by Monroe, Evie
When I opened the door to my apartment, she went inside and her eyes immediately fell on the robotic arm on the coffee table. I hadn’t done any work on it in a week.
“Nice conversation piece,” she observed, walking to my desk where I kept all of my computers and parts. She didn’t say anything, but then she walked to the bookcase and started reading some of the titles there. “Oh, my God.”
I had my hands in the pockets of my jeans, just watching her. “What?”
“You’re a nerd?”
I grinned and hitched a shoulder.
She turned and looked at me, wide-eyed. “Oh, my God, Hart. Do you actually like to tinker and build computers and code and shit?”
I grinned over the flush of pleasure at her interest in what I did. “What can I say? You discovered my secret.”
She shook her head, clearly amused, then made the motion of zipping her lips and throwing away the key. “I won’t tell a soul. Would probably damage your rep with the ladies, you know?”
“Yeah? Well, there’s only one lady whose opinion I care about right now.”
“Oh?” She slipped her cardigan off and threw it on the sofa. Then she slowly came toward me, looking so hot and sexy with her nipples pressing right through her camisole that I was hard by the time she got close.
She wrapped her arms around me, lacing them around my neck. I inhaled the scent of apples as she stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, “You want to know my opinion?”
I looked hungrily into her eyes and waited for the answer.
“My opinion is that you should take me to your bedroom. Right now.”
I wasted no time in scooping her up and carrying her down the hall.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Charlotte
Hart gently set me down on his bed and peeled off his t-shirt. I sat up on my elbows while he stared at me.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re at a loss for what to do?” I teased him.
He moved forward, spanning the distance in a heartbeat. At first I thought he was going to crush his mouth onto mine and fuck me hard and fast, the way he’d done before. But when he was at the edge of the bed, he slowly lifted one of my legs and peeled off my big, woolen sock. Eyes never leaving mine, he teased my ankle with a kiss.
Then, he slowly peeled off the other sock, his breath coming hard and raspy.
He tossed them to the side and kissed my other ankle. Kissed my toes. Licked his way down the arch of my foot while his hand trailed down my calves, to my thigh.
“Anyone every tell you that you have phenomenal . . .”
He paused then, his tongue flicking its way up my leg. “Phenomenal . . . what?” I asked.
“Everything,” he said, reaching down and grabbing the hem of my boxer shorts. He pulled them off, and because I wasn’t wearing any panties, he left me bare. He gazed at me as if he’d never seen a naked woman before. “All of you. It’s perfect.”
I smiled and fell back off my elbows, basking in the compliment. I’d had many men call me things. Whore. Worthless. Trash. But this was the first time anyone had called me perfect.
I couldn’t say I believed it. Not yet. Still, the way he looked at me, so intensely, he could’ve had me believing anything.
My whole body tingled as he crouched at the side of the bed, held me by my ankles and dragged me forward. “Is this okay?”
“Oh yes,” I purred.
“Tell me what you want. Always tell me.”
My voice came out as a croak. “You. Anything you want to do.”
He pressed a finger against my lips. “No, sweetheart. I want to do what you want me to do. What makes you feel good.”
I almost laughed. Everything he did made me feel good.
But then I realized that he was doing this because of my confession to him. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him. It was a leap of faith, even just to make that admission. I’d never told anyone before, because there were some men out there—and I’d met them—who wouldn’t have cared. Who would’ve treated me like the whore they all said I was.
Not Hart. He crouched between my legs; his jeans tented with his hard cock. Waiting for me to tell him how to please me.
I fell a little bit in love with him at that moment.
“Um. Kiss me.”
He lifted his mouth to mine and brushed his lips against them, just a soft, dry kiss, but it made my nipples pucker and my body quiver with need. When he pulled away, his eyes dropped down to my bare pussy, and he planted his hands, one on each thigh.
“Touch me.”
“Sure.” He dipped his tongue into my mouth, and as he did, he gently touched my clit, rubbing in soft, slow circles. His other hand cupped my face, thumb rubbing my throat, up to my chin. His mouth trailed to my earlobe, sucking on it, as his thumb swept across my lip, into my mouth. I tongued it eagerly, sucked it for all I was worth, losing all sense of myself.
Maybe he could see that I didn’t believe him, because he buried his face in my neck. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he breathed into my ear.
I didn’t react. I guess I didn’t know how.
Then he covered my throat with his big hand and tilted my face so that I had no choice but to look into his eyes. “You understand?”
I nodded dumbly. Because it didn’t matter what he told me. He could’ve called me worthless, and I would’ve reacted just the same. I wanted him, no matter what. I was so completely his.
“Do you want my finger inside you?”
I nodded, helpless.
He slowly inched a finger inside and began to move it in and out. The way way he took his time, so sexy and sweet, letting me know he cared what I needed, I could barely breathe. “Yes. That’s good.”
“More?”
I nodded because I couldn’t even speak.
He added a finger and started to thrust into me, fucking me with expert fingers. I shuddered, my hands gripping his hard shoulders, as he held me in place, only letting me move to rock my hips to his thrusts.
I wanted more. He pushed himself closer, spreading my legs impossibly wide, going faster. Faster. His other hand dragged from my throat to my breast, squeezing it, tweaking my nipple hard. I opened my mouth, panting ragged breaths like an animal in heat as he continued his assault. My body was so hungry, so starved, I wanted everything he could give me.
He set his forehead on mine and continued driving his fingers into me, palming my clit. He seemed to revel in the moans of pleasure he tore from my throat. Ripples of feeling shot across my body, spiraling out as he milked me closer and closer to the edge, rubbing and thrusting with a rhythm that made me shake.
I tensed and came so hard, I threw my body against his chest. I would’ve sunk right into the mattress if he hadn’t been there to hold me still. He held his fingers inside me, as my pussy contracted and I gushed all over the bed. I moaned and cried like a puppy, staring at him in disbelief.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
I debated for a moment whether to tell him, then decided I was bare naked on his bed—there was no reason to have any shame now. “You’re the first man who has ever made me come.”
“Yeah?” He kept his forehead pressed up against mine, breathing hard. “That’s a goddamn shame.”
“I’d honestly started thinking I didn’t work that way. That something was wrong with me.”
“Trust me, baby. There’s nothing wrong with you.” He lifted his forehead from mine. The look on his face was pure, badass male pride as he slid his sopping wet hand from my pussy, brought his fingers to his mouth, and sucked my juices. “You taste good.”
I tried to sit up and look for my boxers, wherever they’d gone, using the sheet to cover myself. He tugged my hand away and slipped a hand between my damp thighs.
“Don’t think I’m done with you, yet,” he said, slipping a finger under my chin and lifting my mouth to his. He nibbled sexily at my lips, and I could taste myself on his tongue.
“What did you have
in mind?” I asked.
“No. It’s whatever you have in mind.”
I sat up, grabbing him by the waistband of his jeans, and dragged him toward me. I climbed up to my knees on the bed, pressing my tits up against his body, and he groaned low in his throat. He reached for the fabric of my tank top, the only thing between us now, yanking it out of shape so that my breasts popped out of the armholes. “This is a good look for you.”
I smiled. “Oh, yes, this is the new fashion trend. Women will be wearing it like this on the streets next spring.”
“Fuck no. I want these tits all to myself,” he said, dipping his head and licking lightly at a nipple. “They’re too precious to let just anyone see.”
I unbuckled his jeans, slipping the zipper down and sliding the jeans over the magnificent curve of his ass. His cock sprang free, hard and ready for me.
The moment I saw it, I couldn’t help myself. I had a one-track mind. My mouth went wet and my pussy clenched. “Please. Just fuck me.”
He let out a chuckle, and I could tell my request was one he wouldn’t deny. He had one arm still wrapped around my waist, and he lifted me up, cradling my ass in his arms. I wrapped my legs around him, feeling that massive hard length of steel trapped between us.
Then he dragged his lips to mine, nipping at my lips with his teeth in a savage way before plunging his tongue into my mouth again.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, tighter, as his tip touched my entrance. His hands were so big, holding my ass firmly, cupping it, squeezing it. I tilted my pelvis forward, sucking in a breath in anticipation as he slowly lowered me onto his cock so that was sat facing each other.
When he’d found just the right spot, he rocked his hips forward in one sudden movement, meeting me halfway, tearing a raspy moan from my throat.
Every muscle in my body tensed. My head fell back and I inhaled. He held me up as he pushed deeper into me and then began a slow thrust. It was only moments before I felt myself tightening around him. The tight stretch made my orgasm retreat for a moment, but when his thumb began to rub my clit again, it came back with a vengeance and hit me like a freaking freight train. I heard myself scream as I clenched around his thick cock. I sank my nails into his shoulders as I pressed into him, coming and coming and coming.
But he wasn’t finished. No, he was a man possessed.
He looked like an animal, his face rigid with raw concentration as he fucked me, slowly, steadily. “Come on, baby,” he goaded me. I felt the fire building inside, starting low in my belly and screaming through me. “Come, Char. Come on.”
I felt the fire building inside me again. He asked, and I did as I was told. The tension overwhelmed me, sensations bursting inside me one after the other. I had no need for breath as I fell against him, crushing my mouth to his. I kissed him hard, urgent, the world going dark and blurry around me. I hadn’t meant to scream, but oh God, did I scream. He ripped his mouth free, grabbed my hips and stared into my eyes, pressing his forehead against mine.
“There you go, baby,” he growled, lifting his hips off the blanket and thrusting deep inside me. “Come with me.”
I met that thrust with an explosion of pleasure, my eyes rolling back to the sky, fireworks exploding behind my eyelids. He groaned and exploded inside me, gripping my hips and tensing around me.
My scream faded to a whimper, and just when I thought I was done, he rocked into me, stroking my swollen clit, prolonging my orgasm. I couldn’t find the voice to scream anymore. I just let the smaller ripples lap over me, as my body fell into a pile of mush.
I collapsed against his chest, my body heaving. Resting my cheek on his collarbone as small aftershocks coursed through my body, I finally understood what true happiness felt like.
“Um. Wow,” I said, shell-shocked. “That was . . . wow.”
He slipped out of me and rolled onto his side, gazing at me. “Good?”
Beyond good. I did the bobble-head nod again, wishing I could think of an exact word to describe it. Heavenly, Amazing, Incredible . All seemed to miss the mark. I was sweaty and sticky with his come, and so, so satisfied, like I could have the best night of sleep I’d ever had.
He kissed the tip of my nose gently. “Good. Come here.”
He pulled me to his hard chest, spooning me against his warm, solid muscles, with his cock nestled firmly against the crack of my ass. It felt like slipping into a space that was perfectly made for me. He draped a muscled arm around my waist, holding onto my hands.
“Okay?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
I felt more than okay. For the first time ever, I felt completely safe.
“Hart,” I whispered after a moment. “When I told you about . . . what I told you . . . before?”
“Um-hmm,” he said, kissing my ear. “It’s all right. You don’t have to explain anything.”
I exhaled. “I want to, though. I want to tell you everything.” I chuckled a little. “I’ve never told anyone about it before. But you’re the first person I can trust. I never had . . . anyone.”
His breath was hot on my neck. “What about your parents?”
I sucked a deep breath. “My mom used to panhandle with us. Sitting right outside the supermarket, with a cardboard sign that said she couldn’t feed us. She said our cute faces got us more money. Even if we were hungry, she’d only take money.”
“Wow. Did you—”
“Hush. Let me talk, okay? Every time someone came offering us food or a place to stay, she’d tell them no. She knew exactly how much money was in that can at all times. The second she had enough for a bag of heroin, she’d hand it to my dad, he’d go off and score it, and then they’d shoot up right there in the parking lot. Then . . . right back to panhandling.” I wiped a tear that threatened to fall.
“You’re fucking with me.”
“No, and what was so sad was I thought it was my fault. God, I was so young, maybe seven, when I heard her talking to some guy, trying to sell us for drug money. At the time, I remember being happy about it. I thought if someone bought us, they’d treat us better.”
“Shit, Charlie.”
“So we went to the gas station where the deal was supposed to happen. Jojo was just a baby. Maybe two? Three? And the police showed up. My parents jumped in our car and sped away. That was the last time we ever saw them. They were so fucked up at that point, they didn’t even notice they’d left us behind.”
“Damn, Charlie. I’m sorry. Sorry you had to go through that.”
I took another breath and let it out. “Since then, we’d been in foster care. Bouncing around all over the place. Sometimes a foster family would take siblings, sometimes they wouldn’t. We didn’t have a choice. But I promised Jojo that the second I turned eighteen, I’d get out on my own, and I’d take care of him and raise him the right way. It wasn’t easy. But I did it.”
“You’re damn right, you did. You’re fucking hardcore. Anyone ever tell you that?”
I smiled. “No, been called a lot of things, but hardcore isn’t one of them. I never wanted a thank you for just doing what it took to make sure my brother and I survived, and that was a good thing, because I never got one. I figure that one day, ten years from now, when Jojo is grown with a job and a family of his own, he might look back and say thank you. If he doesn’t, no biggie. When you love someone as much as I love him, you’re bound to put up with a lot of little injustices like that.”
“You are a great lady, Charlotte.”
“Thanks.” I yawned and settled up against Hart’s body, wishing I could stay there forever.
It was only as I was drifting off to sleep that I realized he came in me hard, and we hadn’t used a condom.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hart
I fell asleep, cradling Charlie in my arms, dragging in the apple scent of what must’ve been her shampoo, and I held her close against my chest.
What seemed like only seconds later, I heard a faint buzzing and realized it was my phone,
vibrating on the nightstand.
I reached over to grab it and squinted in the green glow of my digital clock. It said three in the morning.
Kissing Charlie on her bare shoulder, I pulled my arm from hers and slid out of the bed, grabbed the phone, and looked at the display.
What did Joel want?
Moonlight slashed in through the blinds, illuminating a faint smile on Charlie’s pretty face. I didn’t want to wake her, so I quickly headed out of the bedroom and closed the door. As I padded down the hallway naked, I answered. “Hey, kid,” I said, throwing myself down on the sofa. “You okay?”
“Hart?”
Shit. I could tell from that one word that things were most definitely not okay. He sounded like a wounded little kid. Like he’d been crying.
I sat up straight. “What’s going on, Joel? Talk to me.”
“I think I’m in trouble.”
After Charlie had poured her little heart out to me, I’d gone to sleep last night knowing exactly what I had to do. At all costs, I’d protect Joel. He didn’t just mean a lot to her. He was her whole life. From what she’d said, I’d learned she spent a lot of her time bearing the brunt of the world’s shit, just so he wouldn’t have to.
Protecting him like that might have been a mistake, because he didn’t have the tools to deal with the situation he was in right now.
But the poor kid hadn’t known what kind of hornet’s nest he was stepping on. Neither did Charlie. Unlike Joel, though, she had balls. Knowing her, she would’ve run down to the Hell’s Fury clubhouse and demanded they leave him alone.
I couldn’t let her do that. She’d get herself killed.
“What trouble?” I said, hoping that he’d just blown a tire on his way home. Something simple and fixable.
But then he said the thing that made me curse under my breath and punch the coffee table with my fist. All the little pieces of the arm I was tinkering with went flying in all directions. He said, “I think they know.”