14. A Familiar Rhythm
Chapter 14
A Familiar Rhythm
P alming my face, I recovered from one of the most intensely awkward drives since my life became a literal shit show. Or maybe since I was born. Who knows when evidently my memories were changed on occasion—or maybe more than Grams let on—and it was very likely I didn’t remember the worst awkward moment of my life.
She’s a jerk, but I miss her.
With a great huff, I peeled off my jacket and haphazardly flung it onto a nearby chair. I took one look at our room for the night and already knew it was going to be a long one.
Not counting that I had to share it with a man I’d only just smooched the fucking face off of, but Sloan was out rendezvousing with Eddie to pin down details for tomorrow’s stroll through enemy territory. Which meant the two of us would be alone for long enough to make me anxious.
I couldn’t trust myself around the devastatingly alluring Hunter, and it was almost certainly going to lead to the forbidden huffy-puffy if I didn’t orchestrate some sort of diabolical get out of jail free card, or find a way to knock myself out for the rest of the evening.
Too bad alcohol doesn’t work for me the way it should.
“You look like you’re planning your escape,” Phillip murmured with a husky laugh, somehow already in front of me .
I couldn’t even call myself a Hunter anymore.
Shit.
I audibly gasped and attempted to get away. But instead of evading his advances, my knee went right into the arm of an in-room chair. I might be an uber powerful Hunter capable of striking down some of the fiercest foes in existence, but even I cried out the second my kneecap connected with nothing but wood. It hurt like a bitch!
Fuck you, chair. Why are you even in here?
Silently, I cursed whoever thought this ridiculously tiny motel room in the middle of nowhere needed an out-of-place piece of furniture. I mean, there wasn’t even a desk for the wooden chair to make any sense.
I heard the familiar husk of the Austrian’s laugh before Phillip rounded on me, then unceremoniously dropped down to a knee, putting my no-no zone right in front of his annoyingly handsome face.
Oh, yeah. That’s going to end up in a fantasy or dream sometime soon. Most definitely.
“What the actual fuck, Phil—”
No doubt, my face showed how outright crazy I thought the other Hunter was when he bent forward and kissed where I’d struck my knee. “Poor lass. So out of sorts that you need your prince charming to kiss your boo-boo all better,” the sexy Austrian said before effortlessly dodging the knee I’d aimed at his face.
I crossed my arms, trying to hide how much the silly act affected me, but my face was already all kinds of red and my blood pumped loudly in my ears. “Fuck you. I’m over you treating me like a child, Phil. I deserve some goddamn respect. ”
Luminous artic-blue eyes rose to meet mine from where Phillip was knelt, and the emotion swimming inside them made my heart lose its rhythm. “You’re right. I’m sorry, V.”
Phillip never apologized with feeling, so the sincere apology took me off guard. One might assume he was sorry for being a patronizing asshole, to which Hell would’ve frozen over, but I picked up on the depth of feeling in the other Hunter’s apology. He wasn’t saying sorry for treating me like a child; he was apologizing for rejecting me, then leaving me behind. Because it was Phillip we were talking about, the look had more impact and his apology nestled into the place where my heart was still dedicated to him.
My throat burned, so I only managed to nod my forgiveness. I wanted to stay angry, but the anguish in his expression melted my rage. When Phillip rose to his feet, I had to crane my neck a little. Maybe that was his plan all along because he quickly swooped down, grasping my jaw with firm but painfully gentle hands, and kissed me like he was so desperate to touch me that he couldn’t wait.
And maybe he couldn’t.
Hell, I couldn’t.
Far be it for me to deny him a little make-up kiss, and that was all it took for my initial hesitation to fade away and my arms to find their way around his neck. On my toes, I dragged the massive Hunter down so I could deepen our kiss. And like we hadn’t been fighting or he hadn’t left me over some misguided attempt to protect me, we fell back into a familiar rhythm.
Phil’s hands gripped the fabric of my thin t-shirt before he tore through it like it was a piece of paper.
“Hey— ”
Growling low in his chest, Phillip nipped my lower lip, then sucked it into his mouth, effectively silencing me before I could berate him. “Just be a good girl and moan for me, lass.” He forced me backwards until I hit the mattress. “On your back,” the Austrian ordered in a tone I was painfully accustomed to hearing.
That’s Phil’s bedroom voice.
Swallowing, I laid out over the bed as instructed, because it was natural to follow Phillip’s lead in the bedroom. But I suddenly felt the weight of what we were about to do settle into my stomach when his powerful body loomed over mine, blocking out the light. Before I could argue it was a bad idea, Phillip’s gaze slid down to my heaving breasts. With one side of his mouth upturned, the other Hunter drove his knee between my legs, forcing them open.
My body immediately responded and I arched into him, a rush of pleasure hitting my hips. “Oh, fuck.”
The Austrian’s hungry mouth moved over mine, nipping and tugging my lips apart while his fingers danced across my stomach. Several excited moans left my mouth, but they were instantly smothered by his forceful kiss. The thigh pressed between my legs moved, creating delicious friction. All I could do was swivel my waist to feel it more, thrusting brazenly over the hard muscle pressed against the center of my pleasure.
Angling my head back with a grip on my red hair, the other Hunter swirled his tongue around mine, ate my lips, and traced my palate and teeth. Phillip’s thick fingers clenched inside my loose tresses and yanked hard enough to get me to move but not enough to hurt. My neck arched all the way back. His mouth fled mine down the curved length of my throat, nipping and biting my pale skin until it was likely red with the attention .
Drawing away from me, my previous partner grasped me around the throat with enough strength to get my attention. But the hold was never threatening. Not that the jerk could do anything to me now; we both knew which one of us was stronger. My lips lifted, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little to myself thinking about it.
Confusion deepened the lines of his face as Phillip regarded me. “Find this funny, do you?”
“And you don’t?” I cackled. “Two days ago, I told you I hated you. A month ago, I thought you were dead. And maybe two months ago, I said I had feelings for you and you told me it was a bad idea.” I huffed a little. “Just seems to fall perfectly in line with how fucked up my life is these days.”
Phillip kissed my mouth hard enough to punish me. “Only you could sit here discussing the weather with my hand cupping your breast,” he taunted.
I knew he did it to derail the conversation, but I still looked down in surprise, giggling. “Would you look at that…you are.”
“Ich verehre dich.” The Hunter’s tender smile was out of place, and my laughter faded.
“Excusie?”
I really need to learn German, like yesterday.
“I don’t know why I thought I could stay away,” the gorgeous man above me whispered softly. His eyes jerked towards mine in shock, clearly surprised by his own utterance.
Hilarious.
It was a rare sight, and one that joined a long list of out of place faces on the Austrian since he’d come back.
Don’t think I could have a weirder sex life if I tried .
“Did he touch you?”
For a second, I just stared at Phillip in open confusion, not exactly sure what he meant. Instead, I was trembling, all hot and bothered and fighting the urge to lunge at him despite our little comical interruption. “What? Who?”
Phillip sunk his fingers into his hair, angrily grunting. “No. Don’t answer that.”
Wait a second…
“Are you talking about Sloan?”
Fuck. Sloan.
Guilt crept into my throat, a real bitch when all I wanted to do was sink into depravity with the criminally sexy Hunter. A thunderous growl rumbled between us before Phillip was kissing me again, tongue roughly twirling around mine. I couldn’t help but groan in appreciation. It felt so good. It had to be a crime for him to be this good at sex and as good looking as he was.
Phillip’s hand replaced his knee between my thighs, and the Austrian made quick work of my pants and underwear. I didn’t have time to register exactly when his fingers sunk inside of me, only that they were there and driving me crazy before I realized I sounded like a wanton banshee.
I mean, holy fuck, why does it always feel so damn good?
I didn’t want to admit it, but I was glad Phillip did whatever he wanted. It saved me the trouble of second-guessing it. It even let me blame it all on him, as childish as that was.
As his movements worked my thighs apart, I succumbed to his wicked fingers and tongue, surrendering all my self-respect as a powerful, independent woman to give in. Quickly, I forgot why I even bothered hesitating. Might as well enjoy it. I could die tomorrow. Who knows. Another sexy guy and roll in the bed was living it up, if Kate’s definition of high school rang true.
Convenient excuse, V.
Twisting the sheets in my hands, I fought the oncoming orgasm. I’d die of shame if I came too fast, and Phillip would never let me hear the end of it. Biting my lower lip, I jerked away from his touch.
Chuckling, the other Hunter removed his shirt with one hand. Muscles danced and rippled under a sea of ink. The gleam of the metal piercings in his nipples and belly caught my distracted stare. His powerful body was painted in both light and shadow, and it was a marvel to gaze at. I’d forgotten the strong cut of his shape and the way his biceps moved and balled under smooth, inked flesh when he shifted and hovered.
The gorgeous criminal lookalike brushed dark hair away from his ocean eyes, his abs forming a ridge of mountains along his stomach when he braced on the balls of his feet. His pecs reshaped and flexed when Phil’s eyes finally settled on mine. The look the sexy Hunter gave me was the same one he always displayed when he was turned on and ready to pounce.
“I’ve missed you, mein Schatz.”
That means ‘My Darling.’ Google told me so.
I stiffened at the passionately whispered term of endearment, but I wasn’t given the chance to address it like I wanted to. Somehow, Phillip had worked the button and zip of his pants open and was already stroking himself, in full view of my greedy eyes. It was a damn miracle I didn’t drool when I caught sight of his large, tattooed hand stroking his fully erect cock.
That’s some cheap porno shit, so why am I so turned on?
Any other time and I would’ve teased him, but I couldn’t find the words. Couldn’t really speak at all. His shameless actions rendered me speechless, the bastard. He knew I turned into a beast when the other Hunter openly exposed himself.
I doubt anyone would know what to say when the Devil himself is staring at you while pumping his massive, throbbing erection.
His ethereal blues caught mine before Phillip snaked his way back over my body and hooked one of my legs over his arm. Then with a sneaky smile, he sunk into me.
The overwhelming stimulation took my brain hostage. Every thought that wasn’t wanting it harder and faster fled my head. “Phillip!”
His hips smacked into mine without reprieve. The loud slaps echoed in my ears and I clung to him, rolling down to feel it more. Every powerful thrust forced a sound from my throat that gave everything away, and soon I didn’t do anything but beg him for it—to take me harder, faster, deeper.
“Fuck, Phil,” I panted, driving fingernails into his back.
Phillip’s kiss was near violence. “Please, don’t call my name in that voice,” he pleaded with a voice roughened by lust.
I nibbled his ear, and his body shuddered against me. “Fuck me so hard I can’t speak, then.”
His answering groan was full of the desire to do just that, give me the fuck of a lifetime. His pace and strength intensified to the point where I literally couldn’t speak. I didn’t even breathe. Could only anchor myself to his strong body and chase the pleasure until it hit its peak and my entire body constricted.
“Scheisse,” he cursed before stiffening .
Warmth flooded my hips, and then everything relaxed. Phillip rolled over to my side, panting even though he didn’t need to breathe. But that was how I knew he was really into it. His body craved air it didn’t need, and so did mine.
The mechanical ping of someone’s phone went off from Phillip’s side of the bed. I turned my head to see the naked, beautiful tattooed Hunter turn over to check his phone with a grunt. But as I went to ask him who texted, Phillip tossed the phone and dragged my face back over to his. Then the other Hunter kissed me like he intended to suck out the rest of the air in my lungs.
Slow-blinking, I watched him pull away, unable to do anything but stare at the other Hunter like a fucking idiot. “Wha—”
“Get dressed, mein Schatz. Sloan will be here in five.”
That was when reality came rushing back in.
Shit.