Maybe This Time (21 page)

“How do you
know?”

“When you love
someone as much as I love you, trust me, beauty, it’s gonna work
out,” he says, a faint smile on his lips.

I smile back
at him. “I love you too, Reid.”

He’s instantly
on top of me, his weight pushing me into the mattress. “Say it
again.”

“I love
you.”

“Fuck,” he
says, resting his forehead against mine. “I don’t want Mia. I
haven’t even looked at her that way, I guess I'm stuck with her cos
of River. I do want to be friends with her, cos that’s what’s best
for him. But it’s you I love, you I think about all day long, you I
want in my bed every night,” he says, pushing his hips against
mine.

I reach up and
tangle my hands in his hair, pulling his lips down to mine. I fuse
them together, needing to taste him. God, I’ve missed his touch so
much. My lips part for him the second his tongue begs for entrance
and he kisses me deeply, showing me with his lips just how much he
has missed me. After he’s had his fill of my mouth, he moves to my
jaw line, and then down my neck, trailing wet kisses. I squirm,
feeling a tug in my lower belly with each kiss, loving each
sensation. He pulls me up into a sitting position, where he removes
my top and my pink bra. He lies me back down flat on my back, where
he continues teasing and torturing my neck and collar bone. A rough
thumb swipes over my nipple, making my back arch off the bed.

What this man
does to me.

His mouth
trails lower, until he reaches my breast. One hand plays with one
of my nipples, while he sucks the other into his hot mouth.

“Reid,” I
pant, when he nibbles softly. I can feel him smile against my
breast. When his mouth heads further south, I’m trembling in
anticipation.

“Go faster,
Reid,” I hiss, as he takes his time licking down my hip. He ignores
me, and continues to worship my body everywhere but the place I
need him the most. I’m about to lose it when he finally reaches my
centre.

One minute
later I’m screaming his name.

An hour later,
I’m screaming it again.

“Reid, I love
you but if you try and make love to me again I won’t be able to
walk,” I grumble as a large rough hand sensually touches my breast.
My comment follows a masculine chuckle, and I can tell he's
pleased. Caveman.

“Come on, I’ll
run you a bath,” he says, standing up. I admire his taut behind as
he walks out of the room. We had sex four times last night, each
time more amazing than the last. Smiling widely, I reach out for my
phone to check the time. Ten am. I don’t have any classes today,
but I work at the bar at three. Plenty of time. I relax into the
bed, stretching my arms above my head. I pull she sheet up to my
chin when I see Ryan storm in, smiling. He's bare chested, and
wearing nothing but a pair of ‘Family Guy’ boxer shorts.

“Morning,
babe.”

“Seriously,
Ry, boundaries,” I say dryly. I glance down my body to make sure
nothing can be seen.

He continues
like I never spoke. “I had to sleep with my iPod on last
night.”

I blush
profusely when I get what he means. “I’d say I’m sorry but that
would be a lie.”

Ryan laughs
and walks to Reid’s cupboard, pulling out a shirt. Huh, apparently
it’s not only women who do that.

“You stealing
Reid’s clothes?” I ask, brows rising.

“No. I’m
stealing back my shirt,” he says as he walks out. A beat later I
hear, “Whoa, Reid, put some fucking clothes on, bro,” and I can’t
contain my laughter.

“Bath’s ready,
baby,” Reid says, standing at the door.

“Put some
clothes on, poor Ryan.”

“He sees the
same thing in front of the mirror every day,” Reid points out, and
I laugh some more. He holds out a towel for me, and I stand butt
naked and wrap it around myself. I squeal when he lifts me in the
air, and carries me to the bathroom, putting me on my feet and
pulling the towel away. My heart warms when I see a bubble bath all
ready and waiting for me.

“Thanks,
babe,” I say, pulling him in for a quick kiss.

“I’ll go make
some breakfast, you enjoy your bath,” he says, winking before he
exits the bathroom. Smiling, I step into the bath tub, and sink
down slowly. The water is just the right temperature, Reid knows I
like the water really hot. I let myself soak until my fingers start
to wrinkle and then quickly wash my body. I hop out and take my
toothbrush, brush my teeth and brush my hair. Walking back into
Reid’s room, I pull out a T-shirt of his and put it on. It comes up
to my mid-thigh, so I throw on a pair of boxers, too. Way too big,
but will have to do.

The kitchen
smells like pancakes when I walk in, and I grin at the twins, both
standing in front of the stove. Reid smiles when he sees me, and
quickly serves three pancakes on a plate. He drizzles it with maple
syrup and places it in front of me.

“You look sexy
in my clothes,” he rumbles, looking pleased and a little turned
on.

“You like me
in anything.”

“Or out of
anything,” he counters. We both grin at each other.

“Yeah. I’m
gonna go to work,” Ryan announces. He kisses my head as he walks
past and heads for his room.

“What are we
doing today?” I ask Reid as I take a bite.

“I’m gonna go
see River, then I’m going to the gym. Why don’t you come with me?”
he asks, watching me closely for my reaction.

“I gotta work
at three and I need to go home and get dressed,” I say. Reid opens
the fridge and takes out an apple juice box, placing it next to my
plate. “Thanks.”

“Beauty, I
really want you involved with River, and I don’t know how to do
that if you don’t wanna come and see him with me. I don’t want you
to push me away.”

“Okay, I’ll
come with you. I’ll take my car so I can leave to work straight
from there.”

He thinks it
over. “Okay, sounds good.”

“I’m gonna hop
in the shower,” he says. He walks over to me and kisses my cheek.
“Thanks for trying, baby.”

I’m pretty
sure I would try anything for this man.

An hour later,
we’re standing at the front of Mia’s door. I’m wearing a black top,
pants and ballerina flats. My hair is tied up in a high pony tail,
and I’m wearing just a touch of makeup. I shuffle my feet, feeling
completely out of my comfort zone. Reid touches the small of my
back, and it helps a little. Mia opens the door, wearing what looks
like clubbing attire. A halter neck white top, and tight black
skinny jeans. She smiles brightly as she opens the door, but the
smile drops the instant she sees me.

“What's she
doing here?” she sneers.

Reid scowls.
“We spoke about this, Mia.”

They did?

After a few
tense moments she opens the door, grudgingly letting me in.

“Where’s
River?” Reid asks Mia.

“He’s having a
nap,” she says. So if Reid came here alone, him and Mia would what?
Sit around and spend some alone time together?

Just fucking
great.

We all sit on
the couch, and no one says anything. “Well, this is awkward,” I
mutter under my breath.

Mia’s brown
eyes snap to mine. She hates me, I can see it in her eyes. We’re
saved by River’s cries.

“I’ll go and
get him,” Reid says, standing up and leaving the room. Leaving me
alone with bitch face. Her phone rings, the ring tone Miley Cyrus’s
‘Wrecking ball.” She silences it.

“You like
Miley?” I ask her.

“Yeah, so
what?” she says, a little defensively.

“No reason,” I
say in a sing-song voice. Some people are so touchy.

“So what, you
too good for Miley?” I almost laugh at how crazy she sounds.

“What? No, I
actually like this song. I don’t understand why she gets to third
base with a hammer in the video, but to each their own.”

“You’re not
gonna take Reid away from me,” she says, scowling.

“You shouldn’t
scowl so much, you'll get more wrinkles,” I say in a fake sweet
tone.

“You little
bitch, you know nothing about Reid, about what he needs.”

I shrug with
nonchalance. “I have him, you don’t.” Her face turns red with
anger.

Reid walks
out, holding River in his arms. He still looks sleepy, rubbing his
eyes with his hands. He gives me a toothy smile when he sees me,
and squirms from Reid’s hold. Reid puts him down and he walks right
over to me.

“Hi,” I say to
him when he stops in front of me.

“Hello,” he
says, and we both smile at each other. He’s a cute kid, truly. Reid
pulls out a huge box of blocks and places it on the floor.

“Wanna play
blocks, River?” he asks his son.

River beams,
and my heart warms. I sit down on the floor next to Reid, and take
a pile.

Building
towers with my man and his cute kid isn’t the worst way I could
spend my day.

“I need four
tequila shots, beauty,” Reid calls out.

“Okay.” I’m at
work tonight with Reid and Ryan. It’s been pretty busy all shift,
and it’s only starting to slow down now. I pour the shots and place
them on the table, with packets of salt and cut lime.

“Thanks, baby,
you wanna take your break now?” he asks.

“Yep.”

“Okay, grab
whatever you wanna drink.” I pour myself a coke, waving when I see
Jade walk into the bar. She sits down at a table and motions me
over.

“Hey, what
brings you here tonight?” I ask, taking a seat next to her.

“I need to get
laid,” she blurts out, and I choke on my drink.

“Give a girl a
little warning before you say shit like that!” Jade is my only
girlfriend around here, and we’ve never had any type of
conversation like this before.

“I’m sorry but
I haven’t been with anyone since Reece and I think it’s time.”

“Wow, that’s a
long time.”

“I know. So I
figured I would come here because Reid and Ryan would screen
whoever I was interested in. And if I end up in a ditch, you guys
would know who killed me,” she says casually.

“Alright, you
aren’t gonna end up in a ditch. Isn’t there someone you already
know?”

I clear my
throat when she looks towards Ryan and Reid. “Don’t even go
there.”

She laughs.
“Just playing with you. Is Xander here?”

“Yeah, don’t
go there, either.”

“What are you
to up to?” Ryan says, taking a seat.

“Jade’s
trolling for penis,” I say, giggling.

Ryan doesn’t
look amused. “I’m sorry, what?”

A flush works
up Jade’s neck.

“She has
needs, Ryan.”

“Yeah, so
don’t wanna hear this,” he says. I glance over at the bar and see a
woman standing there, staring at Reid.

“Who's that
woman trying to get Reid's attention?” I ask Ryan, almost wanting
to laugh at her blatant attempts.

“Oh, that’s
Tilly. Everyone knows Tilly.” He says this like it isn’t a good
thing.

“I don’t know
Tilly,” I say dryly, taking in her frizzy blond hair and heavier
set figure. She kind of looks like she’s been electrocuted.

“Tilly’s well
known around town. She likes to go after taken men.”

“Taken men?” I
repeat slowly, surely I misheard.

“Yeah, she
doesn’t discriminate. Young, old, doesn’t matter what they look
like, either. She just likes them to be married or in a serious
relationship,” Jade adds.

“You’re
joking?”

“Unfortunately
not,” she replies solemnly.

“Likes sloppy
seconds, does she?” I chuckle.

Jade shrugs.
“Doesn’t matter to her.”

“No seriously,
why would a woman want that?” I ask, genuinely puzzled. I try my
best not to judge, but come on!

“My guess? Low
self-esteem. Makes her feel good about herself that she managed to
tempt someone that belonged to another woman. Usually a better
looking woman than her.”

“I don’t even
know what to say right now,” I mutter as I watch her plump her
breasts in Reid’s direction. He doesn’t even look her way.

“Yeah, best
part is, she’s married, but her husband is never at home, couldn’t
care less about her. I think he realized what he married, but it
was too late, cos they have three kids. So he just leaves her to
her own devices. So she’s got extra time on her hands, and nothing
better to do.”

“Every town
has a home wrecker,” I say absently. “Her poor kids. They must be
embarrassed as hell.” I would be. Who wants everyone in town
talking about their mother and the men she chases after just for a
little desperate attention? “She doesn’t care about age?”

“Nope," Ryan
says. "She’s been with a twenty one year old, last I heard.” He's
such a gossip, I love it.

“And how old
is she?” I ask.

“Mid-thirties.”

“Doesn’t
anyone tell her husband?” I wonder out loud.

“He’s got
something on the side, so don’t think he really gives a shit about
her.”

Wow, lovely
family. Once again, poor fucking kids.

“She also
likes to kick up men’s protective instincts by playing the victim,
saying her man ain’t treating her right and hinting of abuse,
saying how bad things are for her at home,” Jade says, taking my
drink and taking a sip.

“And guys go
for her? They cheat on their girls with her?” I gape.

Jade purses
her lips. “She’s easy. And strokes their egos.”

I roll my eyes
and divert my attention back to Reid. Tilly is now leaning across
the bar and smiling a come hither smile. Reid ignores her, and I
can’t help but laugh. She turns to glare at me, and then starts to
talk to the girl next to her, who also turns to look at me. She
even points once. I grin, all teeth.

“They’re
talking about you,” Ryan says, pointing out the obvious.

“I know.”

He eyes me
curiously. “I thought you were the kinda girl that would get in her
face right about now.”