The Firefighter

Working Men Series

(Book Seven)

Ramona Gray

Copyright © 2019 Ramona Gray

Published by
EK Publishing Inc.

e-ISBN:  978-1-988826-74-5

This book is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes.  Quotes used in reviews are the exception.  No alteration of content is allowed.

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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental.  The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

Adult Reading Material

Edited by
L. Nunn Editing

Cover Art by
The Final Wrap

The Firefighter

Working Men Series Book Seven

By Ramona Gray

Mia

My love life has been a series of crashes and burns.  So, my friendship with local firefighter, Elijah Thomson, is just that… a friendship.

Until I discover his secret.

Now, I have a proposition for him.  A friends with benefits relationship that will serve us both.  But I’m not prepared for just how hot my lust burns for the sweet and sexy firefighter.

Elijah

Life hasn’t been what you’d call easy for me.  My friendship with curvy EMT, Mia Martin, is the bright spot in my day.  Too bad I want more from her than friendship.

But a perfect woman like her will never fall for a guy like me.  I’ve made my peace with it.  Until the day she discovers my shameful secret.

Now, she’s offering to take my virginity, and then help me find the perfect woman.  But, as Mia teaches me exactly how to please a woman, the fiery need burning inside of me will always be for her and only her.

* * *

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Table of Chapters

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter One

Mia

“Maybe we should talk about what happened.”

“Nope.  No way.  Not gonna happen.”  I shook my head emphatically to really hammer home my refusal.  “You promised me, Matt.”

“I know, but,” Matt gave me an uneasy look, “it’s starting to affect our working relationship.”

“It isn’t,” I said.  “You only think it is because normally something like this would affect our working relationship.  But it isn’t, and it won’t, and you promised you’d never bring it up.  So, stop breaking that promise.”  I dusted the sandwich crumbs off my pants and held out my hand.  “Give me your trash, I’ll throw it away.”

“I didn’t know, Mia, I swear.  I wasn’t trying to lead you on or anything like that,” Matt said quickly. “I feel terrible that you thought it was something more, and I know it’s my fault for -”

“It isn’t your fault,” I said.  “You didn’t flirt with me any more than you flirt with other women.  I took a chance and it didn’t work out.  No big deal.”

“Mia -”

“Mattie, it’s fine,” I said.  “Please, you promised.”

“If you want another partner -”

“I don’t.”  I made myself look at him.  “But if you do, I’ll understand why.”

“I don’t,” Matt said.  “You’re one of my best friends, Mia, and I don’t want to be in this ambulance with anyone but you.”

“Then we’re good,” I said.  “I’ll be right back.”

I grabbed the trash, opened the door and hopped out of the ambulance.  I took my time walking to the trash can, even though technically our lunch had ended five minutes ago.  I needed the extra few minutes though.  My shame was a living, pulsing thing inside of me and for about the hundredth time in the last month, I wished I could go back and change what I had done.

I couldn’t though.  I didn’t have a time machine that could whisk me back a month and tell my past self to absolutely, under no circumstances, go to Matt’s house wearing nothing under my coat but pasties, a barely-there thong, and a smile.

I tossed our lunch trash into the can and took another deep breath.  It was what it was.  I had taken a chance on love and got shot down.  It happened, right?  The ironic thing was – Mattie felt way worse than I did.  I hated myself for doing that to him, but I also couldn’t bring myself to have a conversation with him about it.  It just brought back the deep humiliation from that night.

“Mia?”  Matt’s voice called out.  “We got a call.”

Thankful for the distraction, I turned and jogged back to the ambulance.

* * *

“You want Ranch dressing or Thousand Island?”  Isabelle asked.

“Either is fine.  Where’s Knox tonight?”

Isabelle pulled the chicken out of the oven, lifted it out of the roasting pan, and set it on the cutting board.  “He and my brother are doing some kind of guys night.  Which means they’re probably eating cheezies, drinking beer, and playing video games.  Poor Luna.  I invited her to come over here and hang out with us, but she has a bit of a cold and didn’t want to pass it on.”

As Isabelle grabbed the knife to carve up the chicken, I heard my cell phone buzz.  I pulled it from my purse and said, “I’m happy for you, Isabelle.”

She smiled at me over her shoulder.  “I’m happy for me too.  I know it’s only been a couple of months since Knox and I got together, but man, I’m just happy.  You know?  And he is too… I can see it in him.”

“The entire town can see it,” I said with a grin.  “You two are adorable together.”  I checked my message and quickly sent off a return message.

“Who ya textin’ with?”  Isabelle plopped down next to me and handed me the platter of chicken.  “Help yourself.  Max…no.  Back to the living room, big guy.”

The big mastiff cross who had suddenly shown up in the kitchen, snorted loudly before staring longingly at the pile of chicken sitting on the table.  He was big enough to just help himself, but instead he heaved a loud sigh before ambling back out of the kitchen.

“Thanks, Isabelle.  This looks really good.”  I added some chicken to my plate and then poured a bit of dressing on my salad.  “I was texting with Elijah.”

Isabelle paused with a forkful of chicken.  “You guys are friends now, huh?”

I shrugged.  “Well, we always knew each other.  You can’t work as an EMT without getting to know the firefighters, you know?  But the gym I joined is the same gym he goes to, so I see him there.  He helped me out with the machines when I first started and gave me some tips on lifting with free weights.  We usually act as spotters for each other if we’re there at the same time.”

My best friend was giving me a weird look and I said, “What?  Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You sure that Elijah only wants to be friends with you?”  She asked.

I nodded.  “Yep, no doubt about it.”

“Why do you say that?”

I laughed and waved my fork at her.  “Girl, have you seen Elijah?”

“Of course I have.”

“Well then, you know why.  The man has the body of an ancient God.  Do you know I once saw him bench press three hundred and seventy-five pounds?  It was incredible, Isabelle.  That guy is like, Superman strong.  His muscles have muscles.”

“I know what he looks like, Mia, but what does that have to do with anything?”  Isabelle asked.

“Uh, a guy like him would never go for a girl who looks like me,” I said.

“Stop it.  You look fantastic,” Isabelle replied.

“I’ve been going to the gym for nearly two months and I’ve only lost ten pounds,” I said.  “Ten freaking pounds.”

“One, you looked amazing before you started going to the gym, and two, it isn’t always about weight loss.  Weren’t you just telling me the other day that your clothes fit better, you’re stronger, and,” Isabelle gave me a smug look, “you have more stamina than you did before.  Right?”

“Yeah, I do.  Still,” I stared down at my muffin top and the way my thick thighs touched, “I’d be happier if I lost another twenty pounds or so.”

“You don’t have to lose twenty pounds to get Elijah Thomson.”

I swallowed my bite of salad.  “Why are you so insistent that I should be trying to get Elijah Thomson?”

Isabelle stabbed another piece of chicken with her fork.  “I think he has a secret crush on you.”

My mouth dropped open, and I stared at Isabelle before bursting into laughter.  “No, no he doesn’t.”

“I don’t know.”  Isabelle ate her piece of chicken.  “Remember that night I got super drunk at Ren’s Bar, before Knox and I started officially dating?”

“I remember,” I said.

“I danced with Elijah that night, and he was checking you out the whole time we were on the dance floor.  He was jealous that you were dancing with Matt.”

I ate some more salad.  “Nope, you’re wrong.”

Isabelle gave me an indignant look.  “I’m not.”

“You are.  Isabelle, I love you, but you were completely hammered that night.  You saw what you wanted to see.  Trust me, Elijah isn’t into me.  We’re just friends, nothing more.”

“I think he -”

“We’re just friends,” I said firmly.  “Believe me on this.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes.  “Maybe you only think that because you were wrong about Matt.  Just because Matt only wants to be friends, doesn’t mean that every guy in your life does.”

“Oh God,” I groaned, “why does this keep coming up today?  First Matt and now you.  Can we please not talk about the most humiliating moment of my life?”

“You and Matt talked about it today?”  Isabelle dropped her fork, her enthusiasm for her chicken buried under her enthusiasm to hear all the dirty details.  “Why the hell didn’t you say something when you first got here?”

“Because we didn’t talk about it,” I said.  “Matt tried to talk about it, and I shut him down.  He promised me that night that we would never talk about it again, remember?”

“I still can’t believe you went to his house wearing nothing but a thong.”

“There were also pasties,” I protested.  “Besides, you told me to make a move, Isabelle!”

“Yeah, but I was picturing something a little less big,” Isabelle said solemnly.

“Now you tell me.”

“Well, if Matt didn’t take one look at your mostly naked, smoking hot body and want to bang you right then and there, then he’s obviously not the one for you.  Your tits are a man’s wet dream.  Hell, even I fantasize about them sometimes,” Isabelle said.

I laughed and rolled my eyes.  “Thanks, I think?  It’s been so long since I’ve had sex that if you weren’t with Knox, I might try and convince you that we should give it a go.”

“Vibrator just ain’t doin’ it for you, huh?”  Isabelle replied.

“Nope.  But it’s all I’ve got.  That reminds me – do you have a couple of D batteries I can steal?  Charlie’s magic vibrations aren’t so magical anymore.”

“Oh God, now you’ve named your vibrator?  We definitely need to get you laid, girl.”

“Tell me about it.”

Isabelle reached out and took my hand, squeezing it gently before letting go.  “Seriously, though, honey.  Do you think maybe you only see what you want to see when it comes to other guys because of what happened with Matt?  I know what it’s like to be secretly in love with someone, you know that I do, but -”

“I’m not in love with Matt anymore,” I said.

Isabelle gave me a cautious look.  “Do you really believe that, or are you just saying what you think I want to hear so I’ll shut up?”

I gave her a faint smile.  “I’m telling you the truth, and you know what?  It makes me feel even worse.”

“What do you mean?”  Isabelle asked.

I sighed and set my fork down before taking a sip of wine.  “I’ve spent the last two years in love with Matt.  I finally work up the courage to tell him how I feel, he rejects me, and a month later, I’m not in love anymore.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”  Isabelle said slowly.  “It’s torture to be in love with someone who doesn’t love you back.”

“Yeah, I know,” I replied. “But what does it say about me that I can just fall in and out of love so quickly?”

“Well, you’ve always been very practical and level-headed.”  Isabelle picked up her fork again.  “Maybe, it’s just your survival mode kicking in. Your brain is telling your heart to knock it off, so you aren’t miserable for the rest of your life.  You know?”

“Maybe,” I replied.

“Are you telling me though, that if Matt suddenly changed his mind, if he realized that he was in love with you, that you wouldn’t go out with him?”  Isabelle said.

I thought about it for a few minutes before shaking my head.  “No, I wouldn’t.  The look on his face that night, Isabelle.  It wasn’t – it wasn’t disgust, thank God, but…the dismay on his face and in his eyes…”

Another wave of humiliation rolled through me at the memory.  “I’ll never get that image out of my head.  It was like I had hurt him – hurt our friendship – so badly.”  I gave Isabelle an earnest look.  “Honestly, at this point, I’m just glad that we still have a friendship.  I came stupidly close to ruining it.  I think, I hope, that the reason I could stop loving him so quickly is not because I’m shallow and awful, but because deep down I know how important my friendship with Matt is.  After you, he’s my best friend.  And I think, maybe, that being with Matt in a sexual way would end our friendship.”

I sat back in my chair, staring at my half-eaten salad and chicken.  After a few moments, Isabelle added more wine to our glasses before lifting hers up.  “A toast to Mia.  For being a damn fucking adult and knowing exactly who she is.”

I smiled a little and clinked my glass against hers before taking a sip.  “Not sure if that’s completely true, but I’ll take it.”

“I think you might be wrong about Elijah though,” Isabelle said.

“One more word about Elijah having a crush on me and I’ll stab you in the thigh with my fork.  I swear to God, Izzy.”

Her nose wrinkled.  “You know I hate being called Izzy.”

“Yeah, well, stop trying to make Melijah a thing.”

Isabelle laughed so hard that Max wandered back into the kitchen to stare at her.  “Melijah?”

I grinned at her.  “What?  All the cool kids mash their names together.”

“You would make a fun couple.”  Isabelle tossed Max a piece of chicken and he caught it with a quick snap of his jaws that belied his age.

“Just friends,” I said.  “Elijah could have any woman he wanted in this town.  He’s not gonna choose me.”

“Could he, though?”  Isabelle said. “I’m not trying to be mean, but Elijah isn’t the best-looking dude in the town.”

I frowned at her. “There’s nothing wrong with the way Elijah looks.”

“I’m not saying there is,” Isabelle replied. “He’s not the Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything, but if you look at him objectively, he might have an incredible body, but his face…”

“What about his face?”  I said.

“If he were a woman, he’d be what guys call Butterface,” Isabelle said bluntly.  “You know, because the body is incredible, but her face…”

“I get it,” I said irritably.  “God, people are horrible.  What exactly are they saying about Elijah?”

“I have no idea if anyone says anything.  If they’re smart, they won’t,” Isabelle replied.  “He could crush them with one fist.  You know, my brother might be bigger, but I think overall Elijah is stronger than Ash.”

“He is,” I said.  “Elijah is, like, ridiculously strong.  He spends so much time at the gym – it’s insane.”

“Explains the body, then,” Isabelle said.  “Again, he’s not ugly, but he isn’t handsome either so your belief that he could have any woman in town isn’t exactly accurate.  Plus, he’s just as friggin quiet as Ash, so it’s not like he’s out there charmin’ the ladies.  Right?”

I shrugged.  “He is pretty quiet.  Anyway, it doesn’t matter.  Elijah is just like all the other guys in my life – only interested in friendship.”

“Phillip wasn’t like that,” Isabelle said.

Now my appetite really did disappear, and I pushed my plate away before draining most of my wine in one big gulp.  “Don’t remind me.”

“I’m sorry,” Isabelle said.

“It’s fine,” I sighed.  “I’m learning to accept that men either plant me firmly in the friend zone, or they put me on a damn pedestal and then dump me when I fail to live up to their expectations.”

“Phillip’s been your only serious steady boyfriend,” Isabelle said gently. “Just because he did that doesn’t mean that every guy will.”

“Maybe,” I said.

“What Phillip did wasn’t fair, Mia,” Isabelle said.  “The friggin’ Pope couldn’t have lived up to his expectations.”

“Maybe,” I repeated.  “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.  Let’s finish eating and then go for a walk before it gets too cold.”

Chapter Two

Elijah

I ducked my head under the hot spray of water and let it beat down on my neck.  Showering before going to the gym was stupid, but it hadn’t stopped me from doing it.  Not when I knew I was going to see her there.  I couldn’t do much about the way I looked, but I’d be damned if I showed up smelling like a rank gorilla.

I closed my eyes, knowing it was dangerous to picture her beautiful face and her gorgeous curvy body, but I couldn’t help it.  As steam filled my small bathroom, I thought about Mia’s mouth, that full bottom lip and the way she ran her tongue over it when she was really concentrating.

My dick was hardening, and I groaned and tried to think of something other than the way Mia’s ass looked when she was doing her squats.  Fuck, the flex of her thighs and ass was mesmerizing.  When we were at the gym, I couldn’t even glance her way when she was doing them.  Mia and everyone else in the gym seeing my shorts tenting would be the humiliation to end all humiliations.

Just watching her at the gym was becoming a turn on.  In the last two weeks, she’d started jogging on the treadmill, and the way her tits bounced was gonna fucking kill me.  Could a man die from blue balls?  From a build-up of too much cum?  If I didn’t stop going to the gym when Mia was there, I was gonna find out.

I couldn’t stop though.  The last two months had been some of the happiest of my life.  I was friends with Mia.  Friends with the woman I’d been in love with for over a year.  I’d never even thought she’d talk to me, let alone be my friend.

I thought about her laugh, about the low sexy sound of her voice, and my dick throbbed anew.  Without thinking, I reached down and gripped my cock, stroking it roughly as I braced one forearm against the slick tile.

I pictured Mia’s mouth again, pictured kissing it, imagined Mia kissing down my chest and stomach, her low laugh as she kissed each hip bone, teasing me, making me beg for her mouth. 

I rubbed harder and faster.  My balls were tightening, and I was so close.  Maybe Mia would blow me in the shower, or maybe she’d let me fuck her in the shower, let me shove my aching dick into her tight pussy until that maddening need for her was finally eased.

I rubbed my thumb over the tip of my cock, gasping Mia’s name as my hips pumped back and forth.  Maybe she’d let me fuck her on her hands and knees, let me cup those amazing tits of hers as I fucked her until she was begging me for release.  Until she came all over my cock, screaming my name. 

I arched my back, my hand tightening around the base of my cock.  One more stroke was all I needed to –

Dirty boy!  Sinner!  Fornicator!

My hand clamped around my dick hard enough to hurt, and I released it with a hoarse shout of pain, my urge to cum disappearing immediately.

On your knees, dirty boy!  You will pray for your sins to be forgiven.  Pray to be relieved of the burden of your filthy, dirty mind!  Pray for forgiveness for your lustful, wicked thoughts!  Dirty boy!  Vile boy!  Sick boy!

My gorge rose, and I could barely contain my urge to vomit as shame and – I hated to admit it – fear flooded through me.  I ripped open the shower curtain, not caring that water sprayed onto the bathroom floor, and stared at the small room.

My heart was thumping along like an out of control bass, and adrenaline kept my dick ramrod stiff.  Trying to cover it with one hand, I listened intently for any small sound, but the whoosh of blood in my ears and the sound of the shower made it difficult to hear anything.

I was just about to get out of the shower when common sense roared back in.  I sagged back against the wet wall, my stiff muscles and dick both wilting.

“They’re not here.  They’re not here and they’ll never find you again,” I said in a low voice.

My pulse still thudding, I stared at my limp dick and tried not to feel disgust and shame about what I was doing.  It was natural.  It was normal.  I wasn’t a damn freak. 

I repeated it to myself, but even just the thought of continuing made me sick to my stomach.  I pulled the shower curtain back in place and reached for the soap.  I had to stop doing this.  I had to stop thinking about Mia as anything other than a friend. 

Mia was beautiful and perfect, and a woman like her would never want a man who looked like me.

* * *

“Elijah, I don’t mind.  I swear.”  Mia, her face flushed from her workout, wiped the hand towel across her forehead before draping it over her arm.  “I’ll just pick you up at the station tomorrow before work and drop you off.  Did you take your car to Jack Williams’ shop?”

I nodded and ignored my urge to check out her tits in her tight tank top.  “Yeah.  But I can ask one of the other guys at the station to -”

“I don’t mind,” she said again.  “It’s on my way to work anyway.  But I usually stop for coffee for Matt and me, you okay with that?”

I nodded, trying not to let her see the way my jealousy reared its ugly head at just the mention of the guy she was in love with.  “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Okay, good.  You’re done at seven?”

I nodded again, and she smiled at me before dabbing at the sweat on her upper chest. 

Do not get an erection.  Do not get an erection.

“Perfect.  I’ll be there by seven-thirty at the latest.”

“Thanks, Mia.  I appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” she said.  “Hey, would you mind spotting me?  I want to try and -”

“Elijah?  Dude!  I didn’t know you went to this gym!”

I gave the man who’d joined us a cursory grunt.  “Yeah.”

“Cool, cool.”  He looked Mia up and down, and I was one hundred percent not okay with the way his gaze lingered on her crotch and then her tits.  “Hey, how are ya?”

“Good,” Mia said.

There was a moment of silence and both of them looked at me expectantly.  I wanted to pick up Mia and carry her away.  Instead, I said, “Mia this is Buck.  He’s new at the station.  Buck, this is Mia.  She’s an EMT.”

“Nice to meet ya, Mia,” Buck gave her that grin.  The grin that said - yeah, I’m a fucking stud, and you and I both know it.

“You as well,” Mia said politely.

“You need some help with lifting?”  Buck said.

He ignored my furious glare and gave Mia an idiotic wink.  “I couldn’t help but overhear you.”

Mia shook her head.  “I’m good.  Elijah will help me.  Right?”

I nodded, feeling my own smug sense of satisfaction even though Mia didn’t belong to me and never would. “Yeah.”

“Hey, that’s cool.  That’s cool.”  Buck gave me another shit-eating grin, this one more along the lines of – I’ll stop hitting on your woman now.

Mia wasn’t mine, but I nodded to Buck like she was, before turning to Mia.  “Ready?”

“I am.  Nice to meet you, Buck,” Mia said.

“You too, Mia.  See you at the station, Elijah,” Buck said.

“See you.”  Keeping my gaze on the back of Mia’s head and not on her amazing ass, I followed her toward the weights.

* * *

“Mia, are you sure it’s okay?”  I repeated.

“I’m positive.  Nana loves it when I bring my friends over,” Mia said with a grin.  “Says it reminds her of when I was a teenager.”

I shifted in the seat, pulling at the seatbelt.  Mia’s car was on the smaller side and even though I was slouched down, the top of my head still brushed the ceiling of the car.

Mia gave me an apologetic look.  “Sorry about it being so cramped.”

“It’s fine.  Listen, maybe you should just drop me off and -”

“Don’t be silly.  Nana is a fantastic cook, and I know you’re hungry.  I heard your stomach growling at the gym.  We’ll have a bite to eat and a quick visit and then I’ll drive you to the station for your shift.  Okay?”

“Okay,” I said.  “Your nana raised you, is that right?”

“Yep.  Me and my cousin Wyatt.”  Mia turned left and gave me a quick smile.  “You remembered.”

I remembered every single thing she said to me, but admitting it made me sound like a crazed stalker.

“Do you ever talk to your mom or dad?”  I asked.

“Mom calls about once every year or so.  It’s always awkward.  I mean, what do you say to the woman who abandoned you when you were two years old, you know?”  Mia said.  “My dad – I don’t even know where he is and neither does Nana.  I’ve asked Mom a few times, but she refuses to tell me anything about him.”

She turned left again and slowed her speed a bit.  “It used to bug me, but now…” she shrugged, “I’m kind of over it.  In fact, I think I’m luckier than most.  So many parents screw their kids up, but Nana was an awesome parent.  Neither my mom nor dad would have done as good of a job as Nana did in raising me.  What about your parents?  You never really mention them.  Are you close?”

Sweat immediately broke out on my back.  “No,” I said and then quickly changed the subject.  “Why did your nana raise your cousin as well?”

“Wyatt’s parents died in a car accident when he was four,” Mia replied.  “Drunk driver.  I think it’s partially why he decided to become a cop.  Speaking of Wyatt…looks like he’s gonna be eating with us.”

She parked in the driveway behind the police cruiser and shut the car off.  I unfolded my large body out of the front seat and cracked my neck as I waited for Mia to join me on the sidewalk.

“You look nervous,” she said.

“I’m not.”

She put her hand on my upper arm and squeezed it in a friendly way, but all of my nerve endings jolted to life like she’d grabbed my dick.  Her hand was so soft.  How would it feel on my dick?  Would she know exactly the right way to touch me?

Buddy, you don’t even know the right way to touch yourself.  Why the fuck would she?  Besides, she’s not into you and even if she was, you wouldn’t have a fucking clue what to do.  Remember?  You really wanna embarrass yourself like that in front of Mia?

The stiffy I was starting to sport just from Mia’s innocent touch, vanished like a rabbit in a magician’s hat.

“Elijah?”  Mia was giving me a concerned look.  “If you really don’t want to have dinner with us, you don’t have to.  I’ll take you to the station right now.”

“No, I do,” I said.

She stared at me doubtfully and I forced myself to smile at her.  “Really, I want to have dinner with you and your family.  Thank you for inviting me.”

“Okay,” she said.

I followed her up the sidewalk, trying desperately not to stare at her ass, to the small pale blue bungalow.  Decorative shrubs were planted along the front of the house and there was a small wooden plaque on the front door engraved with the words ‘Nana’s Place’ on it.

“Wyatt made that for Nana when he was fifteen,” Mia said as she opened the door and stepped inside.  I followed her in, and we removed our jackets before Mia hitched her thumb over her shoulder.  “Kitchen’s this way.”

We followed the mouthwatering scent of beef stew down the narrow hallway to the first door on the left.  Feeling a little self-conscious, I stood in the doorway as Mia walked into the kitchen.

“Hey, Nana.”

“Hi, sweetheart.”

Mia’s nana was standing at the counter with her back to us.  She was short, plump and had long silver hair that hung to her waist.  It was braided with a bright pink ribbon weaved throughout the braid.  Mia tugged gently on the braid.  “I like your hair today, Nana.”

“Thanks, honey.  Chelsea next door did it.  She’s such a sweet child.  Only twelve years old and already knows what she wants to do.  She’s going to be a hair stylist to the stars, she says, and you know what?  I believe her.”  Mia’s grandmother turned and smiled at her.   “The girl’s got – oh, hi there.”

I stepped into the kitchen, holding my hand out as Mia’s grandmother looked me up and down.

“Nana, this is my friend, Elijah.  He works -”

“At the fire station,” Nana said.  She shook my hand, her grip was dry and strong.  “I’ve seen you around town.  You’re kind of hard to miss – just like that Stokes fellow.  Oh, what’s his first name again?”

“Asher,” a voice said behind us.

I turned and nodded to Mia’s cousin and sheriff’s deputy, Wyatt Reynolds.  “Hey, Wyatt.”

“Hello, Elijah.”

“You two know each other?”  Mia’s grandmother asked.

“In passing,” Wyatt said.  “We see each other at work sometimes.”

“I suppose you do,” Nana said.  “Is that how you and Mia met?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said.

“Oh please,” Nana waved her hand in front of her face.  “You may call me Nana or Martha, all right?  I assume you’re joining us for dinner?”

I glanced at Mia who grinned at me and said, “He is, Nana.”

“If you have enough food,” I said.

Nana laughed.  “There’s always enough food.”

“I’m just going to use the bathroom quick,” Mia said.  “Elijah, have a seat.”

I sat down as Mia left the kitchen.  Wyatt sat next to me.  He was wearing his uniform and he ran a hand through his dark hair as Nana placed a glass of lemonade in front of him.

“Elijah, what would you like to drink?”

“Water, please, ma’am.  I mean, Martha.”

“Such a polite young man,” she said as she handed me a bottle of water.  “I like you.  How long have you and Mia been dating?”

My face went an embarrassing shade of red and I twisted the cap off the water bottle so hard that the cap cracked.  “We’re not dating.  We’re just, uh, friends.  I gave her some tips about lifting and then we, uh, became friends.”

Martha gave me a puzzled look and Wyatt said, “He means lifting weights, Nana.”

“Oh.”  Nana glanced at Wyatt before smiling at me.  “Well, isn’t that nice.”

I drank a few swallows of water, as Wyatt said, “I’ll have the last of the renovations done on the guest house by the weekend.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant,” Nana said happily.  “You did the renovations so quickly, my sweet boy.”  She smiled at me.  “I have a small guest house in the back that I’ve decided to rent out.  If you know of anyone in town who’s looking for a one bedroom, one bath, darling little cottage type place, send them my way.”

“Um, okay,” I said.

Mia returned and slid into the seat next to mine. “What did I miss?”

“We’re just discussing the guest house, dear heart,” Nana said.  “It’s almost ready to rent out, thanks to Wyatt’s hard work.”

“Nice work, Wyatt.”  Mia held her fist out and Wyatt bumped it before grabbing a bun from the basket on the table. 

“Do you need help, Nana?”  Mia asked.

“Maybe I’ll get you to bring the pot to the table,” Nana replied.  “It’s heavy and my arthritis is acting up this week.”

“Sure.”  Mia bounced to her feet and I gave her jean-clad ass a quick glance before looking away. 

Wyatt was giving me an inscrutable look, and my fucking face turned crimson again.  I stared at the empty bowl in front of me, Wyatt’s gaze boring into the top of my skull.  I was stupidly grateful when Mia set the pot on the table and Martha patted Wyatt’s shoulder.  “Help yourself, sweet boy.”

As Wyatt ladled some stew into his bowl, Mia leaned close and said in a low voice.  “You okay?”

“Fine,” I said as Mia’s scent washed over me.  Fuck, she always smelled so good.  “The stew smells delicious.”

Mia smiled at me and handed me a warm roll.  “My nana’s the best cook in town.”

* * *

“Thank you again for inviting me to dinner,” I said as Mia pulled into the station.

“You’re welcome,” she replied.  “Thanks for coming.”

Like a thirteen-year-old boy, my mind immediately went to sex.  What would it be like to cum inside of Mia?  I’d cut off my right hand to find out.  I gave Mia a strained smile.  “I had fun.”

She studied me for a moment.  “I’m really glad we’re friends, Elijah.”

My stomach twisted but I widened my smile.  “I am too.”

“Okay, well have a good shift.  I’ll see you tomorrow morning around seven-thirty, okay?”

“Sounds good.  Bye, Mia.”

“Bye, Elijah.”

I waited until she drove away before walking into the station.  Buck was washing down the truck while Peter, the oldest of our crew, was watching. 

“You missed a spot on the bumper.”  Peter picked at his teeth as I joined him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Buck said with a good-natured roll of his eyes.  “I see it, old man.”

“Kids these days,” Peter said.  “No fucking respect.”

“Hey, my dad says the same shit,” Buck said.  His grin widened when Peter flipped him the bird. 

“See what I mean?”  Peter said to me.

I didn’t reply.  I was only a few years older than Buck and when I first started at the station, Peter had said and did the exact same things to me that he was doing to Buck.  It was a time-honored ritual at the station to rag on the new guy.

“Hey, Peter?  Did you talk to your wife about switching shifts?”  Charlie joined us and barely gave me a passing glance.

I resisted the urge to punch his face.  Up until six months ago, Charlie hadn’t been just a coworker.  He’d been my best friend.  I knew most people in town considered Matt to be my best friend, but while we were close, it was Charlie who I’d spent most of my time with.

“Yeah, I can switch.”  Peter found something interesting between his teeth, examined it briefly on the tip of his finger and then wiped his fingers on his pants.

“Thanks, man,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, don’t mention it.”

Charlie left, and Peter gave me a scrutinizing look.  “The fucking tension between you two is a real drag, you know that?”

“Yeah, well maybe he shouldn’t have been such an asshole, then,” I snapped.

“Hey,” Peter gave me a commiserating look, “I’m not saying him spilling your condition to the whole crew wasn’t a shit move, but -”

“It’s not a condition,” I snapped again.

Peter waved his hand at me, “Okay, okay, don’t get snippy with me.  Listen, if you want some help with your problem, the missus knows a few single ladies at work.  She sure as hell would love to set you up with one of them.  She says she’s real sweet and won’t care that you haven’t -”

“You told Barb?”  I glared at Peter.  “Thanks a lot.”

Peter just shrugged.  “I tell her everything.  Besides, she thought it was kind of sweet that a man your age hasn’t -”

“I gotta go.”  I walked away before Peter could finish his sentence, my shame and anger buzzing in my gut like an enraged swarm of bees.

Chapter Three

Mia

I checked the entire bay area of the fire station before climbing the steps leading upstairs to the living quarters.  I glanced at my watch.  It was twenty to eight, and I was a little surprised that Elijah wasn’t waiting for me outside of the station for his ride to the repair shop.

As I crested the stairs, I could hear the loud voices of the other firefighters and smell the tantalizing scent of cooking bacon.  I scanned the dining area of the living quarters.  There were four men sitting at the table, but no Elijah.  They didn’t notice me and were digging into the food in front of them as they talked.

I froze on the top step, my hand gripping the rail, when one of them said.  “Hey, how long has Elijah been dating that Mia chick?”

I couldn’t see his face, but I recognized the voice.  He was the guy from the gym yesterday, Chuck or Buck or something like that.

The three other men fell dead silent, and Chuck/Buck said, “What?”

“Mia the paramedic?”  One of the men said.

“I dunno.  She’s curvy, got dark hair and great tits,” Chuck/Buck said.  “She was at the gym with Elijah yesterday.  Are they serious?”

Another man burst into laughter before nudging the man sitting beside him.  “You think Elijah finally got laid?”

“Shit, no.  Not by her, anyway.  She’s too fucking hot for his ugly mug.”

My skin prickled, and I could feel anger seeping into me on Elijah’s behalf.  My hand clenched down on the railing when Chuck/Buck said, “Wait, so they’re not dating?”

“No, Buck.”  The man dipped his toast into the pool of egg yolk on his plate.  “They’re not dating.  They’re just friends, work out at the gym together.”

“You sure?”  Buck asked.  “He was giving me the eye like she belonged to him.”

“Trust me,” the man said, “they’re not.”

“Hey, we need to confirm that, Rudy,” the other man said.  “I had last month in the pool.  Elijah and Mia have been hanging out for like a month now, and if Elijah’s been laid, then I want to collect the fucking prize money.

“Enough, Frank.”  The third man, who’d been silent the entire time, finally looked up from his plate.  “It ain’t no one’s business.”

“Oh, c’mon, Peter.  Everyone else knows, thanks to Charlie.  Why shouldn’t Buck know?”

“Know what?”  Buck stopped eating and gave the guy named Frank a curious look.

“Elijah’s a virgin,” Frank said with a certain amount of glee.

My mouth dropped open and if I hadn’t still been clinging to the handrail, I would have fallen down the damn stairs.  Elijah was a…virgin?

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Buck said.  He stared at each man before shaking his head.  “No, you’re pulling my fucking leg.”

“We aren’t,” Frank said.  “Elijah’s never been laid.  Never had his dick in a pussy.”

“Frank, knock it off,” Peter growled.

“What?  It’s true.  Unless he’s been playing hide the bishop with that Mia chick.  In which case, I want my goddamn prize money.”

“There’s no way he’s a virgin.  He’s gotta be what?  Twenty-five?”  Buck said.

“At least.  I think he’s actually closer to thirty,” Rudy replied.  “But he’s a virgin.”

“How do you know?”  Buck asked.  “Sure as shit, he isn’t telling everyone.”

“He and Charlie used to be best friends.  Until Charlie got drunk at the summer barbeque and told all of us about Elijah being a virgin.  I guess Elijah told him a few months before that.  See,” Rudy leaned forward and snagged the ketchup bottle off the table, “Elijah ain’t the best-looking guy, right?  I mean, he’s jacked as shit now and could probably fucking lift a car if he had to, but apparently, he used to be a fat kid.  So, he was fat and ugly.  Plus, his parents were these ultra-strict religious freaks, and he went to an all-boys school when he was a teenager.”

“Holy shit,” Buck said.  “It’s the perfect non-fucking storm.”

Both Rudy and Frank roared laughter, but nausea was swirling and dipping in my belly.  Elijah and I hadn’t been friends very long, but I’d noticed how close-mouthed he was about his childhood and his parents.

Frank nudged Rudy’s arm.  “You think Mia’s giving Elijah a ride to pound-town every night?  Because I could seriously use that prize money.”

“What prize money?”  Buck asked.

“Some of us,” Frank glanced at Peter who had pushed his plate away and was giving all of them a disgusted look, “have a bet on when Elijah’s cherry finally gets popped.  I picked a date last month and if Mia has popped his cherry, then I fucking win.”

“She hasn’t,” Rudy said.  “Elijah would be a lot happier if he was getting pussy on the regular.”

“He does seem pretty intense,” Buck said.

“Wouldn’t you be if you never had sex?”  Rudy said.  “Especially if he’s hanging out with Mia and not fucking her.  I was thinking about asking her out myself, just for a chance to titty-fuck her.  You’ve seen her tits, right?  If Elijah’s hanging out with her and not banging her, then that guy’s balls must be bluer than a fucking Smurf.”

“Enough,” Peter said.  “Don’t talk about the ladies that way, ya little punk.  It’s no goddamn wonder you’re fucking single.  Hell, I’m surprised you’re not a damn virgin just like Elijah is.”

I backed down a step.  My face was hot, and my heart was racing like I’d just ran a marathon.  I shouldn’t have been listening to them talk about stuff that wasn’t any of my business.  I swung around, ready to bolt back down to the bay area.  My breath wheezed out of me in a low groan when I saw Elijah standing on the steps below me.

From the look on his face, and the way his big hands were squeezing the handrails, he had heard everything.  We stared silently at each other for a moment, before I whispered, “Elijah, I didn’t -”

He turned and walked down the stairs without saying a word.  Feeling sick to my stomach, I hurried after him, catching up to him just as he was walking out of the station.

“Elijah, wait!”  I placed my hand on his arm, wincing when he tore his arm free.  “Please, I’m sorry.  Please, just wait, would you?”

He paused on the sidewalk, staring grimly at his feet.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.  I was just looking for you and…”

I had no fucking idea what to say.  Despite my shame at eavesdropping, I was intensely curious to know if what they had said was true.  But asking Elijah if he actually was a virgin was a terrible idea.

“Elijah, please say something,” I said.

“I gotta go get my car.”

He started off down the sidewalk again and I scrambled after him.  “My car’s back there.”

“I’ll walk.”

“What?  No, you can’t.  Jack’s repair shop is on the other side of town.”

“It’s fine.”

“Elijah, please.”  I hesitated before resting my hand on his forearm.  “Let me give you a ride.”

His face went even redder and mine turned an unholy shade of tomato as well.  “I mean, let me drive you to the repair shop.  Please.”

He sighed and, without looking at me, said, “Yeah, fine.”

I dropped my hand from his arm, inwardly sighing with relief when he trudged after me to my car.  We climbed into the car and I drove away from the station.  After only a few seconds of silence, I said, “I’m very sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”  He refused to look at me.

“I do.  I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I thought you would be upstairs and I -”

“I was at my locker,” he said.

“Oh.”  I stopped at a red light.  The tension was thick, and I could almost feel the shame coming off of Elijah in slow waves.  The light turned green and I stepped on the gas.  We drove silently, me giving Elijah small glances every few minutes, Elijah staring studiously out the passenger window.

I wanted to say something, needed to say something, and my curiosity was almost overwhelming.  As we turned onto the street leading to the repair shop, I said, “It doesn’t matter, you know.”

When he didn’t reply, I hurried on, “It’s kind of, uh, cool that you’re still a virgin.  Really.  Lots of women would think it’s sweet.”

His face turned even redder and his hands clenched into fists as he shook his head.  

Shit.  Had the others been lying to Buck?  It made sense.  Men were always doing stupid hazing shit.  Jesus, why had I even for a second believed them?

“They were lying,” I said.  “God, what dicks.”  I laughed nervously as I pulled into the repair shop.  “Sorry for believing them.  I should have known they -”

“It’s not a lie,” Elijah suddenly blurted.

I put the car into park and cleared my throat.  “Oh.  Well, that’s cool.”

He suddenly swung his head toward me, and I was nearly scorched by the blazing fury in his gaze.  “That’s cool?  You think it’s cool that I was so fat and ugly as a teenager that no girl would look twice at me?  That my parents were religious nutjobs who taught me that sex is wrong and a sin?  That I’m nothing more than a lonely freak who can’t find a girl?  That sounds cool to you, Mia?”

“No,” I whispered.

He glared at me before yanking open the door handle.  “Thanks for the ride to the shop.”

He climbed out of the car and slammed the door so hard, my car rocked a little.  I watched him walk stiff-legged and with his back ramrod straight, into the repair shop before rubbing at my forehead.

Well, fuck.  I’d just ruined my friendship with Elijah.

* * *

“Nope, I don’t believe it.”  Isabelle paced back and forth in my small living room later that night.  I had called her for an emergency best friend’s meeting as soon as I was finished my work shift.  Like a true friend, she had dropped everything and joined me at my apartment.  “It’s not possible in this day and age for a man his age to be a virgin.  I don’t care how unattractive he is.”

I glared at her from my spot on the couch.  “Elijah is not unattractive!  Besides, he told me himself that it was true, Isabelle.  Elijah’s a virgin.”

Isabelle dropped into the armchair and took a sip of her wine.  “That’s messed up.”

“Why?”  I said.  “Who cares if he’s had sex or not?  It doesn’t change who he is.”

“I know,” Isabelle said.  “I’m just really…surprised, you know?  Also, I feel bad for the dude.”

I sighed and took my own sip of wine.  “I feel bad for him too.  Not because he’s a virgin, but because he obviously had a fucked-up childhood and it’s really affected him.”

“Well, you know what you have to do, right?”  Isabelle said.

I gave her a blank look and she wiggled her eyebrows at me.  “You gotta pop Elijah’s cherry.”

“Are you crazy?  Did you not hear the part where I said I ruined my friendship with Elijah?  The guy will never speak to me again.”

“He will,” Isabelle said.  “Especially if you volunteer to participate in sexy times with him.”

“We’re friends, Isabelle.  Or were,” I said morosely.

“It’s called friends with benefits, Mia,” Isabelle said.

“I can’t – I mean… that isn’t something I do.”

“Why not?”  Isabelle asked.  “Weren’t you just telling me that you missed sex?  Here’s your chance to get some and help a friend out.  He said he was lonely.  He obviously wants a girlfriend, but he doesn’t have a clue what to do in the bedroom department which, at his age, makes him look weird and awkward as shit.  If you teach him about sex, it’ll help him find a girlfriend.  Right?  You want to be a good friend to him, what better way than helping him get laid and find a girl?”

“Elijah doesn’t want my help with sex or finding a girlfriend,” I said.

“Oh, please.  He’s a virgin, and what guy wouldn’t want no-strings-attached sex?  Jesus, Mia, stop being so naïve.”

I scowled at my best friend.  “A guy has to be attracted to a woman to have sex with her.”

“Elijah is attracted to you,” Isabelle said.  “That night at the bar -”

“You were drunk, Isabelle.”

“I know what I saw,” Isabelle replied stubbornly.  “Listen, what do you have to lose by offering to help Elijah out with his problem?”

“His friendship?”

“You said you’ve already lost that,” Isabelle pointed out.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

Isabelle leaned forward.  “Look, you obviously don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but isn’t there some small part of you that wants to show Elijah how fantastic sex can be?  I mean, if I wasn’t ridiculously in love with Knox, I would totally volunteer to teach Elijah how to sex.”

“Isabelle!”

“What?  I’m just being honest.  It’s a win-win situation, Mia.  Elijah loses his v-card, and you get a huge ego boost when he worships you like the sex goddess you are.”

I shook my head.  “You’re nuts.  Besides, maybe the whole traumatic childhood isn’t the only reason Elijah is still a virgin.  Maybe he just wants to wait until he’s married.”

“Only one way to find out.”  Isabelle took another gulp of wine.  “Like I said, there’s no harm in asking.”

I stared into my wine glass.  I hated to admit it, but there was a part of me that thought Isabelle’s suggestion made perfect sense.  Elijah was my friend and if being a virgin wasn’t a choice, I would be helping him out, right? 

Not to mention getting your own itch scratched.

Yeah, there was that.  I’d be lying if I tried to tell myself that every single thought about Elijah had been strictly PG.  In fact, in the last couple of weeks, it had become increasingly more difficult to concentrate on lifting when I was at the gym with him.  Watching him work out had started making me feel things that definitely weren’t based in friendship.  Elijah wasn’t interested in me as more than a friend – if he was, wouldn’t he have asked me out or made a move by now? – but I’d seen him checking out my tits occasionally. 

Despite my protests to Isabelle, I know that he was at least somewhat attracted to me.  And if he wasn’t and rejected my suggestion of friends with benefits?  Well, it wouldn’t be the first time a guy turned me down, right?  If I could survive Matt’s rejection, I could survive Elijah’s.

“Mia?  What are you thinking over there?”

I sighed and lifted my head to stare at Isabelle.  “That I’m gonna volunteer to pop Elijah’s cherry and help him find a girlfriend.”

Isabelle let out a screech of excitement and raised her wine glass in salute.  “That’s my girl.”

Chapter Four

Elijah

I knew it was Mia knocking on my door.  From my living room window, I’d seen her car pull up on the street, watched her walk down the sidewalk to the front door.  But like a little kid not allowed to open the door to strangers, I stood in the hallway, my heart beating too fast and my face burning hot as she knocked repeatedly.

What was she doing here?  It had been three days since she’d discovered my biggest secret and after how I’d reacted, after what I’d said to her, I knew she would never speak to me again.  She hadn’t texted or called me once and I couldn’t bring myself to text her, not even to apologize.  What was the point?  I believed Mia wanted nothing to do with me anymore and I couldn’t blame her for it.  I was an asshole, plain and simple.

Except, here she was, knocking on my door.

“Elijah?”  Her low voice drifted through the closed door.  “I know you’re home.  Please let me in.  I want to apologize in person.”

Apologize?  What did she have to apologize for?

“Please,” she said again and this time I could hear the break in her voice.  She sounded near tears and my immediate horror at upsetting her, had me hauling ass down the hallway and yanking open the door.

She blinked at me.  “Um, hi.”

“Hey.”

“Can I come in?”

I hesitated, and she gave me a pleading look, her dark brown eyes shiny with unshed tears.  “Please, Elijah?”

I stepped back, and she walked through the door.  We’d been friends long enough that Mia had been to my place before – although I’d never been to hers – and she took off her jacket and hung it in the closet before giving me a nervous look and walking toward the kitchen.

I trailed after her, my face still hot and my stomach as jumpy as a frog on meth.  When we were in the kitchen, she gave me another nervous smile.  “I’m sorry about Tuesday morning.  I shouldn’t have -”

“You don’t have to say sorry,” I said.  “I’m the one who needs to apologize.  I shouldn’t have yelled or said what I did.”

“You didn’t yell,” she replied.

“I did,” I said.

She just shook her head and gave me a small smile.  “Can we both just agree that we handled the situation badly and leave it at that?”

“Sure.”  My relief that Mia still wanted to be my friend was stupidly high.  High enough to ignore the fact that she knew just how pathetic I was now.  I tried to ignore the shame twining its way through my body.  I couldn’t do anything about the fact that she knew, and my shame wasn’t enough to make me stop being friends with her.  I loved her too much.

She was still giving me a weirdly nervous look and I said, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly.  She crossed her arms over her torso, and I kept my gaze firmly on her face.  I didn’t need to look to know that her t-shirt was snug across those amazing tits.  Didn’t need to look to know that her jeans were tight, that her milky skin looked as soft and touchable as ever.

My cock was already starting to harden, and I immediately sat down at the table to hide my stiffy.  Fuck, my control around her was getting worse and worse.

Yeah, well maybe if you fucking masturbated occasionally, it wouldn’t be so difficult to keep your dick under control.

My face flushed hot again and I must have looked sick to my stomach because Mia sat down next to me and touched my forearm.  “Elijah?  Are you all right?  You look like you’re going to vomit.”

“I’m fine,” I muttered.  “Just…I’m fine.”

“Okay.”  She gave me a doubtful look before clearing her throat.  “There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What’s that?”  I asked, thankful for the distraction.

She took a deep breath, another flicker of nervousness crossing her face, “I want to help you find a girlfriend.”

My jaw dropped, and I stared silently at her as she chewed on her bottom lip before saying, “You’re lonely, you said, right?  Well, I can help you find someone.”

Some of my shock was wearing off, and disappointment and anger were starting to sink in.  Mia, the woman I was in love with, wanted to help me find a girlfriend.  She didn’t want to be my girlfriend, of course she fucking didn’t, but she was willing to help the poor lonely virgin find a woman to bang.

“No,” I said.

“Don’t say no right away,” she replied.  “Just think about it and -”

“I said no, Mia,” I snapped.

She scowled at me.  “Don’t be angry with me.  I want to help you.”

“I don’t need your help,” I said.

“You haven’t had a girlfriend since you moved here.  I can find you a nice girl, someone who doesn’t care that…”

My face went bright red.  “Doesn’t care about what?  That I’m a virgin?  Yeah, because there’s so many to choose from.”

“My nana’s church has a lot of nice women who -”

Fear skittered down my spine at just the mention of church.  “No!  I’m not interested in a woman who goes to church.”

“Okay,” she said.  “Well, there are plenty of -”

“Are you insane?”  I said. “Is that it, Mia?”

“Of course not,” she said.

“You must be.  It’s the only explanation.”

Her scowl got deeper.  “Don’t be a dick, Elijah.  I’m not insane.  I want to help my friend find a girlfriend.  What’s wrong with that?”

“What’s wrong with that?  You know I can’t have a girlfriend, Mia!”

“Why not?”

“Look at me!  I’m almost thirty years old and a virgin.  I’m ugly, and I barely even know how to talk to women.  Even if I could convince a woman to sleep with me, I wouldn’t know what the hell to do with her!  I’ve never even fucking kissed a woman in my entire goddamn life!”

I stopped, my breath roaring in and out of my lungs and my pulse thudding heavily.  I waited dully for Mia to just get up and leave.  It was the second time I’d lost my temper around her in less than a week.  Instead of leaving, she reached out and squeezed my forearm.

“You’re not ugly.  Don’t ever say that to me again or I’ll punch you right in the dick,” she said.

I gaped at her and she shrugged.  “I’ll do it, I swear.  Do you want to test me on that?”

“No,” I said.

“Wise idea.”  She squeezed my forearm again.  “I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me honestly, okay?”

I nodded, and she said, “Are you a virgin because you’re waiting until you’re married?”

“No,” I said shortly.

“Okay.  Do you know what a friends with benefits relationship is, Elijah?”

“Yeah.”  I had no idea where she was going with this.

“Well,” she hesitated and took a deep breath, “we could have a friends with benefits relationship.”

This time my mouth dropped open so far that I was certain you could drive a fucking train into it.  She sat patiently as I processed her statement.  After what felt like an eternity, I croaked, “What?”

“Your concerns about your lack of experience at your age are valid,” she said.  “I want to help you find a woman and it’ll go much smoother and easier if you’re not a virgin.  We’ll have sex, I’ll teach you some stuff about pleasing a woman, and then we’ll find you a girlfriend.  What do you think?”

“I…what?”

She smiled at me and patted my arm.  “I know it’s a lot to think about and I’ll give you some time to consider it.  I know I don’t have the perfect body or a super model face, but I know what I’m doing in the bedroom.  I can help you get comfortable with sex, I promise.  But if you’re not interested, that’s perfectly fine.  I won’t be insulted or get upset.  Don’t feel any pressure to say yes.  You’re my friend and I want to help you, but I definitely don’t want you doing something you’re not comfortable with.  All right?”

I nodded dumbly, and she squeezed my arm for a third time before standing.  “Okay, good.  I’ll, um, leave now and give you some time.  Take as much time as you need.  Just text me when you’ve made your decision.”

She hesitated and then leaned down and pressed a light kiss against my cheek.  “Bye, Elijah.”

She started toward the doorway and I swallowed hard, the dry click in my throat sounding excruciatingly loud in my head.  “Yes.”

She turned to stare at me.  “Yes?”

I nodded, my head screaming at me and my dick already rising with excitement.  What the fuck was I doing?

We’re getting laid, my inner voice crowed.  Finally!

“You sure?”  Mia asked.

I nodded again, not trusting myself to speak.  My dick was a throbbing bar of steel, and I was extremely thankful the table hid my lap.  I was going to sleep with Mia.  I was going to be in Mia’s pussy.  There was an almost painful cramp of pleasure in my belly and for one heart stopping moment, I thought I’d cum right there at the kitchen table.

After a moment, I realized my dick was still steel-hard and while I probably had a fucking wet spot on my jeans from the precum streaming out of it, I hadn’t actually cum.

I waited for Mia to ask me if I was sure again, but instead she smiled and said.  “Good.  Come over to my place tonight for dinner around six.”

“Okay.”  My voice didn’t sound anything close to normal.  “Should I, uh, buy some condoms?”

My face went a fiery shade of red and I wanted to punch myself in the face for sounding so pathetic and eager.  Of course I needed to buy condoms.  Why would I even ask that?  Mia wouldn’t let me fuck her bareback.

Mia shook her head.  “I have some.  But I’m on the pill and I can show you my medical records, so we can have sex without condoms if you want.  Totally up to you.”

“Without,” I said.

She grinned a little.  “Shocker.  Okay, I’m gonna go.  I’ll see you at six, all right? Park in the visitor parking.”

“All right.”

I should have walked her to the door, but I couldn’t.  Not just because I was afraid I had a wet spot on my crotch, but because even sitting, my legs felt dismayingly weak and trembly.

“Bye, Elijah.”

“Bye, Mia.”

She walked out of the kitchen and I continued to stare blankly at the table after I heard the front door close.  I was going to have sex with Mia.  After tonight I would finally know what it was like to fuck a woman.

Sinner!  Fornicator!  Sex before marriage is a sin.  You’ll burn in hell, Elijah.

Their voices crowded into my head, making me feel guilty and sick at the same time.  I shook my head and tried to shut them down before they became overwhelming.  There was nothing wrong with having sex with the woman I loved.  I wouldn’t let them ruin this for me.  They’d ruined almost everything, I wouldn’t let them destroy my chance to have one perfect night with the perfect woman.

Perfect night?  Dude, you’ll be lucky if you don’t embarrass yourself by cumming the second she touches you.

I winced, but my inner voice had a point.  Maybe jacking off a couple of times before I went over there would be a good idea.

Dirty boy!  Sinner!

Hating the power they still had over me, but not able to break it, I slumped in my chair and kept my hands away from my dick.  I couldn’t masturbate, not today.  The occasional time I gave in to the temptation to touch myself, I spent days afterward feeling sick to my stomach and guilty as hell.  If I masturbated now, it would ruin my night with Mia.  I would just have to hope she understood when I came like a fucking firehose the minute she touched me.

Chapter Five

Elijah

I’d barely knocked on Mia’s apartment door when she opened it and smiled at me.  “Hi, Elijah.  Come in.”

I lurched forward, my throat already dry and my stomach in knots.  Mia was wearing a green dress that hugged her tits and stopped about mid-thigh.  I stared at her pale smooth legs, pictured them wrapped around my hips and lost the little ability I had left to think rationally.

My urge to just pick her up and carry her to her bedroom was so intense, I had to shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans to stop from doing it.  God, I wanted her so bad.  I had no idea how I’d even be able to eat dinner.  All I could think about, the only thing I could think about since the moment Mia left my house earlier today, was fucking her.

“Come into the kitchen, okay?”  Mia took my jacket and hung it on the coat rack.  I took off my boots and followed her into the kitchen.  It smelled good, but I barely noticed the delicious scent of food.  I couldn’t stop staring at the curve of Mia’s neck and the smooth skin of her upper chest.  Soon, I would be touching her skin.  Touching her and kissing her and –

You don’t know how to kiss, remember?

My inner voice had been going back and forth between elation and terror all goddamn day.  One minute it was over the moon about having sex and the next it was listing all the ways I was gonna fuck it up.  It was enough to drive a man crazy.

“Elijah?”

“Sorry, what?”  I rasped.

“I asked if you got my email with my medical records?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I did.”

“Okay.  Good.  Do you want something to drink?”

I shook my head.  Even the thought of drinking made my stomach churn.  Shit, I’d never get through dinner.  I couldn’t eat a fucking thing.  How could I eat when I was this close to having exactly what I’d been dreaming of for the last two years?

Not exactly what you wanted, my inner voice was quick to remind me.  Mia isn’t in love with you.  Don’t go thinking she is.

“I know you’re in love with Matt.  Why are you doing this?”  I suddenly blurted.  I wanted to kick myself in the nuts, but I needed to know.

Mia gave me a startled look.  “I’m not in love with Matt.  Who said I was?”

“People talk,” I said.

She sighed and shook her head.  “Stupid small town.  I used to be in love with Matt, now I’m not.”

“That isn’t how love works,” I said.

“I guess it does with me,” she replied.

“I don’t believe that.”

She sighed again and my curiosity about the embarrassment on her face was answered when she said, “I told Matt how I felt, and he didn’t feel the same way.  That was over a month ago and I’ve moved on.”

I didn’t quite believe her, but I didn’t push her on it.  Maybe sleeping with me was her way of making Matt jealous.  I should have hated myself for being so willing to sleep with a woman who was most likely in love with another man, but apparently my pride had taken a backseat to my lust.  “So, why are you doing this?”  I asked again.

“Well, you’re my friend and I want to help you find someone and be happy.  That’s my main reason.  But I’m not going to lie and say that’s the only reason,” Mia said.

My heart was pounding so loudly, I could barely hear Mia’s soft voice.  “What do you mean?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve had sex and I miss it,” she said.

I hated that my laugh was bitter.  “Seriously?  If you’re looking for good sex, you’re barking up the wrong tree, Mia.  I don’t know what I’m doing, remember?”

“I remember,” she said.  “But you’re a smart guy and I’m a good teacher.  You’ll learn quickly.”

“What if I don’t?”  I said.  “I don’t even know how to kiss for Christ sake.  I kissed a girl once when I was in seventh grade.”

“Wait, you said earlier that you’d never kissed a girl.”  Mia gave me a teasing grin.  “Next you’ll be confessing that you’ve done some heavy petting.  Are you sure you’re even a virgin, Mr. Thomson?”

“I’m sure,” I muttered.

The smile fell from her face.  “I’m sorry, Elijah.  I was only teasing but I shouldn’t have -”

“It’s fine.  I’m just…this feels weird.”

“If you’ve changed your mind, you can tell me,” Mia said earnestly.  “You know that, right?  In fact, if you change your mind at any point while we’re in bed together, just say something and I’ll stop right away.”

“Jesus, it feels like I’m in an after-school special,” I said.

She burst into laughter, and my anxiety eased enough for me to take my first deep breath since Mia had offered to teach me how to fuck.

“It kind of does.”  She giggled.  “I’d suggest you give me a safe word, but with how tense you are, I’m afraid even thinking you need a safe word might make you run.”

I gave her a half-smile before my gaze dropped to her tits again.  Soon, I’d see what they looked like.  She’d let me touch them and -

“Elijah?”

I looked up to see Mia smiling knowingly at me.  I blushed immediately.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.  I don’t mind.”  She smiled again before pointing to one of the kitchen chairs.  “Have a seat, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”  I dropped into the chair, surreptitiously smelling my pits when Mia turned away to the oven.  I had showered right before I came over, but I was so fucking nervous, I was getting sweaty as hell.

Mia opened the oven and brought out a roasting pan.  She set it on the stove and lifted off the lid.  The smell of roast beef intensified, but despite not eating at all today, I didn’t feel a lick of hunger.  How could I when I was about to be inside Mia?  When I was about to see her pussy, feel her soft skin against mine?

“Okay, well the roast is done and so are the potatoes.  I just need to make the gravy and steam the vegetables and we can eat.  Sound good?”

“Yeah,” I said, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat a thing.

Mia studied me for a moment before shutting off the oven and putting the lid back on the roasting pan.  She moved the pot of potatoes to the back burner and stuck the vegetables back in the fridge before moving toward me.  She held out her hand. “C’mon, Elijah.”

“What – where are we going?”

“To my bedroom.”

I peeled my tongue off the roof of my mouth and gave her a look ripe with panic.  “Uh, what?”

She gave me a sweet smile.  “At this moment, you want sex more than food.  Don’t you?”

“I, um…”

“Be honest, Elijah.”

“Yes,” I said.  “I want sex more.”

“Then let’s go have sex.  We can eat dinner after we’re done.”

“Are you sure?  I don’t mind waiting.”

She arched her eyebrow at me.  “I’m fairly confident that’s a big fat lie.  Come on, big guy.”

She took my hand and tugged on it.  Feeling numb and disconnected from my body, I followed her down the hallway to her bedroom.  It was on the smaller side, but I barely noticed.  I couldn’t stop staring at her bed.  Soon, I’d be on that bed with Mia.

“You okay?”  She asked.

“Yeah.”

“It’s okay to be nervous.  You know that, right?”

I nodded, and she squeezed my hand.  “Still want to do this?”

“Yes.”  Even I could hear the excitement in my voice.

Mia smiled, a brief look of relief flickering across her face.  “Good.  Me too.”

“Should I, uh, get undressed?”  I asked.

“How about we start with teaching you to kiss?”  Mia said.

I blushed furiously at my eagerness and nodded. “Right, yeah, okay.  Sorry.”

“Again, you don’t have to be sorry.  But,” she gave me another sweet smile, “we have all night so don’t worry about rushing anything.”

I wanted to take my time, especially since I was pretty sure Mia wasn’t interested in more than one night of teaching me how to fuck, so making the experience last as long as possible was my goddamn goal.  Only, my throbbing cock had other plans and I was still one hundred percent certain I would go off like a bottle rocket, the second I was inside of Mia’s pussy.

“Come sit on the bed,” Mia said.

I froze and stared wide-eyed at the bed as Mia made an encouraging sound and tugged on my hand.  “C’mon, Elijah.”

I followed her to the bed and sat down next to her when Mia patted the mattress.  She moved closer, until her thigh was pressing against mine and her shoulder was touching my arm.  My cock hardened but if she noticed the bulge in my jeans, she didn’t say anything.

“So, the key to good kissing is starting off slow,” she said.  ‘You don’t want to be shoving your tongue into the woman’s mouth immediately.  Make sense?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Good.”

I jerked all over when her soft hand slid around my neck and she tugged lightly.  “Time for your first lesson, Elijah.”

I bent my head until my mouth was just above Mia’s.  When she pressed her mouth against mine, I made a low groan. 

“Remember, soft and slow,” she said as she pressed feather-light kisses against my mouth.  “You try.”

I kissed her gently, brushing my mouth across hers a few times before pulling back a little.

“Okay?”  I said.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she smiled at me. “Perfect.” 

I dipped my head and kissed her again, twitching when her lips parted, and the tip of her tongue brushed across my mouth.

“Open your mouth,” she breathed.

I parted my lips, groaning again when she sucked on my bottom lip.  When her tongue slipped into my mouth, I leaned into her, I couldn’t help it.  She grabbed my arm and slid it around her waist.  I held her tightly as she explored my mouth with her soft tongue.

She pulled back and gave my lower lip a light nip.  “Your turn.”

We kissed again and when I licked her bottom lip, she parted her mouth.  My entire body on fire with need, I slid my tongue into her mouth.  She let me taste and explore for a few seconds before she sucked on my tongue.

Our kissing turned hot and heavy, our tongues sliding in and out of each other’s mouths as we both tasted and teased.  Holy shit, I had no idea kissing could be like this.  Had no concept of just how amazing it was to kiss the woman you loved.

My hips arched, and I made a loud moan of pleasure before pulling away.  I was already short of breath and I studied Mia’s swollen mouth as she rubbed the back of my neck with her soft hand.

“You okay?” She asked.

“Yeah, I – that was good.”

“It was,” she said.  “You’re a natural at kissing.”

“Thank you.”

She laughed and tugged on my hair.  “You’re welcome.”

Before I could reply, she was nuzzling my neck and at the feel of her soft tongue licking my neck, I almost came in my goddamn pants again.  My cock was a fucking rock against the stiff material of my jeans.  When Mia ran her hand over my chest, I knew without a doubt that I wouldn’t make it to the fucking.

Embarrassed beyond belief, I pulled away from her touch and gripped my knees with both hands. 

“Elijah?  What’s wrong?”  She asked before leaning against me.  Her left breast pushed against my arm, and I groaned before trying to ease away.  “Are we moving too fast?”

I shook my head and made myself say it. “No, but I don’t think I’m gonna last.  I’m sorry.”

Thank fucking Christ, I didn’t have to explain myself, nor did Mia even seem all that put out.  Instead, she said, “That’s all right.  Why don’t we make you cum right now and get it over with?”

I gave her a wry look and she blushed.  “Oh God, that didn’t come out right at all.  What I meant is that – I feel like a good deal of your anxiety is stemming from your worry that you’re gonna…you know… before we even have sex.  Am I right?”

“Maybe,” I said.

“Well then, let’s make you cum right now.  It’ll take some of the pressure off you.  In more ways than one.”  She grinned, and I had a moment to appreciate just how sweet she was being to me before she placed her hand on my thigh and I lost any and all ability to think properly.

“Fuck,” I said as my pelvis jerked.

“Does that mean you like the idea?”  She said.

“It’s a really great idea,” I said fervently.

She smiled again and leaned back.  “Awesome.  Undo your jeans.”

My hands shaking, I unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans.  My dick strained at the cotton material of my briefs and I was a little embarrassed at the prominent wet spot on the front of them.

“Pull them down.”  Now Mia’s voice was a little shaky and it weirdly helped ease some of my embarrassment.

I shoved my jeans and briefs down my legs until they were below my knees.  I meant to kick them off, to reach down and remove my socks, but the look on Mia’s face made me still.  “Mia?  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”  She was staring at my cock and more precum spilled out when she licked her lips.  “You, um, you have a really nice dick.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

She was still staring at it and I was starting to feel a little weird.  I’d never really given any thought to whether my dick looked normal or not, but now I was starting to second guess myself.  Maybe there was something wrong with it.

“Mia?  Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“I swear there isn’t anything wrong,” she said.  She raised her gaze to mine and I was a bit puzzled by the apprehension in her gaze.  “You’re, just, uh, really big.”

“Am I?”

She nodded.  “Porn star big, buddy.”

“I’m sorry?”  It felt like a weird thing to say sorry for, but the look on Mia’s face made me feel like I should be apologizing.

She smiled at me.  “Oh, honey.  Never apologize for the size of your dick.”

The weird moment passed as quickly as it appeared when she gave me another smile and said, “You’re just bigger than my previous lovers and I was having a teensy bit of anxiety about taking you, but it’ll be fine.  We’ll just need to go slow, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.”  She leaned close again and wrapped her hand around the back of my neck once more.  “Kiss me again.”

I kissed her, sliding my tongue into her mouth when she parted her lips.  She was making soft little moans and sighs that a man could quickly become addicted to.  I nibbled on her bottom lip and tentatively slid my arm around her waist again.  I wanted to touch her tits, but I wasn’t sure if that was being too bold or – oh holy fucking hell…

I tore my mouth from Mia’s and sucked in a gasping gulp of oxygen.  Mia had wrapped her long fingers around my dick, and I made another loud groan of pleasure, my hips jerking compulsively when she stroked me firmly.

“Mia, oh fuck, Mia!”  My voice was a hoarse shout as she stroked me again.

Her other hand cupped the back of my skull and with surprising strength, she tugged my head down until our mouths met.  She thrust her tongue into my mouth, muffling the sounds of my cries as she stroked my dick.

The feel of her soft hand, the way she rubbed me up and down without any tentativeness or hesitation made me delirious with pleasure.  I cried out into her mouth again, my hips rocking back and forth like a piston as she stroked me harder and faster.  When her thumb rubbed across the wide head, my orgasm rolled over me like a tsunami wave.  Pleasure skated up and down my spine as cum shot out of my dick.  I shuddered and moaned as she continued to pump me until every last bit of cum was wrung out of me.

She pulled her mouth away and watched my face intently as I fell back on the bed and moaned her name.  She released my dick and rested her hand on my thigh, rubbing gently as I twitched and moaned and tried to breathe through the orgasm induced heart attack I was currently experiencing.

After a few minutes, I cracked open one eye and stared at Mia.  She smiled at me.  “Hi there.”

“Hey,” I rasped.

“You okay?”

“Fucking awesome.”

She giggled and squeezed my leg.  “Good, I’m glad.”

I glanced down at myself, fresh embarrassment spilling through me at the amount of cum that was splattered across my thighs and lower abdomen.  I pulled my shirt off but before I could use it to wipe myself clean, Mia plucked it from my hand and dropped it on the floor.

“Stay there, I’ll get a towel.”

She left the room and returned with a towel in her hand.  I was still feeling embarrassed, but Mia wiped my legs and abdomen clean without any visible signs of disgust.  When she gently wiped my cock with the towel, I inhaled sharply, and she gave me a little smile when my dick visibly hardened.

“Getting hard again already?  Oh, honey, this is gonna be so much fun…”

Chapter Six

Mia

Okay, so Isabelle was right.  Teaching Elijah how to have sex made me feel like a damn sex goddess.  From the moment he’d stepped into my apartment, the hunger and need in his gaze was more than apparent. 

For a few seconds, I’d wondered if maybe Isabelle wasn’t also right about his crush on me, until reality came crashing in.  I’d offered to bang a guy who was nearly thirty and had never had sex, of course he was gonna look at me like I’d given him the key to the kingdom of heaven. 

Still, I’d never felt more attractive or sexy than at this moment.  Elijah’s need for me was a drug I could quickly become addicted to.

Keep it together, Mia.  You’re doing this to help him find a woman, remember?  Nothing more.

My inner voice was right, and I definitely needed to remember why exactly I was doing this.  Elijah wanted me, but he wasn’t in love with me or anything.  And I could sugar coat this as much as I wanted, but there was a big part of me that offered to help solely because I wanted to get laid too.

Speaking of big…

I tossed the towel that I’d been using to clean Elijah’s cock, to the floor and then tugged his jeans and briefs off his legs.  I tossed them on the floor, then yanked off his socks and dropped them.

“Thank you,” he said.

I smiled a little.  God, he was so cute and polite.  And now that I’d seen him naked… holy shit.  I knew his body was incredible but seeing him naked brought on a whole new appreciation for how much he worked out. 

I was certain that Elijah had no idea just how fantastic his body was and how many women at the gym probably drooled over him daily.  He didn’t seem to have an ounce of fat anywhere on his body, and one could almost believe that he’d been carved from stone rather than born like a mere mortal. 

His entire body was made of granite-hard muscle and warm skin, and I was itching to lick that truly impressive v-line.  Giving Elijah a blow job was high on my list of things to do to him, but I had a feeling the only thing he was really thinking about was sex.  Once I’d deflowered him, then I could blow his mind with, well… a blow job.

But first, I wanted my own release.  Kissing Elijah was a surprising turn on – I wasn’t lying when I told him he was a natural at it – and the way he’d picked up so quickly on it was also a bit of a surprise.  My concern that teaching such a big, strong man to be gentle was, so far anyway, a non-issue.  Now, just thinking about Elijah kissing my breasts, sucking on my nipples, and his big hands touching my pussy made me soaking wet.

I turned around and smiled at him over my shoulder.  “Can you unzip me?”

His cock – his gloriously large and amazingly thick cock – twitched again.  He was already sporting a semi and another trickle of smugness went through me.  He sat up on the bed and with a visible tremor in his hands, pulled down the zipper of my dress.

As I slid my dress down and let it pool on the floor, my usual trepidation about a man seeing me in my underwear reared its ugly head.  I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and spun around.  I might have a round stomach and my thighs might touch, but I was still beautiful.  I was still…

The thought died in my head as I studied Elijah’s face.  The look of pure delight and wonder on his face made me feel sexy and powerful.  I was wearing a matching set of black bra and panties, and my own lust kicked up a notch when Elijah stared hungrily at my tits.

He was still sitting on the side of the bed and I stepped between his legs.  He was so tall that even with him sitting and me standing, he was eye-level with my mouth.  Not that he was looking at my mouth.  He couldn’t tear his gaze away from my chest, and my feelings of sexiness and power increased.

I reached behind and unclasped my bra, smiling teasingly at him.  “I’ll let you practice how to undo a bra later, all right?”

He nodded, his gaze still planted firmly on my chest.  It was a little adorable the way he lost the ability to speak when seeing me half-naked. 

My usual shyness had completely disappeared, and I let my bra slip off with a wiggle and dip of my shoulders.  I dropped it on the floor with my dress and watched the muscle in Elijah’s temple tick, tick, tick.

He was breathing rapidly and when I glanced down, his cock was fully hard again.  Good lord, did I love me a man with a quick recovery time. 

His hands were clenched into fists on his knees.  Smiling a little, I said, “You can touch them, Elijah.”

He didn’t move.  I wasn’t sure if he was frozen to the spot with lust or fear, so I reached down and wrapped my hands around his fists.  “Give me your hands, honey.”

He uncurled his hands and I guided them to my breasts.  He cupped them gently and reverently and while I appreciated his gentleness, he was acting like I was made of fragile glass.  I put one finger under his chin and tipped his head up until he was staring at me.  His dark blue eyes were stormy with lust and desire, and another muscle in his jaw had joined its brethren in ticking.

“I won’t break, Elijah.  Touch me.”

His shy smile sent a weird trickle of tenderness through me.  I studied his face for a moment, taking in the broad nose, heavy brow, and wide cheekbones.  Maybe Isabelle was right, maybe Elijah wasn’t the best-looking guy in town, but if she could see him now, she’d realize that he was far from unattractive.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

“You won’t.  Trust me.”  I rubbed his forearms and gave him an encouraging look.  “If you do something I don’t like, I’ll tell you.  Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

His gaze dropped back to my breasts and when he gently squeezed them and then ran his thumbs over my nipples, I made an encouraging moan.  He circled my nipples again, groaning under his breath when they hardened.  When he tentatively plucked at my right nipple with his thumb and forefinger, I inhaled sharply, my back arching as pleasure arrowed from my breast straight to my pussy.

He gave me a worried look and I shook my head.  “I liked it.  Do it again.”

He lightly pinched both my nipples at the same time.  I moaned happily before sliding my hands into his hair and tugging his head toward my breasts.  His warm breath washed over my nipples and when he kissed my right nipple and then my left, I made another encouraging moan.

He pressed a kiss between my breasts, both hands squeezing and kneading them lightly, before he kissed across my left breast to my nipple.  When his hot mouth closed around the tip and sucked lightly, I cried out with pleasure.  I squeezed his skull and arched my back, encouraging him to suck harder.

“Oh God,” I moaned, “good, that’s good, honey.  Just like that.”

He grinned up at me, the shyness replaced by an almost boyish confidence.  He played and toyed with my tits, alternating between using his fingers and his mouth to tease and torment.

“Fuck, you’re a really fast learner,” I groaned.

“I like pleasing you,” he said.

I smiled down at him as he kissed between my breasts again.  His sweetness and his tenderness were a welcome change from my previous lovers.  Whether it was just his personality or the fact that he’d never been with a woman, his vulnerability was achingly appealing to me. 

His big hands were rubbing the front of my thighs as he kissed my breasts.  I already knew he’d be too shy to touch my pussy without prompting, so I pushed lightly on his shoulders and stepped back.  It was time to teach Elijah how to make me cum.

“Lie back on the bed, Elijah.”

He did what I asked, lying on the right side of the bed.  His cock was still rock hard and when I curled my fingers into the waistband of my panties, a look of almost painful need crossed his face.  His hand went to the base of his dick and squeezed.  He stroked himself twice before suddenly snatching his hand away, the lust on his face replaced with guilt.

It struck me as a little strange, but I chalked it up to general nervousness.  I smiled at him.  “Go ahead and touch yourself.  I don’t mind.”

He shook his head, red infusing his cheeks as more guilt flooded his face.  I ignored the way my weirdness meter was rising and slowly slid my panties down my thighs.  I stepped out of them and watched the emotions cross Elijah’s face as he stared at my pussy.  Lust was prominent but, weirdly, there was still guilt as well. 

Suddenly worried that I was pushing him to do something he didn’t really want to do, I said, “We can stop, if you want, Elijah.”

His gaze whipped up to mine and he immediately shook his head.  “Christ, no.  Please.”

Relief replaced my doubt and I climbed onto the bed and laid on my back next to Elijah.  He immediately turned on his side and cupped my breast, giving me a quick look.  I tugged his head down to mine and we kissed again.  God, I was rapidly growing addicted to Elijah’s kisses. 

After a few minutes, Elijah pulled back and studied my mouth.  “I want you so much, Mia.”

“I want you too,” I said.  His hand was still cupping my breast, his thumb rubbing back and forth over my aching nipple.  I took his hand and grinned at him.  “Time to teach you how to make me cum.  You good with that?”

“Yes,” he said.  “Hell, yes.”

I giggled and parted my legs before guiding his hand between them.  He cupped my pussy gently, staring into my face as I said, “Just like kissing, the key is to start off soft and slow.  Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.”  I gave him a saucy smile before tucking my hands under my head.  “Touch me, handsome.”

“I’m not sure, I mean…” 

“It’s all good.  Let’s get you familiar with a pussy first, and then I’ll show you what I like best.  Okay?”

A grin crossed his face and I said, “What?”

“After school special again,” he said.

I laughed and cupped his face, pressing a kiss against his mouth.  “Should I be threatening you with a pop quiz after the lesson?”

He laughed, and the sound brought a twinge of pleasure to my belly.  I kissed his mouth again.  “Touch me, Elijah.”

I gave him an encouraging look as he gently rubbed my wet pussy lips with the tips of his fingers.  I found his look of studious concentration truly charming.  When his finger slipped between my lips and rubbed across my clit, pleasure flickered through my veins.  I arched, grabbing his forearm and moaning softly when he rubbed it again.

He stopped, giving me an uncertain look, and I shook my head.  “Nope, don’t stop.  That feels really good.”

I clung to his arm, my pelvis beginning to rise and fall as he rubbed small circles over and around my clit.  He was touching me gently, maybe a little too gently, but there was something to be said about a man with a soft touch.  I squirmed a little on the bed, letting my thighs fall open when he slid his fingers down my slit to my entrance.  He pushed one thick finger into me, and our loud groans intermingled. 

“Oh,” I moaned when he slid his finger in and out with slow strokes.

“You’re so wet, so tight,” he whispered.

I smiled at him, “You make me wet, honey.  Touch my clit again.”

He moved to my clit obediently and rubbed it.  I placed my fingers over his and rubbed in small, fast circles.  “Like this.”

He let me take control, watching my face as I rubbed his fingers against my clit.  “The closer I get, the harder I like to be touched,” I said.  It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on teaching him.  “You can also tug or lightly pinch my clit to – OH!  Oh shit, yes.”

He had given my clit a light tug and I moaned loudly.  “Good, honey.  So good.”

I rubbed his fingers against me again.  It had been so long since I’d had a man touch me and Elijah’s hard body pressed against mine, the feel of his rough fingers against my clit, had me ready to explode. 

“Harder,” I moaned.  I clutched the bedsheets with one hand, my pelvis pumping rapidly against Elijah’s hand.  When he dipped his head and sucked on my nipple, the hot wet pressure of his mouth and tongue tipped me over into my climax.  I cried out, my back arching and my body stiffening as the pleasure washed over me.  Panting, I collapsed against the bed, holding his hand still when he tried to touch my clit again.

“No,” I panted.  “Too sensitive.”

He nuzzled my neck.  “I’m sorry.”

“All good,” I panted again.  “God, really good…”

“You sure?”

I nodded, my chest rising and falling as my body made little tremors.  “Nice work.”

He smiled a little.  “I think it was more you than me.”

I shook my head.  “You definitely made it better.  Next time you can try on your own, yeah?”

“I’d like that.”  He bent and pressed a kiss against my breast.  “You’re beautiful when you cum, Mia.”

“Thank you.”  I rubbed his big forearm.  His cock was pressing against my thigh, hard and hot and leaking precum.  “Are you ready?”

He nodded eagerly.  “Yes.  Are you – are you sure about this?”

“No doubt at all,” I said before spreading my legs wide.  “Time to get rid of that pesky v-card, big guy.”

Chapter Seven

Elijah

As long as I lived, I would never see anything more beautiful than the way Mia looked when she was cumming.  Her soft sounds, the way her perfect, curvy body moved on the bed, and the flush in her cheeks as she came were like a drug.  I wanted to make her cum over and over again.

“C’mon, honey,” Mia urged.

I liked it a little too much when she called me ‘honey’.  I knew it didn’t mean anything, but it certainly helped my fantasy that what was happening between us was based on love.  I groaned inwardly.  Fuck, I was an idiot.  I was finally about to get laid and what was I doing?  Thinking about love.  Not only was that a stupid idea, but it was dangerous too.  Mia might be the perfect woman for me, but there were very specific reasons she was doing this and none of them involved her falling for me.

Why would she?  She was beautiful and funny and smart, and I was all sorts of fucked up.  Every time I thought I was starting to be okay, starting to be normal, memories of my past brought me crashing back to reality.  I would never be normal.

“Elijah?”  Mia was leaning over me now.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said.

“Are you sure?”  She said.  “We can take a break, or we can stop if you’re not -”

“I don’t want to stop,” I said hoarsely.  I might have had a sudden moment of feeling sorry for myself, but it hadn’t affected my dick.  It was still hard as a rock and my balls were heavy and aching.  I needed to be inside of Mia.  Needed to finally know what it was like.

“If you’re sure,” she said hesitantly.

“Positive.” 

“All right.”  She relaxed on her back again and stroked my hip.  “I’m assuming you want to be on top for your first time?”

I nodded.  Missionary position was probably considered boring as hell but when you’d never had sex before, the idea of being on top of a woman, of having her legs spread wide around your hips as you fucked her, was intoxicating.  I had one chance at sex with Mia and I wanted her under me for it.  “If you’re okay with that?”

“Totally,” she said with a small grin.  “I know some people find missionary boring, but secretly, I love it.”

Her grin widened.  “Climb on, cowboy.  Let’s get this party started.”

Feeling a little awkward and uncoordinated, I kneeled between her open legs. 

“Elijah?”  Mia’s voice had turned serious.  “I’m about to ask you to do something that’s going to be really difficult.  I need you to try and go slow at first, okay?”

I nodded before leaning over her and propping myself up on my hands.  The head of my dick brushed against her wet pussy and I hissed out a breath.  She cupped my face and stroked my cheekbone with her thumb before staring directly at me.

“I’m sorry, I know how difficult this will be for you, but I really do need you to be slow when you enter me.  You’re,” she paused, “really big and if you aren’t careful, you’ll hurt me.  Okay?”

I knew she was worried, I could see it in her face and hear it in her voice, and my chest tightened.  I didn’t doubt that it was going to be difficult, hell, I already wanted to just push in to the hilt inside her pussy, but I would never hurt my Mia.  Just the thought of hurting her made me sick to my stomach.

“I won’t hurt you, Mia.”  My voice was hoarse but steady.  “I promise I will never hurt you.”

She studied me, a small line appearing between her eyebrows as she absorbed what I said.  She brushed her fingers across my mouth before lifting her head and pressing a kiss against my lips.  “Thank you.”

I smiled at her and carefully pressed my cock against her wet warmth.  Fuck, did it feel good.  I rubbed back and forth, the head of my cock sliding up and down her slit, but I couldn’t seem to find her tight entrance.  I was starting to feel self-conscious and sweat was sliding down my back.  I wasn’t sure if I should keep trying the way I was, or reach down and… oh, holy hell.

Mia had reached between us and I groaned out loud when her soft hand gripped my dick. 

“Steady,” she whispered before guiding me forward.  The head of my dick pressed against her wet hole, then slipped inside, and I moaned with need.

“Slow, honey,” she said.

“Slow,” I gritted out.  Ignoring every part of me that was screaming to shove my dick deep inside of her, I kept my thrusts short and light.  With every stroke, I went a little deeper.  I clenched my jaw, the vein in my temple pulsing heavily as I slowly – agonizingly slow – slid deeper into Mia. 

Mia wrapped her hands around my arms, squeezing tightly as I stared down at her.

“Good, honey,” she praised.  “Your cock feels so good, so thick and hard.”

I moaned again and stopped, trying not to blow my load right then and there.

“You okay?”  Mia asked.

“Baseball,” I groaned.  “Thinkin’ about baseball.”

She laughed, and her pussy squeezed around me.  I groaned again, making an involuntary thrust.  She gasped, and I froze.  “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s… oh fuck, it’s good.  Keep going.”

I continued my slow slide and retreat until I was completely sheathed.  I stayed still, my eyes squeezed shut and my heart thumping in my chest.  Mia’s pussy was incredible.  Smooth and wet and warm and fucking amazing.

I wanted to stay in her forever, but I also wanted – needed – to move.

“Mia,” I groaned.  “Please.”

She lifted her head again and kissed my chest. “I’m good, honey.  Fuck me.”

With a low moan, I thrust in and out.  I tried to go slow, I wanted to go slow, but after only a few strokes, I was moving hard and fast.  The sensation of being in Mia, the feel of her tight, smooth pussy gripping my aching cock, made me lose control.

I thrust wildly, my breath coming in harsh pants and the blood roaring in my ears.  I stared at Mia’s tits.  They bounced with every thrust and it further weakened my control. 

Mia’s hands slid around me and rested on the scarred landscape that was my lower back.  I could see the confusion cross her face, but I couldn’t worry about her reaction, not when I was so close.

“Mia, oh God, Mia,” I groaned again.  My balls were tightening, and the base of my spine was tingling, and I couldn’t last a second longer.  I made one final hard thrust, my back arching and a low howl of pleasure spilling from my mouth as my climax fucking exploded over me.  I thrust and thrust again as Mia’s pussy squeezed around me, milking my cock of cum.

I shook and cried out again before collapsing on top of Mia.  She made a low grunt and patted my back.  “Honey, too heavy.”

I heaved myself to my knees again, slipping my dick out of her amazing pussy, and fell on my side next to her.  She turned to face me and rubbed my chest.  She didn’t speak, just watched my face as I came down from the high of my orgasm.

When my pulse was almost back to normal and my breathing not quite so labored, she smiled and kissed my chest.  “You okay?”

“Oh my God,” I said.  “That was… I mean, that was amazing.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” she said.

“Liked it?  Liked it doesn’t quite describe how I felt about it.”

She laughed and kissed my chest again.  “You came really hard, huh?”

I nodded and then suddenly gave her a worried look.  “Did I hurt you?  Shit, was I too rough or -”

“No,” she said.

“Are you sure?”  I searched her face.  “I didn’t go slow and I -”

“You went slow at the beginning, that’s all I needed,” she said.  “I promise you didn’t hurt me.  It was good.”

“Did you cum?”  I was a little embarrassed that I had no idea if Mia had even climaxed or not.

“No, but I didn’t expect to,” she said.  “It’s why I had you make me cum before we had sex.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” she said.  “Honestly, I was super surprised by how much control you had and how long you lasted once we started having sex.  Good job, Elijah.”

I grinned at her and she laughed.  “Oh God, I’m sure there’s nothing sexier than a woman giving a man a performance review after sex, but seriously… you did so well.”

Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms.  I wanted that connection with her again, wanted to feel close to her even though I knew this meant nothing to her.  She didn’t seem put out by it.  She rested her cheek against my chest and traced circles on my abdomen with her fingertips. 

“Your heart is still beating a mile a minute,” she said.

“Best work out of my life,” I said.

She giggled, and I stroked her long dark hair before saying, “Thank you, Mia.”

“You’re welcome.”

We laid quietly together for almost ten minutes.  My body had never been so relaxed before and I was almost asleep when Mia sat up and peered over my body.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

I gave her a sleepy look of confusion.  “What’s wrong?”

“Your back,” she said.  “Elijah, are those scars?”

I tensed, my sleepiness gone immediately.  “Yeah,” I grunted.

“How did you get them?”  Her fingers were tracing the scars and I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling.

“Elijah?”  She touched my chest.  “How did you get them?”

“I’ve had them since I was a teenager,” I said. 

Dirty boy!  Fornicator!

I winced inwardly at their voices, immediately feeling small and worthless and ashamed.

“A teenager?”  I could hear the horror in her voice. 

Fuck, why did I think she wouldn’t notice the scarring?  I’d been so anxious to be with her, that I’d talked myself into believing that I could keep Mia from seeing them.

“How?”  She said.

I didn’t answer, and she patted my chest.  “Elijah, how did you get the scars?”

“It was an accident,” I lied.

“An accident,” she repeated.

“Yeah.”

“Like a car accident?”

“Not exactly.”

She frowned at me.  “What type of accident?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

She paused and then rubbed my chest.  “Where were your parents?  How could they let you be hurt so badly, or -”

At the mention of my parents, I sat up in bed and pushed away from her.  “I said I don’t want to talk about it.  Jesus, Mia, mind your own business.”

I regretted my harsh tone the second the words came out.  The soft look in Mia’s eyes disappeared and she folded her arms across her breasts.  “You’re right.  I apologize.  It’s none of my business and I shouldn’t have pushed.”

Her gaze drifted to my back and I couldn’t take it.  If I stayed here any longer, I’d tell her exactly what happened and then she’d know what a freak I was.  I climbed out of her bed and grabbed my clothes, yanking them on as Mia watched silently.

“It’s late, I should go.”  I walked toward the door, pausing when Mia called my name.

“You don’t have to -”

I shook my head.  “It’s late.  Thanks for the lesson.  Good-bye, Mia.”

Chapter Eight

“So, he said the scars were from an accident?”  Isabelle sipped at her glass of wine.

I nodded and poured myself another half glass.  “Yeah.  But they didn’t look like they were from an accident.”

“What do you mean?”

“They looked like… well, like scars a person would get from being hit with a belt or something.”  I gave Isabelle a sick look.

She’d paused with her wine glass at her mouth.  “Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think his parents did it?”

“I do.  We’ve only been friends for a couple of months but anytime I bring up his parents, he changes the subject.  The most he’s ever said about their relationship is that they aren’t close.”

“Makes sense they wouldn’t be close if the assholes beat him as a kid.”

“Right?”  I sighed and took a sip of wine.  “I feel so awful, Isabelle.  The whole night was going great and then I fucked up by pushing him to tell me something that was none of my business.”

“You’ve been a little close-mouthed about how the sex went,” Isabelle pointed out.  “Did you guys even…”

“We did,” I said.  “It was good.  I mean, it was fast, but I expected that.  What I didn’t expect was how gentle and…almost tender, he would be.  I mean, he’s such a big guy, you know?”

Isabelle nodded before giving me a cheeky grin.  “Was he big…everywhere?”

I gave her a disapproving look.  “Isabelle, you know I don’t share details like that.  Not even with my best…”

Both of us dissolved into giggles before I nodded.  “God, yes.  Biggest dick I’ve ever seen, Isabelle.  Swear to God.”

Isabelle held up her wine glass and I clinked mine against it.  “Good for you, Mia.”

My good mood deflated.  “Not really.  I totally screwed up.  I’ll never get to see that gloriously large cock again.”

“I don’t know, once a guy has had a taste of pussy, it doesn’t take much for him to want more,” Isabelle said.

“Yeah, but he’ll find it with someone else.”

“Well,” Isabelle gave me a delicate look, “wasn’t that the plan all along anyway?  You were going to take his v-card, so he could find a woman.”

“Yes, it was the plan – is the plan – but I just…” I sighed and shook my head.  “I don’t know. I had plans to give him a blow job, teach him how to fuck in a few different positions, that sort of thing.  I’m really disappointed that it’ll be some other woman teaching him those things now.”

“Why?”  Isabelle asked bluntly. 

“Well, because he’s my friend and I -”

“I smell such bullshit,” Isabelle sang out.  “Never bullshit a bullshitter, Mia.  You know better than that.”

“Fine,” I glowered at her.  “I wanted to teach him those things because being with him was fun and surprisingly sexy and… I felt like a goddess when I was in bed with him.”

“And he has a really big dick,” Isabelle said.

“And he has a really big dick,” I echoed

I drank some more wine before studying Isabelle.  “You know what the worse part is?  I’ve ruined my friendship with him.  It’s been four days and I haven’t heard a single word from him.”

“He’s probably working,” Isabelle said. 

“He is.  I saw him at the scene of a car accident yesterday.”

“You didn’t talk?”

“No, I was working and so was he.  Plus, Matt was with me and there were other firefighters around.  It wasn’t exactly the time to try and apologize again, you know?”

“Have you texted him?”

“After he left, I tried calling him.  When he didn’t answer, I sent a text saying I was sorry again,” I said.  “He read it but didn’t reply.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”  I stared morosely at my wine glass.  “I feel awful, Isabelle.  And now I have two days off and all I’m going to do is sit around moping and feeling sorry for myself, and wishing I’d just kept my damn mouth shut about -”

My door buzzed, and Isabelle said, “Are you expecting someone?”

“No.”  I walked into the hallway and pushed the button.  “Hello?”

“Hey, Mia.  It’s Elijah.”

My eyes widened, and I hesitated before pushing the button again.  “Hi.  Um, c’mon up.”

I buzzed the lobby door open before returning to the kitchen.  “It’s Elijah.”

“Really?” Isabelle said.  “That’s great!  Okay, I’m gonna get out of here.”

“You don’t have to leave,” I said.  “He probably just…”

Isabelle was already putting on her jacket.  “Text me tomorrow and let me know how it goes.”

I walked her to the door, and she gave me a quick peck on the cheek.  “Good luck, Mia.”

She opened the door, smiling at Elijah who was just about to knock.  “Hey, Elijah.”

“Hi, Isabelle.  I’m sorry, I can come back.  I didn’t mean to -”

“Nope, it’s all good.  I was just leaving.  Bye!”

She left, and Elijah stood awkwardly in the hallway for a minute before I gave him a tentative smile.  “Come in.”

“Thanks.”  He took his boots off and followed me into the kitchen.

“Do you want some wine?”

He shook his head, his big body looking tense and uncomfortable.  Before he could say anything, I said, “Elijah, I’m really very sorry.  I shouldn’t have pried into your personal business.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “I was being a sensitive jackass and it was a real dick move to ignore you for the last four days.”

“That’s okay,” I said.  “I’m just glad we’re still friends.”

He didn’t reply, and I cursed inwardly.  “I mean, are we still friends?”

“Yeah, of course.”

I wanted to ask him if he meant that, but I also didn’t want to look pathetically eager.  Instead, I said, “So, uh, what are you up to tonight?”

He shrugged.  “Not much.  Just finished my shift.  I’m off for a couple of days.”

“Me too,” I said.  “Do you wanna watch a movie with me tonight?”

He hesitated, and my heart sunk.

“Sure,” he finally said.

“You don’t have to,” I said.  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to watch a movie with you.”  His gaze landed on my tits and then bounced away.  “A movie would be nice.”

His body was still tense but when he took another quick glance at my chest, I realized how stupid I was.  Elijah had come here not just to apologize but because he wanted more sex.  Weirdly, instead of being offended, I was excited and more than a little turned on.  He still wanted me.  He could have gone out to find another woman, but he’d come to me.

He was too shy to come right out and ask for more lessons and although I’d always been on the shy and timid side myself, something about Elijah made me want to be bold.  Or… maybe I just really wanted another taste of his giant dick.

I took a deep breath and moved across the kitchen to stand in front of him.  His hard and deliciously muscular body was trembling minutely, and another wave of lust washed over me.  His obvious need for me only made my need for him stronger and sweeter.

“Elijah?”

“Yeah?”  He lifted his gaze to mine and I gave him a slow and seductive smile.  His nostrils flared, and the muscle in his jaw started ticking when I put my arms around him and pressed my body against his.

“We could watch a movie, or we could go to my bedroom and have another…lesson.”

Surprise flickered across his face.  “You want to give me another lesson?”

“Yes.  If that’s what you want.”  I pressed my pelvis against that growing bulge in his jeans, knowing damn well that was what he wanted.

“I – I thought it was just one lesson,” he said.

“Did you?”  I tilted my head at him.  “How strange.  There’s still so much I can teach you.  If you’re interested?”

“I don’t want you doing something you’re not really into,” he said.

I shook my head.  “Believe me, I’m into it.  We have a choice to make.  We can find a movie and watch it while we make small talk and pretend that you’re not checking out my tits and I’m not checking out your dick.  Or, we can spend the next two days in my bed fucking each other repeatedly.

“Fucking,” he said immediately.

“Excellent choice.”  I took his hand and led him out of the kitchen.  When we got to the bedroom, I tugged Elijah’s shirt over his head and gave his naked chest an appreciative look.  “You have an incredible body.”

“Thank you.”  He leaned down to kiss me, and I pressed myself against his warm, hard body as we kissed with growing urgency.  When he slid his tongue into my mouth, I sucked hard on it and his pelvis bucked against mine, almost knocking me over.

I giggled as he grabbed my hips to steady me.  “Have you missed me?”

“Yes,” he said.  “So much, Mia.”

I blinked up at him, the affection in his voice taking me off-guard.  He was giving me a weirdly tender look that sent shivers of awareness up my spine.  Had any man ever looked at me like that before?  I didn’t think so. 

Before I could think too much about what it meant, Elijah was pulling my shirt over my head.  He stared hungrily at my breasts before leaning down and pressing a kiss against my collarbone.  His big, warm hands slid up my back to my bra and I grinned at him.  “Time to learn how to undo a -”

My bra loosened, and I gave Elijah a surprised look.  “That was pretty good.  Do you practice at home on some weird and totally creepy mannequin?”

He laughed and shook his head.  “Just really nimble fingers.”

“Well,” I shimmied out of my bra and let it fall to the floor before reaching for the button on his jeans, “let’s see what else those nimble fingers can do.  Shall we?”

I unbuttoned his jeans.  His hands were already cupping my breasts and those nimble fingers were teasing my nipples into hard buds.  I shoved his pants and underwear down his legs.  He stepped out of them and I giggled and tugged his hands away.  “Socks off, buddy.”

He yanked his socks off before reaching out and cupping my hips.  He pulled me up against him and we kissed again.  His chest had a light layer of dark hair, and I stood on my tiptoes and rubbed my sensitive nipples against the rough hair, moaning into his mouth.

“You’re so gorgeous, Mia,” he whispered.

“You are too,” I said.  “Help me take my pants off.”

He immediately yanked my yoga pants down, dragging my panties with them.  He inhaled sharply at the sight of my pussy as I kicked my pants and underwear off.  I stood naked in front of him, glorying in the look of utter enthrallment on his face as he stared at me.

“Do you want to touch my pussy, honey?”

“Fuck, yes,” he said.

My soft giggle died out when he pulled me up against him with one arm around my waist.  His free hand was already reaching between my legs, and when he cupped my pussy and rubbed his rough fingers against my clit, I grabbed onto his shoulders and arched my back.

His head dropped down and he kissed my neck before licking his way to my earlobe.  He sucked on my lobe, his hot breath sending shivers down my spine as his fingers rubbed small circles over my clit.  Already, there was a noticeable difference in how he touched me.  His earlier tentativeness was gone, and I shivered again when he slid one finger deep inside of me and made a low growl.

“I love how wet you are, baby.”

I spread my legs, giving him a wordless look of need as he angled his hand so his thumb could brush against my clit while he finger fucked me.  God, he was learning so damn fast.  I rocked back and forth against his hand, surprising both myself and him when my climax washed over me. 

My legs trembling violently, I leaned against him, trusting him to hold me up as I rocked harder against his hand.  The pleasure flooded through my entire body, making my nipples rock hard and my pussy quiver around his finger.

“Feel good, baby?”  His voice was a low rasp in my ear.

“Yes,” I muttered.  “Shit, that was unexpected.”

He smiled at me as I stared up at him.  “I’ve never cum that fast before.”

“Glad I could be here to see it.”

He gently slid his finger out of my pussy, and I kissed his broad chest.  “Lie on your back on the bed.”

He did what I asked, and I quickly straddled him, smiling down at him when he gave me an eager look of desire.  “I was thinking I’d be on top this time.  What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea.”  His hands cupped my tits and I arched into his touch, giving him a slow smile.

“Ready, handsome?”

“So ready.  You’re all I’ve thought about for the last four days, Mia.  Your beautiful smile and perfect body.”

I ignored the tingle of unease that went down my spine at his words and braced my hands on his chest before lifting myself up a little.  “Put your dick in me, Elijah.  Right now.”

He reached down and after a moment of fumbling, guided his dick into my pussy.  He automatically cupped my hips, helping me as I slowly sunk down over his dick.  Like before, his thickness stretched my inner walls to the limit, and I took a deep breath, trying to adjust to his width as I sheathed him entirely.

“Okay?”  He asked.

I nodded, a little breathless already.  “Yeah.  You’re just so fucking thick.  It feels really good though.”

I stayed still, studying his face as his big hands slipped around me to cup my ass.  He kneaded it gently, and even though I could see the need on his face, he didn’t move.

“You know,” I said, “for someone who’s having sex for only the second time, you have a lot of self-control.”

“I want to please you,” he gritted out.  “I want you to cum this time when we’re…oh Jesus, Mia!”

I had made a slow thrust on his cock and I grinned at the look on his face.  “I’m more than up to the idea of cumming on your cock, big guy.”

“Fuck,” he muttered.  “Maybe you should stop talking like that.”

I laughed and leaned over him, letting my tits brush against his chest.  “You don’t like the dirty talk?  Or you don’t like the idea of my pussy cumming on your dick?”

He made two uncontrollable thrusts, his hands digging into my ass. “Mia!  Are you trying to kill me?”

“Of course not.”  I traced my fingers over the hard line of his jaw before leaning back a little and pinching his flat nipple.  “A little teasing never killed anyone.”

“Mia,” he moaned.  One hand left my ass to cup the back of my skull when I sucked on his flat nipple.  “Oh fuck, Mia.  Please.”

I straightened and braced my hands on his chest.  “Do you want me to fuck you now, Elijah?”

“Yes.”  He was already making small thrusts against me and I moved up and down, matching his rhythm.

His cock felt so good.  I shifted my hips a little, switching up the angle, and moaned happily when the new position brought new pleasure. 

“Oh God,” I muttered.  “That’s the spot.” 

We moved faster, my desire to tempt and tease gone under my overwhelming need to cum.  I moved harder and faster, our harsh breathing the only sound in the room as Elijah met each of my strokes.  He gripped my hip with one strong hand, the other one reaching up to tease my tits.

“Fuck, yes.  Just like that,” I moaned.  My orgasm was fast approaching and as I teetered on the precipice of my climax, I reached down and rubbed furiously at my clit.

“Fuck!” I screamed as my back arched and I came hard on Elijah’s cock.  He echoed my cry, his big body arching up as his fingers dug into my hips with brutal intensity.  Fresh new wetness flooded my pussy and I ground myself against his cock, my nails scratching across his chest as the pleasure went on and on. 

He was gasping and moaning my name and when I collapsed on his broad chest, he lifted one shaking hand and cupped my skull, holding me against him.

“Oh my God,” he whispered.  “That was even better than the first time.”

I made a tired little giggle and nuzzled his chest.  “Glad you liked it.”

“It was incredible.  The way your pussy squeezed when you were cumming.  Holy shit…” He sounded completely awestruck and I lifted my head to grin at him. 

“You’re welcome.”

He laughed as I let my head clunk back down to his chest.  “I want you to cum on my dick every time we fuck.  All right?”

“Sure,” I said before yawning.  “S’no problem.”

He kissed the top of my head.  “Should I go?”

I slid off of him, my bones like jelly, and curled up on my side.  “Spoon me, please.”

He did what I asked, pulling the covers up over us and pressing his warm body along my spine and ass.  He cupped my breast before moving his hand down to my hip.

I moved it back to my breast, squeezing his hand lightly.  “If you leave, how will we fuck again after we nap?”

He kissed the back of my shoulder.  “I guess I’d better stay then.”

“Guess so,” I said.

Chapter Nine

Elijah

“Hey, Mia?”

“Hmm?”  She lifted the spoon to her lips and tasted the chicken soup before adding a bit more seasoning.

“I don’t have to stay the entire two days if you have other things to do.  You can just call me when you’re ready to have sex and I’ll come over.”

She turned and frowned at me.  “Don’t be silly.  I’m having a good time, aren’t you?”

“The best time,” I said, “but I don’t want to intrude on your personal space.”

“You’re not.”  She stirred the soup again.  “Besides, with you here, it gives me the excuse to cook.  I love cooking but when it’s just me, it feels like a bit of a waste.”

“The soup smells delicious.”  I stared at her ass as she bent and checked the biscuits in the oven.

“Thanks.  It’s actually Nana’s recipe, but I did add a few changes to make it my own.”  She turned and caught me staring at her ass.

I blushed, but she just grinned and wiggled her ass at me.  “Like what you see, big guy?”

“Very much.  Can I help you with lunch?”

“Nope.  Sit right there and relax,” she said.  “I know some people like help, but I prefer to be the only cook in the kitchen.”

I leaned back in the kitchen chair and…well…ogled Mia shamelessly as she set the table and checked the biscuits again.  Last night was amazing.  After our nap, we’d had sex again.  Mia was more than willing to let me be on top again and having her cum on my dick was just as incredible the second time.   

She’d made a quick supper for us and we’d watched TV for a little while before she invited me to spend the night.  I could tell she was tired, but she’d insisted we have sex again.  I should have said no, but resisting Mia was impossible.  I thought after having sex a few times, my obsession with it would ease, but it had only increased.

Still… I watched as Mia sat down across from me and winced.  Guilt flooded through me.  She was sore and that was my fault.  I’d been too rough with her.  She was up and showered and downstairs before I’d even woken up this morning, and I wondered if it was a self-preservation thing for her.  Get out of bed before the stupidly horny guy started groping her again.

“Mia?”

“Yeah?”  She smiled at me.

“Am I being too rough?”

“No, why?”  She replied.

“You’re in pain,” I said.

“I’m not.”

I gave her my own scowl and she sighed.  “Fine, I’m a little sore but it has nothing to do with how rough you are.  You’re not rough, Elijah.  It’s just been a while for me, and we’ve had sex three times in the last twenty-four hours, and you have a big dick.  I’ve got some muscle ache, that’s all.”

“I could run you a bath after lunch,” I said.

She grinned at me.  “That’s very sweet of you, but I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe we should give it a couple of days before we have sex again,” I said.

Are you crazy?  Shut up!  We just started having sex and now you want to cut us off?

“No,” she said.  “Absolutely not.   I promised to teach you sex stuff and I’m gonna.  I mean, maybe we won’t be banging after lunch or anything, but there are other things I can show you.”

Was it wrong that I immediately hoped she meant letting me eat her pussy?  I’d been dreaming for a year about tasting Mia, about hearing her soft cries as I tongued her wet clit, and to think that it might actually come true, made me feel a little crazy with need.

She stood and shut off the burner.  She brought over the pot of soup, set it on the hot pads in the middle of the table and carefully ladled soup into both our bowls.  As she took out the biscuits from the oven and set them in a basket next to the soup, I tried to concentrate on how good lunch looked and smelled, rather than how I might be fulfilling a year-long fantasy this afternoon.

“You okay?”  She sat next to me and gave me a curious look.

“Yes, why?”

“You have a weird look on your face.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated.

She crinkled her nose at me – shit, she was so fucking adorable – and said, “You don’t have to hide things from me, Elijah.  We’re friends and friends share stuff.  Right?”

“I want to eat you out,” I blurted.  “Shit.  I mean…that was rude.”

She was giggling like crazy and some of my embarrassment eased when she said, “I want that too.  But how about you taste my soup first and then you can taste my pussy.  Deal?”

“Deal,” I said.

* * *

“You’re so beautiful, Mia.”  I cupped her breast and pressed a kiss against her collarbone.

She smiled and stroked my hair.  “Man, you’re good for my ego.”

“I mean it,” I said earnestly.  “You’re beautiful and perfect and I can’t get enough of you.”  I frowned at the look that crossed her face.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said.  “But I’m not perfect.  No one is.”

I just shrugged before dipping my head and tracing along her collarbone with my tongue.  I didn’t care what she said, Mia was perfect and being in her bed was something I would never grow tired of.

Yeah, well, it’s not gonna last, so don’t get used to it.

I ignored the stray thought and concentrated on Mia.  I sucked on her nipple, tracing it with my tongue as my hand gently kneaded her other breast.  When she was making the soft noises and moans that never failed to make me horny as hell, I raised my head and smiled at her.  “I love your breasts.”

She laughed and gently poked me on the top of my head.  “I’m glad.  Now, wander on down the bed and discover how much you love my pussy, would you?”

I tried to hide my excitement as I kissed my way down Mia’s body, over the gentle curve of her belly and across her smooth thighs.  I deliberately avoided the dark curls at the top of her mound before sliding down the bed.  Mia spread her legs apart and I moved my body between them.  My wide shoulders nudged at her thighs and she smiled softly before letting her legs drop open farther.

“You are seriously the biggest man, ever.”

“I like to stay in shape.”  I kissed the inside of one creamy thigh, and she made a sharp inhale.

“Mmm… you definitely have an incredible body.”

I kissed her other creamy thigh before giving it a soft nip.  She jerked and made another soft and sexy giggle that stiffened my cock until it was aching.

“Hey, get to the good stuff.”  She bonked my butt with the heel of her foot.

I took a deep breath.  Fuck, would there ever be a moment where I wasn’t so goddamn nervous about touching Mia? 

“Elijah?”

I lifted my head.  She was giving me her sweet smile and my anxiety disappeared.  “As long as you don’t bite me like you’re a vampire, whatever you do will feel good so don’t be nervous.  Start off -”

“Soft and slow,” I finished.

She laughed.  “Exactly.  Now get to the pussy eating, big guy.”

“Yes, Mia.”  I bent my head and inhaled again.  Fuck, her pussy smelled so goddamn good.  We’d only been making out for about ten minutes, but already her pussy was glistening wet and I could see her soft, pink clit peeking out from between her pussy lips.

I kissed her inner thigh again before licking her wet lips with the tip of my tongue.  She moaned, her pelvis already arching a little and I licked her again before tentatively licking her clit. 

I groaned when her hand immediately dropped on my head and she practically pushed me face-first into her hot pussy.  Her reaction made precum spurt from my cock, and I ignored my urge to fist my cock as I pressed a kiss against the soft curls at the top of her pussy before licking her lips again.  I avoided her clit, just tasting and kissing and making light nips across her pussy.  If these two days were all I had with Mia, I wanted to make the most of them, which meant taking my time eating her sweet pussy.

Mia had other plans though.  She fisted her hand in my hair and yanked my mouth toward her clit.  “Elijah, please.” 

Her voice had a breathless need to it that I’d never heard before.  It made me ache to give her exactly what she wanted so I tossed my plan to go slow and attacked her clit with soft wide licks of my tongue.

“Oh fuck!”  She rocked her pussy against my face, both hands holding my head steady now as I licked her repeatedly.  “Good, so good, honey.  Just like that… keep licking.  Fuck…oh fuck, that’s so good.”

I was drowning in the sweet scent and taste of her pussy.  My cock was hard and pulsing, and I was helpless to stop from rubbing it against the mattress as I buried my face in Mia’s pussy and licked like a fucking mad man. 

“Suck my clit, honey,” Mia gasped.  “Suck it, right now.”

I parted her pussy lips with my thumbs and exposed her entire swollen clit.  I licked it once and then sucked it into my mouth, applying gentle pressure.  Mia’s reaction was explosive.  Her thighs clamped around my head, her fingers dug into my skull, and her lower body lifted until I was completely surrounded by her wet, damp heat.

She made a low scream of pleasure and wetness flooded my lips and tongue.  I sucked on her clit as she came, and she cried out, her body trying hard to toss me to the floor as she bucked her pelvis against my face.

I licked her clit a final time and pushed her thighs apart so I could lift my head and suck in a breath of oxygen.  Mia was moaning and shuddering, and I rubbed her thigh lightly as she collapsed against the bed.

I crawled out from between her thighs and stretched out on my side next to her.  I wanted to fuck her so bad, but she was sore and just the thought of hurting her was enough to make my cock wilt a little.

I rested my hand on the curve of her belly and pressed a kiss against one diamond-hard nipple as she took in breath after ragged breath.  After a few minutes, she cracked open one eye and smiled at me.  “Sorry.”

“For what?”  I asked.

“I didn’t last very long, and I got demanding at the end there.”

“I didn’t mind,” I said.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly helpful for you to learn how to eat a woman out,” she said.  “But, hell, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a tongue in my pussy, and you did a great fucking job for your first time.”

“Flattering but most likely inaccurate,” I said. 

She shook her head.  “Nope.  You did really well for your first time.  You did better than my last boyfriend and he’d been having sex since he was fifteen.”

I had no sense that she was trying to flatter me, and so I gave her a pleased look. “Thanks.  I appreciate the feedback.”

She laughed.  “Oh God, we’re such… nerds, maybe?  I don’t even know the word to describe it.”

I pressed a kiss against her shoulder.  “Thank you for letting me do that, Mia.”

“Trust me, honey, it’s me who needs to thank you.  It was great, and I promise the next time you eat me out, I’ll try and let you go slower and do your own thing.”

A stupid grin crossed my face.  Just knowing that Mia wanted more made me happy.

“Now, since you’ve taken care of my need so sweetly, I think it’s time I helped you out.  What do you say?”

I thought about Mia’s soft hand, the way it felt when she gripped my cock, and nodded eagerly.  “Yes, I’d like that.”

“Lie on your back, honey.”

I flipped to my back, smiling at Mia when she hovered over me and kissed my mouth.  “Are you ready?”

I nodded, giving her a puzzled look when she said, “Don’t worry if you cum quickly, okay?  It’s to be expected.”

She kissed my chest and then my stomach as I tried to figure out what the hell she meant.  Was I still cumming too quickly for her?  I thought over the last twenty-four hours that I’d been getting better at controlling my urge to cum when she touched or fucked me, but maybe it wasn’t good enough.  Maybe she wasn’t –

Her warm breath washed over my pubic hair and all rational thought fled.  Holy fucking shit.  Mia was going to blow me.  Mia was going to suck my cock.  My pelvis rose a little and I groaned loudly when she kissed my pubes and her soft hand stroked my inner thigh.

“Mia,” I whispered.

She raised her head, her long hair tickling my thighs as she smiled at me.  “Yeah?”

“Please,” I moaned.  “Oh please.”

“Have you thought about me sucking your cock, Elijah?”  She asked.  The tips of her fingers traced my balls before running up and down my aching shaft.

“Yes,” I groaned.

“Before we started having sex?”  Her thumb rubbed across the head and I nearly fucking lost it when she sucked my precum off of her thumb.

“Oh fuck.  Oh, Mia, please.”

“Answer the question, Elijah.”  She bent her head and my heart thudded in my ears as I waited for her soft mouth to slide over my cock.  Instead, she licked a slow path down my v-line as her hand curled around the base of my dick.  “Answer me, please.”

“Yes.  God, yes.”

“Really?”  She gave me a smug little grin that only made me hotter for her.  “Tell me one of your fantasies.”

“Mia, later, for the love of Christ,” I groaned.

“No, now,” she replied.

I fucking loved and hated her at the moment.

“In the shower,” I moaned.  “I would fantasize about you giving me a blow job in the shower.”

“Hmm, that does sound like fun,” she said.  “We’ll definitely make that fantasy come true for you later.  All right?”

I nodded, unable to form words as her breath washed over my aching, throbbing dick. 

“But for now, let’s stay right here and,” she licked away the precum that had beaded up on the tip of my cock again and I gasped, “you can give me a nice long taste of your delicious cum.  What do you think?”

“Please,” I begged incoherently.  “Please.”

“Such a sweet, polite boy,” she said with a cheeky smile.

I was getting ready to beg again – I didn’t fucking care how pathetic it made me look – when Mia’s hot mouth slid over the head of my cock.  She sucked lightly, and I made a hoarse shout, my hands clawing into the sheets as I stared at the ceiling.  I couldn’t look at her, couldn’t watch her lips stretch around my cock or I’d cum for fucking sure.

“So yummy,” Mia whispered.  She sucked again on the head before sliding more of her mouth down over my cock.  She bobbed her head up and down my cock as she sucked firmly.  Her hand stroked and teased the base of my shaft as she sucked, and I couldn’t stop my pelvis from rising with every long pull of her mouth.

I was moaning her name repeatedly as she sucked and licked and stroked.  My balls were tightening, and I tried desperately to stop myself from cumming.  When Mia lifted her head and said my name, I continued to stare grimly at the ceiling.

She gave my dick a hard squeeze that sent lightning bolts of pleasure down my legs.  “Mia, please!”  I gasped.

“Look at me, honey,” she said.

“No, no I can’t.”

“Yes, you can,” she said.  “I want you to watch as I suck you off, Elijah.”

I tore my gaze from the ceiling and stared at her.  She was lying across my thighs, her dark hair tucked behind her ears and her full mouth red and swollen from sucking on my cock.  Without breaking eye contact, she leaned down and took my dick into her mouth.  As I watched her lips stretch around my width, I cried out and dug my hands into the sheets again.

I couldn’t look away.  Couldn’t stop watching as Mia sucked on my throbbing cock.  Her mouth slid up and down, and the combination of the way she looked with her mouth stuffed full of my cock and the gentle scrape of her teeth against my flesh sent me over the edge. 

I arched, my low howl of ecstasy echoing through the room as I came hard into Mia’s mouth.  She sucked me dry, her smooth throat swallowing repeatedly as she worked to take every bit of my cum.  I watched through half-lidded eyes as the pleasure washed over me in slow waves of pure bliss.  When she licked my cock clean and then licked away the cum on her lower lip, more cum spurted out of my dick.

She grinned and bent her head, licking the cum away as I moaned and shivered and rocked back and forth on the bed.  She sat up and gave me another smug grin before pulling the covers up over both of us and lying on her side.  I immediately turned to face her, my big body still shaking, and she wrapped her arms around me and kissed my chest.

I wanted – needed – to be close to her and she seemed to understand.  She didn’t protest when I plastered my entire body against hers, my cock pressed against her stomach and my chest smashed against her breasts.

She kissed my chest again and stroked my upper back as I labored to catch my breath.  “Oh my God, Mia, that was…”

She smiled up at me.  “I’m glad you enjoyed your first blow job.”

“It was fucking perfect,” I said, “just like you are.”

A small line appeared between her eyebrows for a few seconds before she smoothed it away.  “Next time, we’ll do it in the shower and fulfill that fantasy of yours.  Okay?”

“Jesus, you’re the best,” I said weakly.

She grinned and rested her head against my shoulder.  I lazily stroked her hip and thigh as my body slowly recovered from the orgasm.  Nearly fifteen minutes later, I was nearly asleep when Mia touched the scars on my lower back. 

I wanted to tense, but my body was so goddamn relaxed, that I couldn’t muster up the energy.  Besides, the way Mia stroked them, the way she seemed to memorize the pattern and shape of the raised skin with the pads of her fingers, was weirdly soothing.  She hadn’t touched or brought up the scars once since our first night together and I still felt guilty for making her feel bad about asking questions.

Maybe it was the lingering guilt, or maybe it was just how damn relaxed I was, but I didn’t pull away when Mia kissed my chest and said, “Elijah, you don’t have to tell me why you got the scars but will you tell me if it was your parents who did this to you?”

“Yes.  My father, but my mother wanted him to do it.”

“Oh, honey,” she said softly.  “Did he – did he use a belt?”

I nodded, keeping my eyes closed.  “Yeah.  My parents are very religious and strict.  I’d done something they considered sinful and that’s how they punished me.”

“How old were you?”  She asked.

“Fourteen.”

Her hand tightened for a moment on my scars.  “That’s child abuse, Elijah.”

I shrugged, and she sighed before saying, “Do you have any siblings?”

“No.  It was just me.”

“No one saw what they did to you?  You didn’t have a teacher you could go to or -”

“I went to an all-boys school that was just as strict with religion as my parents were.  They still used the strap for punishment at the school.”

“Holy shit, how is that even possible?”  She whispered.

“They were shut down a few years ago,” I said.

“Thank God,” she replied.  “How often did your father beat you?”

“Whenever I did something he or my mother didn’t approve of or thought was sinful.  They were difficult to…please, so I was punished a lot.  He only really did real damage that one time though.”

She was quiet, and I knew she was about to ask me what I had done, even though she’d promised not to.  I didn’t blame her, but I couldn’t – wouldn’t – talk about it with her.  My body had stiffened, and I waited for her to ask the question that would drive me from her bed again.

“I’m so sorry, honey.”

I jerked in surprise and stared down at Mia.  She was giving me a soft look of compassion, and every muscle in my body tensed again before relaxing. 

“What your parents did you to you was terrible and abusive and I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.  I’m sorry they hurt you the way they did.”

She pressed a kiss against my mouth, and I rested my forehead against hers, breathing in her soft scent.  “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Wasn’t it?”  She said.

“I… it was awful.”

She wrapped her arms around me and held me tight.  “I’m sorry, Elijah.”

I buried my face in her neck and breathed deep before muttering, “I ran away when I was seventeen and I haven’t talked to them since.  They’re still alive and my father is still a pastor, but that’s about all I know.  I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”

“Of course you don’t,” she said.

“I’m a bad son.”

“No, you’re not.”  She cupped my face and stared at me intently.  “They were bad parents, Elijah.  They’re to blame, not you.  Short of murdering a human or an animal – nothing you could have done was bad enough to warrant that type of abuse.  Do you hear me?”

“I didn’t murder anyone,” I said.

She smiled a little and kissed my mouth.  “I know.  You don’t have a bad bone in your body, Elijah Thomson.  You’re the sweetest, gentlest man I know, and I adore you.  You know that, don’t you?”

I nodded, and she kissed my mouth again before resting her head on my chest.

It wasn’t love she was offering, but it was enough.  When she was done with me, when she wanted to go back to being just friends, the memory of this moment would be enough. 

It had to be enough.

Chapter Ten

Mia

“Wait, so you’re telling me you’re still giving Elijah sex lessons?”  Isabelle stared at me over her cup of coffee.

“Keep your voice down,” I scolded before glancing around Mugs Coffee Shop. 

“It’s been two weeks,” Isabelle said.  “You said before that he was a fast learner.  Were you lying?  How bad is the dude in bed?”

“He’s not bad,” I said defensively.  “In fact, he’s really good and he is a fast learner.”

“Then why are you still giving him lessons?”  Isabelle asked.

“Because I…”

I didn’t know what to say.  I should never have told Isabelle that I was still banging Elijah, but she had outright asked me, and I couldn’t lie to my best friend.

“Are you falling for Elijah?”  Isabelle asked.

“What?  No, of course not,” I said.

“Why not?  Obviously, you two are compatible in bed, and you’re really great friends.  Why shouldn’t you just start dating?  And don’t give me that bullshit about Elijah not liking you that way.  He does, Mia.”

I sighed and picked at the sleeve on my coffee cup.  “Okay, fine, maybe he does like me, but he’s bordering on being a Phillip.”

“No way.  Phillip was a dickwad.  I know I don’t know Elijah very well, but you can tell he isn’t a dickwad.”

“He isn’t,” I said.  “But he keeps making these little comments about how perfect I am, and -”

“That doesn’t mean he’s a Phillip,” Isabelle said.  “Look, I get why you’re paranoid, Phillip did a real number on your head, but you can’t just hide away from love.”

“I’m not.  I just – I need more time to get over the mindfuck games that Phillip played with me.  Okay?”

“So, what? You’re gonna date a few assholes first?  Guys who don’t tell you that you’re awesome?  Is that how you’re gonna get over him?”  Isabelle scowled at me.

“No, but dating someone who occasionally reminds me of Phillip, is definitely not the way to go.”

“Fair enough,” Isabelle said.  “But, if you’re not interested in dating Elijah, then you need to stop leading him on and find him a woman like you told him you would.”

I winced.  Isabelle was always blunt and honest, and I loved her for it, but, man, did it hurt to hear the truth.  I didn’t want to lead Elijah on, hated the idea that I was, but Isabelle was one hundred percent correct.

Just because I loved how damn amazing Elijah was turning out to be in bed, was no excuse for what I was doing.

It’s not just the sex, Mia.  You like him.  He’s sweet and smart and funny.  You know you like him.  Give him a chance.  Please?

I sipped my coffee.  Was there a big part of me that wanted to ask Elijah if he’d like to date?  Hell, yes.  But the thought that he might even be a little like Phillip, and that he’d place me on this pedestal that I had no right to be on, was devastating.  Losing Phillip had hurt, but losing Elijah?  I couldn’t even fathom it.  If I couldn’t have him in my bed forever, I could at least have him as a friend. 

“You’re right,” I said.  “I’m going to find him a girlfriend.”

“Find who a girlfriend?” 

I glanced up and smiled at the handsome dark-haired man who had stopped at our table.  “Hey, Knox.”

“Hey, Mia.”  He bent and kissed my cheek before grinning at Isabelle and giving her a slow kiss on the mouth. “Hey, sexy.”

“Hey, yourself.  You on a break from work?”

Knox nodded. “It’s my last job of the season, but I probably should have put it off until spring.  It’s starting to be a little too cold.  If it freezes overnight, I’m hooped.”

Isabelle gave him a sympathetic look.  “Sorry, babe.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it’s -”

She was interrupted by the small redhead who was falling face-first into our table.  Before she could smash her face into the hard surface, Knox’s arm shot out and hooked around her waist.  She stopped inches from our table and hot coffees, her face as red as her hair.

Knox hauled her back into a standing position and grinned at her.  “Hey, Luna.”

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Luna said.  “I tripped over,” she glanced behind her at the smooth floor, “something.”

“It’s fine,” Knox said.

“Thank you so much, Knox,” Luna said.  “You’re as fast as Ash when it comes to saving me from faceplants.”

Knox laughed and wiggled his eyebrows at her.  “I’ve got lightning quick reflexes.”

“You okay, Luna?”  Isabelle asked.  “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Nope, I’m good.  Thanks to your man.”  Luna grinned at her.  “Are you and Knox coming to Ren’s tonight?”

“We are,” Isabelle said.  “I won’t be singing, but I’m looking forward to hearing you sing.  Oh, and Mia and Elijah will be there too.”

“We will?”  I said.

Isabelle nodded.  “Yes.  Operation ‘find Elijah a girlfriend’ starts tonight.”

“Elijah Thomson?”  Knox said.  “The giant, sullen firefighter?”

“He’s not sullen.”  I gave Knox an indignant look.  “He’s a sweetheart.”

“Sure, he is,” Knox said.

“Okay, well, I gotta get back to work.  We’ll see all of you tonight!”  Luna waved at us and returned to the counter.

“Am I the only one who holds my breath whenever that chick walks?”  Knox asked.

Isabelle laughed.  “Nope.”  She turned toward me.  “Don’t tell Luna this, but Ash totally Luna-proofed his place for her.  He made me come over and walk through the house, pointing out any sharp objects or things Luna could impale herself on that he might have missed.”

“That’s adorable,” I said.

“Are you seriously trying to find Elijah a girlfriend?”  Knox asked.

“Yes.  He’s my friend and I told him I’d help him find someone,” I said.  “Why?”

Knox just shrugged.  “He just seemed like the loner type to me.  I better go too.  I need a coffee and I want to get back to work before it just gets colder.  See you at home, Isabelle.”

“Bye, honey.”  Isabelle patted him on the ass as he walked away before smiling at me.  “So, we’ll see you and Elijah at karaoke around eight tonight.  All right?”

“I’ll double check with Elijah, but yeah, sure, it should be fine.”

“Perfect.”  Isabelle said before passing her phone to me.  “Now, take a look at this dress I found online and tell me if you think it’s a yay or a nay for me.”

* * *

“You want to go to karaoke at Ren’s Bar tonight?”  Elijah gave me a confused look as he loaded the dishwasher.

I finished wiping down the counters and hung the dishcloth over the tap.  “Yes.”

“I don’t sing.”  There was a note of alarm in Elijah’s voice.

“I don’t either,” I said.

“Then why are we going?”  Elijah’s thick arms slid around my waist and he pressed a kiss against my neck.  Like always, my pussy began to throb the moment he touched me.  “We should just stay home, and I’ll eat your pussy and then you can ride my dick.”

I shivered with pleasure when his big hand cupped my breast and he toyed with my nipple through my shirt and bra.  He gave me another persuasive kiss on the neck.  “We only have a limited time before I’m back to work, and then I’ll have to go three days without being inside your sweet pussy.  Don’t make me waste a single minute on karaoke.”

I was tempted to give in.  Tempted to take Elijah to my bed and keep him there for the next forty-eight hours, just like I’d been doing with every single free moment we both had in the last two weeks.  What was the harm of spending a few more days with him before I found him a girlfriend?  No harm, really.

Plenty of harm.  Stop doing this Mia.  If you’re not going to date this perfectly sweet and amazing man, then stop leading him on.  You’re being a total selfish bitch.

I winced inwardly but my inner voice was right.  I couldn’t keep doing this to Elijah.

I took a deep breath and put my hand on top of Elijah’s when he started to slip it into my pants.  “Actually, the reason we’re going out is not the karaoke.”

“Then what is it?”  Elijah nipped my neck.

“I think it’s time I did what I said I would and help you find a girlfriend.”

I could feel his body stiffen behind me, and dismay and regret flooded through me when he stepped away immediately.  Feeling like I was making a giant mistake, I turned around and did my best to smile at him.  “What do you think?”

“I,” Elijah paused, “I’m not sure I’m good enough in bed yet.”

“You are,” I said.  “Elijah, you’re fantastic in bed.  I mean that.  You’re the best lover I’ve ever had.”

He didn’t reply and I cleared my throat.  “I just – I mean, I promised you I’d find you a girlfriend and I’m going to keep that promise.”

“Right.”  He folded his arms across his chest and stared at the ground.  “Okay, fine.”

“Are you sure?”  I wanted to touch him but restrained myself.  He looked stiff and upset, and I’d been friends with him long enough to know that he needed physical space when he was upset.  Probably because his asshole parents beat the shit out of him as a kid.

My anger over what his parents did to him was rearing its head, but now wasn’t the time.  If Elijah no longer wanted my help to find a girlfriend, I wasn’t going to force him to accept it.

“If you don’t want my help, that’s okay.  I get it and I -”

“No,” he said.  “No, that was that the deal, right?  You teach me how to fuck and then find me a girlfriend.  So, let’s find me a girlfriend.”

“Elijah, are you okay?”  I swallowed hard when he lifted his head and glared at me.

“Perfectly fine.  I should go home and have a quick shower.”

“You can shower here,” I said. 

He shook his head.  “No.  I need to change my clothes anyway.”  He glanced at his track pants and t-shirt before heading for the front door of my apartment.

“I told Isabelle we’d be there around eight.  I’ll pick you up at quarter to eight, okay?”  I followed him to the door.

He grabbed his jacket and yanked open the door.  “I’ll meet you there.”

“I don’t mind driving you.”

Without looking at me, he said, “If I meet someone, I’ll need my car.”

“You don’t have to, like, sleep with them tonight, Elijah.  I just meant that we should get you out there and meet some ladies.  The odds of you finding someone tonight -”

“I’ll see you at Ren’s at eight.”  He walked out of my apartment and slammed the door shut.

* * *

I was waiting outside for Elijah when he pulled into the parking lot of Ren’s bar.  My nerves jagged and my body shivering with cold, I gave him a nervous smile when he joined me.  “Hi there.”

“What are you doing outside?”  He said gruffly.  “It’s freezing out.”

“I wanted to double check that you actually wanted to do this, and also to, um, apologize for earlier.  I said or did something that upset you and I feel awful about it.”

“You didn’t,” he said with a deep sigh.  “I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.  I was being an asshole, but it had nothing to do with you.”

“Are you sure?”  I searched his face.  “I hate upsetting you, Elijah.”

“You didn’t,” he repeated.  He gave me a smile that almost looked normal.  “C’mon, let’s go in there and find my ugly mug a girlfriend.”

“You’re not ugly,” I said sharply, but he had already turned away to open the door. 

He held the door open for me and then followed me toward the table that Isabelle and Knox, and Ash and Luna were sitting at.  Karaoke hadn’t quite started yet, but the place was already packed with people.  We’d find Elijah a nice girl for sure.

Jealousy rippled in my stomach and I swallowed it down as we joined the others.  “Elijah, this is Isabelle and Knox, and Asher and Luna.”

“Nice to meet you.”  Elijah shook Knox’s hand and then Asher’s before pulling an empty chair out for me.

“Thanks,” I said and sat down.  Elijah sat next to me and there was a moment of awkward silence.

“So,” Luna said brightly, “you’re a firefighter.  That’s a super dangerous job.  What made you decide to become one?”

“I like helping people,” Elijah said.

“That’s really sweet.”  Luna smiled at him and I could see Elijah blushing lightly.

Ash glanced first at Luna and then at Elijah, a frown marring his heavy brow.  “How long have you and Mia been dating?”

“We’re not,” I said quickly.  “In fact, Elijah is looking to meet someone tonight.”

“Luna’s with me.”  Asher placed a proprietary hand on Luna’s slender thigh.

“He knows that, ya big lug,” Isabelle said with a roll of her eyes.  “Everyone in town knows you and Luna are dating.”

Luna squeezed Ash’s hand before smiling at Elijah.  “Okay, so what type of woman are you interested in?”

“Oh, uh,” Elijah’s face was growing redder by the second, “I don’t really know.”

“He’s looking for someone sweet and funny,” I said.  “Someone who appreciates how amazing he is.”

“Seems like half the goddamn town is here tonight.”  Knox took a long pull of beer.  “You’re bound to find someone to hook up with.”

“Knox!”  Isabelle frowned at him.  “He’s not looking for just a hook up.”  She hesitated.  “I mean, it’s fine if that’s what you’re looking for, but is it, Elijah?”

“Uh, no, not really.”

“We’ll find someone,” Luna said confidently.

“What about Sonja?  She’s single.”  Knox pointed to the pretty brunette who was sitting with a group of other women about four tables away from us.

“No,” I snapped.  “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”  Knox said.

“Because she’s not right for him,” I replied.  “She’s a jerk.”

Knox glanced at Isabelle who nodded.  “She kind of is.  She’s been awful to Lily Carson ever since Lily had that run of bad luck.”

“Lily was awful to her in high school,” Knox said.

“People change,” I replied before Isabelle could.  “Besides, it’s not just that.  She’s always been kind of awful, trust me.”

I pulled self-consciously at my shirt.  Even with the weight I’d lost, my shirt still clung to my muffin-top.  I tried not to notice the way every other woman in the room seemed thinner and prettier than me.  Elijah was attracted to me and he found me sexy, that was obvious.

So, what?  Who cares if he finds you sexy?  You’re here to find him a woman, remember?

Yeah, I remembered.  Still, the last two weeks with Elijah had made me feel confident and sexy and wanted.  It was a real blow to go back to my usual self-consciousness and doubt about the way I looked.  I hated that I needed a guy’s interest in me to make me feel good about myself.  It was why I’d stayed so long with Phillip, even when it started to become obvious that I would never live up to his expectations.

Elijah was staring at me and I forced myself to smile at him.  “Don’t worry, Elijah.  We’ll find you the perfect woman, I promise.”

Chapter Eleven

Elijah

I nodded my thanks to the bartender, Ren, and picked up the two beers before turning around.  The little redhead, Luna, was standing behind me with a slender blonde woman who looked as nervous as I suddenly felt.

“Hey, Elijah,” Luna said.

“Hi, Luna,” I paused for a second, “Uh, you’re doing a great job with the karaoke singing.”

“Oh, thanks!”  Luna smiled at me before turning to the woman standing next to her.  “This is my friend Natalia.  Natalia works as a server at the Farmhouse Diner.  She comes into the coffee shop all the time.  She loves coffee.  Right, Natalia?”

“Yes.”  Natalia gave me another clearly nervous smile.  

“This is Elijah.  He’s a firefighter,” Luna said.

“It’s nice to meet you, Elijah,” Natalia said.

“Uh, nice to meet you as well.”  My hands were gripping the bottles so tightly I was about one squeeze away from shattering them.

“Anyway, I ran into Natalia here at the bar tonight, and I thought I should introduce the two of you.  Natalia was just saying the other day in the coffee shop that she wanted to do some weight training and since you’re, like, the strongest guy I know, I figured you could give her some tips.  Maybe even show her some stuff at the gym sometime.  What do you think?”  Luna asked.

“Oh, uh, sure, yeah, maybe,” I said.

“Great!”  Luna smiled happily at the both of us before prying the beers from my hand.  “Here, I’ll take these to Mia and Isabelle.  Why don’t you stay and chat with Natalia for a bit?”

She took off like a shot, weaving her way through the crowd of people.  I glanced over at our table.  Mia was staring anxiously at me, but she gave me the thumbs up, her mouth curving up in the approximation of a smile.

I hated this.  I wanted to go to Mia, throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of this place.  I wanted to take her back to my house, back to my bed where I could bury myself in her warm, wet pussy and fuck her senseless while her cries for more echoed through the room.

She doesn’t want that.  What the two of you had is over now. 

“So, this is totally awful and awkward, isn’t it?”

I dragged my gaze away from Mia and studied the small blonde standing in front of me.  She was pretty with light blue eyes and pale skin and a tight, athletic body. 

She didn’t do a thing for me.

I preferred Mia’s soft curves, Mia’s dark eyes filled with need as she begged me to fuck her harder and faster. 

“Um, would you prefer if I just go?”  Natalia gave me an uncomfortable smile.

I needed to forget about Mia and concentrate on finding someone who would actually love me back.  The least I could do was have a conversation with Natalia.  Maybe I’d start to feel a flicker of lust for her once I got to know her a little better.

I shook my head no and said, “I’m sorry.  I’m being rude.  Um, can I buy you a drink?”

“No, thank you.  I’ve already had my one drink for the night.”

“Oh, okay,” I said.

“I have to pick up my daughter at the babysitter’s later,” Natalia said.

“Right.  How, uh, how old is your daughter?”

“She’s three.  I don’t usually go out on a Wednesday night, but Mel – I work with her at the diner – wanted to go out tonight.”  She glanced behind her at the small dance floor.  A few people were dancing to the music that was blaring from the karaoke machine.  “She met some guy about half an hour ago and ditched me.”

“Oh, uh, that’s too bad.”

She just shrugged.  “Eh, good for her, right?  Anyway, I’d decided it was time to call it a night when I ran into Luna.  She insisted that you and I should meet.  So, here I am.”

“Well, it’s, um, nice to meet you.”

“You too.”  She glanced at my body before smiling up at me.  “So, you’re a firefighter, huh?”

“Yeah.  Are you actually interested in learning about weight lifting or…?”

“Or was that just Luna’s incredibly awkward way of introducing us?”  Natalia laughed.

Her laughter was genuine and infectious, and I grinned at her.  “Yeah.”

“I am actually interested in learning more about weight training.  But I figured I’d watch a few YouTube videos or -”

“No, you shouldn’t do that,” I said.  “Videos can’t really show you proper lifting techniques.  It’s always best to have a qualified trainer show you how to lift.”

“Makes sense.  Unfortunately, I’m on a budget.  Shockingly, working as a waitress at a diner does not pay nearly as much as you would think it does.”

“I am shocked,” I said.

She laughed.  “Right?  So, since I’m just a poor, broke waitress, I’m going to take advantage of you and get some free advice on weight lifting.”  She eyed my body again.  “Assuming you didn’t get all of those amazing muscles from your heroic job of protecting and saving the people of our good town?”

I blushed, and Natalia’s smile widened.  “Are you blushing?  That’s kind of adorable.”

I ignored her comment, not quite sure what to do with it… women didn’t find me attractive.  “I do lift, yeah.  I could get you a free guest pass at my gym for a week, if you’re interested?  I could show you some lifting techniques during that week.”

“Really?  That would be amazing, Elijah.  Thank you.  I’ll definitely take you up on that,” Natalia said.

“Sure, it’s no problem.”  My throat was suddenly dry, and I swallowed hard.  “So, uh, have you lived here your entire life?”

“Yep.  How about you?”

“No, I moved here for the job.”

Natalia glanced around the crowded bar.  “It’s funny how in such a small town, there can still be people you’ve never met.  You know?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in the diner.”

“I don’t eat out much, I, um, watch what I eat a lot.  I used to be fat and ate pretty unhealthy stuff.”

Smooth, idiot.  Real smooth.

Natalia eyed my body again.  “Well, good for you for eating healthy now.  It looks really good on you.”

She gave me a slow smile of appreciation, and I stared blankly at her.  Was she actually flirting with me?  The thought that she might be, made me feel uneasy and anxious.  I glanced again at Mia. 

She was staring at us and her face was pale, and that familiar anxiety line was between her eyebrows.  Isabelle tugged on her arm, and she turned away reluctantly.  She shook her head, a brief look of anger crossing her face when Isabelle spoke into her ear.

“So, what do you like to do for fun, Elijah?”  Natalia asked.

Before I could answer, Luna’s name was called by the guy running the karaoke machine.  A loud cheer broke out among the crowd, along with some whistling and catcalling.  Luna, her face red, made her way up to the karaoke machine and took the microphone.

A slow song started up and as Luna’s clear alto voice washed over the crowd, Natalia smiled up at me before glancing at the dance floor.  “Would you like to dance, Elijah?”

“Oh, um…”

I’d only danced with one woman before – Isabelle.  I’d chosen her because I knew she had zero interest in me which kept my anxiety about dancing to a minimum.  I’d spent the entire dance watching Mia dance with Matt and trying not to burst into flames of jealousy.

“That’s okay, we don’t have to.  I didn’t… I mean, I wasn’t…”

Now Natalia looked completely embarrassed and guilt surged through me.

“I’d like to dance,” I said abruptly.  “But, uh, I’m not very good at it.”

“Luckily for you,” Natalia held out her hand, “you happen to be talking to the grade eight square dance champion.  I’ve got moves, my friend.”

I laughed and took her hand.  “In that case, I’ll let you lead.”

We walked to the dance floor, and I put my arm around her waist and held her other hand in a loose grasp as she reached to place her other hand on my shoulder.  She was too short, and she settled for resting it on my chest.  “Good God, you are one tall guy.”

“Sorry,” I said.

“Why?  I’m not gonna apologize for being the height of a leprechaun.  You don’t need to say sorry for being the height of a giant.”

I laughed again.  “You’re not leprechaun height.”

“You’re just saying that to be nice.”

“I’m not.  I’d say you’re at least a few inches taller than the average leprechaun.”

“Such a charmer,” Natalia said with a laugh.  “What woman doesn’t want to be told she’s slightly taller than the average -”

“Can I cut in?”

We stopped and stared in silent surprise at Mia who’d appeared beside us.  She gave Natalia a stiff smile.  “Do you mind if I cut in?”

The look on Mia’s face was a mixture of jealousy, proprietorship, and anger.  Weirdly, it sent a surge of lust through me.  I stared hungrily at her as she folded her arms across her chest and gave Natalia a pointed look. 

Mia was jealous.  She was jealous that I was dancing with Natalia.

“Elijah?”

It took me a few seconds to drag my gaze from Mia.  Fuck, I wanted her so bad.  Her jealousy was like some weird sort of aphrodisiac. 

“Yeah?”  I glanced briefly at Natalia before my gaze was drawn back to Mia’s face.  Christ, she was gorgeous when she was pissed off.

Natalia dropped my hand and stepped away from me.  I turned back to her, “Natalia, I’m, uh…”

She shook her head and gave me a soft smile.  “Nope, no need to explain.  I’m not blind.  Enjoy your dance.  I should go pick up my kid anyway.  It was nice to meet you, Elijah.”

“You too, Natalia.” 

Natalia left the dance floor and Mia gave me an angry look as she pressed her soft body against mine and grabbed my hand.  I put my arm around her waist and rested my hand in the curve of her lower back, pulling her into me even tighter as she stared at me.

“You seem to be having fun,” she said.

“Natalia is nice,” I replied.  “I’m going to teach her some weight lifting stuff.”

Her body stiffened and I rubbed her lower back soothingly, as another look of jealousy flashed across her face.  “You’re going to see her again?”

“At the gym.”

“That’s a weird place to have a date,” Mia snapped.

Was it wrong that I was enjoying her jealousy?  Probably.  But I’d never had a woman be jealous over me before and I couldn’t resist teasing her a little.

“She seemed excited about it.”

“What does she need to lift weights for?”  Mia said.  “She’s already perfect.  With her perfect blonde hair and her slender perfect body.”

“She wants to do some strength-training,” I said.

“Oh.”

We were silent for a few moments before Mia said.  “She’s not right for you.”

“Is that why you interrupted our dance?”

She blushed furiously but gave me a defiant look.  “I’m your friend and I know what’s best for you.  Natalia isn’t the right woman.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because she’s…” Mia’s tongue lashed across her lower lip and Christ was it distracting.  “Because she just isn’t.  Listen, I’m the one supposed to be finding you a woman, remember?  Not Luna.”

I shrugged.  “Luna seems to think we’ll get along well.”

“Well, she’s wrong,” Mia said.  “That Natalia chick is too small for you.  You’d have to be careful not to crush her tiny, perfect body.”

I bent my mouth to her ear, hesitated briefly and then sucked on her lobe for a few seconds before murmuring, “You taught me to be gentle.”

Her back had arched a little and I could feel her hand tightening in mine.  “I – you need someone different.”

“Hmm,” I licked her lobe and then nipped it, “you sound jealous.”

“I’m not,” she said.  “I’m just looking out for you.”

“Is that right?”  I reached down and cupped her ass, giving it a hard squeeze.  I had no idea why, but Mia’s jealousy had set off some kind of weird sexual confidence in me.

She moaned softly.  “Yes, I’m… I’m being a good friend.”

“Is that what this is about?”  I said.  “You being a good friend?”

“She’s too little for you.”  Mia stared up at me.  “She probably couldn’t even take all of your cock.  Is that what you want?”

I bit back my grin and instead solemnly shook my head before pressing my mouth against her ear again.  “No, Mia.  In fact, one of my favourite things about you is how well your tight pussy takes all of my dick.”

“Elijah,” she moaned.

“You like that too, don’t you?  You like being stuffed full of my cock.  Don’t you, Mia?”

“Yes,” she said in a low voice.  Her cheeks were red, her eyes were bright with excitement, and she had never looked more beautiful to me.

“You want my dick right now, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she said.  “I do, Elijah.”

“I know.  C’mon.”

I stepped back and when I started off the dance floor, she resisted a bit.  “Where are we going?”

I pulled her close again so the people around us wouldn’t hear me.  “Back to my place.  You’re gonna get on your hands and knees, spread those soft thighs of yours and I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t think straight.  Do you have a problem with that?”

Christ, I could almost smell her lust.

“No, Elijah,” she whispered.

“Good.  Let’s go.”

* * *

I was undressing the minute I ushered Mia into my bedroom.  I stripped off all my clothes in record time before raising my eyebrow at the still fully-clothed Mia.  “Take off your clothes, Mia.”

She stared wide-eyed at me.  She’d said nothing the entire ride to my place, but the way she kept squirming in her seat as I rubbed my hand up and down her thigh, made me confident she was soaking wet already.

Normally, I’d undress her, but this time I reclined on the bed and stared at her.  “Undress.”

She reached for the hem of her shirt and I said, “Slow.”

She blushed but slowly pulled her shirt over her head before dropping it on the floor.  Her dark hair was down, and I studied the way it gleamed in the light as she reached to unclasp her bra.  She held it against her tits for a moment before letting it slide down her arms, revealing those beautiful pale globes slowly.

“Touch them,” I demanded.  My voice was hoarse, and I watched eagerly as Mia cupped her tits and rubbed her nipples with her thumbs.  “Does that feel good, baby?”

“Yes,” she moaned.  She squeezed them harder and I groaned when she unbuttoned her jeans and eased them down her legs.  She kicked them off and gracefully removed her socks before standing in front of me.  Only a scrap of silk separated my hungry gaze from her pussy.

“Are you wet, Mia?”

“Yes.”  She spread her legs just a little, and it was my turn to moan when I saw the growing wet spot on her silk panties.  Her hands were cupping and kneading her tits again and I watched, my excitement growing, as she tugged and pinched her nipples until they were hard and swollen.

I glanced up at her face and then followed her gaze to my crotch.  Shame flooded through me and I snatched my hand away from my dick.  I’d been rubbing and squeezing my cock without even realizing it.

“Don’t stop,” Mia said.  “I want to watch.”

“No,” I said.  “Get on the bed, Mia.”

She shook her head and gave me a sexy, stubborn look.  “No, I want to watch you touch yourself, Elijah.”

Dirty boy!  Sinner!

More shame filled me, and my dick shriveled.  “I said no.”

“Why not?”

“Drop it, Mia,” I said.

She shook her head and embarrassed and angry, I turned on my side and stared at the wall.  “You know what?  I’m tired.  Let’s do this another night.”

“Oh, no fucking way,” Mia said. 

I tensed when Mia climbed into the bed behind me and pressed her warm tits against my back.  Despite my shame and bad memories, my cock immediately hardened again. 

“Why do you look like you’re gonna barf whenever you start touching yourself?”  Mia said.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I replied.

Her soft hands traced the scars on my back.  “Did your parents teach you that masturbating was wrong?”

Jesus, she was too perceptive for her own good.  I kept my mouth shut as she pressed a soft kiss against my back, her fingers still tracing the ridges of healed flesh on my lower back.

“Tell me why you have these scars, Elijah.”  Her voice was loving but firm.

My stomach churning, my dick back to being completely out of the game, I said, “I knew it was wrong.  I’d been told repeatedly that touching yourself was a sin, but I was fourteen and I couldn’t help it.  I didn’t want to sin, but I just… I couldn’t help it.”

God, I sounded pathetic, but Mia made a soothing sound and pressed herself even closer against me.

“My mother came into my room.  She was supposed to knock first, that was the rule, but she-she didn’t follow the rule.  When she saw what I was doing, she freaked out.  I begged her not to tell my father, but she dragged me downstairs and made me confess to him.”

I tried to drag in a breath, old shame and guilt making the air turn to soup around me.  “My father made me get on my knees and then he-he took off his belt and hit me with it until I passed out.”

“Oh, Elijah.”  Mia sounded close to tears.

When I woke up, I was still lying on the floor and there was blood everywhere.  My parents were praying and calling me dirty and a sinner and a fornicator.  They made me get on my knees again and pray for God’s forgiveness while my mother wailed and screamed about how I was going to hell, and my father threatened to beat me again if I didn’t pray hard enough.  After that night, I didn’t touch myself again until I was in my early twenties.  And even then, I felt dirty and guilty and awful for days after.  I’ve mostly gotten over the idea that sex is a sin, but masturbating… it-it’s more difficult to let go of my guilt.”

I fell silent, my body stiff and my stomach feeling like an entire football team was stampeding through it.  I waited dully for Mia to get up and leave.  Now that she knew how truly fucked up I was, she’d be gone.  I wouldn’t blame her either.

“Elijah, turn over.”

I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t deny her.  I rolled over, staring at her perfect tits, until she cupped my face and made me look at her.

“Your parents are monsters,” she said softly.  “They took what is natural and normal and turned it into a perversion.  They made you believe it was sick.”

She squeezed my face and gave me a grave look.  “It isn’t.  There is nothing wrong with touching yourself, Elijah.  Nothing.  Sex isn’t a sin, and masturbating isn’t a sin.  What they did to you was abuse and they’re the ones going to hell.  Not you.  You are a good, sweet, kind man.  You’re not dirty or sick or a sinner.  Do you hear me?”

I didn’t reply and she gave my face a little shake.  “Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Mia,” I whispered.

She stroked my face and pressed a soft kiss against my mouth.  “I’m so sorry your parents did this to you, Elijah.  You didn’t deserve it.”

I studied her face as she stroked my chest with soft, light touches.  “I’m not going to ask you to touch yourself tonight, but will you do something for me?”

“What?”  I rasped.

“Watch me touch myself.  Watch how good I can make myself feel and try to see that it isn’t bad or wrong.  Everyone touches themselves, Elijah.  It’s normal and appropriate and a good thing.  Will you watch me?”

“Yes,” I said.  “I – I want to watch you, Mia.”

“Good.” 

She relaxed on her back and pushed her panties down her legs and off of her feet.  I reached to cup her breast and she gave me a cute little wink before pushing my hand away.  “Nope. Not this time, mister.  This is a solo mission.”

I smiled a little and she stroked my face tenderly.  “Watch, honey.”

Her soft hands cupped her breasts again and she tugged on her nipples, toying with them lightly as I watched.  My cock was starting to stiffen and when she slid her hand down over her stomach and touched the soft dark curls at the apex of her thighs, I made a low groan.

She spread her legs wide until I could see the glistening wetness of her pussy lips and clit.  Her fingers brushed against her clit and she moaned, her back arching a little as her other hand cupped one breast.

I watched in fascination, my heart beating humming-bird fast, and my cock rapidly stiffening, as Mia stroked her clit in tiny circles.  Her low moans were growing louder and when she gave her clit a soft tug she gasped and her hips rose up off the bed.

I glanced at her face.  Her eyes were closed, her cheeks were rosy, and she was biting compulsively at her bottom lip as she pleasured herself.  A small tiny voice deep inside my head was trying to tell me it was wrong, that what Mia was doing was a sin and dirty, but I found it remarkably easy to ignore.  Mia touching herself was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen. 

It couldn’t be wrong or bad.  Not when it was my Mia.

Mia’s sharp gasp made me drag my gaze back to her pussy.  She’d slid two fingers deep into her pussy and was slowly finger-fucking herself.  I clenched my hands into fists.  I wanted to touch her so bad.  Instead, I said, “Does that feel good, baby?”

Her eyes popped open and she gave me a lazy smile of pure need.  “Yeah.  Not as good as your dick though.”

I smiled at her.  “I can’t wait to be inside your tight pussy, baby.”

“Not too much longer now,” she panted.  “Will you fuck me on my hands and knees like you promised?”

“Yes,” I said.  “As soon as you cum, I’ll fuck you.”

“Oh God,” she moaned.  Her fingers left her sweet, tight hole and rubbed furiously at her clit.  Her hips rose and fell with her strokes and she squeezed and kneaded her tits as her groans grew louder.  “Oh fuck, oh, I’m so close, I’m so…”

Her voice trailed off into a long, drawn-out moan and her curvy body stiffened and then shook wildly.  Her fingers rubbed for a few more seconds at her clit before she pulled them away and collapsed against the bed.  “Fuck, that felt good.”

I picked up her hand and she moaned again when I sucked both her fingers into my mouth and licked them clean. 

“Oh my God, Elijah…”

“Your pussy tastes sweet, baby.  Get on your hands and knees.”

“I just need a couple of minutes to catch my breath and -”

“No, baby.  Do what I tell you.”  My shame and guilt had disappeared, and I wanted Mia with a deep seated need that was almost painful.

Mia studied me for a moment before smiling slowly.  “Yes, Elijah.”

She rolled to her hands and knees.  A wave of overwhelming lust washed over me when she spread her legs wide and I saw the wet, slick lips of her pussy and her tight hole waiting to be filled with my dick.

She stared at me over her shoulder, giving me another slow and lazy smile.  “Are we fucking or not?”

I growled at her and gave her a light slap to the ass as I knelt between her legs.  She squealed and giggled before wiggling her butt at me.  “Am I gonna need a safe word or – ohhhh.  Oh fuck!”

I had lined my dick up to her pussy and pushed in to the hilt with one hard thrust.  Her back arched, her head fell back, and her hands dug into the sheets as she tried to adjust to my size.  I reached over her and gathered her hair into one fist.  I tugged hard, making her gasp, as I gripped her hip with my other hand.

I didn’t move and she made a whining noise.  “Elijah, please.”

“Tell me what you want.”

“I want you to fuck me.”

I grinned and tightened my grip on her hair before thrusting steadily in and out of her soaking wet pussy.  She cried out and when she tried to wiggle forward, I clamped my other hand down on her shoulder.  “No, take my cock, Mia.  All of it.”

“Oh my God!”  Her pussy tightened around me, and I groaned before making two hard pumps into her.

My need for her was out of control, and I held tight to her hair and her shoulder as I fucked her with hard and rough strokes.  She widened her thighs and moaned loudly, her hips meeting each of my thrusts with unrestrained enthusiasm.  The only sound in the room was our harsh breathing, the wet sucking sounds of her pussy as it took my invading cock over and over, and the slap of my pelvis against her perfect ass, as we fucked hard and fast.

I drove harder and deeper, my hand still wrapped in Mia’s dark hair.  I tugged her head even farther back until she was staring straight up at the ceiling, her cries and gasps of pleasure growing increasingly louder.

“Cum for me, Mia,” I growled.  “Cum for me right now.”

She made a loud wail of pleasure and came hard.  I drove deep a final time as her pussy squeezed exquisitely tight around me.  I roared her name and let my own climax roll over me, my hand squeezing her shoulder hard, keeping her in place as I pumped her tiny pussy full of my cum. 

When my body had finally stopped shaking, I released Mia’s hair and shoulder.  She collapsed face-first on the bed, her body heaving for air as I eased out of her.  I laid on my side next to her and rubbed her back.

“Oh my God.”  Her voice was muffled by the pillows.  “That was – that was the best sex of my life.”

I grinned and pulled the covers over both of us before turning her on her side and spooning her.

“I hope you’re okay with me staying the night,” she said.  “My body is like a damn noodle right now.  Pretty sure I won’t be able to walk on these spaghetti legs for at least a few hours.”

“You’re not going anywhere.  Go to sleep, baby.”  I kissed the back of her shoulder and snuggled in closer, my hand cupping her breast and our legs entwined.

Chapter Twelve

Mia

I studied Elijah’s sleeping body before sitting on the side of the bed.  I’d woken up almost an hour ago and had a quick shower and dressed before returning to Elijah’s bed.  Last night was amazing and incredible, and I’d loved every moment of it.

This morning though… I felt terrible for what I’d done.  I needed to apologize to Elijah, but I was dreading it.  I’d been so horribly selfish all goddamn night and I hated what I’d done to him.

Yeah, well, you were awful and it’s time to stop dragging your damn heels and do the right thing, Mia.  You distracted him with sex last night, but as soon as he wakes up, he’s gonna be pissed about what you did.  You need to apologize.

I wanted to strip off my clothes and crawl back into bed with Elijah.  Instead, I squared my shoulders and rubbed the wide expanse of his back.  He made a cute little snore before stretching and then rolling onto his back.

He gave me a sleepy smile and I held up the mug of coffee.  “Morning, Elijah.”

“Hey.”  He sat up, tucking the pillow behind his back and taking the coffee when I handed it to him.  “Thank you.  What did I do to deserve coffee in bed?”

“I need to apologize for last night,” I said.

He opened his mouth and I shook my head.  “No, can you… I mean, I just need to get this out, okay?  Then you can yell at me.”

“Why would I yell at you?”

I took a deep breath and blew it out.  “I’m sorry for my behaviour last night, Elijah.  I acted like a horrible, jealous bitch and I’m ashamed about that.  You were making a connection with Natalia and I ruined it.”

“Mia -”

“It’s not just that,” I said.  “I used sex as a weapon to-to get you to go home with me.  Then I pushed you to talk about something that you didn’t want to talk about.  I forced you to tell me a secret that you weren’t ready to share, and I am truly sorry.  I should never have pried into your personal life the way I did, and I hope you can forgive me.  I know you’re angry with me and I -”

“I’m not angry with you,” Elijah said.  “Mia, I’m not.”

I gave him a blank look of shock.  “What?  You are.  Of course, you are.  I was awful last night.  I was an awful person, Elijah.”

He laughed and took a sip of his coffee.  “No, you weren’t.  You’re fucking perfect, Mia.”  He gave me a tender look that hinged on worship and every nerve in my body pinged in alarm.

He reached out and squeezed my thigh.  “Everything you do is amazing and perfect, and last night was -”

“I’m not perfect.”  I could hear the anxiety in my voice tinged with the slightest bit of anger.

Elijah shrugged.  “You are to me.  You’re beautiful and perfect, and you don’t need to apologize.  I’m not angry.”

“You should be angry,” I said slowly.  “Elijah, what I did wasn’t fair to you.  I promised to help you find a girlfriend and instead I – I sabotaged it.”

He shrugged again.  “I wasn’t attracted to Natalia.  Don’t worry about it.”

“That’s not the point.”

He gave me a cheeky grin.  “Then what is the point?  That you find me so hot, you can’t resist me?  Mia, I don’t want another woman.  You’re the perfect woman and -”

“Stop it!”  My voice was loud and this time the anger was evident.  “Stop saying that!”

“Stop saying what?”  Elijah blinked at me.

“Stop saying I’m perfect!  What’s wrong with you?  You need to be angry, you need to be upset with me.”

“Well, I’m not,” he said.

I threw my hands up in the air.  “Elijah, I am not perfect, and you need to stop saying that I am.  You need to stop believing that I am.”

He gave me a stubborn look.  “What is going on?  Since when is it a bad thing to give a woman a compliment?”

“Being told you’re perfect is not a compliment,” I snapped.

His big hand tightened around his coffee mug and a flicker of anger crossed his face.  He set the mug down on the nightstand with a harsh thud, coffee sloshing over the edge.  “I don’t know what you want from me, Mia.”

“I want you to stop thinking I’m perfect!”  I was almost yelling now, and I tried to take a deep breath and just chill the fuck out a little.  It didn’t work.  Elijah being like Phillip was more than I could stand.  Not when I was falling in lo-

Nope!  Nope, don’t you say it, girl.

“Seriously?  You want me to stop complimenting you?  Jesus…” Elijah ran a hand through his thick hair.  “I can’t do a thing right, can I, Mia?  It doesn’t matter what I do or what I say, it’s always wrong.  Why did you even agree to sleep with me?”

“Because I…”

I pressed my lips together, feeling sick to my stomach when Elijah made a bitter laugh.  “Right.  Because you had an itch that needed scratching.  That’s all it is, right?  I’m good enough to fuck, but not good enough to date.”

“No!  That isn’t it at all!  Elijah, I just – I don’t want you thinking I’m perfect.  Okay?  I need you to -”

“Fine,” he said.  “I don’t think you’re perfect.  Does that make you happy?”

“I’m sorry,” I said.  

“Don’t,” he said.  “I don’t want or need your pity.  Thank you for teaching me how to fuck, but I think I’m good now.”

I glared at him.  “Listen, I’m asking for something simple.  Realize that I’m not as perfect as you think I am.  I’m not saying I want to stop what’s happening between us, and in fact, I was thinking maybe we could try dat -”

“I want to stop,” Elijah said.

I swallowed hard.  “W-what?”

“I want to stop,” he repeated.  “I don’t need any more lessons and I can find a girlfriend on my own.  Someone who wants me for more than itch scratching”

I blinked back the tears and cleared my throat.  “Elijah, I -”

“Can you go, Mia?  I’m tired and there’s nothing left to say.  I’ll see you around.”  He stared at a spot over my shoulder, his face closed off and withdrawn.

Tears starting to drip down my face, I turned and practically sprinted for the door.  

* * *

I stood in Nana’s driveway, staring at my hands.  In the three days since my fight with Elijah, I hadn’t left my house once.  I had to work tomorrow, and I was already dreading it.  If there was an accident and I saw Elijah at the scene, I didn’t know what I would do.  Burst into tears would be my first guess.

I sighed and trudged toward the front door.  I hadn’t wanted to leave the house today either, but Nana had called and insisted I come over this afternoon.  Unable to think of a reason why I couldn’t, I’d dragged my sorry ass into the shower, threw my hair up into a bun, put on my least stained yoga pants and t-shirt, and drove over here.

I walked up the front steps and rapped on the door before walking inside.  Nana’s house smelled exactly like it always did, warm cinnamon and crisp apples, but even the familiar smell couldn’t lift my depression.

“Nana?”  I hung my jacket in the closet and removed my boots.  “I’m here.  Why did you ask me to park down the street?  I thought the driveway wasn’t being repaved until next week.”

“I’m in the kitchen, sweetheart.”

I walked down the hallway to the kitchen.  “What is it that you needed?  I can’t stay very long.  I’m sorry, but I…. Isabelle?  Wyatt?  What are you doing here?”

I stared in confusion at my best friend and my cousin who were sitting at the table with Nana.  A plate of cookies was in front of them, and Wyatt grabbed a cookie and ate it as I continued to stare at them.

“Sit down, Mia,” Isabelle said.

“What’s going on?”  I gave Isabelle a suspicious look.  Although I hadn’t said a word to Nana about what happened, I’d already cried on Isabelle’s shoulder twice since the fight. 

Isabelle glanced at Nana.  “This is an intervention.”

“What?  What do you mean an intervention?”

“Just sit down, Mia.  Please.”

I began to back out of the kitchen.  “Nope, no way.  I don’t know what’s happening here, but I -”

“Mia Margaret Martin,” Nana said.  “Sit your cute butt in that chair immediately.”

Sulking, I walked into the kitchen and parked my butt in the chair, folding my arms across my chest.

“Your middle name is Margaret?”  Isabelle said.

“Cork it, Izzy.”

She grinned at me and folded her hands together on top of the table.  “This is a love intervention, Mia.”

“Whoa, a what now?”  Wyatt paused with a second cookie at his mouth.

Isabelle ignored him.  “Mia, you love Elijah and Elijah loves you.  It’s more than apparent.  You need to talk to him and work this shit out.”

“Wait… Elijah?  Elijah Thomson?  You’re in love with that jacked firefighter?”  Wyatt said. 

“No!”  I snapped.

“Yes, she is,” Isabelle said.  “Wyatt, I told you we were doing an intervention on Mia.”

“I didn’t know it was a,” Wyatt made a face, “love intervention.”

“What kind of intervention did you think it was gonna be?”  Isabelle gave him an exasperated look.

“I dunno… a cheese intervention, maybe.”

“A cheese intervention?”  I sputtered.

“You have an addiction to cheese,” Wyatt said solemnly.

“I do not!”  I turned to Isabelle who shrugged.

“He’s right.  You do have an addiction to cheese.”

“I don’t!”  I said indignantly.  “Just because I love cheese doesn’t mean -”

“You have a drawer in your fridge dedicated to just cheese,” Wyatt said.  “You need help, Mia.”

“Wyatt, sweetie, perhaps we can talk to Mia about her cheese addiction at another intervention,” Nana said gently.  “Right now, this intervention is about her love for that sweet boy Elijah.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes and took a bite of cookie.  “Worst.  Intervention.  Ever.”

“I don’t need a love intervention,” I said.  “I’m perfectly fine.”

Nana leaned forward and took one of my hands in hers.  “Oh, dear heart, you’re not fine.  You’re heartbroken.”

She gave me a look of compassion and love, and the tears immediately started to spill down my cheeks.  “I-I-I’m fine.”

Isabelle handed me a tissue.  “You’re not, honey.  And it’s okay that you’re not.  But we want to help you get better.  The only way to do that is by forcing you to see that you need Elijah in your life.  You are miserable without him.”

“He thinks I’m perfect,” I whispered.

“Obviously, he doesn’t know you well enough yet,” Wyatt said.

“Wyatt!”  Isabelle glared at him. 

“What?  She’s not perfect.  She has weird looking feet, she’s addicted to cheese, she can’t ride a bike, and,” Wyatt gave me a smug look, “she cheats at Scrabble.”

I wanted to flip him the bird, but with Nana in the room, I settled for giving him a dirty look.  “Just because I beat you every time at Scrabble, doesn’t mean I’m cheating.”

Wyatt mumbled something under his breath before stretching his long legs out under the table and nudging my calf with his foot.  “Izzy’s right, Mia.  You look miserable.”

“Don’t call me Izzy,” Isabelle said automatically.  “Mia, Elijah is not like Phillip, okay?  You panicked and you made a wrong decision when you and Elijah had your fight, and that’s understandable, considering what you went through.  Phillip was a total dickhe – jerk – sorry, Nana.”

Isabelle gave Nana an apologetic look and Nana made a ‘go on’ motion with her hand.

“Phillip was a jerk and like I told you before, no one could have lived up to his expectations.  Okay?  Maybe Elijah thinks you’re perfect right now and maybe eventually he’ll start to see your flaws, but regardless, he’s not Phillip.  He adores you, Mia.  The way he looked at you that night at the bar… he is in love with you.  He will still be in love with you even when he recognizes your flaws,” Isabelle said.  “Don’t throw that away, honey.”

I swiped at the tears with the tissue.  “It’s too late.  I wrecked everything by acting like an idiot.  He said we were done, remember?  He’s probably already friggin’ moved on by now.”

“Doubtful,” Wyatt said.  “I saw him last night at an accident and -”

“Accident?”  I froze in my chair and gave Wyatt a look of terror.  “Is he okay?  Is he hurt?  What happened?  How did he -”

“Mia, relax,” Wyatt said.  “He wasn’t in the accident, he was at the scene of the accident.  It’s his job, remember?  Shit, you do have it bad for this guy.”  He shook his head.  “Anyway, he was there, and he looked like shit.  I mean, he looked worse than the guy who actually was in the accident.  It’s obvious that he’s just as miserable as you are.”

“See?”  Isabelle said.  “You need to talk to him.”

“I don’t know,” I said.  “What if he -”

The doorbell rang and Nana popped out of her seat like a jackrabbit.  “Who could that be?”  She gave me a guilty look before hurrying out of the kitchen.  “I’ll just go check.”

“Why does Nana look guilty?”  I asked Wyatt.

Wyatt shrugged.  “How should I know?  I’m just here for the cookies.”

Isabelle squeezed my hand.  “Don’t be angry, honey.  Okay?  Remember that we did this because we love you.”

“Isabelle?”  I gave her a warning look. “What have you done?  Please tell me that you -”

“Thank you so much for coming by, sweet boy,” Nana’s voice drifted down the hall.  “I’ve asked Wyatt a couple of times to look at the sink, but he’s just so darn busy lately.  Mia said you were pretty handy so I figured I’d see if you could help.”

“Isabelle,” I said in a fierce whisper.  “Please tell me you didn’t -”

“Oh, Mia, dear heart, look who’s here.”

I swiveled in my chair, my heart thumping in my chest and my face bright red.  Elijah stared back at me before beginning to back out of the kitchen.  “Uh, I should go.  I can come back -”

“Don’t be silly.”  Nana took his arm and tugged him forward.  “Stay and have a cookie, Elijah.  They’re freshly baked.”

“Um…”

She smiled up at him.  “You’re not going to break an old woman’s heart by refusing to try one of her freshly-baked cookies, are you, sweetheart?”

Helpless against the relentless force that was my grandmother, Elijah shook his head.  “No, ma’am.”

“Good, good.  Remember, I told you to call me Nana or Martha.  Have a seat.  Would you like a glass of milk with your cookies?”

Elijah dropped into the chair next to me.  “Um, sure, that would be nice.”

“Good.”  As Nana grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and the milk from the fridge, Isabelle stood up and stared pointedly at Wyatt.

“Hey, Wyatt?  Can you come help me with that thing now?”

Wyatt grinned at her.  “I already helped you with that thing, Izzy.  I think I’ll stay in the kitchen and have some more milk and cookies.”

He flinched when Nana gave him a hard poke between the shoulder blades.  “Go and help Isabelle with the thing.  Right now, young man.”

“Yes, Nana.”  Wyatt made a face at me and I stuck my tongue out at him as he stood and grabbed another cookie.  “Good seeing you again, Elijah.”

“You too, Wyatt,” Elijah replied.

Isabelle and Wyatt left the kitchen and Nana sat the glasses of milk in front of us before clearing her throat.  There was a moment of awkward silence and then Nana said, “I should go help the kids with their…thing.  You two stay here.”

She hurried out of the kitchen and I stared at the glass of milk in front of me.  Without speaking, Elijah held the plate of cookies out to me and I took one with a small nod of thanks.  He took one as well and we each ate a cookie.  I was so nervous and sick to my stomach, that I could only eat half of mine before I set it down.

“So, uh, I guess there’s nothing wrong with your Nana’s sink, huh?”  Elijah finally said.

“Nope.”

“Why are Isabelle and your cousin here?”  He asked.

“They’re having an intervention for me,” I said.

“For your cheese addiction?”

I glanced up at him.  “Why does everyone think I have a cheese addiction?”

“You have an entire drawer in your fridge for cheese, Mia.”

I stared at him, and when his lips curled up in a smile, I leaned over and rested my head on his thick arm.

“I’m so sorry, Elijah.  So damn sorry.”

“I am too,” he said.  “I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you.  It was stupid.”

“No, I was being stupid.”  I sighed and lifted my head before taking his hand. 

He squeezed it gently and, staring at the kitchen table, I said, “I used to date this guy named Phillip.  Met him at the bar one night.  He wasn’t from here, had just moved to town like two months before that.  He was a chef over at Josie’s Bar and Grill.”

I poked at the half-eaten cookie in front of me.  “We got along really well, and we started dating.  He-he was always talking about how I was the perfect woman and how everything I did was amazing and wonderful.  After a few months, we moved in together.”

I fell silent and Elijah squeezed my hand again.  “It’s okay, Mia.  You don’t have to tell me.”

“I want to tell you,” I said.  “After we moved in together, it – it wasn’t that Phillip changed exactly.  He just, well, I guess he just had a side to him that I hadn’t noticed or didn’t want to notice.  He’d put me up on this pedestal of perfection and when I couldn’t keep up his standard of perfection, it was almost…crushing to him, you know?  Like I fell off that pedestal and I fell hard, and that was it.  Then I couldn’t do anything right.”

My stomach churned but I forced myself to go on.  “He constantly criticized me about everything.  Before, he used to love my body, told me I was sexy and beautiful, but it switched to I was too fat and I needed to lose weight.  If I had a bad day at work, I couldn’t tell him about it because he would twist it around on me, make it sound like it was bad because I wasn’t working hard enough to be good at my job.”

“You’re good at your job,” Elijah said. 

“Yeah, I am,” I replied.  I smiled up at him.  “I know that I am, but at the time… I let him say those horrible things to me because I was lonely.  Even worse, I let him put me on that damn pedestal of perfection, even knowing that I wouldn’t be able to stay there.  It just, it made me feel good, you know?”

Elijah pressed a kiss against my forehead.  “Sounds like he had unreasonable expectations, Mia.”

“Yeah, that’s what Isabelle and Nana said, and I know they’re right.  I do.  But then every time you said I was perfect, it freaked me out because I was already falling in love with you and thinking that you might be like Phillip really scared me.  Even though, deep down I knew you weren’t like him, Elijah.  I knew it.  But it’s like a damn trigger for me or something.”

I sighed and rubbed at my forehead.  “I probably need some serious therapy.”

Elijah didn’t say anything, and I glanced up at him, expecting to see pity and disgust on his face.  Instead, there was a look of shock and - my pulse zinged, zagged, zigged - was that happiness?

“Elijah?  You okay?”

“You love me?”  He whispered.

Shit.  I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it was too late to take it back.  I nodded.  “Yeah, I do.  I know it’s quick and weird, and I swear I’m not trying to really freak you out, but I’m like a hundred percent positive that I love you, Elijah.  But you don’t have to – oh my God!”

Elijah, the muscles in his arms bulging, had turned and scooped me up out of the chair with ease.  He sat me in his lap, cupped my face and kissed me hard on the mouth.  I made another muffled sound of shock before sinking into him and returning his kiss eagerly. 

I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening, but God had I missed his kisses.  I pressed myself up against him, sweeping my tongue across his lips.  When he parted them, I practically shoved my tongue into his mouth, tasting him with greedy desire.

He pulled back after a few moments and studied my swollen mouth before smiling at me.  “I love you, Mia.”

“You love me,” I said.

He nodded.  “You can’t be all that surprised.”

“I am,” I said. “I mean, I knew you liked me and that you wanted to maybe date, but I -”

“I’ve had a crush on you for over a year,” he said.  “When you offered to teach me how to have sex, I couldn’t believe it.  It was like every one of my fantasies had come true.”

“Over a year?”  I whispered.  “Why didn’t you say something before.”

“Because you were in love with Matt, and because I was a virgin and embarrassed,” he said.

“I don’t love Matt now,” I said quickly.  “I swear, Elijah.  Honestly, what I thought was love was more a combination of loneliness and convincing myself he was the one for me because he knew me so well and knew I was far from perfect.  But I don’t love him as anything more than a friend.  I love you and only you.”

“I believe you,” he said.  “I’m sorry again for what I said.”

“No,” I said.  “You don’t have to apologize.”

He kissed my mouth, pulling away before I could deepen it.  “I know you have flaws and make mistakes just like everyone else, but, Mia, I will not stop telling you that you’re the perfect woman.  Because you’re the perfect woman for me and I love you.”

He wiped away the tear that was sliding down my cheek and I gave him a soft smile.  “Elijah Thomson, you just might be the perfect man.”

Please enjoy an excerpt of “The Cop”, Book Eight in the Working Men Series.

The Cop is available for preorder HERE

The Cop

Working Men Series Book Eight

Copyright © 2019 Ramona Gray

Maggie

“Shit.”  I looked in the rearview mirror as the flashing lights lit up the growing gloom, and the siren broke the silence.

I glanced at my speed before slowing down, pulling over to the side of the road and stopping.  I put the car in park and rubbed at my temples.  I hadn’t been speeding and I had zero idea why the cop was pulling me over. 

I was about five miles from some small town I’d never heard of, a blip on the map, just another place to get through on my way to…. well, I had no idea where, but what I did know was that the last thing I needed was a damn ticket.

“All right, Maggie. You know what you need to do,” I said to my reflection in the rearview mirror.

I cringed but unbuttoned the first couple buttons on my shirt, giving my small breasts a quick adjustment.  I didn’t have much in the chest department, but maybe the cop was into chicks with tiny tits.  I took a deep breath and blew it out.

“You can do this, Maggie.  Flirt your way out of this ticket, girl.  Flirt hard.  You can’t afford a ticket, so smile pretty, let him have a look at your cleavage, and -”

The sharp rap on my window made me startle and I jerked, my seat belt cutting into my chest.  I rolled the window down, the flirtatious smile dying before it really started as I stared at the magnificent god standing next to my car.

Holy shit, Mags, if this is how they grow ‘em in small towns, maybe you should reconsider your idea to find a big city. 

The cop stared silently at me as my gaze roamed his face.  Tanned skin, sharp cheekbones, a narrow nose and… oh God, total cliché – but piercing, and I mean, piercing, blue eyes that were staring straight into my damn soul.  I wanted desperately to take a look at the tall, lean body attached to the most beautiful face in the universe, but I couldn’t seem to look away from his gaze.

Snap out of it, Mags.  Start flirting, for God’s sake.

Right.  Flirting.  No problem.

“Good evening, Officer.”  I pasted that flirtatious smile on my face and thrust my chest out.  Shit, I should have undone my seat belt first. 

The cop’s gaze never wavered from my face.  “Ma’am.  License and registration, please.”

Holy hell… what a voice.  My pussy actually quivered in response to the deep, gravel-filled rasp.

“Of course.”  My smile widened and I unclicked my seat belt before leaning over and digging the registration out of the glovebox, then snagged my license from my wallet.

I cocked my head and bit my bottom lip, arching my back and working my tiny tits with everything I had as I handed over my information.

C’mon, tiny tits, don’t fail me now.

The cop took my license and registration, his gaze still firmly on my face.

Houston, we have a problem.  It’s a tiny tits failure.  We’re asking for permission to abort.

Abort?  Not with my limited funds, dammit.  I let my fingers trace the soft skin of my upper chest as I bit my bottom lip again.  “What seems to be the problem… Officer?”

For the size of my body, I had a weirdly deep voice, but I had been pitching it higher, making it breathy and squeaky.  It didn’t have the desired effect on the cop, but I kept trying.  “I wasn’t speeding.”

He studied my license before lifting those stormy ocean eyes back to my face.  “Ma’am, are you aware that it’s a crime to provide false ID to a police officer?”

I sighed, admitted failure, and aborted the mission.  “It’s not a false ID, Officer.”

If he was surprised by the sound of my normal speaking voice, it didn’t show on his face.  “Is that right?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Your name is,” his gaze dipped to my license again, “Magnolia Blossom?”

I sighed and rattled off my regular spiel whenever someone discovered my full name.  “Yes.  First name Magnolia.  Last name Blossom.  Like the flower.  My parents were hippies.”

He didn’t reply, and I made a show of checking my watch before giving him a clearly irritated smile.  “Can you tell me why I’ve been stopped, Officer?  The speed limit is fifty and I was doing fifty.”

“Your tail light is out.”

“Oh.  Okay, well, I’ll get that fixed.  Thanks for letting me know.”  I held my hand out for my license and registration.

“Where are you headed, Ms. Blossom?”

After a week on the road, rapidly dwindling funds, and no solid idea of where I was going or what I was doing, my already-frayed nerves took another hit.  I was suddenly and irrationally angry at the stupidly handsome cop.

Or, maybe I was just pissed that my flirting hadn’t worked one single bit.

“How is that any of your business, Officer…” I squinted at his nametag in the rapidly growing dark, “Reynolds?”

Annoyance flickered across his face and he stepped back.  “Wait here, please, Ms. Blossom.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” I muttered as he took my license and registration back to his car.

My temper steadily rose as I waited nearly five minutes for Officer “How Could Such a Beautiful Man be Such a Dickhead” to return.

The cold air drifting through the open window was making me shiver and I cranked the heat in my car and rolled up my window.  I rubbed again at my temples.  It was getting late and dark, and snow was starting to fall.  My plan to drive through the one-horse town I was on the outskirts of and hit the bigger town after it, was rapidly changing.  I hated driving to begin with, and driving in an unfamiliar area after dark and during a snowstorm?  No, thank you.  I’d just have to hope the rinky-dink town had at least one motel.

Officer Muscles rapped on my window again and I rolled it down.  Snowflakes were starting to cling to his dark hair, and he was wearing just a t-shirt under his vest, but the cold and the weather didn’t seem to affect him at all.  I looked away from the hard line of his biceps as he held my paperwork out.

Yeah, because he’s already stone-cold, Mags.  He might be handsome, but his arrogance is a total turn-off.

Right, a total turn-off…. no lingering attraction here at all. 

“What’s this?”  I stared blankly at the piece of paper he handed to me with my license and registration.

“It’s a ticket for your broken tail light.”

My jaw dropped and I stared at him.  “You’re kidding me.”

“I am not, Ms. Blossom.  A broken tail light is a fineable offense.”

I stared at the amount of the ticket, my stomach churning.  “Isn’t this a bit excessive?  It’s a broken tail light.  I’ll get it fixed.”

“When you do, bring the receipt to your court date, and the judge will dismiss the fine,” he said.

“The court date is a month from now.  I’m just passing through.”  I hitched my thumb at my backseat that was covered with three suitcases. 

“Then I guess you’ll need to pay the fine.”

My temper flared and I glared at Officer Hottie Arrogant Asshole.  “Look, can’t you just give me a warning and let me go?  I promise I’ll fix the tail light first thing in the morning.”

“Rules are rules, Ms. Blossom.  You can pay the fine or, in a month, you can bring your receipt to the court and have the fine dismissed.”

“I – seriously?  It is a broken tail light.”  I spoke slowly, as if that might knock some sense into him.

“I am aware.”  He gave me a steely stare.  “Drive safe, Ms. Blossom.”

He turned to walk away, and I muttered “arrogant asshole”, under my breath as I tossed the ticket and my license and registration onto my passenger seat.

Apparently, Officer Bulging Biceps also had the hearing of a hawk, because he immediately turned back.  “What was that, Ms. Blossom?”

Jesus, why did his low voice saying my name make my nipples go hard?

It’s not his voice, it’s the cold air, idiot.

Right.  The cold air.

“Nothing,” I said.

He studied me, those blue eyes making my insides feel weirdly hot.  I had a sudden desire to confess my insult to him.  What the hell was wrong with me?

I straightened my back and gave him my best ice-cold court stare.  “Thank you, Officer Reynolds.  It’s been a pleasure.”

His nostrils flared just the tiniest bit and the exasperation on his face was fleeting, but a wave of perverse pleasure washed over me.  I had gotten under his skin, just a little.  He turned to leave, and weird disappointment washed over me.  I had no idea what my odd compulsion to interact with him just a little longer was about and it was more than a little alarming.  Still, it didn’t stop me from saying, “Officer Reynolds?”

“Yes?”

“Uh,” I searched desperately for something to say.  “Does your tiny little town even have a motel?” 

“We have two.  One is,” he paused, “a Best Western, and the other is a smaller locally-owned motel.”

“What’s the name of the motel?”  I asked.

“Park Motel.  It’s over on Park Street.  You’ll want to stay at the Best Western,” he said.  “It’s more expensive but cleaner and safer for a woman traveling on her own.”

“Thank you.” I gave him a frosty smile and he nodded before walking back to his car.

I stared at – goddammit, the most amazing ass I’d ever seen in a pair of jeans – in the side mirror before he climbed into his SUV and shut the door. 

I googled the Park Motel and put the address into my GPS.  The Best Western might have been safer, but with my limited cash, I needed the cheapest option.  The questionable Park Motel it was.

I put the car into drive and with another quick glance at the cop car behind me, pulled back onto the road.  He stared where he was on the side of the road, and I blew my breath out again as I drove around a curve in the road and Officer Fine Ass disappeared from my rearview mirror.

The Cop is available for preorder HERE

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Books by Ramona Gray:

Individual Books

The Escort

Saving Jax

The Assistant

One Night

Sharing Del

Other World Series

The Vampire’s Kiss (Book One)

The Vampire’s Love (Book Two)

The Shifter’s Mate (Book Three)

Rescued By The Wolf (Book Four)

Claiming Quinn (Book Five)

Choosing Rose (Book Six)

Undeniable Series

Undeniably His

Undeniably Hers

Undeniably Theirs

Working Men Series

The Mechanic

The Carpenter

The Bartender

The Welder

The Electrician

The Landscaper

The Firefighter

The Cop

The Paramedic