Chapter 15
“Where do you want me?”His voice was raspy and full of desire, sending a chill down my spine as he nipped my bottom lip, teeth sinking into the sensitive flesh.
“Everywhere, Easton. I don’t just want you; I need you everywhere,” I begged in a whisper, pushing my breasts against his chest, needing to relieve the burning ache that thrummed through my entire body. I needed him to soothe the burn with his touch and his alone.
His hands cradled my face, fingers sinking into my hair, tightening his grip on me, I wanted to weep with relief, but as he took my mouth in a searing kiss, fireworks exploded behind my closed eyes, and my body came alive beneath his touch.
His lips, his touch, his heat—everything that was Easton sent my mind into overdrive. Warmth pooled between my thighs, and desire for this beautiful man invaded every single one of my senses.
The brief moment was over when the oven’s buzzer blared, jolting us apart. I was cold without his hot hands on me and his body pressed to mine. He shook his head, taking a step away from me and towards the oven.
He opened the oven and reached in before I noticed his bare hands.
“Wait!” I jumped off the bar stool, knocking it over in my haste, and he stopped, turning to look at me in confusion. “Your hands.” I pulled open all the kitchen drawers until I found a pair of oven mitts and handed them to him.
He shook his head again and then placed the sizzling pizza onto the cool, marble counter. He dropped the mitts and gripped the counter. Dropping his head, he groaned.
“You are driving me fucking wild, Harley.” His voice was low, desire rippling through every word.
I wrapped both arms around his middle. Pressing my cheek to his broad back, I inhaled a shaky breath. Wordlessly working the buttons of his shirt with my fingers, I slowly undid each one until the shirt was hanging open and loose, and I trailed my hands up his arms, over his shoulders, pushing the shirt off until it dropped to the cool tile beneath my bare feet.
I slipped in front of him. His tan skin was covered in goosebumps, and he shuddered when I traced the first tattoo that caught my attention.
The black snake on his collarbone almost looked real, slithering through his skin, protecting him from evil. I touched it softly, and he sighed, his fingers regripping the counter, this time harder, the muscles in his biceps and shoulders bunching with his strength.
“Why a snake?” I whispered. Stepping onto my tiptoes, I leaned forward and brushed my lips to the intricate woven skin ink, and he groaned.
“It’s a symbol of virility, rebirth, and wisdom,” he stuttered when I traced my lips and tongue over the small snake.
“Virility for strength?” I whispered against his heated skin.
He looked down at me, the heated look in his hooded eyes causing a whole swarm of butterflies to take flight in my stomach.
“Among other things.” He grinned and dropped his hands, resting them on my hips, fingers digging into my skin through the thin material of my dress. “It also means a strong sex drive.” He winked at my gasp and flushed cheeks. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s a good thing for you.”
I swallowed, my eyes darting between his ocean-blue ones and his lips.
“Rebirth?” I tried to sort through my muddled thoughts and focused again on the tattoo.
“You have a lot of questions, little bird.” He dropped his head a little, and his lips skimmed my jawline, his hot tongue tasting my skin. “When I was first arrested, I was devastated, couldn’t believe my best friend could betray me, so I decided to change. I wasn’t going to be the orphan boy anymore.”
“Wisdom?”
“I won’t repeat the same mistakes again. I know better than to trust the first person to show me love and safety.”
I dropped my forehead to his bare chest, inhaling the scent of his skin. I had so much to learn about him, so many walls to climb if I was ever to win this beautiful man over and make him truly mine.
“You need to eat before the food gets cold,” he mumbled into my hair, but I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want another moment to end prematurely.
He gently pushed me back, but I leaned further into him. “No,” I mumbled into his skin, and he froze. “I’m not ready.”
“Ready for what, Harley?”
“For this moment to end.” His arms slid tightly around me, and I tried to memorize this moment, his strength wrapping around me, the smell of his cologne, the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. Everything about this moment was perfect.
When I found the courage to move away a few minutes later, he found two plates for us and cut the pizza into triangles. He said nothing as I stared at his back, covered in small, scattered circular scars of burnt flesh.
I covered my mouth, trying to prevent the gasp from escaping, but obviously, he heard because he tensed.
“You were right about scars,” he muttered, dishing up two slices each and then turning to me with the plate extended in a shaky hand.
“East…” I took the plate, my fingers brushing his, and he flinched, breaking my heart.
“My foster dad didn’t like it when I disobeyed him,” he shrugged, “but he sure did like to smoke, and more than that, he loved to use me to put out his cigarettes.”
I hated the truth of his past. I hated the scars he carried and the armor that he wore like a second skin because of the evil he endured.
He leaned against the counter and slowly ate his pizza, but I struggled to lift the warm food to my mouth. I was too nauseous from his admission to eat.
Regardless, I took a small bite. Chewing slowly, I watched him. His eyes were on the floor, no longer on me, and I swallowed the food.
Time passed agonizingly slow as we both ate the pizza in silence. I was hungrier than I thought, but I could barely swallow each bite.
He finished the rest of the pizza and then placed his plate in the dishwasher. I put mine in beside his and helped clean the kitchen. Once we were done, he took my hand and silently led me to the couch in the center of his apartment. He flipped off the kitchen lights on his way, bathing us in only the moonlight that streamed in through the big floor-to-ceiling windows.
He settled into the middle of the couch, pulling me on top of him, my thighs straddling his lap as he cradled my face in his big hands.
“You are so fucking beautiful, Harley. Your eyes are my fucking kryptonite.” He leaned up to press a quick kiss to my lips, and my eyes fluttered closed in relief.
The night wasn’t over.
The buzz from my two martinis was long gone. The confidence they brought was slipping away with every minute that passed, and for just a fleeting moment, I wondered if this was the best idea.
Was I really going to sleep with a stranger?
What would Kennedy say if she knew I was going to have sex with a recent inmate?
What would my parents say?
Would they care?
Did I care?
“Where are you, little bird?” Easton’s blue eyes were laser-focused on me. And regret flooded me as I looked at him. Insecurity flashed through his eyes. He was a broken man trying to give me a piece of himself.
“Here. I’m here.”
“Things change when alcohol isn’t flowing, huh?” He whispered like he could read my mind, and I hated it.
Rolling my hips against his hard erection, he groaned, and I whimpered at the contact. I wanted him.
“No. The voices just get louder. Make them go away, Easton, please.” I leaned forward, squeezing my thighs around his.
“Your wish is my command, baby. You want them to be quiet? I’ll make them fucking silent.” He closed the space between us, stealing my lips in another searing kiss, sucking my soul straight from my body.
Somehow, he always understood, even on just a piece of paper.
And I didn’t care what anyone said or thought. Easton was the only one who mattered now. My hands slid up his neck and into his short hair, and I pulled him to me. He groaned into my mouth and nipped at my bottom lip.
“Bed.”
One word and he stood, his hands sliding beneath my butt, holding me to him. His lips left mine to trail kisses across my jawline to my neck. I held onto him, amazed at his strength, and when he threw me down on a plush mattress, a nervous giggle bubbled from my chest.
His eyes swept over me. Moonlight cast us in a soft glow as he towered over me. He undid his belt and then slid down the zipper of his pants, his eyes never leaving mine. I was shaking with desperation for his calloused hands to trail over my skin, to leave me burning with the rough sensation that was all him.
I wanted his hands on my skin. I was desperate for it.
His pants fell to the floor, revealing black boxer briefs that left very little to the imagination. His thick erection was pressing against the silky-looking fabric, desperate to be freed. My breath hitched in my throat.
He crawled onto the edge of the bed and slowly made his way over my body, dropping a kiss to my calf and then my thigh before pushing the edge of my tight dress up.
“You’re the best fucking present, my little bird.” He nipped at the skin he just exposed and then chased the sting away with a soft kiss.
I squirmed beneath him, reaching for him. “Please, East,” I begged, not even sure what the hell I wanted more: to be kissed or to be undressed by him.
“I need to get this damn dress off,” he mumbled. Sitting up, he slid his hands beneath my back and pulled me up, my dress moving with me. My skin pebbled as his fingers grazed my thighs. He groaned at the sight of my red lace thong and then swore at the string that connected them to my lace bra. “Fuck, Harley. You’re fucking killing me, little bird.”
He threw my dress behind him and laid me on the bed.
“You kept your promise.” He skimmed a hand over my quivering torso, cupping my breast. I moaned into the heated air.
“East...” I waited for him to rip the flimsy material from my body, but instead, he crawled over me, his nose skimming my skin, his lips leaving a blazing trail of desire. He dropped his mouth to the curve of my neck and placed a gentle kiss there. “What are you doing?” I felt his smile against my skin.
“Treating you how you deserve.”
Heat flooded my entire body at the rasp in his voice, and I pulled his mouth to mine, needing more.
“I need you, East. I need you now.”
“You’ll have me, baby. You’ll have me all fucking night long.” He winked, a cocky grin taking over his features. I was positive I was about to combust from suspense alone. Pushing him up, I let my eyes skim over the few tattoos on his chest and biceps, the ridges of his stomach, and further down until my breath caught in my throat.
I swallowed as my mouth filled with saliva, and my gaze took in every dip and valley before slowly rising to meet his heated look.
Easton’s cocky grin was replaced with hunger. His eyes were wide as his tongue darted out to lick his lips. He wanted to devour me, and I wanted nothing more than to let him.
I gripped the thin material of my thong and started pushing down, but his hands caught mine.
“You’re mine to unwrap, Harley. Don’t take that away from me.” He wrapped two fingers around the string connecting my bra and thong. Snapping it, he slowly dragged my thong down my legs. Heat pooled between my thighs at the hunger in his gaze.
When I rubbed my thighs together to bring myself some relief, he shook his head.
“Be patient, my little bird,” he whispered, throwing the thong behind him. He hovered over me, his hands on either side of my head as he held his heavy weight just a breath away from my body. His thick length brushed against my quivering heat, and my moan bounced off the walls.
God, it had been so long.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone made me feel like this.
“I’m never going to get used to this,” East groaned in the back of his throat, eyes devouring every inch of me on display for him. He dropped his head to the crook of my neck, growling as my breasts held him up.
I closed my eyes, my body alive with anticipation. He pressed his body against mine, his heat searing my skin.
“Take it all off,” I whispered, my own voice thick with desire.
“I want to take it in,” he mumbled, kissing the valley between my heavy breasts.
“Please.” I reached for the front buckle on my bra, but he used one hand to push me away and snapped open the red lace.
“I don’t fucking deserve you, Harley.” His voice was thick and raspy.
His fingers gently brushed across my skin, kneading my aching breast. My heart stuttered at his tender touch, and I met his gaze, full of unsaid emotion.
I placed my hand over his chest, his heart beating a rhythm that matched my own. Two hummingbirds trying to stay aflight.
“East.” It came out as a plea for more.
My nails dug into his shoulders, pulling a groan from him. “I can’t be gentle with you.”
“I don’t want gentle. I just want you.”
His eyes were liquid with heat, and his hand tracked down my hot skin, cupping my ass, while the other remained by my head, holding himself above me. I pressed my lips to his, letting him take the lead, owning my mouth and murmuring his dirty desires against my lips.
I wanted him to take what he needed from me. He’d been a prisoner for five years. Five years of wanting someone to fulfill his needs, but more importantly, he’d spent his entire life waiting for someone to love him.
I’d love him with everything I had, and right now, I had my body, something he so desired and needed.
He broke away from the kiss, and his chest rubbed against my breasts as we both tried to catch our breaths.
We both groaned when he slipped his fingers into my wet, warm core. “Patience, little bird. I will reward you.” His hot breath fanned over my face, and I sighed against him, melting.
He ran his fingers from my core to my clit and back, soaking every inch with my wetness. My body rebelled with the need to explode around him. Nobody had touched me like this. He flicked my clit, and I arched up into his chest.
“Good girl, Harley. You’re fucking soaked for me, little bird.” I was light-headed from not breathing, but I nodded. East hummed his approval and pressed his thumb against my clit, while he worked the other two fingers inside of me.
I cried out, unable to stop myself from grinding on him. His slow strokes were driving me insane with need, and a shudder ran through me when he quickened his pace.
I whimpered, clutching at him with a desperation I’d never felt before. A long moan ripped from my chest as he added a third finger. So full.
He slowly circled my clit, stroking the heat inside me until I was drawn tight with tension that built every time I rocked my hips against his hand.
“Come, little bird. Sing for me, Harley.” His low, raspy voice tipped me over the edge, and my head fell back as the pressure exploded through me, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
My core clenched greedily around his fingers, every part of me combusting. The release rocked me, and I screamed his name in the darkness of the room. His fingers slowly milked the rest of my orgasm as I watched the grin that tore at his lips.
“You’re so fucking beautiful when you sing for me, little bird.” He growled, and with one hand, he pushed the remaining boundary between us away. His boxers fell to the floor with a soft thud, his heavy length resting against my quivering heat.
His heart pounded against my chest as he closed the space between us. He stroked his length between my wet thighs, and I spread my legs, giving him access, drawing a deep groan from the back of his throat.
“I don’t have a fucking condom,” he growled, his body tensing.
“I’m on the pill,” I whispered, absolutely breathless, my thighs quivering around his hips.
“Are you sure? Harley, we can stop. I can stop.” His voice was so full of need, tearing at my soul.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop. I need you, Easton.” He nodded and pressed the head of his cock to my slippery heat.
Lips parted, I pressed my forehead to his as he slowly worked himself between my folds, against my sensitive clit, and ground into me. My eyelids closed on their own accord, pleasure coursing through my body.
His movements were too gentle, caressing, like he was trying to savor this moment and my body. Too perfect for a moment that might never happen again. Perfect enough to ruin me for any other man.
He pressed soft kisses along my jaw. “Look at me, Harley. Open those beautiful eyes and look at me. I want you to see me and what I’m going to do to you.”
Opening my eyes, his gaze pierced mine, his icy blue eyes clashing against mine, full of emotion neither of us was ready to express verbally. He nipped at my bottom lip, then caressed it with his tongue, hands sliding over my skin until every nerve ending screamed with need. He had set me on fire with his perfect words and touch.
I held his gaze as he pulled out and then entered me in one fluid thrust. A tortured moan escaped his lips as I screamed his name. The feeling of fullness overwhelmed every single one of my senses, and I squeezed around him with a need I’d never known before.
He was too controlled, body tight with restraint, his muscles tense beneath my touch. He kept up a steady pace, stroking me from the inside, and my heart clenched as he made love to me.
Suddenly, his hand skimmed over my sensitive skin until he found my clit. When he rubbed two fingers over it, I squirmed beneath him. I dropped my head onto the soft mattress, his name a broken plea on my lips.
I ground against him, needing more, but he remained slow and teasing. I was sure my body was breaking as he thrust his length into my core. Easton shook as he drove in and out of me, building the pressure we were both so desperate for.
“Open your eyes, Harley,” he rasped, voice low. Looking at him, I focused on his mouth and the tiny bead of sweat on his top lip. Moving my gaze up toward his eyes, his hungry gaze ate me whole.
His fingers brushed against my clit harder, his hips picked up speed, and I was a second away from breaking.
“Come for me, Harley. Sing, my little bird. Sing for me,” he growled, and I shattered, his name like a long-lost prayer on my lips.
He paused, buried deep inside me, and then he raised himself off me, his length gone, and then he thrust back into me with such force, I screamed as he groaned out my name, his hot seed filling me.
“Fuck, Harley. Fuck. Fuck.”He dropped his head to my sweaty shoulder and blew out a deep breath. “You’re fucking incredible, little bird.”
He got up from the bed, disappearing into what I imagined was the bathroom. He emerged a beat later, and suddenly, there was a warm cloth at my entrance. I jumped in surprise.
“What are you doing?” I reached for him, but he put a hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down.
“Taking care of you, Harley. Treating you the way you deserve, baby.” I sank back into the soft duvet, falling unconditionally in love with this man.
A minute later, he went back into the bathroom. Then, he was back just as quickly as he’d gone, his hands going underneath my heavy body, pulling me into his arms.
“What are you doing now?” I slurred, longing to just fall asleep.
“Putting you inside my bed.” He threw the duvet back and then the top sheet before laying me back down. I sank into the silk sheets, my head landing on the softest pillow.
“This bed is magic,” I whispered, curling into his body as he got in beside me. Dragging me up to his chest, he fell back onto the pillows and kissed me softly, cherishing my mouth.
Curled into him, I never wanted to move again. His arms were wrapped around me, his heartbeat under my ear. I listen to it slow, no longer the sound of hummingbird’s wings. I pressed a kiss to his chest, and he stroked my arm, his fingers causing goosebumps to rise in their wake.
I nuzzled closer to him, my eyes drooping closed, and I fell asleep in a man’s arms for the first time in my life.