You Can't Go Home Again Read online

  You Can’t Go Home Again

  By Aubrianna Hunter

  Edited, Produced, and Published by Writer’s Edge Publishing 2013

  All rights reserved.

  © 2013 by Aubrianna Hunter.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Other Books by Aubrianna Hunter

  Hidden Depths

  Strictly Business

  Siochain

  Beyond The Mask

  Beyond The Flesh

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Prologue

  His lips were soft but firm at the same time. She felt his warm tongue slip between her parted lips, reaching in to graze her own. She had dreamed of this a thousand times, but the reality was a thousand times better. He pulled her closer, his hand skimming down her waist, settling on her hip. She felt his body, hard and muscled, pressing against her. Desire pulsed through every pore.

  She had no idea how they’d ended up here, knew she would question it later, but for now it just felt right. Somehow, everyone else had left and they were alone, on a blanket by the pond, warmed by the crackling fire. She let herself be drawn into the kiss, let herself melt.

  * * * * *

  He’d only had two beers, yet he felt completely out of control. Lust raged through his body, demanding to be sated. He felt his shaft pressing against his shorts, harder than he could ever remember being. How had he never kissed her before? How had he missed this? He’d been a fool to wait this long. He ran his hand down her side, gripping her hip to pull her closer. He couldn’t get her close enough. His tongue plunged into her waiting mouth, desperate to taste her…everywhere.

  He felt her nipples through the thin fabric of her bikini top, hard and tight, pushing against his chest. He had to touch them. He brought his hand up, grazed his thumb over the peak before pushing one half of her top aside. He forced himself to move slowly, trailing kisses down her neck, across her collarbone before finally settling into her breast.

  He dropped soft kisses all around the peak of her breast, feeling her writhe beneath him, whimpering.

  “Please!” she begged.

  At her plea, he finally closed his lips around her nipple, suckling deeply, grazing it with his tongue before gently nipping. He heard her sigh, felt her hips lifting up, pressing against him.

  He was losing his mind, desperate to have her. He had been with his share of women, but nothing had ever come close to this. Losing the battle for control, he rolled her onto her back, yanking her top off, freeing both her breasts to his waiting gaze. When he saw the tips, a deep pink, tight and pointing, he groaned and pressed his hips against the blanket, his body eager for release. He yanked her shorts down, throwing them off to the side. She lay before him in only her black string bikini bottoms, her eyes closed, head thrown back. Mine, echoed in the back of his mind.

  His shaft pulsed again, throbbing, pressing against his shorts until he thought it would rip the fabric. He moved on top of her, resting on his elbows so he wouldn’t hurt her. As his erection pressed against her sex, she rolled her hips, whimpering. He thought he would spill his seed right then. He gritted his teeth, moving down to suckle her luscious breasts again. He had always thought her too skinny, but she had curves in all the right places, and he was desperate to taste every inch of them.

  When his lips closed over her nipple a second time, his thumb grazing the other one, she moaned, writhing and twisting. She pressed her sex against his ribs, her body already craving release. She was so responsive! He was never going to last.

  “God, sweetheart, you’re making me crazy!” He trailed kisses down her torso, untying the sides of her bottoms in the process. “You’re so wet…so tight. I need to be inside you!”

  His hand grazed down, brushing past her secret mound. He kept his touch light, teasing, wanting to bring her to the same edge of reason he’d already reached.

  Just as he was about to pull his hand away, he felt her muscles clench, signaling her release. He thrust his finger in as deep as he could, pulling out and thrusting again a little faster. He felt her sheath tighten, heard a scream rip from her throat. The sensation of her milking his finger was almost more than he could handle. He held on, grinding his hips against the blanket.

  As he felt her muscles relax, he couldn’t wait any longer. He shoved his shorts down, freeing his erection. Her eyes went wide as she looked down at his shaft. “I promise I’ll be gentle—I’ll make it good for you.”

  * * * * *

  She saw the pleading expression on his face. Was it possible that he wanted her as much she wanted him? She nodded her head to show her consent. Then she grabbed his shoulders, pulling him up her body, pressing her lips to his.

  He was huge, capable of tearing her in two, but she trusted him not to hurt her. And more, she needed him inside her. She was aching, empty. Her orgasm had barely scratched the surface of her desire. As his lips met hers, she felt his cock press against her, sliding between her folds. When his length slid over her nub, her body heated once more, pulsing back to life almost painfully. The fine smattering of crisp hair on his chest brushed her nipples, only increasing the ache. She lifted her hips, grinding against him, silently begging him to take her.

  * * * * *

  Her slick heat against his erection pushed him even closer to the edge. She was so soft, so warm….so perfect. He fisted his hands in the blanket, praying for control as he pressed the head of his shaft against her waiting sheath. She lifted her hips again, taking just the tip inside her, and a groan slipped from his lips. He pushed forward, forcing her to take more of him, slowly, giving her time to adjust to his size. He felt her muscles tightening again, beginning to contract around him.

  “Oh, Christ, are you going to come again?” His breathing was erratic, coming in short gasps, his fists white-knuckled against the blanket.

  She nodded, eyes closed, biting her lip to keep from screaming.

  “Aaah, hell… I have to…” His hips thrust forward, shoving into her right as her orgasm broke over her. He growled, fisting his hands into her long, thick hair. He thrust harder, praying he wasn’t hurting her. He knew she had expected pain, had seen the momentary fear in her eyes. He tried to go slow, give her time to adju
st. When he felt her body tighten, heard her gasp, he tensed. Had he hurt her?

  When her legs wrapped around his waist, urging him on, her hips lifting again to meet his, relief mingled with desire. He sped his pace, losing the battle for control.

  This is so right! Harder, need to fuck her harder! Need more! He had never felt this way, never been this way. As her hips rushed to meet him, her nails dug into his shoulders. He threw back his head, crying out his release just as he felt her teeth sink into his chest, her nails raking down his back.

  When they could move again, he rolled off her, wrapping the blanket around them and pulling her in next to him. As he dozed off to sleep, he thought he heard her murmur, “I love you.” He must have been dreaming.

  She lay there, knowing she should be embarrassed by her response to him, yet unable to feel anything other than satisfied. She had dreamed, so many times, of being with him this way. Reality far surpassed even her most vivid fantasies. She knew she was leaving tomorrow, knew he was leaving in three days for boot camp. Somehow, they would work things out. It wasn’t like she’d never see him again. They had been friends for years.

  She woke up some time later, with a picture flashing through her mind. He was sitting on the blanket they were wrapped in, head in his hands and a grim expression on his face. She could hear his thoughts… What have I done? Oh, my God! This was the worst mistake I’ve ever made.

  She jumped up, slid on her shorts and yanked on her T-shirt. She saw her bikini top and shoved it in her pocket. She couldn’t readily find the bottoms and after just a few seconds, decided she didn’t care. She slipped on her sandals and started running. It was only two miles home; she could make it in less than half an hour. She glanced down at her watch, pulled out her cell phone and called the airport. She could be in L.A. before noon.

  Chapter 1

  Danielle Foster walked into her apartment at two thirty in the morning. This had been one of those unbelievably long days, although not a bad one. They had finished filming the final scene of her current project. She was the assistant producer of a midlevel budget film. Basically she was a gofer, but she was making a name for herself. And she had tomorrow off!

  She kicked off her shoes, dropped her purse in the corner and headed around the kitchen bar to the fridge. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten, but she was just too tired to care. She grabbed a bottle of water and shut the door, promising herself she would make pancakes and eggs for breakfast.

  She needed sleep…. Days and days of sleep. She had one. Day after tomorrow they were back in the studio looking at film. It was time to start editing. She padded into her bedroom, looking at her one sad little plant and making a mental note to water it tomorrow. She headed through the bedroom to her dresser, grabbing some pj’s and undies and turning back to the hall…and the bathtub.

  Her little one-bedroom in Studio City was nothing special, but it was close to work and had a weird L.A. charm all its own. It was small, but she didn’t need much, and it was affordable. Besides, she was hardly ever home.

  As she sunk down into her 1940s claw-foot tub, she felt the tension start to leave her muscles. This had been her one indulgence in this apartment. She had talked her landlord into letting her replace the old tub with this one. There was a claw foot in her house back in Austin, Texas, and she had found that one little touch made L.A. feel like home. She leaned back, sliding down further into the bubbles. A deep sigh escaped her lips. She would have to be careful not to fall asleep in here.

  As long as her weeks sometimes were, Dani loved her job. She had come to L.A. after college hoping to get some menial job cleaning up in a studio somewhere. She had been hired as an intern on some crappy B horror movie that no one has ever heard of. But at least she was in the “industry.” She had worked hard for the last five years to get to her current position. And she knew she would work hard for the next ten years to be able to produce her own movie. But she loved every minute of it.

  She had been told, many times by many people, that she was on the wrong side of the camera. With her face and figure, she could “go places.” Even if she had believed that, she’d never wanted to be in front of the camera. Even in high school and college she’d been backstage.

  She climbed out of the tub, barely having the energy to towel off, and padded down the hall back to her bedroom. She threw her towel over the chair in the corner and flopped onto her bed naked, with wet, uncombed hair, completely exhausted. There were some advantages to living alone. She yanked her blanket over her, closed her eyes and was asleep within seconds.

  * * * * *

  For some reason her alarm was going off. She hadn’t set it last night, had she? She couldn’t imagine why she would have. This was her one day to sleep. As she rolled over, wiping the drool from her mouth, it finally occurred to her that it wasn’t her alarm, but her telephone. Bleary eyed, she glanced at the clock as she reached her hand toward the nightstand, grabbing blindly to stop the damn ringing. 6:23. Who in the hell was calling her at 6:23 in the morning?

  “Someone had better be dying,” Dani said by way of greeting. “If not, I can make it happen.” When she heard the voice on the other end squealing with joy, she debated hanging up. Unfortunately, even squealing, she recognized Jenn’s voice.

  Jenny, her lifelong best friend, would never call this early unless it was important. But, just to be certain, Dani felt she should state the time, make sure she realized there was a two-hour time difference between them. “You do remember that it’s two hours earlier here than it is in Texas, right, Jenn?”

  “Yes, grump butt, I remember. But, I just had…”

  “And you do remember that I am not what you would call a morning person, right?”

  “That would be an understatement, Dani. But, I just wanted to tell…”

  “So, I’m assuming it’s something vitally important for you to call me before six thirty and squeal in my ear before I’ve even had coffee, right?”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, if you would just shut your yap a minute!” Jenn laughed. “Brian finally proposed!!!”

  Brian was Jenn’s boyfriend of over three years. He was also one of a group of four who had been friends since high school. Dani never knew what had finally brought Jenn and Brian together, but personal experience had taught her not to question love and chemistry. Knowing that two of her best friends were going to spend the rest of their lives together really was worth being woken up.

  “Dani, did you hear me? I’m getting married!”

  Jenn was squealing again, so Dani had to say something, if only to save her eardrum. “Jenn, I’m so happy for you! I know you’ve been waiting for this. Brian is a lucky guy, sweetie, really. You guys are great together.”

  Dani meant every word she said, even though there was a tiny ache starting in her chest. She was truly happy for her friend. She remembered her thoughts from last night. She loved her life, loved her career. She wouldn’t change anything about it. But sometimes…

  “I know, I’m so happy, Dani. You have no idea! And, I’ll be even happier once you agree to be my maid of honor.”

  Dani bolted upright in bed, swiping furiously at her hair, trying to get the knotted mess out of her eyes. She couldn’t have heard that correctly. “What? Say that again.” Please don’t be what I thought I heard.

  “Wow, you really aren’t good without coffee, are you? I said, would you be my maid of honor?”

  Dani felt her heart plummet, crashing into her stomach. She should have seen this coming, but she hadn’t. Jenn and Brian had been together almost four years. At asome point they were obviously getting married. And she should have expected to be in Jenn’s wedding, if not as the maid of honor, at least as a bridesmaid. They were only best friends! Dani swiped her hand through her hair again, trying not to audibly sigh. There was no way out of this.

  “Dani, I can hear you thinking. Come on, I know this will be hard for you, but please… There is no one else I want
as my maid of honor.”

  One more yank on her hair and Dani heard herself say, “Of course, Jenn. It’s not hard for me. I’m just not awake yet.” She forced enthusiasm into her voice. “Of course I’ll be in your wedding. Did you honestly think you could get married without me there?”

  She heard Jenn squeal again, followed by the unmistakable sound of hands clapping together in glee. As much as she was dreading this, she couldn’t help but smile.

  After a second, Jenn’s voice came back on the phone. “Okay, the wedding’s in three months! July twelfth. I already have your dress designed, I’ll send you the picture later today. Oh, and just send me your measurements and I can have it made for you here, with all the others. Unless you’ve gained massive amounts of weight since I saw you two months ago, the dress will look perfect on you, and since you never gain weight, it will be great. So, I know that summer is a busy time for you, but since the wedding is so close to Fourth of July, I was thinking maybe you could come out for ten days or so? Please say yes! It would be so much fun to have you here for all the last-minute stuff, and for a kick-ass bachelorette party!”

  Dani laughed. “So, it seems like you have a lot already planned. When did he ask you?”

  “Last night, officially, but we’d been talking about it for a while, so I had already picked out the dresses and stuff. Mine too, actually. We picked the date last night. But we had kind of discussed that too. We’re getting married in my parents’ backyard, so we could do it whenever we wanted to. I know it will be hot as Hades, but we’ll put up tents and everything else, so it should be okay. Can you come? Please say you can come for the whole ten days, not just the wedding.”

  Dani cringed. Ten days at home. Ten days with a group of people she hadn’t seen in almost five years. Jenn knew she didn’t want to go to Texas, although she didn’t really know why. No one did. At least, not the whole why.