Protect Me (Rivers Edge Book 4)(17)

I glance up at her shadowed face, place my hands on the small strip of  material at her hips, and give her the questioning look. She doesn't  even hesitate. She gives me a small nod, permission to explore her body.  I gently slide down the wet material that has been hidden underneath  her dress. I can smell her arousal. Her scent causes what little blood I  have left in my body to rush south, fast and furiously. I'm practically  light-headed and dizzy from the desire.

When the panties are down to her ankles, I gently spread her knees apart  by running my hands up her legs. The only sounds are our own urgent  breaths. Pants, is more like it.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," I say honestly as I gaze deep into her eyes.

Lia doesn't respond, but her breath catches in her throat. I slowly  lower my face to the apex of her legs and can see the dampness  glistening in the moonlight. I take one finger and gently touch her  wetness. Lia's low moan gives me all of the encouragement that I need. I  use two fingers to spread open her folds just before I run my tongue  along the seam. Lia's hips buck up off my shirt so I lay a firm hand  along her stomach, holding her in place. She tenses underneath my arm,  but slowly starts to relax.                       
       
           



       

Relax. That's the last thing I want her to be doing right now.

I flick my tongue over her clit and watch as she withers at the  onslaught of sensations. I explore her entire area, licking and sucking  and teasing until she's all but coming apart in my arms.

"Please," she says so breathlessly that I barely understand the word.

"Please what, beautiful?" I ask before my tongue dives into her tight body.

She moans loudly into the night sky and says, "I need you."

"Beautiful, I need you more than you could possibly imagine, but  tonight, is about you. Tonight, I want you to come apart in my arms, by  my fingers and tongue." I slowly slide the first finger inside of her.  Her tightness envelopes my entire finger, soaking it to the bone. I  slide the second finger in on the next stroke and return my tongue to  her clit.

"Please don't stop," she groans as she grinds against my face.

"Oh, babe, you don't ever have to worry about me stopping. Making you come is my favorite new past time," I tell her.

I pick up the pace and push her towards orgasm. She is so close; I can  feel her body clamping down on my fingers as her wetness drenches me.  The orgasm rips from her body like an exorcism of mind and soul. Lia's  entire body goes rigid, the muscles on her face tight with euphoria, as  she slowly returns to earth.

She's fucking beautiful. Lying on my t-shirt on the ground in the  moonlight, body sated and spent. I can't help the manly pride that  spreads through my chest. I did that. I made her look like that. It's a  damn awesome feeling. It makes me want to pound my chest and let a roar  rip from my gut.

"Wow," she finally says, breathlessly.

I lean forward and place a gentle kiss on her swollen, lush lips.  "Watching you come like that was amazing," I tell her between kisses.

"Next time, maybe you will join me?" she asks hopefully.

"Yes," I tell her matter-of-factly. "But, not tonight. Tonight was about  you. Soon, though. Very, very soon. Next time I start to strip you  naked, I won't be able to keep my own clothes on. Next time, when you  come apart in my arms, I'm going to be right there with you, going over  the edge together," I say with my lips pressed firmly to her neck. I  lick and suck on it for a few more seconds before I pull away. If I  don't pull away now, I never will.

I sit up on the ground and give Lia a tug until she's up and sitting  between my legs. She leans back, relaxing her back to my chest, and we  both take in the warm, summer night. This is damn near perfect. The only  thing that would make this night better is to relieve some of the  pressure in my pants. Hell, that's what cold showers are for. And I have  a feeling I have more than one cold shower in my future this evening.

When Lia's body becomes heavy and her breathing evens out, I know she  has fallen asleep. I hold her in my arms for a few more minutes - hell, I  hold her for another thirty. I just sit there, completely relaxed and  lost in thought. I think about what my life could be like if I'd let  someone like Lia in. What would it really be like to come home in the  mornings after working a twenty-four hour shift and having her in bed  waiting for me? Could I take the chance on letting her inside my bed, my  life, and my heart? Damn it if I don't want to find out.

After sitting on the ground for another half hour, contemplating my life  and getting no real answers, I finally rouse her from a peaceful sleep.  Her heavily lidded eyes look at me with so much … what? Trust? Could be.  Desire? Definitely.

I gaze down at her for several moments before I say, "Ready to head back, beautiful?"

"I guess," she whispers in a sleepy voice just as a yawn takes hold.

"It's late and you have to work in the morning," I say as I stand up  just before helping her up. I throw my t-shirt over my head and grab the  chairs, tossing them inside the shack. When the lock is securely in  place, I take Lia's hand and lead her towards the car.

Once the gate is locked and the car is out on the highway, I throw my  arm around her shoulder. She snuggles closely against my side, her head  securely in the crook of my arm.

This is fucking heaven, right here.

When I pull into the parking lot behind the bakery, I don't shut off the  car before hopping out and retrieving Lia from the passenger side. She  digs for her keys as we walk up the metal staircase leading to her  apartment. She places the key inside of the lock and gives it a turn.  With the door open, I slowly spin her so that she's facing me. Her tired  eyes hum to life as I caress the sides of her neck with both hands. I  feel her tense, again, but only for a split second. It's so quick I  almost wonder if I imagined it.                       
       
           



       

I lower my lips to hers and savor the feel of them against me. This kiss is gentle and the perfect way to end our night.

"Night, Lia," I whisper against her lips.

"Good night," she whispers back.

I slowly pull away, giving her neck one last touch, and slowly descend  the stairs. When I get halfway down, I turn to make sure she's inside,  but Lia is standing in the doorway, watching me go. A small smile  spreads across her face as our eyes lock. I feel the corner of my mouth  creep upward as I give her a final wave goodbye.

Lia turns and closes the door, engaging the lock in a loud thump that  echoes in the quiet of night. I slip down the rest of the stairs and get  inside my waiting car. I back out of the parking spot and give one  final glance up to her apartment. Her small shadow stands in the dimly  lit window, her hand touches the glass. It's one of the many images from  this evening that I will take to bed with me tonight.

I head towards home with thoughts of Lia front and center in my brain.  Her laughter throughout dinner. The way the moonlight glowed off of her  skin. The feel of her silky body. The sounds of her coming while lying  on my t-shirt. Her snuggled against my chest while she slept. Her  goodbye kiss just before she watched me go.

Yeah, I'll be definitely thinking about beautiful Lia tonight.

After I take a very cold shower, that is.





Chapter Six


Lia




Come Friday, I've spent the better part of my free time hanging out with  Nate. We text while he's at work, in between his duties at the fire  station, while waiting for a call. We talk when he's driving home and  I'm setting up the kitchen for the morning shift. We even had dinner on  Wednesday night when he brought over submarine sandwiches and my  favorite guacamole dip from the local deli.

It's almost noon when Erin blows into the bakery, bags of food in hand.

"Hey, girl," she says with a friendly smile.

"Hi. What are you doing?" I ask as I wipe the glass display case down with a wet rag.

"Well, it wasn't that long ago that I was the new girl in town. So, I  thought I'd bring by some lunch and chat," she says as she heads back to  the table in the corner that the family uses as their table.

I throw the rag up on the back counter and follow the spitfire little  redhead towards the table. "I'm sure Avery would be okay with me taking a  few minutes," I politely reply.

"Don't you worry about Avery. She knows I'm bringing lunch. She's on her way back from the bank," Erin says.

"Well, if you're sure she won't mind," I mumble as I slowly pull out the  chair in front of me. I feel like I'm doing something majorly wrong.  Sitting on the job.

"Josselyn was going to try to get away too, but she called a bit ago and  said they had a major materials shipment mix-up. So, she was sorting  out the drama," she replies with a smile as she lays the chicken salad  sandwiches out in front of us. Josselyn started working in the office  for the family construction company a few months back.