Down in Flames (Silver Tongued Devils Series Book 1)

by Samantha Conley

  “Derek!” I open my arms and she jumps in, wrapping her legs around my waist. I clutch her to me and kiss her temple.

  “Damn, I’ve missed you, Kris.” She gives me a tight squeeze, then stiffens. We both realize we’re in an intimate embrace, not that I mind. She loosens her grip on me and I set her back on her feet.

  “What are you doing here? I thought y’all wouldn’t get back until tomorrow sometime?” She grabs my hand and leads me into her apartment and we take a seat. Damn, she looks good.

  “I decided to fly back instead of taking the bus. I needed a fix of my momma’s fried chicken.” I laugh, and she chuckles too. She knows how good that fried chicken is.

  “So, whatcha doin’ tonight? I was thinking maybe we could order in a pizza and watch a movie.” She looks down and starts to twist the bottom of her tank top, raising it just enough that I can see her belly button and something silver. She has her belly button pierced? Since when? Damn, that’s sexy. I glance up to see her looking at me, chewing on her bottom lip. That’s a sure sign that she’s nervous.

  “Well, actually…” She clears her throat and looks me in the eyes. “I have a date tonight.”

  Wait, what? A date?

  “I didn’t realize that you were seeing someone.” I feel a little pain in my chest.

  “We’re not dating. This is the first date. He’s one of the instructors in my CrossFit class. He seems like a nice guy, and Camryn’s advice is that I need to get under someone else.” She blushes as she says it. “Not that I have any plans for that to happen tonight, of course. I’m not a one-night stand kinda girl, ya know?”

  I can feel myself getting angry. Get under someone else? Like hell! Is this what jealousy feels like? I stand up and pace in front of the couch.

  “Do you think it’s too soon to start dating? It’s been nearly a year since Brett and I split. He’s obviously moved on, hundreds of time, I’m sure. Don’t you think it’s time I did the same?”

  How I feel right now has nothing to do with Brett; it’s all me. I want to be the one she gets under, and that’s so wrong. They may not be together, and he may be fucking anything with a pulse, but we have the bro code. You don’t go after your friend’s girl, or ex-girl in this case. But I can’t help how I feel.

  “No, Kris. If you’re ready to move on, then it’s time.”

  She beams at me. “Thanks. I guess I needed to hear someone besides Camryn tell me that. Wanna help me decide on what to wear tonight? I know it’s not your thing, but I can’t decide. Guess that’s what happens when scrubs take up ninety percent of your wardrobe.”

  So, for the next half hour, I get to watch her model clothes. It’s pure torture.

  I leave about twenty minutes before her date arrives, but I don’t go far. I sit in my truck, parked off to the side where she can’t see me. As I wait, I finally see another truck pull into the space beside Kristen’s ride. A tall, muscular blond guy gets out, then reaches inside to grab some flowers. Jesus…flowers? Really? He heads to the door and knocks. After a few seconds, Kris answers the door. She’s left her hair down, and the porch light makes it look like a halo from where I’m sitting. She’s wearing the outfit I helped her pick out. Little does she know I picked the one that covered the most skin and gives off the ‘I’m not easy’ vibe. I’m glad that she decided to wear it.

  He hands her the flowers and gives her a kiss on the cheek. I feel my blood pressure rise. She heads back in with the flowers and is back moments later.

  Glad to see she didn’t let the fucker through her door.

  They head to his truck and he makes sure to open the door for her. She lifts herself in and I can see him check out her ass. His eyes better be the only thing on her ass tonight.

  They pull out of the parking lot, and I watch until his tail lights disappear. I want to follow, but that would be a little stalkerish, so I start up my truck and leave. There’s a little Mexican food place just up the road from her apartment complex. I’ll head there and stuff my face until I decide my next move.

  Chapter 15

  Kristen

  The date started out okay, and the flowers were a nice touch. We went to see a new scary movie that was out, but he kept trying to talk to me through it. I hate that, but I guess a movie isn’t so great for a first date, especially if I don’t want to talk or be distracted. He held my hand, but I felt nothing. Nada. No spark. Just his sweaty palm. After the movie, we went to one of the chain restaurants. I have to give him props, though. He’s been a gentleman. I try not to cringe when he places his hand on the small of my back as he opens the door for me to go in first.

  Thanks to call ahead seating, we get led to our table quickly after we arrive. Now, normally, I eat pretty damn healthy, and I work out five or six days a week. But tonight, I decide to splurge and get a small steak and a loaded baked potato. As I give my order to the waitress, I see Josh give me a strange look. Thinking maybe what I ordered is too expensive, I decide to offer to buy dinner since he paid for the movie.

  “How about I pay for dinner, since you paid for the movie and popcorn?” I ask.

  “No. I asked you out tonight, so I’m paying for it all. I guess I’ve never seen a girl eat so much.” Excuse me, what? Did he really just say that to me? I glance down, not even sure how to respond to that.

  There’s an awkward silence that falls between us after that, so I try to break the ice by asking the usual questions. What type of music do you normally listen to? Country, unless we’re working out. Did you grow up around here? Yes. Did you go to college locally too? Yes. Where? UNT. What did you major in? Kinesiology.

  The conversation is stopped by the arrival of our waitress with our food. Thank goodness. This is a train wreck. I didn’t really pay attention when Josh ordered, so I look at his plate to see what he ordered. Grilled fish, a ton of broccoli, and a huge mound of brown rice. Okay then. That doesn’t look appealing at all.

  He whips out his phone and starts to type something out. He looks up and sees me looking at him. “I have to enter my macros.”

  His what? I guess the question is on my face and he goes into a long-winded explanation of how many macros he can have a day: calories, fat, carbs, protein. Jeez, I didn’t know a diet could be that complicated. He goes on about how he’s in a bulking phase since we’re going into the colder months. Then, he’ll be in a cutting phase. He starts to describe his weight lifting regimen, in addition to his cardio. The whole time he’s talking, I’m steadily eating my delicious steak, baked potato, and asparagus. After a little while, he starts to sound like the parents of Charlie Brown.

  I glance out the window and see a truck parked outside that looks like Derek’s. I can’t tell if it’s his because it’s kind of in the shadows, away from the nearest light. I remember back to when he first bought his truck.

  “Come on, let’s go muddin’!” Derek yells as he comes in the house.

  “What are you talking about? Muddin’ in what?”

  “Let me show you.”

  We walk outside and I see his new jacked up Chevy Silverado. It’s so pretty. It’s shiny black, with a four-inch lift. He’s had bars added to help us shorter people climb in. Behind it, he’s pulling a trailer with a new Polaris RZR. Holy moly! It looks awesome.

  “Hell yeah! Let me change and we’ll go.” I run back in the house and pass Brett. “Go check out what Derek bought. We’re gonna have so much fun!”

  I haul ass upstairs and change into one of my old T-shirts, ripped jeans and old shoes. I’m going to get muddy and enjoy it. I head back down the stairs and we head out. The truck has leather seats and a bad ass sound system. I don’t know if I’ve ever been this high up off the ground before. We crank up the radio as we fly down the road.

  We had so much fun that day. We had had a pretty good storm the day before, so the ground was plenty wet. We headed out to Derek’s parents’ land and tore it up. I can’t remember a time I had had so much fun. We ended up covered in mud, so we had to go back to
his parents’ house to shower and change. I ended up having to borrow some of Derek’s clothes to wear home.

  “Are you listening to me?” I snap my gaze up to Josh’s. I guess he noticed that my attention had wandered away from him.

  “Sorry, Josh. I guess I zoned out for a second there.” I look at his plate and notice he’s barely touched his food. “How’s your food? Mine’s delicious.” And it is. I’ve almost cleaned my plate. He makes a gruff sound and begins to shovel his food into his mouth, and I mean shovel. I’ve never seen someone who eats like him. I don’t even know if he’s chewing. Or breathing. In a matter of minutes, he’s cleared his own plate.

  “You know, you really shouldn’t eat that much fat and carbs at the same time, Kristen. It’s hell on your metabolism. I’ve noticed that you’ve been slacking at the box too. Maybe you should come work out with me, I hit the gym twice a day. Build up some of your muscle mass.” He keeps talking, not even really looking at me. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? I discreetly signal the waitress. She gives me a slight nod when I mouth the word “Check.”

  I interrupt Josh and excuse myself from the table and head back to the bathroom. I need a minute. I use the facilities, wash my hands, and make my way back to the table. The waitress is there and Josh is talking to her, then I see him slip her a piece of paper. Wow. He’s slipping the waitress his number. He’s a real stand-up guy. The waitress turns around and spots me, and her eyes go wide. She can’t really move without going by me.

  She tries to move past me, but I stop her with a hand on her arm. “You’re welcome to him, hun. Just watch what you eat in front of him.”

  She looks at me like I’m crazy as I let go of her arm. I get to the table and ask Josh if he’s ready to go. He nods his head and we head for the front door. I barely give him time enough to catch up with me before I’m in his truck, buckling my belt, while he gets in on his side.

  “Anywhere else you wanna go?”

  I shake my head no. “I’m kinda tired, and it’s been a long week. I think you should just take me home.”

  He gives me a quick look and we pull out of the space. We’re silent on the way back to my apartment. We don’t even have the radio on to serve as a buffer.

  After what feels like the longest drive in history, we finally pull into my apartment complex. He turns off the truck, gets out, and rounds the truck to open the door. He offers me his hand to help me out and I hesitate, but after a moment, I slip my hand into his. He leads me to my door, stops, and looks at me.

  “Are you gonna invite me in?” he asks.

  Is he for freaking real? I want to laugh in his face, but that would be mean.

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Josh. It’s late.” I turn to unlock the door when I feel him grab my arm and turn me back around.

  “You sure about that?” He moves in, trying to kiss me, but I turn my head and his lips land on my cheek. He pulls back, looking at me questioningly. Then, taking the hint, he says good night. I don’t even watch him go to his truck as I unlock my door and go in. Thank goodness that disaster is over. I kick off my shoes and hear a knock at the door. Please, don’t tell me he came back.

  Opening it, I find Derek leaning against the door frame.

  “Let me in, Kris.” I move to the side and he hurries through, stopping in-between the couch and TV. Closing the door, I turn back around and Derek’s there. He’s so close, you couldn’t put a piece of paper between us. “Kris,” he whispers. He raises a hand and places it behind my neck, then pulls me forward and kisses me.

  Chapter 16

  Derek

  I feel like a fucking stalker or something. I ate a dozen tacos and nursed a few beers to kill some time. I still ended up at her apartment complex, waiting for her to get home from her date. It feels like for-fucking-ever before I see her date’s truck pull up. He gets out and goes around to her side, opens her door, and I see her hesitate for a second before she gives him her hand. I wonder what happened tonight to make her hesitate.

  They walk to her door, exchange words, then he leans in for a kiss, but she turns just in time for it to land on her cheek. I grip the steering wheel tight; so tight, my knuckles turn white. He turns away to head to his truck, and she goes in to her apartment as he slams his door and hauls ass away. Before I even realize it, I’m standing at her door, knocking. What the fuck am I doing?

  She opens the door. “Let me in, Kris,” I say.

  She nods her head and slowly opens the door. Once I’m standing in her living room, I think to myself, now what? As she closes the door, I walk up behind her. When she turns around, we almost touch.

  “Kris,” I whisper.

  Before I know it, I have a hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her neck, drawing her slowly to me. I place my lips on hers and gently kiss her, then pull back and look at her.

  I dive back in, slipping my tongue in-between her lips, just a little to test the waters. She opens her mouth a little more, letting her tongue dance with mine. When she moans, I grip her hair in my fist and move my other hand down to palm her firm ass. Bending at my knees, I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist. She feels wonderful in my arms. I move us toward the couch, and I sit down with her straddling my hips, making my dick rock hard.

  “What are we doing, Derek? Are we crazy?”

  “I don’t think we’re crazy, Kris. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Every time I’ve talked to you on the phone, I’ve felt like we’ve grown closer. I’ve been attracted to you from the get-go. You’re a beautiful woman.” She blushes and tries to look down, but I lift her chin so she has to look at me. “Like I said, you’re beautiful, and it’s not just on the outside. You have a beautiful heart and soul. I think I started falling for you a little that night I came over after Stephanie and I broke up. I thought it was a little crush and I would get over it, but I haven’t. I can’t. I want you. It may not be right, but it can’t be wrong either.”

  I pull her head back toward mine and kiss her. Hard. I’m the gasoline and she’s the match. I run my hand up and under her shirt, splaying it across her back so I can press her chest into mine. I sit up a little on the couch and it makes her lean back a little, breaking our kiss.

  “If you don’t want this, tell me now.”

  I can see the indecision in her eyes, but she shocks me when she lowers her hands to the bottom of her top and slowly raises it up, like she’s teasing me. I can see the ring in her belly button twinkle. Her top clears her breasts, bringing me face-to-face with her lacy blue bra that almost matches her eyes.

  I move my hands to cup her breasts, which fit my hands perfectly. I look up into her face as she places her hands on my shoulders. I push them together and kiss the exposed skin, then gently bite her nipple through the lace. She gasps and presses her breast closer to my mouth, so I move my hands around her back and unsnap her bra. Leaning back, I slowly lower the straps from her shoulders. She blushes and lowers her eyes.

  “No, look at me.”

  She gives me her eyes and I move back to her breast. Lifting it up with my hand, I circle my tongue around the outside of her nipple. With each pass, I get closer to the tip. I finally reach it and gently take it between my teeth, then move to her other nipple, repeating the action. I release her nipple with a pop and blow air on it. The goose bumps breaking out over her skin make me smile. I bend her slightly backwards with one hand on her back, and the other on her chest. She braces her hands around my neck as I start to make my way down her stomach. I lower my hand from her chest to the top of her jeans and slide my finger under the waist band.

  “Kris, you still with me?”

  “Yes,” she moans, and that’s all I need to hear. I put my hands on her hips and move to stand from the couch. She squeals a little as I stand up and clutches my shoulders tight.

  “I got ya. Don’t worry.”

  I carry her into the bedroom and lay her down with her legs dangling over the side.
I never realized how the height of a bed could be an advantage. I kneel between her legs to kiss her stomach again, and as I get to her belly button, I give the ring a tug. Popping the button of her pants, I pull down the zipper and lift her hips. I try to decide if I want to take her panties down right now or tease her some more. I leave them in place for now and work her jeans off her long legs. Kissing her ankle, I work my way up her leg with soft kisses. The closer I get to the heart of her, the more she squirms. I gently lower her leg back down and move both my hands to her inner thighs, running my thumbs slowly on the outside of her pussy lips.

  “Please,” she murmurs.

  I spread her open and lick around her clit. She tastes fucking delicious. I lick her from her clit down to her entrance, gathering the wetness on my tongue as I slowly insert my finger. She’s so damn tight. I add a second finger, then a third. I reach down with my other hand and open my jeans to allow my dick some breathing room. I continue to thrust my fingers inside her and palm my cock, stroking it slowly as I feel her start to tighten. I lick her harder, faster, until she cries out, arching off the bed while she clenches around my fingers. I slow my thrusting, allowing her to ride it out. When she relaxes, I stand up, grab my wallet, and pull out a condom. I hold it with my teeth and look at her lying on the bed, panting. Taking my jeans completely off, I roll the condom along my dick. When she opens her eyes, she looks at me, dazed.

  “Are you ready, baby?”

  She shakes her head yes, and I move back between her thighs. Gripping my dick, I circle around her wetness. She’s tight, and I am not a small man. I slowly push my way inside her, maybe a couple of inches, and pull back out. I push again and give her a little more.

  When I pull out, I thrust again, burying myself balls deep. I give her a second to adjust, but that’s it. I place my hands beside her head, pull out, and thrust back into her, hard. I feel my balls slap her ass. I look into her face to make sure I don’t see any signs of pain, and once I see she’s fine, I begin to move inside her, pumping myself in measured thrusts.