But he knew it was an idle notion. He wouldn’t do it. He’d gotten in his car to drive to The Ranch more than once since Cela had left, and he hadn’t been able to put the key in the ignition. He was in fucking love. Love!
A goddamn disaster considering that the object of those affections was currently hundreds of miles away, happily moving on with her life. She didn’t want what he had to offer. And as much as he cared about her, he couldn’t give her what she was seeking. If she wanted a traditional, vanilla relationship, he couldn’t be that for her. It’d be like asking a gay man to go straight. His dominance was part of him, and neither of them would be happy if he tried to shut that part of himself off.
Six. Seven.
His hair was damp, falling in his eyes as he did more crunches. In his direct line of sight was the bed he’d bought for her. And of course, now every time he looked at it, he saw her there, kneeling on the white covers, knees parted, head tilted back as she touched herself for him.
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
He rolled up off the floor and stalked into his bathroom, turning on the shower. He grabbed an empty cup and filled it with water from the sink, gulping it down as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He looked like a crazed version of himself. His face and chest were shiny with sweat, his cheeks flushed, and his dick hard.
He tugged off his shorts and stepped into the shower. The water hadn’t fully warmed yet and it hit his skin with a shock. But even the chill wasn’t going to vanquish the driving need demanding his attention. His erection was still hard as steel. Fuck it. He grabbed the soap from the holder on the wall and slicked his hand. Might as well get over the inevitable. He was past the point of being able to will the thoughts away. He braced an arm against the shower wall and pressed his forehead against it. His other hand grasped his cock with a rough, almost angry grip. He’d never had the chance to take Cela in the shower, and he let his mind go there now—water dripping over her curves, that dark hair curling and clinging to her shoulders, the swells of her ass tucked against him as he slid into her from behind.
His fist moved along his cock, imagining her heat and the sweet sounds she made when they made love. Yes, love. He’d tried to convince himself it had been something else, but from the very beginning, it’d been different with her. Sweeter. More intense. More important.
He angled away from the water, letting it only hit his back and tightened his grip as he fisted his shaft. The pad of his thumb moved over the head, swiping at the pre-come glistening there. If she were here, he’d bring his thumb to her mouth and watch her suck his taste from his skin. She was such a vixen when she let go, let her inhibitions fall away. He’d hoped she’d be the one, the girl he could cherish and pamper but who would also crave playing on the edge with him, the one who would give herself into his keeping and care.
He could imagine her giving him hell with that smart mouth, then dropping to her knees and bringing him to his. That soft, yielding look in her eyes, that giving, plush mouth.
With that image, every muscle in his body seemed to tighten and pleasure raced down his spine. God, Cela. Hot streams of his release splashed against the tile and coated his fist as he pumped into his hand, riding the last wave of orgasm.
After a few more ragged breaths, he rinsed, turning the water to searing hot, then toweled off. Too exhausted to even bother digging through the basket of clean laundry for boxers, he headed to bed and got in naked. As he reached to turn off his lamp, he noticed the light on his phone indicating new emails. “Fuck ’em, they can wait ’til morning.”
But after he clicked off the light and tried to close his eyes, he couldn’t help himself. What was it about new email that was so hard to ignore? It couldn’t be anything good. Just more work. But he found himself reaching for the damned phone anyway. He unlocked the screen, noticing the new email was to his personal account, not his work one. Odd. He rarely used that account.
He opened up the screen, frowning at the subject line. Your Home Safe purchase has been activated. What in the hell? It was the standard auto-send email customers received when they activated one of their products. Why the hell would he be getting that in his personal . . .
He sat up.
Quickly, he tapped to open the full email and scrolled down. Your Home Safe anklet was activated at 9:34pm CST i
n Verde Pass, TX.
He stared down at the screen, something like hope growing in his chest, snaking through him like a vine. Cela had kept his bracelet. And the only way to activate was to open it and close it. Had she put it on?
Weeks had passed since she’d left. He’d texted her that first night under the guise of being Pike, and she’d made it rather clear that she was staying and moving on. What would make her pull out his gift now?
Unless . . .
Unless she was thinking about him.
He flipped the covers off and got out of bed, heading straight toward the living room. Pike was laid out on the couch playing some video game while Monty dozed at his feet. He looked over when Foster strode in.
“Dude, what the fuck?” He put his hand out as if to shield himself. “You’re going to traumatize Monty.”
Foster glanced down, realizing he’d walked out naked. But at the moment, he could give a shit. “I need your help.”
Pike smirked. “Man, I’m flattered, and I know you’re hard up, but I’m really not into you that way.”
Foster wished he had something to throw at him. He grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and tied it around his hips. “Would you shut the fuck up and listen?”
“All ears.”
“I need your car for a few days.”
He paused his game. “Do what?”
“I can’t sit around anymore. I need to know if she’s happy. I need to know if there’s still a chance.”