by Nina Levine
Surprise touched his face, and he remained silent for a couple of moments. Finally he agreed, “Yeah, bullshit.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, and I didn’t pursue it. His honesty was all I needed.
“You want a drink?”
He gave a quick nod. “Thanks.”
I jerked my chin at his table in the corner. “I’ll bring the bottle over.”
I watched his sexy ass as he left me. God, I wanted to hold that ass in my hands. I moved my gaze up his body. His shirt was fitted against his hard muscles. I wanted to take that shirt off and run my hands over those muscles.
Shit.
Put your tongue back in your mouth, woman.
I grabbed a glass and the bottle of scotch and joined him a moment later. Sitting across from him, I passed him both. “You can pour your own tonight.”
He raised his brows. “This how you treat all your customers?”
“No, only the ones I want to fuck.”
He didn’t even blink. Instead, he picked up the bottle, poured himself a drink and knocked it back before asking, “Are there many on that list?”
I leaned across the table and whispered, “It’s a new thing I’ve started and there’s only one on it so far.”
His stare was intense as he said, “Keep it that way.”
A shiver ran down my spine at his words and I squeezed my legs together.
He spoke again before I could think of what to say to that. “Why’d you walk away from your family?”
Totally wasn’t expecting that.
“How’d you know that?”
He poured another drink and took a sip, drinking this one much slower than the last. “Layla, I’m sure you’ve worked out by now I get to know everything I can about the people in my life.”
“I figured as much, but I’m not really in your life.”
He stared at me with a hint of frustration. “What would you call it, then?”
“I don’t know. You visit my bar and help me out when I need it.”
“And is that not what you’d call a friendship?”
“Okay, so we’re friends. Do you really investigate all your friends?”
“I do. So tell me, what happened with your family?”
Unease stirred in my gut. I hated talking about this stuff, because it meant I actually had to dredge the shitty memories up. And usually I had to censor the story, but something told me I could share the full truth with Donovan if I really wanted.
Did I want to?
He waited silently for me to talk. I took a deep breath and began. “Annie and I grew up almost as sisters. Our parents hardly spent any time with us, always leaving us with babysitters so they could attend social functions or go on holidays. So we had that strong bond, you know?” He nodded his understanding, and I continued. “When I was eighteen and Annie was sixteen, I discovered her father had been molesting her for years. She was fucked-up, and I finally dragged the truth out of her.” I took another breath and looked at him. He was watching me intently, waiting patiently for me to get it out. I still hadn’t decided how much to share with him. “I . . . ” my voice drifted off as I struggled with what to tell him.
“What did you do?” He tried to coax it out of me, and as I looked at him, I knew he could handle the truth and not judge me for it.
“I tried to kill her father. I walked in on them and couldn’t stop myself. They were in their kitchen and I grabbed a knife... I stabbed him a couple of times and slashed his face but the bastard didn’t die. Annie tried to stop me. She didn’t want me to go to jail, but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted her safe from him forever. In the end, his wife came home and saved him. I’ll never understand a mother who puts a husband like that above their child.” Memories assaulted my mind and I thought I might vomit. To this day, it still made me sick to think about what Annie endured throughout her childhood.
“Did her mother know it was going on all that time?” Donovan seemed as sickened by it as I was.
“No, but I screamed it at her while she tried to stop me from killing him. She wouldn’t listen.”
“So he didn’t die?”
“Not from what I did to him, but he killed himself a week later.”
“Why did you two walk away from your family if he was dead?”
I took another deep breath. “In the week between my attack and his suicide, our families covered it all up. I tried to go to the police to have him charged for what he did to Annie but my parents wouldn’t let me and her mother made her stay silent too. They were more concerned with their social standing and good reputation in business than with looking after Annie. After he killed himself, the reporters came sniffing around, wanting to know why. I’ll never forget the day my father threatened to disown me and cut me out of his will if I breathed a word of it.” My chest ached with hurt and sadness, and I looked up into Donovan’s eyes to find softness there. I’d never seen it in him before, not like that.
He understands.
“You cut yourself out of it anyway,” he murmured.
“Yes, and I took Annie with me. She was so broken and fucked-up, and her mother was useless. The worst mother I’ve ever met. She grieved a husband who didn’t deserve any grief and ignored a child who needed her unconditional love.” I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall every time I thought about how they’d screwed Annie up. Staring at him, I asked, “Who the fuck does that?”
He poured the rest of his scotch down his throat and then surprised me by sharing something personal. “My father beat my mother and ignored me for most of my life. Some people should not have the privilege of being parents.” His voice was tight and controlled, but there was a vulnerability to it that I caught. He still battled with this.
I moved my hand across the table and clasped his. Instinctively, I knew the physical contact would be soothing, and I was right. Donovan’s touch calmed me. When he intertwined our fingers a moment later, I knew he felt it, too.
“Do you have anything to do with your father these days?” I asked.
His face hardened and his shoulders tensed. I waited for him to pull his hand away from mine, but he didn’t. “He’s in my life but not by my choice. My mother is weak where he’s concerned. He stopped seeing her about a year ago but he’s back, sniffing around at the moment.” He tried to hide his brokenness with his tough exterior, but the survivor in me knew that, on the inside, he fought his demons. By the exhaustion on his face, I figured it was a fight he wasn’t currently winning.
“I’m guessing you’re close to your mother.” I loosened my grip on his hand and let my finger trace lazy patterns over his.
His gaze dropped to our hands and he stared at them for a few moments. He seemed unsure, almost like he wanted to push me away, but he didn’t. Looking back up at me, he answered, gruffly, “Yeah.”
“Any brothers or sisters?”
“Half brother and half sister. I knew about them while growing up but we never had any contact. They didn’t know about my mother and me. It all came out a little over a year ago and I’ve since grown close to my sister, Madison.”
I watched as lightness crossed his face while he talked about Madison. It looked good on him. “And your brother?”
He sighed. “That’s a hard relationship. We’re not close, but we are in contact.”
I stopped tracing patterns on his hand and squeezed it instead. “Madison sounds wonderful,” I said softly.
He allowed himself a smile. “She’s the kind of woman who loves to drive you crazy with her demands, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.”
I returned his smile. “You deserve that.”
He stilled at my words and I wasn’t sure what I’d said wrong. Letting go of my hand, he stood. He grabbed the bottle of scotch and his glass from the table and stalked to the bar with them. After he gave them to Jess, he stalked back to me. The feral look in his eyes shot straight to my core. God, I want him.
I stood and waited for him. When he moved into my space, he slid a h
and around my waist and pulled me to him. His hand snaked all the way around to my ass and he dipped it to curve around one of my cheeks. His other hand landed on my stomach and slowly made its way up to cup my breast, a finger pulling the top of my t-shirt down so he could run his finger along my skin.
My body burned with desire, and when he moved his hand to slide it up under my tee to cup my breast, I wondered if I might explode from the desire. His strong fingers kneaded me and I imagined how good they would feel all over my body.
“I want you,” he growled. Then his hand glided down my body to my pussy where it stilled. “Now,” he commanded in that voice of his that said he’d take what he wanted and to hell with what anyone said.
Oh, fuck me.
I closed my eyes and swayed a little while his hand remained firm on my pussy. The thought briefly crossed my mind that we were in public, but I couldn’t bring myself to worry about people watching; his hand felt too damn good on me. He rubbed it up and down me until I couldn’t take it any longer, and I reached down, stopping him. I opened my eyes and found him staring into my face with a look of pure need. “Upstairs,” I breathed out, and his nostrils flared.
He let me go, and I led him up to my bedroom. As he followed me into my room, he kicked the door shut and reached his hand around my waist. Next minute, my back was against his front and his lips were on the back of my neck.
“Fuck,” he muttered as he trailed kisses up my neck. His spare hand came up to cup my face and turn it to the side so he could press a kiss to my lips.
He tasted like scotch and home. I hardly knew this man, and yet, I knew him like the back of my hand. He kissed me slowly at first, letting our lips and tongues explore each other. Slowly, he deepened the kiss until I was begging him with my mouth to take me harder, at which point he growled into my mouth and turned me in his arms so our fronts were pressed hard against each other. He pulled his lips from mine for a moment and stared at me. “How hard do you want this?”
I grasped his head with both hands, ground myself against him and pulled his face back to mine. “As hard as you wanna give it.”
He hissed; his desire for that was clear in his eyes. Strong hands moved down to cup my ass, his grip hard, and he rasped, “You sure you know what you’re asking for, baby?”
Baby.
That word from his mouth was like a match to my flame.
I wanted this man more than I’d wanted any man.
I wanted to sink into him, to take everything from him, to let him take everything from me.
Oh god, where was this going to end up?
He was danger in all its glory, and yet he was safety and shelter at the same time. I knew that in my bones. And I knew I wanted it all.
“Yes,” I finally said.
Determination flared in his eyes, and a growl came from his chest. He kissed me again, his lips insistent against mine. I opened my mouth to his and he devoured me with a force that threatened to steal my breath away.
When he broke the kiss, he let me go and took a step away from me. Hungry eyes feasted on me and I enjoyed the thrill, knowing this powerful man wanted me. Me.
He pulled his t-shirt off and I sucked in a breath when his rock hard muscles were revealed to me. I let my gaze roam over them as I committed his body to memory. Ink covered one side of his chest in a tribal tattoo of some sort. It extended down his arm as well.
Arm Porn.
Jess was right when she compared Donovan’s arms to porn. I could barely tear my gaze away from them. They mesmerised me and held my attention until his voice broke the spell.
“Take your top off,” he commanded in a rough voice.
I did as he said and let my top fall to the floor.
“Bra.”
His eyes were fixed on mine, and I wondered how long until they would drop to my chest.
I want your eyes on my body.
Reaching behind me, I unsnapped my bra and let it fall away to reveal my breasts to him.
His eyes didn’t move, but he did. He came to me and crushed a kiss to my lips. Then, after one final glance at my face, he dropped his gaze to my chest. His sharp intake of breath uncurled more desire in me. I thought I might shatter a moment later when he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth and teased it with his tongue.
I moaned his name and he sucked me harder. My hands threaded through his hair and I pulled his head towards me. He gently bit my nipple as one of his hands reached down to my jeans and rubbed my pussy through them.
“Fuck,” I moaned. Feels so damn good. I moved my hand to undo my jeans and he helped me by pulling the zip down.
Our movements grew frantic as we rushed to rid ourselves of all clothes. When we stood naked in front of each other a moment later, I couldn’t hold myself back. The need to touch him overwhelmed me. I took his cock in my hand and stroked it, firm but slow. His breathing grew ragged while I worked my strokes into a faster pace.
As his body jerked with the pleasure, I moved to bend so I could take him in my mouth, but he stopped me. A firm hand came around me neck and he gripped me there, hard. His intense stare while he remained silent caused a new round of sensations to fire through me. My body sizzled with the need to have him, but he seemed intent on slowing me down.
He began walking us backwards until my back hit the wall. His hand still circled my neck in a strong hold. Not tight enough to choke me, but tight enough to restrict my breathing a little.
Tight enough to excite my dark fantasies.
I watched as he bent his mouth to my neck to suck and bite me. His bite was hard enough to mark me. Hard enough to make me shiver with anticipation of what he would do next. I wanted that mouth all over me, biting and marking me everywhere.
“Donovan . . . ” I murmured, and waited for his reply.
He kept sucking and biting as he said, “Mmm?”
I ran my hand down his spine as far as I could and said, “I want your teeth everywhere.”
He lifted his head and took my mouth in another hard kiss, biting my lips as he went. “Yeah, baby, that’s what I want, too.”
Baby.
There it was again.
I could get used to that.
He relaxed his hold on my neck and then moved his hands to cup both my breasts. “Here?” he asked, his eyes firmly on mine. “You want my teeth on your breasts?”
Oh good god, I want that.
“Yes.” I bit my lip in hope.
He didn’t waste any time and moved his mouth to my breasts, kissing, sucking and biting me into a crazed state of need. My arms went around him and I dragged my fingernails down his back, hard enough to draw blood. He hissed and snapped his head up to look at me.
“Fuck,” he muttered, but I knew it wasn’t in anger. He liked that, and the proof was when he slid his hands down to take hold of my ass and roughly lift me up against the wall.
I wrapped my legs around him and dug my nails in his back again as I held on tight.
“Bite me,” he ordered.
Yes.
My teeth connected with the flesh of his neck a second later and I sucked and bit him while he groaned in my ear, his body grinding against mine. My pussy was so wet and ready for him, and I was growing frantic in my need for his cock.
I pulled away from his neck and begged him. “I need you in me, now.”
His eyes flashed his own need, but I could tell from the way he restrained himself, he had more planned for me before he would give me what I wanted. Without a word, he moved us away from the wall. He held me tight in his strong arms as he walked us to the bed.
“I’m gonna place you on the bed, and then I’m going to fuck you, but not with my cock. You get to choose, my tongue or my fingers.”
Oh fuck. What to choose?
My arms were around him, my face close to his, and I couldn’t think straight. “Your fingers.” I’d choose his tongue next time.
He gave me a quick nod before placing me gently on the bed. I loved how he mixed his sof
t in with his rough. “Move up the bed,” he said and watched as I did.
Once I was settled with my head on the pillow, he knelt on the bed and placed his hands on my legs, spreading them. I watched his eyes take in my pussy and caught his intake of breath at the sight. He trailed a finger along the inside of my leg, all the way from my knee to my pussy, and then he trailed it lightly over me there. Slowly, he worked me into such a state with his feather-light touch all over my sex until I was writhing on the bed in front of him.
Almost about to beg him to stop teasing me, I jolted with pleasure when he finally pushed his finger inside. My back arched up off the bed and I moaned out his name. He added another finger and rubbed my clit with his thumb. My eyes shut as I let the bliss from his touch take over my body.
When Donovan shifted on the bed, I lazily opened my eyes to find him positioning himself so he could take me with his tongue. He obviously wanted that as much as I did, and I was ecstatic he’d chosen to give me both his fingers and his tongue. His hands slid under my ass and he gripped me hard while he pulled my pussy to his mouth. A second later, his tongue traced my entrance before pushing inside.
Oh god.
This must be what heaven is like.
He ate me until I could hardly stand it any longer. The pleasure had taken over, sending sensations I’d never felt before all through me. Every inch of my body was alight with need.
A need for Donovan.
A need unlike any other I’d ever experienced.
I scrunched my fingers in his hair and pulled hard. His head shot up and he glared at me. A hungry glare that challenged me to stop him from what he wanted to do.
“I need you to fuck me now,” I demanded.
He continued to glare at me, his mouth wet from my pussy, and then he moved. Like a wild animal stalking its prey, he moved over me. I throbbed with excitement.
Yes.
When he’d moved half-way over me, he grasped my neck and yanked me to a sitting position. My heart beat faster at the raw desire I saw on his face. “We need to get one thing straight,” he growled, tightening his hold on my neck. “When I’m in the middle of fucking you with my mouth, you don’t interrupt. You can have my cock, but it’ll be when I decide it’s time. Do you understand?”