by J. L. Beck
She moans this time, again arching her hips up to meet my forward glide.
“You like that too, naughty girl. I can’t wait to see what else turns you on. I’m here as you explore what you like, and I can’t wait to witness it.”
She peers up at me, a softness in her eyes, as her fingers wind up my neck and into my hair. “What do you like?”
I blink, taken aback by her question. But I have to ignore the hollow hole in my chest because she’ll never fully be able to give it to me. “You don’t want to know.”
“Tell me. I wouldn’t have asked if not.”
I stare down at her and decide to tell her the truth. Lying won’t help anything, and she’ll learn eventually.
“Pain,” I say, matter-of-factly. “When I come, I like to feel pain.”
“But not give it?” Her question is barely a whisper.
I gently nuzzle her nose with my own. “Only if the other person wants it.”
A part of me wants to remind her, yet again, that I won’t hurt her, but I don’t. Not with her body so soft and wet underneath me.
I tip forward again, increasing the pace, letting the pressure build. She’s so expressive. I can tell she’s on the edge of orgasm, and I want to take her over with me.
I move faster, my words stuck in my throat now,because I just want to focus on making her feel good. She’s matching me stroke for stroke with her own hips, and I fucking love it.
“That’s it, Angel. Come for me. I want to feel you soak me.”
She moans, her fingers still tucked tight in the hair at the nape of my neck. Then she tightens her grip, pulling the strands hard enough to send a bolt of pain through me.
“Fuck,” I whisper, burying my head in the crook of her neck as I move my hips faster and harder against her. It’s not quite fucking, but it feels good enough to sate me. She yanks on my hair one more time, and I don’t last. Cum shoots out of me, making things even more wet and slippery.
She’s panting and writhing beneath me, and I’m focusing on riding out my orgasm while not sinking deep inside her when it would be so very easy right now. One little angle change and I could feel her heat clasp around me as she comes.
She slowly loosens the grip her body has made around mine. I didn’t even realize she’d wound her legs around my ass, and thighs along my hips. Her arms up so she could grip my hair and neck.
I give one long, lingering stroke, enjoying the way my cum makes us slide together so smoothly. “Are you okay, Angel?”
She nods, her eyes sleepy. “Fine. Thank you.”
I ease off her and head to the bathroom for a towel. Once we are both clean, I gather her into my arms and snuggle her close into my chest.
One step at a time, I’ll win her trust, and then I’ll win her heart.
20
Valentina
It’s been two days since he laid himself on top of me, and I wanted all the things I protested. He could have entered me at any time, but he kept to his word and treated me gently. I don’t know why it shocks me every time he treats me kindly. It also wars with all the things Rose told me about him being a monster. However, I guess I haven’t been witness to that side of him yet. A part of me hopes I never will.
I stay in bed until the cook calls the room phone to ask if I’m eating breakfast. Once I tell her not to worry about me, I get out of bed, shower, and get dressed. Adrian filled an entire closet for me. Everything is beautiful and in my size. However, staring at some of the pieces, I think he means to take me out of his house, and I’m not sure how I feel about that prospect yet.
I grab a soft white cotton dress that reminds me of summer picnics and slip it on. There are shoes, but I don’t bother since I’m staying inside. Then I check my hair in the mirror. Usually I put it up, restrain its heft in some kind of way, but I know how much he loves to touch it, so I leave it down to bounce around my shoulders with a mind of its own.
Since the fiasco in his command room, I usually only come out of the room for meals or to steal a quick book from the shelves tucked in his office. He doesn’t have a full library, but I’m wondering if I can change that.
I’m thinking as I walk and completely fail to notice and run smack into an entire hulking person. Solid arms go around me as I stumble, but they aren’t Adrian’s, and I rip myself free, ready to run. Kai, Adrian’s second in command, stands there grinning down at me. I saw him at the party, I thought, and in the command room. He has a distinct air of frivolity to him, from his expensive clothes to the playful grin on his full lips.
“Are you all right? Did I hurt you?” he asks gently like I’m a feral cat ready to strike.
I settle myself and try to be a normal human for once. It’s hard when I know he was there that night. That he saw me…“I’m fine. Thank you.”
He eyes me carefully, but there’s no heat there, not like when Adrian looks me over. I blush all the same, my ears burning. “No, really. I was just looking for Adrian. If he’s working, I can go back to my room and wait, though. I don’t want to interrupt.”
Kai steps to the side and waves his arm gallantly. “I think he’s in the dining room. Do you want me to walk with you?”
Shit. What do I say to that? He’s just trying to be nice, courteous, to his boss’s new pet. So I nod and march past him. He catches up with me, eating the distance with his long legs. He’s tall, I only just realized, as tall as Adrian, but not quite as large…he doesn’t take up the same kind of space Adrian does.
It hits me that I’m staring, and I focus my eyes back on the hallway again. “Um…so how long have you worked for him?” It sounds dumb even to my ears, I’ve never been good at small talk, considering my father never let me go anywhere.
“Long enough,” he says, with a little chuckle. “We’ve all been with him a while. You should know, any one of us will keep you safe. He’s made sure it’s a priority for everyone. You come first.”
I blink up at him in surprise. “Me? But why? I’m just a deal he made…Does he usually get so protective about his…?” I can’t say possessions, so I just leave it there.
“He’s never had a woman here, living with us, staying in his home. I can promise you that.”
I don’t know why this makes my chest feel tight and my head feel bubbly. “Oh.”
When he grins down at me again, I pretend not to notice and keep walking. We get to the dining room doors, and he grips the knob to open it for me.
“Thank you,” I whisper and duck inside, closing the door quickly behind me. I’ve never been good at small talk. Rose has always been my buffer. She was smart, and clever, and cared way too much that everyone adored me the same way she did.
It takes me a second to get a hold of my emotions. The sense of loss I feel threatens to push in on me and drag me to my knees.
“Angel?” Just like that, his voice cuts through the darkness, and I stumble toward him.
He turns in the chair and scoops me into his arms, placing me on his lap. “What are you doing here?”
His tone is even and soft. I can’t tell if he is angry or annoyed, which worries me. I can always read people; it’s how I’ve stayed alive through years of abuse. Often, I can just gauge things by how a room feels.
“I just wanted to see you, I guess.” It sounds ridiculous, but it’s the truth, so I don’t try to take it back.
He grabs something from the plate behind me and brings it to my lips. “Eat, Val, you need to eat more. I want you strong and healthy.”
I chew on the bit of bacon and swallow, content to let him feed me. It feels nice to be pampered and cared for, and he doesn’t seem tired of doing it.
“What are you up to?” I ask after I finish chewing.
He pops the rest of the bacon in his own mouth. “Eating, obviously.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “After you eat, obviously,” I mimic his tone and earn a sharp pinch to my ass.
“I have some things to go over with Kai. Then we need to break up the a
ssignments for my men for the week.”
I’m curious about his life, about his business. The society isn’t exactly involved in legal activities, but I don’t know anything about what he does or doesn’t do. “What kind of assignments?”
He nuzzles my neck, peppering kisses around like a collar. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
His comment stings. Does he think I’m too stupid to understand? Or that I’m a pampered princess who can’t be bothered with the day-to-day life of working people? Of course, I don’t say either of these things. I just hug his head to me while he continues his path of kisses.
“Why do you ask?” he says, pulling back to meet my eyes.
But I can’t meet his gaze. “No reason. I was just curious.” It would be so simple to tell him that I want to be a part of his world and not just an observer. I want to know how he spends his time when he’s not with me. I want to know his people can keep him and me safe. I could say all of these things, and once upon a time, I would have. Now, I feel like every conversation could be a minefield.
He watches me closely, and I’m not sure believes me. Another zing of hurt washes through me at that even though he’d be correct.
“You smell different today, what is that?”
I rub the center of my chest. “Sorry, it was in the bathroom. I think it’s lavender oil? The bottle said it was good for headaches, but it also smelled nice, so I used it as perfume.”
His forehead bunches up and a haunted look enters his eyes. It comes on so fast I cup his cheeks with my hands to look at him. “What? What is it? Are you okay?”
The abject sorrow is gone as fast as it washed over him, and I worry, still scanning his features for any clues.
“It just reminds me of my mother. She used to wear lavender oil. I remember she always smells like this.”
Oh, no. I move to climb off his lap, but he captures me against him, not letting me leave.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” I say, still trying to get away even as his hold tightens on me.
“No, it’s okay. The scent just surprised me. It’s fine, really.”
I’m still terrified he is about to fling me in the hallway and find someone to shove me out the door.
“Stop fighting me, and be still,” he grouses.
I freeze and let him pull me back against his chest. He picks up a bit of toast and presses it to my lips. Obediently, I take it and chew as he watches me closely. Once I finish, he eats the other piece, still content to sit and stare.
The curiosity gets the better of me until I can’t hold it in any longer. “What happened to your mother?”
He stills, his entire body just not moving. Shit. I once again prepare myself to run if necessary. Not that it would help me if he wanted to catch me.
“She died a long time ago.” His words are soft and filled with so much pain.
I cup his cheeks again and swing my leg over to straddle his lap and get closer. “I’m so sorry. How did it happen?”
He gives me a rueful shrug. “I don’t know. Family mystery. Even my bastard father couldn’t tell me before he died.” Something hard enters his eyes, and I remember. My father is the one who was supposed to have killed Adrian’s father. Shit.
“Does anyone else know what happened? Do you want me to contact people on my father’s team? They might talk to me.”
Or they might tell my father where I am so he sends a lot of guns to get me. I leave that part out.
“No, if there was information to be had, I would already have it. I’ve been hunting for answers most of my life. I’ve accepted that I’m just never going to know the truth.”
I stroke his hair, careful not to mess it up. “Were you two close?”
“Yes, she was a wonderful woman, and I loved her.” A soft smile curls his lips. “She used to wear this bright red scarf. Wool. And it was so old and ragged that bits of it were clumped together and knotted. She loved that thing so much. I remember thinking, when I was a boy, I hoped that one day I would find something I love as much as my mother loved that scarf.”
I smile at his memory. A sweet one to share with me. My chest feels tight with the knowledge of it. “That is lovely. She sounds like an amazing person. I wish I could have met her.”
He nods once. It’s a curt acknowledgment of my sympathy but gives nothing else. “If I have to speak to my father, I’m happy to ask him for you. See if he will tell me what happened. I doubt he would, though. After my own mother’s death, he was never the same man. He turned cruel and hateful overnight.”
He hugs me tight to him, and I bury my face in the center of his shirt. The scent of him eases me as it always does. I close my eyes and picture a knotted-up worn wool scarf in my head, but the fantasy shifts to a memory as the image of a scarf like that is framed in a pool of blood.
I shake it off, like I shake off most of the bad memories that threaten me these days and focus on the door behind me. It takes seconds to count the squares in the wood. Then I count them again to steady myself one more time and wonder why I can’t shake the image all the way.
21
Adrian
Two days later, sitting in the same seat at the dining room table, I can’t believe I told her about my mother. She’s never been someone I talk about with anyone, not even Kai. Yet my angel crawled in my lap and asked me a question, and I poured out all my carefully guarded details.
I focus on Valentina. She joined me for breakfast today. Her hair was held out of her face by some pins, and a soft pink dress hugged her biteable curves. That cotton would feel nice around my shoulders as I put my mouth on her.
The urge to pick her up, put her on the table, and drop to my knees is also overwhelming. Would she let me do it or try to push me away? Would she be free with her reactions like she is in bed or try to curb them in case anyone outside the room was listening? She sits a foot away reading a newspaper, and I can only think about how wet she gets when I tongue her and each little sound she makes as she comes.
I shift in the chair and rearrange my hard-on, which had been pressing into the edge of the table. She doesn’t even look up from her reading. It’s adorable how focused she can get. The rest of the world doesn’t exist for her right now. It’s a skill I envy because the outside world is all too real for me every second of every day. The only time it gets quiet is when I’m touching her.
The door bursts open, and Alexei stalks into the room. He’s all tall, lean muscles, dark hair, and leather. This gets her attention, and I have to remember she’s mine, and Alexei wouldn’t dare touch her. His gaze rests on me, waiting.
“What is it?” I’m irritated, and my tone shows it, but he seems unfazed.
“There’s news. You should come to the command room.” Message delivered, he lopes back out of the room. If the man wasn’t the best sniper I’d ever seen, I’d be concerned about his skills at first glance.
I look up at Valentina, and she’s watching me, not even trying to hide her curiosity. When I smile, she absent-mindedly smiles back. “Stay here or go to our room. I’ll find you when I’m finished.”
She blinks a couple of times, nods, then turns back to her reading. An English muffin in one hand, the page of the newspaper in the other.
If he hadn’t barged in, I would have put her on the table and tested out the fantasies in my head. Alexei always did have terrible timing and zero tact.
I entered the command room to find the whole team sitting around the table once again. Andrea’s black boots are propped on the edge. Kai is perfectly quaffed next to my favorite chair. Alexei is slumped into the chair next to his twin. Vincent, Ivan, and Michael ring the other side of the table to my right.
But Kai is the one who delivers the news. “Valentina’s father has returned home.”
An image of the old man walking into the house with a suitcase dragging behind him comes up on the screen.
“Anything else,” I wave impatiently.
Kai loads up some more images and la
ys them all out on the big monitor. Nothing indicates Sal is with him or that he’s been there since the night he attacked Valentina.
“The staff who have pretty much been MIA since we rescued her have all suddenly gone back to work today.”
I sit back and study the images. “Well, it’ll make things easier for us to question them too. We need someone in there.”
Kai nods. “I have someone already. I trust them to report back.”
He’s never steered me wrong yet, so I nod, content to let him figure those things out. “And Sal, has he shown his face yet? I don’t see him in any of these images.”
Kai grins, a dimple popping on his cheek. “That’s where things start to get fun. We bugged his office some time ago, and the old man is so anti-technology that he doesn’t bother to sweep for things like that. Anyway, we overheard him talking on the phone to Sal’s family. He laid down some threats, demanding his daughter be returned to him, untouched.”
I grimace. We can all guess what he means by untouched, and it disturbs me that her father is concerned with it. But if it’s the only reason Sal hadn’t finished things with her, I suppose I should be thankful.
“Any eyes or ears at his family’s estate? What about the deal we offered? Any word on their response?”
Kai’s smile slips, and I glance around the table as every one of my fearless men avoids eye contact. “What is it?”
“They sent some pretty nasty words thinking that we were somehow laying a trap for them or Sal. I don’t know if they are aware of what their son did to Valentina, but they don’t seem inclined to entertain any kind of deal during the season.”
It was a long shot anyway. I didn’t expect them to accept, especially not on the first offer. The season is always a tumultuous time. Empires rise and fall in a few short months, and I hope by the end of this one, Valentina’s father’s house will be destroyed. But only a few weeks remain to complete the work, and one final party where I plan to make an entrance.