CHAPTER SEVEN
CeCe
It’s been three days since my world was rocked and flipped upside down. Devoured by a man I can’t stand yet crave with every fiber of my being. A man who has invaded my every thought. Even when I close my eyes, he’s all I see.
All I feel.
Oh god. The bastard ruined me. Ruined me for anyone else in just one damn night.
How is that even possible?
A part of me wishes I wouldn’t have run out so quickly the next morning. The truth is, I didn’t care that I wasn’t here for the store when it opened. I knew Monica could handle it. The reason I rushed to get out of there is because of the feelings I had when I woke up in his arms. Feelings I didn’t expect to feel. Safe, content, and even cherished. It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up in someone’s arms and it felt really good.
Sighing, I stroke Pepper’s fur as I hold him close. “Who knows, Pep, maybe I’m chalking it up to more than it was. Maybe that entire night wasn’t as great as I remember.”
Yeah, right.
It was more than great, it was life changing.
Frustrated with my thoughts, I put Pep down and reach for my cellphone. Since the boutique is empty at the moment, I call Emily, needing someone to talk to. As much as I love Pep, I need some perspective.
She answers on the second ring. “Good afternoon, best friend.” Her voice is as cheery as always, bringing a smile to my face.
“Hey, you busy?”
“For you? Never. Rosa and I are just out for our afternoon walk.”
“Good, because I really need to talk to someone.”
“Everything okay?” she asks, concerned.
“I don’t know. I think I’ve lost my mind.”
Her soft snicker floats through the line. “What happened?”
“You remember that firefighter I told you about?”
“The asshole?”
I wince. “Yeah, him.”
“Sure, I remember.”
“Well…three nights ago we fucked each other’s brains out.”
“What?” she screeches, forcing me to pull the phone from my ear. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. And when I say we fucked, Em, I mean we fucked hard. All—night—long!”
“Oh my god, CeCe,” she says on a laugh. “How on earth did that happen?”
I tell her the whole story, right from the beginning. From us both being at the party, and him picking my name for the hunt, then his hurtful comment about my father.
“One minute we’re yelling at each other and then the next we started going at it like animals.”
“Ohh, angry sex. That can be fun.”
“It was more than ‘fun.’ It was mind blowing. He gave me seven orgasms.”
“Seven!”
“Yep, and each one was more intense than the last. The motherfucker even stuck his finger in my ass.”
“Oh my god!”
“His finger in my ass, Em!” I say, emphasizing the detail. “Have you ever had a finger in your ass?” Remembering who her husband is, I cut a hand through the air. “Never mind, don’t answer that, of course you have. Well, I hadn’t, and he just slipped it in like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. Who does that? First time you get a girl’s clothes off and you just stick a finger in her ass?”
Her laughter fills the line. “Definitely a bold move.”
“Yeah, but you know what?”
“What?” she asks, anticipation edging her voice.
“I liked it. No…I loved it. You should have seen me; I could have put any porn star bitch to shame. He brought out this inner slut in me that I never even knew I had.”
“Sounds like it was an incredible night.”
“That’s the problem.”
“It is?” she asks, confused.
“Of course it is!”
“Why?”
“Because I hate him, Em, and he hates me. We aren’t supposed to have sex and like it. He was supposed to be a bad kisser and have a small penis. Let’s just say it was the exact opposite and don’t get me started on the things the man can do with his tongue.”
“Well, maybe he turned out to be good at all those things because you guys are supposed to like each other,” she says, trying to be sensible, but there is nothing logical about any of this.
“I don’t think so. I have a feeling this is a usual occurrence for him.”
The thought leaves a bad taste in my mouth but it’s hard not to believe that, especially with the things he did to me. What’s even more bothersome though, is for him to think that was a usual thing for me because it’s not. I’m not inexperienced by any means but I can count on one hand how many guys I’ve been with and I have never had a one-night stand. They were all relationships. Boring and quick relationships but relationships nonetheless.
“Did he say anything about seeing you again?” Emily asks.
“Not really. He did say, ‘Later, Blondie.’ Do you think he meant later as in he does intend to see me again?” I can’t deny the hope that flares in my chest at the thought.
“It’s possible, does he have your number?”
My newfound hope quickly deflates. “No.” I drop my head next to the till with a thud. “Oh god. I fucked a guy who doesn’t even have my phone number. I’m such a whore.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You are a beautiful, mature woman who had a passionate night with a man. There is nothing wrong with that.”
Says the girl who lost her virginity to her husband.
Before I can voice my thoughts, my door beeps, signaling a customer.
“Crap,” I whisper. “Em, I’ll call you back. Someone’s here.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be waiting.”
“Love you, bye.” Hanging up, I walk around the counter to find Mrs. Nelson from the flower shop. “Mrs. Nelson, hi.” I greet her with a smile.
“Hello, darling. I was hoping you’d be here.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I need some fashion advice,” she tells me.
“Well, you came to the right girl.”
“I thought so.” She snickers. “You see, it’s my and Dale’s anniversary this weekend and he’s taking me to a really fancy restaurant. I want to wow him with a new dress.”
“How wonderful. How many years are you celebrating?”
“Forty-seven.”
“Wow,” I say, completely in awe at the love that still shines in her eyes. The kind I always saw in my parents’. “Well, come with me. I have just the selection for you.”
I lead her over to my more modest section but pull dresses that still have sex appeal. Like a high slit and thin straps. We manage to find about eight for her to try on.
“Oh, I can’t wait. I have a feeling this little red number will be my favorite,” she says excitedly, stepping into the dressing room.
It’s then that my door beeps again.
“I’ll be right back, Mrs. Nelson.”
“No problem, dear. Take your time. It will take me a bit to slip these on.” She chuckles.
Smiling, I walk to greet the customer but stop in my tracks when I find the one man I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. The man who ruined me in one night.
Gabriel Martinez.
Expert pussy licker.
King of orgasms.
The man I love to hate.
As usual, he looks ridiculously sexy. His worn, faded jeans hang just right off his lean hips. A solid black T-shirt stretches across his impressive body but not too tight, add that with the red ball cap turned backwards and the man is a walking orgasm. For someone who scoffs at me for my fashion, he dresses damn well.
He flashes me that lopsided grin of his. “Hey, Blondie.”
“What are you doing here?” I’m surprised how even my voice is despite how breathless I feel.
“Got a minute?” he asks.
My eyes dart to the dressing room Mrs. Nelson is in. “Sure. A quick one.” I gesture for him to follow and lead him into the backroom. My skin prickles with every step I take, his close proximity doing things to me that I’m helpless to feel.
Keep it together, CeCe. Don’t let him know how much you’ve been thinking about him or that magical tongue of his.
Once we get into the back, I spin around to face him and prop my hands on my hips, hoping to mask all the unwanted feelings battling inside of me. “So, what do you want?”
“This.” Snaking an arm around my waist, he pulls me against him and steals my mouth in a toe-curling kiss.
That’s all it takes. A simple touch of his lips and I’m lost to him.
His tongue does an erotic dance with mine; pulling me into a world I’m helpless against. Moaning, I fight not to melt into a puddle right here on the floor.
A growl vibrates his chest, his hands gripping the back of my thighs to lift me off my feet. My legs curl around his waist as he sits me on the back counter, situating himself between my parted thighs. The rough denim of his jeans rub against my silk panties, making me thankful for the skirt I chose this morning.
“You miss me, baby?” he asks, his beautiful lips never missing a beat.
“No.”
He chuckles at the blatant lie and pulls back, his gorgeous face hovering before mine. Time seems to stand still as we stare back at one another, nothing but the sound of my heavy breathing filling the space between us. He, on other hand, doesn’t sound the least bit out of breath.
Asshole.
“Go out with me.”
“Huh?” I say, thinking I misheard him.
“Tomorrow night. Go out to dinner with me.”
“You want to take me to dinner?” I ask, slowly.
“Yes. Why is that so hard for you to believe?”
“Because we can’t stand each other.”
Smirking, he dips his face next to mine, his lips grazing my earlobe. “I think we can stand each other just fine, Blondie.” His warm hand, which rests high on my thigh, dances up my skin to slip under my skirt. “Say yes.”
“I’ll think about it.” I refuse to give in to him so easily. He’s going to have to work for it.
“You want to be persuaded, is that it?” His fingers tease the edge of my panties, turning the slow burn within my body into a raging inferno. “I’ll bet your pussy is so wet for me right now,” he says arrogantly, the erotic words tickling my ear.
“Maybe a little,” I confess on a whisper, my breathing quick with anticipation.
“Just say the word and I’ll take care of you.”
I moan, my body trembling with the need to feel his touch again. “We really shouldn’t. I have a customer.” The excuse is weak, my mind and body battling with one another.
“Don’t worry. It won’t take me long.”
That’s the only warning I get before his fingers slip into my panties and delve through my wet slit.
“Oh.” The whimper breaches my lips and my head falls back on my shoulders.
He takes the angle as an invitation to rake his teeth along my neck, nipping the sensitive skin. “I knew it. Fucking soaked.” His lips descend to my collarbone, traveling all the way down to the beaded nipple poking through my thin tank top.
I gasp and squirm as he takes it in his mouth; gripping it between his teeth the same time he enters two fingers inside me.
My teeth sink into my bottom lip to stifle my cries of pleasure.
“This hot little pussy is all I’ve thought about, baby. The way my cock filled it, fucked it…”
He’s so damn dirty and I love it.
My hips move to the rhythm of his finger, seeking the release I desperately crave but it hovers just out of reach…
“That’s my girl, fuck my fingers, show me how bad you want it.”
“Gabe.” His name falls from me on a plea as I desperately beg to be put out of this sweet misery.
“I got you, baby.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he curls his fingers inside of me, stroking that hidden spot. Add the delicious things he’s doing to my clit with his thumb, and I shatter, my mind and body soaring to that beautiful world of pleasure I experienced the other night.
His mouth covers mine, swallowing my heated moans. My arms curl around his neck as I anchor myself to the only reality I’m able to grasp.
Eventually, my head drops to his shoulder as I fight to catch my breath. He turns his face into my neck, his lips pressing a gentle kiss as he withdraws his hand from my panties.
The disconnection leaves me feeling cold until he gathers me in his arms. His affection is a contradiction to what we just did. It’s sweet yet a little unnerving because I don’t know what to do with these feelings, not when it comes to him. A man I supposedly hate.
“All right, dear, I finally got the first one on and I think it could be our winner.”
I lift my head with a gasp, remembering Mrs. Nelson. “Shit.” The curse leaves me in a whispered rush. I push Gabe away and hurriedly begin fixing my clothes.
He watches me, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“It’s not funny,” I grumble. He and his skillful tongue need to take a hike before he causes me more trouble.
Without a word, he steps back up to the counter, yanking me in for one more fiery kiss before resting his forehead on mine. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven.”
The sexy, presumptuous jerk doesn’t even bother to wait for a response before he walks out of the room. Probably because we both know my answer has been yes from the beginning.
“Hey, I know you.” Mrs. Nelson’s voice drifts into the back as she spots Gabe. “You’re one of the firefighters that came to my flower shop last week.”
“I am. How are you doing?” he asks casually, acting like he didn’t just have his fingers inside of me.
I quickly jump down from the counter and finish righting my skirt before walking out to join them.
“I’m very well, thank you. What are you doing here?”
I open my mouth to shoot out a quick explanation but he beats me to it. “Miss Kensington had a wet spot in the back that needed to be taken care of.”
Oh—my—god.
My eyes narrow on him, cheeks aflame in embarrassment.
“Oh no. Was it serious?” Mrs. Nelson asks, completely oblivious.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” His attention shifts back to me, and the bastard has the audacity to wink. “Have a good rest of your day, ladies.” He bids us good-bye then struts his sexy ass out of my store.
“What a nice young man,” Mrs. Nelson comments. “I think he likes you.”
All I can manage is a smile in her direction, my mind still reeling from everything that just transpired within the last five minutes.
I have a feeling I’m in way over my head, but the challenge has never been more exhilarating.