30. Will
Chapter thirty
Will
M aureen met my gaze as I pulled back from our kiss. Her expression looked…concerned.
I blinked. “Everything okay?”
“I’m not going to stay in Seattle,” she blurted, wiggling off my lap to sit beside me.
“What?”
“I’m moving back to Coleman Creek.” She put another few inches of distance between us. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and now I’m sure I want to go back. I’ll never regret my years in Seattle, but it’s time. And this present is the best one I’ve ever gotten. It’s the most beautiful picture anyone ever drew. I’m so blown away by everything you just said and by what you told me earlier at the Grinch mural. I couldn’t go one more second without letting you know.”
“Oh.” I registered her words, waiting for some insurmountable shoe to drop. But she seemed finished. “Um, okay.”
“Okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Okay. After everything you’ve told me, it makes sense. I think I was almost expecting it.” I tapped my fingers against my knee. “The Audi gets excellent mileage, so it shouldn’t be too difficult until we figure out a better solution.”
Maureen leaned back against the armrest. “That’s it?”
My brows drew together. “What’s it?”
“I tell you I’m moving five hours away, and you act like I just told you the weather.” Her expression devolved into a puzzled frown. “You don’t think it’s a big deal?”
“I mean, of course it’s a big deal. It would be easier to date if you lived next door. But I totally understand why you want to move home. I’ve seen you in Coleman Creek, remember?”
She still appeared flummoxed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “The past few days I’ve been thinking this was some sort of enormous obstacle, stressing about telling you—”
Laughing lightly, I reassured her, “I meant what I said, Maureen. I’m all in. Five hours is nothing. Not when we’ve been through so much. Real distance, not just miles. There are options here, but whatever we decide, we’re together. You’re home to me now. Even if we have to be apart sometimes, we’ll figure it out.”
She shook her head as her cheeks finally ticked up. “I guess that’s what works for us. Having things be a little difficult.”
“It’s never been easy, but it’s always been worth it. You’re worth it, Maureen. You’re worth everything.”
The lava-hot look she gave me in reply went straight to my insides. And my dick had apparently decided a few hours was plenty of recovery time. It perked right up as her warm palm traveled up my inner thigh. Her mouth moved to land on my neck, and I practically flew off the cushion as she latched on and sucked at the delicate skin. I doubted there’d be a mark the next day, but damn if it wasn’t sexy as hell to feel the sensation in the moment. Her tongue lashed out to soothe the spot before she kissed her way up my jaw and cheek.
When her mouth finally reached mine, she threw her leg over to straddle me. She kissed me deeply, confidently exploring my mouth.
“This feels… familiar ,” she rasped, and I grinned as I recalled being in a similar position on the couch in Coleman Creek.
“Except this time, I’m not under doctor’s orders to take it easy.”
“Good thing.”
A minute later, she had me in only my boxer briefs, and she’d stripped down to her bra and panties, still with her knees on either side of mine. I reached out and ran a finger over her center, feeling her sleek heat.
“What do you want?” I asked.
She pulled her panties off and shook them down her leg. Then her thumbs dug into the waistband of my boxers before she tugged those off in one swift move. “Condom?”
I groaned at the delay as I pointed at our discarded clothing on the floor. “Jeans. Wallet.”
She leaned back to grab my pants, handing them to me. I got frustrated trying to fish my wallet out of the side pocket, which had suddenly grown ten feet deep, as Maureen drove me wild, sliding back and forth over my erection. I looked down to see the head of it peeking up at me from between her thighs. Finally rescuing the foil packet from my jeans, I sheathed myself quickly.
I debated whether to pick Maureen up and plop her down on my cock, or if it would be better for her to take control and saddle herself. Maddeningly, she continued simply rocking herself on top of me.
“You asked me what I wanted,” she whispered, looking like a goddess as she sat atop my thighs. This afternoon, I’d made love to her, slowly and deliberately. Now, Maureen had me at her mercy. She arched back, squeezing her breasts.
“Mmm.” Raising my arm to snap her bra open, I leaned forward to take one perfect nipple into my mouth.
“I want…” She continued rolling her hips, killing me with the ache to be inside her.
“Yeah?” I panted, barely containing myself as my body begged to surge upward.
Bowing her head, she intoned directly in my ear, “I want it hard and fast.”
Without giving me a second to digest her breathy plea, she raised herself and then pushed back down onto my erection, filling herself to the hilt while triggering in me a pleasure so intense the room spun.
She was spectacular. Looping her hands around my neck. Riding me with purpose. I gnashed my teeth as I struggled not to blow immediately.
“Pull my hair, Will. Make me come.”
Instinctively, I reached one hand behind her head to grip her ponytail by its base, just enough for her to remember I was there. My other hand found her clit. I massaged the small nub rapidly as she moved above me in a circular motion, whimpering and moaning as she squeezed my cock. The look of ecstasy on her face took my breath away. My fingers continued working as I felt her inner muscles clench.
“I’m close,” she panted, sandwiching her body against mine, pinning my hand between us. “I want you on top of me when I come.”
She jerked us back onto the couch, her head on the armrest and me above. I removed my hand and pushed my groin against her—fast and hard, as she’d requested.
“Make me feel you, Will.”
Feverishly, I pounded myself against her center until she came with a groan before I released into the condom.
The couch wasn’t the most comfortable place for an encounter. It wasn’t deep, so one of Maureen’s legs hung over the edge, her foot flat on the floor. I brought myself to a standing position, quickly going into the bathroom to tie off the condom. When I came back, she was still lying there naked, recovering, and I thought again about how I would do anything for this woman. To see her like this. Often.
I grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet, walking with her back to my bedroom, where we both fell back on the mattress and drifted in and out of slumber for a few hours.
At eleven p.m., we were still in bed. I ran my fingers lazily between Maureen’s breasts. They truly were a photo-perfect set, with small dusky nipples that peaked immediately at my touch.
“Too sensitive,” Maureen said sleepily. “Always, after sex.”
I pulled my hand back and brushed my fingers slowly down her sides, a move that made her tremble and sigh in pleasure. “I’ll learn,” I said. “I want to know everything about your body. All the little touches that drive you crazy.”
“This is a good start.” Her breath hitched as my hand slid down her side and over her naked thigh.
“Interested in another round?” I asked softly, running my tongue across her collarbone. At that, her stomach gave a rude and noisy rumble. We both cracked up as she threw a pillow over her face. “Or maybe I should feed you? We never did get that date.”
“Great idea,” she said. “And I know just the place.”
Less than an hour later , we were seated in a booth at the same Denny’s we’d gone to five years ago.
“I don’t know if this will be a fresh start or if it will curse us again,” I half joked.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. My memories of this place and you are fantastic. It’s the five years in between that are mostly a miss.”
I laughed. “Well, that’s an understatement.”
We ordered nachos, french fries, and a strawberry shake to share, along with coffees. “I think it sends a message to the universe to order the same thing we had that night,” she said. “Tempting fate, or whatever.”
“We’re gonna make it this time, Maureen.”
“I know. I’m glad it’s now.”
We spent the next hour talking about what our relationship might look like. I wasn’t stuck on the idea of renovating apartment buildings or even staying in Seattle. And she wasn’t opposed to spending significant time in the city, especially since I lived in the same building as Bren. Her plan was to rent a house in Coleman Creek until she could get her business off the ground.
“I’ve been thinking about the messages and comments I received. I like the idea of styling people, or at least helping them hone their wardrobes. But not rich people. Just, like, regular people.”
“Like Katy?”
“Exactly. But I’m not counting on making a living at that. It won’t be in high demand, and one viral video doesn’t prove anything.”
“So you see it as more of a side project?”
“Right. Same with Francesca. I want to keep doing the videos, but the chances of making real money off them are slim. I’m realistic about that.” She leaned back into the booth, pensively taking a french fry into her mouth. “I would like you to help me with the business side of things.”
My heart leaped at her casual words, but I forced my voice to stay neutral. “What kind of help?”
“I want to open a shop in Coleman Creek, part consignment, part reasonably-priced boutique. The thing I miss most about Kolya’s is interacting with customers. And I know I’d enjoy it even more if the folks coming into the store were my friends and neighbors.”
“So, your plan for your career is to do three jobs?” I raised my eyebrows, even as I smiled encouragingly.
“I’m a hard worker, Will. And I’m good at setting my mind to things. And I’m not too proud to do multiple jobs at once. I’ve done that before when I had to do it. To make ends meet. This time, it would be my choice.”
“I’m teasing you. Of course you can make it work. And it’s not like you don’t have options if you need to adapt, if the styling takes off, or if you’re able to monetize Francesca. Careers evolve, just like people. Normally, I wouldn’t be sold on a retail venture, but what you’re proposing might work in a town like Coleman Creek, and you probably have enough of a following with your videos now to lure some curiosity seekers to the store if you wanted your viewers to know about it.”
Her face lit up with excitement. “That’s exactly what I was thinking! If I let people know about the store on my channel, I might find some that want to come for in-person styling.”
I pulled out my phone and began taking notes as she spoke enthusiastically about her ideas. Getting those thoughts into a more concise plan would take a few weeks, but the bones were there.
Plus, she had me. She’d always have me.
A few hours later, we stood by the side of my car in the Denny’s parking lot. Just like five years ago. Except this time, there’d be no broken promises. I’d be holding her all night. I’d be waking up next to her tomorrow morning, and if she’d let me, I’d be going home with her for Christmas.
All that terrible history between us, but here we were, starting over. Choosing hope. Our relationship still held a minefield of obstacles. It was complicated and uncertain. Marked with healed-over scars from the past.
It doesn’t look very nice, but it’s okay.
“Hey, Will.” Maureen joined our hands, bringing me out of my musing. “I never said it today. But just so there’s no confusion. I love you too.”
It doesn’t look very nice, but it’s perfect.