Page 58 of Home Town Advantage
With a shaking hand, I hold up the letter. “F…Finn didn’t write this, did he? You did.”
He mumbles, “Shit,” before he turns off the stove, runs over to me, and falls down to his knees in front of my seated, lifeless-feeling body. “Sulley, please don’t be upset.”
My eyes fill with tears. “Why would you do this? Why do you hate us?”
His face falls, and he shakes his head. “Hate? That’s the exactoppositeof why I did this.” He nervously runs his fingers through his thick hair. “Fuck, Sulley, you dropped out of college. You wouldn’t leave the house. You were a zombie. I did itforyou.Forhim. He would have hated that you weren’t in college. That you quit playing ball. You wouldn’t have talked to me about it at that time. Your parents were zombies right along with you, not pushing you to get back to life. I did what was necessary to get you up and running again. To live your life. To reach your potential.”
My mouth opens and closes several times. I’m speechless.Completely and totally speechless. Shock isn’t a big enough word for what I’m feeling right now.
Eventually, I whisper, “What about his platoon friend who delivered it? Did you hire him? Did he even know Finn?” Why can’t I remember the man’s name? What kind of sister am I that I can’t remember his military best friend’s name? The one who changed my life.
Vance nods. “Of course Eric knew Finn. They were close friends. He and I still keep in touch. I reached out to him about how much it would destroy Finn to know what you were doing with your life. We came up with the plan together. I wrote the letter since I knew you best. Eric delivered it to make sure it had the desired impact.” He steels his face a bit. “And I would do it again. It worked. It got you back to school. Back playing ball. Back to the land of the living. You were always destined for greatness. It was time for you to fulfill that destiny. In the absence of your brother, we stepped in and gave you the push you needed. Even if you never talk to me again, I don’t regret it. Not one little bit.”
I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience right now. It’s like I’m floating above, watching the scene take place. History has just been rewritten.Myhistory. I should be mad at him for deceiving me, but I can’t bring myself to conjure up those feelings.
What would I be doing right now if I didn’t get that letter? Would I have gone back to school? Would I have started playing ball again?
I honestly don’t think I would have. He’s right. I did need it. All this time, I thought it was Finn who saved me, but it wasn’t him. It was Vance. My guardian angel isn’t watching from above. He’s standing right in front of me.
My mind suddenly flashes back to last night when I was first frantically undressing him and later nearly naked and on top of him, looking down at his flawless body. I was in a post-orgasmic haze and then had my little freakout, so things were a littlecloudy, but I’m starting to remember his tattoo. It didn’t hit me at the time, but it is now.
I point a shaky finger at him. “Take…take off your shirt.”
“What? Why?”
“Take it off,” I demand with determination in my voice.
He lifts his T-shirt over his head. “Turn to the right and lift your left arm,” I further instruct.
Realization hits him, and he does as I ask.
My trembling finger finds the tattoo. It readsMcShea Brothers. It’s done similarly to the way it was carved into the tree. There’s smaller wording under it that reads,Not brothers by blood, but brothers by heart.
Tears fill my eyes as I trace the letters over and over again with my fingertips. I must do it twenty times. Vance says nothing. He doesn’t move. He simply allows me to explore his tribute to my brother and their bond.
Overcome with emotion, I lean over and softly press my lips to the tattoo before kissing my way up his body. I move my fingers and lips across his chest, stopping at his sexy chest hair like I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember.
Taking a brief pause to inhale his unique Vance scent, my lips continue their upward movement over his throat and chin until I reach his lips.
Like him, I’m on my knees as my lips brush over his. His eyelids flutter, but he doesn’t otherwise move.
Our eyes meet, and we stare at each other. He’s kept his promise to look out for me. He’s been doing it from the shadows for six long years. I’m done fighting with myself. Even if it’s only one time, I want to know what it’s like to be with Vance McCaffrey, the man I’ve lusted after for most of my life.
I lift my sweater over my head and remove my bra. He breathes, “What are you?—”
“I want you,” I interrupt. After I trace his lower lip with my tongue, I whisper, “I’m not stopping it this time, and neither are you.”
His massive hands cup my entire face. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear his bright green eyes turn a shade darker.
I run my fingers down the hair from his belly button to where they disappear into his jeans. He quivers, actually quivers, from my touch.
After unbuckling his belt, I unbutton and unzip his jeans. My fingers brush over his boxer-brief-covered erection. His sexy Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows hard.
“You’re sure you want this?”
I nod. “I do. More than anything.”
“Stand up.”
