by Kaia Bennett
"No, all he did was grab me. He’s drunk and he gets a little emotional sometimes, but he’s harmless. It’s really wasn’t a big deal, so you can put your armor away, White Knight," she said with a little chuckle.
It didn’t take long for her to realize she was the only who found her joke funny. Her laughter died and her eyes searched his when he didn’t speak after a long moment.
Flynn was looking down at her, his eyes flashing the intense green she had seen only twice before. He was angry. And he was angry with her.
She remembered then that Luca had mentioned kissing her. Flynn hadn’t seemed too pleased when he found out that little piece of information, and suddenly his foul mood towards her was starting to make some sense.
Shit. Maybe she should apologize? Before she could start backpedaling, Flynn reached into his pocket, pulled a key off his key chain and placed it in her palm.
"What's this for?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"It’s so you can wait for me at my place. I have to be here for at least another hour."
"You still want me to come over? But...you're mad at me."
He tilted his head to the side. "What makes you say that?" he asked, with just a hint of sarcasm.
"Your eyes are getting all squinty and your jaw’s doing that clenching thing. And your standing really still, like you're barely breathing," she said in exasperation, as if she were answering a question on a test. "So, why do you still want me to come over?"
Her expression was one of wariness. Flynn smiled down at her acidly, pleased when the muscle under her eye twitched slightly.
Flynn didn't know if he was amused or annoyed by her thorough observation. The fact that Gia was able to read him so easily was a testament to how much she got under his skin. Usually, he could go years without someone seeing him angry, because, usually, he wasn't that invested in other people. By the time they did see him in a rage, they were either crying or badly injured. He’d learned from an early age that it was essential he rein in his temper, unless he wanted to become a convict.
But this girl? She had a strangle hold on his blood pressure and episodes like tonight weren't helping matters. All he could think about was the fact that Luca had said they kissed, and she hadn't denied it, or even looked apologetic. He thought he had a pretty good hold on the girl, but here she was giving him shit because he had threatened a guy he thought she was over. This was unexpected.
Or was it? It wasn't as if Gia was his girl in the official sense. In fact, they hadn't even discussed anything along those lines. They got together for class, stripped and writhed over one another, and then she would get dressed and go home.
That last part bothered him more than he cared to admit. Watching her pull on the last of her clothing was a sharp reminder that the only thing keeping her around was some good dick. There was no guarantee she wouldn't just turn around one day and call the game over. Or that she wouldn't go back to her boyfriend if Luca pushed hard enough. It made his jaw clench even more as he looked down at her, because tonight was yet another confirmation of her ability to slip away whenever she chose.
"When I get off, you and me are going to have a little chat, sweetheart."
Gia pursed her lips and folded her arms. Any apology she would've mustered died in her throat. “Is all the attitude really necessary? And what if I don't feel like talking to you tonight?"
Flynn gave her a little smirk, walking backwards with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"If you really want to see me angry, Gia, don't be there when I get home."
She stood dumbstruck by the sheer nerve of him. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? It took her a full heartbeat before she could find the words through her rage.
"I don't know who you think you are," she yelled as he retreated, "but I already have a daddy!"
Just before he turned around his smile vanished and his eyes went cold. She swallowed, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply.
This is going to be a long fucking night, she thought.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It was almost five in the morning and Gia was lying on Flynn's couch with the TV on, waiting for him to come home. She couldn't watch the insipid reality show playing though, because she kept replaying the scene outside the bar.
The look he had given her had been a silent dare to defy him, and it was a pretty neat trick, because there she was in his apartment. She wondered if she had set the women's movement back another twenty years. But she would be damned if he intimidated her into not going. Besides, she was more than a little curious about what he had to say.
When Flynn opened the door he saw Gia sit up quickly, swinging her legs off the couch. The heels of her boots clicked on the floor, and she swept her hair out of her face. She looked as if she’d forgotten why she was there for a second, because her eyes lit up at the sight of him.
Then she caught one whiff of his I'm still pissed at you aura and folded her arms, pursing her lips into an angry line. Good, he wanted her uncomfortable. He closed the door behind him, taking off his coat and throwing it over the arm of the couch. Then he tossed his keys onto the coffee table and walked into the kitchen without so much as a glance or word in her direction.
She watched, caught between arousal and rising anger as he opened up the fridge and grabbed a jug of orange juice. Her eyes were riveted over his fingers as he popped the cap, over his throat while he took long gulps straight from the jug. She wondered if there was something wrong with her physical make up. There must be if she could get turned on just watching him swallow.
But it wasn't just that. He was wearing a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black dress pants and black shoes. He looked sleek, and with his green eyes and present mood he resembled a jungle cat ready to pounce. The only things on him that weren't black were the silver cross around his neck, and a few silver rings on his perfect fingers.
Seriously, aren't people supposed to get less sexy as time goes on, not more?
Finally, he pulled the bottle away with a satisfied "ah", put the cap back on and licked the remnants of juice off his lips before putting it back.
"Are you even going to acknowledge my existence, or can I go?" she said snidely.
She wished she hadn't said anything when he turned his eyes to hers.
"So what's this kiss Luca was talking about?" he asked as he slammed the refrigerator door closed.
She bit her lip, trying not to shrink with humility under his scrutinizing gaze. He really didn't waste any time.
"There was no...I mean, there was...okay, there was a little kiss, but it's not what he made it out to be. I didn't kiss him. He kissed me."
When Flynn remained silent she added, "I didn't kiss him back. He just caught me off guard."
"When?"
Her eyes narrowed. "A little over a week ago. Why are—"
"And were you going to say anything?" he interrupted.
She was having trouble controlling the beating of her heart.
Jesus, why is he looking at me like that?
Several thoughts started swirling through her mind. She wondered if he was jealous, if he truly cared that much what happened between her and Luca. It sure seemed like he cared from her vantage point and it made her feel the smallest inkling of satisfaction under her nervousness. Maybe she was more than just a girl he liked to fuck after all.
"No, I wasn't going to say anything, because it didn't mean anything. He showed up at my job waiting for me and he wanted to talk, so..."
The more she talked, the angrier he seemed to get and the stiller his body became. He was practically a granite statute by the time she finished recounting her meeting with Luca. Only an occasional blink and the slight rise and fall of his chest showed that he was, in fact, not frozen solid.
"So," Flynn said finally, running his hand over invisible crumbs on his kitchen counter, "he's been calling you, and showing up forcing you to kiss him, and you didn't think you should tell somebody?"
She blinked at him. "Why would I tell anybody? I'm not trying to embarrass him, and it's nobody's business but ours."
"You can't really be this naïve, can you?" he asked, and his voice rose slightly above that steely calm that made him a little scary. "That little fucker thinks he has an opening now because you decided being nice was more important than being smart. You do realize you're not the first girl to have some guy turn into a stalker over her, right? What happens if I'm not around next time he feels like ‘talking’?"
"I can take care of myself Flynn, and if you hadn't shown up I would've been able to handle it."
He was quiet for a long moment, looking at her face while he leaned his elbows on the kitchen counter. Something flashed in his eyes that reminded her of the first time he’d touched her in this apartment; a sinister challenge that she wasn't sure she could accept lingered in the air.
"And how do you propose to handle it? Hmm? You gonna handle him the way you handled me when I pinned you against that table over there? 'Cause I gotta tell you it wasn't enough then, and it won't be enough now."
She shivered and turned away from him. She hadn't thought he would so blatantly use that stunt as ammunition against her, but hey, that was Flynn. Using tact was never high on his list priorities, not when he could get under her skin so easily with the truth. It pissed her off and unnerved her more than she was willing to let him see.
She’d been Luca’s girlfriend for two years, and regardless of what Flynn thought, she was able to take care of herself, and she had the right to handle her ex however she saw fit. If he couldn’t understand or appreciate that fact then that was his problem, and she wasn’t in the mood to try to convince him. She’d had her fill of defending her decisions for one evening.
She smirked at him and stood up, smoothing out her dress as she picked up her purse and headed for the door.
"Well lucky for me, I know Luca. And Luca's not you."
"No. He's not me," he said.
She knew that tone. It made her heels click faster against the floor and his footsteps weren't far behind.
"He doesn't know how to take advantage of an opportunity the way I do."
Gia had her hand on the doorknob and was opening it when his hand appeared over her head to slam it shut. While she was busy being shocked by the sound, he was busy bending one of her arms behind her back and keeping it locked there.
The quick movement put her off balance and she caught herself with her free hand as she fell against the door. Her purse was dangling by one finger on the hand pinned behind her back. She heard it thump to the floor as she struggled against him, and then the sound of it swishing across the floor as he kicked it aside.
"What do you do if something like this happens?" he whispered in her ear.
She tried to turn but he pinned her other arm behind her. The side of her head was pressed against the door and she couldn't see through her bangs. Fear did a slow dance down her spine. And something else started swirling low in her stomach as he leaned his body into her. It was the sharp tingling of arousal, something which was never too far away when it came to Flynn.
"Well, what now, Gia? Aren't you going to handle me?"
She let out a bitter laugh, turning her head slightly so she could see him over her shoulder. "Okay, asshole, you made your point. Now, let go."
"No, actually I didn't make my point. You think he'd stop here?” Flynn asked mockingly. “I'm not going to."
She inhaled sharply as he gripped both of her wrists in one hand and lifted the back of her dress, tucking it under her pinned arms.
"Flynn, this isn't funny anymore," she said, trying to make her voice sound firm and commanding, but it came out breathy and quavering instead. She was getting aroused, and it didn't help when his hands roamed over her exposed ass.
"What do you think would be running through his mind if he got you like this and saw that you weren't wearing panties?”
There was laughter in his voice when he slid his index finger over her wet slit, burrowing slightly between her soft lips as he rubbed.
"Nothing," Gia growled, angry at how easily he was affecting her.
Not wearing anything under her dress had been for Flynn’s benefit. She would have said so if she weren't so distracted by trying to prove him wrong.
"Luca would...ah...he would n-never do something like t-this..."
"Oh, don't underestimate yourself, baby girl," he whispered, stroking his fingertips across the heat building between her thighs. “You've got everything a guy needs as an excuse to take advantage. Keep giving him the opportunity and he'll do this and a lot more."
She couldn't breathe and she turned her forehead so that it pressed against the door. She was already rocking her hips against his finger.
Flynn pulled his hand away, rubbing her juices into her round ass cheeks.
"Maybe you want him to do more," he suggested, as if they were having a casual conversation, as if he didn't have her pinned on a door against her will.
"Are you still hung up on him, Gia?"
"Fuck you," she whispered before she could stop herself.
She gasped, eyes wide when his palm cracked against the skin of her firm ass. The smack was just a little harder than any love tap he’d ever given her. Immediately, she felt the flesh tingle and the pain spread.
"That's not an answer to my question. I asked you if you still want him."
"N-no! I told you..."
His palm landed on the other cheek, and she cried out through gritted teeth, gasping as a thousand pinpricks of pain fanned out from the point of impact. Her ass felt like it was on fire, and the heat was spreading. She didn't know how, but Flynn whispering in her ear and pinning her as she wobbled on her heels against the door was making her pussy drip with need.
"I know what you told me," he said, bringing her out of the insular world his palm had slapped her into. "It's what you told him that I'm curious about. He seems to think he still has a chance. Does he?"
She was gasping in breaths, but she could have answered him immediately if she wanted to. A part of her was willing to court the sting of his palm if that meant he would be insecure for just a second longer. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what was running through his head in her present state, but she was willing to bet it was more than just the desire to teach her a lesson, or prove his point.
The idea of him being jealous, that he might care about more than just her body when it was grinding over his, thrilled her more than she could have thought possible. Plus, it didn't hurt that she was feeling the discomfort of his spankings laced heavily with pleasure.
"You still didn't answer my question. I guess that means you need it a little harder."
"No, he doesn't have a chance," she said quickly, even though her pussy throbbed in anticipation of his hand connecting with her skin. "He asked me if I missed him and I told him I do, but that doesn’t mean I want him back. I told him it's over. I just..."
"You just what?"
"I-I missed the feeling of being with someone for real. Of belonging to someone and having them belong to me." She whispered the words, not sure if they were coming out right and desperate for him to understand.
There was silence behind her; she could vaguely hear his breathing over her own.
"And he made you feel like that? Is that why you still want him?" His voice was low and laced with something she couldn't quite pinpoint. Something sad.
She started to protest but his hand was already there, bouncing off each vibrating cheek so quickly she could barely breathe. She huffed against the wood of the door, tears stinging her eyes.
She screamed above the ringing in her ears, "Do you think I'd be here if I still wanted to be with him!? I don't want him, I want you!"
His hand slapped her ass a little harder. She hadn't recovered yet when he landed another blow. She didn’t understand why he was doing this. She had already told him that she wanted him and that she didn’t want Luca.
What more could he possibly want?
"Oh, God! Please stop!" she screamed, as he spanked her once more.
Still her body was betraying her words, her hips wagging under the hand now caressing her stinging flesh. She moaned in desperation as he slipped his fingers between her legs and found proof of how much she enjoyed what he was doing running down her thighs. Her pussy was throbbing with need and only the heat coming off her stinging ass rivaled the heat emanating from the flesh there.
She found herself being lifted off the wall and spun around until she was looking up at him. It wasn't the stony gaze she was expecting when she met his eyes. It was something much softer, though no less feral, and it made her heart ache even as her body pulsated with longing.
"I want you, too, but that's not enough for you,” he said quietly, almost solemnly. “You want to belong to someone, right?"
His eyes flickered over the tears trailing from her wide eyes, her cute nose, and her slick, parted lips. They were red from her biting down on them against the pain and they matched her ass perfectly. Her chest was heaving within the confines of her dress, one of the straps hanging off her shoulder, and she was leaning against the door as if standing on her shaky legs wasn't possible. Her words kept running circles through his spinning head. She’d said she wanted to belong to someone.
Well...
"I can take care of that for you," he growled.
He leaned down and kissed her roughly, not giving her time to clasp him to her like she wanted to. Once again, he pinned her arms above her head and held them there with one hand. The swift movement broke the dangling strap of her dress. He didn't seem to care as his hand roved freely over her shivering curves, stroking down her neck and over her breasts. He pulled away and his tongue left the acidic sweetness of oranges in her ravaged mouth.
"Spread your legs," he said. His hand traveled down her stomach and when she finally complied he said, "Wider."
Her spread thighs pulled the hem of her dress taut. If he’d wanted, Flynn could have pulled it above her waist, and let it dangle against her navel. Instead, he lifted the hem up to her lips.
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