Page 64 of Fighting for Ella

What would have happened if Miguel hadn't brought her this afternoon?

Had the mole been lying in wait for her to leave on her own before making a move?

“Hey, I got you, honey. That woman is not getting to you,” Miguel vowed.

“It was a woman? For sure?” Given what Cassie had been told when Raul Castillo had abducted her, they knew the mole was a woman, so knowing it was a woman watching her today reinforced the idea that it could be the mole.

“For sure. She ran, got through the fence. By the time I got over it she’d disappeared. I looked around for as long as I could, but I wanted to be here when you came out just in case she had something planned and doubled back.”

Regardless of the vibes he put off, Miguel had been putting her first every step of the way. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out to grab his hand and clutching onto it like it was her lifeline.

“Any time, honey,” he said, his eyes softening when he looked at her.

They lapsed into silence as Miguel drove her back to her place. A million thoughts tumbled together in her head. How close she could have come to being taken if that’s what the mole had been there waiting to do left her feeling scared, but she was also still riding the high of her session with Piper.

There were no guarantees in life.

That was becoming clearer and clearer to her.

Not even your next breath of air was guaranteed.

If you didn't reach out and take what you wanted, there might never be another chance.

That thought was the most prevalent in her mind as she and Miguel walked up her front path thirty minutes later.

Whatever was going to happen with Miguel, whether they’d ever get a chance to explore this thing brewing between them, she didn't want him to walk away without her getting to have him just one time.

One time to remember, to look back on if he walked away from her.

If it wasn't what he wanted then she’d understand, she wouldn't push, and she wouldn't ask for more than he was willing to give. But you never knew unless you went for it.

As soon as Miguel locked the door behind them, Ella reached for his shoulders, tugging on them until she could press her lips to his. For a second, he stood there unmoving. She’d caught him off-guard, and she could guess that he was warring with himself about how he should best respond.

Just as she thought he was going to push her away, a growl rumbled through him, and one of his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her possessively up against his rock-hard body. His tongue nudged against her lips, and when she opened them, it swept inside her mouth, a little precursor to what she hoped would happen in the next few minutes.

Her body was a needy, throbbing mess. Sex had always been fun, and she’d been lucky enough to be with partners who cared about her pleasure. But never before had she felt this burning need. It pulsed through her veins, consuming her with each beat of her heart.

They were both breathing hard when Miguel finally pulled back enough that he could look down at her. His dark eyes were stormy with emotion and Ella wished she could soothe it away for him.

“Ella, I can't … I'm not … I want you … want this … but I can't make any promises about the future.”

Those words buried themselves deeply in her heart. It wasn't fair to want him to make promises and yet she couldn’t deny she wanted him to.

One day at a time.

Seize the moment.

Don’t have regrets.

Regardless of whether or not she’d love a promise to explore this thing between them, Ella knew that if she let this opportunity pass her by then she would wind up regretting it. For now, she had to focus on just this, not on what could or couldn’t be in the future.

“Okay,” she agreed, shoving away the pain in her heart. If this was meant to be, it would work its way out eventually, and if it wasn't then she’d patch her heart back together again.

“Are you sure?” he asked, studying her eyes, searching for the truth.

“I'm sure that I want you. Here. Now. I don’t want soft and sweet, I just want raw and passionate. I want to feel you inside me, I want to be consumed by you. I don’t want anything between us. I'm on birth control and I'm clean. If you're okay with it we don’t need a condom. I just need you, Miguel. I need you,” she said again, allowing a little of the vulnerability she felt beneath her desire to shine through.

“I'm here, honey. I'm right here. I've never gone bare before, but with you … with you I can't think of anything that feels more right.”

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