by E. L. Todd
SPARK
(Electric Series #2)
E. L. TODD
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Fallen Publishing
Spark
Editing Services provided by Final-Edits.com
Copyright © 2016 by E. L. Todd All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
Volt
I walked into the bar and felt the dull ache return. My heart was constantly vulnerable, on the edge of catching fire and burning out. Taylor was always in my thoughts, and she was always in my dreams. I wanted this woman—and I was afraid I wouldn’t get her.
I spotted her talking to Natalie in the corner. She wore a skin-tight purple dress that hugged her beautiful hips and showed off her ridiculously sexy legs. Her hair was pulled back into a sexy updo, and I could only assume that was because the dress was backless.
Oh man.
While she looked great with her new fashion taste, I actually preferred her older stuff. I loved the big dresses with strange colors. I loved the globe earrings and the snake ring she wore from time to time. I loved her strange and quirky self—because she was perfect the way she was.
After I grabbed a drink, I joined their conversation. My eyes were preoccupied with Taylor, and I hardly glanced at Natalie. Everyone else in the room seemed insignificant next to the woman I’d fallen for. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the truth.
That I’d fallen for someone at all.
Natalie waved her hand in front of my face. “Uh, hi?”
Shit, was I making it obvious? “Hey, Nat. How are you?”
“Wasn’t sure if you even noticed me…” She was dressed in her finest as well, but I didn’t pay enough attention to know what color her dress was or how her hair was done. Everyone else in the room turned into strange blurs and shapes.
“Of course I did. You look nice.” My eyes examined Taylor’s shoulder, noticing the small freckles on her skin. I’d never noticed them before, and now I wanted to kiss each one—forever.
“Still haven’t looked at me…”
Now I was just irritated. I turned to her and gave her my coldest stare. “Happy now?”
Natalie rolled her eyes and walked away.
Thank god she was gone.
“Don’t mind her,” Taylor said. “She’s just a little moody right now.”
The second she left my sight, I stopped thinking about her. All I cared about was Taylor and the way her hair was pulled off her neck. Her delicate skin was revealed, and I got a hard-on in my jeans when I thought about kissing her everywhere. “I like the thing you’ve done with your hair…” I pointed at her neck like there would be any misunderstanding of what I was talking about.
“Uh, thanks.” She absentmindedly touched it.
I cleared my throat then masked my unease with a drink. I acted like a total loser who had absolutely no game. Taylor would never notice me at this rate.
“I was too lazy to do my hair so I just threw it up—”
“I think it looks amazing.”
She was just about to take a drink but faltered at my outburst. “Well…thanks.”
I was just making this worse and worse. Why couldn’t I just turn on the charm like I did with all the other women? Why was this so difficult? She was my best friend, so I should know exactly what to say.
Except I was clueless.
“Do you have plans this weekend?” I suspected she was doing something with that piece-of-shit loser.
“Sage is visiting his parents on Saturday, so we’re going to go out on Sunday.” Her eyes lit up slightly when she mentioned him.
I hated him.
Loathed him.
“So…is this getting serious?” If she loved the guy, then I couldn’t intervene, but they just met and Taylor wouldn’t jump into something that quickly. She had a good head on her shoulders.
“We’ve only been out a few times, but I have a really good feeling about him. I think my search for Mr. Right is over.”
Ouch.
Fuck.
No.
“Don’t rush into anything. Remember, you really don’t know him.”
“That’s true,” she said. “But I just have a hunch. The chemistry was there the moment we met. And we met under such strange circumstances that it makes me wonder if it was meant to be or something…”
I felt sick.
“I sound like a crazy person, don’t I?” She looked into her glass.
“No…not at all.”
“I’m not obsessed with marriage.”
“I never said you were.”
“I just want a partner I can spend my life with, have kids with, and I think he might be it.”
“You don’t know him well enough to say that.” How could I have a fair chance if she was already making all these assumptions when she hardly knew him?
“You’re right. I don’t know him well enough. But…I still have a good feeling about it.”
I hated myself even more. She was right under my nose for the past six months, and I could have had her whenever I wanted her. All I had to do was ask her out and she would have been mine. But no, I chose to be a goddamn idiot instead.
She stared at me, and I didn’t even notice. “Volt, are you alright?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I just think I might be coming down with something.”
“Oh no. And you just had the stomach flu not too long ago.”
“I did?” When did that happen?
“Yeah. A few weeks ago…”
Now I remembered. I was using it as an excuse to avoid her. “Oh yeah. You’re right.”
Taylor grew suspicious, and I didn’t blame her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Other than losing the one woman I couldn’t live without? Fabulous. “Yeah. I’m sure. If you’re free on Saturday, want to get dinner?”
“Sure. I’d love that.”
“Where do you want to go?”
A playful smile formed on her lips.
“Pita Paradise?” I asked with a laugh.
“What? It’s good.”
“There are so many amazing restaurants in the city and that’s what you want? Tayz, it’s not even that good.”
“I’m a weirdo. I know.”
“I didn’t say you were a weirdo. You just have interesting taste.”
She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a little quirky.”
“But I love you that way.” I never meant anything more in my life. The words left my lips, and I realized just how deep I was in. The moment I couldn’t have her was the moment I knew how I truly felt. A shooting star had crossed my path, but I didn’t take the time to look at it and appreciate it. By the time I understood how rare and beautiful it was, it already passed.
And I missed my chance.
***
After dinner at Pita Paradise, we went to a piano bar. The place was crowded with people but the conversation volume was low. Everyone was dressed classy, wearing dresses and heels, and the men wore collared shirts. I didn’t usually wear a button up unless I was working, but tonight I did.
And I knew why.
Taylor was on her third drink, and she was laughing for no reason at all. “That one episode of South Park…Kenny dies.” She slapped the table as she relived whatever episode she was thinking of. “Oh man. Good stuff.”
I didn’t get the joke, but I love
d watching her laugh. Her eyes had an adventurous glow and her smile was to die for.
I wish I were the one who made her laugh.
She was almost finished with her third drink and she probably shouldn’t have another one. “So…how many women did you pick up this week?”
My sexual appetite had disappeared when I realized how I felt about Taylor. I wasn’t in a relationship with her and she didn’t even know how I felt, but I couldn’t be with anyone else. And I didn’t want to be. “None.”
“None?” She laughed like she thought I was making a joke. “Come on, be serious.”
“I am being serious.”
She laughed again, having no idea what she was laughing at. “Yeah right. I can’t even imagine that. Your head would explode if you weren’t getting laid on a daily basis.”
“Not really.” I was too depressed to feel anything.
“Then you must be watching a ton of porn. Like, a ton.”
I wasn’t doing that either. “No.”
She grabbed another drink from the bartender and took a drink so big she almost spilled it down her dress. “Shh… I have a secret.”
“Yeah?” That was her last drink. I wasn’t letting her have another.
“Come here.” She waved me toward her.
Getting close to her made me nervous. There was no way I could have my lips near hers and not kiss her.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. Without realizing it, she pulled my hand right against her chest. I could feel the swell of her boob.
And it was nice.
Since she didn’t know what was going on, I pulled my hand away.
But she yanked it back. “You want to know my secret?”
We were close enough for a kiss.
I should just go for it.
I could lie and say I was drunk.
We’d have a great kiss and go home together. She would have such amazing sex she wouldn’t think about that loser she was dating. She would be mine and we could start something new.
But that would make me an asshole. “What’s your secret?”
She chuckled before she pressed her lips directly against my ear.
My spine shivered when I felt her lips brush past my skin. Her breath amplified in my eardrum, and I could feel my dick harden at record speed.
“I watch porn.” She chuckled and pulled away.
I looked at her and grinned from ear to ear. “Really?” This was a topic I needed to know more about.
“I know. I’m nasty.” She laughed again.
“What are you into?”
Her cheeks blushed. “Stuff…”
“Come on, tell me.”
“I don’t know. What are you into?”
My taste had changed recently. “A beautiful brunette who’s a high school teacher.”
A puzzled look formed on her face. “What?”
She was too drunk to understand anything. “Nevermind. Now tell me what you like.”
“All sorts of things…even threesomes.”
“Say what?” I asked with a laugh.
“Since you said you do threesomes a lot, I thought I would see what the fuss is about.”
“And?”
“It’s pretty hot.”
“With two guys?”
“No. Two girls.”
Even hotter. “Yeah?”
“I think it’s sexy when a man can please two women.”
Then I was her man. “If you weren’t so drunk right now, I’d make a move.”
She laughed like she thought I was joking.
I wasn’t.
She finished her drink then tried to order another.
“Nope. I’m cutting you off.”
She pouted her lips like a whiny kid. “Why?”
“I’ve never seen you this drunk.” I sipped her drink. “Damn, no wonder why you’re wasted. They’re putting some serious shit in here.”
She chuckled.
“Let’s get you home.”
“But we’re having fun.”
“Show me your favorite porn when we get to your place.”
“What?” she asked incredulously. “That’s just weird.” She tried to get off the stool but slipped.
I grabbed her by the waist and righted her. “Be careful, Bambi.”
“I’m not a deer. I only have three legs…”
My eyebrow rose. “Three?”
“Yeah.” She counted each leg. “One…two…” Then she stopped with a puzzled look on her face. “That’s weird. I could have sworn I had three.”
I didn’t laugh at her even though I wanted to. “It’s definitely time to get you home.”
She took a step forward but her heel slipped on the tile.
She was definitely Bambi. I scooped her up into my arms and held her against my chest. “I’ll give you a lift.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Geez, it’s high up here. You ever get scared?”
“You get used to it.” I carried her out of the bar and up the sidewalk. I’d never held her before, and I loved how light she was in my arms. Our bodies were made specifically to form to each other. Was I the only one who noticed that?
She set her clutch in her lap then leaned her head on my shoulder, not caring about all the people staring at us as we walked by. She closed her eyes and seemed to have fallen into a somber state from all the alcohol.
My apartment was closer than hers. “You want to go to my place?” My offer wasn’t totally selfless. Okay, it wasn’t selfless at all.
“Yeah…I’m tired.”
Yes.
***
I set her down on my bed and pulled off her heels. “At first, I thought you were a light weight, but now that I know they put bombs of liquor in your drink, I’m surprised you lasted so long.”
She laid her head on my pillow. “I love liquor.”
I chuckled then pulled the covers back so I could tuck her in.
She sat up and unzipped the back of her dress.
I froze as I waited for whatever she was about to do.
She pulled the dress loose from her body then tossed it on the floor. She only wore a strapless black bra, and her tits were pushed together in the fabric. A cleavage line formed, and the silver chain around her neck contrasted against the color of her skin.
I just stared, infatuated.
She pulled her hair out of her face then grabbed the sheets.
I couldn’t stop staring.
She was nearly naked in my bed. Her bare skin was touching the mattress I slept on every night. Her natural scent would stick to my blankets and infuse the fabric for weeks.
I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
I opened my nightstand and pulled out one of my t-shirts and tossed it to her. “Maybe you’ll be more comfortable in this.” And I’ll be able to control myself while I lay beside you.
She didn’t sit up to grab it because she was too tired. She felt around on the blanket until she found it. Then, she pulled it on quickly, yanking it over her body and getting comfortable. Once she was adjusted, she lay back down.
The gentlemanly thing to do was sleep on the couch in the living room. I didn’t mind giving her the bed because I’d never make a woman sleep anywhere else, but I didn’t want to be in a different room.
I wanted to sleep beside her.
I pulled off my shirt and jeans then grabbed my sweatpants from a drawer. Despite my strong urge to lay right beside her in bed, I managed to convince myself to head into the living room.
“Where are you going?” She sat up when she heard my footsteps recede. Her mascara started to smear, and her shirt was several sizes too big. Who knew a woman could look so sexy in baggy clothes.
“Sleeping on the couch.” I stood in the doorway and waited for her to invite me back to bed. Actually, I hoped she would invite me back to bed. My body could keep her warm all night long, and her heart could chase away my ghosts.
“No. Sleep in here.” She pulled the covers bac
k so I could slip inside.
I knew she was drunk and confused, but I wasn’t going to deny the offer. She’d slept with me before, so I used it as an excuse to hop in. I slid in between the sheets and lay beside her in the dark.
There were a few inches of space between us, but those inches felt like miles. Her quiet breathing filled the room, and I could hear her small chest rise and fall with every breath she took. She kicked her feet a few times as she tried to get comfortable.
I lay still and stared at the ceiling.
She turned around then moved into my side within a heartbeat. It happened so quickly I had no time to prepare for it. Her arm hugged my waist and she rested her face on my arm. Her slender legs settled against mine. She even tucked one leg between my thighs.
This was heaven.
I moved my arm under her head and pulled her even closer to me. Her head moved to my shoulder and her light breathing fell on my neck. Her hand rested on my flat stomach, and I loved feeling her weightless fingers there.
It felt so good I wanted to growl.
When women spent the night, they usually stuck to their side of the bed and I stuck to mine. I wasn’t a fan of cuddling. It was nothing against my partners. I was just too hot to be comfortable next to another body.
But with Taylor, I couldn’t get enough.
I wanted to roll her onto her back and kiss her aggressively. Her nails would run down my back, leaving marks that would linger for days. She would moan for me, asking for more. And she would kiss me like she loved me.
I knew that fantasy would come true if I made a move. If I kissed her and made love to her, she would want it as much as I did. The next morning, we’d have to talk about it, and that would be the perfect opportunity to ask her out on a date—and ask her to be mine.
But that would be a fucked up thing to do.
She was drunk. Drunk enough that she took off her dress right in front of me. It didn’t matter how good of friends we were. She never would have done that if she were sober.
I couldn’t do it.
I wanted her to be mine, and I was willing to play dirty to make that happen, but I wasn’t willing to take advantage of her to achieve it—even if I had the best intentions.
Because above all else, I was her friend.
And friends didn’t do that to each other.
