by Lux Miller
I cut him off, shaking my head. “It wasn’t Brad, actually. It was a horse. A wild one, black as night and just as dangerous. Threw me off while I was trying to break her… and the bones just snapped. One, two, three… happened last fall, but I’m really just starting to get my mobility back.”
He shudders and winces, scrunching up his face into an expression that mimics pain. “Sounds like it hurt.”
I nod, “Yeah, it did, but not as bad as Brad telling me I wasn’t allowed to go back to the ranch. He ended my career before it ever really got started. Well, I mean… the ranch wasn’t my end game, but it was my means to get there. And he just slammed it all in a safe deposit box and threw away the key. He claims he’s keeping me safe, but he’s really just keeping me close, caged up so nobody else can get to me.”
Storm shifts on the couch beside me and I slide against him in the depression created by his body. My heart flutters slightly as my leg touches his and I snatch my gaze up to his face in surprise. He reaches down to me and brushes his hand along the side of my face, tucking strays hairs behind my ear before resting his palm against my cheek.
“Nobody should ever cage another human. Not in chains and not in shackles. And certainly not in loveless, hopeless captivity where a bird forgets how to fly.”
I turn my face into his hand as he speaks, the word resonating somewhere deep inside of me… down below my thudding heart, down below my flip-flopping stomach, he touches something all the way down in my soul and in that moment, I feel something inside of me break. When I look back up at him, there are tears rolling down my cheeks.
Storm shakes his head as he brushes them away with his thumb. “Don’t cry, Poppy. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for… don’t cry for him.”
He leans down and kisses my cheek gently, his lips capturing a tear as he does. Embarrassed, I turn my head, my lips brushing against his as I do. And in that moment, my resolve shatters as a jolt of electricity flashes through my body, all the way to my very core. I gasp sharply, but there’s some kind of magnetic force keeping me there, my mouth linked to his as I struggle to inhale.
What seems like an eternity passes before Storm pulls back suddenly, his voice apologetic as he stumbles to find words, “Shit, Poppy, I’m sorry… I don’t know what I was thinking, please forgive—
But that’s all he manages to say before I crush my lips back to his, pouring every emotion I’ve experienced on this rollercoaster over the last twenty-four hours into a kiss that neither of us was prepared to defend against. He pushes the hand from my cheek back into my hair, angling his head so that our mouths fit together like the final pieces of a puzzle as I mumble, “Just don’t think, Storm. I’m tired of thinking. I’m tired of running scared. I’m tired of doing everything by the book. Of being little miss prim and proper. For once, I want to just go mad and do something for me.”
Storm groans against my mouth and I take the opportunity to slide my tongue past his lips and tangle it with his own. His hands slide down to my waist and tug me onto his lap as our tongues tango in his mouth. Everything about this is so wrong, but for fuck’s sake, why does it feel so right?
I jerk back from him, gasping for breath and scramble off his lap, standing up and stumbling back as my hand flies to my lips, my fingertips caressing the swollen skin there.
Storm winces and starts with another apology, “Fucking hell, I’m sorry...again…”
I groan and shake my head as I stare down at him. “Don’t fucking apologize, Storm. Karma’s an evil bitch and I’m sure she’ll find me someday, but today isn’t that day. I’m done following the rules, just to get shit on. Time after time, day after day, I’m reminded that I can’t go back to yesterday anyway, so why bother?”
Storm’s eyes flash as I rip the shirt off over my head, dropping it onto the floor behind me. He trails his tongue slowly along his bottom lip as he eyes my naked breasts on full display inches in front of his face. I took my bra off after I went to bed, because it was poking me in the side. Damn traitorous underwire!
He grunts and shifts himself on the couch. It’s obvious that he’s being affected by this heady feeling, just like me. I reach my hands for the shorties I’ve always worn under my uniform and Storm reaches his hands out, grabbing hold of my hands and flattening them against my hips.
I whimper slightly as he scoots to the front of the couch, his gaze wandering up to mine. I’m certain he’s about to shut down this madness, when he murmurs, “Let me…”
My eyes widen as he hooks his thumbs into the waistband of my shorties and keeping my hands between his and my body, tugs them down to my knees, where they slip free and puddle at my ankles. Storm inhales sharply, a high-pitched whistle sound coming from his lips as his eyes rove over every inch of my naked body.
“Fucking hell, Poppy. You’re gorgeous…”
I know I’m blushing, but I don’t even care at this point. I glance down at his shorts quickly, then back up to his face, hoping my sneak-peek was imperceptible, but I know that he caught me looking. A smirk twists his lips and he grabs hold of his shorts, lifting his ass off the couch and shimmying them off to reveal a dick that’s veined on every surface, thick, and completely erect. So I’m not the only one completely aroused.
Storm kicks his shorts off and I stare in surprise at his cock bobbing in front of me. Storm reaches up and grabs my hips, gently pulling me forward until I have to spread my legs so that I’m straddling his thighs. He looks up at my face and locks his gaze to mine as he slides a hand between my legs, his touch gentle and slow as he slides one finger along my slit several times. He lets his thumb graze my clit gently before he plunges that finger inside me.
Everything in my body tenses up at the intrusion, but instead of yanking away like I should be doing, I’m drawn in deeper to him. Storm groans as his finger penetrates my wetness and he pumps it gently as he rubs his thumb over my clit in small circles, sending pangs of need to my core. I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but if it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right.
“That’s it… mmm, oh God, relax for me Poppy. Just relax and let it happen.”
He leans forward and captures one of my nipples in his mouth, his warm tongue swirling around the tiny bud that springs to life with his touch. I look down and seeing this near-strange man sucking on my breast releases something feral inside of me. I bury my hand into his hair, wrapping the curly strands around my fingers as I hold him there. He nibbles against the sensitive flesh as he adds a second finger to my pussy, spreading them apart as he pushes them inside of me.
I can already feel tension building in my core and the want… no, the need to have this man inside me is already hovering near unbearable. I reach down between my legs and grab his wrist, tugging at his hand. He unlatches from my breast and glances up at me in confusion as I tug on his hand again. He pulls his fingers out of my body and murmurs, “Does that not feel good for you?”
I nod, my breathing already staccatoed. “It does, but it’s not what I want. I want you inside me… not your fingers, but you… please, Storm…”
Storm groans as he brings his hands to my hips and guides me over his erection, the crown of his cock pressing against my entrance. His breathing is labored too as he asks, “Are you sure you want this?”
I inhale a deep breath and nod, making eye contact with him before assaulting his lips with my own. As his tongue slips into my mouth, he pulls me down onto him and his dick slides home, stretching me with a painful sensation of pleasure that ricochets through my body as he continues to push me down, further and further, onto his dick until he’s bottomed out inside of me and my cunt feels so full that I might explode.
I cry out softly and Storm freezes, digging his fingertips into the fleshy part of my hips. I pull back from him and lean my head back as I attempt to lift up off of his lap. He lets me, but pulls me right back down onto his cock. I keen every time he begins to pull out. Storm growls softly as I bob up and down his length, his ha
nds firmly locked onto my hips and his mouth alternating between my breasts as I ride him.
It doesn’t take long before the muscles in my pussy are tightening around him and he’s moaning in short bursts. He lets go of my hips and I continue to rock against him, rubbing my clit along his length every time his cock slides home. I bring my hands to the sides of his face and grip tightly as I kiss him, pouring every emotion that’s running wild inside me into the kiss.
He yanks his hands up to the back of my head, twisting his fingers up in the length. He plunges his tongue into my mouth as my pussy clenches tightly around his dick that’s buried inside of me. I’m caught by surprise by the sensation of my release of pleasure because it’s not something I’m used to feeling during sex. I’ve masturbated my way to this feeling before, but never with a man balls-deep inside me.
It continues for several minutes, his body still underneath me, until he stops moving entirely and leans his head back away from me, his eyes closed tightly. His mouth is twisted in a silent scream and as I stop moving, I can feel his dick twitching inside me while he makes little grunting noises. There’s no doubt in my mind that Storm is filling me with his seed as our bodies are rocked with white-hot pleasure.
After what feels like an eternity of blinding ecstasy, we both come to a complete standstill. I take in the sweaty face of Storm and realization crashes over me like a rogue wave. Oh, my God… what have I done? As I bring my hands to rest against the broad chest before me, I realize how small my hand is compared to the enormous muscles that ripple underneath my touch. Nothing about this man is anything like my husband, like the man I’m sworn to love and honor, no matter what. I let out a startled cry and scramble off his lap, whimpering when his length slides out of me.
I snatch up my shorties and his shirt and yank them back on without a word, standing before him in utter shock as the ramifications of what I just did slam into my conscience. He hasn’t moved a muscle and is still perched on the couch, his dick bobbing slightly as a dribble of something viscous and the color of fresh pearls slides down the side of him. His entire length glistens in the dim lighting and Storm makes no effort to cover himself.
It takes several minutes for my voice to work as I start to apologize, “Oh, my God… I’m so sorry… I can’t believe I made you—”
Storm shakes his head and stands, looking down at me with the most gentle, unassuming look I’ve ever seen on his face. “Nobody made anybody do anything here, Poppy. It just happened… and I’m not going to lie and say I regret it, either, because I don’t. If that makes me a bad man, then so be it. I don’t mind being the bad guy if it means you spend one less night with that villain you call a husband.”
I gasp, a startled cry tumbling out of my mouth. Storm shakes his head and jerks his shorts up, then steps over to me and wraps his arms tightly around me. So tightly, that I can’t move but it doesn’t make me feel claustrophobic. Instead, it makes me feel safe, needed, wanted… He lifts me up into his arms and walks me into the bedroom, laying me down on the bed. He tucks the covers up over me as I stare mindlessly in front of me, then turns to walk out of the room.
“Wait,” I call. Storm stops in the doorway, his long arms bracing himself against the door frame as he glances over his shoulder to look back at me. I shudder as I take in the wildness of the second man in my life that I’ve been with and sigh. Patting the bed beside me, I implore, “Stay with me.”
Storm sighs and turns around completely to face me, his shorts hanging low enough on his hips that the sharp lines of muscle that zig-zag across his stomach are clearly visible, right down to the deep cut of a ‘V’ shape just above his waistband. I lick my lips slowly, then trail my eyes up to his face. “Please…”
Shaking his head, Storm replies, “I don’t want to complicate matters for you, Poppy.”
I frown, sitting up in the bed with a sigh. “Things are already complicated, Storm. Stay with me tonight, so that it won’t be worthless, so it will have meant something. At least give me that. Give me a meaning to this… something to make facing the consequences worth it…”
His entire body tenses at my final plea and he nods slowly. Wordlessly, he walks over to the bed and climbs in beside me. He glances down at me as I turn into him and I feel the tension in every fiber of his being. Slowly, he starts to relax, looping an arm across my back that gradually slides down my body until his hand rests against my ass. I can’t say I mind, though, as I rest my cheek against his chest and let my worries fade away to the beat of his steadily thumping heartbeat.
I don’t know if I’m ashamed or mad at myself, relieved with myself, or ready to give myself a really fucking big pat on the back The only thing I know right now is that I just fucked Braxton Storm… and I liked it…
TEN
Storm
Waking up in the crispness of the white sheets on the king-sized hotel room bed automatically makes my head hurt. It’s so bright in here that doing anything other than squinting my eyes makes the light sensitivity rear its ugly head. It’s a nasty side-effect of being clobbered in the head one too many times. Joe says it isn’t even remotely normal, but it is common and a lot of migraine sufferers deal with light sensitivities. The neon and fluorescent lights of the night-life don’t seem to bother me like the blinding early morning rays of the sun… especially when it’s bouncing all over the room and reflecting off sheets that are whiter than a dentist’s smile.
I sit up and stretch my arms over my head, the sheet slipping down to my waist, where it puddles around my hips. I grunt and kick the sheet the rest of the way off of me, watching as it slides off the bed to the floor. I glance to my side quickly and frown when I find that all that remains of the woman who turned my world upside-down last night is a slight indentation in the mattress and my crumpled up t shirt. I snatch the shirt off the bed and bring it to my nose, inhaling. The bed and shirt are both cold, indicating that they’ve both been empty for a while, but a soft hint of something floral infiltrates my nostrils and I know instantly that last night wasn’t a dream.
Jumping out of the bed, I stomp through the suite, looking for any other sign of her, but find none. The casino uniform she was wearing is gone, along with every other trace that she was ever here. I shudder when I think of the disappointment that would be written all over my father’s face if he could see me right now, pining after a woman I barely know. I told myself I was done with one-night stands and Cat tried to warn me last night. She’s right, I’m out of control and in a tailspin from which I don’t know if I can even recover. Plus, top things off, I lost my fight last night. Guess it’s a good thing I bet on the other guy. My career’s one fuck-up from being in the toilet.
I wince when my cell phone rings from my joggers that I left on the floor last night. Trudging over, I snatch up the pants and dig out the dinosaur flip phone. No sense in having bells and whistles when the only thing I use it for is to keep in contact with my manager, my trainer, and my father. And Cat occasionally, but she never calls me. It’s not her style. She’ll send me a text occasionally, but we’re a talk-in-person kind of relationship. I glance down at the tiny screen on the front that’s flashing, ‘Joe.’
I flip the phone open and hold it to my ear, “Talk to me.”
Joe’s voice crackles through the phone, “Storm, you promised you’d get that head of your checked out this morning if I let you leave last night. It’s now ten am, you haven’t been checked out, and my guess is I woke you up. Where the fuck did you go last night? Are you drinking again? You know alcohol and those experimental pills don’t mix well…”
I groan and flop down on the bed, wincing as it groans under my weight. “Where I went and with whom is none of your business, but I can assure you I wasn’t drinking. Unless you’re counting tea, then I drank a whole fucking lot last night. Enough that I had a good three minute piss once it worked its way through my system. Let me shower and get dressed and I will meet you anywhere you damn well want, as long as you bring me food. D
eal?”
Joe groans, “Ugh, deal. You better be glad I care about you kid, because you can sure be a royal pain in the ass. Wait, with whom? Do I need to call the PR firm to get in front of a scandal or were you at least smart about that?”
“Relax, Joe… Pete handles that kind of shit anyway. No need to call in an emergency favor, unless you can get your hands on some dim sum this time of day, then call away because I’ve got a hankerin’ for some worse than a druggie needs a fix. Otherwise, name your place and I’ll be there at noon, but I’m coming on the bike. I’m not messing with a cabbie…”
Joe’s voice is strained as he asks, “Are you in the Egg again or did you crash in Atlantic last night?”
“The Egg, man… you know I won’t stay in AC unless I gotta.”
Joe is silent for several moments, during which I can hear him on the other line. His voice is muffled, but he still sounds incredibly annoyed. Finally, his voice crackles back over my line, “6529 East Black Horse Pike, at the corner of Spruce. You better be there, Storm. I’m not playing games with you over this. You’re not fighting again until you’re cleared.”