Mutti”
I rolled my eyes and hit ‘delete,’ sending the email back to the depths of the hell from which it had come. My mother was literally insane. She’d never cared so much when I still lived at home; what was the big deal now? I had a sinking suspicion that the only reason she was angry with me was that I’d made a decision that had nothing to do with her. If anything, this just made me angrier than before. It was just my mother being controlling out of an urge to dominate, not because she loved me.
With a sigh, I closed my laptop and crawled back into bed. When I did sleep, my head was filled with nightmares of Miriam and my mother, sometimes collaborating, always laughing.
When I woke up the next morning, there were loud voices in the hallway. When I heard my mother’s voice, I thought I was still dreaming. But there she was, and it sounded like she was talking to….
“Hi, Megan,” I said, opening my door. Megan was standing in the hallway in a yellow sundress. She looked cold. My mother was standing next to her and glaring at me. “Mom, you’re not invited here, remember?”
My mother and Megan glared at me. “That’s not very nice,” Megan chided me. “Your mom came all the way from Germany to see you!” She turned to my mom with stars in her eyes. “Mrs. Müller, you have the most gorgeous accent,” she said. “How long are you visiting for?”
“For as long as it takes,” my mother said stiffly. I glared at her.
“Megan, this is personal, I’m sorry,” I said, but my mother cut me off.
“Don’t listen to my son, dear. He thinks that he knows everything.”
Megan laughed. “Boys, am I right?” My mother giggled alongside of her and I narrowed my eyes.
“Megan, can I help you?”
She shrugged. “I’m supposed to go shopping with Leda, but she’s not up yet. When I showed up and knocked on the door, your mom let me in. We’ve been talking for an hour or so. She’s so cool,” Megan gushed. “I can’t believe you haven’t had her visit before now.”
I rolled my eyes. “She didn’t tell me she was coming,” I said flatly. “And she’s not supposed to be here right now.”
Megan frowned. “She’s fine, Stratton,” she said. “Really. I think it’s sweet that your mom wants to visit you! Mine barely cares,” she added. “I’m getting married and my mom isn’t even interested,” she told my mother. My mother’s eyes widened.
“How charming,” she said, grinning at Megan. I clapped a hand to my forehead.
“Megan, why not just go wake up Leda?” I suggested sharply. “She’s in her room.”
My mother took me by the elbow. “Stratton, your other housemates are so nice,” she said. “I came over and one of them let me in without a word. Isn’t that sweet? He even offered me tea.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing myself not to lose it on my mom. “Mom, that’s fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “But you’re not welcome here, okay? I thought that was made clear yesterday.”
Just then, Leda burst out of her room. Her face darkened when she saw my mother and she whipped her head towards me. Oblivious to everything, Megan bounded over and wrapped her friend in a hug.
“Have you met Stratton’s mom?” Megan asked Leda excitedly. “She’s so cool! We’ve been talking all morning.”
“Unfortunately,” Leda sniffed. Megan frowned. “I’ll tell you later,” Leda whispered. My mother’s eyes focused on Leda and narrowed like a hawk’s.
“Leda, don’t you have something to be doing? You should leave me alone with my son,” my mother said delicately. “I’m sure he can manage without you around for one day,” she added. Leda turned beet red and she looked murderous.
“What’s she talking about?” Megan asked, wrinkling her nose. “Leda and Stratton hate each other, they’re not even fri-“
“Come on!” Leda cried, grabbing Megan’s wrist and dragging her to the front door. “We’re going to be late for our appointment.”
Megan allowed herself to be dragged away, looking confused. When they were both gone, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I remembered that my mother was still standing there. My blood was boiling as I turned to her with a glare on my face.
“I cannot believe you,” I hissed. “No one is supposed to know about this! What’s wrong with you?”
My mother frowned. “Stratton, if you’re married, you shouldn’t hide it,” she said smoothly. “I don’t see the point of doing that at all.”
I could have pulled out my hair in frustration. “Mother,” I hissed. “You know damn well this is supposed to be a secret. Stop acting innocent! I know what you’re really trying to do.”
My mother managed a look that was both innocent and wounded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Stratton,” she said in an airy tone. “I’m hurt that you would accuse me of such things.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re too much,” I said as I dragged her into the kitchen. “This is just too fucking much.”
My mother shot me a dark look. “Don’t use that language around me, please, I’m a lady,” she said. I groaned. This was gong to be a very, very long day.
Chapter Seven
Leda
“Hey, can we talk?” Stratton knocked on my open doorframe. I gave a swift jerk of my head and he stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind him.
“What’s up?” I turned around in my desk chair so that we were facing. “Are you okay? Is Ursula gone?”
Stratton laughed mirthlessly. “She’s leaving today,” he said. “So she says.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thank goodness,” I replied. “And we’re leaving for vacation tomorrow, I’m so excited.”
Stratton nodded. “Me, too,” he said. I watched as he sat down on my bed and stretched. An inch of tan, even skin showed on his lower belly and I had to fight the urge to get to my knees and kiss it.
“So what’s going on?” I shook my head in an attempt to clear myself of the most recent fantasy: Stratton and I making love in a hot tub at the ski resort, riding each other until we were sweaty and sore.
“I emailed Miriam,” Stratton began. I opened my mouth to cut him off but when I saw the wounded expression on his face, I shut up. “I had to tell her that things are over between us, forever. I didn’t think she was going to get the picture until I did that.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat and nodded. I couldn’t lie; the idea of him emailing his ex made me a little jealous. But I understood if he felt like he was doing the only right thing. “Okay,” I said slowly. “Is that it?”
Stratton sighed and flopped onto his back, sending my pillows flying. “I feel kind of weird about it,” he admitted. “Like, I always told myself that I’d be happy to be rid of her. But now I feel like a part of my life is over.”
The jealousy that had begun to boil kicked up a notch. “I see,” I said quietly. “Why are you telling me this?”
Stratton rolled onto his side and looked at me so intensely that I began to blush. “I thought I should be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t want to keep things from you anymore, Leda,” he added. “We had such problems with that in the beginning.”
“Tell me about it,” I said sourly. “But thank you, for being honest.” I couldn’t make myself smile, but I understood his rationale. “And I get it,” I said after a beat. “I felt weird when Matthew and I ended things finally, too.”
“When you broke up?”
I bit my lip. “When we had lunch together,” I said softly. “I thought it was going to feel good to reject him and hurt him the same way he’d hurt me. But it just made me feel weird, and like a shitty person for being in a relationship that only brought out my worst.”
Stratton nodded. “That’s kind of how I feel,” he said. “It feels strange because she was so important to me for so long. And now we’re done, and I can’t think of my undergraduate years without thinking about her.”
“I know,” I said. “That’s how I feel about Matthew, too. It pisses me off b
ecause when I want to remember the good times, he’s always there. And the bad times where when we were fighting!”
Stratton laughed. “I get that,” he said. He grinned at me and I felt my heart flutter a little. “I’m glad you understand,” he said in a low voice. “I was worried you would be angry.”
Shame rose through me for my earlier reaction. “As if,” I said. “I’m like, the least jealous person ever.” I managed to hold a straight face before Stratton burst out laughing and ruined my smirk.
“You’re funny, Leda,” Stratton said as he got to his feet. “I’m going to go pack now. You want to watch a movie later?” He raised his eyebrows at me lasciviously. “I have some pretty loud things on my Netflix queue.”
I laughed as Stratton leaned down to kiss me before leaving. As bad as things had been before, that was how good they were now. I was more excited about our ski vacation than any other trip I’d ever taken; I couldn’t wait for the chance to be alone with Stratton and really get to know each other. As many intimate things as I knew about him, I wanted to know the everyday stuff. I wanted to see what he looked like in the shower, or when he was brushing his teeth.
--
The next morning, Stratton and I left for the airport together. I’d called a van to come pick us up so we wouldn’t have to pay for parking, and it arrived almost half an hour late. I spent the whole way to the airport worrying about missing our flight. There was a snowstorm in Colorado that was supposed to hit a few hours after we landed, and I was already concerned that we’d be delayed. Stratton sensed my anxiety, and as we rode in the chilly backseat of the industrial van, he reached over and squeezed my fingers.
“It’ll be okay,” he said quietly. “We won’t be late.”
Impulsively, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks,” I whispered. “I appreciate that.”
Stratton grinned and closed his eyes, relaxing his head against the seat. “I can’t wait to ski with you,” he said quietly. “It’s going to be amazing.”
The airport was more crowded than I’d ever seen it, but we still managed to get through security with time to spare. It was only when we were in our seats that I managed to take a deep breath and relax. Flying had always been one of the most stressful things in the world to me; I didn’t know how Stratton managed to do it multiple times per year. He held my hand during takeoff and soon, I actually nodded off.
When I woke up, we were in Colorado. I’d arranged for a shuttle from the resort to pick us up and as we rode through the snow-covered hills, I felt a sense of awe.
“These mountains are huge,” I said incredulously. “I’m going to die.”
Stratton laughed. “I’ll stick with you,” he said. As he looked out the window, I could see that he was grinning from ear to ear. “This is going to be so awesome,” he gushed. “I can’t wait”
A bubble of pride swelled up inside my chest. I felt that giving Stratton the ski tickets was maybe one of the best gifts I’d ever given. I grinned happily at Stratton returned the smile before reaching over and wrapping an arm around me. As the shuttle climbed higher and higher, I realized that I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.
The ski resort was insane. I’d picked it based on the reviews, but it looked like it was going to blow all the small places I’d been out of the water. Our room was spacious and modern, with marble and wood paneling. On the bed, there were chocolates and a towel folded to look like a swan.
“This is amazing,” Stratton said. He came up behind me and nibbled my neck. A jolt of arousal pulsed through my lower regions and I moaned and arched my back against him. Stratton wrapped his arms around me and slid his hands under my shirt. They were cold at first and I jumped, making Stratton laugh. He slipped his fingers into the flimsy cups of my bra and gently tugged at my nipples until I could feel a gush of wetness between my legs. Moaning his name, I ground my butt against his crotch. Soon, I could feel his erection poking me uncomfortably through the seat of my jeans.
I turned in his arms so we were face to face and leaned up to kiss him, eagerly sucking the salty taste off his lower lip. Stratton groaned in my mouth and pressed his body against mine with an intensity that I couldn’t believe. As he wrapped his arms around me and carried me to the bed, I closed my eyes and buried my face in his neck. Stratton set me down and pushed some of the chocolates and rose petals out of the way. He tugged my shirt over my head and reached around my back to unclasp my bra. When my breasts were exposed, Stratton crawled on top of me and bit at my nipples until I was yelping with pleasure. A hot flush spread over my body as he looked up and we made eye contact. Without breaking our stare, he unzipped my jeans and slid them down my legs. I watched breathlessly as he pulled the crotch of my panties to the side and crawled between my legs, nuzzling my inner thighs. The feeling of Stratton’s tongue sucking and licking at me was incredible and I moaned loudly, tangling my fingers in his hair. As he swirled his tongue around my clit, I felt my arousal building and building. Stratton slid a finger inside of me as he continued to pleasure me with his tongue and as he gently rubbed my G-spot, I felt my body shake and explode with a powerful orgasm. He kept going until the last wave of pleasure crested over my body.
“That was incredible,” I managed to breathe before flopping backwards. Stratton grinned at me and pulled a blanket over me.
“This is incredible,” he said, gesturing around the room. “And I plan on thanking you for it in every way possible.”
I blushed crimson red when I realized what he meant. “Good,” I said with a weak smile. “I can’t wait.”
Stratton kissed me on the forehead and looked deep into my eyes. “Leda, this is going to be an incredible week,” he said softly. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, biting my lip. I felt so vulnerable in his eyes. The camaraderie that had built up between us over the past few weeks was incredible, and I didn’t want it to end. The words ‘I love you’ were on the tip of my tongue, and I wanted to say them, but looking at Stratton I thought it would be a bad idea. After all, when I told him the first time, it didn’t exactly go well.
“Get dressed,” Stratton said with a grin. “Let’s hit the slopes.”
I smiled. It may not have been ‘I love you,’ but it was damn near good enough.
Epilogue
I checked my hair and makeup for the last time in the airport bathroom. Everything was still right in place; I looked just as I had when I’d left home, over nine hours ago. My blonde hair was in a perfect updo and I admired the shade of red on my lips; it was the same shade I’d used when I sent Stratton the picture.
In the cab on the way to his house, I thought about what he’d said. I’d cried when reading it for the first time. But after a few minutes, I realized he couldn’t possible be serious. There was no way Stratton meant it when he said that we were over for good. It just wasn’t possible. Stratton and I loved each other. Stratton and I were meant for each other. Ursula had called me in a panic and told me that he was with some horrid American girl; now I was going to show him that his true place. His true place, of course, being with me.
Clearing my throat, I knocked on the front door. A tall, muscular guy in his early twenties pulled it open. He had a shock of blonde hair and a big goofy, grin. When he looked me over from head to toe, I could practically see his thoughts: “What a babe! Who is she?”
“Hi,” I said in my lightly accented English. “Is Stratton home?”
Prologue
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, they got amazingly better. Like, two-orgasms-a-night better. Stratton was turning out to be the perfect lover; I couldn’t believe that I was so lucky.
It was hard to believe that we’d been enemies before this. Stratton had turned out to be so unexpectedly sexy and sweet; I was in total disbelief that I’d been so wrong about him before.
With Megan’s wedding right around the corner and our final year of grad school coming to a close, we only had one more s
emester together as husband and wife. I loved him, but I wasn’t sure what would happen after we left. Would we keep our word and divorce quietly? Or was there a chance that maybe, he was falling just as deeply in love with me as I had with him?
Either way, the future was coming up more quickly than I could account for. I’d just have to close my eyes and enjoy the ride….
Chapter One
Leda
“This is so beautiful,” I breathed, craning my neck and looking at the snowy mountains. Stratton grinned and pulled me closer. My butt slid a heartstopping inch forward on the cold metal and for a moment, I thought I was going to fall. I squealed and Stratton wrapped his arms around me, burying my neck and cheeks with kisses.
BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) Page 142
