16. Ember
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
EMBER
M y heart beats erratically in my chest.
This, right here, is the definition of fake it ’til you make it.
I’ve never felt more out of my depth than I do right now, but I’m also so turned on I can barely think straight. Which makes sense, because this definitely wasn’t part of the plan.
The plan was to sass him a little and leave him tied up while I made a swift exit.
But having this power over him is doing things to me, and apparently, I can’t deny myself.
Stupid, sexy asshole.
I’ve been moving on nothing but lust-filled instinct for the last few minutes, and I have a feeling it’s going to bite me in the ass.
“You going to grind your pretty pussy on my cock, Little Flame?” he rumbles, his voice thick with lust.
I nod, unable to respond as pleasure fires through my core.
I’ve tried to get off over the last few months, but it seems as if my body craves Orion in a way I really fucking wish it wouldn’t.
I kept telling myself it would get better in time, that I’d be able to bring myself to orgasm again, but after three months, this is the closest I’ve been.
As much as I hate to admit it, that has everything to do with the man I have tied to the bed.
“You look so fucking sexy, Ember. Fuck, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Shut up,” I snap, placing my hand over his mouth as I grind against his thick cock. Maybe I should have removed our underwear before I started this, but I know myself well enough to know I wouldn’t have been able to deny sinking down on his length if there was nothing between us.
He huffs out a laugh beneath my hand as his hips roll up, meeting me and tearing another strangled moan from my throat.
Jesus Christ.
I’m already on the edge, and I’ve barely even started.
I plant my free hand in the middle of Orion’s chest and circle my hips. The new type of friction has stars dancing behind my eyelids, and I can barely breathe as pleasure shoots through me.
“Fuck,” I breathe, allowing my hand to slip from his mouth.
“You close, baby?” he murmurs. “You’re so fucking wet you’re soaking through my boxers.”
“So close,” I groan as I speed up my movements, desperate to throw myself over the edge.
“You’re going to make me come in my underwear like a teenage boy during his first make-out session,” he tells me as his hips shift against.
“Good.”
“Oh, you like the idea of that, Ember? You like the idea of me falling apart for you the way you’re about to fall apart for me?”
I nod, unable to form a sentence as my orgasm barrels toward me so fast I can barely breathe.
“Come for me, Ember. Come right fucking now,” he growls, and the dominance in his voice is what throws me over the edge into a trembling release that steals the air straight from my lungs.
Orion grunts beneath me, and his cock jerks against my pussy, telling me he’s found his own release.
It takes me a few seconds to catch my breath and for the feeling to come back to my legs before I carefully climb off him.
I tug the robe closed around me and cross my arms over my chest as emotions slam into me so hard, I have to press my eyes closed to ward away tears.
I forgot how vulnerable I feel after an orgasm like that, and how much I love having Orion’s arms around me to make the rest of the world go away.
God fucking damn it.
Why did I have to fall in love with a monster?
“Ember,” he says softly. “Why don’t you come back to bed?”
“I have to go,” I reply, turning on my heel before making my way back into the bathroom where I stashed a change of clothes.
I make quick work of dressing in my favorite ripped jeans and torn band shirt.
You wouldn’t think so, but both pieces are designer, and each cost more than my entire old wardrobe before I met Orion.
It still doesn’t sit well with me spending so much on such frivolous things, but Max insisted on taking me shopping before we came to LA, and that man is very persuasive when he wants to be.
I swipe on a layer of mascara, some lip gloss, and quickly pull my hair up into a low ponytail.
My cheeks are flushed from my release, reminding me I need to move quickly. The headboard may be solid wood, but I have little doubt that Orion will find a way out of his bindings any minute now.
I step back into the bedroom and find him glaring at me. His eyes trail over my clothes as I slip my feet into a pair of white tennis shoes and look over my outfit quickly.
I throw the final things into my suitcase and zip it shut, my heart beating erratically in my chest as I breathe through the heavy emotions weighing me down.
“Little Flame,” Orion murmurs.
“Have a nice life, Orion.” My voice comes out even despite the turmoil raging inside me, and with that, I turn on my heel and head out of the suite, leaving my key on the table by the door.
The last thing I hear before the door swings shut is the sound of the headboard cracking.
I meet Max and Darius in the lobby, and a bellhop immediately takes my bag to the car parked on the curb.
“Did you have a good night, babe?” Max asks, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Please don’t tell me you gave my ex a key to my room,” I groan.
“She guessed that quick.” Darius chuckles and wraps an arm around my shoulder.
He’s only a few inches taller than me, and I find myself leaning against him without conscious thought.
Some days it feels like I’ve known the two of them all my life, and even when they’re meddling, I’m grateful as hell to have them by my side.
I peer up at Darius and note the dark smudges under his soft green eyes. His curly brown hair is messier than normal, and I pin him with a look. “Do you two ever sleep?”
Max’s laugh fills the quiet lobby, and I’m immediately all too aware of all the eyes on us. “We’ll sleep when we’re dead, babe. But we got shit to do while we’re living.”
“I think you mean each other,” I mutter and glance around us, making sure Orion hasn’t escaped from where I left him.
“You’re looking a little skittish this morning, love,” Darius says, steering me toward the door.
“And minus a tall, dark, and handsome billionaire-slash-drug kingpin,” Max adds.
“He’s a little tied up right now.” I shrug.
Max’s eyes widen comically, and a chuckle booms from his throat. “Fuck, I love you, Em.”
I smirk and allow Darius to open the back door to the limo for me.
“If it isn’t my little runaway thief.” A familiar voice comes from behind Max, and my throat tightens as Lucas and Cain flank my best friend.
“Oh goody, another asshole to deal with.” Max chuckles, unaffected by the men surrounding him.
“Watch your mouth,” Lucas snaps. “You won’t be laughing if Cain teaches you some manners.”
“This has nothing to do with them,” I say evenly.
“You’re right, it doesn’t, but they are the ones that have been hiding you from me.” His eyes slowly trail down my body, and instead of filling with heat, like when Orion did it, it’s dread in its place.
“What do you want, Lucas? I’ll pay you the rest of your money, but I’m not working for you again.”
He laughs and steps forward. The urge to retreat slams into me, but I steel myself in place, leaning into Darius’s hold on me.
I used to feel confident when dealing with Lucas and his intimidation tactics, but that was before I found out this asshole actually thought I’d ever marry him.
Now, being within a few feet of him makes my skin crawl.
“I don’t give a fuck about the money, Ember. I want what was promised to me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say evenly.
He chuckles. “For a thief, you’re not a very good liar.”
I glare at him, allowing my eyes to quickly flick around us to make sure we’re not drawing a crowd.
Being out of Vegas means Max and Darius are less likely to get recognized, but it’s not out of the question, and the last thing we need is this little interaction being on the front of tomorrow’s paper.
“Travis is dead, no thanks to you, and therefore, any deal he made with you is long gone. Perhaps you should have thought about that before you put him on the Hunter’s radar.”
Lucas moves so quickly, I barely catch myself as his tattooed fingers wrap around my throat, constricting my airway, shoving me back against the open door.
I’m vaguely aware of Cain holding Max back and Darius trying to shove Lucas off, but I’m too focused on not panicking to process any of it.
“Watch your fucking mouth when you speak to me, whore,” Lucas growls. “You’re coming with me now, or I’ll kill both of these motherfuckers in front of you. How does that sound?”
“Please don’t hurt them,” I choke out.
“Just as I thought.” His lips tip up in an evil smirk.
The barrel of a gun appears against Lucas’s temple, and his grip on my throat tightens.
“Don’t celebrate too early, Trainer,” Killian says calmly. “Let her go.”
“She’s mine,” he snaps and squeezes so hard I can no longer drag in any kind of breath, setting my body into a panic.
“You and I both know she doesn’t want you to touch her, and I have no problem wiping your smug ass off the face of the earth.” Killian shrugs, his face calm and collected despite the tense situation he’s stepped into.
Lucas considers his options for long seconds, until his grip on my throat finally eases, and I drag in greedy breaths.
“This isn’t over, Ember. You will be my wife.”
“No, she won’t.” Killian steps between us, his body acting as a shield between me and Lucas.
“But you already know that. You already know that if you so much as think about forcing her to marry you that you’ll have a target on your head and a bounty on your name.
I suggest you drop this little infatuation if you know what’s good for you, because if I ever see you in the same proximity as Ember, I’ll fucking kill you. ”
“Careful, Killian. I can out your boss any fucking time I please.”
His rough chuckle surprises me. Isn’t he worried that Lucas will tell the world who the Hunter truly is?
“You think anyone is going to believe you? You have no proof, and all the proof you think you have was handed to you by me, meaning it’s all bullshit. But you already know that, because Ember told you. None of the other idiots you ever set on us could tell their ass from their elbow.”
Wait a minute, how the hell does he know I worked out everything was false?
“Now, I suggest you crawl back into whatever hole you’ve been hiding in these past few months, because I know a certain someone who will take great pleasure in torturing you.”
There’s silence for a beat, the only sound around us the bustling city, and I hold my breath. This could escalate so easily, and I don’t want myself, or Max and Darius, caught in the crossfire.
Lucas leans to the side until his eyes meet mine over Killian’s shoulder. “I’ll see you soon, Ember.”
Without another word, Cain releases Max, and the two of them stride down the street as if they didn’t just threaten to kidnap me and kill my best friends.
As soon as they turn the corner, my body crumples, and Darius catches me, his arms wrapping around me until I’m pressed to his chest. “I’ve got you, babe. You’re safe.”
I nod as my entire body trembles. The adrenaline crash is going to be a bitch.
“Thank you, Killian,” I whisper.
He turns to face me, his eyes filled with concern. “You’re family, even if you’re in denial about it right now.” He looks around the street, his brows tugging together. “Where is Orion?”
That tugs a small laugh from my throat. “He’s getting a taste of his own medicine right now.”
A chuckle fills the space between us. “He really met his match when he met you.”
I shake my head, ignoring his comment. It’s like everyone around me thinks our reconciliation is a foregone conclusion, when in reality, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him for what he’s done.
“We should get going. The jet will be waiting for us,” Max says quietly, and he throws an arm around both me and Darius.
“I’m sure I’ll see you soon.” Killian smirks before heading toward the hotel and disappearing inside.
“Let’s get out of here before he unties Orion,” I say quickly, earning me a laugh from both men.
“Time to go home,” Max says, and my heart aches. Because even though I’m desperate for it to be the case, I can’t help but wonder if Vegas will ever truly feel like home to me.