King

by Julia Sykes

“I… I don’t. I mean, I haven’t…” I stuttered.

  He considered me, keeping me pinned in place with his intense stare. “No. I don’t think you have. But you’ve wanted to. Haven’t you?”

  “I… I don’t know,” I mumbled, embarrassed.

  “Don’t lie to me,” he said sharply. “You said you ache inside. You’ve wanted to touch yourself for weeks. Isn’t that right? Tell me.”

  I lowered my eyes, no longer able to look at him. “Yes,” I whispered.

  “Louder. And look me in the eye.”

  I shuddered and forced myself to meet his incisive gaze. “Yes, Javier. I’ve wanted to touch myself when I think about you.”

  “Good girl,” his voice rumbled with approval, and he gave me a small nod. “Do it now. I want to watch.”

  I hesitated, my embarrassment increasing. “I… I don’t really know what to do.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “You mean you don’t masturbate?”

  Masturbate. I flushed at his causal use of the lewd word. “No.” Dark memories surfaced, and I couldn’t help flinching.

  He was at my side in an instant, sitting beside me and cupping my cheek in his calloused hand. “What happened, muñequita?” He asked softly.

  I didn’t want to talk about this. Only moments earlier, everything had been perfect, mindlessly blissful. Now unease began to eat away at my desire. I tried to break from his dark eyes, but his hand slid into my hair, trapping me in place. His other hand came up to trace the line of my lips. My sensitive nerve endings crackled, reminding me of his fierce kiss.

  “Talk to me, Charlotte.”

  I can trust him.

  “My father, he…” I swallowed back the disgust that arose at recalling what had happened that night so many years ago. “He caught me once. He told me it was wrong, and he… Well, he showed me how much he disapproved.”

  Javier’s lips thinned, and his eyes flashed with fury. “Tell me he didn’t…” He trailed off, as though he couldn’t bring himself to say the words aloud.

  “No,” I said quietly. “He never assaulted me. Not like that. But he did hit me.”

  He blew out a long breath. “You know I would have had to kill him if he had.” It was a cold statement of fact. “As it is-”

  “Don’t, Javi,” I cut him off before he became enraged enough to go after Jonas. I couldn’t allow him to challenge my father. He wouldn’t walk away from that. Jonas wouldn’t let him. “It’s over now. I know you won’t let him hurt me anymore.”

  “No. I won’t. He’ll never touch you again, Charlotte.” The lines of his handsome face sharpened with ferocity, and his taut lips descended on mine. He poured his righteous anger and desperation to keep me safe into the kiss. I drank it in greedily, marveling at how much he cared for me.

  “Let me show you what you’ve been missing,” he murmured against my lips. “Put your arms over your head. And keep your legs spread for me.”

  His kiss had already caused my lust to stir back to life, but it came roaring to the fore again at his lewd order. I obeyed immediately, no longer embarrassed to display my body for him. He was still fully clothed, and something about that got me even hotter, even though I craved to see him naked. But he was fully in control, and that knowledge only increased my desire.

  His lips left mine to kiss a hot trail down the column of my neck. His tongue traced the line of my artery, reminding me of how he had held me at Decadence, how vulnerable I had been under his hands. What might have been terrifying brought me only pleasure. Because I trusted him.

  His mouth lowered to my breast, teasing around my areola. I squirmed against him, my nipple burning for contact. Pain flared when his teeth closed around it. Even as I cried out, I arched into him rather than pulling away. Still holding me with his bite, he flicked his tongue across the sensitive tip. My head thrashed against the pillow as unknown ecstasy flashed in a hot line from my nipple to my clit.

  “Please,” I moaned mindlessly and thrust my hips up at him, begging. “Please, Javi.”

  His darkly satisfied chuckle vibrated against my tortured bud, driving me crazy with need. He ignored my desire for him to touch my sex, instead releasing me from his teeth to suck away the pain he had inflicted. At the same time, he gently pinched and rolled my other nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

  I let out a little frustrated whine and rotated my hips again.

  “So greedy,” he murmured with amusement, his hot breath tickling over my tortured breasts.

  I let out a shuddering sigh of relief when his kisses resumed their downward progress. When he reached my navel, his tongue traced a swift, scorching line to the upper edge of my panties.

  Panting, I watched with wide eyes as he caught the elastic band between his teeth. He shot me a roguish grin and kept me fixed in his gaze as he slowly drew the thong down. It grazed across my pulsing clit, and I gasped. But the contact was fleeting, and he didn’t stop his progress until the panties were no longer covering me.

  He pulled back and then released them so the elastic snapped against my upper thighs. I yelped at the slight sting, and his grin widened. Then his attention turned to my pussy, and his expression slipped to something more serious. His thumbs found my labia, pressing against them and pulling them apart. I tried to close my legs as embarrassment flared again, but he stopped me with a warning growl. Meekly, I opened for him again.

  His fingers traced my folds, exploring.

  “Very pretty,” he said with husky approval. My embarrassment morphed into something hotter, hungrier.

  Shock froze my muscles when he dipped his head toward my most forbidden area and laved the flat of his tongue along the length of my slit. I gasped at the foreign sensation. Strangeness quickly turned to pleasure when he repeated the motion. My eyes rolled back in my head, and I groaned.

  “Look at me.” My eyes flew to his. He was watching me intently. “Has anyone ever done this to you?”

  All I could do was give him a weak shake of my head; I couldn’t find my voice in that moment.

  His smile was twisted. “Good.” Then his clever tongue found my clit, and my ability to think was obliterated. As he teased around the hard bud in a maddening circle, his fingers slowly penetrated me. All my soreness from our earlier coupling was forgotten, replaced by pulsating need.

  When his touch found that special spot on the front of my inner walls, I arched and cried out. His fingers curled against it, and he suddenly sucked hard on my clit. I flew apart with an ecstatic scream as the most intense pleasure I had ever known overcame all my senses. His low sound of approval rumbled against me, the sensation only heightening my release.

  As I began to come down from my high, he wrung a few last shudders from me with flicks of his tongue on my abused clit. By the time he finally pulled away, I was left limp and breathless. He pressed a soft kiss on my abdomen, and then his weight left me. He removed my high heels and panties, and I was vaguely aware of him tugging off his jeans before he settled down beside me. I briefly wished he was naked, but my brain was too mushy to think properly just then.

  He turned my body so that my back was pressed against his front, his body cradling mine. I felt warm, safe, sated.

  “Thank you,” I slurred.

  “You’re welcome, muñequita.” His soft laugh was the last thing I remembered before I fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.

  Chapter 14

  I shifted on the dilapidated couch, trying to find a position that didn’t so keenly emphasize the soreness between my legs. Despite my discomfort, the reminder of my night of passion with Javier had kept me on the edge of arousal all day. Not even twenty-four hours had passed since he showed me fantasy-surpassing ecstasy, and already I was desperate for him again.

  I was trying to focus on writing my paper. I really was. But Med History just didn’t hold my interest like it usually did. I couldn’t stop thinking about his firm touch, his dark stare, his stern orders. All of it had gotten me hotter than I ever coul
d have imagined. After everything I had been through, his high-handed treatment should have infuriated me – and maybe even scared me. But it didn’t. Because Javier had proven so many times that he wanted nothing more than to cherish me. I knew it wasn’t a sign of disrespect or disregard. Instead, it was a sign of his overwhelming lust for me. He wanted me just as fiercely as I wanted him.

  I crossed my legs again, smiling to myself at the slight twinge of discomfort that accompanied the movement. Even the little flashes of pain he had given me when he gripped my legs and bit my nipple had only brought me more pleasure. I never would have thought I would find any pleasure in pain, not after what I had suffered at the hands of my father. The notion didn’t really bother me like it should. I was still too blissed-out on my newfound enjoyment of sex. The night I lost my virginity had been so unpleasant that I lost interest in sex, but now… Now I could hardly wait for Javier to come home and give me more of that harsh passion.

  When I heard the lock clicking back on the apartment door, I leapt to my feet and practically skipped down the short hallway to greet him.

  All my giddiness was jolted out of me when the door banged open to reveal an obviously furious Javier. He bared his teeth in a fearsome snarl, and his eyes narrowed on me. I shrank back a step. I had seen him turn this look on men who threatened me, but not me. Never me.

  “Javier?” My voice trembled around his name.

  He slammed the door behind him and advanced on me. “What did you do?” He seethed.

  “What do you mean?” I tried to back away further, but he was on me in a second. He didn’t shove me, but his large body was suddenly pressing mine against the wall, his arms on either side of my head caging me in. His face was only inches from mine, and his rage pulsed over me.

  “Ramirez said you were dancing with other men last night. Is that true?” His eyes were wild with something more than jealousy.

  “Y-yes, but-”

  “And you came home and told me you wanted me? Did dancing with them get you so hot that you begged me to fuck you when you came home?”

  I gasped. “Don’t say that. It wasn’t like that.” Tears burned behind my eyes. I didn’t know the angry man who was bearing down on me. The confession tumbled from my mouth in the wake of his scowl. “I did dance with a guy from my class. And… And he kissed me. But I pulled away. I realized I only wanted you.” I managed a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. Please, Javier. You’re scaring me.”

  His eyes instantly widened, and the twisted line of his lips softened. “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean… I won’t hurt you, Charlotte. Not ever.”

  I knew that. I believed him. But the wild light hadn’t left his eyes. I realized something more was going on with him. Swallowing back the last of my residual fear, I reached out a trembling hand to touch his cheek.

  “What happened?” I coaxed.

  He leaned forward to press his forehead to mine, as though he needed contact with me. “Ramirez happened,” he admitted heavily.

  “Ana! Oh god, is she-?”

  “No. Not Ana. Derek’s friend Rose. The one who was roofied at Decadence. Apparently her brother was mixed up with Ramirez’s tribe, Los Furiosos. They took her to teach him a lesson. I got wind of it and went to get her out.” His face was drawn with anguish. “But I couldn’t. What they did to her… I didn’t sign on to see women be abused like that. And then Ramirez told me about you dancing with other guys at the club, and I just lost it. You challenged him, Charlotte, and what he saw made him think our connection isn’t real. He’s more aware of you now. If anything like what happened to Rose ever happened to you…”

  I cupped his cheeks in both my hands. “Shhh,” I soothed him. “I’m right here. I’m okay.”

  He responded with a desperate kiss. His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging and tilting my head back so he could penetrate my mouth at the angle he wanted. I gave into him, both craving this domineering treatment and recognizing his need to do it to me. Ana had once told me Javier was fierce in his passions, and that definitely applied where sex was concerned.

  After a moment, he ripped away from me and took a hasty step back.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, hurt and confusion flooding my chest. I noticed his was rising and falling rapidly, and his muscles were tight, as though he was under some sort of strain. His lips pursed to a thin line, and he said nothing.

  “Talk to me,” I beseeched.

  “I can’t do this to you, Charlotte.” He took another step back. “What I need from you… What I want… I can’t.”

  I reached for him, grasping for his clenched fists. “You can. I need it, too.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t know what you need. What happened last night… I never should have-”

  “Don’t,” I said sharply. “Don’t say you regret it. I don’t. I know I need you, Javier. And I think you need me, too.”

  I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him down into me, taking his lips with every bit of ferocity he had shown me. He groaned into my mouth, and his tongue stroked against mine. He took control of the kiss with a swiftness that took my breath away. He plundered my mouth with unrestrained hunger, and he didn’t pull away until my head was spinning from lack of oxygen. My hands curled around his shoulders for support, and he gripped my waist to brace me. I loved the feel of his strength when he held me, and I stared up at him, silently begging him to give me his lips once again.

  “I’ll be gentle with you, Charlotte.” He swore in a low rasp.

  “I don’t want gentle,” I breathed. “I want you.”

  “You might regret saying that,” he practically growled the words. A little tremor of erotic fear shivered through me at the threat. It concentrated at my core, making my inner muscles quiver with need.

  I let out a surprised squeak when he lifted me up in his arms, cradling me to his chest. He carried me the short distance from the apartment door to the living room. My world tilted again when he set me down on my feet, facing away from him. His hand pressed between my shoulder blades, guiding me forward until I caught myself against the cushions. He had folded me over so that the arm of the couch supported my hips.

  He jerked my sweatpants down my legs, taking my panties along with them. There was no slow seduction, and he didn’t stop to ask for permission. I didn’t want that, either. I just wanted him to touch me. To fuck me.

  Cool air rippled over my ass, calling my attention to how he had exposed me. The sound of his zipper lowering made my pussy clench, and I grew wet with my mounting desire, my body preparing to take him. A sense of urgency had gripped both of us. We needed this intimate contact, this connection.

  I heard the condom wrapper tear seconds before he entered me in one powerful thrust, stretching me ruthlessly. I cried out at the pain, but also at the pleasure of having him inside me again. Unlike the night before, he didn’t pause to give me time to adjust. He pulled out and drove right back in with jarring intensity.

  My body rocked forward, and he gripped my hips with a low growl, holding me where he wanted me as he fucked me hard. I shoved back against him, demonstrating just how much I wanted this. I needed him to know I wasn’t afraid of what he wanted from me.

  “Yes, Javier!” His name left my lips on a sensual cry.

  “Is this what you want, Charlotte?” His accent was thick with lust. His fingers fisted in my hair, pulling so my back arched, forcing my ass back against him. The sharp pain lit up my scalp, sending little tingles dancing down my spine. They gathered inside me, increasing the heat at my core.

  “Yes!” I moaned out my answering pleasure.

  He cursed, and a shock of stinging pain flared across my ass. It took me a moment to register the resounding smack that accompanied the pain. Before I could draw breath, a twin blow landed on my opposite cheek.

  “This is what I want from you,” he ground out.

  The distress I should have felt at being hit by a man didn’t register. Instead,
the warmth that bloomed where he had struck me permeated deeper, stoking the fire within me. My inner muscles convulsed, and I came with a wild, ecstatic shout.

  My release triggered his, and his fist tightened in my hair, pulling me back against him as he roared out his completion. He held me there, fucking out the last drops of our mutual pleasure. When he finally released my hair, I sagged forward against the couch, my body surrendering to the final aftershocks that shuddered through me. A small sound of loss slipped through my lips when he withdrew from me, but he was with me again in an instant.

  He pulled up my sweatpants and zipped up his jeans before grasping my waist, more gently this time. He lifted me and then settled down beneath me, allowing me to stretch out on the couch with my head resting in his lap. His fingers worked through my hair, lightly massaging my scalp. I closed my eyes with a contented sigh, loving the sensation of being looked after. He had fucked me hard, without mercy, but now he treated me with tenderness. It reassured me that his domination of my body wasn’t a sign of cruelty. He had said he needed that from me. He had treated me harshly, had even spanked me in the throes of passion. And I had loved every second of his ferocity. It made me feel needed, essential. No one had ever treated me like that. No one had ever held me like this.

  “Are you okay, muñequita?” He asked in a low, lazy rumble.

  I opened my eyes to find his melted chocolate ones, and I gave him a slow, wide smile. “More than okay.” I remembered his anguish when he had burst into the apartment, and my expression sobered. “Are you all right?”

  “I am now,” he said softly. “I’m always all right when I’m with you. I’m better when I’m with you.”

  I simply stared up at him, stunned by his intimate admission. He cared more deeply for me than I had realized. It eased my lingering concerns about my feelings for him.

  “I’m glad,” I admitted quietly. “I like being with you, too.”

  His arm snaked behind my upper back, lifting me up to him so he could take my lips in a slow, lingering kiss. He held me like that for a long time, lavishing me with affection I had never known before.