Kiss Me Gone (8 page)

Dare

Eden was shoveling food onto a plate when I entered the kitchen. She handed me one loaded with eggs and sausage and buttered toast with marmalade on the side. Despite having been famished during my morning workout, I might as well have been chewing on cardboard. Not that the food didn't taste good, but nothing could compete with the woman sitting across the kitchen island from me. She totally possessed my senses as I drank in the light flush to her skin, the dilated pupils, and the way her breathing sounded harsh and disturbed.

I had aroused more than my share of ladies in the three years since she had vanished from Hagersburg. I knew wet and ready when I saw it and Eden practically dripped with need. My cock crawled up my stomach as I tried not to inventory the bag of clothes I had dumped on the bed the night before. I couldn't remember seeing any underwear and Eden's pouting nipples, visible through the thin fabric of the blouse, were proof that the bras were all to big.

So, no bra...no panties. All I had to do was lift the skirt and she would be exposed, her thighs wet, her labia and clit swollen and red.

She paused, a forkful of eggs hovering in front of her lush mouth. "You okay? You're not eating."

I nodded absently, trying not to picture her sitting on the island, skirt pushed up around her hips, legs spread wide as I devoured her. "Just eager to take you to the mall. I remember how excited you can be when you go clothes shopping."

She smiled, lowered her lashes at me then cast her gaze to the side. "I'm not fourteen anymore, Dare, and you only drove me to the mall that one time."

"So, does that mean no squealing?" I couldn't help but tease her a little. It was only fair considering how badly she was teasing me, even if she had no idea how obvious her arousal was and how it squeezed at my cock.

"I guess we'll find out," she answered, a blush flowering across her cheeks. "After you eat your breakfast."

She took her empty plate and juice glass over to the sink and rinsed them while I dutifully ate my food at warp speed. I started to rinse my dishes but she took them from me.

"If you think you're doing any cooking or cleaning while I'm here, you are out of your mind, Dare O'Donnell."

Without a doubt, I was out of my mind. Already, I could imagine returning home to Eden from work, spending the weekends in bed with her, driving her senseless and leaving her too tired to even think about lifting a finger to do any housework.

Knowing my entire face had to be flushing a shade redder than her blouse, I snatched my truck keys from the hook by the door. "I'll start the truck so it's warmed up then find a jacket to keep you from freezing until we get to the mall."

She nodded, her mouth a wriggling line that made me think she wasn't sure whether she wanted to smile or cry.

"Hey," I said, stepping close to her, my free hand instinctively cupping the side of her face. "We'll get everything sorted...get your life back to normal."

She dipped her head, hiding her face, but I could hear the way her throat constricted as she whispered her thanks and I could feel the tear drop that landed on my hand. I realized I had said the wrong thing. "Normal" couldn't be a very good state of being for Eden given the part of town she had been living in.

"Better than normal," I amended. She offered another nod and a sniffle, but wouldn't look up. Hoping to distract her, I jingled my keys. "Want to drive?"

The question provoked a laugh and she lifted her gaze, a genuine smile finally stretching across her beautiful face. "Lost my wallet in the fire, remember? And I haven't driven since Michael died. I'll need to learn all over again."

I grinned back at her, relieved that her mood had brightened and happy to have one more thing I could help her with, one that would definitely require time together, our bodies close.

"I would love to teach you," I said, my enthusiasm for the task so obvious I felt my face reheat. Damn, the things being around this woman did to me. I felt like I was green and still in high school.

Trying to recover my composure, I gave a short nod and a suggestion. "We can start tomorrow if you'd like, there's always a lot less traffic on Sundays."

"I would love to have you teach me," she softly answered, her gazing seeming to shine with arousal once more and her cheeks a most becoming shade of pink.

With another nod, I stumbled my way into the garage to start the truck. I made sure I shut the door behind me. She didn't need to see the way need squeezed at my chest or how awkwardly I walked because my dick felt three -- maybe four -- times its actual size as my mind replayed her answer.

I would love to have you teach me...

A raging hard-on possessed me as I thought about all the things I could teach Eden. A lesson for each hole, one for those soft lips, another for that auburn-covered pussy and a final one deep into her shapely ass. Throw in a kink or two or ten, her bound to my bed, my face between those pale thighs, suckling at her clit while my fingers stroked her cunt...

Shoving the key into the truck's ignition, I shook my head with the realization of just how badly I wanted Eden Burke not only in my bed, but in every corner of my life.

Dare

"We'll hang these in my closet for now." My fingers skipped past a silken white bra to grab a pair of jeans and slide them onto a hanger. "I'll move the exercise stuff to the garage in a bit and we can look for a bedroom set tomorrow between the driving lesson and the party."

I watched from the side of one eye as Eden's face shuffled through a quick series of contortions. Halfway through our time at the mall, Cam Stevens had called me with the news that Bailey had been released from the hospital and how a little celebration was planned at Cam's house a few blocks over from where I lived. Whether Eden would attend with me remained an open question.

Turning to study her face more fully, I realized that I had thrown too much stuff at her all at once with the party, the driving lessons, the shopping trip and now the suggestion that I planned on restoring the spare room as a bedroom for her benefit.

If she only knew that I would have preferred her staying in my bedroom, with me snuggled up next to her, she would have been out the door and gone before I finished hanging the jeans.

"Or I can continue sleeping on the fold out," I amended after a few more seconds passed and she still hadn't responded.

A shake of her head, the dark red hair bouncing around her shoulders, gave me a moment's hope that she would at least allow me to give her a space of her own within my home. Then she answered, exposing my mistake.

"I'll sleep on the couch," she said as she finished folding the small assortment of tops and undergarments that she had allowed me to buy and placed them in a cheap canvas backpack.

I frowned at the bag. I had wanted to buy her a lot of things at the store, far more than she agreed to, but not the backpack. She only allowed me to get her two pairs of jeans, a pair of tennis shoes, some socks and panties and two bras, four long-sleeved shirts -- and only that many because they were on sale at two-for-one -- a canvas wallet at the dollar store, and a jacket that would see her through the rest of winter. All of it would fit into that damn bag, a fact that drew my chest tight every time I thought about it.

"And you don't need to yield any of your closet, either." Crossing in front of me, she took the jeans I had just hung and rolled them tight before they vanished into the bag.

"Just give me one more night in my bed--" I shut my mouth for a second and busied my hands with returning all the used clothes from my past girlfriends into the black trash bag. "What I mean is that I'd like you to sleep on the idea one more night, especially since I'm on call. If there's a fire in the middle of the night and I have to leave, I don't want to wake you up. You almost died yesterday and you deserve at least one good night of sleep in a comfortable bed before you sweep aside my suggestion."

Hearing how my request was fast turning to begging, I stopped talking and turned to look at Eden. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes had a sparkle that could only mean she was holding back tears. Forgetting that we were more or less strangers after all these years, I drew her into my arms and stroked the side of her head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to remind you about the fire."

Feeling Eden relax against me, I tightened my grip and pressed my lips against her temple. "Baby, you've forgotten how to let someone take care of you. Please just let me help."

She shook her head, struggled for a second to free herself from my arms then surrendered once more. Words, muffled by my chest and wet with her tears, tumbled past her lips. "I don't know when I'll be able to pay you back for what you've already done..."

Anger built inside me. I wasn't mad at Eden. I was mad at the world, furious with everyone she had come into contact with since Michael's death -- including myself. Several long seconds passed before I could trust myself to speak without yelling.

"Friends don't pay friends back, they take turns helping one another," I explained softly. I fought the urge to tilt her chin upward, exposing her mouth to mine. The thoughts and feelings zipping around inside me exceeded the capacity of mere words. I wanted to communicate with touch, with a kiss, a caress, my flesh moving over hers, relaxing the tension I could feel vibrating in her body.

She tried to move away again. I couldn't get my arms to cooperate with her intent. I shushed her, even though she wasn't speaking, and tried to explain further.

"I know I was a shitty friend in the past," I started. She shook her head, the motion violent. Her hands came up to my chest, the palms flat against my muscles and I knew I had less than a second before the tried to pull back again. My fingers knotting in her hair, I forced her to look up at me.

The quiver playing along her lips earlier had magnified. Even her eyes seemed to tremble with how much hurt she held inside, refusing to let it out in front of me.

"I am so sorry for what she did," Eden started. "I didn't know--"

Unthreading one hand from her hair, I brushed my fingers across her lips. "I read your emails, tried to respond to them but I was too late."

She kept attempting to turn away, to escape, the motions subtle but clear.

"You never have to apologize to me for what Helen did," I continued. My hands moved to her shoulders and I opened a little space between our bodies. I didn't want her to feel trapped, but I also didn't want her to walk away. Her little backpack was full and I was certain that she was halfway out the door even though I still controlled her flesh.

"You're tired." I smoothed my palms down her arms in a futile attempt to calm her. "This isn't a conversation we need to have tonight -- or this week or anytime before you're ready to have it. You need to rest, to sleep. Please let me take the couch at least one more night."

Eden nodded, her eyes closed, her expression shut off.

"Okay?" I asked, seeking a more solid confirmation that she wouldn't disappear before morning.

"Okay," she answered, still not looking at me. "I'll sleep in here tonight."

I pulled my hands to my sides. My body ached from the restraint I exercised while every muscle I possessed wanted to draw her closer to me, to stroke and kiss her until our past was erased and only our future remained.

"Thank you," I whispered and then, before I had to spend another second seeing her avoid my gaze, I escaped into the living room and pullout bed.

********************

A little after midnight I woke to the weight of Eden's hand on my shoulder.

"Dare?"

I inhaled deeply to clear my head. In my dream, she'd had her lips wrapped around my cock, her mouth too full to speak. "What is it, Eden?"

"I can't sleep. I close my eyes and try, but it's like a gorilla sitting on my chest."

I needed to tell her to go back to bed and put the clock radio on, assuring her that the constant flicker of sound would keep the memories of the hotel fire at bay. The last thing I needed, my body aroused by her presence and the echoes of my dream, was to have her under the bedding with me. I had pushed too hard earlier. Another push and she would leave.

Instead of being sensible, I slid across the mattress and pulled the sheet and blanket back. "You can sleep in here. Will that help?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice anything but convinced. She slipped in next to me and surprised me by burrowing against my side.

I covered our bodies with the covers and wrapped my arms around her, my chin resting against the crown of her head. It felt good holding her, knowing that despite her earlier retreat, I could help ease the tremble running through her. I stroked her arm, kissed the top of her head, listened to her breathe.

After a few minutes, the rhythm created by the rise and fall of her chest against my side and the puffs of warm air that kissed my neck changed.

Breathing is such a simple thing, really, but it is also complicated as hell. I am highly attuned to its variations. As a firefighter and team leader, lives depended on it. I had learned to tell when the sounds coming over my earpiece were from a fatigue bordering on collapse or because one of my men was starting to panic like a rookie at his first fire.

Listening to the change in how Eden breathed brought with it a slow realization. She was aroused -- turned on. Fear no longer fueled her shaking. She squirmed, pressed closer to me. Her hand cupped my shoulder and she rubbed her thumb across my collarbone.

"Eden, baby?"

A sleepy mumble issued from her but I knew it was a sham. She wasn't falling asleep, not with the way she was breathing. She relaxed further into me, her leg slipping over mine.

"Eden, honey, you can't do this."

Her whole body tensed -- her hand, the flex of her thigh, her chest as she stopped mid-breath.

"I understand. Really, I do." I took a hard swallow. Finding the right thing to say wasn't going to be easy, especially with the way my body was reacting. "You almost died last night. You want to feel safe and I make you feel safe...at least I hope I do."

Her words softly slipped in as I paused, stumbling for a better explanation.

"You walked through fire for me, Dare."

Her whisper landed like hot wax on my chest. My grip on her tightened. "I've walked through fire for a lot of people, little girl."

A sharp exhalation -- the truth didn't please her. Curling her arms around my neck, she pressed her lips to my throat.

Fuck, what she was doing was exactly what I had wanted, practically all I had thought about since realizing who she was after the rescue. But I knew the worst thing I could possibly do at that juncture was succumb to temptation. I had been fighting my desire every step of the way because acting on it would ultimately drive Eden out of my home.

"It's a rescue crush." Knotting my fingers through her hair, I pulled her from me. "You'll come to your senses in a few days and I don't want you to feel embarrassed and leave when you do."

"That's not it."

"Yes, it is." I pushed her onto her back, pinned her there so she couldn't move against me and tempt me with the soft bump of her hips against my cock or the press of her breasts against my chest. My tongue and dick already ached hard for her.

"You think I'm some sort of fireman groupie. Is that it?"

The gentle determination in her voice as she argued was almost as good as a hand around my cock, stroking me, making me want to do wicked things to her sweet body -- things we would later regret.

"I think you're in no shape to decide--" My jaws snapped shut a second too late.

"That's pretty patronizing, don't you think?" Reversing our positions, she moved until she was on top of me, her legs straddling my sides as I wrapped my hands around her hips with the intent of lifting her off. She squeezed her legs together, her thighs gripping at my cock to tear a moan from my throat. "But you probably think all I do is make bad decisions, from getting into Anna McPherson's car to everything that led me to Pole Town."

She was angry, getting angrier by the second, and all I could think of was how badly I wanted to sink my cock in her. With a rough twist, I had her on her back and trapped beneath me.

"What I think," I started, my fingers tangling in her long hair. "Is that the last time I gave into my impulse to kiss you, I didn't see you for another three years."

She laughed, the sound soft but full of disdain. "You didn't kiss me gone, Dare."

"No," I agreed although it felt like I had. If I hadn't kissed her, I might have reacted differently to finding my dad finger-fucking Helen Burke. The kiss left me vulnerable and made me feel betrayed, not by Frank or Helen, the actual culprits, but by an innocent seventeen-year-old girl who had nothing to do with their affair.

I had to get her to see it my way, to understand how important it was that we get to know one another again before we took our relationship any further.

And I definitely wanted to take it further.

"It was selfish kissing you that night. You were bruised, you'd had alcohol shoved down your throat..."

She cringed beneath me. I immediately retreated from reminding her of all that had happened on that particular night. "And I was selfish again. When I went by your house the next morning, you were gone. So when your emails popped into my mailbox, I ignored them until it was too late -- you had already closed your account."

"I was getting death threats." She turned her head away, the strands of hair trapped between my fingers straining. Anguish slurred her words and there was just enough light from the street edging the curtains for me to see the way her eyes shined.

"Who?" I asked, a fresh fury tightening my chest.

Eden whimpered and I realized more than my chest had tensed. I was holding her hair too tightly. I let go then softly smoothed my thumb across her cheek.

"Too many people to list." Her body went limp beneath me. "Can I go back to the other bed?"

"Not alone," I answered.

Eden squirmed like she wanted to dig a hole through the mattress to escape. I pushed my face into the pillow beside her head and sighed. The only thing I had managed to do right was rescue her. Even bringing Eden home was probably a mistake.

"Baby..." My hands moved over her body, my brain incapable of supervision from all the mixed feelings running through me. I cupped her face, drew her mouth to mine and kissed her -- kissed her like I had that night so many years ago on the park bench.

She had one of those stupid novelty shirts on from the last girl I had fucked, one whose name I couldn't quite remember. My hand slid under the fabric to find her breasts. My cock jerked once against Eden's stomach, its need to be buried inside her insistent.

"I looked for you," I said, breaking the kiss. "More than once. Looked for your mom, too, but only as a means to finding you."

"She kicked me out," Eden confessed. Her fingers danced against my sides for a second and then her nails dugs at me as if I was the only thing keeping her from tumbling over the edge of a high cliff. "But please don't ask me to talk about it."

Talking was the last thing on my mind -- unless it would help her. I didn't think it would. I brushed my lips across hers once more then planted a gentle kiss on her cheek.