“Every time I felt myself going to a dark place, do you know what I did?”
She shakes her head slightly.
“I thought about you. The way your eyes light up when you laugh, your hair spread out on my pillow, the scent of jasmine from the bodywash you use.”
My hands take hers, and she doesn’t pull away.
“I thought about your lips pressed to mine, the way your body felt against me.”
Jodie’s lips part, and her breathing gets heavy. I move forward, wanting, needing her to understand what she means to me.
“You’re my guiding light, Jodie. You’re what got me through the hard times. Just you.”
8
JODIE
I’m struck dumb by the words coming out of Kieren’s mouth. My heart yearns to accept them as truth, to believe that I mean something to this man, this wounded veteran who carries his scars on the inside, whose darkness lurks behind the smile of his eyes.
I remember seeing his darkness on that first weekend we spent together. I never told him, but he thrashed out in his sleep, chased by demons in the dead of night. Could it really be true that I mean something to him?
“I thought about how we stayed up talking ‘til dawn, but most of all, I thought about how our bodies fit together.”
His voice is mesmerizing, and he leans closer until I can smell his scent—musky bodywash and coffee. The scent memory is so powerful that heat pools in my belly, and I clench my thighs together.
“I thought about your breasts pressed against my chest…”
My eyes close as I let him carry me away on his memories. All thoughts flee my mind, and there’s nothing but the soft caress of his hot breath against the skin of my neck.
“I thought about your legs wrapped around my waist…”
My nipples pebble, aching for him to caress me, aching to feel the touch I’ve yearned for.
“I thought about my cock sliding inside you…”
I let out an involuntary whimper as his soft lips whisper in my ear, the breath sending delicious shivers down my spine and causing a damp heat between my legs.
My chest is heaving as he presses his mouth to my throat, and a moan escapes my lips.
“I thought about moving inside you, and the little noises you make when you come….”
Kieren’s hand slides up my leg. I should stop him. I should put an end to the madness that’s taken me over. But my core’s on fire, and instead of pushing Kieren away, I slide my hips forward on the seat, willing his hand to touch me between the legs, to press against my throbbing center.
“I thought about your sweet little pussy and what I’d do to it when I got home and found you again.”
Gushes of heat flood my panties, and I push my hips upward to meet his hand. With smooth strokes, he rubs my needy pussy while his mouth devours my throat.
“Kieren…”
With his name on my lips, I surrender.
I surrender to the need I have to feel him touch me. I’ve dreamed about this for too long, and the reality of it is so much better.
His mouth finds mine as his hands slide down my pants, popping open the buttons of my fly. As we kiss, his fingers slip between my damp folds.
There’s an urgency to his movements. I know we’re on a job and anyone could open the door at any moment, but I don’t care. I need this release.
It’s been a long, lonely eighteen months. I’ve been exhausted and ready to give up. I’ve sat with a crying baby through the night. I’ve dealt with mastitis, a pregnancy-induced hernia. I’ve rushed Layla to the emergency room on three occasions, sure that her relentless cough was something worse. I’ve had baby vomit all over me and worse. And throughout it all, I’ve felt entirely and utterly alone.