Chapter 30 - Cross
THIRTY
CROSS
When Delilah’s fingers brush over my forearm, it makes my breath stutter. Big blue eyes stare curiously at me as mine finally reopen. “Thank you,” she whispers. “For helping me.”
I blink, hardly knowing what to say. “How could I not?”
She shrugs. “You didn’t have to. I’m not stupid. You could have ripped that thing right out of me, like your father told you to.”
I incline my head, holding her gaze. “I couldn’t have lived with myself. Only want to help people,” I mumble, my eyes drifting closed, shielding myself from what her response will be. After everything I’ve done … Her hand is still on my arm, fingers gripping me securely. I drag in a breath.
The next thing I know, Delilah’s warm body presses against my side. Angling my head, I look down at her, then hesitantly lift my arm and tuck it around her waist. As I drag her closer, she tucks her face against my neck as her arms wrap around my neck.
This girl—she isn’t the behavioral problem the Collective would have everyone believe.
She’s only ever responded to the way she’s been treated.
I stare down at the top of her blonde head for a moment, tracking the gentle rise and fall of her back as she breathes and hangs onto me. “Not gonna let them hurt you.”
Her chest jerks against mine as she eases back to stare into my eyes. The pressure of her teeth as they clamp down on her lip leaches it of all color. She nods. “I-I know that now.” There’s a turbulence in her gaze. Uncertainty. And I deserve that.
Something inside me softens. “Lilah,” I murmur, liking the way her nickname rolls off my tongue as I lightly catch her chin with my thumb and forefinger.
My lungs practically seize in my chest as I bring my lips to within a hair’s breadth of hers.
The rise of her chest as she works to swallow catches my attention.
Fuck. Who am I kidding? Everything about her has me enthralled.
I refuse to make the first move, though.
Instead, I wait. My patience is rewarded only a moment later as she leans in, brushing delectably soft lips over mine.
I would have waited forever for her to do that.
Cupping the back of her head with my hand, I tug her body more securely to me with the other and give in.
“Wanted to taste you for so fucking long.”
Those words rumble from my chest as I lick into her mouth, hesitant at first. But then, our tongues become a riot of strokes and plunges as we explore each other.
I nip at her lip, and she sucks mine into her mouth before colliding again into a frenzy of need.
It feels right like this, all heat and fury.
Nothing between us has ever been delicate.
I twist with her in my arms, shifting to bring her back to the floor beneath me.
Slender limbs wind around me, holding me close.
Every minute adjustment in the position of our bodies has the flames between us rising, and the blood rushing in my head is so fucking loud, I can hardly think.
“Orgasms,” I whisper against her mouth. “I read they help with cramping. That’s what I was going to suggest earlier.
” I slowly shift to her side when she doesn’t respond and rest my hand on her stomach.
Hesitating a moment, I whisper, “Can I touch you?”
Her brows crash together, and she glances down her body, then back to me, expression uncertain. “Do you really think it’ll help or is it just a ploy to get into my pants?”
“You’re not wearing pants,” I whisper. Fuck. Sounds like one of Malakai’s weird turns of phrase.
She stares at me, biting down on her lip for a beat. “It’s a figure of speech.” Shaking her head, she huffs. “I’m just asking if you’re just using this as an excuse to get your dick wet.”
My lips twist with mild chagrin. Oh. “I get it now.” I smile crookedly. “While I would die for the chance to do that, I really am trying to help.”
Still looking uncertain, she finally murmurs, “Okay. It’s worth a shot,” with a wrinkle of her nose. She lets out an unsteady breath. “But kiss me again. Otherwise it might feel too … clinical.” Grasping the back of my neck, she tugs me close and crushes her mouth to mine.
Fuuuck. My mind reels as we deepen the kiss, and I can’t help but notice the differences between her and the only other person I’ve ever done this with.
Malakai. Her lips are soft. Plush. His had been firmer.
Demanding. I like both. Mal had definitely worked me into a frenzy, but I’ll be fucked if Lilah isn’t about to do the same.
My breath is ragged as she rubs her tongue with mine, moaning a bit as she clings to me.
I wonder if she realizes that kissing me like this is going to take us to a place that’s so far from clinical it’s comical, but I’m not going to argue the point if it makes her feel better about it.
She begins to squirm, and when I slip a hand under her gown, I find her bare.
Wet. Aroused. Needy. “Cross.” She whimpers my name on a stuttered breath.
I bring her slick heat from her slit to her clit, applying pressure.
She cries out, bucking against my fingers, back arching on a gasp.
Smiling, my heart thunders as I rub, concentrating on the nerve endings that will send her over the edge and lessen whatever discomfort she might be feeling. “How’s that?”
“Good.” Her breath hitches as she nods, and I stare into her eyes, the sunlight coming in through the window making them sparkle. The pupils are dilating a bit, and, oh fuck. I want to explore every bit of this with her.
Her chest shudders. “You’re sure no one will find us in here?”
“They’re busy at the river. And we’re far enough from the main part of the building we should be safe.
” I suck a wet path down her throat, then across the top of her breasts.
Touching her like this, my cock hardens in my pants, and a low groan pulls from my chest. I want to touch her everywhere.
Tongue and lips and hands and fucking teeth. I want to taste her.
She writhes against my fingers, lips parting as she pants out unsteady breaths, and fuck … she’s beautiful. Where my erection is pressed against her hip, the front of my pants are growing damp as pre-cum wets them. I’m in agony, but it also feels so good, I don’t ever want to stop.
Her eyes grow wide as it finally registers with her what’s happening to me, and she goes still for a second. Swallows. Then, quickly tugs my mouth back to hers as she writhes against my fingers. The idea of her using me like that has my cock straining even harder behind my zipper. Fuck.
Shifting now, I scramble over her and kneel between her legs, hands pushing her gown up past her hips.
Overcome by the musky scent of her arousal, I clutch at her thighs as she watches me.
“I—” Fuck. “I want—” I slip my hands toward the juncture of her thighs, staring at her sex, then dampen my lips, my pulse hammering as the craving to know more screams inside my brain.
Her chest jerks wildly, eyes flickering from my lips, then downward to her exposed body.
And then, she does something I wasn’t expecting.
She wriggles free of her gown, bringing it off over her head until she lies there completely naked before me.
Soft pants fall from her lips, and I finally can’t hold back any longer, the impulse to run my tongue along her engorged flesh overwhelms me.
And I think my tongue can do just as good a job as my fingers can.
Sliding my palms along her inner thighs, I bend at the waist, inhaling as I press my lips to the softest skin I’ve ever felt.
I trail them closer to where I really want them, then, with my heart pounding frantically in my chest, I flick my tongue along the wetness at her core.
The resulting groan that tears from somewhere deep in my chest vibrates throughout my body.
“Fuck.” My eyes drink in the sight of glistening pink skin, and my breath comes fast as I flatten my tongue and lick the sensitive bud.
“Oh god.” Her pelvis bucks, back arching, and her eyes fly to mine as her body shudders.
Wanting more of that reaction, I close my mouth over her clit and suck while I continue to run careful fingers all over, lightly teasing her entrance.
She frantically claws at my shoulders, a panted gasp bursting from her.
But still, I continue on, enjoying the way her control slips with each passing second.
“Cross.” My name falls from her lips on a shaky exhale.
“I’m—” Her mouth goes slack, her eyes unfocused, dazed, and her legs begin to tremble.
Fuck. Yes. I keep pushing her right to the very edge with every lick and suck as I feast on her.
She whimpers, mumbling incoherently. And then, she lets go, her body giving in.
It seems to pulse. I wish I had my cock inside her for this, but that was never at the forefront of my mind.
It’s still not. It’s only ever been about her.
When her breathing finally slows and she’s able to focus on me, she gives me a tremulous smile.
“Feel better?”
She brings her arm up, covering her eyes with it as she mumbles, “You don’t even know.
” With a shaky inhale, she sits up, eyeing me.
Her gaze wanders from my face, downward to the wet patch on the front of my pants.
Her face is already rosy with the exertion of what I just pulled from her, but it grows redder the longer she stares.
She swallows roughly, jutting her chin toward my groin. “I could maybe …”
My brows lift. “You don’t need to.”
She purses her lips, crawling closer. I watch her every movement with bated breath.
Nimble fingers wander the front of my pants, and my cock jerks at the contact.
A low moan releases from my throat. Body on fire, I blink, my heated gaze on her as she unfastens the button and pulls the zipper down.
My heart rate frantic, she dips her hand inside and pulls out my cock.
This is the moment madness and desire collide.
Should I be telling her to get dressed? Telling her to go back to cleaning that bathroom?
Should I be returning to check in with my father?
Yes. All of those things. But I don’t. Because the feel of this girl’s hand exploring my cock is something I wasn’t certain I’d ever experience. Didn’t think I deserved.
Her fingers smooth over the veins, thumb glides along the underside.
And then, her lashes lower, and she stares up at me from under a hooded gaze as her tongue flicks over the head where pre-cum continues to bead.
Desire burns through me, and I reach for her, threading my fingers through the hair at the back of her head.
Soft lips part, and she takes my dick into her mouth. The way she stares up at me while fluttering her tongue along my length has me gasping. A groan reverberates in my chest and echoes into the high-ceilinged room.
My jaw clenches as she takes me deep. I’ve never had anyone’s mouth on me before.
It’s the most ridiculously decadent feeling.
I can’t help but remember Malakai’s reaction when I did the same to him.
Maybe it’s wrong to think about the fire that’d burned hot between us while I’m with Delilah, but I can’t help myself.
This girl has me all wound up, and I love it.
Wish he were here. Watching. Like when I saw the two of them together.
Fuck. The minute that idea pops into my head, I know I’m done for.
Staring down, I only just hold back as I will the image of her swollen lips taking my cock to imprint itself on my brain.
My fingers contract, tugging ever so slightly in her hair, needing her to look into my eyes, to understand what I’m feeling.
“Fuck, Delilah. You’re gonna wreck me. I—” Heat flashes through my body from head to toe, and whatever I was going to say falls away, lost to a world where only she and I exist. She watches me with tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, wrenching an uneven moan from me.
My body trembles hard with coiled tension, balls drawing up, and lightning racing along my spine.
One last look at my cock as it disappears into her mouth and I lose it, my seed spurting from me in aching bursts. Stunned at the violence of it all, I remain still, wondering if she’s killed me. My heart pumps at a pace that feels abnormal. Blinking, I wet my lips.
Delilah swallows, then licks over my semihard cock. One last dribble of cum leaks from my tip, and her tongue flicks out to collect it. Harsh, ragged breaths pull from my chest, and I grip her jaw with a hand, tracing her swollen lips with my thumb.
My brain doesn’t seem connected to my thoughts yet, but I help her to her feet, tip her face upward and plant a kiss on her mouth. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.” She lifts a hand to her face, brushing a rogue tear from her cheek. Lips trembling, she forces them into a smile.
I drag in a careful breath. “I need to say something to you.” Her brows knit together as she waits for me to continue. “You don’t deserve how you’ve been treated.”
She blinks hard. “I know that.”
The corner of my mouth twitches. “Well, I want to make sure you understand that we know it, too.” I can’t resist leaning forward and pressing my lips to her forehead.
“And there’s one other thing,” I mumble against her skin as it wrinkles with confusion.
“Arrow told us.” I pull back, searching the sky blue of her eyes.
Lashes still laced with moisture flutter. “What do you mean?”
“You were the one who attacked Finneas in the woods.”
“Yes, but—” Her eyes grow wild with fear.
I bite down on my lip, wishing now that I’d gone about this differently. “We’re going to help you— The four of us.” The rest of my thoughts jam inside my throat for a second until I’m able to swallow. “We would do anything to keep you safe. I promise.”
She blinks, her lip trembling as she stares into my eyes. I’m unprepared for the tugging sensation in my heart that hits out of nowhere when she whispers, “I believe you, Cross.”