Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
“Don’t be sad, my love, it won’t be long now,” Sage says, pulling me into his arms and pressing a kiss to my head. I take a deep breath and enjoy it for a moment before pulling away.
“I love you,” I tell him, looking into his eyes.
“And I you. Whatever happens, it’s you and me,” he promises, and with a quick kiss to my lips, he melts into the darkness in the direction Mickey and Addi went.
I take another deep breath and stuff all those pesky emotions deep down before jogging toward my bike.
The smell of smoke starts to lightly fill the air, and I know it won’t be long before people start to poke their heads out to investigate from the houses farther down the street, and I want to be far away before that happens.
The ride back to the tunnels is fast, but I do pass a firetruck with sirens blaring and lights flashing, heading in the direction I just came from.
It will take them a while to put the blaze out, so hopefully I still have time to get home before Mario is notified, if it even happens tonight.
That apartment was so well hidden, not even Colton could find it.
We would never have known anything about it without the secret note.
I’m pretty sure Penny left the information, but I won’t say anything.
I don’t want Mario to catch wind of it. We might not be friends, but I don’t want her dead.
In fact, I need to make sure she isn’t at the wedding reception when we set it up to go boom.
The ride down the tunnels is fast and furious, and I park the bike in the underground hangar before throwing the keys back on the pegboard. I head to the elevators, since there is no other way for me to get in. The safe room is exit only, and there is no way I can climb up the slide.
Pressing the button, I pray the app on my phone is still working and the cameras in the house are still looping.
The elevator goes directly to my level, and I step out, looking both ways down the corridor to make sure no one is around before moving swiftly toward my room.
The door is closed, just like I left it, so I turn the handle and slide into the room.
I briefly acknowledge there is a sliver of light coming from the bathroom and wonder if I left it on or if Xavier did.
Before I can take another step, I’m slammed against the wall and, a hand wraps around my throat.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Xavier snarls quietly, tightening his hold on my throat, and I stifle the moan that wants to escape my mouth as a rush of excitement flows through my body.
My fight-or-flight response kicks in, and I growl and struggle, but he has me pinned so tightly, there isn’t an inch of room between our bodies.
I can feel him pressed up against me, the long, hard plains of his mostly naked body hot, even through my clothes.
“I don’t think it’s any of your damn business,” I snap and try to push him away, but all I succeed in doing is running my hands over his deliciously warm flesh.
“You’re my wife, of course it’s my business.” He leans in and inhales, and his whole body stiffens. Before he can say anything else, I try to distract him.
“Pfft, I don’t think you had too many concerns for your marriage vows earlier, if the sounds I heard coming from Tristan’s room tell me anything.”
He leans back, and I see his lips turn into a small smirk in the dim light of the bathroom.
“Jealous?” he taunts, running his nose up my neck.
His breath causes goosebumps to erupt all over my body.
“I don’t think those who live in glass houses should throw stones, Victoria.
I heard all about your own little tryst with my delicious boyfriend. ”
I try to think of something to say, but the hand not holding my throat slides between us, up my body, and over my breast before resting against my heart.
“Now tell me why your heart is racing. Is it because of this?” His hand tightens on my throat.
“Or do you have secrets, my treacherous spouse? Why do you smell like fire and something else? Something familiar? Something that shouldn’t be possible? ”
Fuck, he’s getting a little too close to the truth, so I brace myself and slam my head into his.
He shouts and releases me, stumbling backward.
I throw myself at him, tackling him to the ground before pulling my hand back to punch him, but he recovers quickly, and before I can connect with his face, he grabs my wrists and flips me over, pinning me to the ground.
I flail around, bucking my hips to dislodge him from my body.
My knee brushes his groin but doesn’t connect fully.
It’s still enough for him to flinch, and I manage to slither out from under him, rolling to scramble away, but his large hand reaches out and grabs my ankle before crawling up my body and grabbing my hair, yanking my head backward.
“You bitch, you’re going to pay for that,” he growls in my ear, and I can’t stop the small, needy whimper that leaks from my lips as my core throbs and my pussy weeps.
A dark chuckle echoes around the bedroom.
“Hmm, I think maybe you like this. Maybe you need someone who will take control of you and your pleasure.” One of his big hands slides around my throat again as his body looms over me.
I feel his rock-hard cock pushing against the seam of my ass through my cargos.
His other hand quickly releases the button on my pants and pulls the zipper down before stripping them off my thighs.
I buck my hips to get him off me and snarl half-heartedly, but all it does is help him get them off quicker.
He has to release me to pull my pants over my boots, and I use that as my chance to escape.
I crawl forward, and he swears viciously.
“Oh no you fucking don’t. You aren’t getting away from me.
” His hand comes down on my ass, and a sharp bite of pain bursts through my body as it connects.
I freeze for a moment. Did he just spank me?
Did I like it? I take a moment to study my body’s reaction.
The flight instinct drifts away, replaced by a needy sensation, one that makes my whole body soften and give in to the sensations streaming through my limbs.
“Hmm,” he rumbles, running a soothing hand over the globe of my ass.
“Who would have thought Victoria Russo would turn to putty in my hands with a little discipline?” I’m not sure how I didn’t notice, but he’s removed both of my boots and my pants, and I’m on all fours with only my panties, shirt, and bra on.
Where the fuck did my leather jacket go?
I didn’t even notice that come off in the struggle.
“Now, we are going to be honest with one another, and you will be rewarded. If you continue to distract and lie to me, then you will need to be punished.”
“I went downstairs for a drink. I couldn’t sleep,” I mutter defiantly.
I can almost hear the smug satisfaction in his voice as he replies. “Oh, Tori, I was hoping you were going to choose the hard way.”
He circles around in front of me and places a finger under my chin, lifting it so I can see him. His eyes shine with excitement and something a little darker that I can’t name. The room feels charged with tension, and the scent of his cologne and my arousal is thick in the air.
“Such a little liar,” he murmurs, and I hear the hint of warning in his voice. A shiver runs down my spine, but I stay where I am. “Do you think a drink explains the hint of fire I can smell on your clothes, or the other familiar musky scent that hints of someone who is no longer with us?”
Before I can respond, he tugs me up so I’m kneeling before peeling off my holster and top almost in one go.
“A drink of water that required you to be armed? I think not.” He reaches around and flicks the clasp on my bra before it falls down my arms, and he tosses it off to the side.
It’s like I’m frozen on the spot, the intensity of his gaze keeping me locked in place.
He reaches up and pinches one of my nipples, and I stiffen, a groan leaving my mouth despite my intentions not to give him any reaction.
His smirk turns into a smug grin as he shuffles behind me, pressing a hand firmly to my back, bowing me forward, before using the same hand to tear my panties from my body, exposing my ass and the slick, dripping heat between my thighs.
I try unsuccessfully to stifle the yelp that escapes my mouth, but it quickly turns into a moan of pleasure as he runs a finger through the mess and murmurs approvingly.
“Tell me the truth, pet, and you will be rewarded. Lie again, and I will punish you before I fuck the information out of you.” His voice is sinfully husky, and he delivers another spank, making my skin burn when I don’t respond fast enough.
I squeeze my eyes shut as I try to furiously come up with anything but the truth, but my brain is scrambled from the intense interaction. His fingers slide between my folds, dipping into my wetness, and I know I’m completely screwed.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk,” I say, my voice trembling and core throbbing. “Needed to clear my head.”
His other hand comes down on my ass again, harder this time, twice in a row.
“Stop lying,” he roars, plunging two fingers deep into my pussy without warning.
I cry out, rocking back onto his hand as he curls them, hitting that spot that makes stars burst behind my eyelids.
“Air, huh? This pussy’s dripping like you were recently railed. Who was it?”
“No one, I swear,” I plead, knowing I can’t tell him the truth yet, if ever.