THIRTEEN
Wilder takesa last swallow of water before getting up and crossing to the kitchen where, like the good houseguest he is, he places the empty glass in the top rack of the dishwasher. He turns around, eyeing Royal and me before he points his finger upward, in the general direction of the bedrooms. “I gotta catch some z’s so I’m rested for the fight tomorrow. I’ll crash in the guest bedroom.”
We hadn’t discussed sleeping arrangements before Echo headed to her room twenty minutes ago. I have no idea if she’d prefer to sleep in peace by herself. I’ll certainly be more than fine whether on a bed or on a couch, but… I’d rather be with Echo right now. I feel that pull to be with her, even if she doesn’t know I’m there. Slowly, I run a palm over the stubble on my cheek as I consider whether Royal will be fine with me stealing our girl to myself for the night. Somehow, I doubt he’d mind sharing a room with Wilder, if that’s what it comes down to.
Kara pokes her head in, her gaze bouncing around the room, landing on each of us. “You know the drill at this point. Sleep wherever.”
Royal nods. “Will do. Is the alarm set?”
“Shit.” She crosses to the system’s control panel beside the patio door and jabs her finger quickly over the series of numbers that arms the house. 2-0-3-1-2-3. She didn’t try to hide it from us. Makes me wonder how many other people know that code. Todd in finance, most likely. I grit my teeth. I don’t like it.
But as far as the three of us guys are concerned, perhaps she automatically trusts us because Echo does. She really should be more careful, considering all the bullshit that’s gone down in the past two weeks, but I’ll bite my tongue, as she’s allowing us to stay here. Her hospitality is far beyond what any of us expected.
Honestly, I’d swear on Wilder’s pretty pierced peen that Echo’s sister must be some sort of saint. Her life has gotten exponentially crazier since we got booted out of SIN by the investigative team looking into Freya and Zane’s deaths and took refuge here. There’s been no fucking word yet about being able to move back to SIN. I assume they are going over that place with a fine-tooth comb, especially my room, and that has me a little more on edge than I figured it might. Not a clue why, because there’s literally nothing in there and certainly nothing I’ve fucking done to be worried about the police turning up something that would cause us trouble.
Royal’s gaze remains locked on his fingers as he drums them on the table, and questions gruffly, “Where do you want to sleep?” I clear my throat, mash my lips together, unsure what the right move is here. When I don’t voice an opinion, he continues on with a shrug. “Your preference, man. Wilder will be sound asleep soon. If you need some quiet, that’s the right move, I would think. But”—one brow hikes up as he finally connects with my gaze—“I’m guessing Echo might be more who you need tonight.” He watches me carefully, as if he sees the chaos in my head. “Just a thought. An observation.”
My eyes travel over his bare torso, the hollows and ridges of his abdomen especially pronounced in the dim lighting at this late hour. I don’t know what prompts me to say it, but I murmur, “And what if it’s you I need?”
“Then we’d figure that out, I guess.” He stares steadily at me, not even blinking at my forwardness. “But I believe it’s her you need after all the talk about Megan.” Cocking his head to the side, he pointedly narrows his light-green eyes as he studies my features, looking for signs that he’s wrong. He’s not. He’s right on the money. With a subtle jut of his chin at me, he rises from his seat at the table. “You know it’s true. And I’m fine with it. See you in the morning.” That’s one thing I like about Royal. He doesn’t necessarily need to wait around for anyone to admit he’s right, he simply owns it and carries on without rubbing it in the other person’s face.
I flip off the under-cabinet lighting, leaving the inset light over the sink glowing softly. Moving quietly through the house, I double-check that the front door is locked and the alarm is indeed set before I head up the stairs, following in Royal’s wake. By the time I get to the landing, the door to the guest room is clicking quietly shut.
At the end of the hall, I ease the door to Echo’s room open. The delicate vanilla fragrance of her bodywash floats on the air, and I take a moment to inhale, feeling it take up residence in every cell of my body. She’s fuckin’ delicious. I could spend hours with my face burrowed against her skin.
I drag in several deep breaths, each hit of her more potent than the last. And what’s really crazy is the extra oxygen I’m taking in doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere near my brain. Probably because the blood that should be delivering it to my fucking head seems to be pumping in the opposite direction, directly to my overexcited dick. A strangled groan escapes my lips, and I still, waiting for a sign that Echo knows I’m here.
Even if she were awake, much like the last time I snuck in here, it’d be very hard to see me anyway unless I begin to move, which I’m not ready for yet. I’m still absorbing every last thing I can before I do. It’s blacker than a mile-deep cave, courtesy of the room darkening shades she’s drawn. There’s simply no light coming from any source other than the tiny amount sneaking in from under the door.
Even so, while my eyes haven’t adjusted enough to see her, it doesn’t matter. I know she’s here—all that vibrant red hair spilling over her crisp white pillowcase, her body curled up on the bed with slim legs tucked up toward her chest.
I’ve noticed she always kicks off the sheets, so I imagine I’ll eventually be able to see all of her, instead of a lump under the bedding. I scrape my teeth over my lip and fervently wish it were her plush pink one. Will she be wearing yet another favorite concert T-shirt? Yes, I think so. With a swallow, I continue fantasizing. An oversize T-shirt, or perhaps something cropped? Either way, I bet it’s worked up around her slim waist, maybe even edging up under her breasts. And she’ll be wearing some fuck-hot panties. Doesn’t seem to matter to me whether they’re boy shorts or a thong, cotton or lace. Anything covering my little love’s sweet cunt is sexy as hell to me.
Suddenly, I’m very fucking overheated, so I quietly ease out of my T-shirt and drop it to the floor, one hand grabbing at the back of my neck, trying to ease some of the tension I’ve created by holding back, and the other skimming over the warm skin of my stomach. I pretend for a second it’s her touching me.
Fuck. Why the hell do you do this to yourself?But as I stand here enveloped in a swirl of lustful thoughts, the answer is simple. Everything about Echo makes me want her. Every tiny nuance of who she is as a person turns me right the fuck on. The more I know, the deeper my obsession with her digs into my soul. I don’t even care if it buries me alive, so long as I can have her.
And Echo? She wouldn’t ever fucking hurt me the way Megan did. My eyes crash shut, and I shove the heavy thoughts from my ugly past into a box in my head, and lock that bitch up tight.
With every unsteady beat of my heart, I push my past to the side to focus on my future. A few minutes pass until my vision acclimates to the darkness, and I can finally see my gorgeous girl on the bed. Secretly pleased that my guess was right, my eyes rove over Echo’s pale stomach as she shifts from her side to her back, and oh, thank fuck, the shirt she’s wearing moves with her, bunching beneath her breasts.
How the fuck is this real life? How is it that she trusts me and understands what I need? How did a sinner like me end up earning the attention of an angel like her?
All those questions race through my mind, but it’s when my attention shifts to Echo’s lower body, and I take in the mere scrap of fabric covering her pussy that I realize I’m simply the luckiest fuck ever. Her slim legs part—just for me—and a rush of heat barrels through me. And now, stretched out on the bed like this, she’s the most tempting, sweet thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on.
My heart rate ratchets higher and higher as her leg bends to an angle that gives me a full, unfettered view of the swatch of material between her legs. Lace, I think. My cock strains behind my joggers, insistent, and I slip my hand from the heated skin of my stomach down to the pronounced bulge. At first, I move to readjust myself, but goddammit, I can’t help but stroke my erection to the rhythm of each and every one of her breaths.
Jesus, she’s going to kill me. My mouth goes bone-dry. A surge of lust races through my veins before it crests, crashing into me, and nearly taking me under.
Slowly, I creep toward the end of the bed on quiet feet, and as I do, the low rasp of my breathing becomes more pronounced. More like panting. Fuuuck. My eyes dart sharply to her chest as she stretches, arms over her head and gifts me with a view of the luscious swells of her breasts. I groan at the thought. And oh my god, is she something to behold, all laid out here like this. Just for me.
It’s too much. I hope she meant it when she said she understood me. This. Because I will die if I don’t touch her. My fingers toy with the cool sheet at the end of the bed. She’s already mostly kicked free of it. I grasp it and slide it smoothly from the bed. My heart hammers and thumps wildly, no doubt meaning to tattoo my need for her onto my rib cage from the inside. I don’t have a chance of stopping now.
I skim my hands over the soft sheet, then gingerly climb onto the bed to join Echo. Not at her side. No. There’s only one place I want to be. The need burns through me like a raging forest fire. I move so fucking slowly it practically kills me, but I don’t want to wake her. No, not yet, sweet Calamity Jane.
Lowering myself between her legs, my shoulders gently nudge her thighs. I’d have thought it’d wake her, but it doesn’t. Thinking back to the night of the break-in, I do remember Royal telling us that even though there was some psycho in her room with her, she’d never woken up. Not during the entire phone conversation he’d had with Royal. It’d taken Wilder going in to rouse her before she became aware of our presence in the house and what’d gone down while she was dead to the world.
A groan rumbles in my throat, and I lie there for several moments using one of her thighs like a pillow, while I gently place a hand on the other and spread her legs as far as I dare. Need you, love. Breaths rasp in and out of my throat as I contemplate what she’ll do when she wakes to find my tongue adoring her pussy. Trailing my fingertips from her knee, they glide along her velvety-soft inner thigh until they reach her center. I drag the back of my knuckle lightly over the lace. My throat goes dry, imagining the glory of the glistening pink skin that lies beneath. A moan eases from between her lips, and I pause for the space of several heartbeats. Waiting. Unable to resist, I turn my hand, rubbing her clit through the panties with the pads of two fingers. Oh, fuck. The scent of her arousal winds around inside my head. Her panties are dampening at a fascinating rate. My Calamity Jane. So fucking perfect.
With my heart thundering, I lift my head, then tug the material to the side. Even in the dark, I can see a hint of the wetness. I inhale deeply. The scent of her is so fucking arousing it has my dick digging into the mattress below me. I stroke my fingers through the wetness, touching her in places I’m dying to put my tongue. She’s soaked, even in sleep. It’s like she knows I’m here, begging for a taste. My chest rumbles, but I hold back the groan that wants to rip from me. Applying pressure to her clit with my thumb, I slip two fingers inside her pretty cunt. As she continues to slumber, her pelvis shifts, chasing my touch every time I withdraw. She knows I’m here, even if it’s only her dreaming mind.
I’ll take her any way I can have her. Deep in my soul, I know the truth. She won’t deny me.And I can’t fucking wait any longer. I have to taste her. With one hand on the juncture of each leg, I hold her open, plucking the damp scrap of lace out of my way with a finger. She mumbles, in sleep, and it’s so damn sexy the way her body responds to me, I could never stop. She wouldn’t want me to. Ending the torture I’ve inflicted on myself, I run my tongue over her, moan, then go again, lapping at her pussy and intermittently sucking her clit between my lips. Every time she begins to writhe, I back off. Catch my breath. Begin again.
I dip my tongue inside her body, her heady scent completely overwhelming every thought of decency in my head. Plunging three fingers into her cunt, I lock onto her clit, sucking for all I’m worth. Her sweet pussy begins to rock against my face, seeking more.
More bold caresses driving her wild. More heated breath coasting over her skin. More of my tongue swiping languorously over her perfect pink parts.
More. Always more.
And then, her hands are in my hair. “Beckhaaam…” she pants, my name teasing from her throat and so full of longing I go from a flicker of worry at what she’ll think about what I’m doing to her to oh, fuck yes in a split second. She’s with me. Thank fuck for that. Her body stills as she sucks in a breath. “Beckham—” She never finishes whatever she was going to whisper into the night because she shatters, her body no longer her own. And that’s because she’s my gorgeous girl. No one and nothing will ever take her from me. This I fuckin’ swear.
Her body trembles as she shudders through the last delicious seconds of her orgasm, and then she blinks, her eyes tracking every movement I make between her thighs as I flick my tongue over her and remove my fingers from her pussy. I rise, kneeling between her legs. My gaze cuts to hers as I slip my fingers into my mouth to suck them clean. The sweet-tart burst of flavor on my tongue is so uniquely Echo, I release a throaty groan. Keeping my eyes on her, I walk my hands up the mattress on either side of her until I’m hovering over her trembling body.
“You needed me?” she whispers, almost too softly to hear.
I nod, ghosting my lips over hers. “I did… I still do. Will you do something for me?” I have to know. Have to be sure she understands. She nods, and I only catch the barest glint of her eyes in the dark, but I would bet everything I have that her pupils are blown and she’s needy for me, too. More than willing. But can she handle this? I swing my leg over, climbing from the side of the bed and pull open the drawer in the small chest there. Aha. I grab onto the item I was looking for and lift it in front of me. With a flick of my thumb over a tiny switch, the small pocket vibrator comes to life.
Her eyes widen. That’s got her attention. I squat down next to the bed, our eyes level. “I was wondering if you’d let me watch you play with your selfie stick.” I twiddle it between my fingers and arch a brow in question.
She muffles a laugh, but then apparently the thought of it gets to her because all of a sudden, her teeth scrape over the delicate skin of her lip. She maintains steady eye contact with me and holds out her hand. In the dark, I can only barely discern her swallow. “Like before?” The rise and fall of her chest has only gotten faster.
“Yes. Exactly like before.” The memory is seared into my soul. “You were so uninhibited. Never knew I was there until I was gone.”
Wetting her lip, she turns over onto her stomach. “I was like this.” She slips the vibrator beneath her, gasping as it makes contact. She squirms, then moans aloud.
I nod, my throat going dry and bolts of lust screaming through my body, zapping at my dick. My reply is mumbled, as I can hardly contain the urge to crawl on top of her. “Fuck, yes. Just like that.” I groan, the sound rumbling from my throat as my chest heaves with anticipation.
Taking in my response, she asks softly, “Beckham, can I keep my eyes open this time or would you rather I pretend not to know you’re here?” Her curious gaze pins on me for a moment, and she pauses. I can tell she’s moved the pocket rocket away from her clit from her shuddered exhale.
I should have known she’d want to know the intricacies of what goes on in my head. And maybe I owe her that. But I’d been uncertain as to what she’d think of my request. It’s so fucking satisfying to realize she truly is okay with how my mind works and what I want and need from her.
Her brow arches. “Well?”
Do I want her to recreate the scene exactly? Or do I want her doe eyes on me while she drives herself toward another release? The answer comes to me in a flash. If I want her to know me, this is the easiest way. Biting down on my lip, I finally grit out, “Keep your eyes on me. I need you to see me, see all that I am. But everything else, do it exactly like you did that night.”
She nods her understanding, moaning as she begins again. In no time flat, the vibrations of her toy have her writhing on the bed before me, pelvis grinding into her hand. I watch eagerly as she recreates the scene, rearing up onto her knees and yanking the T-shirt over her head. The shimmy out of her panties is fucking exquisite as she fully bares herself to me before dropping back down onto the mattress and resuming. Her lips part—not in shock, but in satisfaction—as she brings her vibe down to touch her clit again.
I bite my fist, because goddamn. She moves sensually, like she’s searching for an answer. Hope. Salvation. And I can almost imagine she sees those things in my eyes. “You make me so fucking weak for you. You know that, right?” My voice sounds raw, my tone on edge. The throbbing of my cock increases in intensity. It’s agonizing. And so fucking heady it makes me want to stay in this moment with her forever, watching her lose her mind as the seconds tick by. “Does it turn you on that I’m watching you?”
“Yes.” The word is wrenched from her lips, and her breath is torn from her, one ragged exhale after another. Her gaze finally pulls from mine, landing on my groin, where my cock is threatening to erupt from my pants.
My jaw tightens. And suddenly, I don’t want this to be a one-way street. I shove the joggers down over my ass and grasp my dick. Even with my firm grip, though, it’s not enough. Not when Echo is right there. I stop abruptly. Bracing myself on the bed, I lean close, dipping my hand between her legs. I slide it slowly through her arousal feeling her heat and the tremors running through her. With a grunt of satisfaction, I ease back to stand beside the bed and wrap my pussy-slickened palm around my hard dick. I watch her reaction as I work it up and down the length. She lets out a moan, her fingers of her free hand clawing at the sheets as her body rocks.
I want her so fucking bad, but for now, I fuck my fist, rocking in time with her hips and leaking pre-cum every few strokes. I grasp my balls, tugging firmly, just how I like it.
With her eyes pinned to the motion as I jack my cock, she’s quickly losing control.
I groan with that knowledge, pumping faster and faster, and oh, fuck. I’m breathless. Our eyes connect, and heat races through me. No, no, no. I’m not ready to come yet. But Jesus fuckin’ Christ, this is what she does to me—makes me lose my goddamn mind. “Fucking hell.” I circle to the end of the bed with my chest heaving, then squat down. I watch her display of wantonness. Every glide of her hips as she rocks with her legs spread, affording me a glorious fucking view. “That’s a wet, wet pussy, Echo.”
She doesn’t say anything, only whimpers, body shuddering with an urgency that makes my dick throb. She peeks at me, and I swear her cheeks have got to be rosy pink by now, all flushed and gorgeous. I can’t wait to see that sex haze all over her face when we’re done and I?—
What the fuck am I waiting for? I rise, moving back to her side to flick on the light on the nightstand. Her eyes go wide at the sudden ease with which we can see each other. My eyes roam every inch of flushed skin as she pants, her attention dipping to my aching cock. “Fuuuck, you’re a pretty sight, Echo, all pink-cheeked with your green eyes glazed with lust.”
Moans surge from her, unbidden. “Beckham,” she whimpers, her eyes crashing shut.
“Gorgeous, look at me,” I murmur, my voice rasping past the thickness in my throat. Our gazes connect, vibrant green to electric blue. “Anything you want, you can have. Anything. I’d go to the ends of the earth for you if you asked.”
She shakes her head, reaching for me. “I need you inside me. I need you to be with me.”
Thank fuck.
I don’t waste time, climbing onto the bed behind her, making room for myself between her legs again. Only this time, I grasp her hips. “Up,” I urge. And when I lift her, she lands on her knees, her ass in the air while her upper body remains where it was, resting on the mattress.
Peeking at me and breathing hard, a question rushes from her lips. “Do you wish you’d let me know you were there that night?”
I shake my head, smoothing my hands over her ass cheeks. “No. But I’m sure as fuck glad you know I’m here now.” The head of my cock edges inside her wet pussy, and stars burst behind my eyes. I groan, holding myself still. The vibrator at her clit. I grunt out, “Oh fuck, that’s good. You feel good, baby?”
And then she blows my mind, driving backward and impaling herself on my dick. She lets out a moan, the likes of which might bring down the house, but I don’t fucking care. I can’t think with my cock buried in her cunt, her inner muscles twitching and squeezing me.
I throw my head back, words tumbling from my lips that I don’t mean to let loose. “Echo. Help me silence these demons in my head.”
She angles her head back so she can see me and nods, “I’ll help you. I promise.”
I curl my body around hers, and we crash together, all moans and sweat and frantic movement as we edge closer and closer to oblivion. My lips skim over her back, and I tease her breasts with one hand. In return, the little imp moves the vibrator down to where we’re connected. A roar rips from my throat as cum spurts from my cock.
“Oh god. Beckham. Please.”
I don’t stop moving inside her, my path now extra slick with her arousal and my cum. Taking the vibrator from her, I move it back to her clit, and it’s like I’ve hit her with an electric current. Her back bows and her head snaps back, red hair fanning over the top of her back. “Fuck, Beck. Yes.” Her pussy spasms around my cock, and I grunt in satisfaction at the sensation. She understands me and my unusual needs. She hadn’t been lying when she told me she felt a connection between us. Fuck, I may have let it slip when I was drunk and half out of my mind, but my head is clear, and I’m certain now. I’m in deep with this girl. I’m in love.