To Love Read Free

stations.
    Lucy appeared at her side. "You will start with preparing desserts and salads." She touched Kelsey's arm. "Don't be nervous. We're all here to help you."
    That evening, Kelsey prepared various salads—Caesar, herbed spinach, vegetable, and green—and portioned puddings, cakes, and fruit desserts.
    The hours flew by until finally, calm replaced the storm. Kelsey wiped her forehead on her sleeve. She was exhausted and exhilarated. When the dinner guests started trickling out, Lucy sent her home.
    There were still traces of adrenaline flowing through Kelsey's veins, but all she wanted to do now was go home, have a bath, and crawl into bed. It had been a long day, spent half at The Academy and half at The Hot Pot, but she'd loved every second of it.
    Just as she was about to climb into bed, there was a knock at the door.
    Shaun.
    "You can't sleep yet." He raised a bottle of champagne between them. "You need to celebrate."
    Kelsey's throat tightened with emotion but she resisted being carried away. It didn't have to mean anything. "How can I say no to that?" She stepped aside.
    Inside, Shaun uncorked the bottle, but didn't drink the champagne. He told her alcohol clouded his mind and made him do things he regretted.
    Kelsey drank one glass and placed it, empty, on the coffee table. "That was nice. Thank you." Feeling relaxed in his presence, she stretched out on the couch with a sigh, and closed her eyes.
    "You're welcome." Suddenly, she inhaled the mint on his breath, felt its warmth on her skin. When she opened her eyes, she saw liquid desire smoldering in his.
    Never good at resisting him, she reached for him and he lowered his hard body on top of hers. Her senses leapt with excitement. As his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth, she forgot about all the things he couldn't offer her beyond the bedroom. She stopped thinking about the pain he would leave behind when they parted. It didn't matter now. Now he was hers. She would take the little moments as they came, absorb all the passion that was released as their mouths met, their tongues tangled, and their breaths mingled. He pulled up her sweater and released her breasts from her bra, then palmed them with warm hands while his erection pushed against her body, begging to be set free. She closed her eyes again and drifted off to a place where only they existed. He undressed both of them, stealing kisses as he removed pieces of clothing.
    Mere seconds passed while he slid on a condom and lifted her off the couch, moving her to the nearby wall. Pressing her against it, he slid into her, fitting perfectly as he always did. She bit her lip so hard it hurt as he rammed into her, pulled out almost completely, and buried himself in her again. Kelsey moaned and allowed herself to drown in a cocktail of pleasure and pain. It was quick, raw, desperate, and satisfying. When he squeezed her butt and buried his sweaty face into the hollow of her neck, she knew he was about to come, and it turned her on so much that explosive currents raced through her, drugging her.
    He pushed into her one more time and stilled, breathing heavily, then pushed again, harder, and stilled. At the third push, he groaned, and the sound vibrated through her whole body, and she came too, holding on to him for support, her orgasm sending blood surging from her fingertips to her toes.
    They stood there for a long time afterward, with him still filling her up, his face still buried in her neck, her fingers in his damp hair. When he pulled out and lowered her to the floor, she knew what would come next, the price she would always have to pay for pleasure. While they dressed, she refused to look at him, avoiding the pain that mixed with remnants of passion, the guilt that came before he walked away.
    And just like every time, he did. Just like every time, she cried, sinking back into the misery he left behind. How long would she settle for nothing? Perhaps it was wiser to look past what he did to her