Up in Flames (Crash and Burn, Book Two) (A Military Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

cups. We just swig right out of the bottle, like classy folks do.
    She pulls out of the driveway and we drive the mile or so to the park, which is on the neighborhood’s elementary school grounds. It’s dark outside; I hear the soft sounds of nature as I close the door and we make our way toward the playground.
    Her hand slips into mine, soft and small, and I squeeze. Despite this shit with my dad, Lauren is my anchor. I need this woman so badly it scares me. She only sees the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my feelings for her. Somehow, it’s safer, less scary to reveal only my sexual desire for her.
    I tell myself it’s because I don’t want to pressure her, but I also know that deep down, that small and scared kid who still lives in a tiny corner of my chest is afraid of being hurt beyond repair. Making Lauren come on my mouth, on my cock, on my fingers is far, far easier than ripping my chest open and handing her my heart.
    Sometimes I can still hear my mom’s fearful voice after she busted me trying to ride a skateboard in elementary school: “One day you’re going to take a risk, and I won’t be there to save you when you fall.”
    My lungs clench at the memory. Too late, Mom. I fell for Lauren a long time ago. I just haven’t hit ground yet. If I’m lucky, I never will.
    We cross the border of the parking lot and step across spring grass. The park is empty, and the moon is full and hanging low, casting a pale white glow everywhere.
    “Where do kids go nowadays when they want to escape their houses?” I muse out loud.
    She laughs. “Things aren’t what they were when you and I were growing up. Hanging at a playground isn’t cool.”
    “It wasn’t cool when we were growing up either,” I point out.
    “That’s fair. We were usually alone here. And I’m okay with that, because we were uncool together.”
    Me and Lauren against the world. Fuck, I missed her so much. I stop our forward progress and pull her against me for a quick moment, wrapping my free arm around her, just to remind myself I’m really here with her, that she’s real and alive and I can touch her.
    Her breasts press against my chest, and I feel the faint stirrings of my dick at the reminder of our two sexual encounters. We’re not here for that today, I warn myself. If I jump on her every time I feel horny, she’s going to be freaked out. I don’t actually want her to think that’s all I want from her; plus, if I’m trying to convince her we can have it all—be sexual and romantic and friends—I can’t do that if I’m always stripping her down every time I see her.
    Still, as I pull away, I’m reminded how very, very quiet it is at this playground, with only the bright moon and the gentle wind to keep us company. The school is set back away from houses, and the playground is even farther behind it still, framed on the other sides by a small wooded area of trees and a large fence.
    If I ate Lauren’s pussy on the merry-go-round, no one would see. No one would hear her cries of pleasure.
    I reflexively squeeze the neck of the wine bottle and grab her hand, tugging her toward the swing set. We each plop down on a swing, and I open the bottle and hand the screw top to her.
    “Would the lady like to smell the cap?” I say in a faux British accent.
    She takes it from me and gives a delicate whiff. “Aged to perfection, with delicate notes of honeysuckle and cedar,” she drawls. “Yes, I do believe this will do.” With a laugh, she grabs the bottle and has a big swig. “God, I feel like I’m right back in high school again. How many times did we used to do this?”
    “At least once a week,” I say. I waited until Mom went to bed—usually early, since her morning shift at work was at six—and snuck out to meet Lauren here more times than I can remember. Honestly, I’m not sure if Dad knew I was doing so, but he never said anything to me. Probably thought I was sneaking out to bang a girl. Little did he know.
    Not