A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance) (7 page)

"Do
you really want to know anything else?" I asked.

"You
say you're not stuffy and boring. Drop the suit. Put on some jeans.
You look like you have a stick shoved up your ass. Why don't you at
least try and relax while you're here. To answer your question, I
don't want to know anything else. I'm better off not knowing what or
who you do in your spare time."

She
was really beginning to piss me off with her smart mouth. I was
trying to get along with her, but she was fighting every single thing
I said. She plopped her body down on my bed like she had sixteen
years before. I shut the door and began unbuttoning my shirt one
button at a time. When I undid my belt, unbuttoned and unzipped my
pants, and dropped them, I heard her breath catch.

"What
the hell are you doing, Zander?" she snapped.

"I'm
changing into jeans. Isn't that what you requested?" I asked.

When
I walked over to the dresser, I grabbed a pair of jeans out and
turned back to her. Her eyes were focused in on my cock. It took all
I had to hold my composure. I saw her tongue dart out across her
lips.

"My
eyes are up here, Livie," I said with a smirk.

"What?"
she asked.

I
slipped one leg into my jeans and then the other. When I pulled them
up and buttoned them, I made sure to adjust myself.

"Your
eyes were on my cock. I like the way your tongue darted out like you
wanted to lick it."

Her
eyes widened, and she threw the pillow at me.

"You're
not eighteen you know," she said. "Grown men don't say
things like that."

I
let my shirt fall from my shoulders and pulled my t-shirt over my
head.

"Damn,"
she whispered.

When
I grabbed a new shirt out of the drawer, I turned around and looked
at her.

"What?"
I asked.

"Nothing,"
she said with a smile.

I
pulled the shirt over my head and down my chest. She wasn't moving
her eyes away from me. It made me feel good to see that her body
still reacted to me. She could say every shitty thing she wanted
about me, but her body told a different story.

"I
have jeans on now," I said. "Is that better? Do I look more
like I did before?"

She
stood up and opened the door.

"You
look nothing like you did before," she said, as she took the
first step out of the room. "It still looks like you have a
stick up your ass though. All those muscles aren't hiding that."

I
lunged forward, and she ran down the stairs with me on her heels.

"Are
you going to finish making us sandwiches?" she asked. "The
kids are waiting."

She
purposely ran to where her kids were. Did she really think I wouldn't
have to balls to do anything to her?

"You'll
pay for that," I said with a smirk. "My muscles aren't the
only thing better about me. I've learned many new talents since I was
eighteen. I could show you some of them if you'd like."

I
loved the way her facial expressions changed and her body reacted.
She was so adorable. That hadn't changed a bit. She was even more
beautiful than before. None of the women I've been with have ever
come close to her. She was perfect. I just wasn't perfect for her.
She deserved so much better than me.

Olivia

I
was speechless when he dropped his pants in front of me. My eyes went
straight to his package. The worst part was that he caught me
looking. His naked chest got me again. I could see my tongue licking
every single inch of that man. He did things to me. He always had.
Sixteen years hadn't changed that. I was pissed at him and needed to
remember that. If I didn't, he wouldn't make it back to New York
without me jumping him. One more time wouldn't be so bad, would it, I
asked myself? Of course it would.

"What
did Zander do with you guys?" I asked the kids.

"We
played cards and games. He likes cartoons," April said.

"Does
he?" I asked.

"Yes,"
she answered. "He said you used to watch cartoons together when
he lived here. He said you didn't want your friends to know."

I
shot a dirty look his way, and he smiled and shrugged. We all sat
around the kitchen table eating the sandwiches he made for us.

"Can
you cook anything else?" I asked. "Do you have someone to
do that for you?"

"I
can cook a couple of things. Since it's just me, I usually pick
something up on the way home. I don't have someone that does it for
me."

"What
about your girlfriend? Does she cook?" I asked.

"I
don't have one," he said, before looking at the kids. "Does
your mom bake you good stuff? I miss her baking. What is your
favorite thing for her to make?"

April's
face lit up as she thought.

"She
makes so many yummy things. I like her cookies the best. She brings
some home for dessert every night," she said.

"I
like her chocolate cake," Jack said.

"My
favorite used to be the chocolate cake with the dark chocolate icing.
She put layers of chocolate inside of the cake. It was so good,"
Zander said.

"That's
the one," Jack said. "She makes it for my birthday. Maybe
she can make you one while you're here."

"Maybe,"
Zander said. "That would be nice."

He
looked over at me with a sad puppy dog look. It was the look that
always got me.

"How
come we've never seen you before?" April asked. "Carol's
your mommy and Pete was your daddy. I've never seen you."

The
smile dropped from Zander's face and Mr. Stuffy was back.

"I
work a lot and haven't been able to get back home in a long time,"
he said.

"What
do you do?" April asked.

"I'm
a doctor," he said.

"That
is a very important job. I guess it makes sense that it's more
important than visiting. Carol says you knew my mommy when you were
younger."

"I
did," he said.

"Did
you like her?" she asked.

It
was taking all I had not to burst out in laughter. Zander was
wiggling in his chair at her questions.

"I
did," he said. "We were best friends."

"You're
not anymore?" she asked.

"No,"
he said.

"Why
not?" she asked.

"I'm
not sure exactly," he answered.

His
voice was softer than before. I felt bad that she had put him in that
positon, but I wanted to know what he was going to say.

"You
look nice in jeans," she said. "Do you think my mommy's
pretty?"

A
huge smile spread across my face at that question.

"I
do," he said. "I've always thought your mommy was pretty."

"I
don't see my daddy," she said. "Can you be my mommy's new
boyfriend? She really needs one. You seem fun."

I
jumped from my chair. It wasn't as funny when she started putting me
on the spot.

"Does
she?" he asked.

"For
sure," she said.

"It's
time to go. You two need baths and to get to bed. I need to be up
early in the morning to bake the rest of the stuff for the funeral
tomorrow. Thank Zander for spending time with you and get your
stuff."

I
was nudging them to move quicker before she really made me look
desperate.

"When
are you going back home?" April asked.

"I'll
be here for a few more days," he answered.

"Can
we hang out with you again? You're the cutest boy I know. I bet mommy
thinks you're cute too. Do you mommy?"

"We
need to go. You can see Zander tomorrow. We'll be going to Mr. Pete's
funeral. I'm sure Zander will say hello to you there. Good night,"
I said, as I quickly pulled them each by a hand out the door.

My
little girl had no problem asking all of the complicated questions. I
had the kids bathed and ready for bed just as Carol and my mom came
back. About an hour later, I was in my bed and couldn't stop thinking
about Zander. That man had the body of a model. I couldn't imagine
what his chest felt like and those abs were amazing. I had just
turned off my light when I heard a noise. Moments later I heard it
again. It was the sound of a rock hitting my window. Tears flooded my
eyes. He was doing what he used to do to get me outside at night. I
never imagined seeing him again would be so hard. I moved my curtain
aside and looked down at him as I wiped my cheek. He was looking up
at me with a smile that faded quickly. I shook my head no before
moving back under my covers and crying myself to sleep. A few more
days was all I had to get through. He would go back home, and I would
go on with my life. I looked back out the window to see him sitting
on the porch with his head in his hands. It was the same spot I had
seen him in the day he moved in next door.

Olivia

I
was up and out the door by five o'clock the next morning. There were
still several things to bake before the funeral. The bakery would be
open for a few hours. Then I was closing for the rest of the day so I
could be there for Carol and Zander. His relationship with his father
wasn't good, but I knew at some point he was going to need someone.
When my father passed away, I broke down and knew he would too. My
relationship with my father was no better than his. Carol needed to
know everything was taken care of. She needed to be shown how much
everyone loved her and was going to be there for her.

The
hours passed quickly, as I worked fast on getting everything
finished. I packed my car up and closed the bakery. There was a sign
hanging in the window that we'd be open the following morning. The
drive home wasn't long, but I was exhausted. It was partly from all
of the work I had been doing and partly because Zander was on my mind
every second.

My
hair was a mess and I was covered in food. I couldn't wait to take a
hot shower. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, Zander was out the
door and on his way over. He was wearing those damn flannel pants
that barely stayed on his hips again. I could see the trail of hair
leading beneath them and shivered at the thought of what was there.
It had been so long since the time I had been with him, and I
couldn't help but wonder what he was like in bed after all that time.
My eyes moved up his body and watched as he came toward me. His chest
was again bare. I wanted to run my hands down it and under those
pants. My head shook away the thoughts. I really needed to get some
sleep. He had a huge smile on his face, as he pulled open the back
door of my car.

"I
came to help you bring the stuff in," he said.

"You
think maybe you could have put a shirt on before you came outside,"
I mumbled under my breath.

"You
said I wasn't comfy enough. I didn't want to come out looking
stuffy," he said with a laugh.

"Very
funny," I snapped at him.

"I
can't help it if you like what you see."