Prologue
The smell of leather, rain-soaked polyester and sadness melded together. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth, hoping to rid myself of the foul taste that had plagued me since walking through the ornate double doors, but had no such luck.
Prior to his death, I hadn’t given dying much thought. Now, the subject consumed me. Not simple things like wondering when it would happen or how to draft my will. I questioned whether living without him was even a possibility.
I felt that a little of me was dying with each pronounced click of my watch’s second hand.
I gazed blankly at his casket. Regret enveloped me. Suffocating, I forced myself to breathe. Each spoken word of the eulogy sliced through the surface of my skin like a razor. I scanned the sea of navy, black, and gray, hoping for a means of relief.
Amidst the grief-stricken faces in the pew across from me, a pouty set of ruby-red lips provided just that.
Relief.
The creamy white color of her skin replaced the harsh reality of the truth. Completely paralyzed by her angelic beauty, I stared. I wondered if I reached out to touch her if she’d simply vanish.
Her pale blue eyes mimicked the clearest of Montana skies. A few ringlets of her curly auburn hair trickled over the front of her shoulders, the tips teasing the hint of cleavage exposed by the neckline of her sleek black dress.
Her appearance was seductive, yet a child-like innocence seemed to encompass her being. I studied her as she did the same with me. Although simplistic and natural, her beauty defied description.
Her full lips parted ever so slightly. Beaming with the same fiery desire that drove my lust-filled stare, she held my gaze.
She tilted her head toward the entrance and raised her brows playfully.
I gave a reassuring nod.
While those seated at her side listened intently to the eulogy, she inched her way past them, toward the end of the pew.
I stood and did the same.
The kindly spoken words of praise echoed behind me as I followed her toward a door in the distance. Upon passing through it and into a darkened corridor, I all but came crashing into her. I steadied myself and took a step back.
Her innocence was gone.
Wearing a seductive smirk, she leaned toward me. As the space between us vanished, I swallowed heavily. I had no idea who she was.
I didn’t care.
I studied her eyes. They gleamed with life. Happiness. Joy. I swam in their suggestions. She unzipped my fly. I narrowed my gaze. She slipped her hand into my pants.
I exhaled an unsteady breath.
Her cold hand gripped my swollen shaft. The flesh-on-flesh contact stripped me of any ability to conceal my desires.
I yanked her dress past her shoulders, taking her bra with it as my hands slid past. Her perfect tits sprung free of the sparse black cups. Nipples as hard as diamonds confirmed her state of arousal mirrored mine.
A fiery urgency surged through my veins. I sank my fingertips deep into her flesh. Firmly, I squeezed her breast, teasing the nipple with the pad of my thumb. My mouth quickly found the other, sucking and biting with such vigor that we came crashing into the wall.
The breath shot from her lungs. Our eyes met. Seemingly unaffected by my savage advance, she held my gaze. Her eyes said what she was obviously afraid to.
My palm raced the length of her inner thigh, taking the hem of her dress with it in the process. My knuckles slammed to a stop against the thin wet fabric that separated me from fulfilling my desire.
My dick twitched in her hand.
Her eyes fluttered, and then fell closed.
In one sharp tug, I pulled her panties to mid-thigh. I held her crumpled dress against her waist and lowered myself to my knees. While I studied the perfection of her naked lower half, I released her breast from my grasp and reached for the crimson lace.
Clutching her panties in my fist, I touched my nose to her skin and drew a slow breath. She smelled like an array of flowers, each of which gave off its own crisp aroma. A hint of gardenias, peonies, and orange blossoms tickled my senses.