More Than a Memory Read online

  Once her fingers touched and circled her clit, her eyes closed and I released a deep throaty growl. I loosened my grip on my dick, letting go of it completely, and still felt it pulsate just watching her pleasure herself. In a flash I darted towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her on top of me through the rocking waves in the water.

  “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen before,” I said as I smoothed back a few strands of hair from her face.

  “I’ve never done that in front of another person before,” she tried to hide her face as she said it, but then looked directly into my eyes, “I felt sexy doing it for you.”

  “You should always feel sexy, Eden, and if you don’t then the man isn’t doing his job. In my eyes, baby, you are the epitome of sexy, nothing could ever top it.”

  A fire ignited in her eyes and she was on me in a flash, her hands cupping my face, her lips on mine, and her legs braced tightly on the outside of mine against the ceramic tub.

  One of her hands left my face and in no time I felt it wrap around my dick and guide it into her entrance. Once my tip was in she quickly slammed herself down onto me, impaling my dick into her pussy. She released an orgasmic scream as she began rising and lowering herself repeatedly onto me. Her hands were gripped onto my shoulder and that gave me the perfect opportunity to take her impeccable plump breasts into my hands, which only caused her screams to grow.

  “Oh Baylor, I need it,” she moaned, increasing her speed.

  “Eden, take whatever you need, I’m yours.” I was giving her free rein, but I didn’t think she knew that I meant it in every sense of the word. It was amazing to see her lose complete control while riding me; head tilted back, taking whatever she wanted.

  “Call me Edie!”

  I sat up from my relaxed position and tilted her head forward so we were almost nose to nose. “Oh, Edie, baby,” I breathed, giving into her request. I engulfed her breasts with my hands and angled my head down to cover a nipple with my mouth, biting gently, which garnered another scream of pleasure from her.

  My release was building again and much stronger than before but Eden never faltered on her speed of riding me. I reached down and circled her clit with my thumb, trying to move things along for her and she threw her head back once again while her inner walls contracted around me pushing me right over the edge with her.

  This orgasm was so powerful and packed such a punch I could’ve sworn that I saw stars behind my eyelids and it was equally as strong for Eden as she immediately collapsed onto my chest. We sat that way for several minutes until I reached down with my foot to unplug the tub and let some of the cooler water out so I could refill it with warm. “Hey, baby,” I said as I rubbed lightly down Eden’s spine.

  “Huh?” She responded. Her lips were on my chest so it vibrated my entire torso and came out as more of a grunt.

  “Why don’t you turn around and lean back against me?” She waited a moment before complying. I grabbed ahold of her shoulders and leaned forward to dump some bubble bath into the running hot water and to plug up the tub again before resuming our relaxed positions. Once the water had passed our knees I lifted my foot to push the nozzle down and turn the water completely off, then closed my eyes to revel in the feel of Eden’s back pressed against me.

  She was lying completely still and I almost thought that she had fallen asleep until she reached across her body to grab one of my hands opposite hers and intertwine our fingers together. I took my free hand and shoveled some water onto her stomach to make sure that she wasn’t beginning to get cold.

  “Baylor?” she finally spoke up and said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you ever regret not going into architecture?”

  I released a deep sigh, “Do I regret it? Yes and no, I suppose. I really don’t mind being a plumber and I’m good at it, plus it helps out my family so that’s what really matters to me. Do I miss it? Absolutely. I sometimes just sit and look at a structure and try to break everything down to see why the architect designed it the way that they did.”

  “I actually did that at Tillie’s. I was trying to admire the wooden beams and how they added to the overall ambiance of the tavern. I tried to think of it the way you would have.”

  “Do you like being a radio DJ?”

  She didn’t have to think of how she would answer, “I absolutely love it. I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else. My cohost Blaine and I have such an amazing rapport with one another. The banter between us is easy and flawless.” I couldn’t help the jealous feeling that had come over me. I wanted to warn this Blaine to stay clear away from Eden, but then I remembered that one, it wouldn’t do me any good to go all he-man over him and two, I had absolutely no grounds to do so. Eden wasn’t mine, as much as it pained me to even think. She was leaving in just a matter of days and my life would go back to normal; going to work each and every day and taking care of Norah. If only Eden could be written into my normal.

  “Oh, Baylor, don’t be getting all jealous again. Blaine is more like a brother to me than anything. I mean, I do see and interact with him more than any other human being, but it’s strictly platonic, I assure you.”

  I raised a hand in surrender, thanking my lucky stars that she couldn’t actually read my face at that time, “You don’t have to defend your relationship with Blaine to me.”

  “Ok…Well, can I ask you about something?”

  “You can ask me about anything, always,” I assured her.

  “Has anything ever happened between you and Maisie?”

  I started coughing because that question totally blindsided me and came from left field. I needed to tread carefully and be cautious of how I chose my answer. “Uh…Maisie and I had something very briefly, but if you’re asking if I’ve ever slept with her then no. Does she wish more had happened between us than what really had? Yes, and she chooses to remind me every time I run into her.”

  She became silent once again and I could almost picture her face, mulling over what I had just revealed. Evidently she decided to drop it because she changed the subject. “I absolutely love this tub. It’s so luxurious and I like the fact that we both fit.” She took her hands and started running them up and down my thighs that were placed on the outside of her body. I took the opportunity to run my own sudsy hands up and down her arms in a soothing motion.

  “I love this tub too. When I bought the house it wasn’t here but once I walked into the bathroom I knew it would work perfectly. And right now I’m very glad that I made the decision to purchase it.” I nipped a bit at the shell of her ear for emphasis, which in turn caused her to shiver in delight. My dick started to stir about again and began pushing even more against her backside. I was holding my breath hoping that she wouldn’t be disgusted and was rewarded by a light squeal as she wriggled her ass against my cock. I travelled my hands up along her arms until I reached her shoulders and then began my descent down to her breasts. I held each mound in the palm of my hands and fondled each with the slightest of pressure until she urged me on with a long moan. “You’re biting your lip, aren’t you?” I asked. I didn’t even have to see her face to know that she was expressing her excitement through habit.

  “I am…”

  “God,” I groaned, “I fucking love it when you do that, I want to bite it for you.”

  All was quiet for a moment until she challenged me, “Well, what’s stopping you?”

  That was it. I gently lifted her up off of me so I could stand up in the tub and hoist her over my shoulder, then I stepped out of my bathtub and marched out of the bathroom and into my bedroom.

  “What are you doing?” she squealed with amusement.

  “You were daring me, so I’m cashing in on that challenge.” I tossed her back onto my bed and was promptly hovering over her, more specifically her mouth. “I’m going to bite that fucking delectable lip of yours, and you’re going to love it.”

  Her eyes grew wide as they dilated in response to my sexua
l promise to come. I had never really intended to come across with alpha-like tendencies but I wasn’t about to back down when she once again pulled her sultry lip in between her teeth.

  Wet bodies be damned, but I didn’t give one ounce of concern to my sopping sheets because hopefully Eden would soon be equally as soaked once I really got started with her.

  When I lowered my head towards hers she waited until the last possible second to release her lip before mine descended on hers. I pressed my closed lips to hers before she opened her mouth to me, allowing my tongue to dive in. Our tongues dueled over whose could be the leader and before I relented to her I drew my head back with her pouty bottom lip in between my teeth and tugged on it which in turn caused her to release a throaty growl.

  That night we ended up having to sleep on the couch due to my sheets and mattress being soaked. Wished I would’ve thought ahead earlier, but with being so wrapped up in the moment who could blame me?

  So Eden was tucked into my side with her head on my arm, using it as her own personal pillow once again. I could really picture us doing this for fifty years to come. Being that Sunday was coming closer each minute I didn’t want to think about the inevitable. I could tell that she was asleep by her even breaths but I knew that sleep wouldn’t come easy for me that night.

  My mind began to wander, trying to picture how things would play out between the two of us. I didn’t want that week to be the end of us but I didn’t really know how to approach the subject. She had been very clear saying that she was under contract back in Nashville at her job, not to mention she had her whole life there. Would she make an effort to visit here more often? Would she be cool with the idea of Norah and me coming to Tennessee to visit? All these questions looming around in my head and I didn’t know the answer to a single one of them. I didn’t like not knowing how things would play out and I wasn’t patient enough to let things land as they may. I guessed my best option was to confront her about it and I made the decision to do so on Sunday morning when I took her to the airport. Although, I realized that she had never really acknowledged my request to be the one to drop her off, so perhaps I needed a plan B as well.

  Eden wiggled a bit in her sleep and it caused me to stop playing things out in my head and focus on being in the moment with her, even if it was just watching her sleep. I smoothed back her chestnut hair out of her face and pressed the lightest of kisses on her cheek before laying back and trying to drift off to sleep.

  Driving down the road on my way to pick up Eden for our fifteen year reunion, I felt like I was about to pick my date up for prom. My palms were sweaty and my hands were shaking, which could be attributed to the wrapped gift box that I had lying in the passenger seat.

  I hadn’t even felt that nervous when I asked Kristina to marry me; we did it because it seemed like the logical next step in our relationship since she was pregnant with Norah at the time. Maybe the feeling didn’t materialize because in the back of my mind I knew she wasn’t the one for me. Man, if I had only listened to my gut.

  Passing by all of the beautiful green trees that were lined on each side of the highway, I started to think back to the day before and how comfortable Eden was with my mom.

  This time Eden picked me up from my house in her father’s car and we drove through the winding roads all the way to my childhood home. It surprised me that she remembered the exact way to go, even taking a few of the back roads. Sitting in the passenger seat, I was able to focus all of my attention on her as she drove. At one point she had her hand resting on the gear shift, just looking so enticing so I grasped it in my clutch and brought it to my lips. I took my time kissing the indentions between her knuckles and the entire area of the back of her hand. The blush that crept across her face was one that I would never grow tired of seeing. If I had to I would come up with new ways to make her feel cherished just so I could see the pink tinge on her cheeks.

  Arriving at my house, Eden put the car in park and just sat unmoving behind the wheel while looking at the front door. I knew exactly what was going through her mind right then and I wished that there was something that I could do to change it. The last time she was here Kristina answered the door and dropped a huge bombshell on Eden, and as it turned out it was one that wasn’t even truthful. She very quickly replaced her mask of disappointment to one of excitement; even if it was all just a ploy I was thankful for the sudden mood change.

  We walked hand in hand up the driveway and I opened the front door for her, allowing her to enter before me. “Ma, are you home?” Silly to say I know since her car was parked in the driveway, but it’d been something that I’ve said for as long as I could remember.

  She came into the living room from the kitchen while wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “Of course I’m home, where else would I be?” My mother, Stella, looked from me to Eden and her eyes lit up like it was Christmastime and she had just gotten the present that she had always wanted. “Eden? Eden, is that you?” Mom pushed her glasses from the bridge of her nose back into her hair so she could get a better view without the hindrance of readers. Walking towards Eden she opened her arms to pull her in for a hug and Eden reciprocated without hesitation. Eden clung to my mother while Mom patted her on the back, “Eden, how are you, sweetheart? It has been far too long.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Jenkins, I’m doing great, wonderful actually,” Eden replied while giving a little wink in my direction.

  Mom pulled away from the hug but held onto Eden’s hands, “Well, let me take a look at ya,” she said while scoping out her appearance from head to toe. “Time has treated you well, Eden. More than I could say for that monster Kristina,” she huffed. If my mother and Eden had only one thing in common it would be their outright disgust for Kristina. That should’ve been my first clue all those years ago, anyone my momma didn’t like had to have been bad news.

  “Baylor, I have a cobbler in the oven that needs to be pulled out, can you see to that for me?” she asked, not even looking in my direction as she dragged Eden to sit next to her on the couch. And just like that I was forgotten. Mom was always fond of Eden while we were growing up. She wouldn’t just let any girl up into my room, she had to be special and trustworthy. And although nothing scandalous ever happened between Eden and myself behind those closed doors, you don’t know how many times I had dreamed and even fantasized about it.

  Once I took out the fresh peach cobbler from the oven I went back towards the living room and just leaned against the doorframe to watch the two of them interact. It was as if I wasn’t even there peering in on their conversation, and the way they easily chatted back and forth was almost as if no time had passed at all since their last encounter. Eden used to be the daughter my mother had always wanted. Between my brother and me and adding Dean into the mix, having Eden around was always a breath of fresh air for her. Mom would get the itch to go shopping and Eden would gladly volunteer or if she had a new recipe to try out Eden was always first in line. Now Mom had Norah to do those things with, but the smile that was overtaking my mother’s mouth made me realize just how much she had missed having Eden around as well.

  I was brought out of my thoughts by arriving at Eden’s house. This time I was going to beat her to the door so I could use some of my gentlemanly charm. I got out of the Camaro and hustled up the drive and rang her doorbell. Several seconds passed before her dad answered the door. “Mr. Richardt,” I greeted him with a smile on my face expecting him to return the gesture but no such luck. His face remained stoic as he held the door open for me and waited for me to enter. I always remembered that Mr. Richardt was a man of few words but I didn’t ever remember the sourpuss expressions he gave. I assumed that any minute I would learn the reason for his troubled countenance.

  “Baylor,” he acknowledged as he sat down on his La-Z-Boy recliner. “Boy, what are your intentions with my daughter?”

  A real subtle cough escaped while I cleared my throat. How was it any of his business what my intentions were? Maybe I should tell
him that if it were up to me I’d talk Eden into quitting her job and moving back to Oregon and in with me, but I would also make an honest woman out of her. Alas I didn’t, I took the easy way out and one that would keep all of my appendages in full functioning order. “Whatever Eden wants them to be, sir. I know she doesn’t live here anymore, I’m just thankful for the time I’m getting to spend with her. They have truly been some of the best days.” Ok, so I went for the sappy route, but it didn’t mean that it all wasn’t true. It was more than the truth, it was my feelings from deep inside my heart—my heart that Kristina had smashed when she walked out on our daughter, the same one that Eden could heal with just a single glance.

  “Daddy, would you leave poor Baylor alone,” she lectured as she rounded down the stairs into the living room. When I got the full look of her dress, I felt as if I needed to pick up my jaw from the floor and try to find a way to retrieve my swallowed tongue. She was a complete vision in a maroon deep-cut sleeveless minidress. I wasn’t a big fan of shorter dresses but Eden rocked it. She had on a pair of gold metallic high heels and I lacked for appearance in comparison. She had absolutely gone all out for this reunion, as she definitely should.

  “Eden,” I whispered, adding, “you look absolutely stunning.” I moved from my place on the couch towards her, offering out my arm for her to grab ahold of. She threaded her arm through mine and looked back at now both of her parents as her mother appeared next to her father. “Don’t wait up.”

  The closer we got to my car the more nervous I was becoming once again. I opened the passenger side door allowing her to slide into the seat and I quickly rounded the front of the hood. I knew that once she went to buckle her seatbelt she would find the gift box. I just hoped that she wouldn’t throw it back in my face.

  I slid into my own seat and fired up the engine before I even chanced a peek at her. She was holding the box wrapped in gold paper adorned with the same color bow on top, “What is this?” she asked looking every bit of surprised.