Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
GHOST
Ivy & Piper’s Guide to Life Rule Number Twenty-One: Always pee after sex.
P iper yelped in surprise when I hauled her up over my shoulder and stalked toward the bedroom before tossing her onto the bed. I could feel her eyes on me as I pulled my sidearm from my holster and placed it on the dresser, her gaze burning into my back. When I turned around, she was spread out on the bed like a fucking feast, and I had to clench my fists to keep from pouncing.
I knew I needed to walk away and get my head on straight before I did something we’d both regret. But the storm raging inside me demanded release.
“What are you going to do?” she asked as I loomed over her, her tongue darting out to wet her lips.
I growled low in my throat, pressing my fists to the mattress on either side of her body. “What I should’ve done the moment I found out what that fucker did to you.”
My fingers tangled in her hair, freeing the strands from the tight bun before yanking her head back to expose the delicate column of her throat. I dragged my teeth along her pulse point, feeling it race beneath my lips. Piper whimpered, her body arching into mine instinctively.
“Tell me to stop,” I rasped against her skin, tracing the bow of her plump pink lip with the pad of my thumb, my body shaking with restraint. “Tell me this isn’t what you want.”
Instead of pushing me away, the heels of her feet dug into my lower back, urging me closer. “Make me forget,” she pleaded. “Make it all go away.”
The last threads of my control snapped, and I crushed my mouth to hers in a raw, bruising kiss. My tongue invaded her mouth, claiming every inch as she moaned against my lips.
Her fingers clawed at my shoulders, nails biting through the fabric of my shirt. I ground my hips against hers, letting her feel how hard I was, how much I wanted her.
“Is this what you need, baby?” I growled, nipping at her earlobe. “You want me to prove you’re mine? Want me to fuck the pain away?”
Piper nodded frantically, her eyes wild with desperation. “Please, Dane. I need to feel something else. Anything else.”
I tugged at the drawstring of her pants and ripped them down her legs, leaving her in just the tank top and a pair of panties.
The bruises had faded to a greenish-yellow hue but seeing them was enough to put logic back in the driver’s seat instead of my dick.
If I took her now, in the fucked-up headspace I was in, I was liable to kill her. At the very least, I’d add to the growing list of emotional scars.
“Wait,” I said, rolling off her with a frustrated groan. “I can’t.”
“You can’t what?” she demanded, her voice cracking. “Can’t fuck me? Can’t stand to touch me now that I’m damaged goods?”
The rejection in her tone killed me. But I couldn’t let this go any further, not when we were both so fucked up.
“That’s not it,” I growled, running a hand over my face. “You have no idea how badly I fucking want you, but this isn’t right.”
Piper let out a bitter laugh. “Right? Nothing about this situation is right, Dane. I was assaulted in my own bakery. I’m trapped in this house like a prisoner. And now the one person I thought I could count on thinks I’m some fragile little doll who can’t make her own decisions. ”
My cock wanted nothing more than to give her exactly what she was asking for—to lose myself in her body and make her forget everything else. But the monster inside me was too close to the surface. If I let it out now, I wasn’t sure I could control it.
“You don’t understand,” I said through clenched teeth. “If I touch you right now, I won’t be able to stop. And the things I want to do to you…”
Her eyes flashed defiantly. “Maybe I don’t want you to stop. Maybe I need you to lose control.”
“I don’t want you to regret this later.”
She planted her palms against my chest and shoved me back against the bed. My heart thumped painfully against my ribcage at the feel of her pussy grinding over the front of my jeans.
“You want to know what I regret?” she asked, moaning as she slipped her hand beneath the waistband of her panties. “I regret letting you decide what’s best for me.”
Goosebumps pebbled her soft skin and puckered her nipples into tight little points against the thin material of the tank top. “Piper…”
“What, Dane?” she challenged, her eyes locked on mine as she touched herself. “Oh, I forgot. You’re my jailer. You going to stop me? Maybe handcuff me to the bed like you threatened to earlier?”
The scent of her arousal filled the air, making the rational parts of my brain short-circuit. I gripped her hips tighter, torn between pulling her closer and pushing her away.
I clenched my jaw so hard I thought my teeth might crack. “You don’t want this. Not like this. Not with how fucked up things are right now. You’re not thinking clearly.”
She wrenched away from me, her voice rising. “You don’t get to tell me what I’m thinking or feeling. You weren’t there when it happened.”
“Thanks for the reminder, sweetheart,” I growled, finding myself slipping into a dark place. “Like it’s not all I’ve fucking thought about since it happened.”
The monster I kept caged was rattling the bars, demanding to be let loose. It craved blood, vengeance...but would happily settle for her body beneath mine.
“Good,” she said, her fingers defiantly working between her legs. “If I have to suffer, so do you. ”
My hand shot out, wrapping around her throat like a collar. Not squeezing enough to hurt her but enough to get her attention. I tugged her mouth down over mine, fucking it with my tongue in a way that wasn’t like me. Not soft. Not gentle.
Maybe that was what she needed.
“Is this what you want?” I whispered against her lips. “You wanna be held down and fucked senseless until you can’t remember your own name, let alone what he did to you?”
Her eyes went hazy with lust, her fingers moving a little faster beneath the lace. “If it means feeling whole, even temporarily, then fuck yes. That’s what I want.”
Fuck if I didn’t want it too. But I was in no condition to give her what she needed. I was somewhere north of buzzed and more in the mood for murder than making love. If I gave in now, I’d be no better than Timothy.
“Baby, we can’t. Not like this.” I tugged her hand out of her panties with my free hand, resisting the urge to suck the juices off her glistening fingertips.
She yanked her hand out of my grip. “What happened to the guy from a few weeks ago? The one who couldn’t keep his hands off me?”
“He’s trying real fuckin’ hard not to take advantage of you right now.”
“Then give me the biker,” she stated calmly, rocking against my painfully hard cock.
“Piper,” I warned, my nostrils flaring with each ragged breath I took. “I’m not in a good place right now.”
“That makes two of us.”
I shook my head, my throat bobbing up and down in a hard swallow.
She took a deep breath before nodding to herself. “I’m not asking for soft or gentle. I’m asking for my biker to fuck me so hard it resets my brain back to its original factory settings. Give me the bad guy.”
My fingers flexed against her throat. “You don’t want that side of me, baby. Not tonight.”
“I survived being assaulted,” Piper said, her eyes flashing with determination. “I think I can handle you.”
Something snapped inside me at her words. The monster broke free of its cage, roaring to the surface. I flipped her onto her back, pinning her to the mattress and letting her feel every rigid inch of my cock through our clothes.
Instead of fear, I saw need in her eyes. She arched up, pressing her breasts against my chest. “Fuck me, Dane. Make me forget everything but you.”
With a feral growl, I tore her tank top straight down the middle and shoved her sports bra up over her tits before pinning her wrists above her head with one hand, using my body to keep her spread beneath me.
The position was eerily similar to how Timothy had her during the robbery, but the monster in me was focused on her heaving tits. I dragged my free hand down her body to roughly palm one, brushing my thumb over the stiff peak before pinching it. Hard.
I greedily swallowed her cry before taking her lower lip between my teeth and sucking hard enough to draw blood.
“Yes, please...more…”
I released her wrists. “If you need me to stop, yank or squeeze my shoulder. Got it?”
Piper quirked an eyebrow. “What, no safe word?”
I hooked my fingers in the waistband of her panties, tearing the delicate lace clean off her body in one sharp tug.
“Gonna be hard to use a safe word when your mouth is full, darlin’,” I growled, shoving the ruined panties between her parted lips. “Bite down. You’re going to need it.”
Her pupils dilated, nearly eclipsing the green of her irises. The monster in me was absolutely feral at the sight of her spread out and gagged beneath me.
As I settled between her thighs, I caught sight of a thin white string and grinned wickedly.
“Well, well. What do we have here?” I twisted it around my finger and tugged, sliding the tampon free in one smooth motion.
Piper spit out the makeshift gag, her cheeks flushing. “Shit, I forgot?—”
“You cramping or in pain?” I asked, searching her face for any sign of discomfort.
She shook her head. “No, but?— ”
“Good,” I growled, shoving her panties back between her lips. “Because I’m not going to let a little blood stop me from taking what’s mine.”
The thought of taking her on her period and having her mark me only turned me on more. I stripped down to my briefs, my cock straining against the fabric as I spread her thighs wide.
My mouth watered at the sight of her glistening pussy. She was already so wet for me that I didn’t need to coat my fingers before sliding two into her slick channel, curving them to hit her G-spot.
“That’s it, baby,” I growled as her inner muscles clenched around me. “Fuck my fingers. Show me how bad you want it.”
Piper’s hips bucked frantically as I increased my pace, driving her closer to the edge. I waited until her thigh muscles tightened and her breaths grew ragged before withdrawing my hand. She whimpered in protest, her eyes flashing with frustrated desire.
I made sure she was watching as I brought my blood-stained fingers to my mouth, sucking them clean with a low groan. The metallic tang mixed with her juices sent another surge of possessiveness through me.
“You’re mine,” I said, dragging my teeth over her peaked nipples. “Nod for me, baby.”
She shook her head, playful defiance sparking in her lust-glazed eyes.
“Be a good girl and submit to me,” I demanded, wrapping one hand around her throat, putting pressure on the sides. Enough to make her lashes flutter.
Piper spit out the gag. “Make me,” she panted before pulling my mouth down over hers, nipping and sucking my lip until she drew blood.
The pain only spurred me on, and I growled against her lips, the taste of blood mingling between us. “You want a safe word? Red. That’s your safe word. Use it the second you feel uncomfortable, and I’ll stop immediately.”
Her eyelids went heavy, and she nodded.
“I’m fucking serious, Piper. Don’t hesitate or try to tough it out,” I warned, dragging my thumb over the blood on her lip. “You want me to stop, say red, and it ends right there. Are we clear? ”
“Say red if it’s too much or I need you to stop,” she repeated, her tongue tracing the same path my thumb had. “Now, are you going to fuck me or not?”
“Always a brat.” I ground my cock against her slick folds. The thin barrier of my boxer briefs was torture, but I wanted to make her beg for it.
I trailed biting kisses down her neck, leaving marks on her pale skin in my wake. My hand slid up to cup her breast, thumbing her nipple roughly as I sucked a bruise onto her collarbone.
Mine.
“Who do you belong to?”
“No one,” she hissed, jutting her chin up in defiance.
I grinned and sank my teeth into the soft flesh where her neck met her shoulder, drawing a cry from her lips. “Wrong fucking answer.”
My head dipped to her breasts, and I exhaled a warm breath over the hardened points before flicking them with my tongue. “Whose tits are these?”
“Mine,” she said, her breath catching as I rubbed my beard against them.
“You’re really bad at this game,” I said, capturing a nipple between my teeth. I sucked greedily at the puckered flesh before switching sides until she was a writhing mess beneath me.
I released her nipple with a wet pop and slid my hand between her thighs. “Try again, darlin’. Who owns this pussy?”
She ground her clit against my palm before groaning, “Fuck…you do, Dane. You own me. Only you.”
“That’s my girl,” I praised, curving two fingers inside her.
I worked her mercilessly, bringing her to the edge over and over, only to deny her release. The tension built until every muscle in her body was shaking.
“Please,” she begged, her fingers twisting in the sheets. “I need you inside me.”
I pulled back and hooked my thumbs in the waistband of my briefs and dragged them down until my cock sprang free, achingly hard and leaking precum.
Piper’s eyes widened, her tongue darting out to wet her lips .
“This what you want, darlin’?” I growled, fisting my length. “To be fucked hard and filled up?”
She nodded, spreading her thighs wider in invitation.
I positioned myself at her entrance, teasing her slick folds with the head of my cock before pulling back. “Nah. I’m not done playing with you yet.”
“You bastard.”
“You knew what you were getting into, sweetheart,” I said with a low chuckle.
With a smile I didn’t trust, she reached into the top drawer of her nightstand to grab her vibrator. “Never mind. I’m good,” she said, switching it on with a raised eyebrow as if daring me to stop her.
I snatched it from her hand and tossed it out of reach. “Nice try, brat. But the only way you’re coming is on my cock.”
Piper pouted, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Then stop teasing and fuck me already.”
“Patience.” I grabbed a condom from the dresser, tearing open the foil with my teeth. I rolled it on and positioned myself at her entrance when my phone suddenly blared to life.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” I gritted out, pressing my forehead against her. “Every fucking time I get you naked…”
She wrapped her legs around my waist, drawing me closer. “Ignore it.”
I rolled my hips forward, sinking into her tight, wet cunt with a groan. Her inner muscles clenched around me, pulling me deeper, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from coming on the spot.
The ringing stopped, only to immediately start up again. With a muttered curse, I reluctantly pulled out and fumbled for my jeans on the floor.
“I have to take this,” I said apologetically, sliding my thumb over the screen to answer. She guided my cock back into her body as I brought the phone to my ear, and my eyes slammed shut at the sensation.
“Yeah?” I managed to grunt out.
“Bad time?” Carnage’s dry voice came through the line. I could practically hear his smirk.
I worked to keep my voice steady as I slowly rocked into Piper’s tight pussy. “You calling because you found something or just to shoot the shit?”
“Bit of both,” Carnage drawled. “Think I might’ve found the vehicle used in the robbery. Tracked it to a rental car place out by Love Field.”
“Right there,” she moaned.
I thrust deeper and clamped my palm over her mouth to muffle the sound.
He cleared his throat. “Look, as much as I’d love to be home fucking my Ol’ Lady, I’m stuck in Dallas, helping your sorry ass. So if we could wrap this the fuck up tonight, that’d be great.”
“Uh…” I stilled my movements, trying to coax the blood back up to my brain so I could think. Piper squirmed impatiently beneath me, and I gave her a warning look. “I can meet you in twenty?—”
“The fuck you can,” he replied. “Not after the drinking you did. I’ll be there in twenty. Should be plenty of time for you to finish up your...activities.”
“Make it thirty,” I said through my teeth, struggling to focus as her pussy clenched around me. I ended the call and tossed the phone aside, turning my full attention back to the woman beneath me.
I slowly withdrew from her body before dropping my mouth to her throat. “Might have a lead on the vehicle used in the robbery, baby. Carnage and I are going to check it out, but Nails will stick around to keep an eye on things.”
A flicker of fear passed over her face before she masked it. “Good. That’s…good, right?”
“Depends,” I said, taking her peaked breasts in my hands and tracing circles around her tight nipples until her eyes went hazy. “You gonna let me take care of this, or do you still want the cops to handle it?”
“I want…” Piper hesitated, her teeth worrying her lower lip. She wasn’t built for the kind of violence I was capable of inflicting. But then her gaze hardened, and she surprised the hell out of me. “I want them to suffer.”
“Good fucking girl,” I said, fusing my mouth to hers before directing her onto her hands and knees. My hand splayed across her upper back, pinning her in place. “Tell me if it’s too much or if you need me to stop.”
She peered over her shoulder with a cocked eyebrow. “I was expecting something a lot rougher. You know, for a biker, you’re awfully soft?—”
Such a fucking brat.
Her words cut off in a sharp gasp as I slammed into her, burying myself to the hilt in one powerful thrust.
“You were saying?” I asked, bringing my palm down on her ass cheek, the sharp smack echoing through the room.
All my pent-up rage and frustration poured out as I pounded into her willing body, fucking her with an intensity that bordered on feral. I gripped her hips hard enough to bruise, pulling her back to meet each brutal snap of my hips.
“This what you wanted, baby? Or do you need more?”
“God, yes,” she whimpered, pushing back to meet my thrusts. “Harder.”
“You’re gonna feel me for days, brat,” I promised darkly, driving into her with enough force to make the headboard slam against the wall. “Every time you move, you’ll remember who you belong to.”
My hand came down on her ass again, leaving a perfect red handprint on her skin. When I felt her inner walls start to flutter, I reached around to rub tight circles on her clit.
“Come for me, baby,” I demanded through gritted teeth, my balls tightening. “Soak my cock with that pretty little pussy.”
Piper babbled a string of gibberish in response, her body convulsing around me in rhythmic spasms. The vise-like grip of her pussy triggered my own release, and I came with a low, guttural groan.
We collapsed onto the bed in a tangle of sweaty limbs, both of us panting heavily. After padding to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and her tampon, I wet a washcloth with warm water and returned to clean her up.
“You okay?” I asked, gently wiping between her thighs.
She nodded, a drowsy smile playing on her lips. “Much better. Was there—” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Was there a lot of blood?”
“Nah, just a little,” I said, tossing the washcloth in the hamper and pulling her against my chest. “Nothing to worry about. ”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead before checking my watch. As much as I wanted to stay curled up with her, Carnage was due to arrive in the next couple of minutes.
With a groan, I extricated myself from her arms and threw my clothes back on. I grabbed my sidearm off the dresser and checked the magazine when Piper sat up straighter.
“Does having it on you all the time make you feel safer?” she asked.
I paused, considering her question. “I guess I never really thought about it. I like knowing it’s within reach if I need it.” I studied her face. “Why? Are you interested in learning how to use one?”
She let out a short laugh before shaking her head. “I have a .38 Special I keep in my purse.”
“Since when?”
“Since I was old enough to get my concealed carry permit,” she said with an easy shrug. “My mom’s always carried, so it seemed natural. I thought it was just because we lived in a big city, but now I wonder if it had more to do with her being afraid my dad might come after us someday.”
“No shit?” I raised an eyebrow, impressed. “What the hell do you need me for then?”
“Sex mostly,” she bluntly replied, her lips quirking into a wry smile. “And free babysitting.”
I slid my sidearm back into the holster with a chuckle. “Pretty sure that’s called parenting, brat, but I’m glad I still have some use around here.”
Piper nodded, her expression turning pensive. “I keep thinking if I’d had my gun on me that night at the bakery, maybe…”
“Hey,” I said firmly, sitting on the edge of the mattress and pulling her onto my lap. “Don’t go down that road. Two armed men caught you off guard. Having a gun might’ve made things a hell of a lot worse.”
She nodded, but I could see the wheels turning in her head. “Maybe, but I never want to feel that helpless again.”
I cupped her cheek, forcing her to meet my eyes. “I get it, believe me. How about this? We’ll look at some concealed carry options when I get back, okay? Find something that you feel comfortable wearing every day.”
“Thank you,” she said, kissing me.
With the lead on the vehicle, I was confident we’d find and eliminate the remaining threat, but I also wanted her to feel she had a way to protect herself if she needed it.
If it helped ease her fears, I was willing to do whatever it took.
The familiar rumble of Carnage’s truck sent a rush of anticipation through me. We were one step closer to finding the fucker responsible for hurting Piper.
And once we did, God help him.
Because I sure as fuck wouldn’t.