Flirting With Destiny(14)
“Really?” I watched her face as she searched her memory banks. “He went to high school with us, right?”
“Yes. He walked right past you a few minutes ago. I bet you didn’t recognize him either.”
Her jaw dropped.
“Exactly. That hunk of a man was the one I saw getting out of the limo earlier. He’s very good looking now, nothing like the last time I saw him.”
Her eyebrows shot up and she said, “I did notice him. Who wouldn’t? He’s quite striking… wait, more like, he’s damn hot.”
We both laughed and Jules sipped the last of her iced tea, fanning herself dramatically.
“Can you believe how much he’s changed?”
“So he’s here for a funeral? Who died?”
“His father.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. He wouldn’t have been very old. Did you two date in high school? I don’t remember you dating Aedyn.”
“No way. I think he had a crush on me though, but he wasn’t my type back then.”
Jules waded up her napkin and tossed it in the empty sandwich basket. “Well, he looks like every girl’s type now. All I can say is, getting out of Granger sure did him good.”
“I agree. Hey, I gotta go now, Jules. You’re a sweetheart for letting me dump all my troubles on you.”
“What about your sandwich? You didn’t even eat it.”
“I’ll have them wrap it to go. I’ll give it to the homeless guy in the park.”
“Alright. But remember, tomorrow’s another day. As far as Chip goes, you need to talk to him. It’s probably just a phase he’s going through, you know, worried about his business, parent expectations, yada yada yada. Jack’s like that too. But you need to address it, stop it before it gets out of hand. Dream or no dream… you deserve better than this.”
We hugged good-bye and she left, not seeing me shake my head in disagreement. There were times when I felt this life was all I deserved. I’d made my choices and would live with the consequences. I would make the best of whatever came my way, would work hard to keep it, but I wouldn’t seek out anything better.
I watched my friend walk out the door as I stood at the counter, waiting for my sandwich to be wrapped. The girl in the apron handed it to me in a brown paper bag. I looked at the dull, lifeless color of the bag as I walked toward the park in the early summer sun and thought, “I don’t want my life to be this drab and simple.”
It scared me that I’d felt a rush of excitement when talking to Aedyn. It was like color had dropped into my life, providing a stark contrast to what I had and it was unsettling. I had convinced myself that I had everything I wanted in my life. But now, without my asking, a little seed of doubt had been planted, creating an annoying itch. Should I scratch it or ignore it? That was the disturbing question I was left with when I finally reached the park bench I was looking for.
The homeless man gave me a toothless smile when I handed him the bag. I nodded and quickly walked back to the office. I wanted to be there when Chip got back from his Rotary Club luncheon meeting. I would stop all this thought about having a different life. I would focus on my here and now.
Chapter 6
Lauren
I was totally consumed by a feeling of warmth. The moment our skin touched, when I placed my hand into his, a fire ignited, blazing its way through every cell in my body. I didn’t blink. I didn’t even hesitate. I gave in completely to his offer to step into the back of his limousine. He pulled me in and shut the door. It was dark inside and there was no driver up front, only him.
I was aware of nothing except him, his body next to mine, and the intense sexual desire that blazed between us. He’s in control and with no inhibitions, he pulled me to his lap to straddle him. My knees dug into the seat just as my sex pressed into his. I groan from the desperate need to taste him. Our lips crushed together with a fiery heat. He pushed both hands into my hair and held me to his mouth, devouring my lips, his tongue shooting in and sweeping the inside of mine. His tongue excited me. I knew what he could do with it and I ached for his wet tongue to lick between my folds.
I gasped as I came up for air from his demanding kisses. I was hungry for him and I didn’t want to think about anything else right now. How could I think straight with visions of what I wanted him to do to me swimming in my head?
I struggled to get a good look at his face, but I couldn’t. I was too close, pressed against him by his firm, strong hands, ravaging my body, locking me to him so that I couldn’t pull back enough to see his face. After a moment, I no longer cared who it was. I didn’t want to stop. I had to have more. His hands were on my breasts, pushing and kneading as he kissed my neck. My dress was loose and stretchy, the kind of dress one wears in the summer with no bra and very small panties to alleviate the heat of the day. The dress made it easy for him to push it aside, for his mouth to reach my nipples, already hard and sensitive to the touch.