Hearths of Fire (18 page)

Neal’s green eyes were watching her closely and although she wanted to see his reactions
as well, she couldn’t help but drop her gaze down to where his fingers were still
manipulating her nipples. He was relentless and the constant stimulation was driving
her crazy. Her hips undulated, grinding the base of his cock against her entrance.
His sac was visible, reminding her of his size and wanting to draw his seed from his
balls. The light glistened off of his masculine sex and made her want to massage him.

“Play with yourself,” Neal whispered into her ear, causing shivers to rain down her
neck and over her shoulders. “Show me your clit and rub your fingers over your nub.”

Charlotte didn’t hesitate and when she parted her folds with her fingers, the natural
pink color was now a closer shade to red. His cock was nestled into her pussy and
while she continued to roll her hips, her fingers automatically created the same motion.

“Oh Neal, that feels so good,” Charlotte moaned, unable to look away. Again, the dueling
emotions of watching and feeling were overpowering and the mirror seemed to suck her
right in. There was no need to gather her cream as every intimate part of her was
drenched. She knew if she pressed too hard that she would come instantly, so she kept
her touch light as she continued to rock against him. She wanted them to experience
their orgasm together. “I need to come.”

“You aren’t ready.” Neal pinched her nipples slightly harder than before, making her
breath catch in her throat. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the side of her
neck, pulling her attention in several different ways. Her pussy was now throbbing
in time with her heartbeat…or it could have been his. “Rub your clit harder.”

“If I do—”

“You’ll know more pleasure than you’ve ever known.” Neal not only pressed her nipples
tightly, he also pulled and rolled the now engorged tissue. Every sensation he milked
from her seemed to travel straight to her pussy and set off another round of throbbing.
“Try it, Char. Go further than ever before.”

Charlotte had to bite her lip to keep from screaming as she pressed her fingers harder
against her clit. It felt beyond good and she had to use her toes to lift her up so
that his cock would give her the movement she needed. It wasn’t even remotely enough
and she felt a tiny bit of alarm that she couldn’t obtain the pleasure they both sought.

“Look at me.”

Charlotte stilled at the demanding tone of Neal’s voice, her breathing ragged and
her heartbeat thudding in her chest. When his fingers released her nipples, the excruciating
pain versus pleasure was almost too much to bear. He’d been manipulating her peaks
since they’d sat down and now that there was nothing touching them, it became agonizingly
coherent to her nervous system. He gently removed her hands from her swollen clit
and brought them up until they were behind his neck, exposing her body to him even
more so than before. She witnessed his hands gradually traveling lower and sliding
his fingers into her folds before exposing her to the mirror. He pulled her hood back
and there was her red and swollen clit, throbbing in time with her pulse.

“Please, Neal,” Charlotte practically whimpered, not at all like her usual self. He’d
managed to completely undo her and she wanted nothing more than for him to take full
control and give her what he’d promised her. “Touch me.”

Charlotte watched in fascination as he applied his fingers gently on her swollen moist
tissue and, unlike her tentative strokes, he pressed firmly and wrought havoc on her
senses. Her nipples still felt the impression of his touch and as if he’d flipped
a switch, the waves of her orgasm crashed over her. She leveraged herself with her
feet and pushed off of the ground so that she could thrust on and off of his cock.
Seeing them in action was something she would never forget. His sac had drawn up and
from the widening of his base she knew he was about to join her.

“Yes, Neal,” Charlotte cried out, quickening her pace and holding onto the back of
his neck as he continued to stroke her. Euphoria was causing lights to flash in her
eyes, diminishing her view of what was before her. “Yes.”

Charlotte rested her head back onto his shoulder as Neal moved his hands and placed
them firmly on her hips to keep her in place as he jetted his cum into the condom.
From the position they were in she could feel every surge as it was in a different
cadence than hers. Together their bodies created a rhythm that she didn’t want to
see end. She was grateful when his arms wrapped around her waist and he nestled his
chin into the crevice of her neck.

Her eyes felt like weights had been attached to them and technically she understood
why. She’d gotten maybe four hours of sleep and she was being generous with that assumption.
To have her body completely sated and now held in such strong arms made her feel safe.
Neal made her feel safe—as if nothing bad could break into this room and take what
they’d found. Would it be so bad to take this moment as a new beginning and not an
end to past regrets?

*

Neal knew the
moment Charlotte’s mind started spinning with notions that wouldn’t do either of
them any good. He’d been watching her in the mirror, taking in and enjoying the beauty
that lay across her features. Her blonde strands stuck to the perspiration on her
cheek while the flush on her cheeks indicated that she was truly satisfied. When her
lashes lifted and revealed the darkened tinge her blue eyes had taken, he knew reality
was about to land in his lap replacing the warmth of her body.

“You didn’t ask about today.” Neal slowly released his hold on her waist and brought
his hands up to rub her arms, bringing them down to her lap. Charlotte’s brow turned
down into a frustrated V at his talk of what would happen later today and not what
had taken place in this room. “Once we clean up I’ll be heading out to the compound.”

“I figured if someone was still watching the house or if they posed any danger, you
wouldn’t have taken it upon yourself to satisfy our urges.” Charlotte leaned forward,
her anger evident. Was she annoyed that he wasn’t whispering sweet nothings in her
ear or was she irritated because they both knew it had to be this way? She stood,
his semi-hard cock slipping from her pussy and reminding him of why it had to be this
way. She turned to face him, her arms around her waist. The defensive gesture had
his gut tightening. It wasn’t his intention to hurt her. They both knew why they’d
had sex. “I know you felt what just happened between us.”

And there it was. The mixed emotions that Neal knew would come through and had done
his best to avoid. He reached out his hand to her but she took a step back, her fiery
nature coming to the forefront. Standing and moving the chair across the room, he
refused to be drawn into this argument. They’d both agreed on the terms.

“Char, I’ll always care for you, but you and I both know that this is about closure
and nothing else. You went on with your life just as you wanted, while I lived mine
with what you left me. Our futures are on different paths now.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t see where this takes us.”

When it was clear that Charlotte wasn’t going to back down, Neal took a deep steadying
breath as he walked to the adjoining bathroom to clean up. Running the water to allow
it to heat up, he leaned his palms against the cool porcelain of the basin and felt
the temperature sink into his skin. The previous warmth of her was gone and cold hard
reality was facing him in the mirror of the medicine cabinet. Quickly disposing of
the used condom, he used a warm damp washcloth to clean himself and then ran another
one under the water. Taking it into the bedroom, he saw that she’d already dressed
in her shorts and tank top. He reversed, threw the wet cloth back into the sink, and
went about dressing himself.

“My life is in San Diego.” Neal buttoned his jeans and then reached for his black
long sleeved shirt that he would wear underneath his lightweight jacket. “I want this
time with you, Char, but only to bring closure. You agreed.”

“And what if it leads to more?” Charlotte’s fingers came down over his hand as he
was about to clip his side holster to the waist of his jeans, stopping him from doing
so. Her chin had that stubborn tilt to it that he remembered so well. He’d seen it
the day she’d called off their wedding. “All I’m asking is that you don’t discount
what we’re feeling as leftovers from our past.”

“My emotions
are
leftover, Char. I never got the closure you apparently received when you left me
standing there at the church.” Neal gently pulled away and clipped his holster, ensuring
that it was secure before reaching for her face. He stroked a thumb across her cheekbone
as he struggled to find the right words so that she wasn’t hurt. “We’ve always been
physically cohesive and the years haven’t changed that. But we
are
two different people who have grown and matured separately. Just as your sister thinks
she has and needs our help. Time hasn’t erased that connection either and as a kind
of brother of sorts, I’ll do what I can to make sure she’s safe.”

“And what about this? Us?” Charlotte asked, not giving him an inch. Neal hadn’t expected
her to take this the way she had. They’d been in agreement and she was now trying
to alter the terms. “I’ll be the first to agree that we need to help Mandy out of
this mess that she’s gotten herself into, but I refuse to allow you to make this into
a one-time thing.”

“Make no mistake, Char,” Neal said, bringing up his other hand and cupping her face
so that she didn’t miss what he was about to say. “This wasn’t a one-time thing. I’m
nowhere near done getting my fix of you, but keep this in mind—if you’re going to
make more out of this than what it is, I’ll bury whatever physical temptation lies
between us in an instant.”

‡

N
eal parked a
good mile away from the compound down an old secondary road he’d used many times
in his youth for hunting and some parking. It ran off the main road primarily to give
access to the rail line and a small lake all the teenagers used during the summer
to get wet and tease each other. It was one of those places in time that would bring
back memories for a lifetime. He found himself pacing through history as he made the
rest of the trip on foot, ensuring that he was on the south side of the property so
that he could get a good visual of the area. He reminded himself to not forget why
he was here as he approached. He needed to get his head back in the game.

Scanning the region and listening for any movement other than his own, he waded into
the long green grass that was already losing its color due to the colder weather.
Laying his black bag on the ground and taking up position on a small rise, he pulled
out a standard pair of old binoculars that Charlotte’s dad must have once used for
hunting. They were Zeiss 8x30s, which were pretty good back in the nineteen fifties.
He had to retell himself to be careful of reflections. These old style binoculars
didn’t have the anti-reflective coating of his Leupold MK4 Tactical 12-40x60mm Scout
Sniper Observation Telescope (SSOT) that was sitting in his equipment rack back at
Red Starr HRT. They would do though—necessity being the mother of invention. He low-crawled
up the natural rise feeling the familiar adrenaline rush of approaching a target juxtaposed
to that of the cold ground, planting both elbows into the cold dirt as he brought
the antique Swiss-made optics up to his face.

There were numerous people milling about in front of the reconstructed barn the members
were now using as a church. Richard and Patricia Ashe were standing near the opening,
greeting each and every person who entered. Now that he knew where the two leaders
were, he needed the layout of the compound. Swiveling the binoculars to his left,
he started with the far side of the land where they were building the wooden housing
structures. Some remained unfinished and as he was about to scan to his right, something
caught his attention. A man dressed in black, obviously belonging to Ashes to Dirt,
stood guard while resting against a fence post. Neal didn’t spot a weapon, but that
didn’t mean the man wasn’t carrying one.