A Love That Was Big Enough
Chapter 3
Romance Sex Story: Chapter 3 - Alex has been struggling to move on from his wife's passing five years ago. His friends insist that he move on and force him to install a dating app. It guarantees a match by Valentine's Day. He reluctantly agrees. The problem is that he finds someone. Actually... two someones. And life gets complicated.
Caution: This Romance Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fiction Workplace
15 January
Alex was already a wreck. It had been twenty years since his last date, and here he was at 9:45. Way too early, standing in the doorway of the coffee shop like an idiot.
The place smelled like burnt coffee and that fake vanilla syrup.
He needed to do something with his hands. So, he ordered a coffee he had zero intention of drinking. He barely smiled at the barista who made him his coffee quickly.
He sat at the table by the window - the one where he could watch the door. Then spent the next minute trying to figure out what to do with his arms. Folded them. Unfolded them. Put them on the table. Took them off. Finally just wrapped both hands around the mug even though it hurt.
9:58. He pulled out his phone.
RedHeart (9:42 PM): Hey there Mister. I’ll be wearing red. Can’t miss me!! Can’t wait to see your face @ 10!! 😊
She was always like that. Playful, confident. Meanwhile his throat felt like sandpaper.
The door opened. Some students came in, then a guy with a bike helmet. No red.
Alex’s knee bounced under the table. What was he supposed to say? ‘Hi, I’m Alex’? She knew that already. ‘Nice to finally meet you’? That sounded worse. He wiped his palm on his jeans.
The clock hit 10:00.
The door opened again.
A woman in bright red walked in. That’s what he saw first, the color. Then everything else.
It was Kara.
Kara from work.
He couldn’t believe it was her. How did he not see her like she appeared before him now? She was wearing a lovely dress that suited her figure, but he had never seen her before this way. She was gorgeous - laughing at someone behind her, blonde hair swinging. She turned to look around the room, and her blue eyes found him.
Found him sitting alone at the window.
Her smile froze. Her whole energy just ... stopped. Her eyes went wide for a second.
Every line Alex had practiced vanished. His brain just went quiet.
RedHeart was Kara.
Kara was RedHeart.
The woman he’d been messaging for weeks. The one he joked with about stupid stuff. The one who stole his fries at lunch and convinced him to join the app in the first place.
She stood there by the door, staring. A guy trying to get past her mumbled sorry and squeezed by. She didn’t notice.
Alex looked down at his coffee. He set it down carefully.
Their eyes met across the café.
Kara’s face flickered. She couldn’t contain the joy in her face.
Alex’s face was pure, genuine shock. He couldn’t process it. She had set up the app to chat with him! Why?
She walked toward him trying to mask the slight tremble in her hands with a confident stride.
“Alex!” Her voice was bright, almost too bright. “I’m here. Surprise!”
Alex stood, stammering. “Kara?! You’re ... you’re RedHeart?”
Kara sat, watching him carefully. “Yes ... Are you angry with me? I ... I ... I wasn’t trying to trick you. Please don’t be angry Alex!”
Alex dropped back into his chair, heavy. “You ... this whole time ... it was you?”
His brain short-circuited. Kara from the office. The woman who brought him coffee when he forgot to eat. The one who teased him mercilessly but always checked if he was okay. The one who had been messaging him as RedHeart. The woman who made him laugh, who made him want to live again.
Kara leaned forward, eyes locked on his. “I knew. From the second Jess and I made your profile.”
Alex blinked. “You knew? For two weeks?”
“Yes.” She swallowed, voice softening. “It was all a plan. Jessica helped me. But she’s getting her reward. She found her own perfect man.”
Alex exhaled. “Good for her. But I have to tell you what I told you on the app. I’m meeting another woman on Friday. Ember. I told you both I wanted to be honest.”
Kara’s smile was small and sad. “I don’t care. Today is about us.”
Alex stared at her. The woman he’d known for two years. He had always thought of her as someone radiant. Out of his league. And yet - she was one of those someones - who really saw him. Why? Why would she be interested in him?
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Before this gets more complicated ... why me? I’m older. Damaged. You’re breathtaking. You could have anyone in this room. They’d cut off their left arm to be in my place.”
Kara’s eyes filled. “I need you to know something.”
Alex nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ve been in love with you for two years.”
Alex’s breath caught. “Two years?”
“Since the day you saved me from Mr. Patterson.”
Alex frowned. “I didn’t save you...”
“Yes. You did.” Her voice was fierce now. “He cornered me in the conference room after hours and tried to get handsy. I said no. He didn’t care. He laughed and said that nothing would happen to him.”
Alex’s face darkened. He remembered now.
“Then you walked in. You didn’t hesitate. Didn’t ask questions. You didn’t care how powerful he was. You just said, ‘She said no. Leave. Now.’ When he tried to play it off, you threatened HR and security. He left. You stayed until I stopped shaking. You never told anyone. Never made it about you being a hero. Never made me feel weak. You just asked, ‘You okay? Want me to walk you to your car?’”
Alex looked down. “Anyone would have...”
“No. They wouldn’t have. You did.”
She paused, tears shining.
“And then, another time, I heard you in the break room. Two guys were talking about me. Calling me a tease. Saying I lead guys on. They were saying terrible things about me. You stopped them. You defended me. I still remember what you said, ‘She doesn’t lead anyone on. She’s clear about her boundaries. If you can’t handle that, that’s your problem, not hers.’ I was in the hallway. I heard everything.”
Alex shifted, uncomfortable with the praise. “They were out of line.”
“You stood up for me when I wasn’t even there. When you had nothing to gain. That’s when I knew. That’s when I fell in love with you.”
Alex was silent, processing.
Kara continued, voice softer. “For two years I watched you grieve.I watched you be kind to everyone while carrying that weight alone. I wanted to tell you. So many times. But you weren’t ready. So I waited. And when Jess and I made that profile, I thought ... maybe this is my chance. To show you who I am without the office gossip. Without the reputation. To let you see the real me.”
She looked at him, vulnerable now.
“I love you, Alex. I have for two years. I’m not expecting you to say it back. I know it’s too soon. Elena was everything to you. I respect that. I honor that. But I’m done hiding. I had to tell you.”
Alex’s throat worked. “Kara ... I ... I don’t know what to say. I care about you. So much. You’re incredible. But love is ... I can’t just...”
Kara gave a sad smile, understanding. “I know. It’s too fast. You’re not there yet. And that’s okay. I can wait. I’ve waited two years. I can wait longer.”
Alex shook his head. “I don’t want you waiting for something that might not happen.”
Kara leaned closer. “Then let me be clear: I’m not waiting passively. I’m going to show you who I am. What we could be together. And then you’ll decide. But at least you’ll know.”
She reached across the table, touched his hand lightly.
“Today isn’t about forever. Today is about now. About us. About finally letting you see me.”
Alex looked at her, really looked. The woman who had been there all along. The one who had messaged him as RedHeart. The one who had waited two years.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “Let’s do today.”
Kara’s face lit up with joy.
“Really?”
“Really.”
She stood, grabbed her coat. “Come with me. Right now.”
Alex blinked. “What? Where?”
“There’s a hiking trail about an hour north. Beautiful. Secluded. Hot spring.”
Alex laughed despite himself. “Now? We have work.”
“So do I. Let’s both call in sick. Be spontaneous.” She grinned. “You said in your messages you haven’t done anything that scared you in years. Prove you meant it.”
Alex hesitated. He should say no. He had Ember on Friday. This was moving too fast.
But Kara was looking at him with two years of want in her eyes.
She stepped closer, voice low. “I’ve waited two years to have your attention. Really have it. Please don’t make me spend it in a coffee shop. Show me you meant it. About wanting to feel alive again.”
Alex looked at her. His heart melted when she saw the hope, the fear, the love she’d hidden for so long.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
They both informed work that they wouldn’t be at work and left together. Her hand found his as they walked to his car.
Neither let go.
On a whim they stopped at an outdoor store and bought hiking clothes. She bought two red scarves for the two of them.
Kara teased him while changing in the dressing room. Nothing happened, but the sexual tension crackled. She loved when he noticed her. He finally saw her as a woman.
The drive north was quiet at first.
Then Kara spoke. “I need to ask you something.”
Alex glanced over. “Okay.”
“When you look at me ... what do you see?”
Alex thought while driving. “I see someone who’s more than she shows the world.”
Kara tilted her head. “What does that mean?”
“Everyone sees the bombshell. The confident woman. ‘Kara the Tease.’ But in your messages ... you showed me the loneliness. The fear. The woman who wonders if anyone sees the real her. That’s who I see. The real Kara.”
Kara’s voice broke. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”
“Then they’re blind.”
There was a long pause.
Kara: “You’re still meeting Ember on Friday.”
It was not a question.
Alex nodded. “Yes.”
“Do you have feelings for her?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never met her. But our conversations are ... different. Deeper in some ways. I look forward to meeting her as much as I did RedHeart.”
Kara absorbed that. It hurt, but she appreciated the honesty. “What if you like her better?”
Alex: “I honestly don’t know.”
Kara: “So today might be all I get.”
Alex: “Maybe.”
Kara’s voice turned determined. “Then I’m going to make it count.”
The trailhead parking lot was empty except for Alex’s car. Good. Kara wanted him all to herself.
She adjusted the red scarf around her neck - matching the one she’d wrapped around Alex’s throat in the store, laughing at how it brought out the warmth in his brown eyes - and started up the trail.
“It’s about two miles,” she called over her shoulder. “Steep in places. You good?”
“I run five miles most mornings.” Alex fell into step behind her. “I think I can handle it.”
“We’ll see.” She grinned and picked up the pace.
The trail wound through dense evergreens, snow crunching under their boots. January cold bit at exposed skin but the exertion kept them warm. Kara led, moving with easy confidence over roots and rocks.
Alex tried to focus on the scenery. The way sunlight filtered through pine branches. The absolute quiet broken only by their breathing and footsteps.
But his eyes kept drifting to Kara.
The way her hips swayed with each step. How her coat rode up when she climbed over a fallen log, revealing the curve of her ass in those jeans. The honey-blonde hair bouncing with movement, catching light like spun gold.
Two years. She’d loved him for two years and he’d never noticed.
How had he never noticed?
“You’re quiet back there,” Kara said without turning. “Regretting this already?”
“No. Just ... thinking.”
“About?”
“How I’ve been an idiot for two years.”
She stopped, turned to face him. Her cheeks were flushed from exertion and cold, blue eyes bright. “What do you mean?”
Alex gestured vaguely at her. “You. How did I not see you? Really see you?”
Kara’s smile was soft, almost sad. “You were grieving. You weren’t supposed to see me.”
“But now I do.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “I see you, Kara.”
Something heated flickered in her eyes. “Good. Keep looking.”
She turned and continued up the trail.
Alex followed, heart hammering for reasons that had nothing to do with the altitude.
They climbed higher. The trail steepened, switching back and forth up the mountainside.
Kara scrambled ahead over a rocky section, coat riding up with the effort. Alex’s eyes dropped to her ass - he couldn’t help it. The way those jeans hugged her curves, the flex of muscles as she climbed, the sheer impossible perfection of her body in motion.
She glanced back and caught him staring.
Heat flooded his face. “Sorry, I...”
Kara stopped mid-climb, turned to face him fully. One eyebrow raised, that devastating smirk on her lips. “For what?”
“I was ... I shouldn’t have...”
“Alex.” She descended two steps until they were eye level on the narrow trail. Close enough he could smell her perfume - that spicy cinnamon scent that had been driving him crazy all morning. “I wore these jeans on purpose. What’s the point of having an ass if you don’t look at it?”
His throat went dry.
She leaned closer, voice dropping to something intimate and dangerous. “I’ve wanted you to look at me like that for two years. Don’t you dare apologize now.”
“Kara...”
“Look at me, Alex. Really look.” She shrugged off her coat despite the cold. Underneath she wore a tight thermal top that left nothing to imagination. Her breasts strained against the fabric, full and perfect. “I want you to see me. All of me. Everything I’ve been hiding.”
Alex’s hands clenched at his sides. He was painfully aware of how close she stood. How easy it would be to reach out and touch her.
“This is dangerous,” he managed.
“I know.” Her smile was wicked now. “That’s what makes it fun.”
She pulled her coat back on and continued climbing, leaving him standing there trying to remember how to breathe.
Twenty minutes later they reached an ice patch.
Kara stepped onto it confidently but her boot slipped. She gasped, arms windmilling.
Alex moved without thinking. His arm shot out, caught her around the waist, and pulled her back against his chest.
They froze like that, her back pressed to his front, his arm tight around her waist, both breathing hard.
“I’ve got you,” he said quietly.
Kara turned in his arms. Slowly. Until they were face to face, barely inches apart. Her hands came up to rest on his chest.
“My hero,” she whispered.
This close he could count her eyelashes. See the flecks of darker blue in her irises. Feel the warmth of her breath.
He should let go. Step back. Put distance between them.
Instead his other hand came up to her waist. Steadying her. Holding her.
Kara’s eyes moved to his mouth.
Alex’s dropped to hers.
They both leaned in.
A sharp crack echoed through the trees. A branch breaking under snow’s weight somewhere distant.
They jerked apart.
Kara laughed, breathless and shaky. “That was close.”
“Yeah.” Alex’s voice was rough. “Close.”
She touched his face briefly - just her fingertips against his jaw - then pulled away completely. “Come on. We’re almost there.”
She started walking again.
Alex followed, but everything had shifted. The air between them crackled with electricity. Every glance felt weighted. Every accidental touch sent heat racing through his veins.
He was in trouble. Deep trouble.
And from the way Kara kept looking back at him - that knowing smile, those heated eyes - she knew it.
“Tell me about this place,” Alex said, desperate for conversation that wasn’t just charged silence. “How did you find it?”
Kara navigated over a fallen log, accepting his hand to steady herself even though she clearly didn’t need it. Her fingers lingered in his.
“About eighteen months ago.” Her voice was quieter now. “I went on a date. A bad one.”
“Bad how?”
“The guy spent the whole dinner staring at my chest. Asked me back to his place before appetizers arrived. When I said no, he got mean. Said I was a tease. That I dressed like that for attention so I shouldn’t be surprised when I got it.” She paused.
Alex’s jaw clenched. “Tell me his name.”
“Why? So you can defend my honor?” But she was smiling when she said it.
“Yes.”
Kara stopped walking, turned to him. “You really would, wouldn’t you? Just march over and ... what? Punch him?”
“If necessary.”
She stepped closer. “That’s why I love you, Alex. You don’t even think about it. Someone hurts me and you just ... react. Protect.” Her hand came up to his chest again, right over his heart. “You’ve been doing it for two years and you don’t even realize it.”
“You deserve protecting.”
“Most guys say that. You actually mean it.” She held his gaze. “Anyway. After that date I drove up here. Just needed to get away. I found this trail on an old map someplace, followed it, and discovered ... well. You’ll see. It became my secret place. Somewhere that was just mine.”
“And now you’re sharing it with me.”
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