by Zoey Parker
“Damn it. They almost got her.”
“What?” His tan skin went pale. He wasn’t easily so shaken up, and something about it warmed my heart a little. He really cared, if only because I cared. It meant a lot. “Where were they?”
“A couple blocks away. In a van. They were gonna pull her in.”
“What was she doing? Where did she think she was gonna go?”
“I have no idea,” I snapped. “Anywhere but here, I guess.” I faced the window. I didn’t want him to see me like this. She would rather have put herself in danger than stay in the clubhouse for my sake. It spoke volumes.
“Don’t take it personally,” Onyx said. His voice softened a little. He was the only person I would let see what I was going through. We’d been through enough together than I knew I could trust him not to hold it over my head. “I guess she thought she was doing the right thing.”
“Yeah. Glad I got there just in time.” I punched my thigh once, twice, beyond frustration.
“What are you gonna do?”
“I have to go talk to her,” I said, walking out. “She needs to know how fucking serious this is. I can’t let her sneak out again.”
I was still mad beyond words, but I could think straight. I needed to be able to when I spoke to Erica, or else I might make her cry. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it if she cried. When I walked past the game room, I felt the eyes on me. They all wondered what I would do to her. Like I could do anything. I didn’t look at them, but went straight upstairs.
She was waiting for me, sitting on the bed with her hands clasped. Everything I felt went out the window when I saw the look on her face.
I went to the window and looked out. From my bedroom, I could see the river. A barge was going by, and I told myself I would say something when it passed a certain point. Part of me wished I was on that barge. Away from here. I had already fought people away from Erica twice in less than a day. I was exhausted.
“What were you thinking?” I asked. I was still facing out the window, and my voice came out in a whisper. I wasn’t angry anymore. I was too tired to be angry.
“They tricked me,” she said.
“How? How the hell could they do that?” I looked back at her, and she was shaking her head. Her eyes were on the floor. She looked even smaller than she actually was, like a little girl who knew she was in deep trouble.
“I went on Facebook. Just to see what was happening in the world, you know? I was going crazy, just hanging out listening to the guys playing Monopoly. Anyway…I don’t know how it happened, but my mom logged on and told me my dad was hurt. In the hospital. She told me I had to come right away.”
I frowned, which she must have taken as me not believing her. “I swear,” she whispered. “I’ll show you the messages. I was so scared.”
“How did you sneak out?”
“There was a fight over the game, so I waited until Onyx was distracted. You guys take board games very seriously around here.”
“We take everything seriously,” I said. I knew she wanted me to smile, but there was no way.
“Anyway, I was in such a hurry to get to the hospital. She…whoever it was…made it sound so serious, like I had to get there right away.” She started to cry. Shit, I couldn’t handle that.
“Don’t cry.” It was pointless. She was gonna cry if she wanted to cry. I looked out the window again and wished she would stop. I wanted to comfort her, but I still needed her to listen and take things seriously.
“But they tricked me! How did they know who I was? How did they know my mom? They must have hacked her account unless—oh, my God! Unless they’re at her house!”
“Okay, calm down.” I turned back to her, thinking. “Would it make you feel better if you called your mom to make sure she’s okay?”
She nodded hard. I handed her my phone. “Here. Call her.”
“What should I say?” She bit her lip, looking at the phone.
“Just tell her your phone’s broken or something, and you’re calling her from your friend’s phone. If you want, I can send one of the guys to keep an eye on the house.”
Erica looked up at me with huge, teary eyes. “You would do that?”
I nodded and went downstairs to set up a watch for her parents’ house. Brett was watching me closely, and walked over to me before I went back upstairs. “She okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s okay.” I patted her on the arm and went back up.
Erica was just getting off the phone. “She’s fine. So is my dad. No hospital.”
“That’s good news.” She didn’t look too happy, though.
“So somebody hacked into Mom’s account and tricked me into coming out. That’s what happened.” She looked at me, and I saw her chin start quivering. Oh, no. She was gonna cry again.
I sat down next to her. I couldn’t be mad anymore. She was right, someone had lured her out. “If I still had a family, I would have gone out, too,” I admitted.
“You don’t have a family anymore?”
I shook my head. “Nah. Not for a long time. The guys downstairs…they’re the closest thing I have now.”
“And you would do anything to help them, I know.”
I nodded. She was right. They were my family, and I would do anything to be with them when they needed me. I couldn’t blame her for going, even though it could have gotten her killed.
“You have to listen to me,” I said, and I turned to her. “Look at my face.” I wanted her to know how serious I was.
“Do not do that again. They will stop at nothing to get their hands on you. I don’t know why—maybe you saw more than you thought you did, or maybe you hurt their pride by getting away. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. They’re after you. Be careful and do not step foot out of here until this is all settled.”
Her eyes were wide, and I realized how intense I sounded. She looked terrified.
“I know I’m scaring you, but maybe that’s a good thing,” I added. “As long as it keeps you safe. Because if anything happened to you…” My words trailed off. All I could do was reach out and touch her face. I ran my fingers down her soft, smooth cheek. She turned her head slightly, planting a kiss on my palm. I stroked her full bottom lip with my thumb, and she trembled.
That was all it took. I needed her. I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. The look in her eyes told me she wanted what I wanted. She was as desperate for me as I was for her.
I took her in my arms and crushed my lips against hers. Just like earlier that morning in the office, things escalated quickly. One minute we were kissing, the next we were panting and clawing at each other. I couldn’t get her clothes off fast enough. I needed to touch all of her.
Erica raised her arms over her head, and I lifted the hoodie up and tossed it to the floor. Off came her t-shirt. I pulled her to me again, kissing her long, slim neck. She tilted her head back, sighing as I lowered her to the bed. Her hands pulled at my shirt, and I let her work it up my back and over my head. Her hands were like fire on me. Making me burn even hotter for her.
I ran the tips of my fingers all over her, exploring, soaking her in. She writhed beneath me, gasping, whimpering and begging for more. Her nipples had risen into little peaks under her bra, and I flicked my fingers over them before moving down her abdomen again. She arched her back, tensing the lower I went.
“Shh…” I whispered, kissing her. Then my tongue darted out to lick her lips. She tasted incredible, and my cock got even harder when her tongue touched mine. We kissed like that, tongues dancing, while I unbuttoned her jeans and she slid them down her legs.
She was so hot, the heat getting more intense the lower my hand went. It all radiated from her core, between her legs. I needed to be there. My cock ached to be inside her.
I cupped her mound, and she moaned louder than before. Her hips started grinding against me in a circular motion. She was already so wet, soaked through the cotton panties. I rubbed hard through the fabric and was shocked
when she started convulsing and moaning louder and louder until she froze with a quiet little scream, then shuddered.
“Christ,” I whispered. Now my cock was painfully hard and straining to be free. I rolled away from her to pull off my jeans. She surprised me by rolling over with me, pushing the denim off my legs with her feet as she kissed her way down my neck and chest. All I could do was watch as her blonde head moved lower and lower.
Then she sat up, straddling me. She swung her head, pushing the long hair out of her face. Her hands slipped behind her, and I watched as she unhooked her black bra before letting it slide from her body. Her tits were just as perfect as I knew they would be, and they spilled out of the cups. My hands reached for them without my thinking about it, and Erica’s covered them as I fondled her.
Her eyes closed and she let out little whimpering cries, squeezing my hands to encourage me to be rougher with her. I was already excited to be in bed with her, but seeing this wild side to her personality only made everything I felt more intense. The rough, animal side of me roared inside, knowing it met its match. I took her by the shoulders and pulled her down, burying my face in her soft mounds.
“That’s right, baby,” she whispered. Her hips started rocking back and forth over me, and I was consumed with need for her. I had to be inside her and take her and make her scream the way I wanted to scream for her.
I couldn’t wait to pull off her panties. Instead, I pulled my aching cock out from the waistband of my shorts, pushed the crotch of her panties aside and skewered her. My hands were on her hips, and I slammed her onto me until I was balls deep.
She cried out, her eyes closed and head thrown back. She dragged her nails down my chest. I hadn’t even moved yet, and I felt the muscles of her hot, tight pussy gripping me even tighter.
“That’s right, baby,” I said, digging my fingers into her rounded little ass. “Come for me.” I lifted her up and down in quick, shallow little thrusts that pushed her over the edge into hysterical bliss. My eyes were on her face, the way her mouth widened as she screamed softly again.
I kept thrusting, this time deeper, stronger thrusts upward while I moved her hips downward. It was like heaven, the way she gripped me so tightly, so hot, so wet. Her tits bounced up and down, and when she cupped them and played with the nipples, I almost lost it. I had to close my eyes and push the orgasm back until the urge passed.
She leaned her hands on my chest and started riding, grinding her clit into me. She knew what she wanted and rode me like a cowgirl on a bronco. I thrusted and bucked beneath her, our bodies coming together in a wet slapping sound. It was wild, loud, ecstatic. I gave myself over to it, losing myself in her.
She came again, her hands tightening as her pussy did. It was harder for me to hold on, but I wanted to make her pleasure lasted as long as I could. It was agony watching her come and not letting myself go, too, but I knew it would be worthwhile when did I release what I was holding back.
She fell over on top of me, worn out from her effort. I rolled us over, still inside her, and started moving slowly.
I leaned on one elbow and used my free hand to brush the sweaty hair from her face. She looked up at me, and something in her eyes sparked something deeper in me. It wasn’t passion—I didn’t think I could feel any more passionate without imploding. It was a feeling I had never known, like a closeness. It was unnerving. I wanted to look away, but her eyes held mine.
I still moved slowly, going in and out inch by inch. I felt every bit of her, and my hand traveled over her sweat-slick skin as I rocked us both. Her legs tightened around my waist, and I caressed her thigh, then ran my hand up her side until I cupped her tit. I squeezed it roughly, the way she liked, then dipped my head lower to take the nipple in my mouth. She arched beneath me, her little cries of pleasure getting louder.
I went faster. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I had to take her, consume her. I had to make her scream my name. My balls slapped her ass as I rode her harder, and we both grunted with every slap. She gripped my ass and pulled me further inside, wanting more. “Yes!” she whispered, over and over.
She quickened underneath me. Her thrusts were faster, her grunts louder. She raked my back with her nails and I roared in response, the pain and pleasure mixing in a haze of sensation. She cried out and stiffened, and I felt her muscles clamp down around me as she came. “Vince!” she screamed, then bit into the muscle of my shoulder as she shuddered.
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I pumped into her, listening to her screaming into my shoulder as the pleasure got bigger and bigger until I had to let go. I slammed home once more before I started to explode. I came so hard I thought it would kill me. I was dizzy and breathless and nearly in pain by the time I finished, and I collapsed on top of her.
For a long time I lay that way, stretched out with my face in the pillow. I couldn’t move. The best I could do was make sure I didn’t crush her.
Our bodies were both slick with sweat, our breath coming in heaving gasps. It had never been that intense before. For a second I thought I might be having a heart attack. I forced myself to calm down and breathe deeply. Was sex always supposed to be like that? I was afraid I might die next time.
It wasn’t just physically intense either, though that was what first got my attention since I could hardly breathe. It was the way I felt inside that was so different. A lot of women had seen me naked, but I had never made love to any of them. Erica and I made love. It was like my first time all over again, only this time it was incredible.
I pushed myself up on my arms so I could look down at her face. I needed to know if she felt the same way. What I saw was beyond words. Her eyes filled with tears, but she was smiling softly. I kissed her, gently brushing my lips against hers. She sighed and returned the light pressure.
I had never felt so completely connected to another person in my life. It was like being wide open to her, and she could see everything inside me. And she was still smiling. She didn’t want to run away. She stroked the back of my neck with her slim fingers, and I felt her heartbeat gradually slow down.
If I hadn’t already been prepared to die for her, I was then. I would have done anything to protect her. She was mine, completely. No one else’s. My woman. Nobody took what was mine.
Shit. There was no going back now.
Chapter Fifteen
Erica
I couldn’t say the act itself was unexpected. I’d felt it coming ever since we kissed—maybe before then. I knew it was only a matter of time before we slept together. The pull he had on me was too strong. Our chemistry was too strong. It was inevitable.
I just didn’t know it would be the way it was. My whole body was still tingling. The occasional tremble would go through me. I was on fire, maybe not as bright a fire as had burned when we were going at it, but the embers were still glowing.
What the hell?
When I started thinking clearly, my face burned hotter than the surface of the sun. “Oh, no,” I whispered. We were flat on our backs, side by side.
“What? You okay?”
I turned my head to look at him. His hair was disheveled. His face had a look of complete bafflement. So he felt the same way I did.
“Do you think everybody heard us?” I wanted to die just thinking about it. How would I face any of them? I’d never, ever been as loud before as I was with Vince—and I’d been trying to hold back, too.
He considered it for a second, then snorted. “I don’t know. Maybe. But it’s not like nobody here has ever had sex in the middle of the day. I mean, we’re all together a lot of the time. There are bedrooms here for a reason—not primarily for sleeping.”
I didn’t feel much better, but the grin on his face told me there was nothing to worry about. I had to play it cool. If we were going to be together, this would happen again. I’d have to get used to it.
The thought chilled me to the bone, out of surprise rather than fear. Was I really thinking that way now? That we might be together
in the future? One good lay and all of a sudden I was practically planning the wedding.
I sank further into the bed, knowing that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t just because of the sex. The connection we had was too strong to be denied—I could try to pretend it wasn’t there, but to what purpose? I’d been trying already, and look where that got me. Not that I was complaining.
We were supposed to be together. It sounded ridiculous, but that didn’t make it any less true. It was Fate that made Vince ride down the street at the very moment I needed him. How else could I describe it? If it had been any other member of the club, I would have been grateful to them for helping but I wouldn’t be in bed with them. It wasn’t attachment due to what we’d been through. The attachment was there the minute I looked at him.
I wondered what he was thinking about all this, and I pulled the sheets protectively around my body. I felt very vulnerable all of a sudden. What if this meant nothing to him? He’d had so many women. I couldn’t be that special.