Page 19 of Beacon Grove Chronicles 1: Hassan & Sylvia

I leaned against the doorframe because I was seconds from walking through it and leaving him outside in this Georgia heat by himself.

“And what’s the alternative to that, Dave? Being easy to please and low maintenance? To be a fucking doormat? No, thank you. You have someone new to wipe your boots on and I’m thankful it’s not me. So, enjoy time with your kids. I’m going inside to enjoy the blessed silence.”

I shot him a fake smile before looking over his shoulder and waving at his girl who was still glaring at me like I was intruding on her property.

The fucking nerve.

I wanted to feel bad for her because I knew she wasn’t his priority. He’d all but confessed multiple times that he was only with her because I didn’t want him. He complained about her often early on whenever he called. Despite my telling him that he needed to get therapy and keep our calls to the kids, he didn’t listen. Since he couldn’t follow directions I went to the courts who forced him to communicate to me through a parenting app. We both had to pay for it and he was pissed that I’d given him another bill. The irony was the child support he paid for the kids went into their college funds since I was sure he wouldn’t make separate contributions on his own.

I left him on the porch speaking to my back because I wasn’t going to give him any more of my time.

My phone buzzed but I’d had my fill of Dave’s shit and I wasn’t about to answer it. He’d be throwing a fit and I would stress about my babies and what they would hear if we got into another argument. Protecting my peace and theirs meant I was going to pretend he didn’t exist.

It had been far easier to learn how to ignore my ex husband than to the only other man who had been allowed inside my body. That asshole had captured my thoughts for the last two years but I knew it was impossible for me to ever completely forget him. The damn town I was born and raised in was named after his family. Every time I looked around one of his funny eyed kin folk were everywhere I looked. It reminded me of his discolored eye that made him stand out even more than his relatives. I’d made plans for tonight as a reclamation of my mind. I couldn’t lie that the idea of mentally reliving the time that we’d shared like I’d done almost daily since I saw him wasn’t guiding my decision.

Hassan had been like a ghost that lingered around when it should’ve moved on the way its physical body had. The connection that I’d felt that night had to be the cause of why I couldn’t shake myself free of him but it was clear the feeling wasn’t mutual. There hadn’t been another sighting of him in years and the only person who knew about that night had been monitoring everything that had to do with him and the Beacons just so I had a heads up. It was crazy that he seemed like a ghost only being mentioned in his family’s website but without a photo. If I hadn’t known him all my life I’d think that Hassan was a man who didn’t exist.

I entered my bedroom which I’d had completely redecorated after we got all of Dave’s shit out of here. All of the furniture in the room had been changed from when I was married and I’d let my brothers take some of it and have a bonfire out at my grandparents’ place. They’d talked about me moving out but I wasn’t leaving my house. It was a part of my family’s history and I refused to let Dave think he had me that bothered. The ancestors that occupied these walls before me would drive out any ill intentions he’d tried to leave behind. He hadn’t stepped foot back in this place after my brothers tossed him off of the property and he never would.

The closet I’d once shared with Dave was now all mine and the number of clothes I’d purchased over the last few years were different than what I used to buy. Gone were the mom uniforms of leggings and baggy tees whenever I wasn’t at work. My personality flourished once I got rid of the parasite and I gravitated toward colors and patterns because that was what made me happy.

I’d grown more confident in myself over the last few years and it felt natural. I no longer had the weight on me that was draining everything out of me. Besides a few hiccups with the kids having behavioral issues things were good. My confidence had only increased and my ego had gotten a boost. Despite not wanting to date that hadn’t stopped men from asking. A few even said that Dave was running around being a hater trying to prevent me from moving on but clearly they saw it for what it was. I didn’t care because I would never date another man from my home town again.

Hell, I wasn’t worried about dating again at all.

The first time my dreams of Hassan had gotten the best of me I ordered a range of toys that the manufacturers swore would take the edge off. They lied. I’d made myself cum but the toys lacked the intimacy and the finesse of Hassan. Nothing matched the length, thickness, and attentive skill he’d used to make me cum. I’d woken up sweaty many nights after sleeping through a memory of our time together. I was sure my toys would get a work out tonight after I got back because I was sure the air inside of his family’s hotel would conjure up the feel of him.

Should I have been going there? Hell no. But I’d been thinking of that place all week. Drawn to it. And I was hoping that going, having a great meal some good drinks and relaxing would strip him from my brain. Kinda like immersion therapy since avoidance hadn’t worked. I pulled out a bright, summer yellow dress that looked amazing against the richness of my skin. I was taking my mom hat off and it only seemed appropriate to go to the last place I’d felt grown sexy and free. It was the perfect way to start off the next week of being childfree and I was ready to relax and let my hair down.

HASSAN

I KNEW I was playing a dangerous game but there was little I could do. Business called and since I’d been running around the world playing soldier and protecting other people’s backs as a part of my job: I couldn’t technically complain about what I’d missed out on. But seeing her within the first few hours of being back in town seemed to be a sign. Especially since she was inside of my family’s hotel sitting at the bar yet again like she owned the place.

We really had to stop meeting like this before she hated my bloodline.

The way she’d hoed me for the last two years made me feel like I was being a simp to be chasing after her the way I felt like I had the last time I’d seen her but everything in me was drawn to this woman. It wasn’t just the bright yellow dress that hugged every peak and valley her genetics and hard work in the gym had blessed her with. Her thighs were toned, arms were more defined and she sat at the bar with that halo of hair tumbling around as she laughed at something the female bartender was saying.

I nodded at a few people who walked by and recognized me, which was the only reason I got out of my head. My ass had been standing at the entrance of the restaurant portion of the hotel staring at Sylvia hyping myself up. The bar was the first part of the restaurant you saw after you walked past the hostess station so I was kinda shocked she hadn’t noticed me yet. I was tired of playing pussy so I strode up to the bar and slid onto the stool beside her.

“What’s good, Sylvie?”

Her head snapped around with the quickness of a woman who had vowed the next time she heard that voice it was on sight. When her eyes landed on me and they narrowed with a disgust I knew me and my dick hadn’t earned I had to wonder what her problem was.

“The fuck you want?”

Damn, this was new. I knew I’d been gone a minute but she hadn’t contacted my ass so I wasn’t sure where this hostility was coming from. The bartender looked between the two of us, her brows raising in question. I was sure by the look on her face she was determining if I was a threat and if she needed to get someone in here to get rid of me.

I gave her a reassuring smile that I wasn’t a creep that needed to be tranquilized. “It’s good, love. We’re old friends.”

“If that’s what you want to call it. He’s not a threat so you don’t have to call anyone to kick him out. I’m not sure if you could since he’s a Beacon.”

That revelation had her brows dropping but her eyes getting slightly wide.

“I didn’t know—”

“You did exactly what you were supposed to. I don’t care who it is, if they’re harassing a woman you get hotel security in here. The safety of our patrons, especially the women, is paramount.”

She looked relieved that I’d complimented her desire to act and I was glad that she wasn’t afraid anymore. “Okay.”