by Jodie Becker
Erica swallowed hard and pondered the future of their relationship. “What if it isn’t?” she whispered.
What if he decided that he wanted more with Ruby? How would she cope, coming in last a second time around?
“I’m sure,” he said succinctly.
Erica still couldn’t hold back the unease that burgeoned inside her. The sickening feeling that foretold the beginning of the end.
* * * * *
A new bed was delivered the next day to Dylan’s house and Erica watched as he heaved the mattress through the door. The pain in her chest spiked at the sight. Foot poised above the first step, Erica noted the way Ruby ran her hand down Dylan’s back. The intimate gesture made her insides curdle. Her fingers clenched around her car keys and reminded her she needed to get to work. The car chirruped as she unlocked it. Both Dylan and Ruby looked her way. Ruby grinned and offered a five-fingered wave, but when Dylan turned around to approach Erica, that smile dropped off.
Erica’s heart faltered at his look of pure hunger as he ate up the distance between them. Before her brain could kick back into motion, he’d wrapped his arms over her waist and brought her into his body to nuzzle her neck. A shiver marched down her spine as warmth expanded in her stomach. Maybe all this worry was for nothing?
“Where you going?” Dylan asked.
“Some people have to work, you know.”
“Can’t convince you to take a day off?”
Erica notched one eyebrow. “You want me to cut school? You know bad boys get detention.”
Dylan grinned. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”
“I bet you do.”
“I missed you last night. Maybe you can save that thought for tonight?”
Erica threw him a sultry look. “Are you expecting me to dress all prim and proper to fulfill a dirty schoolboy fantasy of yours?”
Lust flared in his eyes. “Now that you mention it—”
“Dylan!” Ruby called.
Dylan glanced over his shoulder then sighed. “Look, I got some things to finish up here, but what do you think about a romantic dinner tonight?”
Her heart fluttered. “Sounds wonderful, but I promised Tammy I’d watch her kids tonight. I probably won’t be back until nine.”
“Perfect. I’ll be ready.”
He buzzed her on her lips, twisted away and returned to his house. Elation burgeoned within her body. Erica ignored the hitch in her gut as she slid into her car and drove away.
Dylan watched Erica drive down the street, eagerness a steady thrum in his chest. Tonight was going to be a night of groveling and he had no problem with going all out to ease her mind. Although she silently accepted the terms he presented regarding Ruby, he felt her discontent and he was caught between guilt on both sides.
All he could do was lather attention on Erica to reassure her where his feelings lay with her. She was it. He knew it in the depths of his heart, but he was torn between his budding relationship with Erica and Ruby’s fragile state. It was the subtleties he began to notice. Ruby’s pale complexion. The hopelessness in her eyes when she thought she was alone.
Ruby’s gaze followed Erica’s car as it disappeared down the street. “She okay with me staying with you for a bit?”
“Sure,” he lied through his teeth.
“Geez, she must be the saint you paint her out to be. Knowing your partner is bunking down with an ex-girlfriend would’ve sent anyone else batshit crazy.”
“She doesn’t know we were in a relationship.”
Perfect eyebrows rose. “You told her about our working relationship?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what did you say?”
His internal voice screamed for caution even as he spoke. “I told her you and I were friends with benefits.”
Ruby’s mouth dropped open as her expression turned thunderous. “You told her I was a fuck buddy?”
Dylan knew he stepped wrong in an instant and cursed his internal filter.
“How dare you!”
“What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t just tell her we were friends because of you claiming I got you pregnant.”
“You could’ve!”
Dylan caught on to Ruby’s tell—the way she tipped her chin and flipped her hair in an act of defiance. Defiance to what? “I didn’t get you pregnant, did I, and you know it.”
Lips pursed together, her eyes flickered.
“You came all the way here just to fuck with me? Why?”
Ruby sneered. “You think too highly of yourself if you think that. I couldn’t stay in LA and you were the only person I knew who might help. Clearly I made a mistake.”
As she twisted away he grasped her wrist, preventing her escape. “Why then? Why the lie?”
Ruby slanted her head and he caught a sheen of tears in her eyes before she blinked them back. “Why not?”
She was blocking. “Ruby. Who is the father?”
Lips whitened and her breathing grew frantic as she glared at him. “It’s your fault I’m like this!”
Dylan recoiled and she wrenched free. “It was a revenge fuck?”
Ruby stabbed him in the chest with her finger. “It was never about revenge. If you hadn’t left like you did I wouldn’t have felt so alone. So fucking worthless. I wouldn’t have sought comfort in the first available dick that came a-knocking.”
“Who is it?”
She swiped at the tears that trailed down her face. “I think it might be…Vane.”
Whispered so soft, Dylan had to strain to hear her. “What? Vane? You can’t be serious.”
“Now you know why I can’t stay there. He’ll know.”
Dylan didn’t know whether to insist she tell Vane out of principle or keep her secret. Everyone knew Vane as a man driven to succeed, and he found his money maker in adult films. If he knew Ruby carried his child, Dylan wasn’t sure how he’d react. Neither of the two outcomes he thought Vane might take would be good for Ruby or the child.
“Shit.”
“Exactly,” Ruby intoned on a sniffle.
“Don’t worry. I’ll figure this out.”
Ruby laughed hollowly. “Trust you to try to save the day. You always did that, Dylan. But when are you going to realize that there are some things you can’t save?”
Sad reality was, Dylan knew that, but it didn’t stop him from trying.
Chapter Eleven
Erica pulled up at her house to find a trail of candles leading from her front door to her backyard. Smiling, she followed the lodestar of tea lights along the narrow pathway and into her yard. Dylan stood within a circle of rose petals, a single rose in his hand. Erica stepped into the light and noticed the picnic blanket at his feet.
He stepped beyond the flowers and wrapped his arms around her. His lips found hers and she tasted coffee on his tongue. Her mouth opened under his persuasion, her fingers skating over his cotton shirt to clutch at his shoulders. A roughened palm snaked under her blouse while the other squeezed her buttocks. Erica gasped at the hard edge of his arousal, which pressed against her belly, pleased by the evidence of his desire for her.
A groan rumbled in the depths of his chest and Dylan broke off the kiss, his breath hot in her ear. “I’ve been dreaming of kissing you all day.”
“Then why stop?” Erica murmured against his lips.
Dylan groaned then captured her mouth once more and flicked his tongue along the seam of her lips before pulling back. “Because I’m trying to be romantic.”
Erica pouted but allowed him to guide her into the circle of petals and onto a picnic mat. A brow tipped upward as she sat, tucking her feet under her backside. “A picnic at night?”
Dylan grinned. “Thought you’d like to dine under the stars.”
She tipped her head to peer at the stars as a cool breeze brought with it the smell of roses and clean night air.
Glass tinkered followed by a loud pop and she looked down as Dylan poured champagne into a flute. Accepting th
e glass, she brought it to her mouth, the bubbles tickling her nose. The tart sweetness washed over her tongue and she swallowed then wiped the tip of her nose. “It tickles,” she said on a light giggle.
“Never had champagne before?”
“Champagne? This here is a beer town. We don’t do fancy things like that,” she said with a mock flutter of dismay over her heart.
Dylan chuckled. “I love a woman who’s easily pleased.”
Her heart faltered at his words. It wasn’t quite a declaration, but still, she couldn’t stifle the hope that blossomed there. Erica sipped more champagne, the fizz dancing along her tongue. Languidly, she watched Dylan flip the lid of the picnic basket and pull out a simple meal of salad, cold meats and fruits. They ate, both enjoying the comfortable silence. Finishing off her second glass of champagne, she lay on her back, her hand tucked beneath her head. Shoes kicked off, she wiggled her toes and stared up at the stars.
Dylan lay beside her, the low candlelight clouding his features. Propped on his elbow, he plucked a strawberry from the punnet nearby and ran the tip down her nose to hover above her mouth. After a moment’s hesitation, she bit into it. He kissed her lips and pulled away to offer another piece. And so continued the ritual. With each strawberry she ate, he kissed her somewhere. One at the base of her throat. Another on her earlobe. Each gentle touch of his lips made her insides flutter and heat gather in her womb.
Finally, he drew back, his gaze inscrutable. Gently, he cupped her cheek, his thumb running over her lower lip. Her tongue flicked out and she tasted the tartness of strawberry on the ball of his finger. His ragged breath rode the air.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
“So I’ve been told.”
Dylan’s mouth tipped up and he traced his fingers along her jawline. Then the smile faded and an intense look crossed his face, an almost urgent aura chased across his body. “I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered.
She cupped his hand against her skin. “You won’t.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but it must’ve been something good.”
“I have it on good authority it was something very naughty.”
His eyes crinkled. “Then I should be bad all the time.”
“I like bad boys,” she murmured just before his mouth captured hers.
Erica wrapped her arms around his neck and tasted the champagne on his tongue. Desire burned in her stomach as she opened beneath him. He cupped the back of her head and angled her so their lips fused together. In hungry urgency, he swept the caverns of her mouth and sucked on her tongue. Hot breath brushed her cheek as he obliterated all thought with his fervent kiss. He kissed as if it was the last time. As if he wished to memorize everything about her mouth. Her taste. The texture.
His groan vibrated against the palms of her hands. Erica whimpered, fingers tightening over his shirt. He fucked her mouth with expert ease, each thrust sending a delicious pulse to her pussy. Heat tingled between her thighs and her breasts felt heavy with need.
He broke off and Erica’s eyes fluttered open. His features were stiff, lips wet from their kiss. His tongue flicked out as though to savor the taste of her on his mouth. Need pulsed over her clit and made her shiver. Butterflies rose in her stomach, condensing the ache in her. He loosened the top buttons of her blouse to expose her chest.
“Damn, I knew this’d look sexy on you,” he rasped.
Erica glanced down at the daffodil-yellow bra, her breasts straining against the confines. He cupped a breast through the lace, his thumb strummed a nipple and set off a spiral of glorious pleasure through her. Each stroke pinged in decadent heat down to her core. Every touch and pinch a pulse of need over her clit. Erica arched into him, her gasp caught by his mouth.
Breaking off the kiss, he trailed a line along her neck and over the swells of her breasts, his tongue licking the edge of her bra. Teasing her with delights to come. Her hands slid along his nape, into his silky hair, holding him to her. His hot palm trailed over her stomach and around to her back. Fingers feathered down her spine and she shivered. Her bra loosened.
Dylan kissed her neck, raking his teeth along her collarbone as she arched her neck, exposing herself to his delicious touch. Deft fingers hooked on the strap and released the snap of her convertible bra. The fabric fluttered through the air as he flung it from them. Heavy and aching, her breasts settled in his palms. Heat jolted through her and drove what little thought remained from her head. Lost in sensation, she held on to him as one hand plucked the tender peaks of her breast while the other suckled at her. Dazedly she stared up at the sky, her body a ball of fire like those distant stars.
Dylan hovered over her, his features caught in shadow, making him both villainous and mysterious. His hand slid along her waist to hook under her thigh, bringing her flush against his body and the hard edge of his erection. Her skirt flared around her hips and the night air touched her skin. He blew against her nipple, the cool contrast making her shiver. He rocked against her, the hard denim sparked delicious tingles within her. Erica whimpered, her fingers curling over his shoulders. Beside her ear Dylan hissed, then flicked a tongue over the lobe. Nerves scattered little fireworks along her skin. His fingers strummed her nipple, sending tension through her body.
Fabric bunched in her fist as he thrust against her, the rough denim scraped against her sensitive flesh, making her moan. Dylan nibbled and licked her neck then shifted back onto his heels. Desperation made her reach for him. He kissed her hands, an intensity in his eyes, an almost feral look. He hooked his fingers around her panties and yanked. Cotton tore, the sound enough to jolt her out of the haze of desire.
She grasped his thick wrist. “Stop, someone will see.”
Dylan ran one hand along her inner thigh, sending tingles moving ever closer to the place she needed him most, while the other remained posed over her damaged underwear. “No one can see us.”
Caught in the fading glow of the tea lights, she could barely see beyond Dylan. Both titillated by the idea and embarrassed, she wavered, heart racing. “I’m not comfortable.”
Dylan touched her moist core. Hot, sweet need throbbed upward as he circled her clitoris with the ball of his thumb. Protests evaporated on wisps of smoke, her body humming with desire.
“Don’t think,” he said against her lips. “Feel.”
A finger slid into her wet heat and she arched into him. Dylan slanted his body over her, his chest at her eye line. The haze of ecstasy filled her as he massaged her sensitive clit, pinching it with gentle fingers. She sighed, bliss condensing over her clit. He ran sensuous circles over her, exerting enough pressure to make her moan. Fire moved along her body and rocked through her as she climaxed. Her breath hitched on a muffled cry, her head bowed forward to touch his chest. Shivering at his feathery touch, she clutched him as if he were her lifeline.
The lights around them extinguished one by one and eventually they were awash in nothing but the moon’s glow.
Dylan peered down at her, his features caught in shadow. “Better?”
Erica could only utter a sound of satisfaction, the brush of his fingers over her clit making it difficult to think.
“Good.” She heard the smile in his voice.
He pushed two fingers into her and exquisite pleasure pulsed along her tight, moist canal. He pumped her slowly. Knees hitched up onto his hips, her hands in a restless search over his body. Exquisite pleasure filled her to brimming. Undulating into every thrust, she pursed her lips to hold back a scream against little bursts of rapture inside. His thumb pressed over her bud and moved in fervent circles. Erica jerked and trembled, racing toward release. Devastated by his ruthless mastery of her body, she could only cry out as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over her.
“God, you’re beautiful.”
Erica had never felt this way until Dylan and she believed every word he uttered. The ferocious need in her matched his, creating a maelstrom of emotion. Her heart did a doubl
e-beat as she stared into the earnestness in his face. She reached for the buttons of his jeans. Dylan swore and pulled from her to remove his shirt as she jerked his jeans down to grasp his cock. The cords in his neck stood out as she fondled him, the pads of his fingers digging into her thighs.
“That feels so damn good,” he growled.
Erica laughed, the sound weighted with a sultry cadence. “Let me taste you.”
His body shuddered. “No. I don’t think I could last.”
She smiled, feeling mischievous as she grasped the base of his dick and pulled him closer. Dylan grunted as her tongue flicked over the tip of his cock. He tasted like the ocean. Salty and wild. Swirling her tongue around the head, she learned the contours of his penis. A hand combed through her hair, as if he was uncertain. Erica grinned then kissed the slit on his dick before scraping her teeth over it. Dylan mumbled a curse, his penis bobbing in response.
She wrapped her mouth around the head and rolled her tongue on the underside. She cupped his balls, feeling the pliant flesh move against her palm. Opening her mouth farther, she slid him deeper inside. Her teeth raked over his shaft and Dylan groaned, hand fisting in her hair.
“Fuck, that feels so good.”
He rocked into her mouth and Erica gripped his shaft, controlling the depth. She sucked on his cock, loving his taste. Suddenly Dylan pulled from her and when she reached for him, he clasped her hand.
“No. I don’t want to come in your mouth.”
Erica pouted. “But I want you to.”
Dylan’s eyes slid shut on a groan. “Next time,” he promised.
His hands hooked over her tattered underwear and she lifted her hips as he removed them. Cool air whispered over her exposed flesh and she shivered. Quickly, she undressed. Dylan suited up then ran his hands over the soft swell of her stomach and along her thighs.
“God damn.”
Erica smiled at the appreciative groan. He cupped her breasts and kissed each puckered nipple reverently. Her hands skated through his hair, her legs parting as he leaned into her. Her mouth dropped open in a silent scream as he pushed into her.
