Page 37 of Inflame

Claire props her hands on her hips, and I see the sparks sizzling from the flames in her eyes. Claire is like a firecracker that is ready to detonate. She is beautiful to look at, but once you light her up, you better run away fast.

“Can I help you?” she echoes my exact words, looking at me like going to prison will be worth it.

This is where I should run, at the very least back down. I open the car door and get out. Her face changes with excitement. I scoop her up so fast, she doesn’t even squeal until I have her seated in the passenger side.

“You brute! I can’t believe you are manhandling me right now!”

“You like it,” I say, snapping her into her belt. I shut the door and mosey over to my side. I look over at her and if looks could kill…

“You are so annoying.”

“Put that tongue back in your mouth,” I warn. She should know better than to stick her damn tongue out at me.

I start the engine and listen to the hum.

“Or what?” she presses.

I reach across the center console, grab the back of her head with my right hand, and kiss the protest right off her bakery-flavored lips. They are warm. Soft. Her hand steadies itself on my thigh, causing a pulse to go right to my dick. She is an angel and a devil all wrapped up in one shiny package of temptation, luring me from the light into the darkness.

A hum escapes her lips, as I do what the name of her gloss says.

I kiss the hell out of her cupcake.

My fingers tangle into her soft hair, as some falls out of her ponytail. Her lips part, and I instantly accept access. “You taste so fucking good,” I murmur into her mouth.

I want to swallow her whole. Every part of her. I break the kiss and her panting fills the quiet. The only thing I can hear is her rapid breathing and the purr of the engine.

Claire wipes at her mouth and looks out her passenger side window. “What the hell was that?” she demands, sucking her bottom lip into the cage of her top teeth.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” I grind out, staring at the swollen curve of her lips. “Now think again when you decide it is fun to stick your tongue out at me.”

Claire releases her bottom lip, pouting it out as she stews. It has a similar effect on my mood. Was she sent to earth to torture me? Make me lose all control?

“Why did you do that?” she asks, while her finger traces along the outline of her lips, directly over the place I just kissed.

“To take the edge off.”

I back out of the parking spot, head out onto the main road, and follow the GPS to Red Rock Canyon. I can tell Claire is deep in thought, or perhaps she is just avoiding me. I would like to think my lips on hers had some sort of effect. The only effect hers had for me is that now that I know what they taste like, I can’t stop thinking about how I want more.

Ineedmore.

“Don’t kiss me again,” she grinds out.

I don’t make promises I can’t keep.

10

CLAIRE

“What’s going on with you?” Angie asks, her eyes full of concern. “You are never this quiet.”

We are on top of a cliff, overlooking the desert, taking a rest. The guys are hanging out together, chatting about business. Apparently Nic is going to be working as head of security for Graham’s businesses. I overheard them chatting on the hike up here and am not sure how much of what was said is common knowledge versus private. I’m not going to spread any rumors, so it really doesn’t matter if what I think I heard is true or not.

Every time Nic speaks, my mind goes elsewhere. I can’t stop thinking about the kiss. For something that seemed impulsive, he definitely knew what he was doing. It was all-encompassing and unapologetic. He didn’t ask permission. He just took and took. While the egotistical behavior would have bothered me with any other man in the past, I can’t deny the fact that my mouth now craves his taste. Maybe it is the thrill of the forbidden that has me so tied up in knots. Maybe I have the start of a cinnamon obsession. Regardless of what it is, I need to get my head on straight.

I am with Ethan. I chose Ethan. I still choose Ethan. I don’t know how to look toward a future without it including Ethan. We have invested so much time already. He is the longest relationship I’ve ever been able to maintain—or wanted to maintain. Maybe it is because I sacrificed something for him that would have made me happy that is motivating me to see this through. That’s what love is, right? Making sacrifices for the benefit of the other partner?

Nic is a mistake I don’t need to make right now. Lately, I’ve been good about not making them too. Nic could just be toying with my emotions anyway. I wouldn’t put it past him. He seems to enjoy seeing my lows, my weaknesses.

---