Chapter 25
25
T ripp and Hugo cheer loudly when the waitress brings another bottle of tequila over. I’ve lost track of how many shots they’ve done. Pretty sure they have too.
We’re in one of the circular leather booths nestled in the corner of the VIP section. The song changes to one I recognize, but can’t name, the heavy bass beat making the entire building vibrate. If I had to guess, I’d say this is a spot Blythe frequents when she stays at the villa.
It’s clearly the most popular nightclub in town, based on the long line outside that Tripp bypassed with a few words and a wad of cash.
He nudges a full shot toward me with a questioning tilt of one eyebrow.
I shake my head, shouting, “I’m good,” over the commotion around us.
After my meeting with the real estate agent this afternoon, I drove to dinner at a local restaurant and then came here.
“It’s good shit, man,” Hugo tells me. “Might lighten you up a little.”
Jasper grins to my left. “He’s got to stay in fighting shape for Lili.”
At first, I think he’s talking about the scratches on my back. Then, I follow his gaze to the bar that stretches the length of the building, on the opposite side of the dance floor.
“You’ve got some competition, man,” Tripp says.
The girls left to dance a few songs ago, Chloe dragging Theo along with her to a chorus of whip sounds from Hugo and Jasper.
But Lili’s not on the dance floor with her friends any longer. She’s perched on a stool, smiling at the three guys surrounding her.
“Lili can take care of herself,” Cal comments.
I slide a glance at him. He seems like a decent guy. The top three reasons I dislike him is that he dated Lili. And the distant fourth is that he didn’t fight for her. What kind of fool would let her go?
Me, I guess.
I let her walk away from me at Carys Park. And I’ve held back some since I arrived in Saint-Tropez, disturbed by the urge to see her again in the first place. I easily could have made this trip without seeing her, and I rearranged my plans to ensure that I did. I’ve never done that before—chased a woman. Craved anyone the way I want to be around her.
“Oh, I know,” Hugo says.
“They’re all goners,” Tripp concurs. “Look at that. Free drink number five. She’s got a real collection going.”
If this is what it’s like to have a group of male friends, I don’t want it. They’re purposefully needling me—even Tripp, who I thought wanted me far away from Lili. He seems to have resolved his concerns about me taking advantage of her. And honestly? I think that means I’m being more obvious about my feelings than I should.
“Damn, she did the hair flip,” Cal comments. “That move always worked on me.”
Even her ex is trying to make me jealous. I can’t decide if that makes me like Cal more or less.
After a few torturous seconds, I look at Lili again. Five guys are gathered around her now. One touches her arm. She reaches for one of the glasses in front of her—Tripp was right about the collection—effectively shaking him off.
My jaw is so tight that it’s starting to ache. I don’t get jealous. Women pay me attention, and I choose whether or not to indulge it.
That relaxed indifference is splintering apart, leaving a dark, ugly coil of jealousy behind.
Mine .
I wish I’d left those four letters written on her back. Then, maybe men wouldn’t be swarming her.
She’s not mine though. She’s free to talk to and flirt with whoever she wants, and I’m not going to be the arsehole who pisses all over that simply because the sight of her with other men feels like a serrated knife is sawing into my chest.
I try not to notice. Attempt not to care.
But it’s a fight I’m fucking losing.
Three women stop by our booth. I barely spare them a glance, letting the other guys entertain them.
The next time I look at Lili, she’s staring this way. Our gazes collide across the crowded expanse of the club, all the external noise surrounding us fading away.
And she winks. Fucking winks , like she can tell how irritated I am and finds it amusing.
One of the men steps closer and says something that has Lili shaking her head. I catch the clear outline of no in her response, but the wanker doesn’t step away.
And I stand, knowing I’ve been waiting for an excuse to. Push through the crowd, hoping I’m imagining the whip sounds behind me.
She watches me walk toward her.
I don’t pay any notice to her crowd of admirers. I shove through, ignoring one’s protest, until I’m standing right in front of her.
Lili smirks. Swipes her tongue along her lower lip. “Couldn’t stay away, huh?”
“Time to go.”
She tilts her head. “Why? I’m having fun.”
I lean into her, not missing the way her breath catches, and her pupils dilate. If I slipped a hand under her dress, I’d find her panties wet.
“You wanted my attention, Lili? You fucking have it. Time. To. Go.”
She reaches into one of her many beverages, plucking a cherry out and setting it on her tongue. Her cheeks hollow as she sucks it off the stem, blue eyes overflowing with mirth.
“Nah, I’m not tired,” she drawls, tossing the stem away. “And I like this song,” she adds, tilting her head back. She curled the strands so they fall in silky waves that I’m dying to shove my hands into. “It makes me want to dance.”
I step closer, so I’m wedged between her long legs. My right hand slides up her thigh until I reach the bunched hem of the minidress she’s wearing.
Her lips part, but nothing comes out.
“If you wanted to dance, you should have danced sooner.”
Lili’s chin lifts stubbornly. “I’ll dance whenever I want.”
“You don’t want to dance. You want me to fuck you.” I glance over one shoulder, pleased to see her prospects have all disappeared. “Did you think they’d be able to make you come like I can? Or were you just trying to make me jealous?”
In the dim light of the club, her eyes are all I can see. They beam bright, like my personal North Star.
A shade of blue I’ve never seen before. One that seems to change based on where we are. What she’s looking at. Focused on me, they’re fucking brilliant.
If she asked me what my favorite color was, the honest answer would be whatever mysterious pigment her eyes are.
Lili swallows. I watch the delicate muscles of her throat contract.
She wets her lips before replying, “I was just being friendly.”
She reaches for one of her drinks. I slide my palm higher, higher, higher , until my fingertips are brushing wet lace.
Knew it .
Pink streaks across her cheeks, knuckles turning white on the glass she’s holding.
I ghost my fingers back and forth, smirking as Lili fights the urge to squirm. “I could make you come right here. Remember how fast you came, rubbing that tight cunt all over me? I wasn’t even touching you that night. You want me to touch you tonight, Lili?”
Her eyes darken, turning hazy with heat.
And she’s not the only one affected.
I can feel my hold on control slipping.
It’s not scary. It’s not the fog of alcohol or the velocity of a vehicle. I’m purposefully loosening my grip so I can experience the high of letting go.
This trip isn’t a vacation for me. Or an exciting investment opportunity, like I told Theo when he asked what business I was here on.
It’s an ending. The close of a final chapter. The start of me going to extremes to salvage what I can.
For a little longer, I want to forget about it all. And Lili’s the only person who can make that happen.
I need her.
My patience has burned down to nothing.
“You have three seconds, Kensington.”
She sets her drink down and leans closer. Our breaths mingle. Hers smells like cherry.
“Three seconds or what , Marlborough?”
The countdown in my head has already expired.
Elizabeth Kensington wants to battle? I’ll give her a bloody war.
And this time, the Brit won’t lose.
I tug her off the barstool and hoist her over one shoulder in one smooth motion, palming Lili’s ass to ensure her short dress doesn’t ride up even higher. Smirk at the sound of her shocked gasp as I grab her purse off the counter and head straight for the exit.
Once we’re outside, I set her down.
The valet gapes at me as I hand him my ticket. Lili huffs as she adjusts her dress, but I catch her grin before her hair swings forward to partially cover her face.
She loves to compete as much as I do.
My car revs up less than a minute later, the valet casting an admiring look at the vehicle before handing me the keys. I slip him a bill, then attempt to help Lili into the car. She swats my hand away, and I grin as soon as the door’s shut.
It takes me five minutes to decide where I’m going. Or to come to terms with it rather.
I wasn’t planning to come here at all. Even before I decided to go see Lili and Theo offered me a place to sleep, I planned to stay at a hotel instead of the villa.
But leaving without coming here feels wrong all of a sudden.
And some part of me wants Lili to see it, for her to hopefully be impressed while I still have something to show off.
For my last memory here to be with her.
She frowns, confused, as I turn down the lane. Lights line the driveway every dozen feet.
Before the final curve, I veer right onto the grass. Hit the brakes and shut off the car. Climb out.
Another door slams as Lili does the same.
“Where the hell are we?” she asks. “This isn’t?—”
I cut her off with a firm kiss, bracketing her face between my hands and backing her against the front fender of the car. I’ve been hard for her all day, watching her strut around the boat in a swimsuit. It feels like my balls must be navy by now.
She kisses me back with the same intensity, lifting one leg and wrapping it around my waist. Mewling eagerly into my mouth as she rocks her pelvis against mine. I grip her hips, letting her gyrate against me, but not touching her anywhere else.
“More,” she pants, breaking our kiss and sucking in greedy gulps of oxygen. “I need more.”
I drop my hands and step back. She teeters in her heels, gravity nearly replacing my hold on her.
Lili huffs. “Tosser.”
I almost smile, catching myself just in time.
“This isn’t all about you, Lili. You got my attention. You got me hard. What are you going to do about it?”
I’m not a fan of the wicked smile Lili gives me. Or rather, I love it too much.
It’s dangerous. Reeks of ruin. The smirk of a seductress.
A grunted “Fuck” spills out when she sinks down to her knees in the grass.
I have to rest a hand on the warm hood of the car when she palms my erection through the stiff material of my trousers. Grit my teeth when she slowly starts working the button and zipper, my weaker knee threatening to buckle the entire time.
I figured she was going to tug her dress up and demand I fuck her. Not get on the ground.
“Take off your shirt,” she tells me, reaching to tug my pants and boxers down.
My fingers curl into a fist as hers wrap around my throbbing dick. They look so delicate, the nails painted a light shade of pink, against the raised veins and flushed skin.
I grunt as her hold tightens, battling the urge to thrust. The teasing is torture, and she fucking knows it, staring up at me with wide, satisfied eyes as I struggle to retain some control.
I unbutton my shirt and toss it away, not caring where it lands on the grass.
Her palm presses against my stomach, and then her nails rake down my abs. Red lines linger over the ridges, like marks from skiers on freshly fallen snow.
I swear again, the sting barely registering through the haze of arousal as I grip the base of my erection and smear the pre-cum that’s collected at the tip across her full lips.
“ Lili .” That’s all I can manage, two syllables that are soaked with urgency.
She blows on the tip, then takes me into her mouth like she’s ravenous for a taste. She sucks me deep, her cheeks hollowing and her eyes watering when I hit the back of her throat.
Her hand squeezes, then pumps the inches she can’t swallow. Releases me from the warm wetness of her mouth and flicks the sensitive slit at the end with her tongue before circling the flared head. Her lips close around the tip, a seal of suction that has my balls drawing up tight.
I grunt, my awareness of the entire world narrowing to nothing except this. All the medical terms I memorized, all the ancestral history my father ensured I learned, all the rugby plays I mastered … there’s nothing but blank space in my brain. Right now, I couldn’t even come up with my own damn title.
Some of Lili’s hair falls forward. I collect as much of it as I can and fist it so my view of her face is unobstructed.
Her hands explore as her mouth continues to suck my cock, nails scraping and fingers tugging. Her left hand plays with my testicles, and then her right hand slides down my leg.
At first, I think she’s just bracing herself. But when I feel her palm rub against the puckered scar on my knee, I decide the position is deliberate.
A harsh grunt leaves my mouth. That skin is not normally sensitive, the injury long healed and the scar itself a thin white line, but something about her touching me there—about her choosing to touch me there, like some silent message she’s glad I didn’t die in that accident, heightens everything else I’m experiencing.
Hot pressure builds deep and low in my groin, my balls high and heavy. I barely have the presence of mind to choke out a warning to Lili before the pressure snaps, the first wave of my release hitting like a tsunami as my dick pulses in her mouth. Filling it with so much cum that white liquid spills down her chin, even as her throat shudders with rapid swallows.
I pull her up and turn her around, pressing the small of her back so she’s bent over and lying flat on the car’s hood, yanking her dress up and her panties down.
The headlights flickered out at some point, but the driveway lights are bright enough for me to see how swollen and wet her cunt is. How much blowing me turned her on.
My dick is already inflating again, satisfied but not sated. I can’t fucking get enough of her. I always want more—want everything.
“Was it that good, Charlie? You came kinda fast. I bet those guys at the club would have lasted longer.”
She’s teasing me. But I’m seeing red at the thought of her touching anyone else.
I smack her ass, watching pink bloom across her pale skin. “Is that what you want, Lili? You want a different cock right now?”
She gasps, and I watch her exposed pussy pulse.
I might as well have not come at all; my dick is so hard. Makes rolling the condom on easy.
I pump my dick between her trembling thighs, but I don’t give her a single inch.
“Answer me.”
Her frustrated groan makes me smile. Her nails scrabble against the hood of the car, trying to find purchase on something but only finding smooth metal. This car is supposed to sell with the house, which is probably for the best. I’m never going to be able to drive it again without picturing her spread out on it.
I spank her other ass cheek, so she’s sporting matching handprints.
“Wanker!”
“ Answer me , Lili, or you don’t get to come. Whose cock do you want?”
“I can’t—” She pants, her breathing rapid and irregular. Her hair’s a wild array across the shiny metal. “I can’t think of a worse British insult right now, but just know I’m thinking it.”
I’m glad she can’t see my face because I can’t hold back the smile this time.
Am I genuinely pissed she was flirting with other men in front of me? Yeah.
But I’m also getting off on this fight, of forcing her to admit what she wants from me. She knew exactly what she was doing, which tells me she’s getting off on it too.
I slap her ass a third time. Lili bucks back against me, shouting my name, mixed with lots of swears.
“Do you want to go back to the club?” I suggest innocently. “Maybe you can find?—”
“Fuck you, Charlie.”
“You want to,” I tease.
Lili turns her head so she’s lying on the opposite cheek. “I want it, okay?”
“Want what?”
She glares at me, but the effect is ruined by her swollen lips and flushed cheeks. “I want your cock, Charlie. Now, fuck me with it or else I’ll hitchhike back to that club. Alone.”
Good enough for me.
I thrust into her. She’s soaking wet but so tight that I have to work to get inside of her.
I can barely hear the wet slap of our bodies colliding over the sounds Lili is making. It’s the most vocal she’s ever been during sex—I guess because we’re out in the middle of nowhere, it seems like—and it urges something primal in me. I pound into her hard and fast and rough, taking my pleasure but feral for the sound of hers.
I fuck her over and over again, unable to look away from the sight. I’m not going to last long, and I want to memorize this moment.
How she looks with me inside of her.
How it feels like her cunt was made for me to fill it.
I don’t know how near the closest neighbors are, but I’m sure they hear her shout when she comes all over my dick.