Chapter 20
“So, you and Jayce said yes to him,” I state.
“Yup,” Dorran says, then gives me a roguish smile. “Best decision of my life.”
I chuckle, then fix one of his vest’s straps into place. “I still can’t believe Chris is your boss. He’s always been so…I don’t know, mundane, I guess. At least that’s how he appears whenever I see him during events and such.”
He laughs. “Solo is an ethical motherfucker in his own right. All of us are.”
“So...” I shrug. “You like it, then – killing people?”
The corners of Dorran’s mouth twitch as he looks at me in silent amusement.
“It’s far more than that, Little Swan,” he tells me.
“It’s an extension of me, I suppose, so it feels innately stimulating.
” He pushes some of the fallen strands of my hair behind my ear.
“I gotta admit, though: I was overwhelmed at first. I thought I’d dipped my toes into something that was too incomprehensible for my mind to grasp, but it quickly became second-nature.
The excitement was – is – constant, and with every corrupt asshole I killed, I became addicted to it – to the process and its outcome.
After a while, I couldn’t even bring myself to think about walking away from it.
And then, of course, Varsha and Alex came along, and the five of us turned into a fucked-up little… ”
“Family,” I complete for him, and my throat tightens at the way the word tastes in my mouth.
“Yeah,” Dorran agrees, and something passes over his features as he searches my face.
“You’re lucky to have them in your life,” I tell him honestly.
He slowly wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer to him. “I’m feeling pretty fucking lucky being here with you right now,” he says, then tugs my bottom lip between his teeth.
“The infamous Dorran Ledger being romantic? Riverside will fall,” I muse.
He grins. “A small price to pay for the spark that just lit up those beautifully haunting eyes of yours.”
A flush rakes up my chest at his words. I lean in and press my lips to his, ignoring the pain that ignites in my cheeks.
Dorran parts his lips and kisses me back, then tilts his head and places feather-light pecks on the side of my neck. When he moves back, he stares at my throat with an unreadable expression, and I know he’s looking at the finger imprints on my skin.
“Hey.” I cup his jaw and lift his face so that our eyes meet. “It’ll be okay,” I tell him.
His nostrils flare. “I’m going to end her,” he vows with conviction. “I’m going to fucking make her pay for what she’s been doing to you for all these years.”
Please, I wanna beg him. Please, do
it. But something tells me that if I do that, he’ll rush up to Mom’s room in a heartbeat and live up to his word without hesitation. And I can’t have that, especially because I know it won’t end well for either of us.
I push aside the thoughts in my head and smile up at him. “You remember what you promised me during our video call the other day?”
His brows crease for a moment, but then rise just as fast when he recalls our previous conversation.
“The thought of your lips tainted with my blood – it makes me so fucking wild, Dorran.”
“Then ask me for it the next time you and I see each other, and I swear I’ll give it to you.”
“Only if I get a taste of you in return.”
He shakes his head. “Not tonight.”
“But you said I could ask you for it the next time I saw you,” I argue. “You’re here now, so why not?”
Dorran’s stare turns hard. “I said: not
tonight.”
I glare at him. “Why?”
“Because you’re hurt, damn you!”
“And?” I scoff. “Trust me, out of all the scars I have on my body right now, the one you give me will actually be a welcoming one.”
He frowns. “Cignette…”
I lean in and brush my lips over his. “I need this,” I whisper. “Please, Dorran.”
Distract me, I wanna tell him. Take my mind off things before you see my bruises again and decide to do something impulsive.
I don’t say any of that out loud, even though I want to. I just hope he sees my desperation, and gives into it without reluctance.
He lets go of a breath, then places a quick yet rough kiss on my lips. “Fuck you for saying please,” he mutters, making me chuckle.
Thank
God.
He shifts a little and retrieves his switchblade from the back pocket of his jeans. The moment he flicks it open, my breathing turns erratic.
The worn handle appears matte under the moonlight, but the black blade shines beautifully when Dorran twists the weapon in his hand.
I notice his initials, D.L., carved in silver on the switchblade’s handle, along with a very intricate set of designs around it, that look like a den of snakes at a certain angle.
I can’t believe I hadn’t paid attention to any of these details until now.
“Wow,” the word escapes me in a rush.
Dorran smirks as he once again twists the switchblade in his hand. “Solo gave it to me a month after Jayce and I started working for him,” he says. “Now I can’t even imagine going a day without this little fucker, let alone perform a kill with anything other than this blade.”
“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” I tell him. “And it complements you really well.”
“Thanks.” He grabs my right hand and presses a few kisses on my palm. “You sure you wanna do this?” he then asks.
I nod, and again, my breathing picks up.
Dorran flattens my hand, gives me a brief look, and touches his blade to the tip of my index finger. He then presses its sharp edge onto my skin, breaking it, and drags it down a little before pulling it back.
I flinch, and when blood starts seeping out of the small gash Dorran has given me, I look up at him.
“Do it, Little Swan,” he all but commands.
I shake as a sudden thrill courses through my body, and when Dorran gives me another roguish smile, I bring my hand forward and touch my bleeding finger to his mouth.
His eyelids flutter, and he groans when I drag my finger over his lower lip first, then slowly trace his top lip before retracting my hand.
With his chest heaving, and his midnight gaze fixed on me, Dorran starts licking his lips, and I watch – completely transfixed – as his tongue taints red with my blood.
If getting high on someone is a thing, then I’ll gladly admit that I’m hooked on every single thing this man does. He awakens something untamed in me; he makes me wanna throw morals out of the fucking window so that I can indulge in what my mind and body actually need.
“You taste so fucking good, Cignette,” Dorran says, then swallows and licks his lips again. “Like strength and glory – you taste divine.”
His words of admiration are a song that travel over my harmonized skin, turning me on to the brink of madness.
“Kiss me,” I tell him.
Dorran grins. “Patience, Little Swan.” He flips his switchblade and offers it to me – handle-first. “It’s your turn.”
I take the blade from him, then run my eyes over him. I rise on my knees, ignoring the pain that shoots through my ribs at the movement, and Dorran stretches his legs out so that I can straddle him easily. His cock presses against the inside of my thigh, turning me on further.
“Can’t pick a spot?” he muses.
“Something like that.” I smile at him, and what he does next – it’s one of the most erotic things he’s done since I’ve known him.
Dorran tilts his head to the side, giving me full access to his neck.
His muscles flex and shift, and I swallow, restraining the urge to put my lips on him.
“You trust me enough to put yourself in such a vulnerable position?” I ask him.
He straightens his neck and looks up at me. “You could cut me open right now, Cignette, and I’d still trust you – have faith in you to put me back together.”
I cup his face with my free hand. “Why?”
Dorran holds me around the waist and shrugs.
“Because I’m a sucker for you,” he says easily.
“And trust me, it’s a little scary for me to admit that, but I’ve chosen to accept the idea of this,” he gestures between us, “instead of being afraid of it. We’ll just have to figure shit out as we go, and I think I’m okay with that. ”
I laugh and shake my head. “And to think we’ve barely known each other for a week.”
“Sometimes the best things in life take the least amount of time to get hooked onto.”
“Mm…” I drag the tip of his blade below his right collarbone. “I’ve yet to determine that on my behalf.” I push the blade into his skin, but he just chuckles.
“Press harder, Cignette,” he tells me. “I’m way tougher than this.”
I oblige, and when he moans at the pressure, I pull the blade back and drop it to the side.
A thick bead of his blood shines through the small cut, and I don’t know why, but I’m spellbound by it.
“I…I did that,” I voice. “I actually did that.”
Dorran’s shoulders shake in silent laughter, and when I swat him on the arm, he only laughs harder.
“Sorry,” he says, “but that was simply too precious.”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up; let me revel in it.”
“Why don’t you do that by getting a taste?” he sasses. “Unless you’ve changed your mind, of course.”
I click my tongue. “Careful, Ledger. Your desperate side is showing.”
He winks at me. “Fuck you, Adler.”
I grin and place a kiss on the corner of his mouth, then drag my lips lower. I let them trail over his skin, and smile when I feel him get harder against my thigh.
I widen my legs so that I can settle down further, and then, I finally lean in and lick the blood off of Dorran’s collarbone.
My senses immediately overwhelm by the heady taste that surrounds my mouth, and I suppress a moan.
“Fuck,” he whispers, and his head falls forward. “Do that again.”
I drag my tongue over the cut, then suck on it, earning a grunt of approval from Dorran.
I move back and slide my fingers into his soft curls before giving them a tug. “God, you’re stunning,” I tell him, admiring the faint flush on his cheeks, his flared pupils, and his inviting lips.
He grins lazily. “Fucking kiss me, Cignette,” he says, and so, I do; I kiss him with every ounce of strength in me.
I bite, tug, and suck, and Dorran perfectly mirrors each and every one of my actions.
I touch my tongue to the roof of his mouth, and our teeth clash when he presses forward and takes my bottom lip between both of his.
My grip on his hair loosens as I rock my hips against his, and the harsh denim of his jeans brushes against the flimsy fabric of my underwear, making me ache for more.
Dorran grabs my waist and breaks the kiss. “Careful,” he tells me. “Limit your movements. Let me help you.” He thrusts his hips upward, and his hard-on rubs against my clit.
I arch my back and cry out, then whimper when Dorran sets a thorough pace of rocking his cock against my soaked underwear.
I press down on him and move against him slowly, then cup the sides of his neck and bring our faces closer – so much so that every time he pushes his hips forward and I push mine downwards, we share the same breath.
“That’s right, Little Swan,” he whispers against me. “Use me for your pleasure. Take what you want – how much you want. Ride it all out and stain that underwear for me like a good little girl.”
My nipples harden as my orgasm builds. His words spur me on, creating a heat in my belly.
“I can smell you, Cignette,” Dorran says, then licks my lower lip. “My God, I can feel your sweet pussy weeping for release. You want that, don’t you? You wanna come for me?”
“Yes,” I hiss. “Fuck yes.”
“Then do it,” he commands, and claims my lips in a dizzying kiss. “Come all over my jeans. Fucking mark me with your arousal.”
My clit throbs, seconds before my orgasm hits. I tip my head back and moan Dorran’s name, riding my release as he continues his movements against me.
“Look at you,” he all but rasps. “Look at you lighting up the fucking night with your beauty, Little Swan.” He grabs my ass and rubs his hardness over my sensitive pussy. “You’re so damn perfect.”
My heart thrashes against my chest as I catch my breath. Swallowing once, I look down at Dorran, and when our eyes meet, we laugh and share a lazy kiss.
“That was…” I close my eyes and sigh softly against his mouth. “Thank you, Dorran.”
He chuckles. “Thank you,” he says. “Witnessing you let loose like this is fulfilling as fuck.”
“Hmm.” I smile and kiss him again, then open my eyes and scan his face. “But the next time you make me come, I want there to be no barriers between us.” I bring a hand over his still-hard cock, and give it a squeeze. “Is that understood, Ledger?”
He groans and pushes his hips further against my grip. “I don’t take orders from you,” he tells me, and his eyes gleam as he gives me a smirk.
“I know you don’t,” I say. “But then again, no one is capable of making your dick as hard as I do, so you’ve got no choice but to listen to me.”
He flashes a manic smile at me. “You’re a fucking menace, Cignette Adler,” he spits the words at me.
I squeeze him tighter and grin down at him. “Tell me something I don’t know, sweetheart.”