Chapter 26
DRAINPIPE ROMEO
SEVEN
Atticus would kill me if he knew where I was going, which is why I took certain precautions.
And if they do, well then, I guess good ol' Daddicus can ream my ass out while he fixes the mess. It'll be worth the few hours I spend with her.
The older model Honda Civic is a stick shift, and I remember how much I miss driving one as I pull into town and make my way to Ro's apartment.
I park in the lot of the neighboring building and am careful to avoid Atty's surveillance cameras and Ambrose’s man parked in front of her building, approaching the apartment from the rear.
I hop the fence of the neighboring unit and scale the drainpipe, using the uneven brick to get a few solid footholds until I'm only a quick jump from her bedroom window to the right.
Reaching far over, I rap on the dark pane of glass with my knuckle, tapping out a quick upbeat tempo so she knows it's me.
There's a bark from inside, and I wince as the light flicks on and the window opens. Her dark hair spills out as she looks down first, then jumps when she sees me right next to her.
"Seven! What are you doing?"
"Could you move for a quick sec? This drainpipe is about to bust."
She lurches out of the way as I jump across to her window ledge and lower myself inside to the sound of Ellie trying to break down the bedroom door.
Ro quickly rushes to open it and chastises Ellie in a harsh whisper to calm down, but when she sees me, she's through Ro's legs and over to me in a split second, attacking me with her kisses.
"I missed you, too."
Aurora shuts the window, flicks off the big overhead light, and pulls the blinds. "Did anyone see you? What happened?"
She hugs her robe to her body, eyes wild.
"Nothing's wrong. I just had to see you."
Her lips part. "What?"
She looks confused, but I know she heard me.
"Does Atticus know you're here?"
I lift a brow, brushing off my jacket. "Do you care?"
She sags and comes to tuck herself into my chest as Ellie waits patiently for more pets next to us. I wrap my arms around her like I wanted to earlier. Like I've wanted to for too many sleepless nights.
"How long do we have?" Her voice is muffled against me.
"A few hours."
Did she always feel this small in my arms?
"You want to tell me how you're really doing?" I ask her softly. I'm not sure if the others clocked it, but my Ro was still wearing her mask earlier tonight in the laundromat. Maybe not the whole thing, but definitely a part of it. Phantom of the Opera style.
She shakes her head against me, and the shriveled thing in my chest beats with murder. I don't like that she's upset. It makes me hot all over. Makes my skin itch with murder.
I get that the main goal of this mission is to return Elijah's family legacy to its rightful place with Julian, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the vengeance that comes with it more. Especially when she squeezes me tightly, and I know the reason she needs to is still breathing.
Not for long, I remind myself.
Once we've succeeded, Atty agreed that the only fitting end for Ambrose is a drawn-out death on our terms. And thank fuck, because I'd have done it with or without his blessing.
Systematically destroying his empire from the inside and recovering the Ashfords' collection, including Flo's contributions, is the icing on the murder cake. I'm going to enjoy every millisecond of his inevitable demise.
I take her head in my hands and tip her face to mine in the dark, lifting a lock of hair away from her cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Ro."
"What?"
"The thing you pulled with your car, and how you managed everything with Ambrose…you're incredible, you know that, right?"
She sighs and pulls away from my hands, sinking to sit on the edge of her mattress. "Don't be proud of me for the car. It was completely reckless and I—"
"It was," I agree. "But it had the intended effect. I'm not sure if you noticed, but Atticus has been different since. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you how I found him that night after he got home…"
Her brow furrows.
"It's so fucking hard to get through to him, Ro. For him to really see that the things he does have consequences. But you got through. It took taking it that far for the lesson to sink in."
She sighs. "I don’t…I don't think I want to talk about Atticus."
I nod. "Okay."
"And you have no idea how close I came to fucking it all up—with Ambrose."
"What do you mean?"
She shakes her head, sighing again as I sit next to her.
"Ro?"
"Nothing. It was harder than I thought it would be. Knowing everything that bastard has done to you and the others—and then watching him smile and drink his fancy champagne and spew all this false empathy for my upbringing and—"
Ro heaves yet another sigh, and I can tell there's something else she isn't saying.
Something's bothering her.
I slip off the bed and bend to my knees in front of her, placing my hands on her thighs so she'll look at me.
Ellie nuzzles into my waist, eager to play, but I need to take care of her mama right now. I dig around in the pocket of my leather jacket for the treats I brought with me and give them to her. "Go on," I tell Ellie. "I'll come and give you some pets before I go. Promise. Go lay down, sweet girl."
When I turn my attention back to Ro, her face is stormy.
"We weren't there," I begin. "But from what I heard, you didn't let on about anything. You were perfectly natural, awkward even, which is exactly how anyone in that situation would behave. You did well, Ro. Despite how difficult I know it would've been to share the same airspace as that bastard."
She snorts at that, like she still doesn't agree with me.
I can feel the tension in her thighs beneath my palms. See it in the way her shoulders are hitched high and pulled in tight to her body.
"Can we not talk about it anymore?" she mutters after a few beats of silence.
"Whatever you want."
This time, when she drops her head, I shift forward between her knees and cradle her face against my palms, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
When I pull away, she shivers, her thighs squeezing around me, and I know what my girl needs.
Tentatively, I find the hem of her soft sleep shirt and push it up her rib cage. She leans back as I dip my head to press another kiss there, first to her ribs and then her belly.
Her heavy sigh and the way her body responds tells me this is exactly what she needs to unwind the tension clearly keeping her up at night. Fuck, it might help me sleep, too.
I take her hips in my hands and press another hot kiss below her belly button, reveling in the way she arches into my lips.
"Is this what you need, Ro?"
I find her right nipple already pebbled before I've even touched it, and I roll the tight little bud between my fingers until her breath hitches on a soft moan.
"Y-yes."
I smile.
"Lay back," I murmur against her warm skin. "Let me help you relax."
She does as she's told.
"Such a good girl."
She bites her lower lip as I lean over her, working her shirt out of the way until her tits are free and exposed.
Her eyes close and her lips part as I run my hands up her sides and dip my head to suck her left nipple into my mouth.
She sucks in a sharp breath, and I linger there, swirling my tongue over her peak again and again until she's trembling under me and her thighs are tight against my hips, squeezing as she writhes beneath me.
Ro needs more. And I'm more than happy to deliver.
I release her nipple from my mouth, but continue to roll the wet bud between my fingers as I kiss and suck a path down her sternum and around her belly button, which I can tell is healing very nicely.
She's been following all my instructions to care for the new piercing to the letter. My good girl.
Hooking my fingers into the waistband of her pajamas, I tug them down over her hips, shifting to pull them entirely off one leg before returning to my rightful place, kneeling between them.
My mouth waters at the sight of her lying back on the bed, tits out, pussy already glistening in the faint light. She's absolutely stunning.
I lick my lips, lifting her legs until her feet rest on the metal frame of the bed. It makes it easier to spread her open as I lick down the crease in her hip and nip at the tender flesh of her inner thigh, making her jolt at the sensation.
“Look at you.” I run my first two fingers through her folds, watching her wetness coat my skin. “Already so wet and I’ve barely touched you.”
“Seven—”
“Shhh.” I lower my head, breathing hot against her center, making her shiver. “I’m going to eat this pretty pussy until you come on my tongue. And you’re going to be very, very quiet, because if your neighbors hear you screaming my name, that might cause a slight problem. Understand?”
She nods frantically, her hands searching for something to hold on to.
“Words, Ro.”
“I understand.”
“Good girl.”
When my breath fans over her mound, she snatches a pillow, pressing it to her face to stifle her loud moan.
Ro twists and writhes, pressing into me the instant my mouth closes over her pussy. I lick a broad stripe from her entrance to her clit and her whole body jerks. She tastes like sweet nectar and salt and mine.
I groan against her, the vibration making her gasp. I start slow, winding her up even though all my greedy ass wants is to eat her alive.
It takes a few seconds, but I find the right amount of pressure to make her cry out, discovering exactly what she needs from this and finding it's rougher than I thought.
I reach up and pull the pillow from her face, tossing it across the room.
“Hands in my hair,” I order. “Pull as hard as you need to.”
She obeys, fingers twisting into my hair as I seal my mouth over her clit and suck.
“Oh god—” She slaps a hand over her mouth, muffling her moan.
"Move that hand," I murmur before diving right back in. “I want to hear you trying not to scream.”