by Ember Leigh
Gen squeezed the steering wheel. It was almost unthinkable that those two strange, unsavory men could be all Cobra had to lean on in life. Guys who would greet a female stranger at the door with a joke about sluts.
“I’m sorry,” was all she could say.
When Cobra looked over at her, she could see the strain of lightheartedness. “That enough for you? Satisfied?”
A laugh escaped her. “Yeah. For now, at least.”
The falsetto notes of a pop singer’s chorus filled the quiet between them. Cobra slid his hand over her knee, squeezing it. The little gesture spoke volumes. Maybe he’d never opened up to anybody else.
And if that was the case, he’d made the right choice. Because although she didn’t know the full story, she recognized the weight and pain behind his façade.
She’d protect his vulnerability.
She’d protect his secrets…and even his sins.
Chapter 34
When Gen pulled over at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, Cobra tumbled out of the car, drawing deep breaths as if he hadn’t truly breathed in hours.
Every inch of his body crawled at the upcoming visit. He’d spent most of the miles between LA and the outskirts of Fresno counseling himself that it would be fine. That this didn’t matter as much as his mind screamed it did.
But the truth was, he didn’t know what to expect. And the question-mark outcome had his nerves jangling.
More than that, the close quarters of the car had him hungry for more than just food. Being so close to Gen but unable to hold her, kiss her, run his hands over his favorite parts of her body, which were basically all parts at this point…he could practically devour her.
“Want me to get the gas?” he asked, slamming his door shut. Maybe the motion would help jostle loose the anxiety that had him in a vice grip.
“No.” She sent him a sweet smile. The fluorescent lights of the gas station buzzed from overhead. Even under the garish contrast of nighttime and bright, white lights, she was gorgeous. “I’ve got it.”
He rested his palms on the back of his head, coming around to the gas pump. He watched as she fumbled with the touch screen, shook her head, then muttered, “Oh, come on, for Pete’s sake.”
“What is it?” he stepped closer, a hand slipping into the delicious curve of her lower back.
“Nothing.” She pushed a few more buttons, sending him a sly glance. “I appreciate the gas station attention, though.”
His hand pushed lower, scraping over the waist of her jean shorts. His fingertips burned with the urge to push inside those shorts. Find the sweet heat between her legs that turned him into a fucking slave for her. “That’s what I’m here for. To help you pump gas.”
She snorted. He knocked his hip against hers. She must have caught on to his subtext, because she arched a brow.
“Remember, no funny business at my parents’ house. They won’t let us sleep on the same floor, much less in the same room.”
He swallowed a groan of disappointment. “So you’re saying we need to squeeze in a quickie now.”
“A quickie?” She held up a palm before he could clarify. “No. I think I get what that’s referring to. But a quickie is impossible. What are we going to do, rent a motel room for an hour?”
He smirked. “It’s been done before. But you realize we don’t even need a bed…right?”
Her brow furrowed as she stuck the pump nozzle into the car.
“We can have sex anywhere we want,” he murmured into her ear, trailing a hand up the side of her body. He pinched a breast briefly through the conservative button-up blouse she wore. “Even on the side of the road.”
Shock lit up her face. “Where? In the dirt?”
“It’s been done.”
She scoffed. “Or better yet, in the car!”
“Why not?”
Realization made steps across her face. “You seriously want to have sex in the car?”
“I think we have to now.” He cocked a smile, knocking his hip against hers again. “You’ve never done it. It’s on the list.”
“I didn’t write that on the list.”
“It’s on the new list,” he said, bringing his lips to the shell of her ear. “I’ll go pay. Then we’ll find us a nice lookout point.”
Her eyes widened. “But in the car?”
Cobra pinched a cheek in response and sauntered off to the gas station to pick up some snacks and pay for the gas. When he returned, she had the car running.
“Ready for the next pit stop?” he asked, dumping a few tiny bags of chips into the center console.
“I guess,” she said, fastening her seatbelt. “Though I doubt we’ll be able to pull it off.”
Cobra scoffed. “Just wait. You’ll see.”
She merged back onto the highway, and Cobra kept an eye out for a good place to do the deed. They’d gone about ten miles when he told her to slow down. Up ahead he spotted little rest area. The type of place with parking spots arcing out and around the bathrooms. A few cars lined the spots closed to the building. He showed her where to park, way toward the back. Hidden from wandering eyes. When the car went quiet, he clambered into the back seat.
Gen shrieked with laughter. “Cobra!”
Getting into the tiny back seat was a chore, but once he unfolded himself from the effort, hair mussed and breathing a little heavier, he beckoned for her to join. A distant light near the bathrooms served as the only illumination for their tryst.
“I can’t do what you just did.”
“It’s half the fun,” he goaded. He tugged her hand, urging her through the space between the seats. She launched forward, and he tugged her hands to help her through. Giggles erupted as she got stuck halfway; the faint silver light glinted off her gleeful smile.
“There’s nowhere to put my legs!”
“Around my neck,” he joked, lying back so she could fall forward on top of him. She shimmied through and ended up facedown between his legs.
“Oh my goshhh,” she groaned. Cobra tugged at her shorts, his cock pulsing with the desire to get them off her. He pushed himself to sitting, and with some grunting and groaning, Gen did the same. She huffed beside him, hand on his shoulder. “Okay, I think I’m spent.”
“Oh no, you’re not.” He unbuttoned his shorts and pushed them down, showcasing the thick bulge in his briefs. Gen’s gaze fell between his legs, and her mouth rounded. Her creamy hand caressed the fabric straining around his cock. He bit his lip, watching as she danced her fingertips over his briefs.
“It’ll be easier if we take our clothes off now,” he murmured, unable to rip his gaze from her hand.
“Okay,” she whispered, all trace of hesitance gone. He pushed his briefs down next, his cock springing free. Her attention alone had coaxed it from half-hard to flagpole straight. Now it throbbed with the desire—the need—to be buried deep inside her. His abs tightened at the thought of it. Before he discarded his shorts, he fished a condom out of the pocket.
Her gaze fell to his hand. Hesitance. His stomach cinched.
“What’s wrong?”
She nibbled on her lip, averting her gaze. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t say it. I just…” She covered her eyes, shaking her head, maybe convincing herself otherwise. “This isn’t the place.”
“Say it.”
She sighed, running a finger along the length of his cock. It twitched in response. “I want to feel you inside me. Without the condom on.”
He gritted his teeth. Fuck this car. He wanted all the space in the world suddenly. And all the time in the world to go with it. The breath whooshed out of him. “Well fuck, Red.”
“Is that bad?”
A weak laugh escaped him. “No. It’s not bad. I mean, you could get pregnant.” That implication hung uncomfortably heavy in the air. “I’ll try to pull out early.”
“I know. But I’m so curious. Maybe we can put it on halfway through?”
“Uh,” he tossed the condom to the floor. “Th
at’s definitely not happening. Trust me.”
Gen unbuttoned her shirt, but Cobra stopped her at the second button. He wanted to do it. For this special time, but for all the other times they had left. Because time was running out. Their agreement had only a couple weeks left. And though he was sure that she wouldn’t mind extending the agreement beyond their agreed-upon ninety days, Cobra couldn’t risk it.
He’d already gone too deep. And now, he was drowning in her. Desperate for the very thing that choked him. He already knew the end of this…arrangement…was going to hurt. Better to end it sooner rather than get tangled even deeper in the web.
She sent him a sexy grin as he undid the buttons, wiping his mind clear of his doubts. When her shirt hung open, he slid it over each shoulder and then tossed it to the floor.
“You need to get your shorts, though, babe,” he whispered, his voice sticking in his throat. Her suggestion had taken this backseat union from special to legendary. Part of him hated that it mattered so much. But he’d learned how to quiet that side of him that wanted to diminish what he and Gen shared. He wanted to relish every last second of this.
Gen wriggled out of her shorts and then her undies. He hummed with appreciation once the creamy expanse of her lower half gleamed in the silver light. He brushed his fingers over the wily red hair between her legs. He pushed a thumb into the damp folds, finding that needy nub that he couldn’t get enough of.
Gen jolted, sinking her fingernails into his shoulder. He tore his T-shirt off, then unhooked her bra. Totally naked. Stuffed into the backseat. He urged her to straddle him, and she did so hesitantly, careful to fold herself onto the seat around him. His thick cockhead brushed against her pussy, betraying how absolutely wet she was for him—drenched, her excitement dribbling down the insides of her thighs.
He’d never been with someone who could get so fucking turned on for him. The fact that she was dying for it—for him—drove him mindless. He dug his fingertips into the soft flesh of her hips, guiding his cock back and forth over her folds.
She released a shaky breath. The pebbled tips of her breasts grazed his chest, setting every inch of his body on fire. His desire for her had him wound tight. He could explode from wanting her.
“Are you ready for me, babe?” He asked the question into the side of her neck, the fragrant hollow that held him captive.
“I’m ready.”
“Sink down,” he whispered, guiding her by the hips. “Slow, okay? It’s a new position for you. Take it slow.”
She nodded furiously, and she flexed her hips so that the tip of his cock brushed her entrance. They didn’t line up on the first try or the second. But on the third try, his cockhead slipped inside, and the warm honey of bliss slunk through his veins. This woman was a drug. She calmed him as much as she riled him up. She was better than alcohol. Better than coke. Better than being stoned for days straight. Gen wrapped around him—that was the real shit. And the feel of her stretching to take him, no barrier between their most intimate parts, sent a jolt from his toes to the top of his head.
Gen inhaled sharply, the grip around his neck tightening. Then the slow, languorous sinking began. Her chest heaved. She gripped the headrest of the backseat.
“You good?” His voice shook. Betraying just how fucking good this really was.
She nodded fast, then her head fell backward, showcasing the long, elegant slope of her neck. He scraped his teeth against it. She arched, finding more depth. He moaned into the curve of her neck.
“Fuuuuck,” she moaned.
He smiled, rolling his hips beneath her. Halfway inside, and he could probably come soon, even without sinking all the way in. This woman was a sorceress.
“That’s it, Genny.” He rolled his hips again. She sank a bit lower. “Keep going.”
“It feels so goooood,” she moaned, head dropping to his shoulder. He pushed at her hips. She sank lower. Lower still. Her pussy wrapped around him like a glove. Stretching and warm and velvety. His head fell back against the headrest. He groaned as she claimed the final inch around his cock.
This. Right here. The most beautiful moment of his life.
“It feels so much better without it,” she panted into his ear.
“I know,” he croaked. He rocked against her slightly. She gasped. “That’s what makes being smart so hard.”
“I get it now,” she said. “There’s no way we could put it on halfway through.” She bucked against him. A low moan erupted. “Fuuuuck.”
The heat of her pressed against him turned into sweaty spots. They formed a bumpy, jerky rhythm, desperation in cramped quarters. The tight points of her nipples brushed against him in time. The only sound between them was the breathy pulse of their panting.
For how hesitant she might have been at the start, Gen unfurled as the passion skyrocketed. She arched and rocked and rolled on top of him. His mind burned with thoughts of his release, but he wanted to make sure she got there with him.
“You like it on top, babe?”
Her eyes were pinched shut. Lost in her own world. A dreamy smile fluttered across her face. “So much. So much.”
He steadied her by the hips and drilled up into her. She gasped, followed up with a low moan.
“I’m close,” she wailed, her body tensing. Cobra did it again, steadied her while he surged as deeply as he could. Her pussy spasmed around him, and she couldn’t even get the words out before she was quaking and shuddering and moaning. Her fingernails gouged divots in his biceps. And while she came, he drove into her until he felt his own release churning.
He lifted her by the hips, allowing himself to slip out so he didn’t come inside her. He groaned as he watched his cock pulse and shoot, drizzling the center console with his spunk. Gen panted and rolled off to the side, hair messy, her face the dictionary definition of satisfied.
Cobra slumped back into the seat, reaching for her hand, pulling her back on top of him. She collapsed into his arms, their sticky spots joining, the damp heat not even bothering him. They smiled lazily at each other, a peaceful silence drenching the backseat.
Windows fogged. Silver light steady. The slow, steady rasp of their breaths.
Perfection.
When Gen tilted her head up and he caught her gaze, he was hit by the impact of her. The sheen in her face. The sweet yet sultry satisfaction that clung to her.
And her eyes. Oh, her eyes. Gen looked at him as if he was the most special thing in the world. As if he could fulfill all her dreams. All her hopes. All those fucking items on the list.
And he wanted to. He really did.
But he’d seen what the back of that list said. She wanted to fall in love. She wanted kids. She wanted stability and niceness and family and all the fucking normal shit he couldn’t give her.
Cobra could get addicted to that look. Hell, he already halfway was.
But he had to stop it.
There were two weeks left in the agreement. That had to be enough.
Because if he didn’t start preparing now, then he might not be able to walk away. And if he didn’t, then this beautiful, tender thing they’d found between them would crash and burn anyway. Through Cobra’s doing. Or his roommates’ or something else.
It was better to let it be a flash in the sky. The comet that came and dazzled and taught, then disappeared.
Cobra wasn’t made for anything else. He wasn’t the fucking moon. He could only ever be a comet.
Chapter 35
Don’t get your hopes up.
Sophie’s final words before Gen left on the trip came back to her.
She pulled into the familiar wooded drive that led to her family’s shrouded, off-the-grid home just before eight p.m. They lived deep in the forest, as did the rest of their enclave. Sprawled out among the trees, they formed a tightly woven community of believers who rarely ventured out of the county. If they did, it was only within a ten-mile radius. And within those ten miles, it was strictly to convert non-believers. Everyone be
yond that ten-mile span was kinda screwed.
Emotion tightened her throat, and all the anxieties she’d beaten back with distraction and sexual diversion came flooding back. Gen had imagined this homecoming a thousand different ways. Headlights finally settled on the large two-story home they’d moved into when Gen was a baby.
There was no sight of the bunker system, but of course, that was designed to be invisible. Gen could still suss out the entrance by feel alone, by stumbling along the specific paths they’d created and then practiced over the years.
She turned the car off, turning to Cobra. “Here we are. Excited yet?”
“Uh…” Cobra’s gaze swept toward the house. “Not exactly.”
“Yeah. Me neither.” She frowned, readying herself to face her family. They’d still be up. Gathered in the back room for nighttime activities, which usually meant Bible study or very limited card games.
“So why’d we come here again?” The lift of Cobra’s brow told her it was a joke, but there was truth buried in there.
“My little sister, Mary, wanted me to,” Gen said, thumbing the edge of her small purse. “I have a hard time letting her down. And I feel pretty guilty for leaving in the first place. She’s very special. She has the same curiosities that I do. And, well…”
“What?”
Gen nibbled on her bottom lip. “Since I’ve been in LA and been learning about the outside world, I realize what I’ve always noticed about her without being able to put my finger on it. I think Mary’s a lesbian.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I want to be there for her. She has a hard road ahead of her.”
“You’re a good big sister,” Cobra said. “Maybe too good.”
Gen checked that her purse was ready to go and reached for the door handle. Then she remembered an important detail. One that she’d never mentioned to Cobra before.
“Oh, uh…” She swallowed a knot of anxiety. “One more thing.”
“Spill it.”
“You know how Cobra’s not your real name?”