Green-Eyed Girl

By Tracy Broemmer

Responsible single softball mom, Rhine Parrish loves her life.  She spends her days working with her beloved stepmother at their bakery cafe, her free time with her sixteen-year-old daughter, and her nights with her boyfriend.  She divides the rest of her time between avoiding her biological mother who has come home to live with her after being AWOL for twenty-five years and hanging out with her best friend, love ‘em and leave ‘em, Aidyn McNeil.

Rhine would do anything for Aidyn, (she’s been secretly, helplessly in love with him for years) so when he comes crawling back to town with his heart broken by the one woman who managed to capture it, she’s happy to sit and talk with him over a beer or two.

But when Rhine finds herself drawn to Aidyn and spends an intimate night with him, (who can resist those green eyes?) she worries that she’s broken her own boyfriend’s heart and she worries about the one secret she’s kept from Aidyn for sixteen years.

As her happy life begins to slide out of her control, her secrets, new and old, have the power to hurt the people she loves the most.  Will Rhine find a way to be happy when those secrets are revealed or will she find herself alone?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tracy Broemmer
• Release date: Feb 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386228936

Book preview

Chapter 1

This was just like last time.

Well.  Except that the last time they’d been kids, and Aidyn hadn’t lost the love of his life-only the flavor of the day-and they’d been in the backseat of his car rather than a hotel room, and Rhine had worried about her parents wondering where she was, instead of her daughter, and oh yeah, this time she had a ring on her finger.

A ring Aidyn hadn’t put there.

His body was different, too, and his moves.  All for the better.  Rhine had been intrigued with that first kiss, the taste of stout beer on his lips and his tongue.  She’d lingered there, at his mouth, enthralled with his soft, warm lips and the velvety warmth of his tongue.  As when they were sixteen, she’d felt a rush of heat and electricity when he’d first kissed her.  When he’d stroked her lips with his tongue and she’d gasped in surprise, and then he’d played with her, stroking his tongue over hers, and she’d nearly frozen with the thought.  Aidyn McNeil had his tongue in her mouth.

Aidyn McNeil, for God’s sake.

She felt that way now.  Again.  Aidyn.  Jesus Christ, Aidyn had his mouth on her neck, and his fingers-nimble and quick and calloused-made quick work of the buttons on her blouse, and she gasped in surprise and pleasure when he parted it and smoothed his hand over her belly.

The crack of light under the doorway was just enough to distinguish shades of darkness.  Over his shoulder, Rhine could make out the hulking dark shadow that had to be the armoire that opened to a big screen TV.

Aidyn drew back to look at her; she couldn’t see his eyes, but the faded light from the door fell over his cheekbone.  Rhine lifted her hand and stroked her fingertips over the five o’clock shadow he’d worn since he was fifteen.

Rhine?

She should stop.  She could still walk out of here and look Jerrod in the eyes and say nothing had happened.  But the raw need, the anguish in Aidyn’s voice curled inside her, around her heart, and took her breath away.  He would let her go.  If she said no, he’d kiss her again and walk her to the door, and tomorrow, he’d put on that Aidyn McNeil game face and no one but Rhine would know the hell he was going through.

The press of his erection, the memory of his hands on her-though sixteen years old-was strong, and it sucked her in.  Besides, it didn’t matter what she felt for Jerrod Holley.  She’d been in love with Aidyn McNeil over half her life.  Nothing could tear her away from this moment, not even the heartache, the crash that she knew would come tomorrow.  Those memories were strong, too, and she dreaded the way it was going to hurt.

No? His voice was gruff.  Rhine sucked her stomach in when he fluttered his fingers over her skin.

She didn’t try to answer him.  She’d lost her voice down in the bar.  Just after he’d looked at her, hand wrapped around a twenty-two ounce pilsner glass, and then propped his other elbow on the table and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand.  Jesus, his eyes lit her on fire.  She’d had a flash of memory then.  She’d reached her hand across the two top and touched his fingers, the ones around the glass, and she’d flinched at the barrage of memories, both good and bad, and when Aidyn had stood and reached for her, she’d put her hand in his and followed him up to his room.

Hungry for his skin, his heat, she pressed her fingers to his jaw.  Rubbed her palm over the scruffy whiskers and caught her breath when he took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth.

Aidyn. She sobbed when he flicked the tip of his tongue over the center of her hand.

Yes?

She nodded.

Say it, Rhine.

Yes. She nodded again.

Aidyn let go of her hand, but she rubbed her thumb over his lips.  At sixteen, she’d been a little bit experienced-enough to get a little something out of the ordeal, well actually, she got a lot more than she bargained for, but that had nothing to do with experience.  At thirty-two, she’d had her share of lovers, good and bad, and she knew what she wanted, and she damned sure wanted Aidyn McNeil.

He grabbed her open blouse and yanked her forward, until they were pressed together again.  But this time, his shirt-a soft tee with the word Hurley on the back-touched her bare skin, and Rhine took a moment to feel it.

What? he asked.

She breathed for a moment, her lips close enough to his to touch, and then she turned her head just enough to kiss the corner of his mouth.

You don’t wanna do this?

I do.

Why do you keep stopping me?

I’m not stopping you. She shook her head.  Flicked her tongue over the center of his top lip.  I just don’t wanna rush it.

She felt his smile under her lips.

You think we can do better than ten minutes in the backseat of my car?

Ten minutes is a stretch. She laughed softly.

We have a big bed right here behind you. He played now with the button on her jeans.  She nodded.

I wanna be in that bed with you, she told him.  But this…feels so good.

This? He drew a line up over her stomach, fingertip stopping just under her bra.

Everything, Aidyn, she whispered.  "You feel good."

She lifted her hands again to touch him.  To cup his face, splay her fingers over the dark scruff.  Aidyn let her lead for a moment; she rubbed her lips over his, breathed on his skin, traced his jawlines and cheekbones with her fingers.  When he parted his lips under hers, she licked them.  Tasted the beer again.

She’d watched him drink two.  Watched these lips on the pilsner glass.  His tongue when he’d finished the first beer and licked his lips and then she’d watched the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he’d swallowed, and she’d wondered what the hell was wrong with her.  Jerrod loved her.  Jerrod was good in bed.  Jerrod had put the ring on her finger.

But Jerrod wasn’t Aidyn.  Never would be.

And she’d always been a sucker for Aidyn and his broken hearts.

You didn’t kiss me like this when we were kids, he told her.  She could tell him she hadn’t known it would be another sixteen years before she had the opportunity to kiss him again.  That she’d learned a thing or two about making love and taking pleasure where she could and that she understood now that this night might be the last night they had together, and if it wasn’t, it might be another fifteen to twenty years before it happened again, and she intended to take her time and make the most of it.

You don’t want me to kiss you like this? she whispered.  She curled her fingers into his shoulders and held her breath.  She’d do it now if he wanted it that way.  She’d do it the way they had in his car if he wanted it that way.  But she wanted him to want her this way.  Slow and tender and intimate.

I do. He nipped at her lip.

She rubbed her hand up over his neck and tangled her fingers in his long black hair.

I just wanna make this last. She took his mouth then, before he could respond and before she could worry about what she’d just said.  Before she could try to clarify what she’d said and sound like an idiot.

Make tonight last, she’d meant.

Aidyn slid his arms around her and hauled her in close as he kissed her back.  He stroked his tongue over hers, in and out, in a delicious rhythm.  Flames licked her belly and her inner thighs.  Nothing behind either one of them for leverage.  Aidyn backed her up a step to the bed.

She sighed and moaned with pleasure when he strummed his fingers around her waist and up over her stomach.  The back of his hand rubbed her breast through the lace cup and then his hand was on her shoulder, pushing her blouse out of his way.  Rhine tilted her head back as he licked a trail from her mouth to her shoulder.  Shivers of pleasure touched her skin as he slipped the blouse away from her other shoulder.  Rather than let it fall, he caught it at her waist, her hands still trapped in the sleeves, and pressed himself against her.

I don’t remember this.

In the shadows, she could see his mouth.  His lips parted, hungry to kiss her again.

We didn’t get this far in your car.

I touched you.

Under my shirt.

Aidyn bent his knees and dipped down to gaze at the thin pale blue lace that covered her.

My loss. He straightened up, and she felt his eyes on hers again, on her face, but his hands moved over her bare skin again in long, smooth strokes.  His words sent a thrill through her as real as the one his fingers had created inside her all those years ago.  She swallowed hard and lowered her gaze, even though he couldn’t read anything in her eyes right now.  Best not to get too hung up on his words.  She didn’t doubt for a moment that he meant them.  But she’d bet he’d said the same and a million other sweet, sexy things to hundreds of women.

He reached for her, cupped his hand under her breast and rubbed his thumb over the center of the lace.  Her nipple tightened under his touch and shot a jolt of need straight to her center.  She lifted her chin, tilted her head as he moved his hand slightly and brushed his fingertips over the curves above the bra.

His touch was gentler than it had been sixteen years ago.  She’d appreciated his finesse with that first kiss, taking her in his arms the second they were in the hotel room and the door had closed.  She’d noticed the change in the way he’d kissed her, not that she’d ever wanted to complain about her short ride in the back of his car.  But she’d changed since then, and she’d most certainly appreciated that he had, too.

But this gentle touch now was so sexy, she melted under his hand.  He moved in closer to her again and slid his other hand around her waist, pressed his open palm over her lace-covered breast and kissed her.  Licked her tongue with his.  Invited her to kiss him back.  Roamed his hand over her back until she felt his fingertips inside her jeans, and she was on fire.  Still with his mouth on hers, she reached to unbutton her jeans.  She wanted them off; she needed them off, but she didn’t want him to move his hands from where they were now.

He slowed the kiss, breathed against her face as she unzipped them and then tried to wiggle them down over her hips.

I did do this much, he reminded her as he finally moved his hands.

You flipped my skirt up, she corrected him.

Mm. He eased her jeans lower on her hips.  I ripped your panties.

And I went home commando.

She felt his grin, half on her lips, half on her face.

I wanna do it right this time. He pulled away from her.  She nodded.  Dropped her chin to her chest as he moved slowly to his knees in front of her and pushed her jeans as low as they would go.  Rhine thought to step out of them, but Aidyn looked up at her and dragged his hands up the backs of her legs.

Her fingertips jittered with desire.

Aidyn leaned closer and rubbed his face on her thighs.  Drew tiny circles on the backs of her knees.  Smoothed his palms up over her thighs and cupped her bottom in his hands.  Thank God she’d put on a matching bra and panty set this morning.  She hadn’t planned on this, but she felt a little more worthy of Aidyn McNeil knowing the lingerie was sexy.

He nuzzled her thighs; she felt his breath fan over her as he lifted his head and pressed his open mouth on her stomach.  He raked his teeth over her, dipped his tongue into her belly button.

I need to see you. He climbed quickly to his feet and then reached around her to rub his hands over her back again.  Rhine, I need to see you.

One hand still on her back, the other was suddenly in her hair, and his open mouth was on hers.

Yes, she breathed as he moved his mouth from hers and pulled away from her.  She wanted him to see her.  Not that it would matter tomorrow; in fact, it’d probably only make her feel worse tomorrow, but she wanted him to see her.  She’d seen him in swim trunks a million times and then some when they were kids, and she’d seen his naked ass the day he’d taken her in the back of his car, but she hadn’t seen him.  She hadn’t looked her fill at his body, and she desperately wanted to take that with her when she left this time.

Rather than turning the bedside lamp on, Aidyn backed away from her.  She stood at the end of the bed and watched him move quickly across the room.  When he ducked down to turn on the floor lamp in the corner, she stepped out of her jeans and nudged them out of her way.

The room was flooded with low light, and for just a moment, Rhine felt self-conscious.  She’d had a baby.  She was okay for a mom, even with the few stretch marks she had, but she wasn’t Aidyn McNeil’s usual fare.  Blond.  Busty.  Tiny hips.  She was blond, but not that sexy white blond, and what blond she did have was enhanced with something from a bottle of magic.

When he turned back to her, he reached up and pulled at the collar of his shirt.  Yanked it over his head and tossed it aside carelessly.  Rhine sucked in a quick breath, eyes on his broad shoulders.  He’d been drop dead at sixteen.  He’d filled out in the shoulders, and she suspected other places, too, and he was still drop dead and those eyes.  Jesus, he could and did charm the pants off any woman with one look.

Okay? He reached for her, and Rhine let her eyes roam from his shoulders and down his muscled arms, his wiry forearms.  He wasn’t a big man, but he was hard muscle under skin that had always been dark before the first week of June was over.

Yes.

He touched her, just his eyes slid over her skin and lace, and then he looked at her again.  Met her eyes.

This is better. His thick whisper tugged at the woman in her.

She nodded.  Linked her fingers with his.  He pulled her hand toward him, toward his jeans.  Rhine held the eye contact as she unbuttoned them.

Not yet. He shook his head when she rubbed the back of her fingers low over his belly.  I kinda just wanna look. He let his eyes do that walk again, down over her breasts and her hips.

Please don’t just look. She arched her eyebrows and squeezed his hand.

And I wanna kiss you all over, he continued.  With my lips.  My tongue.  I want my hands on you.

Rhine’s mouth was dry.  Aidyn looked up again, made eye contact.

And then I wanna be inside you.  I wanna bury myself inside you.

She nodded.  Stepped closer to him and lifted her free hand to touch his face.  She hooked her finger under his chin and leaned in to kiss him.  As much as she loved his eyes, the brilliant, deep green and the thick fringe of lashes around them, she hated that flash of sadness she’d just seen.

He settled his hand on her hip then.  Sucked her lip into his mouth and then stroked her tongue with his.  She moved with him, let him ease her back to lie on the bed.  Lifted her arms to close them around him when he fell with her, still kissing her.  Still giving and taking.  His lips still soft and hot, still tasting just a bit of stout beer, and his velvety tongue still sliding over hers.

She closed her eyes when he kissed her jaw and then her neck.  A soft, fluttery kiss under her ear.  His skin was warm against hers, his jeans rough against her legs.  Rhine breathed deeply, concentrated on Aidyn, filling all of her senses.

When he drew back from her, she waited.  Felt him watching her.  Looking at her.  She slitted her eyes open, too lost in the feel of his body pressed to hers to think.  His green eyes pinned her to the bed.  She arched her back, offered her breasts to him when his eyes skimmed over her neck and stopped at the lace.

He teased her, rubbed her nipple with a fingertip.  Watched it grow tight and lifted his eyes to hers.

Please?

Rather than move faster, he treated the other nipple to the same torturous quick tease.  Rhine licked her lips as he pressed his hand to the center of her chest.  His palm between her breasts, his fingers splayed out over the curves now spilling out over the cups of her bra.

Aidyn.

She lifted her hand, seemed to weigh a hundred pounds, as he dipped his head to nuzzle her breasts with his mouth.  She touched his hair.  Carelessly wound his soft curls around her fingers.  She breathed out a sigh of relief and pleasure and need when he opened his mouth over the lace.  He sucked the lace and her nipple into his mouth, rolled her between his lips.  Stroked her with his tongue.

Desperate to put her mouth on him, to kiss him, she raised her head and pulled his hair gently and kissed it.  He turned his attention and his open mouth to her other breast.  Touched her the same way, but this time he smoothed his hand over her stomach and plunged his hand into her panties.  Swept his fingers over her, making her moan and lift her hips as he moved his hand away just as quickly.

Aidyn. Her breathing was choppy now, and Aidyn pressed his kiss over her chest, her heart.

Rhine shifted on the bed to settle his middle between her thighs.  When she wrapped her legs around his waist and then fitted her feet over his calves, Aidyn groaned and then laughed softly.

I’m trying to make this a little better for you than last time. He lifted his head and shot her a quick grin.

Still breathless with desire, she arched her back again when he gently tugged the strap of her bra from her shoulder.  Rather than tease her, he slid his hand behind her back and unhooked the scrap of lace.  Desperate to feel Aidyn against her skin, she pulled it out of the way and then lifted her other shoulder so he could slide that strap down.

The last time I saw you topless, you were ten. Still lying between her legs, he propped himself on his elbows to appreciate the view.  How could I have known?

Known what? She lowered one foot to the bed and bent her knee.

How beautiful you would be.

She wanted to watch.  To watch him look at her.  Touch her.  Kiss the round curves of her breasts and the pale centers that were so tight right now, it almost hurt.

But the moment he stroked his fingers over her curves and then followed them with his lips, she closed her eyes, lost in the sensation.  She sighed with pleasure as he fastened his lips on her nipple, this time without the lace between them, and sucked at her gently.

When he shifted to her side, she started to protest.  She loved the weight of his body, his warm skin pressed to hers.  But as she lifted her hand to his back, he skimmed his fingers low over her belly and hooked them in her panties to pull them away.  His lips and tongue pleasured her breasts as he smoothed the palm of his hand over her belly and down over her inner thighs.

Do you want me to touch you? He scraped his teeth over her nipple and lifted his face to look at her.

Yes.

With my fingers?

Yes.

Or my mouth?

Aidyn. She lifted her hips and gasped with pleasure when he finally slid his fingers over her core.  He teased for a moment, fingers there and gone and there again.  Rhine felt him watching her, felt his intense stare on her face, her lips, as he slipped his fingers inside her and rubbed her center with his thumb.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze.  Lifted her head to look down their bodies.  Watched the slow, rhythmic movement of his hand between her legs.

Relax. He leaned toward her and licked the corner of her mouth.  Am I not doing it right?  Need me to-

She shook her head.  Closed her eyes again.

I just want to watch you, she whispered.  I wanna see your hands on me.

God, that’s sexy. He breathed over her lips and then sucked her lower lip into his mouth.

I wish I could watch everything and feel it at the same time. She stroked her teeth over his tongue.  She wouldn’t add that she’d watch it a million times over when he was gone, because she didn’t want to think about it.  About when this was over and he was gone.  Again.

He was watching her again.  She opened her eyes as he dipped his head to her neck.  Arms lethargic and heavy with desire, she lifted her hand and cupped his chin, led him back to her breast.

What do you like best, Rhine? He licked her finger, sucked it into his mouth and then kissed her breast, her fingers still there under his lips and tongue.  What feels good?

You, she answered simply.  She lifted her hips again as he increased the pressure with his thumb, and then she moved her hand from her breast to cover his hand between her legs.  Just you, Aidyn.

She came hard, back arched off the bed, her hand pressing hard against his.  She didn’t call out his name, too many years of having a child in the house with her, but she chanted his name softly over and over, and then sobbed out loud when he moved away from her and shimmied down her body to put his mouth on her.

She hadn’t thought it was possible; Jerrod didn’t make her come like this.  Then again, he never tried to push her over the edge.  Once was enough.  Stroke her and then ride her and curl up and sleep.  Rhine felt tears sliding from the corners of her eyes and rolling into her hair as Aidyn slid his hands under her and lowered his head to kiss her.  She reached for him, tangled her fingers in his hair as he worked magic on her with his tongue, and it was over much too quickly, as she shuddered under him and this time, she did make noise.  She did call out for him, and she opened her eyes when he moved again.  She watched him stand and drop his jeans.  Caught her breath when she saw his naked body before her.

She pushed herself up on her elbows as he knelt on the edge of the bed.  Reached out and stroked her finger down the length of his erection and then rubbed her thumb over him.

Careful. He shook his head.  She looked at him quickly.  I’d like this to last longer than last time.  If you touch me like that, it won’t.

Rhine wanted this to last forever.  She wanted everything about tonight to last forever.  Even Aidyn’s heartache, if it meant she had his attention for a night.  It wouldn’t, though.  Even if she stayed with him, after they made love, even if she slept in his arms (and she didn’t know if he would want her to) and they made love again and again, the night would end.  And she would put her clothes on-the same she’d worn to the bar earlier tonight when he’d called-and go home.  She’d be able to sneak it all past DK, not a problem there.  Though, Rhine suspected, it was easy to sneak this stuff past her daughter because she was getting older and she didn’t want to notice things like her mother being a woman and being involved with anyone.  But she wouldn’t be able to hide a damned bit of it from Landry, and probably not from Lila, either.

He didn’t take her right away, though she was ready.  He kissed her again; he kissed her everywhere again, and Rhine lost herself to the pleasure of his body against hers and his unhurried kisses and the way he touched her.  When she kissed him, he moaned quietly and played with her hair, and when he finally did slide inside her, it was the most natural and beautiful thing Rhine had ever felt.

Started out just like the last time.

But the rest of it, everything else was so much sharper and so much more intense.  He hadn’t made her come when she was sixteen; she’d been savvy enough to get it done on her own, even then.  Tonight, he’d more than made up for the quickie in the backseat of his car.

Unfortunately, the heartache tomorrow would bring Rhine would be that much more gripping and raw.  One thing Aidyn had always been good at, and he didn’t even know it.

Chapter 2

She didn’t cry when she left him, but by the time she pulled the white Durango into her drive and reached to hit the garage door opener, she was tired and sad and pissed and restless.  She couldn’t just lose it in the garage.  She had to wait.  She had to get inside the house and through the kitchen and living area and to her bedroom, probably to her shower where she could lock the bathroom door and stand under the water, before she could break.

It’d be easier just to do it here.  In the driver’s seat of the SUV, in the still, quiet garage.  Most likely, DK was still sleeping.  Fat chance she’d decide to climb out of bed at this hour-what sixteen-year-old was out of bed by choice before noon on a random Saturday morning?  But Landry.  Landry was most definitely up.  And Landry most definitely knew that Rhine hadn’t made it home last night.  No telling with Lila.  Didn’t even bear thinking about, because Lila’s opinion on anything that happened last night or sixteen years ago meant nothing to her and never would.

Rhine took a deep breath and pulled the keys from the ignition.  She hated this walk of shame.  Heading inside with last night’s clothes on, with Aidyn still on her skin and in her hair, the taste of him still in her mouth and meeting Landry anywhere between the backdoor and her bedroom.  Worse than any one night stand or bender she’d pulled when she was a kid.  Not that there’d been much of that when she was younger.  Not that there’d been much of that ever, really, for Rhine.

She hadn’t cried sixteen years ago, either.  Not right away.  Rhine sat for a moment, keys in one hand, the other hand on the door handle.  Sixteen years ago she’d been a little shell-shocked.   A little starry-eyed.  A little hopeful that there would be more.  The tears had come a few nights later, after Aidyn had shown up at her house and told her he’d scored with a girl from a rival high school.  A cheerleader.  With a French braid and as he’d said, a mouth like a hoover.  The words had been a knife in her heart.  Sliced down through her lungs.  It had been a wonder that she’d been able to talk to him after that, because she hadn’t been able to breathe.  Okay, so it had been stupid to think that something might come of what happened in his car.  Though they’d been best friends for years by that time, Aidyn had been too fast for her.  He never stood still.  He knew everyone at school, always had