Sunday (Timeless Series #7) (10 page)

“No, you’re never too late.” He stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. Then he cupped my face, his fingers lightly digging into my hair just the way they used to. His face was close to mine and he looked deep into my eyes. His thumb moved across my cheek until it rested in the corner of my mouth. “You forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive…I wish I realized that sooner.”

“You’re sure about this? Rose, it hurt enough when you walked away the first time. My heart couldn’t bare it if you walked away again.” It was the first time he showed any weakness to me. For the past month he’d been brutally aggressive and indifferent. But now the Kyle I knew shined through.

“I’m here to stay.”

Finally, a smile broke his lips. He pulled me into his chest and hugged me tightly. His heavy arms wrapped around my torso and crushed me against him. His chin rested on the top of my head, and he released a deep sigh of contentment.

“I’m so sorry…”

“Shh.” He rubbed the area between my shoulder blades then the back of my neck.

I melted in his arms, missing the way this comfort used to feel.  I once had the liberty of doing this whenever I wanted, and I threw it away because I couldn’t think straight. His cologne washed over me, reminding me of passionate nights we used to share. His hard chest felt exactly the way it used to when I lay on top of him in bed. All the memories came flooding back, heightened by his return.

The front door opened and his date emerged. “Kyle—” She fell silent when she realized what we were doing.

I immediately pulled away at getting caught but Kyle didn’t.

She gave him the stink eye before she shut the door.

“I’m sorry…” I’d forgotten about her.

“Don’t worry about it.” His eyes were glued to me the entire time and he reluctantly let me go.

“I should go…”

He clearly didn’t want that to happen. “I’ll come over after I talk to her.”

“Okay.” I looked at the ground because a terrible thought came into my mind. I wondered if he’d slept with her. It clearly wasn’t their first date, and that woman wasn’t immune to Kyle’s perfection. But I didn’t ask because I had no right to know.

Like always, Kyle read my mind. “I kissed her—that’s all.”

I looked up, feeling the relief swim through my body.

He gave me a slight smile before he walked back inside.

My body started to come back to life. I was getting a second chance of being happy. If Kyle didn’t love me so much I would have lost everything. But thankfully, he loved me more than I could ever comprehend.

***

Kyle didn’t come by for hours. It was nearly midnight and he still hadn’t stopped by. He was probably having a difficult conversation with his date. He definitely didn’t come off good in the situation.

He finally knocked on the door. “Sweetheart, it’s me.”

“Come in.” I jumped off the couch but lost my balance for a moment, my legs moving quicker than my body was ready for.

He walked inside and shut the door behind him. “Sorry about that…”

“It’s okay.” I stood in front of him, unsure what to do with my hands. They met together in front of my waist then moved behind my back. Then I crossed my arms over my chest but that wasn’t comfortable either. He made me nervous as hell. “I hope everything is okay.”

“Lea wasn’t happy.” He eyed me with the old fondness that used to shine in his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I feel so bad…” Part of me judged me for going after a guy who was on a date with another woman. But the bigger part of me didn’t care because I wanted him so badly. In my eyes, he was still mine.

“Don’t.”

“I should have realized this sooner…could have avoided all of this.”

“I’d rather you wait until you’re sure than rush it.” He put his hands in his pockets, keeping a few feet between us. “And she knew I was in love with you. When we started seeing each other I was honest about that. But, I also told her you and I were never getting back together…I think that’s why she was a little blind-sided.”

“Oh…” I kept my arms tight around my chest.

He kept the distance between us as he stared at me.

I stared back, suddenly terrified of what was about to happen.

“So…are you going to kiss me or what?” That handsome smile stretched his lips, his boyish charm coming to the surface.

I chuckled because I realized how stupid I must have looked. “Of course.” I dropped my arms and closed the gap between us.

He stared at me with longing, memorizing every detail of my face.

My hands moved to his stomach and I slowly moved them up, feeling his hard abs and then the slab of concrete known as his chest. I felt his distant beating heart, noting how calm it was. I reached his shoulders and felt the definition of muscle, remembering the way I would grab onto them when we made love. My fingers moved up his neck then cupped his face, feeling the resistance of his facial hair. His blue eyes were sparkling with excitement, and he looked absolutely beautiful.

He didn’t lean in for the kiss, letting me do all the work.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, sweetheart.” His hands snaked around my waist.

“You were so cold to me…I thought you hated me.”

“Hate you?” he whispered. “Never. I was just trying to make you think I did.”

“Well, you succeeded.”

“I was really angry, but I never hated you.”

I felt the skin just below his lip, feeling the softness. “I’m sorry I took off. I’m sorry I put so much pressure on you. I just got upset and I didn’t know what to do.”

“I understand, Rose. It was a difficult situation. No one can comprehend the circumstance unless they’ve been in it themselves.”

He was always so patient with me, so understanding. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“It’s okay. Now that we’re together it feels like a bad dream.”

My lips ached for his but I didn’t move in. Feeling his embrace was enough to give me the high I craved. Whenever we were together like this I felt that heat in my blood. It did funny things to my body.

He glanced at my lips, waiting for the embrace.

I pressed my mouth to his and felt the explosion like always. A stick of dynamite had been lit inside me, and it exploded into a million pieces of fiery ash. The explosion rippled everywhere throughout my body. I felt high, higher than I’d ever been.

His lips felt exactly the way they used to, warm and soft. His facial hair rubbed against me gently, enticing me. Somehow, I found it innately sexy. My breathing immediately quickened because I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to fuel the spike of adrenaline. My fingers dug into his shoulders and I felt my knees grow weak. He made me aroused in just a nanosecond. I wasn’t sure how that was possible.

He grabbed my hips and gently steered me toward my bedroom, still kissing me as he went. He felt my lips lovingly, and every kiss was purposeful and delicious. My bottom lip trembled when he sucked it, and my panties suddenly became damp.

He guided me on the bed then slowly stripped my clothes away. He started with my shoes then moved to my jeans.

I wanted him—badly. But I wasn’t ready to jump back into bed, not yet anyway. I didn’t stop him because I suspected he knew that. So I let him be, stripping my clothes away until I was completely naked on the bed.

He pulled his shirt off and kept kissing me, and then my hands worked his jeans until they were loose. I got them off and took the boxers with them. When they reached his ankles he kicked them away.

We got under my covers then wrapped our bodies around one another. My legs were tight around his waist and I felt his hard-on rub against me every time he moved. He kissed me aggressively on the mouth, giving me some of his tongue. Then he would stop altogether and rub his nose against mine, looking into my eyes like he wanted to stop just to look at me. Then he would kiss me slowly until the pace picked up again.

My hands memorized every feature of his body, feeling the definition of muscle along his back and shoulders. My thighs squeezed his hips, remembering the way he used to thrust into me as I held on.

His lips moved to my neck and he kissed me everywhere while his other hand dug into my hair. Despite his aggression he didn’t make a move for something more. Despite how hard he was he didn’t try to make love to me. He kept kissing me, understanding that was all I was ready for at the moment. To me, it was just as good as sex—perhaps even better.

My fingers felt his strands of hair and I felt the words escape my lips. “I love you.” I spoke them directly into his mouth, feeling them get drowned out in our kiss.

“I love you too.”

Happiness

Kyle

Rose was mine again.

She showed up on my doorstep when I least expected it, and she asked me to take her back. After my last interaction with her, I didn’t think that would happen. I thought we were done—for good.

And then I was wrong.

I woke up that morning with her cradled in my arms. She was naked just the way I was, and I loved feeling our bare skin rub together like this. Even without sex I was happy. I was just happy being there with her.

Lea was pissed when I told her we were done. Even though we hadn’t been seeing each other long, she was into me. She was so into me that she didn’t care if I was still hung up on my ex. I felt terrible ending our relationship the way I did, especially with Rose standing right outside.

But I had to do the right thing.

Rose was the woman I loved. Even though she left me high and dry I couldn’t get over her. And I didn’t have the strength to say no out of principle. My heart would be on its guard unlike last time but I was still in the relationship nonetheless.

Rose stirred a few moments later, her hair all over the place. Her fingers felt the skin of my ribs before her eyes opened. It took her a few seconds for her eyes to focus. But when they did, a small smile spread across her face. “Morning.”

“Morning.” I snuggled into her side and kissed her shoulder. “Sleep well?”

“I haven’t slept like that in forever.” She tightened my arm around her waist and rested her hand over mine.

“Then I should sleep here every night.”

“You won’t hear any objections from me.” She placed a kiss over the skin of my heart.

I felt my hair stand on end. “I like it when you kiss me like that.”

“Then I’ll do it more often.”

I had to go to the office that day and take care of a few things, but I was seriously tempted to blow it off. There was nothing I’d rather do than stay here all day—with her.

“I have to work…but I don’t want to go.”

“Me too,” I said. “We can both play hooky.”

“I would but I have a meeting. Unless I’m sick I don’t see how I can reschedule it.”

“Well, as soon as we’re both finished we can come straight back here.”

“That’s a pretty good idea.” She rubbed my chest.

I loved this moment. I wanted it to stay just like this forever—and ever. “What made you change your mind?” I was so happy she was there I didn’t really think about it.

She continued to rub my chest as she stared at it, taking her time before she answered. “It’s a long story…”

“Well, I’ve got time.” I wanted to hear her answer. It didn’t seem like I stood a chance of getting her back just last week.

“A few weeks ago I missed you so much it was killing me. So I went to your apartment but you…weren’t yourself. You told me you were sick of my shit and told me to leave you alone. After that, I was too scared to say anything. I thought I screwed up and couldn’t get you back.”

When did this happen? I had no recollection of it. “What? I don’t remember this.”

“I think you were drunk. But even when we’re drunk we tell the truth. So…I tried to leave you alone.”

I remembered I went drinking with Will and woke up the next morning on the couch with all my clothes still on. I didn’t have a memory from that night, just bits and pieces. That must have been the night she was referring to. “I’m sorry…I was out of my mind that night. I don’t even remember this conversation. That’s how wasted I was.”

She nodded in agreement.

“Then what happened?”

“I accepted the fact I lost you and tried to move on. Then Hawke and Francesca—”

“Whoa, what?” How did she know who Francesca was? I was so surprised by her words that I interrupted her from finishing. Something happened right under my nose and I didn’t even realize it.

“Hawke and Francesca came to my apartment yesterday. They told me we should be together, and if I didn’t do something soon I would lose you forever. And Francesca said you would take me back.”

I couldn’t believe Francesca did that. She didn’t even tell me. “What else did she say?”

“That you two used to be together.” She avoided eye contact with me when she mentioned that part. “And if Hawke wasn’t her soul mate she would have married you. She said you were one of the greatest guys she’s ever met, and I’d be lucky to have you.”

She really did that?
I was speechless.

“She didn’t convince me to be with you. I knew where I wanted to be. But she gave me the courage to say something. If she hadn’t, I would have run away the second I saw you with Lea. I would have thrown in the towel and given up.”

I still couldn’t believe she did that for me. Francesca hurt me a lot in the past. She left me for Hawke. And then she left me again a second time. I was heartbroken for a while, unable to move on because I was so devastated. But her actions made up for all of that. She wanted me to be happy, to have what she had with Hawke. Even though we’d been broken up for so long she still loved me—as a friend. “I’m glad she said something to you.”

“Me too.” She ran her fingers through my hair and looked into my eyes. “I admit it’s a little awkward knowing you two used to love each other but…it doesn’t seem relevant anymore.”

“It’s not.” Now that I’d found the right person to share my life with, everything else faded away.

“So…does that mean you no longer need me to work on Hawke’s office?”

“No, I do. We both do.”

“And your beach house?”

I had specific plans for that in mind. “I still need you for that too.”

A slow smile crept her lips. “You have me. You don’t need to make up stuff to keep me around.”

“I know. But I really think you’re the best woman for the job.”

***

I walked in the back kitchen of the bakery and saw Francesca standing at the table where mixing bowls sat. A bag of flour was right beside them. “I need to talk to you.”

She nearly jumped in the air when she realized she wasn’t alone. “Shit, you scared me.” She clutched her chest and got powder everywhere.

“Sorry, not sorry.” I stood in front of her and crossed my arms over my chest. “Rose told me what you said to her.”

She didn’t look guilty at all. She looked me in the eye, fearless like always. “I hope some good came from it.”

“She asked me to take her back—which I did.”

“Then why do you seem so stern today?”

“Because I can’t believe you did that for me.” My fondness for Francesca would never die. I respected her a person as well as a former lover.

“Kyle, you know I would do anything for you. While our relationship didn’t work out I cared about you a lot. I want nothing but the best for you. And I want you to have what I have with Hawke.”

“I know. But I still can’t believe you intervened like that.”

“Sometimes relationships need help. I know Hawke and I needed a lot of it.”

I chuckled. “You could say that again.”

“So you guys are back together?”

“Yeah.” I smiled just thinking about it.

“I’m glad. Did you tell her how you feel?”

I knew she was referring to my belief we were soul mates. “No. I want her to figure it out on her own. And I’m afraid it might scare her off it I tell her. I want to be with her and hope we can make this work. But honestly, my guard is up.”

“Why?”

“I’m afraid she’ll run out on me again.” She would have to regain my trust to cure my paranoia. When she left I was devastated. “To avoid going through that again I think I’ll always be prepared for the worst.”

“I’m sure she won’t make the same mistake twice.”

“Hopefully.” I couldn’t bare it if she did.

She removed her apron and tossed it on the counter. “So, why are you wasting another moment here with me when you could be with her?”

“She has to work.”

She sighed. “Work always gets in the way, doesn’t it?”

“I’m sure you could stay home if you really wanted to.”

“Sometimes,” she said. “But I really love being inside this bakery. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

“Yo, the coolest guy in the world is here.” Axel walked inside wearing a suit and tie. A wedding ring was on his left hand, but other than that, he looked the same.

I grinned from ear-to-ear when I saw him. He and I were pretty close when I was dating Francesca. I knew he was rooting for us despite his friendship with Hawke. “Look who it is.”

“Kyle?” he asked in surprise. “What are you doing here?” He gave me a quick embrace.

“Just talking to Francesca about my love life.” It didn’t sound weird in my head but now that I said it out loud it didn’t really make any sense.

“Really?” Kyle asked in surprise.

“She’s actually been very helpful.”

“The woman who was on and off with Hawke for four years?” Axel asked incredulously.

“You’re one to talk,” Francesca snapped. “I understand women pretty well and I was giving Kyle some help. And I think that help paid off.”

Axel shook his head and looked at me. “Don’t listen to anything that woman says. It’s a guaranteed death sentence.”

She grabbed a handful of powder and prepared to throw it at him.

“This is Armani.” Axel held up his hand and took a step back.

Francesca still had a mischievous grin on her face.

“Throw that and you’ll have to find a new babysitter for Suzie,” Axel warned. “I’m not bluffing.”

“Oh whatever,” Francesca said as she returned the powder to the bag. “You love her just as much as your kids.”

Axel tried to keep a straight face. “That’s not the point.”

I actually missed the banter between them. I didn’t realize that until then.

“Why are you here?” Francesca asked.

“Just wanted to stop by and say hi.” Axel returned his hands to his pockets when the threat passed.

Francesca rolled her eyes. “You just want me to make you lunch.”

“I never said that,” Axel argued.

“But you do,” Francesca snapped.

“Okay…maybe I do.” Axel shrugged in guilt.

“I don’t even make lunch for Hawke,” Francesca said.

“No wonder why he’s so grouchy all the time,” Axel said. “Everything is coming together.”

Francesca rolled her eyes again then ignored him. “You want anything, Kyle?”

“No, it’s okay. I should get going anyway. Just wanted to thank you for what you did.”

“No problem,” she said. “Hawke and I are here if you need anything.”

“So, Hawke knows Kyle is here?” Axel asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Francesca said. “Hawke likes him.”

Both of his eyebrows were raised. “Does he not remember who Kyle is…?”

“He’s matured,” Francesca said. “The past is in the past.”

“I don’t know about that,” Axel said. “If some guy was hanging around Marie I’d kill him.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Francesca argued.

I knew another argument was just around the corner so I should get out of there. “I’ll give you an update on how things are going.”

“Thanks,” Francesca said. “And I hope Rose will still work on Hawke’s office. He really likes what she’s done with the place, even if you’d made her change things just to stall.”

“Great,” I said. “I’ll let her know.”

***

The second I finished up my paperwork at the office I texted Rose.
Can I take you out to dinner?

As long as there’s dessert.

There always is.

I showered and got ready before I picked her up. Since we’d already dated I picked a more casual restaurant. I liked Indian food and so did she, so we went to a place just a few blocks from my place.

Dressed in a black dress, she looked beautiful like always. She curled her hair and pulled it over one shoulder, exposing the opposite one. She picked at the naan and dipped it in the hummus.

We didn’t say much at dinner, but not because we were awkward. We spent most of the time just staring at each other, getting used to the fact we were in the same room. I spent most of my nights alone, and when I did go out to eat I didn’t pay any attention to the person I was with.

She took a few small bites then glanced up at me to see my expression. Then she turned her gaze down again, acclimating to my relentless gawking. “How was your day?”

“Good. Yours?”

“I worked on a mountain house. It was pretty cool. When there’s no other houses around there are more things I can do with the place.”

“Cool.” I was interested in her words, but not as much as her appearance. It was difficult to fathom that she was truly there—across from me. I thought our relationship was truly over—which was why I went out with Lea. “Made any progress on my house?”

“I made the changes you asked for. You should come by the office and I’ll show you sometime.”