Bittersweet Catastrophe (Second Chances #2.5)
Read Bittersweet Catastrophe (Second Chances #2.5) Online
Authors: Maureen Mayer
Copyright © 2014 Maureen Mayer
Cover Design © Robin Harper of Wicked By Design
Cover Picture © Geoff Goldswain via Shutterstock.com
Interior Design: Brenda Wright
Literary Editor: Kendra Gaither
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
To Tabby, who begged and pleaded for more of Shayne’s story, and without whom, I never would have written this book.
And to my grandmother…I never had the pleasure of meeting you, but I hope I’ve made you proud.
I awoke to the sound of waves crashing and gulls squawking, and the first thought that crossed my mind was…
what the fuck happened last night?
My head was pounding, gradually getting worse by the second, and when I rolled over to look at the clock and saw it was five in the fucking morning, there was no need to tell me I was already off to a bad start. I didn’t have to be up for work for another two hours, but I knew attempting to get any more sleep would be useless.
Fuck it.
I crawled out of bed, immediately regretting it. The echo of my feet slapping against the hardwood floors resonated through my head like a cannon, and I could feel the bile steadily rising up my throat.
Christ, how much did I drink?
I ran my hand sloppily over my face and tried to recall what had happened the night before. The only thing I could remember was heading to The Red Light District to grab a drink and… Shit, I guess that turned into a couple of drinks because now I now had the hangover from hell, and if those damn seagulls didn’t shut the fuck up, I was going to murder every last one of them!
I had to stop doing this; beating myself up for something I had no control over. Thoughts of Wade had been weighing heavily on my mind over last few months, which in and of itself was never a good thing because I often found myself resorting to alcohol to numb the pain since my best friend’s suicide. The only other remedy was a good, quick fuck, but I guess I was still too sober when the opportunity presented itself halfway through the night. An image flashed through my mind of Vanessa on her knees in the men’s room, tugging on the zipper of my jeans and begging to take me in her mouth…and then I remembered I turned her down. A perfectly good blowjob wasted, and for what?
God, what the hell is wrong with me? Did I suddenly grow a vagina overnight?
Considering I still felt like shit, even more so than before I headed out to the bar last night, I knew my problems still went unresolved.
Let’s see: Wade’s still gone, mom’s still gone, I’m still alone…yup, nothing’s changed.
I had to clear my head of these dismal thoughts, so I grabbed my fishing gear and made my way down to the beach laid out behind my house; it was my only other safe haven…my personal refuge.
An hour passed before any signs of life appeared out there on the beach. The fish weren’t biting, the bastard gulls had flown out, and I was left with nothing more than a few ripples of waves lapping around my ankles. I rolled my pants up, exposing my calves to the brisk morning air, and sunk my feet into the loose, wet sand. I loved it here. This was one of the few places I could find peace when it seemed like everything else was caving in around me. My father refused to step foot anywhere near the house since my mother died, but I found it was the one place I could still connect with her. It had been nearly sixteen years since she’d passed, and yet I could still feel her presence surrounding me as though she had never left.
A few moments later, the gentle pounding of footsteps as they connected with the sand brought my attention to the most breathtaking sight my eyes have ever taken in.
Fuck me. Where did she come from, and why am I just discovering her existence now?
She didn’t notice that my gaze had remained glued to her as she quickly approached me. Her eyes were closed, and a hint of a smile turned up the corners of her mouth, lighting up her beautiful face. She had this peaceful tranquility emanating from her, and I wished that I could just share in one ounce of it, even just for a moment. The sun was just barely coming up, and the way it highlighted all of her gorgeous curves made her appear as though she were an angel flying straight toward me.
Oh shit. She really is about to fly straight into me!
I felt the full impact of her colliding against me, but it wasn’t enough to knock me down. Her eyes slowly rose up, and the second they connected with mine, it felt as though all of the air had been sucked straight out of my lungs.
My hands landed on the warm, soft skin at the swell of her hips where her shirt had ridden up. I didn’t know if I was afraid to move or if I just wasn’t ready to let her go, but we both remained frozen in place until she stumbled a bit, causing my hands to slide higher up along her ribs. When she finally caught her balance, my hands were just at the edge of her sports bra, and I could feel the weight of her breasts as they grazed against my thumbs. This was dangerous territory. I was quickly getting hard, the scorching heat of her skin driving me absolutely insane, and I knew Shayne Jr. was about to make an unwelcomed appearance. I had to think of something else and fast!
Cold showers, kittens, little baby Jesus, grandma naked…yup, that did the trick!
When I was sure she was steady enough to stand on her own, I removed my hands and brushed away the few strands of hair that had fallen in front of my eyes. Her gorgeous brown eyes widened as she looked into mine, and she staggered back a bit before regaining her composure.
“Whoa, are you okay there?” I looked down as she stared up at my lips. God, she was so fucking beautiful. I just wanted to pick her up and carry her off into my house so I could fuck her senseless.
“I-I’m good,” she said, brushing off some of the sand that coated her skin-tight yoga pants. I loved yoga pants. Fucking loved them. They left nothing to the imagination and made me want to tear them clean away from that sweet ass of hers.
I could tell she seemed a little embarrassed, but she had no reason to be. She just made my goddamned morning! “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you standing there. I swear I only closed my eyes for a second.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Was she serious? “It was a little more than a second there, sweetheart. You had your eyes closed for a good minute before you plowed into me. Must’ve really been in the zone, huh?”
She turned away, but there was no hiding that ambrosial blush that spread across her cheeks. “Yeah, I guess I was. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Nope, not a scratch, babe. Don’t worry. I’m like a brick house…can’t blow me down.” I shot her a smug grin and threw in a wink for good measure. Okay, so that might have been a bit cocky on my part, but the bashful smile that reddened her cheeks even more made it well worth it.
Her eyes roamed over me, leisurely taking me in as I towered over her tiny frame, but something about the way her eyes drank me in was different. It’s like she wasn’t just seeing me as a hard body to have her dirty way with, but rather she saw straight through to the core of me. It wasn’t until she finally blinked a few times that she peeled her eyes away from me and spoke.