Chapter 13
thirteen
KITANIA
The city fell away, buildings shrinking in the rearview as we took the winding roads beyond Silver City. My hands gripped the steering wheel of Marco’s luxury car, the leather smooth beneath my fingers. Each curve of the road beckoned me forward, promising something I’d almost forgotten existed—freedom. Marco sat beside me, his presence both reassuring and electrifying as he occasionally murmured directions in this sexy, low rumble that seemed to vibrate just like the engine of the car. The combined purr sank into my bones, and I bit my lip.
“You’re doing great, Angel,” Marco praised, eyes fixed on me rather than on the road. The feel of his gaze sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. “Feel how she responds to you?”
I nodded, unable to contain the small smile that crept across my lips. The car moved like an extension of myself, hugging the road as if it could read my thoughts before I even turned the wheel. The engine burred smoothly; controlled power waiting to be unleashed.
“She likes you.” Marco’s hand found my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Cars have personalities, you know. This one seems like she was made for you.”
“Maybe she knows I need this,” I admitted, my voice soft but steadier than it had been in days. The tension that had coiled inside me since the attack had started to unravel with each mile marker we passed.
Marco’s scent—leather and musk with hints of motor oil—filled the car’s interior, wrapping around me like a protective shield. “That’s exactly why I brought you out here. Everyone needs an escape now and then. It’s difficult to avoid feeling confined in the city, but out here, it’s different. There are no boundaries. It’s a wide open space where you can just…” He inhaled, filling his lungs, then released the air slowly.
“—Breathe” I finished.
The road stretched before us, winding through foothills that rose on either side. Trees flashed by in a blur of autumn color, the afternoon sun dappling the asphalt with shifting patterns of light and shadow. I sat straighter in the driver’s seat, lifting my chin and feeling something unfamiliar bubble up inside me—confidence, maybe, or the ghost of the person I might have been in another life.
“You look different.” Marco’s blue eyes seemed to dance with appreciation. “Suits you, being behind the wheel.”
My cheeks warmed at his compliment, but I didn’t shy away from it. For once, I grabbed hold of the praise and owned it. The car responded to my slight touch, accelerating smoothly as we emerged from a curve onto a straightaway. My heart rate quickened with the speedometer.
“There’s a long stretch coming up,” Marco said, gesturing to the empty road ahead that carved through the landscape like a ribbon, a mixture of straightaways and curves unimpeded by other cars. “Open her up.”
I hesitated, glancing at him. “You’re sure?”
His lips curled into that dangerous half-smile that never failed to make my stomach flip. “I wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t. Trust me, Angel. Trust yourself.”
I took a deep breath and pressed my foot down on the accelerator. The car surged forward, eager and powerful, pushing me back against the leather seat. The engine’s purr deepened to a growl that I felt in my chest, matching the sudden acceleration of my pulse.
“Oh my god,” I gasped as the world outside began to blur, the trees becoming streaks against the landscape.
Marco laughed, the sound rich and intoxicating. “That’s it. She’s got more to give if you want it.”
I pressed down further, marveling at how the car didn’t lurch. Rather, it simply responded, doing what I asked without grumbling like my old Honda used to anytime I tried to push the old girl to hit 65 on the highway.
Instead, this car—Veronica, I decided to name her—seemed to anticipate my desires before I fully formed them. My knuckles whitened slightly on the wheel before I forced myself to relax, to surrender to the speed and the moment.
Pure, unadulterated joy bubbled up inside me, spilling out in a laugh that surprised even me. This was freedom—real, tangible freedom that coursed through my veins like electricity. For the first time in longer than I could remember, I wasn’t thinking about surviving, about carefully measuring each word and action to avoid pain. I was simply... living .
Marco watched me with hunger in his eyes, his gaze tracing over my flushed cheeks and parted lips. I could feel the weight of his attention like a physical touch, and it heightened everything. The dangerous thrill. The giddy excitement. The unadulterated joy. The way he looked at me—like I was something fierce and precious all at once—made me feel more alive than even the speed did.
“You’re fucking beautiful like this, Kit.” His voice was rough with emotion. “Like you’re finally letting yourself feel something good.”
The road twisted ahead, challenging my newfound confidence. I eased off the accelerator slightly, focusing on the curve that approached. My body moved intuitively with the vehicle, leaning into the turn as if we were dancing together. The car took the curve with an elegant precision I envied.
What I wouldn’t give to be that graceful… that purposeful…
Marco’s hand found my thigh, warm and heavy through the fabric of my dress. My breath hitched at the contact, but I kept my eyes firmly on the road, hyper-aware of his touch as his fingers began a slow, deliberate massage.
“You’re a natural,” he murmured, and somehow I knew he wasn’t just talking about my driving anymore.
His hand gathered fabric, sliding beneath my skirt. It inched higher, fingers tracing patterns on the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. My body responded instantly, a warmth pooling low in my belly. I shifted slightly in my seat, my focus on the road wavering for just a second.
The car swerved slightly before I corrected, my heart pounding against my ribs.
“M-Marco!” I protested, though there was no real conviction behind it.
He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Eyes on the road, Angel,” he murmured, the command gentle but unmistakable.
His fingers trailed higher and brushed my panties, finding the dampness that had already gathered between my thighs. I gasped, fighting to keep the car steady as he traced the edges of my underwear with teasing lightness.
“Marco.” This time it was a plea rather than a protest.
“I’ve got you,” he promised as his fingers pushed aside the thin fabric barrier to touch me directly.
The duality of control and surrender—hands on the wheel, Marco’s touch on my skin—sent a heady surge of heat and anticipation through me. My knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as I fought to keep it together, breath hitching with a needy gasp.
The road continued to wind before us, each curve requiring my concentration even as Marco’s skilled fingers worked to shatter it. He knew exactly how to touch me, how to build the pressure slowly until I was trembling.
“That’s it,” he encouraged as I navigated a particularly challenging stretch of road without faltering, despite the distraction of his fingers grazing over my clit. “You’re doing so well, Angel.”
His fingers teased at my entrance while his thumb kept pressure where I needed it most. My pussy clenched, and I couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped me, my concentration fracturing. The speedometer hovered dangerously high, the engine’s purr harmonizing with my increasingly desperate moans.
“Marco, I can’t...” I managed to gasp, unsure if I was referring to the driving or the building pressure, the nearing crest.
“You can,” he countered, confidence radiating from him as his fingers moved more deliberately, one, then two slipping inside. The stretch was incredible, and soon, he found that perfect rhythm that he knew would unravel me completely. “I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The promise in his words extended beyond this moment. I knew in my heart that my Alphas would always take care of me. The surety of it wrapped around me, allowing me to surrender to the pleasure even as I maintained just enough control to keep us safe.
The car hugged another curve and Marco curled his fingers, finding the perfect spot. The pressure built to an almost unbearable peak. My thighs trembled, my breathing ragged as Marco intensified his movements, knowing exactly how to drive me to the edge.
“Let go for me,” he commanded. “I’ve got you, Kit.”
My orgasm crashed through me like a tidal wave.
“Oh, fuck! Marco!”
Every muscle in my body tensed while my pussy clenched, gripping his fingers, riding the waves of bliss as he continued to rub against every sensitive spot. It took everything in me to keep my eyes open, to somehow keep the car on the road through the haze of pleasure. My hands gripped the wheel so tightly the leather creaked.
Marco murmured praise while gradually slowing his movements as the intensity subsided. My body continued to tremble in the aftermath, hypersensitive and boneless all at once.
“Look ahead,” he directed softly, nodding toward an upcoming turnoff. “There’s a scenic overlook just there. Pull in.”
I followed his direction, guiding the car off the main road and into a small paved area that overlooked the sprawling city below. My arms felt like jelly as I put the car in park.
Marco unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned across the center console as if it didn’t exist to capture my mouth in a deep, possessive kiss that stole what little breath I had left. His hand tangled in my hair, cradling my head.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured against my lips, his thumb tracing the curve of my cheek. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
I gazed up at him, still dazed, still shuddering from the aftershocks. “Yes. Because you do the same thing to me.”
His eyes darkened at my words, pupils dilating as his hand tightened in my hair. The gentle tug sent another wave of pleasure through me, and I leaned into his touch, craving more.
“Someday, I want to take you right here,” Marco whispered against my lips. He kissed me again, slow and dirty. “Spread you across the hood of this car and make you scream my name again.”
The image his words painted made me shiver, my body responding eagerly despite having just climaxed moments before. I glanced around the overlook—it was deserted, offering a panoramic view of Silver City sprawled below us, buildings glinting in the afternoon sunlight.
“Someone could come,” I murmured, though the possibility only heightened the thrill of the idea.
Marco’s laugh was low and wicked. “That’s the point, Angel.”
Sliding his hand down my neck to rest on my collarbone, he brushed his thumb along the hollow of my throat where my pulse hammered.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” His voice dropped an octave, the rumble of it vibrating through me. “The risk of being caught. The rush of it.”
I couldn’t deny it. Something about being with Marco made me brave, made me want things I’d never allowed myself to want before. But was I brave enough?
I thought I might be.
He studied my face, eyes tracking over every feature. “There’s so much more to you than you let people see, Kit. I want to uncover every hidden part of you. Every secret desire. Every fantasy.”
His words sent a tremor through me that had nothing to do with the lingering pleasure and everything to do with fear—not of Marco, but of me. Of what might happen if I truly let go of all my carefully constructed walls and allowed myself to want without restraint.
“What if you don’t like what you find?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, raw and honest.
Marco’s expression softened, though the intensity in his eyes remained. “Angel, you’ve accepted all the darkest parts of me. Nothing about you could ever make me turn away.” He brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. “Besides, I’ve seen you kill to protect our family. I’ve watched you hold Tommy’s hand for days, refusing to leave his side. I know exactly who you are at your core.”
My breath caught. Emotion swelled in my chest, threatening to overwhelm me almost as much as the intensity of my orgasm had just moments before. I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat.
Marco seemed to sense my struggle. He cupped my cheek with his palm, and I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes as I savored the feeling of being known so completely and still wanted.
“I love you, Marco.”
“Aw, Butterfly. I love you too.”
When I finally pulled back, a smile tugged at my lips. Something lighter bubbled up inside me—effervescent and fearless.
The tension of the hospital, the fear of losing Tommas, the constant vigilance—it all seemed distant up here on this mountain overlook, with only Marco and the open sky around us.
“So,” I hedged, feeling a bit breathless, “if you’re so eager to discover all my fantasies...”
Marco’s eyebrows shot up, interest immediately piqued. “Yeah?” The single word carried so much anticipation it made me laugh.
“I might have a new one…” I bit my lip.
The corners of his mouth curled upward into that dangerous smile I was coming to crave. “Is that right?” He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Tell me, Angel. What’s got that pretty mind of yours working overtime?”
I looked down at my hands, then back up at Marco through my lashes. “After what you just did to me...” The memory alone made my thighs press together. “I want to do the same for you. While you drive.”
Marco went completely still. His pupils dilated so quickly I could actually see it happen—the blue of his irises nearly disappearing as his mouth fell slightly open.
“You want to...” he stated roughly.
“Make you feel as good as you made me feel,” I finished, summoning courage I didn’t know I had. “While you try to keep this beautiful car on the road.”
For a moment, Marco looked stunned—like I’d short-circuited his brain. Then he moved with a speed that startled a laugh out of me. He was out of the car in seconds, rounding the hood so quickly I half-expected to see skid marks.
“Move over, sweetheart,” he said, yanking open the door. “I suddenly feel like risking my life,” he teased.
I laughed even as I obeyed. “So, that’s a yes?”
Asking was superfluous. The long, hard outline of his cock was visible through his jeans, but I wanted to hear him say it, anyway.
“That’s a fuck yes, Angel.” He slid behind the wheel, brought the car roaring to life, and pulled back onto the road like it belonged to him—the same as I did.
As we peeled out, I licked my lips and trailed my hand over his length, eager to have the taste of him on my tongue. Pulling down his zipper, I bent over his lap and put his concentration to the test.
With a curse, Marco tipped his head into the headrest, his fists tight around the wheel, his eyes laser focused on the road while I did my best to work him into a frenzy.
“You’re gonna ruin me,” he growled, voice hoarse already. “And I’m gonna savor every goddamn second.”