Page 28 of Always Yours

“So, what then?” I ask.

“This,” she says, grinning proudly as she turns her phone to me.

My eyes move over the screen, trying to make sense of what she’s showing me. “An Australian hook-up?” I ask, confused.

“No!” Ellen says, laughing again. “Well yes, actually, but not just any Australian hook-up,” she continues. “I’m talking her first love, her onetruelove, the boy she’s never forgotten about, even when she claimed she despised him.”

“Ohhh,” I say as it dawns on me whose Facebook profile I’m currently looking at. “Jack?” I ask.

Ellen nods. “Yep, little Jack Wilson, the boy who tormented my baby sister because he had a huge crush on her,” she says. “And just quietly, little Jack Wilson grew up to be big hot Jack Wilson.”

“Hey,” I say, smacking her butt.

“Oh don’t worry, baby,” she says, leaning into me. “You’ll always be my big hot stud.”

“You bet your ass I will,” I murmur, as I look over this guy’s profile. “You think he still has a crush on her?” I ask. “What if he’s with someone?”

“Look,” she says, tapping on theAbouticon. “It doesn’t say he’s in a relationship,” she says.

“Okay,” I reply. “Assuming he updates his Facebook status regularly, which I’m guessing as a guy, he doesn’t. How exactly are you planning to make this work? The guy lives in Australia.”

Ellen puts the phone down and turns so she’s facing me. “Oh, don’t you worry, I’ve got a plan,” she says, a devious smile on her face now. “And I know exactly how we’re going to get Jack and Lauren back together again.”

My smile widens as I slide my hands down her back to her ass. “So sneaky,” I whisper.

She grins, leaning in to kiss me. “I learned my stealth moves from one of the best,” she whispers. “And I’ve got no problem with resorting to sneaky tactics to get this boy from Down Under back Stateside.”

I smile against her mouth. “Speaking of down under,” I murmur, slipping my fingers inside her panties. “What do you say I take another trip down there?” I whisper, pressing my fingers against her.

“Will,” Ellen groans, her head falling backward even as she widens her stance a little.

“Yeah?”

“God, I love you,” she whispers, her breath hitching as I now slide a finger inside her.

I chuckle, pulling her closer as I put my mouth against her ear. “Right, so it’s not just my cock you love, is it? It’s my fingers too,” I murmur, slowly pumping them inside her.

“Mmmm.”

I grin, turning us so Ellen is backed up against the kitchen counter. She whimpers as I pull my fingers out, but I smile at her, my hands on her ass now as I lift her so she’s sitting on the counter.

My eyes on hers, I slowly pull off her panties, my grin widening as she pulls off her t-shirt and sends it flying across the kitchen.

My hands on her thighs, I push her legs apart, leaning in to kiss her deeply before whispering, “Think I’ll spend a little time down under right now.”

Then I ease her back onto the counter and lowermy mouth to her.

11

Ellen

The kids come running out of the house to greet us when our car pulls up. I truly believe they’re the only things keeping her going at this point and my heart breaks a little just thinking about it.

“Come here!” Oscar shouts, jumping up and down as Olivia takes my hand and begins dragging me up the steps and into the house. Oscar is practically shoving Will as we both enter the house at a rushed pace.

“Look,” he says with flourish as his hand floats out in front of him, motioning to the massive expanse of Legos. “We built the Golden Gate Bridge.”

“You absolutely did,” I say with more enthusiasm than necessary, but the kids thrive on that. Will shoots me a look from across the room and I smile back at him. We’re both thinking the same thing. It feels like it’s been forever since Lauren built something out of Lego with the kids. And as much as this is progress, I know it’s still not enough.

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