Chapter 34
Drake
I stride back to my bungalow, jaw clenched tight. What the fuck was I thinking?
I slam the door behind me, dragging a hand through my hair as I pace the length of my living room. The space suddenly feels too small, too confining. I need to shift, to fly, to do something other than stand here replaying every moment of what just happened.
Namely, me begging Harlow to let me spend the night with her. I practically begged her to let me fuck her again. That’s not me at all. I don’t beg anyone ever for anything. Least of all for sex.
Thankfully, Harlow had enough willpower to do the right thing, because I sure as hell didn’t.
My dragon stirs. He doesn’t give a shit about doing the right thing…the intelligent thing. He only knows what he wants, and what he wants is her.
“Shut up,” I tell my beast.
I hate it. Hate that I did it. Hate that even now, part of me wants to march back over there and try again.
Not happening.
I stop pacing, forcing myself to take a breath. The whole thing is so fucking irresponsible. Wrong on every level. She’s a Tribute. I’m on the Council. There are rules for a reason, and I just stomped all over them…again.
We had sex earlier in the heat of the moment, which was wrong but justifiable. Begging her to go there again was just plain wrong.
It doesn’t matter how good we were together. Doesn’t matter how her body felt beneath mine, how she tasted, how tight she was when I pushed inside her. Doesn’t matter that I’ve never felt anything like it before.
It’s done. Over. I need to forget it ever happened and move on.
I strip out of my clothes, tossing them onto the chair in the corner. Then I climb into bed, with fire still burning through my veins.
Sleep should come easily because I’m exhausted from this shitty day. But as I lie there staring at the ceiling, my mind won’t shut up. I keep seeing her face, hearing her soft gasps, feeling her hands on my skin.
My cock stirs at the memory, and I curse beneath my breath.
Minutes tick by. Maybe hours. I’ve lost track of time. I toss and turn until there’s the softest knock at my door.
I go completely still.
No. Surely not.
My heart starts racing, pounding against my ribs like it’s trying to break free. I throw back the covers and grab a pair of boxers, yanking them on as I rush to the door.
Get it together.
I pull the door open, and there she is.
It’s Harlow.
I just stand there, gaping at her like an idiot, unable to form words. She’s real. She’s actually here, standing on my doorstep in the middle of the night.
I think I know why.
I should tell her to go. The words are on the tip of my tongue.
“Aren’t you going to let me in?” she asks.
I step aside wordlessly, my body moving on autopilot as she walks past me into my bungalow. I close the door and turn to face her, trying to read her.
She’s still wearing the same clothes from earlier, but this time with flip-flops instead of bare feet. Her dark hair is loose and tangled around her shoulders, and whatever makeup she might have been wearing is long gone.
I don’t think she’s wearing a bra. Something I noticed earlier. I’m trying not to stare. That hasn’t changed.
She’s fucking beautiful.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she says, chewing on her bottom lip. She looks completely out of place. “I just kept thinking…”
She trails off, not finishing the sentence. The silence stretches between us.
“You couldn’t sleep, and so you came here.”
She nods but doesn’t elaborate.
“Did you want me to make you some hot milk? To help you sleep?” I tease. I know exactly why she’s here.
“No…um…I…” She turns toward the door, her shoulders tensing. “This is a mistake.”
Before she can take another step, I reach out and catch her by the arm, pulling her toward me. She gasps softly as her body collides with mine, and I can feel her heart racing.
“Have you changed your mind?” My voice comes out in a rough rasp. “I hope you have. I hope that’s why you’re here.”
She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine. “I’ve given it some thought and…I…um… I think we might need one last time. Just one, to really get over whatever this is. This crazy attraction. We need to try to make it go away. It’s irritating.”
Relief and desire crash through me in equal measure. I lean in and kiss her, unable to hold back anymore. Her lips are soft and warm, yielding beneath mine.
“I agree,” I say against her mouth.
She puts her hands on my chest, pushing me back just enough to meet my gaze.
“Then we’re done, Drake. There can’t be a third time.”
“No third time,” I tell her.
She reaches down and grabs the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head in one smooth motion.
I almost come in my boxers.
She’s not wearing a bra, just as I suspected. Her breasts are perfect. They’re full and so lush that my mouth goes dry. Her nipples are already peaked and begging for my mouth. I realize that I’m staring.
“I’m not sure where to start with you,” I admit, my voice hoarse.
She touches her lips with one finger. “Here. You can move down from there. You did promise to taste me everywhere.” She bobs her brows.
I laugh, a low rumbling sound. I love a female who knows what she wants.
“I always make good on my promises,” I tell her.
“You also promised to be cordial, which is something I will have to see to believe.”
Instead of answering, I put my arms around her and lift her up. She makes a small sound of surprise as I carry her to my bedroom, laying her down on my bed.
I hook my thumbs into my boxers and push them down. My cock springs free, already fully erect and straining toward her. I watch her eyes darken as she takes me in, desire written plainly across her face.
She lifts her hips and shimmies out of her sweatpants, kicking them off along with her flip-flops. Now she’s completely bare before me, and I take a moment just to look at her.
Absolutely fucking perfect.
I cover her body with mine, settling between her thighs. My cock presses against her stomach, and we both groan at the contact. I start with her mouth, kissing her slowly, thoroughly, taking my time to explore every inch of her lips and tongue. She tastes of mint toothpaste.
When I finally pull away, we’re both breathing hard. I trail kisses along her jaw, down the column of her throat, feeling her pulse flutter beneath my lips. She arches into me when I reach her breasts, and I can’t resist taking one nipple into my mouth.
She gasps, her hands flying to my hair. I lavish attention on first one breast, then the other, using my tongue to circle her nipples before sucking them into peaks. My hand cups the breast I’m not tasting, kneading gently, feeling the weight of it in my palm.
“You’re so damned beautiful,” I tell her in a husky voice.
“Drake,” she breathes, her hips rocking against me. “Please.”
I kiss my way down her stomach, pausing to dip my tongue into her navel. Her skin is so soft, like silk beneath my mouth. When I reach the apex of her thighs, I settle my shoulders between her legs, spreading her wide.
Then I look down at the thin strip of hair. At her glistening pink pussy. I pull in a deep breath, taking in her honeyed, musky scent. My mouth waters for a taste.
“You have to be quiet,” I tell her, looking up to meet her eyes. “Can you do that for me?” I lick my lips.
She nods. “Can you make me come?”
Holy shit!
This female.
“Watch me.”
She keeps her eyes on me as I lower my mouth to her pussy, dragging my tongue through her folds. She’s already wet, and tastes fucking divine. She jerks against me, a strangled moan escaping her lips.
I take my time, using broad strokes of my tongue to explore every inch of her. I circle her clit without touching it directly, building the anticipation until she’s trembling. When I finally flick my tongue across that sensitive bundle of nerves, she bows off the bed.
I slide two fingers inside her, feeling her walls clamp down around them. She’s so tight, so wet. I pump my fingers slowly, curling them to hit that spot inside her that makes her breathing hitch, all while my tongue works her clit in steady circles.
She fists my hair, holding me against her, her thighs trembling on either side of my head. I can hear the desperate little sounds she’s trying to muffle. I increase the pace, sucking her clit into my mouth while my fingers stroke deeper, faster.
“Drake, I’m— Oh god, I’m—”
She comes apart with a cry, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sound. Her head flings back against the pillow, her breasts bouncing a little as she rocks against my face. Her pussy clenches around my fingers rhythmically, and I work her through it, drawing out every last wave of pleasure.
Her cheeks are flushed, her lips parted, her eyes squeezed shut in ecstasy. Her hair is spread out across my pillow, and her body is still trembling with aftershocks. So fucking sexy that my balls go even tighter.
I press one last kiss to her inner thigh before crawling back up her body. She’s trying to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“I don’t have a condom,” I tell her. “I wasn’t expecting any of this to happen.
” I know I could just assume that since we fucked without a condom already, that doing it again would be fine, but I don’t want to.
I made mistakes the last time. I want to tread more carefully this time.
I respect Harlow. I like her a lot. I want us to be… To get along.
When Harlow doesn’t say anything right away, I add, “It’s been a while for me…
since I… I don’t have condoms. I wanted to check that you’re okay with that.
” I’m not sure why I told her that, since it’s not information she needs.
But the words slip out anyway. I think I’m nervous, which isn’t like me either.
“If you’re not comfortable, we can skip the sex and just fool around,” I tell her, even though I hate the thought.