Page 7 of Storm's Mistake

In his mind flashed a few memories he’d shared with her. One of them had been the two of them, naked, in her living room. The fire was on, because Lisa felt the cold. He had gotten a tub of chocolate-and-vanilla ice cream, and had been drizzling it on her body and licking each droplet up. After he’d thoroughly licked every inch of her body, he’d made love to her. By thetime he was finished, she had been begging him for a release, and he’d granted it to her when he’d been good and ready. She’d been so exhausted, she collapsed on the floor and he’d held her throughout the night, refusing to let her go. He didn’t want her to get cold.

Those were the memories he had with Lisa. So many of them. He’d spent a great deal of time with her the last six months.

They hadn’t always been having sex. Taking her virginity had come as a pleasant and very welcome surprise to him. No other man had touched her. In a way, she had belonged to him in that moment. She still belonged to him.

Her front door opened and Lisa stepped out. She was wrapped in a robe, and her naked legs appeared out of the bottom. She wore a pair of fluffy slippers, and she made her way toward him.

“What are you doing here?” Lisa asked.

“I came to see you.”

“Why?”

“Look, I know I messed up, but you and I had a good thing going.”

She began to laugh. “Wow, you just don’t give up, do you?”

He took a deep breath. “What?”

“So, I should forgive you and say fine, you made a mistake and you didn’t mean to say the things you did? You’re not after forever, are you?” Lisa asked. “You’re only after your kind of fun until you get bored.”

There was no good way to get out of this.

Lisa shook her head. “I want forever, Shadow. That is all I ever wanted. I want to find a man, fall in love, have children, build a life with him. I’m not after a couple of weeks or months of a good time. Now that I know what you’re after, I know this isnever going to work. So, please, if you had any respect for me at all, leave me alone.”

He watched her leave.

Chapter Three

One Month Later

The flowers were lovely, and Lisa couldn’t bring herself to throw them out. She couldn’t grow flowers, so the very least she could do was watch them flourish before they died. When it came to the chocolates, she took them to the coffee shop for anyone who wanted a sweet treat.

The jewelry was sent back. All nonperishable goods were returned to the sender. She would make the courier wait, or whoever he got delivering the items, to wait. Once she opened it, she didn’t even hesitate. They went back.

She wasn’t kidding with Shadow. He wanted a good time. She was looking for forever.

Walking to the coffee shop, Adele was already waiting for her. It was her turn to open.

“You look like shit,” Adele said.

“Thanks, that is what every single woman wants to hear, just how crappy she looks.” She opened the coffee shop, and while she went through to the register to start opening, Adele began to open the blinds, put the chairs back on the floor, and under the tables.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Lisa said.

“No chocolates today?”

“None. This time I got flowers. A bunch of wild ones,” Lisa said.

“That’s nice.” Adele knew she didn’t accept any of the gifts. Also, whenever Shadow came into the shop, Adele made sure to serve him.

Pam was different. Over the past month, she had gotten close to the other woman. Pam wasn’t trying to get her to make things right with Shadow. She agreed with her. If Shadow wasn’tlooking for forever, then it was over.

“Yeah, they were pretty.”

“I’m just throwing this out there, but have you ever thought about … forgiving him?” Adele asked.