Stars On Fire

by E. L. Todd

  “I have a better idea. Let me come with you.”

  I heard what he said, but I was dead quiet because I couldn’t believe what I just heard. “What?”

  “Let me come with you.”

  “Why?” I blurted.

  “You said he’s seeing someone?”

  “Yeah…I think he lives with her.”

  “Well, show him the man you’re seeing.”

  Neil was tall, handsome, and unless Cameron lived under a rock, he would recognize him. “I don’t want to bring you into this—”

  “Come on, let’s see the look on his face when he sees me. Let’s watch his expression change once he realizes where you’re sleeping tonight. Let’s watch him take that ring and wonder if he made the biggest mistake of his life.”

  “I don’t care about making him jealous.”

  “I do. I want that piece of shit to see that you’re doing just fine without him.”

  NEIL PULLED up to my old house in his Range Rover and killed the engine.

  Jesus, we were really doing this.

  He turned to me from behind the wheel, wearing that hard expression that made his thoughts impossible to read. “Ready?”

  “Uh…I guess.”

  “Of course, you’re ready. Let’s do this.” He opened the door and stepped out.

  He didn’t give me a chance to drag my feet. He pushed me out of the plane before I was ready to make the jump. I got out of the vehicle and looked at the front door at the top of the stairs on the wraparound porch.

  Neil stopped at the end of the walkway and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll wait here for you.”

  It would be pretty intimidating to see a man like Neil right on the doorstep. “Alright.” I could feel the box in my pocket.

  He gave me a gentle pat on the ass. “You can do this.”

  “I know…just don’t want to.” I walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell. There was a screen door in front of the wooden door, and during the cooler months, we’d kept the front door wide open to get that breeze in the house. Those were happier times, moments when I thought we would be together forever…and be buried side by side in a graveyard for the rest of eternity. Now I would be buried somewhere else…and he would be buried with his second wife.

  Second wife… I was too young for this shit.

  Cameron opened both doors a moment later. He looked at me with his guard up, as if he wasn’t sure how this handoff would go. It was tense last time I left, and it would be tense anytime we had to deal with each other.

  He stepped onto the porch and quickly shut both doors behind him.

  His new woman must be inside.

  My stomach tightened when a flush of acid hit me hard. I wasn’t jealous, but it reminded me how I’d been replaced so easily. Thinking about him sleeping with someone else made me sick. I’d slept beside him for so long. It was weird to think some other woman was doing the same.

  He glanced up and saw Neil standing on the sidewalk, leaning up against his Range Rover with his arms crossed over his chest. Cameron squinted his eyes, like he recognized Neil’s face but couldn’t place it. “That guy looks just like Neil Crimson…”

  “Because it is Neil Crimson.” I pulled the box out of my pocket. “We were on our way to dinner, so I thought I would stop by…” I held out the velvet box, ready to place it in his palm so I could get rid of it forever. It was a little sad to part with the ring because I wore it for so long. I knew our relationship was over…but now it really felt over.

  He stared at Neil for another second before he opened his hand.

  I placed it in his palm—and felt all the weight leave my shoulders. Now we were really over. He didn’t have my stuff, and I didn’t have his. There was no reason ever to speak, ever to see each other again. “Take care, Cameron. I wish you the best.” I turned around and headed back to the car.

  It would have been easy for me to be bitter. I had every right to treat him like shit, to tell him to fuck off and die. But that emotion would imply that I cared, that I carried scars he’d inflicted. Taking the high road and being classy seemed like the better option. It made me look better. If this was the final memory he would have of me, I wanted him to remember me positively…to maybe wonder if he’d made a mistake.

  I made it back to Neil.

  He opened the passenger door for me and helped me inside. Then he walked around to the driver’s side and got inside. He started the engine, but we didn’t pull away. He glanced out the passenger window as he shifted the car into drive. “He’s still looking at you.”

  “Maybe he’s looking at your Range Rover. It’s nice.”

  “No.” He pulled away from the curb. “He’s definitely looking at you.”

  ONCE WE WERE at Neil’s place, my thoughts of Cameron disappeared. Whether he had been looking at me or not, whether he cared that I was sleeping with a famous astronaut, simply didn’t matter.

  I didn’t care.

  Neil’s house was innately comfortable. Cozy and spacious, it was the perfect house for entertaining. He could easily fit a dozen people over for a dinner party, but I suspected he didn’t host events often. He seemed to keep to himself unless he went out for a drink.

  The living room had three couches around a coffee table, facing a large TV that had to be at least eighty inches. He had a full kitchen with an island, a back patio, and three good-sized bedrooms. It didn’t seem like a house for a terminal bachelor because it could comfortably fit a family of four—but it was definitely slick.

  I’d enjoy living there for three months.

  We grabbed a few beers from the fridge and watched Torpedo make himself comfortable in the backyard. The sun was starting to set as dusk arrived, and he enjoyed the cool breeze that moved through the trees before it massaged his fur. He sat in the same spot every single time, finding the perfect spot where he liked to relax.

  I stood at the kitchen counter and watched him, my thoughts focused on the moment, not the past I’d just walked away from.

  Neil leaned against the other counter, one hand in his pocket while he drank his beer. He glanced out the window then turned his attention back to me. That white t-shirt fit him so well, the cotton stretching over his muscular arms and powerful chest. His jeans were dark, a stark contrast between the colors. He made any clothing look good—and he made nothing look even better.

  I leaned against the counter while holding my beer close. “Thanks for coming with me today.”

  “I was happy to.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling less self-conscious now that Neil knew all of my secrets. It was embarrassing to admit that my husband left me, that there was something wrong with me so I couldn’t have children, but like a real friend, he didn’t judge me for my shortcomings. He accepted me for who I was—and that was the most freeing sensation in the world. “I really like your place. I’m looking forward to living here.”

  “Good. I’ll look forward to imagining you touching yourself in my house.”

  I raised an eyebrow at his shameless crassness. “What makes you think I do that?”

  “Are you saying you don’t?”

  I shrugged. “I’m too classy to answer that.”

  He smiled. “Classy is overrated. Men are open about their sexuality, and I think it’s a double standard that women have to be shy about it. If you find porn on a guy’s computer, no big deal. But the idea of a woman having her own fantasies is taboo…pretty ridiculous.”

  I liked a man who was a feminist…not too many of those. “You’re sooo gonna get a blow job tonight.”

  His smile slowly faded away as his eyes turned serious.

  “By the way…” I pulled the folded piece of paper out of the back pocket of my jeans. “I have some paperwork for you…”

  He set his beer on the counter while keeping his eyes locked on me. He crossed the distance between the counter and me, his gray shoes lightly tapping against the floor as he moved toward me. His jeans fit his muscled
thighs and narrow waist perfectly. With every step, his outline was more noticeable. With those broad shoulders and narrow hips, he was a moving triangle, the symbol of a masculine figure.

  The paper was snatched out of my hand and tossed on the stove behind me. One hand dug into my hair aggressively as he pressed his body close to mine, his movements so possessive, I didn’t feel like I belonged to myself anymore. His fingers slid deep in my hair and cradled the back of my head.

  Then he kissed me.

  He kissed me good.

  Cameron never kissed me this way. No man ever did. It was the kind of embrace that made your toes curl and permanently tighten into place. It was a scorching kiss that made my knees part instantly, made me want to wrap my legs around his waist and fuck him right there in the kitchen.

  He backed me up into the kitchen counter, pressing his impressive hard-on right against my stomach. Its shape was defined in the fabric of his jeans, the outline so distinct, I could trace it in my mind.

  His fingers moved to the top of my jean shorts, and he discreetly unbuttoned the top before he pulled down the zipper. The material loosened around my hips, slowly sliding down until my thong was exposed.

  His kiss never halted. This man could pilot a rocket to the space station and the moon, so of course, he could get a woman naked and kiss her at the same time. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, gently nibbled on it, and then gave me his tongue.

  Neil Crimson was such a good kisser.

  He pushed down the straps of my top and yanked it off with my bra, making my tits pop out, the nipples hard and my boobs firm.

  My fingers got his jeans loose, and I pushed them over his hips, taking the boxers with them.

  He kissed me harder, yanked on my hair as he devoured me. It was the deepest kiss I’d ever received, going from zero to sixty in less than a second. Like he’d wanted me for hours rather than minutes, he took me like he needed to feel me, needed to have me.

  I pulled his shirt over his head and finally touched that muscled perfection that I loved so much. This guy was rock-hard, fit, and so damn sexy, he didn’t seem real. With bulging biceps and an eight-pack that was perfect for licking, he was gorgeous.

  He didn’t move in to kiss me again. He held on to my hair like a leash and looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes, an earthy color that reminded me of an untouched forest. He breathed against my face as he looked at me, his pants around his ankles and my shorts around mine. “Get on your knees.”

  Only a man like Neil Crimson could give a command like that.

  His fingers tightened around my neck, and he slowly guided me down, making me lower to the tile on the floor.

  I obeyed without resistance. I didn’t mind letting my small knees ache against the hard floor. I didn’t mind letting a man push me down like he owned me. I was happy to oblige, happy to stick that enormous dick in my mouth and make him feel as good as he made me feel.

  His hand stayed on my neck as he grabbed himself by the base and pointed his tip at my mouth. His thick crown was already oozing with arousal, his skin slightly tinted red from the blood pulsing through.

  My mouth fell open, my tongue flattening in preparation for that big cock. My eyes lifted up to his as I waited for that girth to slide across my tongue like it was a landing strip. My shirt and bra were around my waist, and my thong was the only bottoms I had on. My hands moved to his thighs as I waited for him to give it to me…and give it to me good.

  He slid the bottom of his cock along my tongue, slowly inching inside. Once his dry skin came into contact with my wetness, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and moaned. He inched farther and farther, moving until most of his cock was stuffed down my throat.

  I nearly gagged. It’d been so long since I’d given head, I nearly forgot how.

  His fingers moved to the front of my neck, and he slowly pulled himself out, testing the size of my throat before he started to pound into me. He opened his eyes again and looked at me, his jaw tight as he watched me take his dick over and over.

  He was a large man, and I was a small woman. Naturally, it felt amazing to him.

  For me, I had tears bubbling in the corner of my eyes, and I had to stretch my jaw as wide as I could to accommodate him. The hinges of my jaw ached, and I felt the tears blur my vision until they started to streak down my cheeks.

  He moaned under his breath again, like the sight of my discomfort was the biggest turn-on in the world.

  I moved my neck and took his length over and over, my saliva sticking between the edge of his cock and my tongue. It stretched like a long piece of cheese then broke off, only to happen again once I covered his length with my mouth. It happened over and over, drool starting at the corners of my mouth.

  “Fuck.” He thrust into me harder, pounding into my mouth like he enjoyed every single inch of my throat. His fingers gripped me tightly, holding on to me like he had all the control. He probably got head all the time because every woman wanted to blow him—and I was one of those women. He was all man, from his sculpted features, chiseled physique, and super big dick. It was the kind of dick that should be sucked.

  It didn’t matter how much my throat hurt, how many tears dripped from the corners of my eyes, how my throat ached to gag because I could hardly breathe most of the time. But I would happily suck this cock every night of my life.

  He cradled the back of my head as he gave a few more thrusts. Then he abruptly pulled out of my mouth, drool sticking between our bodies and slowly breaking apart. His skin gleamed with my saliva, drenched from my slick tongue. His arm gripped my elbow, and he pulled me to my feet, his cock twitching now that it wasn’t surrounded by my warmth.

  He turned me around, bent me over the kitchen counter, and then pushed my panties down to my thighs.

  I barely had a chance to process what was happening before he pressed his crown inside me, becoming slathered in an extra layer of moisture as he shoved inside and buried himself in my slickness.

  The momentum made me rock forward, made my head come close to the cabinet that held his dishes. My tits dragged against the cold countertop, and my hands nearly came into contact with the stainless-steel crock holding all his utensils.

  I closed my eyes when I savored the feeling of skin-on-skin, the direct contact of his thick veins against my channel. I could feel him so much better, feel the grooves around his crown and the heat of his skin. I arched my back and moaned as I felt this man buried deep inside me, cushioned by my potent arousal.

  He mirrored my desire. “Fuck yeah…” He inched all the way inside, pressing every bit of his dick inside my pussy before he stood still, savoring the combustive feeling our combined bodies created. He brushed my curtain of hair over my shoulder then gripped the back of my neck, his fingers pressing hard into my artery so I could feel my pulse pound against his touch.

  I shook my ass playfully, asking him to start thrusting, start fucking.

  His hips started to move, and he slowly slid in and out. Instead of fucking me hard like he did with my mouth, he took his time enjoying me, took his time treasuring the feeling of my bare pussy. When this moment was over, his seed would be directly inside me, so heavy, so warm.

  I couldn’t wait until that moment. I looked forward to it more than my own climax.

  One hand gripped my hip, and he guided my motions, showing me how he wanted me to arch my back and press up against his dick. We moved together, falling into the perfect pace that we both enjoyed.

  I wanted to stay like this forever.

  I wasn’t in a hurry to reach the finish line. I wanted to exist in this moment forever, endlessly fucking in his kitchen.

  “You have the nicest ass, baby.”

  “You have the nicest dick, Neil.”

  His fingers tightened on my neck, and he moaned as he kept thrusting, pushing himself deep inside me before he pulled out again. He would slam into me once more, tapping against my ass cheeks. His hands moved to my tits, and he gripped both of the
m, his thumbs swiping across my pointed nipples.

  I kept bouncing back into him, riding that long dick from tip to base. The kitchen filled with our pants, with the uncontrollable moans that echoed around the room. The temperature rose too, matching the Texas heat right outside.

  “This pussy is mine…”

  It was only his until he left. Then I would be left alone to think about the greatest sex of my life. My fingers would live between my legs, and I would think about this sexy man every time I bedded someone else.

  But I still wouldn’t change this…not for anything.

  13

  NEIL

  IT WAS dark in the bedroom, the large black Lab taking up the bottom half of the bed. I went from sleeping in a king-size bed by myself to sharing it with a woman and her big dog. She slept quietly and didn’t snore, but Torpedo was a different story. He breathed loudly and even snored sometimes.

  But I was still happy she was here.

  It was midnight, and I was wide awake, thinking about my upcoming launch and the crew coming with me. Hyde wouldn’t be coming with me for this mission, which was always a disappointment. The rest of the astronauts were more than qualified, but I trusted Hyde in a deeper way.

  My phone vibrated on the nightstand, and Laura’s name came on the screen.

  Miss me yet?

  I ignored her message and returned my phone to the nightstand. Why would I miss her when I had Charlotte? Not only was she amazing in bed, but she was the coolest chick I knew. She was smart, funny, and everything else that made a woman desirable.

  Honestly, I hadn’t thought about Laura since the last time I saw her.

  I hadn’t been interested in any women, actually.

  Torpedo snored loudly, making Charlotte wake.

  She groaned under her breath. “Shh…” She opened her eyes then sat up. “Go sleep in the living room if you’re gonna snore like that.” She gave him a gentle nudge with her foot.