After the Dust Settles (California Dreaming Book 3)

by Stacey Johnston

  For now, we need to work out a way to eliminate our padre so that Hadley can escape, and I think I know just the way to do it.

  Hadley

  ‘Don’t do anything you will regret,’ That’s what Gerrick said to me as I was leaving his hospital room. What’s there to regret? Killing our padre benefits us both. He can takeover as head of the family, and I can escape to be with Sean. He worries about my state of mind, but he shouldn’t. I need that evil bitch I keep hidden to surface so that she can show our padre exactly what he created and how it’s going to be his undoing. I will be the one to end his life, I’m the only one capable of it. Gerrick acts tough, but he’s far from it. As soon as our padre opens his mouth, my fratello will let him get into his head. That won’t happen to me, nothing that man can say or do will change how I feel about him and what I need to do.

  For now, though, I’ll bide my time until the timing is right. With Andres and Seb gone, scurrying away like insects back to Columbia, and Luca dead, my padre is vunerable. What allies he thought he had within the family are fewer than he will be expecting, thus forcing him to re-evaluate his position. Pity for him, I know all of his strategies.

  Now, if he were a smart man ̶ which he obviously isn’t, he would have killed me himself, instead of letting Luca play with me. That’s a move he will be regretting now, especially since I have him at a check mate. He may have been a master of this game, but he should have held back a few vital moves. Showing your hand completely is foolish, but then again, I don’t think he ever expected for Gerrick and I to turn on him.

  “What are you thinking about, Hads?” a soft, caressing voice breaks through the night silence. “Why are you still awake?”

  Ah, there’s worry in his voice now.

  “I’m sorry, Sean, my brain won’t slow down. It’s scheming,” I offer in honesty.

  There’s no point lying to him now, he knows more about me than I’d like, but that’s what happens when the feds keep tabs on you.

  “What can I do to take your mind off the top ten ways to kill your father,” he jokingly asks.

  “Sex,” I quickly reply. “Hard, rough, fuck me stupid kind. Make me forget the last few days.”

  Sitting up quickly, I feel his arms wrap around my front, his chest hard against my back. Leaning into him, I can feel the hesitation in his movement. Although his padre is aware of what happened to me, I have asked them not to tell Sean. I will tell him soon what has happened, and I don’t just mean with Luca. He needs to know it all to understand my mindset. My hidden truths will have to be told, to show him that nothing my family can do to me, affects me. Well, not in the way any normal person would expect anyway.

  “That’s not something that will help you right now, baby girl. You’ve been through enough over the last couple of days. Just lay back and let me cuddle you. Let me offer you security, a safe place to rest.”

  If only it were that easy...

  Turning to face him in the darkness, I lay my palm to his cheek. “I know you won’t understand, but I don’t need you pussy footing around me, babe. I’m not like other girls. If I tell you that I want you to fuck me, then just shut up and fuck me.”

  Gripping my face with his hands, he roughly pulls me toward him. His breath is raggard as he replies, “As you wish, Hadley.”

  Without any further words, he crashes his lips to mine and hungrily devours my mouth. His own mouth is hot, and his tongue forceful as it enters through my lips looking for its partner. Denying him nothing, my own tongue seeks his out, as his kiss engulfs me, taking away my breath. Pulling away slightly, reluctantly breaking our contact, Sean rests his forehead against mine. His breathing is as erratic as my own, but he refuses to remove his hands from my face.

  Panting, I close my eyes and savor the moment we have found ourselves in. I can’t recall a time, prior to Sean coming into my life, where I have felt this at ease in another persons arms. It’s sad to say, but I don’t believe I have ever felt this comfortable, not even in my own madre’s company. In this small fragment of time, nothing and no one can come between us. Whatever bond we are forming is stronger than anything I have ever felt and I need to protect it.

  I need to protect us.

  Frankly, everything I’m feeling right now scares the living fuck out of me. This is so not like me at all. I’m a cold, heartless bitch who has never cared for feelings before. Sex was sex. Male or female, it didn’t matter. If I wanted to relieve the stress and tension of working alongside my padre and the creeps he associated with, I fucked. There was nothing emotional about it. I wanted relief, so I always took what I wanted, regardless of who I was with ̶ until Sean entered my life.

  With him, I always want more, which is something I’m not familiar with. I’m used to getting down and dirty, but the things this boy makes my body feel are alien to me. When he breaths those dirty words in my ear just as he’s ready to orgasm, my whole face heats up. I’ve never blushed before in my life, never had anyone who was capable of making me do it. Yet, his touchs do me in. They reach a place deep inside of me, spreading tingles throughout my body. It’s a feeling that unravels me as it travels from my core upward, making me crave him like nothing I’ve experienced before. I will do anything to make sure that feeling never dies and that nothing ever happens to him.

  Maybe God is offering me redemption after all, in the form of Sean Valentine. Maybe I can be saved and am being offered a second chance at life and happiness.

  Falling back onto the bed, I’m pulled on top of him. His arms squeeze tightly around me, as his lips find mine once again. Those kisses of his are gripping hold of me, mesmerizing me while they pull me under his control. I have no will to fight the feeling of losing myself completely to him. It is way too strong. I don’t understand how one person can entrance another to the point of losing all self control. It’s as if I can feel his fingers wrapping themselves tightly around my heart, refusing to let go, and I like it.

  “I can’t get enough of you, Hadley,” he breathes against my lips. “You’re so god damned sexy.”

  Fiercely, I crush my mouth back onto his to forcefully take control, only to have Sean pull back. Stunned, I sit up suddenly, trying to focus on his face in the darkness. Why would he do that, does he not want me?

  “If you want this to happen, Hads, it’s on my terms, not yours. Rough is not what you need right now, regardless of what you think, especially not tonight,” he quietly tells me.

  As if sensing my hestitation, he pulls me down beside him to continue, “I’m not one of your fuck toys, beautiful. You can’t use me like that. I love you, Hadley Alexandria, and I plan to show you just how much, but my way.”

  Tears well in my eyes at the realization of his words. I don’t know if I truly believed him the first time he told me, but I do now. Every defined detail echoed through his voice sends chills down my spine.

  Maybe he is right.

  “Just go with it, Hads, relax and let’s just feel our way through this. I know I don’t have the experience you’re used to, but there’s nothing stopping me from learning.”

  His words relax me, soothing me as I sink back onto the pillow, laying on my back.

  “I don’t need experience, Sean Valentine, I just need you.”

  Without words, his fingers find their way to the strap of my singlet, sliding it over my shoulder to expose my skin. When he gently kisses just below my neck, I freak for a moment. Sensing my apprehension, Sean returns to using his fingers to explore my body. Their touch delicately moves in gentle circular motions, making their way to my hardened nipples protruding through the fabric.

  “I love how hard these get, Hads, they remind me of little pebbles. Pushing their way through the material, thrusting themselves forward until I notice them.”

  His soft, silky voice is so god damned sexy as it whispers across my body. I love the innocent way he describes every little detail on my body like he is discovering it all for the first time. A deep groan escapes his mouth as he bec
omes more adventurous. Closing my eyes, I relax, allowing him to do whatever he pleases. His weight gently presses into me, leaning across to take my other nipple into his mouth. I can feel the wetness on my shirt as he sucks and pulls on each nipple, alternatively. The sensations his mouth is causing are amazing. No one has ever taken the time before to explore my body like Sean is.

  I’ve never orgasmed from anything like this before, but if he keeps it up – the sucking of my nipple into his mouth as he wraps his tongue around and around before releasing it – I just might. The nerves he’s taunting with his actions are sending shock waves, little lightning bolts straight down my body. There is a tingling in my lily, a reaction to his zeroed in attention on my breasts, that has moans filtering out of my mouth. None of which are ladylike at all. It’s a good thing we are staying in a hotel room away from his parents, or I’d be in trouble, because all my moans are doing, is encouraging him.

  “Do you want me to stop, Hads?” he groans against my shirt.

  His hands have moved, ever so slowly creeping their way up my sides, pushing the material along with them. Stopping just beneath my breasts, he is waiting on a signal from me, something to give him a green light to continue. I love the feel of his hands on my bare skin.

  With shallowed breaths, I tell him, “Don’t you fucking dare.”

  Lifting himself into a sitting position, he yanks at my shirt, pulling it upward until I have to move slightly to help him remove it. Laying back down, I look up into his eyes. They are lust filled and it’s as though he’s drinking me in, savoring the site. Regardless of how dark this room is, there’s no missing what he’s feeling and what he wants to do. Placing his hands back on my sides, he slides them along the edge of the material on my bra. Following the seam, he traces it up along the cup, skimming the tips of his fingers along my flesh. Each gentle touch makes my body arch upward, searching for more of his touch. When they reach the straps, he continues to tease, gently sliding them off my shoulders down my arms. Without removing it completely, he pulls the cups down, exposing my breasts to the coolness of the room.

  In anticipation, my nipples harden again, and shock waves shoot through me. Pinching each bud between his finger and his thumb, he roughly rolls them, torturing me in a purely erotic way. My body arches upward, closer to him and I can feel his hard cock digging into my lily through our clothes. He has me drenching wet and hot for him. His slow progression is pure torture.

  “I could do this to you all night, beautiful. I love how your body reacts to my touch, but it’s time to explore.”

  And just like that he moves off me, leaving coldness in his wake. Wanting to watch his next move, I open my eyes just as he removes my shorts. For a brief moment, he’s just staring at my body. His gaze excites me so I sit up and remove my bra, leaving me completely naked.

  “Undress for me, Sean, slowly, so I can enjoy the view,” my breathless voice mumbles.

  He slowly moves off the bed, turning on the bedside lamp. Walking backward, he steps far enough away to give himself room. The fact that he is doing this surprises me, but I won’t complain. With agonisingly slow movements, he removes his clothing piece by piece, throwing it beside him keeping his gaze firmly fixed on mine. I don’t know how I deserved someone as beautiful, inside and out, like Sean, but I’m fucking grateful.

  He is gorgeous and when he removes his boxers that hard cock bounces up, grabbing my attention. I’m loving that he’s doing this for me, really fucking loving it. Shifting my gaze back up to his, there’s some serious heat burning through his eyes and with determined steps, he strides back toward me. Stopping at the edge of the bed, he gestures for me to slide around so that my feet are resting against him. Lowering himself, he kneels in front of me sucking in his breath when he’s face level with my lily.

  I know everything about what he’s doing should frighten me, but I feel nothing but love and lust. He has my body craving him like a crazy woman. All I want is for him to bury his face between my legs and claim me as his. I want him to possess every inch of my body and own it. As if sensing my need, he moves closer. His breath on my skin ignites those tingles deep inside of me, setting them off like fireworks. How have I never experienced this before?

  Distracted, I’m not prepared for his tongue hitting that other little bud. The one hiding behind the walls of my lily. When I jump, he stops, so I reassure him I’m fine and he continues. Every lick of his tongue along the folds adds fuel to the fire he started, but it’s not until he sucks that tiny little ball of sensitivity into his mouth that I explode. Fuck me, that was quick. With heavy breathing, I clench at the bedding beneath me to calm myself, only Sean has other plans. Lapping at the juices escaping, he drinks me in, reminding me of a man dying of thirst. It’s absolute bliss and instead of subsiding, my orgasm lingers, slowly building again when two of Seans fingers make their way inside my lily.

  Why do I call it that you ask? Well, because that’s what my madre called it when I was little. It’s the only innocent thing left in me and something I refuse to let go of. There’s a moment in time when my madre meant the world to me, when I was about seven years old. I loved our time together and could never understand why she didn’t live with us. I remember vividly walking to my padre’s office to see if I could go to the park with Gerrick and our nanny, when I heard him and my madre yelling at each other. It’s the only time I can remember her ever raising her voice at him. She wanted to take me and Gerrick away with her, but my padre told her no. He said that the only way I would ever live with her was if I was put to work in one of his brothels. I didn’t enter, walking back to my room instead. At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant, but I knew it was bad.

  Later on, before she left, my madre told me to never let anyone ever touch my private parts – my lily, as she called it. She told me that when I was older, I would want men touching it. I promised her that I would never let anyone touch me there, only to have her tell me that when I was much older, I would understand. Over the years, her advice was forgotten because my padre didn’t let anyone touch me, well, not until I turned sixteen. That was the only time he ever tried to force anything on me. I promised to do unspeakable things to him if he ever tried again. Needless to say, he channelled that into creating a monster. One who would be an asset to his operation.

  As Sean’s fingers increase in speed and his mouth gripped hold of my nipple, so does the momentum of my release. Within minutes of the last one, he has me exploding all over again, on his fingers. Satisfied, he sits back on his heels, wiping the moisture of my release from his face. There’s a grin that slowly spreads across his face and I can’t help but recipocate.

  “You look happy with yourself,” I tell him breathlessly.

  “You better believe I am. I nearly came all over the carpet you were that fucking sexy,” His gruff voice replies. “I’m going to have you doing that again and again before the sun rises.”

  Well fuck me, arn’t we oozing with confidence tonight.

  “What, no, I’ll have you screaming my name as well,” I tease.

  My own smile broadening as a loud gutteral laugh leaves his lips.

  “Well, seeing you’ve mentioned it,” he laughs.

  I can’t help but smile, and I love that he makes that happen naturally. Normally, my smiles are forced, a false impression of who I am to impress padre’s ‘business’ friends. There’s nothing fake about the feelings Sean brings out in me. He has me believing that there is hope. Hope that I can become a better person, one capable of living a normal life.

  Crawling onto the bed over me, Sean positions himself between my legs.

  “I wanted to go slow, Hads, but you have me that worked up I doubt I’d last. My cock is already leaking.”

  And that’s my cue.

  Before he can do anything, I’m on my stomach laying in front of him, with his cock inches from my face.

  “How about I have you screaming my name first,” I taunt, just before I take his length into m
y mouth.

  His whole body shudders at my touch and it excites me more. Glancing up at him, I slide my mouth off of him, and tease the tip with my tongue. His eyes cloud over, and then his head drops back. Placing his hands on his hips, his back arches just enough to thrust his cock back into my mouth. As I place my palms on his thighs, he groans in ecstasy. The noises are sexy and I take him deeper until he is hitting the back of my throat.

  “Oh my god, Hadley, that fucking mouth of yours is heaven,” he moans, thrusting his cock back into my mouth.

  Never before have I wanted to let anyone take control, like I want Sean to right now. I don’t want to think, just for once, I need someone else to take over and set the pace. The narcasist in me wants to tell him that I told him I’d have him screaming my name first, but the last thing I want to do is ruin the moment. It can wait. Right now, I’m enjoying watching the pleasure on his face while his cock fucks my throat.

  As if sensing my submission, Sean grabs hold of my hair, tightly gripping onto it, yanking my head in a back and forth motion. Slowly, he increases his stride, and it won’t be long now before he lets go completely. Keeping my eyes on him, I watch as the pleasure takes over and he quickens his movements to finally find his release. Just as he lets go, he opens his eyes and stares straight into my own. Sitting up, I let his cock slide out of my mouth and I swallow his release, wiping my mouth, whilst holding his gaze.

  I want him to see what he does to me.

  “You have no idea what you do to me, do you?” Sean quietly asks, inching his way closer to me. “You’re a need I can’t live without. I’m never letting you go again.”

  His words hit me deep. That heavy weight I’ve been carrying around all these years is finally starting to lift. With Sean, I know I can rid myself of it for good.

  “You’ll tire of me one day, Sean, we are young. There’s no guarantee you will always feel like this,” I reply.

  Just for a brief moment, my fear rears it’s ugly head, trying to put a damper on what should be a blissful moment.