Page 132 of Unexpected

“We’reready for the check, thank you,” I told Ronnie, who took away our dessert plates.

Once he turned his back on us, I was touching Hazel. It’d been a long night of trying to keep my hands to myself but having to watch her glow in that damn red dress, I was itching to get my hands on her and that dress off her.

“I’m excited to see what this dress looks like on your bedroom floor,” I whispered into her ear, eliciting a pretty little shiver through her body.

She bit her bottom lip to stifle a smile, and I knew she was thinking the same things I was. My fingers trailed a path up her thigh and under the table where no one could see, and I pushed her dress slightly higher, watching her lips part just barely as I brushed along the inside of her thighs. Her eyes dilated and her breath hitched.

I was planning another orgasm or two for her on our drive home when she cleared her throat and sat up straighter. With a faint blush on her cheeks, she was radiant.

“I’m going to the bathroom before we go,” she said, and I couldn’t tell if it was code forfollow me in the bathroom so we can fuck against the wallor if she just needed to use the restroom.

I chose the former and decided to follow her, hopefully after Ronnie promptly brought our check back.

She scooted around the curve of the table and when she stood to walk down the hallway to the bathroom, I was able to watch her ass sway. That damn dress was going to be the death of me.

I was imagining the many ways I could keep the dress on her, at least for the first couple of times, when Ronnie approached the table sans the bill.

“Mr. Luke, someone has actually paid for your meal. She said she’s a friend of yours and saw you dining together. I forgot her name, but she’s a beautiful young woman with black—oh, there she is now. Hello,” Ronnie said, swiveling his head to look at the woman strutting to the table.

It wasn’t until she was seated that my brain began to comprehend what was happening. She was wearing a blue velvet dress, something eerily similar to Hazel’s, and her straight black hair hung around her face like a shield. But her face was a face I’d only seen in my nightmares over the past three years. A face I would have been fine going my entire life without seeing again.

“Thank you so much, Ronnie. You’ve been such a delight all evening. I’ve made sure to leave you a sizable tip on both of our checks.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Ronnie nod and leave after thanking her profusely. But I didn’t take my eyes off her. At first, I assumed she was an apparition, but Ronnie saw her as well, so that couldn’t be true.

Then the room began to close in around me as she swiveled her gaze back to me and a small smile curled her lips. She crossed her legs and folded her hands into her lap like she was getting comfortable.

She hadn’t changed much in the years since I’d seen her. She still had that air of poisonous cockiness surrounding her and could easily switch from one mask to another. The smile she gave me was nothing like the somewhat genuine smile she gave our waiter.

Beads of sweat formed on my brow, and I realized I hadn’t taken a breath since she slid into the seat Hazel had occupied only minutes earlier.

Hazel. She’d be back soon and the last thing I wanted was for her to see the devil incarnate sitting in front of me.

“What are you doing here?” I seethed. My composure was lost just like it had always been around her; she made me angrier than almost any person could.

She smiled and tilted her head. “It’s been so long, Bear. Is that really any way to greet your wife?”

“You’re not my wife. We’ve been divorced for three fucking years, Valerie. So, I’ll ask again: what the fuck are you doing here? What do you want from me?”

“The same thing I’ve always wanted: I want to make you happy. I’m the only one that can make you happy, Bear.”

I was no longer holding my breath, but each breath felt like my lungs were burning. My whole body itched to get away from her.

“I am happy, but you just can’t stand it because it’s not with you.”

She tsk-tsked and waved her hand like it didn’t matter. “She won’t make you happy like I can, Bear. I know you better than anyone.” I shook my head and she leaned closer. “Of course, I do. We were together for so long and went through so much. I know you have a darkness inside of you that must be fed. I also know exactly when you’ve had enough and need a softer touch. It’s a balance– one I’ve perfected.”

She reached for me like she was going to demonstrate, but I ripped my hand away before she could. The thought of her touching me made bile twist in my stomach.

She brushed off my rejection and returned to her casual posture. Where the hell was Hazel?

“What is it going to take to make you go away for good, huh?”

“You.”

“That’s not how this works, I want you out of my life, not in it.”

She shrugged. “It’s either you give me a second chance, or I never go away. Your sweet new girl was right about one thing: I want to be on your mind. I want you to dream about me, fantasize about me in the shower, and recognize me in everything that you do. It’s always been me, and the quicker you realize that, the quicker things can go back to normal.Ournormal.”

---