Catch, page 21
Parker stood in my doorway. “I tried calling, but you didn’t answer your phone. Oh, my God. I sound just like my parents.”
I didn’t know what to do. I clutched the doorknob and looked down at the welcome mat. I was tired of fighting. Her, myself, the past, the future. I knew exactly what I wanted. “Come in.”
“I parked around back and nobody followed me,” she said.
I nodded and walked to the kitchen, switched back to wine, and held up the bottle. She smiled. I grabbed another glass and poured a healthy amount into both glasses. “It’s fine. The news is out or will be tomorrow.”
“Sutton, it’s going to be okay. It’s very amicable. We know we need to be there for our children. He’s happy. I’m happy. And the weight of all of this has been lifted. From his shoulders, from mine. It’s time for me.”
Her fingers were devoid of any jewelry and that scared me. I walked to the other side of the counter to put three feet between us. Even though the papers had been filed, was I okay being the rebound girl? Is that what I was?
“Can I get you some spaghetti?” I asked.
She waved me off and put one of her hands on her stomach. She was nervous. “Let’s go into the living room.” I made Crowbar leave the couch and pulled off his blanket so Parker didn’t get any hair on her clothes. She patted his head before sitting on the spot he just vacated. “So, what’s going on?” Was my voice normal? My chest felt like it was vibrating.
“This is a nice place.” Her tongue touched the side of the glass before she took a sip.
“It’s just to get me through the season. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how the season was going to turn out. I’ll look for something more permanent this spring.”
“It’s very minimalistic. I appreciate that so much. My kids have their toys, games, clothes, and shoes everywhere. This is immaculate.”
“One of the benefits about not having kids. My place is always ready for company,” I said. We sat quietly drinking our wine. She had something to say and I was going to wait it out.
She drained her glass and looked at me. “I think you know why I’m here, Sutton.” The rawness in her voice made my insides turn to mush.
I wanted to fight and tell her no and that I wasn’t ready, but it would be a lie. I’d been ready since the day she left me. “How do you know you’re making the right choice?” The last thing I wanted was to move too fast and lose her all over again.
She stood right in front of me. “I’ve always known. We both have.”
I felt her hand on my knee. She wanted me and I wanted her. We had waited half our lives to be together again. I opened my eyes and tried to blink back the tears that had gathered.
She touched my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Sutton. I know I screwed up. I never meant to hurt you and I know I did.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me. She straddled my lap and cradled my face in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she whispered before kissing my cheek. “I’m sorry.” She kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’m sorry.” She claimed my lips.
I grabbed her hips and pulled her to me. I couldn’t get close enough to her. She was so familiar but so exciting. This wasn’t the shy teenager who was nervous to touch. This was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered before pressing her hips down and kissing my lips hard.
I tasted merlot and warmth. My hips rolled into hers and my hands slipped under her sweater. Still so warm and inviting.
Her hands left my shoulders to pull the sweater over her head. She dropped it behind her. “I’m sorry.”
I cupped her face and brought it closer to mine. “You don’t need to apologize. The past is forgotten.” I kissed her, sucking in her bottom lip and scraping it between my teeth. She made a slight gasping sound and plunged her tongue into my mouth. She gave me everything she could in that kiss. I ran my hands up her neck and wrapped them in her hair. I was overwhelmed and I needed for us to be naked and in my bed, not on the couch. I stood with her in my arms. She automatically wrapped her legs around my waist. I told Crowbar to stay and carried her to my bedroom, kicking the door shut in my wake. “Are you sure about this?”
She touched my swollen lips. “I’ve never wanted anything more than this moment.”
I lowered her onto the mattress and ripped off my T-shirt and kicked off my sweats.
She held her hands up. “Wait.”
I froze not knowing what to do. Did I push too far too fast? “What?”
“I want to look at you. You’re even more beautiful than you were when we were younger.”
I melted but stood still. I wasn’t as lean as I was in high school, but I was stronger. I slid out of my boxers and took off my bra. I watched Parker unbutton her pants and I helped slide them off. Her blue lace bra and panty set made my mouth water. Seeing her like this confirmed what I’d assumed: she was still petite, but her curves were more pronounced and her breasts fuller. She took my breath away.
“You’re still so beautiful, too.”
She bit her bottom lip and looked at me. It was hard to talk since this was such an emotionally charged moment, so I lowered myself between her legs and kissed her. I pulled her knees up and over my shoulders and pressed my pussy against hers. The thin strip of lace between us barely registered. We moaned at the same time. I wasn’t sure if my heart could take tonight, but I wasn’t going to give up now. I’d wanted this for too long. Her moans grew louder, stronger with every roll of my hips. I watched as her blue eyes darkened and her mouth parted slightly. I pulled one side of her bra down to capture a rock-hard nipple in my mouth. I sucked hard and soothed it with my tongue. Parker writhed beneath me. Her nails raked my back.
“Let me take it off,” she said.
I leaned up to help unlatch the hook and within seconds, the bra was on the floor. I stood and ripped her panties off. I grabbed the remote to the fireplace in my room and turned it on. It gave the room the perfect amount of light and romance and gave Parker’s naked body an ethereal glow. As frenzied as I was thirty seconds ago, a calm hit when I realized she wasn’t a dream and was here with me.
“Are you cold?” I asked.
“Do I feel cold? I’m burning up, Sutton,” she said.
I traced my fingertips over the chill bumps on her stomach until she shivered. I kissed her again and moved so that I rested between her legs. I forced myself to go slow and treasure each touch, but the more I caressed, the hungrier I became. “You’ve always been so warm.” I started a trail of kisses from her neck, down to her collarbone, and across her breasts. I sucked her nipple into my mouth.
“More,” she whispered.
I alternated between the two, sucking and squeezing. Parker’s moans became louder, and she grabbed my shoulders. I felt her slight push and moved down her body until my head was between her thighs. Her body quivered as I ran my hand up and down her thigh.
“Sutton, please.” Her look was unguarded and full of love. My heart swelled and I vowed to do everything to please her.
I kissed her thigh and ran my tongue over to her mound. I spread her apart and licked soft skin. I held down her legs and continued licking and sucking until I knew she was ready to come. I slowed and slipped two fingers inside. She arched her back and I moaned. Her hips greeted my thrusts, but I knew it wasn’t enough. I moved up her body so I could look her in the eye as I entered her again. She touched my face. I moved faster and faster until she had no choice but to hold my shoulders and crash into her orgasm with a shout. Her whole body shook. I wasn’t done. I flipped us so I was underneath. I slipped my hand between our bodies and massaged her pussy while my tongue delved inside her wet, welcoming mouth. She moved so that she was on her knees and her palms were on either side of my head.
“I love you,” she said, staring into my eyes.
A giant rush of feelings exploded inside me and the only thing I could do was kiss her so that she couldn’t see the emotion on my face. I was afraid of those words. Instead, I put all my energy into pleasing her. I slipped inside her first with two fingers, then three.
“Oh, my God.” Parker breathed against my cheek.
She took several deep breaths and I waited until I felt her walls relax before I moved my hand. I didn’t want to hurt her. When I started thrusting, she threw her head back and rocked against me. Nothing mattered except this moment. I felt my past and my present colliding.
I touched her face with my free hand so she would look at me. “Is this okay?” I asked.
She turned her head to kiss my palm. “Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.” Her voice was hoarse and her eyes hooded. She was in the hazy space between orgasms. It was beautiful to watch her find and embrace pleasure.
I plunged into her fast and hard. She slid her hands forward until her head rested on my shoulder. I wrapped one arm around her waist and held her against me until she came again. My muscles were strained and I was sweating, but I wasn’t done yet. I needed to taste her again. I wanted to feel her lose control again. The more I touched her, the more I needed her. I rolled her over and kissed my way to the sweet spot between her legs. Tiny beads of perspiration covered her body. Her legs fell open and her hips lifted to greet my mouth. Her hand was on the back of my head pressing me into her. I couldn’t remember the last lover who openly took everything I gave. I ran my tongue up and down her drenched, swollen slit. Her appreciative moans encouraged me. I gently pulled on her clit with my mouth and when her thighs tightened around my head, I sucked harder until the third orgasm ripped through her body. I placed tiny kisses on her legs until she released my hair. I crawled up and pulled her into my arms. I had no words.
She clutched me, held me close to her as if she let up just a little, I would disappear. “I’m not letting you go this time,” she said.
“I know you don’t want to.” I trusted her feelings. I just didn’t trust her actions.
“I know I’m going to have to do a lot to convince you that I want you in my life, and I know I have a lot to do to make up for the way I hurt you before. I’m just looking for a chance at us again.” Her voice was low and throaty.
I shivered at her words. Was I ready to confess? Was it safe for my heart? I’d built a wall around it for so long that I didn’t know if what I was feeling was real or a fantasy. Would tomorrow be different? Just because she was here tonight, didn’t mean we had a tomorrow. Parker had a long road ahead fielding questions about her personal life from every avenue. And once the world found out the reason, they would be relentless. I didn’t answer her but ran my fingertips up and down her arm.
“What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?” she asked.
“Bill said he didn’t want to see anybody until ten. What time do you have to be home? And how were you able to get away?”
“I told my parents I was going out with my friends since Grayson was celebrating with the guys.”
Her words were a pit in my stomach. I hated lying. “How long did the lawyer say it would take for the divorce to finalize?”
“We waived the mandatory waiting period so the lawyer thinks about a month,” she said.
“That’s not long,” I said. We were both quiet. “As incredible as tonight is, we can’t do this again until after the divorce is finalized.”
“I understand.” She put her hand on my chest. “But I want you to know that our divorce has been in the works for a long time, and I’ve been thinking about you for so many years.” Her voice wavered at the end of her sentence.
I wanted to trust her, but I’d been guarded for so long. “We can wait a month. We’ve waited this long.” I looked at the time. It was nine o’clock. “What time do you have to go?”
She looked at the clock. “I still have another hour.” She kissed me softly and sucked my bottom lip into her mouth. There was something so perfect about kissing the person who taught you how to kiss in the first place. It was familiar, and incredibly exciting.
Her hands fluttered down my body, and I braced myself, knowing that I wasn’t going to last. Her mouth was hot against my cooling skin and when she ran her tongue over my clit, I bit back a loud moan. She wasn’t gentle and I didn’t want her to be. I grabbed the sheets and held on as she reminded me what I’d missed for so many years. I came twice before I had to stop her. My body was out of practice, and I knew time was our enemy. When we couldn’t delay her leaving any longer, I held her by the front door and wondered if this was real or a dream. I allowed a sliver of happiness to weave inside my heart when she said this was a new beginning and we were just getting started. Again.
Chapter Twenty-seven—The New Girl
Past
My dad left as Hayley was arriving. She high-fived him on her way in. “Kill it, Mr. McCoy.” She grabbed a Pop-Tart from the cabinet and threw it in the toaster oven. “Nothing beats the high of the first day of school. I’ve been up since four. How do I look?” She twirled in her black combat boots, ripped jeans, and a cute band shirt we’d gotten at Hot Topic last weekend.
I put my forefinger up to my lip as though studying her intently. “The perfect embodiment of an angsty teenager who hates authority. I love it.” I looked down at my athletic shorts and T-shirt and sneakers. “What do you think about mine?”
She threw the hot Pop-Tart on a plate and pointed upstairs. “Totally unacceptable. I mean, you’re the school quarterback. It’s junior year. You need to try harder.” I followed her up the stairs. She pulled out nice jeans and a popover sleeveless shirt. “This is adorable and will make you look less like the quarterback and more like a kickass junior. Also, lose the ponytail. You won’t take the field until after school,” she said.
I bought the shirt at the start of summer because it was on sale, but forgot it was in my closet. “Okay. You’re right. It’s the first day. I should try harder.” Everyone knew I was the assistant principal’s daughter and the quarterback. It was time to live up to my reputation.
“And even though you’re tan and shit, put on some makeup. Let’s show the world your baby blues.” She pinched my cheek and motioned for me to follow her into the bathroom. “And don’t wear a sports bra.”
“Do you know how much crap the guys will give me when they see me like this?”
Hayley jerked my chin to keep me looking at her instead of my reflection. She waved a mascara wand in front of me. “Hold still. Just a bit will make the biggest difference.”
I huffed as though it was an inconvenience, but secretly I loved it. I missed things like this with my mom. Mom wanted to show me how to apply makeup so it looked natural before she passed away, but I was too stubborn and didn’t want to think about my mom not being around so I ignored her attempts. I thought she would survive and that we had time. I was wrong. “Thanks for doing this.”
“That’s what family does and you’re basically my sister.” She hugged me.
I ended the hug early because I didn’t want to start crying. The first day of school was always emotional. My dad was clueless, but I struggled not having my mom here for support. The first day was a day of new beginnings. My mom used to leave notes in my lunch like “Be strong, be fierce, be you.” Then she would drive me to school playing loud eighties hairband music. I pretended to hate it, but I knew all the words and sang along under my breath.
“We’d better get going if we want to get a good parking spot,” Hayley said.
“How do I look?”
Hayley fluffed my hair. “You’ll do.” She ate the rest of the Pop-Tart and checked her teeth for food. “I hope Mr. Cork lets us get away with murder.” Our AP English teacher made learning fun. And it helped that it was the last class of the day. We also had French together right before lunch. Our lockers were in different hallways, but I was sure she would move her things into mine by the end of the week.
“I love him. It’s too bad Madame Bleek is such a bitch though,” Hayley said. She and Madame Bleek butted heads daily. Ms. Bleek wanted us to learn how to conjugate verbs and learn all the parts of a sentence in French, and Hayley wanted to curse and have conversations about food. It was funny to watch, but also stressful.
“Maybe if you let her teach instead of always trying to mess with her, we both could enjoy the class more,” I said.
She nodded, then shook her head. “I know I’m an ass, but so is she. Come on. Let’s go.”
* * *
“Where are you going, QB? Whoa. Look at you.” Max looked me up and down and gave me a low whistle.
Heat spiked my cheeks. I bumped his shoulder. “Hayley wouldn’t let me wear workout shorts and a T-shirt on day one.”
“Good call. You clean up well.”
“Go to class. I’ll see you later.” I had first period with Max, but I needed to drop off my dad’s phone. He left it on the kitchen island in his haste to leave.
I turned the corner and walked into a very busy front office. A thin veil of panic covered the room. I scanned the place, hoping to see my dad so I could get in and out quickly. Ms. Clarissa was busy with two students, the office aide was trying to make copies of something but the copier wasn’t cooperating. One of the admin assistants was on the phone making very big hand gestures while the other one was rapidly flipping through folders in a filing cabinet. I smiled at the familiarity of it all. First day was a rush even in the front office.
What I wasn’t expecting was a very cute blonde sitting on a chair outside my dad’s office. I was awestruck. I knew everybody and didn’t have a problem talking to people. But there was something about her that made me want to simultaneously run away and also get to know her. I was confused. I smiled at her and walked into my dad’s office.
