Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Warren led the way up the rickety stairs to the loft above the garage, all too aware of a shivering Erin at his back. Getting back into their dry clothes had been a whole lot less sexy than getting out of them, and the entire walk from Main Street to here he’d expected her to change her mind. She hadn’t.

She hadn’t been here since that summer they spent together, and hell if it didn’t feel more important than it probably should. He opened the door and let her precede him into the room. He followed, flipping on the single light that covered the entire room.

It hadn’t changed much in the six years since her last time here. There was still his shit scattered on the old desk and over the corkboard on the wall above it, his bed—made to regulation standard—against the far wall. The only difference was that he’d bought a bigger television and had the newest Xbox console hooked up to it.

Erin turned to face him, her cheeks rosy from the cold they’d just left. “I’m ready for my reward.”

Hell, he was ready to give it to her. Warren shrugged out of his coat but shook his head when she went to do the same. “Let me.”

“Warren—”

“Tonight is on my terms, Freckles.” He waited while she mulled that over. It was a good sign that she gave a jerky nod in response, or at least that was what he told himself. He pulled his shirt over his head and yanked off his boots, and then he padded over to circle her. “You’re beautiful. You know that, don’t you?”

“I’ve been told.” A small smile tilted up the corners of her lips.

“You should be told more often.” He unzipped her coat and slid it slowly off her, then walked over to drape it over the chair at the desk.

“Warren.” Her voice was closer than it should have been, and when he turned around, she was practically in his arms. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“Your reward—”

“I don’t care about any stupid reward. I just want you.”

All his careful planning and scheming went right out the window at the stark desire in her eyes. And then she was in his arms, her arms around his neck and her mouth on his. She kissed him with a fervor bordering on desperation, but for the life of him he couldn’t tell if it was desperation to avoid thinking about her current situation or desperation for him.

He backed toward the bed, both of them shedding clothes with every step. And then there was just her and him and nothing between them. His back hit the mattress, a naked Erin straddling him. “You’ve been in charge all night. It’s my turn.”

The last few hours had been working them to this point, but this wasn’t how he’d planned on things playing out. But now, with her looking at him like that, he couldn’t think of a damn reason to go back to his plan. “I’ll consider it.”

She smirked. “You do that. In the meantime…” She kissed his collarbone, and then slithered lower. “I’ll just be down here…” A kiss to his sternum. “Occupying myself.”

He laced his fingers through her cold, damp hair, fighting back a sliver of guilt that she’d been walking all the way back here with wet hair after that hot tub dare. She didn’t give him a chance to dwell on it, biting his stomach and surprising a laugh out of him. “I think I can live with that.”

“What happened here?” Her entire tone was different. Gone was the playful edge to her words, replaced by something else altogether.

Warren didn’t have to look down to know what she was talking about. “It was just a flesh wound.”

“Are you sure, because this looks like a fucking bullet went through you.” She burrowed a hand between his back and the mattress. “And this feels like a goddamn exit wound.”

Her anger brought his knee-jerk response up short. He searched her face, shock washing over him when he realized she wasn’t actually angry. No, she was fucking terrified. He ran his hands up her arms, finding her whole body shaking. “Freckles, it’s okay. I’m okay. It wasn’t even serious enough to warrant physical therapy.”

“Why didn’t I hear about this? There are no secrets in this goddamn town. I should have heard about this.”

He sat up, bringing them face-to-face. “My granddad was a Marine, too, did you know that?”

“No.” She blinked. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It means that he knows that sometimes you don’t talk about this shit. This was cake compared to what some guys go through, but it’s still not a story I’m going to be whipping out the first opening I see in any conversation.” He could tell that wasn’t enough, so he kept going, baring himself to her in a way he’d never really intended. “It scared the shit out of me, Erin. I was in the hospital for a while, and it was long enough to wonder if I’d make it. That kind of thing puts a lot of stuff into perspective.”

Like that he was tired of fucking around with the one woman in his life he connected with in a way that defied explanation.

She still looked uncertain and scared, so he fell back on the one thing he knew that would get her to stop worrying. “Kiss me, Erin. I dare you.”

Sure enough, she frowned. “It’s not your turn.”

“Okay, then. I pick dare.”

She rolled her eyes. “This conversation isn’t over.”

“I know.” But he hoped that he could spend the next few hours convincing her to give them a chance before they had it.

For a long moment, he thought she might insist, but then she sighed. “I dare you to kiss me.”

He wasted no time hooking the back of her neck and pulling her to him. He kissed her with everything he had, trying to convey all the things he couldn’t quite put into words. She instantly went soft against him, her tongue stroking his and her fingers digging into his shoulders. Only then did he lie back down, taking her with him. “I’ll even let you call the shots—for now.”

“How magnanimous of you.”

“That’s me. Magnanimous.”

She slid down his body and settled between his thighs. “You’d better have a condom ready, because after I drive you crazy, I’m going to ride you until your eyes roll back in your head.”

He reached over to the nightstand without taking his eyes off hers and rummaged around until he came up with a condom. A quick check ensured it wasn’t expired, and he tossed it onto the bed next to them. “Any other requests?”

“Yeah.” Her grin was downright wicked. “Find something to hang on to.”

And then her mouth was on his cock, sucking him down, down, until his head damn near exploded. “Holy fuck.”

She made a sound of agreement, and then she started back up, sucking and licking. He fisted his hands in the comforter, fighting not to arch into her mouth, to hold still and let her do her worst. Erin licked around the head of his cock and then she descended again, her hands on his hips, her cool hair slithering across his skin. “Freckles—” He had to stop and start again. “Freckles, if you don’t get up here, you’re not going to get the chance to ride my cock for another ten to fifteen minutes.”

Her laugh almost sent him over the edge. He didn’t give her a chance to argue before he pulled her up his body and kissed her. She grabbed the condom and tore it open, and then proceeded to take her time rolling it onto his cock, a sly grin on her face.

“You’re getting me back for earlier,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Guilty.” She straddled him, and then he was inside her. Warren held her hips, letting her set the pace, giving himself over to the slide of her riding his cock, her body rolling, her small breasts bouncing with each stroke, to watching her eyes closed in sheer bliss.

He wanted this, the sex, the laughter, the sheer intimacy he had with Erin. It didn’t matter that they’d only had stolen time together over the last six years, or that she’d shut the conversation down every time it veered in so much as the general direction of talking about getting serious.

He wanted her. Hell, he’d be head over heels in love with her if given half a chance.

He wanted that chance.

Warren reached between them to stroke her clit, instantly rewarded by her moaning and picking up her pace. “Look at me, Freckles. I want you to know it’s my cock inside you, my hand on your clit, me making you come.”

“As if I’m in danger of forgetting.” But she said it with a smile and opened her eyes. “God, Warren, you feel so good. The best.”

The best.

And then she cried out, throwing her head back and writhing around him. His name on her lips as she came was the sweetest thing he’d ever heard. He sure as fuck would never get tired of that. Ever. Warren gave himself over to the pressure building in his balls, demanding he pound into her until the point of no return. He came so hard, it temporarily stole his breath.

She collapsed onto his chest, breathing just as hard as he was. “God, how do you manage that?”

“We fit. It’s as easy as that.”

She shoved her hair out of her face and lifted her head to stare at him. “That’s not a thing.”

“Yeah, it is.” It was now or never. He didn’t think he’d have another chance like this again, especially not after she’d bared so much of herself at The Diner earlier. “I like you, Erin.”

“I like you, too.” She propped herself up on one elbow, still watching him like she thought he might start speaking in tongues—or maybe he already had.

“I don’t want this to be like before.” He motioned between them. “I think we could be a good thing if we gave it half a chance. I want to give us that chance.”

“Us…” She gave a tentative smile. “So, what, you like want to date me?”

“That’s exactly what I want.” He framed her face with one hand. “Be my girlfriend.”

Her hesitation only lasted a heartbeat. “Okay.”

For a second, he thought he might have heard wrong. “Okay?”

“Yes.” She laughed. “Yes, Warren Davis, I’ll be your girlfriend.” She kissed him. “Now, rest up. I’m nowhere near done with you tonight.”