And then she shoved the thought from her mind because Dex was kissing and sucking his way down her body.
He gripped her underwear in his rough fingers at her hips, and Hattie lifted her butt so he could pull them down. She swallowed when she looked down and got another eyeful of his huge cock jutting from his body.
She imagined the way he’d fill her, stretch her, and liquid heat curled low in her belly.
“Show me?” Dex asked roughly.
Hattie’s face heated at the prospect of lying here, spread out for him, exposed in every way she could be, but that didn’t stop her. She only had one night with this man, and she wasn’t going to hold anything back.
She let her thighs fall open and watched as Dex’s gaze went right to the bare, slick flesh between her thighs. His hands went to her knees before sliding higher slowly, holding her open.
“Look at that pretty pussy,” he said, nostrils flaring, and glanced up at her. “So wet, Hattie. Fuck, sweetness, I can’t wait to…” He didn’t say any more. He lowered his chest, buried his faced between her thighs, and groaned.
Oh God.
His hands gripped each of her butt cheeks, holding her to him, and he licked right through the center of her.
She cried out. One lick, just one, and she was close to losing control completely.
And it only got better. He licked and sucked and kissed her like he couldn’t get enough. And all the while those big hands held her to him, his fingers flexing, massaging her ass in a way she knew that he liked her curves, that he liked she had a lot of them.
Finally, he slid a finger inside her, and she arched, crying out again as his mouth moved up and he licked her clit. Dex flicked his tongue over it while he pumped that long, thick finger in and out of her, grazing the sensitive spot inside that she knew would get her there even faster.
God, she was so wet, and the way he thrust in and out of her, deep and fast, his mouth still at her clit, her orgasm was already building.
She was close to flying, letting it all go completely. It felt foreign, terrifying. The opposite of everything she’d been doing before she left Phoenix, everything she’d been told to do her whole life. She’d never felt this free, this bold and uninhibited—had never done anything this reckless—and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.
Oh God, her parents could be reading her email right now.
He slid in a second finger, and her thighs started trembling from how good it felt. She fisted his hair as panic rushed through her hard and fast out of nowhere. She tugged his hair, trying to pull him away. She had no idea why—she couldn’t explain it—she just knew that letting herself go with him, letting Dex take her there in a way she knew she never had before, was more frightening than running from home, than leaving her old life and starting again.
But it was too late. Her inner muscles started clenching, pleasure exploding through her, and she started coming hard. She screamed out, his name tripping over her lips on repeat. The grip and release around his fingers was frantic and so intense light flashed behind her eyelids.
And all of it was accompanied by that panic, building and growing inside her, making her cries out of control. A kind of fear she couldn’t explain twisted together with intense, mind-blowing exhilaration, making her come in a way she’d never experienced in her life.
As the last of her orgasm moved through her, she glanced down. Dex was still between her thighs. His fingers were still inside her and his mouth was at her inner thigh, kissing her; his eyes on her.
Hattie struggled to breathe, gasping as she watched him lean in and kiss her belly. He moved up her body, each one of his exhales shaky and rough.
When he was above her, he leaned in and kissed her, giving her a taste of herself on his lips and tongue, and she knew she couldn’t stay. That she needed to leave. Now.
She couldn’t do this. Not with the way her emotions were frayed. Not with the way her body was still singing in a way she never knew was possible.
And when she looked into his eyes, dark and intense, hot and gentle, her panic shot higher.
“Please, let me up,” she whispered. “Please.”
Dex flinched, then he was gone, climbing off her so fast she barely saw him move. He stood by the door, colossal body naked, scarred, still hard. His monster chest was pumping with each of his panted breaths. He lifted his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or push you or…” He shook his head, looking confused, worried—God, horrified.
Hattie shook her head. “It’s not you. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s…it’s just…” She didn’t know how to explain it. How could she when she didn’t understand it herself?
“You’re afraid,” he bit out. “I scared you.”
Hattie snatched up her clothes. “No, I just…I need to go.”
He stayed where he was across the room, getting dressed as she quickly did the same. When she was done, he opened his door for her and followed her out.
“You don’t need to—”
“I’m walking you down, Hattie,” he said, pushing the button for the elevator. While they waited, Dex called her a taxi. She listened silently as his deep voice organized her ride home.
His color was high and he looked—God, he looked mortified as they climbed in, but she didn’t know what to say, how to make this right. She just knew she needed to get away, go to her little apartment, climb into bed, and bury her head under the covers.
They stepped into the elevator and Dex stayed on the opposite side, as far from her as he could, gaze aimed at the floor. Suddenly she wanted to cry. What the hell was wrong with her? Was she so messed up, so twisted by her controlling parents that she couldn’t even let herself enjoy sex with a man she chose for herself? Was she so used to them deciding everything for her, down to the men deemed suitable, that she’d suffered an actual panic attack when she realized it was up to her, all of it?
That her decisions were her own—her mistakes were her own.
She glanced at Dex. He still wasn’t looking at her. That urge to cry grew stronger. He didn’t feel like a mistake. Agreeing to go home with him had felt right, more than anything ever had, but now she’d messed everything up. She’d ruined everything, and she’d made Dex feel like crap in the process.
The elevator doors slid open and he walked out, leading her across the foyer and out the door. He crossed his arms, still keeping that space between them, and silently waited with her for her ride to arrive.
It finally pulled up out front, but she couldn’t leave without trying to explain again. In her short time with Dex, he’d made her feel special. She’d never felt so beautiful in her life. “Dex…”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry if I did something…if I…” He shook his head like an agitated bull. “’Night, Hattie.” Then he turned and walked back inside.
She watched him go, and an almost uncontrollable urge to run after him, to try and make him understand—to tell him she’d changed her mind, that she wanted to climb back into his bed with him—was almost too much to resist.
But she didn’t, because it was too late. He was gone. She’d blown it.
Chapter 4
Apparently, Dex’s family weren’t as worried about having boundaries between them as he was. Given they hardly knew one another, sending him to pick up some random family friend—another stray like him—because her car had shit itself that morning was pushing things a bit far for him. But what could he do? It wasn’t like he could say no after everything they’d done for him.
The girl’s name was Sutton. She’d moved to LA a month ago after some family drama or some such bullshit. Fucking awesome. Now he had to make small talk with some woman he’d never met and pretend he was all happy and festive and shit because it was Christmas morning.
Well, Christmas was his least favorite day of the fucking year.
He didn’t do Christmas. Growing up, he’d usually spent it alone. They hadn’t done the whole turkey, tree, presents deal. After his dad wal
ked out and left them, it had been just Dex and his mom. Money was always tight, so if there was a shift available, she took it, even if that shift was on Christmas Day. He usually ate in front of the TV—grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and a Coke—and if he was lucky his mom would give him a gift when she got home.
Whatever. It didn’t do him any harm. Though he knew it had upset her.
Now she was gone.
No, he wasn’t a fan of all this bullshit, but it might’ve been nice to spoil his mom at this time of year, get someone else to cook for her, the whole nine yards, the turkey and stuffing all that crap. Get her some gifts since she never got anything for herself. He’d never gotten the chance.
Growling, he shoved the useless thoughts from his head and rubbed away the ache that started in the center of his chest.
Awesome. Now his mood was even darker.
He hadn’t been himself for the last two weeks, not since Hattie had freaked out on him and run away. He’d tossed and turned every night since, hard and aching, positive he could still smell her, taste her. Then the memory of her fleeing his shitty hotel room after he’d gone down on her would fill his head, and yeah, would totally fuck his day up.
To say he felt like a giant piece of shit was an understatement.
Christ, had he done something to hurt her? Scare her? She said he hadn’t, but maybe she’d just said that because she would have said anything in that moment to get the hell away from him. Maybe the scars on his body turned her off? Repulsed her?
Idiot that he was, he’d been hoping to get her number after.
Maybe get to know her better. Take her out or whatever. See if they had something more between them. He’d thought there was more. No, they hadn’t done a lot of talking, but he’d felt it as soon as she’d walked into Woody’s.
Getting it so wrong, being shot down by Hattie after being celibate so long, after finally wanting a woman again, yeah, it had him questioning a lot of things about himself. The main one was what the fuck was wrong with him? He hated to admit it, but his confidence had taken a serious beating.
And masochist that he was, he’d gone back to Woody’s nearly every night since, hoping to see her, to talk to her. Christ, apologize for whatever it was he did.
He shoved his fingers through his hair. He liked his cousins, he did. But being around all the happy was not something he was looking forward to. Drinking himself into a stupor in front of the TV in an attempt to get the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen out of his head sounded a lot more enjoyable.
Or at least productive.
Screw all the family crap. He had three brothers scattered around the country that his father had helped make and then abandoned, all to different mothers.
The only one of his brothers to make an effort was Zane, and look how that had turned out. Dex had let him move in with him and Chloe when he’d needed a place to stay, and while he was deployed, his brother had made a play for her, more than likely as soon as his plane left the runway.
Dex had never really worked Zane out. He’d always tried to compete with Dex, from the moment they met. He’d been where Dex had, done what Dex had…but better. There was always some big story that went with it. Dex didn’t get it. He’d never been competitive like that.
It soon became clear that Zane had weird fucking jealousy issues. He hated the fact that Dex had actually known their father, that he’d had a relationship with the asshole. Zane let that shit stew, let it twist and poison his head, and somewhere along the way he decided he wanted what Dex had, and that had included Chloe apparently.
So, no, family wasn’t his thing. Getting close to anyone always ended badly for Dex.
Still, for some insane reason, he’d wanted to get to know Hattie. He’d been drawn to her like he never had to another person in his entire life.
He pulled up outside Sutton’s apartment and tried to shake off his shitty mood.
Time to pretend you’re a normal human being.
After climbing out, he headed to the building and hit the button by her apartment number on the intercom at the door.
“Hello?” A female voice crackled through the speaker.
“Here to pick up Sutton.”
“Um, would you be able to come up? I think I need some help with my gifts.”
Christ. Was he supposed to get gifts? “Sure.”
“I’m on the second floor.”
She let him in, and he headed up. He chose the stairs, using the time to shake out his shoulders, unlock his jaw, and work at dropping the frown he knew he’d been wearing the last two weeks. It wasn’t helping.
He reached her door and scowled at the giant wreath threaded with red and green ribbon and covered in little gold bells. He took a deep breath and knocked.
“Coming!” she called from inside.
Dex cursed under his breath. This chick sounded way too damn happy.
There was a bump against the door, followed by the sound of locks disengaging, and then the door opened.
Dex took a step back to give her room—and froze.
His breath got trapped in his lungs.
She stepped out, hands full of Christmassy gift bags. She hadn’t looked at him yet, mainly because she couldn’t see over all the shit she was carrying. But he could see the side of her face, the extreme curves of her body—shit, could smell her familiar scent.
Hattie put her gifts down, pulled the door shut, and turned to him with a smile on her face.
She jumped, a startled noise escaping her lips. Her eyes widened and she retreated a step, her back meeting the door with a thud. “Dex? What are you…what are you doing here?”
What the ever-loving fuck was going on?
“How did you find me?” she said, like he was some kind of crazed stalker.
It was hard, but he managed to unhinge his jaw, despite his own shock—and other feelings he was currently having at seeing Hattie again. She was wearing a red dress that hugged her tits and flared out at her hips. Her shoes were sparkly red, like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and her hair was down in big soft waves.
His gaze dropped to her mouth all on its own. Her lips, which he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about, were glossy and red as well, and she had tiny flashing Rudolf earrings hanging from her ears.
“You’re Lucy’s friend?” he gritted out.
Somehow her eyes got even wider. “Y-yes.”
“Fuck,” Dex bit out.
“You’re her…cousin?”
He dipped his chin, heart banging like hell in his chest. “She said your name was Sutton.” A stupid fucking feeling of betrayal moved through him at the thought of her giving him a fake name.
Her mouth worked several times, then she seemed to snap out of it. “It is—Hattie Sutton. Lucy’s always called me Sutton, and I call her Colton.” She swallowed, her delicate throat working. “So your last name is Colton as well?”
“Yeah.” Dex couldn’t believe this was happening. Out of all the bars, all the people in this city, it was Hattie who crossed his path.
They both stood staring at each other for several long minutes. And the same intense feelings he’d felt that night, that weird feeling of being drawn to her, filled Dex’s chest to overflowing.
“You left,” he said—Christ, blurted—unable to stop himself.
She blinked up at him.
“I did something, didn’t I, to make you take off like that?”
She snapped out of it. “No. I promise, Dex. It wasn’t anything you did. I just thought everything was just so—” She cleared her throat. “I thought it was for the best.”
“Yeah?” Dex bit out. Why? Why was it for the best?
Ever since she took off, he’d been worried out of his mind. He’d also thought a lot of other things, like she’d seen the size of his dick and freaked, or he did a crappy job of eating her pussy and she’d had to fake her orgasm. It hadn’t felt fake. It sure as hell hadn’t sounded fake, but then what the fuck would he know? Maybe she w
as just a really good actor?
She nodded.
That was it? All he was going to get? Jesus, he had definitely scared her. That had to be it. What else could it have been? He cleared his throat and tried to gentle his voice when he spoke again. “You okay with me driving you? If you feel unsafe or whatever, I’ll get someone else to pick you up.”
Her hands shot out, the fingers of both curling around his forearm, and she shook her head. “God, no. Please believe me: you didn’t scare me, Dex. It was nothing like that.”
Okay, now he believed her. It was there in her eyes. Relief flooded him. The alternative, of course, was he’d done a shitty job of eating her pussy. Awesome.
His ego had already been beaten bloody when he lost his girlfriend to his brother. Now this, although he guessed that explained a few things. Chloe had probably wanted a man who knew how to get her off, since he was obviously rubbish in the sack.
Merry fucking Christmas to me.
Dex bit back a curse, because despite that realization, electricity was zapping through him where she touched him.
He carefully extracted himself from her hold and picked up her bags instead of saying anything more. What was the point? He’d felt like shit the last couple of weeks because he’d been half hard ever since he had his mouth on her and pissed at himself for whatever he’d done to scare her away.
Turned out she hadn’t been afraid; she just didn’t want his incompetent ass slobbering all over her.
Cool. Now he knew.
He headed down the stairs, with Hattie right behind him. She followed him silently out onto the street, and they climbed into his truck.
She started fidgeting beside him after they’d been driving for several minutes.
He glanced over at her and clenched his teeth. Fuck, she was beautiful.
“Umm, I guess we should keep what happened between us to ourselves?” she said into the silence.
Dex grunted. As if today wasn’t going to be awkward enough already. Now he had to spend hours in the same house as the woman he’d taken home and disappointed. A woman he wanted more of to the point of distraction, even after she’d ditched him, while celebrating Christmas with his family that he really didn’t know all that well—possibly with a hard-on.
Spark (Boosted Hearts Book 4) Page 3