Everything She Never Wanted

Chapter 17

17

Cynthia never wanted to move. She wanted to stay right where she was forever. In Henry’s bed, in his arms. The one thing she’d always kept from him was his. He always held a piece of her heart, but now he had her body as well. And she never handed that over easily.

When he finally shifted off her, she nearly cried at the loss of him. He rolled off the edge of the bed and went into his bathroom. Through the cracked door, she could hear him moving around but couldn’t see him. The toilet flushed, and he came back, still gloriously n***d and half hard.

She wanted him again.

Cynthia never thought of herself as particularly good in bed. She knew she was good enough, but she was always anxious about what the guy would think. With Henry, she didn’t care, just enjoyed the feel of him, and it was a completely different experience. One she couldn’t wait to repeat.

Henry swept her up into his arms and scooted her higher onto his bed. He stretched out next to her, tugging a sheet over both of them. He kissed her forehead and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close to him. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. She felt the same thing. A connection. A shift. There was something new between them. Something that hadn’t been there before.

And there was no way in the world she was walking away from it.

Henry’s breathing slowed and deepened. Cynthia listened to him sleep for a few minutes, the soft sound of his breath lulling her to sleep. The last thing she remembered was thinking her mother was right.

Henry woke her up three times during the night. The first time his tongue was on her c**t when she woke up. The second time it was his fingers. And the third, well the third time it was his c**k between her legs.

She’d never slept so little and felt so amazing in her life. When she heard him in the shower, she couldn’t resist joining him again. She dug a c****m out of his drawer and took it with her to the bathroom. When she climbed in the shower and showed him what she brought, a sexy grin turned his lips up.

Henry rolled the c****m down his length and reached between her thighs. He groaned. “f**k me, you’re wet,” he growled in her ear. “Did you wake up thinking about me f*****g you all night long?”

“Yes,” she moaned, spreading her legs wider. “I want you again.”

“You’re a greedy woman, aren’t you? Five times in one night? I’ve never f****d anyone this much before.”

“Please, Henry.”

He spun her, pressing her face against the cool tile. He kicked her feet apart and leaned against her back. His c**k slipped between her a*s cheeks and she moaned.

“I think you like me playing with your a*s. Have you ever had a man touch you there before me?”

Cynthia shook her head.

“Good. I like knowing I’m the only one who’s ever made you come like that. The only one who’s ever touched you there. I’m going to touch you there again,” he groaned, thrusting his c**k up and down, not entering her, but driving her crazy. “And one day I’m going to f**k you there, Cynthia. I think you’re going to love that.”

“Please, Henry,” she whimpered, barely able to stop herself from reaching between her own legs for a release.

He spun them, turning her away from the wall to face the back of the shower. His hand skimmed up her spine, pressing her down until she was bent fully at the waist. Then his hands went to her hips.

“I like this view. Are you ready for me?” He dipped a finger between her legs to check and moaned. “Oh, yeah, you are. Put your hands on the wall.” She did as he asked. “Just like that. f**k yeah.”

He slid into her slowly, his c**k hitting all the right places on the way in. Cynthia groaned when he was fully seated inside her. She’d never had a man so deep. She wasn’t going to last long with him rubbing her g-spot, and she f*****g loved it.

His strokes were slow and strong, ramping up her body with each one. She pushed back into him as he thrust into her, finding a rhythm that drove her crazy. His hands smoothed over her a*s, then spread her cheeks wide. A finger, or maybe a thumb, circled her hole there, and she lost control.

Their skin slapped together, echoed by the water and the tile surrounding them. Cynthia tried to spread her feet wider, but was restricted by the sides of the tub. Henry’s thumb pressed into her, and she lost it. She screamed, his name bouncing off the walls and echoing back in her ears. He f****d her harder, slamming against her, nearly ramming her into the shower wall. His thumb toyed with her more, then he bent and stroked her c**t with his other hand, and she lost it again. She moaned, she screamed, she swore she cried.

Then Henry came. He thrust in deep, deep enough that she could feel him pulse with each squirt into her. He collapsed onto her back, his one hand pinned between them. She knew she couldn’t hold him up for long, but she didn’t want him to let her go.

Way too soon, he stood. He eased out of her, thumb and c**k. She was sore but felt amazing. She turned to look at Henry, surprised when she found him studying her. She stretched up to kiss him, loving how easy it was to be with him.

They finished their shower then dried off and dressed. Henry offered her clean clothes to wear, but she just tugged hers from the night before back on. She could run home and change on her way to work. He slipped into jeans that hung off his hips and a long-sleeved Amavita Estates t-shirt that fit well across his chest.

Damn.

“I need coffee,” Cynthia groaned with a grin. Maybe the jolt of caffeine would get her head back on straight.

Henry nodded toward the door. “Go ahead. Everything is on the counter. I’ll be right out.

Cynthia kissed him quickly and left his room, anxious to clear her head. The kitchen was quiet, one light on above the stove. She spotted the coffee pot next to the fridge and fixed a full pot of coffee, wondering if Henry would drink it. She figured he did if he had a coffee pot.

The shuffle of feet behind her alerted her to his presence. “I made a full pot. I hope you’ll share it with…”

Her voice faded when she turned and saw Zach, not Henry in the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?” he growled.

“Henry invited me.”

Zach shook his head and moved closer to her. Not close enough to touch her, but close enough to intimidate her. “He’s my cousin. You’re going to break his heart when you run off. I asked you to stay away from him.”

“Our relationship has nothing to do with you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m the one who’ll be here for him when you leave. You’ve already said you’re leaving, why drag it out?”

“What the f**k is going on?” Henry growled from behind Zach. Cynthia couldn’t see him through his cousin, but she knew his voice said he was not happy finding them in the kitchen.

“I was telling your girlfriend how unwelcome she is in my home.”

“It’s my home, too,” Henry threw back. “And she’ll be here as much as she wants.”

Cynthia tried to blend into the cabinets. She hated that she was creating an issue between Henry and Zach, and him and his other cousins. She understood why they didn’t like her, but she was a different person, and her feelings for Henry were different. Couldn’t they see that?

“Are you seriously going to do this to yourself?”

Henry shook his head. “You make it sound like I’m torturing myself.”

“Because you are. I know it’s been a long time, but I remember how broken you were last time. Maybe you don’t because you were too drunk to remember, but I do. I was there for you. I helped you swipe whiskey from Dad so you could get drunk and forget about her. I was your wingman on countless nights so you could f**k her out of your system. And now she’s warming your bed and screaming your name all night? How f*****g stupid are you?”

“It’s s*x, Zach! Just s*x. Good f*****g! You do it all the time. Why can’t I enjoy s*x with someone I’ve known forever? There’s nothing more to it. I’m not falling in love with her again. I’m not going to pine for her when she leaves. It’s s*x. So shut the f**k up and let me live my goddamn life.”

Cynthia couldn’t breathe. s*x. That’s all she was to him. A roll between the sheets. A way to pass his time. No connection. No affection. No love.

Just good f*****g.

She was an i***t.

“I don’t believe you,” Zach rasped.

Henry shrugged. “Ask her. She’s leaving town again when she finds a new job. She’s not sticking around. I’d be an even bigger i***t than I was before if I fell for her. She’s not fooling me or tricking me or lying to me. She’s not telling me she loves me and plotting to leave behind my back. She’s not doing anything wrong. And neither am I. I don’t tell you who you can f**k, so don’t tell me who I can.”

Cynthia stared at both men, not knowing whose words hurt more. No, that wasn’t true. Zach was trying to protect his cousin. He was nasty, but she wasn’t in love with him. Nothing he said would hurt as much as what Henry said.

Unless she told him she loved him. And he laughed in her face. He might as well have when he yelled at Zach. It couldn’t get more clear that he wasn’t interested in something long term than him saying she was nothing more than a good f**k.

Zach’s eyes flipped to her and one eyebrow lifted. She knew he was waiting for her to confirm Henry’s words, so she did. “He’s right. What we have is fun, but it won’t go anywhere. I don’t want to be here forever. We aren’t falling in love. It’s just sex.”

She was proud of how steady her voice was. It didn’t waver even though she did. She couldn’t look at Henry when she said the words because she knew she’d crumble. She’d beg him to love her.

Zach glared at both of them then stormed out of the kitchen. His bedroom door slammed shut a minute later.

Henry was grinning when he looked at her. “He’s touchy before his coffee. Sorry about that.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I should go though.”

Henry nodded. “Yeah, I need to head up to the inn. Want to get together this weekend? Last night was fun.”

He pulled her close, but it didn’t have the same effect as before. Instead of feeling the warmth of his embrace, she felt the chill of his words. She wanted to push away from him, but she wanted him too much to do it. Instead, she forced a smile and said, “Yeah, it was.”

“Good. I’ll text you later and we’ll figure out when we can hook up this weekend.”

Cynthia nodded and accepted the kiss he pulled her in for. When he finally released her, she got the hell out of his house as quickly as possible. She finally let her tears fall when she got onto 89. She let herself cry for a few minutes, but by the time she got home, she decided love wasn’t going to break her heart this time. She was going to fight and she was going to win.

Because if he loved her once, he might love her again.

Vivian was still worried about Cynthia when she got back from her lunch break. Cynthia was not herself when she walked into the house that morning. She had her determined look on, but there was a sadness in her eyes Vivian didn’t expect to see after spending the night with the man she loved.

Yeah, Vivian knew her daughter was in love with Henry. She had been forever, but neither of them saw it. She wanted to shake Cynthia when they were in high school and she dated that Easton kid. He didn’t love her the way Henry did. But she was young and Vivian always figured if that was the worst decision Cynthia made, she was leaps and bounds ahead of Vivian.

Not that Vivian regretted her biggest mistake. It gave her Cynthia. But she wished her daughter had a better life. The life she couldn’t provide on her own.

She called Cynthia at lunch, a tradition they started when Cynthia entered the workforce after college. At the time, it was the only chance Vivian had to catch her too-busy daughter. Between dates and friends and deadlines, Cynthia was always running from one thing to another. Lunch was the one time she took to sit and breathe. Many times their lunch conversations worried Vivian. That day’s was definitely one that worried her.

But Cynthia assured her she was fine and that things were good with Henry. She said there was another encounter with Zach, which could explain the tension Vivian felt from her daughter, but her gut said there was more to it.

She didn’t have time to think any more about it when her afternoon group arrived. She loved Friday afternoons when the seniors came to visit. They were a lively bunch, always happy to have an afternoon together. Each week they did a different activity. Knitting, adult coloring, computer skills, and game day. That Friday was Vivian’s favorite. Game day.

As always, the first ones through the door were Tina, Violet, and Maggie. The ring-leaders of the group. Tina was Henry’s grandmother, and the one who approached Vivian in the first place about hosting the seniors weekly.

“Good afternoon everyone,” Vivian said, smiling at them all. Many of them were not much older than her, but most were closer to the age her parents would be if they were still alive. “Find a table and you’re welcome to get started whenever you’re ready.”

Many of the men gravitated toward the chess and checker boards. The library invested in additional ones when Vivian realized how popular they were. The women tended to go for games that allowed them to talk more. Board games from when their children and grandchildren were young. Vivian knew a lot of them liked to play so they would know how the games worked when their grandchildren visited them.

“Vivian,” Tina beckoned. “We need a fourth. Come sit with us.”

Vivian crossed the room and claimed the empty chair at the table with Tina, Violet, and Maggie. Violet was shuffling a deck of cards. “What are we playing, ladies?”

“Rummy,” Tina said. “I suggested Go Fish, but they overruled me.”

Vivian grinned. “I like Go Fish. Cynthia used to love playing that.”

“How is Cynthia doing?” Tina asked as Violet dealt the cards.

“She’s good. She’s working at the Gazette but still looking for a job somewhere.”

“Where has she applied?” Maggie asked.

“Oh, all over. She’s trying to get back to a big city.” Vivian smiled, but the idea of Cynthia leaving again was not appealing to her. She liked having her daughter home.

“These kids always say they like cities, but they come back. Two of my granddaughters have returned home and a third is getting ready to come back,” Violet said.

“I knew Heather was back, but I didn’t realize Zoe was already, too. And Penelope is coming home?” Tina asked.

Violet nodded. “Zoe got back this weekend. Penny said she wants to be home. She was in a suburb outside Knoxville, but she said she misses home. The girls are thinking of starting a business together.”

“It’ll be nice to have them back,” Maggie said. “I keep waiting for some of mine to come back.”

“I never thought Cynthia would return,” Vivian said, playing a card. “She never talked about it. I think something happened with her ex-boyfriend though.”

“Well, hopefully she doesn’t go running from her current boyfriend,” Tina said with a grin.

Vivian nodded. “I agree. She and Henry have always had something special. I know she didn’t handle things well before, but she really does care about him.”

“Oh, I know,” Tina said. “She’s just right for him. I just hope they don’t screw it up again.”

Vivian laughed. “Yes, well, I think Cynthia is on board with that. It seems the longer she’s here, and the more time she spends with Henry, the less she wants to leave town. She hasn’t mentioned it lately.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Tina said with a laugh. “The poor boy has been through enough losing his father. I’m not sure he’d survive if he lost Cynthia as well.”

“How has he been?” Maggie asked.

Tina shrugged. “I don’t know. He doesn’t share my confidence. When I see him, he seems to be okay, but I see a sadness in him that wasn’t there before.”

“That’s to be expected,” Violet said.

Tina nodded. “It is. My sweet Jo is beyond sad all the time. We’re trying to get her to move into the inn, but she won’t.”

“I imagine that’s a big change. She probably can’t think straight these days let alone make a decision like that.”

Vivian nodded with the others.

“When my Carmelo died, I could barely stand up most days,” Tina said. “Time helps, but nothing can replace the man you loved.”

Maggie and Violet looked across the room to where their husbands played checkers. Vivian followed their gazes, smiling with them. She’d never known what it was like to share her life with a man. She had no idea how it felt to have someone to share her concerns with or someone to love. The women sitting at her table knew what love was. Her daughter was learning. But Vivian? She was woefully inexperienced when it came to love.

Maybe it was time she start to learn.