Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined #1)

"You did not just bring that up right now."

"Of course I did, your face is priceless!" I say, mocking her as I dodge the pickle she throws at me.



OVER THE next hour, we finished the most entertaining breakfast imaginable. The conversation flowed easily, never lulling even for a minute. We swapped funny stories, laughing at all the crazy things we had done in our teens. At one point, we were so loud the waitress came over and asked us to keep it down. Her warning did nothing to quiet us, though. I was so enamored with this woman, half the time I forgot we were even in a restaurant at all.

After Sarah taught me the finer points of making the perfect breakfast sandwich, we finished up and headed to the register to pay. As soon as we were both on our feet, I reached down to grab her hand, craving the physical connection the table denied me during breakfast. In true Sarah fashion, she lifted my arm and twirled under it before wrapping it around her shoulders and leaning into my chest.

We walked back to her apartment wrapped in each other. I kept my arm around her shoulders and she held my hand as it draped down her chest. Her other hand tucked securely in my back pocket. Every so often, she would look up to give me one of her award-winning smiles and in those moments, as silly as it sounds, I knew that my life was never going to be the same. I was ruined and wrecked, and I hadn't even seen her naked yet.

"Give me a minute and I'll take you to your car," she says as we walk back into her apartment, releasing my hand only to search for her keys.

While I wait, I walk around her apartment looking at her pictures, studying each one for clues about Sarah Erickson. I stop on a picture of her in a bar, huddled together with Manda and Casey. Sarah was in the middle leaning down to their level, arms thrown around them. The girls all looking in different directions, but Sarah was staring directly into the camera. She's dressed almost exactly as she was last night. Different dress, same black heels. Her hair is sweaty and her eye makeup was starting to run. I can almost guarantee it was from a night spent on the dance floor.

Less than twenty-four hours ago, I would have told you she looked ridiculous. Now, I can honestly say, I have never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. I have an overwhelming desire to steal the picture, but I'm sure I'd never hear the end of it if she caught me trying to escape with it shoved down my pants.

"You ready?” she asks, wrapping her arms around my waist from behind. I turn in her grasp, reaching up with both hands to tuck stray hairs behind her ears and peering into her clear blue eyes.

"How weird would be if I said no?" I ask honestly, and kiss her on her forehead.

"How weird is it that I want to ask you to spend the day with me?" she responds, standing up on her toes, kissing me chastely on the lips.

"How weird is it that I want to spend the rest of the day kissing you?" I kiss her a little longer, sucking her bottom lip into my mouth, grazing it with my teeth as I pull away.

"How weird is it that I want to do far more than just kiss you for the rest of the day?" she says, grabbing the back of my head and pulling me down to gain access to my neck, licking and sucking her way up to my ear.

"How weird is it that we keep saying 'how weird is it'?" I joke, groaning as she bites me.

Reaching down, I roughly grab her ass grinding into her with my hard on, causing her to let out a growl. My lips land on hers just seconds before I thrust my tongue into her mouth. Her tongue meets my every stroke, twisting and dancing with mine. Suddenly, I lose all sense of control. I'm desperate for her and completely unable to keep my hands in the respectable territory anymore. Pushing her ten steps backwards until she falls onto the chair across from her couch, I drop to my knees in front of her in order to continue the kiss. I pull away only long enough to remove her shirt, immediately resuming my assault on her mouth.

I slowly trace down her arms and up her smooth stomach, smiling to myself when I feel the goosebumps that pebble her skin. I release her mouth when my hands reach the softness of her breasts. The sexiest moan escapes her lips as I gently cup them. She makes no move to touch me and sits perfectly still watching my hands caress her body. I feel her breathing begin to quicken, but still, she says nothing. Needing to see more than her black bra allows, I reach around to the back, flicking open the clasp. For a moment, I lock my eyes to hers trying to gauge her reaction. I don't want to push her into something she isn't ready for, but she has made no attempt to stop my wandering hands.

Throwing caution to the wind, I decide to keep moving. I glide the straps off her shoulders making sure to drag the tips of my fingers across her skin as I pull her bra down her arms, dropping it to the floor beside us. I continue my stare as a slow grin creeps across her face.