LIGHTER

by Mila Cole

  One light kiss. Then another. Soon I was breathless.

  It was like an On switch for my lady parts. My legs were shaky, and my pussy throbbed like a beating drum, and if he didn’t touch me there soon, I was going to do it myself.

  “These have got to go, baby.” His fingers worked the fly of my jeans fluidly. I shimmied my hips until they dropped to the floor. “You look perfect.”

  He kept saying all the right things, making it hard for me think straight.

  Feeling a little braver, I lifted up on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around the back of his neck, and smashed my lips to his. He tasted so good.

  His hands gripped my hips, squeezing just enough to make me groan. It wasn’t pain, but pure pleasure.

  I ran my hands with ease down the front of his smooth chest. My thumb grazed over the thin line of hair below his navel that trailed all the way to his pants. I knew exactly where that tiny trail was leading to. When his hand slid around to my ass and squeezed, I let my fingertip dip into his sweatpants. Not all the way—just a tiny bit. The pants needed to go, and quickly.

  He kissed me with more urgency, moaning into my mouth. He was loving my touch as much as I was loving his. I opened my eyes, just as our mouths parted.

  “On the bed,” he said before biting his bottom lip.

  I kept my eyes trained on his as I climbed on the bed and scooted back toward the headboard. I should’ve known what was coming next, but I wasn’t prepared at all when he dropped his pants to the ground.

  There he stood, in all his glory. Man, there was a lot of glory. It was hard, full, and even bigger than I was expecting. I felt like I was seeing a dick for the first time. No kidding. My cheeks grew hot, and my panties were soaked. There was nothing to compare this to, though my mind was trying really hard. He was all muscle from top to bottom, and for an older man, he looked damn good. It was no wonder I thought he was much younger than he really was.

  The bed dipped when he climbed up on it next to me.

  “You’re big,” I blurted out. Stupid mouth. I knew that anything that came out of it would likely be bad. Boy was I right. I was a complete mess.

  “It’ll fit, Princess. I promise.”

  Right. Yes. Of course, it would.

  “I’m a little nervous,” I admitted.

  He was taken aback. “This isn’t your first time, is it?”

  Would it matter if it was? “No.” I shook my head. “But I’m not as experienced as you are.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” He grinned. “You’re either calling me old or a slut.”

  I giggled. “That’s not what I meant. I was just assuming, since you’re a little older, that…”

  “I’d say I’m more experienced,” he agreed. “Does the age thing bother you?” He leaned down and kissed my shoulder.

  Again, the words were hard to find. So I shook my head no. It didn’t bother me at all. Age was just a number to me. I couldn’t care less.

  He kept trailing kisses along my body. First my shoulder, then my collarbone, and then over my breast. Each kiss made me more breathless than the last.

  “It bothered me for a while,” he admitted, but the kisses never stopped. “You’re young. That’s no secret. I’m like seventeen years older than you. So yeah, it was hard for me to think about it at first. But that changed.” He kissed under my breast and then down my stomach, stopping right above my panty line. “I never really did the whole dating thing. Thought I never would. But you’re different.”

  My fingers ran along the sides of his shaved head. I was drinking in his words. It was the first time he’d been so open and real with me. It was the first time he was speaking to me so aimlessly and without caution. I was reveling in it.

  “I want you so bad. You’re like a drug to me, and I can’t seem to get enough no matter how hard I try.”

  “I told you”—my fingernails scraped gently over his scalp—“I’m yours. Even if it’s only one night. Please don’t stop.”

  The side of his mouth lifted into a grin, and he hooked his fingers into the sides of my panties. Slowly, he inched them down until he slid them off and tossed them on the ground below.

  I was bare. His body shook gently as he looked at me. “I’m going to give you the best night of your life.”

  God, I hoped that was a promise. Though he wouldn’t have to do much to top all the other nights of my life.

  His hand dipped between my legs, and my eyes rolled back into my head as my body reacted to his touch. The pads of his fingertips gently circled my clit until my hips bucked up from the mattress. It wasn’t going to take long for me to come completely undone. One finger slid inside me, and a noise escaped me. I couldn’t help it. It felt absolutely amazing. When a second finger slid inside me, I reached up for him. I needed him closer. I needed him inside me.

  “Please, Slick,” I begged. “I need you.”

  I think he needed me too. He quickly reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a condom. The wrapper crinkled as he opened the package and tossed it to the ground. His hand gripped my ankle as he positioned himself between my legs.

  This was it.

  We were going to do it.

  He hovered over me, kissing my lips, my cheek, my neck. He reached behind me, and with a swift movement, he unlatched my bra. Things escalated quickly. The curves of my legs wrapped around him. I could feel the tip of him at my entrance, teasing me. It was torturous. “You ready, little one?”

  I nodded so eagerly that he laughed.

  My body was tense as the head of his dick pressed inside me slowly. “Relax,” he whispered in my ear. “I got you.”

  His words somehow had a calming effect on my body. My core was throbbing as he slid his hard length slowly inside me.

  Damn, he was big.

  He was only halfway inside me when he pushed one full time, filling me completely. His body stilled above me, and he leaned in to kiss me softly on the lips.

  “You feel so good.”

  I bit my lip and sucked in a deep breath when he pulled back. It was like no other feeling in the world. I let out a whimper as he pumped back and forth, in and out. His movements were dangerous, sedating me into pure ecstasy.

  “Oh, yes,” I sighed. My hands gripped his back as he rocked harder.

  “I’m not going to last long,” he admitted. His breathing was erratic, and sweat beaded up on his forehead.

  “Me either.”

  I wasn’t. I was so worked up that the pressure alone was going to push me right over the edge. Our bodies were desperate for each other.

  In.

  Out.

  In.

  Out.

  I couldn’t take it any longer. Everything inside me exploded, and I came so hard and fast that my legs were shaking.

  “Damn,” he said through strangled breaths as his sweet release followed mine.

  The room was quiet except for the sounds of our breathing. They were deep, shallow breaths, and well deserved.

  His head was against my chest, and I slowly ran my fingers down his cheek. It was the most amazing feeling to be wrapped up in him. All of him.

  “I love you,” he whispered. His voice was so low that I almost couldn’t hear him.

  “I love you too.”

  When he pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes, I nearly lost it.

  This was love. It was all-knowing, devastatingly breathtaking true love.

  Tears filled my eyes when I thought about losing him. I couldn’t lose him. I wouldn’t.

  His smile was gorgeous with that little dimple in his cheek and those full red lips. He lightened the mood when he said, “I’m a lot older than you.”

  “Psh… only in numbers.” I replied. “I’m pretty sure that I’m about fifty-five in brains and charm. That would make me a cougar.”

  A sudden burst of laughter escaped him, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.

  “I like the way that sounds.”

  He rolled off me and o
nto his side, then pulled the condom off, tied it in a knot, and tossed it in a trash can beside his bed.

  Before he pulled me to him, he brushed a hair away from my face. “Don’t think anymore tonight. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “And rest up,” he added. “This was just round one.”

  He wasn’t kidding. For the rest of the night, we went at it like a couple of rabbits. He showed me things I’d never seen before and did things to my body that I thought were unthinkable.

  When I finally drifted off to sleep, I was exhausted and fully satisfied. He eased my mind and left me feeling like everything was going to be okay. It had to be. I was going to make sure of it, if it was the last thing I did.

  Twenty-Nine

  Slick

  After what felt like the best night of my life, I didn’t want Lighter to leave. The moment was coming. I could feel the dread of it like a dark cloud lingering above us. I was hanging on to every second we had together like it was our last.

  It could’ve been.

  We may say our goodbyes and then never see each other again.

  My addiction for her ran deep into my veins, and having her walk out of my life was going to break me. The feeling was going to rip me to shreds. There was no way her father was going to let “us” happen. I didn’t tell her that. I let her believe that she could somehow fix everything, though deep down it felt impossible.

  The sound of Tony knocking on my door was dreadful. Lighter looked up at me with tear-filled eyes, and it nearly ripped out my heart.

  “It’s going to be fine,” I lied. “I’ll see you again.” The lies continued flowing out of me like it was second nature. With a straight face, she didn’t see through them.

  Her arms wrapped around my waist, squeezing me tight. I lowered my head to rest against the top of hers, squeezing her back. She smelled like my sheets mixed with the scent of flowers. I’d never forget that smell for as long as I lived.

  “I love you, Jensen,” she said, looking up at me with a sad smile.

  “I love you too, Princess.”

  Tony was standing there when I opened the door to my apartment. I wanted to be mad that he came so early, but he was under direct orders from Derosa. He was just doing his job. She’d be safe with him, and that’s what I cared about most.

  “Ready?” he asked her. She playfully patted my ass as she walked past me and out the door.

  “I’m ready.”

  The two of them were almost to the edge of the stairs when I called out her name. She turned around to face me, stopping dead in her tracks.

  Just one more kiss, that’s all I needed.

  I slipped on my sandals by the door and rushed out to her. Tony gave me a small nod before heading down the stairs.

  “This isn’t goodbye forever,” my sweet girl said.

  “Right.”

  I kissed her senseless one last time and then let her go. I stood there by the railing and watched as she took the steps down to the street side below. Tony’s truck was parked by the road. He opened her door. She peeked over her shoulder at me before climbing in.

  I didn’t wave goodbye, just gave her a wink. She smiled back at me as Tony started the truck, ready for them to leave.

  Just as they were pulling out, I noticed the black Suburban. It had to be the one that followed us before. It was parked a couple of cars back and pulled away from the curb just as they did.

  Son of a bitch.

  These idiots didn’t give up.

  I flew down the stairs, taking two at a time, and hailed the first cab I could. I didn’t have my cell phone, so there was no way I could call Tony to warn him. He was sharp though. He would surely notice.

  “Follow that black Suburban!” I shouted to the driver. He took off but kept looking back at me like he had no clue what I was talking about. “The SUV. Follow the black SUV straight ahead.” I wanted to call him an idiot, but I kept it in.

  Of course, I got the only cab driver in America whose idea of a car chase was driving Miss Daisy. Could he go any faster?

  The Suburban was about four cars ahead of us. Thankfully, there was plenty of traffic to slow us all down. I was about to have a fit though. That was my best friend and my girl in that truck, both of them possibly in some serious danger. I mean, those men hadn’t acted yet, but what if this was the time? Who knew what they were planning. I was going to follow them until I figured it out.

  The driver glanced back over his shoulder as if he were waiting for further instructions. I had to admit, I was seconds away from yanking him across the seat by that red beard of his and driving the cab myself.

  “Just keep following them. Can this cab go a little faster? Seriously!” I griped. Surely the yellow hunk of junk could go faster than twenty miles per hour. If I were in that driver’s seat, I would’ve driven up on the curb.

  Horns were honking, people were jaywalking, and the truck in front of us was blocking our view. I had to stick my head halfway out the back window of the cab to make sure we weren’t losing them. My pulse was racing just thinking about the many things that could happen.

  We were just a block from the penthouse. Maybe Tony would notice them and keep circling around. At least that’s what I was hoping for.

  Keep going.

  Keep going.

  Shit.

  I saw the truck turn left into the parking garage. I spewed off the address of the penthouse so that the cab driver would know to turn up ahead. But when the black Suburban turned too, I started to panic. They were following them into the penthouse.

  “Stop the cab right here!”

  I bolted from the car like my feet were on fire running toward the garage of Lighter’s building. I didn’t have my wallet and I could hear the driver calling after me for his money. No time for that. I had to leave him hanging, I couldn’t just take the the cab inside because they would know I was there. I had to see what was going on first before I went barging in on a rampage.

  Weaving through the traffic, I made my way to the edge of the building. The garage was lower-level parking and had a ramp that led down from the street. Without a proper badge or pass, you couldn’t get through the gate unless you were on foot. I no longer had access to it since I’d been fired. Whoever was in the SUV shouldn’t have had access either. But when I made it down the ramp, both vehicles had already passed the checkpoint.

  I squeezed through the back of the gate and slid behind a row of cars, headed straight for Derosa’s parking spots. He had six of them, and Tony always parked in the same place. Ducking down, I walked quickly and quietly in front of the row of cars so no one would see me there. The garage was stuffy, surrounded by concrete walls. I could feel the sweat beading up on my forehead. I was three cars away from Tony’s truck, and I watched as they got out of the vehicle. My eyes scanned around for the SUV, but I couldn’t find it. There must’ve been twenty black SUVs inside the garage.

  Where’d you go?

  Something was wrong. You know how you can just feel when something isn’t right? I could feel it, only that feeling was stronger than ever. Something bad was going to happen.

  I slid between two vehicles, still hunched over and walking slowly to the back of them to get a better view. When I reached for my cell phone, I nearly cussed out loud. That was the second time I needed it and didn’t have it on me. Footsteps caught my attention, and they sounded like they were heading in my direction. I backed up, crouched down on the ground, and put my back to the car on my right. They would see me if they were looking hard enough. They didn’t though. Three men in suits passed the vehicle, their dress shoes clacking against the cement floor. I couldn’t get a good look at them because I didn’t want them to see me there.

  Once they had passed, I peeked over the hood of the dark blue SUV that was parked next to me. I had a clear view of the elevator. Tony and Lighter stood there waiting for the door to open as the three suited men walked toward them.

  It was that moment that Tony finally no
ticed them. He had catlike reflexes for an older man, and he obviously sensed the same danger as me. He moved swiftly, putting Lighter behind his body, and that’s when I noticed that the men had guns drawn—all of them pointed toward Trim and Lighter.

  My head was spinning. I had to stop this somehow.

  Think, Slick.

  I was inching my way around cars, ducking low, trying hard not to be seen. The elevator made a dinging noise, and one of the men stood there waiting for whoever was coming out.

  It was Derosa. He stepped out of the elevator, and the man snatched him up. Derosa’s back was against him, and the man had an arm around his neck and the barrel of a gun stuck to his temple. He was going to blow his head off right there in front of his daughter.

  I heard Lighter’s cries and Derosa’s grunts, but I wasn’t close enough to make out what the men were saying. Tony still had an arm in front of Lighter’s body, and he was saying something. I couldn’t read his lips, but he was talking to one of the men. When I got closer, it was like a bad scene from a movie. Someone was going to die. My heart knew it as it thumped like a beating drum in my chest. It sounded so loud in my ears that I thought they could probably hear it too.

  I had to get Tony’s attention. We didn’t have guns, and we were clearly outnumbered, but we had to try and stop them somehow.

  When I was just a couple of cars away from them, I could finally hear what they were saying, and it was the first time I caught a glimpse of the men’s faces. I recognized the main guy. It was the Italian man. The one who was supposed to be partners with Derosa. The one that made Lighter uncomfortable.

  When my hand moved next to my body, I noticed that it was making a shadow on the wall directly across from Trim. I hoped like hell it wouldn’t capture those men’s attention.

  An idea hit me.

  I made an X with my hands and placed it in front of the light.

  Come on, Tony. Look over.

  Yes! Good girl, Lighter.

  As soon as she noticed, she whispered something to Tony. He knew immediately that I was there. His eyes flickered in my direction for a brief second, and he nodded slowly. I had to make a move soon.