Stars On Fire

by E. L. Todd

  He nodded. “She’s good. Not too many musicians peak so early in their careers. Must be stressful.”

  “It seems like you peaked before you even turned thirty.” The guy had already served in the military, graduated from one of the most respected universities in the nation, and was a commander in the space program. He had the resume of a sixty-year-old—but at half the age.

  With one hand on the wheel, he kept his eyes on the road and pretended my comment had never been said. Most men would brag about their accomplishments nonstop, but Neil preferred to let his success speak for itself. It almost seemed like he didn’t even care. “I’m young. I still have a lot of accomplishments to achieve.”

  “I learned how to write a check a few days ago.” That was an embarrassing admission, but I never tried to impress Neil. Instead, I chose to be funny. How could you impress someone so brilliant?

  He glanced at me, his eyebrow raised.

  “Who uses checks for anything?” I questioned. “I pay all my bills online, but I got an old bill from a company that would only accept checks, so I had to figure it out. It was totally archaic. But at least I have a whole stack of them in my drawer for the next check I write…in two years.”

  He chuckled and kept driving. “Stacy seemed to have a good time.”

  “Yeah…when she gets shit-faced, she’s pretty happy.”

  “And Vic seemed happy since he’s about to get laid.”

  “He always gets laid.” Stacy told me they had a strong physical relationship. Whenever they started to fight, they ended it by screwing instead. It’d always been that way, and being married hadn’t dampened their desire.

  He smiled as he turned left onto the road. “Yeah…he mentioned Stacy is a horndog.”

  “She’s just a horndog for Vic. She never had a good lay before she met him.”

  “I’m proud of my brother,” he said with a laugh. He pulled into the 7-Eleven then we walked inside to get our treats.

  This time, I went for the red color, even though blue was my favorite. I didn’t want blue-stained teeth for the night. I looked my best in this dress, and I didn’t want to diminish my appearance by looking like a dork.

  Neil went for red.

  We paid for our drinks and then got back in the car.

  “So, where to?”

  “I live in the Lakeview Apartments. It’s right next to Dunkin’ Donuts.”

  He pulled onto the road and drove through the streetlights. “I know exactly where you’re talking about. You like Dunkin’ Donuts?”

  “Who doesn’t like donuts?” I sipped my drink with my legs crossed, the cool temperature of his car making me a little chilly. At first, the skin of my thighs had stuck to the leather, but his AC system was so efficient that it felt cold instantly.

  “You think Torpedo is on the couch?”

  “Definitely…that little shit.”

  After a short drive, he pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. He didn’t take off his safety belt like he intended to come inside, but he stopped the vehicle like he didn’t plan to take off anytime soon.

  Maybe he wanted me to invite him in.

  Did I want to invite him in?

  There was chemistry between us. That much was obvious. I found this man ridiculously handsome, on the inside as well as the outside. But a one-night stand might be stupid since he was Stacy’s brother-in-law. If it ever got awkward, it would affect everyone around us…unless our fling never meant anything. If that was all it ever was, then it wouldn’t matter. That was all I was looking for anyway. Like I could ever fall in love again…

  “Can I walk you to your door?”

  “No.” I gripped the handle and popped the door open.

  He hid his disappointment, but he stared at me in surprise.

  “But you can come inside and enjoy your drink with me.”

  His face turned sexy again once his eyes filled with playfulness. He got out of the car then walked with me into the lobby. After taking the stairs to the third floor, we approached my front door. I fished my keys out of my clutch then pressed my forefinger to my lips. “I’m gonna catch Torpedo in the act…shh.” I slipped the key inside, gently turned the lock, and then pushed the door in.

  Sitting on the couch like a lazy little jerk was Torpedo, snoring away.

  “I knew it!”

  His ears perked up, and his eyes snapped open. Then he hopped off the couch and lowered his tail between his legs, looking guilty as hell. He lowered his snout to the ground, displaying those puppy-dog eyes.

  Neil walked inside, grinning with his cup in hand. “You were right.”

  “Yep, I knew I was right.” I stood with my hand on my hip, staring down at my dog with disappointment.

  Torpedo grabbed his favorite stuffed animal from the floor and walked up to me, wagging his tail and doing his best to seem apologetic. He looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes, whining quietly under his breath.

  “Kinda hard to stay mad at him…” Neil drank from his cup.

  I tried to stay angry, but the longer I stared at him, the more I felt like the jerk. All I could think about was the way he barked in his sleep when he was dreaming, the way he got so happy when I walked in the door after work, the way he turned protective when I brought a guy over. He was my best friend in the world. He wasn’t supposed to sleep on the couch unless it was on his blanket…but I couldn’t stay angry at something that made me so happy. “Alright…I forgive you.” I kneeled down to pet him.

  He dropped his toy and wagged his tail harder, moving close to me and giving me a swipe with his tongue.

  I chuckled and dug my fingers into his fur before I hugged him. “You’re too cute. You can get away with anything.”

  Neil joined me and squatted down so he could give Torpedo some attention. “Remember me?”

  “He gets a little protective when men come to the apartment—”

  Torpedo moved in and licked Neil’s cheek. He dragged his paw down his knee then turned around so he could sit right between Neil’s open thighs. He looked up, his tongue hanging out as if he expected the massage to continue.

  Just like me, Neil’s eyes lit up with affection as he rubbed him behind the ears. “This guy knows how to play us.”

  “He’s manipulative…” I rose to my feet then washed my hands in the sink. I was halfway done with my Slurpee and my lips were starting to turn a darker shade of red, but it was still a better look than the bright blue. I leaned against the counter as I watched Neil interact with my dog, watched him fall in love with my companion just like I did every day.

  After giving Torpedo a good pat, Neil got to his feet and met me at the counter. He washed his hands in the sink then took another big drink of his Slurpee. He sucked the liquids down much more rapidly than I did, so his was practically empty. “So, this is your place?”

  “I’d give you a tour, but this is pretty much it.” I had a decent-sized living room, a full kitchen, a hall bathroom, and a bedroom with a master bath. It was smaller than what I was used to, but for one person, it was perfect.

  “It’s nice.” He had a lovely house with a beautiful yard, so my place was far below his standard of living, but he wasn’t a jerk about it. “I can tell Torpedo loves it.”

  “He loves my couch.”

  “Does he sleep with you in bed?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m sure he loves that too.” He finished his drink then poured the rest in the sink. “Do you recycle?”

  “Yeah. There’s a bag under the sink.”

  He leaned down and tossed his plastic cup away. He straightened once more then leaned against the counter, his muscled frame stretching the fabric of his shirt. He gripped the edge of the counter with his hands and watched me for a while.

  I kept sucking my straw, aware that a really gorgeous man was in my apartment. He was the sexiest man to have set foot in the place. The other men I brought around were cute, but nothing compared to this guy. He made m
e nervous from my fingers to my toes, made me tremble slightly in my fingertips. There was an innately comfortable feeling whenever I was around him, like I could be myself without judgment, but there was also this jolt of electricity that constantly rippled in my veins.

  Did he feel it too?

  He probably got more ass offered to him than he could handle. I was just another pretty girl in a sea of beautiful women. I didn’t know him well enough to understand what kind of man he was, if he was a manwhore like every other beautiful man, or if he was more restrained in his sexual conquests.

  I really didn’t know him at all.

  All I knew was he was a hot astronaut who liked Slurpees.

  “I think there’s still a game on if you want to watch it.” If we continued to stare at each other like this, one of us was bound to explode—and that person would probably be me.

  “Sure.”

  I moved to the couch first and slipped off my heels because there was no point in wearing them anymore. Torpedo jumped on the couch right away, taking the spot between us.

  Cockblock.

  I turned on the TV with my knees folded toward my chest.

  Neil stayed on his side of the couch, his arm over the chair and his knees spread apart. His gaze was focused on the TV, but he carried himself with such masculine sexiness that it was hard not to jump on him.

  I was at a point in my life where I just wanted good sex without heartbreak, to dive deep into a man without any regard for my emotions. After the roller coaster of pain I’d experienced, the last thing I wanted was to feel something.

  Except sex.

  If Neil could pilot a spacecraft and survive in the most dangerous situations known to man, then he could probably own a headboard like a king. He was clearly confident, clearly built for fucking.

  But I still didn’t make a move. Maybe it would be better if Neil and I were only friends. We had two other people to think about. I could just go out and find some other guy to share my bed.

  But none of those guys was Neil Crimson.

  He turned his gaze toward me and ignored the game. “Vic mentioned you were divorced.”

  And Stacy told everyone at the party—if they didn’t already know. “Yeah…it’s been six months.” My broken marriage came up pretty often. Whenever I went on a date with a guy, they always asked about it. It seemed like my divorce papers were a scarlet letter. People assumed there was something wrong with me because I got divorced before I even turned thirty. Well…there was something wrong with me. My former husband couldn’t handle it.

  Neil didn’t seem turned off by the knowledge of my divorce. If he were, he wouldn’t be sitting on my couch at that very moment. He wouldn’t have even mentioned it if he didn’t want to talk about it. “That must have been hard.”

  Oh, you have no idea. “Divorce is never easy. I’ve never heard of a pleasant separation.”

  “Vic told me to stay away from you.”

  Just like that, my heart started to beat so hard. The pulse was loud in my ears, thrumming all over my body. He held my gaze like his words were of no consequence. Only a man with real confidence could pull off something like that. I held his gaze and forced my own confidence to show through, even though my fingertips were a bit numb. I tried to be strong, to be the woman with all the power in the world. “Are you going to listen to him?”

  Neil straightened slightly against the couch, his eyes narrowing just a bit. He clearly hadn’t been expecting that reaction because he didn’t know how to process it. He kept looking at me, my fat dog in between us.

  I was shocked those words came out of my own mouth. I hardly knew this guy, but my hormones were doing the talking for me. I turned into a different person when I was with him. He was a man who dedicated his life to space, so there was no possibility we would ever be more than sex. And that was such a relief to me, a weight off my shoulders. I could never expect anything from him because it wouldn’t make sense to do so. There was no way to get hurt, no way to feel anything.

  “I never listen to anyone.”

  “Good.” I slipped off the couch and walked toward my bedroom without turning around. Since I knew his eyes were on me, I carried myself with perfect posture. With my shoulders back and my chest perked out, I strutted into the open doorway of my bedroom. My fingers moved to the zipper at the back of my dress, and I slowly pulled it down, letting the bottom half of my dress come loose until my ass was exposed. I’d skipped the bra and taped down my nipples, so I ripped off the tape and let them come free. My dress fell to the floor with an audible thud.

  I knew he was watching.

  I’d feel like an idiot if he weren’t.

  His footsteps sounded a second later, slowly approaching my open bedroom. The door shut a second later, and then his hands gripped the backs of my arms. His mouth came down on my exposed neck, giving me a hungry kiss that reminded me of a starving wolf. He pulled me hard against him, my back slamming into his bare chest, and he kissed me so hard that it seemed like he hadn’t been with a woman in years.

  My head tilted back, and I closed my eyes as I enjoyed his feasting.

  His large hands moved over my tits, and he gripped them both as he brought me close to him, as he used them as leverage to cradle me. His soft mouth still ravished me, still devoured me like his favorite meal. His warm breaths fell across my skin, his moans exploding in my ears.

  I hadn’t even kissed him yet, and it was the best I’d ever had.

  I let him feel me everywhere, let his hands roam over my body and grope my tits and my ass. His powerful palms squeezed a woman the way they should, groped me in places that made me wince in pleasure.

  I could feel his bare skin against me, feel the hard muscles of his chest and stomach. Every time we bumped into each other, I could feel just how hard he was, that he was all muscle and skin. He was ripped to the extreme, so strong that he should sink even without gravity.

  His fingers moved around my ass then found my entrance. His arms were long, and his fingers were the perfect length to slip past my entrance and dive deep into my arousal. With one arm across my chest and his finger inside me, he moaned against my ear.

  It was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard.

  He breathed against my ear as he kept fingering me, as he became lost in the slickness that surprised us both.

  When I was married, I had good sex every night. Even sex when we were half asleep was still good. But then all of that changed when he coldly left, when he abandoned me at my worst. Now this man was awakening me once more, bringing me to life with a vigor I’d forgotten about.

  His fingers pulsed inside me, becoming coated in the slickness that escaped me. His hand squeezed my right tit, and he moaned against my ear again, as if paralyzed by how good all of this felt.

  After a long pause, he turned me toward him and finally faced me head on. His expression was unlike any of the looks I’d seen from him before. Now he was focused, so concentrated there was a tint to his skin. Deeply aroused and possessive, he had such a sexy face. His bedroom eyes turned my legs into melted butter, made my lips quiver in desire.

  I couldn’t wait to fuck this man.

  My hands moved to his jeans and got them loose so I could see him the way he saw me. Our eyes were locked on each other, our lips anxious for the kiss we hadn’t shared. My hand pushed down his jeans and boxers, slowly unveiling a cock that could win a beauty contest. He had it all, length, girth, and a beautiful crown.

  This man had better fuck me more than once.

  With his fingers still deep inside me, he pressed his forehead to mine, torturing me by restraining his kiss. “My dick should have been in this pussy the moment we met.” I remembered the first time I saw him. He walked into that bar looking like a superstar, with his good looks and his NASA jacket. I wasn’t the only woman in there who wanted to fuck him. But here I was, his fingers deep inside me and pulsing.

  “What about here?” I brought my fingers to my bottom lip and lightly
tapped it.

  He sucked his breath through his teeth, his fingers digging deeper into me.

  I rose on my tiptoes and planted my palms against his chest as I kissed him, as I finally took the embrace I’d been fantasizing about it. My lips collided with his like a car wreck, like two explosive engines that combusted on impact. Everything was so hot, so fiery. It was beautiful but borderline violent, like we’d both been waiting for this moment for too long.

  One hand moved into my hair while his fingers still throbbed inside my cunt. He kissed my mouth with the same passion as he had my neck, taking the lead and sucking my soul. His lips moved with precision, caressing me perfectly before he felt me in a new way. We moved together, broke apart, and then came back together once more.

  It was a beautiful dance.

  He sucked my bottom lip and gave me a playful bite as he drove his fingers farther inside me, drenched in the arousal I couldn’t hide from him. The longer he felt me, the more labored my breathing became. I liked his large fingers inside me, liked the way he touched me with such manly skills.

  My fingers cherished his strong chest. It was like a slab of stone, just not cold to the touch. I could feel his warm muscles, feel the blood pounding through his system. My fingers dragged down as I moved past his nipples and felt his tight stomach. He was the strongest man I’d ever touched, with so many hard grooves of muscle that I bit his lip a little harder than I meant to. I couldn’t wait to fuck this man, to feel that powerful frame on mine as he pushed me into my mattress. I pictured him taking over, pounding me into the bed with my legs spread apart until he made me come.

  It’d been so long since a man had made me come.

  I could kiss him forever. I could touch him forever. But I was so anxious that I couldn’t keep my patience. “Fuck me.” I spoke between our kisses, too aroused to stop kissing him just to get the words out. I wanted to be satisfied that very instant. I wanted to feel my thighs grip his hips as I bucked and came all over his big dick. All I wanted was to feel like a woman—no strings attached.

  His fingers left my pussy with a gentle pull then he scooped me into the air. My legs hugged his torso, and he carried me to the bed even though it was just a few feet away. He held on to me as we both rolled onto my bed.