by Vi Keeland
I wasn’t dressed, and I had no idea what the hell I’d say. There wasn’t anything to discuss—because there wasn’t anything between us. So instead, I sipped my wine and stared blankly out at the night.
A set of headlights turning into the driveway next to mine brought me back from deep thought. Bella must’ve gotten off early from the restaurant. I was glad I hadn’t gone over there now. But after the car parked, I leaned closer to the window and noticed it wasn’t Bella’s car.
And the woman wearing a dress short enough to show her ass if she bent even slightly was certainly not Ford’s sister. My emotions, which had been in turmoil for the last hour, suddenly had no conflict. The burn of jealousy rose from deep within me and heated my cheeks.
I watched the woman teeter in her stilettos and walk toward the house. When she reached the stairs, the automatic security lights flashed on, and the face I hadn’t been able to see in the dark became clear.
Of course she was gorgeous.
And had a killer body.
Miles and miles of legs.
Boobs that hadn’t become acquainted with gravity yet, too.
Young.
So, so young.
She had a bottle of wine in one hand, and an overnight bag in the other.
I felt sick. Yet like watching a bad car accident, I couldn’t look away. As she got to the top of the stairs, Ford opened the door. He must have been waiting for her.
Anxious.
I looked away when he took her in his arms for an embrace. It shouldn’t have hurt so much. But that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
***
I’d just drifted off to sleep when I heard a noise. Sitting up in a fog, I wasn’t sure where it had come from, only that it had woken me. I waited to see if I heard it again, because I wasn’t positive I hadn’t imagined it.
But then I heard the noise again. It was coming from downstairs and sounded like it might be the garbage cans rolling around in the breeze. Slipping from bed, I peered out my second-floor window. Our road had no streetlights, and it was too dark to see anything without the exterior house lights. So I went downstairs to turn on the porch light and take a better look.
At the bottom of the stairs, I saw the silhouette of a person standing outside my front door. It was late, and I knew Ford had company, so it likely wouldn’t be him. Maybe Mark had come back? That didn’t seem probable since he’d left more than an hour ago and would be halfway home by now.
My heart sped up as I moved closer to the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s Ford.”
That did nothing to slow my rapid pulse.
I opened the door. “Is everything okay?”
“No. Can I come in?”
Chapter 11
* * *
Ford
“How was your date?” I stared out her back sliding glass doors, looking out at the darkness. Valentina stood somewhere behind me.
“It wasn’t a date.”
I turned and caught her eyes. “Sure looked like one.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter what it looked like. It wasn’t. Mark is a friend from school. We belonged to a study group together.”
I took a few steps toward her. “Yeah. I remember you telling me about him…the night he asked you out on a date.”
She squared her shoulders. “How was your date?”
My brows drew down. Date? Then it dawned on me that she must’ve seen Nina come in—my cousin Nina, who came for the weekend to hang out with Bella. I wondered if she was feeling as jealous as I was—so I went with it and let her think what she’d obviously been thinking.
“Great, just great.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets and shrugged. “Nina—great girl.”
“She left early.”
I grinned. “Nope, she’s still next door. Getting all settled in for the night.”
Val looked hurt, but I wanted her to be pissed. So I pushed. Her back leaned against the kitchen sink. I took a few more steps, so I stood right in front of her.
“Just came over to see if you know of any good, romantic restaurants that are open late in town.”
“No.” Her eyes shot daggers, and her voice was clipped. Clearly she wasn’t even going to entertain my question and think about it.
I moved yet closer, just inside her personal space. She had nowhere to retreat.
“How about nude beaches? Thought maybe we’d go to a nude beach tomorrow.”
Her eyes sparked. “No.”
She was definitely jealous, though she did her best not to show it. But where there’s a spark, there’s fire, so I kept adding gasoline.
“How about lingerie shops? Nina likes to shop. I hate it, so might as well make it something we can both enjoy.”
She squinted. “Maybe you should go back into the city for the weekend. Not too many shops like that in Montauk.”
I clicked my mouth and grinned. “Shame. How about sex toy shops? Maybe some edible underwear and body paint? Do you think that stains sheets?”
That did it. I actually saw the spark in her eyes shoot to a flame. “You know what, Ford? I really don’t want to hear about your sex life.”
I put one hand on either side of the counter behind her, boxing her in. “No? Why not, Val? What’s the reason you don’t want to hear about me having sex with another woman?”
“I just don’t. Do you want to hear about my sex life?”
My chest burned even hearing her say sex life. I started to get angry. “Fuck, no. But you know why I don’t want to hear about it?”
She stared at me, steam practically coming out of her nose.
“Not going to take a guess? Let me fill you the fuck in, then. I don’t want to hear about your sex life because I’m jealous. Because I want to be the one taking you out on a date and sleeping in your bed. And you feel the same goddamn way I do, but you’re too afraid to admit it.”
She raised her voice. “I am not!”
I leaned in so we were nose to nose. “Liar. Admit it.”
“No!”
“Say it.”
“You’re crazy!”
“You know what, Val? I’d rather be crazy than a chickenshit. It must suck to finally be free to live a little and be too uptight to act on what you’re feeling.”
She scowled at me. “Screw you.”
My mouth curved to a wicked grin. “Is that an invitation? Because I’m right here whenever you want me. And since I’m only twenty-five, I can pretty much fuck on demand. I doubt old man Mark has it in him to go all night.”
Valentina’s chest heaved; I could feel the heat emanating from her body. When I glanced down, I found her nipples protruding through her shirt. She was as turned on as I was, though she wouldn’t budge from hiding it beneath her anger.
“You’re such an asshole!” she screamed.
Fuck it. If I’m an asshole, I might as well be a giant one.
There was only one way to win this argument. I wrapped my hands around her cheeks and smashed my lips over her angry mouth. She hesitated for a half a second, but once the initial shock wore off, she opened for me and mewled into my mouth. Feeling her tits pushed up against my chest, I pressed her against the kitchen counter and tilted her head to deepen the kiss.
Whatever restraint she’d had left gave way, and all hell broke loose.
We couldn’t get close enough. Grabbing the backs of her thighs, I lifted and guided her legs around my waist. The erection that had started to thicken during our argument grew painfully hard, feeling the wet heat coming from between her legs.
Valentina moaned, and anything and everything ceased to exist but the two of us. She dug her nails into my back, and I tugged at her hair. I fucking knew it would be like this. A physical attraction makes for intense chemistry, but a physical and mental connection is damn combustible.
I don’t know how long we went at it, but eventually we had to come up for air, and the one-second break filled with panting was enough to allow Val to start to come to her s
enses. She shoved at my chest and reached to touch her swollen lips.
I caressed her face and murmured, “Thanks, Dad.”
“Dad?”
I leaned my forehead against hers. “He once told me that the best thing to do when you’re having an argument you can’t win with a woman you care about is to kiss her—then you both win.”
She smiled sadly. “You should probably go home, Ford.”
I traced her bottom lip with my thumb. “Nina is my cousin. She came to spend the weekend with my sister.”
Valentina’s eyes narrowed. “Your cousin?”
“You thought I had a woman over, even after chasing you for a month? I’m not the kind of guy to use another woman to replace the one I want but can’t have.”
She looked down. I put my fingers under her chin and lifted so our eyes met again. “Tell me, Val. Did it feel as good kissing Mark as it did kissing me?”
It might’ve been an arrogant statement, but I knew without a doubt that kissing anyone did not feel like what had just happened, and I was willing to bet the feeling was mutual.
“I didn’t kiss Mark. And it wasn’t a date. Not that it’s any of your business if it was.”
I looked back and forth between her eyes. “Does he know it wasn’t a date?”
She shook her head. “You should go. It’s late.”
I might’ve pushed my way to that kiss, but I wasn’t actually an asshole. Plus, I knew her head was still fighting with her body, and it would take a while for them to be aligned, if that were even possible.
I wasn’t taking the risk that I’d only ever have that one kiss with her. So I nodded and leaned in, brushing my lips with hers once more. “Goodnight, beautiful.”
***
The kiss might have been over, but the memory was the gift that kept on giving. In the shower, I jerked off to the sounds she’d made while my lips were pressed to hers, to the feel of how wet she was, even through our clothing. I was so pathetic that I sniffed my own fucking shorts, hoping some of her juices had come through onto them.
In bed, I wondered what she was doing at this exact moment. Were her fingers inside of herself? I closed my eyes and imagined her lying spread eagle in her bed—her wild, dark hair splayed all over her pillow, and her big blue eyes glazed over as she pumped her fingers in and out of her tight pussy.
Fuck.
I really needed to jerk off again.
But instead, I reached for my phone on the nightstand. If she wasn’t already regretting our kiss, she would be at some point, and I wanted to let her know I felt no remorse. In fact, I wanted her to know I was fucking elated the kiss had happened, and I’d come home to celebrate it.
Ford: I’m not sorry I kissed you.
I watched as the text changed from Sent to Delivered to Read. But no response came.
Alright, well, at least you’re listening. So I continued.
Ford: I enjoyed it so much that I just came to the memory.
Sent then Delivered then Read, again.
I smiled when no return text came. I pictured her sitting in her bed, struggling with her own desire, her eager hand at the waistband of her underwear.
What was that? You want to hear more? Well, okay, then…
Ford: My cock was all lathered up and hard. I closed my eyes and imagined my hand was you. I heard the little sound you made when I yanked your hair. You liked that, didn’t you? I felt your gorgeous tits pressed up against my chest. I bet you’ll like it when I take your nipple between my teeth and tug hard, too.
Sent. Delivered. Read.
Ford: I came so hard…so fucking hard. But I wish it had been inside of you.
Sent. Delivered. Read.
Ford: Tell me, Val. Did you touch yourself when I left? Did you think of me? Did you use your hand? God, what I wouldn’t give to suck on those fingers after they’ve been inside you.
Sent. Delivered. Read.
Ford: That’s okay. You can tell me about it another time. I have something I need to take care of now, too. Again. So sweet dreams, my Valentina. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.
***
I’d hoped to see her before I left. But when I got up at six thirty, her car was already gone. I waited until almost eight, but when she still hadn’t come back, I had to get on the road. The meeting I blew off yesterday when Bella mentioned she’d left Val at the art exhibit with some guy had been rescheduled for eleven today, and I couldn’t screw this guy again. So I finished my coffee and headed out.
Though I only got about two miles before I came upon a roadside stand that sold fruit, vegetables, and fresh flowers. Sometimes my Dad and I would drive out to Montauk a day later than my mom, and he’d always stop and pick up flowers at this place. I’d passed it a half-dozen times over the last two weeks and never thought to stop.
I pulled over to the side of the road and picked out an oversized bundle of wildflowers with giant sunflowers and then drove back to the house. Valentina’s car was still missing, so I left them on the mat at her front door and stepped on the gas to get to my meeting.
A few hours later, I sat in the lobby of an office, waiting for my eleven o’clock meeting to start, and I decided to send her another text.
Ford: Morning, beautiful. Hope you slept well. You were up and out early this morning. I’d been hoping to catch you before I left for the city, so we could talk.
I stopped before hitting send and smiled, deciding to add more.
Ford: Or make out some more.
After a few seconds, the text changed to Read. I got pumped when the dots started to jump around. But then they stopped. A minute later they started again. Then stopped again.
Stop overthinking things, Valentina.
No return text had arrived by late afternoon, so I assumed this was how it was going to be until I could get to her in person. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be today. I needed to go into the office and do a few things after my meeting. And traffic on Friday night would be a bitch since it was the first official weekend of summer.
But I wanted to know if Val had taken off—maybe gone home to New Jersey to avoid me. I hadn’t checked in with my sister all day, so I hit speakerphone and told Siri to call Bella.
“Hey. What’s going on?”
“You don’t have to call me just because I haven’t seen you today.”
I pictured Annabella’s eyes rolling.
“Just checking in. I wasn’t sure if you knew I wasn’t going to get back out east tonight.”
“Oh good. Let me plan a party. I’ll make sure to put it on Instagram so a few hundred strangers crash it.”
“Cute.”
“I’m fine, Ford. And Nina’s here for the weekend, and I have Val.”
“Is Val around? Her car was gone when I left this morning.”
“Yep. We’re planting flowers in her deck boxes for her party this weekend right now.”
“Party?”
“She’s having a barbecue with her friends.”
I’d forgotten she’d mentioned her best friend was coming out for a long weekend.
“Oh yeah. Alright, good.”
“So…since Nina’s here and Val has company this weekend, you really don’t need to come back out. I’ll be fine.”
I knew she was right. Even though I hadn’t wanted her out in Montauk by herself when we’d first talked about it, spending time out there made me feel a lot better about it. She could stay on her own for a weekend. Though…I had a party to crash on this particular one.
“I’ll see you tomorrow anyway,” I said. “Be good.”
Chapter 12
* * *
Ford
“Morning.” I walked out onto my back deck and nodded to the woman sitting on the adjacent one. Val’s car wasn’t in the driveway, but one I didn’t recognize was.
The woman took off her sunglasses and smiled. “You must be Ford.”
I smiled back. “And you must be Eve. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that you know my
name?”
Eve got up and walked over to lean on the deck railing that faced my house. She sipped out of a mug. “You’ve been a hot topic of conversation lately. I was hoping I’d get to see you. Are you coming to the barbecue today?”
“I wasn’t invited.”
“Well, let me rectify that. Ford, would you like to come to the barbecue today? We’d love to have you.”
I grinned. “Absolutely. What time?”
“Two.”
“What should I bring?”
She winked. “Just your A game.”
***
“Hey.”
Valentina opened the front screen door. The look on her face told me her friend hadn’t mentioned I’d be coming. I extended the bottle of wine I’d brought.
“Eve invited me.”
She shook her head. “Of course she did.”
“You want me to leave?”
“No. No. It’s fine. Come on in. The neighbors on the other side are stopping by, too.”
Not exactly a warm reception, but at least she didn’t send me packing. A man came down the stairs as the two of us stood at the door. I thought it might’ve been her dad.
“Tom,” Valentina said. “This is Ford.”
Tom stuck out his hand right away. “Nice to meet you.”
She finished the introduction while we shook. “Tom is Eve’s husband.”
I had to work at not letting the surprise show on my face. This guy was her best friend’s husband, not father?
Tom held up a pair of sunglasses. “Eve needed bigger sunglasses from upstairs. Apparently the ones covering half her face already weren’t cutting it.”
Val smiled and nodded toward the kitchen. “She yelled for you to bring her sunscreen, too, but you were already upstairs. There’s some in the cabinet next to the stove. I was about to make a batch of margaritas.”