Yep, my mother loved her man candy. It was the one thing we'd always agreed on, and the one thing that always brought us together. Mutual appreciation of hot, sweaty men beating the bad guys to a pulp.
"Sure," I said. "Let's do that. I'll make popcorn."
"First, I need to talk to you." She stared down at her lap for a moment, then raised her head to look me in the eye. "There's something I've never told you, and it's time I did. I hope it will help you understand my behavior a little better."
I tucked my feet under me cross-legged style. "Okay."
"You know your father and I were married for four years before we had you, our miracle baby." She hesitated, biting her lip the way I often bit mine. "Two years before you were born, I had a miscarriage. The doctors told us I couldn't have children. Your father and I were devastated, and we even started talking about adoption. Went to an agency a few times too. Then the miracle happened. We found out I was pregnant---with you."
"Wow, I never knew that." Miscarriage? No hope of having a baby? God, I couldn't imagine going through something like that.
"The point is that I worried about losing you, while I was pregnant and after you were born. I smothered you because I was terrified something might happen to you." She sniffled and paused to dig a tissue out of her purse, dabbing her eyes with it. "Even once you were old enough that I didn't need to worry about your physical well-being, I still worried you might get hurt in other ways. Emotionally. So I tried to shield you from all of it and prepare you for whatever I couldn't see coming. That's why I was hard on you."
"I get that, Mom, I do. And it's okay." I clasped her hand. "You've always been there for me when it counted. Who stood beside me during the whole divorce court thing?"
"That was the least I could do, after the way I've mistreated you."
"Let's not dwell on the past anymore. I forgive you, and I want us to move forward and start fresh. That's what I've been doing."
"I'd like that. Thank you, Mara." She took my face in her hands and kissed my forehead. "I love you. All I want is for you to be happy."
Tears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them away. "I love you too, Mom."
She blew her nose, rolled her shoulders back, and said, "You love Ollie too."
"Yeah, I do." An image of Ollie flared in my mind, and my chest ached. "But I don't know if we belong together. We're so different."
"I don't think you're as different as you believe. Besides, your father and I aren't the same, but it works for us. Our differences balance out and complement each other."
"Ollie lives in Oregon. At a nudist resort." I sank back against the sofa. "I want to be with him, and I've kind of been planning for that, but sometimes I think he'll be better off if I let him go. What if my new outlook on life doesn't last? I might slip back into Neurotic Mara mode."
"You have never been neurotic. I force-fed you my fears, and I regret it more than you'll ever know." She slipped an arm around my shoulders. "Don't let my mistakes taint your future. You know what you want, so go and get it." She gave me a quick, firm squeeze. "Go and get him."
"I can't fly to Oregon right now. I'm in the middle of re-branding my business."
She patted my arm. "Oh, you won't need to go as far as you think."
"What are you talking about?"
The doorbell rang.
My mother stood. "Get up, Mara. You have a visitor."
"I've had enough visitors tonight. It's probably Nico again."
She shook her head. "No, dear, it's not. I guarantee that."
"Ugh, Mom."
"Get up." She grabbed my hands and pulled. "He's waiting."
He? That single word made my pulse speed up and my skin tingle. It couldn't be.
I jumped up and ran for the door, flinging it open.
Ollie smiled, holding out a bouquet of daisies. "These are for you, Mar---"
He didn't get to finish saying my name. I threw myself at him, latching my arms around his neck and kissing him.
"I'll leave you two alone," Mom said.
The clacking of her heels told me she was walking away, but I didn't pay attention to anything else. Ollie was kissing me back with a hunger I'd never experienced before, and I responded with the same passion. God, he tasted so damn good. He felt so damn good too. With my body crushed to his, I relished the sensation of all his muscles flexing against me, and when he lashed his arms around me, I loved the way his biceps flexed and his hands splayed over my back.
He scuffled into the apartment with me clinging to him, my feet dangling above the floor. We didn't separate our mouths until he backed me into the sofa and I tumbled onto it.
We were both naked inside of one minute.
And he was inside me seconds later.
"Oliver," I whispered into his ear while he made love me to tenderly, taking his time, letting us both revel in the bliss of being together again.
After we both came, and we lay there with Ollie on top of me, I realized the curtains were still open.
Ollie followed my gaze to the windows. "Well, I guess any snoopy neighbors who have telescopes got a good show tonight."
"Let them watch. Who cares?"
He arched his brows. "You really don't care anymore, do you?"
"Nope." I skimmed my fingers up his back, loving the way his breath hitched. "I'm so glad you're here. I'd been planning to wait until I got the business going full steam before I begged you to take me back."
"Begging sounds hot, but it's not necessary." He brushed hair away from my eyes. "I told you I'd wait as long as
