Page 58 of Memories with Fire

Hailey reaches up to her hair, running her fingers through it. They get stuck in the tangles that we created upstairs, and I can’t help but smile as she tries to pull through the knots, eventually giving up.

“It didn’t prevent it, but it changed what I wanted in life. My doctor told me if the paramedics hadn’t been as good as they were, I would have died before they got me to the hospital.” The smile she wears is bittersweet. I can’t help but shudder at the idea of her dying. “It made me want to be that person for someone else.”

“Are you glad you did it?” I ask, curious if she has any regrets.

Her smile spreads across her face, lighting up her eyes, giving me an answer before her words. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

The way she looks right now, lit up with life, hair wild and messy, with nothing on but my t-shirt, makes my dick hard. I reach a hand out to her and when she takes it, I pull her towards me. We both shift around until I’m facing forward again and she’s straddling my lap. I know she can feel my cock when I hear a small gasp.

“You done asking questions?” I ask, my hands resting on her thighs.

Shaking her head, she twists slightly to reach behind her to the coffee table. Two condoms are laying there unopened. “I’ll never be done asking questions,” she tells me, turning back with a foil in her hand. “But I’ll take a break to ride you.”

Groaning, I shift my hips, pushing them up towards her as my hands move further up her thighs. She takes the opportunity to pull my pants down enough that my dick springs free from the material.

“You’re not too sore?” As an afterthought I add, “From the accident. If your pussy is sore then I’m doing my job right.”

“Not too sore,” she says, leaning into me. Her lips brush across mine as I bring a hand between her thighs, causing her hips to roll and a moan to erupt from her. “Not too sore there either, so I guess you better get to work.”

I growl, catching her bottom lip between my teeth. The challenge she just presented me with makes my dick even harder. “I’m not going to let you come for that.”

“Mmm,” she murmurs, “Bring it on, baby.”

“Can I ask you a question?”I murmur quietly a while later.

We’re still sprawled out on the couch, her wedged between me and the back of it, half on top of me, half not. I’m laid out on my back, an arm wrapped around her, aimlessly running my fingertips along her shoulder blade since the t-shirt she was wearing is somewhere across the room.

With a nuzzle into my chest, I can feel her grin. “You just did.” When I poke her lightly in the ribs, she giggles, which is a sound I’m pretty sure I could listen to on repeat. “Of course you can.”

I’m sure I’m a masochist for asking, but I’ve been curious about it since Quinn mentioned it to me. “Have you had a lot of boyfriends since me?”

When she squirms, I know the question has made her uncomfortable, but I don’t take it back. I wait her out as she lays silently, contemplating her answer.

Finally, in a soft voice, she says, “No.”

“Why not?”

Expelling a deep breath, she shrugs, but I have a feeling she knows the answer. I’m nothing if not a patient man, so I say nothing, allowing her time to collect her thoughts. This isn’t the first time we’ve played this game.When her head dips towards her chest, I know she’s about to tell me something significant that isn’t easy for her to say.

“Every guy I’ve ever gone out with I’ve compared to you.”

I’d be lying if I said pride wasn’t spreading through my chest. I’m glad she’s not looking in my direction because the face splitting grin I’m suddenly wearing would probably make her hit me.

“And?” I prompt, trying to keep the smugness to a minimum. I know I’m not successful when she looks up at me, eyes narrowed.

Before she answers, she turns her head away. I’m not sure if she’s unable to meet my eyes, or just doesn’t want to.

“And no one lived up to you,” she says, her voice quiet. “No one ever made me feel like you did from that very first day. How was I supposed to seriously date someone when it never felt like it did with you?” She scowls in jest, glancing back at me. “You ruined every other guy out there for me.”

“You’re welcome,” I tell her, yelping in surprise when her teeth sink into my pec. “Hey, hey. Look, I can’t help that you think I’m incredible and I left a lasting impression. Blame the other guys for not living up to the standards I set.”

Her lips press against the spot she bit before she lays her arm across my chest and rests her chin on it so she can stare in my direction. She’s smiling, but it slowly dissolves as she studies me. “It wasn’t just that.”

I’m expecting more, but it doesn’t come, at least not right away. Gazing down at her, my fingers resume their pattern along her shoulder blade as we look at each other. I don’t push, I wait, knowing she’ll get there.

Her fingertips run over my pec, dropping down to my ribs and back up again over the side of my abdomen. It’s not sexual in nature, but my body doesn’t know that. Bringing my free hand up, I take hers, lacing our fingers together because I don’t want the distraction right now. I want to know about her and what else she’s gone through in the last ten years.

“I’ve been too scared to do anything,” Hailey finally says, her voice little more than a whisper. “I think the biggest risk I’ve taken in the last ten years, besides driving with Quinn, is switching from light roast to dark.”

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