Chapter 25
Menace
Savannah hit me like a bullet at the threshold, mouth already on mine, legs tangled around my waist. The door was barely shut, and she was clawing at my shirt, tearing open buttons with a desperation that almost hurt to see.
Her hands went up into my hair, fists clamped tight.
She bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, and when I flinched, she growled—low, raw, nothing human in it.
The air between us went brittle. My own hands found her hips, the slip of her ass beneath the thin fabric of her dress, and I hoisted her higher, pinning her against the wall with my body.
She made a sound—half sob, half snarl—and locked her ankles at the small of my back, grinding against the hard line of my cock through my jeans.
I tasted salt and iron, sweat and her. The world outside the door was gone, burned to nothing.
I carried her into the bathroom, flipping on the light with an elbow.
The place was all glass and cold tile, designed for men who drank their whiskey neat and never shed a tear.
I sat her on the counter, knocking aside a glass and a little bottle of mouthwash.
The shiver that went through her was pure animal lust and hunger.
She yanked at my belt, fingers clumsy, cursing under her breath.
“God, I need you,” she said. Not a plea. A fact.
I tore the dress from her in a single motion, fabric splitting at the seam and falling away.
She was naked underneath, except for a sliver of lace I ripped off with my teeth.
She giggled, just a flash, then went still when I ran my palms up her thighs.
Her skin was so pale it reflected the light, every goosebump and scar lit up for me.
I kissed her knee, her inner thigh, her hipbone, and she closed her eyes, chin tilted up like she was praying for mercy.
“Shower,” I said, and she nodded, sliding off the counter with a grace that was almost obscene.
I stripped, and we stepped in together. The water was already running—scalding, perfect.
Steam billowed up around us, turning the bathroom into a pressure cooker.
The first blast hit her shoulder, and she gasped, arching her back as the heat ran over her.
I watched the way the water beaded and ran in little rivers between her breasts, down her belly, over the scar on her thigh.
She turned to face me, green eyes shining, mouth parted. “You going to stand there, or you going to do something about it?”
I pressed her against the glass. My hands shook as I lathered the soap, dragging lavender and slickness across every inch of her body.
I washed her like she were made of crystal, careful and methodical, except when I wasn’t.
I spent minutes on her tits, running the pad of my thumb over her nipples until they peaked, red and furious.
She shivered at every touch, hair plastered to her face, breathing in little hitched gasps.
I kneaded them in my hands, loving the feel of them.
Soft and firm, the contradiction a mystery I didn’t care to solve.
When the soap washed away, my mouth was on her, sucking each peak, my tongue twirling until my teeth pulled at them.
Her hands were in my hair, pulling me to her.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered, but I could barely hear her over the hiss of the water.
I dropped to my knees. The tile felt cool against my skin. I pulled her hips toward me and pushed one thigh over my shoulder, spreading her open. She braced against the wall, hands splayed, head thrown back. The scent of her was sweet and sharp under the lavender—pure Savannah, pure mate, mine.
I started slow, dragging my tongue through her slit, tasting every drop, every shiver. She moaned, low and shamed, trying to muffle the noise with her hand.
“Don’t you hold back on me, Savannah. Give me everything I demand. I want your sounds. All of them.”
I bit the inside of her thigh, and she whimpered, so I did it again, harder. The water pounded her back, and I devoured her, tongue working circles over her clit until her legs shook.
“Please,” she choked. “Please—fuck—don’t stop, don’t stop!”
I sucked her clit between my teeth and she screamed, not caring who heard, not caring if the whole damn house listened in.
Her body locked up and she came, flooding my mouth, her fingers digging so hard into my hair I thought she’d rip it out by the roots.
I kept going, kept licking her through the aftershocks, until she was sobbing my name and begging me to let her breathe.
I stood, mouth and chin glistening. She slid down to her knees, and before I could say a word; she reached for my cock with both hands and shoved it into her mouth so deep her nose pressed my pelvis.
She gagged once, then relaxed her throat and took all of me, eyes shining up at mine as she swallowed.
The look in her eyes was pure challenge. Can you handle this?
“Baby, fuck. That feels so good.”
I braced both hands on the slick tile, vision going white around the edges.
She worked her tongue along the underside, twisting her wrist at the base, the other hand clutching my ass, pulling me closer.
Every time she pulled off, she licked the tip, never breaking eye contact, before plunging down again.
The shower was a sauna now—steam thick, air electric, every surface dripping.
The sound of her mouth on me was the only thing I could hear, wet and filthy and alive.
She took me to the back of her throat over and over.
I couldn’t tell if it was the shower or tears running down her cheeks. Either way, it was beautiful.
“I’m gonna come, Savannah, and you are gonna swallow every drop. You understand?”
Green eyes found mine, her eager nod telling me she wanted it.
It didn’t take long. My balls tightened, a lightning flash at the base of my spine, and I warned her—once, twice—but she just sucked harder, refusing to let go.
My hands were in her hair as my hips pushed my dick further to the back of her throat.
When I came, I shouted, slamming a fist into the glass so hard it rattled.
She swallowed every drop, then licked me clean, spit running down her chin.
I lifted her up to me and kissed her deep. Our tastes mingled together.
She looked up at me with a savage little smile, eyes glassy and wild.
“That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever done,” she said, her voice shredded.
“We’re just getting started, Red.”
I pulled her onto my lap and held her; the water sluicing us both clean. She buried her face in my neck and sobbed once—just a single, sharp cry—before she laughed and wrapped her arms tighter.
We stayed like that until the water started to run cold, until her skin was puckered. I carried her to the pantry and grabbed one of the thick towels and wrapped her up, rubbing her dry with hands that trembled and shook. She looked at me with a contentment I’d never seen, not in her or anyone.
I carried her to the bedroom, her skin glowing under the dim light of the room.
Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun, wet strands escaping to frame her face, and I couldn’t help but think how fucking perfect she looked.
Like she was made for me, for this moment.
I let her legs down gently, standing her with her back to my chest, my hands tracing every inch of her perfect body.
I wanted to memorize every scar, every curve.
Should I die tomorrow, I wanted every detail of my mate to be the last thing my mind saw.
My fingers felt the contour of her waist and hips, soft under my calloused fingertips—felt gooseflesh rise with every stroke. Her head fell back against my shoulder.
She fit so perfectly against me. I pressed my hand fully over the mound of her pussy, loving the feel of her bare flesh under my touch.
“I’m going to have this body several times tonight.
My entire being will be tattooed upon your soul before I’m through.
” I pressed two fingers inside her channel that was dripping wet with her need.
“Fuck, you make me happy, Red.” I told her, my lips against her ear as she moaned and I circled her clit, bringing her closer to release.
I walked her two steps closer to the bed and gave her back a gentle push.
“I need you bent over the bed for me, beautiful.” My foot kicked her legs wider for me.
I groaned at the sight of her—her pussy glistening with her arousal, her ass just begging for my cock.
I ran my hand down her back, over the curve of her ass, and then down to her pussy, slipping my fingers inside her so they were good and wet.
When I slipped one inside her tight pucker, she moaned, pushing back against my hand, stretching her as I pulled her back slightly then hit my knees to lick her clit.
“Menace,” she whimpered, her voice breaking as I pushed a second finger into her tight little hole. She was so wet, so ready, and I couldn’t wait any longer.
“I fucking swear, Red. If I survive tomorrow. My dick will have this hole someday.” I pulled my fingers out and positioned myself at her entrance, pushing into her beautiful pussy slowly, savoring the way she clenched around me.
“Fuck,” I groaned, burying myself balls deep in one smooth thrust. She cried out, her back arching as she pushed back against me, taking every inch of my cock. I grabbed her hips, pulling her back onto me as I thrust hard and fast, the sound of our skin slapping together filling the room.
“Yes,” she moaned, her voice trembling with pleasure. “Fuck me, Menace. Harder.” There was desperation in her words. She needed to feel everything I could give her. It needed to be as real as we could make it.
I didn’t hold back, slamming into her with everything I had, my cock hitting that spot inside her that made her scream. I reached around to rub her clit, feeling her pussy clench around me as she came again, her body shaking with the force of it.
“That’s it,” I growled, fucking her through her orgasm. “Come for me, baby. Let me feel you.”
She did, crying out as her release continued, her pussy squeezing me so tight I thought I might lose it.
But I wasn’t done with her yet. While I continued to fuck her, I could feel my knot start to grow.
I wet my thumb and pressed it against her asshole, rubbing it against the tight little ring of muscle.
“Menace,” she gasped. “It’s too much, feels too good.”
“You’ll take what I give you, mate. I want you to feel everything tonight.”
My knot was making my thrusts more difficult, but I knew it was close to the spot inside her that took her beyond reasoning.
I felt her ass tightening around my thumb, her pussy choking my cock as her release came on like a freight train.
I leaned over her and sank my teeth into my claiming mark one last time.
Her blood filled my mouth, and the bond surged stronger than ever.
I felt every emotion of love, longing, fear, and anguish flood my soul.
We were so connected I didn’t know where she began and I ended.
I collapsed on top of her, both of us breathing hard as we came down from the high.
My knot had begun to release, and I was able to turn her to where her legs could wrap around me.
Her arms came around my neck as she cuddled her head to my chest. Sitting on the bed, I gently took her hair down and stroked her back.
“I love you,” I whispered, my voice rough with emotion. “No matter what happens tomorrow, you’re mine. Always.”
We lay on the bed for several minutes in silence. I rolled her over, kissed her mouth, then licked the sweat off her neck and breasts. She was crying, but she was smiling, too.
“You’re all I ever wanted even though I didn’t know it at the time.”
She nodded, still catching her breath.
“And tomorrow, I’m going to kill Dominic. I’m going to tear his head off and throw it at your father’s feet. Then I’m going to come back here and fuck you until you can’t walk.”
She giggled, wiped her eyes, and buried her face in my chest. “You promise?”
“Scout’s honor.”
She started tracing circles on my chest, her fingers soft and warm. We lay together, listening to the tick of the mantel clock and the distant sound of nature outside. The bed was soaked, ruined, but neither of us cared. It smelled like us.
“I feel like our bond is stronger,” she whispered.
I kissed her hair, breathed her in. “I feel like that too. That will help me tomorrow. You make me stronger.”
She fell asleep before I did, hand still curled over my heart.
I listened to the rhythm of her breathing, let the exhaustion seep into my bones, let the blackness at the edge of my vision spread and take me.
Tomorrow, there would be war.
But tonight, we were alive.