by Flite, Nora
Giving him a tight smile, I crossed my legs. His gaze shot there, not even subtle.
“No thanks,” I said.
“Sorry?”
“No thanks,” I repeated, arching my brows. “I'm not interested.”
His face twisted, the false politeness melting away. “Fuck you, who said I was interested?” His tone was getting louder, fists balling by his sides.
If I didn't know better, this man was about to hit me.
“Get out of here,” I said firmly. “I'm not on the market.” In my hand, I weighed my whiskey glass. If I had to defend myself from a crazy drunkard, I was going to be ready.
He started to lean my way, eyes wild, lips pulling back over his gums.
Reaching over the bar, Kite shoved himself between me and the man. “Hey!” he said loudly, pulling the attention of every nearby customer. “There a problem here?”
My pursuer looked sufficiently shocked. Eyeing Kite, then me, he grimaced. “No problem, man. Just telling this bitch I'm not into her.”
Heat started to crawl up my spine. I had half a word on my tongue, but Kite ended everything. In a blur, he jumped the bar, curling his fingers in the guy's shirt and thrusting him easily towards to the door.
“Hey! Whoa whoa whoa!” Blondie shouted, arms wind-milling.
Kite grunted, people parted in his wake, and my visitor was tossed outside in a smooth flex of shoulders and forearms. Kite was strong, I knew that quite well.
The room had gone close to quiet, all eyes on the scene. Dusting his palms off, Kite smiled wide. “Stay the fuck out, we have enough assholes in here already.”
There was a moment of tension—people waiting to see what the blonde man would do. Was he going to leave, or get up and fight back?
Without another word, the stranger was gone; his tail between his legs.
Everyone went back to drinking and talking, a tornado of noise that ate up everything. I was left sitting there, battling pleasure and shock over Kite's sudden show of protectiveness.
That man... it wasn't the first time he'd stepped in when someone else had gotten flirty.
He was possessive, never allowing anyone in my bubble.
No one but Jacob.
I watched them both, finishing my whiskey in one big swallow. The burn was good, I followed it down into my guts and hid myself there. It was brief, but I needed any escape I could get.
****
The air was sharp, it dried out my lungs and shriveled the inside of my nose. It was good and clean and perfect for my needs.
It had grown close to closing time, but my endurance had failed me. I wasn't one for bar crowds. Before this, I'd lived a simple life in my tiny apartment, inching one day into the next and never straying out of my comfort zone.
I wanted my skull to stop stretching with each new note of music or shrill, drunken scream. Too much whiskey flowed through my veins. Leaning in the alley, I looked over the pair of fancy cars that belonged to Kite and Jacob.
Silver and sunset, as different as their personalities.
My breath danced in the deep blue sky. Thanks to the city's light pollution, no stars lived there. Sliding to the ground, I put my chin on my knees and sighed. Why had I spent so much time here tonight? I could have easily ridden the Metro back home.
Home, I mused. When did I start thinking about it that way?
They'd forced me to move in with them so they could keep an eye on me. But the intense surveillance and hovering had faded with time. Almost as if they'd begun to trust me.
On that icy ground, an idea struck me.
I could get up, and just walk away. It was a startling thought, one that made me stiffen.
I have the photo of my killer. And I know where Kite keeps his gun.
If I wanted to, I could really do it. I could take control, I...
I don't need them to get my revenge.
I can set them free of me.
A comet crash-landed in my chest. This was the thought that had been growing; this weird, spiky thing that I'd ignored.
I don't want to put them in danger anymore.
My hair stood on end, my skin sensitive in the cold. No, stop! This feeling, this raw sensation of love, it was going to ruin everything. I needed to shake it off.
But I... couldn't.
It was impossible.
Laughing cynically, I covered my eyes. I want to save them from me. There was only one way to do that. Give them the letter. Now, before something happens to me, or to them.
If I was killed, the bank would be notified of my death, the safety deposit box handed over to someone—it didn't matter who, the result would be the same. Whoever had that letter would hand it to the police. Then the cops would know that Kite and Jacob were hitmen. Any investigation was bound to fuck them over.
Could I really have that on my conscience?
Nearby, the backdoor of the Corner Velvet peeled open. “Here you are,” Kite said. Stepping out, he looked side to side, then shut the door. “You okay?”
“Just getting some air,” I lied, making myself smile. Would he read the guilt that was etched over my face?
His eyes were clean, thoughtful. Turning, he slid down to sit beside me. Our shoulders almost touched, and I was too aware of the distance. “Jacob is closing up, we'll leave soon.”
Nodding, I tucked some hair behind my ear. “Alright.” Hesitating, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “Hey. Thanks for earlier.”
Flashing his teeth, Kite shrugged. “What, chucking that guy out? Nah, he was being a giant dick. It was nothing.”
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Still, thanks anyway. I—” Stopping myself, I gathered my thoughts. “It was nice of you to step in, is all.”
Turning towards me, his eyes glinted like black diamonds. “I'll always do that.”
My heart took a dive. “What?”
“I'll always step in.” I didn't see his hand until it was on my cheek. “Anytime another man tries to take you from us, I'll step in. No one else can have you. I couldn't handle it.”
His sincerity threw me for a loop. I thought about everything he'd done, everything I had done. My earlier decision about the letter tugged at me.
Leaning forward, desperate to keep myself quiet, I tasted his lips. My body twisted, his arms moving automatically to my shoulders.
His warm tongue, warmer with the coolness around us, caressed the roof of my mouth. When I shivered, he sucked in air, too. “Damn,” he murmured, eyes burning with unspoken hunger. There was an inch between us, it filled with our heavy breaths. “Every time we kiss, it's like the first one all over again.”
“Were you always such a romantic?” I asked, fighting down my surge of fluff and sugar.
Something stopped him. Following his gaze, I looked up.
There'd been no noise, but Jacob stood in the open door. His poise was casual, one leg crossed at the knee so the toe of his shoe touched the gravel.
When Jacob spoke, his voice was a baritone, coming from the deep valley of his heart. “It's the same for me, Marina. When we kiss... it's as fierce as the very first time.”
Kite didn't loosen his hold on me, but he did stand, bringing me with him. The two men shared a look, saying things without twitching their tongues.
On long legs, Jacob approached. His heels left nothing, not a peep, as he crossed broken glass to meet us in the near darkness. “Is it the same for you?” he asked me softly, forming the tip of our triangle.
I was trapped; Jacob in front, Kite to my left, and solid brick everywhere else. Tonight, there would be no running.
Not from them.
They waited, eager but pretending not to be. Shivering, I tucked my arm into Kite's, then reached for Jacob with my other. The skin of his hand was like polished stone in my grip.
“Yes,” I hushed. “When we kiss... when we do anything...” My stomach fluttered. “It's brand new. It never loses its strength.”
Unlike me, who was losing it
by the second as I spilled my guts.
Smiling so that it touched his eyes, Jacob sank his fingers into my hair. He held my jaw, and though I saw the kiss coming, it didn't matter.
Static, whiskey, shadows and gluttony... that was what he was made from.
Our lips touched and relearned their curves, old friends or new friends or both. No matter how much we did any of this, I was convinced it'd never lose its shine. How could something so perfect exist between two people, never mind three?
“Is everything cleaned up inside?” Kite asked, breaking the moment.
Jacob released me, but kept his hand cupping the back of my skull. “Completely done, everyone is gone, too.”
“Then maybe we should go where it's warmer.”
Blinking, I looked between them and realized that I wasn't actually cold. Not anymore.
With Kite and Jacob, there existed a warmth that crept into my soul. It was wild and it fed off of this strange, insistent passion we all indulged in.
This warmth was special.
Magical.
Was this really love?
Again, I thought about that damn letter—about my mission. My world had been simpler when all that existed was the threat of my own death balanced against my desire for revenge.
It wasn't long ago that I hadn't cared if I died.
Now... I didn't want just myself to live, but these men, as well. Could I manage that, keep all of us safe, and still spill the blood I'd hunted for so long?
Hands tugged at me, leading me to the door. “Where are we going?” I asked, stirring from my cloudy thoughts.
“Inside,” Jacob said, one arm coiling around my waist. Kite joined in, a palm on my lower back. Together they led me into the bar, a place that had been so loud, but was now eerily silent. I felt like I was walking to the ends of the Earth.
I scanned the room, amazed that Jacob had straightened it out as much as he had. He worked fast and efficient, had he needed us at all earlier?
The idea prickled me. Wait. What if...
Carefully, I pried out of their arms. “Jacob, did you even need us this morning?”
His eyebrows went up. “Why would you ask that?”
I wasn't so easily tricked. “Look at how fast you cleaned this whole place up!” I gestured, then narrowed my eyes, voice going hot around the edges. “You lied to interrupt us. I'm right, aren't I?” I didn't let him say anything, my volume going higher. “Why? Why the hell would you lie like that?”
Kite bristled, facing his friend with disbelief. “Is she right?”
Tension rolled over Jacob’s shoulders. I spotted it, saw how it made the contours of his jaw turn jagged. Finally, he tucked his hands into his pockets and sighed. “This place did need to be fixed up, but I didn't need to stop you both to get it done in time.”
A lump formed in my throat. “If you cared about us doing things without you, why not just admit it sooner?”
“I don't care.” The words fell out, and he considered them in the air. “Not the way you're thinking.” When he locked his gaze on me, the intensity made me back up. “I wanted you, Marina. Just the smell of you, the way you slipped into my ears.” He inhaled sharply. “I needed you, and I couldn't have you. Not then. If I hadn't forced you here tonight, just to have you by my side, I might have gone insane.”
Too much blood pounded in my ears, it made thinking a chore. Jacob always had new surprises for me.
Kite itched his nose, watching us both. “Fuck, man. Next time, just tell me. I'd have come here to start stuff while you got it out of your system.”
“That's just it,” he said, a murmur I hardly heard. “I'm not sure that would have satisfied me. All the time in the world might not be enough.”
Licking my lips, I whispered, “Jacob.”
His eyes were a glacier, rolling over me with unstoppable pressure. He moved with a purpose, locking his lips on mine, but Jacob didn't stop there; he shoved me into a nearby booth, the large, curved cushion becoming my landing strip.
Everything was ringing in my skull. I felt detached, hot and cold warred within me. It was impossible to make a choice on how to feel.
Jacob... is he that obsessed with me?
I tried to think back, to find more proof. I became lost, pulled back by his hands on my hips, one squeezing my thigh.
“Wait,” I breathed out, muffled by his teeth.
Sitting up, he arched my throat and dove in to suck at my skin. Over my moan, he whispered, “No. I promised you I'd reward you for your patience. And have you ever been patient.”
So have you, I thought, shutting my eyes. So have you.
- Chapter 30 -
Kite
I watched them both, digesting the situation.
Jacob had revealed something important to Marina, but she couldn't understand what it really meant. Not the way I did.
Jacob had been friends with me since we were just kids. I knew him, knew what it took for him to care about someone so much.
I wanted this to be a sign.
If Jacob was falling for Marina, the way I was falling for her... then maybe he finally believed in her. Could I be allowed to hope for that?
All I was sure of was that I believed in Marina. It was impossible not to.
Stepping forward, I knelt on the opposite side of Marina in the booth. Jacob was kissing her furiously, turning her lips redder than berries. She made a sound of pleasure, wriggling her hips. My view let me see the swell of her breasts, hard tips cutting through the fabric.
Reaching down, I adjusted my growing erection. My cock was thickening fast, reacting to the excitement of this astounding girl. We hadn't finished earlier today, and I was throbbing with a wanton need that had gone on for too many hours.
Marina looked up, spotting me. The centers of her coffee eyes dilated; she was losing herself already. “Come here,” she told me, stretching out in the giant booth.
That was an easy request to fill.
Inching closer, I knelt over her face. She shifted onto her side, fingers stroking the front of my obvious bulge. I hissed through my teeth, and she copied me, caught up in how she'd made me react.
Suddenly she was jostled. We both looked; Jacob had undone her jeans and was peeling them down her juicy thighs. In the harsh lights, her panties were a rosy peach.
“Keep going,” he said to me, not even glancing up. I didn't blame him, it was hard to look away from the shape of her sweet pussy.
Taking his cue, I grabbed her wrist and guided her hand back. My eyes fluttered, her palm jerking me through my jeans. “I need to get these off,” I groaned, popping the brass button.
She chuckled, then shuddered with a gasp. Jacob had spread her knees wide, crouching between to nuzzle her cunt.
Catching her by the cheeks, I turned her to me. My eyes burned, as heated as my lower belly. “Stay focused,” I demanded.
Licking her lips, Marina inhaled. One quick movement, and my jeans came down, cock bouncing into the air. The tip was shiny, precome already dripping. My balls were heavy with my delayed release.
Curling her fingers around my base, she stroked experimentally. “Holy hell,” I grunted. Leaning into her, I wrapped my fingers in her silky hair. Some of it tickled over my cock, tingles coursing over the back of my neck.
Marina worked with patient, determined pumps. Her fist closed on the swollen head, then rolled back down, over and over. Gazing down at her with sweltering desire, I tried to be calm—to hold back.
I fucking failed.
Catching her by those thick curls of hair, I forced her lips over my cock and groaned. I heard her mirror me, and then she choked, wriggling from something Jacob had done. I wasn't watching, my world existed here; the edge between pleasure and delirium.
Nothing but wet suction and a swirling tongue mattered.
Contorting, she put one elbow down for leverage. Her other hand swung, coaxing me forward by the middle of my back. I was eager to be guided, hammering my length down her
throat as I hunched over her. My breathing was ragged, torn from me in great, heated waves.
Something bounced off my chest. Blinking, I stared down at the foil packet—a condom.
Jacob sat up, wiping his drenched mouth. “Go ahead,” he said, eyes as mysterious as the bottom of the ocean. “Take her. She's more than ready.”
Gritting my teeth, I pulled Marina free. Drool spilled down her chin, wide eyes sparkling and making my cock stiffen even more. I didn't think it was fucking possible.
Lying down in the booth, I peeled the condom free. Marina grinned, snatching it from me with a wink. “Let me do it,” she said.
Chuckling, I folded my arms under my head to create a makeshift pillow. “Be my guest.”
Sitting on her knees between my thighs, she paused with the condom just over my reddish tip. The look she tossed to Jacob was brief; over her shoulder, then away again.
What had they communicated with just a look?
And then she slid the condom over my shaft, and I stopped caring.
- Chapter 31 -
Jacob
One by one, I removed the buttons of my long-sleeved shirt, air kissing my bare skin.
Through it all, I knelt and watched as Marina ground her hips across Kite's thighs. She straddled him, panties clinging to one ankle, hanging on for dear life.
I had a wonderful view, her perfect waist swaying, ass lifting with each of her movements.
Between her sweet legs, I could glimpse the hungry slickness of her cunt. This woman drove me wild and made me think every vulgar word in the human language.
Shedding my clothes was making me naked, yes, but it was what she did to me that really made me vulnerable.
This was a dangerous game. I'd given her the keys to the softest parts of me, and I didn't think she knew it. Would she ever?
I thought about the men I'd killed. Each of them had left a mark inside of me, buried deep where no one should explore.
I'd killed to keep Kite and I safe.
I'd ended lives to make us money, to build our future.
For Marina, I had killed, too. She just didn't know it.