The Firefly Effect (16 page)

She raises her eyebrows in disbelief. “You’re kidding. You haven’t, really? Never?”

“No. Believe it or not, I’m usually more responsible than this.” Somehow that comment seems ironic coming from a guy who just got done rolling around in a puddle of pancake batter. Her expression is one of skepticism, but before I can think of something to say I’m distracted by a faint whiff of smoke. “Do you smell something burning?”

She looks down at me blankly for a moment. “Oh, crap! I left the stove on!” Scrambling to her feet, she pulls her robe shut and hastily moves the frying pan aside before turning off the eye. “Whoops. We’re gonna burn the house down if we’re not careful.”

That’s the understatement of the year.

A torrent of heavy rain suddenly pelts the house and she tilts her head to listen. “Or maybe not. Wow, it’s really pouring out there.”

Fastening my jeans, I stand and almost lose my balance when one foot slides across the messy floor. “I better go check the weather report. How about I do that real quick and then we can hop in the shower and get cleaned up.”

“We?” Her back is to me as she runs water over the smoking frying pan, but I can hear the smile in her voice.

“Yes, we. I’m not done with you yet.” Resting a hand on the small of her back, I kiss her cheek before kicking my batter-covered shoes off and heading into the living room. “I owe you an orgasm.”

I chuckle to myself when she calls back, “Just so you know, I charge obscene interest rates. So you better hurry or you’ll be up to two.”

My heart is light as I switch on the TV and turn it to the weather channel. A meteorologist in a shirt and tie is standing in front of a map, pointing to a forecast cone as he talks. Uh-oh. The forecast track looks noticeably different than it did yesterday.

The scene cuts to a perfectly-coifed woman sitting at a desk. “Thank you, Bob. We know that you’ve been tracking Elliott all week, and for those who are just tuning in, I understand you have some new information to share from the National Hurricane Center?”

The camera switches back to the meteorologist. “That’s right, Emma. While we have seen a slow rise in barometric pressure, Elliott is holding steady right now at nine hundred and sixty-eight millibars, and the center of the storm has drifted much farther east than originally anticipated. If you’ll look on the map here, you can see the hurricane warnings for the areas shaded in red. We expect landfall within the next fourteen to sixteen hours near Fort Walton Beach. For the folks in this area, you are already beginning to experience rain squalls and increasing wind gusts as the first bands are just starting to move in, and unfortunately conditions will only deteriorate from here on out as Elliott makes its way onshore. Now keep in mind that while we don’t expect this storm to strengthen, it is still currently a strong category two with wind gusts as high as one hundred and five miles per hour.”

Weatherman Bob points again to the map. “You can see the hurricane force winds outlined here in orange, extending outward in a forty-five mile radius from the center. This yellow shade represents the tropical storm force winds which extend outward one hundred and twenty miles, so the good news is this is a relatively small hurricane in terms of size. For those near the coast, we’re looking at a storm surge of six to eight feet–”

“What’s the latest?”

I turn to see Melanie standing behind me with a dishtowel in her hand. “You want the good news first? Or the bad?”

“Give me the good news.”

“Elliott hasn’t strengthened.”

“Oh. Okay, that
is
good. So what’s the bad?”

“It appears to have changed course.”

Her brow furrows as she turns her attention to the TV screen. “What does this mean for us?”

“It means we’re now in the direct path.”

“Oh. Well, there ya go. I should’ve stopped while I was ahead.” She listens to the meteorologist talk for a little while, then asks, “When is it supposed to make landfall?”

“Late tonight or early in the morning.”

“But we’re safe here, right?”

“Perfectly safe,” I assure her. “The former owners said this house withstood Opal and Ivan without so much as a scratch, and those were both way more powerful storms. Plus I’ve added the roof ties and storm shutters since then.” That was more for insurance purposes than anything, but now I’m sure glad I had it done. “I think the worst we’ll have to worry about is being without power.”

“Do you think that will happen soon?”

“I have no way of knowing. But we should probably take a nice hot shower while we still can.”

I’m caught off guard by the unexpected blare of Seether’s
Remedy
coming from Melanie’s cell phone on the coffee table. Seether, hm? Interesting choice for a ringtone. Not at all the type of music I would have pictured her listening to.

She walks over and picks it up, glancing at the display before answering. “Hi, Daddy. How are you?”

Figuring I should give her some privacy, I go into the laundry room and strip down so I can put my clothes in the washing machine. Then I wander down the hallway to my bathroom and gather up a few more items to make a full load. By the time I get the laundry going and return to the living room, she’s wrapping up her conversation.

“No, you don’t have to do that. Yes, I’m sure. Tell Mom–” She stops in mid-sentence when she sees me standing there wearing nothing but a smile. “Uh, tell…tell Mom I’ll talk to him soon. To
her
soon.” Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head at me. “Love you, too. Okay. I’ll call you in a couple of days. Bye.” Ending the call, she lays the phone back on the coffee table without once taking her eyes off me. “I have to hand it to you, Pain. You really know how to make an entrance.”

Untying her robe, I slide it off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

“Come with me,” I tell her. “I’ll show you what else I can do.”

~ Chapter Fifteen ~

“How long have you been growing your hair out? I’m jealous, it’s even longer than mine. It looks so healthy, too.”

The warm water from the shower beats down on my back as I work the shampoo into a soapy lather. Shane has already given my hair a thorough washing, and I’m trying to return the favor although he’s a good eight inches taller than me. I finally order him down on his knees so I can reach him better. He seems to enjoy it, seeing how he’s pretty much eye level with the twins now.

“Mm…I dunno. A year or two, I guess.” Sliding his arms around me, he squeezes my backside before tracing a wet nipple with his tongue.

“You’re gonna get shampoo in your mouth,” I warn him. My voice is less steady than it was a second ago. Oh my, that feels wonderful…

“Rather have something else in my mouth,” he mumbles into my cleavage.

“What was that?”

“You heard me.” To drive home his point, he demonstrates exactly what it is he was referring to. My fingers tense against his scalp and I bite my lip as his mouth sucks hungrily on my breast. “Mm. I could eat you up.”

“Well, don’t do that. Cannibalism isn’t a very attractive quality in a man.” What the hell – did I actually just refer to him as a cannibal? What kind of weirdo thing was that to say? God, I am such a dork.

Okay, now wait a minute here. Why should I care if he thinks I’m a dork?

I’m startled out of my reverie by a playful smack on the ass. “You about done yet?”

“Oh…yeah. All clean. Stand up and rinse.” As he obediently rises, I switch places with him so he can stand underneath the spray. The shampoo runs out of his hair, trickling down his body in soapy trails before disappearing down the drain. I can’t take my eyes off him. He is the essence of masculinity, all lean muscle and hard lines and the sexiest little dimples embedded in those tight butt cheeks. He sure has filled out since high school. I wonder if he works out.

“Do you work out?”

Oh good grief, I’m doing it again. Why did I say that out loud? It sounds so lame and phony, like some simpering pickup line you’d hear in a bar. I highly doubt his inflated ego needs any more stroking.

“Not since my college days.” He rubs the water out of his eyes and grins at me. “Why? Do I look like I work out?”

“I was just asking,” I reply defensively. “Do you want some conditioner?”

“Nope. That’s not what I want.”

He pulls me against his chest and gives me a wet kiss while slowly rotating our positions. The warm water beats against my back in a soothing massage. “What I want is for you to turn around,” he tells me. Once I do, he nudges the underside of my right thigh. “Put this foot up on the edge of the tub.”

I prop it on the side, not really concerned about slipping because his strong arms are around me, holding me steady. One hand relinquishes my waist, sliding over the curve of my ass to find the slit between my legs. The water has washed away all my natural lubrication, but two long fingers push their way inside me to find a brand new slickness there. What is it about his touch that gets me instantly wet? Maybe it’s that his hands are just so…manly. I love the way they feel, unfamiliar and yet familiar, larger and rougher than mine though still gentle.

“Lean back against me. Spread your legs apart a little more, babydoll,” he murmurs from behind me. “It’s okay. I got you.”

I recline my head against his chest. He’s working his fingers in and out, slowly and methodically, and in my current position the spray from the showerhead is thrumming directly against my clit.

So this was what he had in mind. Oh, I see...
wow
…

“You like that?” he whispers.

“Mmm…yes…” I groan, moving against his hand. I can feel the prickle of a climax building up already. Holy cow, this is intense…

“I love how wet you get for me. You have no idea how sexy that is. How much it turns me on.”

I clutch his arm, the one wrapped around my waist, and close my eyes blissfully. I’m standing on the threshold of nirvana here. I’ve never been this open with my sexuality, not with anyone. To be honest, I’m normally a do-it-under-the-covers-in-the-dark kind of girl. It’s strange, but somehow I feel comfortable enough with him not to be self-conscious. Why is that? Is it because we’ve known each other since we were kids?

“You love it when I fuck you with my fingers, don’t you?”

My only response is a whimper. If I could muster the strength to speak, I’d tell him he isn’t wrong.

“Oh, yes. You do.” His hand continues its unrelenting tempo. “
This
tells me all I need to know.”

I feel the silken head of his cock brush against my backside, and I shudder in ecstasy. This is such a fleeting dream. It will all end way too soon. He won’t be here for long, I’m fully aware of that, but for now…

For now…

He is all mine.

So I will relax and push everything else out of my mind, and for the time being simply live for the moment.

His lips are hot against my cheek. “You have the sweetest little pussy. So sweet…I always knew it would be like this, just like Tupelo honey…”

“I…mmm…
ohh
…”

“That’s it. Come for me, baby. Let me feel it.” He works his way deeper inside me, and I succumb to the tidal wave of wild pleasure that crashes and pulses through my body. My throat makes some kind of strangled sound as I clench his arm in a taut grip. “That’s it…yes, baby, that’s it…oh, fuck yes, I love it when you come…it’s so damn beautiful…” His fingers press against the dewy walls inside as I constrict around him, and I have no doubt he can feel every throbbing vibration of my powerful orgasm.

Now I know why the French refer to it as ‘the little death’.

It is an apt description, considering I feel as if I’ve died and flown straight to heaven.

Slipping his hand from between my thighs, Shane turns me around to face him. His ebony eyes are shining. “You are so beautiful,” he says, so quietly I can barely hear him over the running water, and he pulls me into his arms, crushing my breasts against his hard chest. His erection is like a steel shaft between us.

I’ve never considered myself beautiful. Average, at best. How bizarre to think that the boy who used to go out of his way to tap my insecurities has become the only man who ever made me feel truly desirable.