17. Cillian
Chapter seventeen
Cillian
S he’s Cooper Reed’s little sister. That was not something I was expecting when she told me she knew Ozzy. Shit, never in my life did I expect her to know the man—period. What are the chances she would’ve had any clue who the Black Roses were or that she was connected in any way, shape, or form?
The fear I felt when her terrified face came into view of the camera was like nothing I’d ever dealt with before. And I pray to whatever God is out there, I never feel it again. The energy running through me was screaming for me to get to her and protect her. Now that the dust has settled, the energy is screaming to get answers to why she would rather break my heart than talk to me about a stupid fucking misunderstanding. As much as I’m relieved beyond belief that she’s safe, I’m still unbelievably pissed that she chose to run away over choosing us.
“Let’s have this conversation in my room so we’re not standing out in the open,” I suggest, and Nova nods.
“Let me leave a note for Harper in case she wakes up. I’ll meet you over there.”
“I’ll wait right here.”
“You’re literally right next door,” she says, waving her hand in the direction of my room.
“And you have a habit of running instead of talking things out.”
Nova rolls her eyes and lets out a huff of annoyance, but nonetheless, I stand in front of her door with my arms crossed over my chest, still wearing the dark clothes I had on at the port, minus the vest. Though, with the way she’s looking at me and the fact she has a gun in her room, I’m questioning if that’s the brightest move.
“Fine.” Nova walks inside and leaves the door cracked. She moves out of my view and returns moments later, laying a sheet of motel paper next to her friend. She bends down and kisses Harper’s forehead before she turns and catches me spying on her through the crack in the door. And then, of course, she rolls her eyes again.
When she steps out of the room, Nova closes the door gently and locks it from the outside; since this motel is so old, it still has actual keys rather than key cards.
I hold out my arm, indicating for her to walk in front of me to the door next to hers and Harper’s. When I step in behind her and shut the door, she’s standing with her arms crossed like mine were. We’re both on the defensive, but there’s a charge in the air that seems to be between us every time we’re in a room together. Especially when we’re alone.
“Okay, Cillian, I’m here. What do you want to know?”
Everything .
“Let’s start easy. What’s your last name?”
“Reed.”
“Where were you for the last month?”
“With my aunt and uncle.”
I let out an annoyed breath. “Which is where?”
“Texas.”
I quirk a brow, and she tilts her head, staring at me before letting her arms hang loose at her side. “Fine. A little town on the border of Texas and Louisiana. Lenore.”
“Was that so hard?”
“Yes,” she says with a straight face, but a moment later, the corner of her mouth twitches slightly as though she’s trying to contain a smile.
“How about a drink?” Lord fucking knows I could use one.
“God yes,” she groans, and I’d be lying if I said the sound didn't send a zap of longing through me. Nova stands in the middle of my room in a pair of cotton shorts and an oversized T-shirt with no makeup and wet hair. She just endured a terrible ordeal that I couldn’t even fathom. Being taken and almost sold off like cattle to men whose sole purpose is to use and abuse them. Then, having to save her life by nearly taking the life of another person. I’ve become accustomed to the violence, but she hasn’t. It’s a lot to go through in one night, hell, any night, and I’m over here feeling my dick twitch when I hear that throaty sound come from her.
I walk over to the minibar in the room and grab a couple bottles of whiskey, two glasses and a soda from the fridge.
“Shit, I don’t have ice.” I tend to drink it straight, but this isn’t exactly the high-class stuff I enjoy.
“I’ll grab some. The ice machine is right down the way,” she offers.
“No. Sit down and relax,” I say, grabbing the ice bucket. “I’ll be right back.”
I need a few seconds to clear my head. We need to have a discussion, not get swept up in some wave of attraction. I don’t even want to feel this way about her. She fucking bolted on me for no reason. She stole my car for Chrissake, then completely ghosted me without a word. Yet, being this close to her in a hotel room is bringing back memories of the nights we spent tangled in each other. Even though I’m still fucking pissed at her, and I can’t trust her not to run again, there’s this thing that’s been between us since the first time we met. Nova has this way about her that’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced—and it still has the same effect on me. I loved the way she made it so easy for me to live in the now and not care about anything happening in the outside world. I was so wrapped up in her and that feeling of living for myself and the moment that none of the details of our lives mattered. Now, though…those details matter a lot more than they did a month ago. With every second we spend together, my anger—my only armor against her—is giving way to the feelings I’ve kept suppressed for the last month.
I get back to my room and open the door to see Nova lying on the bed with the old TV remote in her hand. She’s laughing at something on the television and looks over to me. The sight reminds me of the time we spent lying in the same position over the days before the charity gala. That’s when I learned about her distaste for thirty-minute sitcoms and that she thought horror movies were hilarious. Especially the old ones, with the cheesy special effects and the blood spray that inevitably looked like ketchup. That’s when she also told me that fake blood will never dry brown like real blood, so it’s unrealistic when people are running around wearing the same white shirt with red blood for days. As though that’s what makes the scenario unbelievable.
When I don’t move from my spot in the doorway, she arches a brow. “Are you stunned stupid that I didn’t take off or something? Come in before you let in all the bugs.”
That’s another thing I learned about the gorgeous thief in my bed. She absolutely hates bugs of all types. A tiny beetle found its way into my room at the hotel, and from the way she screamed, I was certain hotel security would come knocking on my door.
And why am I thinking about her as being gorgeous? I’m still mad at her. Fuck, this is what she does to me. Muddles shit up for me. I thought her mouth was her superpower for getting out of trouble, but I’m beginning to suspect she really does have those witchy powers that I teased her about when we were in New Orleans.
I shake myself from my errant thoughts and shut the door behind me before setting the ice bucket on the dresser next to the TV. After making each of us a drink, I hand her a whiskey 7 and take my whiskey on the rocks to the chair next to the little table in front of the window that looks out to the parking lot.
Nova sips her cocktail and scrunches her nose in disgust. “God, since you introduced me to good bourbon, nothing else tastes right.”
Yeah, I know the feeling. Since meeting Nova and then having her take off on me, nothing has felt right. Not by a long shot.
I sip mine and relish in the distinct burn of cheap whiskey. It helps me focus my thoughts and not get swept away in everything that is Nova Reed.
“So your brother was the prospect who died saving one of the Black Roses’ old ladies.”
Nova nods and takes a long swig from her glass. “And Ozzy tried to give me money after Cooper died. I didn’t want anything from him or his club. And I certainly didn’t want to hear how sorry he was for me losing the one person in my life I loved more than anything—aside from Harper.”
“I would have thought you’d be fine with taking the money.”
As soon as I see her face fall, I feel like a complete asshole. As I should. That was an asshole comment. And that’s always been my problem. Piss me off or hurt me, and I’ll bite back ten times harder. That’s how men in this world handle business. But I need to remember she’s not a man in this world. She’s a girl who’s been through a horrible ordeal, not just tonight but throughout her entire life. There was no one other than her brother she could count on. No matter how it happened, the fact remains he was ripped from her, and nothing can erase that pain.
“I don’t take blood money, Cillian. No matter what you think about me. And, for that matter, do you really have room to judge?”
“I’m not judging you. But don’t sit there and pretend you're some innocent little girl who lives by the letter of the law. And to be fair, it’s not like I know you oh so well to begin with. Let’s not forget how we parted ways, Nova.” Should I be picking a fight with her after my comment? No. Am I anyways because I’m hurt and can’t seem to keep my damn mouth shut? One hundred percent yes.
“When I heard you say Ozzy’s name, I didn’t know what to think.” Her voice is rising, right alongside the angry flush covering her cheeks. “There was no way it was just some weird coincidence that you happened to know the man I’d been avoiding for the last year. A million thoughts ran through my head. Most falling back to you being with me for those few days because you were doing a favor for Ozzy and keeping an eye on me or something.”
“Ozzy didn’t even know where I was!” I yell back. “And you could have asked. You could have done a million things other than run out on me, steal my car, then go MIA for weeks, Nova. So yeah, I’m fucking pissed that you left me with my dick in my hand in some hotel bar when we could have easily cleared it up.”
Nova finishes her drink, slams it on the nightstand next to the bed, and stands as she shoots daggers at me. “Thanks for the drink, but I’m not in the mood to be yelled at. Yes, I fucked up. Yes, there are a million ways I could have handled it better. I’m willing to admit that. But it’s not like our weekend wasn't going to end and you weren’t going to go back to Boston at some point. It’s not as though this”—she waves her hand between us—“wasn’t going to end.”
“Bullshit,” I spit out at her. “It didn’t have to end, and sure as shit, not like that. You could have talked to me. Instead you ran, and I had no idea why. I thought you’d gotten what you wanted and bolted. I never would have done that to you, regardless of whether or not this thing between us had any chance of living past that day. We fucking had something. You know it just as well as I do. It fucking broke me when I found you gone. I was falling in lo—”
Nova moves to walk past me before I can finish, but I stand and grab her arm before she makes it to the door. The second my hand connects with her skin, a hot wave of lust washes over me. One that I wasn’t prepared for, especially when her angry gaze bores into me. We stand like that for a few moments, both of us panting. I see the warring emotions in her eyes, just as I’m sure she sees the same in mine. One thing Nova and I have in spades is this insane chemistry I’ve never been able to explain. It was there the first night we met, and it exploded the night I met her in that bar while we were dancing. Just like it’s about to now.
Nova’s eyes fixate on my lips one second, and the next, she’s crashing her mouth to mine. This kiss is like all the other times when it was as though we couldn’t stand not to be touching for a second longer, but there’s something else here that never was before. Anger. I’m still beyond pissed, and from the violence of her hands yanking on the strands of my hair as I lift her and wrap her legs around my waist, so is she. But this won’t be contained, no matter how we feel about each other at the moment. We’ve been explosive from the first kiss. And that’s the mindfuck of this thing between Nova and me.
I walk over to the bed and lay her on her back without unwrapping her from my waist. My weight presses her into the mattress, but if she’s uncomfortable with me lying on top of her, she doesn’t let it show. The only noises I hear are our combined moans and grunts as our tongues and teeth duel for dominance.
Pulling away, I sit back on my knees and look down at her swollen red lips and feel a sort of satisfaction that no matter what happens after this, she’s going to bear the marks of our frenzied and brutal moment when she leaves this room. I rip the shirt from my body, and her nails score down the naked planes of my chest and tight abdomen until she reaches for my belt and begins trying to undo the buckle. Her hands fumble, shaking with aggravation. I slap them away and finish what she started, ripping the belt from the loops. After I undo the button of my pants and pull the zipper down, I pull out my hard cock and stroke it in front of her as I keep her trapped beneath me.
“I shouldn’t give this to you,” I say, relishing the way her eyes dart hungrily to my fist that’s squeezing the head of my cock.
Nova’s hand finds the bottom of her shirt and she pulls the material over her head. She isn’t wearing a bra, so her pert tits and rosy nipples are on full display for my eyes to feast on. Her hand cups one of her breasts, her thumb and forefinger twisting the tightened bud while her other runs up the length of my thigh to my cock, and she swipes her thumb over the head, collecting the precum from the tip. She brings her thumb to her mouth and sucks, all the while keeping her gaze locked with mine. I let out an animalistic growl at the sight, and the hand that is around my cock moves to her throat as her head tips up before I slam my mouth to hers in another brutal kiss. Her legs are still around my waist and she tightens her grip, pressing her pussy into my hard length as she writhes beneath me, making it impossible not to feel her wet heat through the thin shorts she’s wearing.
When I tear my mouth from hers, she looks at me with confusion and frustration in her green eyes. “If you stop now, I’m liable to go back to my room and grab that fucking gun, Cillian.”
My mouth tips up in a smirk at her threat. “Such a violent little thing because I’m not inside you making you come on my cock.”
“Damn straight.” She rolls her hips beneath me again. “You need this as badly as I do.”
Shit, she’s fucking right about that. The only thing I can think about is being buried so deep in her wet pussy that every other thought and feeling is washed away. All that matters is her coming on my cock over and over. I release her throat from my grasp and stand from the bed, shucking my pants and boxers off my legs. Then I pull Nova into a sitting position at the end of the bed before pumping my cock. I take a step toward her, and she bites her bottom lip while rubbing her thighs together, anticipation and excitement rolling off her in waves..
“Suck,” I command, and she parts her lips. When I slide into the wet heat of her mouth, my eyes nearly roll back in my head. I pump myself in and out and Nova groans, the vibration shooting straight to my balls.
“That’s a good fucking girl,” I praise before I reach for her arm and grab her hand, placing it at the base of my cock. “Show me that you deserve to be fucked.”
Nova doesn’t disappoint. Her grip tightens around my length as she bobs her head back and forth, her hand reaching to where her mouth can’t. I grab the back of her hair and push deeper into her, hitting the back of her throat and holding myself there. She chokes and her pretty eyes water, but she doesn’t make an attempt to pull away. I draw back and out, allowing her to catch her breath.
“Turn over.”
She does as I command, and before having to be told, she positions herself on all fours and props her ass in the air. I rip the shorts down her thighs, leaving them around her knees, then step back for a moment and admire the view in front of me. Nova’s hair hangs over her left side, and I see her glistening pussy begging to be filled. She turns her head and looks at me through hooded lids. My finger glides over her center, spreading her wetness around and through her hot cunt.
“Fuck,” she breathes out as I continue rubbing, moving my fingers from her opening to her clit, back and forth, but never entering her or providing enough pressure to make her come. And she’s damn close. Her head hangs, and every time my fingers graze against where I want to sink into, she pushes back, trying to fill herself up, but that’s not what I have in mind.
I remove my hand and grasp her hip, then twist her hair in my fist, pulling her head back before slamming into her from behind. Nova yells out in pleasure as I pound into her over and over, going as deep as possible with each thrust. Incoherent words fall from her lips as I clench my teeth and stare at the way she takes me in so fucking good. This isn’t soft or gentle or anywhere near sweet. It’s an exorcism of my anger as I pump relentlessly into the body she’s offering me.
Sweat beads at my brow, and I feel the impending release hover just out of reach. As soon as the walls of Nova’s pussy begin to pulsate and flutter around me, my hand reaches around to her clit, and I rub furiously over the bud.
“Oh fuck, I’m coming,” she shouts and her pussy clamps around me, sucking me deeper, then setting off my own orgasm. I pull out at the last possible second, gritting my teeth and pumping my cock as hot spurts of my release paint her back. When I finish, the relief knocks me back a step, and I have to grab her hip to keep myself steady.
“You okay?” she asks, turning her head to face me.
“Yeah.” I swipe a hand over my damp face. “I’ll be right back.”
I walk into the bathroom and grab a washcloth before running it under the water. My gaze zeros in on the angry red scratches over my shoulders. Then my mind drifts to the first night we were together and the bite mark I left on Nova’s shoulder. Then to the day she left me sitting at a bar, waiting for her to return. The anger I felt that day—and all the days after—comes flooding back. This shouldn’t have happened. I was supposed to make sure she made it to Shine safely, then put her in my rearview. I wasn’t supposed to give her some confession of love…and she was ready to bolt the second the words were about to leave my lips. That should tell me everything I need to know. But like all the other times I’ve spent with her, Nova has completely derailed my common fucking sense.
When I walk back into the room, she’s sprawled on her stomach with her eyes closed. I wipe the mess from her back, and she tenses.
“That’s cold.”
“Would you rather be sticky or cold?” I grunt before finishing and walking back into the bathroom, throwing the cloth on the tile floor. I don’t look at her as I stride over to the minibar and grab another little bottle of whiskey then over to the table where my glass was sitting, the ice now mostly melted. I pour the contents of the bottle into the glass and tip it back into my mouth, emptying it in three long swallows, but it does nothing to quell the utter disappointment and hurt I feel. I hear movement behind me and turn to see that Nova has risen from the bed and pulled her shorts up to her waist. She bends and picks up her shirt, pulling it over her head with jerky movements.
“What a surprise. You aren’t sticking around.”
“Obviously it isn’t a surprise to you at all. That’s what I do, right? Leave you hanging?”
Her gaze darts to my soft dick while I stand completely naked in front of her, not giving a single fuck.
A huff of sarcastic laughter tumbles from my throat. “We leave in the morning. Be ready at six.”
“How are you planning on getting us back to Boston?”
“I booked plane tickets since Liam’s guys took the private jet he borrowed.” I’d love to know what kinds of friends that man has. Who lets someone borrow their private fucking plane?
“No can do. Harper and I don’t have IDs on us. Unless you think it’s safe to go back to our house.”
Fuck. I didn’t think of that. I consider our little issue for a few moments as I grab my boxers and pull them back in place. Tony is probably long gone, but so are Liam and his guys. I have no interest in finding myself alone in a shitstorm of who knows what if he’s watching the house for the girls’ return.
But Liam did leave a car for me to take to the airport. Even though the last thing I want to do is spend the next two days in a car with Nova, it doesn’t look like we have much of a choice.
“Driving it is, then. You still need to be ready at six,” I say, walking around her and making myself comfortable on the bed.
Flipping on the TV, I feel her glare bore into the side of my face, but I don’t give her the satisfaction of acknowledging whatever she may be feeling.
“Fuck you, Cillian.” Nova storms to the door and wrenches it open before slamming it behind her. I listen for her as she slams the door to the room she’s sharing with Harper.
“You sure fucking did,” I mumble into an empty room before turning the television off and rolling over.
Like I’m going to get any fucking sleep tonight.