by E. L. Todd
An excitement I hadn’t felt in an eternity formed in my stomach. I felt my cheeks flush all over again. It was a kind of happiness I hadn’t felt in so long. I hoped this was the beginning of something great, a new start.
14
Bree
Cypress walked beside me in just a t-shirt and jeans even though it was a cool evening. He didn’t bring a sweater to work, but he didn’t seem to mind it. Since he was a foot taller than me, he walked at a pace I had to force myself to match. “Why were you in such a hurry to get out of there?”
I hoped Amelia would make a move on Ace. She told me she’d been alone for the past year, and I knew she needed to get some action. Ace was a great guy, and he was amazing with Rose and Lily. He could be a manwhore sometimes, but he had my full approval. “Just tired.”
“We didn’t even finish sweeping the floor.”
“Amelia will take care of it.”
Cypress stared at me suspiciously, knowing I was hiding something.
“Just don’t worry about it, alright?” He approached our street. The fog had settled in, so the stars weren’t visible. There was something special about Carmel that prevented it from having a black sky. It was always a shade of blue, no matter what time it was. It had something to do with the coat, the reflective capability of the clouds.
“Alright. I’ll mind my own business.”
We arrived at his house first.
“Well, goodnight.” I didn’t want another intimate moment with him. When he held me the other night, something inside me had definitely softened. For a second, I didn’t seem him as the cheating asshole anymore.
Cypress didn’t walk up the steps to his house. His eyes were trained on me, and he wasn’t blinking.
That wasn’t a good sign.
“Let’s have a glass of wine by the fire. Dino would love to see you.”
He was using the dog against me. Not fair. “I’m pretty tired…”
“I’ve got three king beds inside.”
It was eleven thirty at night. I knew exactly what he was doing, and his invitation was nowhere near just friendly. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Cypress.” I turned away so I wouldn’t have to look at that handsome face a moment longer.
Cypress watched me go without putting up any argument.
It was unlike him to be so easygoing about it, but I wasn’t going to complain. I walked inside my house and finally felt safe from his intrusive gaze. He had a way of looking at me that made me feel hollow, like he could see every single emotion and thought as it drifted across my mind.
I turned on the lights then stripped my sweater off. I hung it in the closet before I walked farther into the room. All the shades were open because I never closed them during the day. I preferred natural light over artificial ones any day. Besides, it used less energy.
I glanced into his house, wondering if he was going straight to bed.
He definitely hadn’t gone to bed.
He was doing pull-ups in his living room, a bar placed across the doorway that led to his backyard. He was stripped down to his boxers, his entire muscled frame visible. He still had muscular thighs and long legs. His arms bulged with power, his triceps and biceps were plump with strength. His chest was expansive and thick, and he had an eight-pack that would put any professional model to shame.
My mouth was open, and I didn’t even care.
When he finished his set, he moved to the hardwood floor and started doing push-ups. With a perfectly straight back and a tight core, he pumped them out. Dino lay on the couch and watched him with a lazy expression, like he was used to seeing Cypress do this on a regular basis.
I crept closer to the window, my fingertips resting against my parted lips. I shouldn’t stare, but I couldn’t help it. He was the sexiest man candy I’d ever seen. His body was unbelievable when we were together, but now he was seriously ripped.
Damn.
His body started to glisten with sweat, but he didn’t falter in his workout. He did at least a hundred push-ups before he finished and rose to his feet.
At this point, my nose was pretty much pressed to the window. I rubbed my forefinger across my upper lip, thinking about heated embraces we had shared in the past. No matter how mad I was at him, I couldn’t deny he was the sexiest lover I’d ever had.
Cypress ran his fingers through his hair then turned to me through the window.
Shit, I’d been caught.
I tried to fumble with the string to close the shade, pretending it was just a coincidence I’d been standing there.
But then he grabbed the top of his boxers.
And I stared again, holding my breath and disregarding how perverted I looked.
He pulled his boxers down, revealing his impressive cock for me to see. It was long, thick, and pretty damn beautiful. He held my gaze without blinking, knowing he had the upper hand in the standoff.
Because I still hadn’t closed my eyes.
Jesus Christ, he was something else.
I looked like a total slut staring at him through the window with my lips still parted. It took all my strength not to swipe my tongue across my lips. When it came to a man that sexy, the past was irrelevant. I just wanted to jump on him and fuck his brains out.
My good logic was gone, and I needed to get out of the situation before I did something really stupid. I grabbed the rope and quickly pulled down the shade, hiding his perfect body from view. “Oh god.” I leaned against the wall next to the window and caught my breath, unsure what Cypress and I would say to one another the next time we saw each other. “Your body is unbelievable? Your dick is beautiful? Sorry I stared at you last night?”
I walked upstairs and retreated to my bedroom on the opposite side of the house. Now I had one thing on my mind, and I wasn’t going to go next door to extinguish it. I had a clear enough picture in my mind that I didn’t even need him in the room.
I tossed my phone on the bed as it lit up. I know you’re gonna think about me tonight. I’m gonna think about you. May as well come over so we can think about each other together.
I almost picked up the phone and said yes. But that would be a mistake I couldn’t take back. He was reeling me in with hormones, and I was embarrassed to say I took the bait. I silenced my phone and put it on my nightstand before I got into bed.
Not that I slept.
I dreaded seeing Cypress the next morning.
What would we say to each other? Would he just grin like the confident man he was and sweep it under the rug?
Of course he would.
I walked out of the house twenty minutes earlier than I usually would in an attempt to escape without Cypress knowing.
But he walked outside at the exact same time, obviously keeping an eye on my porch and waiting for me to make my move. “Morning.”
I had no reason to be embarrassed, but the second I saw him, my cheeks flushed pink. I couldn’t get the picture of his naked body out of my head, and it had been deeply ingrained in my mind last night when I used my fingers to touch myself the way I wished he would touch me. “Morning.”
In a blue hoodie and jeans, he walked up to me with Dino right beside him. I never saw the dog on a leash, always sticking to Cypress’s side like an obedient pet. As I suspected, he wore that arrogant smile—and rocked it. “Sleep well?”
Jackass. “Yes. You?”
“I slept like a rock.” He put his hands in his pockets as he walked to the end of the street.
I knew exactly what those words implied, and I felt a flush of arousal when I thought about him touching himself and thinking of me. I did my best to brush it off and take the high road, keeping my head up and holding on to my last shred of dignity. “Dino doesn’t need a leash?”
“Nope. He’s a smart dog.” He reached down and patted him on the head as he walked at the same time. “He knows he’s not supposed to go in the road and to stick to the sidewalk at all times.”
“Wow.”
“You’re the one who t
aught him all of that.”
“I am?” I didn’t think I’d be such a good dog trainer.
“Yep.”
I looked down at Dino, who was looking up at me with his tongue hanging out. “He’s so cute…” He had one blue eye and one brown eye. Every time I looked at that beautiful face, my heart melted.
“He’s a good-looking guy.”
I gave his bottom a quick pat and kept walking.
“You know, if you ever wanna borrow him or take him for a walk, he’s all yours.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. He’d love that.”
We reached Dolores and turned left. Some of the locals were out, walking to the coffee shop to get their morning brew. Almost everyone had a dog, so it was common to see the sidewalk filled with them.
“You bring him to work sometimes?”
“Yeah. He likes it. Better than him staying home alone all day.”
Talking about Dino was a safe topic. It had nothing to do with seeing Cypress naked last night. Worked for me.
But of course, Cypress brought it up. “Why didn’t you come over?”
“Because I didn’t want to.”
He scoffed like that was absurd.
“I didn’t.”
“Your mouth was open for at least two minutes.”
“I was yawning.”
Cypress laughed. “Yeah, okay.”
“Cypress, if you think seducing me is going to work, you’re wasting your time.”
“Actually, I think it was my best plan. A few more times and it should work.”
“I’m not sleeping with you.” Under different circumstances, maybe. But not like this.
“Why not? I want you, and you want me. I’ve never taken you to be a prude.”
“I’m not a prude.”
“Besides, I’m your husband. I know all the things that you like—all of them.”
I walked a little faster, trying to end this conversation. “Where are you working today?”
Cypress finally dropped the subject. “Probably Amelia’s Place. That’s where I usually am in the morning.”
“I guess I’ll be at the café. Where does Dino go?”
“In the office upstairs or outside near the benches. Lots of people will come up and pet him, so he gets attention.”
We reached the entrance to Amelia’s Place and walked upstairs to the private office. Ace wasn’t there like he usually was, and Amelia wasn’t either.
Maybe they hooked up, and they were still together. I hoped so.
Dino hopped on one of the couches and got comfortable, laying his chin down on his paws.
“I’m surprised no one is here yet.” I sat at the desk I assumed to be mine and tried to find something to do. I usually spoke to the gang about what I should be doing for the afternoon, but they all seemed to be busy with other things.
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Cypress hopped up on my desk and took a seat, getting close to me on purpose.
I leaned back in my chair, intentionally putting space between us. I couldn’t get over what he did to me, but my body couldn’t forget how much he turned me on. I might have lost my memories for the past few years, but I knew the sex in our first relationship was unbelievable. It was the kind of physical intimacy that was hard to find.
He patted the wood under his weight. “You know how many times I’ve fucked you on this desk?”
My skin immediately prickled as the heat rushed through my body. I stared at him without blinking, embarrassed for something I didn’t even remember doing.
He held my gaze with continued confidence. “On your back. And sometimes on your hands and knees. Pretty hot.”
My throat suddenly went dry, so I swallowed. “Well, those days are over…”
“No. I think they were just paused.” He hopped off the desk and walked over to his, finally giving me space.
I felt like I could breathe again.
Amelia walked in the door in jeans and a t-shirt, ready to serve food downstairs. “Morning.” She immediately looked at Ace’s desk and couldn’t hide her disappointment when he wasn’t there.
So something definitely did happen.
“Morning,” Cypress said. “How was your night?”
She peeled off her sweater. “Oh…it was good.” She avoided eye contact as she took a seat at her desk.
Cypress didn’t notice the change in her voice.
But I certainly did. “Cypress, could you get to work downstairs?”
He turned back to me and wore a wide grin. “Bossing me around, huh? Oh, I missed that.” He walked out of the office, his jeans snug against his tight ass. The fabric of his shirt bunched between his shoulder blades because of his muscular frame. He was a fine specimen, beautiful.
When he was finally gone, I turned back to Amelia. “Tell me everything.”
She ran from her desk to mine and pulled up a chair. “Oh my god,” she whispered, even though the only one who could hear us was Dino. “I kissed him after we closed.”
“And?”
“It was so good. Ace is the best kisser in the world. Wow…”
I squeezed her wrist. “That’s incredible. You just walked up and kissed him? And then what?”
“He kissed me back right away, then he pressed me against the back wall. That’s when things got a little heated…” She smiled and blushed the same way I did when I was embarrassed. “I wrapped my leg around his waist, and he felt me up through my clothes.”
“Wow.” Ace was a good-looking guy, but I’d never thought of him in that way, though I could definitely picture him being good at fooling around. “Then what happened?”
“Well…we went back to his place.”
My eyes practically popped out of my head. “Amelia! Did you sleep with him?”
She shrugged, a guilty look on her face. “Never kiss and tell, right?”
I gave her wrist a playful smack. “Oh my god. How was it?”
She covered her face with her hand for a second. “Bree, you don’t even know… Not only does he have the full package, but he definitely knows how to use it.” She dropped her hand, unable to stop grinning.
“You’re making me jealous.”
“Maybe it’s just because I haven’t been with anyone since Evan, but the sex was out of this world. I can’t remember the last time I ever felt that good, ever felt like a woman, you know?”
I’d never forgive Evan for what he did to my sister. Not only did he leave her high and dry, but he abandoned his daughters. And he made Amelia, a gorgeous woman, question her attractiveness.
“I didn’t feel like a mom. I felt like a sexy woman. Ace made me feel…beautiful. I was embarrassed by my stretch marks because I know they’re ugly, but he didn’t care at all. Said he wouldn’t be so hard if he didn’t find them beautiful.”
“Aww…” Ace was sexy and sweet. Who knew? “I’m happy for you.”
“I’m happy for me too. I couldn’t spend the night because of the girls, but I wish I could have.”
“He can always stay with you next time.”
“True. But I don’t want to confuse the girls until I know it’s serious. After losing their father, I don’t want them to see another man walk away.”
“Yeah…”
“So that was my night. How was yours?”
“Wait, where does that leave you guys? Are you together-together?”
“I would assume so. We didn’t talk about it because there wasn’t any time. I had to get home so my sitter could leave. Next time I get a chance, I’ll talk to him about it.”
“So…is his body as nice as it looks?”
“You have no idea,” she said with a grin. “That man is ripped from head to toe. I couldn’t even dig my fingers into his skin because he was so hard.”
“Wow…” The description reminded me of Cypress, but I shouldn’t let myself even think of that.
“So, did anything happen with Cypress last night?”
Nothing as juicy as
what Amelia and Ace did, but it was still pretty saucy. “Well, Cypress was working out in his boxers, and his windows were open…so I started watching him for a while.”
“You nasty bitch,” she teased.
I didn’t correct her. “He saw me staring at him, so he took off his boxers and showed me…his junk.”
“Sounds like something he would do.”
“And I stared for a while longer…and then I finally got a grip and closed the shade.”
“Then what happened?”
“I went to bed.”
Her face fell at the disappointing ending. “That’s it?”
“He texted me and said I should come over, but I ignored him.”
“If you wanted to sleep with him, why didn’t you?”
“In a different circumstance, I may have. Just a hookup. But I don’t want to lead him on…” I wasn’t above one-night stands. I hadn’t had many of them, but I wasn’t against them. I didn’t have a problem using Cypress for his body, not after what he did to me. But he was determined to get me back, and I didn’t want to get his hopes up just to hurt him. Even if he deserved it after what happened last time, I couldn’t do that to him.
“I think he would be happy just to get laid, honestly. And if you keep an open mind to it, it might be the beginning of something great.”
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about it. “Why did I forgive him the first time? Did he say or do something specific?”
“I think it was his determination that changed your mind. He never gave up, so you took him seriously. And Cypress is a very ambitious person. Honestly, I think you should just give up your protests and make it work. He’s not gonna let you go.”
I believed her. He had the endurance of an Olympic long-distance runner.
“Just something to think about.”
Not only was my sister pushing me on Cypress, but Blade and Ace were as well. They’d taken his side even though I had every right to feel this way. But I suspected if I continued to live next door to Cypress, I was bound to reconsider everything.
The door opened, and Ace walked inside in slacks and a deep blue collared shirt. He was the face of Olives, and he was a great representation of the business. He brought in a lot of new customers and gave incentives for the new ones to keep coming back. “Good morning.” He gave both of us a smile before he sat behind his desk.
