Burn (Electric Series #3)

by E. L. Todd

  “What’s mine is yours.” He looked down into my face, his eyes glancing at my lips. “Let’s go to my place. It’s close and it’s warm.”

  A part of me didn’t want to go back to his place. There was a warning in my heart over what might happen. But I also wanted to stay with him.

  More than anything else in the world.

  Without waiting for an answer, he tucked me into his side and walked me to his place.

  ***

  “Take that, Mario.” Volt smashed Bowser into me and flung me off the track.

  “No!” I screamed as I watched my character flip out of bounds. Lakitu, the man floating on the cloud, picked me up and put me back on the course. But it was too late. Volt had already crossed the finish line.

  “Nice try.” He set his controller beside him and grinned.

  “You cheated.”

  “I didn’t cheat. You just suck.”

  “I don’t suck.” I threw my controller down, having a bit of a tantrum. Volt was good at this game, and I didn’t like losing all the time.

  “I’ll let you win next time.”

  “I don’t need a pity win.” I was sitting on the floor, so I grabbed my heels and hopped up onto the couch. I slid my feet into the shoes and tightened the straps.

  “Hope you aren’t planning to sleep in those.”

  “I think I’m going to go home. Have a lot of laundry and housecleaning to do tomorrow.”

  “Hire a maid.”

  “I’m a teacher. I can’t afford a maid.”

  Volt grabbed my ankle and yanked the heel off. “It’s two in the morning. Sleep here.”

  There was something wrong with me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. The area between my legs was burning in desperation, and all I could think about was Volt on top of me, my legs wrapped around his waist. I wanted to feel him inside me so bad I almost screamed. This sexual desire crept up on me. It started with that kiss we shared a few weeks ago. But now it exploded in full force.

  When his arms were around me, it was all I could think about. When his lips were near mine, all I wanted to do was suck them until they were raw. I wanted that hot, naked body to keep me warm all night long.

  I couldn’t let that happen.

  Volt was picking up on everything. He must be able to read every look on my face, and since he knew I wanted it, he wanted it too. But that would take us on a path I’d been trying to avoid since the beginning.

  Friends couldn’t have a night of good sex and forget about it the next day.

  At least, I couldn’t.

  “I really should get home. Natalie is probably going to want to come over tomorrow to talk about her love triangle.”

  “Then go home in the morning.” He grabbed my other ankle and pulled the shoe off. It thumped when it hit the hardwood floor.

  All I had to do was snatch them and walk out, but I couldn’t.

  I stayed absolutely still.

  Volt scooted closer to me on the couch then rested his hand on my thigh. He’d never touched me that way before, on such an intimate level. His arm rested over the back of the couch as he leaned into me, his breaths falling on my neck. “Stay with me.”

  Shivers ran up my spine as his words landed on my neck. The intensity was enough to make my mouth go dry and my heart pound. I wanted to pull my body tighter into itself, but I didn’t want his hand to leave my thigh.

  I liked it there.

  I felt his gaze bore into my face, commanding me to look at him. I fought it off for nearly a minute, but the heat was becoming too much. It burned into my cheek, leaving a permanent mark only he could see.

  I turned his way, feeling the fear and excitement simultaneously. My lips ached from wanting his so badly. Volt wasn’t my friend anymore. That night, he was every fantasy I ever had. Our friendship went out the window, and our primal instincts took over. We wanted to claw at each other until we were both breathless and naked.

  He looked into my eyes, the same desire written all over his face. He stared at me like wounded prey. I couldn’t get away, and I was his to enjoy. His hand gripped my thigh gently, forcing more blood to flood to the area between my legs. It throbbed in desperation and quickly filled with a pool of excitement. I couldn’t control my breathing because it was all over the place. No matter how deeply I breathed, I couldn’t catch my breath. I felt like I was running a marathon without a finish line. I panted, hoarding energy I would need to get through this.

  Volt pressed his face close to mine, searching my eyes and finding the exact same emotion he felt. His hand left my thigh then dug into my hair. His fingers gripped it tightly, getting a hold so strong I couldn’t escape.

  God, I wanted him.

  I wanted him to take me like a prisoner.

  And never let me go.

  I’d never been so aroused for a man in my life. My entire body responded to every touch he gave me. My head was in the clouds, and my feet were no longer on the earth. I wasn’t thinking anymore.

  Just feeling.

  I closed my eyes because I knew it was coming. I knew that mouth would press against mine in just seconds. And when that happened, I would be powerless to stop it. He would take me to a world I’d never been and make me never want to leave. He would give me the kind of satisfaction I never knew existed.

  “Look at me.”

  After a pause, my eyes opened and looked straight into his.

  His nose touched mine gently before he brushed his lips past my mouth.

  I forced a sharp intake of breath, not prepared for how good that simple touch would feel. We’d kissed before, but the first time, I was out of my mind. The second time, he didn’t even know it happened.

  But this time, we both knew.

  We were both present.

  There was nothing to hide behind. No alcohol. No breakup.

  Just us.

  The silence before the storm rang in the air. It was so quiet I could feel our heartbeats thumping hard against our chests. Our heavy breathing filled the room, firing up my desire even more.

  He tightened his grip on my hair before he closed the gap between us. His lips landed on mine, and the second our lips touched, I shivered in ecstasy. It felt better than it did last time. The scruff of his chin brushed against me with every caress, and that just made me burn hotter.

  His eyes closed, and his lips trembled. “Fuck.” His kiss was still slow but the intensity grew. His fingers gripped me tighter, and his other arm wrapped around my waist. He slowly guided me against the couch, my neck resting on the armrest.

  I lost control.

  My hands snaked up his back, feeling every muscle coil and release as he moved on top of me. I reached for his hair and fingered the strands just like I did before. They were soft in my fingertips but slightly curled. My dress started to rise, but I didn’t care.

  I was going to take it off anyway.

  I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling the definition of his cock in his jeans right against my pelvis.

  I couldn’t wait for him to be inside me.

  Volt moved his lips to the corner of my mouth then trailed kisses down my chin to my neck. He used his tongue to suck the skin into his mouth before he released it. He grabbed the strap of my dress and yanked it down, exposing my bare shoulder. When he kissed the area, I actually moaned.

  “Volt…”

  His mouth paused against me, his breathing hard. His hand dug into my side before he resumed his delectable kisses.

  I couldn’t breathe. It felt so good.

  He placed kisses at the hollow of my throat before he moved back up my neck and to my mouth. He brushed his lips against mine in a teasing away, firing me up before he pressed his tongue inside.

  I pictured us moving to the bedroom, both naked and sweaty. He would give me the greatest sex of my life, the kind of satisfaction that lasted long after it was over. We would sleep in each other’s arms until the sun rose the following morning.

  But then the morning woul
d come.

  And everything would be different.

  We could never go back to what we were.

  Our friendship would be ruined.

  Like a light switch, my arousal disappeared. In the moment, it felt amazing—too amazing. But I was sacrificing something I loved for something that would only last a few hours.

  It was a terrible idea.

  I didn’t want him to stop kissing me. I never wanted him to stop kissing me. But I had to stop it.

  I pressed my hand against his chest and gave him a gentle push. “Stop.”

  He pulled his lips away immediately, but the dark look in his eyes said he wanted to keep going. When I didn’t change my mind, disappointment flooded his face. Then, soon after, despair.

  I quickly turned away and snatched my heels from the ground. His eyes were on me, and I could feel them. But I couldn’t meet his gaze, not after what just happened.

  I stood up and quickly adjusted my dress. It was pulled up, showing things that shouldn’t be sticking out. I could feel the burn from his stare into my back. I could feel his rejection.

  Lingering was just making it worse. I needed to walk out before the heat rose and caught fire. I had to leave before the coil burned out and leapt up in flames.

  I walked to the door with my heels in my hand. My clutch was snatched off the kitchen table on the way, and I got the door open within seconds. Instead of just walking out, I made the mistake of turning around.

  Volt didn’t move from his seat on the couch. He stared straight ahead, his disappointment obvious in the way his shoulders fell. His breathing was still out of wack, probably a mix of excitement as well as embarrassment.

  I walked out and shut the door behind me, suddenly feeling lonely and cold in the hallway. The wooden door separated us, but I could feel the current running directly through the barrier. I could feel the charge.

  The current.

  The connection.

  Chapter Four

  Volt

  I stayed in that spot all night.

  When the sun rose the following morning, I was still in the exact same place.

  My eyes were still open, drooping in sadness.

  I felt like a goddamn imbecile.

  I thought I had her. It was the best five minutes of my life. That kiss was incredible. My body hummed when it was connected to hers. Together, we made a current that ran through our bodies and to the world beyond.

  But then she pulled the plug.

  She liked it. That much was certain. No one could kiss like that and not mean it. She was denying herself what she wanted.

  But there was only one reason why she would do that.

  She didn’t want me.

  I lost her as a potential girlfriend, and now I lost her as a friend. We couldn’t recover from a night like that. I laid all my cards on the table and told her exactly how I felt. I showed her what kind of feelings throbbed in my heart. I kissed her like she meant the world to me. I put my heart on a silver platter and handed it over.

  But she didn’t want it.

  I was screwed.

  ***

  I sat across from Clay but couldn’t concentrate. I stared blankly at the workbook in front of him while my mind wandered somewhere else. The days had dragged by slowly because my life no longer had meaning. I never expected Taylor to call, but it still hurt when she didn’t.

  “Dude, are you okay?”

  My vision cleared, and Clay’s face became visible. “I’m fine. What problem are you on?”

  “If you don’t know what problem I’m on, you aren’t fine.”

  I wasn’t in the mood for his smartass behavior today. “Let’s wrap this up and start again tomorrow. Not feeling well.”

  “What is it?” he pressed.

  “Nothing.” I shut the books and stacked them in the corner.

  “Is it Taylor?”

  I flinched when I heard her name. I hated hearing it. It just reminded me that I couldn’t have her. Her beautiful face swam in my mind, and I couldn’t shake the picture. “She and I…aren’t talking anymore.”

  “You aren’t friends?” he asked in surprise.

  “No.” Without Taylor, I didn’t know what to do. She gave my life so much meaning. And then she just disappeared.

  “What happened?”

  It was adult stuff he wasn’t ready to hear. “We just didn’t work out.”

  Clay kept pressuring me with his gaze. “I’m almost done with high school. I’m not stupid.”

  “It doesn’t matter how old you are. Men will never understand women.”

  “Give me a try. I’m your friend, right?”

  “Yes, you’re my friend. But friends don’t tell each other everything.”

  “Last time I checked, they did. Now spill it.”

  “Well…I made a move on Taylor.”

  “Ooh…” He waggled his eyebrows.

  I glared at him. “You don’t seem that mature to me.”

  He straightened up and wiped the grin off his face.

  “Anyway, we kissed for a little bit. It felt amazing. But she pulled away and walked out.”

  “Ouch. You must be a bad kisser.”

  I glared at him again.

  “Kidding.”

  “We haven’t spoken since.”

  “Sorry, Volt. She was cute.”

  “I know she was.”

  “That’s it? You aren’t going to talk to her?”

  “Nope.” Walking out in the middle of a kiss was a pretty clear sign of what she wanted. She either didn’t want to see me ever again or she at least wanted space. I wasn’t going to pressure her.

  “Well…at least you have me.”

  I tried to smile because it was a nice thing for him to say. “I know, buddy.”

  “You’re the kind of guy all the women fall for. You’ll find someone else.”

  “Yeah…” But I would never find another Taylor.

  “If she doesn’t come around, that’s her problem. Not yours.”

  If I’d just left it alone, she and I would still be friends right now. But then again, I would still be stuck in this shitty situation. At least now she would never speak to me again, and I could move on with my life—eventually.

  Clay packed up his things. “Do you want to do something else? Hang out?”

  He’d never asked me to hang out before. Normally, we just got something to eat, and he took off to his next adventure. “Sure. You play video games?”

  “I’ve played a few times at my friend’s house. But I don’t have my own console.”

  “Then let’s get a pizza and head to my place. I have a PS4.”

  “Sick!”

  This whole time, I’d thought our relationship was a one-way street. Clay needed me to get through every single day. But now I realized how inaccurate that was.

  I needed him too.

  Chapter Five

  Taylor

  I expected Volt to call me.

  But he never did.

  That night was a blur of emotions. We were both horny and anxious. He wanted to have a dirty fling, and I wanted one too—but not just for the night. We were back to where we were eight months ago. He wanted to get me naked and on his bed.

  I wanted that too.

  But I knew I would get sucked into emotions that I would never get out of. I wouldn’t be able to walk away like he meant nothing. Because I knew deep inside he didn’t mean anything to me.

  He meant everything.

  Walking away was the best decision. He had the ability to destroy me so easily, and I had a feeling I would never recover. I would fall for a man I could never have, and when I watched him walk off with someone else, I would collapse.

  Not the best idea.

  I spent the week focusing on school and the micromanagement directed my way. Principal Rosenthal sat in my classroom every day to watch my teaching methods. Initially, it made me really flustered. But after what happened with Volt, I realized I didn’t care.

&nb
sp; And that made things a lot easier.

  I went through the Common Core objectives as instructed, even though my students were bored out of their goddamn minds, and I used an exam taken directly from the back of the teacher’s edition textbook.

  They all got A’s.

  And achieved nothing.

  When Principal Rosenthal stopped coming to my classroom, I knew I was out of the woods.

  But I really didn’t care at the moment.

  ***

  I pushed my cart through the aisles and grabbed the groceries I needed for the week. I usually packed a lunch to take to work, a turkey sandwich with sliced apples.

  When I turned the corner to the produce aisle, I ran into someone I never expected to see again.

  Sage.

  He held a basket in one hand, and inside were a few cans of beans, protein bars, and a head of lettuce.

  I was so stunned to see him that I couldn’t move. Guilt flooded my veins when I remembered what happened with Volt last week. We had a hot make out session on the couch, and I didn’t want it to end.

  Sage had been right about everything.

  Instead of turning away and walking off like he should, he approached me. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” I gripped the handle of the cart because my hands were restless.

  “You got some good stuff.” He eyed the items sitting at the bottom of my cart.

  “Thanks…stuff for lunch during the week.”

  “Cool.” He cleared his throat.

  “So…how are you?”

  “Good. You?”

  “I’m okay.” I’ve been better—a lot better.

  “I hope you and Volt are having a good time together.” Instead of saying it spitefully, he seemed genuine.

  “Uh, I guess.” It was a weird thing to say, so I didn’t know how to respond.

  “Have you moved in together yet?” he asked with a chuckle.

  What? “Why would we move in together?”

  “Taylor, it’s okay,” he said gently. “I know about the two of you. It’s not a big deal. I mean, I never really had a chance anyway.”

  “You know about us?” What was there to know? “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You don’t?” he challenged.

  My head cocked to the side, my irritation growing. “Sage, Volt and I are just friends. I’m not sure what else you’re talking about. If we were an item, I would tell you.”