Chapter 9 #2
I reward her with another inch up her thighs. My mouth rests on the edge of her silk panties, my breath teasing her. She pushes her hips up to meet my lips, but I pull back.
“Don’t make me beg,” she whines.
Close enough.
I pull her soaked panties to the side and reach out tentatively with my tongue, tracing a circle around her swollen clit. She tastes even more incredible than she looks, sounds, and feels.
A sharp cry echoes through the kitchen, letting me know how she wants me. I lap her up, tracing a line from her entrance to the spot that makes her moan so loud the neighbors might hear.
She bites down hard on her bottom lip as I slide a finger deep inside her. I curl it against her sensitive inner wall while my tongue slowly circles her. She bucks her hips against me.
“Faster,” she demands.
I move faster, but I also know how to push her toward release. Instead of tracing patterns with my tongue, I close my mouth over her. She squeezes my head with her thighs until I suck on her clit.
She comes undone with a loud moan.
Her body shakes from the climax, but I don’t stop coaxing the pleasure from her body. Even when she pants, the release isn’t quite done with her, and I slide a second finger inside her.
When she quiets and her body stops shaking, I rise from between her thighs.
She’s all over my lips, the stubble on my cheeks and chin. But it doesn’t stop her from grabbing my face and pulling my mouth to hers for one more searing kiss.
If she minds the taste of her own arousal, she doesn’t show it.
“I didn’t think—”
“I didn’t need you to think,” I cut in, putting a finger on her lips. “I needed you to feel all of it.”
She nods and pulls me into her for another kiss, wrapping her legs around me again. But now I know how wet she is, what she tastes like. I gave her a release of the tension that’s been building between us since the beginning, but my cock is demanding attention.
I don’t want to pressure her into more, though. If this is all we do today, it’s all I need.
Paige leans in and kisses me again, this time trailing her teeth down the side of my neck. I groan when she bites hard enough to leave a mark, dark purple for days to come.
Let it mark me.
I want the world to know what just happened between us. To know that she is mine and only mine.
The entire day could pass right here in this kitchen. I doubt that either of us would mind or notice. But we have an unexpected day free, me from the fire station and her from being a mom and nurse.
“We should take advantage of our freedom. What would you really want to do if you had a free day?” I ask.
As if on cue, the puppies begin to whine in the next room. She laughs and hops off the kitchen counter to care for them. I almost pout as she pulls on the unicorn pajamas I worked hard to strip from her body.
“Can’t let the neighbors see.” She smiles when she notices my crestfallen expression. “It’s bad enough that they already heard what we did.”
The puppies tumble into the kitchen when she opens the baby gate. We each scoop one up and traipse out the back door to let them explore the backyard.
“You never told me what you would want to do,” I say. She stands close enough for me to wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“A day spent doing nothing,” she offers with a shrug. “And that starts with a cup of coffee.”
“Lucky for you, I think I know a place.”
We sit on the steps of her back porch, watching the puppies tumble over one another in their exuberance. Paige says little, but she seems more relaxed than I’ve seen her. In moments of silence, she melts into me.
It feels like all is right with the world.
* * *
Paige
Aaron gives me space to clean up and get ready for the day. He heads home to grab a change of clothes while I shower. The silence echoes in the tiny bathroom, a rare, uninterrupted shower with no toddler waiting for me to emerge.
Maybe that’s why my mind continues to drift back to the kitchen. Aaron’s head between my thighs. His hands roaming over my body, worshipping each new inch of skin he bared.
I haven’t felt that in years.
I try to tell myself that the unexpectedness of it is what made it feel so intense. That there is no other explanation for why I felt so much, not for a man I barely know.
As the water trickles to a stop from the overhead faucet and my shower ends, I squeeze water from the ends of my hair. I won’t ruin this perfectly good day by overanalyzing what happened. We’ll go to the café and enjoy pancakes.
For real this time.
Aaron announces that he’s returned just as I’m pulling on my jeans and an olive-green tee. Not wanting to waste a moment, I decide on a high bun instead of drying my wet hair.
“I like you with no makeup.” Aaron smiles when I come back to him, highlighting his sharp cheekbones. I trace a finger over them before I lean in and press a light kiss to his lips.
“I wouldn’t usually go out like this,” I admit.
“Are you afraid that you’ll run into a handsome stranger while we’re on our date?”
“I ran into you when I least expected it,” I mumble.
His heated gaze lingers on mine for a moment. “That was because someone was dumb enough to leave you behind. A firefighter never leaves anyone behind.”
I don’t say anything. Instead, I gather my things, and we walk to the café. Aaron places his hand on my lower back and guides me to one of the sticky vinyl booths in the corner.
He surprises me by sliding in beside me instead of sitting across from me. I absentmindedly pick up the plastic-covered menu without any intention of perusing it for something to eat.
“Worried about Noah?”
“I always worry when he isn’t with me. I know Levi takes good care of him, but my whole world revolves around him. It’s hard to explain.”
“I can’t imagine,” Aaron says. He picks a toothpick from the small cup and places it between his lips.
It recalls nights spent in clubs hazy with cigarette smoke. And the nights in clubs that didn’t allow cigarette smoke. The way the bands tried anything to take their minds off the nicotine withdrawal.
“A firefighter who smokes.” I raise my eyebrows at him.
Aaron looks properly embarrassed, color rising in his cheeks. “I stopped long before I became a firefighter. Smoking seems so stupid now. Reckless. Dangerous. But back then, it seemed like the only thing to do.”
I pause, giving him space to tell the rest of the story.
“I didn’t have the best home life when I was a kid.” The wood toothpick bobs between his lips. “I started smoking really early on. Stealing cigarettes from purses, from older kids in the neighborhood. Eventually, my dad convinced me to stop.”
“Your dad sounds like a good man.” It’s hard not to hear the pride in his voice when he mentions his dad.
“The best there is,” he agrees quietly. “You’ll see.”
“Meeting your parents doesn’t sound casual,” I point out. He agreed that we would see each other casually. Our morning has been anything but casual, but I need to put boundaries back in place.
He hums a note that sounds like he doesn’t believe me.
We sip our coffee mostly in silence. Our knees brush under the table. Our eyes meet as we reach for the sugar and creamer with each new pour of coffee.
It feels comfortable. Easy. But there’s an unmistakable tension brewing just beneath the surface. We’re like magnets, inexplicably attracted to each other.
All I can think about is taking Aaron to bed. I already felt his body against mine this morning, all hard lines and muscle. My mind conjures up images of his body hovering over mine in a soft bed.
Aaron puts his hand on my thigh, a few inches higher than I would deem appropriate for public. My restraint snaps.
“We should get back to the house,” I say abruptly, unable to think of anything beyond him.
He tilts his head to the side when I blush, but he says nothing.
To clarify, I add, “You know, to take care of the puppies.”
“Yes,” he says thoughtfully. “You did make a commitment.”
I try not to read too much into his comment.