Let Me Love You Read online

  He pulled the condom off, tied it and shuffled over to the trash can. After tossing the rubber, he bent over, swiped up his boxer briefs and cargo shorts, and stepped into them. He buttoned his shorts, all the while watching her gather her bathing suit off the tiled floor.

  He wanted to walk over and wrap her in his arms. Tell her everything would be fine. They’d be more than fine if she just gave them a chance. But the heat in her eyes hinted he should think twice about that move.

  ****

  “Put your shirt on!” Stacey squatted and picked his shirt up from the floor. She threw the cloth, and it hit his chest then fell to his feet.

  She vibrated with emotions: Lust, guilt, regret, revitalization.

  He stood before her in nothing but shorts that hung low. His fists squared on his hips. His hair laid ruffled, lips swollen. His pecs glistened, his abs rippled with each breath. He looked delicious and thoroughly fucked. Damn him!

  She wanted to shake the shit out of him and at the same time, climb his body and beg him to make her feel like he did just moments ago.

  What had she done? Had sex with her neighbors’ son. For the love of God, she was going to hell! Plummeting to hell like a rollercoaster plunging over its first hill.

  And now he wanted a relationship with her. Never occurred to her that he would be interested in anything more than sex. He’d never been interested in more than sex from any of the girls he’d brought around. Why her?

  “Does my being shirtless bother you?” Clearly he wanted to get a rise out of her. Juvenile, but it worked.

  “Shut! Up!” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Why are you so angry?” His soft voice played with her heart strings. He honestly didn’t see anything wrong with what they’d done.

  “We just had sex,” she blurted, exasperated at his lack of understanding.

  “Stop beating yourself up. This is on me.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “You bet your ass it is. What the hell were you thinking?”

  Okay. So, he’d caught her in a weak moment. A woman could only hold out so long. He was incredibly attractive. He didn’t force her. God knows she’d begged him to fuck her. But that was it. One round. They could both move on. Though the idea of him with another woman had a lump forming in her throat and tears percolating at the corners of her eyes. That was why she was angry. She shouldn’t have any feelings about him.

  “I’m not going to pressure you.” He strode across the tiled floor to where she stood.

  She stepped back until the hard granite pressed against the small of her back. Having him so close, his salty, beach scent mixed with traces of their sex fogged her brain. He gripped the countertop on either side of her, caging her there. She clenched her jaw, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from leaning forward and running her tongue over his taut pectorals and instigating another steamy round.

  I’ve completely lost my mind.

  “I know this may come as a shock to you, but I’ve wanted this for quite some time. This isn’t some crush, Stace. It’s not about living out a fantasy, though I will admit today surpassed all the fantasies I’ve ever had. I took this job in Tampa because I wanted to be here close to you. I want to be with you.”

  She stiffened. Her shoulders sat close to her ears diminishing the length of her neck from the amount of tension that had taken over. He sounded serious about this relationship thing.

  He leaned his forehead against hers.

  She opened her mouth, prepared to reiterate all the reasons his proposal was ridiculous and out of the question, but he pressed a finger to her lips.

  “I never thought I’d have a chance, but Randy is no longer in the picture. I know what I want. You. I’m willing to give you the time to realize you want the same thing. But don’t think for a single second that I’m not coming after you with everything I have. I have every intention of making you mine.

  He slammed his mouth on hers, kissing her hard, and locking her breath deep in her lungs. She struggled to wrap her mind around his words because his kiss melted her into gooey putty.

  He broke their connection. “I’ll see you later.” He kissed her forehead, then spun around, bent over to grab his t-shirt off the floor, and pulled the cloth over his head. He grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from the tray on the island countertop, bit into it, and moaned. “So good.”

  She stood dumbfounded as he strode in the direction of the front door.

  What the hell just happened?

  “I had the best afternoon, Stacey.” He glanced over his shoulder, a little chocolate smudged at the corner of his mouth. His blue eyes twinkled with energy. The curve of his lips had her knees trembling. He disappeared out of the kitchen and the closing click of the front door allowed her to release the breath she’d been holding.

  “Great job, Stace,” she said to herself, still gripping onto the countertop to stay upright. “Now what the hell are you going to do?”

  Shannon would kick her ass if she ever found out Stacey had slept with Ren.

  It had been incredible! She definitely wanted more. The sex, that is. Perhaps that was the answer to her lapse in judgment—more sex. Not with Ren, of course. Although today had been the best of her life, they couldn’t happen again.

  End. Of. Story.

  Or was it? He didn’t seem to think so.

  This was complicated. Ren wasn’t just someone. She’d watched him grow from a lanky teenager to a man over the course of ten years.

  What a mess!

  With her bikini in hand, she marched down the hall to her bedroom, feeling deliciously sore in places that hadn’t been sore for a while, and in desperate need of a shower. Ren’s scent still lingered all over her, arousing her. She was unable to think. A clear head would do her good.

  She turned the shower on. When the water warmed, she dropped the towel she’d been clinging to like a life line and slipped under the stream. The water pelted her, washing away the anxiety and shame.

  Stacey missed having a man in her life. She’d admit to that. Missed the companionship and the sex. But that was no reason to seek that connection from Ren.

  This was a onetime event, even if he thought otherwise.

  She’d never been a person to sleep around. Not that she saw anything wrong with having some practice. She’d never judged promiscuity. Just never been one to experiment with multiple people. Maybe sex with Ren was what she needed to kickstart her love life, or in the very least, her dating life. No one had to know Ren set her in motion.

  After washing, she edged out of the shower and dried off, slipping on a pair of white shorts and a blue and white flowered tank top. She pulled her hair into a damp ponytail and applied some mascara because well, a girl never left the house without it.

  She needed to get out for a bit. She called her sister, Jennifer, in Sarasota, for an impromptu visit and packed a bag with enough clothes to get her through at least two days.

  Seizing her purse, laptop, and car keys, she walked out the front door to her black BMW 325i sitting in the driveway. Her baby. Her last book deal allowed her to purchase her dream car with cash and without Randy’s help. Ha! He’d always thought her writing career had been a hobby. She’d made more money than he did over the last two years from the sale of her books alone. Randy had been bothered by that fact.

  The thick, muggy Florida air smacked her in the face, making her skin moist immediately. So much for the shower. Summer was right around the corner.

  “Hey, Stacey.” Shannon Haynes waved to her across the yard. Ren’s mother stood in her front lawn, wearing jean shorts and a blue tank top with her dirty blonde hair in a messy knot, watering her bed of wild flowers. Her one arm in a dark blue sling, the other grasped the hose nozzle. She released the trigger, lay the hose on the ground, and walked in Stacey’s direction, purpose in her stride.

  Panic bubbled in Stacey’s chest. Ren wouldn’t have said anything to his mother.

  “Hi, Shannon.” Stacey waved back,
avoiding eye contact. She hit the remote key to unlock her car door and reached for the back handle, her hand trembling just a bit. She needed to get out of here before Shannon read her guilt and started peppering her with a bunch of questions. Clearly, she had to know Ren had been at her house.

  “How’re you doing?” Shannon crossed the property line and stood next to Stacey at the car. She rested her hand on Stacey’s shoulder in a supportive manner.

  “I’m doing all right,” Stacey said with a small smile.

  “Good,” Shannon said. “We haven’t seen you in a couple weeks. Between the surgery”—she shrugged her injured shoulder—“and moving Ren back here, we’ve been scarce.”

  The mere mention of his name had Stacey’s cheeks burning. She could still feel his hands on her bare skin, his lips on hers, and his cock inside her. “I’m sure you’re glad he’s home.” Stacey popped the back door and set her overnight bag and laptop on the floor behind the driver’s seat, hoping Shannon grasped the idea that she wanted to head out sooner rather than later.

  “Absolutely. Even though he’s an adult, it’s always good to have him home. He said he was at your place this afternoon helping around the house. He enjoys your company. Always has. He came home all smiles.”

  Stacey’s gut clenched, flipped and flopped. Helping out around the house? He went home smiles because he fucked her brains out, not because he simply enjoyed her company. Though, he clearly did. The idea they were hiding this from Shannon, that they had to lie about what happened, made her feel even worse. Stacey didn’t like to lie.

  “He’s great.” Stacey barely choked out the words. Shannon appeared oblivious to her discomfort, continuing to smile. Thank God for small blessings.

  “Did he tell you anything about this girl who has him all roused up? He had an opportunity for a job in Miami with a much larger engineering firm, but he took this one in Tampa. When his dad asked him about it, he implied there was a girl here he was interested in. We presume it’s a girl he met in school who lives in the area, but he has yet to mention her name or anything. I thought maybe since he’s always felt so comfortable talking to you, he might have mentioned her.” Shannon’s eyes were questioning.

  Stacey struggled to control the surprise in her expression. Her eyes wanted to pop and her mouth wanted to form a large ‘O,’ but that would surely raise Shannon’s suspicion. Hearing Shannon confirm what Ren had said had her heart tightening. He hadn’t been giving her a line about other opportunities or about coming back here for her just to woo his way into her panties again. He was making life-altering decisions with her in mind. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  “He mentioned he had his eye on a girl,” Stacey said, turning her back to Shannon and closing the car door. She felt uneasy as she tried to process all this information. Shannon had always been good to her, especially after the divorce, bringing her dinner and a good bottle of wine, telling her what a jerk Randy was. Breaking that trust didn’t feel good at all.

  “It’d be nice if he brought a girl home,” Shannon said with a chuckle. “He’s going to be twenty-four in another few months and though we aren’t rushing him to get married or anything, we’d like to see him get serious about a girl. Aside from a few short-term relationships in high school, we’ve never been introduced to a ‘girlfriend.’ In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s never claimed to have one.”

  “He’s young, Shannon. Give him some time. People aren’t getting as serious or getting married as young as we did. He’s just starting a new job. Don’t worry about Ren. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.” Stacey opened the driver’s side door. “I need to get going.”

  “Where you headed?”

  Stacey slid into the car. “I’m headed to my sister’s. Have a little girl-time.” Stacey started the car, and Shannon stepped back.

  “Nice. You must love having her so close.”

  “I do,” Stacey replied. “I love that we can do these spur-of-the-moment visits. See you soon.”

  Shannon closed the car door and waved as Stacey backed out of the driveway. Stacey waved quickly before she sped down their private road on her way to the interstate to drive south and hopefully find some clarity.

  Chapter Four

  Leaning over the pool table, Ren lined up his shot. The heat from the overhead Budweiser stained-glass lamp had sweat beading on his forehead. Since leaving Stacey’s house this afternoon, he’d been on a roller coaster ride—ecstatic, nervous, worried, and of course, turned on.

  But turned on wasn’t really an emotion, right?

  Every time a scene from their afternoon love fest burst into his head, he popped a woody. Basically, he pitched a tent in his pants every half-hour.

  He stared down the pool stick nestled between his thumb and forefinger before he pulled back and hit the cue ball. The white ball smacked the solid blue ball, sending the orb sailing into the corner pocket. He glanced up and smiled at his friend, Tyler Greaves.

  “You bastard,” Tyler snapped, but the smile spreading across his face proved he wasn’t the least bit mad. They’d done this song and dance hundreds of times. Sometimes Tyler’s game was unstoppable. Sometimes it was Ren’s turn, like tonight. He was just on his game.

  “Now, now.” Ren laughed. “I have a father. In fact, you know him quite well.”

  Tyler flipped him the bird from across the pool table. They both chuckled.

  Tyler was very well acquainted with Ren’s family. They’d been best friends all through elementary, middle, and high school, practically living at each other’s houses. In another couple of weeks, they’d be roommates. At least for a bit.

  Tyler worked for his father’s auto repair shop in Largo, making a good living. He’d grown up around cars, knew them inside and out. On the weekends, he spent time lifeguarding at Treasure Island Beach. College hadn’t been high on his priority list. Tyler only attended community college to keep his father off his back. Cars were his first love. Tyler loved two things: Cars and the beach.

  And women, make that three things.

  “Are you glad to be done with school?” Tyler waited for Ren to strategize his next move. “I don’t know how you did it. I can hardly keep up with two classes at the community college.”

  Ren chortled. “I’m glad to be done. I mean, I had a blast in college, as you well know from your frequent visits.” Ren eyed his blond floppy-haired friend who chalked his pool stick as if he might get another shot on the table.

  “Hey! Just because I didn’t want to go away to college for the education doesn’t mean I didn’t want to party like I went away to college.”

  “No kidding. I think I saw you more in Gainesville than I did our whole four years of high school.” Sarcasm mixed with humor dripped from Ren’s voice.

  “Get the fuck out of here.” Tyler walked around the pool table and punched Ren lightly in the arm. “Don’t make me beat your ass right here in the Alehouse for telling lies. You never know who might be here to see you get your ass kicked. That sort of reputation will follow you wherever you go.”

  True that the place was packed. With thirty-four beers on tap and twenty-five television screens, anyone who drank beer and had a desire to watch more than one football or baseball game at a time found the Alehouse appealing. Music blasted over the speakers, some new song by Maroon 5. A few guys stood along the perimeter of the pool table area, waiting patiently for them to wrap up their game.

  “Don’t even think of it.” Ren punched him back. “You know I’m not the one who would leave here with a bad reputation.”

  “You sound grown up and shit.” Tyler teased. “Are you sure you’re ready for the real world?”

  “I’m ready.” And Ren meant the words. He’d had lots of fun, but he’d also put in a lot of work. Time to reap the rewards.

  “I’m pretty sure I’ll be at the community college for the next four years.” Tyler grinned, then shrugged. The idea didn’t seem to bother him.

  “Ty, perhaps you’d
get through school if you took more than one class a semester and didn’t study for them while at the beach. Those bikini-clad women are a distraction.”

  They both laughed.

  Ren leaned over the table again, lining up his pool stick behind the cue ball. If the yellow ball fell in the corner pocket, he’d only have the eight-ball left. Then he could bolt and swing by Stacey’s to see if she was prepared to talk. He didn’t know if a few hours would be enough time for her to sort things out. He had his work cut out for him convincing her to give them a-go, he realized that, but he’d never been afraid of a challenge. He thrived on them.

  He rested his hand on the green felt of the table. “Yellow ball in the corner pocket.” He pointed the stick at the corner hole and Tyler rolled his eyes. Ren quaked with his laugh. He drew the stick back and hit the cue ball hard, sending it into the yellow ball with a crack. The orb trundled across the table and plopped into the corner pocket.

  “You fucker.” Tyler crossed his arms over his chest and watched Ren line up his shot with the eight ball for the win. An easy shot.

  “Sometimes I am.” Ren glanced up and winked at his friend. The suggestiveness of his comment didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Who you fucking nowadays?” Tyler asked, leaning over the table so he didn’t have to shout.

  Tyler was a good-looking guy. With blond hair that fell to his chin, and deep brown eyes, he never had any trouble landing the ladies. He and Ren often compared notes on their conquests. At least they used to. Stacey was different. He wasn’t going to dish the details of this one.

  “None of your business, Greaves.” Ren grinned. He pointed to the side pocket with his pool stick, indicating where he planned to land the winning shot. Eric Church’s Outsiders blared overhead. Someone was having a field day at the jukebox, but he concentrated on the shot. He enjoyed hanging with his friend, but his mind had been elsewhere the entire night. How could it not after his afternoon with Stacey? A fantasy turned reality.

  “Fuck you,” Tyler said with a laugh. “You’re gonna kick my ass in pool and not tell me about this girl you’re banging. What sort of friend are you? I thought we were best buds.”