Page 45 of Let Me Love You
Chapter Twelve
Ren stared blankly inside the refrigerator. He’d driven over to Stacey’s around nine in the morning. She’d welcomed him with an eggs benedict breakfast to die for before putting him to work helping install a ceiling fan in the family room. He knew his way around tools and do-it-yourself kind of projects, thanks to his father, so he didn’t mind at all. Any excuse to spend time with her was fine by him.
It had taken them almost three hours to get the fan installed. The light she had on the ceiling had been more complicated to remove than they’d originally thought. They’d worked up a thirst, which was why he stood at the fridge with a silly smile on his face. With work done, cold beers and a dip in the pool with Stacey was on the horizon.
He couldn’t believe the path his life had taken over the last several weeks. It’d been a rollercoaster ride, to say the least. He’d gone from elated, to broken hearted, to frustrated, to head over heels in love. Ever since he’d received the ‘love me’ text from Stacey almost a month ago, things have taken a consistent turn in the right direction.
They still had a lot of work to do, but didn’t every relationship? He’d come to learn that relationships required a lot of time and effort. The riding off into the sunset happily ever after was a fairytale. But the benefits more than outweighed the work itself.
He and Stacey had been dating for a month. During the week, he drove over to her house after the office, not even stopping at the apartment he shared with Tyler. Some days that would be six o’clock. Other days, more like eight in the evening. Working for a large engineering firm didn’t necessarily follow the forty-hour work week schedule depending on the project. But not a day went by he didn’t see her.
They snuggled on the couch and watched an episode ofModern FamilyorOrphan Black, depending on whether they wanted to laugh or tense their muscles. Ren had never been so content as when he wrapped his arms around her, her heart beating against his. They fit perfectly together, physically and otherwise.
On the weekends, they’d go out to dinner, or to the movies, or for a stroll along the beach, whatever her heart desired. They shot pool a few times at the Alehouse with his buddies, who were utterly impressed with her skills on the table, hustling them for some cash. Her sister, Jen, came up for a weekend, showering him with thanks for putting a smile back on Stacey’s face. And his mom welcomed them to dinner on more than one occasion. It had been a little uncomfortable the first time, but Dad did everything he could to ease the anxiety in the room, and the evening had been enjoyable.
The last several weeks had been better than he imagined, even sticking with his no-sex promise. It had been almost two months since they’d had. They’d messed around, kissing and caressing each other. He’d been to second base a couple times, making her come with his fingers. She tested his resolve, slipping her hand down the front of his shorts or wrapping her legs around him in the pool and rubbing against him. Not easy, saying no to her, but he enjoyed exploring the little things, like the ticklish spot on her neck, the curve of her low back, or the way she sighed when he placed a kiss just below her ear. He’d never taken things slow with a woman. Oddly enough, he loved it. He had the distinct impression she enjoyed the chivalrous nature of his promise, too, most of the time.
Bang! Bang!
The knock at the front door forced him out of his reverie. He grabbed two bottles of Corona from the fridge and popped off the bottle caps.
“I got it,” he yelled to Stacey, who had gone to her bedroom to change into her bathing suit.
He walked down the hallway and opened the front door. Not sure what to expect, but it sure wasn’t to see Stacey’s ex-husband, Randy. All six feet and two hundred pounds of asshole. By the look on Randy’s face, eyes round and mouth agape like he’d been about to say something but the words escaped him, he hadn’t expected Ren to answer the door.
“Why’re you answering my door?” Randy sniped, crossing his arms over his chest, which caused his biceps and chest muscles to flex under his blue button-down shirt. Ren, however, couldn’t be happier about the situation. He’d wondered how long it would be before he and Randy came face-to-face. He wanted Randy to know Stacey was his, that he took care of her now. Time for Randy to recognize what he lost, what he threw away.
“It’s my understanding this isn’t your door anymore,” Ren said with a bit of amusement. He wiggled the two Coronas in his hand. “I’m visiting Stacey.”
Randy rolled his eyes, then shook his head in disbelief, and huffed out a breath. His lips drew tight and his hands clenched. “Are you fucking my wife?” He spat the question as if the idea were preposterous.
Ren released a cocky laugh. “She’s not your wife.” Who did this dickhead think he was anyway? First, it’s his door. Now, Stacey’s his wife again.Fuck him.
“You are, aren’t you? You’re fucking her?” Randy ran a hand through his thick, sprinkled with gray, black hair. His agitation was palpable.
“Ren, who’s at the door?” Stacey chimed as she flitted into the hallway in a bikini he’d never seen.Wow!She looked so beautiful it sucked the breath right out of him. Randy gasped.
Her hair, released from its messy bun of earlier, fell into wild waves over her shoulders. The white material of the swimsuit showed off her golden skin from head to toe. The top cupped her breasts snuggly, pushing her cleavage up, and making Ren’s mouth water. Thin pieces of fabric wrapped around her ribcage and connected in the back, making her appear almost tied up. A bolt of lust zinged through him, settling in his groin. His cock sprang to life and his eyes hadn’t even fully devoured her bottoms, which drew attention to the toned curve of her hips and legs. He couldn’t believe she was his. How had he gotten so lucky?
The sound of Randy’s low growl shook Ren out of his lust and made his temperature rise. He’d lost his chance to view her as anything other than his ex. The animalistic sounds fueled a fire in Ren.
“Oh! Randy!” She pulled to a halt in the foyer. Her blue eyes widened to saucers.
“Surprised, Stacey?” he asked, voice full of gravel and accusation.
“What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms over her midsection, as if trying to hide her vulnerability and skin. Ren wished he had a blanket he could throw around her to make her less exposed. Her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment, and he couldn’t tell if she was uncomfortable to be standing there in her bikini or standing there with him.
“I came by to talk to you. To see how you were doing. But I guess the surprise is on me. You’re fucking the neighbor-kid?” He chuckled before shaking his head and giving her the once over. “I mean, I can see why he’s interested. Shit, you’ve never looked better, but he’s a kid. Classy, Stace.”
Stacey blanched.
Kid?They’d come so far on their age difference. If this asshole so much as put an idea in her head that their age was an issue again, Ren would pummel him.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” he snapped, stepping in front of her to shield her from Randy’s view. Anger bubbled through him. He tightened his hand not holding the beers into a fist and clenched his jaw, grinding his molars together in an effort to not punch Randy in the face. He’d been dying to do just that since he heard what he did to Stacey, and the way he talked to her pissed him off. Acting like he still had a say in what she did or that he could lower her self-esteem with a few words. Screw him.
“So, fucking my wife makes you her bodyguard now?” Randy sniggered.
“What about her not being your wife anymore don’t you seem to get? You blew your chance to call her that.”
