Beautiful Burn (7 page)

I passed them standing at the
edge of the treeline talking, and I couldn’t help myself. I glanced
over. My heart fell and I knew I failed in that one brief look. Our
eyes connected, surprise in hers, probably some form of frustration
in mine. Her eyes widened in surprise before she took two steps to my
vehicle and I knew I had to run with this. I was here and so was she,
and it was exactly the reason I'd come here, to throw caution to the
wind and make sure I was really living life before it was too late.

Be calm, be cool, play it off.

“Hey.” Her voice, one
octave lower than normal, filtered through the interior of my vehicle
and fell on lovesick ears.

“Hi. Couldn’t sleep so I
thought I’d see if you were here. I didn’t see your car, so I was
just leaving.”

“Stay,” she said simply.
And somehow that one fucking word was the only word that mattered. I
only nodded, put my car in reverse, and returned to the parking spot
I’d just vacated. Stepping out of my truck, I hit the lock and
pulled my hoodie over my head in the hopes that any former students
wouldn’t recognize me. Maybe I could get in and out of here without
being seen. My mind ran over possibilities of the story I could tell
if we were caught, but nothing seemed sufficient and it was then that
I realized I really didn’t care.

I took long strides to Auburn
and we met in the middle of the parking lot. She looped her arm in
mine and walked me towards the shore where the flickering of
firelight danced in the darkness.

“Where's your boyfriend?” I
murmured in her ear once we'd stopped at the edge of the treeline
before it sloped down to the riverbank.

“He left.” She informed
just as an engine fired to life. A shiny black Rover spit rocks as it
whipped out a moment later. “And he isn't my boyfriend, not
anymore.” Her dark eyes caught mine in the silver moonlight.

“Poor bastard.” I muttered,
the sarcasm in my words making it more than clear how I felt about
the end of that relationship.

“I don't think he cared too
much.”

“Losing you? How could he not
care?”

She shrugged before responding,
“Rumor is he fucked the captain of the volleyball team. I'm not
worried.”

“Shit. You're not upset that
he cheated on you?” I covered her hand with my own and interlaced
our fingers.

“I told you, we weren't that
serious. And we'd only been dating for a few months. It was time,
regardless of,” she gestured between the two of us. “this.”

“Well, I can't say I
sympathize.” I caught the shell of her ear between my teeth and
gave a gentle tug. “I'm a man with selfish interests.”

“And just what are those
interests?” She purred and twisted her neck to grant me more
intimate access.

“You. And all things
you-related.” She sighed and before she could answer, I hauled her
off past a line of cars and down a small path that was out of sight
of the group drinking and laughing around the fire. My heart
thundered with urgency, my blood pumped with excitement. “What
would you tell them if they saw us together?” I hummed as we
stopped near an imposing maple tree, branches gnarled and hanging
low, partially sheltering us.

“I dunno,” she breathed,
eyes averted. She'd been drinking. Her eyes swam with something other
than the sparkling amusement I was used to. It made her flirty, sexy,
bold. Seeing her that way had the blood charging through my veins to
the only area on my body that I could focus on.

“Does it turn you on?” I
rotated her soft form and faced her towards the fire, her back to my
chest, her pelvis pressed against a fallen and oversized tree, the
bark smooth with years of exposure.

“Reed,” she moaned and
shook her head. That perfect contradiction again. Her words told me
one thing, but her body told me something entirely different.

“I think that husky tone in
your voice says yes,” I breathed against her ear, my nose dusting
along the smooth line of her neck. With my hands on her hips, I
rocked her back and forth against me gently letting her feel how
uncontrollably turned on I was. “You shouldn’t be out here with
me, Auburn Lawrence.”

“Mmm…” she hummed when I
rocked my erection against her bottom. “I think that ship has
sailed, Reed.” She was being flirty. Jesus, I loved her flirty. I
could just picture the naughty glint in her eye, coupled with hushed,
breathy moans. God personified sin when he made Auburn.

I turned her in my arms,
pressed her to my body, hard planes against soft curves, and thrust
my hand into her dark hair, giving it a tug and making my dick jump
in my jeans. “Watch them, look at them. You should be with one of
them.” I watched the shiver that coursed through her body at my
words as we watched a half a dozen people partying around the dancing
orange flames.

They collapsed in laughter, and
a guy, someone I recognized as the homecoming king Auburn’s senior
year of school, called out for her. “Auburn!” he bellowed as the
group laughed. He took a long swig of his beer and called again,
“Auburn! You’re needed!” The group howled and then closed in
once again, on to another topic presumedly.

“Why?” She spun to face me.

“I'm bad for you.” I
murmured before kissing the soft flesh where neck met collarbone. “I
want to do bad things to you.” I trailed my tongue along her cool
skin.

“What if I want you to do bad
things to me?” She arched her neck, allowing me more intimate
access.

“That's not the right
answer.” My hands were working up her body now, caressing the soft
curves beneath thin cotton. She succumbed to the physical onslaught
and pushed her hands through the threads of my hair.

“I happen to believe being
right isn't always the most important thing.”

“Jesus Christ, Auburn. We're
playing with fire.” I grunted, my hands clutching and kneading, as
the fine gossamer threads that held my control started a slow and
methodical unravelling. Her gaze averted and her lips pressed
together in a razor thin line. “What are you thinking?”

With those words her dark eyes
slammed into mine. “That I want you to fuck me.”

Each word was like an electric
charge to my balls. She nearly toppled me. “That’s the last thing
I’m going to do.” I growled as my nose dusted the shell of her
ear, still teasing, still taunting.

“Why?” She murmured as her
fingers clutched at my shoulder blades. I grunted as she squirmed and
shifted between me and the fallen tree.

“I want to be sure you’re
fucking me, not the teacher you’ve been masturbating to since you
were sixteen.” The only audible sound was the ragged inhale she
took, as if all the air had deflated from her lungs and she was
desperate for more.

Her eyes held mine, sparkling,
angry, sexy, dangerous. “You're an asshole.” She shoved me off of
her. “How could you ever, ever think I didn’t like you for you?!”

“Keep it down.” My eyes
darted to the crowd beyond the trees.

“Fuck you.” She grit.

“I plan to, if you behave,”
I snapped.

“You are a moody, arrogant
asshole.” She seethed. “You know? You're right. We shouldn’t be
doing any of this. Whatever this is could never work.”

“Auburn.” I reached a hand
out to comfort her.

“No. I'm already too wrapped
up in you.” She shook her head. “I just need to get beyond it.”

“Wait!” I reached for her
arm as she brushed by me to leave.

“No.” She spun, her eyes
landing on my hand gripping her forearm before she looked up to me.
“We connect, we have chemistry, we have something. But that's all
it is.” She looked down before taking a step back with a shake of
her head. “You and I don't make sense, Reed.”

I swallowed the aching lump in
my throat. “What about the class?”
I didn't know if
I could stand going to class every day and looking at her empty seat,
only left to imagine the soft contours of her face and the wavy hair
that cascaded over one shoulder while I lectured.

“
I…I don’t
know. After all of th
is...” she paused and
wiped at one eye with the back of her hand, before spinning and
hurrying down the path. In a sudden flip of events, I was left
feeling empty. I had no idea what had just happened, but it burned my
fucking insides. Just when I was getting used to Auburn in my life, I
was left standing bereft and watching her walk away.

I
went a week without seeing Auburn. I'd sent her an email after she
missed the first class, and then the second, without response. Maybe
I'd missed the mark. I'd always known Auburn and I couldn't have a
future, but maybe we'd ended far sooner than I'd anticipated.

I stepped into the
classroom Thursday afternoon hoping beyond hope that she'd be there.
I did a double take when I found her seated at her normal desk, part
way back and to my right. My chest ached as I watched her chat so
casually with the student next to her, her face so relaxed and
inviting as she chuckled about something. She was stunning and set my
heart on fire like no one ever had, but the relief that had coursed
through my veins at seeing that she was here, safe and healthy, was
short-lived.

I dropped my books
on the worn, cherry desk, saw that all the seats that should be
filled were, and announced the start of class. I hurried through
background history of our next author, Vladimir Nabokov, before
introducing his most important work, “Lolita.” I kept one eye on
Auburn throughout, and it wasn't long before the avoided glances and
blatant ignoring got the better of me.

I had to talk to
her, my fingertips buzzed with anticipation, my throat dry and tight
as my heart shuddered. “Let's do a quick free-writing exercise. In
the theme of “Lolita,” please take the next twenty minutes and
write about forbidden love, and challenge yourselves. Push your
limits.” I finished and quickly glanced around the room. They were
each opening their writing books, notebooks they often left with me
so I could get a glance at their in-class writings. “Let’s say…”
I glanced down at my watch, “three forty-five on the dot.” Eyes
glanced to the clock above the door and then heads bent to begin
writing. I passed the first few desks in her row and when I
approached, her soulful eyes glanced up and caught mine. “Auburn,
can I have a word with you outside?” I asked stiffly as I stood
next to her desk.

Her eyes narrowed
a fraction in a cross between irritation and pain, before she finally
nodded. I followed her out of the room with rage and lust simmering
in my blood. The heavy industrial door clicked when I closed it
behind me. She turned, arms crossed and eyes slitted, but before she
could speak, I looped her by the elbow and rushed her to the door
next to mine. I pushed her into the darkened room ahead of me and
followed her in, not bothering to turn on the light. With no windows
to expose us, we were safe from prying eyes. It also had the
unfortunate effect of heightening my senses to an all-time level with
the close proximity of our bodies.

She had me strung
so tightly, every muscle in my body vibrated with some mix of passion
and anger. “Why the fuck are you ignoring me?” I leaned across
the inches that separated us and growled in her ear. I heard her suck
in a deep breath and felt her heaving chest thrumming against mine.
“Answer me.” I gripped her thigh in my hand and tightened,
raising higher, clutching more greedily, inch by inch.

“
I told you.”
She wriggled her arms between us before they settled, wedged against
my chest. I held her tightly, no chance of her darting away from me.

“
I don't believe
you” My breath washed across the delicate skin beneath her ear. “I
think you like driving me insane.”

“
You’re
crazy,” she seethed.

“
You make me
crazy.” I ran my nose along the shell of her ear and felt her body
shudder head to toe. Her fingertips clutched against the hard muscle
of my biceps. As my eyes came to focus, my mind registered that we'd
ducked into a janitor's closet. I propped my hand on a shelf above
her head and held my body over hers, my other hand still kneading,
maybe even hard enough to leave bruises, on the inside of her thigh.

“
Reed...”

“
Mmm…Jesus, I
love when you say my first name.” I groaned, lost in her.

“
Don't say
that.” Her quiet words clear in the space separating us.

“
Why?” I
breathed and nipped at her ear lobe.

“
Because I'm
trying to get over you!” Her frustrated holler stilled my heart.

“
How can you get
over us when we haven't even gotten started yet?” I breathed as I
danced fingertips up her thighs and beneath the hemline of her
shorts. She shifted, granting me further access until my fingers met
damp cotton. I pushed the offending fabric away without a second
thought and thrust my fingers inside her. “You want me the same way
I want you, Auburn. You can't resist this pull between us, anymore
than I can. Just try, Auburn. Just try to deny that what I'm doing to
you right now isn't exactly what you want on every level.” She
arched and her hips rocked as she became a slave to the pleasure my
hand gave her, my words seeming to spur her on. I pulled my hand from
her pants and held her head in both palms before kissing her
savagely, never letting her head turn, her face move, not giving her
a chance to breathe or leave. I devoured her sense of reality, became
her everything -- giver of air, master of manipulation.