Mercedes Jones stood on Main Street, her heart fluttering with anticipation and nostalgia. She couldn't help but smile as she removed her sunglasses. It had been five years since she had set foot on American soil, or more accurately, Nashville, Tennessee, and the first thing she did was take a walk down memory lane. It stirred up a whirlwind of emotions.

Sighing, she ran her hands through her long, red, wavy hair as she rushed across the street. Her hands smoothed down her curve-hugging jeans as her legs led her automatically. Thankfully, she didn't have to go into the office until tomorrow.

Though time passed, a deep sense of regret still pooled in her chest at the thought of her past. If she hadn't had to return to Nashville for work, she would have stayed in London. Some of her deeply regretted accepting the offer to return to Nashville for a week, but it was where she got her start.

After she graduated from Stanford with her MBA in Business, she was headhunted to become a financial analyst for JP Morgan in Nashville. The offer was tempting, promising a new start in a vibrant city. It wasn't like she had any family stopping her from moving anywhere; both her parents were only children, and when she lost them, it was like she lost the concept of what a family was.

Taking the leap, she accepted the job, not knowing that it would change her life in ways she couldn't have imagined, and within the first week, she wondered if she had made a mistake.

She didn't know anyone, her rental had fallen through, and she had gotten lost in the rain. She was frustrated, wet, sad, and done. That is, until she walked into a coffee shop, her refuge from the storm, and was met with the most intense green eyes she had ever seen.

They were filled with surprise, annoyance, and a hint of amusement, as if he had been expecting her. She had just made him drop two hot cups of coffee on himself, a clumsy introduction that would mark the beginning of their story.

He took it like a champ and even asked her out, to her surprise, and when she was about to say no, he reminded her that she owed him for the whole spilling of the coffee thing. It was easy for Mercedes to fall for him; he seemed her opposite. And it didn't hurt that he was down to earth with a model's body and could make her laugh with one look.

Their relationship grew, each day bringing them closer until they became each other's rock in the stormy sea of life. But that was then and this was now.

Mercedes sighed as she walked through the busy streets during the midday rush, a wave of familiarity pouring through her as she passed the fountain where she and her ex shared their first kiss.

Her eyes landed on the coffee shop. It wasn't huge, just a mom-and-pop shop, but it became theirs, a place where they could come together, talk, laugh, and hang out. And they had the best hot chocolate she had ever tasted in her life. Or it may have tasted good because of who she shared it with.

Her feet began to move before she did, and before she knew it, she was standing at the front counter ordering her drink. Checking around the little shop, she saw that only a little had changed except for the people. The small booths and tables were exactly as she had left them, and the feel was just as warm and inviting, even if the people were different.

Her phone vibrated, and she smiled brightly when she saw her best friend in London, Santana, calling. The two met on Mercedes's second day in London and have been inseparable ever since.

"Why are you calling me? Duck out of work early?" Mercedes teased.

"Yep. What are they gonna do? Write me up? Both of my supervisors are gone for the week."

Mercedes laughed. "I can't with you! You are supposed to hold down the fort until we return."

"I didn't ask for all that. Besides, no one told you to leave me here all alone; it's too much work for just one person."

"One person? You have a whole team, San."

"Exactly, so they won't miss me. Besides, I have a date with a beauty who is worth the risk."

"Tell Isabella that her Auntie misses her and will bring her a souvenir from Nashville," Mercedes said, grabbing her drink as they called her name. "I have got to go."

"Fine, can you make sure my wifey doesn't end up missing the States and try to drag us back?" Santana said, smiling into the phone.

"I can't promise much; she is just as stubborn as you once she has made up her mind." Mercedes giggled as she grabbed her drink, thanking the barista. "But I will do my best," she added, turning to leave.

"Cedes, if we go stateside, so do you!"

"Yeah, no, this is a one-time thi-oof.." Mercedes felt hot liquid spill all over her as she crashed into what felt like a wall.

"Merce?"

Mercedes froze, looking up and staring into the same eyes she did all those years ago. "Sam…" Left her lips as shock and awe ran through her.

Hearing Santana on the other end, she smiled. "San, I gotta go. I will call you later." Without waiting, she hung up, staring at the man before her.

"Sam Evans! Look at you."

"Look at me? Look at you!" he smiled. "You look gorgeous! I love the red hair…it suits you."

"Don't even I'm a hot ass mess, thanks to the cocoa." She laughed. "I am so sorry I wasn't paying attention."

Smirking, Sam moved them out of the way, grabbing napkins. "Well, it only seems fair, considering you nearly scolded me almost a decade ago."

Mercedes blushed. "Oh, so this was payback?"

"I mean I didn't plan it, but what man doesn't want to see you in a wet teeshirt?"

Mercedes giggled, shaking her head. "What are you doing here?!"

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing, Miss Jet Setting CFO? Did you move back from London?"

She shook her head, shaking off the excess cocoa. "No, I am only here for the week, I leave out Sunday."

"M'am? Mr. Evans? Are you two okay? I saw the whole thing. She didn't mean to crash into you, sir,"

"Sir?" Mercedes questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's okay, Sunshine. Mercedes is an old friend. We aren't strangers to cocoa or coffee spills. I am going to take Mercedes to clean up. Can you make her another drink? On the house?"

"Of course!" Sunshine said, running towards the counter.

"Come with me, Merce."

She could only nod as she let him lead her toward the back and to an apartment upstairs.

Sam noticed the confusion in her eyes and couldn't help but smile. "After you left, Ms. Hudson found a wonderful man, a senator from Ohio. She decided to sell the shop, a place that held so many memories for us, so I bought it. We've spent so much of our lives here, after all."

"Mercedes chewed the inside of her cheek as she looked around. 'We did; it was one of our favorite day date spots. I think that's why I came here." she said.

Sam nodded and walked through the apartment, grabbing a shirt for her. "Here, so you can get back without catching a cold."

Taking his shirt, she stared at him. "So you live up here now?"

He shrugged. "I rented out the house. It was too big for just one person, and I figured it made sense since I spend my time either at the Ranch or here."

Mercedes smiled as she placed her purse down and slipped out of her shirt while looking at her ex-husband. Their relationship didn't end because they fell out of love. Instead, their lives were simply on different paths. Sam was busy running his parents' horse ranch, while Mercedes was offered the CFO position at their office in London by the CEO, and she didn't see how she could turn it down.

"So what brings you back?" Sam said, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh, um," she said as she placed the wet shirt down and looked over to him. It might have been awkward for some, but she always felt comfortable around him. "I was asked to come teach a class for some of the interns, although I think it's also for some of the analysts. Do you remember Artie, my old boss? He's been hinting that they were lost without me."

Sam smiled, tugging off his wet shirt. "It seems about right; you do leave your mark wherever you go."

Mercedes looked at him and smirked, shaking her head. "Seems like I am not the only one who leaves a mark."

Sam glanced her way, raising an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

Walking behind him, she traced her hand down his back, pausing at a faint nail mark. "Let me guess, she was a screamer too?"

"You act like I didn't have you screaming, in French, by the way, the night before you left." Sam chuckled.

"Whatever." She laughed, pushing him, "I need to wash this cocoa off. I am sticky."

Sam drew her closer. "We could save water and shower together," he suggested.

Mercedes turned in his arms to face him, pressing her bra-covered breast against his chest. "That sounds like fun, but I wouldn't want to turn you off from your girl. You know how…addicting I can be." She teased as she twisted out of his grasp.

"You are still the biggest tease around, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "So, where is the bathroom?"

Sam moved behind her, hands on her hips. "Wait…" His lips went to her neck. "Were you going to tell me you were back?"

Mercedes felt her breath hitch as she felt him; even now, he had a hold on her. It wasn't like their sex life wasn't fire. The first time she and Sam ever had sex, she swore they put each other in a coma. Neither one woke for at least twelve hours. Not only was the man gifted with his tongue, but the depths he could reach inside of her were unmatched.

"Sam…" She said breathlessly.

"Tell me the truth." He whispered as his hands ran down her side.

"I had planned on stopping by the Ranch tomorrow." Her eyes closed as Sam ghosted kisses down her neck.

"Good." He turned her towards him. "Let me get a real look at you."

"Samuel Evans, you getting a look at me is how I was almost late for my flight to London," Mercedes said, giving him a knowing look.

"So you do remember it. We had just signed the divorce papers, and you looked so sexy, standing there, taking one last look around."

Mercedes nodded. "I remember. You know, no one believes me when I say that we had a healthy amicable split."

"My parents wouldn't have believed it if they hadn't showed up to say goodbye." Sam laughed.

Mercedes snorted. "Your dad's face was so red! He was so embarrassed, but like I was the one naked and spread out on the counter so…"

"Mmm, still the tastiest meal I have ever had," Sam said, linking his hands with hers.

"Is sex all you think about? And don't you have another meal you can sample?" She said, still not pushing him away.

"I do, and she is good; I like her, but she's not you. Are you telling me the boys in London can give you what I can? That you don't miss… daddy's stick?" Sam pressed himself into her, and she let off a moan, feeling him against her stomach.

Rolling her eyes, she let him wrap her arms around his neck. "I have had my fun, but you are right. They don't…reach places you do."

Sam lifted her to him, wrapping her thighs around his waist and pushing her up against the nearest wall.

"This is why I was trying to meet up with you at the Ranch. We wouldn't have been caught in this particular position,"

"But I like this position. It's one of my favorites." He pressed into her. "Here, I can touch, taste, and bite so much of you."

She held onto him as he ran his hand down the front of her cleavage. "Sam, I swear you are playing a dangerous game."

"Play with me, Mercedes. I know you are gonna leave, and we are gonna go on like nothing happened but for one blissful moment…just let go."

Mercedes stared at him before she nodded, taking his lips in hers and kissing him deeply. Her hands ran through his hair.

"Merce…so good." He murmured, thrusting into her, his jeans growing tighter.

With hands roaming everywhere, moans and cries of pleasure in their ears, neither heard the knock on the door or its opening. As Sam flung her bra behind him, a chuckle rang out, and the two froze.