Page 13 of Let it Ignite
She shakes her head, her eyes shimmering with tears, her lips parting, her breath hitching.
“No. Never, Byron.” She lifts her eyes to mine, wide and shimmering, her lips trembling. “You’re the kindest… the most gentle man I know.”
She laughs, but it’s hollow, broken at the edges, and a tear slips down her cheek. “And that’s what terrifies me.”
I reach for her, but she steps back, just enough to keep the space between us aching. Her arms wrap around her middle like she’s trying to hold herself together.
“I was so anxious after you left, worrying if you were going to be okay. I was scared I was going to lose you like my mom.”
My chest tightens. I step toward her, but don’t touch her yet. I wait.
“I can’t live without you, Byron.”
“We’ll figure this out, okay.” I say. “But fighting fires is what I do, what I always wanted to do. It’s just as much a part of me as you are, and I can’t give that up.”
She looks down, hands fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. “There’s more…” She drags in a breath, her chest risingand falling. “I still want this dream. The one I’ve had since I was a kid. The auditions. The lights, the cameras. I want to chase it—because if I don’t, I’ll always wonder what could’ve been. It’s all I ever I wanted, even if it means moving to Los Angeles.”
The thought of Cassie so far away makes it impossible to breathe.
Her eyes meet mine again, pleading. “I need you to understand that. Please.”
I close my eyes, a familiar, bitter fear curling around my heart. I’ve seen what happens when someone gives up their dreams for another person. I watched my father trap my mother in this small town, watched him clip her wings, smother her spirit, until there was nothing left of the woman she once was. I watched my sisters grow up in the shadow of that, learning to shrink themselves, to settle, to accept less because that’s what they thought they deserved because we had a bitter, abusive father who couldn’t step up.
I swore I’d never be that man. If I ever found the right woman—the one who set my soul on fire, who made me feel like living was more than just surviving—I’d never hold her back. I’d never be the reason she felt trapped.
I tilt her face up, my fingers threading through her hair, my voice rough, raw. “Cassie, I’d burn this whole damn town down before I let you feel caged. If chasing your dreams means going to the city for that audition, then I’ll take you. I’ll drive you there myself. I’ll be right beside you, cheering you on, every step of the way. And if that means you moving away from me, I’ll still be there for you. I’ll find a way for us, no matter what it takes.”
Her breath catches, a tear slipping free, her eyes going wide. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
I brush my thumb over her trembling lips, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. “I’d do anything for you, Cassie. I care about you more than I can even put into words.”
She makes a sound—something between a sob and a laugh—then she’s grabbing my face, pulling me down, her lips crashing into mine. It’s not a gentle kiss. It’s fierce, desperate, teeth clashing, tongues tangling, her fingers fisting in my hair, her body pressing into mine like she wants to crawl inside me.
I break the kiss, my breaths coming in sharp, ragged gasps, my forehead resting against hers, my hands gripping her soft, trembling waist, my cock already throbbing, hard and desperate for her. I can feel her pulse racing beneath my fingertips, her skin warm and flushed, her chest heaving against mine.
“Thank you, Byron. You make me feel like I can conquer the world with you.”
“Of course, baby you can.” She leans and kisses me. The kiss is soft and reverent and makes me want Cassie even more.
“Strip for me, Cassie,” I growl, my voice rough, my eyes locked on hers. “I need you naked. Now.”
She doesn’t hesitate. Her hands fumble for the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head, her messy hair falling around her flushed face, her bare, perfect tits bouncing free, her nipples hard and begging for my mouth. My hands slide down to the waistband of her shorts, and I yank them down, her panties going with them, my eyes raking over every perfect, trembling inch of her.
“Fuck, baby,” I rasp, my hands finding her hips, pulling her against me, my cock grinding against her wet, bare slit, her soft, desperate moans making my head spin. “You’re perfect. You’re fucking perfect.” I get rid of my shirt. And I kick off mypants, my cock springing free, thick and ready, pulsing with the same wild, desperate need I see in her eyes.
God, she’s perfect. All soft curves and bare skin, her breasts bouncing as she climbs into my lap, straddling me with that sweet, shy smile that doesn’t match the wild fire in her eyes.
“You want this, baby?” I rasp, hands tight on her hips. “You gonna ride me like you own me?”
She leans in, her breath hot against my ear. “I already do.”
And then she sinks down onto me, her tight little body taking me inch by inch, her nails digging into my shoulders, her mouth open in a silent gasp. She’s so small, so tight, it’s almost too much. Almost.
“Fuck—Cassie,” I choke, my hands fisting in the sheets as she starts to move, grinding down, rolling her hips like she was made to break me.
She plants her hands on my chest, riding me like she’s got something to prove, like she’s trying to ruin me for anyone else. And it’s working. Every bounce, every squeeze, every moan that spills from her lips has me right on the edge.
“You feel that?” she pants, dragging her fingers down my chest. “That’s what you do to me, Byron. I can’t stop thinking about you. About this.”
