Rising from the Ashes

by Jessica Prince

  He pushed up on his forearms and looked down at me. “You on the pill, sugar?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “I’m clean, honey. You’re the only one I’ve ever been with without protection.”

  I took a deep breath, and my eyes drifted to the side of his face. I couldn’t look directly at him and ask the question that needed asking. “What about Charlotte?”

  Grabbing my chin, he tilted my face, so I had no choice but to look directly at him. “You’re the only one, Savannah, I swear. No one else was worth that risk—ever.”

  My mouth dropped open, and all I could do was nod.

  “You trust me?” he asked.

  Again, all I did was nod. His words, No one else was worth the risk, were on repeat in my head, making it impossible for me to form a coherent sentence.

  “I need words, sugar. You trust me?”

  My mind finally started working. I looked into those deep brown eyes and smiled. “Yeah, Jer, I trust you.”

  At my response, Jeremy pushed all the way in with a fast, hard thrust, burying himself completely. I gasped at the initial intrusion, but my body quickly adjusted to his length, and the gasp turned into a deep moan.

  “Oh shit, baby. You feel so damn good.”

  Jeremy kept up the same brutal pace the entire time and I could feel my orgasm building with each deep, brutal thrust. His amazing stamina might have turned my brain to mush, but my body knew exactly how to respond, and my hips began to rise quickly in an attempt to meet his.

  “Oh God, Jer. It’s so good. I’m close,” I said between gasps.

  He buried his face in my neck and let out a low moan. My core tightened as I got closer and closer to the edge and I threw my head back against the pillows.

  “Don’t stop, Jeremy,” I panted desperately.

  Before I could even register his movement, Jeremy sat up on his haunches, pulling me with him so we were both sitting face to face with me straddling his lap. At the new angle, I took Jeremy even deeper inside me. I let out a whimper at the new sensation as I ground down on him. Our movements were becoming erratic, and I was so close that I started losing rhythm with Jeremy. I arched my back, pushing my breasts against his chest and threw my head back as my climax started to take over.

  “Look at me, Savannah,” Jeremy said as he wrapped a large chunk of my hair around his hand and pulled my face back to his. “I want your eyes on me the whole time.”

  The combination of his words and the sting in my scalp from where he held my hair caused my orgasm to rock through me, and I came with a sharp, loud cry.

  “Christ, Savvy. So. Damn. Beautiful.” His words were punctuated with each thrust just before he found his own release seconds later.

  I could feel him, hot and hard inside me as he came and the sensation set me off again.

  “Jeremy,” I cried out in a horse voice as the intense pleasure became almost too much.

  Jeremy continued pumping his hips until there was nothing left for either of us. Once we were both completely sated, we collapsed on the bed in a heap of twisted, sweaty limbs, neither of us having the strength to lift a finger.

  “I think you just killed me, sugar,” Jeremy said with a chuckle once our breathing had finally calmed.

  I laughed in response. “Perfect way to die.”

  Jeremy grabbed the back of my neck and jerked me to him, sealing his lips against mine. “Hell yeah, it is.”

  I could feel his smile against my lips, and I couldn’t help but smile back. I didn’t remember a time in my life when I’d felt more at peace than I did right then. I knew, no matter what, that in Jeremy’s arms was exactly where I was supposed to be.

  My cell phone went off at the ungodly hour of six in the morning, waking me from a perfect deep sleep. Still not quite awake all the way, I rolled toward the device from hell with a groan, only to have a strong arm pull me back into an equally strong chest.

  “Let it ring.” Jeremy’s voice was husky from sleep.

  My body became instantly aroused by the rumbling tone. Good Lord, is there anything about him I don’t find attractive?

  “Mmkay,” I replied sleepily, turning back over into the warmth of his body and nestling in comfortably.

  I’d just about dozed back off when the phone started ringing again. I was seriously contemplating throwing the bastard against the friggin’ wall.

  “Sonofabitch! You’ve got to be kidding me.” I pulled away from a laughing Jeremy to give the person calling a ration of shit for waking me up—twice. I didn’t bother looking at the display when I answered, “Swear to God, when I wake up all the way, I’m gonna hunt you down and make you suffer.”

  “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Emmy shrieked into the phone, nearly blowing my eardrum out.

  “Emmy, it’s six in the morning. I’m not properly caffeinated, and I’m half-deaf now. You better have a damn good reason for calling this early.”

  “And you better have a damn good reason for not telling me that you and Jeremy are back together!”

  Oh shit.

  She kept going before I could utter a word. “Half the town is talking about the little scene between you two at Briar’s yesterday—and don’t even get me started on the fact that you were eating at Briar’s instead of Virgie May’s. That’s a whole other conversation you and I need to have. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

  I was trying to pay attention to Emmy’s rant, but Jeremy sat up and started placing kisses across my shoulders, wrecking my concentration as my skin broke out in goose bumps.

  Stop it, I mouthed, trying to scoot away from him so I could hear Emmy.

  He didn’t care.

  I tried to focus on Emmy, but it was so damn hard with a naked Jeremy pushed up against my back.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Em, but it just kind of happened yesterday. It’s not like I’ve had the opportunity to talk to you about it.”

  Jeremy’s tongue darted out and ran over the shell of my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

  “Something like this doesn’t just happen overnight, Savvy. You expect me to believe this hasn’t been going on for a while?”

  At that very moment, I really didn’t give a damn what she believed. All I could think about was straddling Jeremy.

  “Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “This is why Charlotte quit two weeks ago, isn’t it? This has been going on for two weeks!”

  Charlotte was the last person I wanted to think about when I was curled up on a warm bed with the only man I’d ever loved.

  “Look, Em, I know how this appears, but we really did just officially get back together last night.”

  “Not saying I’m not ecstatic that you two finally got your shit together, but you owe me a waitress.”

  In exasperation, I rolled my eyes and dropped my head back to stare at the ceiling. All that did was give Jeremy better access to my throat and that sensitive spot between my ear and collarbone, which he took complete advantage of. I had to work hard to choke down the moan that wanted to escape.

  “How does you needing a waitress fall on me? That shit is not my fault!”

  I could feel Jeremy’s body shaking with laughter from behind me. He was used to the childish arguments between Emmy and me.

  “Yes, it is! If you and Jeremy hadn’t fallen all in love and shit, I wouldn’t be a waitress short.”

  “Well, then you shouldn’t have let dating the help. You were always rooting for us to get back together, so it’s technically you’re fault that you’re a waitress short,” I demanded.

  She stayed silent for several seconds. “Hmm, you might have a point there.”

  I let out a very unladylike snort. “What do you mean, might have a point? I’m right, and you know it. And why am I even fighting with you about this at the butt crack of dawn? It’s too early for this shit.”

  That was the moment Jeremy chose to push me onto my back and plant his hips between my legs.

  “Stop it,” I hissed under my
breath, trying to wriggle my way out from under him.

  “What’s going on over there?” Emmy demanded from the other end of the phone. “Who are you talking to?”

  His fingers started a seductive path down my ribs, and just when I started to think he was going to turn the heat up on his seduction, he did the complete opposite and began tickling me. I let out a loud burst of laughter and fought even harder to get out from beneath him.

  “Ah! Jeremy, stop!” I shouted between laughs.

  “Hang up the phone,” Jeremy said in a deep baritone voice that sent an electric spark through me.

  “HOLY SHIT!” Emmy screeched. “Jeremy’s there! You’re with Jeremy! HOLY SHIT!”

  “I’ll call you back!” I hollered, dropping the phone on the bed near my head as I tried to escape Jeremy’s tickling fingers.

  “AHHHHHHHHHH!” Emmy screamed so loud that I was afraid my ears would start bleeding.

  Jeremy let out a loud belly laugh at Emmy’s scream, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

  “Pickupthephone. Pickupthephone. Pickupthephone,” I heard coming from the bed next to me.

  Before I could get a hold of the phone, Jeremy had already grabbed it.

  “Good morning, darlin’,” he drawled into the phone.

  I couldn’t make out exactly what she was saying to him, but from the high pitch, I knew she was still screaming with excitement.

  “Can Savannah call you back, Emmy girl?” he asked as he shot me that killer dimpled smile.

  “OHMYGOD! Jeremy!” she started but didn’t get to finish before he disconnected the call.

  I was pinned beneath his body, still laughing, when I told him, “Great. You know she’s gonna lay into your ass later for hanging up on her.”

  “She’ll deal with it,” he said with a chuckle.

  I shoved at his shoulder playfully. “No…I’ll deal with it. I’m the one who’s gonna have to hear it.”

  He swiveled his hips, causing me to throw my head back and let out a needy groan.

  “I’m pretty sure I can make it up to you, sugar.”

  Oh, I had no doubt about that.

  He leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips. “I guess we should deal with it sooner rather than later.” He pushed up, flexing those sexy arms, and hopped out of bed.

  “What? Where are you going? I thought we were about to have sex!” I pushed my bottom lip out in a pout. I wasn’t nearly done with him yet. I didn’t know if I would ever be done with him.

  He grabbed his jeans, doing the exact opposite of what I wanted him to do, and began to get dressed. “We’re goin’ to breakfast, sugar. Might as well kill two birds with one stone and deal with Emmy while gettin’ some grub.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and shot him an ugly look.

  “Ah, don’t be that way, Savvy.” He pulled his jeans up and zipped them, but left the button undone before crawling across the bed to give me a lingering kiss. “Besides, I gotta feed my woman,” he said before biting down on my bottom lip lightly. “We need to keep our strength up with everything I’ve got planned for you.”

  I licked across his lips and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Mmm, I forgot how insatiable you are.”

  “I’m gonna have one hell of a time reminding you, baby.”

  I slung one leg over his waist and ground my pelvis against his. “Why don’t you remind me right now? I think I might have forgotten,” I said playfully.

  “Oh, is that right?”

  I nodded and seductively bit down on my bottom lip.

  He reminded me twice before we finally made our way out of bed.

  “Looks like she called in the cavalry,” I muttered to Jeremy as we pushed through the door to Virgie May’s.

  Luke, Emmy, Lizzy, Stacia, Gavin, Brett, and Trevor were all huddled around the counter. As soon as the bell over the door dinged and they saw us, all of them started yelling and jumping around like a bunch of idiots.

  “I changed my mind. I’m not hungry.”

  I tried to turn and walk back out, but Jeremy had a death grip on my hand and he wouldn’t let go.

  “Uh-uh, sugar. I’m not walking into the lion’s den alone. This is a team effort.”

  I turned to him and placed my hands on my hips. “Screw team effort! This was your idea. I should just throw your ass in there and make a run for it.”

  He let out a chuckle and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “I love you too, honey.”

  I mumbled a few choice words under my breath as we made our way over to all our friends.

  “Which one of you assholes hung up on me this morning?” were the first words from Emmy’s mouth, which was totally what I’d expected.

  “That would be this asshole right here,” I said as I pointed to Jeremy. I was not above throwing him under the bus when it came to dealing with the wrath of Emerson Grace. Nuh-uh. No way.

  Emmy directed her heated glare right at him. “Oh, we’re gonna have words, my friend.”

  Jeremy turned on the charm full force. “Ah, Emmy girl, don’t be mad. I just wanted to spend as much time alone with Savvy as possible. I just got her back. I didn’t want to share her just yet.”

  “Aww,” came from Emmy, Lizzy, and Stacia.

  He was good. He’d just played Emmy like a fiddle. All I could do was roll my eyes.

  “So, it’s official then?” Lizzy asked. “You guys are back together?”

  I saw underlying concern beneath her happiness, and I could understand, but I just chose to ignore it. Lizzy was the only one who knew the whole truth.

  “What can I say? She just can’t stay away from me,” Jeremy responded, giving me a swift slap on the ass.

  I turned and punched him in the arm. “I think I just changed my mind,” I said as I raised a brow.

  Jeremy grabbed hold of my waist and pulled me flush against his body. “That’s not what you were saying last night. If I remember correctly you were actually screaming—”

  I slapped my hand over his mouth. “You finish that sentence and what happened last night will never happen again.”

  “Oh God,” Brett chimed in. “I don’t need to hear this shit. She’s like a sister to me.”

  Jeremy nipped one of the fingers covering his mouth. Then, he grabbed me by the nape of my neck and pulled me to him, kissing me fiercely. When he finally pulled back, I breathlessly glanced around. Lizzy, Emmy, and Stacia were looking at us like they were so happy they wanted to cry or break out into song. I prayed they didn’t do either of those things. Luke, Trevor, Gavin, and Brett looked like they wanted to hurl.

  “Damn, Killer,” Luke began. “I didn’t think you’d go all girlie when you started gettin’ some. I’m a little disappointed in you.”

  I reared back and punched him in the stomach as hard as I could.

  “Ouch. Damn it!” Luke started rubbing the spot I’d just hit as Emmy came over to baby him.

  “Still disappointed?” I asked.

  “No.” Luke pouted from his hunched over position.

  “Good. Remember that. I’ll still kick your ass.”

  We sat and joked for a while before I had to leave to go to work.

  “We staying at my place or yours?” Jeremy asked as I picked up my purse and grabbed two cups of coffee to go.

  I smiled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. “Look at you, just assuming you’re gettin’ some two nights in a row.”

  He gave me another peck before saying, “Whether we have sex or not doesn’t matter. I’m not sleeping without you next to me. I spent seven years worth of nights like that, and I refuse to do it anymore.”

  I looked at him for several seconds, just soaking in everything about him, before sitting my stuff back down. I wrapped my arms around his waist, buried my face in his chest, and inhaled deeply. “I love you so much,” I said into the soft cotton of his T-shirt.

  Jeremy grabbed my face in both hands and tilted it up toward his. “I love you too, sugar. Only ever you.”

>   “Only ever you,” I repeated in a whisper.

  Finally tearing myself away from him, I turned and gave everyone a wave before heading off to work. I wouldn’t have been able to wipe the smile off my face if I’d tried.

  “Good morning,” I said in a singsong voice as I walked into Ben’s office.

  I pushed some stuff around on his desk to make space for the coffee I’d brought him. It was an attempt at a peace offering after the stunt Jeremy had pulled at Briar Deli the day before.

  “Oh God, you’re a lifesaver,” he said dramatically. He picked up the cup and took a generous gulp.

  “Long night?” I asked as I planted myself in a chair across from his desk.

  “You have no idea.”

  I was a little concerned by the tone of his voice. He seemed fine when I last saw him.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Ben ran his hand over his jaw, and I noticed that he had apparently skipped shaving this morning. The scruff looked nice on him.

  “Yeah,” he said on a sigh. “Just some family stuff. But I don’t want to drag you down with it. It’s a little hard to understand.”

  A clip from my childhood played on fast-forward in my head. “You might be surprised,” I replied with a sarcastic laugh.

  “Your family can’t possibly be as dysfunctional as mine.”

  I waved a finger in the air at him. “I wouldn’t place money on that bet if I were you. But this isn’t the time or the place to get into the drama of our families.”

  He lifted his cup and saluted me. “Agreed. So, since we’re changing the topic of conversation, I’m guessing it’s safe to say that everything worked out with you and Jeremy last night? You’re rather pleasant this morning.”

  That ridiculously corny smile spread across my face again at Ben’s statement. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He said with a laugh, “Your poker face is horrible.”

  “Well, there’s a reason I’m a paralegal and not a lawyer.”

  I shot him a cheeky grin, and he just rolled his eyes.

  “I’m just hoping now that you two seem to have patched things up, he’ll quit looking at me like he wants to beat the shit outta me. I have to admit, that’s getting a little old.”