The One That Got Away by M. B. Feeney Page A

shrink if you ever want to get in my car again.”
    “Six-one isn’t that tall.” I continued to stretch myself out to prevent my muscles seizing up.
    “Tall enough compared to me. Short arse, remember?”
    She was petite, but, as they say, good things come in small packages, and she certainly was a good thing. Any fella would be lucky to end up with her. Did I hope I would be him? Yeah, I’d be a fool not to, but I also knew it wasn’t always that easy.
    “I remember all too well.” I grinned, knowing my response would cause her to blush a little. She didn’t disappoint, but at least she laughed when she swatted my arm.
    I grabbed my stuff off the back seat, then pulled her in for a tight, one-armed hug. After a gentle kiss on the forehead, I forced myself to walk away from her. When I looked back one final time she was leaning against the bonnet of her car, watching me.
     
    :: ::
     
    Arriving home was bittersweet. I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, but not to seeing Mel. Not only because of my actions over the weekend, but how those actions had helped me make up my mind up about our relationship. Finding the house empty was a relief since I wasn’t quite ready for all the questions she would have. A fresh coffee in hand, I went and sat in the front room, trying to work things out in my head. It might have been my decision, but that wasn’t making it any easier to put things into motion.
    The light from the TV flickered across the room while I leaned back on the sofa. Images from the reunion flashed behind my closed eyes—chatting to friends, acquaintances, and Heidi. Mostly Heidi. I tried not to think about her, needing a clear head to prepare myself for talking things through with Mel. However, I began to relive our kiss at the side of the motorway, and I felt my arousal building. Nothing I did calmed my body down, so I finally gave in and laid down while allowing my body to enjoy the images flashing behind my closed eyes.
    It wasn’t a conscious decision when I undid my jeans and shimmied them down, along with my boxers, to my knees, freeing my erection. Wrapping my hand around myself elicited a groan deep in my throat. The kiss played on a loop in my mind while I stroked myself to a full hard on. Slowly at first, then building speed, I gripped myself tighter and allowed the clamminess of my palm to act as a lubricant.
    My body was readying itself for release and I wanted nothing more than to let go completely, but forced myself to stop. Struggling to catch my breath, I sat up and ran my hands through my hair, tugging on it to calm myself back down. This was wrong to do, at least until I’d cleared things up with Mel. I dragged myself to my feet and shuffled upstairs to turn on the shower, set to ice cold.
    Just as I emerged from the bathroom, the front door opened and Mel’s voice, followed by that of her mother, met my ears. Groaning to myself, I tightened the towel around my waist and plastered a smile on my face before walking down to the front room to meet them. The smile slipped when I entered the room, and found Mel using a pair of crutches. Her mum, Joan, had her right arm in a sling.
    “Jesus! What happened?” I hurried to help Mel sit down.
    “A minor smash in the car.” Mel’s mum made herself comfortable on the sofa, wincing a little. “Oh, Shane. Be a love and make a brew, would you?”
    Following orders, and forgetting I was half naked, I bustled around the kitchen making hot drinks for all three of us.
    “So is anyone going to tell me what the hell happened?” I asked again, handing out drinks.
    “We were coming back from the High Street and I had to swerve to miss a dog that ran across the road. We plowed straight into the central reservation, head on. That was almost five hours ago.” She went on to explain they’d been taken to hospital and checked out. Joan had a sprained wrist from slamming her hand on the dashboard. Mel was a little more banged up, but