Something Wonderful (29 page)

Twisting my wrists, I held onto the pole of the stairway for support as he rocked inside me, making me gasp for air. As the intensity increased, my breathing became even more ragged and heavy.

“You’ve been bad, Jenna,” Max panted, smacking my behind lightly. “Very bad. You left me hanging, high and dry.” Unexpectedly, Max pulled out without a word, turned me over, then started to pump me hard from behind. He was giving me all he could give, and I was lost in Max’s ecstasy.

Just when I thought he’d had enough, Max pulled out and untied my hands. As he thrust inside me again, he lifted me up. My legs secured around his waist while his hands supported my bottom. “We need to get protection,” he said, as he climbed the stairs in that position. Every step he took, he plunged deeper inside me, pleasuring me even more. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Max placed me on the cold bathroom counter, but I was so hot, it was almost a relief. With his hands on either side of me, he gave me a long soft kiss and pulled my bottom lip with his teeth. “I’m not done with you yet. I’m going to show you everything I’ve got. I’m going to make love to you with my eyes, my lips, my hands, and my words. I’m going to own every inch of you and show you all that you’ve been missing.”

Max was amazing, making me feel every bit of my worth to him. It was then that Max’s past became just his past, and I had finally realized that I had always been his future. I was never going to let Crystal ruin us again.

It was the best make up sex in history!

I
T WAS NEVER EASY
coming here, and no matter how many times I visited, the pain was just the same. They say time heals all wounds, but I say time just makes it bearable. Still, I was hoping today would be a different story. As I sat on the grass next to Tessa’s gravestone, a warm breeze brushed against me. I’d like to think it was a blessed greeting from her.

“Hey, you,” I said, tracing her name with the tip of my finger. “Sorry, I haven’t been here in a while, but Max needed me. He had this huge lawsuit, but it’s over now. Some chick had accused him of things he didn’t do, and if the case hadn’t gone in his favor, it would have broken him and probably our company too. Luckily, this guy Ethan stepped up. He used to work at the same company as this bitch, Crystal. Who would have guessed he was Jenna’s good friend from college? Talk about a small world. Max always said Jenna was his lucky star.

“Ethan was one of the managers at Rave Fashion Magazine. Apparently, Crystal blackmailed him too. The difference was, she took his payoff money and nobody knew anything about it. When she went after Max, she knew he was loaded. It was the reason why she wanted to take him to court. Thank goodness for good, decent people. I’m assuming his wife knew about it, since she didn’t leave him. Ethan was lucky for sure.” I continued, speaking as if Tessa were sitting by my side.

“Relationships can be hard, but you already knew that. You and I had been through some rough times, hadn’t we? The part that kills me the most is that we can’t always fix them. You and I won’t ever get our second chance. I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Choking back the words, my eyes started to water. Letting out a deep breath, I continued.

“The reason why I’m here is to get your permission or something like that.” Unexpectedly, a tear escaped the corner of my eye. “Tessa, I’m never going to forget you. You were a part of my life, but that was my past. I grieved for you for all these years. Every second, every minute, and every day I was in darkness, so cold and alone. You left me broken and dead inside. If I were to compare, hell would have been a more pleasant place to be, but I know you wouldn’t want me stuck in a place like that. That’s not living.

“You see, something wonderful and unexpected happened. I met someone. I really care for her and I think she cares for me too. I think she may be the one, but I don’t know how to let all this guilt in my heart go. When I’m with her, I don’t think about you as much. I know this sounds awful, but it’s true. She’s the only one who has given me hope. She makes me want to live again. She is my light at the end of the dark tunnel.

“So, what do you think?” I chuckled lightly, and felt a sense of peace. “I promise I’ll never forget you. It’s impossible.” My lips quivered, feeling the ache slicing deeper. “You were my first and you would’ve been my last, but sometimes fate has other plans, and no matter how hard we try to understand the reason behind it, we just can’t. We have to accept it, move on, and do what we can to survive. So that is what I’m trying to do. I know you understand this, because I would want the same for you.”

Wiping the tears that I promised to shed for the last time, I placed a dozen red roses against the stone. “Happy Birthday, Tessa. I’ll always love you. You’ll always be in my heart, but it’s time for me to move on.” My hands trembled, as the guilt came rushing back in again, knowing someone else might possibly replace her; replace her touch, her smile, her laughter, and her love. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I promise I’ll visit again.” Feeling my stomach tangle into knots and my muscles tightening, I knew then I needed to leave. Shit! How many times must I go through this? How many times do I tell myself I needed to stop coming here if I was going to move on?

With one last glance back, I walked away knowing exactly what I needed to do.

M
Y EXCUSES FOR LEAVING
town were not valid. Jenna needed me, but I knew she would be fine. Me, on the other hand, well, I didn’t know if I would ever be fine. I had to get away from Matthew. Perhaps the distance would help me clear my head and my heart.

I told Jenna I was going to a book convention, but I really wasn’t. I didn’t completely lie though. There was a book convention, but I had decided to skip it. I hadn’t lied about seeing my parents either, exactly. They were vacationing in Hawaii. They asked me if I wanted to join them, and though the offer was appealing, I wanted solitude instead, so I told them I would doggie sit. They were beyond happy about that.

Kicking back on the lounge chair by the pool, I picked up the e-reader Matthew bought me for Christmas. Shit! I wanted to be Matthew-free, but everything he touched or we’d shared, reminded me of him. Not just the e-reader, but the sight of chopsticks, my robe, ice cream, cotton candy, Starbucks, eggs, my panties, my bookshelf, dogs, Victoria’s Secret…hell, even my damn computer. Argh! I was trying to run away from him, but his memories followed me everywhere.

Hearing the buzz from my phone, I saw it was Matthew. He kept calling and texting me, but I hadn’t responded. The last text I sent him was just before I left. I let him know I was really busy, thinking he would stop bugging me. Obviously, his latest call was an indication he didn’t care.

Allowing Matthew’s call to go straight to voicemail, I got up, stripped down naked, and jumped into the heated pool. Not only did I want to swim, I needed a distraction and this was it. Being that my parents’ home was in the middle of nowhere, no one could see that I was skinny dipping.

T
HE NEWS OF THE
lawsuit dismissal spread fast. Max wanted to celebrate the good news by catering lunch for everyone. Jenna and I were the last ones to head to the break room. This was the perfect opportunity for me to casually ask her a few questions. Swinging my chair from my desk, I turned to her. “Hey, Jenna. How’s Becca?”

After doing something on the computer, she turned to look at me in surprise. “Becca? Oh she’s great.”

“She must be really busy.”

“That’s what she said.”

I don’t know why, but Jenna looked nervous. Was she hiding something from me?

“So, where is she?”

Jenna looked dumbfounded. She wasn’t good at lying and I laughed inwardly at the sight of her face flushing.

“Huh? What do you mean where is she?” She swallowed, trying to play cool. She started heading for the door. Sneaky! I knew she was trying to avoid me, but I was faster. Blocking her exit, I stood in front of her. If anyone saw, it would look like I was trying to hit on her. This would probably start another ridiculous rumor.

“Jenna, I know you’re hiding something from me.” My tone was gentle, yet stern.

She gave me that innocent face, blinking her eyes and flashing her adorable smile. “I have no idea what you mean.” She tried to squirm around me.

“While you were at Max’s place, I went to yours. I knocked, no I pounded on the door this morning. I even called and texted her.” I leaned into Jenna’s personal space and gave her my most serious look. “Now…where…is…she? She’s been avoiding me and I have no clue what I did. I need to talk to her.”

Jenna’s eye grew wide and her lips parted with the brightest smile. It was the second biggest smile I had seen, apart from when her eyes were on Max. “I knew it,” she exclaimed with twinkle in her eyes.

“What do you know?” I chuckled.

“Don’t tell her I told you.” She waited for me to agree. “She’s in San Francisco.”

“San Francisco!” I said a bit too loud, losing my composure. “What the fuck? What is she doing there?” I was extremely concerned.

“Relax. She’s at a book convention.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll text you the information.”

“Thanks, Jenna.” Knowing this, I wasn’t going to wait any longer. The truth was I needed to see her NOW! I needed my Becca. Pulling Jenna into my arms, I gave her the most heartfelt hug. “I’ll be out of town till tomorrow. I’ll text Max to let him know where I’m at, so don’t tell him just yet.”

“Don’t tell Max what?” Releasing Jenna, I heard my brother’s voice behind me. Caught red-handed, I teased him a bit. “That Jenna and I are running away together.”

I wish I could have taken a picture of my brother’s face. Even knowing I was joking, he pushed me out of his way and practically fell into Jenna’s arms.

“You’re full of shit.”

“I came to rescue you from this dictator. I was waiting for you in the break room. Now I’m glad I came; I can’t even trust my own brother. I’ve got to protect what’s mine,” Max chuckled, then he claimed her with his mouth.

“Gross.” I let out a laugh. “See you guys later.” I didn’t need to see that. With a slap of my pocket to make sure I had my wallet and cell, I called my secretary.