Page 100 of Burning For You

“Everyone starts somewhere and could use a helping hand,” Rory said.

Which she remembered a few hours later when they arrived at Ash’s.

That in her life, she’d been given a lot of helping hands. More than others had gotten.

There had been plenty of times in her life she’d felt sorry for her circumstances. Before and after the fire.

But now, now she was just grateful.

“Thank you for today,” she said when Ash unlocked the door to his apartment.

“I didn’t do much.”

“Yeah, you did. You tried to give me a day away from the mess I seem to be stuck in.”

“No mess,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

This right here. Something else she had done little in her life.

Let someone hold her.

Squeeze her tight and make her feel that even with all the craziness around her, it still might be okay.

“I don’t know about that,” she said, holding on a bit longer. “But it was a much better night than I thought.”

“You told me before you’ve never really been introduced to a big family like that all at once. We can be a lot.”

She laughed and leaned back. “You can be, but it’s no different from my house and what I’d witnessed with my other siblings.”

“But never you.” He leaned down to give her a kiss on the lips. “I’m assuming you never dated much?”

“What gave it away? The fact I hadn’t had sex in over three years before you came knocking on my door?”

He grinned. “That was part of it. The other is I might have had my ear to the ground for years trying to catch any bit of information on your life that I could.”

She smiled against his chest. “That’s kind of sweet. You really carried a torch for me, didn’t you?”

He picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

A nice, powerful guy lifting her as if she weighed nothing more than a feather.

Yes, please. Any day of the week.

“Don’t get cocky,” he said, walking toward his room.

“What happens to cocky women in your life?”

“This!” He dropped her on the bed to her laughter. Then he went right for her sneakers and pulled them off while she unzipped her jacket, yanked her arms through it and chucked it over her shoulder.

It wasn’t long before clothes were flying, and hands were reaching for naked skin.

She scooted out of his reach, inched down on the bed and went right for what was standing and pointing in her direction.

“I think I’m still hungry.” It was the only warning she gave before her lips closed over his tip, her tongue slid out and swirled around, her fist wrapping him up tight.

She stroked with her hand and her mouth at the same time.

She heard him let out a groan, which only fueled her to speed it up.