Chapter Twenty-Five
Orion
G ripping Emmy’s ass, I picked her up and spun us around, so she was lying beneath me on our bed. Her hands remained tangled in the back of my hair, tugging on the short strands, and moaning as my cock rubbed against her through my trousers.
My hands roamed her body, finding the zipper of her dress in the center of her chest and sliding the mechanism down, exposing her creamy skin and matching black set. Jesus Christ . I’d never tire of seeing her body, it was incredible.
Her breathing turned heavier as my lips descended her neck, brushing against her skin and leaving hickeys down to her collarbone. There was nothing gentle about the way I kissed her. Caressed her. It was greedy, consuming, raw .
She shuffled beneath me, trying to press our bodies closer together, and tsked at me when I grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head.
I was desperate to feel her. All of her. To be inside her, claiming her as mine. That bastard had gotten in my head, planted seeds of doubt that my girl was in trouble, and despite Blake assuring me Emmy was fine, things had grown slightly… bloodier after that.
The need to feel her clench around me and wither underneath me was fucking overwhelming, but I held back. Even though it pained me to do so. She deserved better than a quick fuck.
And despite her feisty show of dominance, I felt like I could breathe again.
She was here.
With me.
She wasn’t going anywhere.
I had all the time in the world with her.
I smirked at her frustrated growl when I pulled away. “Don’t move,” I ordered. She blinked up at me and nodded, silently telling me she understood.
I walked over to one of the white chests of drawers in my walk-in closet and pulled out a black, silky tie. Emmy kept her eyes glued on me as I walked back to her, her eyes lighting up when she saw the tie in my hand.
Back at the bed, I pulled out a pair of handcuffs from one of the bedside cabinets and turned back to my girl. “Sit up.”
She did. Putting the handcuffs and tie on the bed, I pushed down the material of her dress so it fell off her shoulders and threw it to the other side of the room.
Leaning down, I trailed my tongue along her heaving chest, swirling it around one of her nipples as I unclasped her bra and threw that too.
She muttered her annoyance when I pulled away, and I bit back a smile. My girl was always so needy for me, and I fucking loved it. Brushing my thumb across her lips, I told her, “Wrists.”
She offered me her hands, palms up. The sound of the metal clicking shut made her jump with anticipation when I fixed the cuff around one wrist, before weaving the chain around the bedpost and locking the second cuff on her hand.
Her eyes widened slightly when she realized not only were her hands restrained, but she also couldn’t move. “Good girl,” I praised, my cock twitching at her moan when I pinched her nipples. Reaching for the tie, I placed it across her eyes before tying it at the back of her head, making sure none of her hair was caught in the knot, she’d only shout at me for it later if I didn’t.
Then, I stepped back, admiring my handy work. “You look so stunning right now, Tesoro, bound and exposed, completely at my mercy. All the things I could do to you like this...”
Picking up the glass of ice from the side table, I ordered, “Lay down, baby.”
She did without hesitation, though I knew her pulse was working in overdrive right now by the way her chest was bouncing up and down.
I took an ice cube from the glass and put it on my tongue, taking the edge off the coolness before climbing over her anxious body. Her breathing picked up when she sensed me hovering over her, and she bit down on her lip, making me grin.
My heart constricted every goddamn time I looked at her. She was so fucking gorgeous, it physically pained me. Every minute with her was another minute I couldn’t seem to stop myself from falling in love with her. It was scary as hell. But…
Miles abused her, tried to ruin her, and burnt scars so deep into her skin she could still sense them unconscious. Yet, my girl lay on our bed trusting me completely, surrendering her power to me.
Anyone with Emmy’s past would run a mile before putting their faith in something like this, especially with someone like me, but here she was, doing it anyway, giving me everything she had to give. She trusted me enough to let me rewrite her scars into a new story. The least I could do was trust her not to run from mine.
She gasped, her body arching into mine as my lips trailed the ice cube down her neck, goosebumps sprouting in its wake. I grinned when her body started to tremble, awakening to the new senses.
That’s why I blindfolded her.
By having her sight taken, all Emmy could do was concentrate on my lips and where I’d move the ice next, focusing on the sensuality of it gliding along her skin.
Her moans reverberated through the room when I circled the cube around her nipples, letting the cold add to their sensitivity. She struggled against the cuffs, trying to push her chest back into my face when I started to move down her body, but I shoved her back down.
“Orion,” she panted when my fingers pinched her nipples, my mouth continuing its descent down her stomach. I ran the ice over the lacy material covering her pussy, right down her slit, and she cried my name again, almost undoing me then and there.
Dragging my hands roughly down her side, I hooked my fingers into her thong and pulled them down her legs, exposing her glistening pussy. I groaned at the sight; she was so fucking mouth-watering.
Positioning her thighs over my shoulders, I brought my mouth between her legs and slid the ice cube along her slit, her legs trembling against me. “Stop teasing me,” she growled.
I chuckled, placing the ice cube in her belly button, and left it to melt. “Why when it’s so much fun?”
“Fuck you.”
Climbing back up her body, I nipped her earlobe and slapped the side of her left tit, forcing a whimper out of her that morphed into a moan when I rubbed the sting. “That’s the plan, baby.”
My mouth latched onto one of her nipples, my teeth grazing against it, and my hand reached down between her legs. She threw her head back with a moan when my finger slid between her folds, spreading her arousal and dipping into her.
She was fucking dripping, ready for me as always. Biting down on her nipple and thrusting a second finger into her, her cries filled the room like a siren’s enchanting song as her legs started shaking.
My thrusts got harder, and her body withered underneath me as she clenched down on my fingers and came. “Such a good girl coming for me like that,” I praised her, pulling out my fingers. “Now clean up your mess, Emerson. ”
She opened her mouth and swirled her tongue around my fingers, cleaning herself off me while drawing them into her mouth. I groaned in approval when I pulled them out with a pop. Leaning back on my knees, I unbuttoned my suit trousers and my cock sprung out, painfully hard and begging to be inside her.
“Ready?” I delivered a sharp slap to her pussy, and she sucked in a hazy breath.
“Yes.” Wedging my hips between her legs before she could close her thighs, I forced myself into her in one long, deep stroke.
“Oh, God.”
Squeezing her nipples as I slowly reared out of her, I tsked, “Not God. Orion.” I slammed my hips back into hers and her cry got caught in her throat.
Leaning back on my heels, I wrapped one arm around her legs and pinned them against my chest, lifting her hips for a better, deeper angle. Then I fucked her. Hard. Just like I promised.
Beads of sweat formed on her skin while she took every hard, punishing thrust I gave her. Her tits bounced from the impact of each slam, and the bed banged against the wall, muffling Emmy’s cries and the sound of our skin colliding.
“What was it that smart mouth of yours said again, Tesoro ?” I asked in a rough voice. “That I wouldn’t be touching you tonight?”
She whimpered when I pulled out of her. Gripping her hips, I flipped her over and pulled her ass into the air, her arms now crossed over in front of her.
She jolted forward when I delivered a hard smack to her ass. “Shit,” she muttered, pushing back into me when I smoothed the sting with my palm. She jolted forward again when my hand came back down.
Leaning over her, I lowered my lips to her ear. “I asked you a question, Tesoro, ” I growled, feeling her shudder beneath me. My hand reached down to my cock and slid it back into her, and she threw her head back with a breathy moan when I bit down on her shoulder.
“Yes,” she whimpered.
Clicking my tongue, I reached my hand over her thighs and started to circle her clit with my thumb as my hips slapped against her ass. “It sure feels like I’m touching you, baby, with me deep inside you.”
Her legs started to violently shake.
“This needy pussy couldn’t even last a day without being filled with my cock.” My thrusts got harder.
“Orion, please.”
“Whose needy pussy is this?”
“Yours,” she cried, her entire body now shaking as I kept her right on the edge.
“Who can fuck this pussy whenever they want?”
“You!”
“Good girl.” I kissed her shoulder and sat up straight, with one hand on her hip and the other playing with her clit. Picking up my pace, I gave her what she wanted. “Come for me, Emerson. ”
Just like that, she clenched down on me with an earth-shattering cry and came on my dick. A few strokes later, I was spilling inside her.
Emmy was making breakfast.
She had taken over my kitchen like a hurricane and there was shit everywhere. My left eye was twitching at the mess, and I had a stress headache coming on.
I hated cluttered spaces. I hated things being all over the place. I hated the surfaces not being spotless. It sent my OCD into fucking overdrive.
But she looked so damn cute in one of my shirts, her hair tied back into a messy ponytail and flour on her cheek, wandering around the kitchen barefoot and whisking the pancake mixture. She seemed happy.
At first, I’d been following her around, cleaning up the mess as she went, but then she yelled, saying I was getting in her way and “disturbing her process,” so I’d been ordered to sit down and stay put.
That’s when the eye twitching started.
I attempted to get back up at one point, but then she gave me the look which translated to I dare you, and, even to my own surprise, I didn’t dare.
Here was this tiny female bossing me around in my own home and I was letting it happen. Anyone else would get a foot up their ass just for simply having the audacity, yet I found myself letting Emmy have her own way without the bat of an eyelid.
If the guys could see me now…
I don’t even like pancakes.
She poured the syrup over the pancake stack with a satiated sigh, contentment lingering in her smile. Walking over to the stool next to me, she placed the plate between us and passed me a fork.
My gaze flickered over the disaster that was my kitchen and I bit back a groan; Rosa would fix it. It was fine.
Any second now.
“Breakfast is served.” Her eyes were brimming with accomplishment and there was a proud look on her face as she dug into the pancakes covered in bananas and strawberries.
She brought the fork to my lips, and I reluctantly opened them, taking a mouthful. Hesitantly, I chewed the textured, fluffy food.
Emmy frowned. “Why does your face look like that?”
Then I frowned. “It’s just my face.”
“No, it isn’t.” She eyed me cautiously, skepticism lining her brow. “You look like you’re experiencing trapped wind.”
I choked on my mouthful. “Thanks, baby.”
“Do you not like my cooking?”
The disappointed look on her face made me want to demolish the whole stack of pancakes in front of me just to see her smile return, regardless of the fact I’d most likely be sick shortly after .
“That’s not it, Tesoro. I just don’t like pancakes, never have.”
She stared at me blankly, as if I had saidsomething stupid like I believed the Earth was flat or some shit. “You don’t like pancakes?”
“I like you, does that count?”
“No.” She rolled her eyes as she stepped off the stool. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Before I could answer, she carried on with a tsk . “In fact, never mind. I’ll make you something else. What do you want? Eggs? Bacon?”
She turned to walk off, but I reached for her wrist and pulled her back into me. She pressed her palms against my chest to stabilize herself. Pinching her chin and forcing her to look up at me, I said, “Baby, I’ll eat whatever the hell you put in front of me if you’re the one who’s made it.”
Her eyebrows stretched up her forehead. “But if you had told me, I could have made something you liked.”
“I like that you made it.”
Half laughing, she shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“Says who?”
“Me,” she retorted. “Let me make you something you want.”
I licked my lips and pulled her closer, so she stood between my spread thighs. My hands slid down to her ass and my lips hovered over hers. “What I want isn’t made in the kitchen.”
Her breathing picked up, her oceanic eyes flared with heat, and I crushed my lips against hers. A low moan vibrated against my mouth, and I swiped my tongue along her lip, demanding access. Just as she granted it, the sound of the apartment door opening and slamming shut echoed behind us.
“Darlings, I’m home,” Atlas called out in his usual cheery tone.
Damn it .
Emmy jumped away from me like I’d just electrocuted her and it was all I could do not to laugh. I raised my brow. “Really, Emmy? He’s going to find out anyway.”
Her throat bobbed when she gulped, her cheeks burning crimson. She was nervous. “Sorry, I just,” she sighed. “I don’t know how he’s going to take it.”
“Relax, it’ll be fine.” Probably. “Come on.”
Standing, I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room. Atlas was chatting away with Rosa when we got there, his back turned to us and Aero at his feet.
“Rosa, would you mind making a start in the kitchen, please? Pretty sure Emmy set a bomb off in there.”
“Of course.” Rosa smiled politely. “Welcome home, master Fields.”
Before either of us could say anything, Atlas rushed to Emmy and engulfed her in an air-stealing bear hug. He hasn’t noticed she’s wearing my shirt. “I’ve missed you, kiddo.” Atlas smiled, finally letting my girl breathe.
“I told you to stop calling me that.”
Adorning his usual mischievous grin, Atlas brushed her off. “Never gonna happen, kiddo.” He turned to me, his smile growing wider. He hasn’t noticed I’m not wearing a shirt.
“Glad to see you still standing, man,” he slapped my back. “I was certain Emmy would have tried poisoning you while I was away. Brief when I get settled?”
So was I.
“There were a few close calls. Thankfully, she seemed to change her mind last minute.” I snuck a glance at Emmy, who grinned and flashed me a wink. Atlas laughed, shaking his head and perching himself on the edge of the sofa, stroking Aero’s back. “We’ll brief after lunch while Emmy nips out. I have a few matters to discuss with you.”
Or one pain-in-the-ass matter named Miles.
“Sounds like a plan.” Then his eyes flickered between us both, before ultimately settling on Emmy. His brows pinched together, and his grin morphed into a frown. Ah fuck. “Whose shirt is that?” His tone was clipped, layered with a dark edge that was absent a moment ago. Now my usually calm and collected best friend resembled something like a raging bull.
Emmy shuffled on her feet. “Atlas, I—”
He cut her off, turning to me. “You let her have a guy here?” The happy atmosphere centered on his homecoming had shifted into icy tension, slithering along the cool tiles until it began a living, breathing entity between the three of us.
Like I’d ever fucking let that happen. “No. ”
“Then whose shirt is she wearing?”
“Mine,” the word effortlessly rolled off my tongue, like it did every time I was referring to Emmy. Mine.
Atlas visibly relaxed, or at least for a second, until Emmy rejoined my side and laced her delicate, clammy hand through mine. Atlas’ eyes zeroed in on our linked hands and the raging bull returned.
“Atlas—” Emmy started.
“No,” he cut her off with a raised hand. “No.”
“Please just listen—”
“No.”
“Yes,” I said icily. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but Emmy and I—”
“No, goddammit!” He stepped into us, and I swiftly pulled Emmy behind my back. I knew he’d never hurt her, but the instinct was still there, nevertheless. “This is absolutely not fucking happening.”
“We aren’t asking for your permission, Atlas,” Emmy resigned to a deflated sigh.
“You weren’t asking for my permission?” Atlas laughed, though there was a sardonic edge to it. “Good, because you aren’t getting it.” He clenched his fists, redirecting his burning gaze to me. “How could you do this? She’s my sister! How can you drag her into this world? You’re putting her in danger!”
“And Avery is my sister!” The color started to drain from his face as recognition drew in. “And I didn’t drag her into this. Emmy knows the truth and still chooses to stay. You know damn well I’d never let anything fucking happen to her. ”
His face resembled something of guilt for a moment, before anger charged back in tenfold. “That’s what this is then? Revenge? Payback? ”
“Are you kidding me, Atlas,” I hissed, a trickle of hurt sliding down my throat and warping its way around my heart. “You think I’d fucking do that?” My jaws twitched at the idiocy of his comment, and if it wasn’t for the fact that it was Atlas in front of me right now, I would punch the bastard.
“I don’t know what to think!” he yelled, his cheekbones turning visibly red and a vein throbbing in his head. “I asked you to look after her while I was away, not to get her in bed!”
“You’re acting like I’ve taken advantage of her.”
“Well, she’s not got a great track record at warding off men who will bring her nothing but pain!”
Damn. That stung. Fucker.
“Nice, Atlas. Real fucking nice,” I retorted. It wasn’t Emmy’s fault that Miles turned out to be a monster. It was hardly like he introduced himself as such.
“Hey!” Emmy quipped. “Atlas, you’re way off! Orion hasn’t taken advantage of me and stop talking about me like I’m not here! I know you’re protective of me, and I love you for that, but you can’t keep me wrapped in cotton wool forever.”
“Maybe not. But my best friend, Emmy?” Atlas spit out.
“We tried to fight against this,” my tone clipped. “ I spent days cooped up in my damn office to avoid this exact situation, despite how much I fucking wanted her! Despite how she’s the first thing that’s made me feel anything remotely good in my fucked-up life! Because of you .” I stepped into him, ignoring Emmy’s tugging on my arm. “ Then , I find out you were messing around with my sister for fucking years . So, I thought, why am I holding back from the one thing I really fucking want out of respect for you when you’ve been lying to me all this goddamn time?”
Emmy rushed in between us as we got nose to nose, the air between us palpable with tension, and placed a gentle palm on each of our chests. “Let’s all just calm down.”
Atlas pressed his lips into a hard line, his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself down with deep, frustrated breaths. I, on the other hand, was now seeing fucking red.
I could have lost my shit when I found out about Avery and Atlas, but I didn’t. He was my best friend, and if there was anyone who I would consider good enough for Avery, it would be him. I knew he wouldn’t hurt her, and Avery confirmed as much when we were in Santorini.
Apparently, that same narrative didn’t apply to me and Emmy, which stung me more than I thought it would.
While I appreciated that Atlas knew me well enough to know I’m not exactly a decent man—and I’d never pretended to be—it still hurt like a fucking bitch that he thought this low of me. To fuck his sister so I could get back at him? He was goddamn delusional.
“Where was my damn respect when you and Avery were running around like a pair of teenagers behind my back?”
“I wanted to tell—”
“I don’t want your excuses. The thing is, Atlas, I wasn’t all that pissed when I found out,” I admitted coolly. “In fact, I didn’t really even hate the idea. I figured out of all the men I could want for my sister; you were the best I could hope for. But now, I’m fucking pissed. I’m pissed because not only did you screw my sister behind my back and lie about it, but you then dare to come into my home and throw a tantrum about Emmy and me, without taking a fucking second to see how real this is. I get you’re protective of her. I am of Avery. But if you could stop acting like a goddamn toddler for one second, maybe you could actually notice how happy we are. But even if you don’t, the truth is I couldn’t give a shit whether you think I’m good enough for her. All that matters is that Emmy thinks so. We don’t need your permission, Atlas. Accept it or don’t, I couldn’t care less. Oh, and if you imply Emmy’s a fucking object that can be passed around for ‘payback’ again, I swear to God it will be the last thing you say, best friend or not.”
The room fell silent for a minute, the air thick with words both spoken and thought as they danced around us in a mocking rhythm, ingraining themselves into our minds and ensuring we’d never forget. Despite being the end of June, it was icier than the Antarctic in here. Even the rage simmering in my blood couldn’t melt the glacier settled on my skin. No one quite knew what to say next, even Aero had his snout tucked beneath his paws, ignoring the chaos happening above him. My head was banging from all the fucking shouting, and my patience was balancing like an acrobatic on a slackwire. I wanted to wrap this up so I could go and get some damn tablets.
Emmy dropped her hands and leaned her back into my front, peering up at Atlas and anxiously waiting for his next words. The act was a display of assurance, reiterating despite his reluctance, Emmy and I were now a package deal. My arm wrapped around her waist as I diverted my gaze to Atlas. He seemed to have calmed down, though he still had a scowl on his face and agitation drew in his brow.
“Emmy has been through a lot,” he said finally. “I just don’t want her to get hurt again.”
“She won’t.”
He nodded sharply, offering me a faint smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m sorry for saying those things, it was just a surprise and honestly, it was the last thing I was expecting. When I left, you hated each other. I half expected to walk in and find a corpse.”
“Yeah, well, it was more frustration than hate.”
Emmy chortled in disbelief. “My hate was real,” she peered up at me with a defiant raise of her brow. “You were nothing but an ass at first.”
I frowned. “You were hardly innocent. Speaking of which, where the hell is my book?”
Emmy grinned, fluttering her thick lashes at me, and the sight reignited warmth in my veins, melting the frost around my heart. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Anyway,” Atlas cut us off, changing the subject. “How is Avery?” I didn’t miss the way his face lit up slightly at her being mentioned again.
“She was asking about you,” I admitted. “Feel free to steal her from Jonah. Asshole spends every second on his fucking phone.”
I hate that guy.
Atlas sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, well, she left me for that asshole.”
I pulled Emmy into me, craving her vanilla scent .
“I think there’s more to that story than what you know.” Her tone was laced with silent details, sparking our curiosity.
Both Atlas and I frowned, glancing at each other before staring at Emmy like she was a magic eight ball we could shake to gain answers. She laughed, though remained tight-lipped.
“She’s coming over later, maybe you can ask her yourself. Now, hurry up and take your things to your room so you can get your ass back down here and I can tell you all about my first couple of weeks at White I wasn’t there . But I was now. “It’ll be too much for her. She’ll retreat right back to that place.”
Pressing the palms of my hands into my eyes, I sighed. He was right, there was a high chance Emmy would fall straight back into her darkness if she knew Miles was out there looking for her.
But my girl was stronger than she was given credit for. And honestly, I was scared she’d string me alive if she found out I’d hidden this from her.
“We can’t keep this from her, Atlas. She made me promise not to lie to her, and I can’t break that promise. Especially when it concerns her and affects her life. ”
Atlas scratched the side of his head, blowing out a deep breath. “All right.” He sagged in his chair, defeated. “But only after we find out where he is.”
That should be within the next week, so I could live with that. I nodded, accepting the condition.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What’s that?”
“Do you love her?”
I froze, caught off guard.
Do you love her?
Do I love her?
Emmy’s face popped up in my mind.
Her pretty blue eyes, her warm smile, her heart-shaped face, the freckles on her cute button nose, the way she twisted her lips when she was thinking, the way she challenged me with her eyes sparkling, with her defiance and her brows arched half-way up her forehead, how she snuggled into the groove of my body every night like I was made just for her. An instant smile slid along my lips. It wasn’t a question I needed to give much consideration to.
“Yes.”
“Then that’s all I need to know.” Atlas nodded his head before standing from his chair and leaving my office.
Just as I stood to follow, Doug’s name popped up on my phone. A muscle ticked in my jaw; he’d better have some good news for once.
“Doug?” I answered.
“Liam Thorn.”
“What?”
“That’s the alias Miles is using,” Doug confirmed. “Liam Thorn. We got it.”
I blew out a breath of relief. “Good work, Doug.” Finally, some good fucking news.