“You did tell me that. You said she tried too. I know I was harsh the first time we talked about divorce and I said it’s easier to end things than work them out. That was wrong of me.”

  “It’s what you feel. Do you think your parents might not have a good marriage?” he asked.

  “I think they’ve got a great partnership,” she said. “They love each other. Trust me, I know. But they don’t have what might be considered a loving union. Not like I see with Jasmine and Wesley. Or what Ivy has always wanted.”

  She went by what she’d seen growing up and maybe that was why her relationships didn’t last.

  Most of her relationships mirrored what her parents had.

  A commonality that allowed them to get along but not feel much heat.

  A spark had been missing to the point that she never felt sexual gratification like she had with Hugh.

  “Having things in common is fine,” he said. “I think it’s more about having an understanding and a vision than worrying about if you both like the same kind of music.”

  “I never looked at it that way. My parents have that. I see business partners along with spouses.”

  “It works for some and not others,” he said. “Is that what most of your relationships were about?”

  His hand was moving up and down her back now. “I can’t think when you touch me,” she said.

  His mouth went to her neck and gave her a little kiss. “I think deep down you want heat in a relationship and you never had it before. That you’ve never let yourself go like you did the other night.”

  “Yeah,” she said quietly. His mouth was moving up her cheek and to her ear.

  “I can carry you to my room and fuck you there, or we can do it right here in this chair. I’m willing to bet that is something else you’ve never done.”

  No guy had ever been that blunt with her before either.

  “No,” she said. “I haven’t. Do you have a condom on you?”

  He laughed. “I have to get one. Will that interrupt your mood or decision?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said.

  “Good.” He slid her off his lap, stood up and then went into the house.

  She was fanning her face when he walked back out.

  “Don’t cool down,” he said.

  He pulled her up and sat back in the comfy chair. His furniture out here was more like living room furniture for the outdoors.

  “How do we do this?” she asked. “Get undressed. What if people see us?”

  “No one can see us under the roof,” he said. “My neighbors can’t see over the fences either and they aren’t that close.”

  He had a fence before the riverbank. She was guessing whoever lived here before might have had a dog or kids and wanted to keep them from the water, but the fence facing the water was black chain link. The ones on the side were white vinyl.

  “Okay,” she said.

  His mouth was on her neck again and she couldn’t think of anything at all.

  She decided it was best to just shut her brain off anyway at this point because she didn’t want to miss one ounce of feeling.

  When his fingers went under her shirt, then under the bottom of her bra and found her perky nipple she almost shot off his lap.

  “I think you’re worked up pretty good already,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I am,” she said.

  Both of his hands were under her shirt and her bra was lifted over her breasts. No one could see her body and maybe not even his hands beneath her shirt. It made it even more erotic in her mind that people could catch them.

  “Stop moving so much,” he said.

  She’d been squirming on his lap, almost trying to grind, but it was hard. All she knew was he was as worked up as her since she could feel his cock under her thigh.

  “I can’t help it.”

  “I thought for sure the urgency was gone somewhat after a few nights ago.”

  “It doesn’t feel that way,” she said. “Or maybe I just want to see if I can feel that again.”

  “You will,” he said.

  One hand went to her inner thigh and then moved up the opening in her shorts, touching her lightly on the outside of her underwear, over her bud that she swore was so swollen it was pressing through the cotton material.

  “That feels good.”

  “I want it to feel more than good,” he said.

  “Mission accomplished. I don’t want to finish this way though and I might.”

  “Then we’ll just have to do it again,” he said.

  He pressed down on her bundle of nerves and her eyes all but rolled back. She couldn’t believe how close she was, but when he’d done it again and then pinched her nipple at the same time, she actually started to come.

  She bit down on her tongue to not make much noise.

  “Oh god,” she said quietly.

  “That’s it, Dahlia. Let it out.”

  Like she had much of a choice in the matter.

  When the last pulse had stopped in her body, she felt her shoulders just go down in a sigh.

  Her nails were moving up and down his thighs now. She hadn’t realized she was gripping them until she saw some half-moon indentations when she looked down. At least she didn’t break the skin.

  “It’s your turn,” she said.

  “We’ll get there,” he said.

  “Give me the condom,” she said. “I want to touch you.”

  He lifted and pulled it out of his pocket, then handed it over.

  She slid forward on his legs more, then angled her body and undid his shorts. He lifted some more and pulled them down and his cock sprang free.

  Her fingers moved up and down over the length of him. She didn’t get to see much of him the last time. Not like she wanted.

  Part of her wanted to go down on her knees, but she wasn’t bold enough for that. Anyone who might go by on the water would know what she was doing.

  If she was just sitting on his lap they might not see what was going to happen.

  She stood up and dropped her shorts and tried not to feel embarrassed over that move. Her eyes landed on the blanket he had on the back of the lounge next to them.

  He reached his hand over and grabbed it.

  “I’ll cover us.”

  It’s not like it was dark out. It was barely seven and wouldn’t be dusk for another hour or more.

  She opened the condom, covered him quickly, then got back on his lap, her back to him, him putting the blanket over them.

  He moved her forward, then lifted her as she lined herself up and sank down.

  She let out a moan. “I can’t move much like this but part of me doesn’t want to.”

  “No need to,” he said. His hand went between her legs, found her bud again and started to play with it.

  He was tapping it with his finger, rubbing circles around, then massaging her.

  She was squirming so much that he had to tighten his grip around her waist to keep her in place.

  “I’m so close,” she said.

  “Stay on the edge,” he said. He started to finally move a little and it might have been all she needed.

  Just the fullness in her had been enough with what he was doing, but the added motion of those tiny strokes in combination with his fingers had her breathing heavily and gripping his thighs again.

  “I’ve never come twice before in a night, let alone this close together.”

  “Looks like your lucky night,” he said.

  He was jerking up into her a little more forcefully and then the orgasm slammed into her harder than the first one.

  How the heck was this possible?

  Hugh’s hand dropped away from her body and he all but pushed her forward so that she was on her hands on his thighs and at a whole new angle. The blanket had fallen and he was getting a good view of her ass she was sure, but the way he was lifting up into her, she couldn’t think of much more than this might have been the longest and hardest she’d ever come.

  The chair was starting to move some on his deck, but she wasn’t worried about falling. She knew he’d have her.

  Then he started to come and the two of them were locked in place, the pulsing of their body in unison.

  What was it he’d said before...having the same vision?

  Oh yeah, she could get on board with this many times more.

  17

  GOING ABOUT LIFE

  Hugh picked Dahlia up the next day at eleven thirty.

  He’d been a bit surprised her family wanted to meet him but didn’t want to say no. He’d been told Sunday was normally a better day, but Saturday worked best this weekend and he was game.

  What he didn’t want to do was lie so they’d have to be tricky when it came to any questions about his career.

  He’d leave it up to her.

  “Thanks for doing this,” she said when she ran down the stairs of the front porch. He didn’t even have time to get out of his SUV, which said she was waiting for him.

  “I told you it’s not a problem.”

  Last night after what they’d experienced on his patio, he was positive he would have done anything she asked of him.

  And when she’d joked that he might have to refinish his deck along with painting her bedroom, he’d looked down to see the scuff marks.

  It’d been totally worth it.

  Not just how she made him feel physically but emotionally as well.

  For months he’d felt as if he had nothing left inside of him.

  He was just a hollow pit of a man going about life.

  Waking up in the middle of the night gasping for breath and reaching for his gun that wasn’t on his side only reminded him that he had too much kept locked up.

  He was glad Dahlia hadn’t brought up anything about spending the night.

  He wouldn’t either. He wasn’t ready for that. For her not to see him as a protector that could be weak.

  It was on him to feel that way, but he couldn’t do much about it now.

  “I know,” she said.

  “What’s that?” he asked of the container she put on her lap.

  “It’s potato salad. Jasmine said Wesley was just grilling burgers. I wanted to bring something. I know Jasmine likes this.”

  “Should we stop and get beer or something?” he asked.

  “We don’t need to. Wesley will have plenty. Ivy said she was bringing cookies and ice cream. We could have cookie sundaes if we wanted.”

  “I don’t know if I’ve ever had one,” he said.

  Dahlia laughed and looked at him. “Ivy is the queen of making sundaes. She and Brooks had a little rough patch over a month ago. It’s fine now. But she came home with ice cream and Twinkies and candy and whipped cream. I can’t remember it all. She made these monster sundaes.”

  “Being the supportive sister you are, you had one too?”

  “Of course. I don’t eat like her or like that. It was so much sugar, but I told her to load it up and ate the whole thing. I was so sick to my stomach that night but never told her. She needed me to be there for her in her way.”

  “Has anyone ever been there for you in the way you need it?” he asked.

  Dahlia only shrugged.

  He felt bad saying that. But he wondered if it was more that Dahlia held it in not wanting people to think she was weak.

  He knew that feeling all too well too.

  Kind of shitty they both appeared to feel that way.

  After she’d left last night, he’d thought of the comments she’d made about her parents’ marriage.

  Nothing like his parents.

  Though his mother understood and was supportive of his father’s career, he saw not just love with his parents, but affection.

  His mother always was hugging them as kids. His father would have Hannah on his lap when she was younger. Carrying her on his shoulders if they were out so Hannah could see something or if she was tired from walking.

  He would say that he’d been exposed to affection and felt he gave his fair share. At least with Keri. She’d never complained about that.

  She only complained about his time away from her, not how he was when he was actually spending time with her and present in the moment.

  His complaint was that he lived to give her what she wanted, but she never appeared to understand or ask what he needed.

  When he had his breakdown and told her, she hadn’t wanted to hear it. She said she couldn’t unsee it. Shit, neither could he.

  That was when he knew it was time to end it. Keri had been the first to say she couldn’t do it much longer and he was just so tired of fighting for something that wouldn’t make either of them happy.

  “My sisters,” she said. “I always knew I could call them for anything. They’d be there.”

  “That didn’t answer my question.”

  “Sorry,” she said. “Living so far away for years, they didn’t know what I needed.”

  “And now that you’re here, you don’t let them see it. You’re too worried about them having what they need,” he said.

  “Jasmine is in a good spot. But when I moved here, she was newly married with a baby. I thought she’d need help, but she has it. I mean I do babysit. I’ve got Cori tomorrow at my place for a few hours.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  “Yeah. Wesley needs to meet with someone at work in the morning. Jasmine has to help set up for a wedding. It’s just a few hours. I offered. I like spending time with her. She’s such a good baby.” Guess that explained the Saturday over a Sunday.

  “You like kids?” he asked.

  “I do. I’ve been watching them for years,” she said.

  “Not in a long time,” he said. At least from what he could see.

  “Which is why I’m back. I thought I was sick of it, but I found I missed it. Do you like kids?”

  It was the first they’d talked about it.

  “I do. I thought I’d have one by now. Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t.”

  “Can I ask why?” she asked.

  “I was only married a few years. Keri wanted to wait and then I think she saw our marriage might not be what she wanted. Or thought. We spent a lot of time fighting and figuring things out that putting a kid in the middle of the stress of starting a family wouldn’t have been a wise decision. Not much more than that.”

  “That’s enough,” she said.

  It didn’t take long to get to Wesley’s house, nor was he surprised to see how beautiful it was.

  He knew enough about Wesley’s background from the dive he’d done into Dahlia and her family.

  “Looks like we are the first ones here.”

  “Ivy is almost always last minute,” she said.

  “We are early,” he pointed out. It was a quarter of twelve.

  Dahlia got out when he parked and shut the SUV off. They went to the door together, her just walking in and going to the back.

  “Hi,” Dahlia said. “As requested, potato salad.”

  “Yum,” Jasmine said.

  “Hugh, this is Jasmine and Wesley.”

  He noticed she didn’t say his last name but wouldn’t comment on it. He moved forward and shook both of their hands.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said.

  “We’ve heard some about you,” Jasmine said.

  “The same here,” he said. Dahlia let out a soft laugh.

  “Why don’t we go out back,” Wesley said. “That is normally where I entertain when the weather is nice.”

  He followed them past the kitchen and onto the patio. It was stunning and opened up to a pool.

  “I would be out here every night,” he said.

  “Jasmine has done a ton of the landscaping. It’s very peaceful,” Wesley said.

  “Hugh has a nice patio too and a view of the river.”

  “Dahlia said you’re new to the area,” Wesley said. “How do you like it so far?”

  “It’s nice,” he said. “Much different than Phoenix.”

  No one said a word to that, which meant Dahlia had told them that information already.

  “You don’t have a suit on.”

  He turned to see Ivy standing there next to a big man. He saw law enforcement a mile away and wondered if Brooks would see that on him too. Suit or not. His gun was in his SUV just like he was positive Brooks had his there too.

  Even the other night when he went to Dahlia’s he left it locked in the glove box rather than wear it inside. Maybe deep down he’d hoped they’d get naked and didn’t want her to be upset seeing the gun on him. Or have it take away from the moment.

  “Nope,” he said. “It’s a little warm out for one right now.”

  “Brooks, this is, Hugh. Hugh, Brooks,” Dahlia said.

  He shook hands with the big man and saw the look in his eyes. Shit, Brooks was seeing what no one else did.

  He’d have to let Dahlia know it could come up. He was sure the guy wouldn’t say a word today in front of people though.

  “Nice to meet you,” Brooks said.

  “I put the ice cream in the freezer,” Ivy said. “I’ve got a few kinds. Ice cream is my jam. Italian is Jasmine’s. Did Dahlia tell you hers?”

  “Her what?” he asked.

  He looked at Dahlia. “As you know, living all over the world, the food choices could be different than what is in America. When I moved here, I developed a love of tacos and Mexican food. I can’t get enough of it.”

  “We haven’t had it once,” he said.

  “There aren’t a lot of places around here to get it,” she said. “But when I see it out, I get it.”

  “It was hard moving here and not understanding simple things,” Ivy said. “I think I had it harder than the rest of them.”

  “You are just softer,” Brooks said. “Not a bad thing. I like it.”

  “Ivy would get upset easily when someone picked on her for not knowing an old movie or boy band. Common sayings. I brushed it off,” Dahlia said. “Then tried to look it up so I’d know the next time.”

  “Like falling off a horse?” he asked.

  “Something like that,” she said, grinning.

  “My worst one was drinking the Kool-Aid,” Ivy said. “No need to tell you about that night.”

  “It’s in your past,” Brooks said, rubbing her arm.