by Harley Stone
“Like hell!” I stood to refill our drinks. “If I ever have a daughter, the first thing I’m gonna teach her is that she doesn’t owe anyone shit. I don’t know why society teaches girls to be grateful when boys act like decent human beings. Helping someone who’s drugged is basic human decency. It shouldn’t qualify him for some claim on your life.” I was getting worked up, but the whole scenario sounded a little too convenient to me. “You sure he’s not the one who roofied you in the first place? Maybe he wanted to show up and play hero.” I’d been around the block enough times to know how common that was.
She shrugged. “I’ve thought about it, but there’s no way to know for sure. He shouldn’t have even been at that party. He wasn’t a student. He’d already gotten his degree and was working for a big tech company. Strangely enough, he looked familiar. I could have sworn I’d seen him around campus.” She shook her head. “Anyway, he was really nice. He opened doors, paid for dinners, and made me feel like I was something special. I’d been so focused on my education, but… he was an unexpected distraction. There was no spark or magic or anything, but I didn’t really believe in all of that. I thought we could build something.”
A spark didn’t even begin to describe what I felt for Tina. And I had a pretty good idea she felt the same. She said she didn’t believe in it—past tense—but I wondered if she was a believer now. The question lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I refused to ask it. She was finally letting me in, and I didn’t want her to clam up again.
“Then one thing led to another, and I got pregnant. He was really happy about the baby, and he convinced me to drop out of school and move in with him. He came from money and had a great job. He wanted to support us.”
It was difficult to reconcile the asshole who’d beat her with this storybook version of him. “He sounds great.” That came out sounding a little more sarcastic than I’d meant for it to, but I was ready for the rest of the story. The part where she focused on his sins and vowed to never go back to his abusive ass.
“No. He was never great. Something about him was always… off. There were plenty of red flags, but I lowered my head and ran right through those suckers. Supporting turned into controlling really fast, but I stuck my head in the ground like an ostrich and let it happen. Growing up without a strong family unit made me really want one, you know? I wanted to be a good wife and a mom and Matt had this way of making me feel like I needed to try harder. To do what he said and keep the peace.”
I snorted. “Pretty sure that’s called gaslighting.”
She nodded. “I don’t even know how I let it get that far. But one day, I popped my head out of the ground to realize that in my desire to make Matt happy, I’d totally lost myself. I’d given up my education, I was stuck in the house without transportation or friends, and nothing I said or did seemed to make him happy. I don’t even understand why he wants me back. In the past five years, we’ve barely even talked. I made his meals and cleaned his house, but he could hire someone for that.”
Not someone he could beat. Not unless your prostitute look-alike can cook and clean.
Her brow furrowed, and she shook herself. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I asked.
Blowing out a breath, she looked away. “I dunno. Losing myself. Failing at marriage. Putting up with so much. Not enduring through more. Boring you with my pathetic life story. Everything. I’m sorry for it all.”
I stared at her, wondering what to say to take some of the weight from her shoulders. She looked like the god Atlas, carrying the whole damn world on her back. I didn’t think it was wise for her to spend too much time poring over her past. She couldn’t change it. All she could do was beat herself up over it, and I had a feeling she’d done that enough.
Thankfully, as I was searching my alcohol-muddled brain for some pearl of wisdom to share, one of my favorite songs came on, giving me an idea. It was time to get off this fucked-up topic. We couldn’t do shit about her past, but we could make her present a little more enjoyable. Since all the talk about her ex had taken down the tent in my pants, I stood. Offering her my hand, I asked, “Dance with me?”
Confusion registered across her face before excitement lit up her eyes. “You want to dance?”
I nodded, emboldened by the smile that tugged at her lips. “It’s been a minute, and I don’t know if I’m any good at it anymore, but yeah. Why the fuck not?”
Sliding off the stool, she put her hand in mine. It looked so pale and small, and I marveled at the courage it must have taken her to even come up these stairs. Matt had screwed her over good, but she was still so damn trusting. I led her to the middle of the floor, restarted the song, and turned up the volume. Then, as we swayed with the music, I met her gaze and started singing along with the lyrics.
“Girl don’t you worry. The world is a dangerous place, but I’m gonna keep you safe,” I sang.
She brushed against the front of me and I realized dancing probably wasn’t the smartest idea. Having her this close was starting to stir up activity down below again.
I tried to focus on the song, but the sweetest smile tugged at her lips. “What is this?”
“Common Kings. Happy Pill. Now shush. You’re ruining it.” I restarted the song again.
Tina snickered, and then full-on laughed out loud when I twirled her around before pulling her back to me.
God, the feel of her in my arms was torture. The sound of her laughter was much better than the self-doubt and pain I’d heard in her voice during story time. I liked making her laugh. But as I kept singing, offering to be the happy pill she took whenever she felt like she was about to break, tears filled her eyes. She blinked them away, but not before one fell. Needing more of her smiles and less of her tears, I went a little over-the-top, acting out parts of the song as I sang.
“These are some fucked up times.” Trying to keep her body away from growing erection, I spun her over to the bar and picked up the empty wine bottle and pretended to pour more into her glass. “So let me pour you some red wine.”
She laughed as I put down the bottle and whirled us back out to the center of the room. Two spins in a row had been a little ambitious for our combined blood alcohol levels, and I almost put us both on the floor. Bumping against the wall, I was careful to shield Tina, but popped off with a string of swear words as I stubbed my toe.
Her laughter only increased. Tears freely ran down her cheeks, but they were happy tears now. I stopped to watch her, marveling at how she could still laugh. After everything she’d been through, she could still let it all go and just… laugh.
With the pad of my thumb, I wiped the moisture from her cheek.
Her breath caught. Laughter dying on her parted lips, she stared up at me. The song played out and the next one began as the air thickened with tension and I became fully aware of all the places our bodies touched, and the very few articles of clothing that separated us.
I could feel her nipples harden through her thin T-shirt.
My erection had returned with a vengeance, and my sweats did little to hide it. I could smell her arousal through her sleep shorts. The rest of the world seemed to stand still as Tina’s gaze dropped to my lips. Her eyes dilated. Heat poured off her body. We both leaned in, slow and cautious, as if afraid of moving too quickly and destroying the moment.
Then her soft lips met mine, and all bets were off.
Need spiked through my body. The scotch and wine-laced kiss went from sweet and delicate to wild and ravenous. Wet. All-consuming. Her hands landed on my chest and started roaming—searching—scorching. Mine went down her back to the globes of her ass. Tugging upward, I picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist as our tongues continued their frantic dance. With the heat of her core grinding against me, it was all I could do to make it through the doorway to my bedroom.
Lowering her to stand in front of the bed, we came apart long enough for me to rip off her shirt. I only got to marvel at her perfect breasts for a mom
ent before our mouths mashed together again. My hands found her tits, feeling the weight, kneading the flesh, plucking at her sexy pink nipples. She groaned and writhed against me, her fingers sliding beneath the waistband of my sweats.
I grabbed her arms, pinning them to her sides. We’d both had a lot to drink, and I needed to make sure she wouldn’t regret this. Even though it was torture to move away from her, I pulled back far enough to search her face. “Are you sure this is okay?” I asked.
She nodded, and started inching my sweats down.
I stopped her again. “I need to hear you, to know you really want this. That you… you want me.”
“I do.” The lust in her eyes was killing me, making my dick so hard it throbbed. “I want this… want you, Darius.”
For the first time ever, she’d called me by my real name; that had to mean she knew what she was doing. Still, I wanted a hell of a lot more than one night with her, so I had to make absolute certain. “You sure that’s not the alcohol talking?”
“Yes. No, I mean. It’s me. I… I want you.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Not good enough. What about me do you want?”
Her expression tortured, she stared up at me. “You know what I want.”
“I do. More than that, I know what you need. But I need to hear the words, angel.”
“Fine.” She shoved my sweats down, leaving me in my birthday suit. My cock sprang up, ready and willing. Her eyes widened at the sight and her hands reached for it, but I kept my grip on her arms and held myself just out of reach.
“The words.”
Her breath came out in a frustrated huff before she finally caved. “I fucking want you to fuck me, okay?” she shouted, sounding slightly on the feral side.
It was the first time I’d ever heard her drop the f-bomb, and it was sexy as hell. In answer, I shoved her shorts down. There. Now we were both naked. I picked her ass up and tossed her on the bed. I wanted to take my time and worship every inch of her body, but my body had other plans. I needed to be inside her. Now. I needed to claim her, to make her mine in the most animalistic sense of the word.
My cock leaked as I reached for my nightstand drawer.
“What are you doing?” Tina asked.
“Condom,” I replied.
“Latex allergy. I have an IUD and I’m clean.”
Fuck me. I’d get to ride her bareback? This kept getting better and better. “Me too.”
She nodded, meeting my gaze. “I trust you.”
Something inside me snapped, some final wall I’d been keeping between us. Earning her trust made me feel like a king. She was my throne, my crown, the very life blood of my kingdom. I would wage war to prove my fealty. But first, I had to claim her. I lined myself up at her entrance and slowly sank into her wet heat.
She felt so good—so damn good—that it was all I could do to go slow. I didn’t want to hurt her, but a part of me wanted to pound her pussy until she had no doubt about where she belonged. About who she belonged to.
I wanted to write my name all over her in permanent ink. Also in cum. She made me feel so fucking feral. Savage.
“More,” she whispered. “Harder.”
Magic words. I let them drive me as we chased our releases. Kissing, grinding, grunting. She moaned and dug her fingers into my back. I plunged into her harder. Faster. Driving us both insane until the bottom of my spine tingled, and darkness clouded the edges of my vision. I wouldn’t last much longer. I couldn’t. Not with the sounds she kept making and the way she felt wrapped around my cock.
“Get there for me, angel,” I said. “Come for me.”
She did, tightening around my cock until I saw stars. I emptied myself inside her with a shout, resting on my arms. I wanted to stay connected to her but didn’t want to squash her beneath my weight, so I rolled us until I was on my back with her lying on top of me.
With her head resting against my chest, she muttered something.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Beer before liquor, never been sicker,” she repeated. “You’re gonna be feelin’ that scotch in the morning.”
I hadn’t exactly been expecting any declarations of undying love, but her words did leave me a little disappointed. “Worth it.” I kissed her forehead.
“Very worth it,” she agreed, making me feel better.
I’d take it. For now.
I was still smiling when I drifted off to sleep.
14
Tina
LIGHT FILTERED IN through my closed eyelids, blinding me. Despite the incessant throbbing of my brain against my skull, I woke up feeling warm and cozy, more comfortable and satisfied than I’d been in recent memory. Something tickled my nose. Opening my eyes, I saw a spattering of short, curly dark hair. My hand rested against warm flesh over hard muscle.
There was a body beneath me.
Not Matt.
That much was clear. Even as my brain made the deduction, panic still surged through my system, engaging my senses and preparing my reflexes for fight or flight. I held perfectly still, petrified and taking in my surroundings. The room was foreign. I’d never been in it, but I recognized the black and grey color scheme that was consistent throughout the rest of the house.
Kaos’s room.
I was in his bed.
I breathed in, and the heady, masculine scent of him sent a wave of want crashing through me even as the ache between my legs and the lingering scent of sex made it clear we’d already done the deed.
Snippets from last night came flooding back to me. Kaos pouring me a glass of wine. Laughter. Dancing. Longing. His eyes—so dark, consuming, and full of emotion—staring down at me.
“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked.
He kept trying to pull away… to do the right thing.
My body thrummed with need as I grabbed ahold of him and told him the truth.
“I fucking want you to fuck me!”
Well then. My cheeks ignited, threatening to burn right off my face. I’d been so forward and… demanding. What the heck? Where had that come from?
The wine.
There must have been some kind of demon in that vino. It possessed me and turned me into some sort of sex-crazed maniac with a filthy mouth. That was the only explanation.
What have I done?
Regret. Fear. Pain. Excitement. It all came crashing into me at once. I felt dirty, but also a little… freed. A voice in the back of my mind kept whispering that I’d loved every forbidden second of it. Heat pooled between my legs in confirmation as I focused on how I’d felt having his undivided attention on me.
His stare had been so intense. And the way he looked into my eyes when he sang to me… the way he filled me up so completely when he…
Oh. My. God!
Yep. I’d loved every second. Every caress, every whisper, every kiss.
Only I couldn’t love it.
I wasn’t even divorced yet. And Dylan…
Gah!
Careful not to wake Kaos, I scrambled off the bed as quickly as possible. Each shift of my body reminded me of the wonderful soreness between my legs.
Not wonderful, bad. Very bad.
I’m a whore.
A disgusting, horrible whore.
My gaze snagged on Kaos. Lying there in all his naked glory, his body on full display for my viewing pleasure, he looked like some kind of Greek god. The kind women were helpless to resist. My attention went straight to his cock, which was currently sporting some serious morning wood. Had he been like that when I rolled off him? Holy crap! How did he not impale me on that thing? It was enormous—really—at least twice the size of Matt’s.
Maybe that was why Matt was always so angry. The little dick energy was real with that one.
A giggle bubbled up my throat.
Was I still drunk?
I gave Kaos’s perfect body one last lingering look, wishing things were different. Wishing I’d never met Matt. Only without Matt, there’d be no Dylan, and
I didn’t even want to consider a reality without my boy.
Holy crap this was a mess. My life was a forest fire, and no matter how I tried to control it, I kept adding fuel to the flames. Last night, I was out of my mind when I’d climbed those stairs. Lonely, weary, and drunk, I’d dropped my guard and let myself feel… hopeful. For what, I still didn’t know. But Kaos had been shirtless, and the sight of his bare chest would tempt even the purest of nuns. And based on the way my gaze kept drifting south of his waist, I was no nun.
And that song he sang to me…
All that talk about pulling me close and keeping me safe had been too much. Nobody had offered to shield me before, and although I knew it was just some silly song, his intentions had felt so… real. My thoughts were a mess, condemning, and then excusing my behavior in circles. I needed to get out of there so I could properly evaluate the situation and determine what to do.
Clothes.
I needed my clothes. I started searching the room for them, and my knee popped. Loudly.
Kaos stirred.
I dropped to the floor, out of his line of sight, and held my breath. The instantaneous change in elevation sent invisible spikes through my pounding head, but I held my breath and squeezed my eyes closed against the pain. It ebbed, but still I waited, listening and praying Kaos wouldn’t wake up.
I wasn’t ready to face him yet.
Truth be told, I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready to face him again.
Therein lies the problem. How could I live with someone I couldn’t face?
I’d need to move, to find somewhere else to stay.
The thought of leaving him sent a searing hot arrow right through my chest. How on earth had I let him get so close? Even before we… um… took our relationship horizontal, I’d felt something for him. Now, that something felt out of control. Maybe if I put some space between us, I could get my emotions under control again. My gaze locked on the bed, I waited. No movement, no sound. Grateful to be in the clear, I naked army-crawled toward a piece of fabric that I suspected of being my shirt.