Page 45 of Between the Flames

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

Istared up at the yellowed popcorn ceiling of my crappy condo as I laid alone in my empty bedroom. The moonlight streamed in through the open curtains, forcing me to shield my eyes with my arm. Images of Elle raced through my thoughts as I tried to push them away so that I could get some sleep. Instead, I thought of dark hair cascading down her bare back, the feeling of her flesh as my nails bit at her soft hip dips, and how amazing it felt to finally sink into her for the first time.

I felt myself growing hard and reached down to adjust myself in my shorts. Tossing the pillow over my head, I groaned and mentally begged the sandman to come. It was nearing two in the morning and my day would be starting in less than three hours, not nearly enough sleep to function as a contractor.

But this woman was all-consuming and finally within reach of truly becoming mine. As a teenager I would lay awake and think of her, and here I was, a man pushing thirty, doing it all over again.

The term high school sweethearts trickled into my thoughts, but that’s not what we were. We were high school star-crossed lovers, forced apart when the pull was so strong. I took pleasure in the fact that all of that was irrelevant now—she was back in my life and there was no chance in hell I was giving her up again. I would fight through any obstacles, take down anyone or anything standing in the path of us finally getting our chance. She was mine, and this time I wasn’t letting her go.

* * *

ME: What time is your lunch break today, beautiful?

ELLE: Whenever I want. I usually go around 11:30 or so. Why?

ME: You’ll see.

I looked down at my watch and realized I had only thirty minutes to finish my mission and make it into Ridgewood before Elle went on her lunch break. It’d be tight, but worth it.

“Order for Thompson!” the short woman behind the counter screamed, her accent thick. As I approached, she held the bag filled with Styrofoam boxes up and watched me slip a ten into the tip jar. She beamed up at me as I removed the bag from her grasp and started toward the door, the scent of hot Mexican food wafting up and making my mouth water. After jogging back to my truck, I jumped inside and started the engine as quickly as I could. I leaned over to place the food on the floorboard before pulling out of the lot, speeding through the back roads between Shadow Hills and Ridgewood. I was racing against the clock to get to my girl.

I made it with less than a minute to spare, flying into the spot adjacent to hers and killing the engine. Grabbing the bag and the bouquet of roses I had bought earlier, I hopped out of the truck and went over to her car. Leaning against it, I could hear her squeal as she walked toward me from her office building.

The sight of her stole the breath from my lungs. She wore a red skirt that flowed around her in the breeze, and the white top she wore left little to my imagination. But what really did me in was the bright red lipstick that made her lips irresistible. I couldn’t help but picture them around my cock.

Setting down what I was holding onto the hood of her car, I snaked my arm around her waist as she approached and pulled her close to me.

“I like this,” I growled, gesturing at what she was wearing. I peppered a trail of kisses from her neck to the top of her shoulder, wishing I could go much lower than that.

A giggle slipped from her glossed lips as my frisky hands roamed her body.

“Well, thank you! What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling away from me, her curiosity piqued. She hadn’t noticed the food or flowers on her car.

“I brought tacos.”

“Tacos!” she said animatedly, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “You sure do know the way to my heart.”

She stretched her arms toward me, bouncing in place, excitedly waiting for her food. I chuckled at how clearly food was the way to this girl’s heart, placing the flowers in her hands instead.

“OH! Wow, Ryder, these are stunning. You didn’t have to do this.”

Leaning forward, I kissed her cheek, just before scraping my teeth against her earlobe, making her shiver. “Yes, I did. One of the perks of being mine.”

“Oh, am I yours now?” she teased, eyes flashing with mischief and desire.

I attached my lips to her neck and sucked hard, pulling the soft flesh into my mouth before letting it go again, marking her faintly. “That shouldn’t even be a question in your mind. Is it?”

She looked away shyly, although I could see right through the shy girl act now. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she looked up at me with her perfectly round blue doe eyes. “No.”

“Good. Now, eat.” I thrust the box of food in her direction, her fingers grazing over mine as she took it. Popping the tailgate down on my truck, we ate side by side. She told me a story about her co-workers that were trying to sneak around with each other, but were so obvious that the entire office knew. I told her about my plans with Jordan for later that evening. It was my night to have him, and we were going to grab some burgers before our weekly ritual of playing basketball until the sky grew too dark to see.

“Can I make you dinner Saturday night?” she sing-songed. “It’s my turn to spoil you, and I make a mean lasagna.”

“Lucky for you, I’ve been craving lasagna.”

She smiled brighter than the sun that was scorching us with its heat.

“Great. Six o’clock Saturday then.” She checked her watch, hopping down from the tailgate. “Oh shoot, I’m going to be late getting back. Thank you for all of this. You’re the sweetest.”

She stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on my cheek. As she began to pull back, I caught her by the neck softly, pulling her back and capturing her mouth. I swept my tongue against hers while I held her body between my legs tightly. When I released her, she was breathless, a flush of color covering her cheeks.

“A kiss on the cheek is for friends. Last time I checked, friends don’t feast on your pussy like I did the other night, do they?”

Her eyes went wide, staring at me, and I tossed my head back, erupting in a roar of laughter. It was fun watching her react to my filthy words. The best part was this side of me had been reserved for her and she didn’t even know it.

“I’ll see you Saturday, beautiful.” Placing my hands on her shoulders, I spun her body and smacked her ass, encouraging her to start walking back to work.

Her laughter carried through the air as she sauntered back toward her building, sashaying her hips and putting on a show for me. I enjoyed the view, eyes never leaving her ass as she entered the building and out of my line of sight.

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