by Emma Renshaw
Hudson’s smile splits his face. “Aww, is my boy falling in love?”
I can’t stop the smile that is taking over my face. I don’t answer him, but keep walking. He catches up to me, slinging his arm around my shoulder. “That’s adorable. I’m happy for you, man.” He slaps my back. I look over at him, seeing if he’s serious. He jumps from one woman to the next, never going back twice. I’m surprised to find genuine happiness on his face.
I pull Savannah into me when we reach her at the table. She wraps her arms around my neck, while mine settle on her hips. I raise one hand to brush her hair back. I settle my lips on hers. She sighs contentedly. When I pull back from her and we face the table, each person in my family is staring at us with a smile on their face.
When Hudson suggests we crash girls’ night at The Cellar, I jump at the opportunity to see Savannah. We’ve been spending every night together for the past several weeks since we both stripped our baggage. We spend a few days at my house, then a few days at hers. We’ve ended each night exploring each other’s bodies. I’m relishing every moment that I get to spend finding out what makes her moan. Savannah continually brings me to my knees with her sinful mouth, soft hands, and tight pussy.
We’re living in a fantasy that I surely don’t deserve to have. She was already asleep in the middle of my bed when I got home late last night. She woke me up in the middle of the night by sucking me awake. We made love quietly before falling back asleep, wrapped in each other. This morning, she was out the door for an early meeting before my alarm went off. I didn’t see her before she left to meet the girls at The Cellar. I’m dying to get my eyes and lips on her.
I text Gabe on our way to the bar, telling him to meet us there. We came to a silent understanding after meeting properly. I appreciate the fact that he has looked out for Savannah like she’s family. I would do the same for his woman. When we stroll into the bar, I hear the girls’ laughter over the music. When we approach the table to find three empty wine bottles and a new one freshly uncorked, I smile. I love when my girl is tipsy, she turns feisty. These girls’ nights end well for me.
Savannah is sitting on one side of the booth, alone. I slide in next to her, my lips landing on her neck. She giggles, turning toward me, holding my face. “What are you doing here, baby? It’s not time to pick me up yet.”
“Crashing,” I tell her before kissing her deeply. When our tongues melt together, she moans. A straw hits the side of my head, and I break our kiss and turn toward the other side of the table. James and Hudson have chairs on the end of the table. Harper has another straw aimed at my face.
“Y’all are seriously so disgustingly cute,” she says. “If I didn’t love y’all, I’d want to kill you. I want to be kissed like that.”
Hudson leans toward her. “I can kiss you like that, baby. Anytime.” He gives her a wink before leaning back into his chair.
“You couldn’t handle me,” she says, dismissing him. “This silent, sexy brute on the other hand, though,” she says, her hand waving toward James. “He is much more my type.”
The girls laugh. “He’s everyone’s type,” Valerie pipes up.
James is stiff as a board, his cheeks a rosy red. I clap him on the shoulder. “Sorry, big guy, you’re not my type.”
He shakes off my hand, shaking his head, but remaining silent as usual. Hudson is laughing along with Harper, not put out by her dismissal. The two of them have become good friends since Savannah and I mixed our little groups. They verbally spar. Hudson flirts with Harper like there’s no tomorrow, but she continues to ignore him. I know he would never go there, though. He wouldn’t want to upset any of these girls. Savannah and her girls have him wrapped around their fingers. He will do anything each of them asks.
“Hitting on James again, babe?” Gabe asks as he saunters up to the table. “If I was a less confident man, you’d definitely give me a complex.”
We spend the rest of the night laughing and polishing off more drinks. I whisper in Savannah’s ear every few minutes promises of what I will do to her and asking her if it’s time to leave yet. I’ve missed my girl and want her in my bed without anyone else around.
Finally, she lets me drag her from the booth. When she starts another conversation with Harper about a new dress at Harper’s store, I toss her over my shoulder and march out. She pounds on my back as I stomp through the parking lot toward the Jeep. I slap her ass. “I’m ready to get you home.”
She giggles, squeezing my ass. “I love your butt,” she moans. “It’s so sexy.”
I throw her in the Jeep and head to my place as fast as possible. She keeps her hand dangerously high on my thigh the entire way there. We’re barely inside the house when we start to rip each other’s clothes off. I have her dress and bra tugged down under her tits. Her nipples are taut and begging to be sucked. Savannah wraps her leg around my waist. Cupping her ass, I carry her to my room. Her nipples are dragging over my naked chest. She’s moaning from the contact, grinding her wet pussy against my stomach.
“No panties tonight?” I ask breathlessly.
She stops sucking on my neck, moving her mouth to my ear. “I knew I would be coming home to you.”
I growl, gripping her ass tighter, marching faster into my bedroom. I put Savannah on the edge of the bed and drop to my knees, pulling her legs over my shoulders. I lean into her slick pussy.
She tries to get closer to me, but I put my arm down on her stomach, holding her in place. I give her one long, lick before pulling away.
“Tell me what you want, gorgeous.”
“Lick me, Liam. Please.” She tries to move from the confines of my arm, but she doesn’t need to. I give her exactly what she wants, licking her pussy lips. I suck her clit into my mouth, grazing it with my teeth. Her hands weave into my hair, pushing my face down into her pussy. I moan, licking her top to bottom again. She whimpers.
I plunge my tongue into her core, fucking her with my mouth. She bucks beneath me, pleading for more. I rub her clit in circles, removing my arm from her stomach to play with her nipples. I pinch one, rolling it between my forefinger and thumb, pulling it. Her back arches. I continue to fuck her with my tongue and lay a light slap across her clit.
Savannah’s hands pull my hair as she screams her way through her orgasm. I crawl up her body, slamming into her and catching the last waves of her clenching pussy. I growl, thrusting into her faster. She’s panting, “I’m–I’m going to come again.”
I squeeze one breast and use my other hand to massage her clit, and she shoots off like a rocket again, strangling my cock with her tight, wet pussy. I pump into her twice more before releasing my orgasm inside of her.
Savannah wraps her arms around me when I collapse on top of her. She kisses my neck, saying between licks, “It’s so, so good every time.”
My lips land on her mouth; she opens for me. I sink my tongue into her mouth, relishing that her taste is still in my mouth. She sucks my tongue, moaning. I break the kiss, looking into her eyes. “I’ll never get enough of you, Savannah.”
She lightly kisses me one more time. I pull out of her, already missing her heat. I go to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth to clean us both off. I love to take care of her after. I love the way she lets me clean her off before we go to bed. I peel the rest of her clothes from her body that never fully came off in our haste.
Once we’re both naked, I tug her body into mine. She lays her head on my chest, her arm and leg slung over my body. My arm is around her back, palm on her ass, and the other hand is resting on top of hers on my stomach. I listen to her drift off to sleep, thinking the words I promise to tell her soon.
40
SAVANNAH
Each morning the dread I feel going to work for a boss I hate gets worse. I wake up later and later each day, unable to muster any drive to make it to work on time, looking my absolute best.
When I admitted out loud to Liam, that I wanted to save enough money to start my own boutique marketing compan
y, the dread of my real job became worse. The night I told Liam about my dream, we talked until the sun rose. I told him every one of my plans.
He made me scream his name over and over, telling me it was a turn on to think of me as a boss. I thought back to that night, twirling my hair around my finger.
“You could quit,” Liam says. I look over at him. He’s leaning against the doorjamb of his closet.
“I can’t quit.”
“Why not?”
“I kind of like having a place to live. Food to eat.” I sigh. “I also need to sustain my addiction to romance novels and clothes. Can’t do that without a job.”
“You could move in with me,” Liam says, shrugging before walking back into his closet.
I get back out of bed, walking over there. “Did you just ask me to move in with you?”
“I gave you the option. If you want to live here and start your company, I’ll support you.”
“No,” I say flatly. I spin on my heel, striding into the bathroom.
He comes to the bathroom door, watching me get ready while buttoning his shirt. I curse my nipples when they turn to stiff peaks at the sight. Every morning when he puts on a suit for work, I have to restrain myself from ripping it off of him. When I arrived late at his house one night to find him in his office, still in a suit and glasses on, I sunk to my knees in front of him, worshiping him. I also rode him in his chair that night.
Damn his suits.
“Why not?” he asks, confused.
“I’m not taking your money, living with you, while I just prance off not making a living. Not going to happen.”
He looks at me, still confused, so I continue. “I’m not going to live with you out of necessity. If I ever live with you it will be because it’s something we both want.”
“I do want it.”
I lay my fingers over his mouth. He kisses the tips of my fingers, smiling behind them. His eyes are playful and shining brightly, devouring my naked body. “I don’t have time for this conversation right now,” I say. “I can’t quit my job.” I lean up on my toes and kiss his lips.
“Fine,” he says. “Just know, that I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you here.” He slaps my ass and walks out of the room.
I shake my head. I let myself fantasize for a moment. I’d stroll into the office wearing a killer dress and fantastic shoes, slam my notice on my boss’ desk. As I throw colorful language around, I tell her I’m quitting effective immediately and I’m taking Natasha with me. Natasha could help me run the business and my boss would slowly lose her mind without us there. That damn tyrant.
I could come home every day to a sexy man in a suit while I’m still wearing a badass dress and killer shoes. We stay together every day right now, but in this fantasy, ‘I love you’ would be flowing from our lips frequently, my clothes would be in his closet, except it wouldn’t be his closet, it would be our closet.
I sigh, looking at myself in the mirror, wishing that were the reality. I quickly get ready after realizing just how late I’m about to be. Liam and I run out the door at the same time, passionately kissing in the driveway.
“I have a lot of meetings today,” he tells me against my lips. He kisses the tip of my nose. “I may be slow to text. I should be home on time tonight.”
Home. I wish when he said that, it was one place, not a place where we had to decide to go. Each time I look at Liam I have to hold in the words that dance on the tip of my tongue, begging to spill. Fear strangles me, though. I can’t say them first. He’s hinted that he wants to keep me around for a long time, telling me he doesn’t ever want to let me go. I don’t want to assume the wrong thing. We took this relationship at my pace for a long time, and after I spilled my soul to him, I catapulted into love. Now, I want to take this at his pace. I don’t want to scare him away by uttering those words too soon.
We wave at each other as we head in opposite directions. My daydream is long forgotten when I see The Witch’s car in the parking lot. It’s never good when she arrives before Natasha or I. As I head to my office, I prepare for the verbal beating.
“It took you long enough in the bathroom,” The Witch spits at me as I walk past her door. I look at her, confused.
Natasha pipes up behind me. “I told her you were in the bathroom when she came in this morning.”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry.” I head into our office, climbing into my desk chair. “Thanks, girl, I owe you one,” I whisper.
“Have your man candy visit with cookies again and we’ll call it even.”
I hold a hand over my mouth to suppress my laughter.
Liam visited my office one time, bringing treats for the entire floor. He even charmed The Witch into eating one. After he swaggered out of my office, she was tolerable for the rest of the day. Each lady fawned over him. I couldn’t blame them. I did the same. There was nothing like seeing muscles and a firm male butt encased in a suit. I fan myself thinking about him.
“Let’s do lunch today,” Natasha whispers over her shoulder.
“I’m so full,” Natasha says, holding her stomach.
I laugh. “You always eat too many egg rolls.”
“I can’t resist them, they’re so good.”
Natasha and I like to go to the Chinese place next door. It is one of the only restaurants in the area that we can make it to and back in our allotted lunch time. Each of us are leaning against a wall in the elevator as we ascend to our floor.
“The stomachache is so worth it,” Natasha says, still rubbing her stomach.
I laugh again, standing up straight when the elevator dings for our floor. I stride out, Natasha on my heels. We turn toward our office when the receptionist calls out, “I put a delivery on your desk. That man of yours spoils you, child.”
“Thank you, Patty,” I call over my shoulder. My steps pick up their pace a bit. I’m excited to see what Liam sent this time. I’ve tried to explain my boss doesn’t like it, but anytime he sends me something or calls me at the office during the day, my heart races like he’s standing in front of me. Butterflies fill my tummy when I realize he sent something because he’s thinking about me.
The wall facing the hallway of our office is glass. I smile, searching my desk through the glass as we approach, looking for what he sent. When I see the filled vase, my smile falls away and bile fills my throat. I stop, staring at my desk through the window. Natasha runs into my back.
“What are you doing?” she asks. She peeks around my shoulder. “Oh, my gosh! Those are beautiful!”
I’m shaking my head, swallowing repeatedly, trying to keep the bile down. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop the tears that are filling my eyes. Natasha gives me a little shove. I move robotically to our office, and as soon as I’m in the doorway, the pungent smell hits my nostrils, making my stomach roll. I close my eyes, praying I can hold it together.
I grab the blood-red roses off my desk and turn back out of the room. “Tell The Witch I got sick and had to leave immediately.”
Natasha looks at me, confused. “Is everything okay?”
I don’t answer her as I run out of the office and back to the elevator. On the descent, I see the small, white envelop peeking out of the blood-red roses. With a shaking hand, I grab the card, flipping it over.
I’ll see you soon.
When I reach the parking lot, I race to the bushes at the edge of the lot. I vomit, unable to stop the rolling of my stomach.
Aiden.
He always loved giving me roses, even though I never liked them. The red roses sitting on my parents’ counter is one of the last things I remember before he knocked me unconscious and kidnapped me. I’ve never been able to stand the smell or sight of them since.
I’ll see you soon.
He found me. He’s coming. How is he out of prison? I was supposed to be notified of any changes. I was supposed to be notified if he was up for parole. I get sick again in the bushes. My hand is still clutching the vase. When I stand back up, I wi
pe my mouth with the back of my hand. The hair on the back of my neck rises. I close my eyes, trying to get the feeling that he’s here watching me, to pass. This can’t be happening.
I look around the parking lot. I stride toward the dumpster, determined. I launch the vase filled with the roses over the top and into the dumpster. Fuck you, Aiden. You’ll see me soon? I’ll be fucking waiting. I’m bouncing back and forth between fear, confusion, and rage. I run to my car, scanning the parking lot the entire time.
As soon as I speed out of the parking lot, I call Liam. His phone goes to voicemail. When the message beeps after prompting to leave a message, I freeze. This isn’t something I can leave on his voicemail. I hang up, remembering that he would be in meetings most of the day. I point my car toward home, hoping to find some clarity and form a plan. I need to figure out what is going on. I need to confirm he was released. I keep the ID number I’ve never been able to memorize with important documents on my desk. That ID number was my unique case number.
I pull into the driveway, jumping out of the car, running up the porch. I’m digging for my house keys in my purse. I freeze when my foot kicks something over. Rage and confusion leave my system, only leaving fear. I turn, looking up and down the street. There is not a soul or car in sight, but I feel like I’m being watched again. Tears sting my eyes. I breathe deeply, trying to keep it under control. I lean down, not bothering to pick up the vase or spilling roses. I just want the card.
It’s not very nice to throw away gifts, my love.
I can’t wait to see you. I promise it will be soon.
I run to the railing of our porch, dry heaving over the side. I have nothing left in my stomach. There’s no way I can go inside. He knows where I live. I can’t stand in the open, waiting for the police. I have to get out of here. What if he is in there, waiting for me? I look up and down the street again before racing to my car. I peel out of the driveway, calling Liam again. I slam my hand on the steering wheel when it goes to voicemail again. I calm my breaths and wipe my tears before I call his secretary.