Obsession (Endurance) (21 page)

Toni
moved to the park across from her townhouse and sat on the wide stone wall that
surrounded it. By the time she was settled, the shock of the other woman's
statement had dulled. “I see.”

“Do
you?”

Taking
another sip of Caffe Vita’s finest, Toni once again held her tongue. There was
a funeral taking place at the Catholic church down the street and she itched to
take out her camera. She’d never invade the mourner’s privacy but shots that
blurred their faces done in black and white would be very moving.

“Jesus
Christ. Aren’t you going to speak?”

“You
called me. I assume that means you have things to say.” Simply a statement, no
sarcasm or snarkiness intended…at least, not much.

“How
old are you anyway?” Now that contained some snark.

“How
old are you, Emma?” Toni asked without rancor. She could almost hear the other
woman’s teeth grinding. “If it helps, I know your age. We’re less than a year
apart.”

“You…what?”

“Did
you think I was a twenty-something gold-digger? I’m sorry to disappoint you. I
even have stretch marks from giving birth to my kids – they’re grown now and
off to college.” Contemplating where her darlings probably were right then had
Toni zoning out on something positive to maintain her balance but the other
woman’s next words brought her back to the moment.

“Why
are you being so calm?”

“I’m
calm because I am rarely not calm. I met Devin years after you left and
returned multiple times. Years after that behavior finally resulted in divorce.
You haven’t lived together. You still work together – congratulations on the
new book, by the way – which seems to be going well. I have no animosity toward
you nor do I need Devin to choose between his relationship with me and the one
he maintains with you. Truly, why did you call?”

A
sigh followed by, “I’m missing all the things about him that used to drive me
crazy.”

Toni
allowed this information to process before replying, “Hmm. That seems to be a
pattern in your history with Devin.” Taking another sip of coffee, she added,
“This is a conversation you should be having with him, don’t you think?”

“You
want me to tell Devin I still love him?”

Toni
shrugged even though the other woman couldn’t see it, “I don’t really know what
you should tell Devin but it seems that any conversations regarding your
feelings for him should be discussed with him not me. It’s none of my business.
Should he choose to go back to you, Emma…I will survive it. Until a few months
ago, I’d lived my entire life without him. It wouldn’t be without substantial
pain but I’ve endured quite a lot – I know I can handle it. I don’t own him…he
deserves what will make him happiest and you two share a lot of history.”

She
hopped off the wall and crossed back to her townhouse. “Now, I need to get to
work but I’m glad we’ve finally spoken. It makes things less awkward, wouldn’t
you agree?”

Unlocking
her front door, Toni put her things down on the table as Emma replied, “I
suppose. Yes, it does.” A small hesitation then, “I’m sorry I called you a
half-wit.”

“I’m
sorry I didn’t give you the fight you were hoping for.” They said goodbye and
Toni walked to the kitchen, her hands on the counter as she stared into her
small back garden.

She
wanted to cry but she didn’t. She often wished she were dramatic but she wasn’t.

Whatever
choice Devin made would not change the life she’d made for herself but if he
chose to return to his ex-wife, he would take one of the happiest parts of it
away. Never again would she settle and she didn’t want him to settle either.

Shaking
her head, she got to work on the website she was designing for a new
environmental action group. She let the work take her mind off of her earlier
conversation and the morning passed quickly into afternoon. Taking a short
break, she left her top floor office and made her way down to the kitchen.

She
was contemplating what to make when the sound of her front door slamming made
her jump. Peering down the hallway, she watched as Devin headed her way.

Without
a word, he dropped his mouth over hers and kissed her until she couldn’t
breathe. Only then did she realize he’d unbuttoned most of her shirt and was in
the process of working her jeans over her ass. He broke the kiss and turned her
to face the island, pressing her palms to the surface.

One
hand cupped her breast as the other slid beneath her panties. Wet for him the
moment she’d realized who was in her house, Toni moaned softly. Her boots
prevented her clothes from coming off so Devin simply shoved the panties down
with her jeans, leaving them at her hips.

There
was the sound of a zipper and then he was pressing into her, holding her
trapped against the island as he worked his way deep. The head of his cock
bumped her womb and he stilled. Both of them were breathing hard, his every
exhale ruffling the hair at the back of her neck.

“Never.
Again. Do you hear me, Toni? Never again will my ex-wife play mind games with
you. Never again will she make you doubt what I feel for you. Tell me you
understand, Antonia.”

It
was too much after the emotional turmoil she’d been in hours before. To her
complete mortification, Toni burst into tears.

“Baby…no,
Toni. Don’t cry. Please don’t cry.” His lips kissed behind her ear and she felt
him tugging her shirt down her arms. “Sometimes you are too good, Toni. That woman
had so many chances with me…she doesn’t get any more…especially not your
chance.”

He
cupped her face and pulled it to the side, kissing her again and stopping her
tears. When he pulled away enough to see her, his dark eyes held hers without
speaking for a long time. “I’ve waited so long for you. I would never step
aside willingly for your ex and you aren’t going to do it for mine.” His thumb
wiped her tears.

“Don’t
you see, Toni? She only wants me when someone else has me and within months
she’s gone again. In you, she sees the end of any opportunities now or in the
future and she panicked. What will she do without me as a fallback plan? She’ll
have to live with the choices she’s made.” His expression turned firm, “But she
has nothing – not one thing ever – to do with our choices, Toni. I belong to
you. You belong to me. I think you need to be reminded.”

The
feel of his cock as he started to thrust had her whispering his name.
Everything about him affected her – his voice, his intelligence, his personality,
his sexuality – until she wanted to crawl inside him and stay forever. He held
her hard, his arms crossed over her body as he powered deep with every stroke.

She
began the tightening that signaled her pending climax and he growled, “Yes,
Toni. Come for me. Let me feel you.” She did, knowing if he hadn’t held her she
would have slid to the floor. It seemed to go on and on as he moved faster and
faster, never pausing to let her recover. “Give me another one, baby. Mark me
again and I’ll mark you. Mine all mine. I love you. God I just fucking love
you, Antonia.”

Toni
came and screamed his name, her own name was shouted back to her as he flooded
her with jets of warm seed. “Your mind, your heart, your body are home to me,
Toni. I don’t want to live anywhere else. That was my past…you are my future.”

She
nodded and he didn’t let her go, didn’t stop kissing and stroking her until he
hardened inside her again. “I love you, Devin. I just want you to be happy – I
wanted you to be sure. I also knew, if it had been me, I would have never let
you go in the first place. She had your heart for a long time.”

“And
she didn’t want it, Toni. Now I’ve given it to you.” He touched her face,
traced his thumb over her lips, and raised his eyes to hers. “Do you want it,
Toni?”

Tears
in her eyes, she said quietly, “So much.”

He
answered, “Then it’s yours.” It took the rest of the afternoon to seal the
deal.

If you
liked this story, read more like it on my website.

Shayne McClendon is an erotica author
and blogger who has received rave reviews for her premiere novel “
The
Barter System
”. 
Other projects recently released are “
In the Service of Women
”, “
Yes
to Everything
”,
“
Damaged
”,
“
Being Delightful
”, and “
The
Hermit
”
among others.

Shayne believes love crosses all
boundaries, social castes, races, genders, and belief systems.  If you are
lucky enough to find soul-deep love, you should fight for it.  She
currently lives in Oklahoma wrangling teenagers, opening doors for her pets,
and running her content writing company.  She dreams of peace, quiet,
travel, and always having plenty of coffee.

Shayne loves to hear from her
fans.  You can contact her by email at
[email protected]
or stop by her
Good Girl
Facebook page.  Visit her web page
Always
the Good Girl
and subscribe for your free story!

All of Shayne McClendon’s work is available
on
Amazon
.