“Thank you, Porter.”
“Anytime, Soph. Anytime.”
It was the most comfortable I’d ever been in a bed with someone else, and in no time, my breathing slowed in tandem with hers and I fell fast asleep with this beautiful creature in my arms.
The Arsonist
Ihope you got my note, Sophia. I hope you saw what I could do. Did you see my tribute? Did you see how close I could get to you without you actually being near? This is just the beginning, my love.
The longer you stay hidden from me, the bigger my tributes will become. Your friend was lucky to have been gone, but who’s to say how lucky she’ll be next time?
Don’t keep me waiting, Sophia. I burn for you. And the city will burn as well if you don’t burn with me.
I’m going to find you.
It’s only a matter of time…
Sophia
The sound of the door opening and closing roused me from my sleep. Instinctively, I reached out to the other side of the bed and felt it empty.
“Looking for me?” Porter’s voice drew my attention toward the door where he stood dressed in nothing but black sweatpants. A towel was in his hands that he scrubbed vigorously through his damp hair.
I swallowed hard at the sight. “What time is it?”
He dropped the towel around his shoulders and pulled his phone from his pocket. “A bit after midnight. The stench of smoke was getting to me so much I couldn’t sleep, so I snuck a shower real quick.”
“Oh okay. Sorry I made you climb in here with the smell,” I replied sheepishly.
Porter grinned and walked around to the other side of the bed, tossing the towel away as he sat. “I didn’t mind. You needed me more than I needed a shower.”
My eyes roamed over his impressive chest and smooth tanned skin. His fresh, clean scent drifted to my nostrils, teasing me. He smelled so damn good.
“You have to stop looking at me like that,” Porter told me in a hoarse tone.
“Like what?” I inquired, bringing my gaze back to his own.
“Like you want me like I want you.” The hunger in his voice sent a delicious shiver down my spine.
My thighs clenched together tightly of their own volition. Dragging my bottom lip between my teeth, I let out a shaky breath.
“What if I do?” I challenged, foregoing listening to my head for once. After everything that happened to me, then what almost happened with Alice, I was running out of reasons not to just go with my gut. And my gut was telling me that if I didn’t take what he was so plainly offering up to me, I’d regret it deeply.
If these past few years or even months had taught me anything, it was that life was fleeting. I was blessed to be alive. To be cared for by this man on a level no one else had before. What was the point of living if I didn’t actuallylive?
I wanted him so badly that everything in the fire of my being was begging me to just be in this moment and take it for what it was. A chance at something more. With him. With all of the guys.
Porter’s eyes burned with need as he processed what I’d said and probably the resolution he saw reflected so plainly on my face.
“If you really mean that, I need to know. Cause if we start something, I don’t think I’d have it in me to ever let you go,” he told me seriously as he moved to his hands and knees and crawled toward me.
I leaned back as he situated himself above me, grasping the edge of the blanket covering me. His face was barely a foot above mine, his expression hopeful.
“I mean it. I need you, Porter,” I breathed out softly, never losing eye contact with him.
“Thank God,” he groaned before yanking the blanket away from my body. His knees settled on either side of my hips and he closed the distance between his mouth and mine.
His kiss was searing and passionate, burning me in the best of ways. I felt it all the way down to my toes that curled mercilessly into the sheet beneath me. My hands went to his shoulders, tugging him fully down onto me. My knees came up and tightened against his sides as I drove the kiss deeper, making sure he couldn’t pull away. I moaned into his mouth when his hand delved into my hair, tenderly pulling out the ponytail so he could drag his fingers through the long tresses.
