Deeper

by Jenika Snow

  He turned his head just as she went to kiss him. “Get off, Alyssia.” He went to push her away, but in the next instant her thighs were straddling his in a death grip. That had been one of the things he liked about Alyssia. Her body was hard and tight, and she had one killer grip that could get him off in minutes. What she was doing now left a bad taste in his mouth. She smelled like booze and smoke. It was nothing like the sweet smell that surrounded Stella.

  “Come on, Tate.” Her breath wafted over his face, and he was starting to get pissed. He wasn’t one to have to repeat himself, but Alyssia thought she was different from everyone else.

  She was wrong.

  She smelled like cheap cigarettes. He gripped her upper arms, and she must have taken that as a sign he wanted more because she moaned and started rubbing her crotch all over him. Alyssia looked over his shoulder.

  “What are you looking at?”

  He knew exactly who was behind him when Alyssia opened her mouth. He had been afraid this was going to happen. He pushed Alyssia off and turned around. Stella stood in front of him, her green eyes seeming so big on her too-pale face. She held a paper towel, and her hand was clenched so tight around it that her tiny knuckles were white.

  “Stella.” What the hell was he supposed to say? It wasn’t like they were a couple. He had never said what they were doing was exclusive. For fuck’s sake, he could go screw Alyssia in the back if he wanted do, but he couldn’t help the pang that centered in his chest at the thought or the blind rage when he thought of Stella with another guy.

  Her smile was forced, that much was clear, and did he see hurt covering her features? That couldn’t be right, though. She hated him, and rightly so. He was forcing her to be with him, to spend these two weeks with him, to sleep with him. Had he ever thought about her feelings? No, and that just made him the biggest bastard in the world.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  She nodded, and he could see the slender column of her throat work as she swallowed.

  “You won’t fuck me because you’re with her?” Alyssia seethed.

  The embarrassment was clear on Stella’s face, and her cheeks became pink. Damn, he didn’t want her hurting. He wanted to go over there and wrap his arms around her, comfort her. It was so unlike him to feel these emotions, but they were strong and wouldn’t ease. Before he could act on them and make the situation even worse, Stella smiled sadly and turned to leave.

  “Stella, wait.” She was shaking her head and walking quickly through the throng of bodies. She disappeared only moments later, and he knew he had to go after her. He had to explain that although he was a dick, she was the last person he wanted to hurt. That realization was like a punch to his gut and stole his breath. It had been years since he’d cared for anything besides his business.

  Years that he’d immersed himself in work to forget about a broken past. He’d done well to keep it buried, but he was finding that being around Stella was slowly breaking down his resolve to remain distant, to have his emotions buried. It suited him to be the man that others were afraid of.

  “Come on, baby. Just forget about her. I know I can make your night a whole lot better.”

  He shrugged off Alyssia’s hand on his arm. He turned and stared at her, and she took a step back. Good, she needed to be wary of him. “If you’ve fucked anything up with Stella—” He stopped what he might have said because he wasn’t thinking clearly. His mind was going off in different directions, and all he could think about was Stella.

  It had only been a few days, but he was desperate for her, and that scared the shit out of him. What the hell was he supposed to do when their time ran out? He turned and went after her.

  * * *

  When Stella had finished puking and rinsing out her mouth, she knew she should have gone with her instincts and went home. But what made the night even worse was the fact that as soon as she made it back to the table, she’d the pleasure of witnessing a svelte blonde with—surprise—big-ass boobs straddling Tate. Had she actually thought she felt anything for that man? She was at least pleased, to an extent, that he appeared embarrassed about being caught. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had laughed the whole thing off because, really, there was nothing going on between them aside from incredible sex. Ugh, did she have to think about sex with him at a time like this?

  The cool air slammed into her when she finally made it outside. Yeah, she’d run away, but when she saw him with another woman, there had been a deep ache in her chest. She rubbed her hand over her heart, feeling tears prick her eyes at how ridiculous she was being. Her feelings were misplaced and completely unacceptable. She had nowhere to go, and even if she did, it wasn’t like she could escape Tate. She still had twelve days left with him. A line wrapped around the side of the building as people waited patiently to enter the club. She made her way past them, not knowing where to go but deciding it was best to put a little bit of distance between her and Tate so she could think. She would have to face him and explain why she was acting like some kind of jealous girlfriend.

  “Ugh, what the hell is wrong with you?” She rounded the corner and leaned against the brick wall of the side of the building. She could hear the music from the club and the excited chatter of the patrons feet from her. She was alone in the little alley with just the streetlamps lighting her path. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she stared up at the sky. The moon was full and seemed so bright and large above her. She closed one eye and lifted her hand, placing her thumb and forefinger at the top and bottom of the moon. She squished it between her fingers, causing it to disappear for a moment. “If only my life was so easy that I could just pinch it away whenever I pleased.”

  “Why did you run?”

  She dropped her hand as surprise filled her. Pushing away from the wall, she turned and looked at Tate. His hands were in his pants pockets, and the light illuminated him from behind, casting the front of him in deep shadows.

  Why had he come after her? She’d expected him to stay with his little girlfriend, letting her grind her crotch on his lap. She was nothing to him, so the fact that he’d actually come after her made that tightness in her chest ease, but only marginally. She wrung her hands together and looked down, not knowing how to respond. She certainly couldn’t tell him that she’d been green with jealousy, that seeing that girl all over him had made her feel ill. He stepped forward until there was only a foot between them. His body heat seeped into her, and she felt the chill start to leave her.

  “Stella, answer me.”

  What had he asked? She licked her suddenly dry lips and noticed he watched the act.

  “Why did you run?” His voice had dropped an octave, and the normally rough timbre now seemed like a low growl.

  Her heart was beating so fast. Can he hear it? Does he know the effect he has on me? It seemed ludicrous that she would feel anything for someone like him, something more than lust. She knew he certainly didn’t see anything in her besides someone that was temporarily warming his bed. Before she could censor herself, she was telling him the God’s honest truth.

  “Seeing you with her—” She looked down at her hands again. His finger on her chin brought her head up, and she was looking into his eyes. His gaze searched her face, and she felt herself feeling stupid over the whole situation. No doubt at any moment he would laugh her off, tell her that her sole purpose was to spread her legs, that in twelve short days she would be dismissed and he wouldn’t give her a second thought. That, of course, was not what happened. A gasp left her when his mouth latched on to hers.

  His kiss was hard, demanding, and when his hands landed on each side of her face, tilting her head, controlling her so that she was helpless against him, she felt herself melt even further. Was it possible to fall in love with someone in only a few days? Although she didn’t think she was in love with him, her emotions were strong, too strong for her to feel comfortable about. Tate Wessen was every kind of bad for her, but at this moment, at this exact time all she
could think about was how his mouth on hers was doing wicked things to her body.

  The cold, rough surface of the brick wall met her back as he pressed his chest against hers, sandwiching her between him and the building. His hands slid down her hips and around so he was cupping her ass. He gripped the edge of her dress and slowly dragged it up until it was bunched around her waist. He dropped down to his haunches so that his warm breath blew across her bare folds. His swallow was audible, and the groan that followed was deep and filled with an arousal that matched her own frantic one.

  “Spread your legs, Stella.”

  She did as he asked, and then felt him grip the back of her knee and bring it over his shoulder. His mouth was suddenly on her cleft, his tongue parting her folds as he ate her out. Knowing that there was a horde of people just around the corner was surprisingly erotic and turned her on even more. His hand on her ass started to squeeze the flesh at the same time his tongue dipped into her opening. He fucked her with his tongue, and it took everything inside of her to hold herself up.

  The rough scrape of the brick on her back added a hint of pain to the unbelievable ecstasy he was bringing her. The hand that had been gripping the back of her knee snaked between her thighs, and as soon as his thumb touched her clit, she came. A low, keening cry left her, and she speared her hands in his hair and shamelessly ground her pussy into his face. His deep chuckle sent vibrations through her center and little shock waves of pleasure slamming straight to her clit.

  The grip she had on his hair was hard and she knew it had to hurt him, but his groans spoke differently. He gave her pussy one last long lick and stood. He kept his hands on her ass and pulled her forward, letting her feel the hard length of his erection grind into her belly. He pressed his lips against hers, ran his tongue along the seam before plunging into her mouth. She tasted herself and a hint of alcohol on his tongue. It was a potent mixture that had her moaning in his mouth and wrapping her arms around his neck, but before her hands could connect, he was taking a step back.

  “Stella?” He whispered her name, and she closed her eyes, loving and hating what his voice did to her body. He still hadn’t said anything about her admission that seeing him with that woman had bothered her. Was this some kind of stalling tactic, some kind of diversion so he didn’t have to hear her proclaim her feelings like a sappy and pathetic groupie?

  “Yes?” Her response was breathy, and even she could hear the need in it. God, she really was pathetic. Her eyes were still closed, but at the sound of his zipper going down, she snapped them open. There was no expression on his face.

  “I want you on your knees, hands behind your back.” His command was rough and held no room for argument.

  Stella swallowed, feeling her pulse increase and her pussy become wet again. It was like she hadn’t just had an intense orgasm. Her pussy clenched for something substantial, for something that only Tate could give her. She looked to her left because she could still hear people just around the corner. If more came, they would wander past the alleyway and be able to see what they were doing.

  “Don’t think; just do as I say.”

  God, she should loathe him for the way he was talking to her, but she couldn’t. The way he was exerting his dominance, like he just expected her to submit, was offensive, but even if they hadn’t made their arrangement, even if her father’s house wasn’t in jeopardy if she didn’t comply, she knew that she would have bowed her head and submitted anything to him.

  She dropped to her knees and felt the gravelly ground dig into the tender flesh. The thick jut of his cock was right in her face, and she looked up at him.

  “Hands, Stella.”

  She brought her hands behind her back and clasped her fingers together. Her whole body started to shake, but it had nothing to do with the wind blowing around them. The way he looked down at her, how he ran his fingers along the edge of her face, tracing her cheekbones, her chin. It was like he could see right into her, like he knew what she was feeling, thinking. Stupid thoughts for a naive girl. Hell, they had been around each other for such a short time, but it had been the most intense few days of her life. It wasn’t just about the sex but about Tate the man. He was wrong for her, so very wrong, but even though she saw herself falling in deeper and deeper, she couldn’t stop it.

  He took himself in hand and brought the head to her mouth. The tip brushed against her lips, and he commanded her to open, which she immediately did. In the dirty alley where anyone could see them, Tate taught her what he liked, a gentle pressure of her teeth on the upstroke, a hard suction on the downstroke. She used her tongue to tease the crowned head, to move along the thick vein that ran on the underside.

  He groaned his praise, told her how good she felt, what a good girl she was. His words spurred her on until she was bobbing her head, doing exactly what he liked because she wanted his cum in her mouth. He might have her on her knees, submitting before him, but at this moment, with his cock in her mouth, she held the power.

  His hands tangled in her hair, keeping her head immobilized as he slowly thrust his hips in and out of her mouth. “That’s it, baby. God, so fucking good.” She lifted her gaze. His head was downcast, his eyes at half-mast, and his gaze completely focused on her mouth. “Watching my cock slide in and out of your mouth is such a turn-on.” His hands tightened in her hair to the point of pain. Humming around him, she sucked with more enthusiasm. “Yes,” he hissed right before he buried his shaft all the way inside her mouth. His balls rested against her chin, and his cum pumped down her throat. She greedily swallowed, never having tasted anything as good as Tate.

  When he pulled his softening cock from her lips, neither of them moved for several long seconds. He gripped her arms and helped her to stand, pulling her into an embrace. His throat worked as he swallowed. “I need to have you in my bed, my cock buried in your tight little body. Now.”

  19

  Stella collapsed against the pillows and panted in exhaustion. The sweat coating her body had the silk sheets sticking to her skin, and she pushed them the rest of the way off. Tate lay down next to her, his breathing just as ragged as hers. Since he’d brought her back to his house from the club, it had been like he couldn’t get enough of her. She’d assumed a man could only come once, but not Tate. He had shown her exactly what kind of stamina he had.

  “You’re going to be the death of me, Stella.”

  She turned and looked over at him. His arm was over his eyes, and his chest rose and fell from the force of his breathing. She followed the lines of the tattoo that wrapped around his shoulder and bicep with her gaze. The ink was dark and powerful.

  “It’s not such a bad way to go.” She closed her eyes and lay back against the pillow. A smile curved her mouth when she felt his finger trace a line down the middle of her eyes.

  His touch was soft but suggestive. His breath was warm as it brushed along her nude body. She opened her eyes when she felt lips suction onto her nipple, latch the flesh into his mouth. His tongue was seductive as he traced the outline of her areola. Her body was heating all over again, despite the fact she’d climaxed several times.

  “I want to do something with you, baby.” Tate’s words were muffled, and she arched against his seeking mouth.

  “Mmmm.” At this point she couldn’t even form a coherent word.

  “Will you let me, Stella? Do what I want to do?” His hand slid down her belly and between her thighs. His fingers spread through her folds, causing a slow burn to build within her. She was ready for him again and didn’t bother trying to pretend otherwise. She spread her thighs so he could stroke her harder, more thoroughly. One of his fingers dipped into her pussy and thrust a few long strokes. He pulled the digit out and slowly slipped it between the cheeks of her bottom. Oh, she knew what she wanted as soon as he ran the tip of his thick finger over her anus.

  He stopped suckling at her breast and murmured against her flesh, “I want you here, baby. Will you let me slide my cock into this tight little
ass?”

  Her breathing increased as he slipped the slick finger into her bottom. A few pumps into her body was apparently all he could handle because a second later he pulled it out and urged her onto her belly. Of course, she rolled over without any hesitation because if she was being honest, she wanted it as well. She wanted Tate in any way possible, and just knowing he wanted her in that little taboo hole sent her body into a frenzy. Just like that Tate could get her worked up to the point she would have begged him for anything.

  “Tell me you want it, Stella.” His mouth was on her back, his tongue sliding down the length of her spine. She felt his lips at the top of her ass and his hands cupping the mounds. He squeezed the flesh like he couldn’t get enough.

  “Yes, Tate, God yes, I want that.”

  He made a strangled noise against her back, and then the heat of his body left her and she heard a drawer open and close. His chest pressed against her back a second later, and he pushed the hair off her neck, kissing the skin that was exposed. His hand squeezed one cheek of her ass, and then he pushed away from her.

  A second later he was spreading her ass to reveal her anus. His finger smoothed something cool and slick over the puckered hole, and she bit her lip as flames of unexpected pleasure shot through her.

  “God, baby.” He slipped his finger inside of her and groaned. “You have no idea how hot it is seeing you spread like this.” She made a muffled noise and buried her face in the sheets as he pushed the lube in and out of her hole. He removed the digit and replaced it with the thick crown of his erection. He was already hard again, surprisingly, and maybe it was just the fact he was going in her ass, but he felt so much bigger.