Page 79 of Spark

“Scream.”

The shout Mia let out was louder, deeper, and more intense than any other she ever had before. She let out all the anger, pain, fear, and resentment she had been clinging to. Aurelio worked her to a release she hadn’t known she needed. As she came down, he lifted his face to hers, kissing her. She could taste herself on his tongue. She stood up, pulling him with her. His cock was still rock hard. Aurelio settled into the tub, and Mia gently lowered herself onto him so his cock slid into her wetness. As she dropped down, they both let out a moan. Mia pressed her palms to the edge of the tub, lifting herself enough for him to thrust into her. Aurelio moved his hips slowly upwards, his cock sliding in and out easily. He began to move faster, pulling her by the hips and fucking her harder and harder.

“OH, fuck,” he moaned, close to coming. Mia let her fingers slide to her clit, playing gently as another orgasm rose in her. Aurelio thrust harder, his cock was ready to burst as Mia’s fingers went faster, and together they crashed over the edge, coming. She leaned back as his cock slid out of her gently. Aurelio rested his arms on the edge of the tub, one hand playing with Mia’s hair as it floated around them.

“That was…” His chest expanded with a deep inhale. “…fucking perfect,” he finished.

Mia smiled as her eyes threatened to close. “It was. Cathartic.”

Aurelio gave a chuckle, arms banding around her chest. “You were amazing. She could feel him relaxing. “Now, you need to eat.” He shifted slightly, trying to reach for the plate.

“Wait,” she said, grabbing his hand and placing it back around her. “Please. One more minute. One more minute in here, with you.” Mia laid her head all the way back, her body begging for her to sleep.

Aurelio let out a deep breath. “Okay, beautiful.”

And with that, Mia let her eyes close, her body wrapped safely in his arms.

Chapter Twenty-Four

When Mia woke up, she was tucked in bed and dressed in Aurelio’s white shirt, which smelled like him. She felt the bed beside her. Empty and cold. She sighed. He was gone; the fleeting time she had with him was over. She knew she wouldn’t be able to see him again for a while, but she could at least send him a message. Even if he didn’t respond, she could pretend he was just out grabbing coffee or something. She could do that for a week, right? Mia inhaled his shirt; the smell of new leather mixed with pine and grease made her feel as if Aurelio was holding her tight.

Sliding out of the bed, Mia stretched her arms above her head, and her pantieless bottom caught a breeze. She reached for her plugged-in phone next to her glasses, which were carefully folded. It was exactly like how she did it each night; Aurelio must have noticed. There was a note sitting next to her phone. Aurelio’s clumsy scrawl was easy to identify.

Morning, beautiful,

I wish I was able to be there when you wake up.

Soon, you will wake up in my arms every day.

I love you.

Please eat something. Rest, relax, and unwind.

See you at graduation.

Yours forever,

A

Mia clutched the note next to her heart, wishing graduation was the next day.

With a slight feeling of panic, she remembered she still had to submit the paperwork for her dissertation. Grabbing her laptop quickly, she settled onto her bed, covering herself in the blankets again. The computer chimed to life; her email was still sitting there, waiting to be sent.

“Thank God,” she sighed, relieved she hadn’t lost all the filled-out forms.

Clicking send, she checked the time. It was almost eight. She wondered what time Aurelio had slipped out and if he had slept next to her at all. Mia wanted to fall back asleep, but her body was wide awake, so she moved to the fridge. On the island was a vase with three little sunflowers, each a varying shade of yellowy orange. She smiled; clearly, Aurelio remembered they were her favorite. She leaned over, smelling sunshine on a warm summer day. She pulled open the fridge, which was much fuller than before. Aurelio must have run out after she fell asleep, risking being seen just to make sure she woke up happy and full. Her heart swelled as she reached for a bottled smoothie and took a drink as her stomach growled. It was sweet, with blueberries and other fruit blended to perfection.

She hoped she hadn’t been heard the previous night. The scream she released had helped her let go of all her emotions, but she hoped no one was wondering who was making her yell like that. She especially hoped Oliver hadn’t been home. She really didn’t want to see him ever again, not even in passing. Shedidn’t know if the cops would find anything to tie him to the break-in or if they would even arrest him if they did because he was one of their own.

Her eyes caught the completely bare door; the wood had several small holes and a few pins still pushed into it. The stacked memories were on the coffee table, ready to be put back up.Or packed and moved. She looked around her small loft, no longer the haven she had known for 6 years. It was cramped, the walls closing in on her. The windows were too big, and the door was not secure enough. She felt her heart beating faster as she whipped around to look at the loft, feeling her body beginning to react to the growing fear. Her chest tightened, and her mind ran wild. By some miracle, she heard Aurelio’s voice in her head, telling her to breathe. She hugged herself; the smell of him on the shirt let her close her eyes and imagine it was him embracing her. Eventually, the panic attack passed. Once she could breathe easily, her chest relaxed. The walls remained where they had always been, the door was locked as it always was, and the windows were regular-sized, closed and covered as she had them since she moved in. She was okay for the moment. But she needed to leave. She knew the place would never feel right after the kind of violation that had happened. Her lease was up a week after graduation; she could stick it out till then.

Mia’s phone chimed, drawing her attention to it. She hadn’t checked it yet since the note from Aurelio distracted her. She unlocked the screen, revealing a message from Mac.

Mac:Sorry for running off. Cops, man. They set my nerves on edge.

Mia:All good. Thanks for being here when you were. You doing okay?

Mac:I should be asking you that. Aurelio ran off when I got to the safe house. Thought he would beat my ass for leaving. But he said he got it and took off on the bike.

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