I thrust into her as hard as I can, wanting to make sure she remembers me with every step she takes tomorrow. The table is screeching off the floor as it moves inch by inch. Her nails dig into my back as her breathing picks up, and her moans grow louder as she shatters around me. Feeling her muscles convulsing around my dick feels too good, and it pushes me over the edge with her. I pump harder and faster, my hips taking up a more erratic rhythm as I empty myself inside her.
I ride out every last wave until I have nothing to give. My hips slow and my breathing is loud and labored as I come to a stop. She’s holding on to me and I’m holding on to her, like we’d both fall over without the other’s support. Frozen, we wait to regain control of our bodies.
I start to remove myself from her, but her hand comes up to cup my jaw, making me stop and look into her eyes. “There you are,” she whispers.
I don’t even have to ask what she means by that because I already know. The years I’ve lived without her have transformed me into the man I am today. By being with her again, the old me is starting to shine through. But who will I be in the future?
We end up going back to her place, and I help her clean up the food we didn’t eat and the wineglasses from the wine we drank. After cleaning up, we end up back out on the patio with another glass of wine, talking about old times and what we’ve both been doing since we last saw one another.
“When did your mom pass?” I ask, knowing that her sick mother is the only reason she didn’t leave with me that day.
“She made it about another year after you left. When it happened, I remember being sad but also relieved because it meant that it was finally time to live my life. Unfortunately, I hadn’t heard from you in so long, I didn’t know how to live my life.”
“Was there ever a moment these last twenty years when you thought about me, like really thought about me?”
“Only one? I thought about you all the time. I’d wonder where you were in the world. When we’d go on vacations, I dreamed about running into you. I wondered if you ever found the one or if you were living with second best like I was doing. Did you ever think of me?” She looks over at me, and her blue eyes light up the night.
I take her hand in mine and press a kiss to the back. “I thought about you every single day even when I was in the military and running from bullets that seemed to come out of nowhere. I hoped that you got everything you ever wanted out of life. But I never allowed myself to think about who you could be with, and I’m glad I didn’t. I never would’ve guessed it was Tom, of all people.”
There’s noise from inside the house. and El stands up to peek around the door. “Erin, come meet an old friend,” she says, waving her out.
The girl who walks out the door couldn’t possibly be her daughter, she looks like her sister. She looks like El made over. Everything about this girl, from her height, her build, her long blond curls and blue eyes, to the way she smiles and the tone of voice she uses remind me of her. I swear I’m looking at an eighteen-year-old El.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she says, holding out her hand. “Mom has told me a little about you over the years.”
I snap out of my daze and shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too. You look just like your mom. Lucky for you, because I know your dad,” I joke, and she laughs.
She bumps El’s shoulder with her own. “Yeah, I get all the good stuff from my mom.” She turns to face her. “I’m going to go up to bed. Don’t forget to lock the doors and set the alarm,” she says around a smile.
El rolls her eyes. “That’s what I always tell her. She’s probably been dying for her chance to say it back.” She comes to sit back down, and I take my seat across from her.
“She really does look like you. That’s crazy. Are you sure you didn’t make her yourself?”
She laughs. “As much time as I spent alone, I very well could have, I’m sure. But she’s a good girl. Really smart and always has been. She’s better than I ever was. But I think that’s the point, right? For our children to have more than we did?”
I nod, completely unsure of anything having to do with children.
“She has this boyfriend though…”
“Oh.”
She nods. “He’s a cute boy. He actually reminds me a lot of you, so I see why she likes him. I just hope that they can agree to part on good terms when the time comes. I don’t want to see her hold back or not give it her all because of him.”
“Better watch it. You’re starting to sound like your mom,” I tease.
She gasps and throws a grape at me as giggles bubble out of her.
I catch the grape and throw it back, throwing her off guard.
The grape goes rolling off into the distance, so she picks up another and tosses it at me. This time, I move just in time to catch it in my mouth.
She laughs and shakes her head. “You think you’re such a big shot, always have.”
I shrug. “I kind of am,” I joke.
She picks up her wine and takes a sip as her eyes take in the pool in front of us. “Want to swim?”
I shrug and look down at myself. “I didn’t exactly bring a suit.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes as she stands up and pulls off her top. “Underwear is basically swimwear. Didn’t you teach me that?” she asks, kicking off her jeans and jumping into the pool in her red lace bra and thong.
Seeing that perfect ass shining in the air, I stand up and start pulling off my own clothes. I dive in and swim over to her, coming up out of the water as my arms engulf her. She laughs and giggles and wraps her arms around my neck.
“Aren’t you worried that your daughter might be watching?”
She glances toward the house and then back to me. “She’s a smart girl. She probably doesn’t want to see what she thinks is going on down here.” She brings her lips to mine, and her legs wrap around my waist. I move us to the side of the pool and press her against the side so my hands can come up to cup her cheeks. The overwhelming smell of chlorine dulls her sweetness a bit, but her lips are still just as soft and welcoming as always. I was never able to get over her before. It’s going to be damn near impossible to now.
As our kiss grows in intensity, so does the urge in my body. I haven’t had enough of her yet, and I doubt I ever will. I have to admit, the thought of taking her back in her own home that she shared with Tom only makes the whole thing sweeter. He took her from me, but I’m taking her back. And this time, I’m going to keep her.
Her hand moves up my neck and into my hair, tugging and pulling me closer. My body comes alive, and more than anything, I need to feel her wrapped around me again. I start pulling off her panties, and she lets her legs drop from around me to take them off. I catch her thigh in one hand and put it back around my hip, the other following suit. Now that we’re back in position, my hips move forward, pressing right against her center. I slide in easily, and she lets out a soft moan that fills my ears.
As I thrust into her, my hand moves up to cup her breast, feeling the weight of it in my hands and running my thumb over her nipple. It hardens with my touch, coming alive in my hands just like she’s always seemed to. I nip the soft skin of her neck, and her thighs tighten around my hips.