Let It Burn

by Dee Ellis

  Back home Tucker was a home town girl’s wet dream. With a farmer’s build, blonde hair and crystal blue eyes he looked like a model that might grace the cover of one of my trashy novels. Sweet as could be, he was loved by everybody. I do mean everybody. Though we had been inseparable for as long as I can remember, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Every girl in town wanted a piece of him and, once upon a time, that bothered me.

  The fiery, possessive jealousy that ripped through me as Lola talked about Cage was unlike anything I had ever known. For a moment, I hated her. Something primal within me came alive. Mine. That was ridiculous and I had no clue where the hell it came from It was definitely there. Firmly settled somewhere inside me was the need to claim Cage as mine. That was a new sensation to say the least.

  “Sara and you both,” I struggled not to lose my shit and look insane, “guy seems cocky to me.” Immediately I thought of how cocky I thought he was in my filthy dreams last night and my face flushed.

  “Shit looking like that he should be,” More giggles as she tipped her head back, “and I hear he’s cocky with good reason. I’d offer my services to find out.”

  “Hilarious. Got to go, my kids will be here soon. Later, Lola.” The ice in my voice shocked me and apparently, Lola too.

  “Sunshine...you OK?” Her pretty eyes looked confused and even a bit hurt.

  Immediately I felt guilty and foolish. After offering a smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes, I insisted I was fine before I fled. Like I always did. Truth be told I was terrible with being honest about feeling. Even if they were valid. My insane jealousy over Lola finding Cage attractive was nowhere near something I’d consider valid. I knew my jealousy was complicated. I wanted Cage in a way I had never felt before.

  Now, after his speech yesterday, I think he wanted me too. Which set something burning inside me that I didn’t think could be stopped. I wanted to give in to him, even though he scared the shit out of me. I wanted him to myself and knowing someone else was very aware of him ate at me. Also, Lola was fucking adorable and tiny and everything I was not.

  Once upon a time I had felt comfortable with my looks. Before I moved to Chicago, anyway. Back home I might have been considered a looker, as my mama always said, but here models walked the street and people like Lola. I was taller than most girls, but not slender and gracefully tall. I was pleased Cage still towered over me.

  Also I was more of a sixteen or eighteen while size zeros and fours seemed the norm here. I had always been pleased with my curves, and felt sexy even because of them, but now I wasn’t so sure. My hips were wide, my breasts a hearty C-cup and as Maisie and Sadie always joked, I had plenty of business in the back.

  Clearly my jealous response to Lola’s comments about Cage weren’t exclusively about possessiveness. Someone like Cage, who was devastatingly good looking with that sculpted jaw, muscled body and those beautiful eyes, could have choices. Could have his pick of women.

  Something told me, in fact, that he had plenty experience having to choose. Lola was cute and edgy, more likely closer to what he might be used to. Suddenly I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to have to be near him again. I had the irrational fear he would see me again, doubt his words from yesterday and make me feel foolish.

  Even worse, I was worried he might not doubt his words. That he might prove he meant them. That he might even realize I kind of hoped he did. Or maybe I was afraid my attraction to him, what he did to my body, the thoughts he put in my head without trying, would be obvious. My night had been filled with long, detailed and explicit dreams starring Cage.

  Mostly Cage and that beautiful, full mouth of his. Visions of it pressed to my skin, teeth nipping and marking me, his tongue wet and hot. Closing around my breast, tongue sucking at my nipples. The longest and hottest saw his dark, tousled hair between my legs as his mouth suckled at my clit like it was Sugar on his tongue.

  Pretty sure that one caused the first orgasm of the night. A few more followed as his words from yesterday, the husky way he said my name and the way he looked at me, drove my hands between my legs.

  I had imagined him over me, the corded muscles of his massive arms angling him over me, as one large hand moved between us. His thick fingers spreading me open and plunging inside me as he whispered in my ear. Ordered me to come. So I did. Long and hard, his name on my lips.

  Now I had to face him, with those words from yesterday thickening the air between us. The achy need he seemed to stir in me clouding my thoughts. With doubts that there was any way someone as beautiful as Cage could ever be satisfied with the likes of me.

  Cage

  It was a beautiful fucking day. Sunny and cool, the air smelled of fall and the river and I loved it. Mr. Belvedere had noticed my good spirits first thing when I gave him a can of tuna, a rare treat. I was in the best possible mood and knew it was for one reason. Charli. Yesterday was intense and ended better than I could have hoped. Now I got to see her again today. All day.

  We’d spend a few hours at the station. I would bring her and the kids over, showing them around and giving the kids an idea of the day-to-day of the job. I was looking forward to showing the kids around of course, but my focus was Charli.

  It was a perfect chance to show her more about myself, to get her talking about what my job was like and how it might affect her. Affect us.

  Because now, I had no doubt there was an us. I had all but said as much yesterday. Her closeness all day had driven me crazy, and frankly, had punished my poor cock. Before I left, I came right out with it and told her just what was going down between us. The minute I said it, I knew by the look in her eyes she knew it was all true. I told her she was my future. And I was hers.

  Watching her eyes as I said it, I saw nothing but openness. Acceptance. Charli knew she was mine and I was hers, without the details just yet. We both knew what we wanted and we both knew I wouldn’t let her run forever. I wanted her too bad. I had all but staked a claim and shit if it didn’t feel amazing.

  I wanted to take her yesterday; her sweet Sugar and citrus scent was like a drug to me. Pressing her softness close to me, she had almost brought me to my knees. If I thought it wouldn’t run her off for good, I would have found a dark corner and proved my words.

  That she was mine. Fucked her so good she would have no doubts. As it was, I nearly kissed her until neither of us could walk. My thumb had pressed to her mouth, that full, sexy fucking mouth, and I almost lost it.

  I had meant to hush her for a moment but touching her had almost been my undoing. Charli made it worse when she gave me a new sound as she angled herself just so, letting my cock rest between her legs and feel her heat. Fuck if I didn’t want to bury myself inside her sweet pussy then.

  How I managed to walk away, I had no clue. I deserved an award for having the strength to walk away from that woman. Charli was ruling my senses, my thoughts, and I knew it was going to get worse.

  Or better, depending on how you looked at it. My night had been filled with absolutely filthy dreams about her and I had intentions on living those out. All of them. Soon.

  I wanted to consume Charli. Every last part of her. So while I wanted her, and wanted her now, I would go at her pace. Today I intended to let her know just that. This would happen. We both knew it. Charli would have to tell me when it could happen. How fast or slow. Because like I said, I’d let her run for now. But she wasn’t getting away.

  Though I loved my job, and was close with all the guys at our station, I couldn’t wait to be done today. My first few hours had been spent on daily maintenance of one of the trucks; checking the fluids, topping off any that needed it, taking inventory of equipment. We each had a truck that we worked on at least a few times during the week.

  While we of course were hardly mechanics, and couldn’t mess with the trucks even if we were, we did our best to maintain them. Each truck would be checked on every shift to be sure it was ready to go whenever calls came in. It was tedious but today it passed my tim
e and I was thankful for that.

  Because I was watching the clock, biding my time until I could see Charli. In my head I went over what I wanted to say to her. What things I wanted to know about her. I learned a lot about Charli from Sara that night at the pizza joint, but it wasn’t enough. I knew all the big stuff, where she was from, a little about her family and that she was tainted by loss.

  What I didn’t know where the little things that made her Charli. What were her favorite things? Why did she carry those two books all the time? What was the sweet, citrus scent? Because it drove me crazy. How many colors did her eye change? I saw them bright gray with questions and stormy gray with need. Was there more? I wanted to know it all.

  “Cage! Earth to space ranger Cooper!” I blinked from my thoughts of Charli, realizing Finn was hollering at me.

  “Sorry bro, what’s up?” Climbing down the ladder at the back of the truck, I set my log sheets aside.

  “Byrne said you’ll be at the library most the week. Doing that program your pop strong armed you into. Sucks, bro.” Finn shook his head, his blonde, too long hair ruffling with the move.

  “Nah it’s not too bad,” I wondered if my shit-eating grin gave away how much I was lying, “the kids are pretty cool. You’ll meet them today.”

  “Any hot librarians over there?” His sandy brows wiggled and I tensed.

  “Maybe. You wouldn’t stand a chance with a librarian, Finn.” The idea of him running his game on Charli had me snapping the words out.

  “Jesus, what’s got your panties in a bunch? Is Cage hot for teacher?”

  “Something like that,” I didn’t bother pretending otherwise, I knew it would be obvious the minute he saw me around Charli.

  “Look, when you meet her today, don’t be...don’t be you, okay, Finn?”

  “What the fuck does that mean, Cooper?” Crossing his arms at his puffed up chest, he straightened to his full 6’7 frame.

  “Relax, King Kong. Charli,” I smiled just saying her name, "is the librarian leading my program. I’m....we’re...going to be involved.” A grin spread over his face and he relaxed.

  “So you’re banging the librarian? Always wanted to bag me an intellectual type.” Again I was angry, moving to glare at him in warning.

  “You’re not going to want to talk about her that way again. I’m not banging her. It’s...we...I mean. Not yet. I only mentioned it because she’s everything your filthy mind could imagine a hot librarian might be and you need to keep your distance. As in, hands off, Finn. Charli’s mine.” Finn’s bright blue eyes widened and he stepped back as if my words were that startling.

  “No shit? No pussy yet but somehow you’re pussy whipped, that good?”

  “Finn,” I took a calming breath before I said something I’d regret, “call it what you want. Just be careful what you stay to me about her. You have to meet her today and I swear to god, if you do something stupid or say something to her...I promise you will regret it.” I wasn’t sure what the hell had gotten into me, but I wanted to be clear.

  Finn would want Charli. All of the guys would. What bothered me was that Charli could want someone like Finn. He was charming and always seemed to know the right thing to say, even if it sounded ludicrous to me. It worked to get the women into his bed. Maybe I had once been like him, even if some of it had been for show, but I wasn’t like Finn.

  I couldn’t stand the thought of Charli wanting someone like Finn. Because although he was my best friend and I trusted him with my life, I didn’t trust him with Charli. Finn would take all that light and goodness I saw in her and use it up. That’s why I wouldn’t let him near my sister, even though I saw the way he looked at her. Now he had to understand he better keep his distance from Charli too.

  “Jesus fuck, okay Cooper. What the hell?” Shrugging my shoulders, I grabbed my log sheets and headed for the captain’s room.

  “Just know it to be gospel, Finn. Charli is mine. Do not touch. Off limits, bro.”

  Instead of sticking around and answering the questions I was sure he had, I headed to the library. It was at least an hour before I had to meet up with Charli and the students, but I could use the break.

  Without even trying to, Finn had me worked up about Charli. I wasn’t the jealous type. At least I never thought I was. The moment I knew I wanted Charli, I knew she was it for me and I wasn’t about to let anyone or anything in the way of that.

  Now I was grumpy and the darkening skies overhead seemed to change with my mood. Stopping for a hot dog, and smirking as it reminded me of Charli, I thought maybe I could bring her lunch. Then I thought better of it, because friends do lunch and I didn’t want to be her fucking friend.

  The thoughts I had about her were nothing like the ones friend should ever have. Yesterday as I sat close to her, listening to one of the kids talk, I had zoned out for a moment. Thought about dragging her over my lap, right there, and taking her. Shoving her panties aside, making quick work of my jeans, and driving inside her sweet pussy.

  Jesus for a moment, breathing deep I had smelled her sweetness and was intoxicated with her. I had to have her. The thought of her straddling me, her honey brown hair loose down her back, her softness close as I drove into her.

  I imagined the flush in her cheeks, her full mouth open as she murmured those sweet sounds as she came for me. Her pussy tight and wet as it seized around my cock, milking me as I came deep inside her. Jesus, fuck.

  So much for a break to cool down.

  Fuck. Fuck!

  No woman I had ever had, no fire I had ever battled, or risk I had ever taken felt like what just the idea of having Charli felt like. Not sure I could survive the real thing. Just being close to her, smelling her scent, hearing her laughter had just about drove me insane yesterday. I craved her like the air I needed to breathe. Pop once told me within a day of meeting my mom, he had talked to his own mother about proposing with her ring.

  We all know the story and he did just that within weeks of their first date. Things like that didn’t happen anymore. Not with the type of women I knew; women like Krista who had been looking for bigger and better, or Ariel, who just wanted more.

  Somehow I had no doubts Charli was nothing like those women. Nothing like any woman I knew. Except, maybe Lizzie Bennett. Or, given her feisty nature, maybe Hermione Grainger.

  Heading inside the library, I decided to waste time wandering around. Get the lay of the land, as it were. Maybe find some of the books Gigi suggested. After all, Charli was a librarian and loved to read. I wanted more chances to talk to Charli than our time with the kids and the mentoring program would give us.

  Asking her out or even for her number didn’t feel right. Not significant enough. Not for what we were going to be. Charli was a librarian so it presented a perfect opportunity for me to have an excuse to be around her. A chance for me to talk to her, find out about her by being in her element.

  With a handful of books ready to go, after plenty of help from Lola, another librarian who seemed all too pleased to help, I headed for the atrium. I wanted to be on my best behavior today because I suspected my little speech yesterday might have her readier to run than ever.

  The kids would be a nice buffer today and I was sure Charli would use that to her advantage. Still it was time with her, and I didn’t care how I got it. For now.

  Mom told me a story once about my pop visiting her at college; he was already a fireman while she studied nursing. Pop would visit her for an hour here or there when she was on break from her courses.

  They would sit together, her books piled everywhere and my pop would quiz her or watch her read. Just to be around her. That I wanted the same thing, just a chance to be near Charli, spoke in volumes to me.

  My books nearly crashed to the floor when I reached the atrium. Instead of the low couches and club chairs, they were grouped together around high table tops and a wall of books. Relaxed and laughing as they waited for me.

  All but Charli. No, my girl was off by herself,
leaning against a rolling ladder to wait, looking sexy as fuck.

  Her wide hips didn’t quite fit between the narrow rails so her back was arched slightly which made her already great tits look absolutely amazing.

  Today she wore a skirt shorter than I was ready for and her legs seemed to go on forever. A bright pink scarf was wrapped expertly around her neck and her glasses were resting at the tip of her nose. My cock took notice of every inch of her.

  “Hey, Mr. Cooper.” Marcus called out and all eyes swung to me; shit was I thankful for the stack of books.

  “Hey Marcus,” My eyes didn’t leave Charli, “Charli.” I called quick hellos to the others but headed straight for her.

  “Cage.” Charli stepped down from the ladder, her flats allowing me to tower over her.

  “Afternoon, Sugar.” When I said that name, it became my new favorite thing to call her because her eyes sparked silver.

  Charli peered up at me with those eyes and her teeth came out to nip at the corner of her full bottom lip. Her thick hair fell loose around her shoulders and I wanted to dive my fingers into it. Then yank her head back and take her mouth.

  We stood watching each other quietly and I felt the air changing. It was charged and electric; I wanted her worse every time I got near her. There was something in her eyes that had changed, though.

  Oh she was still guarded, but more open than I had seen her yet. Curious. As if she wanted to figure me out just as bad as I wanted to figure her out. This look in her eyes did crazy shit to every part of me.

  I stepped closer and she took a step back and then her eyes changed again. They lit with playfulness before she took another step back, her nose scrunching up. Jesus Christ. Charli was playing cute with me; it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

  “Are we all ready?” Charli asked, glancing over her shoulder before brushing past me.