Mia Found (Starting Fires Book 3) (22 page)

In a lust fueled daze, I watched us connecting—joining, and becoming one. He was so long and rigid, pushing into me with abandon. Seeing him disappear into my body was nearly too much. My hair fell into my eyes and face in messy waves. I gripped it, my features contorting as the sight of him pushed me further and further towards the edge.

“
Yes,” I breathed, my body slightly shaking.

Something within him snapped and he went down to a forearm. With forceful grunts and moans, he pumped faster. His other arm wrapped under me. Strong. Able. It held my hips and waist, forcing my body to pump just as fast. I was losing it. My toes curling, my nails digging.

I came first, a hot jolt through my body. I jerked and tensed, bowing my back. Paul didn’t stop. He was relentless, watching me, giving me more and more. My mouth opened on his shoulder, holding him close to keep myself grounded. That’s when I felt the change in him. His thrusts eased from their erratic pace, to slow, long pushes. Gone were his heavy breaths. The noises he made were strained, almost as if he was in pain. He couldn’t get deep enough, pushing into me as hard as he could. Unable to hold it in anymore, a forceful sound fell from his mouth.

Finished, he fell onto the bed beside me, his eyes closed. I kissed him softly. Still too weak, he was barely able to respond, but smiled against my mouth. “Mia,” he whispered. His breathing was deep, struggling to find its balance again. “You are so perfect.”

“
So are you.”

He pulled me into his side and wrapped himself around me. “I said it first,” he said. I smiled, and within minutes he was fast asleep.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

WE DIDN’T LEAVE THE bed for two whole days. Food and water were barely a thought. Our bodies were too hungry for each other. Paul not only made love to me, but he let me make love to him. He was encouraging and patient, not allowing me to feel bashful or shy.

In the late hours of the night. The early morning. Midafternoon. It didn’t matter. We had a thirst, a need. It couldn’t be contained. For hours he’d slowly pleasure me until he learned the exact key, the magic movements that had me crumbling within seconds.

He was a focused lover. Devoted. He loved to say my name when I rode him just the right way. A prayer falling from his lips. My body was sore and aching from our incessant love making, but he couldn’t stop—and I didn’t want him to.

Now that he’d given in, he was possessed. All he could think about was my naked body and how willingly I gave it to him. Every inch of my skin was sensitive and aware.

The sun rose and fell on us in that bed. Sheets tangled around our limbs. Pillows tossed aside. By the end of day two, I knew his body better than my own.

I knew that when I ran my fingers down his ribs, he’d grit his teeth, fighting off the growl in his throat. I knew that when I rolled my hips a certain way, his eyes would close and he’d bite his lip. I knew that running my fingers through his hair would calm him, bringing him down from the passionate haze he was in. I knew that I could make him come undone in a matter of minutes if I rode him slowly, putting his hands on my behind and letting my hair fall around his face.

It was day three and we’d just woken. I felt his lips softly pressing into the skin of my shoulder. My body came alive as he ran his fingers down my side, squeezing my thigh. “Are you hungry?” he whispered.

I’d hardly thought about it, and stretched. “Probably,” I said. “We haven’t had real food in days.”

“
I’m taking you to the beach today,” he said. “We only have three more days here and as much as I’d like to spend them in this bed, I can’t have you starving.”

I rolled over to smile at him and he eyed my nakedness with lust. His closed mouth growled and I threw my head back with a delighted laugh. “Did you just growl at me?”

He smiled and threw the sheet over my body. “You’ll have to cover that up if I’m expected to function.”

Before he got carried away, he disappeared to the bathroom, and I heard the shower start. Needing one too, I snuck in behind him and Paul threw his head up with a groan. “Mia,” he said. “It’ll be hours before we leave if you keep teasing me.”

“
I’m not teasing you,” I said, rubbing my naked torso against his back. Before Paul, I never knew I had this sexual appetite. His entire being appealed to me and I was ravenous.

But we
did
need to leave the condo, so for a few minutes I could push that aside. We shared the showerhead, washing our hair and bodies. When the last bits of soap ran down the drain and our bodies were clean, we stopped and stared at each other.

Water ran down his stomach, hitting his groin and parting around his dick. My mouth parted and I couldn’t stop myself. I braced my arms against the metal bar on the shower wall, and lifted myself, wrapping my legs around him. Paul didn’t hesitate. He held me steady and slid inside. The hot water splashed and stung as we gradually moved.

His hair was plastered to his face, his eyes crazed. I did this to him. I made him this obsessed.

“
I can’t last long,” he said. “This…seeing you this way…it’s too much.”

“
It’s okay,” I said, just needing to see him lose himself. “Don’t worry about me.”

That was all I needed to say. His eyes closed and his mouth opened, stretching into a silent scream. Quiet grunts and forced breaths were my reward. His body was drained and he slowly set me on my feet.

Not done with me, he pulled me in close, grabbing my neck and forcing my chin up. His mouth met mine in a passionate kiss.

“
You’re incredible,” Paul said as he pulled away. “I don’t know why you picked me, but I’m keeping you. There’s just no getting around it—you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”

Paul belonged on the beach. His body was long and slightly tanned. The blue swim trunks he wore made his skin look darker, smoother. His hair fell in careless locks and the aviator sunglasses he wore gave him an unintentional swagger.

Maybe that’s what appealed the most to me. Paul was oblivious to his good looks. He didn’t even realize half the women on the beach had stopped to stare at him as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and lay back on his towel. I propped up next to him and gazed out at the ocean.

For some reason, in that exact moment, I thought of his brother and Marjorie. The picture of Paul and her came forward in my mind. They had looked good together. Did we?

It was silly and foolish to worry about something so mundane, but now it was all I could think about. I didn’t know if Paul’s eyes were closed, his sunglasses blocking them. I pulled out my phone and stretched it above us, taking a picture. He was lying down and I was sitting, making it not nearly as intimate as the picture with his ex.

Suddenly, he sat up and took my phone from me. His long arm reached out and we smiled into the camera. “There,” he said, lying back “Send me a copy of it.”

The picture itself made me smile. Looking at it, you’d never know he strictly wore dress shirts and slacks. You’d think he was a beach bum. His hand rested on the small of my back and he gave it small rubs as I texted the picture to him.

Just before we came down to the beach, we bought hot dogs from a vendor and my tummy was full. I pushed him over and lay on my stomach next to him. “Do you think we make a cute couple?” I asked, and his amused grin made me self-conscious. Maybe it was a silly thing to even think about.

“
Well, you’re cute,” he said. “Am I?”

“
Yes,” I sighed. “You’re cute.”

“
Then we have to be.”

“
There’s so much more to it than that.”

He chuckled, going up to an elbow. “Like what?”

“
Like, I don’t know…do we
go
together.”

“
That’s a little hard for me to gauge,” he said. “You’d have to ask someone else.” His answer didn’t satisfy me, and I worked my lip around to keep it from pouting. Noticing, he continued. “Mia, that’s not something I think about. All I know is that when you’re on my arm, I feel like a king.”

I smiled. His hand went to my face and my eyes closed as he whispered soft truths into my ear. Paul was madly in love with me. I’d never been surer of anything in my life. Even though his eyes were shaded, I knew they held nothing but honesty.

His mouth found my jaw, giving me sweet kisses and I was getting swept away in his attention. When my eyes opened they settled on a woman lingering at the edge of the beach. She had bright pink hair and tattoos going down her arms and across her stomach. It wasn’t Fiona, but she reminded me of her.

It had been weeks since I’d even spoken to her, and I wondered if she was all right. But then I wondered why I even cared.

It took me longer than it should have to realize the woman was staring straight at us. Did we know each other? She was too far away for me to clearly see her face, and I brought a hand to my forehead trying to shield my eyes. The woman looked the other way, took a step in the opposite direction, but then abruptly turned back around and walked straight towards us.

“
Paul?”

“
Huh?” he said, barely stopping his affection.

“
Do you know that woman?”

“
What woman?” he answered with a kiss to my neck.

“
Over there.”

He turned over his shoulder and frowned. “Yeah,” he said, standing. He reached a hand down to me, pulling me up. “That’s Liza.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

PAUL’S BOSS WASN’T AT all as I imagined. This woman ran an accounting firm? She looked young and fun, not what I normally associated with a boss. I smiled as she approached us, and she did, too.

But only at Paul.

“
Paul,” she said, “I didn’t know you’d be at this beach.”

“
It’s right by the condo,” he said. “It’s the closest one.”

“
Right,” she laughed. “Well, we closed the office early and decided to come out. Wanna join us?”

Paul peered around her and eyed a group of people walking onto the sand. A few of them waved at us. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, thinking it over.

“
I’m only being polite,” Liza said. “If you don’t want to hang out with us it’s fine.”

She was grinning, but hadn’t yet acknowledged me. Her eyes were focused on Paul, watching him, studying him. I didn’t like the way she stared. It was too intently. She was searching for something and it made me uncomfortable.

I grabbed his arm, wrapping myself around it. “I don’t mind,” I said, looking up at him and unnecessarily playing with his hair. It wasn’t to make her jealous, but I had an overwhelming need to assert my claim on him.

“
See,” she shrugged, “what’s her name doesn’t mind.”

“
Mia,” he said to her.

“
Hmm?”

“
Mia
doesn’t mind.”

“
Oh, well,
Mia
doesn’t mind, then.”

My stomach knotted. Suddenly, I
did
mind. A lot. Liza seemed just as mean as Fiona. Looking at her more closely, I realized they could be sisters. She sensed my stare and finally turned her gaze to me, looking at me expectantly.

“
Sorry,” I said. “You just remind me of someone.”

“
You sure you don’t mind?” Paul asked me, and I wished he would have done it in private. Liza was watching me and telling him the truth would be rude.

“
It’s fine,” I smiled, trying my hardest to look genuine.

“
That settles it,” Liza said. “We’ll be over there.” She pointed to a spot down the beach and left us.

Once she was out of earshot, Paul looked down at me, tilting his head to the side.

“
What?” I asked.

“
That smile was fake as hell.”

“
Uh…” I laughed, trying to pretend like it wasn’t.