24. The Villain
THE VILLAIN
My self-control was shot. I kept her in that shower for another fifteen minutes. Five of those minutes were spent slowly running my hands all over her. Once she was soaped, I rinsed my hands and slid two fingers into her—I was just making sure she was thoroughly cleaned.
Fuck, those filthy little noises she was making for me had me losing my damn mind. I was ten seconds away from turning her around, bending her over, and fucking her until we both saw stars. But I meant what I said, she was getting off first this time. And every time after this.
The last five minutes she spent torturing me.
Hands exploring every muscle, eyes looking at me with so much fire, I had to dig my nails into my palms to keep from burying myself inside her again.
Then her right hand wrapped around my cock and her left went to my balls and all bets were off.
God fucking damn it, she was good at that, and her cocky smirk told me she liked watching me squirm.
“Violet,” I growled.
“Yes?” She batted her eyelashes as she continued stroking me.
“If you want out of this shower, cut that shit out right now.”
She held her hands up and stepped back. She was such a fucking tease; I was going to have so much fun with her.
“I was just trying to make sure you were clean. Won’t happen again.”
I growled again. This fucking woman.
“Get out. When I’m done in here you better be waiting naked on the bed for me.”
The fire in her eyes burned hotter.
“Or what?”
She was going to be the death of me.
Or what?
Or I’d spend all night fucking her raw until she was a puddle in my arms, begging me for mercy. Until her mascara was running and she was so full of my cum, there’d be no way to mistake the fact that she was mine.
And she would be fucking mine.
“Don’t test me, Violet. Get out and wait for me like a good girl, or I’ll fucking ruin you.”
She flashed me a wicked grin before she stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and slipped out of the bathroom.
I waited until the door clicked shut before I cranked the water to freezing.
I was on fire and I need to cool off before I went back out there.
I’d never kept the heat after her touch left my skin before.
I wondered if it was because of how long the contact lasted or the type of contact.
It didn’t matter either way because I was keeping her close from now on.
I stayed under the water for five more minutes. I’d planned to take my time drying off until her doorbell rang. I heard her swear, slam some drawers, and stomp down the hall.
“Officer O’Neill?”
“Sorry to bother you so late, Miss Hayes. As you may know Avalanche was nearly captured—”
“Captured?” She gave him a dry laugh. “Five gun shots is what you call nearly captured? I call that probably killed.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Hayes. I assure you, I don’t want to be here either, at least not under these circumstances. I just need to know if you’ve heard from him, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
Oh, absolutely fucking not. A part of me wanted to walk out of there like this, but I knew she would kick my ass. I was still going to be a dick, though. After reigning in my shadows, and with a towel secured around my waist, I strolled out.
“Hey, V, where did you—” I didn’t have to see her face to know she rolling her eyes; I could tell by her sigh. “Oh, shit sorry. I didn’t realize we had company.”
She turned around glaring at me.
“We don’t have company. I do.” She looked back at Dingleberry. “Sorry about him. He’s just my—”
“Boyfriend. I’m her boyfriend.” I stepped up behind her, holding my hand out to Dickhead.
“You are not my boyfriend.” She hissed slapping my hand away with a glare. It was probably a good thing, too. I was back to being unnaturally cold, I might have given myself away. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend. His apartment has rats so I offered my couch, but I’m having regrets.”
Was it weird I found that hot—how easy the lie rolled off her tongue? Watching her on the phone with Eva earlier made me irrationally horny. But that could also have to do with her blind trust in me. Even though she wasn’t fully convinced, she still lied for me—kept my secret.
Shithead’s eyes flickered over me—still mostly wet with water dipping off my hair. Then he glanced at Violet—damp hair, oversized white t-shirt mostly covering her blue and white polka dot pajama shorts. His eyebrow rose.
“Do you shower with all your friends?”
He was unnervingly calm. I totally had him pegged as the jealous type, guess I was wrong.
“No, I showered before he got here. Did you miss the part where his apartment was infested with rats? I wasn’t about to let him relax until he was thoroughly cleaned. I don't need the plague because he dragged fleas in here.”
I snorted. Man, she was good. So much confidence, just the right amount of irritation. I knew the truth but fuck, I almost believed her.
“It didn’t matter how much I insisted I didn’t have fleas. She absolutely put her foot down, even made me buy new clothes before she let me step foot in here. She is a stubborn woman,” I added.
Violet scoffed.
“Plus, he smelt like shit. I wasn’t about to let him stink up my couch. Anyway, no, I haven’t seen or heard from Avalanche, and even if I had, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Eyeballs sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I don’t know what else I have to do to convince you I’m on your side, Violet.”
“Not showing up to my door at 10:30 p.m. asking about a guy I barely know, who took five bullets on the news tonight, would be a good start. I’ve never let one of you step foot in the hospital, why do you think I’d turn over a guy who’s likely half dead, if not fully dead?”
“I told you I don’t want to be here. The chief thinks—”
“I quite honestly don’t give a shit what that pompous asshole thinks. You want me to believe you’re on my side, act like it. Now if that’s all, I need to go to bed.”
“Yes, of course.” His eyes dropped to the floor. “Again, sorry to bother you so late. Have a good night, Miss Hayes.”
“She will,” I called as the door swung shut.
She turned around, shoving my chest so hard and unexpectedly I almost lost my balance.
“You’re such a shit! What the hell were you thinking? He could have recognized you!”
“I was thinking that I gave you one simple order and you couldn’t even follow it.
” I took a step forward; she took one back.
“I was thinking that you were supposed to be waiting for me but instead you were talking to man that wants you.” Another step forward; another step back.
“I was thinking that I wanted to rip his eyeballs out of their sockets for looking at you.” Her back hit the door behind her and I pinned her to it.
“I was thinking that he needed to know you’re mine. ”
“You sound like a jealous and possessive asshole.” Her voice shook, her breathing heavy.
“I am a jealous and possessive asshole. The thought of another man breathing the same air as you drives me fucking insane. And now that I’ve had you…” I dropped my forehead to hers. “Say you’ll be mine. Please,” I whispered.
She lifted her hand to rest on my chest, my heart was pounding against her palm.
“You mean it? You’re not just hopped up on adrenaline? You won’t regret asking in the morning?”
“Never.” I gently tilted her chin, forcing her gaze to meet mine. “The only regret I have is trying to push you away. I don’t just want you, Nightshade, I need you. So please, say you’ll be mine. Say you won’t go out with that doofus again.”
The smile she wore lit up her whole face—she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“I would like nothing more than to never see him again. I only went out with him to try and make you jealous.”
I shook my head but that didn’t stop my lip from twitching into a small smile.
“It worked, a little too well.”
“So you gonna kiss me to make this official, or you just want to talk me to sleep?”
“You have a wicked attitude, I should do something about that.”
“Like what?” she taunted, amusement sparkling in her eyes.
I dropped my hand from her chin, opting to run my fingers up the inside of her legs.
“I seem to remember telling you to be waiting naked in bed for me. I also remember telling you, I’d ruin you if you weren’t.”
It took everything in me not to rip her clothes off at the little whimper she let out as I slipped into her shorts and ran my finger over her clit. I sucked in a breath.
“Naughty girl. You answered the door without any panties on. What were you thinking?”
“That the less clothes I was wearing, the easier it would be for me to do as you asked. That I wouldn’t—” she gasped as I slid my middle finger into her.
“Wouldn’t what?”
“Wouldn’t… Wouldn’t be… Fuck,” she moaned.
“Use your words, Violet.”
“Wouldn’t be long. That it would be a short conversation with— Fucking damn it Austin, I can’t concentrate.”
“Try harder.”
I smirked at the grumbling noise she made.
“That it would be a short conversation with a neighbour that needed sugar or something. I didn’t expect that.”
“So you were waiting for me like I asked?”
She nodded.
“Are you sure? Because I can find out if you’re lying. And if you are…” I began circling my thumb over her clit. She moaned, eyes fluttering closed. “I’ll keep you like this all night.”
“I’m not lying. But if I was, I—” she sucked in a breath as I added more pressure, “I don’t think you have the self-control required to keep me here all night.”
She was right—fuck, her breathy words nearly sent me over the edge—but I wasn’t about to tell her that.
Instead, I pulled out my fingers and picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder.
She gasped before she started laughing, lightly hitting my back and flailing her feet, while demanding I put her down.
I did, tossing her on the bed once we made it down the hall.
“Last chance to come clean.”
“I wasn’t lying.” She propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at me.
I turned my back to her, focusing on my shadows.
“Show me.”
They began to move, creating the ghost of a scene in front of me.
They showed her walking into the room then tossing her dirty clothes and wet towel in the laundry basket near the door, before strolling over to her nightstand.
She picked up her burner, checked it quickly before putting it back and climbing into bed.
She slipped under the covers and waited until the doorbell went off.
My shadows dissolved, coiling back around me. I glanced at Violet; she looked absolutely mesmerized.
“They’re incredible.”
“You said that already.” I scoffed.
She laughed. “Jealous of your own shadows, eh? You really—”
She stopped short the second I dropped my towel to the ground. She wasn’t looking at my shadows anymore.
“What was that?”
“I don’t remember.”
A deep chuckle rumbled through my chest.
“That’s what I thought. Now, since you did as I asked before Dipshit showed up, take your shorts off and come here; legs over the edge.”
She did as I asked then leaned back on her elbows for more comfort.
I kneeled before her, running my hands up the back of her legs, kissing the inside of her thighs.
She squirmed impatiently but said nothing.
A part of me wondered how much teasing I would have to do until she begged for release.
I’d find out eventually I was sure, but for now I was dying to watch her come apart.
I worked my way up her thigh until my tongue slid over her clit. She moaned, hands gripping the sheet. I hummed in approval.
“So responsive. I like that.”
I could see her sarcastic response forming, but I didn’t give her the chance to voice it.
Instead, I closed my mouth over her, sucking lightly as I slid my middle finger into her.
So responsive, so vocal, fuck I’d never get tired of hearing her pleasure.
How was I supposed to do anything but this when she sounded, tasted, and felt so fucking good?
I continued running my tongue over her while I worked in another finger. I kept my pace steady, working my tongue and fingers together. She was practically vibrating by the time she finally tipped over the edge moaning my name. Fuck, that got me wound up again.
I kissed my way up her body, climbing onto the bed next to her. She lay with her eyes closed and a small smile on her face, breathing still recovering.
“I’ll concede that you are very good at that, but I don’t know that I’d describe it as god-tier. You’ll have to do better than that next time.”
“Those are dangerous words coming from a woman who still hasn’t recovered.” I kissed along her collarbone, tracing the tattoo on her chest with my finger.
“Sure, but I like danger and my recovery time is pretty quick.” Her smile grew, eyes still closed. “I bet I can go longer than you can.”
“Challenging me is not a smart move, Nightshade.”
“I have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.” Her eyes fluttered open, so full of defiance as her gaze met mine.
“Last chance to back out.” I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her on top of me. “I won’t be as generous this time, you’ll have to beg me to come.”
“I’ll take my chances. I seem to remember you saying something about me coming first from now on. If you don’t let me finish, you don’t get to finish. We’ll see who begs who.”
Oh, she truly was a brat.
“I’m going to enjoy breaking you.”
“You can try, but you won’t succeed.”