CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
AURYN
“Auryn, you don’t understand.” Ripley made a feeble attempt at swiping the towel from my grasp. When that didn’t work, she put a hand over the cuts to hide them. “It’s hard to stop. Sometimes I just need the release. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t need to explain it. You need to stop hurting yourself.” Seeing those cuts on her delicate flesh made me crazy. It also made me feel powerless. A sensation I wasn’t used to.
Fire flashed in her eyes. Standing there naked, Ripley jabbed a finger in my chest. “You don’t get to tell me what to do with my own body. You don’t own me, Auryn.”
I loved it when she unleashed the inner badass she kept contained inside. My cock leapt to attention as she went so far as to give me a shove.
Catching her wrist, I jerked her against me, loving the way her body felt pressed against mine. “Do you really think you’ll win this fight, doll? You. Are. Mine. I will not keep my mouth shut when I see the woman I love hurting herself.”
The words fell from my mouth, leaving us both shocked and frozen in place. Ripley gaped up at me, like she wasn’t sure she’d heard me right. Did I really say that?
Fuck yeah I did. Now it was out there. I couldn’t take it back even if I wanted to. As the seconds ticked by, I realized that I didn’t want to take it back. I meant every word.
“You love me?” she asked, swallowing hard.
Feeling put on the spot by my own candid admission, I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I do. I love you, Ripley. Now stop fucking hurting yourself.”
Eyelids lowered, her lips twisted into a coy hint of a smile. “Or what?”
Knowing that she wanted it as bad as I did, I spun her around and shoved her against the wall. Maybe this was her way of distracting me from the serious issue at hand. Since I was hurting for a taste of her, it worked.
Pushing her hair aside, I kissed the back of her neck before biting down. Sinking my teeth into her soft skin. She let out a little yelp, wiggling her ass against me in invitation. Yeah, she definitely knew exactly what she was doing.
I slid my hands around her from behind, clutching her breasts tight. Pinching her nipples into taut points. Making her utter my name like a curse before gliding my hands down her perfect body. Delving between her thighs.
Her body quickly responded to my touch. Soaking my fingers in her desire. Making me even more crazy for her. I’d gladly swap any drug on this earth for a hit of Ripley every time I was hurting. Nothing got me high the way she did.
“I know you love to make me crazy, doll, but I’m not kidding around. You will not hurt yourself anymore.” With one hand, I squeezed a handful of her ass, certain I would leave marks in her pale skin. “If it’s pain you need, I’d be more than happy to help you out with that. On my terms of course.”
I had no problem inflicting some pain on my girl. The right kind of pain. Pain that went perfectly with pleasure. I knew that I couldn’t fix Ripley, but I could damn sure try.
Again I bit her, loving the way she squirmed against me. Her body demanding more. I was damn glad that Athena had gone out of town, guaranteeing she wouldn’t walk in and ruin this moment.
“Please hurt me,” Ripley moaned as I pinched her clit. “I need your cock so fucking bad, Auryn. It’s been too long.”
She was right about that. I ached to sink into her sweet warmth. To feel her wrapped around me. My cock strained against my jeans, making me uncomfortable.
Going to my knees behind her, I spread her gorgeous ass cheeks and flicked my tongue over her tight hole. Her little gasp made me chuckle to myself. While tonguing her hole, I pressed two fingers inside her pussy. Eager for the moment my cock would be inside her.
“Please.” Ripley’s plea was breathy, barely audible. Like me, she couldn’t wait much longer.
We were two addicts also addicted to each other. As much as I would have loved to make her beg for it, I couldn’t stand the torture of holding back any longer. I needed to be inside her now.
I stood up, hastily trying to rid myself of my pants.
Disrobing completely in the hallway so we would both be naked.
I needed to feel her everywhere. Clutching a handful of her damp hair, I jerked her head back far enough for me to kiss her.
Forcing my tongue into her mouth. Making silent demands that needed no words.
“I’m going to punish this pussy.” Using my grip on Ripley’s hair, I pressed her into the wall. Trapping her with my body. “You’re going to feel me for days after this.”
I thrust into her from behind, hard enough to force a small cry from her. A sound that tested my willpower in every way. There was no slow and steady. No soft buildup. I roughly fucked her, slamming deep inside her repeatedly. Listening to her moans and cries as she trembled in my arms.
Everything I’d been holding inside for the past several days burst free. No longer restrained. I exorcised my inner demons all over Ripley’s body. My teeth on the back of her shoulder. My fingers holding her hips in a bruising grip. My cock pounding into her.
“Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again,” I whispered against her ear. “I need you, Ripley. More than any fucking drug. All I want is you.”
“Auryn,” she panted my name like she could barely get the word out. “God I missed you. I thought about you constantly.”
Needing to peer into her gorgeous blue eyes, I pulled out long enough to spin her around. Lifting Ripley into my arms, I thrust back inside her. Staring deep into her as I pounded her against the wall.
I’d been inside a lot of women in my twenty-two years. Not one of them stood out as a clear memory in my mind. No woman had left a lasting impression on me. Until now.
Ripley felt like she’d been made for me.
Not only her body but her mind, heart, and soul.
We’d bonded that first night when we retreated from the party, sitting under the stairs while we watched everyone else.
We’d found something kindred in one another.
Something I would never let go of. I knew that I would never find anyone like her again.
She was the reason I’d never been satisfied with anyone else. Each and every one of them had been merely a stepping stone until I finally made my way to her. My friends had been right after all. Love had made me its bitch. And I was okay with that.
Ripley’s arms wrapped tighter around my neck as she held on for dear life. Her head back against the wall. Taking everything I had to give. Watching her freefall into the pleasure she found in me had me bracing myself. I couldn’t hold back much longer.
Her cries grew louder. Closer together. I knew the moment she hit that peak, seconds before I felt her sweet pussy spasm around my cock. Squeezing me tight. Holding me deep within her.
That’s when I let go, joining her in that head spinning rush. Filling her with streams of cum. Painting the walls of her pussy with my release.
Not yet ready to pull myself away from her, I carried Ripley into her bedroom. Dropping her down on the bed beneath me. I withdrew from her body, glancing down to enjoy the sight of her slick wetness all over my cock.
Ripley pulled me down beside her on the bed, cuddling in close against me. She pressed her face to my chest, a hand clutching my arm. I wrapped her in my embrace, breathing in her clean, soapy scent. Never before had I enjoyed the afterglow like this. I didn’t want it to ever end.
“I’m really glad you came,” Ripley said softly.
“I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.” I expected to feel an inward cringe at my sappy words. Instead, I felt content. Satisfied.
“It’s been a hard week. I wanted to reach out to you, but I was afraid that maybe we weren’t on the same page. That maybe you didn’t really want to hear from me.” Ripley’s voice revealed the inner turmoil she’d gone through.
I hated that my loudmouth bachelor bullshit had made her feel that way. Holding her tight, I ran a hand through her hair. “That’s on me. I tried to convince myself this really was only an arrangement for Jamie’s benefit. I was wrong.”
She tilted her head back to smile up at me. “I’m glad.”
“Me too.”
For a long time, we laid there together in her bed, simply enjoying one another’s presence. This was all so new to me. Usually I would bang a girl and be on my way as soon as we were finished. I didn’t hang around to cuddle.
Ripley was like no other girl. I saw that clearly now. Some part of me had seen it all along.
Soon I felt her steady breathing against me and knew that she’d fallen asleep. I hoped that in some way my presence here would help her rest without worry. I meant it when I said that I wasn’t going anywhere. I wanted to be here for her. To offer her support any way possible.
Carefully disentangling myself from her so as not to wake her, I left Ripley’s bed to use the washroom. After I finished, I washed my hands, glancing around the room as my curiosity took over.
The cut on her leg had been fresh. She must have done it while in the bathroom. Searching through her things, it didn’t take me long to find the razor blade tucked away in her makeup bag.
I wrapped it in a thick wad of toilet paper before carrying it to the kitchen and burying it in the bottom of the garbage.
I made a mental note to take the garbage out with me when I left.
Ripley was right in that I didn’t understand her need to self-harm.
However, I was determined to help her find a way to stop.
Returning to the bedroom, I climbed back in beside her. Smiling when she reached for me in her sleep. So this was what it felt like to be needed. Huh. I think I could get used to this.
I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep. Not until several hours later when I woke up to find myself alone in the bed. I momentarily felt disoriented, not sure what time it was. It had to be the middle of the night. Where the hell did Ripley go?
Thinking that maybe she’d gone to the bathroom, I waited for her to return. When she didn’t return after some time, I got up to go in search of her. Finding my abandoned boxers in the hallway, I slipped them on before approaching the closed bathroom door.
I knocked, calling, “Ripley?”
There was a moment of silence before her voice came muffled through the door. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“What are you doing in there?” Not the kind of question I would usually ask someone in the bathroom. Something told me that she was up to no good.
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m using the bathroom. Go back to bed.” Despite her answer, I wasn’t buying it.
“You have thirty seconds to open the door.” My tone came out harder than intended as worry gripped me.
Ripley sounded panicked when she said, “Please go back to bed. I’ll be right out.”
Nope. Not happening. After trying the door handle and finding it locked, I backed up a step and gave the door a kick.
It flew open, bouncing off the wall inside the bathroom.
I strode inside to find Ripley sitting on the edge of the tub wearing only a T-shirt, clutching a kitchen knife in one hand.
Cutting a thin line into her upper thigh.
“This is the last time,” she said, her voice coming out high and frantic. “I swear.”
“You’re damn right it is. Give me the knife.” Advancing on her, I held out my hand.
She shrank back, having nowhere to go. “You took my razor blade, didn’t you?”
“It doesn’t matter. I think you need to talk to someone about this. You could really hurt yourself. What if you cut too deep? Have you thought of that?” I didn’t mean to sound so aggressive. She was scaring the hell out of me.
“Back off, Auryn,” she shouted, leaping to her feet. “This is none of your business. Get out.”
“Like hell. It needs to be my business. You’re going to seriously hurt yourself. I’m not going to stand back and pretend like this isn’t happening.” I reached to take the knife from her hand. She surprised me by jerking it out of reach, hiding it behind her back.
Ripley’s pupils were strangely dilated. Possibly from fear but most likely from drugs. I knew she couldn’t quit cold turkey, but it didn’t look like she was trying to change her habits.
“Just leave. Please. I know I’m screwed up. Do you think I want to be like this? Having you look at me like that isn’t helping.” She slapped at my hand when I tried to reach around her for the knife.
We engaged in a small scuffle as I tried to take the knife from her and she did her best to keep it from me. Once I grabbed a hold of her arm, she wasn’t able to stop me. She still put up a fight though.
Holding her forearm, I twisted her wrist, hoping she would drop the knife. Instead, she flailed in an effort to dislodge my hold. Falling against me when she lost her balance. Plunging the blade into my abdomen.
It all happened so fast. Within seconds, I had the blade buried inside me. Sharp pain slashing through me along with a rush of adrenaline.
I stumbled back, staring down at the knife protruding from my middle. Ripley let out an ear piercing scream that rang exceptionally loud in the bathroom acoustics. My back hit the opposite wall, and I slowly slid down to the floor as blood spilled from around the blade.