33. XXXIII
XXXIII
Spencer
T he water had chilled, not that I gave a shit. My thoughts were still reeling from Echo’s history, the blatant betrayal of those he loved most— trusted t he most.
“But you love Aster,” I said, trying to wrap my head around it.
“Against every instinct. And although I’ve never admitted it to myself, of course I do. She was my entire life for many years. Until you.”
A blush stained my cheeks and a timid smile lifted the tips of my lips. I was glad he couldn’t see my face. Who the hell was I? Blushing like some innocent virgin. Yuck.
Echo stepped out of the bath and secured a towel around his waist before opening another for me to step into. He cared for me like a well-trained simp, and I was lapping that shit up like an addict.
I openly stared as he dried me down. Our joint nudity felt natural, neither of us hiding from the other. A physical cleansing, in a way. Echo’s impressive dick remained hard between us, yet he never made a sexual advance, happy to ignore his throbbing length in favour of giving me something much more valuable.
He seemed lighter, more contemplative, nowhere near the Echo I’d grown to know. He chose to confront his past demons in order to forge a better future. Still, I knew those two disloyal cunts had burrowed their betrayal deep into his inner sanctum. A simple conversation wouldn’t make all his trauma disappear.
Jealousy seethed in my gut. I didn’t want to share—his attention, his thoughts, his fucking suffering.
I craved to erase their stain, fucking scrub any lasting impression from his world until all that remained was me. It all belonged to me.
Clean, dry and naked in front of him, my fingers intertwined with his, and I led him to stand before the full-length mirror next to his bed. I stood behind his shoulder, our eyes locking in the reflection.
It was time to purge those fuckers from his system.
“Tell me why, sometimes, it seems you can’t tolerate my touch?”
My fingers skirted up his spine to then sweep through his bleached blonde buzz cut. Echo froze, every muscle tensed, his body prepared to attack on a whim. His gaze remained on mine, waves of fear and determination flashing in conflict.
“It’s not your touch. It’s about control. Since that disastrous time I lost my virginity…I haven’t given anyone free reign over my body again. Never wanted to be in a position where I was vulnerable and weak.”
Hmm. That’s why he restrained my hands or controlled our positioning most of the time . I thought he loved being dominant, but after hearing his past, I could see why he needed that extra level of security. I’d have bet he’d never let another woman ride him again, either.
“What happened after they betrayed you?” I asked, massaging down his scalp to the nape of his neck, where his Vice tattoo lay, the two swirling serpents immortalised in a stark red V.
Echo shuddered. “I woke up in the same warehouse we’d stolen all that shit from, my arms dead above my head, hanging from rusted chains. I swear, I nearly shat myself.”
“Nearly?”
His lips twitched. “The warehouse belonged to Vice. We’d stolen from Aster. They’d used me as a scapegoat to take the heat while they escaped unscathed. Fuck, I didn’t even have access to my Variant since that bitch had drained me dry.” I could feel his form coil with tension as my palm skirted down his spine. Still, he continued, his voice gruff as if I was causing him pain.
“After a couple days of torture with nothing to show, Aster made an appearance. She arrived, took one look at my battered body and…saw something in me. Instead of exterminating my existence like most would, she offered me a job instead—one chance to prove my worth. I not only met her expectations, but I also superseded them repeatedly. I’ve done my utmost best to prove my value to her over the years, and in doing so, I clawed my way up to be her second in command and next in line to take over Vice.”
Echo’s form had grown so rigid, I bit into his bicep, hard enough to leave marks. He flinched from the offering but remained steadfast in front of the mirror, hazel eyes tracking my actions with weary precision.
Shifting forward, I aligned my front up to his bare back, my nipples peaking from the heat of his skin. I leisurely scattered kisses across the back of his tense shoulders, and my hands circled his waist. The only barrier that remained was the towel that sat around his hips, barely obscuring his throbbing cock beneath.
Greed washed over me as an ardent need to touch every last inch of him took over. I was getting impatient, wanting what was mine, my body demanding what was due.
Then, I stilled, processing his trembling flesh and hyperventilating chest. It wasn’t desire. I tilted my head to the side and captured his gaze in the mirror once more, my heart straining from the open emotions rolling over his face—in his damn eyes. All I saw was terror. Absolute terror.
“Let’s stop,” I said, about to step away and free him from my hold. But before I could move, Echo latched his hands on mine, his grip tight and bruising.
“ No, ” he replied. “I need this. I need you . Saints, do I fucking need you, Spence.”
Gauging his sincerity, my palms began to climb up his abs. Echo tensed.
“Watch me,” I whispered, loosening the towel to let it drop to his feet. He gave a resolute nod, his features softening ever so slightly.
My fingertips raised, tracing the lines up his chest. “Feel me.”
Echo was magnificent, my eyes poring over his frame with wild appreciation. His dick was rigid, glistening beautifully in the reflection, and I had to take a closer look.
Peeling myself away from his back, I slowly circled him. “Watch me,” I said, stepping up to his front, my hands pressing against his chest once more. “ Feel me .”
It was a mantra, those two statements repeating over and over as I caressed his frame. My whispered chant sealed into his skin every time my lips made contact with his body, every time my fingertips pressed into his flesh.
Echo gradually unfurled beneath my ministrations. He continued to tremble, hyperventilate and tense, however, when I looked into his eyes, that terror was replaced by molten hot lust. Echo stared down at me like he was going to devour me, and heat flowed to my centre from the triumph of knowing I put it there.
Despite the tension sizzling between us, Echo didn’t touch me in return, fists clenched at his sides as if to keep some semblance of control over the unbridled transition.
That won’t do.
Up until that point, I had avoided his cock, knowing it would be our undoing. It wasn’t just Echo being affected by my actions. My nipples were peaked to the point of painful, my pussy aching with the need to be filled. Raw desire rippled through my nervous system with the force of a live electrical wire.
With a deep breath, I breached that last connection and wrapped my fingers around the base of his cock. Echo groaned, his body tremors increasing in such severity that my frame vibrated from the aftershocks.
“And what happened to those who betrayed you? Did you find them?” I asked, wanting to finish it, ready to shove him over the edge and raze through his insecurities.
Echo shook his head, shallowly thrusting into my hand. “Gordon fucked over one too many people, death unfortunately claiming him quicker than I could. Camilla, though, I’ve hunted for years and never caught a hint of her anywhere.”
Injustice and frustration bubbled through me so fast that my grip inadvertently tightened. I practically snarled as I looked up into Echo’s face and dropped to my knees.
“I can’t be gentle,” I said, my tone aggressive and on the verge of snapping. My last warning.
Although a flash of vulnerability rippled over his features, his arrogant smirk won out. Then, with a glint in his lust-filled eyes, Echo swept a loose strand away from my face. “Rough me up, Ghost. Fucking annihilate me. I’ll gladly crumble beneath your hands.”
High off his submission, I nipped the tip of his rigid length, then swallowed him to the back of my throat. His eyes widened in disbelief at the aggressive intake.
He felt perfect in my mouth, his smooth skin warming my tongue, his pre-cum coating the lining of my throat. I moaned from the intrusion, his girth stretching me to the brink, my pulse thumping in time to the beats of my movements.
“ Fuck , Ghost.” Echo groaned. “That fucking mouth will have me undone.”
My hands ran up the back of his thighs to secure over his ass, using the position to pull him further inside me.
It was sloppy, a goddamn mess. I gagged on his solid tip, saliva dripped down my chin, tears ran from my eyes.
It was fucking magical.
Echo removed the pen from my hair, the long strands cascading down my back, caressing my sensitive skin. I moaned as he swept the loose tendrils from my face.
“How could I ever think I could live without you?” he asked, his voice strained with reverence. “This mouth. This perfect, wet, pink fucking mouth, stretching to take me. Gagging to take me. Choke on my cock, Ghost.”
“Choke.” Thrust. “ On.” Thrust. “My.” Thrust. “Fucking.” Thrust. “Cock.”
His words, infused with his Variant, hit me like a bat. The effect had me stunned. Each syllable, each fucking letter skittered over my flesh with pleasure. The tantalising impression accompanied by my man driving into my face like a barbarian drove me absolutely wild.
My inner walls repeatedly clenched as slick dripped down my thighs, which rubbed together, craving more friction.
One hand settled on his hip, encouraging his brutal motions as the other skimmed between his ass cheeks, one finger teasing his hole.
Echo praised and cursed me in the same breath, his body gyrating out of control as his grip on my roots tightened to the point of pain.
Fuck yes. Give me pain, give me pleasure.
As Echo’s body drew taut, I slipped my finger into his hole and popped off his cock. “Come on my face.”
Unable to resist, Echo growled, then exploded over me. I almost orgasmed on the spot.
Not enough.
“I’m going to find her,” I whispered against his skin as I continued to lick, suck and taste his softening cock and balls. “I’m going to fucking destroy every last piece of her DNA that still contaminates this earth.” I detached my hands from his ass and massaged down his shaking legs. Echo was practically vibrating. “All her family, everyone she ever loved, completely eradicated . She will be screaming before the end, Echo, I prom?—”
A squeak escaped me as Echo caught my face between his hands and raised me to stand.
“Phew. Jealousy makes that tongue extra vicious, huh? Let me taste it?” he asked in a guttural voice. Then, without warning, as if he couldn’t hold back, Echo pressed forward to lick from my chin, all the way up to my hairline. His moist stroke was delectable as he lapped his own cum from my skin. Which turned me all the way fucking on. “I didn’t think you could get any more sexy, Ghost. But fuck ? —”
Echo cut himself off by savagely attacking my mouth. He carried me to the bed, laid us down and pulled me closer.