Burning Up (32 page)

Eric winced and laughing; Ollie pulled out his guitar and started strumming. “Alabama, baby!”

Eric opened one eye and made a face that suggested he was in pain. “Please don’t. I beg you.”

Chuckling, Ollie began to play the tune
Sweet Home Alabama
. Pulling Amy to her feet, Mel began to dance around on the sand. Nick pulled out his drumsticks, and grabbing the empty ice bucket, he began tapping a beat on it. Amy bounced over, took my hand and pulled me up to dance with her and Mel. The alcohol running through my blood was loosening me up, and giggling, I joined them. The sun was going down and I was dancing on a beach with my friends. Did life get any better?

* * * *

Lying on my back, looking up at the stars, I sighed. Mel and Amy lied on either side of me. The drinks had been flowing for hours now, and I was feeling more than a little merry; I was totally sloshed. The music hadn’t stopped, and the guys had played all of their favorites while we girls danced and sang on the sand.

The mood was calming, and strumming his guitar gently, Ollie sat opposite me. I leaned up and gazed at him as he played one of my favorite songs,
More Than Words
by Extreme. Every line was heartfelt, deep, and emotionally charged, and Ollie sang it beautifully. His voice was husky and delicious. The words flowed from his mouth and reminded me of melting chocolate, smooth, enticing, and warm. His eyes were blazing with passionate and powerful sentiment. I knew he was trying to tell me how he felt. Ollie always found music as the best way to express himself. But as wonderful as that song was, it couldn’t compare to the next he played.

Where do I go from here?

How do I go on without you now?

You left me all alone with so many questions

And all I have is a hole inside my soul.

Baby come back to me, I promise I’ll be better.

Come back because we’re meant to be together.

If only you had given me time.

If only I had made you mine.

Can you hear the breaking of my heart?

I want you now; I need you forever.

I’d cross an ocean and give up on you never.

I’m holding the shattered pieces of my heart.

If you say you’ll be mine, I’ll never let us part.

Mel and Amy gazed at him dreamily.

“Ollie, that was … amazing,” Amy swooned.

“Yeah, wow. I never knew you had that kind of thing in you,” Mel said beaming at him.

He glanced at me before placing his guitar on the sand.

“Yeah, well. It got us signed, so I guess it did its job.”

Eric nodded while Nick rolled his eyes.

“Soppy, sappy shit. But hey, if it gets me laid,” Nick said, grinning like a smug cat who got the cream.

Getting to his feet, Ollie brushed himself down. “I need a walk.”

Turning on his heel, he started down the beach. Everyone was staring at me. Amy gave me a penetrating stare.

“What?” I said, looking between her and Mel.

“Go after him,” Mel gushed. “You know you want to.”

I shook my head. “Oh, no. I’ve had enough drama for one day.”

The two of them gave me an inquisitive stare.

“Jared,” I stated. The two of them instantly sat bolt upright, and checking that the guys weren’t listening, they leaned in closer. Eric and Nick were engrossed in a discussion about the record deal and seizing the opportunity, so the girls began throwing questions at me. Rolling my eyes, I explained what had happened at the coffee shop. The argument. The office. The sex. The reporter. Everything. Mel’s face turned serious and Amy’s expression was thunderous.

“You had sex with him!” Mel whispered angrily.

I nodded. “It’s not like I planned it. It just happened. I couldn’t stop myself.”

Amy snorted a laugh. “Yes you could. It’s easy. It’s one fucking word! It’s no.”

I held my head in my hands. “I don’t need a lecture. I know what I did, but I wanted it and I won’t feel bad about it.”

Mel groaned. “Layla, will you ever learn your fucking lesson? Do you enjoy the torture or are you that stupid?”

I got to my feet and kicked at the sand in frustration. “I know, okay, I know. But since when are you both so perfect?”

Amy sighed loudly. “Sweetie, we’re not putting you down, we’re just worried that you’re falling into the same trap you always did with him. Fighting, fucking, making up, and then fighting and fucking all over again.”

Mel nodded. “Exactly. Baby girl, we just want you to be careful.”

I took a deep breath and glanced behind me. I could still see Ollie walking slowly down the beach.

“What do I say to him?”

Mel shrugged. “Who said you have to say anything at all? You two always had that kind of connection. Maybe just this one time try not trying to fix it, and just let him do his thing.”

Amy nodded and smiled in agreement. Biting my lip, I turned and jogged across the sand to Ollie. Catching up with him, I slipped my hand into his, catching him by surprise. He halted and entwined his fingers with mine. Lifting my hand to his mouth, he pressed a kiss on each of my knuckles. I held my palm to his chest and leaning close, I kissed him. My tongue slid into his mouth, caressing his gently. His free hand gripped my hip. Driving him backward, I pressed him against the wooden stand of the lifeguard hut. His back hit it with a low thud and releasing his hand, I gripped his shirt and tore it open making the buttons ping off in different directions. He chuckled into my mouth and hurriedly unbuttoned my own shirt. His lips kissed and caressed the curves of my breasts as he unhooked my bra, sliding it off and tossing it onto the sand.

“What are you doing to me, Layla,” he said breathlessly.

Biting his lip, I licked at his lip ring. “I want you, Ollie. I love you. I need you. It’s always been you.”

He held my wrists in his hands and stopped me, pulling me flush against him. “You’re drunk. You’ll regret it in the morning, and I can’t take that.”

I shook my head, pressing my lips to his quickly. “No. I want this. I will never regret being with you. Ever.”

He didn’t hesitate. Pulling off his shirt, he draped it over me, picked me up like a new bride, and carried me up the steps of the lifeguard station. Putting me down, he jiggled the lock and pulled out a pocket-knife. A few seconds later, the door swung open, and taking my hand, Ollie pulled me inside.

I giggled and beamed at him as he held my hips and pushed his thumbs into the waist band of my pants, urging them down to my feet. Falling to his knees, he pushed me against a large desk that was against the far wall. His lips kissed and teased the lace of my panties. I groaned and moaned as the warmth of his mouth tickled my swollen clit. Looking up at me, he pulled down my panties. My head fell back, and I bit my lip as Ollie’s tongue slid inside the folds of my sex. I took in a sharp breath as Ollie’s hands gripped my thighs and thrust them apart. The tip of his tongue flicked, teased, and brushed against my clit.

“Oh, Ollie!”

My fingers gripped in his hair and I tugged on it gently. His lips left my clit and slowly, he trailed kisses up, over my stomach to my breasts. He took my nipple in his mouth as his hand massaged my other breast. I groaned with pleasure.

His mouth worked up to my throat and I couldn’t contain my eagerness and lust anymore. Grabbing him by the waist of his jeans, I pulled him over to the chair that sat beside the desk. Whipping the belt from his jeans, I pulled them down to his ankles and gasped as his enormous erection sprung free. The Ducati wasn’t the only monster Ollie possessed. I shoved him into the chair, and grinning, he grasped my hips and pulled me close. I positioned myself over him, hovering, allowing the very tip of him to slip inside me, teasing and tempting him. He pressed his lips together and hissed.

“You are such a tease,” he chuckled.

I bit my lip and slowly lowered myself onto him. His head fell back and his mouth opened.

“Oh, fuck.”

I started moving back and forth, up and down achingly slowly. I wanted to savor every second. I wanted to draw out our love-making for as long as humanly possible. I wanted to freeze this moment in time and re-live it over and over. Just us. Shutting the world out. Just us, the dark, silence, and our hot bodies, rubbing, brushing and grinding together.

Wrapping his arms around my back, he held me close. His lips trailed kisses from my face to my chest and then back to my mouth. It was more than erotic; it was sensual and romantic. Sex with Ollie was more than just fucking, it was an act of love. Ollie didn’t fuck me, he never had. Ollie and I had always made love, and this was no exception.

My hips gyrated and my hands gripped his shoulders as my nails dug into his flesh. I moved my hips faster and as he hitched a breath, it spurred me on further. Arching my back, I positioned myself at an angle, causing his cock to brush against my sweet spot.

“I want you so much, Ollie. I love you.”

He held me tighter, burying his head in my chest.

“Oh, Layla! Fuck!”

I leaned forward and sunk my teeth into his shoulder as my orgasm took hold. I shuddered, panted, and cried out his name over and over as my insides clenched delightfully around his solid, hard length.

“Ollie! Yes! Oh, my God, Ollie!”

I threaded my fingers in his hair and pulled his head back. His eyes gazed up at me, burning with desire and ecstasy.

His brow furrowed, and he bit down on his lip ring as he came, hard.

His breathing was harsh and erratic. Clinging to him, I stroked my fingers up and down his spine gently.

“I love you, Layla.”

I smiled against his cheek. “I love you, too.”

Lifting me off of him, he grabbed a blanket that was draped over the back of another chair behind the desk before laying it out on the floor. I picked up my jeans and panties and slid them back on, but my bra and shirt had been discarded on the beach. Ollie put his jeans back on and handed me his shirt. I smiled as I took it from him and slipped it on. Taking my hand, he pulled me down onto the blanket and held me in a warm embrace. His lips pressed against my forehead as I rested my head on his broad chest.

“So, what’s the big plans now, superstar? Music, a job, or college?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d love to go back to college, but when I tried to get back in, they told me I was too late to sign up for the new semester.”

Ollie nodded gently. “You know, I could get you in.”

I gave him a puzzled look. “Oh?”

He nodded again. “The head of admissions owes me a favor. I fixed his bike for free. The job would have cost him over a thousand dollars, but I cut him some slack and did the job on my days off. He owes me. Let me help you?”

I shook my head. “I can’t let you do that.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “You can and you will. Don’t argue with me because I’m calling him tomorrow anyway. Okay?”

Nodding in agreement, I nuzzled my face in his chest as my fingers traced the outline of his puzzle tattoo. Glancing down at it, he sighed.

“It’s yours.”

Sitting up, I gazed down at him in surprise. “What?”

Resting on his elbows, he let out a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment.

“It’s yours. It’s you. The missing piece. It’s you, Layla.”

I held my fingers over it and stroked the soft inked flesh on his thick and toned arm.

“Ollie … I …”

He shook his head and smiled. “It’s fine. I never meant for you to see it. I never imagined you would. Now I feel like an idiot. I got it because I needed something, anything, to remind myself that it was real, that it really happened, and I didn’t just dream you up.”

Tears pooled in my eyes and seeing my reaction, Ollie pulled me to him, holding me close to his chest.

“Hey, shhh … Why are you crying?”

Pushing away from him, I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest.

“I’m a horrible person, Ollie, and you deserve so much better.”

He shook his head. “What are you talking about? You said you wouldn’t regret this.”

“I don’t regret it. But you don’t understand, I’m disgusting. What we just did was perfect, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

He shook his head in confusion. “Then what’s the problem?”

Holding my head in my hands, I sniffed and sobbed gently. “The problem is that about six hours ago, I was doing the same thing with Jared.”

Falling back onto the floor, Ollie held his hands over his face and groaned.

“Fuck, Layla! Why did you have to tell me that?”

I pulled his hands from his face and held them to my chest.

“I don’t want any more hurt, secrets, or lies, Ollie. I’m tired of it all.”

He shook his head, and pulling his hands from my grasp, he got to his feet and headed for the door.

“I can’t do this. Every time you’re near me, whenever I think I might stand a chance with you, you find some new fucking way to tear me apart. I’m done. Fuck you, fuck him, and fuck this!”