A Corruption Dark & Deadly (A Dark & Deadly Series Book 3)

by Heather C. Myers

  The minute they were at the foot of his bed, he placed his lips on hers for a long, slow kiss. She opened her mouth to him, clutching his shoulders and feeling the muscles twitch underneath her touch. Because the material of his shirt was wet, there wasn’t much blocking from really feeling him.

  “You taste delicious,” he told her when he pulled apart, his lips still caressing hers because he hadn’t quite pulled apart from her.

  He set her down slowly in front of him so her front pressed into his. He reached behind her and undid the zipper in the back. Somehow, he didn’t even need to look to see what he was doing. Instead, his hooded gaze was focused on her.

  Annie’s heart was in her throat, each beat like a pebble against water, rippling through her body. When he reached the end of her zipper, he slid his hands between the material of her clothing and slid it down so the dress toppled to the ground, leaving her in nothing but a thong. His lips descended on her, everywhere. They swept down her neck, across her collarbone, before slowly following the trail between her breasts. He kept his hands gingerly on her waist, his grip just enough to put pressure on her.

  When his lips captured her nipple, she threw her head back and groaned. This sound seemed to spur him even further and his lips tightened against the nipple, as did his grip just in case it got to be too much and she pushed him away. She could feel it harden under his lips and her arms weakly grabbed onto him so her knees wouldn’t completely give out. He suckled on her breast and her toes curled from underneath her.

  Jesus, she thought to herself. Her grip on him tightened to the point where her nails sunk into his skin. He hissed but didn’t completely release her nipple from his grasp.

  “Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-“

  “No,” he said, his words vibrating against her breast and giving her goosebumps. “Don’t apologize. I like it.” His eyes were dark and serious. “I like when pleasure comes from pain, how something that should make your body feel repulsed or tense because you expect nothing but pain when, really, it causes an underlying sense of pleasure to come through, enhancing your pleasure even more.” His hands ran up the curve of her behind, a soft, delicate touch that seemed careful up until he slapped it.

  She gasped.

  “Did that feel good?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

  Annie swallowed. She wanted to lie, wanted to get angry at how demeaning the spank was, but, in actuality, it felt… good.

  He sat down on the bed and bent her over his lap.

  “Let’s try that again,” he told her. “Jesus, your ass is the best thing I’ve seen all day.”

  Annie nodded her head and swallowed, maintaining her grip on him.

  He took his palm and smoothed it over her behind, like he was sculpting something from clay. At the last possible second, he slapped her hard. She gasped but she felt it send more shockwaves straight to her core. A small groan flew out of her mouth before she could contain it.

  "There you go," he said once more before spanking her once again. "You like the pain just as much as I do, don't you." Another spank before he rubbed the red mark gently. "I want to fuck you, Annie. Let me fuck you."

  "Please," Annie breathed out. "Fuck me."

  She didn't need to look at him to know he was grinning.

  "Lie down," he instructed.

  Annie stood up on shaky legs. Jericho helped keep her balance. She crawled onto the bed and rolled onto her back. She watched as he unbuttoned his shirt and slowly peeled it off his body. The soaked shirt hit the floor with a slap. Annie's eyes dropped to his toned torso, his abdomen glistening with remnants of bloody bath water. She wanted to put her hands on him, to feel him and his body. She wanted to leave a trail of sloppy kisses and bite marks down his chest so he would know she was there. Mark her territory, as it were.

  His eyes never left hers as he slowly undid his belt and let it clatter to the floor. From there, he slid his pants down his legs and then his tight maroon boxer briefs. She could see his hardness, erecting and straining against the thin cotton material before he sprung it free. It was thick and long, probably the biggest she ever had, and there was a flicker of fear in her eyes at how it was going to feel, stretching her until she snapped. And yet, she wanted that. She wanted to feel the pain because he always ended with pleasure and she trusted that he would do so again.

  When he was completely naked, he crawled over her. Annie felt trapped underneath his solid body. She could feel his hardness pressing against the inside of her thigh. A few drops of pre-cum stained her skin. It was as though he was about to burst and needed an outlet. His penetrating green eyes never left hers.

  "I'm going to fuck you now," he told her, his voice raw and edgy.

  She nodded, suddenly incapable of speaking. She wanted him inside of her, wanted to really feel him. There was a voice in the back of her head that reminded her about protection, that she should make him put a condom on, but she barely heard it and couldn't quite bring herself to care.

  He pushed into her slowly. It seemed as though he didn't want to hurt her. She stretched around his thick clock. It helped that she was wet. It didn't hurt as badly. Once he was all the way inside, he paused, allowing her the time to get accustomed to his size. She groaned, some pain mixed with some pleasure. But she felt full and complete.

  "Jesus Christ, you're tight," he muttered through clenched teeth.

  He leaned down and kissed her hard. He wasn't whispering sweet nothings, didn't ask if she was okay. If anything, he trusted that she would tell him how she felt. So he waited patiently, knowing she would let him know when he could start moving.

  "You have no idea how badly I want to fuck you right now," he told her.

  Annie let out a groan. She was surprised by how turned on she was due to him talking this way to her. She was never one for talking during sex. To be honest, she preferred the noises that came from her partner - heavy breathing, groaning, grunting. Even the faces he made in the throes of passion where he had no control over his facial features was preferential to dirty talk because the majority of her lovers never understood how to do it right. They tried too hard to come up with something sexy but it came out wooden and forced. Instead, Annie opted to kiss them each time they tried to talk, and that tended to work well for everyone involved since she had a feeling they didn't want to talk at all in the first place.

  Jericho, however, was different, which shouldn't have surprised Annie but it did. When he spoke, her entire body erupted in goosebumps and she could feel her thighs get slick with moisture. She had no idea why but it seemed as though Jericho didn't have to try. He said whatever he was feeling, whatever he was thinking, and the deep husk of his voice set her entire being on fire.

  Her legs wrapped around his waist, getting him deeper access to her core, and he growled at the feeling. She loved hearing him, loved knowing she was the reason for all of his noises and all of his sounds and it wasn't long before she started to feel that familiar sensation tickle her pelvis. To be honest, she couldn't believe it, especially considering she hadn't touched herself, hadn't helped herself like she had to with everybody else. She didn't know if it was his size or how he made her feel, how attracted to him she was in every way, but something worked. Something inside of her wanted to erupt and didn't require her help.

  His breathing turned ragged, like he was some kind of wild animal. She loved it. It was like music, like a church choir on Sunday morning singing about the grace of God. She could tell he was close and she wanted him to explode inside of her because goddamnit she was about to do the same.

  She moaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

  "No," he snapped. "I want you to watch me when you come. Don't close your eyes. Don't look away."

  How could Annie do anything but listen? It was hard, just like him, but when she felt herself finally step off that plateau, she locked eyes with him. And it was like he knew because he gasped and suddenly, they were coming together. She felt com
plete, airless, like she would have been floating away had he not been on top of her. It was everything and it was perfect and it was...

  It was like she could breathe again. Like she had been blind and now she could see. And she planned to keep her eyes open from now on.

  Chapter 7

  The next day, Annie woke up, somehow exhausted and very, very sore. Jericho was nowhere to be found but Annie wasn't disappointed. She had a feeling he was downstairs or somewhere close by. She took a moment to stretch and enjoy the feeling of the warm air that cradled her. She could sit up without a piece of clothing on her body in the middle of January in Seattle and she was warm. She didn't have to worry about the energy bill, not with Jericho paying for it. Annie didn't even want to think about what the cost was to run the heat full-time, and perhaps she should say something about it, but she was enjoying it too much to say something just yet.

  She pulled on an oversized shirt and a pair of boy shorts. She walked to the restroom and brushed her teeth and her hair, hoping it looked somewhat managed, before she headed out to walk down the stairs. Just as she predicted, she found Jericho in the kitchen cooking what appeared to be an omelet in nothing but boxer briefs. He wasn't even wearing socks, which was something she was happy to see. She stood in the entrance frame, simply watching him move around her house like he owned the place - which he did, she realized. Despite being under six feet, he was packed with lean muscle that wasn't overdone. She watched the muscles in his back move with every gesture. His arms reminded her of valleys, smooth and hilly. Everything about him reeked of strength and power and he wasn't even trying. Even his hair, usually always perfectly in place, was messy and fell into his face, making him look even younger, even boyish.

  He was perfect, flawless, a work of art she was lucky to be around.

  At that moment, he glanced over his broad shoulder, and when he saw her, he gave her that million-dollar smile.

  "You're awake," he said.

  "I'm awake," she said with a small smile.

  "Perfect timing." He gestured to the dining table and set down a plate. "I've made my famous Denver omelets for us and a fruit parfait for us to share."

  Annie slowly walked into the dining room and took the seat he held out for her. He poured her a glass of orange juice and took a seat across from her, offering her a soft smile. There must have been something in her face that would cause him to pause because he furrowed his brow.

  "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

  "I just," she said, dropping her gaze down to the perfectly bronzed omelet. "So much happened last night." She picked her head up and locked eyes with his. "You killed a man last night. How has that not messed with you?"

  He furrowed his brow slightly. “What makes you think it hasn’t?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “Each life I take takes its toll on me. But I am also self-aware enough to know that I did so for a very good reason.”

  “Each life?” Annie asked. “You mean, you’ve killed more than once?” She had no idea why she asked the question. She knew he had. It was one of the controversies that surrounded Jericho, how bodies showed up and how no one got charged. Hell, no one was even arrested except low-life criminals like hookers and drug dealers. They took the fall for Jericho’s people and he seemed okay with it, just as long as he stayed out of jail.

  “Only those who deserve to die,” he told her. He was so casual about it, they could have been talking about the weather.

  “Why do you get to decide that?” she asked. The space between her eyebrows was starting to throb thanks to the large wrinkle being forced over it.

  “Because I do.” His voice was curt, something he had never used with her before. He flinched, as though he realized in that moment he had snapped at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to talk to you in that way. You don’t really know what I do for business.”

  They walked back to the bedroom once they finished and crawled back into bed together. Annie needed this, the relaxation.

  “I’m not an idiot,” she said, interrupting him. She rolled to her stomach and was playing with the fabric of the pillow. Her eyes weren’t quite ready to look in his just yet. They were focused more on her fingers, on the soft material underneath her fingerprints. “I know you run a legitimate corporation buying and selling steel. I know you make a lot of stuff. But I’m also aware of the fact that you dabble in the criminal.”

  The corners of his lips curved up. “I like that,” he murmured. From the corner of her eye, she watched as he smoothed back some of his messy hair, to no avail. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling; it wasn’t in her to admit that he looked absolutely adorable as he spoke about being a criminal. And not just a criminal, but a murderer. “Dabble in the criminal. I’ve always appreciated how honest you have been with me, even from our first meeting. The least I can do is give you that same respect in return.”

  “I would appreciate that,” Annie murmured, finally picking her eyes up to look at him. “I know that you do stuff. Maybe I wanted to be in denial about the fact that you’re not a good person.”

  His brow furrowed. “Don’t say that,” he said. “Maybe I don’t make choices you agree with, but I don’t think it’s fair for you to judge my character based on that. Not everyone is good and not everyone is bad.”

  “Jericho,” Annie said. “You’ve killed people.”

  “For good reason,” he returned. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long but I would hope that you would trust in the fact that I wouldn’t kill if I didn’t have a good reason to do so.”

  Annie opened her mouth to respond. Then, she shut it and gave herself a moment to think. “I don’t know what to say,” Annie replied. “I …” She looked at him. “I don’t know how to feel about it. About you. I know you’re the wrong sort of guy to fall for. You’re dangerous. But I can’t stop myself from feeling what I feel. I don’t want to be one of those girls who justifies any bad behavior – any criminal action. I’m a smart girl and I’m the first to roll my eyes when a girl says love is enough. But I can’t deny that I feel something for you.”

  He pressed his brows together. “What are you saying, Annie?” he asked her.

  She shivered at the sound of her name against his lips. She liked the way he said Ms. Brennan, but there was something special about the way he said Annie that made her feel both empowered and possessed.

  “I am attracted to you,” she admitted. She kept her eyes in focus with his to ensure he knew she was being serious. Also, she wanted him to know that she wasn’t ashamed of these feelings, even if they weren’t what she originally wanted. In fact, she hadn’t thought feelings for Jericho had been possible in the first place. “Really, really attracted to you. More than I’ve been attracted to anything or anyone. Logically, I know this attraction is dangerous. I know it’s risky and not the smartest thing I’ve done. You’re a criminal, you’re known for having a revolving door of model girlfriends.”

  He frowned. “They meant nothing,” he repeated.

  “I know that,” she told him. “I’m not trying to insinuate that you owe me an explanation. It’s just, it’s hard for me to know what to expect from you. From this.” She gestured between the two of them. “And before you say anything, I know, I know, I need to just go with the flow but I analyze numbers for a living so you have to cut me some slack if I analyze this.” She buried her face in the pillow, her cheeks burning bright. “Ugh. Sorry. I talk too much.”

  “I find it absolutely adorable,” he told her with a gentle smile. “And, just so you know, I wasn’t going to tell you to go with the flow. I wouldn’t want you to go with the flow. I want you to make plans with me and look far into the future where people tell us we’re moving way to fast. I want to talk to you about marriage and children and settling down and traveling the world.”

  Annie shook her head. “You’re crazy,” she whispered.

  “I am,” he agreed. “About you.”

  “That doesn’t ans
wer the question,” she said, though her cheeks were still warm from the blush on her face. “Are we boyfriend-girlfriend? Exclusive? I want to know because…” She let her voice trail off. Truth be told, there was no real reason why Annie needed this solved now. There was a good chance she was looking for a reason to show her that this wasn’t going to work. That being intimate with Jericho had caused something inside of her to shift. It was like her heart beat differently now, when she was around him, and she wasn’t sure what that meant or if she even wanted that.

  She was scared. And she was looking for a reason to run. Or force Jericho to push her away. It was a coward’s way to end things, but she didn’t feel as though she had any other choice.

  This was too much. She was feeling too much and she didn’t know how to go back to the way it was before.

  This was wrong. She knew that. But even that thought didn’t stop her from feeling things.

  Shit. She never should have let herself get swept away by him. She should have avoided him at all costs.

  “You’re freaking out,” he stated, his eyes reading her like she was a book. There was no judgment in his tone, just curiosity – him and his curiosity. She nearly rolled her eyes.

  “Yeah,” she agreed with a nod. “I am.”

  He smiled. “That’s understandable.” He leaned over her. “I’m going to kiss you, Annie. I’m going to please you, not to distract you from your fear but to show you there’s no reason for you to be afraid.”

  He didn’t wait for her acquiesce before he placed his lips on hers and closed his eyes. For a moment, she was still underneath him. She took the opportunity to look at him, how lost he looked as he kissed her, but how he somehow found exactly what he was looking for in her. His golden brown hair was adorably messy and she noticed with a blush she had left a couple of small hickies on his neck. She hadn’t meant to get so carried away from last night but her passion seemed to have gotten the better of her. Then, she allowed herself to get swept away in his kiss, closing her own eyes and reaching up to grip his hair with her hands. She knew they should still talk; they still needed to figure out what this was between them, but, for now, she would allow him to show her how much he adored her and her body.