by Raven Scott
“Thank you. Thank you, Oran.” I half expected her to bow at the waist, but May just slipped into the seat next to me to grab my hand and squeeze. David breezed by, scowling and glaring, but she didn’t even notice as she huffed happily. “I’ve never been to court. I didn’t know it would just end like that. She just dismissed the suit . . . like that.”
Snapping her fingers as she whispered excitedly, May squeezed my hand again, and her voice shook with relief and disbelief and a host of other emotions. My chest tightened at how expressive she was in every way, and I sat back a little to cross my knees. Suddenly, this wait for my case seemed bearable.
9
May
“Thank you for the ride home, Oran. Do you want to come in? I’ll make dinner.” The offer earned me a sexy smirk, and Oran’s eyes narrowed on me as butterflies fluttered in my belly. “If you want.”
“I’d like that very much, but I wouldn’t want your sister to see anything she shouldn’t.” Rolling my lips between my teeth, I leaned over across the seat and crooked my finger at him. Today had been so long, waiting for Oran’s case to be called, I couldn’t just leave him after what he did for me. His eyes sparkled with the beginnings of desire, and I huffed a short breath as his aftershave wafted into my nose.
“I told her to go to the library when you got called up. She’ll text me when she’s on her way back.” The whisper earned me a soft hum, and I pulled back to climb out of the car with excitement trilling in my veins. Oran followed, and I shouldered my purse to dig for my keys on the way into the three-family apartment. True, it wasn’t nice, but it wasn’t a complete dump, either. I’d rather save up than get those few creature comforts, plus I could commute to work without taking a second bus.
“It’s not super fancy, but it works.” Pushing my way into the entryway, I unlocked my apartment door, and a gasp escaped me when Oran all but pushed me inside. Pinning my front to the wall, he grabbed my hands to brace on either side of my head, and I gasped as hard muscle played against my back.
“Let’s pick up where we left off.” Growling in my ear, Oran tugged my arms up to hold my wrists in one hand while the other caressed down my side. Grinding against my ass, his hot breath flowing down my neck, I moaned at this delicious way to end an otherwise tasteless day. Yanking up my skirt, he clawed up my outer thigh, and I pushed my ass into his palm in wanton desire. “How do you like it, May?”
“Any way you give it, Oran.” Grazing his teeth against my shoulder, he groaned as he ground his bulge between my ass cheeks. Twisting me around, Oran hoisted me up, and a husky giggle escaped me. “Oo-oo . . . now, you’re the one impressing me.”
“The thing is, I like it a little rough, but don’t worry, I know not to mark where it can be seen. If that’s something you’re into.” My heart fluttered at that, and I licked my lips heavily. Oran’s gaze bore into mine, searching, and my thighs tightened around his waist as I took a breath.
“I am. Are you gonna ask me if I’m okay every two minutes?” Bracing his forearm by my head, Oran frowned under his glasses at my question, and embarrassment colored my cheeks. “Do you know what masochism is?”
His eyes widened, and I felt so stupid asking as his breath escaped his chest when it concaved. My heart raced, and the stillness became unbearable as Oran took off his glasses and squinted at me. Holding the lenses up, his brows rose, and I almost wanted to snatch them as a peculiar, ugly humor clung to my ribs.
“Sorry, I’m just trying to see if you have a halo or not.” Surprise twitched my cheek, and Oran put his glasses back on and smiled almost fondly. “What’s your specialty?”
“Why are you asking when you can find out from experience? If that’s something you’re into.” Using his own words against him— as a taunt, not a cautious offer— I cocked my head, and Oran groaned hungrily. “So, is that a ‘yes’?”
“We’ll have to explore that when I have more time to experience you, May.” Capturing my lips harshly, Oran sealed his promise with a kiss, and I grappled his shirt as need gripped my abdomen. Powerful hands gripped my thighs, and my own caressed over lean, muscular shoulders to work the buttons of his shirt. Blood beat against my eardrums, and I panted harshly as he ground against my core. His tongue slipped past my teeth to tangle with mine, and I lifted my knees to get a better grip on his sides.
“Fuck.” Reaching down to unfasten his dress pants, I rubbed Oran’s bulge as he pushed up my bra to squeeze my breasts greedily. Arching into his palms, I gasped hoarsely when he tore his mouth from mine to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck. Squeezing my breasts together, he sucked my nipple hard, nibbling and tugging, and a bead of sweat dribbled down my neck. My heart beat furiously, and I rolled my hips shamelessly before managing to free his rod.
“Oran.” Moaning when Oran shoved his hand between my legs, I hissed in pleasure that ravaged my lungs and made it hard to breathe. Pushing aside my thong as I pumped his cock from base to tip, Oran’s muscles rippled against my front, and I reveled in it. This powerful man was quivering for me, as he circled my clit with rough, calloused fingers. Clenching when he slipped two fingers inside me, I shuddered at the sensation of them twisting and curling.
The faint squelch from between my trembling thighs rose above my own rapid heartbeat, and I tightened around Oran’s fingers. Rapture clouded my mind, and he kissed up my neck before capturing my lips once again. The taste of him flooded my senses, and I swiped the bulbous head of his cock against my slit eagerly.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Gripping my hips in both his hands, Oran ducked into my neck to groan and pant as I whimpered pathetically. Expectation sent shivers down my spine, and I flexed my toes as he sucked the heat from my skin with a shallow inhale. Easing past my entrance, just the head of Oran’s hard cock sent powerful shocks of euphoria pulsing through me. My palm flew to his shoulder, and he inched into my channel with a tortured, pleased groan as his own palm smacked against the wall just to the left of my head.
“Shit, May-y-y . . . you’re so tight.” Grinding the compliment through his teeth, Oran seated himself fully in me, and I flopped my head back to moan loudly. “Ah, fuck.”
“Oh, God.” Pulling back his hips, Oran braced his feet firmer on the floor, and I buried my fists in his shirt. “Fuck me . . . fuck me . . . oh-h-h God! Yes!”
With a sharp snap, Oran thrust deep, his belt impressing my mound like a brand, and I clamped down on him as stars burst behind my eyes. His girth stretched my walls as he gasped breathlessly in my ear. The shock of his head jabbing my cervix rattled my spine, and icy prickles swept up my chest and along my collar bones.
The thick, pulsing veins spiderwebbing his shaft caressed my walls, and I hissed in pleasure as red seeped into my blurry vision. Oran’s hot breath scorched my shoulder, and I grabbed his sides to draw him even deeper into my channel. Fisting and tugging his shirt, I tilted my hips to his beat as it hastened, and he banged his forearm against the wall above my head to tangle his hand in my hair.
Chapped lips found mine, and Oran’s glasses bumped against the bridge of my nose as he pumped his hips hard and fast. The friction rubbed my nipples raw, and I tensed as my abdomen tightened in preparation. Rolling his hips, he groaned as my eyes boggled slightly, and I choked on his saliva when he shoved his tongue down my throat.
My toes curled, the fine hairs on my body bristling from the waves of ecstasy that sloshed in my chest, and my hands somehow found their way under Oran’s shirt. His muscles quivered, sharp and defined, and . . . God damn, he’s so sexy!
“Oh . . . Holy . . . ” Tearing my mouth from his to wheeze, to try to quench the fire in my lungs, the pressure behind my eyes built dangerously high. Oran’s six-pack flexed wildly, his strained grunts and groans musical as he thrust harder and more erratically. Shivering from the tension gripping my body, I held my breath, and he sucked in a sharp whistle of breath before his hips clung to mine. His muscles rippled furiously against my thighs, and he gasped and sputtered as his heat
spilled into me.
The sex was over so fast, but Oran didn’t let me fall as he slumped against my front to pant harshly. Fog clouded my mind, made my thoughts lost and fleeting, and I closed my eyes to rest my forehead on his taut shoulder. My legs fell from around his waist, but they barely supported me when my feet touched the hardwood.
“So, about dinner . . . ” Heat flushed my face at Oran’s husky purr in my ear, as he nibbled my shoulder and neck insistently. Gulping down the dense lump in my throat, I nodded unsteadily, and he pulled back to cup my chin and kiss me fiercely. “Is that a code word, or are you actually going to feed me?”
“I’m not the one who needs to keep it up.” Oran’s amusement glistened in his eyes as he smirked broadly while I pulled my hands out of his shirt to unbuckle and pull off his belt. “If I take too long . . . ”
Pushing his own belt against his chest, I clenched around his half-hard cock, and Oran’s eyes narrowed into slits. Just the expectation was enough to make me shiver, and he unfurled his fingers from my hair to pull out of my channel.
“You’re an angel, May.” Gasping at the sudden emptiness, goosebumps blanketed my body, and I jumped with a yelp when Oran flicked his belt gently against my thigh. The sting wasn’t painful, more of a shock, and my heart throbbed at the almost blind desire that rampaged in his eyes, amplified by his prescription lenses. “Get going, then.”
10
May
Giggling as Oran dragged his belt seductively down my back, I gripped the oven door handle with white-knuckled tightness as he ground his bulge against my ass. Delicious shivers rattled my spine, and I ducked my head and clenched my teeth when he pulled away. He snapped his belt, taunting me, and I stuck out my ass as eagerness weakened my knees.
The sharp slap of real leather against my left cheek surged through me, pushing a moan out of my mouth, and he groped my red, stinging flesh greedily. His rough tongue soothed the spot with a thick layer of saliva, and then he spread my ass cheeks to inhale deep and loud against my thong.
“Where have you been all my life, huh, May?” Grazing his teeth down the silky fabric, keeping my need for him at bay, Oran fisted my hair to pull me flush against his chest. His hot breaths flowed down my open shirt, and I rested my head against his shoulder as we ground together. Tonight was like the ultimate wet dream— no sister, no distractions, no one to worry about, and what seemed like all the time in the world.
“If you came to Washington sooner, maybe you’d know the answer to that by now.” My murmur earned me a groan of agreement, and Oran’s free hand sensually glided down my front. Spreading my legs, I gasped when he cupped my mound outside my thong as rough, chapped lips assaulted the crook of my neck. “This is so nice. I never get the chance to just . . . be a twenty-five-year-old.”
“I’m happy to be the one to give this to you.” Sinking into Oran’s chest, I closed my eyes to savor his heat, and he wrapped a powerful forearm across my chest to caress my cheek. “Is it that difficult?”
“I love my sister, but I’m not supposed to be her mom.” The confession dulled our beautiful moment, and I inhaled deeply as guilt clawed up my throat. Cracking open my eyes, I reached for the stove to lift the lid on the pan of chicken parmesan bubbling away inside. “I don’t want to reach that point of resignation, either. Sarah’s only been living with me for a little less than a year, almost eleven months, and she’s a teenager, but it doesn’t stop me from being responsible for her.”
“I’ve never been in even a remotely similar situation, but I can sympathize with the responsibility part.” Work-hardened palms settled on my sides and squeezed gently, and I peered into the pan to decide it just wasn’t quite melty-cheesy enough. “Having to consider someone else in everything you do, the consequences, the blowback, it’s very restraining.”
“I feel bad for hating it. I feel like my parents don’t care about me as much as they claim because they forced this on me. I mean, up until about two years ago, everything was fine. Sarah was diagnosed when she was ten, so it’s not like they didn’t know about it. One day, it seemed like they just woke up and decided they didn’t want to deal with it anymore. My mom tried to sell it to me as giving Sarah more opportunity in Seattle, but they dumped her on me.” Setting the glass lid back on the pan, I turned to Oran to frown under furrowed brows. “You know, this is the closest thing I’ve come to a date in over a year? I mentioned before I had to split from my partner because Sarah was taking up so much of my time and energy. Going to court for guardianship, trying to get her to stay in school, juggling work . . . it was too much to try to consider another person.”
“He pressured you?” Surprise and disgust roughened Oran’s tone, and he shuffled to sit at the small table against the back wall of the kitchen as I nodded. “That’s so fucked up, May. You realize that, right?”
“I had a feeling he was getting tired of me. We weren’t really compatible, and we were starting to see it. It’s a learning curve, you know that.” Leaning against the counter, I crossed my arms over my chest, and my bra cups dug into my sides as I took a deep breath. “Like I said, I love my sister, but she’s supposed to be my sister.”
“Have you considered trying to figure out a way to smooth things over with your parents?” Scrunching up my nose at that was all the answer Oran needed, and he frowned as he stretched out his legs and propped his elbow to hold his cheek on his fist. He was so handsome at this moment that it almost distracted me from the conversation. His tattoos peeked out from the open collar of his shirt, his rolled-up sleeves revealing yet more ink, and I wanted to touch and lick it all. “They’re not willing to compromise with their own daughter?”
“My mom and I got into a fight a couple of days before the guardianship hearing when I told her to come because I wasn’t sure I could do this. She told me straight up that Sarah will get put in a group home if I try to send her back. I don’t think our relationship is bad, but . . . ” I could only shrug at the distaste that blazed in Oran’s gaze, and the smell of sauce, cheese, and chicken wafted into my nostrils when I sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m doing all I can to try to get her on her own when she’s eighteen. She’s really smart, and if she likes something, it’ll take over her life. It’s just the work thing is a problem.”
“She’s a bird lover, right? Why not try to incorporate that into employment?” Oran took off his glasses to wipe the lenses as he posed his question, and I took a second to lift the lid off the pan again. Satisfied with the cheese, I turned off the burner and grabbed the plates as my mind whirred. I’d gotten Sarah that job at Hansen’s, and it turned into a disaster— of course, by no fault of her own, but she absolutely refused to go back. She wouldn’t even go there to eat.
“You know, I’ve tried. I’m not equipped to deal with this. If Sarah doesn’t like the jobs I offer to help her get, then she can do it herself. Do you know how many people are willing to hire someone with autism? Even a case as mild as hers, borderline, is so difficult to contend with.” Ugliness spread across my chest, and I heaped each plate with a half a chicken breast smothered in sauce and cheese to splatter onto the counter. Bringing both plates to the small, rectangular table, I sat down next to Oran to run both my hands through my hair and around my neck. “I’m sorry. I feel like every time we see each other, I’m complaining.”
“I don’t consider it complaining, May.” My lips quirked up as relief slumped my shoulders, and I shook my head as Oran sat up a little straighter. Twirling my fork around thoughtfully, I cut into one end of my chicken, and a puff of steam plumed in my face. “Thank you for dinner. It smells amazing.”
“Thank you for the sex. It was amazing.” He smirked, reaching to squeeze my knee under the table, and I cast him a curious glance. “So, why did you move here, anyway? How did you get to be the big boss of pretty much the largest employer in Seattle?”
“Ah, my father owned it and a bunch of other stuff. When he got too old, he signed it over to my older brother, but I was g
oing through a really rough patch, so my brother gave it all to me so I wouldn’t drown in my sorrows.” Something dark infected his voice, and Oran cleared his throat roughly as I pushed my forkful past my teeth. “I moved here because the woman I had been in a six-year partnership with had died suddenly. To be honest, it was much more like we were just . . . together. We were friends with benefits at one point, but that evolved into friendship, and it just went on like that.”
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry, Oran.” Mumbling around my bite, I swallowed as soon as I could without choking on the big piece, and he stared at his plate from under tightly knit brows. My heart ached for him, for the blank look on his face, for the turmoil amplified in his eyes by his glasses, and my mouth dried when no words came to mind.
“It’s not so bad anymore. I use the insane amount of work I inherited to keep my mind off it. She had her two best friends with her, so at least she wasn’t alone. In the end, it might even be better this way. I realized that the man I was . . . was someone to be ashamed of. Her death made me see that I needed to change.” Shooting me a wary side glance, Oran licked his lips heavily, and I held my breath in anticipation. “When you told me you were a masochist when I realized you were more into the pain, I was relieved. I used to think that because I enjoyed inflicting pain, I was obligated to break and rebuild. With my last partner’s death, I realized rebuilding someone the exact way I wanted, with complete disregard for who they were at the core, was wrong. It was a disservice to whoever I was with not to embrace who they are, to tear down and build up to support those essential values.”
“Oh, Oran . . . that’s terrible. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” He cracked a small smile, and I stood up to sit on his lap and wrap my arms around him. His jaw worked as it nestled against the swell of my breast, and my fingers threaded through his styled, dark hair soothingly. “For what it’s worth, you wouldn’t have been together so long if she didn’t enjoy being with you. I think that’s the part you should hang onto, not the bad stuff.”