“Your inner stalker is showing,” she tells me without looking behind her.
“Is it really stalking if you don’t tell me to stop?”
“Either you’re not a very good listener or Benny sucks at delivering messages.”
I pull my eyes away from her body—you know, the one that’s way too skinny—and make my way to the sink. “What are we making?” I ask as I wash my hands. “And can we please change the music? What the hell is this?” I reach for her laptop to change the music and she quickly snatches it away, hiding it behind her. I make a mental note to tease her until she tells me what she’s hiding, but for now I’ll focus on the view of her from the front. The back was boner worthy, but the front is practically orgasmic. She’s not wearing a bra and her tank top is thin as hell. Semi-hard nipples draw my full attention. I know she’s saying something, but like I said, full attention on boobies. She throws a potholder at me and that brings the kitchen back into focus.
“We’re making Reese’s Peanut Butter Blondies. Grab the baking powder for me, please.”
I glance around the kitchen wondering where the hell baking powder would be and she clears her throat. When I look back to her she’s pointing at a cabinet. I smile and grab it along with a bottle of water. “What’s on the laptop?” She ignores me. “You know I’ll eventually get it out of you, right?” Again, no comment. “You always go to sleep first, I’ll just look at it then.” This time she hums, but I’m not sure what that means. Her brow is furrowed in concentration as she eyeballs the measurement of first the brown sugar, then the flour, and finally the baking powder. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you just used the measuring cups and spoons?”
“I might have to if you keep bumping your gums.”
“Should I just sit still, look pretty instead?” I ask, mimicking the song that’s currently playing.
A small smile tugs at her lips and she shakes her head.
“Is it naked pictures of you? Please say it’s naked pictures of you.”
Ignoring my question, she has me measure out the liquid ingredients, insisting I use the measuring cups. Then instructs me on how to put it in the pan and set the time on the oven so it automatically turns off when it’s done cooking. “Is this new?”
“What? The oven?” she asks.
“Yeah. Has it always been able to do this? It has a light. Why would an oven need a light?” I ask as I push the button causing the light to turn on inside the oven. “Holy shit, it’s a light.” I turn to share my excitement with her, but find her standing with one palm against her forehead.
“You do realize that oven was there before I got here, right?”
I take it this doesn’t excite her. “It’s a fucking light, little mouse. Inside an oven. If that don’t get you hyped I don’t know what will,” I declare before taking a gulp from my water bottle.
“Us hunching,” she says.
After a round of hacking coughs from choking on the water that just went down the wrong pipe, I take a deep breath and look at her.
“Shit, Bailey. Get it together,” she says to herself as she covers her face with her hands.
She didn’t mean to say that out loud. I suppress a smile and listen as she turns away to continue her solo conversation.
“You can’t just say things like that to people. Especially not the one person who’s been trying for months to get you in his bed. Not that it’d be a bad place to be. I mean he has to be at least somewhat good, right? But look at him. Maybe he’s too good. Maybe he’s so good you’ll never want to stop. Honestly though, is that really a bad thing? Okay, one night. We’re doing this tonight and then that’s it.”
She pauses and looks back at me. Her pupils are dilated, eyes wide, and her nipples are perfect little pebble points aimed straight at me. Fuck me, she’s serious about this. Then she curses again and although she looks embarrassed, her desire is undeniable.
“Was all of that out loud?”
I nod. Another curse. She drops her head and covers her face again. After a few seconds, she looks up at me.
“It’s okay though, because we can do that, right?”
Since my voice is still abandoning me and I can think of nothing in the entire universe I’d rather do, I nod my head. The smile she gives is brilliant and she quickly grabs my hand. I’m still stunned that she actually asked, so all I can do is follow her as she leads me to my room. When we cross the threshold, she stops and looks around. I wait, realizing this is the first time she’s ever been in here. It’s amazing how much I want her approval of my personal space. I know she likes the apartment. She absolutely loves the kitchen. This is different though. If this is my castle, then this is my throne room and if she’s to be my queen, then I need her to like it.
“Nice,” she mumbles.
Her grip on my hand loosens as she heads for the bathroom, but I tighten mine. Her smile turns shy as she glances back at me, but she pulls me along with her.
“Can we take a shower together?”
I walk past her and turn the water on before grabbing the back collar of my t-shirt and pulling it over my head. The sharp intake of breath lets me know she sees my tattoo. Not that she could miss it.
THE TATTOO ON Nico’s back takes my breath away. Literally. I force myself to breathe normally and step through the enormous bathroom, stopping behind him. I raise my hand, but quickly pull it back down. He looks over his shoulder at me, but says nothing. “Can I touch it?” I’m not sure why I’m asking every single question that pops into my mind, but I’m rolling with it.
“You can do whatever you want, little mouse.”
His deep voice rumbles, echoing in the bathroom. It’s a straight shot to my clit and I force down the whimper threatening to erupt from my throat. I reach up and trace my hand over the image of sharp midnight claws ripping through his skin, shredding his back and bursting through his spine. Covered in the gore of what I assume is his blood and guts is the face of an emerald green dragon, mouth stretched open in a fierce cry and showing off rows of razor sharp teeth and fangs. The more I look, the more detail jumps out at me: the rainbow glint to some of the scales, the blood red of the slit-shaped pupils set in vivid yellow eyes, and the serpentine tongue that snakes around what’s left of his spine. As magnificent as the image is, it’s the words that get me. I thought Mak was just making a literary reference, but I should have known better. That girl was pro Nico and Bailey from the moment we met. I leave my right hand on one set of claws and trail my left up to the words. Outlined in black and shaded in red like mine, but in a combination of bold block letters and flowing soft script is the phrase “do not go gentle . . . RAGE.” When I got my tattoo, it was Nico who took me to the parlor. When I told the artist what I wanted he looked at Nico in surprise. Nico knew I was essentially getting a tattoo to match his and he didn’t stop me. Instead of being bothered by this like I think I should be, I find it endearing. We match. Except his dragon covers the entirety of his back from his shoulder blades down, with the top covered by the words. His tattoo reminds me, once again, just how massive Nico really is. Where most muscular guys have waists that taper into skinnier hips, Nico doesn’t really have that. His waist tapers, but only slightly. It’s nearly just as wide as his chest. I trail my fingers down to his hips and rest them there. When I look up I see that he’s still watching me over his shoulder. I pull his arm, making him turn to face me. He looks down at me and again, I take notice of our size difference. I stand at 5’9”, fairly tall for a female. The top of my head barely clears his shoulders. I won’t even go into weight comparisons. I let my fingers trail the sleeve tattoo on his arm: colorful renditions of lotus flowers interspersed throughout the black and white images of a smaller dragon, praying hands, a woman’s eye, a broken cross, and dark storm clouds. Covering the front of his shoulder, stretching over his chest is an Ouroboros snake looping over and around itself so many times that it would surely tie itself into knots if it really swallowed its own tail. I peek up at him before m
oving to the other arm. He hasn’t moved since I started my inspection, content to let me look my fill. Inside his forearm is the phrase “Amor Vincit Omnia” with a picture of a bleeding heart below it. “Latin?” I ask. He hums his agreement before speaking.
“Love conquers all.”
I smile and skim my fingers over it. On the outside of his shoulder is a compass, and on his inner bicep is “Ezekiel 25:17.” I stare at it trying to figure out why it seems familiar. He must see the question in my eyes because he answers with no further prompting.
“‘And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.’ There’s more to it than that, but that’s the part I wanted. Samuel L. Jackson recites all of it in Pulp Fiction.”
Good Lord, I’m going to hell. I nearly had an orgasm listening to a Bible verse. In my defense the vessel delivering the Word, played a much bigger role in my fall from grace. I let my eyes roam over Nico’s body. He is glorious; full lips, thick eyebrows and lashes that seem like they would constantly get stuck in his eyes, a square jaw covered in a neatly trimmed, full beard, and intense brown eyes make up a face created solely for temptation. My eyes linger on his lips and they pull into a smirk. I meet his gaze and notice the mischievous glint lingering there.
“Ready for more, little mouse?”
More? More what? His thumbs hook into the waistband of his shorts and without preamble he drops his shorts and underwear. I follow the motion and immediately zero in on his—third arm? That squeak I thought I got rid of slips out as I jump away from him. Literally, jump. I’m not as embarrassed as I know I should be though. My entire focus is on the immense erection pointing directly at me like a heat-seeking missile. And then it moves. Wait, what? No. Nico moves and it bobs in time with his steps. Mother of God, that’s distracting.
“Too many clothes, little mouse,” he informs me as he grips the hem of my tank top and pulls it up and over my head.
His eyes flash, lingering on my breast as he tosses my top behind me. The intense scrutiny makes my self-consciousness flare and I move to cover myself. He catches my wrists and pins my arms behind my back before pulling me closer to him. Skin to skin. A shudder travels through me. His lips find my ear and he gently brushes them over it.
“If I uncover you, it’s because I need to see you. You don’t get to cover yourself back up.”
Goosebumps break out over my skin, but the heat emanating from him creates a tantalizing contrast. His lips skim over my neck, stopping at my collarbone. One of my hands is released and he drags his fingertips over my side and hip. There’s a tug at the front of my shorts and then they’re being pulled down over my thighs and pooling at my feet. My panties follow. Something long and hard bumps against my stomach and my eyes flick open. When did I close my eyes? “Nico?” I hate how shaky my voice is, but can’t deny that I love the way his touch is making me feel. Every part of me is ripe with anticipation, my core clenching and grasping at thin air, begging for him to be there instead. His teeth graze my collarbone and the whimper I held back earlier slips out. He lets his hands grip my ass and then I’m airborne. I grab his shoulders for balance and wrap my legs around his waist. He settles me closer to him and my core throbs against his abdominal muscles. I moan and squeeze my legs tighter, grinding against muscles that feel as hard as his dick looks.
“Jesus, Bailey. How are you so fucking wet?”
It’s really an alarming amount, but that’s a good thing, right? “Is that bad?”
“That’s fucking extraordinary considering I’ve barely touched you yet.”
His voice is low and tight, gravelly as if the words are being forced from him because speaking is too much effort in this moment.
“It makes me wonder how much you’ll gush when I finally get that tight pussy wrapped around my dick.”
His words make me moan and I grind harder. I think he could recite the Pledge of Allegiance and it’d make me moan. The man is truly deadly. He turns and heads for the shower and I finally notice the steam filling the room. I also notice that with each step his dick still bobs; only now it’s more of a slap against my ass as he carries me. “Nico?” He keeps walking, but his gaze meets mine. In all the months that I’ve known Nico I’ve seen many emotions in his eyes. This look is one I’ve never seen. It’s hunger. Desire. Passion so extreme it’s nearly feral in its intensity. I swallow and squeeze his shoulders. “It’ll fit, right?” His answer is a smile just as feral as the gleam in his eyes.
I TRY MY BEST to keep my hands off of Bailey. My best last about 1.72 seconds—I timed it. After that I take the liberty to indulge in countless small touches. A finger grazed along her side. Another along the outside of her thigh. One along the length of her collarbone. One following the curve of her spine and drifting lower to end with a palm to the top of her ass. The thought of the things I could do to her in this shower is enough to have me vibrating with need. The temptation to do more than just clean us is practically overwhelming, but I can tell she’s nervous and I want our first time to be in my bed. Our bed. When I notice her blatantly staring at my dick, I decide it’s time to get out. I dry most of the water from her body then pick her up. I like her hands on my shoulders and around my neck. I love her legs wrapped around my waist, but I need them wrapped around my head. I need to taste the sweet cream that I know is coating her. Letting her fall gently to the bed, I start to kneel before her, but my name on her lips stop me. Her pupils are fully dilated, the beautiful chocolate brown irises nearly entirely consumed by the black. Lips parted, her chest rises and falls rapidly.
“You haven’t . . .” she gulps in a deep breath and slowly blows it out. “Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
I pause in caressing her soft thighs and think back over the last half hour. Shit, she’s right. I position her feet flat on the bed and let her legs fall open. “My apologies, little mouse. One track mind.”
“One track mind?”
“I was too busy thinking of kissing you somewhere else,” I tell her and drag my fingers down the thin landing strip of hair that covers her pussy. A shudder travels through her and she inhales a sharp breath when my finger skims over her clit. “My mind was only concerned with these lips. Wondering if they were as soft and sweet as the rest of you. Wondering what kind of noises you’d make if I did this.” I drop my head and after spreading her open with my fingers and I lick from her opening to the swollen nub of her clit. She lets out a whimper that turns into a groan as I suck her clit into my mouth. I groan at the taste of her, fucking delectable. I suck harder and she cries out, thighs tightening around my head as I glance up at her. Her hands tightly fist the bedding, but she’s also raised herself up on her elbows to watch me. I love that—love that her eyes will be glued to mine when I make her come and judging by the look on her face that’ll be any second now. Her hips buck as I tease two fingers at her entrance. My name is a whimper as I slowly slide them inside her. Thighs shaking, breasts heaving, she clamps down against my fingers and screams as I bite down on her clit. Her hips buck again, but her torso collapses limply to the bed. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I come just a little right along with her. My tongue swirls around her clit, forcing her pleasure to keep coming and I push my fingers deeper, wanting to loosen her up as much as possible for me. Just as I’m about to add a third finger she jerks and I’m met with . . . resistance? Pulling my fingers out, I search her glazed eyes and she gives me a shy smile as she pushes herself up to sitting. Shit. We’ll have to talk now. I’ll have to actually use my brain to focus and that’s the last thing I want to do, especially with the feast laid out before me.
“I wanted to tell you.” She rubs the back of her neck and looks down at the bed. “I figured if you knew ahead of time, you wouldn’t go any further. I mean, you already think you’re too big for me to handle.” She chuckles, but it’s forced and humorless.
&
nbsp; “But you and Connor?” I question as I stand. The first time I made a pass at her and she realized I was serious, she told me not to make her into the kind of woman that cheats. Her eyes follow me up, but get snagged on Junior. Her breath catches and she swallows roughly. Junior twitches, causing more pre-cum to spurt and her tongue slips out to drag across her bottom lip. Ah shit, she’ll be the death of me. I grab her chin and force her to look at my face. “Breathe, little mouse.” I hear her inhale and exhale.
“We were together. Technically. We’re not anymore. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here with you. Like this,” she says as she looks around the room.
“Technically, y’all are still together. He’s still your husband.” You’d think that would take some of the fire out of Junior, but nope. Still blazing. Bailey shakes her head.
“Have you ever heard me say that?”
Now that she’s pointed it out, I realize I haven’t. She’s never given him a title. Always referring to him only as Connor. When I questioned her about him, she never actually answered. Well, shit.
“A long time ago, I made a vow to him. To my dad. To myself. I told him I would never marry him. I meant it. When I lost my dad, Connor was the only familiar thing I had, so I stayed with him,” she says with a shrug. “When he gave me Kaelen, nothing else really mattered. I thought he was Connor’s son and since I never slept with him and never laid claim to him, it didn’t matter that he had a baby with someone else. I couldn’t turn him away. He was this tiny, helpless, little person who needed more than Connor, but was stuck with him. Kind of like me. He became my sole focus and I let Connor do whatever he wanted, including telling people we were married and changing my last name.”
Her hand drifts to her left arm and she absently rubs the inside of her bicep.
“When he went to Scotland, he threatened to keep Kaelen there if I didn’t get rid of my birth control. I did, but I never slept with him. I think that when he saw that picture of you and I after my first fight, he knew I never would. That’s when he brought Malia into the picture. I had the birth control put back in after I left him, in case we . . .” Her voice trails off, but she looks at Junior again.
Heart of a Savage Page 14