Ignite

Eyes rolled and fighting back tears, Chloe could feel his tongue working wonders with his head buried underneath her dress. 

Her legs shook uncontrollably gently, as she moaned ever so hard, but he didn't stop. His hands cupped her breasts for support as he continued to move his tongue between her wet thighs.

Every flick of his tongue made her body quiver, a rush of warmth bringing the hairs on her skin to life. Her body jerked, and her fingers instinctively curled into the sheets.

He lifted his head and gazed into her soul with his deep brown eyes. His lips curled into a cheeky smile and his hands gripped her waist in place. 

Chloe felt the wind, hot as her desires, gush through her lungs. He looked familiar, but she didn't care. 

She wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him closer to her. But he simply smiled and whispered into her ear.

“You've been a very naughty girl”

“Harvey!”

A soft gasp escaped her lips as Chloe jolted awake.

Harvey Fletcher, Rachel’s dad and her father’s closest friend, was the last person she should want to think about like this. But she did.

Her sheets twisted around her legs, and her skin felt warm as beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. 

It was a dream, no doubt, but the wetness between her legs was real.

Chloe got up and slipped out of the bed. She refused to look back at the sheets, as if they might accuse her of something.

This was stupid. People had dreams all the time. Inappropriate ones. Embarrassing ones. It meant nothing.

She dragged a hand down her face and exhaled slowly, willing her body to calm down. It would pass. It had to.

She walked quietly out of the room and down the hallway. The house was still, wrapped in that early morning hush that kept everything deceptively calm. She kept her eyes forward. If she moved normally, acted normally, then everything would be normal.

No one knew what had happened inside her head.

No one ever would.

She filled a cup at the kitchen sink, took a long sip, and exhaled slowly. She turned and nearly dropped the glass. Harvey was awake, sitting at the dining table like he’d been there the whole time.

He wore navy blue slacks and a fitted shirt, his jacket draped over one arm. He styled his hair neatly and rolled up his sleeves just enough to reveal the familiar tattoo her father also had on his wrist.

A cup of coffee steamed on the table beside him as he flipped through the morning paper, impeccably composed and different from the man in her dreams.

Chloe froze and gulped. 

She tried to tiptoe back up the stairs, but her elbow bumped against the edge of the counter. The cup rattled, and she barely stopped it from falling over.

Harvey looked up and met her gaze.

“Good morning,” he said, folding the papers. “I didn't mean to wake you up.”

“You didn't. I just came to get a glass of water.” Chloe responded, her voice softer than she'd intended.

Harvey studied her for a moment, his gaze gentle yet intense. “Did you sleep well?”

Chloe nodded. “I did.”

He tilted his head slightly, unconvinced by the gentle, saggy look in her eyes. “You don’t look like you did.”

Chloe took a step back, her back pressing against the chilly edge of the counter. Harvey rose from his seat and moved towards her with that calm stride that made her tummy flutter.

She wanted to look away, but his presence was impossible to ignore. Her mind screamed at her to leave…but her body betrayed her. She stood perfectly still, that awkward, drizzly thrill from her dream lingering in her head.

“Chloe..are you alright?”

Before she could respond, the soft sound of feet being dragged on the floor padded into the room.

Rachel walked in, half asleep, with her messy hair and eyes barely open. She yawned dramatically before stretching the full length of her body.

“What's with all the noise this morning?” Rachel asked.

Chloe released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Harvey smiled at his daughter. “Good morning to you too,” he said and walked back to the table.

Rachel glanced between the two of them, then at the clock. “It's seven in the morning. Isn't it too early for conversations?”

Chloe forced a smile and took another cup of water to ground herself. If only her best friend knew the actual noise had been inside her head all night. But she couldn’t tell her.

They both watched Harvey take another sip of his coffee. He slipped into his jacket and picked up his car keys from the table. 

Rachel leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest. “Will you be home for dinner?” She asked, already knowing the answer. 

Harvey smiled, his expression softening for the first time that morning. “I will.” He bent over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Try not to skip breakfast.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Just go to work already.”

Harvey chuckled, then straightened. And that's when his eyes drifted to Chloe. 

Chloe felt her chest tighten as she watched her best friend and her father. She couldn't explain the strange feeling deep inside her chest.

“If you need anything,” Harvey said, his eyes still fixed on Chloe. “Tell Rachel. Or you can text me.”

“I will,” Chloe replied.

He nodded. 

He opened the door, and the cool morning air rushed in. But before he stepped out, he glanced back at both of them.

“I'll see you around,” he said to both girls, but his eyes lingered on Chloe a second longer than necessary.

The door closed softly behind him.

Rachel exhaled and pushed off the wall. “He’s so dramatic for someone just going to work.”

Chloe didn’t answer.

She stared at the door a second longer than necessary, then forced herself to look away. This was ridiculous. Last night was only a dream.

Desires born from the stupid mix of exhaustion and too many changes at once. But why did it feel so real?

Chloe clenched her fingers around the glass in her hand and took a steady breath. ‘He's your uncle,’ she whispered to herself.

But even that was not enough to forgive the throbbing between her legs.