Unfolding Desires Read online

  Still, he didn’t stop. He kept going, leaning back on his knees, pounding into me, his thumb finding the spot that brought me over the edge again.

  He came with me, groaning with my hoarse moan. Then, he collapsed on top of me.

  Holy shit, I think I just found heaven. It was in David’s bed.

  As we both came down, heartbeats slowing, breathing becoming controlled, I ran my fingers over his sweat-dampened skin. Normally, when everything was said and done, I wanted the guy off me. I wanted him to leave me alone and I was ready to go home. With David, I wanted to stay. I wanted his arms to wrap around me, holding me close.

  Instead, when he finally collected himself, he climbed off me, and walked naked to the bathroom. He came back, still completely naked, and grabbed my clothes off the floor, laying them on the bed next to me.

  “I’m going to hop in the shower. It was fun.” He kissed my cheek and turned back to the bathroom. I lay on the bed, my mouth hanging open. How was he able to move on? My muscles were still trembling and I was convinced I wanted a round two. After he recovered, of course.

  “Do you want my phone number? Maybe we could get together again.”

  “That’d be nice, love, but I can’t. I’m going back home tomorrow.”

  My heart sank. He was really just sending me off. “Okay.” My ego was bruised and I felt rejected. He went into the bathroom and I heard the water turn on. He left the door wide open, clearly expecting me to be gone by the time he was done.

  I quickly dressed and rushed out of the room, fighting off the rejection. I went back to my car, slipped inside, and went home.

  I never wanted to think of this night again.

  Unfortunately, I knew I’d think about it all too often.

  I PACED THE living room, checking out the front window. My sister would be here any moment and my nerves were shot. My body was still achy in a delicious way from last night’s sexcapade.

  I stopped myself. I couldn’t think about David at all.

  A car pulled up outside. I looked outside and saw a little car in the driveway and my heart soared. I knew it was Cassie. When she didn’t get out of the car immediately, I ran outside, ready to see her. I yanked her door open and pulled her out and straight into my arms. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I held her tightly, maybe too tightly, but I didn’t want her to disappear. I didn’t want this to be a dream. After long moments, I pulled away and looked at her. She looked the same, yet older. Her red hair was way longer, almost to the middle of her back, and her blue-green eyes looked weary and tired.

  She was finally home.

  “Your hair is longer,” I said, which was the lamest thing I could say, but they were the only words my mouth could form.

  “You look older,” she responded.

  “Thanks, sis. You sure know how to make a girl feel beautiful,” I replied with a smirk. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “It’s good to see you, too.”

  I looked behind her and saw a little boy in the backseat. “Oh, my God. Is that Ben?” Fresh tears swam in my eyes. He was real, flesh and bone, right in front of me.

  “Yeah, that’s Ben.”

  “He’s so . . . big. He looks a lot like you. The only thing he got from Mark, it seems, is his hair color.”

  She smiled. “I don’t see anything other than my little boy.”

  The words struck me. “You’re a mom. I’m an aunt. It just hit me now. It was always this abstract idea. You having a kid. But seeing him, watching you look at him, it’s real.” She nodded. “Is it wrong to love him without officially meeting him?”

  “I loved him before officially meeting him, so I don’t think I’m a good judge of that.”

  I laughed softly. “Mom’s inside. She’s scared to see you.”

  “She shouldn’t be scared.”

  “But she is. What all do you need brought in?”

  “Just Ben for now. I’ll find a hotel later.”

  “Oh, hell no. You’re staying here. I finally got you back, and you aren’t leaving.”

  “Let me get Ben and we’ll go in and see how it goes before you come up with any other plans, okay?”

  “Are we here, Mama?” Ben said, his voice so sweet.

  “Yep.”

  “Ben, this is your Aunt Roxie.” Cassie got him out of the car. Ben wrapped himself around my sister and my heart hurt and filled all at once. I hated that I lost out on so much over the years. I was determined not to miss things now.

  “Aunt Woxie?” He tried the words out.

  “Yeah, I’m Aunt Roxie. It’s so good to meet you.” Would the tears ever fucking end?

  We went inside and into the kitchen. My mom seemed pained at seeing Cassie and meeting Ben for the first time. She looked how I felt. It was so joyous and also incredibly sad, realizing how much we’d missed, mixed with the regret at having not stood by her side.

  My mother and I were assholes.

  My mom asked me to take Ben in the other room while she talked to my sister. I knew they needed to catch up and I wanted to spend time with Ben. As soon as we got near the trains that my mom had bought that morning, he ran to play with them. He raced them over the carpet, up and down my arms, and around the furniture. It was fun watching him enjoy himself.

  “I like blue trains,” he said.

  “I like blue trains, too. Though I think red is my favorite color.”

  He screwed up his face as though he was giving serious thought to what I said. “Red is okay. It’s not pink.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, sometimes pink can be a bad color.”

  “My mom likes pink.” Then he went back to his trains and I studied him, amazed that this little person came from my sister, was being raised by my sister.

  We played for a while until my mom and sister came in. I wasn’t sure if things had been smoothed over, but I figured it was better than it was before. My sister didn’t appear as ready to bolt. My mom went to Ben and talked and played with him.

  Cassie still seemed overwhelmed, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her upstairs. We settled on my bed and she scanned the room. Not much had changed since she was last home, other than I took down the boy band posters.

  “It’s crazy being home. It’s like nothing has changed and at the same time, everything has,” she mused.

  “Yeah. I know the feeling.”

  She looked at me funny. “Tell me what’s been happening in your life.”

  There was no way in hell I was chronicling what happened with Robert to her, so I deflected. “I went to a community college for a while. I dropped out recently because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted. I still have no idea what I’m going to do. I’m a receptionist in a real estate office. Enough about me. What about you? Tell me everything.”

  She was silent for a long time. Her chin wobbled as if she was trying desperately to hold herself together. Finally, she let out a shaky breath. “Things have been rough lately. I just got out of a relationship, the first one I’ve had since Mark. I’m really just trying to pick myself up at this point, you know?”

  God, did I know. “What happened?”

  The pained expression overtook her face and I wished I could take the question back, but it was out there already. “He . . . It was hard. Things were wonderful and then they . . . weren’t so wonderful. They got pretty bad.”

  “I’m sorry, Cass.”

  “Yeah. Well, it is what it is.” She smiled, though it was clearly fake.

  “You’re home now, that’s all that matters, right?”

  “Definitely.” We were silent for a few minutes. She looked sad for a few more minutes before seeming to pull herself together. “We should do some fun stuff while I’m home.”

  “I seriously don’t think you should go back. Dad’s gone. You can move back home. You know Mom won’t have it any other way.”

  “I’ve just gotten used to doing things on my own. I don’t know how to . . . not.”

  “You’ll get used to it. Mom and I
are here to help you figure it out.”

  She smiled.

  THE FUNERAL WAS over. Cassie and Ben were moved in. Life was continuing. I was going through the process to get my license to sell real estate. Cassie was back in school and working part-time. My mom was happy.

  Things were really looking up.

  Unfortunately, I still thought about David. A lot. I hadn’t told anyone about him. Not Harper, not Cassie, no one. I wanted him to stay a delicious memory that I could think of whenever I wanted. I didn’t want to focus on the rejection and hurt I felt. I wanted to focus on the way he made me feel desired and beautiful, and that he gave me an incredible experience that hadn’t been matched since.

  The moments strung together. Life moved on.

  “Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.”—Socrates

  Six Years Later

  I PULLED UP outside my house, grabbed my big purse from the seat beside me and went inside. Almost a year ago, I followed Cassie to Fairfax, Virginia, the town she moved to when she was offered a new job. It was easier to sell houses here than in our small town back home. I also missed my sister. After so many years of us not being together, I wanted to spend time with her. It was better to follow her than to drive up to see her constantly.

  And I was finally out of that damned house.

  My mom stayed behind, finding a job at a small craft store and hanging out with her friends. Not because she needed the money, but because she needed something to do with her life. She seemed genuinely happy.

  Cassie had reunited with her ex-boyfriend, Jax, who had broken her heart, and now they were married. I had the house to myself. It was the first time in my life I’d lived alone. I liked the freedom and I relished it. I still saw Cassie, Jax, and Ben all the time. I even hung out sometimes with Jax’s sister and her husband, Ryanne and Will. But I was always the third wheel, the one who was alone while they were lovingly—sickeningly so—coupled.

  I grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and went to sit on the couch. I’d been at an open house all day—one of the most expensive homes for sale in the area—and I was exhausted. But if I sold it, I’d make a lot of money. Unfortunately, most people who came to check out the mega dollar house weren’t potential buyers. Just nosy assholes.

  I kicked off my high heels and sank deeper into the couch. Just as I was drifting into sleep, my phone rang and woke me up. Another beautiful thing about being a real estate agent: I was always on call. If a client needed me or a potential new client called, I couldn’t afford to miss a chance at the paycheck. I made good money, but I also liked to spend it, so I was in a constant push and pull with my finances.

  “Hello, this is Roxie,” I answered.

  A cheery female voice responded. “Hi. I’m looking at a house you have for sale online and I wondered when you’d be available to show it to us.”

  “Which house?” It depended whether the house was vacant or if the sellers still lived there. If it was unoccupied, I could show it pretty much whenever I wanted. She rattled off an address. I knew that house. It was vacant and the sellers were desperate, though they weren’t open to my suggestions. It was still going for seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, recently decreased by a healthy percentage and I couldn’t talk them into dropping it more. I was afraid it wasn’t priced competitively enough and would sit forever

  The real estate market was crazy in Fairfax. Back home, most houses went for around one hundred thousand dollars. An expensive house was two hundred thousand. Here? It was damn near impossible to buy a house for less than half a million dollars.

  “I can show that house to you at any time. When are you available?”

  “Could you show it to us in an hour? We’re getting desperate and this house looks perfect.”

  I fought back a sigh. “Sure, no problem. I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

  “Perfect. Thank you!”

  We hung up. I stood up from the couch and groaned out a sigh. I wanted to put on sweatpants and spend my evening with my Kindle. Looked like, instead, I was showing a house to someone who most likely wouldn’t buy it.

  I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then put my heels back on and went to meet the clients.

  I HAD JUST finished the rounds of the house, making sure everything looked good. The sellers left some belongings behind so I could stage it. I turned on lights and made sure the furniture was dusted. The doorbell rang. I went over and opened it, and got my breath knocked right out of me.

  Standing before me was a beautiful blonde wearing a blue dress that hugged her body perfectly. She had the most adorable baby bump. It wasn’t a huge bump, so she likely wasn’t far along. But on her thin frame, she probably looked more pregnant than she was. Even with the baby bump, her legs came up to her chin. She had the most gorgeous smile on her face, with perfectly styled hair and makeup. She was radiant and clearly had the pregnancy glow.

  That wasn’t what knocked the breath out of me. It was the man behind her. Someone I had somehow stopped thinking of over the years.

  David.

  He appeared as divine now as he had back in that hotel room years ago, perhaps even more gorgeous. He filled out the suit he wore perfectly and parts of me quaked wanting to reach out to him.

  That was, until my gaze shifted lower to an adorable little girl walking beside him, holding his hand. She wore blonde ringlet curls hanging around her cherub-esque face. Her eyes were the most beautiful brown I’d ever seen. Even though she was clearly very young, her eyes were soulful as they surveyed the room.

  The girl stretched her little arms upward and David swung her up and onto his hip and kissed her rounded cheek. She giggled and it was musical. My heart squeezed in my chest as jealousy raged. Why was I jealous over a man who I had one night with so long ago? There was no point. Part of me wanted to tell them to leave. The emotions that swirled inside of me threw me off kilter. It made no sense to me and I didn’t have time to process it. So, I smiled and invited them inside.

  “Hi, Roxie. My name is Mia. We talked earlier on the phone.” She smiled and shook my hand while one of hers rested on her bump. “This is David and Gia.”

  I shook David’s hand and smiled at Gia. “It’s so nice to meet you. Why don’t we start the tour in the kitchen?” I gestured to them and followed as they headed that way.

  “Oh, David. This place is perfect,” the woman gushed. He smiled at her as she walked through the house. I had no idea how she knew it was perfect when she just walked inside, but I let it go. If she wanted to buy it, then I’d listen to her yammering.

  David’s gaze swept the room. There was a curved staircase leading upstairs and a large living room with a fireplace visible. The kitchen was straight ahead with its granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. His eyes landed on me, and for a second, an all too brief second, I swore there was heat and desire behind them. But it faded quickly and he stepped through and followed the blonde.

  I went through the spiel, telling them about the updates, giving them the information they needed about room sizes, and answering the blonde’s million questions. The little girl toddled around as David kept a close eye on her. The woman, Mia, cradled her belly as she walked through the rooms and decided which room would be the little girl’s and which would be the baby’s. She had an adorable nickname for her baby: Baby Bean. She was convinced she was having a boy even though they weren’t finding out the sex until the baby was born.

  “David, I think this is the one,” she said, draping herself on his arm.

  Finally, his blue eyes pierced me. “We’d like to make an offer.” He looked down at Mia and her eyes plead silently with him. His smooth, accented voice washed over me and my knees went weak. “Asking price.”

  My breath stopped in my throat. “Let me call the sellers and see what they say.” He nodded once and turned and scooped up Gia, kissing her little neck as she squealed. Mia looked on at them lovingly.

/>   I slipped outside and pressed my back against the wall, collecting myself and my thoughts. After a few deep breaths, I called the sellers, who were overjoyed, and took the offer. When I went back in, David’s eyes landed on me again.

  I found a smile. “They accepted. If you’ll please follow me back to my office, we’ll fill out the paperwork and figure out a closing date.”

  “As soon as possible, please. We’ve been looking for months.”

  A stab of jealousy hit me. There was no reason to be jealous. We’d had one night. Granted, it was an incredible night and just the memory was enough to make me press my thighs together, but it sure wasn’t worthy of jealousy.

  It was six years ago.

  Back at my office I drew up the necessary documents. But rather than both of them signing, only Mia’s name was on the paperwork . . . with someone named Brock Abernathy. I smiled, though my thoughts were clouded with what that might mean.

  My confusion was cleared up quickly.

  “Gia, could you sit on Uncle David’s lap while Mommy signs this paperwork?” Mia said. She handed David his niece and settled in to sign the impressive stack of papers. I had no idea who this Brock guy was or why David was here instead, but I kept a smile pasted on my face.

  At one point, Mia’s phone rang. “Hey, honey!” she squealed. “We found the perfect house.” She was silent for a few minutes. “Perfect. Okay. I’ll talk to you later. I love you.” She hung up the phone and looked at me. “My husband is out of town on business. Can we fax him this paperwork so he can sign it?”

  “Of course. Do you have a fax number?” After we faxed the paperwork over, we sat and waited for Brock to send it back.

  “Thank you so much for seeing us so quickly. We’ve been looking forever. I’m ready to get the baby’s nursery ready.” Something about her was warm, as though we were already friends.

  “I’m sure it’s been hard not be able to prepare for a new baby.” I smiled.

  “We live in a one bedroom apartment right now. We couldn’t find anything we wanted and Brock didn’t have a steady job.” I didn’t miss the way David’s glowering eyes slid toward Mia. “On top of that, I got a job working with my brother.” She smiled up at him and he thawed.