Chapter 30
Thirty
DARIA
The days I spent at Good Vibes were so fun, but it was nice to work with Jane at Moon it’s sensory overload. “Oh,” I gasp, struggling to keep my composure, but it’s a losing battle. The toy’s vibrations increase, and I choke on a strangled cry as my clit is absolutely ravaged. My entire body lights up with pleasure, a soft whimper spilling out of me as the sensations build and build and build—then it stops.
“What the fuck,” I whisper. My brain foggy from the almost orgasm, I stay perched half in the car, trying to get a hold of myself.
“Watch your feet,” Linc murmurs, skimming his hands down my bare legs and helping me sit properly in the car as I struggle to breathe. His hands trace up my calves, palm gliding up my thighs, dangerously close to discovering how wet I already am. My scent is so thick in the air between us, there’s no way he doesn’t know. “You have no idea how much I looked forward to tonight,” he whispers, ghosting his lips over mine again.
I sigh and flick my tongue against his lips.
With more willpower than I possess, he pulls away and gently shuts the door. He adjusts himself as he walks around the car, and I bite my lip. That’s definitely a generous handful. Fuck me.
I’ve never felt so horny in my entire life, which is saying a lot, because I love sex. But this? This is different. This is hunger that is never satiated. This is thirst that’s never quite quenched.
Linc gets into the car and pauses, looking over at me.
I’m certain my cheeks are flushed, and I’m still recovering, chest heaving as I steady my breathing.
“You’re gorgeous,” he says, inhaling my scent and purring. “Do you like your present?”
“I’d like it a lot better if I could come,” I confess.
“Mmm. I’ll take that under advisement.” He hands over his phone. “Do you want to pick the music?”
“What if I play obnoxious pop music?” I challenge.
“Do you like obnoxious pop music?”
“Sometimes,” I say with a shrug.
“Play whatever you want, bunny. I want you to be comfortable.” Linc gives me a serious look. “Were you not allowed to pick music with your ex-boyfriends?”
We’re both adults. Our past relationships are no secret. “Actually, I’ve never been able to play my music unless I was alone in my car or hanging out with one of my friends.”
Scoffing, Linc shakes his head. “Sometimes, I wish you’d met us before all of them, but since I can’t change the past, let me give you the future you deserve. Play whatever you want. It’s not going to bug me, and even if I don’t like a song, I’m not so immature I’ll refuse to listen to it. If it makes you happy, it makes me happy.” Grabbing my hand, he kisses the back of it, then shifts the car into drive. “Now, stop wasting time and play something.”
My chest warms at his words, the feel of his lips against my skin lingering as I pull up the music app and find my most recent obsession. The music has a sultry, sexy soft pop vibe. I brace myself for him to change his mind as soon as he hears the singer, but he simply pulls away from the curve and bobs his head along to the beat.
“What happened to your shoulder? It’s a little red.”
“Oh, it’s only a scrape. I’m clumsy.”
“Should I turn around so I can go fuck the wall up?” he asks.
“No,” I say, chuckling as I pick out a few more songs. When the second starts, the clit teaser bursts to life, and the phone tumbles out of my hands. Click. Click. Click. I grasp the seat, writhing as the vibrations amp up to what has to be the highest setting. My back arches, head falling back as every nerve electrifies.
“Please,” I beg around a moan. “Don’t stop.”
“Are you close?”
“Yes,” I rasp, legs clamping together when the teasing pulsing increases. “ Lincoln .” I’m begging, but I can’t get out the rest of my request.
He knows. He knows what he’s doing, and somehow, the teaser goes up another level, a godly setting that quickly reminds me I’m not in control; I’m at Lincoln’s mercy. Only, this time, he doesn’t leave me wanting. My chest heaves, stars bursting across my vision as the sensations roll over me, the electric pleasure burning inside of me until I scream, clit contracting and slick coating my thighs.
“Fucking hell, bunny,” he purrs. “That was beautiful.”
I blink and glance at him from my slumped position. Both of his hands are clutching the wheel, knuckles white from how tightly he’s gripping it. I want to ask him to skip dinner and make good on his threat to fuck me over the hood of his car, but, considering my secret, I can’t bring myself to ask.
The underwear he asked me to wear is one thing.
Me begging him to take me before I tell him the truth is another.
“Give me a taste,” he growls.
Straightening in my seat, I side-eye him. “What?”
“You heard me. Let me taste it.”
Slipping my hand between my legs, I sweep my finger inside of my panties, coating my fingers in my essence before taking them out. They glisten with cum and slick.
The car rolls to a stop.
“Daria.”
I glance up and see the stoplight, then catch the desperation on Lincoln’s face. The man looks starved. So, before I can think about all the reasons not to do it, my hand is moving, fingers smearing the moisture across his lips. He catches my wrist and sucks my digits into his mouth, eyes fluttering closed. The groan that rumbles out of him will forever haunt my dreams. Linc savors me, tongue lashing over my skin and stealing every last drop.
The car behind us honks, and Linc’s eyes fly open to meet mine. His pupils are blown, like he’s at the edge of his own self-control, but he fights his instincts, slowly dragging his lips from my fingers. Although they’re wet with his saliva, I can’t find it in me to care, not when he kisses the back of my hand once more.
The car honks again.
Linc sighs. “That asshole is totally killing my vibe.”
I giggle and try to pull away, but he threads his fingers through mine instead, resting our clasped hands on his lap.
“For the record,” he says as he starts to drive, “I love your music.”
My heart skips a beat.
Lincoln makes it easy to forget about my worries. The drive to the restaurant takes thirty minutes, and in that time, all my favorite songs play, and he doesn’t complain once. I’m not sure what it says about me that I was waiting for him to break, waiting for him to go back on his word and tell me to turn it off or say it’s dumb.
He never did, though.
My cheeks hurt from smiling as we’re seated at our table near the windows. The beachfront steakhouse has amazing views of the coast, and with the sun setting, bruising the sky with pink and purple, it’s breathtaking.
Magical. Romantic. Perfect .
The waiter drops off the menus and our waters before slipping away to take care of other customers. We might be at a restaurant right on the beach, but the starched uniforms, white tablecloths, and decor all scream money. This isn’t a place for people who’ve been at the beach. This is a place for those who want to see the beach without getting covered in sand.
I look over the food options, searching for the cheapest one, but their prices aren’t listed. Frowning, I lay it on the table. Maybe a salad? The kind with only leafy greens, protein not included. That’s probably at least twenty dollars. God, I hate restaurants like this. They always make me feel so unworthy.
“What are you getting?” I ask Lincoln.
“I’m thinking about the prime rib.”
Keeping a smile on my face, I nod like it’s a natural choice while I panic on the inside. That’s going to be expensive and if we get anything besides water...yeah. This date isn’t going to be cheap. I glance around the restaurant, noting that all the other customers, while dressed casually, are practically dripping in money. Expensive jeans. Diamonds. Designer purses. This is a typical night for them. I bet some of them have no idea what it’s like to have to decide between rent and groceries. Shaking my head, I focus on my date and find Lincoln studying me.
“You’re worried about money.”
“What do you mean?” I ask with a soft laugh.
“The little line between your eyebrows. The way you clocked the most expensive things in the room.” He frowns. “You did it on our first date too—worried about what to order.”
I press my lips together. What does he want me to say? Yeah, I’m concerned. I’m not exactly swimming in money here. My apartment building should make the difference in our living situations more than clear.
“Sorry,” he says with a sigh. “Sometimes I can’t help reading people, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay,” I murmur.
“For tonight, though, don’t worry about how much this is going to cost, okay? Eat what you want.”
Nodding, I eye the menu again, gaze lingering on the ribeye. Those are always expensive too. I really don’t want a salad. “The ribeye sounds good,” I say, pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
Lincoln smiles, and the teaser rumbles softly against my clit. “It sounds delicious .”
I suck in a sharp breath.
“Good evening,” the server says. “Have you had a chance to look over the menu?”
Sending a pleading look at Lincoln, I beg him to make it stop. He holds my gaze with a devious smirk, the teaser vibrating harder as he orders for both of us, not even sparing the waiter a look.
“Lincoln,” I rasp once the server disappears and the vibrations stop.
“Hmm?” He arches an eyebrow, playing innocent.
“I don’t know that I can handle this.”
“You will.” The teaser rumbles to life again on the lowest setting.
I swallow. Is he going to do this to me all night? Edge me while we eat, maybe making me come in a room full of people? “I need a distraction,” I tell him. “How did you know I was worried about money?”
“Body language. You can tell a lot if you know what to look for.”
The tempo of the pulsing increases, and I slip my hands under the table, fisting them and using the bite of my nails against my palms to ground me through the teasing.
“The table on the right,” he says softly, leaning in and turning off the teaser.
I exhale in relief. “What about them?”
“They’re on a first date, but she’s leaning away and angled toward the window. She’s closing herself off to him. He doesn’t realize it, because the fool is leaning in.”
Glancing at the couple, I note everything he said is true. “Guess they won’t be going on a second one.”
“Probably not.” Lincoln turns on the teaser again, this time, immediately taking it to the highest setting.
“Shit,” I choke out, cringing when a few people turn to look at us.
The torture device turns off, and I hate and love it all at the same time. My body is desperate for release, but my mind is screaming that this is 1000% inappropriate to do in public.
“There’s an older pack behind you, probably in their seventies, who are looking at each other like they hung the moon. That’s love.”
“And the people over there?” I ask, nodding at a group of three.
“They’re not quite in love yet, but they’re close.”
“How did you learn all of this?”
Something dark flashes across his face—there and gone in an instant. I half wonder if I imagined it.
“My parents weren’t home much when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time watching people when I was growing up. Read a lot of books out of boredom. I developed a weird obsession with psychology and body language when I was in high school.” He looks away. “I guess I wanted to understand what people were really saying. Sometimes they’ll say one thing, but their body language says another.”
“You wanted to know the truth.”
He nods. “I try not to read people all the time, but it’s a bit of a habit.”
“It has to be useful, though. Like, can you tell when you’re dealing with someone with bad intentions at work?”
“I can usually spot that, yeah.”
“Usually? You seem pretty good at it.”
He shakes his head. “I have some blind spots. If I’m close to someone, for example.” Sighing, he stares at the ocean. “Funnily enough, I only realized that weakness this week.” A heavy sadness surrounds him, and I want to ask what happened, but I’m worried Ryan has something to do with it.
“Expecting the best from people you love isn’t a weakness,” I say instead. “So, this is kind of like your superpower, huh?”
Lincoln smiles. “I’m no superhero.”
“Mmm. I don’t know about that. You check all the boxes.”
Sliding his gaze back to me, curiosity replaces the sadness. “What boxes?”
“Handsome. Strong. Nice car.”
“Charming personality?”
“Eh, that could use some work,” I quip.
He turns on the clit teaser. “Are you being a brat?”
“Yes,” I murmur. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, you’re not.” The settings cycle through to the highest one, and he leaves it there, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as I grasp the arms of my seat.
Heat flashes through my entire body. I face toward the window to avoid anyone seeing the way my mouth pops open, but in the reflection, I can see Lincoln watching me. Swallowing a cry, I rock into the teaser as discreetly as I can, hoping to get it over with as quickly as possible.
I’m so close. Right at the edge of euphoria.
But it stops again, making me nearly whine in protest.
“Look at me.” That’s all I can manage to do. My fingers dig into the wooden arms of the chair, and when our gazes collide, he smirks. “You’re flushed, bunny.”
“Lincoln,” I rasp, begging for...something. Anything but being trapped between release and aching for it.
“You want to come?” he asks, voice low as he leans toward me. “You want all these people to know what I’ve done to you?” A challenge flashes in his eyes. “Remember, you can tell me to stop.”
“I—” Quickly glancing around the restaurant, I notice that no one is paying us any mind. As soon as I come, though, my scent will be so heady, we’ll garner plenty of attention. The question is, do I care? It’s not hurting anyone. There are no children here. There are only couples and employees, and it’s not like we’re fucking on the table. No one can even see what he’s doing. The only proof will be my scent, but even then, it could be written off as me being attracted to him.
“Make sure you’re quiet,” he says, already knowing what I’ve decided without me needing to say it.
The torturous device jolts to life. Caressing. Thrumming. Coaxing. My clit throbs. Quivering. Trembling. Pulsing. I hold Lincoln’s gaze, watching him watch me, his eyes hooding the more I writhe. And then I’m there. My legs squeeze together, hard, and I bite down on my cheek, muffling a moan as my hips roll forward into the teaser. It’s the final little push that lights up my body as I shatter into a million little pieces.
Musk and lavender, rich and heady and potent, clouds around me, and Lincoln’s jaw clenches as he inhales, his eyes nearly all black. While his deep, rumbling purr fills the space between us, a lazy smile tugs at my lips as I sag against the back of my seat. The toy switches off, but the hardness of it still presses against my sensitive nerves, a delicious pressure I don’t hate.
If I smoked, that orgasm would definitely be cigarette worthy. Hell, maybe it wasn’t too late to pick up the bad habit.
Chest heaving, I lick my lips and search his face. Fuck the son, I want this alpha so bad. “About what you said before I got in the car?—”
“One day.”
I frown. “Okay.” Is there a reason he doesn’t want to?
“Tonight isn’t about me, bunny,” Lincoln says quickly. “You have no idea how much I want to bury my cock inside of you until you’re trapped by my knot.”
Our waiter appears with a smile on his face. “All right. I have your—oh.” He cuts off, face bright red from whatever he smells and suspects happened. He doesn’t say anything, though, and there are no judging looks as he sets our food down. “I’ll be back in a bit to check on everything.” With that, he scurries away.
“He knows,” I whisper.
“I know.” Linc’s chest puffs with pride. “Everyone here knows exactly how well I take care of my omega.”
My omega.
Fuck, that sounds good.
For tonight, that’s what I’ll be.
His omega.
Reality can wait.