Hearths of Fire (13 page)

Neal could have ended this by walking out. He could be securing the perimeter or attending
the bonfire and monitoring the event, including Garreth. He could have made any decision
but the one he came to, but he didn’t. He wanted tonight and maybe a couple more before
returning to San Diego. He wanted to get Char out of his system so that he could finally
move on with his life. If fucking her six ways to Tuesday got the job done, then so
be it. And that was how he had to look at it…fucking. It was the only way he could
see his way through to get his ass out of here clean come Tuesday.

“Come here.” Neal wasn’t a nineteen-year-old boy who thought he knew everything there
was to know about a girl. He was now an experienced man who understood how to please
a woman along with recognizing his own preferences. As Charlotte slowly took those
few steps to come stand in front of him her blue eyes never left his face. It was
almost as if she was holding her breath and waiting for him to turn her away. He’d
made his decision to go through with this, based on needing to get her out of his
system, and he didn’t want her concentration on anything other than this. She needed
to expel whatever emotions she had left as well. “Give yourself to me.”

‡

C
harlotte felt as
if electricity was caressing her skin and seeping into her pores. The earlier sensual
stimulation had returned tenfold and she wanted nothing more than to take him by the
hand and lead him into the bedroom. She was sensing he’d changed though and wouldn’t
just follow along. That realization had her heart beating like a drum against her
chest and blood rushing through her ears until she couldn’t hear her own breathing
above the roar. With trembling hands, she cradled the face that had forever remained
in her dreams. He was real.

Lifting up on her tiptoes, Charlotte waited a half second before connecting her lips
to his. His green eyes were dark, like the predator she’d only ever seen at the zoo.
Neal looked as if he could devour her and honestly, she’d be okay with that. Not even
when they were teenagers had she ever felt as alive as she did right now. Seeing the
reciprocation within the windows to his soul, she finally melded her lips to his.

The softness of his mouth against hers made Charlotte instantly want more. She slid
her fingers through his short blond hair and tried to bring them even closer but he
firmly stayed where he was. The challenge he just issued shot a tremor through her
and although her calf muscles were starting to ache from standing on her tiptoes,
she tried to stretch even further. She traced his lower lip with her tongue, tasting
his sweet flavor and not resisting the urge to nip. Upon the playful act, Neal growled
and swung her into his arms. The light woodsy musk of his cologne, or maybe it was
just his natural scent, surrounded her and she couldn’t prevent herself from friskily
biting his neck as well. Playing with his inner tiger had gotten her the results she’d
wanted. His strength seeped into her, devouring any thought of resisting their animal
attraction, but it was all too soon that he slowly set her on her feet beside her
bed.

“Undress for me.”

The simple command didn’t seem so simple. Charlotte felt a chill when he turned and
walked to the door, closing it firmly and turning the lock. She knew he’d done that
for Mandy’s benefit as well as theirs. It wouldn’t do for her to come home early and
find them in mid-coitus when Neal had already put some ground rules into place. He’d
made it perfectly clear this was a one-time thing. She would take what she could get
and then worry about the aftermath later. There were moments in life that should be
savored and this was one of those times. With that thought foremost in her mind, she
gripped the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head.

Unable to help herself, Charlotte dropped the sweater on the floor and waited for
some reaction. She wasn’t as thin as she used to be and her curves had become more
of an hourglass figure. Would Neal find that attractive? Would he still want her the
same as he did back when they were young? The seconds ticked by until a minute had
passed and when he showed no reaction other than the hunger in his eyes as he waited
for her to continue, she slowly reached for the button on her jeans.

“Bra first.” Neal leaned against the door, the lamp from her bedside table giving
him all the light that he apparently needed to view her body. He even crossed his
arms as she reached for the hooks behind her. When she let the material fall to the
floor, she once again kept her gaze on his as she unashamedly kept her arms to her
sides. It was hard to see the color of his eyes from this far away, but his words
let her know what she needed to. “Damn, but you’ve gotten even more beautiful.”

Her nipples had already been hard, but his words and the emotions they solicited had
the nubs tightening even more. The pleasure that streaked through her ample flesh
felt as if he’d palmed her breasts in his hands and squeezed tenderly. The longer
he stood there admiring her body, the more she could feel her mounds became heavier.
How long was he going to stay over there?

“I think it’s only fair that you take off your sweater,” Charlotte said in a voice
that she hardly recognized. Her tone was raspy with desire, but she didn’t care if
he heard it. They were both in her room for this reason. “I’d like to see how you’ve
changed over the years.”

Charlotte should have known from the strength in his arms as he carried her into the
bedroom, but when Neal slowly pulled the fabric up over his abdomen, she found herself
mesmerized by the contour of his muscles. Was there such a thing as an eight pack?
As he lifted the sweater higher and then over his head, she wasn’t sure where to look
anymore. He wasn’t the nineteen-year-old boy she remembered. He’d grown into a man
and one that apparently took good care of himself. It was apparent that he often went
without a shirt in the California sun, for the entire width of his broad chest was
sun-kissed, along with the rest of him. What cemented the upper package was the dark
tattoo on his right arm. It was sexy as hell and he was no longer the good boy from
so long ago.

“You, ah…you’ve gotten even more handsome yourself.” Charlotte cringed at the way
she’d worded that, but other things were distracting her mind. She wanted to run her
hands over his arms and then down his chest. It was silly, but she also craved to
inspect the ink on his skin to see how crisp the detail remained. “You can keep going.”

Neal’s rich laughter floated through the room, causing another round of goose bumps
to cover her skin. Her nipples were so taut that she could feel them ache and she
would have given anything to rub them on the chest that was walking toward her at
the moment.

“Not a chance in hell, Char.” It took her a second to comprehend that he was referring
to her statement and not her thought. He was still coming closer. “Finish undressing
so that I can see what else has blossomed.”

Charlotte felt a flush on her cheeks at his assumption that her pussy might have become
inflamed. Had it? She’d never really given it any thought, but she did keep herself
bare down below now and it would be evident. She liked the cleanliness along with
the extra sensitivity. Would he like that? Just the fact that he’d brought it up had
her clit throbbing.

Neal was two steps away when he stopped walking. His green eyes dropped to her fingers,
which were now on the waist button of her jeans. How could just a look make her breathless?
She fumbled for a brief moment before getting the fastener undone and then she lowered
the zipper a tooth at a time. The drawn out sound echoed throughout the room but he
didn’t move an inch from where he was standing. She slipped her fingers inside the
denim, ensuring that her panties would stay on, and pulled her jeans over her thighs
and down to her ankles. When she stood back up, the left side of his mouth was lifted
in a half smile. She’d forgotten that she was wearing her pink lace panties. It had
obviously brought back memories of the time when she went through a pink phase in
high school.

“Step out of those jeans, but keep on the panties. I’ve decided I want to be surprised
by the way your body has reacted.” Neal held out a hand, which she took, and balanced
her while she did as he instructed. She liked this take charge in the bedroom attitude
and wondered just how far he would take it. Her body responded to everything he said
and did, which was why she was grateful she would have her panties on a little longer.
They were damp in a way she’d never experienced. “Lie on the bed. I want to rediscover
your body.”

Charlotte slowly climbed onto the bed, not even bothering to pull down her mother’s
patchwork quilt she’d used as a comforter. She lay back on her elbows watching as
he took off his boots, socks, and weapon. He set his holstered gun on her side table
and she quickly suppressed the reason why, needing this time to be only them. He kept
his jeans on, much to her dismay, although he did unfasten the button and zipper to
reveal an attractive V that hadn’t been defined when he’d been nineteen. She concentrated
on his face as he placed a knee onto the mattress and her stomach fluttered at the
intensity of his stare.

“You are so incredibly beautiful,” Neal whispered, his staggered words instantly shooting
desire through her. Charlotte had been prepared for his mouth to latch onto one of
her nipples, but instead he brushed aside her long hair and pressed his soft lips
to her shoulder. Those simple movements only ratcheted up her need. “I need to taste
all of you.”

“Yes,” Charlotte managed, letting her head drop back. Neal continued to press light
kisses to her flesh, covering her shoulders and neck. When he prolonged her agony
by doing the same to her right arm, she tried to use her hand to bring his head down
to her breast. “Oh!”

Neal had nipped her pinky finger with his teeth, the warmth of his breath gliding
over her fingers. He made sure she was aware of who controlled the target of his caress.
Feeling his tongue twirl around on her exposed skin was one of the most erotic things
she’d ever experienced. She needed more.

“Lay back,” Neal growled, letting her know that he wasn’t unaffected by what he’d
just done. Charlotte eased her elbows out until her back was flat against the comforter,
although she didn’t stay that way for long. She immediately arched into him when his
mouth covered her right nipple. The heat of his mouth against her most sensitive tip
sent shivers through her body. When he finally suckled on the hardened point, she
cried out his name. “The same, yet so different.”

Neal had murmured the words against her flesh, but Charlotte wasn’t even remotely
close to stringing two words together. She couldn’t help but moan when he continued
to lathe, nip, and nibble at her nipple. Right when she wasn’t sure she could take
any more, he switched breasts. She sank her fingers into what hair she could grab
onto, which wasn’t much since he kept the back so short.

“Neal, I need you.”

“We’re just getting started.” Neal had released her nipple and started peppering kisses
along her abdomen, stopping to lick a tiny circle around the outline of her belly
button. The unusual sensation elevated her desire and she wanted more. “Spread your
legs.”

Charlotte caught her breath at his request, knowing this was it. He was going to take
off her panties and they were going to make love. Would it be the same as it was years
ago? Would it be different? As Neal lifted his body slightly for her to do as he bade,
he surprised her by tracing his tongue down the inside of her inner thigh. She could
hear him inhale deeply and while she felt herself flush again, the sound did something
to her insides. How could something so simple be so erotic?

“You do smell incredible,” Neal murmured against her skin as he continued to trace
his lips and tongue down her leg. When he got to the arch of her foot, he astonished
her when he lifted it up and took her little toe between his teeth. She was in such
shock that it took a few moments for her to realize that her body responded in ways
unimaginable. Cream dripped from between her folds and she was glad her panties were
still on to catch it. “I like the pink polish.”

It took a while for Neal’s words to register, but Charlotte eventually figured out
that he was talking about the color of her toenails. When he slipped the next toe
into his mouth, the moan that escaped her was guttural. What the hell was he doing
with his tongue?

“That feels…” Neal continued until the toes on her right foot had each had a turn
in his mouth. Charlotte couldn’t hold back the whimper when he started on her left
and by the time he licked down her arch, she was a complete puddle. He worked his
way back up and when his fingers hooked into her pretty pink panties, she’d had enough
of the slow pace. “For crying out loud, just rip them off!”