by Natalie Ann
“We thought we’d come spend the weekend. Tracy is moving soon and we wanted a farewell for her.”
“Sorry to see you go, Tracy,” she said of the woman that she recognized who worked in patient services at the Plymouth location. She hadn’t seen her in months, now that she thought of it, but didn’t get back to that part of the building often. The other three women she knew more; they were nurses for the practice and she worked with them often.
“How do you like it here on the island permanently?” Melanie asked her. She worked with Melanie the most it seemed.
“It’s great. I’m getting used to my new place and island life, but I can’t complain about much.” The women were looking at Seth and he was grinning, but she wasn’t about to introduce him either. They didn’t need to run back and start talking. Well, she knew they would, but they didn’t need to know his name.
“That’s great. I might try to put in for a transfer here,” Colleen said. “It’d be nice, but I know finding housing isn’t easy and costs a lot.”
Colleen was married last she knew, but she wasn’t sure what her husband did. She tried not to get too involved in their personal lives and kept her own quiet as much as possible. “It is hard to find and does cost a lot. But if you decided you want to transfer I’m sure they’d love having you here. Reach out to me if you want. My cousins own Bond Realty and have a lot of properties and apartment buildings are going up all the time.”
“Thanks for that,” Colleen said.
She nodded. “Have a great dinner. And Tracy, good luck in your future endeavors. I’m sure the office is sorry to see you go.”
Colleen looked at her oddly, but Tracy just nodded her head and said, “Thanks. Have a good night.” Then the four women went into the restaurant while she walked back to her car.
“Coworkers?” Seth asked.
“Yes. Three are nurses and great women. The fourth, Tracy, worked in patient services. I’m not sure exactly what she did, but she always seemed nice. I didn’t talk to her as much.”
“That’s great you could go out and talk like that. If I see employees out they aren’t quite as friendly.”
She grinned at him. “Because you are their boss. I wasn’t really their boss.”
“I’m sure they didn’t feel that way. You outranked them.”
“Outranking and being able to hire and fire and do scheduling is completely different. I outrank a lot of people in the office, but I’ve got no say over them.”
“True. And let me tell you, having the say isn’t always that much fun.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” she said. “No more talk about work. It’s a little after seven. The night is young. And the big question is, where do we go next?”
“Where do you want to go?” he asked her.
“One of our houses is my preference. Yours is closer and I’m finding I’m not sure I want to wait any longer than we need to.”
“Now you’re talking my language,” he said.
They each got into their cars, her pulling out and following him the few miles to his place.
He pulled into his garage and she parked behind him, then hesitated on whether she should get her bag or not.
He walked back to her car and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to assume anything.”
He looked in her car and saw the bag and instead of saying a word, reached in and grabbed it. “Go ahead and assume.”
She took a deep breath and followed him through the garage and into the house. This was always where things got awkward with a man for the first time.
Did they reach for each other and start stripping where they stood? She was down with that.
Did they talk about what to do? She could do that first and they did seem to talk a lot.
Or did she wait and see what his first move would be since it was his house?
She squealed when he reached down and picked her up in his arms, almost cradling her, his mouth going to hers and not giving her a chance to say anything, let alone do much.
She was definitely fine with this.
This suit-and-tie-wearing banker had no problem carrying her as he walked up the stairs quickly, then pushed the door open with his foot and laid her on the bed, his mouth never really leaving hers.
He was hovering over her while she lay on her back on the bed, her arms around his neck. She didn’t want to let go, but they were going to have to if they wanted to undress.
She sooooo wanted to get her clothes off. To get his off too.
When he leaned back, he placed two more quick kisses on her lips, then put his hands on the bottom of her sweater and lifted it up over her head. “Tell me if I’m moving too fast,” he said.
“How about I tell you that you aren’t going fast enough.”
“I’m afraid if I go any faster it’s going to be done before I want it,” he said grimly.
“We’ve got all night,” she said. “I get the feeling we both might have some pent-up hormones ready to bust free.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” he said, reaching for her jeans now. He made quick work of getting them undone and down her legs, leaving her there with her matching peach lace bra and panties. Her heels had fallen off with her jeans.
“You do know you need to catch up. It’s only fair.”
“Do you want to help?” he asked, standing back.
She stood up next to him and put her hands under his shirt, teasing a minute while she felt his soft but firm skin. Then she pulled the shirt up and over his head and gasped. “Now this I didn’t expect.”
“Good or bad?” he asked, smiling.
“I think you know the answer to that silly question.” He didn’t have six pack abs because, in reality, not many men did, but damn, what he had was working fine for her.
He was defined and trim and not like a man that wore a suit every day. She’d only gotten a glimpse of what she hoped she’d see and, man, was she thrilled.
Her mouth moved forward, her lips kissing around his chest, her tongue coming out to flick at the tight skin. She saw chills erupt everywhere, her hands now moving to the waist of his jeans.
She made just as quick work undoing the button and lowering the zipper as he toed off his sneakers, then pushed her hands away and removed everything but his boxer briefs. Her eyes looked him over, finding she couldn’t wait to see the bulge that was hidden.
But when she started to move her hand into the elastic of his underwear, he stopped her and pushed it aside, then nudged her back on the bed, crawling over the top of her.
His mouth crushed hers again and she got to feel the heat and weight of a man on top of her again and realized how much she had missed this.
His right hand was sliding up and down her side, then under one cup of her bra. She wasn’t big on top, probably just average. Barely a C cup, but it seemed to work on her thin body. Genetically she knew she was blessed because it’s not like she had a lot of time to work out more than some yoga a few times a week.
When her back arched, Seth reached under and unhooked her bra, then pushed the straps off her shoulders and removed it, baring her breasts to him.
He didn’t hesitate to lean down and pull her hardened nipple in with his lips and suck. She let out a little moan and then another as his hand covered the other nipple. He was sucking, licking, pinching and rubbing her, and her body was being overrun with sensations that were flooding between her legs.
“Seth,” she said. “You are going to have to move down pretty soon or just stop and join me here.”
He leaned back and grinned, then scooted down her body, taking her panties with him. “Now that is what I’m talking about.”
“Admire later. Do something now.”
He laughed at her and stood up, dropped his underwear, giving her a good look at the size of him. She was looking forward to that!
He got a condom out of a drawer and covered himself, then climbed back on the bed and over her, nudging her knees
apart. Finding her opening, he slid right in.
A gasp flew from her lips, and her legs went up and around his waist, sending him even deeper.
When he started to move in and out she knew there was no way she was going to last and didn’t even want to try at this point.
She started to match him thrust for thrust, their bodies working up one hell of a sweat, slipping and sliding around and she didn’t care if body squeaks or burping sounds were coming between them.
All she cared about was getting to the end that was building so high inside of her and trying to claw its way out.
When Seth’s breathing started to increase, she knew he was close, so she yanked on his hair and pulled his head back, looked into his eyes and said, “Send me over right now.”
He started to move faster, his hands planted on the bed on both sides of her face, his mouth crushing hers.
It was primal and aggressive at this point and she was loving every minute of it.
Loving it more when that build-up she’d had started to spin up and let loose.
Her body tensed and then went limp as he continued to pound into her, then collapsed down.
His breathing was heavy in her ears, along with his weight on her body, but she wasn’t minding any of it.
17
Other Priorities
Seth felt like he just climbed Mount Everest at a sprint and couldn’t remember if his body ever felt this depleted of energy before.
“Now I know what the cork of a champagne bottle feels like,” Ava said, her hand running up and down his back.
He took that as a clue to move off of her. “If you’re the cork, then I’m the empty bottle,” he said and flopped over.
She rolled and half lay on him, her forearms on his chest, her head on her hands, her hair all disheveled from his fingers and the workout they gave each other. “Did I wear you out?”
“I’d like to think we wore each other out but in a good way,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
He was gliding his fingertips down her face and over her hair. “I’m feeling pretty darn good and relaxed,” she said. “And you? I don’t know if this had more meaning for you than me.”
And just like that his smile faded like a deflated balloon squeaking uncomfortably loud in the room. Maybe he was jumping the gun when he shouldn’t be and this was all laid back. “I’m fine,” he said, rolling away from her and standing up to take care of the condom.
He stayed in the bathroom a few minutes longer cleaning up and then running water over his face, wondering where his mind went wrong and how he could have thought this was more than casual when she obviously didn’t.
When he came back out she was sitting in his bed with his shirt on, her back to the headboard. She patted the bed. “Come here. I think what I said you took wrong and I want to explain myself and make sure you understand. My only explanation is that when the cork was popped my brain cells spilled out.”
He forced a smile. “No need. I get it.”
“No, I don’t think you do,” she said, pushing the covers back and silently telling him to come in next to her.
He grabbed his underwear and slipped them on, then moved next to her in bed. He put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled in. “What is it you feel the need to explain?”
“First off, I said that because I was trying to find a way to address if you were feeling okay since you had a greater loss than me. Before you met me. I know you said you’ve dated since Ellen passed. I’m assuming you’ve had sex.”
He snorted. “Not much, but yes. I’d gone on a few dates with different women in the past few years. I slept with two of them that I had a short relationship with. For a number of reasons they didn’t work out.”
“I’m not stupid enough to think I am the only woman you’ve been with in this house.”
“Actually,” he said, “you are.”
“What?” she asked, sitting up and looking at him.
“Both women weren’t here. One was a lawyer in Boston. I went there on the ferry and stayed at her house a few times. It wasn’t working out for either of us and was kind of a setup from a coworker. I’m not sure why I agreed to it. She was only interested in going out and having fun and, well, I’ve got other priorities.”
Abby knew he had a child. She knew he was a widow. But she was a lawyer that did some work with the bank and many thought they’d hit it off. She was only a few years younger than him, but made it clear her job was serious, her personal life wasn’t. She needed to drink and unwind and he wasn’t looking for that. They ended things amicably after about six weeks and that was the end of the story.
But not with Michaela. They’d dated a few months. He wasn’t ready to let Adele know and Michaela didn’t really want to meet Adele either. Not in the beginning. Sure, his daughter’s name came up and Michaela never said anything negative, but she wasn’t as open or friendly to even discuss Adele in conversations.
Whenever he’d talk about Adele, Michaela would change the subject. He finally started to realize that though she knew he was a single father and his daughter wasn’t going anywhere, Michaela wanted to focus on the two of them and their future.
It was a wakeup call for him to find out from a mutual friend that Michaela was making plans for vacations for the two of them and wondering how she could spend more time with Seth. Even complaining that Seth should leave his daughter with his mother more so they could do things.
“This was a few years ago?” Ava asked. “For the lawyer having fun?”
“Two years ago,” he said.
“So you were thirty-four?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Which is still young to many women,” she said. “Thirty-six is young to me but then again, I’m thirty-three and still single and well, I like fun but I’m not sure how much I’m looking for. But if I say I’m looking for a commitment that scares people off too. So I’m not looking for anything other than just allowing what is going to happen to happen.”
Which was probably why he felt the connection he did with Ava and no one else since Ellen. And he didn’t want to compare Ava to his late wife either because they weren’t that much alike in looks or personality. At the core they were good people he liked being around and that was all that mattered to him.
“Last year I was dating someone else. She lives here on the island. I doubt you know her.”
“Probably not,” she said, grinning. “I think more people know our family than we know them, but I’ve only been a visitor here most of my life.”
“I figured. Michaela and I met because it was someone my mother knew. Not closely, but a friend of a friend’s daughter. She knew all about my situation so I felt I didn’t need to explain much.”
“And it took the pressure off there too, didn’t it?”
“It did,” he said. “But I still talked about it. She didn’t want to.”
“So this woman didn’t like that you had a child?” she asked.
“She never came out and said it, but I believed that. She wanted me to leave Adele at my mother’s more. She didn’t talk about her much but then at times wanted to meet her, well, toward the end. I just wasn’t ready.”
“You weren’t ready because in your gut you knew it wasn’t right,” she said.
“I know that looking back now. Michaela didn’t like the limited amount of time we spent together and she knew I wouldn’t leave Adele with my mother more than twice a month, so if Adele knew about her, she could come here. That was her thought process I learned later on.”
“So twice a month is a hard rule?” she asked. “And before you get nervous, I’m only asking because I’m good with anything, but I don’t have expectations either. Adele does know about me and I’m thrilled to spend time with her and you together. And we know I’ve got a demanding job on top of it. This is just conversation.”
“It’s not a hard and fast rule, but Adele didn’t know I was dating anyone and I didn’t want her to think I was
putting someone else before her. Michaela and I were only together a few months and when Adele stayed there, it was normally because my mother asked Adele to stay, not the other way around. So it’s not like Adele knew I wasn’t home. We always went back to Michaela’s place.”
“And tonight?” she asked. “Whose idea was it for Adele to stay there tonight?”
He felt his face flush. “My mother asked Adele to stay so that we could have the night to ourselves. And if my mother hadn’t, I would have said something. The only reason Adele doesn’t know you are here now is because I don’t think she would have gone if she knew I was with you.”
“Why is that?” she asked.
He could see the uncertainty in her eyes and he didn’t want that. “Because she wants to be with you as much as she is glad I’ve got you too.”
Ava nodded her head. “And this is why people talk things out. We both are treading carefully here and that is true with any new relationship. I know that Adele has to come first in your life. You’ve never needed to tell me that. If you were the type of father that didn’t put her first, then I might not be as attracted to you as I am.”
“So it wasn’t just my body?” he asked, running his hands through her hair.
“That might have been the case if I saw this body first. But instead I got to know you. And hey, you know the mess I’m dealing with and you still want to be with me.”
“That has nothing to do with you as a person and you know it.”
“I would think not, but if people knew at your job about us and my situation, would that be an issue for you? Don’t you have to keep a clean credit score or something?”
“I don’t care if anyone knows about us. Since we’ve been out in public a few times I’m assuming you don’t either.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I just didn’t want it reflecting on you in any negative light.”
“No one knows what you are going through at the bank. Your accounts are on hold by your choice. That is all they see. People do that for a number of reasons. You’re a Bond and a doctor on this island. It’s not like you are a criminal or down on your luck.”
