Chapter 25
25
AVA
M aiden, Mother, and Crone, how in the hell did I put up with Jamie for so long. He practically pulled me into the woods and then asked to see me again. To apologize “for real this time” for the things he’s done. I don’t know why he’s being so fucking persistent. He was never that interested when we were together, so why now?
I only got home from the New Moon Ceremony ten minutes ago. Stellan was starving and headed to get late night burgers with Odie and Ambrose, but I’m too exhausted. I just wanted to come home. After a late night, then reading up on necromancy all day, followed by the ceremony, and topping it all off with the Jamie weirdness, I’m tapped out. That’s not even taking into consideration that I told Bram that I’m totally cool with a casual hook-up.
I’m an idiot. I’m not in any way a casual girl. I get hung up. I don’t move on. I’m not good at keeping things light.
“Stupid.” I flop my face into a pillow and groan.
There’s a knock on the door. I contemplate ignoring whoever is on the other side. It’s late as hell. If someone needs me, they should text like a normal person. Who the fuck just shows up at someone’s door unannounced?
“Open the fucking door, Ava.”
My stomach swoops like I’ve just dropped off the edge of a cliff. Fuck, fuck, fuck. It’s Bram. I leap off the couch and start toward the door, only to stop and look at myself. I look like I got dressed in the dark. I’m swimming in my T-shirt, but it also has a giant hole in one armpit. My sweatpants are stained and have a droopy ass, and my knee-high socks have accordioned around my ankles. My hair is half falling out of my ponytail because I just smothered myself with a pillow and I’m not wearing a stitch of make-up.
I sway back and forth indecisively. Should I put something else on? Whatever. He’s seen me look worse. Okay, maybe not worse, but on par with this current outfit.
“I can hear you breathing in there. Open the fucking door.”
Bram’s snarled command sets me off. My upper lip pulls back in a sneer, and I whip the door open. Throwing my arms wide, I glare at the too beautiful for words asshole. Life really isn’t fair.
“What did I do now, your majesty?” I bow down because I don’t give two fucks tonight. I’m expecting him to make fun of my clothes or messy hair. I’m not prepared for him to march inside, slam the door shut, and grab me by my ponytail. He angles my head to face him. I should be afraid, but I’m not. Not even a little.
The only light in the room is from the TV, but even that flickers as Bram’s shadows swirl around him. He backs me up with stalking steps, hand still tangled in my hair, while the other slaps against the wall.
“Where did you go?” Darkness swirls in his eyes, nearly blotting out all the color in his gray irises. My heart is in my throat, and I should be terrified, but I’m not. I’m giddy. Turned on. My magic sings beneath my skin, thrumming and demanding release.
“I was with you at the New Moon Ceremony genius. And now I’m obviously at my house.” Well, technically, it’s Stellan’s apartment, but it’s my place now too.
His fingers tighten in my hair, and I let out an embarrassing mewling sound. My panties have been wet from the moment Bram walked through the door, but now they’re soaked. Damn him. All it takes is one look and I’m ready to bend over.
Bram’s breath huffs out of him. He tugs my head back and drags his nose up the column of my throat as if he can scent me like an animal. His mouth stops by my ear.
“Who were you with?” He enunciates each word with a razor-sharp snap.
He pulls back to look at me, that darkness all but taking over the man I’ve started to know.
“Why do you care?”
Bram growls and releases my hair only to grab me by the waist and haul me up against his body.
“What are you doing?” I cry out when he picks me up.
“Going to your room,” Bram says in a low rumble. He doesn’t need directing. Because he’s already been in here stashing the stupid doll in my stuff. He stomps down the hallway to my bedroom, pushes open the first door, and flicks on the lights. The pile of clothes decorating the chair in the corner is a dead giveaway that this is my room.
Bram carries me over to the bed and tosses me onto it. I bounce and then glare up at him. He frowns down at me, as if he’s only just seeing me for the first time.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” There’s a chuckle mixed in with his words. I respond with a death stare.
“I’m comfortable.”
Bram picks up my foot and yanks off my sock.
“Hey. It’s cold.” I say the most asinine thing because my brain can’t compute what’s going on here. Bram picks up my other foot and pulls off that sock, letting it fly somewhere over his shoulder. When he grabs at the ankles of my pants, I squeal and hold on to the waist.
“What are you doing?” My voice is high and not at all sexy. Bram lifts his gaze from my hands and stares so deep into my eyes I forget everything in that moment. My name, where we are, the fact that someone like Bram will forget me in a week and it will be like I never existed.
“I’m going to eat you out until you scream my name.”
I gape at him, too stunned to reply. My pants come off and a gust of cold air makes goosebumps break out over my bare legs. Bram’s eyes darken, the shadows flickering around his body as his eyes skate down to my panties. They’re plain white cotton. Nothing special. Thank fuck they’re not granny panties, but it’s not like they’re La Perla or some shit. They came in a six-pack, but Bram is staring at them like they’re the sexiest scrap of fabric he’s ever seen.
He’s not wearing a coat, even though it’s freezing outside. Still, he has way more clothing on than me, with a sweatshirt, jeans, and boots.
His hands are holding my ankles, and they slowly slide up my legs inch by inch. “Who do these legs belong to?” His voice rumbles and I shiver at the intensity.
“Seeing how they’re attached to my body, I’d say me.” I’m proud I manage to get out a complete sentence.
Bram’s narrowed gaze flicks up to me and then back down to the juncture between my thighs. He climbs onto the bed and lifts one of my legs, dragging his mouth from the ankle to my calf, then up to my knee. My breaths come out in little puffs that I try to keep quiet. Fuck him. He doesn’t need to see how desperate I am for his touch.
His tongue and teeth leave a trail of dampness behind as he continues his journey up my leg, but his eyes never leave mine. I’m not going to look away first. I will win the dumbest fucking battle ever. As his hand follows a similar path on my other leg, it’s all I can do not to short circuit.
What the hell is happening right now? Men like Bram Blackthorn don’t pay attention to me. They don’t barge into my home and rip off my pants. They certainly don’t taste my skin like it’s ambrosia. I know we have some weird connection and that I basically told him I’d be down to fuck, the way friends do. But a huge part of me never thought it would really happen. I’m more freaked out than I’ve ever been and more turned on at the same time.
Bram’s fingers hook the edge of my underwear, coming dangerously close to my pussy.
“This is mine.” The backs of his fingers slide over my slit and there’s no way he doesn’t feel how wet I am. His nostrils flare and his breaths grow ragged. He drags a finger up my center, and I arch when he circles my clit. “All of this.” He pulls out his hand, holding up his glistening fingers. “Belongs to me.”
I watch in fascinated shock as he sticks his finger in his mouth and sucks. Holy shit. I’ve never believed in human combustion before, but this must be how it happens.
“Fuck.” The word slips out with my exhale.
“Who did you go off with tonight?” Bram asks, and I blink up at him in bleary confusion.
“Who?” My tongue can barely form the word.
Bram pulls off my underwear, shoves my thighs apart and buries his face between them.
“Oh, shit,” I cry out, my hands immediately twisting in his hair. His tongue is destroying me, lapping from bottom to top, sucking, swirling, and fucking owning me.
Bram lifts his head, his mouth drenched from me. “This belongs to me.” He dives back in, and some garbled and noncommittal sounds break free from my throat. Who the hell is this man? Mr. I-can’t-be-serious-with-someone is claiming he owns my body.
“Tell me,” he growls against my pussy, which should piss me off, but it’s so fucking hot. Why is this hot? Red flag. I should want a man who respects me and takes me dancing or fixes my toilet or something.
Bram fucks me with his tongue, and I shudder. Screw it, all those things are overrated.
“Tell me,” he commands, just before sucking on my clit.
“Oh fuck. Yes. It’s yours. Tattoo your fucking name on it, I don’t give a shit. Just make me come.”
Bram’s chuckle vibrates against my clit, and it pushes me over the edge. I’m coming before I know what’s happening. Bram pushes up to his knees, ripping his shirt off. Kicking off his boots and unbuttoning his jeans in a blur of motion. Every muscle is rippling, his shadows pulsing as though they have their own heartbeat. He’s menacing and mythical looking and so fucking gorgeous I can’t believe he’s real.
He shoves his pants down, unleashing his rock-hard cock. He strokes his hand down and back up. For one second, it’s as if a thimble full of sense seeps back in and his shadowy eyes lighten. “Are you on the potion?”
The potion? The one to protect from pregnancy and disease. “Oh. Yeah. Yep. Good to go.”
Why can’t I shut the fuck up?
A devious grin creeps up his face, and somehow, he’s even hotter than two seconds ago. He crawls back over me until his face hovers over mine. “I’m going to fuck you so good that you’ll forget anyone else besides me exists in this world.”
“Okay,” I choke out, having reverted back to a state of shock.
As if that’s all he was waiting for, he slams inside me. I’m so wet from his mouth that there’s barely any resistance, but Bram is much bigger than I’m used to. The cry gets trapped in my throat when he pulls back and thrusts in again. His hands shove at my shirt, pushing it up until my breasts are exposed.
“You have the most incredible tits.” He lowers his head to suck a nipple. For a second, I just lay there, too stunned to believe any of this is real. I might not know what triggered this or how the hell I’m on the lucky receiving end of Bram’s dick, but I’m damn well going to enjoy it.
I wrap my legs around his waist and drag my nails down his back until I can dig my fingers into his ass. Bram groans when I lift my hips, meeting him stroke for stroke.
“Fucking hell, yes. Touch me.”
“Where?” I groan when his dick hits a particularly sensitive angle.
He grunts. “Everywhere.”
I take his command to heart, stroking his back, raking my nails over his shoulders, driving my fingers into his dark hair. The headboard is banging against the wall, and the bed is squeaking so loud it’s probably going to break, but I don’t care. Who needs a bed?
Bram flips me around like I’m a feather. My head falls to the bed as he pulls my hips up and slams back into me.
“Oh shit,” I cry out on a garbled moan as he pounds into me. His hand claps down on my ass, and I almost tell him to fuck off, but damn it, it feels too good.
“Rub your clit.” Bram barks out the command and I get instantly wetter. Maybe I need to talk with a therapist about this? Oh hell, forget it. Who doesn’t have issues?
Bram’s fingers dig into my ass, pulling me back onto his cock again and again. I swear I black out for a minute from the pleasure. I reach my hand back and rub at the bundle of nerves while Bram fucks me into a coma. I’m coming in seconds.
“That’s right. Come all over my cock.” Bram’s voice is feral. He sounds more beast than man and the shadows swirl around us, stroking down my body until I’m just one live wire humming with a golden warmth.
Bram lifts my limp body, one hand grabbing my breast and the other flat against my stomach. His mouth latches onto my shoulder and his teeth bite down as he comes with a long groan.
“Yay for friends with benefits,” I mumble incoherently as I fall to the bed.