Chapter 14
My eyes were like heavy weights as I tried lifting them, but I pushed through, especially when I felt something warm beside me.
No, not something, but someone. Never did I sleep with a sexual conquest afterward, and I shuddered to think that I would’ve now.
I’d somehow lost my head, and as I tried to think about what would cause me to do something so goddamned foolish, I couldn’t remember a thing.
It didn’t help that my head throbbed as if someone was hammering into my skull with a tire iron.
My mouth felt dry, and I tried to slap my side table for the bottled water I usually kept there, but found nothing.
The pounding in my head continued as small waves of nausea afflicted me as well, especially when I slowly untangled myself from the long limbs draped over me.
Once I did, I turned onto my side, then saw a familiar blonde sleeping peacefully beside me.
Aurora... My distraction... Possibly even my damnation...
A slight growl escaped me at the idea of finally fucking her, but not being able to remember a single moment of it.
I’d fantasized about those luscious lips of hers wrapped around my cock as she deep-throated, and I filled her throat with my cum.
But I had fantasized even more about sinking into her tight pussy and splitting her wide open.
Whether it was with her on her stomach, on all fours, or even bouncing on my fucking dick, I’d wanted to fuck Aurora so damned badly.
I pulled the blanket off us, at least hoping to see my dried cum coating her gorgeous body. Instead, she was mostly dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I realized then that I’d not actually fucked her yet.
Another growl escaped, this time aimed at myself for not taking advantage of this golden opportunity. I could easily make up for lost time now, but the dryness in my throat was overruling every thought I had. That, and this insistent headache only made worse by my rapidly hardening erection.
I forced myself out of bed, ignoring the tightness of my muscles until I felt a stretch of something painful enough to make me nearly double over.
Staggering into my bathroom, I quickly turned the faucet on and collected as much of the cool water as I could into my cupped palms, but my thirst was too uncontrollable.
I still drank as much as I could before turning the water off and looking at my reflection in the mirror. It was then that I saw the large bandage on my upper arm and shoulder. I touched it, then grimaced at the fresh wave of pain the smallest of touches caused.
Closing my eyes, I tried to remember what had happened, but all I could recall was leaving for New York City.
I pushed forth through the agony in my skull and saw enough glimpses to piece together the rest. We’d been ambushed by the Sicilians.
Leon Barganella wanted what I had, but I’d die before handing her over to him.
My family needed to finish destroying his already weakened organization, then claim his territory as their own.
We could do it more easily with the help of the Russians.
“You’ve tried, but failed. Next time, you won’t even get close enough to try,” I swore as I opened the top drawer of the vanity in search of some aspirin. When I found nothing there, I headed downstairs.
I’d no sooner gathered three aspirin and grabbed a bottle of water when a vision appeared at the top of the stairs. Aurora was so fucking beautiful, and more dangerous to me than any mafia organization could ever be. That much I hadn’t realized until now.
While they wanted to eliminate me and the power I held, she wanted everything and more. And if I wasn’t careful, I might just end up surrendering it all to her. Still, I couldn’t help but follow her slow descent down the stairs, and finally her every step as she closed the distance between us.
“How’s your shoulder?” she asked me. When she glanced down and saw the pills and water, she added, “And the hangover?”
“I’m fine,” I replied more dismissively than intended. I slipped the small pills into my mouth before chasing them down with a large gulp or two of water.
“What exactly happened to me?” I asked her.
“You don’t remember?” she asked in response. At my slight head shake, her facial expression softened. “You’d been shot, and I’d stopped the bleeding. Afterward, a medic cleaned the wound and removed the bullet.”
“You helped me?” I asked as I rounded the kitchen island.
Again, her fucking hands had been on me, and I couldn’t remember.
At least until... In a wave, more memories came rushing back, and this time, I felt and tasted her lips on mine.
Something switched inside of me, and judging by the way she inadvertently stepped back, I suspected she knew where my thoughts had turned.
“Why did you do that?”
“I-I’m a nurse, if you haven’t forgotten.”
“I guess I did. So you helped until the medic arrived, then later helped me into bed and slept beside me all night?”
A slight flush colored her pale cheeks. Now, I was imagining how her entire body would blush at my touch. While I used to wonder how her flesh would display my marks, I now only needed to look at her neck and the prominent hickey displayed.
“Yes,” she said after hesitating. “I only ended up in your bed because you wouldn’t let me go.”
“Even a drunk me had the right idea. Unfortunately, he lacked execution. That was very foolish on my part. A mistake I won’t make—”
“One you won’t get a chance to make again,” she said to me.
“Is that so?” I asked her.
She hesitated on her feet, and the slight twisting of her hands was a dead giveaway that she was nervous.
Over the two weeks we’d been in each other’s company, I’d picked up on many tells of her.
Already perceptive to a fault on any given day, I was even more so when it came to my bellezza.
Aurora was so goddamned fascinating that I missed nothing when it came to her.
I ignored her fidgeting and made a move toward her, causing her to take one back. Upon realizing it’d just be a matter of time before I trapped her like I usually did, she turned and tried to make a beeline for the stairs, but I was able to reach out and grab her.
With a hard yank, she flew against me, and her back was now plastered against my chest. Any pain I felt from the wound or my skull was worth every second of having Aurora in my arms. The only difference between now and last night was that I intended to finish what I’d started, regardless of what had initiated it.
“And you didn’t stay in my bed for any other reason?”
“N-nope,” she stammered.
“I think you’re lying to me and to yourself.”
“I’m not,” she quickly replied.
I smirked at her dishonesty. “So you don’t want to feel my lips on yours again?
” When she remained silent, I continued.
“Or are you hoping to feel them somewhere else, such as...” I paused as one of my hands covered a breast, then gave it a tight squeeze.
“On these perfect fucking tits.” When she shook her head, I dragged my hand lower until I was able to slip it between her legs.
“Or on your pussy, that’s already soaked. ”
“It’s not. You need to let me—”
“Prove it because I can feel how wet you are through your jeans.”
“Zarren, please—”
“Please what, Bellezza? Please continue, or please stop?”
“Please,” was all she said again as she tried to free herself from my grip, but with no actual effort on her part. She’d been a hellcat since the night she’d found herself here, so the flimsy attempts she was making now lacked in comparison.
After spinning her around, I leaned in and nipped slightly at her ear before drawing the bottom of her lobe into my mouth to suckle on it. Aurora shifted in my arms, and while she fought valiantly to stay unaffected, I sensed the moment of her surrender, and I savored it.
I tongued the shell of her ear before finally whispering into it. “You feel like the worst decision I could ever make, and you’ll likely taste like it, too. There are no fucks to give, though. I need to have you, and I’m a man that takes what I need.”
“Zarren, please,” she whimpered, especially when I used my hand between her legs to rub her through her pants.
“Please what, Bellezza?”
A sob escaped her as I kissed my way to her cheek so I could lick the solitary tear I knew I’d find there. After, I kissed along her angular cheekbones and sharp jawline before nibbling on her chin and bottom lip, which drew a tortured moan from her.
“On second thought, it doesn’t even matter.
I’ve wanted to fuck you since the moment I wrapped my hand around your pretty little throat.
I’ve wanted to fuck you with my tongue until you came all over my face, then I wanted to rip your tight pussy wide open with my cock until you cried out my name as you shattered. ”
She trembled, especially when I slammed my mouth down onto hers.
Last night was the first time I’d put my lips to hers, and the small sample had done little to quench the thirst I’d had to do it again.
I encountered some resistance, but not as much as I thought I would.
Last night, I’d been delirious due to blood loss and intoxicated from the vodka.
Now, I was wounded and hungover, but I’d remember every fucking second with her.
The small voice of reason I often ignored decided to rear its ugly head once more. I knew this was wrong and needed no reminders. No one ever lived a full life by playing by the rules. Besides, breaking them would get us both off. I’d deal with the fallout later.
My tongue tangled with hers, wrapping around it as I drew it farther into my mouth. Her moans only spurred me on, and as I continued to ravage her lips and tongue, I quickly undid the button of her jeans, then unzipped them.