CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
JORDAN
We got back to Seven’s apartment building just after one a.m. We hadn’t spoken a word in the car in front of Harry, per Seven’s instructions. He didn’t want anybody knowing we’d been inside Eli’s drug den, and neither did I.
Our walk to his apartment was quiet. I’d been trapped in my thoughts the entire car ride, and now I had no idea where to begin. Sleep sounded best. A long hug also sounded great. But I was still confused about where things sat between Seven and me. I knew there was more to the story, but he wasn’t offering up details, and I was too confused to pry.
He reached to unlock his door, and his hands trembled. I touched him gently.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly, looking up at his face. He wore a hard mask of neutrality, his brows drawn. He nodded.
“I’m fine.”
“Have you eaten?” I pressed, watching the shake in his hands as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. I followed him to the island, where he dropped the keys on the counter. He sniffed hard, propping his hands on his hips as he stared at the floor.
“I might eat later,” he said distractedly.
“Are you sick?” I asked, reaching for his hand again.
He gave me a heavy look, one that carried the weight of the world. Then he opened up his arms and scooped me into his embrace. I melted against him, my body more than ready to comply. But on the inside, I had a million questions. What was going through his head? Why was he so jittery? What the hell was actually going on?
My eyes drifted shut, and I closed my arms around his neck. This felt nice. No, better than nice. Being in his arms was the deepest, most cleansing sigh of relief. I’d missed this during his brief period of distance.
But there was more behind this hug. It wasn’t for my benefit. It was for his. And I hated how warm and comfortable and safe he could appear, only to dig deep and find this brick wall waiting for me underneath.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” I whispered.
He was quiet for an eternity. Then he rasped out, “I can’t.”
I pulled back, searching his face for an answer. Something lurked beneath the surface. But if he wouldn’t tell me, I couldn’t pry it out of him. I wouldn’t beg him to share his secrets. I hoped by this point he wouldn’t want to keep any from me. I’d shared all of mine with him, and I didn’t like that there was something he couldn’t share with me.
Before I could sink into my thoughts, he dipped down and captured my lips in a kiss. But it wasn’t soft or tender. It was hungry, possessive. Like we hadn’t kissed in years.
He walked me backward, cupping the sides of my face as his tongue traced the contours of my mouth, tangling with mine. Each time we broke for air, he dove in for double. I whimpered through the kisses, clutching the backs of his hands until my ass bumped up against a windowsill at the far side of the apartment. His warm hands slid behind my thighs, hoisting me onto the wide ledge of the bay window overlooking the street. The exposed skin of my back touched the cool glass, sending shivers through me.
“Seven,” I breathed, grabbing his wrist, reaching for his torso to bring him closer. He filled the space between my legs, but the short, tight fit of my minidress prevented him from getting as close as we needed. He looked down, dazed, then yanked the skirt up around my hips. He grunted, his gaze drifting over my dress.
“How upset would you be if I ruined this dress?”
A bunch of questions sprang to mind, and I couldn’t quite find words. “Uh…I mean…”
“I’ll buy you a different one.” Then he tugged at the hem of the dress, tearing it up the middle with a loud rrrrrrrriiipppp. Sequins popped off as he tore the dress from bottom to top until it hung off both arms as useless scraps. My mouth dropped open, and I stared down at my thong panties and bare belly.
“Wh—why did you…”
“I don’t ever want to see this dress again,” he whispered into my ear, nipping at my lobe. My nipples were tight points as he tugged the rest of the fabric off me until it crumpled to the windowsill. “And next time you do anything with that creep, wear a bra.” His rough hands cupped my tits, his thumbs tweaking my pebbled nipples. “These are mine. He doesn’t deserve you going braless for him.”
The headiest thrill raced through me as Seven pushed between my legs, capturing my lips in a punishing kiss. When he spoke to me like that, I’d do anything he wanted. I was so turned on I felt like I could get off on his words alone. I hooked my ankles behind his back, rocking my hips in a circle against him. The thick ridge of his cock already strained against the zipper of his pants.
“So you get jealous, too,” I murmured between kisses.
“Try spending six hours at a house party watching me on someone else’s arm,” he bit out. “Then let me know how you like it.”
I smoothed my hands over his biceps while he claimed the hollow of my neck. Then I got to work undoing his shirt buttons, though I could barely concentrate on what I was doing. He yanked at his belt buckle, pants crumpling to his feet a moment later, followed by another rrrip.
Panties, destroyed.
“Ok, so destroy everything that was in the same room as Eli. Noted.”
Seven freed his cock from the dark briefs he wore, then his hands slid beneath my ass cheeks. His silky hot erection glided against my needy core, nudging for entrance. I inhaled sharply, digging my nails into the ridge of his shoulders as he dragged his drugged gaze up to find mine.
“Ruin the clothes,” he corrected. “Don’t want to see them ever again.”
I exhaled shakily as his cockhead eased inside me. I was turned on immensely, but the few days without extensive foreplay or fucking made me worry my pussy had forgotten how to handle him. My head dropped to the windowpane with a loud thunk.
“Careful,” he rumbled, his eyes on his cock sliding into me.
I squeezed his biceps as he pushed himself inside me. My lips parted as I welcomed the hot glide of his skin. There was nothing more perfect than this: his steel heat filling me, the warmth of his body around me. Safe. Protected. Turned on. Cherished.
My eyes fluttered shut.
“Eyes on me, Jordan.”
I forced my eyes open, finding his hungry gaze waiting for me. Desire prickled through every inch of my body. Fuck, I loved this man. I loved everything about him. The way he held me. The way he fucked me. The way he honored me but also commanded me.
“You are so fucking sexy, Seven,” I said, the guttural edge to my voice surprising even me. “I want to explode.”
The corners of his lips curled up. “I plan on making you do just that.”
“For all of Manhattan to see?” I teased. My bare ass was smashed against his window.
“No. Only I get to see that.” He looked smugly satisfied as he pushed himself in deeper, so slowly despite the urgency I could feel in his kisses and behind every movement. “They just get to see what they can’t have.”
His rough hand cupped the side of my face, claiming my lips in a deep kiss as he sank deep, burying himself until there was no space left. I squeezed my legs around him, needing even more, and he rocked against me, never breaking eye contact. With a free hand, he ran his thumb gently back and forth across my clit while he plunged into me, filling me, completing me. The slick sounds of our lovemaking mingled with my whimpers and his grunts. The cold window at my back warred with the furnace heat between our bodies. Seven scooped me tighter against his body, pinching my clit and pounding into me as I rode the waves higher and higher.
His dark gaze was more intense than I’d ever seen. And I gladly got lost in the abyss. All I could feel was my love for him. I don’t know if it was the friction of his fingers combined with being stuffed with his cock, or whether his penetrating gaze really pushed me over the edge. But fireworks lit up, heating me from my toes all the way to my scalp. I clung to him, a strange, mewling moan piercing the air as he plunged into me over and over, driving me even higher.
“Ohhh, Jordan.” The grit in his voice rubbed me in all the right ways. “Do you know how hot it is when you come around my cock?”
My entire body shuddered against him in lieu of a response. He groaned low, tightening his arms around me and stilling. Then his shoulders shook, and his hips jerked one last time. His lips were on mine instantly, coaxing more kisses from me.
He pressed his thumb into my chin as we kissed, over and over again, until his dick softened slightly and he slipped himself out of me.
The words were at the tip of my tongue. I love you. I’d never said it to any man and meant it. But it seemed right—and time—with Seven.
I love you.
I pressed my forehead to his, trying to pry the terrifying words from my throat. The sweet drug of our passion still wound through me, making me sluggish. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw the same depth swirling there. It was like we’d said it, anyway. I could feel the love coursing through him; he showed me without saying it.
I stroked his cheek, unable to tear away my gaze.
“You want to go somewhere more comfortable?” he asked, hoisting me into his arms.
“I’ll go wherever you take me.” I giggled as he carried me toward the bathroom, where he set me down and gently cleaned between my legs with a warm washcloth. After that was done, he turned on the shower, the rush of water filling the bathroom.
“Let’s wash the Eli’s house off us,” he suggested. “Permanently.”
“Good idea. But just warning you: if that’s how you plan to fuck me after going to Eli’s house…”
He laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t even fucking say it.”
I traced my index finger along the indents of his abs and up to his pecs. “Well, you have to admit, you being on edge led to an excellent time on the windowsill.”
“I’ll admit that much.”
A comfortable silence settled between us as I relished the closeness, the intimacy.
“As unpleasant as it was going there, I think it was worth it,” I squeezed my arms around his waist as the air slowly grew more humid from the shower. “You were able to hear what he said, right?”
He let out a slow exhale. “Yeah. That’s fucking crazy, though. Do you think he’s serious?”
“I do. I don’t know all the details, but he’s bragging about it enough to connect the dots, don’t you think?”
Seven loosened my ponytail holder, allowing my hair to spill over my shoulders. He pushed his fingertips through the hair at my temples, searching my gaze. “I didn’t hear as much as you did, but even that seems like enough details to throw this whole case into question.”
Excitement nipped at me through the fog of my orgasmic haze. “Exactly! I mean, he’s pretty much admitted that he used his connections to bring somebody down. How can this not be taken somewhere and used somehow?”
He arched a brow. “We signed an NDA. And it’s not like we can bring your brother’s lawyer or the SEC into Eli’s house the next time he invites you to a house party.”
I sighed testily. “You’re right. But this just seems unfair. We have confirmation that the case against my brothers is a load of crap. We have to do something.”
Seven nodded, his gaze drifting as he sank into thought.
“And it’s not like we can tell them what we found out at Eli’s house,” Seven murmured. “Axel would flip.”
“He’d be that mad?”
“Jordan, he would murder me.” His serious gaze cut through to my core. “After he fired me, of course, and dismembered me limb by limb. If there’s one thing your brothers can’t know, aside from the fact that I fucked you on my windowsill, it’s that I allowed you to go anywhere near Eli Rossberg.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. “Okay. So this stays our little secret. I get it. But can’t we at least…probe further?”
Seven sighed heavily, pinching his eyes shut like he just remembered something he’d rather have forgotten. “I might have an idea.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s probably a long shot. But Trojan has some connections with the FBI.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
“The man is well connected, what can I say? If there’s anybody who can figure out a viable next step, it’s him and his contacts.” He swallowed hard, seeming almost hesitant to go on. “Like I said, this might lead absolutely nowhere. Don’t get your hopes up. But I’ll see who I can get ahold of tomorrow, and we can go from there.”
I squealed, tackling Seven until he fell flat on his back. “God, sometimes I feel like I love you, Seven.” My words hung throbbing and strange in the air. I shouldn’t have said that. But there it was. It was the closest I could get to admitting my true feelings out loud.
“Only sometimes?”
“Maybe all the time.” I tried not to make it seem like I was confessing the biggest thing lurking in my heart. Which I absolutely was.
He watched me with so much tenderness I thought I’d explode. I wanted him to say the same back to me. God, I wanted it so badly.
He ran his fingers through my hair and said, “I think it’s time for shower and bed. A brat needs her beauty sleep.”