given up the effort. Her bare toes encountered dry dirt and shoots of Bermuda as she walked toward Ritt.
“Nice night.” Shelby gazed up at the sky, a billion stars twinkling from between the branches of the trees.
“Yep.”
She sank to a thick ring of grass, no doubt the legacy of watering the trees. She pushed her toes into the dirt under the hammock, a patch most likely worn through from many feet pushing the hammock on nights exactly like this.
“Be still,” Ritt whispered. “Just be still.”
But how could she when he was buried inside of her, hard and throbbing? She wanted so badly to move with him, against him.
“Ritt.”
“Shhh…” He pressed a kiss into her hair. “Let the motion take you.”
Shelby swallowed down a moan and tried to relax. “What if someone comes out here?”
She hated the thought, but at the same time it made her want him more, this risk of being caught spurring her desire to greater heights. Ritt rocked against her, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming out his name.
He chuckled, seemingly pleased with himself for being able to push her to the edge of reason while remaining in control of his own.
“Ritt, please…”
He thrust one last time, covering her mouth with his, taking in her strangled cry of pleasure.
Ritt cleared his throat.
Was he thinking about that same warm spring night so long ago?
“You should be sleeping,” he said.
“So should you.”
“I can get by on a little.”
Shelby smiled into the dark night. “Don’t let Delilah hear you say that.”
Neither one spoke, the night filled with other sounds. Nocturnal birds, cicadas and the occasional car from across town.
“Was it so bad here, Shel?”
She wrapped her arms around her legs and propped her chin on her knees. “It wasn’t bad at all.”
“And that’s why you took off as fast as you could?”
“That’s not how it went.”
“Tell me,” he commanded, his voice soft, his face hidden in shadows.
“I really believed that you would be able to get your scholarship back.”
He answered her with a grunt.
“I knew that’s what your parents wanted for you.”
She could barely make out the bob of his head.
“They’re not as…committed as they were back then.”
Shelby let out a small laugh. “Committed. That’s a nice way of putting it.”
The ropes creaked as he shifted to face her, suddenly his expression was clear, remorse and need filled his eyes. “They weren’t as…”
“Committed,” she supplied.
He nodded. “Committed until after Kyle’s accident.”
“So…what? They wanted you to live your life as well as his?”
“It wasn’t like that. He was a kid, you know? One day he was running through fields and breaking windows with baseballs and the next he was half-dead. When they knew that we weren’t going to lose him completely, they changed. They understood how precious life is. How it needs to really be lived.”
“And they agree with how you live your life now?” She hated the derisive note in her voice. “That’s not what I meant to say.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my life, Shelby.”
She waited a heartbeat before responding. “Are you happy, Ritt?”
“Mostly.”
“I guess that’s what really matters.”
“What about you, Shel? Are you happy?”
“Of course.” But there was a too-chipper squeak to her voice that added a note of falseness to her words. “I mean, what’s not to be happy about? I have a great apartment close to the ocean, I have a thriving business. I’m my own boss, and I love what I do.”
“Is that all?”
“W-what?”
He cleared his throat. “Can you tell me one thing? And the truth this time. Why did you leave?”
She sighed into the night. Not wanting to answer, but needing to say the words all the same. “I wanted you to come after me.”
The one sentence could have been whispered and still it would have rung through the night.
“You wanted me to come after
“Nice night.” Shelby gazed up at the sky, a billion stars twinkling from between the branches of the trees.
“Yep.”
She sank to a thick ring of grass, no doubt the legacy of watering the trees. She pushed her toes into the dirt under the hammock, a patch most likely worn through from many feet pushing the hammock on nights exactly like this.
“Be still,” Ritt whispered. “Just be still.”
But how could she when he was buried inside of her, hard and throbbing? She wanted so badly to move with him, against him.
“Ritt.”
“Shhh…” He pressed a kiss into her hair. “Let the motion take you.”
Shelby swallowed down a moan and tried to relax. “What if someone comes out here?”
She hated the thought, but at the same time it made her want him more, this risk of being caught spurring her desire to greater heights. Ritt rocked against her, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming out his name.
He chuckled, seemingly pleased with himself for being able to push her to the edge of reason while remaining in control of his own.
“Ritt, please…”
He thrust one last time, covering her mouth with his, taking in her strangled cry of pleasure.
Ritt cleared his throat.
Was he thinking about that same warm spring night so long ago?
“You should be sleeping,” he said.
“So should you.”
“I can get by on a little.”
Shelby smiled into the dark night. “Don’t let Delilah hear you say that.”
Neither one spoke, the night filled with other sounds. Nocturnal birds, cicadas and the occasional car from across town.
“Was it so bad here, Shel?”
She wrapped her arms around her legs and propped her chin on her knees. “It wasn’t bad at all.”
“And that’s why you took off as fast as you could?”
“That’s not how it went.”
“Tell me,” he commanded, his voice soft, his face hidden in shadows.
“I really believed that you would be able to get your scholarship back.”
He answered her with a grunt.
“I knew that’s what your parents wanted for you.”
She could barely make out the bob of his head.
“They’re not as…committed as they were back then.”
Shelby let out a small laugh. “Committed. That’s a nice way of putting it.”
The ropes creaked as he shifted to face her, suddenly his expression was clear, remorse and need filled his eyes. “They weren’t as…”
“Committed,” she supplied.
He nodded. “Committed until after Kyle’s accident.”
“So…what? They wanted you to live your life as well as his?”
“It wasn’t like that. He was a kid, you know? One day he was running through fields and breaking windows with baseballs and the next he was half-dead. When they knew that we weren’t going to lose him completely, they changed. They understood how precious life is. How it needs to really be lived.”
“And they agree with how you live your life now?” She hated the derisive note in her voice. “That’s not what I meant to say.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my life, Shelby.”
She waited a heartbeat before responding. “Are you happy, Ritt?”
“Mostly.”
“I guess that’s what really matters.”
“What about you, Shel? Are you happy?”
“Of course.” But there was a too-chipper squeak to her voice that added a note of falseness to her words. “I mean, what’s not to be happy about? I have a great apartment close to the ocean, I have a thriving business. I’m my own boss, and I love what I do.”
“Is that all?”
“W-what?”
He cleared his throat. “Can you tell me one thing? And the truth this time. Why did you leave?”
She sighed into the night. Not wanting to answer, but needing to say the words all the same. “I wanted you to come after me.”
The one sentence could have been whispered and still it would have rung through the night.
“You wanted me to come after
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