by Naima Simone
“I love to watch you pleasure yourself. Especially while I fuck you.” He thrust forward, burying half his cock in her sweet pussy, fitting like a perfect glove. He pulled out, driving forward again, almost to the hilt. “One more time,” he muttered, sweat dampening his brow. “One. More.” He withdrew and in one powerful lunge plunged deep and bottomed out. His hoarse shout erupted from his throat, matching the higher scream from beneath him.
“Fuck, baby,” Selig rasped, circling his hips, not wanting to pull out, but wanting to stay locked inside her forever. “I can’t get enough. I don’t want to leave this perfect.” He thrust against her hips. “Tight.” Thrust. “Wet.” Thrust. “Pussy.”
Caitlin writhed beneath him, her fingertips drenched with her own juice, rubbing her clit and meeting him stroke for stroke. Fingers digging into her hips, Selig jerked her ass off the bed and fucked her as if he’d lost his mind. Which he wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t. Agony and pleasure consumed him, reducing him to the brutal pleasure found only in her tight sheath.
“Selig!” Caitlin screamed out his name a second before her second orgasm took her. And him with her. Ecstasy detonated within him, erupting in his balls, shooting up his cock and into her rippling pussy. Her name was a broken cry on his lips as he fell over her, hips still bucking. Her hands soothed the brutal aftershocks, sliding up his chest and over his shoulders. Her touch quieted him, but not the emotion that welled up in his chest leaving room for nothing else, not even breath.
He loved her.
He could no longer deny it. No longer ignore it. Earlier, he’d given her his trust and now he’d turned over his heart. With trust and love came forgiveness. He couldn’t hold on to the past any longer when it meant losing another chance at a future with her.
God, did he want a future with her.
To awake each morning and see her sleeping beside him. To see her grow with his child. The thought jolted him, but yeah, he wanted that.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Selig smiled, bending his head to stroke his lips across hers.
“What am I looking at you like?”
She regarded him with frank skepticism. “I don’t know, but the cat that ate the canary comes to mind.”
Selig arched his eyebrow. “Oh really,” he drawled. Images of Caitlin heavy with his child had affected him. His hips rolled forward and Caitlin’s eyes widened before her lashes lowered, her expression loosening, passion suffusing it. Yeah, he thought, dragging his awakened cock from her pussy until only the tip remained. He had a feeling he would never see that cold, indifferent mask ever again.
He made love to her again and then again after that. In the dark hours after midnight, as he curled around her and sleep had almost claimed him, Caitlin sighed his name. He rubbed his chin on her hair and tightened his embrace.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Shit. Why did that scare the hell out of him?
“I broke up with you because Nicholas threatened your life.”
“What did you say?”
The lamp flicked on and Caitlin blinked against the abrupt glare. She pushed herself to a sitting position in the middle of the large bed, drawing the covers around her nakedness. Moments ago, the bed with its rumpled sheets had been a cocoon of safety and pleasure. Now, as Selig stared at her in rising fury and disbelief, it took every ounce of courage she possessed to meet his golden gaze.
“I broke up with you because Nicholas threatened your life,” she repeated.
“What are you talking about, Caitlin?” His eyes narrowed and in spite of her resolve, she shivered under his hard speculation.
“Nicholas has—connections,” she stammered. “Either I sent you away or he would have had you killed.”
“Shit!” Selig shot off the bed. Harsh curses exploded from him like a barrage of bullets. He stalked across the room, digging his fingers in his hair and fisting the dark waves before dropping his arms to his sides. Spinning around, he advanced on the bed, his amber glare blazing.
“Explain, Caitlin.”
She’d expected his anger. She’d steeled herself for it. Selig had a right to be furious with the decision she’d made that had affected both their lives. At the time, it had seemed the only option, but Selig, so proud and strong, wouldn’t see it that way. She squared her shoulders to face the consequences of a choice made by a young, desperate girl.
“Nicholas launders money for criminals and uses the firm as a front.” Selig’s head jerked back as if clipped in the chin. Caitlin knew the feeling. She’d almost married the monster. “I found out by accident. He was a little too careless with the papers he left around his office. I…” Her voice wavered. Even after all these years she didn’t know if she’d been incredibly brave or stupid. Probably both. “I made copies of the documents and told him I wanted out of our relationship and if anything happened to me, the evidence would be mailed to the state’s attorney, outing him and his associates.”
“My God, Caitlin…”
“He left me alone until you returned home.” She shook her head. “He couldn’t stand my being with you.”
“Why not use the documents? You had them over his head already.”
Caitlin shook her head, answering his question even before he’d finished it. “The same threat wouldn’t have worked. Not with you. Selig, it wasn’t really the papers that protected me, but Nicholas’ obsession and certainty that we would be back together. He can’t stand to lose something that he considers his and that included handing me over to his partners. I carry no illusions. As soon as he no longer wanted me, the documents wouldn’t have been worth the paper they were printed on. Nicholas may not have a lot of clout outside this state, but his friends do. Those documents would have been explained away, ‘lost’ or destroyed once they reached the authorities.”
“So he threatened to have me murdered and you sent me away, condemning us both to six years of hell.” His hard voice lashed out at her. “Why, Caitlin? Why didn’t you come and tell me?”
“Because you would’ve confronted Nicholas and signed your own death warrant.”
“But it was my choice, damn it!” Selig swore low and harsh. “You didn’t allow me the right to make that choice. It was literally my life on the line. But you decided to hold all the cards and leave me in the dark. Leaving you alone to face a murderer and a pregnancy. What kind of man does that make me?” He turned away and ran both palms over his head, the fingers locking at the back of his neck. Caitlin stared at his back for several long moments, her heart thumping so loud in her chest she feared it would burst.
He couldn’t even look at her. She closed her eyes, grief and pain sharp talons that clawed at her, tearing her apart bit by bit. She tangled her fingers in the sheets, gripping anything that would give her purchase, no matter how tenuous.
“Did you think I wouldn’t be able to protect you or myself from him? Is that why you gave in to him?”
Her eyes snapped up. Shock sang through her, the discordant note leaving her ill. “God no, Selig.” Caitlin scrambled to her knees. The covers fell away from her body, revealing her nakedness, but she didn’t care. Pushing the sheet aside, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, coming to her feet in front of him. Caitlin clasped one of his hands in both of hers. “Please, look at me.”
It seemed like forever before he turned. His hair hung in disarray around his face from the number of times he’d dragged his fingers through it, framing a forbidding expression of stone. His eyes, though, they stole her breath.
“Selig,” Caitlin whispered, “believe me when I tell you that never occurred to me. Not once did I doubt your strength. It was that strength of will that scared me. I knew you would have refused to leave, to back down.” She lifted a hand to his face, cradling his cheek in her palm. “I had to decide between a life with you and waiting for a bullet to cut you down or an existence without you and knowing you lived.” Her hand fell from his face and she took a
step back, her thighs hitting the bed.
“If it had been just me, I would have risked going to the police or taking the evidence I had to the state’s attorney. But not you. I couldn’t gamble with your life.”
“All these years I believed you didn’t want me, that you didn’t think I was good enough for you. At times I hated you.” His topaz gaze bore into hers as hard as the gem it resembled. “If you had given me the choice, Caitlin, I would have rather had six joy-filled days with you than six bitter years without you.”
“Selig.” I’m sorry hovered on her tongue, but his finger over her lips prevented the apology.
“Don’t lie to me again, Caitlin.” Steel underlined the quiet order. “And no more secrets. Promise me.”
She nodded. Circling his wrist, she lowered his finger. “Then, there’s something else.” Selig arched an eyebrow but remained silent. Taking this as encouragement, she slid her hand over his wrist, entwining their fingers. “I believe Nicholas murdered his wife or paid to have it done.”
Caitlin eased back down to the bed, pulling him with her. She recounted her conversation with Rachel in the bathroom as well as her visit to Nicholas’ office the day of Selig’s “accident”. A muscle ticked in Selig’s clenched jaw when she relayed how Nicholas kissed her and issued his ultimatum. Hours later, his wife had been involved in a fatal car crash.
He was so still, he could have been carved from stone. Then, in an eruption of motion, he hurtled across the room, yanked open his closet and snatched clothes from hangers. He tugged black pants up his legs and hips and shrugged into a shirt. Stalking to his armoire, he pulled open a drawer and pulled several articles of clothing out.
“Here,” he tossed a t-shirt and sweatpants on the bed next to her, “put those on.”
Caitlin gaped at him. Her gaze dropped to the clothes and back to him as he pulled his zipper up and buttoned his shirt. “What are you doing?”
“You were right about one thing, Caitlin. Six years ago, I wouldn’t have left. I would have gone to the police. Which is what we’re going to do now. Get dressed.”
“Selig, we can’t—“
“The hell we can’t, Caitlin! If what you say is true, Nicholas is a damn ticking bomb. He’s unstable as hell and I’m not waiting until he blows.”
Reason dictated Selig was right. Nicholas’ obsession had escalated since she’d returned home and had become even more unpredictable with Selig’s arrival in New Eden. Yet the same fear reared its ugly head. What if no one believed her? She had no evidence proving Nicholas had killed his wife, just suspicion. The documents she’d copied all those years ago were still hidden away, but were they worth their lives?
“Stop thinking.” Caitlin’s head flew up at the firm command. Selig knelt beside the bed and moved between her thighs. Leaning forward he cupped the nape of her neck in his large hand. “Baby, I know you’re scared. You made choices, and while I may not agree with them, I can understand why. That was back then.” His long, strong fingers squeezed her neck. “Caitlin, I’m asking you to trust me, to walk out this room with me and start living from under the shadow of fear. We’ve given Nicholas too much control over our lives up until this moment.”
Caitlin bowed her head. Trust. That’s what it all came down to. While she had no faith in New Eden’s police force to protect them, she did trust Selig’s judgment. She trusted him. Inhaling, she lifted her head and met his warm gaze.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Selig drew her forward and placed a soft kiss that spoke of understanding and pride on her lips. The knot of fear didn’t dissipate, but her faith in him strengthened. Slipping the shirt over her head, she donned the sweatpants next, pulling the drawstring until the pants cinched at her waist. Selig knelt at her feet and rolled the bottoms up several times. Once dressed, she padded barefoot behind Selig out into the hall, her hand clasped in his.
“Let me get my car keys and we can leave.”
“So fast? Please, I insist you stay awhile.”
A soft click resounded in the dark room and a second later light spilled into the living room, revealing Nicholas settled in the armchair.
A gun in his hand.
Chapter Eighteen
“No.” Nicholas smiled, the gesture as obscene as the gun he waved at them. “Please, come in. I’ve been waiting for you.”
The halo of light the lamp cast around him acted as a spotlight in the dim room, revealing an urbane, handsome figure in a lightweight summer suit, legs crossed in a casual sprawl. He could have graced any country club or dining room if not for the .45 mm pointed at them. Or the madness that glinted in his obsidian stare.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Selig growled. He shifted in front of Caitlin, sheltering her from Nicholas and the weapon. She laid her palms on his back and could feel the fury that vibrated though his body. He shook with it.
“Well now that should be obvious,” Nicholas drawled. With an indulgent sigh he uncrossed his legs and rose to his feet. “I’ve been waiting for a couple of hours now. I had to listen to your touching confession as well as you fucking the pussy that by all rights belongs to me. Still a screamer, aren’t you, Caitlin?” His smile turned nasty, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. “I’m going to enjoy that.”
Her heart plunged and her stomach churned at hearing he had been sitting outside the room, listening while they made love and the implication of what he intended for her. Biting back a cry, Caitlin stepped to the side of Selig, refusing to grant Nicholas the sick pleasure of seeing her fear.
“Still a little boy who’s had his favorite toy taken away, aren’t you, Nicholas?” Her calm voice belied the gripping terror of staring down a madman with a gun.
“Shut up, bitch. I’m not going to tell you again to get in here. Now.” His voice hardened, the veneer of normalcy dropping to reveal the fury beneath. “Un-uh,” he tsked as Selig shifted in front of Caitlin, trying to shield her. “Move, Selig. The cunt has a lot of mouth all of a sudden. Let her come out and play. Now that I think about it, Caitlin, I guess it’s only fair that he tries to protect you now. After all, he’s spent all these years hiding behind your skirts.” He chuckled at his own joke. “Tell me, Selig, how did it feel finding out she didn’t think you were man enough all those years ago to stand up to me. She agreed easy enough. I guess she doubted you had the balls to take care of yourself. She had to do it for you.”
Son of a bitch. Her fingers curled into fists, the nails biting down into the flesh of her palm. The bullying psychopathic son of a bitch.
“Go fuck yourself,” Selig spat, his fingers curling around Caitlin’s hand and clasping her close to his side. “What piece of shit terrorizes a woman because he can’t handle being dumped? A woman you claim to love? Not only are you an asshole, but a pathetic asshole.”
Rage mottled Nicholas’ cheekbones and his lips drew back from his teeth in a snarl. He raised his arm, and as if in slow motion, aimed the gun dead center at Selig’s chest.
“You do this, Nicholas, and there’s no going back,” Caitlin blurted, desperate to divert his focus away from Selig. “There’s no explaining this away. You think your friends are going to stick their necks out for you over something like this?”
“Nice try, Caitlin. Trying to distract me to save your man.” He smiled, the gesture grotesque. “I’m going to enjoy killing you, Selig,” he stated, the singsong quality disturbing. His insanity was becoming more apparent and that sent panic crawling over her skin. “I should have done it years ago when you first dared to touch what’s mine. I almost arranged to have a bullet put through your head. But having her,” he wagged the gun in Caitlin’s direction, “tell you she used you for a good fuck was so much better. I only wished I could’ve been there. See, a bullet would’ve been too quick. Her kicking you in the balls? The gift that keeps on giving.”
Nicholas’ gaze swung to Caitlin and she met it, hiding the icy fingers of fear that closed around her throat, strangling her. He leered at her,
surveying her body in one long sweep, lingering on her breasts before lifting again to her eyes. He swiped his tongue over his lips, the lust he didn’t bother to hide causing her stomach to do a sickening flip and roll.
“Come here, Caitlin.”
“No,” she stated, voice flat. Once she stood within his grasp, his control over the situation and Selig became complete.
“This is between you and me,” Selig grated, his fingers tightening on her fingers. Underneath his fury, she could hear the fear for her. “You used her to hurt me. You came here tonight to try to kill me. Don’t you think it’s time you stop exploiting women and come do the job yourself? Or do dicks like you always need someone else to handle what they’re too weak to do themselves?”
“Oh I’m going to kill you, Selig. You don’t have to worry about that,” he replied, his stare never leaving her. “But Caitlin and I,” he licked his lips again, “we’re going to revisit old times.” She’d turn that gun on herself first before letting him touch her again.
As if remembering he represented the larger threat, Nicholas returned his attention to Selig. “I thought about shooting you in the leg or stomach and letting you watch her suck my cock. And once her belly was full of my come, killing you.” His hand skimmed down the front of his slacks, cupping his erection. He groaned and Caitlin swallowed the bile burning her throat. “As much as I would like to show you what a real blowjob looks like I realized once I got my dick inside Caitlin’s pretty mouth, not to mention inside that cunt, I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else. Can’t have you trying to play hero while I’m plowing that pussy, can I?” He arched an eyebrow as if he expected Selig to answer. “So you have to die first. Now, Caitlin, I’m not going to tell you again. Get your ass over here or your boyfriend starts bleeding right now.”