Hero Next Door (Next Door Romance Book 2)

by Mia Ford

  I take her cheeks in my hands and kiss her once more. “I know, but no more, I promise you. Even if there is going to be a bit of an uphill battle until you get to where you need to be, I will be there with you every step of the way.”

  “Even if I get kicked out of my house?” she giggles nervously. “Because I don’t know if they will let me stay in it not paying any of the bills? That’s the reason I never left that job in the first place even though I should have done.”

  “Then you can move in with me,” I laugh. “This house is too big for me on my own anyway. Or I will help you out financially until you get back on your feet. I think that you are so used to doing things on your own, Esme, that you have forgotten you don’t always need to. I am here for you now. No matter what. You are mine and I am yours for as long as you want. Unless you tell me to leave, I won’t go anywhere. Ever.”

  The next time that we kiss I can feel our bond deepening even further, our connection growing and sealing us in to a bubble together. Esme curls in next to me, sliding under the blanket with me, and our bodies mold together to become one. This feels right, there is a real perfection to me having Esme in my arms and now that we know we love one another, there aren’t any inhibitions left to hold us back. Everything is amazing.

  Chapter 19 – Esme

  Our clothes shed, I throw his all around the room not even bothering to look where they land and he does the same to me. The intense and overwhelming passion which has always been between us shows itself as normal, but this time it’s combined with something so much more powerful, so much more satisfying. It’s the love, I know it. His lips tingle more, they leave me far more passion bruised than the last time we were together, and his fingers are electrifying. He leaves a mark, I’m sure of it, everywhere he touches, it might not be a mark that can be seen, but I will feel it always. It’s a burning sensation of love which gently caresses every part of me, even the injured bits…

  “Oh my,” I rasp as Theo moves away from me, sliding down my body until his knees hit the floor by the side of the couch. All of a sudden, I’m alone in the little make shift bed that I set up for him, but definitely not by myself.

  Theo grabs my legs, he drags me around until I’m facing him, leaving me breathless and just a little bit shocked. Not that he’s going to give me even a moment to process everything that’s going on around me. My thighs are over his shoulders in a heartbeat, I can feel the hot streams of breath as they tickle down my legs towards my core. But just as I think that he might be edging those lips of his closer to me, he stuns me by scissoring me with his fingers. They plunge deep within my wet folds, exploring the depths of me in a way that I wasn’t expecting. The screams that fly out of my body are almost inhuman as he sets me flying free, soaring above the earth.

  I cry out Theo’s name, almost as if I’m going to beg him to stop because it’s too damn much for me, but luckily I stop myself at the last moment because I don’t want this feeling to end at all. I love it. Even more so when the intensity notches up another level by his thumb circling and tracing patterns over my incredibly hyper sensitive clit. I fear that I’m going to explode at any given moment, that I can’t handle it anymore. I’m a pressure cooker about to blow and when that happens, well there is no telling what we be left of me afterwards.

  “Th… Theo… Theo, I… I can’t take it…” Are my words even getting out? I’m too flushed and crazed to know for sure. But I will keep on trying until I lose myself and I can’t take it any longer. “Theo, I need you…”

  I don’t know if he misinterprets my words or if he’s just doing what he wants regardless of what I tell him, but the second that I’m given a breather by his fingers slipping away from me, that moment of gathering myself up is stripped away by Theo devouring me with those beautiful, expert lips of his. He kisses all over my soaking wet slit, leaving me in a frenzy, which is only intensified when his tongue darts out and draws on my clit in the same way that his thumb was only moment ago. His thumb was fucking amazing, but his tongue is off the scale. I flip and arch my back, unable to stop myself from writhing underneath the sheer force of what he’s doing to me.

  It’s an onslaught. That’s the only way to describe the intense pleasure that grips me. It’s a freaking roller coaster and I am along for the ride if I like it or not. While he grips on to my thighs to keep me in place so he can do whatever the hell he wants to my body, my fingers curl around the couch cushions just as hard so I can keep myself connected to the planet. Because fucking hell, his mouth is something else. His teeth, tongue, and lips are like a sex toy designed specifically for me. I didn’t know that it could feel so good to be with a man. He’s touching me even better than I could ever touch myself. It’s as if Theo knows my body better than I do myself.

  Words… I think that he might be using his tongue to write words on my clit and damn it I so want to know what secret message he’s giving to me. I would love nothing more than to be able to read him, but I can’t. I’m too embroiled in the pleasure, lost in the heady lust, consumed by every single part of him. He is everything.

  Honestly, I wish that I could find the words to express what he means to me right now, but my sensibilities have evaded me. I am a slave only to the sensations that he’s darting inside of me via my core. Hopefully, he just knows.

  “S… stop,” I beg. I try to push him away, but I soon grab him and pull him back. I don’t know what I want really. “Theo, I don’t, I don’t know, I can’t handle… oh holy fuck.” I try to twist over, to stop the power rocketing through me like lightning. “Oh my God, Theo don’t ever stop. Don’t ever stop what you are doing to me…”

  And then I tip over the edge. I can’t stop myself. I tumble and fall in to the abyss. I buck and squirm, the orgasm taking every inch of my body, squealing through every part of me, caressing all of my organs as it goes. It’s a tsunami of hot blissful waves and it doesn’t seem like they ever want to stop coming. They crash over me endlessly, stripping all the air from my lungs, all the words from my voice box, every sensation inside of my body. All but pleasure. Right now my entire world has been shrunk down to Theo and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

  The next thing I am aware of is the weight of his body on top of me, his lips on mine, his words of love vibrating in my chest. His cock teases my entrance, he wants to be let inside and I am so desperate for him to slip in. I suppose it’s just lucky really that he has enough sense left within him to think of protection because in the heat of the moment I wouldn’t have given a shit. I really need to work on that, unless I want to start a family with this man…

  Actually, that’s a lovely idea. I couldn’t think of anything better than having a child with the man I love.

  “Holy shit!” Not that there is any time to think of that now. His cock has plunged deep within me and I can feel every gorgeous delicious inch of him. As his hips rock back and forth and he thrusts inside of me, the pleasure that I thought was lost to me, that I had seen through to the end creeps back up again. It claims me, it takes my body on yet another journey, steaming down the river of pleasure and I freaking love it. Every second is incredible. “Shit, Theo.”

  We tumble to the ground as I roll on top of him. If this hurts his back he doesn’t show it, instead he cries out in ecstasy. He tosses his head back in pleasure, smacking it to the ground, and I watch as his face screws up in bliss. I love it. I adore seeing him become unhinged in bliss and knowing that’s because of me. It’s so sexy and makes me buzz with delight at my core. I use that, I ride him hard and fast, making sure that every single thrust hits me in all the right places. I can’t stop the heat from flooding my veins, from taking me, from flexing my core to coax the orgasm from him as well. The next time I erupt, he is doing the same. We are coming together.

  “Oh, Esme.” I can hear the desire in Theo’s voice. It sparkles with pleasure in my stomach. “Esme, you are mine. I’m yours and you’re mine.” I think that he might be growling now. I love it. “We belong to
gether.”

  Soon, I am flat on my back and Theo is on top, holding me as the remainder of the pleasure seeps from my body, leaving the pair of us collapsed in a heap on the floor, breathless and clinging to each other like we can’t bear to let one another go. I know that’s certainly the truth when it comes to me and I’m starting to feel like it’s that way for him as well, since he couldn’t wait to tell me that he loves me. He couldn’t stop himself.

  “I love you.” I feel like I’m the one who needs to say it first this time, just so it doesn’t seem like I’m just saying it as a reaction to his words. I was all nervous when he said it before and I started chatting nervously like a fool. I don’t want him to think that is the only reason I said those three, magical wonderful words. I mean them, I love saying them and if I’m totally honest with myself, I really love hearing them as well. They feel fantastic.

  “I love you too.” He pulls me towards him and kisses the top of my head, then the top if my nose as I look up at him which has me giggling girlishly at him. “And I can’t wait to see what our future will hold.”

  Never have I been less sure of what lies ahead for me. I have always had some kind of idea before, even if it’s just what will be going on tomorrow. Usually because I always had work and the nightmare with Mr. Jones to contend with. But now, for the first time ever, I have no idea. I don’t know if me and Theo will be able to make it last, even if I’m pretty sure that our love will carry us through. I don’t know if Delia and myself will be able to stay friends without our work place in common, although I do feel like we will. I have no job, so I have no idea where I will be employed again or what my next job will be, what my daily tasks will become. Nor do I know when someone will hire me again, or if I will be able to pay my bills. I should be worried about all of that, but I’m not. Not at all. I’m good.

  I always thought that I needed structure to keep me going, but now I’m good without it. I’m happier than I have ever been. Nothing can get to me when I have Theo, my super hero, by my side.

  “I don’t know what is next for us,” I admit. “But I’m looking forward to all of it. Whatever comes our way, I can’t wait. I just know that with you it’s going to be perfect. Theo Landon, you are incredible.”

  “Oh God, me too.” Again, he’s kissing me, all over and I love it. As his lips graze over my throat I wonder if that might be a spark of desire resurfacing over again. Who would have thought that I wouldn’t be able to get enough of him? “I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. With you with me, Esme, I just know that it will be amazing.”

  I let out a little laugh of happiness knowing that if I’d realized that living free with no structure was going to feel this good then I would have done it a long time ago, saving myself a lot of heart ache. Then again, if the office didn’t ever go up in flames then maybe me and Theo wouldn’t be where we are now… so it’s all worked out.

  Chapter 20 – Theo

  One Year Later…

  “See ya later, Theo!” Joe calls to me as I walk out of the fire station building after yet another long but satisfying shift at work. I do still love my job, and I know that I always will. I’m so grateful now that I didn’t let Jane push me away further. I think that’s something I always would have regretted because I adore the people that I work with… plus, if I didn’t move in to the exact house I’m in, I wouldn’t have met the love of my life. “Have fun tonight.”

  There is a weird twinkle in his eye which I can’t place at all, not that I’m going to waste any time trying to do because Joe has been like this ever since he found out that his wife was pregnant. I never knew how much he wanted to be a dad. It has made him even more likeable than he was before which is just insane.

  “Yeah, have fun with the misses.” Frankie pats me on the back. “Hey, tell her congratulations by the way. I forgot to say it when she was here the other day, but she has been promoted, am I right?”

  “She has,” I reply proudly. “Where she is working now, they really recognize her talent.”

  It’s amazing for her to be in a place where she is so appreciated, but to me it’s no surprise. I knew that she was incredible when I first met her, it was never a worry to me, but I suppose for Esme she had been put down for such a long time that it was hard for her to finally realize that she’s actually incredible. And these endless promotions… well, they are doing wonders for her self-confidence. I couldn’t be more pleased for her.

  “Well, she will have to come out for a drink with us next time, then I will buy her one.”

  This is another thing that I find awesome. The fact that my friends at work not only accept her but actually adore her is awesome and a great sign that she is the one for me. We are such a tight knit group that it’s hard for any partners to make their way in to our group, but she has. Jane didn’t. Not at all. No one liked her, so this is very important to me. I love seeing them all hang on Esme’s every word when we hang out together.

  “Will do. I’m sure she’ll be keen to come out with you. She always likes your tales…”

  “She’s a great wing woman as well… much better than you ever could have been.” He winks playfully in my direction. “So, it’s probably good that you were never single for long enough to come on a night out.”

  God, I forgot that I even agreed to that at one point. That would have been dreadful, I haven’t ever been the kind of person to meet a woman in a bar. Frankie is right, I would be a terrible wing man and even worse at trying to chat someone up myself. Thank goodness I fell for the girl next door. I will always be grateful for that.

  “Well, I will pass on the message.” I wave my hand in Frankie’s direction. “See ya.”

  As I step in to the car and I start to drive away, something makes me stare in to the rear view for a moment and there I see what has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge. Lots of people that I work with are staring at me and talking excitedly as if they know something that I don’t. I rack my brain desperately, trying to work out what I might have missed out on, but I really don’t think that there’s anything. Unless something’s being kept a secret from me… but there aren’t any birthdays coming up or anything, only my anniversary today, but I know about that much.

  This day one year ago, me and Esme made it official. That isn’t something I will ever forget.

  By the time I get out on to the road and I drive away from the station, I decide that they must think I’ve forgotten or something, which is just dumb. And thanks to the lot of them for reminding me! Honestly, now the banter is moving on to practical jokes and I don’t know if I like that. I might have words the next time I’m in work…

  But the weird sensation creeps back through me as I pull up in front of the house. As if I really have forgotten something. But nothing comes to mind. Not even when I get inside the house, which started off as mine but six months ago became ours. Now a lovely family with an adorable dog have moved in to where Esme used to live.

  “Esme?” It’s quiet. Much too quiet. I’m sure that she must be back from work now. “You here?”

  “In the back yard,” she calls through the house. “Come out here. I want to talk to you.”

  I practically tip toe through the building, my pulse speeding rapidly as I go. My heart might as well be pounding in my mouth by the time I see my beautiful girlfriend and the smile on my face. I definitely feel like something is happening now and it’s something that everyone else in the world is aware of but me. Certainly the people from work which is troubling. If I’m not careful I’m going to end up freaking the hell out in a moment…

  “What’s going on?” Esme is stood in the middle of the yard with a stunning dress on and a gorgeous smile playing on her lips. Even through all of the anxiety, I can see how lucky I am to have her. That’s something that I will never take for granted. I’m reminded every single day and I always let her know as well. “Is something happening?”

  “Happy anniversary,” she says to start things off. “I
t’s been a crazy year, hasn’t it?”

  “A wonderful year.” I relax as I pull her gift out of my pocket. “And here, I want you to have this, I would have given it to you this morning but you were snoring away when I left in the early hours of the morning.”

  She laughs and slaps me playfully, not at all offended by my joke, and quickly tears the wrapping paper off my carefully wrapped jewelry gift. As soon as I saw the star design necklace in the store I knew that I had to get it, because I am always calling Esme my star. I just knew that she would love it and judging by the way that her eyes have lit up like a Christmas tree, she definitely does. Thank goodness, I can breathe at last.

  “This is incredible!” She throws her arms around my neck. “I love it, Theo, thank you. It’s perfect.”

  She turns around so that I can clip the necklace on her, and as soon as I see the chain dangling around her front, my heart sings with joy. It looks stunning, even better than I imagined it would, she looks fabulous. Elegant, sweet, beautiful. My star, truly. Unexpected tears ball up behind my eyes as I stare at her in awe.

  “You look great, Esme. I know I say that all the time, but you really do look incredible.”

  Just as I am about to hug her, to hold her gratefully against my chest, she does something that completely knocks the wind right out of me. She drops to one knee in front of me and pulls out a small box containing a ring.

  “Now, before you say anything,” she insists, just as I am about to get myself in to a tail spin. “I know that you will think this is something you should do, but I have been thinking about it a lot. A real lot actually, and you saved my life, Theo Landon. You have been my hero pretty much from the day that I met you, so for a change I wanted to flip the script. I want to be the one to take on this role and I really hope that you don’t mind.”