Wednesday (Timeless Series #3) Read online

  “The talk?”

  “You know, the one where I say I’ll murder him if he hurts my momma. I think I scared him a bit.”

  I smiled. “You’re such a momma’s boy.”

  “So? I love my mom. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing. I think it’s really cute.”

  “Hey.” He leaned over the table with his arms resting on the tablecloth. “You know what they say, right? Watch the way a man treats his mom, because he’ll treat his lady the same way.”

  “Wise words.”

  He leaned back and took another drink of his wine. “So, I’m a safe bet.”

  “Yeah, but I already knew that.” I’d already had a relationship with Kyle and knew he was perfect in every way imaginable. He treated me right and made me happy. When I dragged him through the mud with my Hawke drama, he still stood beside me. I wish I’d never gone back to Hawke and broken Kyle’s heart. While that relationship was beautiful for a long time, he burned it to the ground. It was all a waste.

  Kyle watched me closely, like he was trying to read my thoughts. “Still think about him sometimes?”

  His words pulled me back to the conversation. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I understand. I did that a lot when I was on dates—thought about you.”

  My eyes softened and my heart ached in a painful way.

  Kyle tried to cheer me up with a smile. “More wine?”

  ***

  Kyle walked me to the door then gripped both of my hips. He faced me head on, his lips dangerously close to mine. Instead of kissing me like I expected, he brushed his nose against mine. “Did you enjoy our date?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Am I going to get a second one?”

  “More than likely.”

  He chuckled then squeezed me gently. “Playing hard to get?”

  “No. Just keeping you on your toes.”

  His arms wrapped around my torso, caging me in like a wild animal. He brought me to his chest then kissed me with aggressive slowness. He took his time feeling my lips, trying to memorize them. One hand slowly snaked into my hair, feeling the curled strands with his fingertips. He kissed me the way any woman wanted to be kissed, with desperation and a little lust. “Are we still on for some hot sex?”

  “I’ve had you booked since yesterday.”

  ***

  Kyle kissed my shoulder as he spooned me from behind. “That was good.”

  “I liked it too.” When he unzipped my dress, Hawke came into my mind. It was difficult not to compare other lovers to him, not when I held him in such high regard. But I had to let that memory of him die—because he was gone forever. Once I pushed him to the back of my mind and locked him away, I focused on Kyle and nothing else.

  “You aren’t going to kick me out, right?”

  “No.”

  “I like this arrangement. I don’t feel like a hot piece of ass anymore.” He kissed my shoulder again, his soft lips caressing my skin.

  I reached behind me and gave his ass a gentle squeeze. “No. You’ll always be a hot piece of ass.”

  He chuckled into my ear. “I can live with that.”

  I pulled the sheets to my shoulder then got comfortable for bed.

  Kyle was still wrapped around me, his chest pressed against my back. His hard muscles tensed with every breath he took. The skin was warm, like an organic heater.

  My phone beeped on the nightstand with a text message from Marie.

  I hope you aren’t reading this because you’re too busy getting laid.

  I smiled before I set the phone down again.

  Kyle pressed his lips to my ear. “Did I ever tell you how much I like her?”

  “Everyone likes her.”

  “Well, I really like her now.”

  ***

  I stood at the stove and prepared the eggs and bacon.

  Kyle came out of the room in just his briefs, his hard chest looking delectable. His hair was messy from rolling around in my bed, and his eyes still contained the crumbs of sleep. “What smells so good?”

  “Breakfast.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s you.” He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. Then he took an exaggerated sniff. “See? I knew I was right.” He gave me a quick kiss on the neck before he poured himself a cup of coffee.

  “Wow. I haven’t even showered.”

  “That’s why.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  I set the hot pans aside then carried the plate of food to the table. We sat together then ate quietly. I didn’t work on the weekends even though it was the busiest time of the week. I only went in to decorate cakes, but there wasn’t an order for that Sunday.

  Kyle devoured his food. “You can do more than bake cookies.”

  “Thanks.” I pulled out my phone and checked my emails.

  Kyle kept staring at me from across the table. “Interesting necklace.”

  My hand immediately went to the locket around my throat. I hadn’t taken it off since the day Hawke gave it to me. Every time I tried, I just couldn’t do it. Despite the way he hurt me, I still treasured that memory. The past caused me pain but I couldn’t forget about it—not when it was so beautiful. “Uh, thanks.”

  Kyle continued to eye it but didn’t say anything else.

  When I didn’t give him any details, he probably figured it out on his own.

  “You have plans for the day?”

  “Just laying around in my pajamas. Axel and Marie might come over. They usually stop by on Sundays.” Not that I needed their company anymore. I was in a good place.

  “Cool. Do you need someone to lay around with?”

  “Sure. I feel less lazy when someone does it with me.”

  “Oh, we won’t be lazy.” He gave me a dramatic wink.

  “Why do you still do that?”

  “Because it’s cute.”

  “Not really.”

  He reached under the table and gave me a quick tickle. “Whatever. You know it’s cute.”

  “Do not.” I slapped his hand away.

  “The next time we get it on, I’m going to do it. And you’re going to come.”

  “I really doubt it…”

  “Then let’s find out.” He scooped me out of the chair and carried me back to the bedroom.

  I kicked my feet in protest but didn’t want to go back to the kitchen anyway. Having sex with a hunky guy, even if he did wink in the middle of it, was better than breakfast—hands down.

  Gossip

  Francesca

  As soon as lunchtime rolled around on Monday, Marie was in the kitchen at The Muffin Girl. “You never texted me back.” She wore a designer dress with cute pumps. She worked for a fashion magazine as an editor but she looked as good as all the models. “Which means you were too busy to text me back.”

  I just pulled a batch of muffins out of the oven. “You caught me.”

  She took a seat beside the counter and prepared herself for story time. “From the top.”

  “Isn’t your lunch break only an hour?”

  “So what? I’ll say I got mugged or something.”

  I removed each muffin with a set of metal tongs. “Kyle and I had a great time. We went out to dinner and got some ice cream—”

  “And had some great sex?” She snatched the muffin I just removed and peeled away the wrapper.

  “I don’t like to kiss and tell but...yeah.”

  “Yes!” She fist-pumped the air before she took a bite. “Kyle is a great guy.”

  “He is.”

  “I’m so glad you guys hit it off.”

  “He’s exactly the same as he used to be, as am I.”

  “You’re going to see him again?”

  “I think so.”

  She picked off pieces of the muffin and shoved them into her mouth. “He’s still amazing in bed?”

  “Actually, he’s even a little better. Learned some new moves.”

  “Lucky you.” She squeezed my forearm affectionat
ely.

  Marie was desperate for me to be happy, and now that I was, she was in the clouds. “Personally, I love Kyle. He’s handsome, sweet, smart—and he’s got a great body.”

  “I won’t tell Axel you said that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “He’s too sensitive about that kind of stuff. If I even glance at a guy, he sticks out his chest and acts like I’m about to upgrade.”

  “I think it’s cute. He’s so into you—even though the honeymoon phase is over.”

  She stared at the muffin in her fingers, a smile on her lips. “Yeah…you’re right.”

  Once the tray was empty, I poured the new batter inside. “What did you guys do last night?”

  “You know, boring married stuff.”

  I knew she downplayed her happiness with Axel. She started doing that the moment Hawke viciously dumped me.

  “So, you’re going to go out with Kyle again, right?”

  “Yeah. We had a great time.”

  “Perfect.” She finished the muffin then wiped her fingers clean. “Well, I should get back to work.”

  “So, you get your free muffin then take off?”

  “I mostly filled up on gossip, but yeah.” She blew me a kiss then walked out.

  ***

  “You’re super in shape.” Kyle jogged beside me through the park.

  “Thanks. It took me a long time to build up the endurance.”

  “Fit chick—I like it.”

  I kept up his pace as we jogged down the trail through the park. When I told him I was going for a jog, he immediately volunteered to join me. “I didn’t think you were the running type—just a bodybuilder.”

  “No. Cardio is important too. I just don’t do as much of it.”

  After we finished the sixth mile, we slowed to a brisk walk.

  “When is your next marathon?”

  “I don’t know. The last one was pretty brutal.”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure you did great.”

  “I definitely didn’t win—or was even close.”

  “Well, I’d be surprised if you did. Unless you’re training for the Olympics, that would be difficult.”

  I placed my hands on my hips as I walked, breathing through the distant cramp in my side. “I used to hate running but now I actually like it.”

  “What changed?” He wasn’t as out of breath as I was.

  “I don’t know. I guess I just needed some fresh air.” Or a distraction so I wouldn’t think about the way Hawke broke my heart. Keeping myself busy was the best way to forget about him. With every passing month, it got easier and easier. I didn’t think about it at all anymore.

  “You want to go to a karaoke bar tonight?”

  “What?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Yeah, we’ll sing some stupid love songs together. It’ll be fun.”

  “You’ll have to get me crazy drunk if you want that to happen.”

  He nudged me in the side. “Deal.”

  Haunted

  Hawke

  I never went to my mother’s house as I planned. For some reason, Francesca’s relocation jolted me. She changed apartments, and I didn’t even know about it. While I hid away and licked my wounds, things had changed. This entire time I thought she was accessible, living her life in the same way.

  But she moved.

  I still couldn’t figure out why it bothered me so much.

  Was she supposed to tell me? Did I expect her to?

  I had no right to expect anything from her.

  I had a particularly good week at work—in terms of revenue. I invested a lot of money into a new bioengineering company, and almost overnight, I quadrupled my clients’ money. When they made a gain, I made a gain. Plus, I had some of my own money in there as well.

  But that didn’t mean much to me.

  Tony came into my office at the end of the day. “We’re going out to celebrate. You coming?”

  I didn’t see myself as their boss—per se. I was more of a delegator. If I didn’t go out with them, I’d just be sitting at home alone. Like always, I would stare at my window and watch the lights of the city come alive as the sun set. My thoughts would mull over things I couldn’t change. My mind would go insane if I didn’t focus on something else. “Sure.”

  ***

  “A karaoke bar?” I asked in surprise. This wasn’t their usual scene. They preferred quiet places where they could drink a scotch and scope out the talent.

  “Yeah,” Tony said. “This is the place.”

  “Were you planning on singing?” I asked, amused.

  “Hell no,” he said. “But the chicks get really drunk just so they can sing on stage. After they make that mistake, they look for another.”

  “Sounds like you’ve thought this through.”

  “Definitely.”

  We walked inside and headed to a large table in the corner. There was already a couple on stage singing a love duet. They were in my peripheral. When we got to the table, I ordered a beer, deciding to start light.

  “I got you, babe.” The guy and the girl sang together, their voices in harmony. They didn’t sound like professionals but it seemed like they were having fun. The girl laughed into the microphone and kept singing.

  That laugh was familiar.

  I turned to the stage in curiosity. My eyes weren’t ready for what I saw. Francesca held the microphone with both hands and swayed side-to-side with the music. She was looking at her singing partner.

  Kyle.

  One of the guys said something to me but I couldn’t make out his words. Everything blurred together. My vision became distorted and my heart started to ache. The music kept playing in the background, sounding like Satan’s song. Heat scorched through my body, making my temperature rise to a painful level.

  “I’ve got you, babe.”

  Their voices kept playing over the speakers. Kyle watched Francesca with affection in his eyes, loving her with just a simple look.

  “I’ve got you, babe.”

  Please be a nightmare.

  Can I wake up now?

  Pain. Agony. Rage.

  The song ended—thankfully. And incoherent voices became the background noise.

  Kyle grabbed Francesca and did something that made me want to hurl. He dipped her dramatically then kissed her, making the crowd clap and whistle. He pulled her back up and gave her a smile.

  Her cheeks were red in embarrassment but she smiled like she enjoyed it.

  She smiled.

  They hopped off the stage and returned to their table. Sitting with them were Axel and Marie, and they both seemed to be having a good time. Kyle put his arm over the back of her chair then took a drink of his beer. Axel said something that made everyone laugh.

  And I died inside.

  New Beginnings

  Francesca

  Kyle lay beside me in bed, naked and wrapped up in his sheets. We stayed at his place because it was much fancier than my upgraded apartment. It was big enough for a family and sleek enough for a wealthy man like himself.

  “Sleep with me.” He wrapped one arm around my waist while he looked me in the eye.

  I had to work early in the morning but I didn’t want to leave either. “I don’t know if I should. I wake up at five.”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  “When the alarm goes off, it’ll wake you up.”

  “I don’t care. I’ll fall back asleep after you leave.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely.” He pressed his face into my chest and kissed the valley between my breasts.

  “Then I’ll stay.”

  “Good.” He pulled away and rested his face close to mine, his eyes still open. After several minutes of silence, he spoke. “There’s something I have to ask you. And just know there isn’t a wrong answer.”

  I already knew what it was. “Okay.”

  “What happened with Hawke? You said he was your soul mate and everything and then…you just break up. That sounds a little
crazy to me. How do two people who love each other the way you did just call it quits?”

  That wasn’t an easy question to answer. “It’s complicated…”

  “I’m prepared.”

  I hadn’t talked about it in so long that it felt strange to bring it up now. I was picking at an old wound that finally scabbed over. “Hawke has always had a problem controlling his anger. He had a rough childhood and could never really cope with it.”

  “He hit you?” His eyes immediately smoldered in rage, and his muscles tensed in preparation to take off and hunt him down.

  “No. Never.”

  He calmed down again.

  “He had an alcoholic father that beat up both him and his mother. He left the house the moment he turned eighteen but his mother refused to come with him. Years went by, and she would call him every time things got bad. He would protect her, but every time he tried to take her away, she refused to leave. No matter what Hawke’s father did to her, she always forgave him.

  “Years went by and we met. I fell in love with him immediately but he kept me at a distance. After dancing around for months, he finally told me why we couldn’t be together, because he was afraid he was just like his father, violent, scary, and abusive. Of course, he was none of those things.

  “We fell in love anyway and we were happy together. But when his father put his mother in the hospital, Hawke flipped out. He left me because he feared he would do the same thing to me—nearly kill me.”

  Kyle hung on to every word without interrupting me.

  “We got back together, as you know. We were happy together for nearly a year. But then his mother died.”

  Sadness filled his eyes. “Was it his dad?”

  I nodded. “When that happened, Hawke was never the same. He fell off the ledge and was engulfed in darkness. He pushed me away and refused to let me in. He erected steel walls around himself, completely closed off. He said a lot of mean things to me. Then he left me without a backward glance.”

  “Shit…”

  “That was six months ago.”

  “I’m sorry.” Despite his feelings for me, he seemed sincere.

  “I told him I wouldn’t put up with it. If he really walked away from me, I would never take him back—no matter what. He was in a lot of pain but that didn’t mean he could throw me around like a toy. But my threats didn’t mean anything to him. He still walked out on me.”