Unfinished Business (Erotic Reunion) - a SEXY romance short (2 page)

“Oh for
goodness sakes,” she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Are we really going to
go over that? Are you serious right now?”

“Yeah,”
he said coolly, though his grey eyes were flaring. “I guess I was always kind
of curious. Why choose me as the stopgap guy? Why let me into your life knowing
full well you never really cared?”

“I did
care!” she gritted out, fists clenching at her sides. “It was just…I was
stupid, okay? I wasn’t much more than a kid and you could say I had my
priorities wrong. You can bet I regretted it for a long time that I ever made
you feel…exploited or something.”

“Yes,
well, after a while I finally realized I was never the real victim anyway, was
I?” he said with an impassive shrug. “That was you, Diane. You were the one who
couldn’t figure out your own messed-up self.”

“I
don’t fucking need this,” she snapped, turning sharply on her heels and making
for the door so she could order him out. What did he want, his pound of flesh?
She’d already told him she’d been dumb to hurt him. What more could she do?

She
gasped in surprise when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist and pull her
back round. She thudded into his frame with a jolt, her eyes widening as they
stared up into the dark, purposeful pools of his eyes.

“Let me
go!” she cried, straining against him with anger. Now he had both her wrists
pinned behind her back. Surprised and yet strangely thrilled by his strength,
she struggled in his unbreakable hold, snapping, “What do you think you’re
doing?”

His
gaze travelled over her face with fathomless intent, before the burning stare
settled on her parted, panting lips. Oh
hell
no
, Diane fumed, he dared not be thinking of kissing her right then…

“Proving
a point,” was all he said, his voice husky with a mix of anger and something
else she was too stricken to define. And the next moment, he’d swooped down to
capture her lips.

Chapter
Two

Diane’s
mouth parted wide in an open-mouthed gasp at the unexpected onslaught. The
second his lips touched hers, she stiffened in shock, unable to believe this
was really happening. He dove straight into her, piercing past her lips with
his hot, searing tongue.

She
felt knocked off her feet by the manly taste and feel of him, his lips firm yet
giving, his tongue demanding yet stimulating. His head slanted from side to
side, seeking the perfect angle, driving her crazy with his strong, eating
kisses.

What in
the world…was she actually responding? Was her tongue actually snaking out to
duel meekly with his? Diane heard him groan deep in his throat at her tame
advances, as if quelling her to delve bolder, seek more. And Lord
help
her, that was exactly what she did.

Now,
instead of tensing away from him, she was leaning into his solid, rock-hard
frame. Her head bowed beneath his as she gave him the perfect track to find his
way deep into her moist cavern.

She
hadn’t even noticed when he’d freed her hands. All she knew was now he was
roving those large, warm hands over her feminine frame, scooping her curves
with his fingers and squeezing with a feral kind of need. Behind her closed
lids, she felt her world spinning.

Her
heart was pounding with a sudden jolt of arousal that sent her senses ablaze.
It had been long, so long, since those flames had licked so close to her core.
She clung to his broad, muscle-bound shoulders, and verily whimpered as he
seized one breast in his hand. He molded the soft flesh and made her insides
quiver.
Such strong, ravenous caresses - such rough, taking
fingers.
She shuddered as he found one nipple and pinched it to life
through the thin layer of her top.

Blast
her treacherous feminine hormones, she swore to herself as her pussy twitched
in heedless response. And just at the moment when she was about to sigh in
submission and fall into his billowing ardor, he stepped away from her.

Brent
broke the kiss and dropped his hands from her quivering body, leaving her in a
state of stupefaction.

*

What the…!

Diane
stumbled, barely able to catch her balance as she blinked up at him in
amazement. His unexpressive face chilled and infuriated her at the same time.
What right had he to stir her up that way, only to bring it to such a
devastating close?

“I
guess now you know. Now we both know,” he said impassively, as Diane pressed
her fingertips to her bruised lips. The ones he’d kissed so punishingly, so
hungrily, like he would devour her. Now that same man who’d touched and kissed
her with such passion, was viewing her with cold triumph and even disdain.

“Know
what
?” she asked on a gasp, every nerve
fiber of her being still in its state of keen stimulation.
Son of a bitch!
Effortlessly, calculatedly, he’d brought her to the
peak of desire – and still had her whole body aching for him to continue
what he’d started. She could kill him!

“That I
could have had you anytime I wanted, five years ago,” he said with a shrug.
“That if I hadn’t held back and played the gallant, I’d have taken what was
mine when it was there for the taking. And now? Well I guess I’ve proved what
I’ve always known; that I can choose to take you or not to take you. It was
always up to me, not you.”

Without
thinking about it first and compelled by her sense of fury and chagrin, Diane
stalked up to him and smacked him right in the face.

“And
that’s to prove to you that you can’t just come in here, practically
maul
me, and then talk about me like I’m
some object!” she snarled.

He
gripped her shoulders in a swift, unexpected motion, and she stiffened, looking
up into his thunderous face and feeling afraid he was going to hit her right
back. But instead, he drew in a ragged, angry breath, and put her from him. He
made straight for the door.

“Where
are you going?” she cried, her legs scampering after him yet not able to match
his long, furious strides.

“I’m
leaving,” he growled, not looking back. “Because every second I spend here is
dangerous – for both of us. I’ve found that being around you does not
create the most conducive atmosphere for my self-control to thrive.”

I’ll bet
, she thought with deep-set
annoyance. She didn’t want him to go thinking he’d had the last say.

But he
was at the door, throwing it open and charging out – only to come right
back to say coldly, “I hope, for both our sakes…that you don’t intend to stay
in Hollows for very long.” And with that, he slammed the door after him.

Chapter
Three

It was
Friday night, and just the right time to be hitting the local bar. It was right
there in the middle of town, where it had always been for the last fifteen
years. Though now with some signs of remodeling and modernization, there was no
doubt in Diane’s mind that once she walked in, it would be like old times.

She was
right. The interior was just as warm and just a bit stuffy but not unpleasant.
Even the music playing sounded the same. She smiled to herself, sticking her
hands into her back pockets as she strode in with easy, elegant strides.

She
felt several eyes turn to her, and a few looked familiar. But she kept her
expression bland as she headed for the counter. Among the heads in the room,
she’d seen one in particular turn in surprise when she appeared – but she
especially ignored
him
.

At the
bar, she found good old Ted waiting, looking his age a bit but as charming and
welcoming as always. He saw her, started, and his broad face broke out in a
huge smile.

“Well
well, if it isn’t Diane! Fancy you coming round here. Haven’t seen you in ages,
and now you show up looking like quite the lady. The little princess is all
grown up now, huh?”

“I
should hope so,” she said, beaming at the owner of the well-loved “watering
hole” for many in Hollows. “At least, I’m old enough now to order some decent
liquor so make me happy tonight, Ted.”

The old
man chuckled, and she made her order. She was tapping her French-manicured
fingers on the counter expectantly, before her drink arrived and she smiled at
Ted with thanks.

Soon
enough, she was joined at the bar by a few recognizable faces. One or two were
old schoolmates, running their own businesses in the area, and a couple she
recognized as sweethearts back then also came over. Kimberly and Brad; they’d
been together forever and now Diane was told they were happily married.

“Three
toddlers now, at home with my Mom,” Kimberly said, her pretty face wreathed in
a proud smile. Diane was happy for them; Kimberly had always been nice and Brad
too. His family ran a contractor business handling constructions, and they
seemed to be doing well. They asked her about herself and she gave them some
vague details about her writing, mentioning somewhere along the line that she
was single, no kids. Hey, she was only
twenty five
. Kimberly
was around her age, true, but if the girl felt happy churning out the babies so
soon then good for her. Besides, they never implied her life sucked in any way
so she didn’t feel defensive when Kimberly asked about her own personal life.

“So I
guess you aren’t bothered about the wedding coming up then,” Kimberly said,
when her husband excused himself to go to the rest room.

Diane’s
eyebrows perked up. “What wedding?” Her mind went instantly to Brent. Was he
getting married? Was that why he’d said something about hoping she was not
staying very long?
Son of a…

“Why,
I’m talking about your old beau, Nathan. He’s getting married to Pamela –
Pamela Gibbs. Remember her?”

Diane
felt her eyes widen even further.
Nathan, getting married?
In Hollows?
Well. How had she missed something like
that?

“You
mean you didn’t know?” Kimberly said, when she saw Diane’s dumbstruck
expression.

“I must
have lost my invite in the mail,” Diane said with a twist to her smile.
So…Nathan finally ended up with that Pamela chick. Good for them. It was weird
though, thinking about it, and it made her chuckle to herself at how things
were turning out. Well, at least two old flames were kicking it back up. While
in her case…

“I
guess that means you’ll be attending,” Kimberly was murmuring as she too,
smiled. “The whole town’s agog with the news. Looks like it’s going to be
something.”

“I
wouldn’t want to miss it. I’m sure
I…,”
Diane began,
only to be interrupted by the shadow of a very looming, very familiar figure.
She didn’t even need to turn around to know that
he
was there. Somehow, she had some kind of in-built radar that
told her exactly when he was within two feet of her. Blast it!

“Oh
– Brent!” Kimberly cooed, her eyes twinkling with pleasure at the man
who’d come up to them at the bar. “Guess who’s back in town?”

“Diane
and I have spoken earlier,” he said in a light tone, but Diane didn’t miss the
underlay of steel in his words – which only she could detect, of course.
She twisted on her stool to shine a feigned smile up at him.

“Yes…it
was indeed a pleasant reunion,” she replied, and saw his eyes glowing with a
cross between irritation and warning.
What
was up with him
? His antagonism where she was concerned was beginning to
irk. Immensely.

“That’s
so great to hear,” Kimberly gushed. “Brent, will you be making it to Nathan and
Pamela’s wedding? Because if you are, why don’t you and Diane go together? I
don’t think she has a date for the occasion – or do you, honey?”

Diane
tried not to choke over the drink she’d just been sipping from. Placing down
the glass, she quickly replied before Brent could, saying, “Oh, I don’t. But
I’m sure Brent has other arrangements…”

“I
don’t, as a matter of fact,” he drawled, regarding her with narrowed eyes. “It
wouldn’t be a bad idea since I don’t have a date either. I’m sure it will just
like old times, wouldn’t it, Diane?” His sardonic smile was not lost on her.

She bit
back a rude retort as she heard Kimberly clap happily, beaming from ear to ear.
Obviously, she believed she was doing some smart matchmaking of her own. If
only she knew, Diane thought with an inner twist of her lips. The last two
people who could be matched were
her
and Brent. And
the first chance she got, she’d point it out to the man in question.

“Oh,
there’s my hubby waving to me at the entrance. I must run, guys. Mom’s not good
with staying up late so Chad and I will be leaving now. Lovely to have you
back, Diane. See you at the wedding.” Both girls kissed on the cheeks, and then
Kimberly gave Brent a warm hug before she went to join her husband Chad at the
door. Diane smiled and waved goodbye to him, only to turn to meet the ominous
expression of the man next to her. Now what?

“What
are you doing here?” he asked coldly.