“Bahrain? Wow. You really got to go places. Good. That’s what I wanted for you. What you wanted for you.”
All I ever wanted was him. But I can’t tell him that. “Well, I didn’t get exactly what I wanted, but the military was the next best choice. I’m glad I did it.”
“Really? Because when I first heard you’d gone off and joined the Marines, I wondered what happened to you that you chose that road. It had to be hard.”
“What happened to me? Seriously? My life was fucked from the start. And then—then you happened. After you left, I pretty much wanted to be anybody but me. So I got the fuck out of Dodge too.”
His shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, Lou. I—I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. It’s the opposite of what I hoped for your life. But maybe, maybe we can try—”
I have to stop him.
I stand, careful to keep the majority of my weight on my right foot. “Just go home, Buck. I don’t know what you want, but it’s doubtful you’ll find it here.”
He stands, towering over me, his hand landing on my hip. “Maybe I’ve already found it.”
His eyes search mine as he runs the back of his fingers down my cheek, stepping closer. My pulse rate doubles at his touch.
Fuck. I pull in a deep breath, taking in his scent—clean and crisp, as though he just showered, combined with a tinge of something woodsy. I swallow, fighting the desire to fall forward and savor any morsel of affection I can get from him.
Pathetic.
I gently wrap my fingers over his wrist, removing his hand from my face. He lets it fall to my other side.
He slides his arms around me, pulling me closer. “I’ve missed you, Lou.”
I cough to clear the lump forming in the back of my throat. “Yeah? Well, that’s only about four and a half years too late.”
“It’s never too late.” He leans in, his stubble grazing my jaw, sending a zing of electrical charge through me. “All I can think about since I saw you the other day is having you again.”
My libido roars to life, and moisture surges to my pussy with the smallest suggestion of being with Buck again. It’s fucking sick how much my body misses what he did to it.
I shake my head. “I told you, you aren’t getting a thing from me.”
He pulls me tighter against him, whispering in my ear. “Maybe I want to give you something.”
“I’m not sure I want anything from you.” Except that tongue lapping at my pussy. That I want.
NINE
Lou pushes against me, slowly backing away.
Fuck.
“Lou. Wait. Please. It’s been a long time. Can we at least talk?”
She stops. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
I step to her again, close enough that her magnolia scent wafts around me. Memories of us together bombard me, stiffening my cock and transporting me to another time when she always came to me, never walked away.
I take her hand and squeeze lightly. “Don’t you miss me at all, Lou?”
She backs up a couple more steps. “I’m only here for a few weeks to help Aunt Delores. You have your Hollywood friends with you. Do us both a favor and stay over there. I’ll keep my distance, and we can avoid any unpleasantness.”
“Unpleasantness? Lou, nothing you and I ever did was unpleasant. Or did you forget?” In one step, my body presses her against the side of the house.
Her hands flatten on my chest, fingers digging in just enough to send a tingle through my pecs, straight to my hard dick.
Her breath comes quick as she turns her head to the side. “Back the fuck off.”
I lean in and run my jaw along hers. “Do you really want that?”
She lets out a strangled sound. Then, in a heartbeat, she slips her hands behind my neck and yanks me to her. Her mouth slides across mine. I grab her and pull her to me, letting my erection throb between us. Damned jeans.
Her kiss teases my lips. I fold her into my embrace. Our tongues battle for control. Like a flood, heat slams through me.
Lou shimmies close, her full breasts push against my chest, one leg hiking to wrap my thigh. Her palm finds my ass. She moans when I take hold of hers with both hands, yanking her in tighter to my groin.
I pull back for a moment, heaving breaths. “Fuck, that’s hot.”
She slips from my arms. I follow. We creep through the dark, around the porch, to the side of the house. At the door leading into her room, she stops.
I take hold of her again, sliding my fingers into her waistband. Her caramel skin is as soft as I remember. I run my hands into her shorts and over her ass, its fullness sending a pulse through my erection.
“Fuck, Lou. I want you. I’ve missed—I’ve missed you.”