The Mercenary and the Mortician (The Silent Hollow #1)

95. Ryan Fairview

Alexa, play: Little Did I Know - Julia Michaels

C al dragged me through the showroom and down into the warehouse. Considering the fact that we were out shopping on a weekday, the warehouse felt deserted as I rushed to keep up with Cal’s quick pace.

“Where are we going?” I asked, somewhat out of breath. Cal glanced over his shoulder, his eyes still unnervingly dark.

“I need to fuck you,” he rumbled, and I nearly fainted.

“Here!?” I rasped as he shoved me down an aisle in the very back of the store. “We can’t! This is a self-serve warehouse, Cal! This is where people come to get their furniture. Someone could see!”

“Then you better come quick,” he snarled, tossing me down the industrial aisle.

I stumbled over my words as his eyes darted around the shelves, and he pulled a box down, ripping it open and sliding out a large mirror.

“What are you doing!?” I asked as he leaned it against one of the steel racks so we were looking back at ourselves in its reflection.

He cuffed my throat and forced my head back so I was looking at him. He searched my eyes as if looking for something.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No, I told you he didn’t touch me?— ”

“He doesn’t have to touch you to hurt you, Ryan,” Cal growled. He tapped his finger gently on my temple. “Did he hurt you up here? I saw the look on your face. He made you feel ashamed of yourself.”

My cheeks flushed, and my mouth fell open in surprise. For some reason, even though we had been together for a few months now, it still surprised me how much he paid attention to me.

“I—, uhm… I don’t?—”

Cal gripped my jaw firmly, his dark eyes flashing with anger. I knew he wasn’t angry with me. He was angry that he couldn’t kill the man that had hurt me.

“I promised you I wouldn’t murder any more people, and you promised me you would be what I needed when the urges came.”

I couldn’t even speak; I just nodded, swallowing loudly.

“I need you to see yourself the way I see you.” He jerked his head toward the mirror he had set up, and I glanced at it in confusion.

“Put your hands on either side of the mirror and bend over. Look at yourself,” he ordered.

“Cal, I can’t. This is too much; someone could walk back here at any moment?—”

He cupped my rock-hard dick over my pants and let out a low rumbly growl in my ear.

“Don’t act like you don’t fucking love it. You love that someone might see. You get off on the fear, Ryan. Now, let’s skip the part where you pretend you don’t want this before I hunt that cunt down and rip his goddamn intestines out in the parking lot.”

I whimpered, crushing my eyes closed against the intense wave of excitement and fear that his words drew out of me.

Finally, I nodded and did what he said.

Putting my hands on each side of the mirror, I gripped the rack as Cal reached around my waist. He wasted no time undoing my jeans. I shuddered as he slipped my pants down over my ass. The cool air on my skin was an immediate cue that we were about to do something super fucking illegal. If we got caught, we would absolutely get arrested.

“Eyes open, Ryan. I want you to look at yourself while we do this.”

I hadn’t even realized I’d shut my eyes, but they flew open at his words. Staring at myself this close to the mirror was incredibly awkward for some reason.

I watched my own cheeks flush red as I made eye contact with myself.

I hated that I blushed so much.

I hated that I was ginger.

It had just been one more thing for people to make fun of me for…

He cracked a hand over my ass so hard I hissed in pain.

“Whatever you’re thinking is going to get you punished, ginger snap.”

I flinched as I felt the familiar dribble of cold lube splash against my bare cheeks, and I frowned.

Did he just carry packets of lube everywhere he fucking went?

“Cal— fuck!” I whined, inadvertently closing my eyes again as he scooped a finger full of lube directly into my hole. He pumped in and out of me, digging deep to find my prostate.

My cock surged as his fingers hit that magical spot, and I whimpered as he stroked me.

“What did I just say? Eyes open. Look at yourself. Look at that beautiful face. Tell me what you see.”

“ Cal— ” I complained. I didn’t want to look at myself. I didn’t think I was beautiful. Never in my life had I looked at myself and thought I was attractive. I was too freckly, too pale. My hair was too red.

He notched the tip of his fat cock against me, and I forced myself to relax. I had a feeling this was going to be quick and rough.

My suspicions proved to be correct when he forced himself into me in one quick thrust.

To keep myself from crying out, I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. The burning sting ached so fucking good; my cock leaked where it hung heavy between my spread legs.

“JesusChristRyan….” he groaned, already pumping in and out of me in a slow, punishing rhythm. “You’re so tight, baby.” Reaching around my waist, he fisted my cock, leaning over my back to whisper in my ear. He made eye contact with me in the mirror, and my cheeks burned an even deeper shade of crimson.

“ Look how fucking gorgeous you are, Ryan,” he murmured. He sucked my ear lobe into his mouth and pulsed it in time with the smooth motions of his hand.

Planted deep inside me, he ground against my ass, bumping the tip of his cock against my prostate with obvious intention.

I whimpered as he wrapped his other hand around my neck from behind, forcing me to continue to stare at myself while he fucked me in every way a man possibly could.

I could hear the voices of customers shopping from far away. They were several aisles away, but still, I tensed.

They could find us here. We would be so fucked if they found us!

“Cal…” I whimpered. “I can hear people!”

“Then you better come, or they’re going to catch us,” he growled, thrusting so deep inside me again that I was shocked I couldn’t feel his cock in my throat.

“ Please! You have to go faster.” I panted, and he chuckled, leaving hot kisses up the side of my neck as he continued to leisurely stroke my aching cock.

“I will if you look in the mirror and tell me how sexy you think you are.”

I didn’t think it was possible to blush any harder than I already was.

It felt stupid to compliment myself, especially while looking into my own eyes while I had a dick shoved so far up my ass I could barely breathe. But the longer I hesitated, the less Cal moved, and the farther away my orgasm became.

The voices were closer now. I realized if I didn’t do what he said, we would likely end up in a cop car after all, so I forced myself to comply.

“I—I’m sexy ,” I whispered.

Cal groaned like I had just said the hottest thing he’d ever heard, and he started moving again.

“ Fuck , that’s good, baby.” He bit my ear and pumped my cock again. It felt so fucking amazing, and a familiar heat began to well in my balls. They tightened against me as he stroked me, his fingers tightening around my throat.

“Tell me how smart you are.”

I whimpered but forced the words out of my mouth.

“I’m… smart.” I panted, and he thrust deep into me again.

“You are, baby. You’re so fucking smart. And strong and brave. You take so much on without ever complaining, and I’m so fucking proud of you.”

I stared at him in the mirror as he slowly pumped in and out of me. His words rolled over me, and my eyes pricked with tears. A confusing, warm feeling welled up in my chest. It was more than just the way he was making my body feel.

I felt loved.

I felt safe.

I felt, for the first time in my life, that maybe, just maybe , I was enough.

I opened my mouth to tell Cal this, but he wasn’t finished. He pressed his lips to my ear again, dropping a soft kiss on my temple.

“Tell me you’re like no one else I’ve ever met. Tell me how irreplaceable you are. How you make my whole fucking life worth living.”

“ Cal…” It was too much. The physical and emotional torture he was wreaking upon me was so overwhelming I felt dizzy on my feet.

“Say it, Ryan!” he snarled, squeezing my dick so hard I yelped.

“Fine! I’m like no one else you’ve ever met! I’m irreplaceable!”

“You bet your sweet ass you are.” He snarled, slamming into me just the way I was craving. My cock was swelling in his hand now, and my orgasm was suddenly building so fast I knew I was going to blow with barely any warning.

“Give me one more, sweet thing. Tell me you think you’re beautiful. Look at yourself while you say it.”

I was panting now, and my body was thrumming with so much pleasure that keeping my eyes open was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.

“I’m beautiful! I think that I’m beautiful!” I gasped, and he let out a low moan of approval just as my cock started spurting in his hand.

“ Fuck yes, you are, Ryan. You’re so fucking beautiful.” He groaned as he continued to jack me while I came.

My cum splattered across the mirror, and he held me tight against him as he fucked me through his own orgasm, his hot breath puffing against my sensitive neck with each stroke.

“You’re everything , Ryan. You make me want to be a better man,” he breathed, kissing me over and over again on the side of the neck as he gently slipped out of me.

I was panting and feeling overwhelmed with emotion as he tugged my pants back up and carefully tucked me into my boxers.

After doing up his own pants, he pulled me into him, burying his face into the crook of my neck while he held me, whispering words of praise.

You’re beautiful.

You’re amazing.

You’re so strong and passionate.

You’re everything I strive to be.

My eyes were welling with tears by the time the shoppers I had heard entered our aisle. They barely looked in our direction as we clung to each other, and I huffed a laugh into Cal’s chest.

His T-shirt smelled like clean laundry, and his hard, warm body felt like home.

“How are you feeling?” he asked me after a long moment, pulling back to look me in the eyes.

“I don’t know. Definitely feeling good, though.” I smiled up at him. “How about you?”

He smirked at me, giving me a lazy shrug.

“Much less murderous, though I hope we don’t cross paths with that douche canoe in the parking lot. I’m only human.”

I snorted and brushed a soft kiss across his lips.

“I’m proud of you for restraining yourself, angel,” I murmured, and he smiled against me, kissing me back.

“Thanks, baby. It was hard, but making you watch yourself come was better than killing that fuck would ever be.”

I winced, glancing at the mirror we had just painted with my cum.

“I guess we should probably buy this…” I mumbled, and Cal laughed, grabbing the mirror and sliding it back into its box.

“Probably a good idea. We can use it every time you forget how fucking perfect you are.”

I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck, already feeling strange about the way he had forced me to give myself compliments.

“Let’s not make a habit of that,” I muttered, and he slipped his hand into mine, tucking the mirror under his arm as we made our way out of the store.

“Baby, until you believe those words, I’m going to make you tell me you’re beautiful every day.” He kissed the side of my head. “This world is shit enough without you thinking you’re anything less than perfect, just the way you are.”