Chapter 42 #2
“That’s why,” Lee whispered as he approached me, and the desire burning in his eyes made my core throb again despite the wetness from my previous release still coating my inner thighs.
He tugged me toward the pillows, pulling me in for a savage kiss before murmuring against my lips, “On your knees, Freckles.”
I lowered myself onto my hands and knees, but I twisted to look behind me as he removed his belt and dropped his pants.
I stared at the silver piercing in the head of his cock, and my entire body felt flushed and tingly.
He gripped his shaft and pumped it a few times, and I could see a bead glistening on the tip near the silver barbell.
The firelight highlighted the dark tattoos on his chest and arms and the muscles that rippled as he moved.
He approached like a cougar stalking its prey, dangerous and lethal and utterly focused on me.
“Now,” his voice was a low growl as he lowered himself to his knees behind me. “I’m gonna fuck this perfect pussy with my cock.”
“How are you gonna fuck me?” I whispered, smiling like a fool.
The heat coming from his body seared my skin, and I shuddered as he dragged his cock through my wetness, that silver barbell grazing my clit and making me moan. I felt him line himself up at my entrance, and then he leaned down, his chest against my back.
“Hard,” he said low near my ear.
Before I could catch my breath, he thrust into me, one hand gripping my hip and the other twining into my hair and pushing my head down onto the pillow.
The impossible fullness and slight pain stole the air from my lungs.
Without breaking his rhythm, he released my hip and found my clit, stroking it with his skillful fingers as he pounded into me.
Each deep thrust made his piercing rub against my upper walls, and soon, I was unraveling.
I clenched around him, my legs shaking, and buried my face in the pillow to muffle the cries I couldn’t control as I went over the edge.
He didn’t let up, continuing his brutal pace.
My lungs forgot how to work as all my focus narrowed on the almost overwhelming pleasure.
Nearly as soon as my release faded, another began to build.
I pushed my hips back into him, meeting his thrusts and urging him deeper.
His hand released my hair and skimmed under my sleep shirt to capture my nipple, tormenting it between his fingers just hard enough to make me moan into the pillow as I came again, harder and wilder than the first.
After it faded, I sagged onto the floor, but he wasn’t done with me yet.
He pulled out and flipped me onto my back, pushing my legs up to almost fold me in half.
He entered me swiftly, slamming into me again, and pushed my shirt up enough to reveal my breasts.
I couldn’t help noticing he kept my shirt covering the thick bandage on my chest, but I forced myself not to dwell on it.
It was easier to forget when Lee’s mouth closed around my nipple, his fingers rolling the other—hard.
I bit my lower lip, trying to stay quiet, but the coiling heat in me was almost too much.
“Lee,” I whispered raggedly. “Oh my gods.”
His mouth came off my nipple with a popping sound. “You look so pretty taking my cock,” he groaned, his dark eyes on mine.
His fingers stroked my clit again, and I slid my hands down to my nipples, rolling them hard like he had, my chest heaving.
“Fuck.” His sharp eyes were fixed on my hands on my breasts.
The heat coiled tighter and tighter, and I arched off the floor, my ankles around his neck. I felt like I was going to explode.
“I can’t,” I panted. “It’s too much.”
“Yes, you can,” he said through gritted teeth, “come for me again, Ember.”
My body obeyed, tipping me into an ecstasy that swallowed me whole.
I bit down on my fist to contain my cries while lightning filled my veins, and it just kept coming.
Lee groaned, something I didn’t catch, and shuddered as he thrust into me one more time, his cock pulsing.
The shockwaves continued to rock through me for a few more seconds, and I whimpered around my fist.
For a moment, neither of us moved, breathing hard, and I did a quick scan with my eyes to make sure my powers weren’t making me glow.
They weren’t, but I was prepared for it this time.
Lee pulled out and gently lowered my legs.
I couldn’t quite read the expression on his face as he got to his feet and held out his hands.
I took them, and he pulled me upright, then crouched to sweep me into his arms. He carried me to the bed and laid me down before fetching the pillows from the floor.
I watched him, my heart in my throat at the combination of his sudden tenderness and impassive expression.
After he replaced the pillows, he slid still naked into the bed and pulled me against his chest. Both of our hearts were thundering.
“Are you ok?” he asked in a low voice. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Warmth swelled in my chest, startling me. “No, you didn’t.”
He propped himself up on his elbow to look at me, his face serious.
“I promise you didn’t hurt me,” I repeated, softer.
“I didn’t hurt your chest?” he pushed.
“No. I’m ok, Lee.”
He looked so worried I took his face in my hands and pulled him close to kiss him. He responded with a gentleness that was anything but casual. Our lips broke apart, but our foreheads stayed pressed together.
“That was fuckin’ amazing,” he finally murmured.
“That piercing is…real nice,” I grinned.
He finally grinned back, a little bit of the smug cockiness returning. “I know.”
I rolled my eyes, but I huffed a laugh.
“Gods, your smile,” he said, brushing my wild hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear, “might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
I felt my cheeks warm, and he cradled my face with his hand. His eyes were soft, but there was still pain lingering there, and I couldn’t figure out why.
“Are you ok?” I asked.
“No,” he said seriously, and my stomach dropped, “I’ve been fuckin’ devastated by my best friend’s little sister.”
“Don’t do that!” I smacked his shoulder as he laughed silently. “You scared me.”
He pulled me tight against his chest again, and I melted into him. His fingers traced gentle circles on my back, carefully going around my scars.
“You remember how Sable said massaging these scars might help?” he asked quietly.
I nodded, my stomach clenching at the memory—the horror in my brother’s face.
“I’d be more than willin’ to do that for you.”
I hesitated, insecurity raising its ugly head. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“It’s just…I know they’re…” I paused, remembering Trey’s words with a stab of pain. “… not pretty,” I finished lamely.
“They’re just scars, Freckles.”
I tilted my head up to see him frowning at me.
“I’m not put off by your scars if that’s what you’re asking,” he added, a corner of his lip twitching up. “Thought that was pretty clear.”
I huffed. “My shirt stayed on.”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, so your bandage didn’t get fucked up.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. ” His face was a mask of disapproval.
I wrinkled my nose at his glare and started over. “That’d be nice…if you wanted to do that.”
“I’ll wait until the burn heals. Just in case massaging the scars makes them sore.”
“Ok,” I whispered.
My definition of “casual” was getting harder and harder to hold on to, but I pushed that thought away. We lay in silence for a long while, his fingers continuing to move across my back. My eyelids began to droop.
“Can you stay?” I mumbled, half asleep.
“I can’t stay the whole night,” he answered regretfully. “Too risky.”
I frowned, my arms tightening around him.
“I can stay for a little while, though.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “As long as I can.”
I wasn’t sure how long that ended up being because I fell asleep just minutes later. When I woke up in the morning, he was gone, but I didn’t have a single nightmare.
After that, Lee snuck into my room every few nights.
Our trysts were always full of need and passion, and I tried to keep a wall up between him and the softer emotions I was experiencing more and more often, but that line felt blurry at best. It didn’t help that his presence kept the nightmares at bay. I tried not to overthink why.
I kept my shield up whenever I was around Mac, even though I hated the way it made him pull away from me.
I wasn’t entirely sure why I didn’t want him to see anything about Lee and me, but I didn’t want anyone to know.
That was a line I couldn’t cross. Other people knowing would make everything far too real, and besides, my brother would kill him.
I could tell Sable was suspicious. Lee asked for pointers on massaging my scars, and Sable gave them to him, but after, I felt him watching us more often. I hoped he didn’t tell Wolf.
It was another week before Mac came and found me in Nemo’s kitchen, eating breakfast by myself and looking over Sable’s notes in the healer notebook. When I saw him in the doorway, my heart stuttered strangely in my chest.
“Hi,” I said, closing the notebook and studying his expression.
He looked…off. I couldn’t tell why or how, but he seemed upset.
“Are you ok?” I asked when he didn’t respond.
“Why have you been blocking me?” he asked, ignoring my question. His voice was rough.
I felt my cheeks warm as guilt settled like a stone in my stomach. “Mac, I just?—”
“Is there somethin’ going on between you and Lee?”
The guilt intensified, and I fell back on anger as a crutch. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
His face darkened, his grey eyes flashing. It was a very familiar expression, but it made me realize I hadn’t seen it in a long time—at least, not directed at me.
“I don’t trust him,” he growled, stalking into the room toward me.