Chapter 32
32
HOPE
T he asshole didn’t even have the decency to look guilty. In the distance, Enrique’s truck sped away, leaving a plume of dust in its wake.
I charged for Vaughn. “What did you do?”
He ignored me and picked up Enrique’s hammer and pounded a nail into the partly assembled timber frame on the ground. “Saved you money. I’ll build the new cages.”
“Tell me!” I shoved his shoulder, repercussions for touching him be damned, because I was furious with him. “What did you do to Enrique?”
He dropped the hammer and rose to his full height, towering over me. “I did what I should’ve done at Javi’s days ago. Told him to leave you alone.”
Something was wrong. Vaughn’s hands trembled as they clenched and released. The first two knuckles on the right were chafed. He hadn’t been this worked up by the brawl at Javi’s, but one conversation with Enrique had rattled him.
“You hurt him,” I growled.
“Not nearly enough.” Vaughn’s nostrils flared, and his chest heaved with each tense breath he took.
I couldn’t believe it. The moment I’d left him alone, he’d pounced on Enrique to interrogate him. Violently.
“You asked him about the fishing job, didn’t you? And you roughed him up to get answers.”
“So what if I did?”
“I explicitly told you not to come out here and hurt my friend.”
A look of disgust crossed his features. “He’s not your friend.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“You know what? I can’t even look at you right now. Stay the hell away from me.” I turned to walk inside, but Vaughn grabbed my elbow and spun me to face him.
Something softened in his dark gaze. “You know that’s the one thing I can’t do.”
“Why?” I spat. “Because of the job or because you can’t stand the thought of me coming within fifty feet of another man without you hovering over me like some homicidal chaperone?” I shrugged out of his hold. “And what good did your interrogation do, huh?” When he only frowned, I added, “I knew it. I told you he wasn’t involved with the cartel.”
“What he had planned was even worse.” His face tightened as though he hadn’t intended to reveal that piece of information.
“Your cryptic bullshit is pissing me off.”
He exhaled deeply. “Just…leave it alone.”
“If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m calling Enrique to hear it from him.”
“No.” He pointed at me. “You stay clear of him and some fool named Alejandro.”
Alejandro? Vaughn hadn’t even met him.
Taken aback by his comment, I folded my arms and frowned. “That’s oddly specific.”
Vaughn grimaced, then looked away.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I took a small step toward him. “If you care about me at all, you’ll explain what’s going on. I deserve to know.”
His dark eyes cut back to mine, and they were filled with anguish, but he still didn’t answer.
“Please,” I begged. “Tell me.”
His throat bobbed at the same moment his gaze drifted to the ground. “Enrique misunderstood the reason for my questions. He confessed that he and Alejandro had made a bet to see who could sleep with you first.”
Enrique and Alejandro had?—
No way. They were my friends. I’d known them both for years. They’d never do something so degrading.
I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my stomach. “You’re lying.”
“I wish I were.” Vaughn dragged his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, Hope. I didn’t want you to find out.”
Then I thought back on the last six months and how I’d become closer with both Enrique and Alejandro. Enrique’s easygoing nature and alluring smile had drawn me more, so our friendship had blossomed. I’d never allowed it to become more for my own reasons, but Enrique hadn’t let that stop him from sending flirty texts and visiting me at Javi’s.
And now, I had to assume that none of his kindness had been genuine. Did Enrique even like me?
“I feel sick.” I closed my eyes and took a steadying breath. When I opened them again, Vaughn was watching me closely. “You must think I’m naive to have been so clueless about them.”
“Hey.” He cupped my jaw, tilting my face up to his. “I don’t think that. Not for one second. They’re assholes, and that has nothing to do with you.”
Determined not to let this bring me down, I hardened my expression. “I’m going to kill them.”
Vaughn tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Need some help?”
I laughed bitterly. “You already made Enrique hurt, didn’t you?”
“Like I said, not enough.”
“The blood on the concrete would suggest otherwise.” My nose wrinkled. “Thanks for defending my honor.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I guess that’s my life now. Pity fucks, dares, and bets.” I traced my fingertips over my scars. “It shouldn’t come as such a surprise, but it still hurts when all people see are my scars.”
Vaughn’s jaw tensed, and some emotion I couldn’t place blazed in his eyes. “Come with me.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the house.
I could hardly keep up with his swift, long-legged strides. “Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer. He just led me inside, down the hallway, and through the bathroom door. Then he forced me to face the large mirror.
It was startling to see us together. Vaughn, so tall, dark, and menacing, looming behind me, his tattooed hands immovable on my shoulders. It was like standing in the shadow of a beautiful but terrifying angel of death.
And then there was me. Short, carrying extra pounds, and with a face that gave small children nightmares.
“Look at yourself,” he demanded in a deep tone that brooked no argument. “Tell me what you see.”
I lowered my eyes to the counter and swallowed deeply. “Please don’t make me do this.”
Vaughn clasped my chin and redirected my gaze toward the mirror. “I won’t ask again.” His eyes held mine with an intensity that told me he wouldn’t let me out of this room until I answered him.
Fine. If he really wanted to know what I thought of myself, I’d give it to him. But I’d already had this conversation with Daphne. It’d made her angry because she didn’t understand. Maybe Vaughn would.
I stared at my reflection, summoning the words that felt like a knife through my gut. “I see a failure. I see a coward. I see someone who deserves to look as hideous as I do.”
Vaughn’s expression turned fierce. “Why the hell would you think that?”
“Because I tried to help Natalie and it got her killed. And Simon was murdered when I let him get close to me. Now, I shelter in this community, putting their lives in danger every moment I remain here, while others are suffering at the hands of my own flesh and blood. It isn’t fair.”
“You aren’t responsible for the lives ruined by the cartel. You almost lost your own.” Vaughn gave my shoulders a squeeze. “And you shouldn’t feel guilty for protecting yourself from your father.”
“Shouldn’t I? If hiding here, doing nothing, doesn’t make me a coward, then I don’t know what does.”
“But you’re doing something now. You’re helping us.”
“It’s not enough.”
“It is, Hope. Everything you’ve been through and everything you’re doing, it’s more than enough.” He squeezed my shoulders once more. “Do you want to know what I see when I look at you?”
I shook my head because no, I really didn’t. I’d heard it all before and couldn’t stand to endure another speech about how, despite my scars, I was beautiful on the inside.
“Too bad. I’m going to tell you.” Vaughn’s knuckles brushed over the marred side of my face. “I see your strength. I see your bravery. I see the way you care about people and how you put others before yourself. And yeah, I do see your scars, Hope. I want to see them because they remind me of how incredible you are. Every time I look at you, I see a fighter who escaped her father’s prison and came out the other side smarter, stronger, and more resilient. And somehow, you’re still able to trust people and see the good in them. You’re not bitter like me. I admire what you’ve built here with Daphne and how you’ve reinvented yourself. That’s not hiding. It’s surviving. And there’s no reason to feel ashamed of that.” His brow pinched. “I see the real you, Hope. And you’re the most beautiful damn woman I’ve ever met.”
I stared at Vaughn. Heat flared in his eyes. Heat and something more.
“I’m sick of trying to deny what this all means.” He shifted nearer until his chest pressed against my back and his body warmed my skin. “I want you. I want you so much that I’m constantly fighting my baser instincts to steal you away like a goddamn caveman and lock you up so no one can get close to you but me. I want you so much I can’t focus because all I can think about are the unspeakable, dirty things I want to do to your gorgeous body.”
My heart beat wildly within my rib cage. “Then why don’t you do something about it?” I arched one brow, challenging him to make his move before I combusted.
“Because I’m not good for you. I’m a bastard. Possessive. Dominating. I need a level of control that will make you hate me, but I can’t function without it. I’ve shown you every depraved side of myself, and you still won’t push me away.” His eyes hardened. “Last chance. Tell me to stop, Hope. Tell me to back off and leave you alone, because any willpower I had to resist you has all dried up.”
“No.” My hands trembled at my sides. “I won’t say those words.”
Vaughn leaned in low until his lips were at my ear and his warm breath caressed my cheek. Then he whispered, “Now, what am I going to do with you?”
Through the mirror, I held his dark gaze. “You know what I want.”
Slowly, one hand shifted until it clasped my throat. Those wicked tattoos were so stark against my ink-free skin, as were his knuckles, still red from whatever punishment he’d delivered to Enrique.
I imagined it would always be like that with Vaughn. He wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt or disrespect me, and that realization warmed my chest.
He growled with approval. “My hand looks good on you.”
It really did. Lost for words, I inhaled a sharp breath.
His mouth formed a small but wicked grin. “Your pulse is racing. Am I making you nervous?”
“No.” Yes . But only in anticipation of what I hoped would happen next.
“You lie so exquisitely.” He pressed his lips to my neck. “If we do this, it won’t be gentle. It won’t be sweet. You deserve to be treated better than that for your first time, but I need you to know that I can’t be any other way.”
He needed me to keep my hands away from his scars.
He needed to maintain control.
Nothing would change my mind. I accepted Vaughn’s conditions and would submit to him, even if the reasons why broke my heart.
“I don’t want gentle or sweet.” I moistened my lips. “I just want you.”
He tightened his hold on my neck. Not enough to restrict air, but enough to feel the strength his large hand wielded. I was as vulnerable as a newborn lamb with its throat clasped between the jaws of a wolf, but I felt completely safe with Vaughn. Maybe that was why it turned me on so much.
“Still want me now?”
“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” I unfastened my shorts. An invitation if ever there was one.
Vaughn’s gaze lowered to the black panties exposed by my open fly, then came back to mine. The feral look in his eyes did something strange to my insides. He kept one hand at my throat while the other ghosted over my breast, then my belly, and oh so slowly slid inside my lacy thong. I felt like I might explode from the first brush of Vaughn’s callused skin. Then his fingers parted my flesh, finding evidence of how much I craved him.
“Goddamn, you’re so wet. Do you need me to take care of you?”
“Please,” I whispered, arching into his touch.
“Please what?” Vaughn’s tongue flicked against my earlobe, and goose bumps spread down my neck. “You know I love it when you beg.”
“Please, Vaughn. Please take care of me. I need you.”
“Good girl. You know the rules. Hands on the counter and keep them there.”
I followed Vaughn’s instructions and was rewarded by his wet fingertips circling my clit. When he dipped one digit, then another inside me, my knees almost buckled.
“Do you like this?” he asked. “One hand fucking you while the other is around your throat?”
My answer was a high-pitched moan and my muscles tightening around Vaughn’s fingers.
“You do, don’t you?” When Vaughn’s thumb stroked my clit, my eyes rolled back.
“Yes.” I rubbed my ass against his hardness, presenting like a bitch in heat.
“Look at you.” His scorching gaze roamed my reflection. “Such a perfect little slut for me. Only for me.”
He continued working me while invading my senses on all fronts. His heat at my back, that delicious tobacco-and-leather scent engulfing me, and those dirty words reddening my cheeks. It was like he knew what I needed better than I did.
Then he bit down on the tendon at the crook of my neck, sending a jolt straight to my clit.
He held me there, impaled on his fingers with his hand at my throat and his teeth scoring my flesh. And…oh my God…I’d never felt anything like it.
My release tore through me, and I cried out. Or maybe screamed. I couldn’t tell up from down, day from night, or dream from reality. All I knew was Vaughn and this earth-shattering intensity flooding my body.
“Fuck, yes. Just like that,” he growled.
At his words, my eyelids opened—I hadn’t realized they’d been closed—and I found him wearing a look of awe mixed with smug male pride.
“You, when you’re coming, might be the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” He pressed his lips to the reddish bite mark on my neck. “Now I want to know what you look like with my cock buried inside you.”
Sweet Jesus, I wanted that, too. My internal muscles tightened, and Vaughn smirked like he understood exactly how much his dirty talk turned me on.
Those long fingers thrust into me one more time before he removed them and made fast work of tugging my shorts and panties down my legs. My cami and bra came off next, leaving me stark naked before the mirror and Vaughn fully clothed behind me.
He took me in slowly, his dark eyes roaming every inch of my body appreciatively until finding the bullet scar just above my hip.
Vaughn’s brow creased as his fingertips traced over the ruined skin. “If they were still alive, I’d find Alvarez and every asshole on that yacht and flay them. Then I’d hang them up in the desert and let vultures pick them apart piece by piece for what they did to you.”
Who ever said romance was dead?
“I know you would, baby, and your commitment to revenge is both endearing and…vividly macabre. Maybe we could keep the murder talk to a minimum while I’m naked and horny, yeah?”
He gave me a dry look. “You’re making fun of me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“You’re gonna pay for that.”
I shook my ass a little. “God, I hope so.”
Vaughn’s shoulders shook as he laughed. “I’ve created a monster.”
He really had. Anything this man did to me, I lapped it up.
“Vaughn?”
“Yes, Gatita.”
“Touch me, please.”
He wasted no time in bringing his hands to my breasts, palming their fullness and eliciting a whimper from me when he pinched the sensitive tips.
“Christ, Hope. Your body is a walking wet dream.”
“I swear I’m not fishing for compliments, but I thought most American guys preferred women who were more…toned.”
I had jiggly parts and cellulite like most women, and if you looked closely, one of my boobs was a little bigger than the other. It didn’t bother me. I loved my body the way it was. I’d just never thought it conformed to society’s beauty standards.
“I can’t speak for other men, but I think it’s sexy as hell that you’re soft where I’m hard. Every part of you makes my dick turn to stone. Here.” He squeezed my breasts again. “And here.” One hand migrated to my ass cheek, deeply kneading the flesh. “And definitely here.” The other traveled over the curve of my belly and lower still until those deft fingers once again dipped inside me. “Hot.” Thrust. “Wet.” Thrust. “And oh so ready to be fucked for the first time.”
“Yes.” A ragged breath escaped me. “Take your shirt off,” I said, and Vaughn’s gaze cut to mine.
My words had come across more demanding than I’d intended, and Vaughn looked ready to rebuke me for it. He tolerated my bossiness to a point, but in this situation, our dynamic had to be different.
He gave a sharp shake of his head. “I can’t. You know why.”
“My hands will stay right here on the counter.”
Vaughn’s concerned expression made me think he would shut me down, but his continuing silence left me with a glimmer of hope.
“Please,” I added with an eagerness that needed no faking. “I want to see you, too.” Given how much he liked me asking prettily for what I needed, there was a chance this might work.
Vaughn’s lips pressed together firmly while he considered my request. “If you even try to turn around?—”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Following a small nod, he pulled the Henley over his head.
Every time I saw Vaughn like this, he took my breath away. Truthfully, I wouldn’t care if he had a dad bod, but those massive shoulders, sculpted pecs, and ridged abs were very nice to look at. “You really are beautiful.”
He smiled as if my description were ridiculous, but I knew he liked the compliment all the same.
I bit my lip, more than a little disappointed I’d agreed to stay where I was. “I know I’m not allowed to touch you with my hands, but what if I just licked you all over?”
That earned me another wicked grin. “There’s plenty you can do with your mouth.” He undid his fly and glanced toward his hips. “Under the right circumstances. But I have other plans for you now.”
He didn’t bother taking off his jeans, and I supposed I’d already pushed him too far out of his comfort zone to ask for more. He nudged my feet apart and pressed the head of his warm cock against my entrance, coating himself in my wetness.
He paused behind me, and our gazes met through the mirror. “Do you still want this?” he asked.
I didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes.”
“Then bend over further.” Vaughn guided my hips back and my chest down until my elbows and forearms braced on the counter. “Eyes on me, Gatita. Understand?”
I barely had time to nod before he clamped one hand firmly on my shoulder and the other at my hip. Then he drove inside me with a commanding thrust.
Vaughn grunted while I gasped at the sudden intrusion.
Shit, shit, shit.
Too much. It was too much.
I rose onto tiptoes, struggling to accommodate him. Anything I’d done to myself using toys didn’t remotely compare to being taken from behind by a powerful six-foot-something beast of a man. Not that the tightness I was experiencing could be described as pain. I just felt full. Really full.
“You’ve got five seconds to get used to that before I give you more.”
My brows shot up. “There’s more?”
He glanced down at where we were joined. “I’m about halfway home, if it makes you feel any better.”
That information absolutely did not make me feel any better.
Halfway? Where was it going to go? My lungs?
“Breathe, Gatita. Stop trying to choke my cock with your pussy.”
“I can’t help it. My coochie’s gone into self-preservation mode.”
He smirked. “You know how to boost a man’s ego.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“If you say so. Five seconds are up.” Vaughn reared back and drove in again. This time, he didn’t let up. Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, his fingers found my clit, and while he played with me, the tension left my body. “That’s it. Relax and let me in.”
The next time he pushed inside, it felt different. Any discomfort vanished, and in its place, a delicious, warm pressure built. At the first stirrings of an orgasm, I made a strained noise.
Buried deep inside me, Vaughn must’ve mistaken it for pain, because he paused. “You okay?”
“Better than okay.” His sudden concern made my chest tighten. “You’re being nice. I thought you said this wouldn’t be sweet?”
“Not being sweet. Just looking after my girl.”
I chose not to point out that that was the very definition of sweet, because I didn’t want Vaughn to overthink it. I couldn’t overthink it, either. Vaughn’s tender side completely undid me.
He leaned over and tilted my chin toward him. “Give me that mouth.”
Our lips met, and Vaughn’s tongue found mine in a claiming kiss, exhibiting none of the gentleness of his earlier words.
When we broke apart, I asked, “I’m your girl?”
He continued pounding into me. “You know what kind of man I am. There are no gray areas with me. This pussy is mine. You’re mine. No more telling people I’m your cousin, and no more flirting with guys to piss me off. You’ve let the beast out of its cage, and now you have to deal with the consequences. So you better remember that I. Don’t. Share.” Vaughn punctuated each word with a forceful thrust, leaving me boneless. “Now tilt your ass up and grip the counter, because I’m done going easy on you.”
What ?
“That was you going easy on me?”
He slapped the side of my ass, and the loud clap echoed through the tiled bathroom.
I shrieked. “What was that for?”
“For not doing as you’re told.” He struck the other side, and I squealed again. “And that’s for talking back.”
“Talking back? I?—”
He landed another searing slap over the first one, and I squirmed. “Keep it up, woman. I could do this all day.”
Vaughn soothed the sting from my rump with his palms. It felt…really nice, and the embarrassing moan I made might’ve given that away. Just so there was no confusion, I aimed a death stare at him through the mirror.
“Don’t play coy with me. You liked that, didn’t you?”
I gritted my teeth. “I’m not going to dignify that with an answer.”
“You don’t need to. Not when your pussy is dripping and clenching my cock like a Chinese finger trap.”
“Stop talking.” My face caught fire.
“Last I checked, only one of us is giving orders around here.” Fingertips dug into the flesh at my hips. “I said tilt that ass up, and I won’t repeat myself again.”
I did as he asked and was rewarded with Vaughn pulling back and slamming inside me. And he was right. He had been going easy on me, because the new pace he took up made my eyes cross and toes curl with delirious bliss. And the sensation achieved by canting my booty? Unbelievable.
The sight of him through the mirror was almost enough to take me over the edge. Vaughn’s broad tattooed chest behind me, every brawny muscle flexing as he unleashed the sexual tension that had been building between us for days. His strong hands gripped my waist, pulling me onto his cock while he pistoned his hips.
Then he thrust himself inside me as far as he could go and stayed there, grinding his pelvis in circular motions.
“Fuck, you feel incredible,” he hissed. “I want you to come with my cock buried inside you. I’ve been consumed by the thought of it for days.”
“You have?”
“What did you think I was fantasizing about when you walked in on me in the shower? I wanted you even then. Hell, I wanted to fuck you raw the moment you threw sass at me at the restaurant.” He palmed my breast, then his hand dipped between my thighs to tease my clit.
“Oh, God.” I moaned because I was as sensitive as a trip wire. “I’m going to come again.”
“That’s my girl. Give me one more. I know you can.”
The release tore through me like a supernova. Vaughn fucked me through it as wave after blissful wave corrupted my body. I might as well throw my toys out. They’d never be a replacement for this.
“Fuck, yes,” Vaughn growled, deep and primal.
His pelvis slapped against my ass. His fingers clung to me in a way I hoped would leave bruises. Then with a vicious roar, he drove home one final time, leaving us both gasping for air.
Our eyes met in the mirror, and the disbelief in Vaughn’s gaze must be echoed in mine. Something else passed between us. Some unspoken emotion that felt even more powerful and unstoppable than our galloping hearts.
No words were needed, because I knew what it said.
This changes everything .