Luke kissed the inside of her knee, eliciting another sound from her. Then he kissed his way inward, relishing every hitch in her breath. He must have been going too slow for her, because she placed her hands on his head and tried guiding him where she wanted him. Each time he moved close to her apex, she’d hold her breath, and then he’d move away and she’d exhale.
“Luke,” she whimpered. “Please.”
“Please, what?” he asked.
She wriggled beneath him. “You know what. It’s not fair. I didn’t make you wait this long.”
“Oh, yes, you did,” he said through a soft chuckle.
When she looked at him with a puzzled expression, he said, “For an entire week. It was excruciating having you in my bed and not being able to do anything about it.” He hooked his tongue right where the edge of her underwear rested against the inside of her leg, then he pulled back.
She made a sound like a grunt and smacked an open palm on the sofa. “You know what I mean. Here. I didn’t make you wait. Now return the favor. Show me how bad you want me.”
Another swipe of his fingers up the center of her.
She gasped. “Yes. That. Christ almighty, that.”
“This?” He did it again, except this time he lingered a few seconds. She pressed herself against his hand, and when he drew back, she cried out.
“I really hate you right now.”
Luke lowered his head and put his mouth on her.
Her fingernails dug into his scalp. “No, I don’t. I don’t hate you. Stay there. Don’t. You. Dare. Move.”
He lifted his head enough to slide her underwear to the side, and touched his tongue against her warm, bare skin.
“Oh my God,” she panted. “Okay, move. Move. Move. Move. All you want. Right now.”
She writhed beneath him, squirming like she was frantic. Which was the point, and why he’d delayed her gratification. He couldn’t help but smirk at her response. This was how he’d wanted her all along. Desperate. Out of her mind.
He worked her harder, determined to blow her to pieces before she gained her sanity back. He listened to her every sound, moving against her like a man starved for the very taste of her. Freedom. Ocean waves. Pleasure. She tasted like all three, and it made him crazed for more.
“Who has the talented tongue now?” she said, her voice rough.
He grinned. “Not just tongue.” And he eased two fingers into her, which prompted the most incredible sound that he withdrew and glided back in a second time. And a third.
Cass’s nails dug so hard into his scalp he was sure he’d have indents for weeks, but Luke didn’t give a damn about anything but her shallow breathing and tense muscles as she built to her climax.
“Right there,” she moaned. “Please. So. Close.”
He made a sound deep in his throat, letting it vibrate against her delicate skin.
She tensed, holding her breath, before releasing a long, slow exhale of relief. Her body relaxed, too, her hands letting his head go in order to dangle off the side of the couch.
Luke shifted back into a sitting position between her legs. “Good?”
She lifted her head to give him a look. “Definitely good.”
…
The afterglow of their initial contact didn’t last long. All it took was one hot glance from Luke, and Cass was ready for another round. With a smile, she was on her feet, dragging him with her.
Luke’s hand traveled down her side and gripped her thigh. He pulled it up and wrapped her leg around him. He started to reach for her other leg, but she was already hoisting herself up. She curled both arms around his neck and both legs around his stomach as he cradled her backside in his strong arms. Spinning, he pressed her back against the nearest wall. She exalted at the feel of being completely surrounded by him. His heat. His vigor. His power.
“Cass,” he breathed. “You’re… You’re the only thing…” His voice broke and he swallowed.
“What?” she said just as breathy. “I’m the only thing that what?”
He pulled back and stared at her with that hesitant expression. The one she loved. The vulnerable piece of him that needed to be cared for. The side that should have been cherished by those who loved him as a child. The one she was going to fight to protect for as long as she could.
He swallowed hard. “I didn’t think I ever needed anything. But you. You’re the only thing I need.”
She needed him, too. There were so many uncertainties in life. But finding someone who fulfilled you just as equally as you fulfilled them, that’s what mattered. It was worth fighting for.
And that’s what she was going to do.
Reaching to his back, she ripped his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. Her fingers ran across his bare skin, scoring the hot surface with her nails. He groaned and then shivered.
Using his weight to pin her against the wall, he worked the hem of her turtleneck up her torso. Lifting her hands over her head, he finished his handiwork and threw her shirt behind him. A quick reach around her back and a flick of his thumb, her bra came undone. He tossed that away, too. When he glanced down at her bare breasts, he shook his head as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Diving in, he kissed her neck, his hot breath fanning her ear as he carried her back toward the couch. Instead of laying her onto her back like she’d expected, he placed her into a sitting position. He stood back and assessed her naked body.
“Almost.” His wolfish grin sent shivers all the way down to her core. Lowering on to his knees, he non-too-gently forced her knees open wide and pulled back again. This time his gaze raked from her lips, to her breasts, her stomach, and stopped between her thighs.
“Fucking beautiful,” he murmured.
He moved in, touching his mouth to her collarbone as he cupped her breast. She arched into it, letting out a heavy sigh. Everything in her cried for more. She wanted everything he had.
Down he trailed his mouth, latching onto one nipple and sucking with such exquisite strength it made her scream out. A sound of approval came from deep in his throat as he moved to the other nipple. With even more pressure, he sucked, causing a shiver so potent it ran the entire length of her spine.
“Luke,” she said, holding his head against her breast. Her body inched toward him. She reached to his waistband, grabbing for anything she could touch. She found his button and worked to get it undone, but he pulled away.
At her whimper, he said, “I’ll do it.”
Luke stood and kicked off his shoes, then reached in his wallet and pulled out a condom. Not taking his beautiful blue gaze from hers, he undid his pants, and in one swift move, he pulled everything down. She stared at his erection as he donned the condom, praying like hell he’d hurry up. The need she’d felt moments ago was nothing compared to what coursed through her now.
She rotated onto her back, her head settling on the armrest, waiting.
Positioning himself on top of her, he trailed a hand between her breasts and down past her stomach, then slid a finger inside her. She gasped and then released his name on the exhale.
“That’s it,” he growled. “Give it to me. All of it. Every fucking sound. See what I do to you? What you do to me?” He added a second finger and stroked her slow and intentional. “You love it. Tell me you love it. Say it.”
“I love it,” she mumbled. “God, I love it.”
He kissed her again. With each thrust of his fingers, his tongue darted across hers with equal passion and vigor.
It was starting again. The slow burn. But she didn’t want to go this way. She wanted to let go with him inside her. She needed to feel all of him.
“Luke,” she moaned. “I want you. All of you. Come apart with me.”
He must have heard the plea in her voice, because he pressed his erection at her opening, making her shiver.
“Good girl,” he said, his gaze boring into hers. “Tell me what you need.”
“You. I need you.”
Hol
ding her gaze, he pressed forward, sliding in slowly so she felt every incredible inch of him filling her. When he reached the hilt, they both breathed a strangled sigh. Cass shifted her hands to his ass and urged him at the pace she wanted. His lips curled, seeming to approve. She basked in the feel of his muscles beneath her fingers clenching with each stroke. Knowing she could take him deeper, and wanting more, she lifted her hips.
Yes. Her vision blurred. That’s exactly where she needed him. He felt it, too, because his eyes turned so fucking hot she almost came again right there. Gripping her ass cheek, holding her at the inclined position, he increased speed, drilling into her with the fervor of a desperate man. His head dropped to her shoulder and his breaths increased to near hyperventilation.
She was there. She was so close. Wrapping her legs around his torso, she locked her ankles, feeling the peak of her orgasm taking hold and exploding around him. His arms tightened as he grunted her name and his body shook.
Luke kissed her long and deep, then rested his forehead on hers. “You’re incredible. That was amazing.”
She pulled his lips to hers, dipping her tongue out to meet his. “That was more than amazing.”
…
They’d finally made it to the bedroom where they lay facing each other as Luke ran a soft hand over her hip. Her eyes grew heavy and the rise and fall of her chest slowed.
He was spent, but he wouldn’t dare admit it. If Serrano came for him tonight, he’d die a happy man. Holding Cass in his arms was all he could hope for. She gave him strength. She made him imagine his life could be different. That he wasn’t hunted. He was just a regular guy that came home to a woman who cared about him. They’d do a ton of things like they’d done this past week. Celebrating holidays. Ice-skating. Making out like teenagers on the couch.
It was new for him to feel something long-lasting with a woman.
And yet short-lived because of his circumstance.
He hadn’t stopped wondering what she would say if she knew Serrano was after him. What she would do if he told her he could be dead tomorrow. Would she stick around? Or would she leave him like his mom had when she found something else she loved more than Luke?
Probably the latter. It’s not like he had anything to offer Cass to encourage her to stick around. Nothing but danger.
But that didn’t mean he still didn’t think about what it would be like spending all his days and nights with Cass.
“Once school is over and things slow down a bit,” he said, making her eyes flutter open. “We should go somewhere. See touristy things. Lie on a beach. Get lost for a while. How does that sound?”
Her expression brightened. “I would love that.”
“You know,” he said, trailing a finger slowly over her collarbone and down her shoulder. “I didn’t think any of this was in the cards for me. Happiness. Being with someone like you. Where I come from, what I’ve been through…I just figured…”
“How bad was it?” she asked. “Your childhood.”
This was usually a topic he suppressed or avoided all together. He wasn’t comfortable talking about it, and rarely wanted to relive it. But with Cass, the desire to open up came easily.
“Bad. There were…” His throat worked as he swallowed. “There were times I was lucky if I ate once every three days.”
Her expression showed her horror. “My God. That explains your constant eating. The insistence that I eat. Your disappointment when I’d missed a meal.”
He lifted one shoulder. “Having food available for three meals a day isn’t something I take for granted anymore. I know what it’s like to fight for survival.”
Luke tried to look away, embarrassment swirling through him, but she pulled his attention back to her.
“You’re amazing,” she said, eyes boring into his. “Because of everything you’ve been through. I’m proud of you. You could have let your past consume you, and instead you did something good with it. You’re like a superhero.”
Choking on a laugh, he said, “Yeah, okay.” He could be her superhero. When she looked at him like that, it made him feel like he was.
“Stop downplaying it. I’m serious. You’re special. I knew it that first night.”
He gave her a doubtful look. “Really? You remember that first night?”
She blushed. “The important parts at least.”
His finger continued its exploration, dragging across her breastbone and dipping between her breasts. “I remember a woman who blasted into Max’s like hell on wheels and flipped my world upside down.”
She shivered and her response was raspy. “Well, I remember a man who declined free sex.”
“Still kinda pissed at myself for that one.” She snorted, and he lowered his attention to her lips. “It all seemed to work out in the end though.”
“It did.”
He captured her lips in an all-consuming kiss. Leaning over her, he let his hand continue the descent down her body. Every nerve ending came alive in the wake of his touch. They’d just had their fill of each other, and yet his body responded in a way that told him he’d never get enough. He didn’t want to.
He found where she ached for him, and he applied enough pressure to fan the kindling into a full-fledged three-alarm fire.
Cass moaned his name as he ran his tongue along her neck.
When he positioned himself above her, he knew at that moment that they were connected. She’d etched a piece of herself on his heart, and no matter what happened from this day forward, they would forever be branded by the circumstances that had brought them together.
Chapter Fifteen
“I think you can be anything you want to be, Shakeena,” Cassandra said to the promising junior in her office. Her dream was to be a pediatric surgeon. The dark-skinned teen sat across from Cass’s desk in skinny jeans, purple hoodie, and gold stretchy glitter headband.
“You really think so, Ms. Stone?” Shakeena asked with a bright expression. “I dunno. My father said I should try to get a job down at Foot Locker for a while. His cousin works there and said he’s makin’ good money. He said I should start payin’ for things I want.”
Cass pasted on a smile. The logic of some parents. “Well, yes. You would make money. But what about school? Would you be able to go to college and also work?” It could be done, but Cass didn’t want to see Shakeena working, earning an income, and then be pressured to give up her dream of college because of the thrill of a steady paycheck—from a job she didn’t love.
“I dunno,” Shakeena said. “I mean, I could give it a try and see how it goes. There’re these new Jordans I really want.”
“What if you—”
There was commotion in the hallway. Lots of people talking over one another. Someone shouted incoherent phrases.
The pair turned their attention toward the door.
“Stay here,” Cass instructed Shakeena. The girl nodded, worry etched on her features.
Standing, Cass approached her office door and listened to the voices on the other side. Panic. Sheer and utter panic reflected back. Cass hesitantly opened the door and poked her head out.
People bustled in the front office; everyone was on their feet moving somewhere.
“Naw!” one female student shouted and collapsed onto the ground. She cradled her face in her hands and her shoulders shook in violent tremors.
Another girl wailed something high-pitched that Cass couldn’t make out.
Closing the door behind her, shielding Shakeena from whatever was going on, Cass reached for the first person that passed. It was Mrs. Nolan, the principal’s secretary.
“What’s going on?” Cass asked.
Fear blanketed the woman’s expression. “Death,” she panted. “A…a student. He died in the bathroom.”
Cass’s heart seized. “What?” She couldn’t have heard Mrs. Nolan correctly.
“Eduardo Garcia,” the older woman said, clutching her chest. “He’s dead. They just found him. We’re calling parents to co
me get their children. The police are here.”
Horror clutched her heart like a vice. Eduardo. No. He couldn’t be. Cass had just seen him not too long ago. He was fine. Happy. Alive.
The door behind Cass opened, and she turned. Shakeena stood on the other side, shoulders drawn down. She stepped out of the room with a hand on the doorway as if for support. Her expression was enough to say that she’d heard Mrs. Nolan. She stumbled a step, so Cass threw her arms around the girl’s full body as Shakeena broke down and started crying.
“It’s okay,” Cass said, smoothing a hand down her student’s hair. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Shakeena!” someone shouted. The girl lifted her head from Cass’s shoulder. Shakeena pulled away and ran toward her friend, throwing herself at the other teen. Cass glanced at Mrs. Nolan, who was fighting like hell to keep her own tears at bay.
Without really thinking or rationalizing why, Cass exited the office area and hurried down the hallway toward the boy’s bathroom. She needed to confirm it for herself that this wasn’t just a terrible nightmare. Entering the second corridor, her heart pounding, she slowed her pace and ragged breathing.
Bad dream. It’s just a bad dream.
Please let it be a bad dream.
But the commotion pouring from fifteen feet away told her otherwise.
This was very real.
Squaring her shoulders, she stepped around the corner, taking in the sight of John C. Carver High School’s first floor boy’s bathroom barraged by police, distraught students, parents, and teachers. One officer in an all-black Baltimore City Police uniform hung yellow tape around the area, moving onlookers away. Two others, wearing overcoats and dress pants held notepads and pens, speaking with those outside the yellow-taped perimeter. A third detective came out of the bathroom, pulling his notepad and pen from the inside of his wool coat.
Cass ducked under the tape and went to him immediately. “Is it true?” she asked, attempting to look around him into the bathroom.
In Walked Trouble (Under Covers) Page 18