Chapter 26
Kieran
ICEHAWKS BITCHES
JOHNSON
where the fuck did Irving go?
MITCHEL
I feel like that’s pretty obvious on nights like this
O’CONNOR
please don’t tell me he’s doing a bunny in the bathroom again
LEWIS
is THAT why the line is so long?????
Ineed her.
I need her so fucking bad I swear my heart stops beating and won’t resume until she touches me again.
I’ve never wanted someone like this before. It’s a hunger—a craving that I don’t think I can ever satisfy.
Something must be wrong with me because all she’s doing is laughing and talking and my cock is as hard as a rock, as if it can come from the sound alone. And my mind is certainly in the gutter—I haven’t been able to get it out of there since the moment I placed her on my lap.
Grayson slides out of the booth, holding his hand out to Bella.
“Going already, Cap?”
He offers me a smile. “Yeah, we’re done for the night. Good game boys, let’s keep it up.”
Valenti grunts as Ellington dips his chin. “Thanks, Cap.”
Valenti has barely gotten off his phone, yet I haven’t seen it light up once tonight. Ellington is none the wiser, since his gaze is firmly glued to the group of women that came in here around an hour ago.
“Just go up to them already. You look like a dog with its tongue lolling out.”
Ellington sputters, Valenti finally gracing us with a smile.
The boys jab each other back and forth, Layla saying goodbye to Bella while Cindy and O’Connor are the next to excuse themselves. As the booth empties, she starts to move off my lap, but I tighten my hold on her.
“No, no.”
“No?” she asks incredulously.
“No.”
Ellington shakes his head before tapping Valenti. “I’m out too.” The words have barely left his lips before he’s sauntering over to the table, the sound of feminine laughter following close behind.
Layla gasps. “They’re leaving already.” She looks from me to the space over my shoulder. “He just said hi and cocked his head and she followed him like a puppy.”
“Bunnies,” Valenti grunts, his expression more sour than usual.
Layla slides off my lap and I let her this time as she whispers, “I’ll go get us a drink.”
Giving her a thankful smile for sensing the need to talk to Valenti I wink at her as I take out my wallet and hand my card over. “Thanks, sunshine.”
She looks down at the card before wrinkling her nose. “I can afford two Cokes.”
Spinning on her heel, her fiery red hair brushes my outstretched hand and I can’t help but smile as I watch her walk to the bar that’s slowly beginning to thin out as the evening goes on. I have to rip my eyes away from her, Momma Bear Carson’s words ringing through my mind.
Once I finally do slide my attention to Valenti, he’s already watching me.
“What happened?”
He arches a brow. “Can’t get much past you, can I?”
“Never. Want to talk about it?”
A muscle feathers in his jaw, his gaze flicking over my shoulder to the door Ellington left through.
“Does he know?” I ask as he remains quiet, broody.
That has his eyes piercing me to the spot. “Know what?”
I cock my head. “Come on.”
Running a hand down his face, he sighs heavily. “Fucking psychic.”
I lean back in the booth. “Layla calls it my superpower.”
“She might be on the money with that one. You’re like an emotional sniffer dog.”
Clicking my tongue, I glance at the bar, triple-checking she’s okay before turning back to Valenti. “Which is why I want to know what has you looking so depressed.”
“It’s Evie.”
“Figured as much. Has something else happened?”
Valenti is slow to nod, his hand on the table clenching before he sees that I’ve noticed it and shoves it under the table. “I…found out something that is going to utterly break her.”
The severity of his tone has my spine straightening. “Does Ellington know?”
He shakes his head. “No one but me and—” Valenti cuts himself off abruptly.
“And…?” I probe.
At the slight flush to his cheeks, my stomach turns sour. I’ve never seen Valenti nervous in all my years playing alongside him.
“Shit, dude, what the fuck did you do?”
“I may have…hired a PI.”
My jaw drops. “Y-you what?”
He moves forward, his arms spreading across the table. “I know, okay? I know it’s an invasion of privacy but I had to figure it out. I had a fucking hunch the second that dick turned on her.”
“Is he cheating?”
He nods, pure fury flashing in his brown depths. “I want to fucking kill him.”
“Might join you on that man hunt.” I blow out a breath. “You need to tell her.”
He shakes his head. “She’ll hate me though…for so many reasons.”
“So tell her anonymously.”
He frowns at that. “Anonymously?”
I shrug. “Send her an address where they meet up, send photos—hell I don’t know, but you don’t have to be the messenger. You’re right, she’ll just remember you as the guy who found her partner sneaking around behind her back.” I give him a knowing look. “And I know that would crush you.”
His gaze darts away quickly. Clearing his throat, he dips his chin. “Thanks, Ashford, I owe you one.”
“Nah brother, this is what family is for.”
A thought occurs to me. Before I can think much on it, I’m leaning forward, lowering my voice. “Is the PI good?”
“I’ve used him a few times. Always efficient.”
My lips purse before I wave him off. “I don’t even want to know.”
He snorts at my reaction. “Best you don’t.”
“Can I grab the number?”
His eyes widen, putting the pieces together, before he picks up his phone, firing off a text message to me.
It’s been weeks and I still can’t remember Emmy’s mom. What’s the harm in having someone else look into it for me? I’m desperate for answers at this point.
A buzz in my pocket has me leaning back as Valenti slips his away. “I’ve got you.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Emmy’s mom?” he guesses.
My lips thin as I dip my chin. “Still can’t fucking remember anything and Emmy isn’t opening up about her.” My shoulders rise only to drop with defeat. “I’m desperate for any answers I can gather.”
“I’d be the same, I’m sorry it happened the way it has.”
Blowing out a heavy breath, I mutter, “Thanks.”
Valenti’s gaze slides to the bar, the desolate look he was harboring before now replaced with a frown. “I’m not the only one going to be thinking of murder tonight.”
Following his line of sight, I spot a guy trying to chat Layla up at the bar, and in an instant, red-hot jealousy strikes me.
“Fucker,” I mutter as I slide out of the booth, Valenti and his love problems long forgotten. I stride directly up to Layla, wrap my arm around her chest, and pull her flush against my body.
“Mine,” I growl at the twat in front of me.
Layla stiffens in my arms as the blond douche steps back in horror. “Shit, sorry, Ashford.” He doesn’t even spare a glance at Layla before he hightails it out of the bar.
He might be a fucker but he’s a smart one.
Layla wiggles away, only to spin around and shove me in the chest.
“Hey!” I protest only for it to die on my tongue as I see the anger clouding her gaze. I can’t help it, my lips twitch. “Fuck, sunshine, even cloudy you look stunning.”
Her eyes spark, an inferno being ignited.
“What is wrong with you?” she seethes.
“With me?” I point in the direction the guy fled. “He was flirting with you!”
“So?”
My eyes all but bulge out of my head but before I can snap back, she shoves my chest again.
“You growled like a fricken caveman! Mine? Mine? I’m not a piece of property you own, Ashford!
” Layla is heaving, wild with a tornado of anger.
“You stupid twat!” She marches right past me and down the hallway.
“Shit,” I mutter.
Taking off after her, I call her name, not caring who’s looking as the woman who has me by the balls pushes through the service entrance and into the staff parking lot at the back of the building.
The door slams behind me and at the sound her tiny frame spins, that fire still burning in her eyes as she strides toward me, pointing an incredulous finger. “How dare you act like you fucking own me!”
I can’t help it, I chuckle.
Growling, she slaps my chest but it’s not hard or intended to hurt. “Why the hell are you laughing at me?”
“I’ve never heard you swear before. You’re usually too nice for it.”
“Well, that clearly goes out the window when it comes to you! God, Kieran, you can be so infuriating!”
Leaning against the building wall, I kick a foot up against it. “Hate to break it to you, love, but all this is doing is turning me on.”
Her chest heaves as she shakes her head. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
She wags a finger at me. “Look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Your eyes. They’re sparkling.”
My grin turns downright dirty. “You think my eyes sparkle, sunshine?” Pushing off the wall, I stalk toward her, ever so slowly, our gazes hold one another.
She begins to back away until she’s pressed against the adjacent brick wall of the alley.
Ever so slowly I place a hand on either side of her head, caging her in. “I know you like the way I look at you.”
My voice is rough, gravelly, and full of the heat I’ve felt toward this little firecracker tonight. It turns me on exceptionally to know this side only comes out with me. That the world only sees the nice calm side, whereas I see every facet of her.
Cupping her chin so she can’t avoid my gaze, I drawl, “And I know you’d be lying if you said you didn’t love it.”
Her swallow is audible. I trail my finger down her neck, lavishing the way her lips part almost subconsciously.
“Tell me,” I whisper. “On that precious list of yours…does it mention anything about a bar?”
Layla’s icy blue eyes flare.
Trailing my fingers leisurely over her shoulder and down her arm. “Is your blood rushing at the thought of me touching you out here where anyone could walk through that door and catch us?”
The sharp intake of air has a crooked grin spreading across my face.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I purr.
“I hate you,” she hisses.
“No you don’t. You love the way your belly is heating, and by the way your hips are canting forward and seeking mine, you want this as badly as I do.”
“And what if I said I didn’t want this?”
Stepping back abruptly, my lips tip into a crooked grin as she almost topples forward, a whimper slipping past her lips.
“I’d know you were lying just by the little sound you made.”
Her head tips back to keep eye contact, hers narrowing while mine sparkle.
Not sure she’s figured out yet that when they do, it’s because I want to devour her.
“Has anyone told you that hate fucking is extraordinary?”
“I don’t hate you,” she admits.
“No?”
“No, you’re just insufferable.”
“Insufferably good looking?”
“Insufferably cocky.”
“Well, cocky or not, I’m about to keep my promise and make you scream.”
Savoring every second of it I slowly drop to my knees, soaking up the flush along her cheeks, the widening of her eyes, the way her chest rises on a sharp inhale.
Placing my hands on her thighs, I sit back on my heels, watching her as I trail my hands up higher and higher until they reach her skirt.
“You’ve fallen quiet, sunshine. Cat got your tongue?”
Her lips part, only to snap closed a second later as I expose her underwear, hook my finger into the waistband, pull down, and lick.
Layla’s head drops back, her knees giving out as I taste her. I quickly catch her, wrapping one of her legs around my shoulder and holding the other with my free hand to stabilize her.
I should be taking this slow, should be torturing her and dragging it out, but I’m a selfish bastard and I can’t stop now that I’ve started.
She’s heaven.
Every little breathy moan and whimper, is making me an addict.
I pull back just long enough to pant out, “Bite your lip, sunshine. I’m about to make good on my promise.”
Lowering my head again, I run my free hand up her center, while I suck on the bundle of nerves pulsing for me. I slide my finger inside of her, crooking it once I get halfway.
It doesn’t take me long to find that spot and make my promise come true.
A surprised scream tumbles from her.
Not letting up on my relenting pace, I go from sucking to licking, flicking my tongue back and forth and fucking enjoying every second that she grows wetter.
The thigh around my shoulder and the one pinned beside my head begins to quake, her walls around my finger pulsing, convulsing, and I know she’s close.
So fucking close.
I’m going to dream about this moment until my last breath.
Pulling back, I grin up at Layla. “Pull my hair, baby, and show me how much you want my mouth on you.”
Her eyes all but roll in the back of her head but like a good girl she runs both hands through my hair, making me groan as I put my mouth on her again and go to fucking town.
The harder she pulls, the more I moan and the faster I lick.
“That’s it, sunshine. Come on my tongue.”
My words are her undoing. When I go back and suck she does just that and comes on my face. Her legs shake so hard I have to remove my fingers and hold her steady as she drops, placing all her weight on me, but I gladly eat it up.
I don’t take my eyes off her as I continue to suck gently, taking a moment to commit every detail of this moment to memory.
Layla Carson has just ruined me.
Utterly ruined me.
And all I’ll ever want is her.
My sunshine.