"And I'm sorry that the crisis with The Fix overshadowed your news," he added. She'd told him about an excellent phone meeting with an urban planning consulting firm based in California. Apparently, they already wanted to talk with her about coming on board with them after graduation.
"Thanks," she said, and the pride in her voice did a lot to dull the ache of the knife that news had thrust in his gut. He'd known it would happen--they'd talked about her leaving from day one. He just hadn't expected to be faced with the reality of her departure so soon.
"Hey," she whispered, cupping his stubbled jaw. "Where'd you go?"
"Just thinking about how proud of you I am."
A bright smile lit her face, then faded slightly until she was biting her lower lip, looking both pouty and sexy as hell. "You didn't check," she said, her voice coy. "To see just how much I was thinking of you."
He felt his cock grow hard, and knew from the slight twitch of her eyebrow that she felt it, too. But he swallowed then shook his head a little. "We don't have to, babe. There will be other nights when the house is empty. I know you're upset, and--"
She hushed him with a finger to his lips. "I am. I'm upset and I'm worried and I'm angry. But right now, I just want you to make me forget."
He met her eyes and held her gaze. Then he leaned in, claiming her mouth with his as he slipped his hand inside her skirt, then slowly traced the elastic of her panties before slipping his finger inside the crotch--and swallowing a moan of pleasure and satisfaction at finding her absolutely soaked.
"Make me forget, Brent. Make me forget everything except you."
It was a demand he wouldn't dream of declining, and he teased her through the panties, making her even wetter, until he couldn't stand it anymore, and he had to feel her bare skin. "Take them off," he ordered. "Then unfasten my belt and my jeans."
She grinned, then stood up only long enough to strip off her panties. Then she did as he'd said and focused on the fly of his jeans and his belt. "Lift your hips," she ordered, and he complied, letting her pull them down, then toeing off his shoes so she could pull the jeans and boxers all the way off.
"I like that," she said, seeing how hard he was. She gave him a seductive look, then with no warning went onto her knees and took him in her mouth.
He groaned, the warm heat of her mouth on his cock driving him crazy. She licked his shaft, alternating licks with sucks, and as she did, she also played with his balls, pushing him right up to the edge, so much so that he couldn't take it any longer. He grasped her head, then guided her motions, amazed and thrilled that she could take him deep, so deep he was amazed he didn't come right then.
Except that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to be inside her. He wanted to see her face.
"Come here," he said, and she didn't hesitate. She met his eyes, saw what he wanted and climbed onto his lap. He'd had a condom in his pocket earlier, and now it was on the couch--thank God he'd intended to fuck her hard tonight--and he quickly sheathed himself. "Ride me, baby. I don't want to wait. I want you on my lap and my cock inside you."
"Me, too," she said, with such sincerity it almost wrecked him. And then, when she straddled him, her pussy taking in just his tip, he really was afraid he'd lose it.
But he held on, and she impaled herself on him. And together they found the rhythm. Her rising and falling, him guiding her speed and angle with his hands on her hips, until they'd found a perfect rhythm. Until they'd become one. Until they were spiraling up to the heavens together.
Until, finally, they both exploded, shattering in each other's arms before crashing back down to earth and his house and his couch.
Later, when they'd regained their senses, they curled up together under a blanket. "I'm going to take the rest of the week off," he said. "I finalized the hire of the rest of my team before you got there today. Tyree and the other guys can get them rolling," he added, referring to the other part-time member of his security crew.
"How come? So you can try to track down the taggers?"
"That," he admitted. "Plus, since Faith has these two days off, I figure I can stay home with her. Maybe work on that playhouse in the backyard. It's getting a little ratty looking."
"That sounds good," she said. "But why don't we take her out? The children's museum is fun. Or Innerspace Caverns up in Georgetown. I need to go there to look around the square for my thesis, anyway." The town just north of Austin was host to a series of beautiful underground caverns that had been opened to the public years ago. And the town itself had been founded in the eighteen hundreds and had a charming town square that surrounded the original courthouse.
"Oh, baby, I don't know. I don't want Faith to get her hopes up about you and me."
She shook her head, her expression almost a grimace. "I don't think that would happen. She knows you have female friends. Why would she even be thinking of us as a couple?"
The question made his gut twist, but he forced himself to ignore it. They weren't a couple; they couldn't be a couple. And now more than ever, it was clear that she'd end up moving away.
"Brent?"
"You're right," he said. "We should take her out."
He drew a breath, steeling himself for the upcoming day. Because while an outing with the three of them might not get Faith's hopes up, he knew damn well that he was risking getting his own hopes up.
Chapter Twelve
"Look Elena! I'm painting with light!"