Finding London (Flawed Heart #1) (21 page)

“No more running?”

“Nope.” I shake my head.

Indecision lines his expression before his features relax and settle on acceptance. “Okay,” he sighs.

I take in the significance of that word. “Okay?” I ask as my soul fills with joy. “So, if I lean over and kiss you like crazy, you won’t run away?”

“I can’t run from you anymore, London. It hurts too much.”

He smiles shyly, and I see a sparkle of relief dance behind his eyes. There is something breathtaking about Loïc’s genuine smiles. They’re devastatingly beautiful.

He reaches out, cradling my jaw, and he draws my lips to his. He claims my mouth with his tongue, thoroughly kissing me with passion-filled movements. He salvages my flawed heart with his gentle caresses. With each lingering touch, I can breathe easier. It’s different this time. The kiss is almost reverent. It isn’t rushed with urgency because any moment might be the last before he runs. I can feel the change. This kiss is from a man who’s going to stay.

That thought alone, the scenario where I get to keep Loïc, paired with the deliciousness of his tongue moving against mine make me so aroused with insane need. With my hands laced around his neck, I pull him onto me as I let my body fall to the mattress. I squirm beneath him as he deepens the kiss.

In a frenzy of movements, I try to take off his shirt, desperate to feel his skin. He sits back, and he grabs the base of his shirt before pulling it over his head. I follow suit, and then I make quick work of every article of clothing I’m wearing—which, admittedly, isn’t much—until I’m left naked before him.

His eyes darken, and his gaze leaves a trail of heat with every inch it passes over. He starts to descend toward me.

“Nope. Stop,” I say.

Confusion gleams in his eyes.

“Pants.” I point to his fully clothed bottom half.

He laughs, all husky, and the sound resonates deep within my belly, filling me with warmth, until my entire body is burning for him.

Once we are both fully exposed, I don’t stop him as his lips find passage across my skin, starting with my toes. Loïc’s lips are skilled tools made for maximum pleasure. His kisses vary from soft to firm, dry and wet. They worship, caress, and tease. My heart races in anticipation as he works my body with his glorious mouth from my feet to my neck. My body hums with intense pleasure, the kind that is almost painful, making me so needy for more. He reaches my neck and applies soft nibbles, working up to my ear. He gently pulls my lobe between his teeth, and a jolt of pleasure hits me.

I want him. I want him more than I can remember ever wanting anything in my life. The need is urgent. I splay my hands across his tight ass and move my pelvis to position myself right where I want him.

God, I need him.

“You. Are. So. Fucking. Perfect,” his gruff voice chants, each word a staccato.

His face begins to move back down my body, and I want to scream. I want to feel him inside me. He stops between my legs, opening me. His warm mouth finds me, and I expel a moan of relief, of pleasure. His tongue works me from the outside as his fingers enter me.

I scream his name into the lust-fueled air with a long-suffering sigh of ecstasy. My entire body vibrates in anticipation of what’s to come, and I feel my release rising within me. A slow roll of pleasure courses through me, building, growing in intensity.

His hands grasp under my thighs, pushing me wide, allowing his tongue perfect access. My heart thrums wildly in my chest, and then I’m spiraling, shaking, assaulted with enormous jolts of pleasure. I unabashedly scream out, giving voice to the bliss that fills me.

As the cries of ecstasy racking my body slowly abate, I vaguely register the sound of a foil wrapper ripping.

Loïc kisses his way back up my body. He sucks on the delicate skin of my neck, and I sigh. His lips work across my cheek, and when his mouth meets mine, I feel a true connection as our tongues unite.

This man is meant for me. I will never want another. I wish I could push the pause button on the universe and just feel this moment for a long time, an eternity even. My body is sated, my heart is exploding with love, and my mind is at peace. Loïc is mine forever, and whether or not the notion is reciprocated, it won’t change a thing. There is no negotiating with these sensations threatening to split me open. I pray that Loïc will always be with me because, after him, there could never be another.

I whimper as Loïc enters me. I’ve daydreamed about this event more times than I can remember, and not even my greatest fantasies can compare. This is everything.

Loïc grasps my hands, entwining my fingers through his, as he holds my arms above my head. His thrusts grow in urgency. His eyes lock on mine, dark with desire and need. His skin glistens with a faint sheen of sweat. The moisture seems to showcase his muscles as he moves in me. Staring at him above me, I can’t help but take note again of how immensely drop-dead gorgeous he is. The sight of him alone is a never-ending aphrodisiac.

His pace quickens, and our breathing becomes labored, sporadic. He releases my hands to grab my thighs, holding each one out to the side, as he pounds into me. I can feel the build once more. It’s blazing in intensity. My body loses all pretense of control as I cry out amid a current of pleasure.

“Fuck, London!” he calls out, his voice gravelly. His fingers firmly grasp my thighs as his face points toward the ceiling with his eyes closed.

He falls on top of me. Our chests push against each other as we work to take in air.

“Oh, London,” he says on an exhale.

The awe in his voice causes goose bumps to prickle across my skin.

“I knew you were going to destroy me,” he breathes against my neck.

I wrap my arms around his firm back and hold him tight. “I won’t,” I promise.
Please don’t destroy me.

I know I told him that I didn’t care if we didn’t make it because it was worth the risk regardless, but the truth is, I do care—like, a whole hell of a lot.

London

“I’m so happy that I want to break into song, like a princess in a Disney movie, but I won’t. That’d be weird.”

—London Wright

The hot summer sun is beating down on my neck, causing me to sweat before I’ve even done anything. That, paired with the cheesy grin across Loïc’s face, is really annoying me. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” he teases as he stands on one foot. His right leg is bent at the knee as he pulls his foot behind his ass in some sort of stretch.

“Like I’m stupid.” I attempt to imitate his stretch, but I think better of it, as I’m sure I’d fall on my ass instead of balancing on one foot the way he is. Instead, I bend at the waist and touch my toes with both feet firmly planted on the ground.

“I’m not,” he disagrees. “I don’t think you’re stupid at all. I think you’re cute.”

“No, you think I’m going to suck,” I huff out as I stand up straight.

“Of course you will.” He laughs. “But I think it’s adorable that you want to try.”

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.

He takes a step toward me. “London, I told you that we were running nine miles. Have you ever run one mile? You have to work up to bigger distances, but I think it’s sweet that you’re out here with me. It’s fine. When you get tired, you can walk, and I’ll run around the loop and catch back up with you.”

Loïc and Cooper go running together a lot, and I insisted that I come with them today. We’re at a park that has a three-mile loop around a lake, and they run around it three times. I’m actually second-guessing my decision to come along. Part of me just wanted to hang out with Loïc, regardless of what he was doing, and another part really wanted to meet Cooper.

“I’m not going to suck,” I protest.
Yes, I totally am.

“London, it’s okay. Anyone, no matter how amazing they are, has to work up to running longer distances.” He pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead.

“Well, aren’t you two cute?” An energetic loud voice startles me, making me jump back away from Loïc.

“London, this is Cooper. He’s a bit obnoxious.” Loïc gestures toward the guy who is now standing across from me.

He’s sporting a huge grin, and I can already tell that I’m going to like him.

Cooper extends his hand toward mine. “You can call me David or Cooper. Either one’s fine. Nice to finally meet the girl who has my boy here all gaga.”

“Have I mentioned he’s extremely annoying?” Loïc says with a laugh.

I shake Cooper’s hand. “Nice to finally meet you, too. Loïc has nothing but great things to say about you.”

“That’s a lie, dude. I don’t say anything nice about you,” Loïc says to Cooper.

Cooper laughs and then turns his attention back toward me. “So, I hear you aren’t much of a runner?”

The way he says it isn’t accusatory in the slightest, and I’m surprised that his words don’t bother me at all.

“No worries. I think it’s great that you want to run with us. Just go slow. You can jog and then walk and then jog. But don’t overdo it, or you’ll end up pulling something. I sucked when I first started. Just ask Berkeley here. In basic, I was always one of the last ones to finish.”

“Loïc, too?”

Cooper shakes his head. “Nah, that asshole was always one of the first. I think he had lots of practice running from trouble when he was out on the streets. That, and he always has to be better at everything than everyone else, you know?”

Loïc laughs. “You’re such an ass.”

Cooper grins. “All right, let’s do this.”

The three of us begin running along the paved path. I’m able to keep up with them for about two miles—just kidding. It’s more like two football fields. That’s decent though for my first time, I think. The ache in my side is so painful that I have to stop and walk.

Loïc turns around and runs backward. “I’ll circle back around and see you in a few.” He winks, and it’s completely adorable.

“Stop being a show-off,” I grumble.

He laughs and turns back around.

I continue walking, holding my side.
Motherfucker, it stings.
I enjoy the view of Loïc’s backside for as long as I can before I can’t see him anymore.

Over the next hour, Loïc runs past me three times. Each time, he smacks my ass as he passes, making me first jump and then giggle. During this entire time, I’ve gone around the loop once.

Eh, I could’ve done worse.
I did manage to jog a few feet here and there.

When I’ve finished the loop, I’m a sweaty, disgusting mess.
Is this supposed to be fun?

The three of us stretch afterward—well, at least the boys do. I attempt to copy them.

“Where should we go eat? London, what are you in the mood for?” Cooper asks.

“A shower,” I respond dryly, eliciting a chuckle from him.

“Of course we’ll shower first. But after?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Mexican?”

“Dude! Let’s go to Mexicantown. I haven’t been there in forever,” Cooper says excitedly.

Mexicantown is an area of Detroit that is mainly populated by Latino people, and they have the most authentic Mexican food around.

“That sounds good!” I agree.

“Sure,” Loïc says.

“Will Maggie be able to join us?” I’m looking forward to meeting Loïc’s other roommate.

“No, she’s working a twelve-hour shift at the hospital,” Cooper offers.

Maggie is a nurse at Mott Children’s Hospital.

“Oh, that’s a bummer. I want to meet her. Should we invite Paige?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Loïc answers.

“Great,” I say happily.

I survived my first workout—okay,
workout
might be a stretch—with Loïc and Cooper, and now, I get to have fantastic Mexican food for dinner.

Loïc drops me off at my house, so I can shower while he goes back to his. Paige is game for a trip to the D—aka Detroit—and before I know it, the four of us are in Cooper’s car, heading east.

We unanimously vote to go to Xochimilco. Their food is delicious, and their margaritas are even better.

Cooper parks in the lot next to the restaurant. Stepping out of the air-conditioned car, I’m hit with the thick and hot humid air. It’s one of those days where there is so much sticky moisture in the air that I can feel it as I breathe in. I’m wearing a short little sundress, but it doesn’t seem to help keep me any cooler.

I grab Loïc’s hand and speed-walk toward the entrance of the restaurant before the minimum makeup I applied melts off my face.

The restaurant is styled in typical Mexican fashion—bright colors, flashing Dos Equis and Corona beer signs, and paintings of Latino women in flowy dresses, holding bouquets of white calla lilies. We’re sat at a wooden table in the back of the room.

After ordering, Paige launches into her inquisition of Cooper and Loïc with endless questions about military life.

“So, like, what do you actually do when you’re deployed?” Paige asks yet another question. She’s extremely fascinated, apparently.

Cooper has been doing most of the answering, which I think is probably normal for him. He seems like the type of person who can talk to anyone. “It really just depends on what our mission is. The objectives vary, often daily. Many missions are reconnaissance in nature, which basically means that we explore enemy territories, hoping to gain some sort of desired information. Sometimes, we’re involved in search and rescue. Other times, we take part in humanitarian assistance, especially if a location has recently been negatively impacted by war. Because Berkeley and I are in Special Forces, most of what we do is classified.”