Chapter Seventeen #2
“Finish your speech,” I instructed, my voice rough with emotion. “I want to hear how you wrap it up.”
Sierra nodded, retrieving her index cards with slightly shaking hands.
She didn't move from my lap, instead settling more comfortably against me, her warmth seeping through my clothes and into my skin.
I kept one hand on her lower back, the other resting possessively on her bare thigh as she began again.
“In closing,” she read, her voice clearer now, more confident, “I want to thank each of you for your continued support of our mission. Your generosity transforms not just our library, but the lives of countless children who find refuge, inspiration, and possibility within our walls.”
She looked up from her cards, her eyes meeting mine. “And now, I'll hand things over to our library director, Mr. Jones, who will tell you more about our upcoming initiatives. ”
I clapped slowly, proud of her strength. “Good girl,” I praised, squeezing her thigh. “You're going to blow them all away.”
I meant it. My Sierra was fucking brilliant, her quiet passion a force that could move mountains if only she believed in her own power the way I did.
She beamed at my praise, a shy smile that made my chest ache with something I wasn't used to feeling. Pride or tenderness. Both were foreign emotions that only she seemed capable of drawing from me.
"You really think so?"
“I know so,” I confirmed, leaning in to leave a kiss on her nose. “And afterward, I'll take you somewhere nice to celebrate. Maybe that restaurant you pinned in the North End.”
Sierra wouldn’t be comfortable with too grand gestures yet, given she was still getting used to the idea that there was nothing I wouldn't do for her, that there were no lengths I wouldn't go to just to see her smile.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. “Thank you for helping me practice. I feel much better about tomorrow.”
I buried my face in the soft curve of her neck, inhaling her. My hands slid down to cup her perfect ass again, pulling her more firmly against me.
“We're not done practicing yet,” I murmured against her skin. "I think you need to run through it at least one more time.”
She giggled, the sound vibrating against my lips where they pressed to her throat. "Connor, I've been through it three times already.
“And now you'll do it a fourth,” I insisted. I felt her shiver in my arms; her body responding to my tone so sweetly.
"But this time with a more... challenging distraction.”
I stood abruptly before she could question what I’d meant, lifting her with me. Her legs kicked adorably in surprise, her arms tightening around my neck as I carried her across the room to press her back against the floor-to-ceiling windows again .
The glass was cool against her back, the city spread out behind her like a carpet of lights and shadow. Sixty stories below, people moved, completely unaware of the treasure I held against the sky.
“Connor!” she gasped, glancing over her shoulder at the view. “This again?”
She was all flushed, but I was determined to change the last experience she’d had against these windows.
I pressed closer, pinning her more firmly to the glass with my body.
“Hmm?” I feigned, gauging whether people could see her in the daylight. They couldn’t, though a part of me wouldn't have minded letting the whole fucking world know that she was mine. Claimed, protected, worshipped.
“Now, start from the beginning. Good evening, distinguished guests...”
Sierra's eyes were wide, her breath coming in quick little pants as I held her suspended between my body and the window. But she didn't ask me to put her down, didn't push me away. She swallowed hard and began again, like a good girl.
“Good evening, distinguished guests and generous supporters of the Sunset Public Library. My name is Sierra Willow, and I serve as the assistant manager.”
I hummed my approval and licked a wet path down her neck, pausing to suck lightly at the hollow of her throat. Not hard enough to leave a mark, I knew she had to look professional tomorrow, but enough to make her voice falter beautifully.
“Good girl,” I praised against her skin. “Keep going.”
She struggled through the next few sentences, her concentration fracturing deliciously as I worked my way up to her ear, taking the lobe between my teeth and tugging gently. Her index cards were forgotten now, clutched uselessly in one hand as the other squeezed my arm.
“Connor,” she breathed, her hips shifting restlessly against mine. “I can't... I can't focus when you do that. ”
“Yes, you can,” I countered, rolling my hips against hers so she could feel exactly what she did to me. My cock was throbbing, straining against my sweats, and the little gasp she made when it pressed against her pussy was almost made me forget all about her speech practice.
“That's the point. If you can get through your speech while I'm doing this, you can handle anything those donors throw at you.”
She bit her lip, determination flashing in her eyes. My beautiful girl, rising to a challenge.
“As many of you know,” she continued, her voice only slightly unsteady, “Our library serves as a vital resource for children of all backgrounds.”
I held her against the glass with one arm, sliding one hand beneath the hoodie. I traced the curve of her waist before moving my palm up to meet the warm, bare flesh of her breast.
She whimpered when I tweaked her nipple, but valiantly continued.
“Last year alone, we welcomed over fifteen thousand young readers through our doors.”
“So good,” I praised. I wanted to rip the fabric away, to expose her completely, but I restrained myself. Sierra ultimately set the pace for how far we went physically. She always had, and always would.
I'd never push her beyond what she was ready for, especially knowing her past. The fact she trusted me this much was already a fucking miracle I wasn't about to jeopardize.
She was panting now, her head falling back against the glass as I continued to tease her nipple with my thumb.
“Through our summer reading initiative,” she got out, her voice breathy and distracted, “We've seen a... oh god, Connor...”
I shifted to grind more deliberately against her, creating the friction I knew she needed.
The little whine she made sent heat spiraling through me, pooling in my groin with an intensity that would have brought a lesser man to his knees. But I wasn't about to lose control, not ever with Sierra .
“Thirty percent increase,” I prompted, nipping at her collarbone. “In participation.”
“Thirty percent increase in participation,” she repeated obediently, her eyes fluttering closed as I rocked against her. "With many children exceeding their reading goals.”
I slid my hands down to grip her thighs, hitching her higher against the window so her panty-clad pussy pressed more firmly against my erection.
The change in angle drew a moan from her lips, her head falling forward to rest against my shoulder.
“This program has been particularly successful,” she gasped, no longer reading from her cards but reciting from memory, “In reaching underserved communities...”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, vibrating against my thigh. I ignored it, too focused on the way Sierra's breathing had quickened, and how she was stumbling over her words. My hands tightened on her thighs, fingers digging into the soft flesh.
“Where access to books,” she continued, her voice breaking on a gasp as I rolled my hips into hers, “can transform a child's educational outcomes.”
Her hands were in my hair now, her index cards scattered on the floor at our feet, forgotten in the heat between us. I growled my approval, capturing her mouth in a kiss that barely hid my constrained hunger.
My phone buzzed again, more insistently this time, then a third time in rapid succession.
The group chat. Fuck.
It had to be important if they were blowing up my phone like this, especially since both Jax and Adrian knew I was with Sierra.
I reluctantly broke the kiss, keeping Sierra pinned to the window with my body and holding her with one arm as I fished my phone from my pocket.
“What is it?” Sierra asked, her lips seeking mine again, and fuck, if that wasn't tempting. Sierra was so shy in some ways, but becoming increasingly bold with me, asking for what she wanted.
The rapid-fire texts continued, and a knot of dread formed in my stomach. Few things would make them interrupt like this.
“One second,” I promised, giving her that kiss she wanted before glancing at my phone screen.
The preview showed three messages from the group chat I shared with Jax and Adrian:
Jax
Found Jerry. We can grab him on his way home.
Adrian
His car is parked outside the club. The license plate checks out.
Jax
We need you to give the green light, Killer. Fucker deserves what’s coming.
Ice settled through me, the heat of earlier paused. The piece of shit who'd made Sierra's childhood a living hell took over my thoughts. The man who'd sent her those texts that triggered her panic attack. Who still haunted her anxiety.
The guys had tracked him down, just as I'd asked them to, and now they were waiting for my go-ahead to make him pay for what he did.
“Connor?” Sierra's voice pulled me back to the present, concern etching her brows. “Is everything okay?”
I carefully schooled my expression, not wanting her to see the rage I knew was burning in my eyes. She didn't know I'd read her journal, didn't know I was aware of what that bastard had done to her, and she definitely didn't know I'd sent my insane friends to hunt him down.
“Just fight stuff,” I lied quietly, sliding my phone back into my pocket. “Nothing that can't wait.”
But it couldn't wait. Jax and Adrian were waiting for my signal. Jerry could disappear again, could come looking for Sierra. The thought of him anywhere near her made primal violence rear up inside me.
Sierra studied my face, those too-intelligent eyes not entirely convinced. Her hands rested on my chest, warm and small and grounding. “You look upset,” she observed quietly. “Is it something serious?”
I hesitated, weighing my options. I obviously couldn’t tell her the truth—that I was going to fucking murder her stepfather. The last thing I ever wanted was to scare her.
“Just some bullshit with my next fight,” I said, forcing a smile, though I didn’t even know when my next fucking fight was.“Nothing for you to worry about, sweet girl.”
I lowered her gently to the floor, steadying her when her legs wobbled slightly. “Why don't you get us a drink? I need to send a quick response.”
Sierra nodded, collecting her scattered index cards before padding toward the kitchen on bare feet. The sight of her moving comfortably through my space, as if she belonged there, which she absolutely fucking did, pacified the rage simmering beneath my skin.