Chapter 2
Winnie
* * *
Familiarity wraps around me like a warm blanket as my husband’s hands grip my ass, the hard muscles of his arms pressing into my body and caging me in.
No, not my husband.
My ex-husband.
Just the thought steals my breath.
Ignoring the pain that shoots through my body, ricocheting off my bruised and battered heart, I give in to the comfort of his lips, his tongue, his taste. For so long he was my everything. But now… now he’s here. With his arms wrapped around me and the hard length of his erection pressed firmly between my legs, I can’t stop the groan that slips through my lips.
“Winnie,” he whispers, gently tracing his lips along my jaw until he finds my ear. I instantly shudder. He knows that one little touch drives me absolutely wild.
“Just tonight,” I say aloud, more as a reminder to myself than to him. If there’s one thing I need to keep in mind, it’s that this is just temporary.
To be honest, this won’t help any. Not one bit. Falling into bed with my now ex-husband ranks right up there with bungee jumping over a pool of sharks as one of the worst things I could possibly do. But as he draws my earlobe into his warm mouth, I give up the ability to care.
Because it’s him.
Harrison.
It’s always been him. From the first moment I saw him in the library our sophomore year at State, we were inseparable. We weren’t in the same study group—not even in the same part of the library—but the moment my green eyes connected with his chocolate brown ones, I knew I was forever gone. I felt it immediately and started to fall even faster. He was headed to the restroom and bumped into my chair, knocking my notebook onto the floor. He bent to pick it up, our eyes and hands connecting at the same time. It was in that exact moment that I knew my life would never be the same. He was there with a small group, a few guys and one girl who kept throwing daggers at me, but I paid her no attention. Not when Harrison was there. He has this way of commanding a room wherever he goes. It’s what makes him the most sought-after trainer in town.
We both worked hard through school—me in early education and him in kinesiology. Our classes were completely different, but that didn’t matter. We always found time to be together, even if it was for a late-night study session. There was always plenty of kissing, too. He learned quickly that the fastest way to get my motor running was to gently trace his lips along my jaw and to nibble on my earlobes.
Just. Like. Now.
“Harrison,” I gasp, blood swooshing through my veins and igniting my body.
“Fuck, I’ve missed the way you say my name.”
I don’t bring up the fact that this is just temporary. A one-time thing. Two old flames doing something wild and crazy, something they definitely shouldn’t be doing. But when have I ever listened when it comes to Harrison Drake? I’ve always been the woman at his side, the one who would follow him to the end of the earth and not bat an eye at it.
But then it changed.
Everything changed.
Pushing those thoughts out of my head, I concentrate on the way he gently lays me down as if I were made of glass on top of our bed. My bed. The one that I had to immediately buy new bedding for because I couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping on those same sheets without him. He swipes at the throw pillows, the ones I added after he left. He always hated them, you know. Didn’t understand why you’d need to make your bed with fancy little pillows just to mess it up again at night. Anyway, those fancy little pillows he despises so much fly across the room and land in a heap on my bedroom floor.
My shirt quickly follows. With the quickness of a jungle cat and the expertise of a professional clothes-remover, my button-down shirt is practically ripped from my body, tiny buttons raining down on the bedspread. He slowly helps me out of the sleeves, never rushing or risking hurting me. No, Harrison would rather cut off his own arm than see anything cause me pain. He’s always been my biggest protector, my biggest supporter, and if there’s ever a tear in my eye, he’d make sure whoever caused it knew true pain.
At least he was. A long time ago.
But even though Harrison is big, muscular, and maybe even a tad intimidating, I’ve only ever known the gentle teddy bear side of him. The side that loves fiercely and protects viciously, and for so long, I was that sole focus. Now, he turns it on once more, but this time I know it’s only temporary. It has to be.
He pulls back and gazes down at my exposed midsection. “You’ve lost weight,” he says in a disapproving tone.
“That’s not for you to worry about,” I remind him, my words coming out in short little pants.
“Angel, I will always worry about you.” He bends down and runs his nose along my neck. “Always.”
A shiver sweeps through my body and my hands dive into his dark hair. Not wanting to think about the tenderness and meaning behind his words, I pull his face back to mine and swipe my tongue along the seam of his lips. It has the exact response it always has. His eyes dilate and his nostrils flare. He’s moments away from losing all control.
And I know just how to push him over the edge.
Wrapping my legs around his hips once more, I gyrate against his incredibly hard, exceptionally large erection. The man is hung, and the moment I grind my pubis against him, he growls, flexing his hips and rubbing in the place I need him most.
I grab at his shirt, anxious to see the incredible physique I’ve missed for nine long months. Harrison grips the back of the neck and pulls it over his head in one swift motion. His pecs flex, his abs dance, and his corded arms twitch as I drink my fill of his impressive body. Young Harrison was amazing, but adult Harrison is unbelievable. His time training and working out shows on every square inch of his body.
My hands immediately move to his chest. They glide effortlessly over the smooth skin and tangle in the light dusting of dark hair. A sense of familiarity comforts me. This is Harrison. My Harrison.
But he’s not anymore.
As if he can sense where my thoughts are leading, he bends down and takes my lips with his once more. The kiss lets me know there’s no room for thought, especially those of the past. He unsnaps my black dress slacks and slowly pulls them over my hips, without breaking the kiss. Cool midafternoon air caresses my bare legs as I shimmy out of the pants, flipping off my no-frills flats as I go. I tense the moment his hands glide down my waist and reach for my panties.
“You okay?” he whispers, concern filling those deep brown eyes.
“Yes, I… I’m just different than before.”
His eyes soften. “Different how?”
I close my eyes, fighting the embarrassment that tries to sweep in. “I just… God, why is this so hard?”
“What’s wrong, Winnie?” His eyes hold a pain that I’m not prepared for.
I steel my back and just spit out the words. “I started taking care of myself differently. Down there.”
I follow his eyes as they drop to the tiny scrap of panties I’m wearing. They’re way more risqué than the ones I used to don while married. Back then, I found comfort in low-cut bikinis or boy-cut shorts. They drove Harrison wild. But now? Now, I’m wearing the smallest lace thong I own, and there’s not a hair in sight. After the separation, I had to do something to make me feel like a woman. To make me feel wanted. Desired. No, that was never the problem between my husband and me, but it helped tremendously with my self-confidence.
His large hands slowly start to remove the little scrap of material, revealing smooth, bare skin. He hisses in response, his eyes wild with lust and teetering on the edge of dangerous. “The fuck?” he whispers, almost to himself.
“I just needed a change. For me.”
“For you?” he asks, his words laced with jealousy. He couldn’t possibly be thinking I’d do this for someone else, could he?
“Yes, for me. I needed to feel alive.”
His eyes turn molten. “Baby, I’m going to show you just how alive you are.”
My panties slide down my legs a
nd are tossed somewhere in the room. Before I can even take a breath, his mouth descends on my core. My entire body sparks to life with the first swipe of his tongue. He devours my flesh, licking and sucking, and bringing me right to the edge of an orgasm. I’m a livewire, energy and desire coursing through me recklessly. He slides his tongue into my wetness and gently rolls my clit, causing me to detonate immediately. My thighs clamp around his head as I ride wave after wave of pleasure.