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I’d taken my earbuds out halfway through the run, enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing and the gulls crying over the hard beat of the music I usually ran to.
It had been a week since the reunion, and I hadn’t seen Presley once in that time. And that wasn’t for lack of looking. When I was out, I had my eyes peeled. I was starting to grow anxious. Sure, I had a new job I was focused on, one I wanted to do well, one that took up a hell of a lot more of my time than I’d initially expected, but it would have been a lie if I said she wasn’t a large part of the reason I’d decided to set my roots backin Whitecap after having dug them up so many years ago. I could have found a place closer to the university, in one of the other small towns that bordered the one I’d grown up in. Butshewas here. And after so many years of wanting her but having to keep her at arm’s length, I was finally at a point in my life where no one else could dictate what I did or who I was with.
I wanted her, goddamn it, and I wasfinallygoing to take my shot if it fucking killed me.
My mind filled with memories of Presley Fields as I pushed myself harder, ran faster. My running shoes sank into the sand with each pounding step and that twinge in my shoulder made itself known with each swing of my arms, but I’d grown used to the discomfort, accepting that it was just a part of my life now. My shoulder had healed. It might not have been good as new, but it was as good as it was going to get, so I’d have to deal because there was no way in hell I was havinganothersurgery on the damn thing.
I pushed the twinge to the back of my mind and focused on thoughts of Presley and how she’d looked the night of the reunion. She’d changed so much, yet somehow stayed true to the girl I’d known, the one I fixated on for so many years.
I spent an embarrassing amount of time stroking my cock to the images of her in that red dress and heels over the past several days, each time coming harder than I had in a really long time. I fucked my fist to Presley Fields on the backs of my eyelids so much, it was a wonder my dick wasn’t chafed.
But, God, she’d really taken my breath away that night. She’d always been beautiful. Most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes on, but seeing her all grown up for the first time... well, she was something else. All curves, long toned legs, and smooth, creamy skin. I wanted to mark that perfect skin, sink my teeth in and turn it pink so everyone could see who she belonged to. Then Iwanted to strip her bare and mark the places only my eyes were allowed to see.
I pushed myself harder, faster, hoping to work off some of the sexual frustration coursing through my blood since that goddamn reunion. I felt like I was coming out of my skin, and it was taking everything I had not to track Presley down. That would probably freak her out, and I had enough working against me as it was. The last thing I needed was to scare her into getting a restraining order against me.
By the time I took the boardwalk from the beach back to my house, my legs were shaking so hard it was a wonder I could stay upright. I hadn’t pushed myself like that in a long time, but the exhaustion in my muscles felt damn good.
I was looking forward to a hot shower to loosen up before I had to get ready for work. But when I rounded the curve to my driveway, I noticed a car I didn’t recognize sitting in front of my house. The black luxury sedan didn’t have a speck of dirt on it, the pristine paint job gleaming beneath the early morning sun.
I slowed to a jog, then finally a walk, never taking my eyes off the car. As I reached into the pocket of my hoodie and pulled out my keys, the driver side door opened and the tension I’d been carrying in my shoulders and neck melted away.
My mom beamed at me as she held her arms out wide. “There’s my boy,” she greeted, wrapping her arms around me and yanking me down into a bone-squeezing hug the moment I got close enough. “Oh, honey. It’s so good to see you.”
“You too, Mom,” I said as I lifted back to my full height, grinning down at her.
“It’s been too long.” I chuckled and shook my head. Leave it to her to lay on the mom guilt within seconds. “Way too long.”
A twinge of guilt moved through me. I hadn’t exactly been the best son when it came to my mother. I’d been so focused on getting the hell away from my old man, that once I made thatmy reality, I didn’t look back. I’d offered more than once to fly her to Arizona for a visit, but only if she came alone, something she wasn’t willing to do. Despite knowing exactly how big an asshole my father was, she never stopped pushing me to, in her words, mend fences. Something I had no intention of ever doing. It was probably the biggest thing we argued about. Even with me moving back, I’d shot down her countless invitations to come over for a visit, refusing to set foot in the same space as that man.
“I know. And I’m sorry. I’m trying to get settled here, but I planned on calling once I got all unpacked. Maybe have you over for dinner or something. But I still have boxes everywhere.”
“Yes, well, I suppose it’s the thought that counts,” she said with an arched brow and a knowing look as she patted my cheek none too softly. “Boxes or not, I’d still like to see my son. You have time to invite your mom in for a cup of coffee?”
I didn’t, but I’d make it anyway. “Of course I do,” I told her, flinging an arm around her shoulders and leading her up my front porch. “Come on in. Don’t mind the mess.”
I led her inside and into the kitchen. To keep from going insane, I’d decided to unpack one room at a time, and the kitchen was the one I’d started with, so it was by far the cleanest. She took a seat on one of the high back barstools my assistant had purchased on my behalf. In fact, most of the new furniture in this place was chosen by her. I hadn’t had the time to do it myself—or the desire, really. I didn’t give a single shit about interior design. My philosophy was, as long as it was comfortable and not butt ugly, what did I care?
“Oh, Beau. This is such a lovely home,” she said as she looked around while I went about starting the coffee maker. “But I don’t understand why you don’t just hire someone to come in and finish unpacking.”
“Because I’ve had my fill of strangers traipsing through my place. What with the movers, the guys from the furniturecompany, and the people who set up the alarm system. It was too much. This is my space, it’s basically the one place I have where I can kick back and relax, and I’m tired of having other people in it,” I explained.
She drummed her fingers on the sleek porcelain countertop and let out a thoughtful hum. “Okay, then I’ll do it. Problem solved.” She held her hands up like she was a genius. “I’m hardly a stranger, after all.”
That was true, but the thought of my mom being in my space day in and day out was, well, if I was being honest, a bit of a nightmare. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my mother like crazy. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for her. But to say she was pushy would have been an understatement of laughable proportions. And it wasn’t only the pushiness that made me hesitate. It was also that she’d have an opinion abouteverything, from what I owned to where I put it, and as far as she was concerned, her way wasn’t just the best way, it was theonlyway. That was the very last thing I needed to deal with when shit in my life was still so damn chaotic from basically starting my life over.
“I appreciate the offer, Mom. Really. But I got this. Honestly, I don’t mind the boxes so much. I barely see them anymore.”
The coffee gurgled and sputtered, the stream thinning out as the pot filled. I pulled two mugs from the cabinet beside the fridge and set them on the counter.
“Sweetie, you really should have those in the cabinet right above the coffee maker, don’t you think? It’s much more convenient.”
I took the moment when my back was to her to roll my eyes. Like I said... opinionated.
“Yeah, sure, Mom. You’re probably right,” I placated as I filled the mugs. “Milk and sugar?”
“Two splashes, please. No sugar.”
“You got it.” I made quick work of preparing her coffee how she liked it and slid it across the island to her.
