Page 97 of Beneath the Stars (Sugarlake 1)

Tears well in Goldi’s eyes, and it makes my stomach churn. I’d do anything to take this pain for her. I wish I could. I’m used to it—lived with it all my life. More wouldn’t hurt me. I know this is something that will dig deep in her soul and settle in. Something she’ll carry for the rest of her days. I can’t spare her from that. All I can do is help her navigate through the heartbreak.

“You gotta open your eyes. Daddy ain’t the hero you’ve always seen him as. I just need a minute,” she says, wiping under her eyes. She brushes past us into the kitchen.

The air is quiet but heavy. Eli collapses onto the couch. Sarah scoots closer, running her hand up and down his back as he leans forward with his head in his hands.

Eli looks up. “Thanks, man, for going with her.”

I bite my tongue. There’s a lot I want to say. Mainly, I want to ask where the hell he was, and what the fuck he was thinking.

“Do you think she’s overreacting a little?” He’s looking at Sarah, so I assume his question is aimed toward her.

I blow out a breath, my small amount of restraint disappearing with his question. “You know, you may not want to hear it, but fuck it. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, Eli. It won’t make it stop. It’ll just continue to spiral out of control, and then one day… one day, you’ll wake up and wonder what the hell you were thinking. You’ll wonder how you could have been so goddamn blind.”

I pause to breathe through the sudden pain in my chest. “Trust me, when that day comes? The regret will rot you from the fucking inside. Because you’ll know—you’ll know that you didn’t do everything in your power to save them when you had the chance. You didn’t do anything.” I shake my head. “I hope to God you wake up before then.”

Eli blinks at me. I don’t know if he heard a word I said, but I don’t stick around to find out. I leave the room to find Goldi. She’s coming out of the bathroom, her eyes puffy but her face clear.

She smiles when she sees me. “Ready

to get outta here?”

I nod, gripping her hand. “You alright?”

She sighs, grasping my fingers tight. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just ready to leave.”

I lead her out the front door and to my truck. I’m ready to get her home and take her mind off the heaviness. We were off to such a good start before her dad interrupted our night.

I swear I can still taste her on my lips. Feasting on her pussy out in the open wasn’t my plan, but goddamn her jealousy turned me on. So I did what any man in my situation would do. I dropped to my knees and worshiped her with my tongue.

We’re pulling up to a stoplight when I see Goldi unbuckle her seatbelt from the corner of my eye. I turn to watch her. She gives me a wicked smile as she leans over the console and trails kisses up my neck. A shiver races down my spine.

Her hand creeps over my chest, and I smirk. “What are you doing?”

Her bottom lip gets fat as she looks up at me. “You promised me dessert.”

I’m already half-hard and her words stiffen my cock until it’s trying to burst through my jeans. Maybe the right thing to do is to tell her she doesn’t have to do this. Tell her to wait. She just went through an emotional moment with her family, and I don’t want her to regret anything that happens. But she looks so damn sexy, bent over my console with her head in my lap, so I lift my hips to give her better access.

She brushes her fingertips along the waistband of my jeans as the light turns green. Every touch sends a tingle through my body, making it difficult to concentrate on steering. The clank of my buckle and the sound of my zipper has me biting my cheek with anticipation. I can’t see what she’s doing since my eyes are on the road, but fuck me, can I feel it.

She reaches inside my pants, her palm rubbing against the bulge that’s growing by the second. Goldi wastes no time, wrapping her fingers around my length. The coldness of her hand is a shock to my system, and my cock jumps in her hand.

We pull up to another stoplight, cars surrounding us even though it’s well past nine at night. Fire sparks in my veins and the rest of my blood rushes to my groin. Goldi hums in approval and I glance down as her head lowers, licking my tip like it’s a fucking ice cream cone.

I suck in a breath and fist her hair, pulling it away from her face so I can watch how gorgeous she looks as she swallows me. I glance back at the light. Stay red. Stay red. Stay red.

It turns green. I accelerate, trying to think about anything other than how fucking hot it is to have my dick in Goldi’s mouth while I drive. She’s so damn greedy for me. It turns me the fuck on.

She’s teasing, licking up one side and down the other, swirling her tongue around the head. I’m about to go crazy from how bad I want to shove myself deep inside her. Her mouth. Her pussy. Fuck, I don’t care as long as it happens.

I bite my lip as she lowers her head, my hand that’s holding her hair following the movement. I glance down at the beautiful sight. She sucks me deep and I throb against her tongue. I hit the back of her throat, gritting my teeth so I don’t come.

“Goddamn, Goldi.” My hand tightens in her hair. She hums. Fucking hums around the base of my dick, and I thrust to see if I can get just a little bit deeper. She swallows around me and my foot jerks on the gas pedal.

She lifts her head, flattening her tongue as she slides back up, exposing me to the cool air. I take my eyes off the road to look at her. Spit connects her bottom lip to my shaft, saliva coating the length and making it glossy. Damn. She’s filthy and I love it.

I grow harder, my balls tightening as I watch her dive back down. She starts slow, but by the time we’re turning on my street she’s got a rhythm, bobbing her head and working me so fucking good. I lift my hips, over and over—completely blissed out.

I want to fuck her. So bad. I need her to stop. If she doesn’t, I’m going to spurt my cum down her throat, and I’d rather be balls deep in her pussy for that. But I can’t form the words. The promise of pleasure steals my ability to do anything.

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