by J. M. Walker
When we reached my place, I paid the cabbie. Meeka didn’t move. My gut twisted. Fuck me, I owed her big time. And I had to make sure she didn’t lose herself. She was strong. Probably the strongest person I knew. I would not let that bastard break her down.
“Meeka.” I opened her door. “We’re here.”
She nodded, leaving the vehicle, and walked up the steps.
I followed behind her, unlocking the front door.
“I’m going to take a shower,” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself.
“Okay.” I watched her slowly make her way up the stairs. Something was off. God, was I so selfish in needing to get everything resolved that I didn’t see past her strength? Fear hid behind her eyes, and because of me, she was taken to the epitome of hell.
A darkness had settled inside of my house, ruining any chance I had of mentally unwinding.
My feet moved of their own accord. I needed to make sure she was okay. When I reached the bathroom door, I heard whimpers and soft cries.
Fuck.
Instead of knocking, I allowed myself in. Meeka was sitting on the floor of the shower, her arms curled around her bent knees. Water streamed over her, cascading warmth throughout the room that she probably didn’t feel at the moment.
Taking off my clothes, I stepped into the shower and wrapped my arms around her shaking body.
She cried harder, leaning into me.
I didn’t say anything as she cried in my arms. What could I say? Would I be able to tell her that it would be okay? That everything would work out in the end? How could she believe me? She watched a girl being taken. She saw others in cages like animals. I was an asshole for forcing her into this mess but as much as she would be mad at me, I wouldn’t change my choice. Meeka was everything that I was not. And I trusted her with my life. She was the strength I needed to get through the job. Even with the missions, I knew I would have to go back to her. It kept me going when so many times I wanted to give up.
“I chose her,” Meeka sobbed, breaking the silence. “I forced her to her death. Oh, God, Asher, she looked at me. I could see the fear. It’s all my fault.”
“It is not your fault,” I said the words, but even I knew she wouldn’t believe them.
“It is,” she cried harder, her shoulders shaking with bone-wracking sobs. “There’s no way I can go back there.”
I held her tight and pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at me. “Yes, you can. But not because I need you to. It’s because you need to go back there. I know you, Meeka. You won’t settle until you find out yourself if the girls are safe and those bastards get caught. It’s how you’re wired.”
“I’m not strong enough. I thought I was, but I’m really not.”
“Yes.” I kissed her softly on the forehead. “You are. You may think you can’t handle it, that you can’t go back there, but you can. Yes, it sucks. It sucks more than anything and it’s the hardest job we have both been on. But we’re doing it together. You and I. As a team.”
She sighed, her shoulders slumping. She wiped the tears from under her eyes even though she was wet from the spray of the shower. It was out of habit but I found myself smiling. She was fucking adorable and beautiful beyond words. Not like I ever had many words to begin with. But with Meeka, I wanted to talk. I wanted to say everything on my mind.
“We do make a great team,” she stated, rubbing my arm that was around her waist. “Why did you give Charles fifty grand?”
My jaw clenched. “He was being a dick, and I needed to show him that I meant business.”
“He knows you’re a Navy SEAL.”
“I know, but he doesn’t know that Vice-One has been after him for years. He thinks he has power when really, we wanted him to know who we are.”
“You enjoy playing games with him, don’t you?” She shivered, curling against me.
“We all do.” I rose to my feet and turned off the shower before reaching out for her hand.
When she only looked up at me, my heart panged. “We’re going to have a bath so I can wash the filth off of you. So I can erase the past couple of hours and replace those memories with comfort. I’ll at least try.”
Meeka nodded, her eyes welling. She placed her hand in mine, letting me pull her to her feet. We exited the shower and moved around the bathroom in silence. I drew a hot bath and Meeka brushed her teeth. We were both naked but not ashamed in the least. It made me proud that she was comfortable enough with me that she didn’t need to cover up. We both had scars, flaws, things we weren’t happy with in our bodies but that made us fucking human. I worked out as much as I could and ate a burger when I wanted to.
Meeka, on the other hand, was perfect. To me. She was tiny but curvy. Strong enough she could knock me on my ass.
She caught my gaze in the mirror, her eyes twinkling.
I smiled, enjoying the view of her holding the toothbrush in her mouth. It was later in the evening even though it felt like we were only at Charles’ place for minutes. But it just proved that time stood still in that hell.
Clearing my throat, I slid into the tub, waiting for her to join me.
She finished brushing her teeth, letting out a heavy sigh when she was done.
“Come here, Hummingbird,” I said gently, holding my hand out for her.
When she stepped into the tub, her whole body shivered. Sitting between my legs, she leaned her head against my shoulder.
“Better?” I asked, taking a face cloth and dipping it into the water. Brushing it over her shoulders and down her arms, I kissed her cheek.
“I want to forget the last couple of hours,” she muttered, holding my other arm around her middle. “I want to forget that we’re dealing with a monster. I just want to spend time with you and never leave this moment.”
My dick jumped, twitching against her lower back. But it wasn’t about sex. As much as I craved her body, I needed… whatever it was that we were sharing right then. “I’m here, baby. Whatever you need, tell me, and I’ll make it happen.”
“Make me forget.”
I cupped her jaw, tilting her head, and covered her mouth with mine. The kiss was slow but deep, and it definitely didn’t last long enough. “I wish I could make you forget permanently, but all I can do is make you feel better and help you through this.”
“What if I don’t want help? What if I just want it to end? I go back to my life and you go back to yours.”
“Is that what you want?”
“I … God, no.” She huffed. “But I don’t … I’m scared. That’s the truth. I want whatever this is between us, to continue and—”
“And what, Hummingbird?” I asked, hoping she had the same thoughts I did.
“I want more. From you.” Her cheeks reddened. “I want you.”
“Fucking a.” My mouth crashed to hers in a hard bruising kiss. It wasn’t the right time. We shouldn’t have sex. But my dick thought different. Fuck me, her mouth tasted good.
“Asher,” she breathed against my lips.
“I know,” I panted, leaning my forehead against hers. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She smiled. “I like that you can’t control yourself around me.”
“Do you find it funny?” I joked, tickling her gently in the ribs.
She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” I reminded her. “How many times have you saved me from falling into myself, Meeka? It’s the least I can do.”
She chewed her bottom lip, curling against me. “I never did it for anything in return. I did it because I care and your step-father was a sick bastard.”
Her words registered home. They hit me square in the chest, wrapped around my heart like a blanket, and hugged me in a tight embrace. I knew she never protected me to get something out of it. It wasn’t how Meeka was wired. She thought about others first. Her sisters. Her family. Me. She may have been going through issues with Jay at that moment but Meeka would still
do anything to make sure she was safe.
The attraction I had for Meeka grew with each touch, each caress. We only had sex once but it was like we had been together for years. Everything seem to have fallen in to place. She was the strength I needed when I was weak. The power when I was frail. I loved her like family, but that love had grown into something more. It had been blooming before I ever kissed her. Being a broken man, I never knew how to act upon any of the feelings I had for her.
“What are you thinking about?” She moved to the other end of the tub, stretching out her legs in front of her.
“How beautiful you are.” I grabbed her foot, rubbing my fingers into the heel. “I’m thinking how you force me to my knees with just one look. The sounds of pleasure that leave your mouth are because of me and that turns me on.”
Her lips parted, her cheeks flushing at my words. “What else?”
I smirked. Lifting her foot, I kissed her heel and gave it a gentle nip.
She jumped, pulling from my grip. A giggle escaped her, causing my blood to stir.
In all of the years I had known Meeka, I never understood why I was so comfortable around her. I was a difficult person to deal with at times. I even knew that. The random feelings of want and need maybe weren’t so random after all. I couldn’t be sure. But as we sat in silence, whatever was going on between us only grew.
No touch and I could still feel her hands on my skin, gripping me as I took the pleasure from her body.
No sound, and yet her voice grazed my ears like a beautiful melody.
She smiled at me and rose to her feet.
“Where are you going?”
Meeka only held out her hand.
Not even hesitating, I slipped my fingers between hers and stood from the tub.
Leading us out of the large basin, she headed back to the shower. A shadow fell over her face, her teeth grazing her bottom lip. “I need you right now.”
Turning on the shower, I pulled her into my arms and stepped under the hot spray.
“Please.”
My stomach twisted. Whatever was going through her mind was weighing on her. Was it Charles? Did the sick fuck touch her? She wouldn’t tell me, at least, not yet. Probably for the better anyway. If anything happened to her, I would rip him limb from limb and dance in his entrails. What those bastards did to the minds of females were far worse than the torture they inflicted on their bodies.
But I made the promise that I would do everything in my power to keep her safe. Meeka was the piece of me that was stolen as a child. She was the warmth and goodness I craved. If she only knew how I felt. But I wasn’t a good man. She deserved better. She didn’t deserve a broken man. Fuck.
Grabbing a washcloth, I rubbed it down her arms.
She leaned against me, her eyes fluttering closed. “I want you so hard, it hurts,” she whispered.
My dick twitched.
Meeka had always been a good girl, but get her comfortable enough and a little vixen reared its head. This morning would be nothing like what I would do to her if she let me. And she would because she craved it.
“Why do you want me?” I asked, my lips grazing the shell of her ear.
“Because—” her breath hitched “—you can give me what I want and need.”
“How do you know that?” I didn’t want to ask the question but the words left my lips before I could stop them.
“Because I trust you. I trust you with all of me.” She turned in my arms, grazing her hands down my chest and looked up at me. “You wouldn’t hurt me.”
“You don’t know that.” It took everything in me not to run away. My chest constricted. I wanted to be everything she needed, but it wasn’t possible. My step-father stole that from me.
“What’s wrong?” she raised an eyebrow. “You fucked me this morning, and now you’re having second thoughts?”
“It shouldn’t have happened.” Shit. Even I didn’t believe those words leaving my mouth.
“It shouldn’t?” Meeka laughed, stepping out of my embrace. “I was the one who didn’t want to have sex because it would make things weird. But you kept kissing me. God …” She shook her head. “I’ve never been kissed like that.”
“Again, that shouldn’t have happened, either.” What the hell was I talking about? I didn’t believe anything I said, but I couldn’t stop myself. I was turning into a fucking pussy, falling into myself and getting emotional and shit.
Meeka frowned. “What the hell is going on?”
I huffed, shoving a hand through my hair. “We’re best friends.”
“Yeah, I get that, but the friend card kind of went out the window when you had me coming apart in your arms earlier.” She crossed her arms under her full chest, narrowing her eyes.
Water drops hit her pale skin, sliding down the curves of her tits. Her nipples peaked, begging for my mouth and teeth. What was I doing? Why was I denying myself this beautiful creature standing in front of me? I had her once. She wanted me again. My body definitely wanted hers. Several thoughts bounced around in my head, poking and nagging. My mind was loud. Fuck.
Meeka’s mouth parted, her pink tongue licking over her bottom lip.
Since that morning, I couldn’t get the image of her arching beneath me out of my head. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, she was always at the forefront of my mind. It had been that way for years.
Taking a step forward, she slid her hands down her stomach.
My cock jumped to attention. Fuck me, she was absolutely breathtaking. Her dark hair, wet and knotty, just begged to have my fist wrapped around it.
“Fuck our friendship,” I growled and charged toward her.
THE DARK look of lust in Asher’s gaze almost had me coming apart right then and there. I wanted him. Every single thing about him. Even though I got him the once, it wasn’t everything he could give me. It wasn’t enough. He had held back. I knew that. He knew it. And this time would be real.
He told me he wasn’t good enough for me. Well, I would make damn sure he knew he was. But it would be about sex. The passionate need to consume each other’s souls.
He dominated, took control, and I gave in willingly.
When his hands grabbed my hips and lifted me in his arms, a wicked smirk spread on his face.
My stomach somersaulted. I was in for it.
Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist; inviting him in to the spot I needed him most. But he didn’t need an invitation. He knew I belonged to him whether I wanted to admit it or not. I had been his for years. I went through men just for something to do, but they mostly just ended up as failed dates. I was inexperienced, and I wanted Asher to show me everything there was to know about pleasure. What he could do to me. What desires he had and the dark fantasies he craved.
Our chests heaved, our breathing mixing as one. The cool tile bit into my heated skin.
“Please,” I begged, circling my hips against his hard cock.
He didn’t move. He only held me tight in his hands, his fingers digging into the flesh of my rear.
I whimpered. I couldn’t take it anymore. The ache between my legs grew, burning with the need for him to take me to new heights I never experienced. I just wanted a little more. Maybe if I moved forward, I could get him inside me. My body shook. My feelings disappeared as the only thing I was worried about at the time was getting fucked. Not making love. I needed him to destroy me. “Please.” We didn’t have a condom. Maybe that was the issue. I was clean. I knew he was. “I want to feel you.”
His eyes darkened. In one powerful thrust, he filled me to the hilt.
I screamed, coming a part instantly in his arms. His name left my lips on a guttural cry, my head slamming against the shower wall.
Asher took that as his cue and drilled into me with so much strength, I was coming undone for the second time in a matter of minutes.
Lifting my knees to my chest, he thrust hard and deep. So deep, I could feel him fuck my soul.
I cried ou
t, holding onto his thick arms and dug my nails into his tanned muscles. “Harder,” I whispered, spots dancing in my vision.
He leaned down to my ear, his hot breath scorching my skin. “You like it when I fuck you rough, my dirty girl. You wanted to feel my cock ripping you open. No condom, baby.” His tongue licked along my jaw line. “You want me to come inside you?”
My heart sped up at his words, a moan leaving my lips. “Yes.”
His hips pushed forth, our bodies slapping together. “All you will feel is me. For-fucking-ever, Meeka. You are mine.” Dropping me to my feet, he spun me in his arms and pushed me up against the wall.
Leaning against him, I rubbed my ass into the raging erection.
“Don’t fucking move,” he growled, bending me over.
My hands slapped against the tile. My heart pounded so hard in my ears, I was surprised he didn’t hear it.
Asher groaned, brushing his fingers down the length of my back before landing a swat on the cheek of my ass.
I yelped but wiggled my hips.
“So fucking perfect. You’re mine, aren’t you, Hummingbird? You wiggle that ass, teasing me, but you want me to fuck it, don’t you?”
My eyes widened. He wasn’t suggesting … No, there was no way.
He chuckled. “Look at me.”
I looked at him over my shoulder, my mouth watering at the sight before me.
His hand wrapped around his dick, the tip angry and red. “Do you trust me?”
“Y-yes.” I swallowed hard, not taking my eyes away from his long fingers pleasing the part of himself that had been inside me only seconds before.
“Then trust me to give you everything you want. You aren’t ready for me to take your ass now. But believe me, I’ll be fucking your ass soon enough. You can look at me with those beautiful eyes, but don’t push me, Meeka. Remember who is in control.”
***
(Asher)
She was soft where I was hard.
Pure where I was tainted.
Gentle where I was rough.
Her moans pulled me home, sheltering me in a blanket of bliss. She comforted me. Gave me what I wanted, and it was my turn to give her what she craved. My little sexual submissive did anything to please me. Her Master. I knew her inside and out. But at that moment, it was more. She fucked my mind, and in return, I gave her the sweetest pleasure.