“One, two, three, four, I declare thumb war!” Ellie and I chant in unison. Our hands interlocked as our thumbs begin a battle of strategy, strength, and apparently flexibility. She can bend hers so far back it makes me think of how flexible she is in other parts of her body.

Ellie shimmies her boobs right in my line of sight.

“You’re cheating!”

“I am not! You’re just a pervert,” she’s quick to retort.

Feigning offence, I draw my body back from hers slightly. “Me? A pervert? I can’t believe you’d say something so hurtful, Little Red.”

She snorts, then shimmies her boobs, and my eyes drop at the action. How can I not watch? I know she’s baiting me, and it works every time, but just once I’d like to have the ability to ignore those gorgeous, round, soft…

My eye narrow, and I shake my head, but as hard as I try to concentrate on the tiny thumb attempting to dodge my own, I can’t. Ellie is tiny in every way. But her breasts are magical. They’re the only thing disproportionate to the rest of her body. I’m not saying they’re massive, but she’s a solid C cup for sure.

“One-two-three. Ha! I win again!” she taunts, pumping her free fist into the air.

Her delicate thumb has mine pinned beneath it in the same way I’d like her pinned beneath me. Although she’d definitely be able to feel me, unlike the barely there pressure she’s holding my thumb down with.

I shake my head again to clear the dirty thoughts from my brain, before I do something stupid—like act on them. Ellie has made her stance on sex super clear— it’s not happening until she’s sure I’m a keeper. Her words. There was also something about humping and dumping? I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I’m cool with waiting...for now.

It took me all of three seconds to make up my mind about her. I know it’s not normal to fall for someone just like that, but I did. I don’t expect her to dive right in just because I have. That would be unreasonable, and I’m anything but. If time is what she needs, I’ll give it to her.

“Hello! Earth to the big man, you read me?” Ellie waves her hands in my face.

I blink several times before bringing my gaze up to meet hers. I was entranced by her boobs...again. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. “Sorry, Red. It happened again,” I shrug my shoulders, tensing my biceps a little at the same time. Her eyes flick to the movement and I grin, knowing she has a thing for my arms. I love that I can distract her as easily as she does me.

“You’re forgiven. Now what’s for lunch? I’m starving,” she springs to her feet, always so full of energy and life.

“Boathouse?” I suggest. It’s a cool new restaurant bar that overhangs the river.

Ellie’s eyes widen in excitement. “I’ve heard they have great milkshakes, let’s do it,” she declares, bouncing on her toes.

We head out of my house, her walking backwards so she can face me as she speaks. “I’m going to hang out with Will for a couple hours this afternoon, you down? Or have you already got plans?”

Following her out to the car, I run through what I need to get done before work tomorrow and decide it can wait. “I haven’t seen Will in a while. I’ll come with, give him some shit, help take his mind off things for a bit.”

She beams, then spins on her toes as she reaches my truck and climbs in. “Great, I’ll let him know you’re coming,” she says, her fingers already flying over her phone screen, sending him a text.

“How’s he been anyway?” I ask, pulling out the drive.

Ellie sighs deeply, flicking my gaze to her I hate the pained expression marring her beautiful face. “He’s been depressed. I mean, that’s to be expected, but I thought he’d be on the road to acceptance by now. It’s been close to six-months.” She pauses, “Shouldn’t he be starting to feel better by now?”

I glance at her from the corner of my eye. Her brows are furrowed with worry and regret. Reaching over, I rest my hand on her thigh. “Red, he’s been through a completely life altering event. He’s not even twenty yet and chances are he’ll never walk again. That’d be pretty soul crushing, don’t you think?”

Her small hand slides over mine and we drive the rest of the way to the restaurant in silence. A sullen cloud now hanging over us. I really should make more of an effort to hang out with the kid. He’s going to need all the support he can get to pull through this.

Parking under a large shade tree, a block down from the restaurant, I turn off the ignition and turn to face Ellie. “There is no time limit for something like this, all we can do is be there for him. Help him where we can, and make sure he knows he’s not alone in his recovery. And you’re already doing that with the schedule you made, making sure he’s always got someone to talk to. Will has a lot of people who care about him.” I squeeze her knee gently. “He will get through this, I swear. But he’s going to need more time.”

Her throat bobs and I know in my gut there are tears in her eyes.

Unfastening my seatbelt, then Ellie’s, I reach for her, sliding her over the centre console and pulling her into my lap. Sure enough, unshed tears glisten in her eyes. I lean forward, pressing my mouth to the corner of one eye, then the other. I lick the salty liquid off my lips.

“Ellie,” I whisper, my mouth hovering over hers but not quite touching. “There is nothing you could have done to change the outcome that day.”

The dam holding her tears back, breaks at my words. “It should have been me, I had my gun, I was ready to help. Why didn’t you let me help?” she sobs, pressing her face into the curve of my neck, “It should have been me.”

My arms curl around her quivering frame, holding her firm against me. “Don’t you ever think that again, Red. The thought of you being in Will’s place rips my soul apart. If I had my way, you wouldn’t have been anywhere near that shit show when it went down.” I inhale the fresh scent of her clean hair pressed against my nose. “Don’t you get it? You have the power to destroy me.”

Minutes pass as she settles down, which I’m thankful for because I need to calm down myself. My heart beats hard in my chest, and my brain is going into overdrive just thinking about her being in a hospital bed in Will’s place.

Ellie finally sits up, bringing her tiny palms to my face, cupping each side of my jaw. “I know. And it’s terrifying because you have the same power over me.”

Her emerald eyes shine with the remnants of her tears, and I pull her into me so I can kiss her the way I’ve been aching to since I pulled her into my lap. Her perfect lips part on a breathy moan, and my tongue slides into her mouth, gliding against hers as my fingers burry in her silky red locks.

One of Ellie’s hands glides up the side of my face and into my hair, her fingers locking in a tight fist as she deepens the kiss. Her hips rock in my lap, and I drop one of my hands to her hip, slipping it under the hem of her shirt, I dig my fingers into her creamy flesh.

Ripping her lips from mine she looks me dead in the eye. “We should probably stop,” she pants, her hips still rocking against me. I’m hard beneath her, and I really, really don’t want to fucking stop. She feels too good.

Covering her mouth with my own I silence her. She doesn’t hesitate, as eager as I am to stay connected. My fingers hold her tight, it’s going to bruise but I can’t let up. The tighter I squeeze the harder she grinds down on me, working my cock through my jeans. Her delicate hips roll back and forth lithely, caressing me from root to tip until her body stiffens, her rhythm faltering. I know she’s close, I can feel it. Releasing my left hand from her hair, I grab her hips with both palms and roll them for her, grinding my hard-on up into each pull.

She bites down on my bottom lip then pulls away, pressing her forehead to mine, never breaking eye contact. Her cheeks fill with colour as her body shudders in my arms, Red comes, and I marvel at the flames of desire and satisfaction flaring in her gaze.

Releasing her hips, I push her hair back away from her pretty face. “You make everything better,” I tell her, pressing a quick kiss to her nose. I want to let her come down slowly, in her own time, but I can’t. My cock is rigid in my shorts, I can’t stand having her this close and not being able to slide inside of her. For my own sake, I need to move.

I open my door and jump out, keeping Ellie in my arms until I’m standing, then slowly lower to her feet. The fresh air is good. But the way she’s looking up at me is not. “What?” I ask, worried I’ve overstepped in the no sex department. I mean, that wasn’t sex, that was…Well it was dry humping.

Licking her lips, a sly grin lifts the corner of her mouth. “Did we really just do that?” she asks. “I haven’t done that since I was in high school.”

My chest deflates as the worry lifts from it. “Yes, yes we did. And you really liked it. So, I’m putting dry humping on the table.”

Her gorgeous red hair glides back and forth over the tops of her shoulders as she shakes her head, grinning up at me with fake innocence in her doe eyes. “On the table? What’s that mean?”

Rolling my eyes, I take her hand in mine and tug her along behind me down the footpath towards the restaurant. “It means it’s on the table, so I’m allowed to dry hump you when we’re making out. I’m still okay with no sex, as long as more dry humping is on the cards,” I shoot her a wink.

She cracks up laughing, “You have yourself a deal, although I feel guilty. I got off…but you didn’t.” A frown draws her brows as she peers up at me.

Leaning down, I press a kiss to the crown of her head. “It’s okay, Red, I can handle myself.” Then I stop walking and spin her to face me, right in the middle of the footpath. Ellie looks up at me, no longer frowning, light and happiness shine brightly in her emerald eyes and a gorgeous grin lifts her perfect lips. I take my time moving her hair out of my way, the tip of my tongue tracing the shell of her ear before I whisper, “For now. But I’m more than happy to let you take care of me too.” I finish teasing her by grazing my teeth over her lobe. Then entwine our fingers again, and continue down the path.

At the Boathouse we order our food and drinks then find a table on the deck that protrudes out over the running water. The breeze blows gently but it’s constant, keeping the area cool in the midday heat.

“I think this should be our spot,” Ellie says, nodding to herself. “It’s got a chill atmosphere, nice views…” She glances my way as she says that, giving me a wink, “Comfortable seating, a licensed bar, and I hear the house band is pretty good too.”

Taking in the area, I can’t stop myself from assessing it with a critical eye. Wide accessible exits, above code height on the railings around the outdoor deck, surveillance cameras covering at least ninety-five percent of the area leaving very few blind spots. Yes, this would be an acceptable hangout location. “Agreed, we should see if Abe and Kallie wanna check it out next weekend.”

When the waiter delivers our drinks Ellie’s eyes glitter with enthusiasm as she wraps her fingers around an old school milkshake glass, dragging it closer. Her plump, peach coloured lips wrap around the straw. If that wasn’t enough to plant dirty thoughts in my mind, she then closes her eyes, and a blissful moan emanates from her slender throat as she swallows.

I stare, fixated on her gorgeous face, and swallow hard. My need for her intensifying. Will I ever get used to this? To her? I seriously doubt it.