Backdraft (4 page)

Instead of responding, she decided to distract him. Creeping up his body, she took control. Fisting her hands in his hair, she came down on his mouth. Sensual didn’t begin to describe that kiss. He made love to her with his tongue, plunging in and out, exploring every crevice of her mouth until he was swallowing her whimpers.

“Jesus, you’re getting me hard again,” he said, between kisses. “Condom.” He finally pulled away. “I need to fuck you, now.”

She blanched at his choice of words. She intended to make love to him, to show him how much he still meant to her, how much he’d always meant to her. She reached into the nightstand and found one of the foil packets she’d stashed there earlier. After tearing it open, she made quick work of rolling it on, preparing him for the moment she anticipated for ten long years. She drew a shaky breath and straddled him, positioning his hard shaft at her entrance. She was mortified when tears stung her eyes. This wasn’t the way she’d envisioned their reunion. She would give anything to have him look her in the eye and tell her he still loved her. Instead, she was a nameless, faceless body, here to give him pleasure.

“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

She couldn’t respond with words, so she allowed her body to do the talking for her. Straddling his hips, she positioned his cock at her entrance. After smearing the tip with her cream, she glided it through her pussy lips, suppressing a moan.

“Fuck, I can’t wait to slide inside that hot pussy, baby. You’re killin’ me here.”

She didn’t want to rush this; she wanted to savor every second. She knew this may be their last time together, and this memory would have to last her a lifetime. Once she removed the blindfold and he realized it was her, chances were good he would be furious with her for deceiving him and he would walk out on her, again.

Watching the expression of sublime satisfaction etched on his handsome face, she eased his hard shaft into her tight opening, inch by delicious inch.

“Shit, you’re so tight,” he said, the breath seeping out between his teeth. “I didn’t expect that.”

The off-handed comment stung, though she knew she shouldn’t be surprised. In his mind, she was a kinky stranger who bought and paid for sex with two men. Of course he would assume she was loose.

Clenching him tighter to punish him for the barb, she watched with satisfaction as he fisted his bound hands, trying to maintain a grip on his self-control. “Don’t, damn it, don’t…”

Smiling, she relaxed just enough to give him peace of mind. He wouldn’t be willing to listen to reason if he was embarrassed about his sexual performance. The best shot she had at convincing him there was something between them was to rock his world with the most intense orgasm he’d ever experienced, and that meant drawing it out as long as possible before she finally urged him to surrender.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he whispered. “Ride me just like that.”

Rotating her hips, she applied pressure to her clit. Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she allowed herself to get lost in the moment. She was here with the love of her life, and no matter what happened an hour from now, she had this moment with him.

“Oh God, yeah…” He turned his head from side to side, clenching and relaxing his fists. “Ah, you’re so tight…”

She rose, almost releasing his cock before coming down hard again, taking it to the hilt. Back and forth, harder, faster, deeper. She needed to scream and cry; she wanted to call out his name as she throbbed around his cock, but she was silenced by her own ruse. The climb to that peak seemed to stretch on forever as she tried to find her release.

“Damn it, take these handcuffs off,” he said, rattling them against the bedposts. “I have to touch you, to make you come.”

She knew she would erupt with one touch, but she couldn’t take the risk. If his hands were free, he could take the blindfold off, and it would be over. “No,” she whispered, planting her palms on his solid chest.

“Just let me play with your clit, honey. I know I could get you off in a second.”

She closed her eyes and imagined he was doing just that. She could feel the brush of his finger rubbing circles around the tight bud, and she found her own hand between her legs, seeking the satisfaction she imagined he gave her.

“You’re touching yourself. I want you to imagine it’s my hand giving you pleasure.” He licked his lips. “Stroke your clit for me, baby. Yeah, back and forth, harder, faster. That’s it. Don’t stop. I want to feel your tight pussy throbbing around my cock.”

She could feel the moan building in her throat as the pending climax promised the satisfaction she needed. Giving herself over to it, she clenched his cock and rode it out.

“Stop, don’t move. I just want to feel you pulsing around me right now. God, that’s so hot.”

She watched the ecstasy play across his face. He took as much pleasure in her gratification as she did. Not that she was surprised. Even when they were young and inexperienced, he saw to her needs before his own, often giving her multiple orgasms that shook her to the core. No one had cared enough to treat her that way since.

She leaned over and kissed him tenderly, pouring all of her love for him into that kiss. The tears slid down her face, falling onto his cheeks.

“Hey, are you okay? You’re not crying, are you?”

She sat up quickly, brushing the tears away as she rode him fiercely, trying to erase the question from his mind. She was relentless, silently demanding he let go the same way she had, relinquishing his grip on reality and living only in this moment, here, with her. The tears continued to spill down her cheeks, and before she knew it, she was sobbing, losing her will to continue living this lie.

“Sweetheart, what the hell…”

She refused to relent or respond. She took him deeper with each downward stroke, milking his cock mercilessly as she released all of her pent up frustration over the years they’d lost. She wanted to shout and hit him, to demand answers, to ask why he forgave his friend but not her. She wanted to hate him, but she loved too much.

“Fuck, I’m gonna lose it, baby. Yeah…”

She clenched him hard, sucking him dry with her tight pussy as he emptied inside of the cheap latex protecting
them. If only protecting her heart from this man was that easy.

Dave felt light-headed, as though she’d drained his strength and ability to reason with that discharge. It was surreal, being here with this woman he’d never met, yet feeling so connected, as though they’d been lovers forever.

“Okay, game’s over, honey. It’s time to take the blindfold and cuffs off.”

He felt her remove the condom, heard her footsteps cross the floor as she made her way to the bathroom to dispose of it. He tried to be patient, but he was dying to see her, touch her, hold her. He wasn’t into cuddling after sex. He was more of a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy, but he wasn’t in a hurry to leave her, and that excited and disturbed him. Something was different about this woman, about the way he felt when he was with her, but he couldn’t allow himself to get carried away until he knew she felt it too.

She came back into the room and slowly removed the handcuffs, one at a time.

After rubbing his aching wrists, he sat up and pulled the blindfold off, taking a second to adjust to the dim light in the room. His eyes traveled up the length of her toned, bronzed legs, over her curvy hips, taut stomach, to her full breasts, before finally settling on her face. The surge of shock bolted through him, rendering him immobile.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

She reached for a short, black silk robe on the foot of the bed, but he grabbed her wrist.

“Answer me.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked, her eyes falling to the hand coiled around her wrist. “I wanted to see you.”

Instead of releasing her, his grip tightened. He didn’t want to let her go, not yet.

“You’re hurting me,” she said quietly.

He forced himself to loosen his grip and slid off the bed. “That’s nothing compared to the way you hurt me.” He started dressing as he watched her slip into the robe and claim the chair on the other side of the room. She was still so beautiful it made his chest ache. She looked exactly as he imagined she would all those nights he’d lain awake thinking about her.

“I’m sorry, Dave,” she said, quietly, looking down at her clasped hands.

He tried not to react when he saw the tears falling into her lap, but seeing her cry always ripped him apart. “Don’t do that,” he said. “You don’t have the right to cry.”

She looked up, seeming surprised. Brushing her cheeks with the back of her hand, she said, “I wasn’t trying to make you feel sorry for me.”

“Good because I don’t. What happened between us was your fault, not mine. You cheated on me, remember? With my best fuckin’ friend. How the hell could you do that to me?” Now was the time for him to get some answers. He may not be able to ask Craig, but he had no qualms about asking the woman who’d claimed to love him. “Just tell me why you did it.”

She looked up at him, as though she was considering her response. “I don’t know. It just happened. We both had too much to drink. I didn’t know Craig was using at the time, but obviously he was.”

He frowned. “How the hell do you know that? If you didn’t know he was using back then…” He clenched his fists, taking a step toward her. “Have you been in touch with him?” When she didn’t respond right away, he cursed softly, glaring at her. “You have, haven’t you?”

She shook her head, fisting her hand against her trembling lips. “You don’t understand.”

He retrieved the rest of his clothing, wasting no time getting dressed. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn’t even stand to look at her. Humiliating and deceiving him once wasn’t enough; they had to take another shot at him. “You thought you’d still be able to get to me? Nice try, baby. I’m not the same pussy-whipped kid I was back then. I don’t give a shit about you anymore. You can’t say or do anything to hurt me now.” If only that were true. Just seeing her look so sad and vulnerable tore him to shreds, but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing that.

She raised her head to look him in the eye. “If you would only give me a chance to explain why I did this.”

He pulled his keys out of his pocket, mentally planning his exit. “Fine, tell me. It’s not going to change anything.”

“I still love you,” she whispered.

Those few words had the power to bring him to his knees. How dare she exploit his weakness? Back in the day, he had pursued her relentlessly for months before she finally agreed to go out with him. It was another few months before she told him she loved him, but when she did, there was no turning back for him. He knew she was the one, the only one. He’d never uttered those words to another woman, never allowed another woman to tarnish
her
vow by saying them to him.

“Don’t say that,” he said, closing his eyes. If she had sliced him with a blade, it would have hurt less than hearing her say those words after all these years. “You never loved me. If you had, you wouldn’t have slept with my best friend.” He opened his eyes, forcing himself to face the pain he saw reflected in her eyes. He couldn’t conjure up any sympathy for the woman who left him gutted and emotionally bleeding on the side of the road that night. “How many times did it happen? Was it going on for month, years?”

She looked startled by the question. “What are you talking about? No, it only happened that one time. I swear to you.”

He scoffed and asked, “Do you really think your word is worth a goddamn to me anymore, girl? You’re a lying, cheating…” The vital word was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He had never disrespected her, and no matter how much he was hurting, he wouldn’t sink to that level now.

“Say it,” she whispered. “Bitch? Whore? Slut?” She glared at him, gripping the edge of the chair as she leaned forward. “Let’s just put it all out there, Dave. Tell me what you think of me, so I can get to know the man you are today. Maybe the reality will pale in comparison to my stupid childhood fantasy of the boy you used to be. The boy I wanted to marry, to have babies with…”

“Don’t you fuckin’ talk to me about that,” he said, holding his hand up. God, his hand was shaking. “Don’t remind of all the plans we made. You screwed everything up!” he shouted. “You did that, not me.”

“I’m human, okay?” she shouted. “I was a college kid who went to a party and had too much to drink. It’s not a crime, you know.”

How could she sit there trying to minimize what she’d done to him, to them? Didn’t she know that he hadn’t been able to have a healthy, trusting relationship in the decade since because of what she’d done to him that night? “You have no fucking idea what that did to me, do you? I was a wreck for months after that. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. I almost gave up on my plan of joining the fire department…” He could feel the rage boiling in his veins. His whole body was trembling with the effort to suppress it. “You ruined my life.” If he didn’t find an outlet for his fury, he was going to combust. “You stole everything, my dreams for the future…” He spun around, looking for a release. Pounding his fist into the sheet of drywall over and over again, he cursed and grunted, mincing his hand in the process.

“Oh my God, stop it!” she cried, rushing toward him. “Are you crazy?”