Rust

by J. M. Walker

  “What?” I frowned. “Why?” My eyes fell back to the monster between his legs. My core clenched. God, he had been inside me. His beautiful pierced cock had been in me, and I couldn’t remember. Of course. Why would I need to remember something like that?

  “I’m hungover as shit,” he answered, pulling me from my thoughts. “A shower will help and I just came in my pants like a twelve-year-old.” He grabbed my hand, tugging me against him. “Now strip.” He smacked my ass.

  I shivered, the tingle of pain enveloping me in a blanket of bliss. “I ...”

  He patted my hip. “Hurry up. We’ll shower and I’ll drive you home.” He turned around, and that was when I saw it.

  Wings covered his back. They were detailed and dark. The only color being drops of red blood the tattoo artist had conveniently placed at the small of his back.

  “Stone.” I reached out to touch him when he spun on me and grabbed my hand.

  “Don’t,” he ground out and kissed my fingertips.

  “Your piece is beautiful,” I told him, trying to lighten the dark shift in the air. “I would give anything to be that talented.”

  “You are, but thanks.” He brushed past me and turned on the shower. “I’m not going to ask you again. Strip.”

  “But isn’t that a little intimate, Stone? I mean ...” I shrugged. “It’s just—”

  “We’ve already fucked, Creena, and I just came on your ass.” He grabbed the hem of the shirt I was wearing. “And this shirt doesn’t belong to you anyway.”

  Were we going to have sex in the shower? Not that I would complain in the least but a part of me didn’t want to wash the remnants of the night before off of me. I enjoyed feeling him on my skin, his touch embedded in my flesh.

  “Touch me there, Stone. Yes, just like that. God, you feel good.”

  Words from the night before slid into my mind.

  Stone grinned, his gaze darkening.

  As if he could read my mind, his body hardened.

  He was an addiction at its finest and I hadn’t even experienced him in his entirety.

  Yet.

  ***

  (Stone)

  Creena Chan, was going to be the death of my dick.

  I had made it seem like I remembered everything from the night before when really, I only remembered her words. Every single syllable as she told me what to do to her. Every enunciated breath as I took her past the power of seduction and right into submission. But she didn’t know that. She thought we had a good time and that was it. But there was more. Much more that I couldn’t allow myself to confess.

  It was one reason I didn’t drink often. That darkness unleashed itself every time alcohol touched my lips and the women I had been with had fallen prey to that power. Some liked it. Most didn’t. I scared them.

  But with Creena, there was something more. I could sense it. She wasn’t scared of me. She looked past my walls and into my soul. I wasn’t sure if she was aware of it or not but there was a connection between us that made even me nervous.

  As she stared up at me with those beautiful green eyes of hers, she chewed her full bottom lip.

  My mouth tingled, itching to get a taste of her tongue. I couldn’t remember kissing her the night before, our drunken stupor taking over fast and hard.

  “Stone,” she said, my name falling from her lips like a petal in the wind. She was going to make me fall to my feet like a sexual slave waiting for its Master. She would be my Master. And fuck me, I didn’t give a shit if submitting to her went against everything I believed in.

  I cleared my throat, needing to collect myself before I truly unleashed everything onto her.

  “Strip,” I demanded one last time before I would force her to take off the shirt she was wearing.

  She sighed, pulling the top up and over her head.

  A soft growl escaped my mouth. She was beautiful. Damn near flawless. Her olive skin tone marred with light tiny freckles made every inch of me come alive. My dick grew, pointing toward her, and begged for her touch. Rubbing up against her ass and coming undone in my pants was not enough.

  Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes falling to my dick then traveling back up to my face.

  “You make me hard,” I said, wrapping my hand around my cock and tugging on the piercing. “That’s not something I’m ashamed of.”

  “I don’t think you have any shame,” she said, a pink flush spreading from her breasts up to her neck.

  I grinned. “Not one bit.” I turned to head into the shower before looking at her over my shoulder. “Nice tattoo,” I said, nodding toward the word Breathe just under her left breast. It was drawn in cursive, underlining the length of her full tit.

  Her lips twitched. “Thanks.”

  I stepped under the hot spray, my mouth turning up into a wide grin when I felt her behind me. Her obeying my demand to join me in the shower did something odd to me. It made me happy and elated but also strung the fuck out. This wasn’t good. Not one fucking bit.

  “Have you ever taken a shower with someone, baby girl?” I asked, needing the sound of her husky voice to drown out the voices in my head.

  “No.” She stepped up behind me, running her hands up my back. “But I’m always willing to try something at least once.”

  My cock twitched.

  Fuck.

  WE SHOWERED. WE dressed. We left.

  No sex. No kissing. No touching.

  A part of me wondered if maybe I had done something wrong. After I’d touched his back, Stone closed up almost instantly. He didn’t talk much after, and it made me curious to find out what darkness had eaten him up.

  As promised, he drove me back to Asher and Meeka’s place.

  I had been staying with our friends for a couple of weeks while the Organization, an entity that dealt with terrorism and human trafficking, were still not brought to justice. I loved Asher and Meeka, but I really missed my own bed.

  When we pulled up to their home, I realized that neither Stone nor I had spoken once.

  “Thank you for driving me.”

  Stone parked and shut off the truck before unbuckling his belt.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my heart jumping to my throat.

  “Meeka invited me over for lunch.” He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

  Not really wanting to do the walk of shame in front of the people I lived with, I tried thinking of a way we could go into the house separately. Maybe I could make Stone wait five minutes.

  “They already know we’ve fucked, Creena.” Stone shrugged. “No big deal.” He stepped out of the vehicle and walked around to my side. He opened the door, leaning his arm against the roof, and peered into the truck at me. “Coming?” he asked, licking his lips.

  I cleared my throat, slid out of the truck, and made sure to brush up against him in the process. Every nerve ending in my body came alive every time we touched. “Maybe later,” I purred. He wanted to tease me? Well, I could throw it right back.

  “Fuck,” he whispered, his breath brushing over the side of my face.

  I laughed, patting him on the chest. “You might want to take care of that.” I pointed down to the erection he was sporting.

  “Damn, woman.” He shielded himself and grabbed onto my hip. “Stop teasing me,” he grumbled in my ear.

  “You loved it earlier, remember?” I brushed my hand up his chest to his mouth. “You came hard for me.”

  He shivered, giving the pad of my thumb a gentle nip.

  A shot of pleasure coiled in my lower belly.

  In a rough move, Stone wrapped a hand around my wrist, digging his fingers into the bones. “You’re playing a very dangerous game, Creena.”

  “Yeah?” I licked my bottom lip. “I’m willing to bet it’s a game you won’t mind losing.”

  His nostrils flared, the bright lust in his eyes shining even more. He kissed my cheek and pulled me away from the truck before slamming the door shut behind me. “You don’t know shit about me
, Creena. Remember that.”

  “Listen to me right now, asshole.” I tugged my hand from his grip, glaring up at him. “Just because we fucked doesn’t mean you get to treat me like one of your many whores. We were friends first. Remember that.” I stormed past him into the house, letting the door close in his face.

  He grunted, shoving the door open until it smashed against the wall.

  “Problem?” I asked, sweetness dripping from my voice.

  He grinned. “Careful.”

  I shivered at the underlining threat in his deep voice.

  “Hey, guys,” Meeka came out of the kitchen, stopping suddenly. “Is there an issue?” she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice.

  “All right,” I sighed, waving a hand in front of my face. “Get it out.”

  She laughed. “I’m not saying shit.”

  “But I will,” Asher boomed from the kitchen. “Have fun?”

  I slumped onto the couch, scrubbing a hand up and down my face. Stone glanced at me before heading into the kitchen when Meeka sat beside me.

  “Rough night?” she asked, curling her arm in mine.

  “I don’t remember,” I mumbled.

  And that only made Meeka laugh harder.

  My cheeks heated. “How bad were we at the reception?”

  “Uh ...” Meeka grinned. “You were all over each other. It was intense and hot as hell. Asher pulled you two apart a couple of times. We didn’t want you fucking on the dance floor.”

  “Oh, God.” I dropped my head in my hands.

  “It happens.” She giggled. “Stone’s a good guy. It could have been worse.”

  I grunted. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, frowning.

  “He ... he’s different. I can’t explain it, but it’s like as soon as we had sex, he became a different man.” I shook my head. “Never mind. I’m not making sense.”

  “No” —she patted my hand— “I get it. He is different. Asher said he’s had a hard life. I’m not sure if something happened before he was assigned to Vice-One or after.” She shrugged. “Just have fun. Both of you deserve it.” She rose from the couch. “Oh. Your brother called.”

  Shit.

  ***

  (Stone)

  Creena’s sass turned me the fuck on. Her fire, her energy, her damn smile made me hard as a rock. I pushed, she pulled and shoved it all back in my face.

  After lunch, we helped Meeka clean up. Creena glanced my way, a hint of a smile tugging on her full mouth.

  “I hope that smile is for me,” I whispered in her ear while reaching behind her to grab a dish off the dish rack.

  “You’re very full of yourself, aren’t you?” She grinned, a rosy glow hitting her cheeks.

  “I’m only just getting started.” Putting the dish away, I leaned against the counter and nodded toward Asher and Meeka. “When are the babies due?”

  “Not soon enough,” Asher grumbled.

  “No sex?” I teased.

  “Meeka wants to be cautious,” he grunted, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend’s middle. Whispering something in her ear, his mouth turned up into a grin when she shivered.

  I chuckled, taking a step closer toward Creena.

  “Asher,” Meeka scolded, elbowing him in the stomach playfully.

  He coughed, rubbing the spot she hit, and placed a hard kiss on her mouth. “You love me.”

  She sighed. “Yeah. I do.” She turned to us. “Brogan’s running the meeting tomorrow. Both of you going to be there?”

  “Yes.” Creena dried her hands and crossed her arms under chest, the subtle movement lifting her full tits.

  I tried hard not to stare but, fuck me, my mouth watered at the sight.

  I looked away before I started humping her leg and caught Asher staring back at me. A hint of amusement flashed in his gaze.

  I rolled my eyes and used my middle finger to scratch my chin.

  He chuckled, shaking his head.

  “How’s Brogan doing with taking over the club?” Creena asked, ignoring us.

  “You know her.” Meeka shrugged. “She just goes with the flow.”

  “And she’ll maim some people while she’s at it if no one listens.” Creena laughed, leaning into my side.

  I wasn’t sure if she noticed or not but the longer her and Meeka spoke, the closer to me she became. I could still feel every inch of her on my skin. The taste of her tingled on my tongue. Other than that, I didn’t remember shit from the night before. But I knew I would have her again, wrapped around my dick, moaning my name and begging for more. I had a feeling, though, it would be me who begged first. And I didn’t mind.

  With her body less than an inch from mine, this was nice. It was comfortable. Creena had been the first woman I had been friends with before getting them in my bed. There was something different about her than the others. Than her. Than the whole damn situation.

  My heart stuttered, skipping a beat.

  Clearing my throat, I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing those nightmares to stay hidden.

  “Hey ...” Creena gently touched my arm. “You okay?”

  I peeked at her over my fingers, wondering just who the hell this woman was. “Yeah.” I pulled away from her like a pussy. “Thank you, Asher and Meeka, for lunch.” I left the kitchen, needing to get as far away from Creena as possible.

  I didn’t deserve her. Not one damn thing about her. She was good. Innocent. Although she had a dirty mouth on her, she was light where I was dark. I needed to get far from her before I tainted her soul with the rust of my past.

  AFTER SPENDING THE night and having lunch with Stone, I needed wine and lots of it. Hair of the dog and all that shit. Pouring myself a hot bubble bath as well, I slipped into the water and let out a sigh when I sank into the steaming liquid.

  Although my brother had called, I didn’t call him back. He could wait. But I knew I would hear about it when I did actually speak with him. He was an evil bastard but, unfortunately, I still loved him. It would have been easier sometimes if I didn’t.

  My thoughts traveled back to a hard, tattooed male. I wasn’t sure why Stone left when he did. Something dark took over, and it made him run. But I couldn’t worry about it and let it hurt my feelings. I was too old for that shit.

  The bubbles popped, the scent of vanilla and chai wafting around me. With the sweet wine on my tongue and the scent of peace tingling my nose, my eyes fluttered closed.

  “Want some company?” a deep voice asked a couple minutes later.

  My eyes popped open, landing on Stone leaning against the counter.

  “I thought you left,” I said, taking a sip of wine.

  “I did but then I ended up here. It’s like my dick knew you were naked.” He licked his lips, his gaze traveling down the length of me before snapping back up to my face. “Answer my question.”

  “If you join me” —I sat up— “can you keep your hands to yourself?”

  “I’m always up for a challenge.” He locked the bathroom door before pulling his shirt over his head and slipping his pants down his legs.

  I laughed, never seeing someone strip so fast.

  “Are you laughing at me?” he asked, sinking into the water behind me. He pulled me against him, brushing his nose into the crook of my neck, and inhaled. A soft growl rumbled from his chest.

  “No.” I shivered at the feeling of him wrapped around me. “Never.”

  “Hmmm ...” He kissed the side of my throat and paused, his fingers brushing down my spine. “What the fuck?” he whispered, his thumb grazing over the bumpy ridges marring my back.

  I tensed, knowing what he was touching.

  “Don’t ask about them. Not yet.” It was sick and twisted but I was proud of my scars. I just didn’t want to have to explain them to Stone and have him judge me.

  “Creena.”

  “Please, Stone. Not right now.” I didn’t need his judgment.

  “Fine. I’ll ignore them for now but you wil
l tell me how you got these.” He kissed the spot between my shoulder blades and snatched the glass from me. “Hair of the dog?” He took a sip, winking at me over the rim. All thoughts on the scars were soon forgotten.

  I let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, I guess.” I sat forward, leaning against the edge of the tub, and placed my hand on his bent knee. “Why did you really come back?”

  He shrugged, placing the glass on the floor. “I like spending time with you. I’ve never been friends with a woman before, and you’re easy to talk to.”

  “But I hardly know anything about you,” I reminded him.

  “And do I know everything about you?”

  I huffed. “No.”

  “You know me now, baby. You don’t need to know me then.”

  “Why not?” I pushed, sliding my fingers down his inner thigh.

  He jumped when I came into contact with his cock. “Careful, Creena.” He grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles. “As much as I want you, I’m not fucking you here.”

  “Funny, I was going to say the same thing.”

  “Yeah?” He pulled me back between his legs and wrapped his arm around my middle. “Why?”

  “Because Asher and Meeka are here. I don’t want to be quiet.” I looked up at him. “I want you to make me scream, Stone.”

  His breath hitched. “I will.” He pushed me forward, kissing the spot between my shoulder blades. “These look like they were painful.”

  I swallowed hard. “I don’t remember much of it.”

  His mouth trailed over the bumpy ridges but he never commented again about my scars. “I will make you scream so hard, you’ll lose your voice. You’ll end up begging me to stop and only then will I fuck you harder. You will think you won’t be able to take me.” His teeth sunk into my skin. “But you will. You’ll beg me to fuck you everywhere and you’ll beg me to rip you apart.”

  My skin puckered with tiny goosebumps, my body pushing back against his mouth. With his hands gripping my arms and his mouth moving ever-so-softly over my skin, it took all of my willpower not to sink down onto his cock.

  He groaned, licking up my spine to the back of my neck. “I want to eat every inch of you,” he said, his voice husky.