by A. M. Kusi
She panted, her hot breath by his ear. “Yes. Oh, yes. Andre!”
Her words obliterated everything but his overwhelming urge to make her come. He moved faster, grunting each time he drove into her deeper. The scent of her arousal was potent and powerful. He locked eyes with her, adding a little more pressure to her clit as he slammed her body down on his. Her whimpers and cries and the string of Spanish coming from her mouth were like a bolt of pleasure straight to his cock.
“That’s it. Come for me. I want to see that beautiful face when you become completely unhinged. Come for me, baby.” He gave all his attention to that sweet, sensitive spot as her legs clamped around him like a vise.
“Dre!” Her mouth formed the perfect O as her pupils dilated. Tendrils of dark hair slipped over her face. His tongue swept inside her mouth, taking one more taste of her forbidden pleasure. Ecstasy gathered at his spine. The force was unstoppable as his cock throbbed and pulsed, emptying inside her.
Forehead against forehead, they stayed like that, her pressed against the wall, thighs wrapped around him. The panting of their breaths were the only sounds in the room as what they’d just done descended upon him like a tidal wave.
He set her down gently before pulling up his pants. Panic paralyzed him, taking away from the satiated bliss. I didn’t use a condom. He didn’t even carry them anymore.
Mia searched the ground before picking up the torn panties and balling them in her fist.
“I’m sorry.” He ran a hand over his head. What else could he say after he’d acted on impulse and destroyed everything in a matter of minutes?
“It’s okay. I can buy more,” she said.
“We didn’t use a condom.”
“Oh,” she said, obviously too caught up herself to realize their mistake. “I have an IUD, and I’m clean.”
“I’m good too. I got checked after . . . There hasn’t been anyone in more than a year,” he said.
“Then we’re all good.” She smiled, taking a step closer to him.
“I’m not looking for a relationship.”
Mia crossed her arms in front of her, her lips still swollen and pink from his kisses. His own mouth tingled where she’d bitten him. Fuck she was feisty. He wanted round two already.
“It’s a good thing I’m not looking for one then.” She furrowed her brow.
“This can’t happen again,” he clarified.
She sighed. “Fine. I’m not playing this game with you anymore.”
“What game?” he snapped.
“The one where you pretend you don’t want me and take out your sexual frustration on me because we have chemistry. It’s just sex. I’m not asking for more. I can’t have more.” Her voice wavered on the last sentence.
Why did she believe that?
“I can’t do just sex with a woman. I’m not that kind of guy.” He stood straighter, holding on to the last shred of his pride.
“Oh yeah?” She turned to go, delivering her parting shot over her shoulder. “Because you just did.”
Chapter 17
Andre
Turning left at the light, Andre drove down the road to The Shipwreck. His phone rang, and he answered using the Bluetooth option in his car.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Andre. It’s Tom.”
“Hey, buddy. How’s the hand?” Andre asked, slowing as he approached the parking lot of the pub.
“Doc says it didn’t go through the bone. Got some pain meds, and I’m all stitched up.”
“That’s great news.” He cracked his neck as he pulled into a parking space. “I’ll take care of the medical bill and send you your regular check until you recover enough to come back to work.” Yes, it was generous, but he valued the man’s work ethic and skill. It had been his fault Tom had gotten hurt in the first place. He’d make sure the man and his family were cared for, even if it put him in the red.
“You don’t have to do that—”
“I insist, Tom. You’re a valued member of our crew,” Andre argued.
“Thank you, sir. It’s just that Miss Garcia stopped by the hospital and gave me a check already. I wouldn’t have taken it, but she handed it to my wife and insisted she’d cleared it with you. I wish I didn’t need it, but I’m the only one bringing in money in my family.”
Mia had visited his employee? She’d paid him? She had said she would.
“Let me know if it’s not enough, or if you need anything else,” Andre said.
“I will. And I’ll be back to work as soon as the doctor clears me. I want to pay her back. I know I’m leaving you in the lurch.” Tom’s voice lowered as if he were ashamed. There was nothing shameful about doing what you needed to do to support your family and put food in your kids’ mouths.
“I know you’ll be back at it in no time. You have a good night with your family.”
“You too,” Tom said before ending the call.
Andre sighed, a mixture of emotions battering his rib cage. He’d fought with Mia and blamed her for Tom’s injury, then he’d fucked her before picking yet another fight with her. He was an asshole. Why was everything falling apart, slipping through his hands like quicksand?
What had he done? He’d crossed lines that could never be uncrossed. It was reckless and stupid, not even using a condom. He hadn’t asked her if she wanted it—he’d acted like an animal. Though she had too. He smiled, touching the tender flesh of his bottom lip that was still sore from her bite.
Maybe now that she was out of his system, he would be able to carry on and not react so strongly to her.
Andre climbed from the truck and headed into the pub to meet Bently and Mikel. He nodded to Mason, the guy who worked security most evenings.
“Hey, buddy. Nice night.”
One side of Mason’s scarred face turned up into a smile. “Sure is.”
Opening the door, Andre entered the blue-lit room. The giant fish tanks built into the walls on either side danced water shadows across the dance floor.
Bently was already seated at the bar with Mikel, making him the last to arrive.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Mikel said, before taking a drink of his soda.
He had to hand it to the man, staying sober while having temptation thrown in his face all the time. Andre didn’t know if he’d be able to abstain, and yesterday evening with Mia was proof of his lack of self-control.
“What are you two troublemakers up to tonight?” Andre asked, taking a seat next to Bently.
“Bent is having a bit of woman troubles,” Mikel supplied.
Andre exaggerated his shocked expression. “The myth, the legend—the man-whore of Shattered Cove is having . . . woman troubles?”
Bently punched his arm hard enough to leave a bruise. “It’s not like this guy could help. He’s been a fucking priest for the last year, unless you hooked up with that blonde a while back?”
Andre shook his head. “Nah. I don’t have it in me to take the kind of risks you do.” Except with Mia apparently.
“What risks? My heart isn’t ever involved. I think you might be defective. You are the only man I’ve ever known to always get his heart involved when he uses his dick. Don’t you know they’re separate organs?” Bently chuckled and took another swig of his beer.
“I meant risks like herpes, you dumb fuck.” Andre smacked his friend’s back.
“What can I get you, Dre?” Charli asked.
“I think I need the hard stuff tonight,” Andre answered.
“It’s probably the only thing that gets hard for you anymore.” Bently and Mikel burst out laughing.
He could end all of this teasing with the fact that he had gotten laid just yesterday, but then his friends would ask too many questions.
“Alright, lay off Dre. This is about you, bro. And how you’ve been chasing a woman who won�
��t give you the time of day,” Mikel said.
“What? Your charms aren’t working on someone for once?” Andre smirked.
“They seem to have the opposite effect on her actually,” Bently grumbled.
Does he mean Mia? The tiny hairs on the back of Andre’s neck stood on end. The air around him buzzed with an electric current as his senses became hyper-aware. He turned around, catching sight of her brown eyes. His chest tightened as he struggled to draw a breath.
Mia looked away from him as she walked towards the bar. She had on a bright yellow dress that stopped a few inches above her knee. Her coffee hair spilled loosely over her shoulders as she brushed a stray lock from her face.
“You know what they say though—try, try again,” Bently said. “I think I’ll practice a little more with Mia.” He laughed as Mia approached them with a hesitant smile directed at his buddy.
Dread and pain coursed through Andre, jealousy rearing its ugly head. He still couldn’t believe they’d had sex. Explosive, world-shaking sex. Mia had to be the one Bently was talking about. I’m so fucked.
“Hey, baby,” Bently said, standing to give Mia a hug. Andre clenched his fists and grabbed the glass Charli had placed in front of him at some point, savoring the burn of the alcohol as he downed it in one shot.
“Another.” He waved to Charli.
“Sorry I’m late,” Mia said.
“You’re right on time, and my, you look delicious.”
Andre wasn’t facing them, but he would bet his business Bently was flashing Mia his best smile complete with eye-fucking. This shouldn’t bother him as much as it did.
Mia laughed. “Is he always this much?”
Mikel answered her, “Bently never changes. His ego is bigger than anyone else I know.”
“That’s not all that’s big,” Bently said.
Charli tugged at the glass in Andre’s hand. He’d been gripping it like a vise as she studied him curiously. She filled it with more amber liquor.
“Thanks,” he said, taking another drink as soon as she’d finished. Maybe he could drown the turmoil wreaking havoc in his chest with the alcohol.
“Don’t mind our rude friend. He’s just cranky because he hasn’t gotten laid in a loooong time,” Bently joked, as Andre turned around to face them.
Mia’s eyes darted from him to the dance floor, her cheeks glowing with a slight blush as her finger traced the light purple bruise on her neck where he’d marked her. She’d done her best to cover it with makeup, erase him. Too bad he couldn’t forget her.
“That’s okay. How about a dance?” she asked Bently.
He hooked his arm around her waist and led her towards the other couples on the dance floor.
“You okay, man?” Mikel asked.
“Just peachy.”
“You worried about what happened to Tom?” Mikel took another sip of his drink.
“Yeah, he’s gonna pull through though,” Andre answered his friend as Bently pulled Mia close, wiggling his hips and spinning her around. She laughed. His hands roamed dangerously low, landing just above her ass. The same ass I had in my hands as I came inside her little more than twenty-four hours ago.
Mikel chuckled, but he’d missed whatever he’d said. Andre was too preoccupied by Bently and Mia. The woman he wanted. Fuck, he did want her. Again, and again.
“I’m gonna head home. It’s my turn to put the kids to bed while Remy has some alone time,” Mikel said, throwing some bills onto the bar top.
“See you later.” Andre nodded, not taking his eyes from Mia.
Mikel leaned in and spoke close to his ear. “You know he brought her here to rile you up, right?”
“What?”
Mikel nodded towards the dance floor. “He’s got it bad for some other girl who won’t give him the time of day. He said he’s lost all interest in other women. The only reason he invited Mia was to get your stubborn ass back into enjoying life.”
Bently didn’t want Mia? “What the hell does Mia have to do with that?”
“Dude, you really are in denial. The tension between you two is white-hot.”
“That’s why we fight like cats and dogs?”
Mikel shook his head and chuckled. “Sometimes the best fucking comes after all that fighting. All that passion bottled up.”
If only Mikel knew how right he was. “I don’t need to hear that shit about my sister.”
Mikel shrugged. “I’m not saying Bent won’t take advantage of your situation. You know how he is. It’s now or never.” His friend walked away, leaving him alone at the bar to stew in the anger and jealousy radiating through every cell of his body.
Mia’s head rested on Bently’s shoulder as they moved to a slow dance. Did she fit Bently’s body as perfectly as she’d felt against his?
Andre gulped the rest of his drink and got to his feet. His heart raced the closer he got. He tapped on Bently’s shoulder.
“Mind if I cut in?”
Bently smirked like he’d won the biggest prize at the fair. “About damn time.”
Mia looked between the two men, obviously as in the dark about this setup as he had been.
“I gotta get going anyways. You’ll make sure she gets back to her car safe?” Bently asked.
“Of course.” Andre wrapped his arms around Mia as they started to dance.
“What is this?” she asked, straight to the point.
“Did you know I was going to be here?”
She shook her head. “I agreed to meet Bently for a drink. I figured it would just be us. He’s been asking me for a while.”
“It really was just sex to you?” he asked, emotion clogging his throat. What answer did he want from her?
“Yes.” Her voice rose an octave higher with her answer.
“Do you still want that?”
She pulled back to look him in the eyes. “I’ve made it no secret that I’m attracted to you. I meant it when I said I can’t do a relationship right now. It will just be sex, nothing more.”
“Then I just have one more question for you.” He nearly growled his words as his cock throbbed with the fantasies playing out in his head that could now come to fruition.
“What?” Her voice came out breathy as she slid her hands over his chest.
“Your place, or mine?”
Chapter 18
Andre
Andre held Mia’s hand as they rushed through the alley in the darkness.
“Do you always walk through here at night?” Shattered Cove was a safe town, but things still happened.
“No, it was just such a beautiful night, so I left my car at the studio.” After a moment of silence, she laughed. “I can’t believe stone-cold Andre is actually going through with this.”
He stopped abruptly, pulling her close enough to taste her cinnamon breath on his lips. “I couldn’t resist you.” Pawing her ass, he pulled her tightly against him.
She let loose the tiniest of moans and his cock twitched against his pants in anticipation of the fun ahead. It was going to be a long night. “Little witch?”
“Me?” she asked, her voice molten.
He nodded, his nose brushing hers in the darkness. Her face glowed in the moonlight. The lunar sphere glinted off the broken glass in the otherwise black alley.
“I’m gonna make you come on my mouth.”
She licked her lips as a breathy sigh left her. Her thighs clenched against his.
“How many times have you ever come in one day?” he asked, enjoying the torturous foreplay with words. There was no need to rush this time—they had all night.
“Just one.”
“Then I can’t wait to show you what it’s like to fuck a real man.” He kissed her jaw as she tilted her head to grant him better access. He ran his finger over the makeup covering the bruise on her
skin. “You tried to hide this?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he said, slipping into the commanding role that came so naturally to him.
“If I do, will you punish me?” she asked, her eyes wild with lust.
His heart rate increased as her words shot arrows of desire through his chest. Damn if this woman wasn’t perfect enough. That was the hottest thing he’d ever heard. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
She bit her lip and looked him confidently in the eyes. “Yes, but I should warn you—I’m a stubborn woman, so it may take a lot of punishment to teach me a lesson.”
Dead. He was gone. All the blood rushed to his cock. He needed to have her. Right fucking now.
His mouth crashed onto hers as his tongue invaded Mia’s mouth, seeking to conquer just a piece of the control she’d stolen away from him. She moaned, leaning into him, surrendering. He pulled back to drink her in. The moon highlighted her glossy swollen lips and lust-filled eyes. He couldn’t wait any longer.
Mia’s gaze widened, and her shoulders tensed under his grip. Before he could utter another word, cold sharp metal pressed against his neck.
“Back up slowly or I’ll cut your throat,” a malicious voice said.
Every muscle in his body went rigid. Fear coated Mia’s expression. She trembled. He backed away from her, following instructions, hands held up.
“What do you want?” Andre asked, assessing the situation. Every muscle in his body went rigid, his senses on high alert. He was ready to fight, to protect his woman. My woman?
“Your wallet is a good start.” Rough hands reached into his back pocket, pulling out his billfold.