by Maegan Abel
I heard him behind me and just as I reached the doors, he lifted me from behind, both hands around my waist. He carried me onto the train car. The monorail was empty so he walked, with me in his arms, to the back while I continued laughing.
"Do you have a destination in mind?" His voice was soft in my ear. He took a seat, pulling me onto his lap. I grinned at him and leaned in, grazing my teeth along his bottom lip before answering.
"I have an idea," I said, turning in his lap as he kissed me. I pulled my leg over him, sliding closer as I straddled his legs and pressed my body against his. He rested his hands at the edge of my dress, his fingers grazing the hem as he tugged it up, trying to free my legs so he could pull me closer.
He groaned in satisfaction when his efforts worked, my pelvis pressing into his. I could feel him through his pants and didn't hesitate, grinding my hips as my body begged for friction.
"I always love your ideas," he mumbled the words against my lips, neither of us bothering to look up as the monorail made another stop. The doors opened automatically and I continued moving on his lap as we kissed. His hand slid under my dress completely, his thumb hooking inside the material of my panties, immediately finding that perfect spot. I closed my eyes, my back arching as I pressed into his hand.
I found his lips again as I reached forward, tugging open his pants with precision and freeing him from his boxers. When he pulled the condom from the front pocket, I couldn't help but smirk at him. After this week, he was learning my evil ways and was much more prepared. I took the package and tore it open with my teeth before sliding it over him quickly. He steadied my hips as I lifted myself on my knees, pulled my panties aside, and covered him completely.
"Shit. Lili, you are always so fucking perfect." He lifted my hips while I rolled myself against him. His thumb found its position and we rocked together, both giving little groans as the bumping and vibrations of the train added to our enjoyment.
I could feel the sweat drip from my hair onto my back, slipping down my spine under my dress as we moved. I arched my back, my cry muted against his lips, as he thrust into me a few more times. His thumb moved harder against me, drawing out every second of bliss as he followed right after. He kissed my lips softly, holding me in place, our foreheads bent together for a moment as we tried to catch our breath. He glanced behind me, his eyes widening before he ducked his head.
"Umm, we have company."
I stiffened, glancing behind me to see an older Asian couple on the other side of the train car watching us with wide eyes.
I lifted off Jordan slightly, remaining on his lap while he readjusted his pants and helped me slide down the hem of my dress. At the next stop, we stood and I shimmied my breasts at the couple as I let Jordan lead me off the train.
"You're fucking insane!" he said, laughing. I looked around, realizing we were close to his hotel now. I bit my lip, wondering how to get out of going to his room tonight. He saw my expression and his face fell. "Come on, Lili. Stay with me. Please? I'm not ready to say goodbye yet." His deep blue eyes were serious. He reached up, his palms covering my cheeks as he tilted my face up to his. "Please?" he whispered against my lips. I couldn't say no, even if I'd wanted to.
"If I ask you something, do you promise to hear me out?" Jordan's question was soft, barely above a whisper. I yawned, stretching slightly as the sheet covering my body slipped lower. I was laying on my stomach on the bed, both arms crossed under the pillow. His lips trailed along my shoulder, causing me to smile. I made a small sound of assent.
It had been two days since the incident at Lust and we had barely left his hotel room. I'd wanted to go home at first, but facing the real world could wait. My time with him was limited. I'd called in sick to work for the first time in over a year. Shannon wasn't happy but there wasn't much she could do. Jordan had gone to the gift shop and bought me the essentials, a toothbrush for one. We'd ordered room service the few times we remembered we were hungry. It had been like a vacation, but Jordan was leaving tonight. That meant I would go back to my life.
"Was that a yes?" he asked against my ear.
I nodded as he grazed his teeth along my neck. I turned my head to look over my shoulder at him where he hovered above my back. I could feel him pressing against me through the thin sheet and I lifted my hips, pressing my backside against him.
"Oh, hell. If you don't stop that I'm going to lose my ability to think straight."
When I repeated the motion, he rolled over, facing me and resting his head on his arm.
"These last few days have been incredible. I've been dreading today since the night I met you at Shadows. I was watching you sleep last night—"
"Because that's not creepy," I teased him.
He gave me a small grin, shaking his head. "I was watching you sleep and I thought, 'If I could watch her sleep every night, my life would be perfect.'"
I tensed, wondering where he was going with this. I had been anxious when we first came to his room but he had helped me relax over the last few days. Now, that trickle of apprehension was starting to seep through my veins again at his words.
"No. Hear me out. You promised."
I swallowed hard, knowing my eyes were wide but unable to change my expression any more than I could stop my pounding heart.
"So, I was thinking… you should come with me. We could stop at one of the chapels on the way to the airport and make it official. It could always be just like this, Lili."
I couldn't breathe. I heard a noise and I realized I was gasping for air, just as I had after hitting the ground at the club. I stared into Jordan's eyes for a long moment, seeing the concern there, before shoving myself up to a sitting position. I pulled the sheet with me, wrapping myself in it as I glanced wildly around the room, feeling panicked.
"Don't freak out," Jordan's voice was soft. He held out a hand, reaching for me, but I scurried to the other side of the bed. I got tangled in the sheet as I moved, falling to the floor in a heap.
"Are you okay?" I could tell he was worried but he was also trying to hide his amusement.
I buried my face in my hands, shaking my head. "Am I okay? How is any of this okay? You just… you asked me to marry you and you don't even know me! I don't even know you! I have to… I have to get dressed," I rambled as I searched among the covers for the dress I had worn the night at Lust. Jordan watched me cautiously but didn't interrupt my rant.
"What do you think I need to know about you that I can't learn in Hawaii? Are you some sort of serial killer?"
"No! Of course not," I answered, appalled. I found my dress, dropping the sheet long enough to tug the fabric over me before reaching around to struggle with the zipper. "But you don't even know my last name!"
"Please, don't go. I'm sorry. I guess it was a stupid idea."
Standing, Jordan came up behind me to zip the dress, leaving his hands on my bare shoulders. The feel of his warm skin against mine helped to calm my rattled nerves.
"It’s a stupid idea, Jordan. I don't even know if I believe in marriage. Like, even as a concept. Who decides they're going to be with one person and one person only for the rest of their life? Who in their right mind can promise that to another person?" I was rambling again as his hands ran from my shoulders to my wrists and back again.
"This little panic attack doesn't have anything to do with your roommate, does it?" he asked against my ear. Irritated, I went to pull away from his hands but he held my shoulders.
"No! What the hell does Zane have to do with anything?" I asked, pulling again. This time he released me, almost shoving me away from him. I spun around, caught completely off guard by the look on Jordan's face.
"He seems to have everything to do with you." His eyes narrowed and scanned my body. The way he emphasized the word had me taking a step back toward the door. "Your little speech sounds exactly like someone who has been burned by marriage before. And, after his reaction to seeing us together the other night, I'm positive I was right about his feeling
s for you from the start."
I felt myself tense, taking another step back. As I did, Jordan took a measured step forward. "What the fuck are you talking about?" My brain was trying to keep up with the conversation while creating an escape plan. The look on Jordan's face made a knot form in my throat. There was something so familiar about that look but I couldn't place it. I couldn't think about anything but keeping him talking. "What do you know about Zane?"
"More than you think. That prick thinks he's God's gift to women and he always has. But, in the end, he wasn't even man enough to keep his wife satisfied."
I froze in the process of taking another step backwards, my heart hammering against my ribs several times before I spoke.
"You know Lizzie?" My voice cracked as the realization I didn't want to make started forming in my mind. It just wasn't possible. The eyes. There was something about the hatred in his eyes.
"I've known Zane longer. We met in first grade. Lizzie didn't move here until we were sixteen. Zane knew I liked her but he dated her anyway. He liked to think he was better than me, even back then." As Jordan spoke he took long strides toward me and I tried to match them on shaky legs. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.
I felt the understanding like a weight being dropped in my stomach. That malice in his eyes. Those eyes. Jordan's eyes. Conner's eyes.
"Adam?" I asked. The grin that stretched across his face was more than menacing. It made my blood run cold.
"So he has been talking about me."
Jordan seemed proud of this fact. Before I could react, he dove straight at me.
"Hey! Open your eyes!" I'm trying. I attempt to somehow acknowledge the words, fighting to find something to hold on to. A hand grips mine tightly. "Stay with me!" I'm trying.
CHAPTER TEN
Backslide
ZANE
It had taken two bouncers and the threat of police to keep me inside the building after I'd watched Adam lead Lili out the door. The wink he threw at me right before he disappeared was the last straw. That son of a bitch was still out to do whatever he could to try to get under my skin.
The real question was why Lili would go along with anything he said. After half an hour of questions from the club manager, Kimmy, I was finally allowed to leave. She didn't ban me but I think that's mostly because she could tell I was somewhat lost at the moment. Plus, I'd never caused her too many problems in the past.
As I walked from the office and back out into the hall, I was surprised to find Mandy leaning against the wall. She held out a small black purse and I looked it over.
"Your friend left it on the bar. I didn't want it to get stolen," she said softly. It was quieter in the hallway, though the thumping of the bass from the main room still vibrated the walls.
The strong buzz I'd been feeling earlier was mostly gone, burned away by the rage. I could tell Mandy's was, too. I wondered why she would hold on to the purse and wait here rather than just taking off.
"Thanks," I said, holding out my hand for it. Her fingers lingered on my wrist longer than necessary.
"So, I'm guessing it wasn't your girlfriend texting you earlier?" she asked, obviously referring to our conversation at the bar. I shrugged, suddenly not caring about this chick or whether she left. There were several hundred others just like her only a few feet away.
"I don't do the whole 'girlfriend' thing. I'm more of a 'get my rocks off and move on' kind of guy," I said, putting on my best asshole face. I knew how to be a dick when I needed to and though it was probably unnecessary given the scene Mandy had witnessed, there was no way I was going to let her think she was the one letting me down.
Ahhh… there was the alcohol-driven side of me I thought was repressed.
"And the girl at the bar?" She asked, her face unreadable.
"Roommate," I answered honestly, letting her know I'd lied about being a local as well.
"Then who was the guy?" Her eyebrows lifted in challenge. What the fuck? Did this bitch think she was going to catch me off guard and get me to admit to something stupid?
"My son’s biological father," I said flatly, my eyes locked on hers.
She tilted her head, pursing her lips as she stared me down, waiting for something. Did she think I was about to bust out and tell her I was kidding?
"Sounds like there's more to that story," she prompted after another beat of silence.
"I'm sure it does but I'm not gonna fucking talk about it," I said, turning toward the club. I was done with this conversation before it even started. I needed more alcohol and I needed to find a chick that wasn't so nosey.
"Hey!" Mandy grabbed my arm and I fought the urge to pull away, turning back to face her instead. "Look, I dragged my college roommate out here on a summer road trip. She's really kinda… well, she's more tightly wound than I thought." She laughed and stepped closer, running her nails along my chest. "Anyway, she had tickets to see some fucking show tonight and I just wanted to let loose and have fun. She'll be out so we could still go back to my room and raid the mini bar."
I looked down at her and immediately recognized the carnal look in her eyes. She was a hunter, like me. Here I thought I'd found just another tourist and instead I'd found the fucking female version of myself. Perfect. She smirked and I knew the realization I'd made was written all over my face.
"Come on." I grabbed her hand and pulled her quickly down the hall toward the back exit of the building.
When we made it to the alley, she paused to wait for me to shut the door. I shoved her against the brick wall and leaned in to capture her mouth with mine. I grabbed the purse from her hand and dropped it along with Lili's on the concrete beside us. Circling her wrists with my fingers, I lifted her arms over her head. She moaned into my mouth as I used one hand to hold her wrists against the unforgiving bricks, sliding the other down her stomach.
She arched her back, lifting her dress even further as my fingers found the hem and quickly returned to where they had been on the dance floor earlier. I pushed her thong aside, feeling her heat as my fingers slipped easily along her skin.
It was late but, even in the dark, the oppressive heat of the desert summer was enough to take my breath away. It had been too long since I'd last gotten laid and the evidence of that pressed uncomfortably into the metal zipper of my jeans. I needed this release or wasn't going to be able to think straight.
I dropped her hands and she immediately made quick work of my jeans, freeing my erection. Her eyes widened momentarily before she smiled, wrapping her hand around it and stroking the length slowly.
"She doesn't know what she's missing, does she?"
I scowled, gripped Mandy's shoulders and pushed down, letting her know I wanted her on her knees.
"Don't speak."
She ran her thumb over the bead of moisture on the tip, nearly making me come undone. She leaned in and ran her tongue slowly up the underside from the base before taking me into her mouth. I groaned my appreciation and met her eyes.
"This is going to be fast," I warned her and she nodded, the small movement of her head had me rubbing against the roof of her mouth.
I gripped her hair tightly with both hands, taking control as I thrust my hips quickly, going deeper each time until I felt myself hitting the back of her throat. I closed my eyes, focusing on the feel of her warm mouth as she flattened her tongue, pressing it against my length as I moved. I felt her hands digging into my ass and the muscles in my stomach tightened, signaling my impending release. I pressed harder into her, holding her in place until I was completely finished.
When I pulled out, she licked her lips and looked up at me through her lashes. I knew this was going to be just the night I needed. I refastened my jeans and helped her to her feet, letting her grab the bags from the concrete before we headed to her room.
I woke in the morning to the overwhelming need to piss. Where the fuck was I? Shit, what time was it? I groaned and started to stretch, but the small hand pressing against my chest sto
pped me cold. I blinked my blurry eyes and focused on the mane of red hair spread out across my chest. Someone stirred on my right and I turned my head, recognizing Mandy's brown curls and naked back after a hazy moment of confusion.
Okay, Mandy's hotel room. That explained the where at least. But, who the hell was the redhead? I wracked my brain, searching for the moment of lost memory. I could feel it just outside of my grasp. I needed to take the night one step at a time.
I'd left the club with Mandy and come to her room. We'd gone through all the alcohol in her mini bar quickly. We fucked. I made a run downstairs to the liquor store…
What the fuck happened next?
The redhead moved, inhaling sharply as she rolled partway off me. Her smooth flesh ran along mine, confirming that we were both just as naked as Mandy. I slid carefully out from under the red head's body, letting the pillow take my place as I grabbed my clothes from the floor. Two years of practice had me silently shutting the bathroom door so I could have a moment of peace to get dressed before I slipped out of the room.
I continued to search for the hours missing from my memory, but it was futile. My head was already throbbing as I pulled on my shirt. Shit, the time! I was supposed to work the mid-shift today to make up for the schedule change last weekend. Jackson would murder me if I was late. Not to mention the write up I'd get from my boss. Bending over to pull on my jeans in a rush had my skull pounding so hard I was sure my ears would bleed. I needed to get home and take some Ibuprofen. With that thought, came the memory of Lili passed out on the bathroom floor last week. My heart dropped as the earlier events of the night before slammed into me.
Lili had been with Adam. She had left the club with Adam.