“I don’t understand. If he doesn’t know where you are, why are you so freaked out? It sounds like an empty threat to me.”
Erica shook her head and stepped backward, out of my reach. I could have followed, but I wasn’t going to force the issue, not when she was feeling attacked already.
“You don’t get it. You don’t know him.”
“No, I don’t. But I do know that you’re not going to have much of a life if you keep running like this. And neither will Dominic.”
“I have to keep him safe,” she said the words like a mantra. Then, she returned to stripping her closet of its contents.
“You can do that here. Come on, Erica, you’re overreacting.”
Her back was to me when she froze in place, dropping the clothing she had been holding to the floor at her feet. With her back ramrod straight and her face painted in lines of fury, she turned and looked at me.
“Overreacting? OVERREACTING? Who do you think you are? Mister Big, Tough, Biker Dude thinks he’s seen it all and knows everything. Well, tell me, did you know that I’ve had broken ribs six times? Or that when we first met, there were black and blue bruises up and down my back? Or that Dominic used to have nightmares every night that I died?”
Every word she spoke was fuel for the fire within me. Jeff had better hope that I never met him in person. The most powerful protective instinct I’d ever experienced made me want to wrap her in my arms and never let go. I couldn’t let anything like that happen to her or Dominic ever again.
“So, think twice next time you try to tell me how to feel about my husband.” God, I hated that they were still married. “If I don’t leave tonight, I’m basically taking a stand here. I’m choosing to stop running, and I don’t think I can do that. I don’t think I’m strong enough, damn it.”
With every word she spoke, the anger seeped out of her, leaving a deep-rooted fear behind.
“I believe in you,” I said, brushing a strand of hair off of her forehead. “And I’m here for you.”
Erica shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that. This is my fight.”
“And you’re my girl,” I argued. “Aren’t you?”
Erica looked up into my eyes, and the atmosphere in the room shifted to something else. Electricity crackled between us, invisible but effective. Without overthinking it, I pulled her body into mine, taking her lips in a bruising kiss. I poured everything I was feeling for her into it, trying to tell without words how much her packing up to leave scared me and how much I cared about her.
Erica’s hands explored my body freely, traveling under my shirt, where she traced my abs with her fingers before running her flat palms over my pecs. Then, she just pulled the shirt right off, getting it out of the way. It was hot as hell that she was taking the lead, doing what she wanted, and letting me know that she liked my body with the way that she couldn’t stop touching it.
Breaking our kiss briefly, I knocked the half-full suitcases into the floor before guiding her backward until she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She reached out and grabbed my belt buckle, pulling me forward until my hard erection was only inches from her face where it hid behind my zipper.
“I told you that it would be your turn this time,” she said, licking her lips slowly.
I was so hard for her that it was almost painful. I watched as she used her nimble fingers to unbuckle my pants and open them. When she shoved them down, the only thing keeping my cock contained was the thin fabric of my boxers.
Erica brought both hands up on either side of my hips and gripped the waistband. Keeping her eyes on the prize, she pulled down my boxers, and my aching erection jutted out toward her face. She gasped, and I felt the intake of air on the tip because she was so close. It was a sweet torture.
The next thing I knew, she hand wrapped her hand firmly around it and started stroking me low and steady. Just when I got used to that, she leaned in and placed a kiss on the tip. I felt a quick zap of pleasure, but I needed so much more.
“Erica, fuck. Please, baby. Don’t torture me.”
She must have been waiting for me to ask because as soon as the words were out of my mouth, she took me into her mouth. Erica went as deep as she could right off the bat, and my breath left my lungs in a burst of pleasure. She kept her hand at the base and moved it up and down with her mouth. It wasn’t long before waves of pleasure radiated from her efforts, and I felt myself building up to a climax.
“Stop,” I said breathlessly. She did, looking up at me with confusion. “I’ve got to come inside you, baby. And I don’t mean in that pretty little mouth of yours. Not this time.”
I kicked off my jeans and boxers, but stopped long enough to grab my wallet and the condom that I always kept in there. Pressing another kiss to Erica’s lips, I moved forward onto the bed. I made quick work of removing the dress she was wearing, only to stop and stare at the lingerie underneath. Black lace covered her most private areas, but not well enough to truly hide them. I could still see bare flesh peeking out and the outline of two very erect nipples.
I wanted to take my time to explore every inch of her with my tongue, but I didn’t think I could wait another second to be inside of her. Besides, we’d have time for slow exploration later. We had all night, after all.
I pulled her panties off and placed my hand at her entrance to find that she was wet and ready for me.
“Oh my, you want this, don’t you?” I asked, dipping a finger inside and watching her squirm. “Have you been fantasizing about this like I have? Do you touch yourself when you think of me?”
Erica gasped and threw her head back as I pumped my finger in and out of her, but she didn’t answer.
“I said, do you touch yourself when you think of me?” I repeated, dipping my head down to her chest, I lightly bit her nipple through her bra.
