Aloha, page 53
Right. Dominic. Or as his fans call him: The Dominator. Stupid name. So stupid, I almost forgot about his existence. “So, I take it you’re not going to tell him about tonight… about me?”
“No,” she laughs—as if the idea itself is ludicrous.
“Why not?” I ask. “It’s not as if we planned it.”
“Because if he knew it was you I hit, he’d tell me to one: hit you harder. Two: reverse and hit you again. Three: all of the above, then you leave there.”
“Holy shit.” It’s my turn to laugh. “He hates me that much?”
She nudges my side with hers. “You stole his girlfriend, Rhys!”
My eyes widen, because just like his existence, I’d forgotten about that, too. But… hold up. “Is that where his story ends?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she accuses.
“Look,” I say, hands up in mock surrender, “I’m just saying, whatever history your brother and I have, it’s got nothing to do with us—you and me.”
“There is no us,” she says, defiant, and nah.
Fuck that.
I grab my phone from between us, tap it a few times. “So… he wouldn’t be too happy if I tagged him in a pic of us together?”
“You wouldn’t!” She tries to grab the phone from my hand, but I hold it away from her.
“I wonder if he’d recognize you with your eyes covered,” I murmur through a chuckle, trying to handle my phone with one hand while I tug down on her hood. It only covers half her face, so her mouth is still visible, and I shove down the urge to kiss her.
Just once.
Just to curb my curiosity.
I keep hold of the hood while I snap shot after shot of nothing, laughing at her panic every time the fake shutter of my phone sounds. “Don’t you dare,” she practically squeals. And then she’s on me, trying to get the phone from my grasp, and I can’t stop laughing. Neither can she. I fall onto my back and release the hood when she climbs over me, and I stretch out my arm, keeping it from her reach. The hood still covers her eyes, because she’s too busy using both her hands to blindly search for my phone.
She’s practically feeling me up—warm hands gliding over my stomach, my chest. She finds my shoulder and follows my arm up, up, up, and I’m shaking from withheld laughter because she’s got the wrong fucking arm.
“Give it to me!” she almost growls, right in my ear, and I swear to God, I’m rock fucking hard.
How can I not be?
Those words? From her mouth? Not to mention that she’s practically spread out on top of me, her breasts brushing against my face as she continues to reach up, her heated fingertips making their way up my arm.
I can feel the fire—their flames flicking through my bloodline, pulsating throughout my entire body, right down to my cock.
Her hand searches my empty one, and she groans in frustration.
I’m no longer laughing.
No longer breathing.
Her hands move again, searching for my other arm, and I grip the phone tighter because no fucking way am I letting her have it. Her hand’s on my wrist now—so close to her end goal—and without thinking, I brace my arm around her waist and pull her away.
Pull her down.
Right onto my erection.
We freeze, our entire bodies locked.
Surrendered.
In the few seconds since she came for me, I hadn’t realized that she’d practically straddled my hips, her knees on either side. That dull ache from the impact earlier? Completely gone, it seems. Now her pussy’s pressed against my hardened cock, and I’m sure she can feel it because she—
She moans.
I exhale. Slowly. Silently. And I can feel the heat emitting from her center, can feel her short breaths against my chin. She attempts to lift herself up, but I tighten my grip, push her back down. This time, she shifts on me. Not a lot. Just enough to let me know she feels me too. My pulse pounds, vibrating across my flesh, and I can’t seem to inhale enough air to satisfy my need for life. The hoodie still covers her eyes, but her mouth…
Her mouth is so close to mine, lips wet, parted. All it would take is a slight lift of my head… but, I wouldn’t do that to her. I can’t. Instead, I release my phone, let it drop on the metal beneath us, and then grasp the back of the hood, clearing her vision.
Her eyes are closed when they’re first revealed, and they land right on mine when she opens them.
And those cheeks… stained pink from exertion, from lust.
She wants this as much as I do.
I lick my lips, and she does the same.
Gently, I thrust up, wanting to see her reaction.
Her breaths falter, her eyes widening just slightly.
And then she responds to my action with one of her own—a slight circling of her hips. I almost lose all control at the sudden pleasure that spreads through me—like a series of waves about to create a tsunami.
My hand is on her thigh—thick fucking thighs made for grabbing—and I don’t know how it got there. I move up slowly, watching her every breath, her every reaction, until I find the bottom of her denim shorts, and I can’t look away. I don’t even want to blink. I go higher, higher, until my palm settles on the curve of her ass. I squeeze, pushing her onto me firmer, harder. I want her to know what she’s done to me, how my body’s reacted to her. How she so easily controlled me, possessed me. Every single inch of me.
Her head falls, lands on my shoulder, but she doesn’t move.
Doesn’t speak.
I keep one hand on her ass as the other bunches the fabric of the hoodie until I find the end, and then I reach beneath it. Her skin is flaming hot against mine, and I trace down her spine to her waist, memorizing the shape of her.
Her grinds are short, tiny circles, and I can feel the warmth of her scattered breaths through my T-shirt, spreading onto my chest.
Fuck, I’d give anything to be inside her.
“Liv,” I croak, my throat aching with the single word that could possibly end this.
She lifts her head just enough to meet my eyes, and I don’t know who kisses who first.
I don’t care.
Her lips are soft, her movements slow, and I can’t fucking get enough of it. The first swipe of our tongues has us both moaning into each other, and I don’t know where to put my hands. I want to touch her, feel her everywhere, all at once.
Kiss her everywhere.
Everywhere.
I reach up and grasp a handful of her hair. Tug. The sound that escapes her is pure fucking pleasure, and I kiss down her jaw, her neck, sucking hard. Biting. I pull her hair again. Teasing. Testing. She turns languid in my arms, and I crack a smile against her flesh.
Liv likes it a little rough…
…and I’m all fucking for it.
She dips her mouth to mine, catching my bottom lip between her teeth and pulling it away before running her tongue along the length of it. I groan, my dick throbbing, pulsing, warning me of what’s to come. “Fuck,” I spit, holding her ass in place. The way she moves… the sounds she makes… it’s too fucking much. “You’re too fucking good. I can’t—”
I don’t get a chance to finish the sentence because her phone goes off—her alarm—and before I can stop her, she’s off of me. Completely. The sound of the alarm shrills through the air and rings in my ears louder than the blood rushing through my body.
She jumps off the truck, and I stay on my back, looking up at the stars as I try to catch my breath. “I’m so sorry, Rhys,” she rushes out.
Sorry?
The fuck?
“Please don’t tell anyone about this,” she cries. Actually cries. And I sit up just to witness her pain. To make it mine. She swipes at a single tear on her cheek. “I’m sorry,” she repeats. “This was a mistake.”
I push away the sudden sharpness of anger that flickers inside me.
Flick.
Flick.
Flick.
It’s pretty fucking obvious what she’s thinking right now. How she feels—regret, disappointment, fear.
In her eyes, this was nothing more than a fleeting moment of uncontrolled desire.
To her... I’m nothing more than a mistake.
But to me…
I crack the faintest of smiles.
Olivia just became my new sport.
My new discipline.
My new obsession.
And she has no fucking clue what she’s in for...
Thanks for reading. Check out the rest of my books at www.jaymcleanauthor.com.
Pictures of Hope
Jessica Ashley
To those with hopeful hearts.
Chapter 1
Lilly
Hope Springs hasn’t changed in ten years.
I stand on Main Street, staring at the faded Hardware sign as it swings in the light breeze. Hope Hardware is printed in dark red lettering over the top of re-purposed driftwood. From here, I can’t quite see the beach, but I can smell the ocean. The delicate salty scent that has always reminded me of a home I planned never to return to.
Yet, for all of my planning, here I am.
Now what.
A man with salt and pepper hair steps out of the hardware store and wipes his hands on fading jeans. His back is facing me as he locks the door, likely taking a lunch break, given that it’s just barely noon. The red and black checkered flannel shirt he wears is tattered and torn from years of wear.
From here, I can smell his aftershave, and a warmth settles over me as I cross the distance between me and the store. This is why I came home. He is why I came back even when I swore I never would.
“Hey, Dad.”
He whirls on me, confusion on his aging face. That is until he sees me, and that face splits into a wide smile. He rushes forward and crushes me against him. “You’re really here.”
“I am,” I reply, hugging him right back.
After marrying my mom when I was seven, Felix Bishop embraced me as his own flesh and blood. He raised me, gave me the freedom to dream and space when I’d desperately needed to find my own way. He was my confidant and the one who convinced me that not all men were like my biological father.
I shove those thoughts away.
“Kid, I missed you like crazy.”
“I missed you, too.” A tear gathers in my eye at his embrace.
He releases me though he keeps a hold on both of my arms as he looks me over. “You look good. Are you good?” His brow furrows. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine,” I reply with a laugh. “I just missed home.”
“This place? You were living in paradise, Lilly.” He laughs. “I hardly think Hope Springs was a blip on your mind.”
“But you weren’t there.” I smile, and his expression saddens as he realizes just why I’ve come back.
“You didn’t need to come back just because of that, Lil. I’m okay.”
“I know you are.” Tears burn in my throat, but I don’t let them fall. “It was a long ride from the airport; think we could grab some food?”
“Of course. I was actually just headed to get a bite. Let’s get your bags inside first.” He reaches down and lifts my bags then unlocks the door to the hardware shop again. I follow him through the center aisle, passing buckets upon buckets of nuts and bolts, screws, and plated washers.
Every inch of this place is branded into my memory from years of playing hide-n-seek in the stacks; then later working the store to help Felix out. I smile, feeling more comfortable than I have in years.
We ascend a set of stairs at the back of the store, and he unlocks the door to the apartment before stepping aside so I can enter. The place had been a one-bedroom when he and my mom met, but he’d worked tirelessly to turn it into a two-bedroom so we could move in after they were married.
As far as I’m concerned, this is the place I grew up. Not the large two-story in Boston where I’d suffered far more in my seven years than I should have. I close my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and shoving those thoughts down for the second time today.
“I’m sorry it’s not clean.” He sets my bags down then rushes around, gathering plates and sticking them in the sink.
“It looks great.” I smile, and he stops to stare at me.
“I’m so happy you’re home. But I’m so sorry you felt you had to come back. I really am doing okay, Lilly. It’s been three years now.”
“I know.” I swallow hard. “It was time for me to come back.”
He stares back at me then nods tightly and wipes his brown eyes. “Ready for some food?”
“Yes, please. I’m starved. I don’t suppose Hope Diner is still open, is it?”
My dad grins at me. “That it is, kid. Let’s go get some lunch.”
We make our way out of the hardware store and down Main Street. As we walk, I take time to study the businesses around me. A floral shop, three antique stores, a pizza place, a seafood restaurant, a post office, and a bar make up Main Street. Small, quaint, and just the way I remember it. With it being close to Christmas, the town is covered in tinsel with the palm trees around us decorated so that, when the sun goes down, they will still shine brightly with multi-colored Christmas lights.
Hope Diner has been a staple in Hope Springs since the town was formed. Every single Sunday after church, Felix brought my mother and me here for lunch. We’d discuss the message, laugh, and plan our week.
It was a tradition that I looked forward to and one that I’ve long since missed.
The aroma of coffee and baked goods fills my lungs as Felix and I step into the familiar place. Christmas music drifts from the old familiar jukebox. Driftwood, an old anchor, fishing netting, and various photos cover the walls around the place, giving it a relaxed, beachy vibe. And yet, still classy even decorated for the visit of ol’ Saint Nick.
Home.
The word echoes through my mind. The pull to return to my roots has been stronger than ever before recently, the voice in my head telling me to come home finally so loud that I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
While I’m not entirely sure why I’m supposed to be here, I do know, without a doubt, Hope Springs is where I’m supposed to be.
That is until a man pushes out of the kitchen carrying two plates of food. He slides them onto a bar and says something I can’t quite make out to the customers who’d ordered them. My heart hammers against my ribs, and my stomach twists into knots.
And when Alex Phillips looks up at me, the world tilts on its axis. He freezes in place, eyes widening, mouth falling slack as he stares back at me.
“He’s back?” I choke out.
“Did I forget to mention that when we talked last?” my father asks, cheeks red. “He came back two years ago.”
I glance over at him, betrayal in my gaze as he smiles at me. “No,” I say. “You didn’t mention that.”
He wraps an arm around me and guides me over to a table near the window. “I’m sorry, I must have forgotten.”
We both know it’s not true. After all, how could he forget the return of the man I was supposed to marry? A man who broke my heart and sent me running from my home because I couldn’t stand the pitied looks I received from everyone who crossed my path?
Looking as handsome as ever in a white t-shirt and dark jeans, Alex makes his way over to our table. He stops beside it and smiles at my dad. “Felix, good to see you.”
“You, too, Alex. Did you see who came back? Fresh in town as of this afternoon.”
Alex’s bright hazel eyes shift to mine, and he smiles down at me though, even with the friendly grin, I can sense his hesitation. “Lilly. You look amazing.”
“Thanks. You work here now?”
“I own it,” he replies. “Bought it last year when the Greysons went into retirement.”
“Is that so?” I ask, looking to my father.
He shrugs. “I must have forgotten to mention that, too.”
“Seem’s you have amnesia. We should probably have you checked.”
He chuckles, and Alex’s lips turn up in an amused smile.
“What can I get for you? Anything, it’s on the house,” Alex adds quickly. “A ‘Welcome Home, Lilly’ gift.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I know, but I want to.” The tension between us is palpable, the connection electric. Then again, it always has been. Since the moment Alex and I met back in elementary school, well before we knew what love was, we’ve shared something special. Or so I thought. Him choosing to join the military and leaving me forever certainly didn’t support that belief.
“A water with lemon and a burger, please. Fries.”
“Everything on it?”
“Yes,” I reply.
“Got it. Felix?”
“Make that two of those,” he says.
Alex smiles at me. “Be out soon.”
As soon as he’s out of earshot, I turn to Felix. “Really?”
He grins. “I wasn’t sure you wanted to know about him.”
“You didn’t think I’d be interested to know that the man I was engaged to returned home?”
He shrugs. “Since you weren’t here, it didn’t seem relevant.”
I take a deep breath and force myself to look back at Alex. His back is to me as he pours our waters, but I know every single angle of his handsome face like he’s staring straight back at me. For years, I lived and breathed Alex Phillips. He was my best friend. It wasn’t until our freshman year of high school that he kissed me for the first time.
After that, the rest was history.
He was my everything, and then he broke my heart.
Chapter 2
Alex
Lilly Bishop is back.
Seeing her standing in the doorway, framed by sunlight, had thrown coal on the still-burning flame I’ve carried for her nearly my entire life. She was my light when I’d struggled with losing my father. My hope when I’d felt like life had no meaning.
