Addiction

by Hart, Romi

  Letting Jordan lead the way, she trudged back into her building and into the waiting elevator. Thankfully, they arrived to find two very happy people, wrapped in each other’s arms, with news that the DNA results were back and had already struck a match to someone else. Kylie couldn’t have been more relieved, and she eagerly shoved the two of them out the door. It was her turn to celebrate the return of the man who warmed her bed and had stolen her heart.

  As she closed the door, Jordan’s phone rang again. “If that’s your sister, you should answer. She obviously needs to talk to you.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “I’ll call her in the morning. She’ll be up late, so I’ll get her.” She noticed the dark circles under his eyes and towed him to the bedroom, where he practically fell in the bed as he shrugged off his shirt and yanked off his pants. When she turned off the light, she swore he was asleep, but as she laid down, he curled around her, pulling her against him.

  “Goodnight, Jordan. Get some rest,” she whispered, tilting her head up to kiss his forehead. But instead, he captured her lips and dug his fingers into her hips, pushing his knee between her thighs to spread them.

  “How can I sleep with something so enticing next to me? I need you, Kylie.” His words were strained, filled with a desperation she’d never heard from him before. He sounded like a wounded man who needed narcotics to kill the pain, and he clung to her as if she was the cure for it all. Her temperature spiked, and her heart pounded against her ribs, so she didn’t protest.

  Instead, she laid a hand on his cheek, caressing it gently as his fingers trailed up her side and curved around her breast. She sighed into his mouth and arched against him. Jordan’s touch remained tender, tickling down her stomach and toward her center. He traced a line just above the waist of her pajamas, making liquid pool in her panties as her body readied for him. When his hand dipped inside and found her slit, he fingered her with a gentle touch, running teasing lines back and forth until she moaned.

  Slowly, carefully, he rolled over on top of her, his cock hard against her thigh as his tongue sought her throat, licking circles at the hollow beneath before trailing down between her breasts. He flicked it against her navel as his hands closed over her breasts, and she gasped at the way he massaged her, with the lightest of touches as he rubbed her nipples with the pads of his thumbs.

  This wasn’t their usual coupling. There was never this much tenderness, and as he kissed along her pelvic bone and then up her ribs while only hand crawled up the other side, Kylie wondered if this was what it felt like to make love. Her heart ached as much as her pussy, and she felt tears pricking at her eyes with as much fervor as the muscles in her lower stomach bunched in response to his attention.

  He brushed his hand along her inner thigh, moving it out so she was spread in front of him, but he didn't go for her center. Instead, his lips trailed over her thigh, down to the back of her knee as he lifted her leg. He kissed and licked at it, driving her mad. She'd never realized what a sweet spot it was until now, and everything inside her tensed, ready to burst. The orgasm built, but just as it was ready to overtake her, Jordan slid back up her body, easing his weight on top of her as his mouth found hers.

  The kiss was passionate, slow, and it drew every emotion she felt out of her so that she clenched her body around his, determined not to be separated by anything. She wanted his body, but more than that, she wanted him. And he was giving himself over to her in small measures, coaxing her to the edge and then taking her back into the intimacy of sex, like a roller coaster, up and down.

  He combed his fingers through her hair, but he didn’t tug at it, didn’t make a single fast or violent motion. He took his time, paying attention to every small part of her body, and when his mouth closed over the crease between her thigh and her sex, Kylie cried out with the force of the pleasure that consumed her. She shook and trembled, and her skin burned as her pussy convulsed with the need to feel Jordan’s cock inside her.

  She wrapped one leg around his hips, urging him forward. “Please, Jordan.” She never begged. “Please, give me what I need before I go up in flames.”

  She felt him shudder at her words, and he lowered himself between her thighs, stroking her slit with the thick head of his erection. She knew she was coated with the moisture of her own release, and as he aligned himself with her opening, his movements maddeningly slow, she could feel that he’d covered himself in it.

  Kylie moaned, half from the sensation of his cock pressing into her and half from the idea that he bathed in her passion. With a long, teasing stroke, he thrust into her, and a wave of bliss swept over her unexpectedly, a cooling breeze of an orgasm like she’d never had before. She threw her head back and gasped, unable to speak or scream as it rolled from her core outward through her limbs and then to her head, making her mind fuzzy.

  “I can barely control myself,” Jordan gritted out, and Kylie felt the twitching inside her, the way his cock jumped as it was enveloped in her warm wetness. “God I want to come right now, but I’m not finished with you.”

  “You feel amazing,” she whispered, threading her hands around his neck and pulling him into a kiss. As his tongue darted in and out of her mouth in languid motions, he began to rock in and out of her with the same slow pace and rhythm. Everything about this sensual exploration sent her reeling, and it heightened the usual unsurpassed arousal in her to a breaking point. This was unparalleled pleasure, and she wanted more.

  She could die happy in this moment, she realized as Jordan’s ministrations spoke what he couldn’t put into words. If this wasn’t love, she didn’t know what the emotion entailed. He leaned over her, their chests against each other, and she hugged him to her, rocking with him in that gentle but firm motion. She curled her legs around him, drawing him as close as she could and urging him deeper. Jordan met her demands with a soft groan, and he thrust his arms under her, embracing her as he filled her to the hilt.

  She welcomed every inch, and when he shuddered and stilled buried fully inside her, she realized she was shaking, her body and mind so enthralled that she had no control over it. She’d asked for this, and she’d been gifted with it. She would accept it willingly, even if it racked her body with sensation she could barely handle.

  Jordan started moving again, long, slow, determined strokes, and he grunted with each thrust. Kylie squeezed her legs tighter around him, lifting her hips from the bed to draw him in deeper. She held on, not letting the bubble burst despite the pressure, and when she felt him falter, she clenched her jaw waiting. His orgasm sent her into convulsions of ecstasy, the mutual release so powerful she felt like a bomb had exploded in the room, shaking everything around them.

  The earthquake seemed to last forever, dissipating slowly with aftershocks coursing through both of them that caused a spasm to make one of them jerk every few seconds. At length, everything came back into focus, and all she could hear was Jordan’s heavy, satisfied breathing in her ear, his head tucked into the crook of her shoulder. Her hair blew slightly with his exhales, tickling her shoulder and neck, and she sighed in absolute contentment.

  She no longer doubted or questioned anything about their relationship or Jordan’s feelings. Kylie may not have heard the words, but she felt them now. He loved her, and that was enough. With that knowledge, she could be patient and make this work. It was all she’d ever wanted, and she’d finally found a perfect man to fulfill that desire.

  She fell asleep with his weight still on top of her, his spent cock still inside, and it was the best sleep she’d had in a long time.

  Chapter 7

  Kylie heard a strange song, something that didn’t quite compute through the grog of sleep. She didn’t open her eyes right away, and the sound died, only to start up again. It was like a soft, tinkling hum in the back of her mind, and she rolled over to pull the pillow over her head, as if that would make it go away. But when she turned over, a bright light hit her eyelids, and she squinted, trying to block it. She wasn’t read
y to wake up yet.

  She snuggled in closer to Jordan’s warm body, but the infernal music started up a third time, and she realized it wasn’t in her head. It was Jordan’s phone, and he didn’t seem to be waking up to the sound. Grunting, she rolled back over and fumbled on the nightstand to grab the device, hoping it wasn’t an emergency and yet knowing she’d be pissed off if it wasn’t.

  Her vision blurred as she scowled at the caller ID, but she was reasonably sure it was the same caller, Krys. The Stepsister. Normally, she wouldn't answer someone else's phone, not even Jordan's, but he snored softly behind her, blissfully unaware that someone was calling, and this was the sixth or seventh time at least that she'd called. Something must be wrong. She decided to answer and, if she needed to, she'd wake Jordan up after. Otherwise, she'd take a message for him.

  Clearing her throat, she pressed the button and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  “I’m sorry. Do I have the wrong number?” came a soft feminine voice with a thick Australian accent. “I’m looking for Jordan.”

  “No, this is the right number.” Kylie fought the thick slur of sleep and blinked several times, trying to fully clear her head. She looked over her shoulder. Jordan hadn’t even stirred. “He’s indisposed at the moment. Can I give him a message for you?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I don’t mean to…interrupt.” The woman – Krys, she assumed – sounded anxious and upset, and there was a tremor in her voice. “Could you tell him Krys needs to speak with him? It’s important. It’s about our daughter.”

  Our daughter. Kylie had to have misheard. Maybe she really wasn’t awake yet. This was his stepsister, right? And they had never dated. Kylie had this conversation with Jordan last night. But then, how hard would it be to make up stories about a woman half a world away? Could Kylie really believe that, hearing this woman reference having a child with him?

  “Hello? Miss, I really need to make sure Jordan gets the message.”

  Sitting up sharply, Kylie pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to make sense of it. “Yes, of course. His daughter.”

  “Yes, thank you. It’s very important, so as soon as he’s available, please have him call me.” The line went dead, and Kylie sat there holding the phone and staring at the screen for several minutes. What the actual hell was going on?

  She knew she needed to wake Jordan, demand an explanation, but she couldn’t face him, not without trying to piece this together, make something logical out of it. Kylie set the phone on the nightstand and ripped her hands through her hair. Was she a fool? Had she been played all along? Just last night, she’d thought how much she trusted Jordan, how he’d never lied to her and she would have stood by him without question had he been in the same situation as Marcus.

  Now, all of that was in question. Something was off. Maybe the woman was just trying to discredit him for some reason, the same way the bitch in Washington had tried to blame Marcus. But that seemed too coincidental. And if that was the case, why would Jordan have her number saved?

  So, maybe this Krys misspoke somehow, referring to her daughter as ‘our daughter’ because it was a child that belonged to her and someone who might be with her at the moment. But if that was the case, why hadn’t she said ‘my daughter’ or referred to her as Jordan’s niece? And why had Jordan ignored the calls last night if there was a reasonable explanation for all of this?

  Kylie turned to stare at his sleeping form, her heart sinking. After all this time, maybe she still barely knew him. What if it was all a lie, every bit of what they’d shared? No, that wasn’t possible. No one could lie when raw emotion came through their eyes and their actions. What happened between them last night wasn’t a lie. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding something from her.

  Swallowing hard against a sob that threatened to escape, Kylie stood and went to the closet. She pulled out a t-shirt and jeans, dressing quickly, and then she wrapped her hair into a messy bun. She slipped her feet into the first pair of shoes she found, grabbed her phone and keys, and left. She stood waiting for the elevator, trying to figure out where she was going.

  Anger built inside, and just as the elevator door opened, she turned on her heel, striding back to her apartment. She couldn’t’ walk away without answers. She deserved that much, and she wouldn’t allow fear or pain or confusion push her into making a rash decision, like walking out and never speaking to him again.

  Storming back into her place, she threw the bedroom door open, and the sound of it hitting the wall finally woke Jordan. He groaned and rolled over, blinking awake. His gaze searched the room, and when it landed on her, he smiled briefly before the smile faded to worry. “Is something wrong?” he asked, still sounding half asleep.

  “I don’t know. You should probably call Krys and find out.” She hadn’t meant to spit the words with such venom, but his nonchalance fueled her fury, and she took another step into the room. “She says she needs to talk to you. It’s important.” She paused. “About. Your. Daughter.”

  His expression tightened, and he sat up, his eyes moving away from her and toward the bright morning sun coming through the window. “I see.”

  Kylie scoffed, floored at his response. “’I see’? Is that all you have to say to me? So, she didn’t say it wrong. You have a daughter with her.” Her words were clipped and harsh, but she couldn’t help it. It was this or tears and falling apart. She wouldn’t be weak now. Kylie had worked too hard to make herself strong and resilient.

  “Yes, we have a daughter, but it’s not what you think.” He spoke in a monotone, low and raspy, and Kylie wanted to shake him, find some emotion below the surface. She could deal with just about anything better than stoicism.

  “Oh, really? You can’t imagine the crazy shit I’m thinking!” she countered, trying to get a rise out of him. “Jordan, you lied to me. You told me she was your stepsister—“

  “She is my stepsister!” he cried, standing and turning to face her, his eyes wild and his entire body tense. “She’s my stepsister and the mother of my child.”

  Kylie inhaled sharply, staring at Jordan in disbelief. “You’re sick,” she said, shaking her head. How could he… She shivered, just thinking about it. “Do you love her?”

  He let his head fall forward and shook it. “That was never what it was about, Kylie. When we got married—“

  “Married?” she cried, cutting him off. She had to put her hand on the wall to balance herself as her mind reeled. Suddenly, things were starting to make sense. She gaped at him, the realization slamming into her heart and shattering every hope and dream she’d stupidly formed. “Oh my god. You’re married. With a child.” The last word came out as a choked sob. “You don’t have a problem settling down. That’s a cover so you can get your rocks off and never have to worry about commitment because you’re already married.”

  “Kylie, please, it’s not what you think.” His words were desperate, his eyes pleading, but Kylie didn’t care.

  “You’re such a liar. You said you’d never hurt me, told me all these things about who you were, and all of it was a lie. Get out, Jordan. Get your shit, and get out of my apartment. Get out of my life!” He opened his mouth, but she refused to hear it, instead pointing to the door and screaming, “Leave!”

  He pressed his lips together tightly, and Kylie ignored the pain in his eyes. Nothing he felt could ever match the anguish she suffered right now. How could she be so stupid? Here she was, ready to believe that he was in love with her because he’d been tender and gentle and needy in bed. But he had this whole other life across the globe, with a wife and daughter and god only knew who else.

  She wondered how many times he’d pulled this trick, and she was disgusted with herself. As she watched him dress and gather his things, she wanted nothing more than to climb in the shower and wash the stench of his betrayal from her body, but she knew it wouldn’t take away the stain on her soul.

  Following him out of the bedroom to make sure he didn’t
stop on the way, Kylie crossed her arms over her chest and held her chin high, grinding her teeth so hard it hurt in an attempt to keep it from trembling. As he reached for the door handle, Jordan turned to look over his shoulder, and Kylie winced at the expression on his face. She turned away, unwilling to meet the sadness and loss that matched her own. It wasn’t real, was it? “For what it’s worth, Kylie, it’s you I love.”

  The door clicked closed behind him as his parting words pierced through her like a perfectly aimed bullet, and she fell to the floor, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. She felt like the oxygen had been stolen from the room, like her lungs would never fill up enough to satisfy her again. Her stomach hurt, crushed as if a giant stood on it. Her limbs grew heavy with the weight of lead pouring into them, and she laid on her side, curling her knees up under her chin as she bawled.

  She didn’t know how long she was there, but she couldn’t make herself move. Her tears came so long and so thick that, when they ran dry, her skin itched and felt tight, and the sensation of her stinging eyes being dry was completely foreign. She could barely see, the swelling so thick, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t want to have her eyes open. She didn’t want to acknowledge the world around her because then she would have to admit to herself that time didn’t stop. Everything else still moved on, and she was stuck here, in her own personal, agonizing hell, alone.

  At some point, she pushed herself into a sitting position and scooted toward the wall to lean back, hugging her knees to her chest. She didn’t have the strength to move any further, the weight of the world crashing down on her. Kylie realized she’d fallen for Jordan, but when had those feelings crept so deep into her that breaking ties literally felt like ripping herself in half. She’d had feelings for men before, even if it hadn’t been love, but she’d never even experienced more than a few minutes of sadness and loneliness ending it with them.