on her latest manuscript and her agent was chomping at the bit. Weeks and weeks went by and Diane realized she wasn’t going to get the book finished, not in the frame of mind she was in.
She was burned out, scraping rock bottom. Her love life was a shambles thanks to a few miscalculated sojourns into the wrong involvements. Yep, she never was a great judge of men, or relationships. Always picking the ones most likely to not work out.
Her friends were great, trying to cheer her up, planning little trips and parties to jolt her back into the things she loved. But Diane had to start wondering: did she really love those things? The nightlife, the endless flow of booze, the tumbling into bed with that new charmer whose name slipped her mind the next day?
She knew it was just a matter of time before she hit that downward spiral. She wanted out, even for a little while. Time away from the city lights, the perfect settings, the shiny, plastic people.
There was nothing wrong with them, Diane told herself, as she took the flight out the following week. It was her. She wasn’t sure what she was missing or what she was looking for, but she felt drawn to her native Hollows. She remembered how peaceful the place was, how uncontrived and safe. Maybe a few days or even a week from the grind of the city would give her perspective.
Also, she needed to try and finish that flipping book.
It was her most ambitious yet; not her usual fare yet something she’d always felt comfortable with in her heart. She was bringing out her inner depth in this new work and she wished she could do it right – and quickly. The last thing she needed was to rock the boat with her very considerate, very well-paying publishers. She’d already been paid most of the advance which was no chicken change, so it wasn’t a wonder the big guys were getting impatient.
Diane had been looking for some peace and quiet – total solitude. So she hadn’t announced her arrival and certainly hadn’t expected anyone coming to her door bearing gifts. Least of all Brent, the one person she’d always felt guilty about hurting during those days of her shallow youth.
*
“It was truly kind of you to bring me these, Brent,” she said now, with an awkward smile as she raised the gifts of flowers and wine. “But you really shouldn’t have bothered to come here.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and didn’t speak for a moment. Then he looked at her with a calm, steady gaze. “Why did you come back, Diane? That’s what I really wanted to find out.”
She let out a deep breath, depositing the items on the nearby side table and then turning to him. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. Our friendship never extended to that point that you could ever boss me around.”
“Our friendship?” he scoffed, looking away with a shake of his head, before facing her again. “I guess that’s what it ever really was, wasn’t it? I was just Brent, Nathan’s stand-in. And even though we supposedly dated for more than two months, I never actually got past the necking stage, did I?”
“Oh for goodness sakes,” she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Are we really going to go over that? Are you serious right now?”
“Yeah,” he said coolly, though his grey eyes were flaring. “I guess I was always kind of curious. Why choose me as the stopgap guy? Why let me into your life knowing full well you never really cared?”
“I did care!” she gritted out, fists clenching at her sides. “It was just…I was stupid, okay? I wasn’t much more than a kid and you could say I had my priorities wrong. You can bet I regretted it for a long time that I ever made you feel…exploited or something.”
“Yes, well, after a while I finally realized I was never the real victim anyway, was I?” he said with an impassive shrug. “That was you, Diane. You were the one who couldn’t figure out your own messed-up self.”
“I don’t fucking need this,” she snapped, turning sharply on her heels and making for the door so she could order him out. What did he want, his pound of flesh? She’d already told him she’d been dumb to hurt him. What more could she do?
She gasped in surprise when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist and pull her back round. She thudded into his frame with a jolt, her eyes widening as they stared up into the dark, purposeful pools of his eyes.
“Let me go!” she cried, straining against him with anger. Now he had both her wrists pinned behind her back. Surprised and yet strangely thrilled by his strength, she struggled in his unbreakable hold, snapping, “What do you think you’re doing?”
His gaze travelled over her face with fathomless intent, before the burning stare settled on her parted, panting lips. Oh hell no, Diane fumed, he dared not be thinking of kissing her right then…
“Proving a point,” was all he said, his voice husky with a mix of anger and something else she was too stricken to define. And the next moment, he’d swooped down to capture her lips.
Chapter Two
Diane’s mouth parted wide in an open-mouthed gasp at the unexpected onslaught. The second his lips touched hers, she stiffened in shock, unable to believe this was really happening. He dove straight into her, piercing past her lips with his hot, searing tongue.
She felt knocked off her feet by the manly taste and feel of him, his lips firm yet giving, his tongue demanding yet stimulating. His head slanted from side to side, seeking the perfect angle, driving her crazy with his strong, eating kisses.
What in the world…was she actually responding? Was her tongue actually snaking out to duel meekly with his? Diane heard him groan deep in his throat at her tame advances, as if quelling her to delve bolder, seek more. And Lord help her, that was exactly what she did.
Now, instead of tensing away from him, she was leaning into his solid, rock-hard frame. Her head bowed beneath his as she gave him the perfect track to find his way deep into her moist cavern.
She hadn’t even noticed when he’d freed her hands. All she knew was now he was roving those large, warm hands over her feminine frame, scooping her curves with his fingers and squeezing with a feral kind of need. Behind her closed lids, she felt her world spinning.
Her heart was pounding with a sudden jolt of arousal that sent her senses ablaze. It had been long, so long, since those flames had licked so close to her core. She clung to his broad, muscle-bound shoulders, and verily whimpered as he seized one breast in his hand. He molded the soft flesh and made her insides quiver. Such strong, ravenous caresses - such rough, taking fingers. She shuddered as he found one nipple and pinched it to life through the thin layer of her top.
Blast her treacherous feminine hormones, she swore to herself as her pussy twitched in heedless response. And just at the moment when she was about to sigh in submission and fall into his billowing ardor, he stepped away from her.
Brent broke the kiss and dropped his hands from her quivering body, leaving her in a state of stupefaction.
*
What the…!
Diane stumbled, barely able to catch her balance as she blinked up at him in amazement. His unexpressive face chilled and infuriated her at the same time. What right had he to stir her up that way, only to bring it to such a devastating close?
“I guess now you know. Now we both know,” he said impassively, as Diane pressed her fingertips to her bruised lips. The ones he’d kissed so punishingly, so hungrily, like he would devour her. Now that same man who’d touched and kissed her with such passion, was viewing her with cold triumph and even disdain.
“Know what?” she asked on a gasp, every nerve fiber of her being still in its state of keen stimulation. Son of a bitch! Effortlessly, calculatedly, he’d brought her to the peak
of desire – and still had her whole body aching for him to continue what he’d started. She could kill him!
“That I could have had you anytime I wanted, five years ago,” he said with a shrug. “That if I hadn’t held back and played the gallant, I’d have taken what was mine when it was there for the taking. And now? Well I guess I’ve proved what I’ve always known; that I can choose to take you or not to take you. It was always up to me, not you.”
Without thinking about it first and compelled by her sense of fury and chagrin, Diane stalked up to him and smacked him right in the face.
“And that’s to prove to you that you can’t just come in here, practically maul me, and then talk about me like I’m some object!” she snarled.
He gripped her shoulders in a swift, unexpected motion, and she stiffened, looking up into his thunderous face and feeling afraid he was going to hit her right back. But instead, he drew in a ragged, angry breath, and put her from him. He made straight for the door.
“Where are you going?” she cried, her legs scampering after him yet not able to match his long, furious strides.
“I’m leaving,” he growled, not looking back. “Because every second I spend here is dangerous – for both of us. I’ve found that being around you does not create the most conducive atmosphere for my self-control to thrive.”
I’ll bet, she thought with deep-set annoyance. She didn’t want him to go thinking he’d had the last say.
But he was at the door, throwing it open and charging out – only to come right back to say coldly, “I hope, for both our sakes…that you don’t intend to stay in Hollows for very long.” And with that, he slammed the door after him.
Chapter Three
It was Friday night, and just the right time to be hitting the local bar. It was right there in the middle of town, where it had always been for the last fifteen years. Though now with some signs of remodeling and modernization, there was no doubt in Diane’s mind that once she walked in, it would be like old times.
Unfinished Business (Erotic Reunion) - a SEXY romance short Page 1
