Lennox (12 page)

Lennox finds a scenic overlook and pulls us over to the side. “C’mon.
It’s almost time.”

We climb out of the Mustang and perch on the still-warm hood of the
car, side by side. “Sunset flash,” Lennox explains. “I
can’t tell you how much I missed watching the sunset while I
was on the inside. Seems like such a silly thing, but it’s so
beautiful. Such a constant when you’re living free, and I had
no idea how strange it would feel to live without it.”

“I can’t blame you.” I prop my hands behind me and
lean back. My gaze keeps drifting from the sunset, though, toward
Lennox—the faint lines around his eyes as he squints into the
sun; the tension in his shoulders and arms. I wonder if he can ever
live so carefree again. If he can ever reach a point where he takes
the sunset for granted once more. Probably not.

“Elena . . . listen.” He swallows,
audibly, and keeps his gaze straight ahead. “I made a promise
to you long ago, and I want you to know I—I haven’t
forgotten about that. I swore to you that someday, if circumstances
aligned, I’d be a better man. I’d be the man for
you
.”

My breath hitches in my throat. All those things I felt for Lennox
years ago come roaring back. He was my hero and my heartthrob. The
voice of reason and compassion I needed to untangle my mixed-up
teenage mind. And he was real. Honest. Solid. He was everything I
longed to be. He made me want to be better.

He made me want to be his.

“I mean . . .” I take a deep breath. I
don’t want to scare him off. “It was a long time ago, and
I understand if you don’t still feel—”

“No. No, it isn’t that at all.” His eyebrows draw
down. “It’s just that . . . I’m not
that man yet.”

I exhale carefully, trying not to let my heartbreak show. Somehow,
this feels a thousand times worse than even my worst fights and worst
disappointments with Nash. And that’s when I know—Nash
never truly mattered to me. Not the way Lennox did. But like the
sunset, I didn’t know what I was missing.

“I’m trying to get there, really I am. But it’s
taking so fucking long to get all this shit sorted. Working for the
McManuses, and then keeping the Cartwrights happy . . .”

I frown. What does he owe the Cartwrights still? I’m not
worried about him still being attracted to Amber. It sounded like he
slammed the door on that possibility when she abandoned him during
his imprisonment. But Amber’s dad is a terrifying man, and I’d
hate to think Lennox might be in any way indebted to him.

“But once I’m free and clear, Elena . . .
I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”

“God, Lennox. I don’t care about you being perfect. You
know me.” I wrap my arms around myself. “I just want you.
All I’ve ever wanted is you.”

A warm smile spreads across Lennox’s face. We turn back toward
the sunset, just in time. It flares hot white against the distant
mountains, then sinks, leaving us in the hazy purple of twilight.

“I want you too, Elena.”

My heart is pounding. It feels like a drumbeat under my skin, drawing
me toward Lennox. It stokes a fire deep in my gut.

“But I’ve done terrible things.” He sighs. “I’m
doing them still. I don’t want to be that man. You . . .”
He turns toward me, the twilight glimmering in his sad eyes. “You
deserve better.”

“No. Don’t say that. That’s bullshit.” I
nudge him with the toe of my boot. “You’re still Lennox,
and you’ll always be Lennox. The man I love. The man I’ve
always loved.”

Lennox raises one hand to my face and caresses my cheek. He cradles
it so tenderly, as if he’s afraid of shattering this moment.
I’m terrified—fear I’ve said too much—but the
expression on his face puts me at ease. He’s genuinely happy.

“And I’ve always loved you, Elena.”

His thumb grazes against my lower lip. I kiss the pad of his thumb,
then seize his hand. Kiss his palm. His wrist, his pulse throbbing
against my mouth. Lennox slides his hand under my chin and tilts my
face up to meet his. My stomach clenches. This moment I’ve
dreamed of for years. The promise of this moment that carried me
through every dark thought. And now it’s happening.

Lennox’s lips sink into mine, warm and inviting. He tastes like
late summer, warm and spicy and soothing. Slowly, his mouth moves
against me, coaxing my lips open, and I taste every inch of him. His
hand curls around my neck, tangling in my hair that I spent way too
long trying to style, and I couldn’t care less if he messes it
up.

“God, you’re incredible,” he breathes, as he pauses
to catch his breath. He presses his forehead against mine and runs
his thumb against my cheekbone. “I can’t tell you how
long I’ve wanted to do this.”

“Me either.” I laugh, and kiss my way across his cheek,
then suck gently at the hollow beneath his jaw.

Lennox lets loose a low growl and pulls me against him. “Fuck.
I want you so bad, Ellie.”

“Then what are you afraid of?” I ask.

“Of disappointing you.” His fingers trail down my neck
and finger the straps of my dress. “You’re so gorgeous.
You have such a strong heart, and a quiet certainness about you . . .
I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long. I swear, if I could
change things, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“You don’t need to change a thing.” I kiss the tip
of his nose. “Now shut up and kiss me.”

Lennox laughs, swings off the hood of the car, and stands before me,
his body pressed between my thighs. I tilt my head back to greet his
kisses, but then his mouth trails lower, teasing and sucking as he
goes, sending a hot flare straight to my core. He’s
intense—heat and sharp pleasure and dark promises of even more
to come. I grip the fabric of his black button-down shirt and pull
him closer as his tongue flicks against the neckline of my dress.

“Incredible.” He cups my breast in one hand and teases
the edge of my neckline. “The way you taste, and smell, and
feel . . . I want you so bad.”

I shiver as he eases my breast out from beneath my dress. The cool
evening air rushes over my skin, heightening the sensation against my
nerve endings. “I want you, too.”

He laughs, hot breath moving over my skin, and swirls his tongue
against my nipple in response.

“Oh, fuck.” I suck in air as pleasure washes through me.
He’s hot and cold at once, his mouth coaxing me into
submission. I want to feel that mouth
everywhere
. I run my
fingers through Lennox’s dark hair and close my eyes.

His tongue works magic against my breast as his teeth scrape me just
so. Heat flares deep in my gut and between my thighs. For all the
times I’ve done this with Nash, I realize that it was really
this I was dreaming of—of Lennox. Of these lips, this
single-minded determination of his to please to me, to get me off.

My back arches as Lennox teases my breast further. He brings one hand
up under the hemline of my dress and traces a slow circle against the
inside of my thigh. “Is this okay?” he murmurs. “Because
I want more. I want to taste every part of you.”

My thighs tense in response.
Yes.
My throat is parched, but I
manage a nod. His eyes lock on mine, acknowledging, then he slides
his other hand beneath my dress.

Lennox scoots me to the edge of the car’s hood as he pushes the
hem up around my hips. I ease back on the still-warm hood, but it’s
nothing compared to the heat rising off of Lennox’s touch as he
spreads my legs wide. He kisses the inside of my thigh, just above my
knee, and sucks the tender skin there, sending a shot of pleasure
straight up my center. Then his mouth trails higher, kissing and
sucking as he goes.

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve fantasized about
this, too.” His words are hot bursts of air against my bared
skin. His fingers tease at the edge of my panties, tugging at the
elastic. “Of the expression on your face, serious and delighted
all at once. Of your gorgeous voice, gasping for air and calling my
name.” He licks the line of soft flesh just beneath my panties.
“Will you call it for me?”

“Fuck, yes. Oh, fuck.” I grip his hair tighter between my
fingers. He’s already driving me wild. I can’t even
imagine how much I’m going to scream.

“Good,” Lennox says.

Then he darts his tongue beneath the elastic, grazing against the
edge of my lips.

Shit.
I rock backward with a groan. He hooks his thumbs on the
edge of my panties, and tugs them down around my ankles. I’m
completely exposed to him now, and completely wet for him. He slips
one finger between my lips, and teases at my clit. “Fuck.
Lennox, fuck.” I clench my jaw, trying to stifle another moan.

“Is that a good fuck, or a bad fuck?” he asks, a wry grin
on his lips. His fingers spread me open, and lowers his face between
my thighs, licking again around the soft insides of them.

“A good fuck. An incredible fuck. Mind-blowing, even.”

“Good,” he purrs. Then swirls his tongue against my clit.

A deluge of pleasure courses through me. Each probe of his tongue
brings a fresh sensation pulsing through me, and his fingers slip
inside me to bring me closer to the edge. I rock my hips against his
hand as he sucks me, guiding me toward the edge. If I’m not
careful, I’m going to lose it. I grip his hair harder.
“Lennox—you’re going to make me—”

“Come,” he murmurs, then licks his lips. “Come for
me. I want to know how good you feel.”

I draw a ragged breath as he sucks my clit hard. Feel the rub of his
fingers inside. His dark eyes, watching me, drinking in my delight.
And then it happens—a hot strike of lightning right in my
center, crackling outward. I cry out, thighs locking around his face,
then slump backward against the hood of the car. Every inch of me is
electrified, the pleasure splintering and coursing through me.

For a few moments, I can’t even move or think. I just lie
there, savoring the feel of Lennox, of Lennox Fucking Solt’s
face between my legs and the aftershock of my climax pulsing through
me. Then he kisses his way back down my leg and gently pulls me back
to the present.

“You’re incredible, El,” he murmurs. His eyes
sparkle in the darkening air. “Simply incredible.”

“So are you.” I laugh, low and throaty, and nudge him
with my foot.

The high-pitched whine of motorcycle engines whip past us, reminding
us where we are. The bikers shout and cheer at us. Lennox waves one
hand toward them, a sloppy grin on his face.

“Oh, fuck.” I cover my face with my hand. “They
didn’t see us, did they?”

“Nah, doubt it.” He helps me ease my panties back up over
my hips. “Though you put on quite a show.”

I’m glad it’s darker now so he can’t see how red my
face must be. Although after what he just did to me, I’m not
sure I should be embarrassed anymore. Good lord. Lennox Solt went
down on me—and he said he’s been dreaming of it for a
long time. Wow. Well, it’s good to know I wasn’t alone in
my fantasies.

I can’t wait to see what else he’s been dreaming of doing
to me . . .

“C’mon, El. We can still make it to the tournament, if
you’re game.” Lennox winks at me as he wraps his hands
around my waist and hoists me down off of the hood of the car.

But it’s not so much the tournament I’m looking forward
to now as what might come afterward.

Lennox

I’m glad it’s dark out now, so Elena can’t see the
stupid-ass grin plastered on my face as I drive us toward the Wild
Horses Tavern out past Highway 12. I can taste her on my lips
still—salty and sweet and every bit as honey-rich as I’d
imagined. No. She’s even better. Better than my wildest
fantasies, my deep, dark imaginings that saw me through countless
endless days in prison. That sound she made when she came, the way
her lips rounded, the scrunch of her nose and that
in-fucking-credible body of hers tensing around me . . .

God, just thinking about it’s got me hard all over again. I
don’t know how I’m going to get through this pool
tournament.

Elena reaches over and squeezes my hand as we pull into the tavern’s
parking lot. I take her hand in mine and kiss the back of it, slow
and tender.

“Careful,” she warns me. “I may not let you out of
this car if you keep that up.”

I grin. “Careful. I might believe you.”

She laughs and hops out of the Mustang. That black dress clings to
all her curves while still managing to look soft, delicate—not
overly skin-tight. All the same, I hurry to walk behind her. I can
feel the bikers and other pool sharks twisting around to stare at her
as she leads me into the tavern. I press my hand to the small of her
back, and stare right back at them.

“How about a warm-up game?” Elena asks me, once I’m
registered for the tournament. She props a cue against her boot and
chalks it up, looking like an olive-skinned, dark-haired angel in her
black dress and black boots.

I stride toward her, slow, and wrap my arms around her waist. “I
dunno. I’m not sure I want to give away my tricks to the other
players just yet.”

Elena runs her fingers down the front of my chest. “Oh, I’m
sure you’re full of surprises.”

I laugh and give her a gentle shove. God, this feels good. I feel
more natural around her already than I felt after years with Amber.
But I’d always suspected it would be like this. Amber was fun
and hot and as interesting as cardboard. Elena, though . . .
she’s always been a dark pool whose depths I’ve yearned
to uncover.

“All right, fine. One quick match. You’ll probably kick
my ass, anyway.” I rack the balls and offer her the first shot.

“Winner gets to drive the Mustang home,” Elena says.

I laugh. “All right, deal.”

I put my pool cue together and circle the table, exaggerating my
actions as I pretend to assess every angle of the opening shot. Then
I look up at Elena with a wry grin. She bursts out laughing at me and
jabs her cue in my direction.