Light Me Up

SARA

The cold nightair soothed the skin that Theo had left blazing. Did that really just happen? My mind was a swarm of thoughts and questions. Regrets and yearnings. What did this mean? What happened now? Was it all a huge mistake? And who knew his dick was so massive?

In truth, I wanted to turn right back around and find him to finish what we started. But the moment he left—to preserve my modesty of all things—I knew I had an out and my brain screamed at me to run for the hills before I fell deeper into his trap.

A flicker of something—guilt?—for leaving him there like that hit me in the gut. It didn’t feel good. In fact, it felt pretty darn awful. But it was self-preservation. I needed to get my head on straight.

I left the sounds of the party behind me and walked down the long winding road that led back towards town. Sam and Alex’s house was on one of the hills that rested above the main part of town, but it was only a twenty minute walk back to my place. My heels were killing my feet, though, so I stopped to lean down and take them off.

The road was dark, only a crescent moon in the sky tonight, but I could see well enough. The pavement beneath my feet scratched my skin like a penance—for what, I wasn’t sure. But I almost relished in the pain. It brought me back down to earth from that interstellar orgasm. And Theo’s all-consuming presence.

I was only about a block away from the party when I saw headlights illuminating the street from behind me. Shit. I didn’t want to deal with anyone and a woman walking alone at night in bare feet and a party dress was bound to make a person stop. Sure enough, as the light got wider across the expanse of road, the sound of the vehicle slowing down reached my ears. It was right behind me. I moved even farther onto the shoulder and waved them off, without looking back. Out of my peripheral vision, a truck appeared at my side and slowed to a crawl.

“Are you insane?” Theo.

“I’m perfectly lucid, thank you.” I glanced over to the open passenger window and saw his enraged face. Who knew he could get so red.

“Get in the truck.”

“No.”

“Where are you going? You can’t walk all the way back to your place in the dark.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not safe.”

“Are you telling me the sheriff of Moon Harbor doesn’t believe his department is keeping this town safe?” I bit my cheek to keep from smirking, but since I was still walking, he couldn’t see my face anyway.

“Oh, trying that tactic again? Real funny. Get in the truck, hippie.”

“No.”

“Goddammit Sara.” He sped up and pulled the truck around to block the path in front of me. I figured it was coming, but huffed out my frustration anyway. He got out of the driver’s side and came around the back to open the passenger door. With a flourish of his hand—and a look of malice on his face—he gestured to get in and spoke again. “Please.”

My face fell. It was easy to be stubborn with him when he was being a cocky bastard, but when he actually showed that some emotion existed behind his playboy exterior, I found myself wanting to capitulate.

“Fine.”

I walked to the door and took his offered hand as he helped me up into the truck. My dress rode up my thigh. Theo looked at it and bit his lip before turning away. And why couldn’t I suppress the darn smile that that shot to my face?

Silence filled the cab of the truck after he got inside and started driving. But after a few blocks, Theo let out a big sigh.

“You want to tell me what the hell that was?”

“What what was?”

He shook his head and grunted. “Come on.”

It was my turn to sigh. “I’m sorry. I just freaked out and needed to think. I mean, this is you and me. What were we even doing? We hate each other. And all of a sudden we kissed and then you said it was a mistake and then you show up with a date and then give me the best orgasm of my life, and what the hell is even happening? I just felt overwhelmed. It seemed like an easy out to just sneak through the door and pretend I was never there.”

He seemed to be carefully choosing his words. “Do you regret what just happened?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“Fuck no. But I’m confused too. You know me, I stick to randoms for a reason. This feels… different.”

I couldn’t ignore the pang in my chest at the idea of him fucking other girls. He’d always done that. He was an ethical man-whore and proud of it. Since when did I care? Apparently since now. The idea of him with someone else, doing what he just did to me made my throat constrict. This wasn’t good. I couldn’t develop feelings for Theo, of all people. Best to just shut down whatever this was.

“Well different or not, I know you don’t do relationships. And we have absolutely nothing in common. So whatever that was back there… we should probably just forget about it.”

It was more self-preservation that had me saying those words. Certain it was for the best, I chanced a look over at him. He was nodding, almost absently.

“Can’t pretend I love that idea,” he said, eyes straight ahead on the road. “But you’re probably right.”

I expected to feel relief but instead, a weight settled in my stomach like I’d just swallowed a cannonball.

“It’ll make things less complicated. Less to sort through. I mean, it’s not like we’d have a shot at a future or something. So, better to back out now. Not make it weird for everyone else.”

“Right.”

“So… we’re good?”

He shot a smirk my way. “We’re great, hippie.”

A minute later, he pulled up in front of my house and put the truck in park.

“Thanks for the ride. I probably would've gotten my feet torn up walking the whole way.”

“Just promise me not to ever do that again. I don’t care what happens, I’ll always drive you home.”

There was a tenderness in his voice that made my chest flutter, and I cursed that my body reacted to everything he did now.

“You won’t always be around to drive me home.”