Page 45 of After Effect

The wedding was an outdoor event at a large country club, with a parking lot packed to the brim with expensive cars. Lilly’s new motorcycle was parked on the sidewalk by the entrance, while the air was filled with laughter, punctuated by her voice. I found her not far from the reception area, surrounded by three young men who were completely enthralled by some inane story she was telling about running cows. She certainly knew her audience.

“Miss Cisneros.” I wanted to sound professional in front of her entourage, but I had never felt so awkward speaking to her before. It sounded so unnatural to speak to Lilly like she’s… not a friend.

“You made it!” Lilly turned around, and immediately threw her arms around my neck in an overly friendly hug. “Get me out of here, and make it look like it’s not my call,” she whispered into my ear while mid embrace. I nodded subtly into her shoulder to tell her I understood, then I took a firm hold of her arms to push her away from me.

“Gentleman, I apologize for the interruption. I hope you’ve been having a good time with Miss Cisneros, but it’s getting terribly late. and she’s got an important engagement first thing in the morning. But we both hope to see you at the Bass Jumpers Tour.” I addressed the young men with a nod.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, I turned on my heel.

“Bye guys! I’ll see you later!” Lilly blew the men a collective kiss as I practically dragged her back to the parking lot. It was a solidly believable exit. She waited until we were in the sound blocking cab of my car before she spoke any further.

“Geeeez, it took you forever to get here.” She sighed as she relaxed into the leather seats. “If you had taken any longer, you’d probably be trying to hunt down my kidnappers.”

“That’s a risk you take when you don’t tell me where the hell you’re going.” I had told myself I’d stay calm, but it wasn’t entirely working. I backed out of the parking space, using good driving etiquette as an excuse to not look her in the eye. As if this is my fault.

“Well, I’ll be sure to tell you everything all the time forever.” Lilly’s tone was the verbal equivalent of an eye roll. “What, were you that worried?”

“Of course I was fucking worried.” I glared at the woman beside me. “Do you know how big a deal this tour is? Do you know how important this is to your career? Do you have any fucking clue how much I’ve put on the line for you? And you just fucking ghosted me. How the hell am I supposed to feel?” I shifted gears with a vengeance as I peeled out toward the highway. Alright, so much for that keeping calm idea.

I wanted to blame her for everything at this point. For the man who got stabbed. For the phantom blood that I would always see when I opened my trunk. For the stupid deals I kept making with Baek. It was my fault. Lilly never asked me to do any of this. But for some reason, I resented myself right now.

Lilly waved a hand in the air to dismiss my anger. “It’ll all work out. Have some trust in me for once.” She leaned toward me, while I sat rigidly in the driver’s seat. A dip in the road threw her off balance, and she shot a hand onto my thigh to catch herself. A devious grin slipped onto her lips. “Let me make it up to you.”

“How exactly do you expect to do that?” I didn’t relent any forgiveness.

“Turn here. Let’s take the coast.”

“You’re still drunk. The turns will probably make you sick.” The coast was the last place I wanted to go right now.

“We can take it slow.”

“That’ll add at least an hour to the trip.”

She leaned in further, her breath on my ear, her hand still firmly on my thigh, and her pinky tracing light circles over my inseam. “We’re gonna need that much.”

“Let’s just get back.”

“Trust me, Finchy.”

I swallowed as the turn approached. I don’t know why I kept protesting at this point. I already knew what I was going to do. I was the one driving, yet I felt completely powerless. Trust her. Fucking trust her, Finch.

A quick jerk of the wheel put us onto the start of a canyon road. I could feel Lilly’s lips pull into a grin as they tickled my ear lobe. “Good boy.”

Her tongue traced the contours of my ear. Her fingers inched further up my inner thigh. I forced my focus to the road, while her lips moved down to my neck.

Why am I giving into her right now?

Her fingers finally made contact. Her palm cupped my balls then she slid her hand up to my zipper. Every inch of movement urged me more and more eager.

I bit my lip and swallowed again. That’s why.

Lilly‘s thumb unlatched my belt buckle. Her teeth nibbled at my neck as she slid the leather through its loop. Her fingers teased at my zipper, and the gyroscopic force of a sharp turn forced her to finish releasing me.

Lilly chuckled into my ear as the mountain roads tossed her further into me. She stabilized herself against my shoulder, then gripped my shaft, using just enough pressure to feel every inch of my firmness. “You never disappoint me, Finchy.”

Fuck it. I need this right now. I pressed my back into the seat and tilted my head back, far enough to allow her access, but not so far I couldn’t keep my eyes on the road. I was practically drifting as we entered the next corner. Lilly was thrown back into her seat, giving me both relief from her touch and desperation for her to come back. The road was getting tighter now, and it was taking twice as much effort to keep us in our lane.

“This is too dangerous. I can’t have you obscuring my visibility in the middle of the night while we’re surrounded by cliffs.” I spoke firmly, so as not to allow any room for argument. Lilly regarded my expression carefully. A deadpan look, intended to give nothing away and everything away at the same time. Every beat of my heart sent blood pulsing through my exposed erection.

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