Chapter 19 - Selene
Chapter nineteen
Selene
“Fuck!” he groans.
Guilt stings my chest as I watch Cortez’s expression contort into one of pain. He’s in this state because of me. The man, Alejandro, supports his weight with an arm around his torso, while Cortez’s arm is looped around his neck.
The top left part of his chest is drenched in blood, and with each step they take upward, Cortez lets out a strangled grunt of pain.
If I hadn’t been so reckless…
My heart is heavy as I follow quietly, fear coiling in my gut.
“The doctor should be here any minute, Capo,” Alejandro mutters to Cortez when we reach the landing. They turn westward, and Alejandro kicks open the last door in the hallway. I quickly enter with them.
The room is obviously some sort of emergency room with hospital white walls, medical trays, towels, a steel table, and a few long, padded beds.
“Fuck!”
I shift my gaze back to Cortez, who’s sitting hunched on one of the beds, his fingers completely drenched in blood. His jaw is locked tight, but there’s no denying the pain slipping through his steely gaze.
“We need to administer first aid. We can’t keep waiting for the doctor.” I rush out, already heading to the tall racks that hold medical stuff. My stomach curls as I swiftly wash my hands in a sink at the corner and slip on some gloves, sterilizing the equipment with calculated accuracy.
When I turn back, Alejandro is gone, leaving me with a shirtless Cortez. Without wasting time, I walk towards him, setting down the tray of equipment by his side.
I’m face-to-face with the wound when I feel bile rise in my throat. Shit. It’s bloody, squishy. I swear I can see his tissues and—
“Get on with it,” he grunts thickly.
“Right…” I pick up the antiseptic and pour it over the wound, just as he had guided me through the whole procedure last time.
A sharp hiss leaves his lips as the muscles in his chest tense.
I don’t know if it’s out of nervousness or because I can feel the raw heat from his ripped abs, but my fingers tremble.
Clearing my throat, I steady a hand on his opposite shoulder before grabbing the forceps and digging in. He tightens his jaw, the veins in his arms popping as he stiffens. I wince when I realize that, unlike the last one I removed from his thigh, I might have to dig deeper for this one.
“This is going to hurt,” I whisper softly, angling the forceps and digging deeper. He lets out another sharp hiss, sweat beading on his collarbone.
Still fiddling with the forceps, I let my eyes follow the trail of sweat from a spot on his left chest, where his tattoos start in a circular spiral motion, until it stops just below the deep Vs that disappear into his pants.
I can’t make anything meaningful out of his tattoos. Just occasional cross signs and a pair of…eyes? I’m contemplating asking him when the forceps hit something. Thank God!
Blood pours from the wound as I pull the bullet out, throwing it into the tray with a loud clink. I breathe in relief, moving to stitch and then dress the wound. Then summon the courage to sneak a glance at him.
His jaw is still clenched tight, gaze steely as he watches me. For the first time, I hate that I can’t tell what he’s thinking.
“I’m sorry,” my voice comes out as a soft whisper as I clean the blood with cotton wool. I hope he won’t lash out at me.
He doesn’t say anything but stares at me for a long, taut moment. The scorching heat from his stare warms up my cheeks, and I bite my lips to stop myself from being flustered. This is not the place nor the time.
“I just…thought I could help. I?I...” my breath hitches. “I wanted to earn your loyalty.”
Dumping the drenched cotton wool, I tear another one and start to repeat the same process of cleaning. He still doesn’t say anything.
“That’s the reason I took that risk. Went to the bar to get information just so you could see that I’m worthy.” I lick my dry lips, feeling tears sting my eyes.
It’s only now that I say it aloud that I realize maybe going to the bar was deeply rooted in a hidden desperation to prove myself.
“My father never…let me in on the workings of his mafia.” My words come out in a strained breath. “He believed that a female belonged only within the four walls of her husband’s bedroom.”
“…So he wanted to marry me off to Ramirez…for his own selfish desires.” I feel his muscles tense beneath my palms. “And Ramirez…he’s the devil’s associate. Ten times worse than my father.”
I pause, tearing a bandage. The silence is loud, and I feel like a fool when he speaks.
“You should have stayed,” he stares unblinking at me.
His words catch me by surprise. Oh…My heart drops. I at least thought he’d indulge me.
“But you didn’t,” he continues. “You’re not an ordinary ‘female.’”
I angle my head at him. If he hadn’t just said the words to me, I’d deny he ever said anything. His lips are drawn tight, and his face is stoic as usual. Still, I shake my head and smile.
“Is that you trying to cheer me up, Mr. Donatelli?” I dare to tease.
He grunts. A low, gravelly sound that flips my stomach in a good way. “No.”
“I’d be surprised if you said yes.” I shrug, plastering the bandage around his arm to stretch over the wounded part of his chest.
“Done.” I pat his chest softly, but I don’t move. I can’t. I’m suddenly aware of our position.
I’m between his thighs, arms on either side of his shoulders, and face diagonal from his. His breath falls on the side of my face, but I refuse to turn.
Awkward silence blankets the air, and I can feel myself heating up. I bite my lips to stop the blush when his voice reaches me.
“Don’t,” he whispers thickly, sending tingling sensations everywhere in my body.
I finally turn my head to him. Our noses are inches apart as I mutter under my breath, “Don’t what?”
A muscle twitches in his jaw, his gaze narrowing darkly as he lifts his good arm to trail light, feathery touches against my lower lip. I unfurl my lips, my eyes holding his hooded ones.
Slowly, he snakes a hand to cup the back of my neck and pulls me forward until our lips touch. I part for him.
Electricity jolts through my body, and for some odd reason, it feels like I’m reliving the first time we kissed.
Our lips dance together in rhythmic tandem as he angles his head and plunges his tongue into mine. Unlike other times, this kiss is different. It’s slow, raw, and filled with a hunger that makes my body ache for more.
I savor the feeling of his tongue in my mouth, sliding my fingers into his thick head of hair. He releases a low groan, his hand gliding down my spine until he cups my ass. Instinctively, I arch my back, my breasts pushing against his chest with pulsing desire.
He winces, and that’s when I recover my senses. “Shit, I’m sor—”
The words die on my lips when he spanks me sharply on my ass.
“What did I tell you about pain when your body is the price?” he rasps against my neck.
I remember what he said, but I can’t bring my eyes away from his bandaged chest. I’m the cause of his misfortune, and I still can’t let the man enjoy himself without putting him through torture.
“Look at me,” he grunts, placing a finger under my chin. I meet his wild gaze.
“You’re hurt,” I whisper, guilt lacing my voice.
He growls, pulling me onto his lap. His thick length pushes urgently into my core, seizing breath from my lungs.
“I’m fucking hard for you.” He trails his nose along the side of my neck.
My core moistens at the intensity of his words, heat thrumming wildly between my thighs.
“Ride me.” It’s not a request. It’s a command, and I dare not disobey. Hell, I don’t even want to.
He places my hands on his shoulders as I switch position, my knees planted on either side of his thighs. My fingers trail the waistband of his pants, fisting his clothed bulge before unbuckling his belt and dipping my hands inside to grab his significant length.
“Fuck!” His voice is strained, eyes never leaving mine.
I bite my lips, holding his gaze in a teasing manner as I stroke him, watching the ridges on his abs flex and his pupils dilate. Then I bring the monster out of his pants. Seriously, this thing is huge!
His hands fly to my waist as I rub his angry head, enjoying how it springs every now and then at my touch.
With lustful precision, he angles me so that both my legs are on one side of his before tugging my pants and underwear off in one sleek swipe. In a flash, I’m straddling him again, this time bare and fucking needy.
Fisting his heavy cock, I rise a little, then guide it towards my entrance, gasping as he stretches me. Oohhh…fuck!
Each time we have sex, he manages to leave me breathless.
He sucks in a sharp breath, hands finding my hips again to steady me as I begin to bounce, taking all of him in. Euphoria fills my senses as I roll my hips in a slow, tight circle. Forward and backwards, then sideways, grinding slowly to savor every inch of his girthy length.
He smacks my ass, one hand sliding under my blouse to cup my breast. I release a breathy whimper, and when he pinches my nipples, my head falls backwards, back arching toward him.
“Cortez,” I cry out, and he grunts, dipping his head to latch onto my nipples.
My hand finds his hair once more as one of his hands rubs my left breast, and his mouth sucks on the other.
I continue rocking back and forth against his cock.
I’m almost breathless, feeling my pussy clench around him and my stomach curl.
Abruptly, he gives a last suck to my nipple and captures my lips in a kiss.
“Not yet,” he rasps against my lips and assumes a rhythm of his own, grinding to meet me halfway. He slams into me with a wild frenzy, repeatedly, and swallows my screams with his mouth. My lids grow heavier as the sound of my ass clapping against his balls fills the room.
I continue to roll and grind my hips, drawing occasional heavy grunts from him until the knot in my stomach snaps.
“Now! Cum for me, now!” he growls, palms cracking hard against my ass. I obey.
My body shudders relentlessly, and stars burst behind my lids as I explode over his dick.
He doesn’t stop thrusting into me. If anything, he adds more vigor, and my head falls into his neck to muffle my screams until I feel him stiffen inside me. Then he bursts, coating my walls with his warm essence.
For the longest time, we remain like that.