Chapter 16 – Rae
There were enough trees out here to hide me from a direct view of the house.
No one yelled for me to stop, but I pumped my arms and sprinted under the cover of the ancient boughs.
When I risked a peek over my shoulder, I didn’t catch sight of my pursuer.
But he was going to find me. That was a given.
I’d accepted his challenge, and now there was no escape.
I stopped behind a thick trunk, breathing hard. Whatever madness possessed me to agree to the game was the same that made him follow me on my night off. How he’d managed to find me wasn’t as interesting as why he’d chosen to do it in the first place.
Whatever the reason, he was here. And that made the night feel all the more forbidden.
Creeping to a headstone, I ducked behind it.
The wind gleefully played through the branches above, making waves of moonlight shift over the grassy expanse.
In the distance, the sounds of civilization were muted.
I scooted to the next tomb, wishing that more of these had proper headstones rather than tiny plaques for historical value.
But it was an old cemetery. An abandoned place.
People only came here for the purpose of learning about the local skirmishes from bygone centuries.
A black shape moved in the distance.
I covered my mouth and held my breath as he approached.
I should have run farther.
But I wasn’t here to be chased. I wanted to be caught.
“Magnolia Rae,” Nico sang out.
A feral grin split across my face as an idea bloomed in my mind. Looking about, I found a stick tucked in the grass.
“Where are you lurking, my little cherry-bomb?”
Well, if that didn’t just beat all? I should punish him for the atrocious nickname. I looked about, trying to find anything useful in this forsaken place to use. There were no ropes or chains to tie him up.
Pity.
Dominico veered to the left, heading deeper into the historic preserve. Rising on shaking legs, I stalked after him. The stick was tucked safely in my back pocket. In a way, I was a country girl. All us small-town chicks were. I’d learned to fish—and to hunt.
Quietly, I picked my way through the trees. Every time Nico paused, I took advantage and herded him exactly where I wanted. I was only going to have the upper hand for a precious few moments.
But they would be glorious!
Spotting the perfect tree, I scrambled up the thick boughs and positioned myself against the trunk. He would never find me. Not unless I wanted him to. That knowledge gave me courage.
I reached into my pocket and took out the stick. The slim piece of wood was as thick as my finger. It wasn’t as dry as I would have preferred.
But it still broke with a definite crack.
Dominico stopped short and looked in my direction.
I grinned. Over here, killer.
He prowled forward. Cute as a button, thinking he was the hunter and not the hunted. Granted, a very scary, predatorial button. But still cute.
I cracked the stick again, and his head swung around. A beam of moonlight cut across his handsome face. Those sharp eyes searched the graveyard for little old me.
“Magnolia Rae,” he called. “You know you’re just delaying the inevitable.”
I giggled, loud enough that he took three steps in my direction.
“Do you have any idea what I’m going to do to you when I catch you, my ticking little bomb?”
That dark promise made my skin prickle with a fresh burst of anticipation. There was no room for regret, not enough oxygen to consider the consequences. There was only the tall, dark, and handsome fiend confidently stalking forward.
Crouching, I waited for him to inch closer.
He heard the rustle of the branches right as I sprang. It was maybe a six-foot drop. Thankfully, the monster didn’t move, and I was able to land right on his back.
The momentum of my surprise attack made him pitch forward.
I slipped, unable to clutch onto him like a backpack, but Nico twisted and caught me as he fell to the earth.
The air left my lungs in a whoosh.
I was pretty sure the hunger in his gaze stole it as he rolled his body over mine.
“Nice try,” he smirked. “But I’ve got you now.”
“Or maybe I caught you!”
I struggled a little bit, not wanting to go easy on him. He only tightened his grip.
“Wriggle all you want, but your body is already surrendering,” he murmured against my ear. The heat of his breath made me shiver uncontrollably. “And I’ll take it.”
He rocked his pelvis into me.
I bit my bottom lip.
He was huge. He was hard.
“You can keep running, keep hiding. I’ll find you,” he promised. “I’ll always find you.”
Well, fuck me. When he put it like that….
I caved.
Bending into his grasp, I ground into his body. That cock was pure iron, hard enough that it probably hurt him.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he growled and reaching between us, worked the buttons of his shirt. Shadows raced over his torso, making his tattoos come alive. When he pulled the shirt free, I swore his body glowed with a dark energy.
“I didn’t agree,” I countered, wanting him to work for it.
One strong hand slid down the plane of my stomach. He slid my cut-off shorts to the side. “It doesn’t seem like you want me to stop.”
I don’t.
His fingers slipped behind my panties. I tilted my hips to meet his touch, and nearly groaned when they slipped against my pussy.
“Oddio,” he cursed. “You’re so wet for me, baby.”
This time, I did groan.
He pulled his hand free and held it to the moonlight. The silver glow danced over the shining evidence of my arousal.
“Look at that,” he rasped. “How am I supposed to let you go now?”
“So don’t,” I whispered, damning myself.
With a sound that was more animal than human, he rose above me, taking my tee shirt with him. The grass tickled my back, but it was nothing compared to the way my nipples felt the moment he snapped the bra free.
They ached.
I trailed my hand lower, reaching for his dick.
But he caught my fingers and brought them back to his stomach.
Holding my wrists, he pushed my palm flat against his abs.
Only then did he drag the tip of his finger over the pictures staining my skin.
They didn’t stop, roaming over my shoulder and down to the piece decorating my sternum that spread like floral wings under my breasts.
My breath quickened as I watched him study the tattoos. Appreciation flashed in his eyes, and my stupid heart did a little flip.
“I need to know if there’s anything you don’t like,” he insisted.
My laugh was shaky and not convincing. Did I want to admit to this beast that my sex life had been vanilla? “Nothing comes to mind.”
“Rae,” he warned. “The things I want to do to you—cazzo! Just look at how beautiful you are.”
He bent and nipped at my flesh.
I gasped. “I’m good. I don’t even need a safe word.”
Nico continued to bite and score my flesh with his teeth. “No safe word?”
I smiled. “Nope. I’m up for anything.”
“Per l’amor di dio!” he hissed. “You’re going to ruin me, woman.”
“That’s the plan.” A gust of wind made my nipples rigid. Or maybe the heat from his gaze. “Do your worst.”
Bending down, his mouth closed over my left breast. Pleasure zipped through me, lighting every nerve with a fire that I was powerless to put out.
He sucked. Harder and harder. Teeth scored over the nipple, making me moan.
I grabbed his shoulders, tipping my head back into the glow of the moon.
Waves of pleasure shot through me. Liquid heat pulsed between my legs.
I was in danger of coming, and this was only his mouth!
As if he knew exactly what just happened, he slid a hand between us, opened my shorts, and began to touch and tease. I was lightheaded as his fingers explored. Their touch was wicked. Stroking. Pinching. Then pushing farther until they slid in deep.
“So gorgeous,” he murmured, trailing kisses against the valley between my breasts. “So fucking gorgeous.”
“Please,” I pouted. “I need more.”
Chuckling darkly, he continued the attention on my right breast. My insides tightened. My body shook!
I let out a ragged gasp, body coiling with the impending release.
His mouth released me with a pop.
His fingers paused their wicked dance.
“No!” I screamed hoarsely.
The monster only grinned. “Don’t move.”
I dropped my head against the soft earth with a huff. Nico tugged my shorts down my thighs. It would serve him right if I launched to my feet and ran.
I didn’t.
But only because I was positive I didn’t have control of my muscles. The spinning in my head wouldn’t stop. This stolen moment was a bad idea, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. It wasn’t the idea of being caught that bothered me. It was knowing this pleasure was forbidden.
And that I was going to crave more.
As Nico pulled his cock free, pumping his fist over the length, my mouth watered. What if I was the mafia prince’s girl? I didn’t want the title or the status. I wanted him. All to myself.
Nico pulled a condom from his pocket and tore the foil.
“Cocky much?” I teased.
Those black brows wrinkled. “What?”
I jerked my chin up while at the same time reaching for my aching breasts. “You always packing so that you can score with the maids, stalker?”
Leaning over me, Nico grasped my neck. His fingers tightened for the briefest of moments before he slid his hand around to cup the back of my skull. His thumb brushed the industrial bar in my ear.
“This was for you, Magnolia Rae. I’ve been carrying one around every day. Hoping. Praying.” He lowered himself. The tip of his cock pressed against my entrance. “And now, I caught you.”
I could have argued that it was me who had, in fact, caught him.
But he snapped his hips forward, taking away my ability to speak. The sudden invasion was a twisted shot of pain and pleasure. My muscles were stretched. I was full. His bare skin slid against mine. Heat pulsed between us. Through us. It swirled in my veins.
Nico pulled back just enough to rock into me again.
This time, I was ready for the sensation. Stars burst across the night sky.
“Fuck! You’re huge,” I gasped, grabbing his shoulders to anchor myself.
He chuckled darkly. “That dirty mouth is going to get you in trouble.”
It already had.
Nico thrust into me, setting a punishing pace.
I wrapped my legs around his lower back, drawing him deeper. His husky groan was pure crack. I was the one who made him do that. Me. And I wanted to make him do it again.
“Che cazzo fai?” he rasped.
“Sorry, don’t speak that Eye-talian,” I drawled.
Nico lifted my head off the ground. “One of these days, I’m going to fuck that smart little mouth.”
My nails dug into his shoulders. “This is a one-time deal, mobster.”
“No, it’s not,” he growled. Like a wild animal. “I can’t get the idea of you choking on my cock out of my head.”
I didn’t give myself time to latch onto his words.
Didn’t let myself embrace the meaning. Instead, I closed the distance and pressed a hard, furious kiss on his lips.
He kissed me back just as passionately. His hips flexed and snapped.
His cock drove into me. I held him as he devoured my mouth, and my body hungrily took everything he gave.
The relentless fire brought me to the edge of sanity.
This energy between us was primal. But there was something under the heat and the need.
A raw connection—one that I was in danger of accepting.
It would take out my walls, dissolve the protection I’d built over my heart, and I might even offer him my soul.
Nico broke the kiss with a short rasp. He gripped my jaw firmly, tipped my head, and proceeded to taste each of my piercings.
My pussy spasmed. I liked that he was tasting my art.
That he was acknowledging me. Then he pulled back and stared down at me.
I read disbelief in his eyes. Astonishment and awe. That look made this thing…personal.
He wasn’t just some hot guy I met at a pub, a flirtation gone too far. We could pretend, but the simmer in my veins told a different story.
“That’s it, cherry-bomb, you’re doing so well,” Nico growled against my mouth. “Now fucking come for me.”
He pinched a nipple, and that was it.
I screamed.
My body exploded, and I fell. Crashing and burning with a heat so intense, the pleasure swallowed me whole. Magnolia Rae didn’t exist anymore. I was his. The sensation obliterated everything else.
Hard lips pressed against the side of my throat. Against my pulse. The kisses carved a path to my collarbone, then back to the crook where my neck met with jaw.
Words whispered against my ear. “Look at me. Look at who’s inside you, who’s claiming you. There’s no escape now.”
I turned my head and met his gaze. Black. Unholy. Beautiful. Heat blistered in his dark gaze. It was full of possession. This man was as obsessed with me as I was with him.
What have we done?
As if in answer to my horrified realization, he slammed into my pulsing channel. His fingers wrapped around my throat, controlling the air to my lungs. He pumped into me with hard, shallow thrusts.
I gasped, but only when he let me.
Moonlight shivered in the distance.
There was only one way to read his body language. He was the dominant, and he could kill me just as easily as he could make me come.
Inside, my throbbing muscles spasmed. Another release built.
Between us, his fingers never stopped stroking and rubbing my clit.
The pleasure was so intense that it was nearly painful.
I watched him as I held onto his arm, my legs straining around his.
There wasn’t time to recover from the first release before another orgasm exploded inside me.
At the same moment I shattered into another million pieces, his body went rigid. His nostrils flared. A stifled roar seethed through his clenched teeth. Inside me, his cock slammed deep. Then twitched. Then shot hot cum inside me.
In a burst of insanity, I cursed the condom he wore.
If this was to be our only time, I wanted his flesh bare against mine. I wanted to be drenched with his seed. Hell, I wanted the clothing gone, so I could feel his body sweating and hot against mine.
That trail of thought soured the moment. We were together, breathing hard, trembling in the wake of our collision, but we weren’t at the same time. There were still numerous obstacles between us, and the clothing plus the condom made that line in the sand crystal clear.
I wasn’t his, and he wasn’t mine.