Again With You Read online

  Olivia lets out a hum. “Well, I will leave you to your lunch then.” Hopefully it’s her way of saying she got the message, as she pivots and heads away.

  Jake scratches his cheek awkwardly for a moment before we go to sit down in the circular booth, sliding next to each other. Truthfully, I don’t know how to play this.

  Immediately I look at Jake who holds his hands up in surrender.

  “It was like three dates,” he confesses casually. My stomach turns a little sour.

  My eyes are fixed on him as I bite my inner cheek. Finally, after thinking for a few ticks, an exhale escapes me.

  “It’s okay. I didn’t have claim to you for the last five years. It doesn’t take a marketing professional to figure out you have the whole image as a bachelor hotshot lawyer with a broody smile going for you.” I feel his gaze burning me.

  “Is that the image you have of me?” he provokes me with a raised brow. Sliding closer to me, I feel a warm hand has been placed on my thigh under the table. “And I am not a bachelor anymore,” he corrects me with a smirk.

  My emotions are starting to plan a celebration when I hear those words. There must be a sparkle in my eye as I look at him with a closed-lip smile. But that little balloon of pain somewhere in my chest still reminds me that he deserves more than me. I’m the one who walked away.

  Swallowing, I don’t know where to take this conversation. He picks up on this. Moving to me, he scans the room, and then his stormy eyes meet mine. He lets our foreheads touch as his hand on my thigh skirts up slightly.

  “Let’s be clear on something.” His tone is firm. “The things you and I did together, every kink, every mind-blowing time we screamed one another’s name, I didn’t have that again with anyone. Not even close. I don’t want to know who the hell has touched you, because it will drive me insane. But I’m going to assume you had the same experience as me: nothing as good as us.”

  I nod, not letting our heads part, and I am painfully aware I am flooding for him. “Y-You’re right,” I stammer.

  He pulls away, his hand vacating my thigh, and he looks satisfied. Looking around the room, as if the last few minutes haven’t happened, he brings up a topic to get our conversation into neutral waters again.

  “I’m impressed that you added dog treats to your menu,” Jake says. He seems sincere and proud of my work endeavors.

  “Yeah, I need to stay creative. There is a pet boutique store that asked me if they could sell my treats in their store, but I don’t really know how distribution of product works. Geez, sounds like I’m starting a drug cartel or something,” I admit.

  He chuckles. “Distributing product? A little. But if you need someone to look over the contract, I know someone.” He nudges me.

  “Yeah. Me too. He has quite a few skills, actually.”

  “Oh yeah? Do tell,” Jake pretends, with piqued interest.

  “Another time. There is an old couple over there who is already staring at us,” I warn and indicate my head to the table across the room.

  My hands touch the top of Jake’s on the table. “I think it’s great that you have your own law practice now, your own clients and doing things your way. I mean, look at you. Taking a leisurely lunch on a weekday and the apocalypse hasn’t even happened.” I take a sip of water. “And you haven’t done a disservice to the female population as you are still walking around in those fine suits.” I pretend to fan myself.

  He laughs. “Thanks. But you have also taken quite a journey. You traded in your pencil skirts, heels, and blouses—where you had to wear the right bra every time—for casual dresses that send my mind into a million directions of what I could do to you,” he warns, and his eyes stray from my eyes to my body.

  “Oh? I mean, I still have some of those pencil skirts somewhere in my closet, if that’s a deal breaker.” I give him a sly look.

  “Not at all, but seriously, I am amazed at everything you’ve done with your business. I may have looked up the Smokey Java’s Instagram, and it’s impressive. Quite a following, and Lucas mentioned that you need to reserve a table for weekend breakfast as the place is packed. Sounds like everything is going well.”

  I look at him with pride, and also find it funny he looked on my Instagram as he despises social media. I do too, but I only post photos of food. “Thanks,” I mumble.

  “And you seem to be at a calm and happy place.”

  Thinking about it, I guess he’s right. “Yeah, I am. Now I have a reason to be even more so.” My eyes look at him and he knows I mean him, which makes him happy. It makes me happy too, though I’m not sure I deserve it.

  During this whole lunch, I can easily flirt with him. But at random moments, that thought that he could change his mind about us lingers in the back of my head. I shake it off.

  “By the way, feel free to babysit Freddy the fish anytime. But why didn’t you just leave me a plant or jar of cookies?” he asks, amused.

  Sliding closer to him, I lean in close. “A cactus was an option, but boring. And if you have cookies at home, then you might not stop by the bakery unannounced. And we decided we like you stopping by the bakery unannounced.” I take a sip of wine.

  “We?” he asks as he slowly returns his glass to the table.

  “Oh, yeah. Tammy the blue-haired waitress thinks you’re pretty hot. She let me know her opinion of you. And I want to keep my staff happy, so I need you to keep stopping by,” I say, clucking the inside of my cheek. Jake just grins and shakes his head. “Figured she wasn’t competition, so what’s the harm?” I shrug.

  “And what does Tammy’s boss think?” He studies me.

  “That there is a very good-looking guy that I am lucky to know again,” I say, playing with my wine glass stem.

  “Anything else?” He moves a piece of my hair behind my ear with his fingers, sending a tingle down my spine.

  “A very hot attorney that maybe I will kiss today. You know, going slow and all.” I drag the sentence out as my eyes move to him. He leans in and kisses my cheek with intent. As if he has a point to prove.

  He pulls away slowly to let his lips linger and gently brush across my lips to make me shudder, then creates space between us.

  “Someone I’ve been waiting for,” I whisper.

  “To do what, Avery?” He speaks in a low voice, with his fingers running through my hair, his mouth moving in. I let my lips dance around his mouth, but not actually touch.

  “To take me any way he pleases one day, maybe.”

  His lips twitch. My mouth drags away to give us some space.

  “How have I not gotten you naked in my bed yet?” His eyes lock on me with intensity. Interrogation mode.

  Tilting my head to the side, I taunt, “Semantics… technically, I was somewhat naked under your shirt the other night.”

  “How have I not kissed you today yet?”

  “We will get there eventually.” I smile softly.

  “I really need to kiss you, Ave,” he warns, as his hand comes to cup the back of my neck and pulls me towards him.

  I respond by giving him an agreeable grin and I claw some material of his shirt to encourage him forward. Our bodies move, our faces connect. He claims my mouth before I have a chance to give it my best shot. Lips and hands touch each other’s face, lingering, soft, gentle. That is how it begins. But we deepen it, slanting our mouths in different ways. As if our lips are confirming that we are good to go again, and here is our chance at a second act in our story.

  There could be comets flying around us and we wouldn’t know, as we are too hooked to this moment.

  His hand moves through my hair and we both move in closer as our kissing continues to reconnect us. Our tongues meeting, my arms roping around his neck, bodies snuggling in together.

  Finally, we grab air. Clearing our throats and realizing we are in a very public setting.

  Grabbing my glass of wine, I hold it out to his. He quickly meets me with his glass.

  I straighten my posture in my seat and
take a deep breath as I throw on a smile.

  “To seeing each other again?” There is skepticism in my voice as I look at him, puzzled if I just made a good toast.

  He answers by leaning in and his forehead meets mine. “To getting to do things to you again.”

  I let out a giggle. “Okay. To seeing each other again, doing things to each other again, and being together again?” I am more confident in my toast, but still add in some fake skepticism just in case.

  A sound escapes his throat, and he clinks my glass. “Cheers to that.”

  We drink our wine then have a quick kiss again, letting our lips brush along each other’s jawline as we pull away.

  “Now here is the problem with lunch dates. It means there is still the rest of the day to get through, and most likely the other person has plans.” I bite my lip and my eyes should be giving him an apology.

  “I have many plans for you, so let me pay the check and we go back to my place.” His hand reaches for my thigh.

  Sighing, I say, “Your hand on my thigh under the table is trouble, I know from experience.” My forehead meets his again as I look into his eyes. “I really don’t want to take a raincheck, but I can’t come home with you for the plans in your head. I have an appointment with a supplier in an hour.”

  An exhale escapes his clenched teeth. “Slow. Right. I did promise. What about an innocent game of checkers later?”

  Our foreheads still have not parted.

  “Hmm, sounds harmless, I’m sure.” I grin.

  An hour later, I listen to the vague details of the supplier. I ignore an e-mail about the award for best small business, and I drop a dozen eggs. My mind is overly occupied with thoughts of Jake. A painful feeling still lingers in me, but equally strong is a desire so uncontrollable that I know what I need to do.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jake

  I look at Avery as she shakes off her boots at the door. We gaze at one another, both with a soft smile as I help her take her scarf off and then unzip her coat. I’m thankful the wet snow touching my fingers keeps me in check, because undressing her multiple layers ups the ante. It’s like I am unwrapping a perfect gift.

  “I was going to set up checkers but got stuck on a call,” I mention. Our eyes seem to be in a trance with one another as I throw her coat to the side bench.

  “No, you weren’t,” she corrects me with a smirk as she knows me too well. Avery gently rises on her toes as her fingertips walk up my chest. “It’s cold tonight.”

  I have to grin slightly. “Promise you, it won’t be for much longer.” My hands rub warmth into her arms. “How was your meeting?” I ask.

  “I don’t know. I couldn’t focus. I had a lot in my head.”

  My hand cups her cheek and my thumb rubs her cold milky-smooth skin. “Oh yeah?”

  “I’ve missed you all this time... I’m not sure I mentioned that yet.” I hear the vulnerability in her voice. I know her enough to realize she must have been thinking about something significant as her mood is different than at lunch. She is serious, but calm and seems content.

  My hands scoop up her own to keep against my chest. “Me too. More than you’ll ever know.”

  Leaning down, I capture her mouth for a warm full kiss, sealing us together.

  After a few seconds, she pulls away with her eyes meeting mine full of lust. She leans in to brush her lips along mine, generating a tingle, and she nips me gently with her teeth before looking down at our hands that she interlaces, tugging me behind her, and I follow as she turns to the stairs.

  Without words, she guides me by the hand upstairs, and my heart pulses faster as I know I should just let her lead the way. We get to my room where I had left a small light on when I changed earlier into my jeans and shirt.

  She turns to me with soft eyes and parted lips. Stepping to me to close the distance, her fingertips brush along my stomach towards the edges of my shirt, her eyes never parting from my own.

  Feeling the gentle tickle of her fingers working under the fabric of my shirt, creating an energy of heat between us, I need no further indication. In a quick movement, I reach down and pull my shirt up and off.

  Her fingertips gently press against my chest to indicate for me to sit on the bed. But she doesn’t need to indicate, I’ll take us into the exact same direction she seems to want in this very moment.

  She comes to her knees on the floor in front of me. Shimmying closer to me between my legs, she unfastens my jeans, and we slide them off until I am left in my boxer briefs.

  Her eyes flick up to meet mine as she rests between my legs on her knees. “You’re back in my life, aren’t you?” she asks with a voice full of enchantment.

  “I am,” I confirm, as I lean forward and look down at her.

  She tips her head up. “I’m here,” Avery whispers in between a gentle kiss on my forehead and cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Maybe it’s the feeling I’ve had all day, all week, all five years. Maybe it’s the shock that she is in my life again, something I never thought imaginable. But I’m drawn to her more than I thought possible in this moment.

  It floats into my mind that we should crawl into bed to fall asleep. Slow, right? That’s what she wanted.

  …But that is not what I need right now. Nor does she.

  Her eyes look into mine and they confirm we both want the same path. My hands grab hers and bring them to my shoulders as I still sit on the bed, so she stands over me.

  Looking up at her, my arms encircle around her middle and I pull her to me, letting my head nuzzle into her stomach, and already I can feel her rapid pulse. A soft sigh escapes her mouth when my other hand goes to her bare thigh beneath her dress and moves up her silky skin. My cock grows eager as my hand gets bathed in her warm, damp heat.

  Her eyes look at me but do not tell me to stop, and her hand returns to my face where her thumb drags along my jawline. She leans into me, and I can feel the fire between her legs as I stop short of her slit.

  I do not want to stop. I need her. I want her.

  She picks up on this because she understands me.

  When we pull away, we look into each other’s eyes for recognition of what we are doing. Avery places her hands on my chest, and it ignites a fuse in me.

  She pushes me to my back, coming to straddle me, as she watches my face to ensure that I am looking at her. Slowly, she pulls her dress up and off to reveal her perfectly shaped globes with nipples hardened, as she skipped the bra today. Her hair falls behind her shoulders.

  “You seem to have gotten more beautiful.”

  And even though she’s the one leading us, she is the one who blushes.

  Placing my hands on her hips, my body comes to sitting to meet her. My mouth drags between the valley of her breasts and travels up her sizzling hot skin to her mouth, taking note of her rapid pulse.

  Leaning in, my mouth captures her bottom lip, tasting her sweetness. Slowly, our mouths meet for a deep and powerful kiss, my hand threading through her hair with her arms looped around my neck.

  Our kisses are full of longing, yet soothing, as she circles her hips around my center and presses against my cock. This is all our longing from the years, finally getting a chance to be satisfied. My hands slide up her sides to rest on her ribs, holding her in place so my lips can graze her nipples, softly giving them a lick. A moan escapes her, and that moan sends me on a trail of lust.

  A wave of desire shoots through me and intensifies below my navel. Pressure shoots to my groin.

  Moving, I guide her, so we are on our sides, staring at each other, getting lost in this moment.

  My fingers grab the rim of her panties and tug them down. She finishes pulling them off in a hurry.

  Pulling my boxer briefs down quickly, I let my fingers stroke between her silky folds. Right away, I feel she is flooding for me, and that is the only confirmation I need.

  She moves to lie on her back and I re-position over her. “We were going somewhere ba
ck then, weren’t we?” I ask, because I’m not sure we got all the answers we needed from our talk the other day.

  Her hands reach for my face as she opens her legs wide, to welcome me in. “Yeah, we were,” Avery confirms, as my tip quickly finds her opening and slides in with ease. “It would have been good where we were going, you were everything to me—ohh,” she admits in a near whisper, and her eyes close gently as she sinks into the feeling of me entering her.

  I was everything to her.

  “I’m not letting you go,” I whisper as I move deeper into her, an urge overcoming me to get lost in her body.

  She murmurs into my neck as she holds me closer as I settle into her, because she is tight. Without thought, I let my body lead the way, and I fill her up completely with my size, going deep into her until I bottom out and it makes her yelp softly. But before I can study her face to check on her, she meets my mouth with hers.

  Her leg comes up to tighten around my waist as her eyes flutter closed for a few seconds. When I feel her ease around me, I pick up the pace, finding a rhythm not particularly gentle, perhaps a little too strong and sharp, but her body arches to meet every thrust, a short sound escaping her as I hit her special spot on each pump. It only makes me pick up our pace, her nails digging into my upper back to brace herself from the force of my movements.

  It doesn’t cross my mind that this is our first time in years, or that we haven’t had a lot of foreplay, or that this is not going to last for more than a few minutes.

  This is a natural instinct.

  Our bodies leading the way.

  Primitive.

  Thrusting in and out to make up for all that did not happen.

  All those years lost.

  Never getting to do this as a goodbye.

  Looking into her eyes, they tell me she is on a similar journey. Trying to figure out what this is; closure, mourning, grief, passion, lust, love, our future…

  My hand finds hers and entwines our fingers as I place them together on the pillow by her head.

  I go harder and faster.

  Avery’s breathing is ragged, and she buries her head into my shoulder, her inner walls clenching around my cock, squeezing as if she will never let me go. I realize in that moment that she’s close; I remember her body, all her wants and reactions are imprinted in my head. The feeling of her warm wet walls milking me sends me to my peak.