Mia Found (Starting Fires Book 3) (21 page)

I kissed him on the head and crawled back into bed, ignoring the incessant buzzing from the end table.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

PAUL NUDGED ME AWAKE the next morning with a hand at my hip. It was barely light outside and already he was dressed. “What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

“
Just after six. If I get to the office early, I’ll be able to come home sooner.”

“
Mmm...I like the sound of that.”

He grinned and then grabbed his phone. I watched his brow furrow as he read through the messages he’d missed. “Shit,” he mumbled.

“
It everything okay?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t.

“
Yeah...mostly. Did you hear this going off last night?”

Guilt trickled into my stomach and I hoped he wouldn’t be angry with me. “Yes. I was going to wake you, but you were so tired. I couldn’t.”

He sighed. “I guess I should have kept it with me.”

I reached out and gave his arm a rub. “I didn’t get you into trouble, did I?”

“
It’s fine, Pretty,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “She’ll just be mad this morning.”

He stood and I sat up. “When do you think you’ll get off?” I didn’t have a car or even know where anything in this city was. Without Paul, I’d be stuck in the condo all day.

“
I’m shooting for noon. Think you’ll be okay until then?”

“
Don’t worry about me,” I said. “I’ll watch TV or something.”

He smiled and walked towards the door. “Sleep in,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.” After I heard the front door close, I lay back in the bed and sleep came instantaneously.

The sun was bright and beaming into the windows. It was 10 a.m. and I nestled the pillow underneath my head, gazing out to the sky. We were too high for me to see the ocean from the bed, but the sky was a perfect blue. With a stretch, I forced myself up and walked to the windows, opening all of them. A cool breeze blew in and I grinned out to the ocean. Below, I saw people mulling about the beach, barely able to make out their towels and umbrellas.

Excited and giddy, I showered and dressed for the day, making sure to put on something extra special for Paul. Nothing extravagant, but I wanted to look different when he saw me. I pulled out a white dress and slipped it on. The shoulder straps were thin, and the top cinched below my breast. It flowed out, resting just below my knee. It was very
beachy
.

To pass the time, I watched television until I couldn’t anymore. I made myself lunch. I tried to read books I found in the spare bedroom, but it was difficult to concentrate. My eyes drifted to the wall clock every few minutes. It now read 12:00.

Noon.

Paul should be home soon. My phone remained silent and I considered calling him, but stopped myself. It was only one more day. After this, he’d be all mine for the week. All I had to do was put up with this for a little longer.

I spent the next few hours fidgeting on the couch. 12 rolled into 1 and then into 2.

By 3 p.m. I’d found my way back into the master bedroom and laid in its chaise lounge. The ocean glistened in the late afternoon sun, and I left the windows open, letting the wind roll over me and the sounds of the city seep into my ears.

Why couldn’t he call? Or text? Was it that hard to let me know he was thinking of me? Even if he was busy, I’d understand, but this silence was hurtful. I wished I was tired enough to nap, but no matter how long I closed my eyes, my mind wouldn’t relax enough to let me.

The door to the condo opened at 3:46 p.m. I remained on the lounge, listening to him. With a
clank,
his keys hit the counter followed by a frustrated sigh.

I rose and walked towards the kitchen. He was braced against the counter, gripping it, his head hanging down. “Is everything all right?” I asked. His eyes looked bloodshot and tired, but he didn’t answer. I took a few more steps into the room. “Paul? Can I help?”

“
Sometimes there just isn’t a right choice, you know. I’m trying. I’m trying so hard, but I feel like I keep fucking everything up.” He shook his head miserably. All of his hard work was chipping away at him. Every day he spent here wore him down further and I hoped when the time came, he’d turn down this job. He seemed so stressed and edgy.

I approached to him and wrapped an arm around his middle. “I’m sure that whatever it is, you’ll figure out a way to fix it. Don’t worry. We’ll spend a week at the beach, go back home to Louisiana and put Florida out of our minds. You don’t need Florida, Paul. Look what it does to you? You’re so tired and miserable. And I miss you.”

“
Mia…I just…I thought that…” He sighed again, and I realized since he’d walked in the door he hadn’t even looked at me.

“
You’re forgiven for being so late,” I said. “I get it. Things happen. Next time, just call.”

Paul blew out a breath. “I’m horrible at that too. I’m sorry. I was going to call, but I thought I’d only be a minute. Before I knew it hours had passed. I don’t deserve you, Mia.”

Maybe he’d been withdrawn and distant, but that didn’t mean he was unworthy. “That’s not true,” I said, kissing his shoulder. “You’ve been busy and stressed, and yes I’ve been neglected, but you’re going to make it up to me.”

He turned around to face me and his lopsided grin gave me butterflies. Noticing my dress, his eyebrows shot up. “Wow, Mia. You look stunning.”

I blushed. “Thank you. I wanted to look nice when you came home.”

“
You certainly…I mean…just…wow.”

I smiled, loving that the sight of me made him tongue tied. “Let’s forget about this job in Florida for the rest of the week. Not one word about it. Promise me. Not one word. Just relax and have a good time with me.”

“
But Mia—”

“
Nope.” I stretched up on my tip toes and brought my mouth close to his. “That’s all I ask,” I whispered. To entice him, I pushed my pelvis into his, and he released a pent breath. “Can you forget about it for one week? Anything you want to tell me about Florida can wait until we get home,” I said, letting my mouth barely graze his.

With hooded eyes, he nodded and brought his mouth to mine. Weeks were too long to wait for this kiss and immediately I jumped in, too greedy to let this progress slowly. We’d only been kissing for a few seconds, but my breath was labored and I couldn’t hold in the moan when his hands squeezed my behind.

Needing to feel him, I unbuttoned his shirt, jerking it out of his pants and down his arms. Paul’s breaths were erratic as I led him towards the master bedroom. His mouth moved down my neck and I relished the opportunity to become reacquainted with his body. The white undershirt he wore was tight and I pushed it up so I could freely touch his stomach and back.

When the back of my knees hit the bed, I pulled the shirt over his head. Needy and desperate, my hands fumbled with the buckle of his pants.

Paul grabbed my wrist, stilling me, and I expected him to deny me again, but instead he said, “Breathe. We have all night.”

I did as he said, letting a long exhale bathe his neck. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve just missed you. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to be away from you?”

His sigh was painful and he tightened his arms. “I know,” he said. Warm lips pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “Every night has been torture. I wanted you with me. I wanted to call you, even if I only had you on phone it would have been enough.”

I looked into his eyes, letting my fingers thread through his hair. “Why didn’t you?”

His green eyes looked into mine, and I could see how tired he still was—the whites slightly red and glassy. “It was always so late. I thought it would be selfish to keep you up all night. Would you have minded?”

“
No,” I said. “I was up half the night thinking about you anyway. I don’t know how it was with others, but with me…Paul, I’ll always want you. Every part of you. Late at night. In the middle of the day. Whenever you have the time. I want you.”

His expelled breath held amazement, as though he’d been waiting years to hear those words from someone. The fingers on my hips tensed and it felt like a rubber band was stretched taut between us. Any moment and it would snap. I wanted it to.

I rose on my tiptoes, bringing my mouth to his ear. “Paul, I need you,” I whispered and his whole body contracted. He mouth found mine and my hands resumed their purpose, slower this time.

His pants hit the floor and I felt the hard tip of him press into my stomach. It made my knees weak and my mouth water. My body moved on its own, knowing what it wanted, what it needed. My hands wrapped around the length of him and he moaned.

I pumped, kissing his chest and collar bone. His fingers were soft as they gradually lifted my dress. He bunched the material at my waist and forced his hands into the back of my panties. They squeezed, causing my breath to hitch.

“
Take this off,” he said and I helped him peel the dress from me. The late afternoon sun blazed through the windows, but I didn’t care. Our floor was too high for anyone to eavesdrop, and I loved feeling the cool, ocean breeze send chills down my spine.

He threw my dress away and I sat on the edge of the bed taking him into my mouth. His sounds made my arousal rise. The quiet, strained breaths. The subtle moans. His stomach tensed and his hips pushed out, letting me take in more of him.

Just when I was finding my rhythm, he pulled away from me. “Lie back,” he said, husky, deep. I pushed myself up to the pillows relishing the heat of the sun as it cast its glow across my skin. Paul stood at the foot of the bed, watching me. This time, there was no hesitation in his eyes, only lust. My fingers beckoned him and he crawled to me, pulling my panties down my legs.

I sighed as his body lay flush with mine—all of his skin, his warmth. My legs wrapped around him and I felt him nudging, prodding, but I was too terrified to move, afraid he’d abruptly pull away if I tried to push him.

Instead, I let my hands relax him, rubbing them along his back. I let my lips excite him, taking extra care with my mouth and tongue. But I could still feel the resistance in him. His muscles were too tight and rigid. To calm him, I brought my hands to his hair, gently rubbing his face and head. My soft movements gradually soothed him and his weight settled.

When his tip touched my entrance, I couldn’t stop my sharp inhale, but he was still holding back, not following through. My hips rose, pushing him just a tiny bit further.

“
Please,” I whispered against his lips. His eyes closed, the fight losing out to his desire. “Paul, plea—”

My urging abruptly cut off as he pushed into me. My head fell back. My eyes closed. Paul Macione was inside me, pushing in deep, burying himself. My nails dug into his skin and my knees hiked, letting him push further.

My body burned. All of it. From the top of my head to the tip of my toes. All thoughts left me and I could only focus on him, stretching me, meeting my body with his.

He pulled out, his head buried in my neck. The absence left me aching and I wanted him back. Needing it, I grabbed his hips and he pushed in again. Faster. Harder. His hands squeezed, forcing my hips closer to him. I tried to tell him how good it felt, how on fire my body was, but I couldn’t. No words would come. My tongue felt too fat, my mouth too dry.

For whole minutes, we lost ourselves to the steady movement, a climbing push and pull. Our eye contact never faltered. My heart pounded and I couldn’t think, too consumed to do anything but what he wanted. The weeks we’d spent knowing each other paid off. While his hips pumped, he knew just how to touch me, exactly where I needed and always with the right amount of pressure. He used it to his advantage, making sure I was with him the entire way.

My stomach was slick with his sweat, my legs quaking under his perfect thrusts. He pushed up, fully extending his arms, and with hooded eyes I watched him make love to me. Even though I’d only been with one other, I wasn’t unfamiliar with this act. I’d seen enough, known enough. And the way Paul moved was a rush to the senses.

I realized how close I was. Seeing him above me was enough. I’d fantasized about this for months. And now, seeing it, knowing how his face looked as he took pleasure from my body was all I needed.