by Sarah Taylor
We roll across the mattress, our clothing tearing away until not even a whisper of a breeze can glide between us. His body is hot and heavy over mine in the best way possible.
His warm, velvet tongue probes my lips, and I eagerly part them to drink in the taste of his kiss. He grips my wrists in one of his powerful hands, pinning them above my head. With his other arm, he hooks my knee and lifts it just roughly enough that the spark of pain makes a moan rise up my throat.
His mouth travels to my ear, and he nips at my earlobe before traversing down my neck. Along the way, he leaves a trail of darkened love bites that I know I’ll have to cover before my next shift at work but it’s all too worth it to complain.
My hips buckle against his naked ones, and I feel the swollen length of his cock pressing against my damp slit. The warmth rolling off his body is enough to make my eyes roll back.
Cooper travels lower, kissing up the hill of my breast until he can take the rosebud of my nipple between his hot lips. I moan again, my free leg tangling around his waist.
“Please!” I cry out, desperation seeping into my voice. “Cooper, fuck me! I can’t wait anymore...”
He growls with lust, and his lips return to mine. Our tongues twine desperately as he pins me against the bed.
His hips grind against my own, so that his long, massive shaft glides along my mound. I can hardly imagine how that pulsing member is going to fit inside me, but I'm dying for it. When I blink, the backs of my eyelids are crimson with raw lust.
Finally — finally — he begins to slowly thrust his manhood into me.
Pain blossoms deep in my core as I wince and my moan of pleasure cuts off. I cling to him, biting my lip, and Cooper freezes.
The tip of his nose brushes mine, his wide, blue eyes locking on me.
“Lucy...” he says in a throaty, strained voice. I can feel his entire body trembling against mine as he tries to restrain himself. It’s taking every bit of his composure not to thrust his entire throbbing length into me. “Are you a virgin?”
“Yes,” I whisper bluntly.
There’s no reason to lie now. I hadn't told him because I didn't want it to be a big deal. I suppose, in a way, I thought I could pretend that I'm not a virgin, but my body had given me away. He stares down at me, lust and hesitation battling in his eyes. He’s worried I'm going to get clingy.
“I understand the rules though, Cooper,” I say hastily. If he stops, I might very well burst from the intense lust building within me. “Even if this is my first time, I know it can be our only time.”
“Thank god,” he murmurs. “I don’t know how I would have stopped now...”
One of his hands cups my face as his mouth descends again on mine. He kisses me hard, but he moves gently as he slowly pushes himself deeper inside me.
Just when I think I can handle the pain no longer, it melts into a haze of intense, mind-blowing bliss.
Cooper thrusts again, moaning roughly against my lips. “You’re so fucking tight, Lucy. I can’t... I won’t hold back...”
“Fuck me,” I whisper into his ear, my breath hot on the side of his cheek. “Hard, Cooper. I want to feel every inch of you.”
He roars with pleasure and pins me down again, his body looming over mine. I cling to him, head falling back, spine arching, as his strokes become powerful with lust.
Sweat drips down his muscled chest, and as I kiss every inch of him that I can reach, savoring the way I can feel his body straining.
Ecstasy coils in my stomach, suddenly bursting through me with such strength that fireworks explode in front of my eyes. My body convulses with pleasure, my pussy tightening around Cooper as he gives a roar of his own bliss and collapses on top of me.
We lay there on the mattress, the sheets coiled and damp around us, as we hold one another tight. Our chests heave in synchronous time as our kisses become lazy and slow. He rolls off me but stays close.
It’s grown dark outside and moonlight spills across the room.
His breath evens out, warm on the back of my neck, but I know I can’t stay.
Even though I would love to stay wrapped up in this man’s arms, I know I can’t let myself get attached. It’s clear that this was a one night deal, and I don’t want him to think that just because he took my virginity I was going to push for more.
I slip from his grasp and make my way as silently as I can across the carpet.
The hardest thing is going to be walking away from this forever, but for the sake of my own heart, I know it’s what I have to do.
Chapter 3
Cooper
I can’t remember the last time I got a truly good night’s sleep.
Most of the time, I'm plagued with nightmares about fire.
I love my job, and I’d never choose to do anything else, but you don’t pursue a career like firefighting without gaining a few scars along the way. In those dark dreams, the flames just get higher and higher over my head, and I’m powerless to do anything about it. I typically wake in the safety of my bed, gasping for air, and clutching my throat with the sheets tangled around my legs.
Last night, however, I slept like a baby.
It’s all thanks to Lucy and the way she’d rocked my world. It has to be.
I’d had no idea she was a virgin, but I’d be lying if I said I didn't enjoy being the one to touch her for the first time or claim her for the first time. To be the first one to see that gorgeous body of hers in all of its glory was an honor. It might’ve been her first time having sex, but she certainly hadn't let me down. That sweet, innocent enthusiasm of hers just about had me over the edge the first second my fingers brushed her curves.
Maybe this morning we can even go for round two.
I don’t typically enjoy waking up next to anyone, but for Lucy, I’d make an exception.
Just this once, of course.
Without opening my eyes, my fingers creep across my rumpled blankets in pursuit of the heat of the beautiful body next to me, but all I find is a cold pillow. One eye cracks open before I sit up sharply.
What the hell? Lucy is nowhere to be seen.
I look around my room, but her clothing is missing, too. She must’ve snuck out while I was still sleeping.
My heart thuds against my ribs, but I tell myself it’s only my ego that’s wounded.
After all, I'm not used to being on this side of a hookup. It’s always me who creeps out of the room at midnight or who has to awkwardly tell my guest that it’s time to leave. For some reason, with Lucy, I hadn't had that familiar urge to get her out of my apartment once we’d slept together. In fact, I’d easily fallen asleep to the sound of her sighing breath and the fragrance of her lavender scent in the air.
I should be happy that she’s gone, so that I can focus on getting ready for work, but instead, I feel strangely disappointed.
My mind races for some reason for my bruised feelings. It must be because she was a virgin, and I wanted to give her another taste of what it’s like to be ravished by a man who knows just what he’s doing. That’s all it can be. I mean, there’s no way I'm falling for her. There’s no way I want anything further from her.
That’s impossible.
My heart is way too guarded for love. It’s practically made of ice by now. No woman will ever pierce its wall again.
I hop into the shower, but I can’t shake thoughts of Lucy and her perfect body or the way her lips pressed against mine out of my head. Her taste still clings to my tongue, and I find it more intoxicating than the wine we drank last night. Despite the cold shower, I'm blazing hot by the time I dress for my shift at the fire station. I even have trouble zipping my pants, I'm so hard at the thought of her.
The very moment I swing open my door and step outside, the door next to mine opens as well.
Lucy appears there, her green gaze colliding with mine. Her eyes round with surprise. Her lips are painted with pink gloss, and her hair tumbles over her shoulders. She must be heading to the elementary school f
or the day. Even in her teacher gear, she’s so sexy I can hardly stand it. Images of last night hit me like a sucker punch. I can still hear her moaning my name into my ear and begging for me to fuck her. Lust swells through me, my cock swelling even more against my thigh. I blink hard, dazed by my visceral reaction to her.
She’s even more beautiful than I remember.
“Good morning,” she offers falteringly.
She fumbles with her keys and eases out of the doorway. Her eyes drop from mine to stare at her feet.
“Morning,” I murmur back. I take my time appreciating the way she looks today.
I can imagine every dip and curve of her body beneath her clothes with ease. Her plump lower lip is tugged beneath her teeth when she notices the proof of how I feel for her straining against my slacks.
Her cheeks blush a faint shade of red, and she glances back up at me with a coy, slightly-playful smile. Her gaze wanders over me briefly, admiring the view of me as much as I’d been admiring her a moment ago.
I lean one arm over her head against the concrete apartment wall. It’s all I can do not to pull her against me. I want to feel her in my arms again.
So what if I said this was a one-night thing? It’s not like we suddenly have to get serious and commit to one another if we hook up another time — or two or three.
We’re the only ones who decide that, right?
“I was thinking...” I say slowly. “Tonight. You. Me. Break open another bottle of wine?”
She bites harder on her lip for a brief moment before straightening and pushing back her shoulders.
Her emerald eyes twinkle faintly. “Sorry, Cooper, but you made your rules clear. That was a one-time thing. The only way you’re getting me naked again is in your dreams.”
With a wink, Lucy walks past me toward the apartment parking lot.
I'm left staring after her, my jaw practically on the ground.
First, she leaves my apartment in the middle of the night, then she turns me down? It’s safe to say I'm in way over my head now. Everything I thought I understood about women has been turned upside down.
Who the hell is Lucy, and what has she done to me?
Chapter 4
Lucy
I might have looked cool and cute as I left the handsome firefighter in the dust, but it seriously took all of my might not to turn back around and race back to him for one more steamy, sweet kiss.
It would’ve been so easy to agree to just go over to Cooper’s place tonight.
I could let him strip me bare, so that I can feel his hot mouth on every inch of my body. I could’ve slid back into his lap and run my fingers through his hair. I could even blame us sleeping together again on the wine we’d drink...
But that wouldn’t be right. He made it clear that he doesn’t want a relationship, and I know if I sleep with him again, my heart is going to get involved. In fact, I think it already is. Despite my own confusing feelings, the last thing I want is to push Cooper towards something he doesn’t want. It’s me who would get hurt in the process.
Besides, I need to focus on my students and my job. I’ll forget Cooper’s touch soon enough. I’ll forget the way he made me feel and the way aftershocks of pleasure still roll through me every time I even think of his name.
I have to.
Maybe sleeping with my next-door neighbor was a mistake, but even if it was, I don’t regret it. I’d always known that I was saving my first time for someone special, and Cooper is special in his own bruised, arrogant, sexy way. There’s more to him than he lets on, that’s obvious, but I can’t drag it out of him. I can’t make him want to be someone he’s not. I would respect his wishes not to get involved with him no matter how badly I wanted to sleep with him again.
I slide into my car and start the engine while doing my best not to scope out the parking lot for any sight of Cooper and his dark hair and blue eyes.
When my phone suddenly rings, I'm so grateful for the distraction that I do a fist pump while answering it.
“Hey, Lucy!” says a perky, feminine voice. It’s Ava, my old college roommate. While I was studying education, she was studying to be a nurse. “You’re coming to my birthday party tonight, right?”
I slap a hand against my cheek, stunned that in the wake of losing my V-card, I’d nearly forgotten my friend’s birthday.
“You bet!” I promise her. “I’ll head right over when I'm off work.”
“Awesome! I can’t wait to see you!” she chirps before the line goes dead.
I drop the phone, whistling with joy as I leave the parking lot and head towards Davis Elementary School.
This is just the thing to get my mind off Cooper!
With some much-needed girl time, I’ll be able to totally forget what happened last night and just how much I'm still craving Cooper’s touch.
Chapter 5
Cooper
“What the hell is wrong with you?” laughs Brady.
At the abrupt sound of my friend’s voice, I give my head a rousing shake and look dazedly around the fire station's locker room. I have no idea how long I’ve just been sitting here like a zombie on this bench.
It’s been a relatively quiet day at the station. We’ve mostly just been cleaning the firetrucks, watching prerecorded football games, and, by the smell of it, someone is making chili in the kitchen. My stomach growls, reminding me that I forgot to eat lunch in my Lucy-induced stupor.
“I’ve been trying to talk to you for like ten minutes and you’re being a total space cadet,” Brady continues with a grin.
“Sorry,” I grumble before dragging a hand through my hair. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
I haven’t been able to shake off my conversation with Lucy from earlier. I still can’t believe she turned me down! No woman has ever been able to resist me. I know I was the one who laid down the rule for us to have only one night together, but right now I’d do just about anything for a second shot. It definitely hadn't crossed my mind that Lucy would be the one to reject me when I told her that I wasn’t interested in anything further. I’d always been the one to have to shut down women who try to drag me into relationships or into hooking up on a regular basis. Then Lucy came along and confused the absolute hell out of me.
There’s something about that woman that keeps me on my toes...
Brady eyes me and then folds his strong arms over his chest. “You look miserable, man. You okay?”
“It was just a, uh, long night,” I mutter.
I'm not about to tell him that the gorgeous girl next door I’ve been pining after has shut me down hard.
It’s not like I want to date Lucy. I don’t want to date anyone. All I need is myself. Maybe this is just a good reminder of that.
After all, I know what happens when you get hung up on one girl. It doesn’t end well. It ends with betrayal.
Brady hums thoughtfully. “Is this about that girl next door? You said something weird was happening at her place.”
I choke and then clear my throat hard.
Subtle, Cooper. Real subtle.
One of Brady’s eyebrows quirks upward, but I still shake my head.
“Nah. That ended up being nothing,” I stammer hastily.
I can’t tell whether Brady believes me or not, but he shrugs and at least appears to lose interest in that line of questioning. I'm all too grateful not to have to talk about Lucy for the moment. My pride is still wounded from her sneaking out of my bed in the middle of the night and then rejecting my further advances.
“Have you heard about the party tonight?” Brady asks after a few moments. He sits down on the bench beside me and rests his forearms on his muscled thighs. “It’s some nurse’s birthday. A bunch of the hospital staff is going so they invited us and some cops as well. It’s turning into some big public service thing — even if it’s really just a chance to get hammered and let loose.”
“I don’t know...” I start to say.
Before now, I never turned down a part
y. That’s where you meet all the hottest girls, after all. But I kind of want to go home and just see if I can have another chance at meeting up with Lucy again. All for the sake of my dignity, of course — definitely not because I'm interested in her.
Startled shock registers on Brady’s face. “You – Cooper Nelson, certified party animal — don’t want to go to a party? Did I forget to mention the nurses? You know they’re always down for a wild time, right?”
A wild time just like the one I had with Lucy last night.
A shiver curls up my spine, vertebra by vertebra.
What I wouldn’t give to kiss that girl again...
That being said, I can’t exactly turn Brady down. If I don’t go to this party, he’ll know for sure something is up, and then he won’t rest until I come totally clean to him.
“I'm just joking,” I say with a wolfish grin. “You know I can’t resist a good time.”
Brady gives a tentative laugh, but his eyes are concerned as he nods along.
With that, I stand up and head out of the locker room before he can interrogate me further.
For the rest of my shift, I do my best to look as present as possible because I know Brady is keeping an eye on me.
Later, once Brady and I have finished our shifts and gotten released for the day, he and I head to the party. After a brief drive, we pull up in front of a crowded driveway. There are cars everywhere, as are people milling about. This party must be a good one.
Music pulses faintly from inside the house as we head up to the open front door and then walk inside.
Some people are dancing, others are chatting, but everyone has a drink in their hand. There are tons of girls here, and I could pick one up easily, but strangely enough, I'm just not eager to do so. I don’t know what’s come over me, but I decide not to think too hard about it.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I see something that makes my whole body twist toward the sight.
A flash of long, scarlet curls vanishes around the corner of a hall.