揕ike I could ever forget,?she whispers.
揑 asked you to trust me. I promised not to let you fall. I was as good as my word, wasn抰 I??
She nods slowly, rinsing her pot.
揑t was lovely, but I don抰 see your point,?she says. With her back turned, she walks over to the grill and dismantles it, putting her tools away.
揥e抮e on a hammock now, Eliza. I need you to trust me again. I promise you I抣l drop off a cliff before I ever let you fall.?
She looks at me with her lips drawn tight.
揧ou抮e on a hammock, Cole. I抦 walking a tightrope with you.?
Damn.
My jaw tenses and I work my brain, trying to find the right combination of words to patch what was once such a happy road we tread together.
揑f the hammock broke, what do you think would抳e happened??I ask.
揥e would have hit the rocky ground and it would have sucked.?
揊or me, yeah. I had you positioned so you抎 land on me if anything collapsed. I wouldn抰 have let you get hurt桰 would抳e taken the blow梐nd it抯 the same now.?
揋o ahead then,?she says quietly.
I sigh. 揑 know I fucked up. I shouldn抰 have gone off and made you feel like an outsider, an intruder, whatever. You抮e nothing close to that. You抮e way too important. Anything that matters to Destiny and me matters to you, sweetheart. And I hope anything that matters to you also matters to me.?
揂nd the hiding? The Mr. Smith fake out??
揑抦 going to HR next week as promised. You抮e right. I told you I抎 handle it, and I抣l make good on my word. But if I have a talk with HR, can you handle a conversation with me??
She bites her bottom lip.
揑 enjoy conversations with you very much. You know that.?
I hold my arms out, waiting. She walks into them and I close them around her, swallowing a possessive growl as I inhale her scent.
揧ou smell goddamned glorious,?I blurt out. 揂nd I missed you like hell. You can抰 ever do this to me again.?
When she finally smiles up at me, I relax for the first time, relieved that there抯 the slightest chance I haven抰 ruined this beautiful thing we抮e meant to be.
揑 missed you, too. And I抦 sorry.?She tilts her chin and stares up at me, so fragile I hate myself more for ever hurting her.
Growling, I meet her lips, taking her little mouth hard.
She melts into me, running her tongue across the seam of my lips. I deepen the kiss with heat pulsing in my veins, begging me to reclaim her body and never, ever let go.
Eliza holds on tight as her body fuses to mine.
When my hand skims down her ass, squeezing a handful of luscious woman, she pulls away from me and sucks in a ragged breath.
I savor it, seeing how sweetly messy she looks as she stumbles back.
Goddamn, I抳e missed this梙er feel, her taste, her weight in my arms梐s much as I抳e missed the scorching kisses and screaming red sex.
揅ole??
揧es, sweetheart??I embrace her again, stroking her hair.
揢mm梱ou know all of those invitations I didn抰 take you up on??
I chuckle. 揂re you trying to tell me you want to come home tonight??
?..what I mean is, I抳e just missed you. And this.?She smiles, her hand caressing my thigh for a hot second before her fingers brush the bulge in my pants.
My cock snaps to attention, pulling like an angry animal.
揈liza, come home,?I whisper in her ear.
揑 don抰 want to be away from you,?she whispers, more breath than words. 揃ut there抯 something you need to know.?
揥hat抯 that??
揧ou don抰 need an invitation with me. With this. You抮e always welcome.?
揧eah??My hand roams her ass again.
I fight the urge to push my hand between her legs right here. If I ripped aside her panties now, I know I抎 find her soaked.
揧eah. I抦 exhausted, so let抯 get out of here, but kiss me one more time first??
How could I ever refuse?
She doesn抰 give me a chance, though. Eliza comes up on her toes, pressing her mouth against mine with so much urgency it boils my blood.
Her little tongue sweeps mine, teasing and soft, tempting the beast inside me to snap its chain.
When we finally leave the lab, we do it hand in hand and mouth in mouth, intermittently slamming each other against the wall as we make our way to the nearest exit.
The town car waits for us outside.
We slide into the back seat, and I pull her into my lap, pushing my hand up her skirt and flicking her panties aside.
揑 promised not to let you get hurt. You said you trusted me, right??My thumb finds her clit and the pressure comes.
She tenses, moaning breathlessly. I don抰 move in circles until she nods.
揑 need a promise, too,?I whisper, pushing two fingers into her drenched pussy while my thumb quickens its pace around her clit.
揥hatever, yes. Whatever you want,?she says quickly, her eyelids fluttering.
揑f you抮e going to be in that lab until closing time, you text me so I can pick you up. So I can have this.?I抦 snarling as she starts grinding against me, her pussy so needy, begging for her first release of many tonight.
My cock feels like a loaded gun. My pulse roars in my ears so hard it drowns everything else out.
Tonight, I am going to fuck this girl like I抳e never fucked anyone.
Right after I抦 done dragging her through this orgasm for the next ten city blocks.
She doesn抰 answer, but her eyes search mine through her lust as my hand works her toward heaven.
揧ou never go home without me after dark,?I say, well aware of how insane I sound. 揑f something happens to you桰 just need you to trust me, Eliza.?
Her lips are on mine again, silencing me, banishing those dark, horrible memories of identifying Aster抯 pale, cold body.
She explores my mouth with a whimper.
Her nails dig at my shoulders as she rears up, all the better for my fingers to fuck her, and this time when she breaks away it抯 only to nibble my neck.
It抯 all she can manage before I pinch her clit with the pressure I know she loves.
Before her mouth drops open and she bites my shoulder to hold in a scream.
Before I struggle not to shoot off in my pants as her pussy tenses around my fingers, and then she抯 grinding out her pleasure, panting, my head pressed back against the seat.
Before my entire world condenses into nothing but her cries and the hot, slick heat of her ecstasy on my hands.
揋oddamn, little girl,?I whisper through clenched teeth. 揋et it all out right here. Come with all the ways I抳e screwed you up. Come for me.?
And she does it so beautifully it hurts me to the bone.
It takes all the strength I have to let her fall against my lap for the last ten minutes back to my place. Somehow, I settle her on my lap, flicking her skirt back down, holding her still in my arms.
揂s pleasant as that was, I need an answer,?I whisper.
揑 trust you.?
揧ou can抰 change your mind if we get into another fight or even break up,?I warn, tilting her chin up with the same two fingers that were just inside her.
Her smile looks like it was stolen from a dream. 揅ole, if I抦 fighting with you...why would I want you to stay with me??
揑抣l have security bring you home for those times I piss you off,?I growl. 揃ecause I will, sooner or later, like the demented water buffalo I am.?
She laughs and I can抰 help but smile. 揑f you ever fight with me again like that, you抮e not going to have to worry about what happens.?
揥hy??
揃ecause I抣l string you up like a pi馻ta. A big water buffalo pi馻ta full of chocolate-covered espresso beans.?Her tongue flicks out, teasing and so tempting to bite.
揃ig talk, brat. I抣l take that as a sign you can handle a little tough love tonight,?I rasp, devouring her with another kiss that takes my whole soul.
19
Storm In A Cup (Eliza)
揥e抮e gonna need another batch of those kick-ass pastries梩hey抮e flying!?Meadow says with a toothy smile.
揘o problem, we抳e got a whole stash.?I reach under the table, pull out a second tray, and place it on top.
揥oo-hoo, you rock!?She flashes me a thumbs-up.