“I’m not leaving you again.” She’s putting her foot down this time.
“That’s good. I need you to follow me.”
She nods and turns to run for his SUV, knowing that time is of the essence.
“Aliah?”
She turns back to him and glances at him with wide, wet eyes. “Yeah?”
“Where are your clothes?”
“Oh my God!” she shouts, just then realizing that she is stark naked. She covers her breasts and crosses her thighs, but it doesn’t help the exposed feeling she suffers from.
Harley peels off his shirt and pulls it over her head. It’s big enough to cover her ass, and that will have to do.
“My jacket’s in the back seat if you’re cold.” He drops a kiss on her lips and stares right through her, with his thumb hanging onto her chin. “If they did anything to hurt you, I’ll kill them.”
“I’m okay,” she admits, though her voice defies her. It’s shaky and soft and breathy.
He kisses her again, and she lets him. She’s too shaken to fight his chaste acts of affection. “Can you pop the trunk for me?”
When he paces around the car and leaves her standing there, she shivers. Then she dutifully crawls back into the car, pulls open the glove box and pops open the trunk. She slides back out of the driver’s door, and when she turns around is slammed with the sexiest image of Harley holding a machine gun. His gaze is deathly and he’s surrounded by night. Every muscle in his body looks tense, sweat glistening over his large arms and across his firm chest.
“You say you’re alright, but these guns aren’t for a small time investigation. Brandee’s hired a fucking hitman.”
The look on his face is puckered, like he’s just barely hanging onto his last shred of willpower to not go back and kill those two guys with their own weapons.
“No. The guy said I shouldn’t be killed.”
She says it fast – too fast. She’s afraid it might be the last straw that will send Harley over the edge.
To her surprise, Harley sighs and lowers the loaded gun to his side. “Let’s go. We’d better get out of here.”
Harley lifts his trunk and hides the machine gun under a heavy blanket, together with a few smaller weapons he finds in the car. She doesn’t ask any questions.
He walks her to the driver’s side door of his SUV and helps her up into the seat. “You stay right behind me, you hear? Right on my ass. I don’t care what you have to do. You understand?”
She nods and he kisses her again. She closes her eyes, unable to stop the onslaught of relief, even in the circumstances. She has never found such comfort in a kiss, but the touch of his lips gives her a false sense of security.
“Let’s move, before someone else comes out this way.” He states it like an order, but she can’t help herself.
“Like, your friend maybe? The one who lives on the beach?”
“You mean my sister’s girlfriend? She won’t be coming out here for a while. It’s only a vacation home. I’ll have her place fixed up before she ever knows that anything’s happened.” He grabs onto Aliah’s chin and presses a kiss against her lips. Then he hurries to the running car.
She closes the door to his SUV and snaps on her seatbelt. It takes a four point turn to get the beast turned in the other direction down such a narrow road, but she isn’t taking any chances of putting it into the ditches, that line either side of the road. The car in front of her doesn’t move until she’s inches from rear-ending it. Then Harley steps on the gas, knowing that she can handle a little speed.
Aliah follows him, having no clue what he’s thinking. A few minutes pass before more distance is put between them. She can’t seem to keep up. Then they reach the end of the gravel road, where Harley slams his breaks and veers right. He opens the passenger window and indicates that she is not to follow him, with a vicious point of his finger.
She watches the car tires spin and then gasps when Harley dives out of the driver’s side door. Aliah’s car now barely moves, but she slams her breaks, kicking up dust not far from where she has just watched her man expel himself from a moving vehicle. Are her eyes working right? Is that man crazy?
The car heads downhill, speeding toward the cliff. When she comes to a full stop, she watches the car climb over the edge of the bank and disappear down the bluff. A few seconds pass and a horrid feeling creeps its way into her gut.
“Come on, Harley. Where the hell are you?”
He needs to be okay right now. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if he doesn’t make it out of this alive.
Suddenly, Harley appears from the forest looking like a dark angel. He’s gazing directly at her, dimly lit by the headlights and surrounded by a cloak of darkness.
He opens the driver’s door and she quickly shoves over to let him take charge. He has them flying out of there and far away, without either of them feeling it necessary for words. His hand is gripped around hers like she is his lifeline, when really he is the only thing keeping her from the edge. If it weren’t for him, she would have jumped already.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
It feels odd being in her own home again. It has been trashed and everything that she has appears to be torn apart or missing. Harley doesn’t think they’ll come looking for them back there for a while, and she trusts his judgment.
They bathe together, but it’s completely out of necessity. She doesn’t want to be alone. He washes her and she rests against his chest, but their touch is not provocative or sexual in any way. She seems as upset with herself as he is with himself. She lets the tears flow, thinking he can’t see them mingling with the spray of water. But it’s like a stream of red from her eyes, spiking his adrenaline and making his alpha core flood with anger. Though he tries to hide it, there’s no more hiding from her.
After towel drying her hair, Aliah slides onto the bed next to where he has stretched out his muscular frame. She smiles, when she notices how he takes up the whole damn thing. Her bed is not nearly big enough for the two of them. She has never found a good use for a queen sized bed in the past.
She outright giggles, and that seems to capture Harley’s undivided attention.
“What are you laughing at?” He looks amazed by the fact that she is able to laugh after what she has been through.
She was nearly killed.
“You. You look like the Big Bad Wolf.”
He is both too tired and too troubled to follow up with her in an instant. But then she winks at him and it seems to draw out the molten lava from his veins.
He lets out a smile of his own and leans over her, trapping her beneath him. “Did you just call me hairy?”
“Maybe. It looks like you haven’t shaved in a few days. It’s okay though. I think a little hair on you is incredibly sexy.” She draws her hand over the soft hair covering his chest.
Harley smirks. “It’s funny. Even when you’re being a controlling witch, I’m still attracted to you.”
“Oh, Harley. You’re such a sweetheart,” she teases playfully.
He locks onto her wrist, and draws her hand to his pants. “This is no joke.”
She gasps for a breath when he presses her hand against his oversized erection. Then she takes a gulp in anticipation of what he might do next. He’s always surprising her with the magnitude of his desire. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
He releases her hand, but only long enough to pull her flat against him. Then he takes back her hand and slides it in between them, until she’s massaging both of them at once. Even though it’s her fingers touching him, the knowledge that it’s his guidance and pressure is a heady cocktail. She lets him control the pace. He loves when she gives in to him.
“Get naked,” he says.
And though Aliah nearly belts out laughing, she saves it when she feels the swell of that monstrous thing against her. She rolls off the bed and, by the time she loses her clothes, she finds him lying there, wearing nothing but a pair of super short fitted boxers that cling
to a pair of massive thighs.
As she drops her own panties, the last scrap of fabric from her body, she notices that his boxers can’t even contain his length, the smooth head peeking out the top of the black elastic band. She swallows again, her mouth feeling suddenly dry.
She has to taste him.
He smiles, and his eyes connect with hers, but when he pulls down those underwear, she can’t remove her eyes from it. It springs free, launching itself from his body.
“Come and get it,” he says, the anticipation only growing between them as they take in each other’s naked bodies.
She climbs onto the foot of the bed, crawls over him and slides her hands over a rock hard body. She traces the path of her hands with her tongue, discovering every solid inch of his chest and torso. When her hand grabs onto his steely length, she shudders from the sheer size of the thing. She slowly strokes him from the head to the base, with a twist of her hand. Harley groans and licks at his bottom lip.
“You like that?” she asks, with a smile.
He doesn’t open his eyes, but he answers with a sinful smile, patiently waiting for her to continue with the sensual assault. Aliah gladly continues and drags her tongue across his body, until her mouth is only a few teasing inches from his cock.
She gives him a gentle twist again, as a pair of soft full lips close around the head. She slides her mouth down the length of him, until he’s puncturing the back of her throat and groaning with pleasure. Then she draws her mouth back to the top. Her lips makes a loud kissing sound when she sucks on the end of it. Every time she does, Harley groans.
He clearly likes that. And apparently the louder the better.
“Do that again,” he begs.
His pleading only encourages her, as she takes him deep into her mouth again. This time, she finds his fingers lacing into her hair and holding her where he likes it most. Regaining control, she moves her mouth up and down, switching between an airless suck and a lick of his shaft. She bobs her head up and down with his hand as her guide. She brings him close to the edge, but she knows he’s not ready to go there just yet.
Harley releases her hair as she repeatedly kisses his body. She crawls over top of him, sitting on a pair of strong, large thighs. He cups her breasts, and squeezes them, his eyes flickering with a want so sexy she can barely contain her cheer. Then he lifts his legs to bump her higher, making his point with body language.
She smiles and rips open the small packet he hands to her, then rolls the condom over his magnificent cock. She wraps her small hand around him and squeezes. When she slowly pumps her hand up and down, his hand comes down and stops her.
“Drop it,” he groans. “I want you on there before I blow my load.”
He keeps his fingers pinned at the base of his cock, waiting for her to impale herself. His other hand reaches out to find her wetness and smoothes up and down a few times before spreading her open. She lifts herself onto her knees and nudges at where he wants to be.
“Do it,” he groans, as she eases onto his head. He urges her forward, but she doesn’t give in.
“More,” he begs, but she only eases him back out, toying with both of their sanities.
With each penetration, she grants him deeper access, until he is buried as deep as he can go. She settles down on top of him and slowly rolls her hips, gyrating against him and stimulating herself immensely in the process. He grips onto her hips, but allows her to continue to control the speed, a slow, sensual assault that drives their arousal to new heights.
The length of his cock becomes close to unbearable for her to accept so deeply, causing Aliah to lean forward to catch her bearings. Even after she’s stopped the motion, Harley’s hardness continues to stoke the fire. She begins to move again, a longer stroke, but not much faster than before.
“Aw, fuck,” he moans, telling her that he likes it.
She maintains the excruciating pace, as he senses her orgasm mounting. Her speed hastens as she strives to hit the right spot. She mounts higher and higher, until her shaking arms can’t hold her up any longer. She crashes on top of him prematurely, but he continues to spike her, taking her to the verge of epiphany.
Her eyes are only partially open, so he nudges her cheek, until she’s staring him right in the eye. She’s ready to cry out, but he can tell she doesn’t want her orgasm to send him over the edge until he’s ready for it. Unable to take any more of it, he flips her over and buries her into the bed. She grits her teeth together as his lips close in on hers. She turns her head, pulling her mouth away from his. He catches her cheek in his hand and holds it there, as he stops all motion from his hips.
That gets her attention.
“No,” she screams, as he cuts off her climax. She’s feeling so confused, wanting him to take her there.
“Kiss me,” he demands, giving her a little pressure. But not quite enough.
“No,” she gasps, needing to feel him move inside her. She struggles beneath him for motion, but he doesn’t allow it.
“Kiss me,” he orders again.
Without giving her the option, he takes her mouth against his, and knots a hand in her hair, just like the first time they’d ever kissed.
Her mouth softens against his, as he pumps inside her, giving her the pleasure she has been working for. As her muscles tighten and spasm around him, he stabs her again and finds his own release. She has given him a kiss, but it is half hearted. That clearly isn’t enough for him.
Even after they both have finished, he holds her mouth against his and spikes her with his warm tongue. He kisses her. He makes love to her mouth. But all he finds on the other end is cold, hard lips.
He sighs, sounding defeated. But he doesn’t give up that easily. “Kiss me, God damn it! I just want to kiss you. Is that too much to ask?”
It is amazing how he invokes such passion and depth in his tone. Though whispered, Aliah feels like she has been struck by the baritone sound. She closes her eyes and allows herself to feel for what seems like the first time since forever.
She lifts her lips, until they melt against his. But he doesn’t let her in. She works her mouth over his, and tugs on his lower lip until he smiles. She needs him to know that she has feelings for him; that it’s more than just the sex for her, no matter how scary that may seem.
He suddenly regains his erection and he allows her to sweep her tongue into his mouth, but now he is the hesitant one. She doesn’t stop kissing him and he finally joins in for a passionate kiss that threatens her footing, as she elevates beyond cloud nine.
She kisses him for a long while, showing him how much she feels for him, until his cock is throbbing and twitching for round two. When she finally pulls away from his mouth, he instantly pins her with a breathtaking smile.
“You see? That is called love.” Then he pauses, before stabbing back inside of her. “This is called sex.”
He fucks her so hard and fast, that she is screaming out, stuck somewhere between pleasure and pain. He presses her ankles forward until they’re resting beside her head, then he continues to pump into her at a ravenous pace, skin slapping, mouths gaping, curses ringing through the night. When he is done, he rolls aside, flings the overused condom into the wastebasket and passes out.
For a change, Aliah falls asleep smiling.
CHAPTER TWENTY
After scanning the perimeter of Aliah’s yard, Harley eases up a little and takes a deep breath of early morning air. The sun is warm and the neighborhood is quiet. There doesn’t appear to be anyone watching them.
He has a beautiful woman inside, passed out from contentment. He forgets about the investigation for just a minute. Life can’t get much better than this. Then he returns inside and is reminded that the thieves have destroyed Aliah’s home. He tidies the living room as best he can and fills another trash bag with broken furniture that is beyond repair. He doesn’t want her to wake to such a mess and, though he tries to be quiet, he makes a lot of noise.
Harley is shocked by
what that woman can sleep through. Smiling, he makes his way back to the bedroom. He removes his jacket first, then slowly undoes his shirt, one button at a time. When he gets the last one free, his shirt flags open and Aliah’s mouth curls up in a smile.
“You’re awake.”
She gapes at him through squinted eyes. “I thought you’d left.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
She’s afraid to answer that question. She doesn’t want him to. Ever. That’s what scares her most.
It’s like he’s listening in on her innermost thoughts. "It’s okay to love.”
Why does he have to bring that up now?
She immediately replaces her smile with a frown. “Leave it alone.”
“It is, Aliah. It doesn’t have to hurt.”
"Easy for you to say. Your boyfriend didn't cheat on you with another woman, and then choose her when she gave birth to their love child."
Harley’s eyebrows pop up and stay up there.
"Oh, wait. There's more,” she adds, as if he isn’t already shell shocked by her sudden outburst. “I work with the witch, and guess what? It's twins!"
"Wow."
That’s all he has to say?
"Tell me about it. Could it have been any worse?"
"Yes."
Aliah rolls her eyes. "That was a rhetorical question."
Harley’s face remains serious. "It could have been worse." When he doesn’t elaborate, she considers whether she’s prepared to hear his story.
"Tell me then."
When he sighs, she wonders whether he’s actually going to tell her. Then he gazes into her eyes. "You could have been the one with a loveless family. Bear a child who doesn’t even know her father’s name until she’s forced to move in with him after your lonely death. You lie on your death bed knowing the man doesn’t want her, because he’d abandoned you when you needed him most and never looked back."
"Jeesh. Yeah. That is worse."
Twisted Desire (The Twisted Series) Page 18