Always Mine: An Enemies to Lovers Romance

by Natalie Lux

  “Either you enlist or you can live on the streets for the next year. It’s your choice, kid,” said my father, his face beet-red as I got ready for school.

  He’d gotten a little soberer the last few months which was supposed to be a good thing. But with that came new problems. His temper had risen even more and he seemed to be in a bad mood all the time now. If I said one thing he didn’t like, he’d threaten to kick me out of the house. I was seventeen so there was nothing I could do.

  I ignored him and stormed out of the house to the car, trying to figure out a way out of this. There was no way I could tell Eva. She’d cry or get angry or try to fight with me. But what choice did I have? I knew I couldn’t live on the streets. My father would probably kill me anyway.

  School was a complete blur that day. I knew Eva could tell something was up. She could always read my moods. It was one of the reasons I loved her so much. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. How was I supposed to say tell her I had to skip out on another date because of my asshole dad?

  All I wanted was to be with Eva and play football. Now I had to join the military and find a way to keep time for football while staying with Eva.

  21

  Eva

  Present-day

  “Eva, I think we should talk,” said Reid, one arm around my shoulder as I lay on his chest. I peered up at him, my heart pounding. ‘We should talk’ was never followed by anything good as I’d learned several times throughout my life.

  “Don’t tell me you have an STD or something,” I said, smirking.

  He chuckled and brushed the hair out of my eyes, his expression serious.

  “I’ve been thinking…” he began, his eyes staring off into space. “I don’t want this to end for us. I want us to go back to the way things were. Before everything happened. Before we left each other. I want us to be something serious, Eva.”

  No. There was no way I could do that. Ever since he’d broken my heart all those years ago, I’ve gone from relationship to relationship and nothing has worked out. I can’t do it again. I don’t have the strength. I wanted to tell him all these things and more but I just sat up and shook my head.

  “I don’t know if we can go back to the way things are. We’re adults now, Reid. I can’t very well move back here and I don’t know if I’m ready for another relationship. Especially after getting burned by Colton. I-I don’t think I can do it,” I whispered.

  “People change, Eva. I’m realizing these past few days that you are what’s been missing from my life all these years. I don’t want to lose you again.” He grasped my hands in both of his, his touch warm and comforting.

  I stared at him, trying not to cry.

  “I don’t want to get hurt by you again,” I said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

  “Eva, that’s in the past. I was an idiot, we both know that. But I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I was back then. Just give me one last chance.”

  I met his eyes this time and what I saw was regret, hope, and sincerity. I wanted so badly to tell him yes. He was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and I knew it. But it just couldn’t work. I couldn’t risk getting my heart broken a second time by him.

  “What do you say, Eva? Can you take me back?” he asked, a firm edge to his voice.

  I said nothing for a moment, trying to find the right words. I didn’t want to ruin what we had for the next few days, but I also knew this wouldn’t last past that.

  “What about your life here?” I asked instead, trying to deflect.

  “What do you mean? I don’t mind moving. I can go to California with you. I’d give up this farm in a heartbeat,” he said with a sour laugh. “Just because I grew up here doesn’t mean I want to spend the rest of my life here.”

  I shook my head. He just didn’t understand.

  “No, I mean… there’s a lot more that you’d have to give up than just the farm. You don’t know what it’s like being a celebrity. The second people see you with me, you’ll turn into a celebrity yourself. You-you can never go back to being a – you know – normal person again. Are you sure you want to give that up?”

  He said nothing, just staring at me with an odd expression on his face. It was as though he was studying me.

  “Not to mention, I’m always busy all the time. I have work almost every day of the week and by the time I get home, I’m too tired to do anything. That’s—that’s part of the reason Colton cheated on me,” I said, my eyes on the floor as my jaw trembled.

  “And what was the other part?” he asked swiftly, his hands covering mine.

  “What?”

  His question took me by surprise.

  “You said that was part of the reason, so I’m asking what the other part of the reason is?” he said, the edge in his voice becoming clearer. “If you won’t have me back, Eva, at least give me a good reason why. Everything you’ve said so far doesn’t matter to me, and you know that. You know I’ve always loved you and always will and I don’t give a damn about being a celebrity or changing my life. So tell me; what’s the other part?”

  It took all my willpower not to burst into tears in front of him. He didn’t, couldn’t, understand.

  “I-I don’t think I can have another relationship again. I’m just not meant for it anymore, Reid. Being in show business changes you. Y-you don’t understand how it is for people like me. Relationships don’t last long. I’m not the kind of person to cheat, obviously, but being in this business is a strain on both people. You don’t want-”

  Reid held up his hand and I fell silent.

  “Eva, you don’t know what I don’t want. I’m the only one that knows what I want or don’t want, so let’s get that out of the way right now.” He took his hands in mine once more and leaned in.

  “I’m willing to make sacrifices in my life for this to work. If you aren’t, I’ll leave now, because I don’t want to waste my time. I don’t want to lose you, but I’m not going to fight for you if you aren’t interested. I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to do,” he finished, his voice steady but his expression uncertain.

  A painfully sweet mixture of gratitude, love, sadness, and desire welled up inside of me and I pressed my lips against his, kissing him long and deep. For the first time since I’d seen him, and indeed, the first time since we’d left each other the last time, I felt hopeful in my love life. This could work.

  “I love you,” I murmured into his ear.

  22

  Reid

  The second I woke up, it took me a second to remember why my heart felt so full and I felt as though I could do anything. Then I looked down at the beautiful woman curled up next to me and it all came rushing back. She was mine.

  I kissed her lightly on the forehead and just stared at her, drinking in the sight of her beautiful face. I couldn’t believe I had her again. I couldn’t believe she was in my life. And this time, I was going to make sure I didn’t lose her. No matter what.

  I smiled as I watched her eyes flutter open, resting on me as she smiled back.

  “You’re up early,” she said in a low voice, yawning. “What do you have planned for us today?”

  “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your dad’s wedding?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “It’s not until tomorrow. And anyway, after that fiasco of a rehearsal, I’m not going to bother worrying about ‘getting ready.’ If Sheila doesn’t like how I dress, she can go fuck herself.”

  Her voice was steady, but I could tell every time she thought about Sheila, a fire started in her eyes and she wanted to hit something. I didn’t blame her in the slightest; Sheila made my dad look like a kind, sensible, polite man. But I had an idea to cheer her up.

  “Let’s take a walk,” I said. “I want to show you something.”

  “I can’t believe you remembered,” she breathed as her eyes swept over the valley and the shimmering lake at the bottom. The lake had been a popular hangout spot for kids back when we were
growing up, but it seemed that most kids these days had completely forgotten about it.

  “How could I forget our first kiss? It was Mrs. Wright’s class retreat and I couldn’t stop staring at you,” I said, smiling at her as I set down the picnic blanket and sat down, watching her drink in the beautiful scenery.

  “Your first kiss,” she corrected, giggling as she sat in between my legs and leaned back against my chest. “It was hard for me to forget too, I remember how long it took me to help you learn to not eat my face.”

  “Yeah, well I was nervous,” I admitted gruffly. “And anyway, it was cold and we had to hurry because

  My hands moved down her body, settling on her hips as I growled in her ear.

  “I think I’ve improved just a little bit since then, don’t you?”

  She giggled again and put her hands on mine, sliding them lower and lower. I felt my cock start to harden against her back as she slowly guided my hands onto the front of her shorts.

  “You ever think about what could have been if you’d stayed here with me instead of moving away? What we might have been?”

  She sighed.

  “I don’t know, Reid. The last few years have been such a whirlwind for me, I don’t know how everything would have gone. I guess I’d still be here in this little town, taking acting classes or something. I don’t think about ‘what could have been’ because it hurts to think back to the time I had here. I never wanted to come back.”

  My hands slipped off her as she turned around to face me.

  “But you know what? I’m glad I came back. I never imagined I’d see you again, and I’m happy I got to see the strong, tough, handsome guy you’ve become.” She winked. “And yes, you’ve improved your kissing by a lot.”

  And with that, she started to unpack the sandwiches, a small smile on her face. I watched her with my erection pushing against my shorts, aching to fuck her right here in the middle of this little picturesque valley.

  We sat there for what seemed like hours, chatting, and eating our food. I hadn’t felt this happy in years – there was always something about her that brought out the best in me and it was on full display now. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the way her eyes sparkled in the sun, the way she twirled her hair and blushed whenever I made a suggestive comment, the way she laughed at my stupid jokes.

  “I really have missed you,” she said, laying on her side and gazing at me with those mesmerizing eyes. “I didn’t realize it until I got back, but these past few days have been such a whirlwind of emotions for me, I—"

  She broke off, blushing. I moved closer to her and cupped her cheek.

  “I’m never gonna leave you again, baby,” I said, kissing her long and deep. “I promise.”

  Eva’s expression turned hungry. She attacked me without warning, pulling my pants down in a second and moving her mouth onto my cock immediately. I leaned back as she worked on me, expertly moving her tongue up and down my cock with a ferocity I hadn’t felt from her before.

  I didn’t know if she was being more aggressive because of the change in our relationship or what, but her warm mouth felt amazing as she sucked me.

  I groaned and struggled to keep it together as her tongue drifted down to my balls. She wanted everything soaked with her spit before I fucked her. I couldn’t wait much longer though, even though she was sucking me like she’d never sucked before.

  I pulled her up gently but firmly and spun her around, enjoying the feeling of being in control again. She giggled as I pulled her pants down and spun her around, my eyes resting on her incredible ass.

  “God, you are perfect.”

  I bent down and started to lick her asshole. Goddamn, she tasted sweet. I’d never eaten ass before, so I just treated it like her pussy. My tongue flicked in and out of her sweet, warm hole as I reached around and fingered her pussy. She moaned as I worked, developing a rhythm between my hand and tongue.

  I pulled out the bottle of oil I’d packed and spread it around our bodies slowly and sensually, her moans getting louder as she begged me to fuck her in a place she’d never been fucked before.

  But my throbbing cock was begging to release. I knew I wouldn’t last long inside her, but I didn’t care. I teased her asshole with my cock, sliding around her hole as she moaned.

  “Give it to me…”

  I pushed myself inside of her gently, giving her exactly what she wanted. The fit was perfect. I slid deep inside of her and held my cock there for a few seconds as I got used to the feel of her tight butt. She grasped the picnic blanket and groaned again as I pulled back and sunk inside her again, harder this time.

  I fucked her harder and harder with each thrust, trying as hard as I could to stay in control myself.

  “Fuck, baby,” I heard myself groan as I grabbed her beautiful tits, pulling her up to my chest as I pounded her. I heard her scream with pleasure and began to massage her clit, pushing her over the edge. We couldn’t take it anymore. I groaned as I pushed into her one last time, cumming at the same time I heard her screech in pleasure.

  Ropes of cum exploded from my cock into her tiny asshole as I released. I don’t think I’d ever come that hard before. I let her go as she collapsed onto the blanket, her body shuddering with pleasure while she gasped.

  “That was…”

  “I know,” I replied, grinning.

  And there’s more where that came from.

  23

  Eva

  A few minutes after Reid’s practice ended, I realized something: what I’d seen the last time they practiced was nothing. I wasn’t an expert on football or anything, but I knew the basics. And it was clear Reid was beyond ready for the game coming up. He passed for more touchdowns than I could count in their hour-long scrimmage, completely obliterating the number 1 ranked defense in the country.

  I could tell Reid was in a completely different zone now. Over the last few days, things were becoming less hazy between us. It wasn’t “we can’t be together, this is only temporary,” anymore. I loved him and there was just nothing I could do about it.

  Reid came out of practice an hour or so later, his shirt off as he strolled over to me, knowing the sight of his gorgeous muscles was driving me bonkers.

  “Think I can get away with wearing this at your dad’s wedding tomorrow?” he asked, his eyes glinting.

  “Nope, but I wouldn’t mind it if you dressed that way around me more often,” I said, laughing.

  “More often, huh? How about you stick around for a little while longer?” his expression turned serious, his eyes searching mine. I leaned against the side of his truck, my heart pounding.

  What if I just said fuck it?

  I was getting tired of Hollywood anyway and I could use a nice change in my life. Maybe I could help Reid with his NFL career? I was supposed to leave in two days, the day my dad goes on his honeymoon. But what if I stayed a little while longer?

  That question gnawed at me the entire drive back to Reid’s place. It was more than a far-off fantasy now; it was a real chance to change my life for the better. All I had to do was stick with the man I loved. But would I be able to keep up with his NFL lifestyle? He’d burned me before and I didn’t know 100% that he wouldn’t do it again.

  “What are you thinking about?” he said, resting a hand on my leg as we drove back.

  “Just my dad getting married tomorrow,” I lied, staring out the window.

  “Nah, that’s not it. You can tell me, Eva. Honestly.”

  “It’s just—my entire future would completely change if I stayed with you. And you’re going to the pros anyway, so where would we even live?” I took a deep breath. “I want to be with you, Reid, I know that now. And I know I can trust you. But I also don’t want to interrupt your football career.”

  The tires squealed as Reid pulled over to the side of the road.

  “Look, babe, I’d drop football in a heartbeat if it meant being with you forever,” he said, staring into my eyes with that intense gaze that made me
melt so good. “We can rent a house out in Hollywood, you can keep up with your acting career and I can play wherever and visit you whenever. The logistics don’t matter to me. I’ll make anything work for you.”

  “Really? You’d drop football for me if you had to?”

  I know I could drop Hollywood in a heartbeat, but football had been his passion for as long as I’d known him.

  “Look, Eva, football has been the only thing I’ve ever loved. Once I got back from military service, it was the only thing I could pour my feelings into. All those times my—my dad would come after us, those lost games in high school, losing you… all the worst times in my life didn’t matter anymore when I was on the football field. That was the only thing I felt comfortable investing myself into—until you came back into my life.”

  “Reid, I—”

  He pressed a finger to my lips.

  “Babe, don’t you worry about me. Hell, maybe I get injured or something tomorrow and can’t make it to the combine. Nothing is a guarantee in sports. During the time we’ve spent together, everything else has been secondary. The only thing that matters—that truly matters, is that I have you with me.”

  I’d never loved him more than in that moment.

  The sex we had that night was probably the best I’d ever had in my life. As soon as we walked in, he didn’t wait—he picked me up and tossed me on his gigantic couch in the living room, not a care in the world. Hands flew as his hot tongue darted along my body, his fingers plunging in and out of me as he pleasured me with his mouth

  Reid uncharacteristically opening up to me like that seemed to ignite a fire in him that burned even brighter than what he’d been doing before. He fucked me like it was our last time together, making me cum over and over again until I couldn’t breathe.

  His cock had a mind of its own as he took me, his eyes burning deep into mine as he fucked me long and deep, more passionate than ever before.