The Spark

by Keeland, Vi

  I smiled. “I know you do. You know why I know?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can’t keep my eyes off you, not since the first time we met. And back then, I had no idea you were going to take off. So, no…” I shook my head. “I can’t be interested in you because you’re the girl I can’t have, because I was a damn goner before you even left.”

  Autumn’s face softened. “I don’t know what to say, Donovan.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just give me the chance to show you…”

  She looked me in the eyes for a long time before taking a deep breath and nodding. “Okay.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled.

  The waitress delivered our appetizers. It felt like we needed the minute that gave us. Since the evening had gotten off to a heavy start, once the waitress left, I rounded our conversation back to what I thought was the safer part of Autumn’s therapy exercise.

  “So what are we up to? Things we’re grateful for?”

  “I think so. You want me to go first again?”

  “Sure.”

  She started to tap her finger to her lip, then smiled when she caught herself. “Okay, let’s see… I’m grateful for my health, good friends, having a job that’s rewarding, good food…” She looked up at me. “And second chances.”

  “Nice…”

  She sipped her wine and lifted her chin. “Your turn. What are you grateful for?”

  “Well, Bud would be near the top of that list. I’m grateful for all the things he’s done for me over the years, and I’m grateful he wasn’t hurt worse than he was when he was attacked.”

  “I’m grateful for that, too.” Autumn cut into her burrata.

  “I’m also grateful for a career I like, friends who tolerate me, and having a nest egg in the bank—something I definitely didn’t grow up with.”

  Autumn slipped a piece of burrata into her mouth, and her eyes shut. A look I could only describe as orgasmic came over her face. My eyes were glued to her lips. Damn. I’m jealous of a piece of cheese. I also started to harden under the table. This woman made me feel like a teenager. We were supposed to be taking things slow, and watching her eat got me worked up? Unfortunately, I sensed a lot of whacking off in my future.

  She opened her eyes, and I cleared my throat, still staring at her beautiful lips. “Burrata. I’m extremely grateful for burrata.”

  Autumn looked amused, yet truly innocent. “You’re a big fan of burrata?”

  “I’m a tremendous fan of the face you make while you eat it.”

  “What face do I make?”

  I leaned forward. “The same one you made when I went down on you.”

  She covered her mouth and blushed. “Oh my God, really?”

  I nodded. “Really.”

  Luckily the waitress came to check on us and see if we were ready to order dinner. Another minute of this conversation, and the white napkin over my lap would look more like I was trying to wave a flag to surrender.

  This time, when we were alone again, I moved the conversation to something way safer.

  “So how’s Storm doing?”

  “He’s doing great. Though he keeps asking me when he can go work at Bud’s house. He really wants to earn that bicycle Bud promised him. But I wasn’t sure if Bud would feel up to it yet.”

  “I stopped over there this morning, and he was rototilling part of the garden with one hand. He’s definitely feeling better.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. He’s the type of man you worry about if he sits around watching TV for too long.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Well, if you think he’s really up for it, I could probably take him over there Sunday.”

  “I’ll run it by him when I check in again, but I’m sure it will be fine.”

  The rest of the night went by too fast, even though I stalled and dragged out dessert for so long that the waitress was giving us the evil eye. I just wasn’t ready for our first date to be over, and I was certain going slow didn’t include spending the night.

  When we got to Autumn’s apartment, I parked.

  “Would you want to go for a walk?” I asked. It was a nice enough night.

  She pointed down to her shoes. “I normally would, but these aren’t really walking shoes.”

  I’d parked under a streetlight so the inside of the car was pretty well lit. I followed her sexy legs down to the strappy, high-heeled sandals she had on.

  “I forgot to mention how grateful I am for your shoes earlier.” My eyes trailed their way back up her legs and over the thin material of her dress. “And for that dress. I’m really damn thankful for that dress.”

  She giggled. “What about my bra and underwear? Aren’t you grateful for them?”

  “I don’t know. Let me see, so I can decide.”

  Autumn leaned closer to me and took my hand. The beaming smile on her face made my heart swell in my chest.

  “I had a really nice time tonight,” she said.

  “Me, too.”

  She bit down on her bottom lip. “You could…come up for a little while, if you want.”

  Of course there was nothing I wanted more, but I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. As I inwardly debated her invitation, my eyes dropped down, and that’s when I noticed her nipples were hard—sticking out from her dress like the beautiful horns of a devil. There was no way I could go inside and keep my distance. And I couldn’t screw up going slow on our first official night. So I cleared my throat and drew on every ounce of willpower I had in me.

  “It’s probably better if I don’t.”

  Autumn looked a little disappointed, but she nodded. “You’re right. Thank you.”

  We were both quiet as I walked her to the door. Inside the lobby, neither one of us pushed the elevator button. Autumn looked down for a minute before meeting my eyes.

  “I think I should clarify that just because I want to take things slow, it doesn’t mean the desire to move faster, especially physically, isn’t there. Because it is…very much so.”

  I could seriously get lost in the green of her eyes. I knew when she got worked up they turned almost pale gray, and that’s what they were now.

  I cupped her cheeks. “I’ve wanted you since the day we met, even during those months I didn’t know if I’d see you again. What I desire is more than just being inside you, I want to consume you.”

  Her eyes jumped between mine for a few seconds before she caught me completely off guard and launched herself at me. Our lips crashed, and I stumbled back a few steps, fighting to keep my balance. When I steadied myself, I wrapped my arms around her and lifted until her feet came off the ground. Autumn threaded her fingers into my hair and tugged, pulling me closer, even though it was physically impossible to find a fraction of an inch of space between us. I wound my hand into the back of her hair and yanked to gain access to her neck. Then sucked down to her collarbone and back up to her ear.

  “You’re killing me,” I groaned. “I’m going to get us arrested for indecent exposure in a minute.”

  Autumn mumbled through our joined lips. “I know a good lawyer. Don’t worry about it.”

  I have no damn idea how long we stayed that way—maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. But when we broke for air, Autumn’s lips were swollen, her hair had that sexy, just fucked look, and both of us were panting.

  I used my thumb to wipe away the lipstick smeared beneath her lip. “I’m so hard, I’m not sure I can walk.”

  She giggled.

  God, I love that sound.

  “My lady parts are swollen and tingly.”

  I groaned and shut my eyes. “You’re killing me, Red.”

  We stood in the lobby for a few more minutes. Eventually, it was me who pushed the elevator button. When it came, I brushed my lips with hers one last time.

  “I’ll text you tomorrow? Is that okay?”

  She nodded with a smile. “Definitely.”

  Autumn
stepped into the elevator and said goodnight. As the doors began to slide closed, she put her arm out, causing them to bounce open again.

  “Hang on a second…”

  She dipped one hand under the hem of her skirt, reached up to her waist, somehow managing not to expose herself, and the next thing I knew she was shimmying panties down her legs.

  Fuck me. A black lace thong.

  The scrap of material reached the floor, and she stepped out before leaning forward and shoving them in my pocket.

  “You said you weren’t sure if you were grateful for my panties since you hadn’t seen them.” Autumn stepped back into the elevator and wiggled her fingers. She had the biggest devilish grin on her face. “Goodnight, Donovan.”

  I stood speechless as the doors slid closed, then shook my head.

  I was wrong. Her smile wasn’t devilish—she was the devil.

  Pulling the lacy thong from my pocket, I looked at it for a minute before closing it into my fist and bolting for the door. Suddenly, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The minute I got home, I’d be wearing this thing—around my cock while my hand had a field day.

  CHAPTER 27

  * * *

  Donovan

  “Where the hell have you been?” Trent sat back in his chair and put his fork down.

  “Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get a client off the damn phone.”

  “I’m not talking about being late for lunch. I came down to your office twice this week to see if you wanted to order in some dinner, and your door was shut and the lights were off.”

  I grinned. My friends didn’t yet know that Autumn and I had gotten together. “I had more important shit to do.”

  Juliette’s brows rose. She covered her full mouth with a napkin and leaned over to feel my forehead. “More important than work? Are you sick?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then what is more important than work right before the upcoming partner vote?”

  “My girl.”

  “Holy shit,” Trent said. “Are you smiling over a woman?”

  “I am.” I’d also had her underwear in my pocket the last three days, but I didn’t share that part.

  “So there’s a woman out there who passed your tests?”

  “With flying colors.”

  “Wow,” Juliette said. She turned to Trent while pointing to me. “He’s smitten. Our little playboy is growing up so fast.”

  I pulled the container with my lunch out of the bag. “Poke fun all you want. I don’t even care.”

  Trent wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I never thought I’d see the day. We should double date.”

  “I don’t think she has any sixteen-year-old friends for you,” I teased and bit into my sandwich. “But I’ll ask.”

  “I wasn’t asking you to fix me up, jackass. If you’d been around lately, you’d know I have my own girl.”

  I stopped chewing. “Not a blow-up one?”

  “Fuck you. A real one—and she’s smoking hot, too.”

  I was glad to see my buddy happy, but that wouldn’t stop me from busting his balls. “Not underage, not a blow-up doll, and she’s smoking hot? So you’re paying her, then?”

  Trent threw his napkin at me. “I met her at the bar a few weeks ago. She’s Juliette’s friend. You actually talked to both of us on your way out. She has excellent taste, so she met you first but came home with me.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What’s her name?”

  “Margo.”

  Hot damn—the woman I’d sent his way after whining to her about Autumn. I wasn’t about to mention that she’d hit on me first. I nodded. “Margo…sounds familiar. Brunette?”

  “Yup.”

  “You two hit it off?”

  “Spent almost every night together since then.”

  I nodded. “Good for you.”

  Juliette and Trent looked at each other funny.

  “What?”

  She shook her head. “You’re acting weird. Only a few jabs at Trent and…you’re smiling too much.”

  I clasped my hands behind my head. “That’s because I’m happy to be alive, ladies and gentlemen.”

  Trent turned to Juliette. She shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I checked his head. No fever.”

  Trent finished chewing. “Alright. I’ll bite. Tell us about this magical creature who seems to have stolen your brain. What does she look like? How big is the unicorn horn on top of her head, and does she let you play with it?”

  I might’ve gotten a little starry-eyed. “She’s gorgeous—red hair, green eyes, alabaster skin.”

  Juliette’s face scrunched up. She pointed to me as she looked at Trent. “Did he just use the word alabaster?”

  My buddy shook his head. “He’s definitely lost his mind if this is what I think it is. Red hair and green eyes? Please tell me this isn’t Blake’s girlfriend.”

  I smiled. “It’s not.”

  “Thank God.”

  I grinned. “Because she’s not seeing The Dick anymore. She’s all mine.”

  Trent tossed his fork on the table and looked up at the ceiling with a groan. “Shit.”

  “You should be happy for me. I finally met someone. All you ever do is bust my balls because I won’t settle.”

  Trent shook his head. “Let me get this straight. You spent seven years working your ass off to make partner at this firm. And a few weeks before you might actually get there, you start taking half days, slacking on billable hours, and banging the girlfriend of a partner whose vote you need in order to get to the finish line.”

  “Relax, buddy. They were casual, and she called it quits. Blake has no idea we’re seeing each other. He doesn’t even know we’d met before I picked up that pro bono case he assigned me. And I haven’t been slacking. My billable hours are down, but they’re down to what normal workaholics trying to make partner bill.”

  “Uh-huh.” Trent nodded. “You’re venturing onto some thin ice, my friend. Didn’t you ever hear the saying ‘what’s done in the dark always finds its way to the light’?”

  I shrugged. “I could care less if Blake finds out in the long run. Part of me is looking forward to it. It’s practically his damn fault, anyway. If he hadn’t been too lazy to take the pro bono case he dumped on me, Autumn and I probably would never have seen each other again. Besides, I only need to keep it under wraps for a little longer. Then I’ll be a partner, and tough shit on him if he doesn’t like it.”

  Juliette shook her head. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. You better be careful.”

  “Stop worrying. It’s fine. There’s no way he’s going to find out.”

  Trent puckered his lips and made a loud kissing sound.

  I smirked. “No more kisses for you, buddy. I’m a one-woman man now.”

  “That wasn’t me blowing you a kiss, dude.” He shook his head. “You said there’s no way he’s going to find out. That was me kissing your luck goodbye as your cocky ass blew it out the door with that rush of hot air.”

  ***

  The following week, my life went from great to phenomenal. If I knew a better word than that, I’d use it, but I hadn’t had much reason to bolster my vocabulary of superlatives relating to the state of my life in the last thirty years. Sure, I was successful—and until a few months ago, I thought that was what it took to make me happy. I hadn’t even known I was unfulfilled until, well, until I got my fill of Autumn.

  On Sunday, we went to Bud’s so Storm could do the work he’d agreed to do in exchange for the bike. Autumn and I did some painting inside while we were there, and I managed to sneak her into the garage and cop a cheap feel while we made out like two horny teenagers. At night, I served dinner with Bud. He still had his cast on, but he wanted to help—and by help, I mean he wanted to boss me around like I didn’t know what I was doing after fifteen years of doing it with him. But it made him happy, and I was glad he was in good spirits again, so I didn’t give a shit.

  On Wednesday night, I took Autu
mn out to dinner—at a bowling alley, where she proceeded to spank my ass and bowl a two hundred and six. Apparently, her father had a bowling team for his law firm, and she’d always joined them growing up. Normally, I was super competitive, and a loss to anyone would have bruised my ego, but this time I didn’t give a shit if my girl handed me my ass in a game, because she smiled all night. Also, every time she got a strike she jumped up and down, which I liked a lot.

  I also somehow managed to bill one of my highest weeks, and old man Kravitz came down from the ivory tower to tell me I’d done a great job for one of his personal VIP clients who’d gotten himself into trouble with the SEC.

  Yeah, shit couldn’t have been going better.

  My phone buzzed on my desk, and the picture I’d taken of Autumn last year flashed on my screen. At the risk of sounding like a complete dorky sap, a little warmth ran through my belly. Actually, if feeling like this made me a dork—I’d been totally missing out by trying to be cool all my life.

  Leaning back into my chair, I swiped to answer.

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  “You answer the phone like that for all women, don’t you?” I heard the smile in her voice.

  “There is no other woman, sweetheart.”

  She sighed. “I called to say thank you for the stuff you bought for Storm.”

  I’d stopped over at Park House this morning and dropped off a bag with a lock for the bicycle Bud had given him, and also a Nike sweatshirt with a reflective stripe down the side for when he inevitably rode in the dark. But he’d already left for school, and I was running late. The woman at the front desk was busy on the phone, so I’d written Storm’s name on the bag and motioned that I was leaving. It wasn’t until I got to my car that I’d realized I forgot to leave my name.

  “How did you know I gave him something?”

  “Hmmm… A good guess? When I stopped over at Park House for a meeting earlier, Rochelle at the front desk told me some hot guy dropped off a bag for Storm.”

  I grinned. “You think I’m hot?”

  She laughed. “I can see your gloating, cocky face right now even through a phone call. Let me guess, you’re leaning back in your chair, too?”