Page 33 of Ashes

My lips brushed hers, and her small intake of breath was my undoing.Her hands gripped my shoulders, and she pressed closer to me until her tits were against my chest.Reminding me how much I wanted to get my hands and mouth on them.When she opened her mouth, I didn’t hesitate.I invaded with a hunger that needed to be sated before I lost my mind.She tasted as sweet and intoxicating as I had known she would.

When she moaned and her body trembled against me, I knew I’d not only lost my heart to this girl, but my soul was hers too.

Seventeen

Oakley

Present Day

When I walked into the kitchen the next morning, I was wearing my red plaid flannel pajamas.Now that I knew there was a camera in here, I felt the need to cover up more.Not that Wilder would be looking at me.He acted as if I were a sexless being.I had done it because I wasn’t going to give him a reason to not ask me to come stay with Sarah again.I would not be giving him reason to use the bad role model excuse.

Belladonna nudged her food bowl at me while I started the coffee.

“I hear you, girl,” I told her, bending down to get the bowl and go fill it with her morning portion of food.

She stayed right beside me until I set the bowl down beside her water.When she began to devour the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days—which was so far from the truth—I went to get the supplies for pancakes out.I planned on making turkey-shaped pancakes.My favorite Instagram influencer had posted a how-to video about them yesterday, and I was going to surprise Sarah for breakfast.She’d stayed up late last night, so I figured I had another hour before she woke up.

My phone began to ring, and I looked down at it on the counter, where I had laid it, to see Hamilton’s name lighting up the screen.I pressed Answer, then turned it on speaker so I could continue to work.

“Good morning,” I said to him before pulling the milk out of the fridge.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

Smiling, I set the milk down and turned to get the oil.“Flattery before coffee is always a plus,” I told him.

“Before?Did I wake you?”

“No.I am brewing it now.”

“Oh good.I miss you.”

Pausing, I stared down at the phone.Truth was, I hadn’t much thought about him.That was a bad thing.Especially if he meant what he had said and he missed me.Maybe that was just him being polite.

“What?You’ve not found another female to charm by now?”I teased, trying to lighten the mood and get out of telling him I missed him, too, because, well, I didn’t.

“Oakley, you’re real damn hard to compete with.Trust me.”

I chewed on my bottom lip nervously.Uh-oh.What did I say to this?I needed my coffee first.Glancing over at it, I was relieved to see it was done.

“That’s flattering, but I learned long ago not to believe all the words that fall from a pretty boy’s mouth.”

He had no idea how thoroughly and painfully I had been taught that lesson.I had said it in a teasing tone, but I meant it.Every word.

“Pretty boy?I’m wounded.You don’t think more of me than that?”

I filled my mug and took a sip just for the caffeine jolt before adding cream and sugar, then turned back to the phone.“Okay, fine.Beautiful man.Is that better?”

He laughed then, and I relaxed.Good, he wasn’t being serious.I didn’t need him going deep on me.He was a model, for God’s sake.He took pictures in his underwear with half-naked women all day.Gorgeous females with perfect bodies, who I was sure flirted with him.Daphne had told me all about his wild exploits.It was one reason I’d agreed to date him.He would never want more than casual from me.

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”he asked.

I frowned and stared at the phone.Why was he asking me that?I had no plans for Thanksgiving other than driving home.My dad hadn’t called and invited me over.He was still ignoring me.Wilder would want me out of his house as soon as my eyes opened.

“Uh,” I said, “nothing.”

My phone dinged with a text alert, so I picked it up.Wilder’s name was on the screen.

“Hold that thought, Hamilton.I have a text from Sarah’s dad.I need to check it.”

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