When we’d broken up, it had been because we’d wanted different things out of life. I got the opportunity to transfer to a music school and he’d been going across the country to go to a specialized tech program. We were both driven people and we’d prioritized our careers and passions over a relationship.
I didn’t regret it, but I’d always wondered what things would’ve been like if I hadn’t pursued my love of music. I still wished we had stayed in contact more. As he held my gaze now, that same old almost overwhelmingly intense connection sparked back to life between us, and wonderful memories of being with him flooded my brain. I leaned forward slowly, instinctively, following the draw of that connection without questioning it.
He did the same, leaning in until our lips met. Sparks flew behind my eyes as they fell closed. If seeing him had felt like coming home, then kissing him felt like arriving at a favorite holiday destination.
The kiss grew into more, going from a slowwelcome backtype exploration tooh, hello, I’ve missed youpassionate. I wound my arms around his neck and crawled into his lap.
When my skirt came up, his pants went down, and we hastily rolled a condom onto his massive length before I sank down on him.
It was possible I would regret this later, but in the moment, I didn’t care. This was Bart, and I really had missed him. If this was what he needed from me right now, I’d give it as willingly and eagerly as I took what I needed from him in return.
CHAPTER5
BART
Sex with Serenity was the last thing I’d been expecting when I’d gotten here earlier, but it struck like a bolt out of the blue, completely unavoidable when it happened. As I looked up at her, her head thrown back in ecstasy as she contracted around my cock, I could hardly believe that this was happening, but at the same time, it felt so good that I surrendered to my own release without hesitation, even if I wasn’t nearly ready for it to end just yet.
My teeth sank gently into the crook of her neck as my orgasm rushed through me, my hips thrusting wildly into hers while I came harder than I had in ages. Panting in the aftermath, she stayed on top of me for just a minute, patting my cheek once she’d caught her breath and planting a quick kiss on my forehead before letting out a soft laugh.
“Well, that was unexpected,” she said huskily, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright as they locked on mine. “Fucking awesome but unexpected.”
I chuckled, my knees still weak. I nuzzled the spot I’d just bitten but kept my gaze on hers. “You’re telling me. Too much of a quickie but very fucking awesome.”
She pulled back, a slight frown appearing between her brows. “Too much of a quickie?”
“Definitely,” I murmured against her skin. “I feel like we should do it again, but this time, we should lock the door and just stay in here for the rest of the night.”
Blinking rapidly, her frown smoothed out but she tested her legs before climbing off me and pulling her clothes back into place. “We can’t do that, Bart. Trust me, I want to. I enjoyed that way more than I should’ve. Some might even say I enjoyed it immensely, but we can’t do it again. If we do…”
“It’ll never stay just that?”
She breathed out through her nostrils, nodding and watching while I got up and took care of the condom. “Yeah. Exactly that. It’ll never stay as just a one-night thing, and while it really took me back, it has to just be this one time.”
“Okay,” I agreed because she was absolutely right. “I missed you, though. In case that wasn’t obvious enough.”
Taking my hand when I walked back to the bed, she squeezed and gave me an earnest smile. “I missed you, too. If you want to know the truth, I’d love to just pick up where we left off. We’re still so great together, but I just can’t afford to even try right now. I need to stay focused on my career.”
“It’s important to you,” I said, not needing to be told what she meant. “I understand that you can’t be distracted right now. Besides, I’ve got my own stuff going on that’d make it difficult to start, or restart, a relationship right now.”
“I’m glad you get it.” Still smiling, she released my hand and glanced at the closed but unlocked door. “We should probably get back out there, huh?”
“In a minute,” I said, scrubbing my hands over the stubble on my jaw while waiting out what remained of my erection. “All that being said, I’d like to make sure we stay in touch a little more often. We may have other stuff to focus on, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be in each other’s lives at all, does it?”
“We should stay in touch,” she agreed easily. “Maybe from a distance would be better for now, though.”
“Sure,” I said. I wouldn’t be around for at least the next few months anyway. When she started moving toward the door, looking like she was about to leave, my heart did an uneasy flip. Despite what we’d just agreed to, I couldn’t stand to see her go just yet. “Hey, do you want to take a walk with me? Tanner’s backyard is huge. It’s got all these little paths leading through it and I feel like getting some fresh air before I go back to mingling.”
She tilted her head, uncertainty clouding her blue eyes for a moment before she nodded. “I’d like that. Larisa was telling me about the magic the landscaper she hired worked earlier. Apparently, it was like a jungle out there when she first saw the place.”
My eyes widened as I nodded. “It really was. The place was so neglected that none of us thought she’d be able to pull off what she did. She did a great job, though.”
“She did. I saw some of the pictures she took of the place before she started with the renovations and I’m not sure I’d have taken on the project.”
“Same here, but neither of us do what she does for a living. Not only was she not afraid to take it on, she was excited.”
As we spoke, we ventured back down the hall and left the house through the kitchen. We didn’t touch, but we walked close enough together that I could feel her next to me. It was quiet and peaceful outside, other than the faint sound of music coming from inside the house, and there were dim lights lining the garden path we were on.
Once we set off on it, we were both silent for a while, and I suspected that she was still reeling from the sex as much as I was. Frankly, I wished it could happen again but I understood what she meant about getting distracted.