Chapter 3 #5
My eyes burned with tears, and I buried my face against his neck before he could see it. I had missed him too. I had missed him plenty of times over the years and refused to do anything about it because calling him meant dealing with everything I had left behind.
My orgasm hit before I could think about it any longer. “Smokeeeee!” My whole body shook while he kept fucking me through it. His strokes got harder until he finally tensed against me and buried himself deep with a rough groan.
I stayed wrapped around him while we caught our breath, with his face against my neck and his arms still holding me up.
We had just fucked for the first time in eight years after arguing about all the reasons we were still pissed at each other, and there was no way this shit was about to make anything easier.
Keys rattled against the front door, and Smoke jerked his head toward the hallway. “Fuck.”
My whole body tensed. “What?”
He looked toward the door. “Key home from school.”
“Oh, my God.” I shoved at his shoulders. “Put me down.”
Smoke lowered me to the floor, and we both started grabbing clothes. I snatched up my panties and pants while he pulled off the condom and hurried toward the downstairs bathroom. I barely had one leg in my pants when I heard the lock turning.
I yanked my pants over my hips and grabbed my bra from the floor. Smoke came back, fastening his pants while I looked around for my shirt. “My shirt.”
He spotted it by the wall and tossed it to me. I pulled it over my head, fixed my hair with my fingers, and shoved my feet into my shoes while Smoke grabbed the rest of his shit. My heart was still beating hard as hell when the front door opened.
Keyana walked in with her backpack hanging from one shoulder and her phone in her hand. “Smoke, did you get my...?” She stopped when she saw me.
I knew it was her immediately, even though the seventeen-year-old standing there looked nothing like the little nine-year-old I remembered. She had gotten taller, her hair was longer, and her face had grown up, but I would’ve known those eyes anywhere.
“Solace?”
“Hey, Key.”
Her backpack hit the floor, and she crossed the room so fast that I barely had time to brace myself before her arms wrapped around me. I hugged her back just as tightly, and the emotion I had barely gotten under control came rushing right back.
“Oh my God,” she said against my shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re really here!”
I closed my eyes and held her tighter. “Look at you. You’re so grown.”
Keyana pulled back and looked me over with the biggest smile on her face. “You look exactly the same.”
“That is a lie, but I appreciate it.”
“I been askin’ Smoke when I could see you, and he kept tellin’ me to chill.”
I looked past her at Smoke. He was standing a few feet away watching us, and something about his expression made my chest hurt all over again. “I just got back a couple days ago,” I told her.
“I know. Everybody knows.” Keyana laughed and hugged me again.
I pulled away from her and reached for my purse. “I actually have to go. My mama’s waiting for her food, and I’ve been gone way longer than we were supposed to be.”
“Lace.” Smoke’s voice came from behind me.
“I’ll see you soon, Keyana.” I hugged her one more time before grabbing the bag of food from the island.
“Lacey.” I heard him following me, but I was already at the door. “Solace, hold up!”
I stepped outside and kept going. I walked fast, needing to get away from Smoke’s house and everything that had just happened inside it.
I had cried in front of him, admitted why I had cut him off, and then got fucked too good against the wall.
The sex had been just as addictive as I remembered, maybe even better now that we were older.
I had forgotten how good it felt to have Smoke inside me, how full he made me feel, and how much I had missed being that close to him.
Thinking about another woman, or probably a few women, getting that version of him over the years irritated me more than it had any right to.
Before I could process any of that, Keyana had walked in and hugged me like I had never left.
I couldn’t go back to the diner looking a hot mess.
My mother would know something was up as soon as she saw me, so I tossed her cold food, pulled out my phone, and ordered a FastDash to her house.
I texted her that something had come up and I was heading home, then put my phone away before she could start asking questions.
As soon as I got inside my mother’s house, I dropped my purse on the entryway table and went straight upstairs to the bathroom. I turned on the shower, stripped, tied my hair up, and stepped underneath the hot water before the tears started again.
I braced my hands against the wall and cried while everything from the last hour ran through my head.
Smoke still knew my body better than he had any business knowing it, and hearing Keyana tell me she missed me had only made everything worse.
Being back home had finally forced me to admit I was in the wrong for the way I left.