by Flite, Nora
My lungs flared, arms raised, leveled and steadied. I dipped my toe into the emotionless river that craved to drown me. I knew what it meant to go there.
Once you swam in the river of depravity—of murder—you had two choices.
Swim some more.
Or drown.
Bang.
The first pop. I knew the bullet would pierce the target between the eyes.
Bang.
Perfection, I nailed it a hair's whisper to the right.
Each time I fired, the explosion rocked my core. My cells sang to me, and my bloodlust teased me by becoming real lust.
Shooting a target wasn't like killing someone.
But my imagination was vivid... and I saw a human face with every shot.
When the bolt jutted backwards from the gun, I knew it was empty. I was empty.
“Kite?” The way she said my name, it was a hook in my gut. “Kite, are you okay?”
Turning, I saw the mixture of emotions on her face. Puffed lips, shiny eyes, and her coffee skin gleaming with her own heat.
Could she feel mine?
She asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” I breathed out. “Something is very fucking wrong.” With me, with you, with the whole fucking world. This woman had slammed into my life, hammered her way in and demanded I help her.
Marina, the brave and cocky and ultimately foolish girl.
To keep Jacob and myself safe, I was supposed to want her dead.
But right then, I wanted to bathe in her existence.
Her eyes flashed. “Kite?” That time, my name was an omen.
The river dragged me way down, and I let it take me under. Dropping the gun, I curled my hand behind her long neck and yanked her towards me. Her gasp tasted like bliss and cocoa.
Kiss me back, I thought, crushing my lips on hers. Let me know you want this as badly as I fucking need it. Maybe that was impossible. The black hole in me was blaring, claiming it could never be filled. No one knew this sensation like I did. No one could.
Her teeth clipped my tongue; my lower lip. A hand wrenched in my hair, forcing me away from her face.
Panting, I looked into her eyes and struggled to breathe. Marina was my oxygen.
“Why,” she breathed out. It was a statement, not a question. Feverishly she watched me, still clinging to my scalp.
Her breasts were smothered against me, and I pressed her close to suffocate my brain even more. “Because I want you.” It was a sparse explanation. Yes, I wanted Marina. On paper it made sense; she was beautiful and sensual, she held her own and holy hell was she sexy shooting my gun.
There were a million reasons as to why I wanted to kiss her puckered lips.
She didn't blink, she gripped me violently. “No. Why do this... when you know it won't last?”
My mouth fell open, words failing me. Through my decadent lust, I realized what she meant. Marina was making it cryptically clear that she knew we had no future.
Did she suspect all along that she wouldn't make it out of this alive?
She wanted an answer.
I didn't have a good one.
The pad of my thumb ran over her lips, thrilling me with how plump they were. “Nothing lasts. That's reality.”
A tremor went through her body. The depths of her ebony eyes told me she disagreed. In a split second, she said so much with her simple look that I came close to begging her to let me inside her brain.
I wanted to understand the puzzle that was her.
Marina didn't give me a chance. Closing the distance, she kissed me so hard it took us to the floor. Beneath us, brass shells rolled and clinked.
In spite of my fog, my own words were digging in painfully. Nothing lasts forever. Did I really believe that? What a bullshit answer.
Soon, I forgot what the question had even been.
Marina wriggled beneath me, fighting to get her hands under my shirt. I understood the sentiment, my fingers hooking under the hem of her blouse. Ripping it upwards, I watched how it clung and squeezed her tits together until they overflowed in her bra.
Two fingers crept to her spine, popping the strap. “Fuck,” I breathed out. In the dim lights, her nipples were a dusty, canyon rock red. The swell of her chest called to me, muffling any compliment I had ready on my tongue.
That tongue was too busy licking the tips of her impossibly flawless breasts.
I'd spent a lot of time imagining the ways Marina would scream. There were two possibilities.
The first kind was a high pitched, distraught squeal as she realized I was going to be the last thing she'd see before her heart stopped. That scream would set Jacob and me free.
The other kind, the low rumble of her passion, I didn't have to imagine.
So far, I preferred this version.
“Kite, wait,” she hissed at me.
“No. I've wanted to fuck you for way too long.” I pushed my hand into her back, arched her against me so I could swaddle my face in her creamy tits.
Her nails cut through my shirt, still trying to get under it. “What? You only met me yesterday,” she argued weakly.
“I know. Too fucking long.”
I slid lower, tasting her stomach, the indent of her belly button that I could lose myself in. But there were better things waiting for me. Sweeter treats on the map of Marina Fidel.
Her jean button clicked in my teeth. Glancing up the landscape of her wide hips and bury-your-hands-here-waist, I saw her watching me.
Little Miss Composed and Confident, now she had a fist in her mouth to quiet her moans.
You might say I was moving too fast. I wasn't joking when I'd told her I had waited too long. My life was a whirlwind of have it now or lose it forever. Patience was fine when you were staking out how to pierce the soft spot between a man's eyes with a bullet.
If you wanted your way with a woman, here, in New York City?
Move fast, or forget your claim.
I'd claimed Marina.
I'm not the only one who wants to claim her, I thought distantly. But that wasn't something I could address at the moment. Whatever Jacob wanted out of this—from her or for her—it had to wait.
For now, I had her to myself.
And that let me be greedy.
Earlier, the thought of touching her had made me feel guilty. With her thighs around my face, fuck it all; I forgot how the word 'guilty' was spelled.
Ripping her jeans down her soft legs, I hooked her heels over my shoulders. Her pants were bunched around her shoes, trapping her satin-clad pussy inches from my smile. She couldn't get away, and neither could I. Why would I want to?
Pressing my nose into the damp crease of her cunt, I inhaled until my head swam. Marina's scent was an ocean that cradled me and tempted me to swallow mouthfuls of her. I was still losing myself, but this way was... better.
Warmer.
Ripping her panties to the side, I spread the plump lips of her pussy and just looked at her. Marina was panting, eyes glassy and frozen on my every movement.
Closing my eyes, I breathed in until my ribs creaked. Staring up at her under half-closed lids, I nuzzled her wetness and growled. “You're dangerous, sweetie.”
Her pitch-black irises twinkled. “I thought you said I wasn't.”
Chuckling, I enjoyed how she quivered when my breath tickled her clit. It was winking at me, calling my name. I was a monster, but I wasn't rude. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you'll kill me right here. It'd be a glorious way to go, that's for sure.”
I heard her hiss through her clenched teeth. Then my lips came down, kissing the swollen pink nub between her thighs. Every muscle in her body went taut, her legs a vice on my skull and begging me to keep going.
Parting her with my fingertips, I lapped at her slick juices. In my pants, my dick was telling me to let it free. I would have listened, but I was drunk on Marina's flavor.
Trembling against my cheeks, she yanked at my hair. “Hurry up and fuck me,” she whined.
>
“Eager much?” I teased, gliding two fingers along her slippery entrance. I stuffed them inside slowly, enjoying how her pussy flexed and hugged me. I was obsessed with feeling her reactions. “I'm not ready to fuck you yet,” I said.
“I don't care,” she groaned, tossing her head back. Her hair swirled like a broom, flicking away a fragment of glass on the ground. It was amazing we hadn't cut ourselves yet on the filth. “Don't be cruel, just do it! Please!”
Flattening my tongue, I rubbed it over her clit and thrilled at her throaty sob. I was in her up to my knuckles, my tattoos vanishing. “No,” I whispered. Smirking at her, I curled my fingers and scraped the roof of her thrumming hole. “Come for me first. Then I'll fuck you. Is that really so cruel?”
Her face was flushed, she didn't respond. Biting her wrist, she turned away and humped that sweet ass into the air. Grinding against me, Marina tried to get more of my fingers, more of me.
I loved women, and I got off on making them squeal and come. Few things fed my ego so well as a sexy pair of bucking hips.
Marina would come for me, the way I demanded.
If she thought that was unfair, then she had a lot to learn.
Pumping faster, I nibbled the very edge of her sensitive hood. I needed as much of her as I could get, and I was starting to lose my composure.
Marina wasn't holding back anymore. Her voice keened high, you'd think I was torturing her. I sensed the subtle change in the heat of her cunt, the vibrations as she clamped down on my fingers.
Pinning me by the ears, her legs held me steady while she finally came.
Let me drown here, it'd be worth it.
Shivering, I tugged my fingers out of her, ignoring her disagreeable whimper. “What?” I teased. “Now you want them back inside? I thought you wanted my cock?”
Her eyes were jewels, her pink blush made from priceless rubies. “Maybe I don't anymore,” she heaved. Her breasts were shaking with her gulps of air. “Maybe you waited too long.”
Unhooking her ankles, I ducked out from under her.
“Wait!” she gasped, reaching out for me. She caught my sly smile, and then she scowled. “Don't joke around, Kite.”
Tugging my jacket off, I smoothed my hair. I could smell her on my hands. The scent was another chain-link in my brain. Marina was trapping me.
“I'm not joking,” I said firmly. “I am very serious about what I'm going to do to you.” Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out a condom. Remember, no mistakes. “Stand up.”
Kicking her pants and shoes off of her feet, she hurried to do so. The insides of her thighs were shimmering. I spread my jacket out, creating a safer place for us both. Lifting my eyes, I planned to motion for her to lay back down—but being level with her hips stopped me.
She made a tiny noise, stumbling as I yanked her closer. On my knees, I nuzzled the side of her thick, curved ass. “You are so damn gorgeous, it's a travesty,” I said against her flesh.
Reaching down, she took hold of my shirt. “Can I...?”
“Undress me? Yes.” Leaning away, I let her guide the clothing over my head. My hair was tossed, coppery strands blinding me. When I could see again, I gazed up at the appreciative face of Marina.
Her hands trembled, she touched my bare shoulders and used me to support her balance. “I was right,” she said, satisfied.
Helping her kneel, I stroked the side of her throat. The way her lashes fluttered, they might as well have tickled across my swollen cock. “About what?” I asked.
She only smiled, a little sideways tilt of her lips. Crooking a finger at me, she splayed on her back. Her thumbs tucked into the sides of her soaked panties, pulling them down. She had to lift her feet up, pointing her toes.
I had the ultimate view, and I saw my hands grab her ankles before I even debated it. “Fuck, who thought it was fair to the rest of the world to create only one of you?” I growled.
The button of my jeans popped, zipper grinding down. The reddish tip of my engorged cock peeked over the top of my boxers. Marina saw it, licked her lips, and I just fucking gave up any attempt at control.
Yanking the last of my clothing down, I fisted the base of my shaft. It arched into the air, veins like serpents on a sugar high. Deftly, I opened the condom and stretched it over my girth.
I had her ankles, crossing them together and bending them towards her face. Marina was flexible, but I pushed her to the brink of discomfort. Those carved thighs were rubbing, her pussy beckoning at me.
I didn't ask if she was ready. Her trail of pussy juice said enough.
Sinking into her, I fought not to close my eyes. I wanted to see every tiny reaction on her face. How she winced, pursed her lips, cooed and then groaned.
Marina's ears did something I'd never noticed before on a woman; the tips went crimson. I wondered if I was the first to notice it happen.
“Kite! Fucking... Kite!”
“That's right,” I grunted, watching her from between her curled toes. “I am fucking you.”
She squeezed me, milking my cock without consideration for how good it felt or how she was ruining me. “Please, more!” she cried.
Grimacing, I bared me teeth and slammed deeper. How the hell could she take this and ask for more? How insatiable was this woman?
Her nails came up, trying to claw me passionately. On reflex, I bent away; caught the flash of disappointment in her eyes. It was instinctual, though.
Nails could collect my DNA... and I couldn't risk that.
Pushing the guilt down, I buried myself in her desperate cunt and pretended I hadn't just given away my game. Even if it wasn't for a week, or a month—please, let me have a month—Marina was destined to die.
I was on the verge of finishing, my lower belly a solid ball of fire. In my head, Marina's question reached me.
Why?
That was all she'd asked. And I still didn't know the answer.
What logic was there in getting hooked on this girl when her future was a body bag?
Shutting my eyes tight, I leaned into her harder. I had her pinned, but somehow, she spread her thighs and I slipped through. The barrier was gone, my bare chest crushing on her firm tits.
Instantly she had her fingers in my hair, her lips on mine, and her nails were digging into my back.
Digging hard. Intentionally hard.
Marina wasn't stupid. If only she had been.
Biting my neck, she ground her hips into me and I clutched her soft ass. The way she breathed, smelled, existed... all of it shoved me over the edge.
Roaring so fiercely that I sent dirt swirling over the floor, I put my nose in her thick curls and trembled. The orgasm locked me up, turned my fibers into lava. Under me, her body joined the race.
Beautiful fucking Marina, Marina the natural. She came seconds after I did, her pussy embracing my twitching cock.
Sweat dripped off of my chin. It hit her on the cheek when I leaned back. With my hands on either side of her face, she could do nothing but stare up at me. Stunning, glowing, accusing eyes. It wasn't ideal.
My back burned from her cuts, but her awareness hurt so much more. She suspects I plan to kill her.
I didn't want to look into her knowing expression another minute.
Grunting, I slid my hips back; the shiny condom came with me. Crouching, I guided it off and tied it into a knot. Nothing escaped. One handed, I pulled up my pants, zipping them as I moved.
“What are you doing?” she asked, propping on her elbows.
Leaning out the door into the cool air, I dug with my heel in the ground. The condom fell, covered in soil and on its way to being decomposed.
Everything was temporary.
Everything could be buried.
“Nothing. Just getting some air,” I said.
I stood like that, shirtless in the February chill. I could see nothing in the night, the stars useless pinpricks. The rest of the world could have been destroyed, eaten up while we'd been fucking. We wouldn't hav
e noticed.
What if it had been? I asked myself. What if the universe could wink out, just like that, somehow converting into nothingness.
If it meant that the responsibility of protecting myself and Jacob from Marina no longer rested on my shoulders...
Being sucked into the blackness would have been a relief.
- Chapter 11 -
Marina
Kite had been an accident.
I didn't have a plan to kiss him—or to let him kiss me. I'd felt the natural pull he possessed. I'd felt it the first night we spoke. The man was as charming and alluring as his friend.
And that is why you might say I did a stupid thing.
Wanting to kiss or touch or fuck either of these men was reckless. They were in my head, in my nose and in my blood. They had a way of staying in my cells. Poisonous men... deadly men.
I wonder if there exists an antidote for attraction?
Staring sideways at Kite, I continued to search for what to say. He hadn't spoken more than a word or two since we'd gathered up everything and left the shooting range. The duffel bag was at my feet, the weight of it comforting on my ankles.
It helped keep me from jumping out of the car.
Say something, I told myself. We've been on the road for an hour. The city is coming up any minute. In the distance, the lights blinked.
The evening had been going so well. I didn't know why that had stopped. Kite had tasted delicious, and as pathetic as it sounds, I was excited when he kissed me.
His hands were skilled, his words inviting. He'd had my panties soaked and my heart in my throat so fast I'd gotten dizzy. A small part of me wanted to understand why he—a man who had killed so many—would want anything to do with me, the girl he considered a burden.
And I was definitely a burden.
I'd swung into the world of these retired hitmen and forced them to help me.
Now Kite has done something he regrets. That was what it was: regret. It came off of him in waves. Fucking me, it had been a mistake. Probably for us both.
So why was my heart beating so fast when I thought about it?