A Love Stolen (3 page)

"I doubt that. You left the little town for the big city. I bet you have lots of great stories."

She shook her head. "I'm a teacher, or, at least I was before I got laid off. Not much else to tell. How about you? Still chasing after the local kids when they sneak out onto the beach after hours?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid not much has changed around here in the past few years."

"You have."

He shrugged.

"You've grown up. You're the sheriff now."

"My father retired. I was next in line."

Lila saw the distance in his eyes. Before she'd left, and Mary Grace turned up

pregnant, they'd talked about getting out of Steeple. He'd wanted to become a detective in a larger town. She remembered his dreams. She wondered if he did, too.

"I better get back to the station. Stop in when you're ready. And we can have that coffee."

"I will." She smiled.

"Good." He put his hat back on and headed down the street.

Lila's heart rate increased as she watched him disappear into the station. For the first time in years, she didn't feel empty. She wondered what she'd gotten herself into by agreeing to meet with him.

* * * * *

A few hours later, Lila curled in front of the fire with the new book Jenson had given her. Lila glanced at the back cover and laughed. A romance?

Thanks, Jenson.

She tossed the book onto the floor and closed her eyes. She wasn't in the mood to read about steamy, erotic sex, especially since she couldn't remember the last time she'd had sex of any kind, much less erotic. The quiet of the house took over and allowed the clutter that had taken up residence in her mind to find a way out. She'd been dealing with her father's illness for well over a year. Steeple was the last place she'd wanted to end up.

As she drifted off to sleep, images of Trevor appeared behind her eyes. Her

prom, their first time, and the way he smiled when she said something silly. Everything came rushing back. Her body felt warm, and her insides tingled as the memories

became more vivid. She could almost feel his hands all over her body, and the way his tongue felt against her skin.

* * * * *

She untied the string from his bathing suit and pulled it down his legs, as she dropped to her knees. When she stared up at him, he took her chin in his hand and guided her lips to his cock.

"Put your mouth on me." His voice was rough with need. She took great pleasure in pleasing him, and he always returned the favor.

She placed her palms on his thighs as she leaned forward and swirled her tongue around the tip of his cock. She licked the small, milky bead of pre-cum from his head.

"Don't tease me." He moved his hand from her chin and gathered her long hair into a makeshift ponytail on the top of her head.

Her pussy dripped for him and she craved relief. She squeezed her thighs shut,

creating some friction between her legs as she tried to dull the ache that settled in her core. Leaning forward, she took the base of his cock in her hand, then flattened her tongue over the tip a few more times, before taking as much of him into her mouth as she could handle.

"Lila." He tightened his grip on her hair. "Don't stop."

"Hmm." She hummed around his cock, because she knew the vibration sent him spiraling out of control. She moved her head back and forth, each time taking him even deeper.

"Oh, hell, baby, you're so good at this."

She felt his legs stiffen when she scraped her teeth along his shaft. After a few passes of her tongue along the underside of his cock, he thrust his hips forward and spilled into her mouth.

As he tried to catch his breath, she licked the salty essence from his head, placing a soft kiss on the tip. She looked up and him and smiled. "How was that?"

He released her hair and dropped to his knees.

"Do you really have to ask?" He leaned forward and kissed her hard as his fingers found their way to her aroused nipples.

"Trev, I have to come."

"I think I can help you with that." He trailed his hand down her stomach and into the bottoms of her bikini.

* * * * *

Her body jolted, waking her from her dream. She looked around and realized

she had fallen asleep on the couch.

She got up and made her way to the kitchen. Her nipples rubbed against the

material of her tank top, and she felt moisture trickle onto her panties.

The dream.
It was the weekend they'd spent in Cape Cod. They'd rented a small beach house, but didn't see much of the ocean.

She gulped some orange juice, then slammed the glass down on the counter. Her

hands trembled when she thought about all the ways he'd brought her to climax that weekend.

Get a grip.

Chapter Four

Trevor sat at his desk and stared at the paperwork that begged for his attention.

He flipped through it. There were nothing but traffic violations and trash citations. The life of a small-town sheriff was pretty uneventful.

The front door to the station opened and in stepped Lila. He hadn't expected her.

She tugged at her pale, yellow sundress and shook out her hair. He saw the blush stain her cheeks when she looked up and noticed him watching her.

"Oh, I didn't see you there." She walked around the counter and to his desk.

"You look great." He got up from his desk and greeted her. "I didn't think you'd show up today."

"Yeah, well, I don't know how long I'll be in town, so I figured I should stop by and see you before I go."

She couldn't go.

"Jenson's hoping you'll stay longer."

"I know." She glanced at the picture on his desk of Jeremy on his fifth birthday.

"May I?"

"Sure." He picked it up and handed it to her. "He's getting so big."

Trevor hoped he didn't miss out on too much of his son's life, now that they

weren't living in the same town. He'd promised himself that, no matter what happened between him and Mary Grace, he wouldn't neglect Jeremy.

"He's beautiful." She smiled. "No offense, but your genes didn't stick."

"No, I guess they didn't. He looks just like his mother."

"It's not a bad thing. Mary Grace is very pretty."

"Yeah." He took the picture back from her and placed it on his desk, stopping to stare at it for a few moments.

"I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't be talking about your ex-wife." She looked around the station. "Are you able to take a break and walk over to the coffee shop? Or, do you want me to bring something back and we can talk here?"

"No, I have my radio, if anything urgent comes up." He motioned toward the door. "And my deputy is in the back."

"I still think of you as the deputy."

"That seems like another lifetime."

They walked to the coffee shop and took a seat by the window. Trevor ordered

their drinks and brought them over to the table. "Two creams, no sugar?"

"You remembered."

He sat down across from her and sipped his coffee. "There isn't much I forgot."

Believe me, I've tried.

"How long have you been sheriff?"

"Two years. The winter months are slow, but Steeple is becoming known for our beach area, so vacation rentals are up. The town swells to capacity May through September. Things are just slowing down now, so I thought it was best to move Jeremy and Mary Grace last week. He starts school in a few days."

Trevor had wanted to be there for his first day, but he'd already taken a week off to move them. Mary Grace promised to text him pictures and give him a play-by-play of the events.

"A teacher, huh?" It didn't surprise Trevor that Lila had chosen a career in teaching. She was kind, caring, and smart. "I bet the kids love you."

"I'm pursuing guidance. I've been in the classroom, but after I got my master's, I started in the guidance office. With the economy the way it is these days, jobs are scarce."

"There are a few towns close to Steeple that may be hiring."

"I haven't thought about that. I did send applications to a few places near Boston and Cambridge."

"Maybe you should check out some of these schools. A smaller setting and all."

He was reaching, but if he got her to stay in Steeple, he'd have more time to make things work with her.

"You and Kirk still friends?"

The fact that she'd changed the subject didn't escape him. Would she even

entertain the idea of staying closer to Steeple, to him?

"Yeah. We bought a boat together last year. We go on these big fishing trips, but we never catch anything. It's just an excuse to drink and play cards."

"I see nothing has changed with you two." She giggled, and he liked the way it sounded. "Is he married?"

"Engaged."

"Do I know her?"

"No, her family rents every summer. Kirk met her about three years ago, and they hit it off. They're getting married in the spring. I'm the best man."

"Returning the favor?" She sipped her coffee, then crinkled her cute little nose.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Yeah." He laughed. "You did."

"This is harder than I thought it would be."

"It doesn't have to be. We don't have to talk about the past." He'd hoped they could move forward. He wanted her to feel comfortable around him.

"The past is a big part of who we are."

"It's been six years. Are you still mad at me?" He thought maybe she'd gotten over what had happened. He wondered if she still thought about those days when they were together. The plans they'd made. The dreams they'd had.

"Mad? Not anymore. That would be a long time to hold a grudge." She traced the pattern of the tabletop with her finger. "It probably doesn't even matter anymore, does it?"

"I think it does." He reached across the table and took her hand, because he couldn't hold off touching her anymore. "You left without hearing what I had to say."

"It wouldn't have been what I wanted to hear." She looked down at their joined hands, but made no attempt to pull away.

Trevor felt encouraged.

"That's not true." He'd been confused, back then. A girl he'd had a one-night stand with came and told him she was pregnant. Her father put pressure on him to do the right thing. He was afraid and felt trapped. He wanted to lean on Lila, but he didn't think that was fair. He'd distanced himself from her for a few weeks, but he'd never expected her to leave Steeple. "I wanted you."

"What you wanted didn't come first. I didn't expect it to. You had a

responsibility. I saw how conflicted you were. Your parents were members of her father's church. You were being pulled from all sides. I removed myself from the equation."

"You shouldn't have done that."

"I couldn't stay and watch you become a father to someone else's baby. Do you know how hard that would've been for me? I was twenty years old. It was too much. I didn't want to deal with someone else's babies and your responsibilities. If I'd stayed with you, I would have had to deal with all those things. I did the right thing."

"I'm glad you think so." He tried not to sound bitter. But after the way things had turned out between him and Mary Grace, it all seemed so senseless now.

"I know you're probably upset the marriage didn't work out with her, but you tried, and at least, now you know. If you hadn't chosen her, you might have regretted it one day."

"The only thing I regret was not coming after you when you left. I was stubborn and full of pride. When you left me that letter basically telling me to fuck off, I was pissed."

"I was young and hurt. If I had to do it again, I never would've said those things to you. I get now what you were going through, but back then, I couldn't see anything but betrayal."

"You didn't mean the things you said?" He'd never forgotten the venomous words she'd said in her goodbye letter. They'd stung even more, because he'd just gotten back from telling the preacher that he wasn't going to marry his daughter because his heart belonged to Lila.

She shook her head. "I may have meant some of them, like the part about you being an ass for not using a condom and then sleeping with me a few weeks later. That was pretty disgusting."

"That was one of the things you didn't let me explain. I did use protection, but I figured it broke or something." He'd made so many mistakes.

"Oh, well, then, I'm sorry I said that. I was angry, and I didn't mean the things I said. I wrote that letter so you wouldn't follow me. I wanted you to have a clear conscience and take care of your responsibilities without worrying about me. I knew if I made you hate me, you would let me go."

"I never hated you." He was hurt and devastated when she'd left. He'd allowed his pride to get in the way, but he'd never stopped loving her. He and Mary Grace never had a chance. Even if his wife's betrayal hadn't come out, they never would've made it. He'd always be there for Jeremy, but no matter how hard he'd tried, Lila held his heart.

She squeezed his hand, and he felt comfort in her touch. "You should have, because I didn't do a very good job of standing by you. Maturity has taught me a few things."

"We both made some mistakes." The conversation had gone much better than he'd anticipated. "But now you're here, maybe we can see what happens?"

"With what?" She let go of his hand.

"With us." Couldn't she see there was a reason she'd come back to Steeple just as he had gotten divorced? It had to be fate's way of bringing them back together.

"Um, no, Trevor, it's too late for us."

"Why would you say that?" He felt an ache in the pit of his stomach. The one he felt when she'd left him the first time. "This could be a second chance."

"How many second chances are we supposed to have?" She shook her head and got up from the table.

"We were young back then. Those break-ups were nonsense. Let's give the

people we are today a chance to get to know one another." He stood up, then moved toward her.

"No, I can't." She backed away before he could touch her. "Not again. I spent too many years trying to forget you."