Thepulse of excitement and nerves sparked a match in my veins. I was hungry withanticipation, for that spark to engulf my life in flames. Everything I everwanted was on my arm and within my reach, and with the added buzz from the cityaround us, I tugged Kylie toward the darkened side of a building.
Weknew nobody in this town, and nobody knew us—not yet. Nobody would care if Itook her right then and there.
“WasBen Franklin a street performer here?” I asked, pushing her back against theaged bricks.
“Whatare you doing?” she hissed, her eyes aimed toward the sidewalk. “AndBenFranklin? What?”
“Remember…” I began, as my hands slid over her curves, gripping my fingers around theside of her chest and brushing my thumbs over her nipples. “You told me that Ishouldn’t give up hope, because Ben Franklin was a street performer and he grewup to do everything.”
“Ican’t believe you remember that.” She laughed gently, her eyes lolling with themanipulations of my hands on her body. “Ben Franklin grew up in Boston, babe.He didn’t move to Philly until he was in his late-teens and I have no idea ifhe performed in the streets then.”
Itook one step closer to her, engulfing myself in the shadows and pressed myhardening erection against her. “Why the hell do you know so much about BenFranklin?”
Hergaze fell to my chest and her pulse quickened in her throat. “It’s so dumb,”she giggled, hooking her thumbs in my beltloops.
“Nodumber than me pining over you for a third of my life,” I growled, craning myneck to brush my lips over the outer edge of her ear. I inhaled the scent ofher hair, kissing her earlobe.
Herbreath hissed through her teeth and she arched her back, pressing her chestagainst me. “I Googled struggling artists once, just to give you some confidence,and he was one I read about.”
Igrazed my nose over her ear, down her throat, and pressed my lips to herthroat. “Tell me something, KJ.”
“What?”Her fingers left my beltloops, slid over my chest, and slipped around my neck.Pressing my mouth to her skin, holding me there.
“Howlong have you been in love with me?”
Idon’t know why I had never thought to ask the question before. Our relationshiphad quickly progressed toIloveyou’s, without asingle question from me, but there, on the streets of Philadelphia, I wondered.I wondered what had drawn her to standing by my side, to cooking dinner for me,to saying I love you the first time after we woke up together on the couch.
“That’sa weird question to ask right now,” she laughed, tipping her forehead to myshoulder.
“Ijust never thought to before,” I whispered, tracing a line to that hollowlittle spot between her throat and collar. I circled my tongue there, taking mytime as her breath caught against my ear, and her fingers dug into myshoulders.
“I… I don’t know, Dev.”
“Doyou know when I fell in love with you?” I asked, kissing my way back up theivory pillar of her throat, nudging my nose into her hairline and inhalingdeeply. The outside world had faded, leaving behind only me and her in thatalleyway.
Uninhibited,I felt naked. Like I could do anything, say anything.
Unableto speak, she shook her head, pushing her hands into my hair. Tufts wedgedbetween her fingers and she pulled gently, tilting her hips against me. Theoriginal intent of the alleyway escapade had almost left my mind with thoughtsof falling in love, but with that reminder, I responded by grinding my erectionagainst her thigh.
“Ithought I loved you before, but … the field of daisies,” I whispered into herear in a low voice. “Thatwas when I fell in love with you. That waswhen I made the decision to forfeit my dreams for you, to make sure you werealways okay.”
“Thatwas a long time ago,” she said, her voice instantly choked by the reminder ofthat dark day.
Despiteher manual protests, I lifted my head from her neck. I put my lips to hers,closing my eyes to enjoy a kiss that would have lasted hours, if I had my way.My tongue languorously stroked against hers, holding onto her little moans andswallowing them to mingle with my own. I reached for her thigh, lifted it andhooked her leg around my waist.
Withmy hand pressed to the brick behind her head, I kissed her and unzipped myjeans, freeing my throbbing erection. I pulled her panties to the side, losingmyself inside her heat and finding my soul in the connection of our hearts.
ThankGod she hadworea dress.
“God… Devin …” she groaned against my mouth, and she whimpered with every long,slow stroke against that old brick wall in Philadelphia, where Ben Franklin mayor may not have performed hundreds of years ago.
Ipulled my mouth away, stared at her wet and pouty lips. Her lids were closed,her hair rasping gently against the building, and I watched the changing of herperfect features. Months of togetherness and I hadn’t grown tired of it. Hadn’tyet gotten sick of hearing my name rolling on her tongue in that lustful way. Iwas addicted to it, the way I was now also addicted to hearing the crowd screammy name, and I thought about how wrong I was all those years ago.
Ireally could have it all.
Icould have the girlandtherockstarlife.
Icould get lucky. Hell, I already was.
