Chapter Eight
Caius
I don’t expect to see them kissing.
It’s unlike what I’d witnessed with Gareth when he raped her. There was crying and fighting. She resisted every second of him.
This is different.
Though she is pushing Theo away from her, she’s doing it gently. As if to let him down easy. A flare of satisfaction makes its way through me. Whenever I’ve kissed her, she’s eagerly let me devour her pouty lips with no hesitation whatsoever.
I hear Theo’s murmured apology and then Romy’s soft assurances.
It’s fine. It was just a kiss. I’m not mad.
She may not be…
“Theo. A word. Alone.” My voice, though low, slices through the air, cutting into both of them.
Theo damn near falls off the sofa in his effort to scramble away from her. I stand just inside the doorway, having let myself in moments ago. Romy shoots daggers of warning at me. I read it loud and clear. Don’t kill him like you killed your other brother.
I ignore her warnings as I fling open the door and step into the hallway. Theo joins me seconds later. I lean my back against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest, and watch as my little brother with splotchy red cheeks paces the floor in front of me.
“It’s not what it looked like,” he explains, voice shaky with nerves. “It was my fault. I just… I just wanted to make her feel better.”
He glances over at me, eyes pleading for me to understand. And while I do understand because I know Theo’s desperation to be loved, it doesn’t make it okay.
“She’s my girlfriend,” I state in a blistery tone. “Not yours.”
“Fuck, Cai. I know, okay? I said I’m sorry.”
I crack my neck, which has him withering in response. As much as I like to keep my emotions in check, I know I have my tells, this being one of them. It’s quite a feat to get my shoulders to relax, but I manage it. Barely.
“Did she kiss you back?” Now I feel like I’m a stupid teenager all over again.
He looks down at his feet. “Nah, man.”
I don’t know if it’s a lie or what, but the relief I feel that she didn’t is enough to satisfy me.
“Do you really like her?” Theo asks, turning his gaze up to meet mine. “Because if you don’t, you should just break it off. Fake or not—”
“She. Is. Mine.” I step away from the wall, letting my arms fall to my sides as I approach him. “Do I have to fuck her in front of you to make that clear?”
Theo’s face twists into one of unmasked fury. A vein in his forehead pops out. I’m almost convinced he’ll hit me, but shockingly, he reins in the impulse.
“Don’t be a dick. I might deserve it, but she doesn’t.”
It’s true. Romy is just as innocent in all this as Kaitlyn. But she’s in the thick of it whether she likes it or not. I can’t let her go now. Not when I’m finally getting leads that matter—leads that didn’t happen before she walked into my life.
“Take Kaitlyn shopping or to see the Statue of Liberty. Be back by five for dinner.”
Theo frowns at my dismissal. “Where will you go?”
“I’m going to spend some time with Romy. Alone. Got a problem with that?”
The small tick of a muscle in his neck says that he does.
“Don’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do,” Theo bites out. “You’re not Gareth.”
We both know what Gareth did to Emma. Learned that by accident. But does he know more? About what Gareth did to Romy? Did she tell him?
“Trust me,” I say coolly. “She’ll love everything I do to her.”
I have no plans to do anything sexual with Romy, but I like riling up my baby brother, whom clearly is in love with the girl.
“I fucking hate you,” he growls.
Liar.
As soon as the door clicks shut, signaling the departure of Theo and Kaitlyn, I make my way into the bedroom. I can hear the shower shut off, so I settle on the edge of the bed, waiting for Romy to come out. Moments later, she emerges in nothing but a towel wrapped around her body and one twisted in her hair. She squeaks out in surprise at seeing me sitting here.
“What are you doing?” she demands, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Waiting to talk to you.”
Her cheeks are pink, either from embarrassment or her hot shower. She ignores me to kneel beside her suitcase. Her bare shoulder muscles flex and tighten as she digs out a pair of jeans, undergarments, and a sweater.
I rise to my feet and prowl toward her. When she stands up again, I’m inches behind her. My nearness has her freezing.
“Why did you kiss him?” I ask, voice low and guttural.
“He kissed me, not that it’s any of your business.”
I wrap an arm around her, pulling her back to my chest. The towel on her head slides off and tumbles to the floor. With my nose, I inhale the clean scent along her neck. She shudders at the brushing of my lips on her flesh.
“I reminded him that you belong to me,” I murmur, enjoying the full-bodied shiver my words create in her.
“Our game of pretend.”
Grabbing hold of her towel, I give it a quick tug and it comes loose. She sucks in a sharp breath but doesn’t stop me.
“Drop the clothes, love,” I purr near her ear. “Now.”
I punctuate that last word with a thrust of my hips. My cock is hard and straining in my slacks. The evidence of what she does to me is obvious between us. Her clothes flop to the floor, leaving her naked and unable to hide from me. With one hand splayed over her chest above her breasts, I use my free one to rove over her skin. Her nipples are pebbled and protruding, aching to be touched. I oblige them with a swipe of my thumb, first the right one and then the left one, before giving them each a pinch.
“Caius,” she breathes, my name shaky on her lips. “What are you doing?”
“Touching my girlfriend.” I slide my hand to her stomach and then tease lower. “You have the power to tell me no.”
“No.”
The chuckle that escapes me is dark and sinister. “You’re such a good liar, love.”
She whimpers, squirming with need. I keep my palm just above her pubic bone. She told me no, but she desperately wants it.
“I could touch you like before,” I murmur against her ear. “Unless you’d prefer my mouth.”
“W-what?”
I run my fingers back up her stomach and tease her ribs. “Have you ever had your clit sucked before?”
Her knees buckle, but my grip keeps her from falling. “No.”
“Remember how good it felt having my fingers inside you?”
It’s dangerous reminding her of her time on the yacht. Her thoughts could turn to the rape or they could stay on me where they belong.
“Y-yes.”
“Good girl. I made you come and you liked it, didn’t you?”
“I…”
“Admit it. We have a chemistry you don’t have with Theo.”
She wriggles in my arms, refusing to agree.
“Tell me what I want to hear and I’ll make you feel so fucking good, little girl.”
Rather than speaking what she wants, she grabs hold of my wrist, pushing me lower. I suck on the side of her neck, gently at first, then with fervor, hoping to mark her good and well. My fingers reach their destination, slipping between her pussy lips and finding her slick entrance. The sudden desire to taste her sweetness is overwhelming.
She shrieks when I pick her up and walk her over to the bed. I toss her face down, bent over the edge, with her ass up. A smack to her ass echoes in the room and I smile at how quickly her cheek smarts crimson, shaped like my hand.
“Should I turn over?” she mutters, panting heavily. “Caius…”
I kneel on the floor and roughly spread her ass cheeks apart. Her tiny puckered hole teases me and I wonder if one day I’ll fuck her there. The answer is decidedly yes. Today, though, I want my mouth on her.
The keening sound she makes when my lips press against her pussy is so hot, my dick nearly busts out of my pants. I absently rub it over the material with one hand to soothe the ache there. At first, I lick her pussy from clit to asshole in one long, hot, firm stripe.
Delicious.
Just as I’d imagined.
Her sounds are even better than the sweet, unique flavor of her. The way she claws at the bedding is fucking cute. She makes a great show of trying to escape, but her quivering legs don’t go anywhere. In fact, she’s pushed her ass toward me, needing my mouth every bit as much as I need it on her. I suck on the soft, slick parts of her, tasting and licking every inch. Her moans are filled with yearning. I’ll give her the orgasm she wants, but I’ll play with her first.
When I push my tongue inside her, she screams. I don’t know if it’s in shock or pleasure. Either way, she likes it because she greedily fucks her body against my tongue like it’s my dick inside her. The tightness of her body squeezes my tongue. I know it’ll feel amazing being inside her.
Soon.
This facade of what we are is confusing even to me. I know she’s not going to rat us out to anyone. Her own family is trash in my opinion. And yet, I can’t let her go. She’s grown on me.
I slide in my finger alongside my tongue, which makes her jolt as if electrocuted. With my other hand, I twist and pull on her clit, loving the sounds of pleasure coming from her. Pulling my tongue out of her body, I then start fucking her with two fingers, long, smooth strokes, making sure to touch her G-spot with each thrust. She’s completely at my mercy, moaning and crying out with need.
I love how she begs to come over and over, chanting it like it’s a song.
My favorite song.
Her body seizes up and her pussy starts clenching around my fingers. I bite her ass cheek as she comes hard, her arousal soaking my fingers. It runs down my palm, over my wrist, and down my forearm under my dress shirt. This girl is messy. I fucking love it.
And that’s where I begin to unravel.
My careful control starts peeling away from me, leaving a raw, hungry beast in its wake. The lines between real and pretend have long been obliterated. I want to claim her—to erase my damn brothers off her body and make sure it’s only me who’s left over.
She’s still spasming with her orgasm when I pull my fingers from her body. With haste, I rise to my feet and tear at my belt. The last time I so eagerly wanted to fuck, I was a decade younger, aching to lose my virginity. Now I can’t get my pants undone quickly enough.
I need inside her.
I need inside her now.
My cock flops out of my boxers the second I have them shoved down my thighs. It smacks her on the ass, along her crack, and she cries out in response. With my hand that’s covered in her juices, I wrap my fingers around my cock and slick it up. Then I press my other palm into her lower spine as I guide the head of my cock to her wet pussy.
We both fall deathly silent as I slowly push into her.
The constricting tightness of her body is even better than I imagined. Her pussy strangles my cock and it takes effort to push all the way into her. I’m about to start thrusting, knowing I won’t last long, when I hear it.
A sob.
The word no.
This time she means it.