“Jesus,” he gritted out. “I want to fuck you so bad right now, Wildfire.”
She tried to catch her breath, scintillating sensations coming from all angles. “Oh God, yes!” She looked over her shoulder, their eyes colliding with such passion, she swore she felt the earth move, and had trouble finding her words. “I’m…protected. Birth control.”
“Fuck, baby. Hold this, and don’t you dare move it from between your legs.” He handed her the showerhead and grabbed her hips. “Better hold that wall with your other hand, darlin’, ’cause once I’m inside you, I’m not gonna be able to hold back. We’re going hard and dirty.”
“You’d better.”
A low growl erupted from his lungs as her palm hit the wall, and he drove into her with one hard thrust. They both cried out, their indiscernible sounds echoing. He didn’t slow down, pounding into her, taking her with the power of the tsunami she’d always known him to be, sending electric currents through her in gusts and waves. She couldn’t think, could barely breathe, and dropped the showerhead to grip the wall with both hands, trying to steady herself in their dizzying world. The showerhead flailed on its long tail, hitting the wall and spraying their legs as their orgasms took hold, and they spiraled into oblivion, bodies jerking, curses flying, their all-consuming passion taking everything they had to give. The pleasure went on and on, until her legs gave out, and Dare wrapped his arms around her, kissing up her spine.
“I lose my mind when I’m with you, darlin’. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
How could he think that, when she was the one who had asked for it? She shook her head, unable to speak, and he turned her in his arms, the love in his eyes making her head spin anew.
“You’ve got nothing to be jealous of, darlin’. Other women might have had my body, but you’re the only one who’s ever had my heart.”
She swallowed hard, surprised that he was still thinking of her comment about the body wash and wishing she had the ability to be as open with her words as he was. She didn’t know if she could ever be that girl, but he made her want to try.
Chapter Ten
MOONLIGHT STREAMED THROUGH the windows, casting a sexy glow over Billie as she poked around Dare’s kitchen wearing only his T-shirt. Dare wasn’t big on having people in his house, but in some strange way, it had always felt like Billie was there with him. He used to enjoy having people over, but that had changed after Eddie died and Billie had shut him out. He hadn’t wanted anything to disturb the memories they’d created there, but man, he could get used to seeing Billie padding around bare-legged and happy. For as long as he’d known her, she’d been a nighttime snacker. When they were teenagers, if he lost track of her at a party, he could usually find her nosing around the kitchen looking for food. He’d found it cute, and was glad to see it hadn’t changed.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind as she opened a cabinet and kissed her neck, breathing in the scent of his body wash. It smelled a hell of a lot better on her than it did on him. “If you’re looking for a snack, you’re looking in the wrong place.”
She turned her head with a sexy smile. “Didn’t you have enough in the shower?”
“I’ll never get enough of you.” He nipped at her earlobe. “But I was talking about food. I think you’ll find what you’re looking for on the top shelf in the cabinet on the other side of the fridge.”
She opened the cabinet and went up on her toes, reaching for a package of Oreos. His shirt rode up, exposing the curve of her ass, and he couldn’t help giving it a little slap. She squeaked in surprise, and half scowled, half smiled, and he had to laugh.
“There are barbecue chips up there, too, if you want them.”
She eyed the cabinet. “I don’t see chips. You just want me to reach up again.”
“Do I?” He arched a brow.
She tugged a chair over from the table and climbed up to get the chips.
“Now we’re talkin’.” He moved behind her, running his hands over the fronts of her thighs as he kissed one ass cheek and sank his teeth into the other.
“Dare!” She turned around, bringing him eye to eye with his favorite snack. He stole a lick before she climbed down, clutching the bag of chips in one hand and holding her other hand palm out. “Stay there. I need to eat before you do.”
He grabbed his junk. “I got some sausage for ya.”
She rolled her eyes, and he hauled her into his arms and kissed her. “I’m kidding. Why don’t I make you something real to eat?”
“These are real.” She tore open the bag and shoved a chip into her mouth as she reached for the Oreos. “Do you have any—”
“Right here, darlin’.” He pulled two Capri Suns out of the fridge and handed her one.
Her eyes widened. “No way. You still drink these?”
“Hell yes. I’m a loyal motherfucker, and these will forever be the best snacks known to man.”
“Damn right they will.” She bit into an Oreo, but as she ate it, the light in her eyes dimmed, and her brows knitted as she opened the straw for the Capri Sun.
“What’s wrong, darlin’?”
“Do you ever feel guilty for being happy?”
“You mean because of Eddie?”
She nodded.
“I did at first, but not anymore. Are you feeling bad about us because of everything that happened?”
“Not bad, just a little guilty. I love being with you, and I’m happy for the first time in years. But is it fair? I mean, we get to live our lives, and he never even got to make that unforgettable movie he was always talking about.”
He knew talking about this was difficult for her and that she might shut down if they dug too deep, so he treaded lightly. “Do you really think Eddie wouldn’t want you to be happy?”
“No. He wasn’t a selfish person. Did you know that he didn’t think I’d accept his proposal?”
“No. I never knew he was going to propose. What makes you say that?”
“I talked to my dad earlier, and he said the proposal was Eddie’s last-ditch effort to see if I was all in and that he knew I didn’t love him the way he loved me, but he loved me too much to break up with me.”
“Now, that sounds like Eddie. Loyal to the end. But don’t you see what he was doing?” He moved in front of her and reached for her hand. “He knew it wasn’t your responsibility to love him in that way, and he must have felt like he was holding you back. He was giving you an out. Setting you free in the only way he knew how. He wasn’t strong enough to let you go, so he needed you to be. Doesn’t that tell you that he wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him?”
She looked down and stayed like that for a full minute, maybe two, before meeting his gaze with a small smile. “I didn’t know what to make of it when my father first told me. It was a lot to take in, but I think you’re right about Eddie wanting me to be happy, and I agree with what you said about responsibility.” Her eyes twitched, as if she was overthinking something. “When I broke up with him, I knew I was doing the right thing for both of us. I mean, I knew it like I know my own name. People break up all the time. But I must have shut that belief down when he died. I’ve been looking at the whole situation from the standpoint of it being my fault because I couldn’t—or maybe I didn’t want to—see it any other way. I felt so guilty for ending our relationship.”