Chapter 5 Jinx
Jinx
One look at this woman, and my body has gone rogue against my senses.
Raven, of all people. Seriously?
Despite my notorious behavior, I don’t just get hard for anyone. It takes a little touching to get me worked up, some good conversation in my ear, and heated glances.
Seeing this woman naked, standing there looking like a doe caught in headlights, doesn’t check a single one of those boxes.
Now here she is, staring at my erection in silence. Silence is lethal.
She’s going to try to cut my cock off in my sleep, isn’t she? No, she’s probably thinking about doing it right here. I’m in real danger now.
Finally, she tilts her head up and meets my gaze. It’s not killer intent filling her gaze, or any anger. It’s something I’ve never seen come from her. Something, I’m honestly sure I know.
I’d think it’s hunger, but that’s too impossible to even entertain.
“Sit down.” Her eyes flicker over to the bed behind me. It’s her bed, isn’t it?
I’m on shaky knees when I do as I’m told. Not because I’m afraid of what she’ll do if I don’t, but because I’ve got her body seared in my mind. Even now, I’m still thinking about it. She wasn’t even fully naked, for fuck sake.
Pale skin with a soft pink against the top of her breasts. Her stomach, dotted with a handful of stretchmarks, promised a softness there I automatically wanted to discover.
A woman, whom I truly believed thought she was better than me, is as damaged as I am.
My cock pulses, promising my downfall if I keep thinking about it.
This woman is becoming increasingly problematic.
Falling onto the bed, she follows. Standing within my reach, I consider pulling her down on me.
During that sparring match, she’d gotten so comfortable while victoriously resting against my lap. Settling so nicely on my hips, I’m willing to bet she’d be perfect at riding.
“Fuck.” Groaning under my breath, I don’t miss her curious glance. “Give me a couple of minutes, and I can get this out of my system.”
If I’m thinking about her, I don’t even know if I’ll last that long.
“What are you—” My words catch as she suddenly sinks to her knees.
I’m dead, aren’t I? Sometime in the events of this morning, and this very moment, something killed me. She slashed my throat with the broken bottle. Crimson Road made the first move. She murdered me during our spar. I’m dead.
“No one will let me near them,” she mumbles to herself, cautious, “and none have ever reacted this way. I…” Her nose scrunches as she eyes the tent I’m pitching. “I want to see. And you… The sex fiend you are, can fulfill my curiosity.”
Sex fiend. That’s a new one.
I’ve got no clue what she’s mumbling about, but having her right here, I hate that I’m not immediately putting a stop to this. I really should.
She frowns like she’s disgusted, but she stares like she’s intrigued. How in the hell did we get to this point? I don’t want this woman. This infuriating woman.
I can’t let this continue.
Yet, as soon as she’s reaching for my underwear, I don’t stop her. I’m a weak man, apparently.
Cool air hits my flushed skin as she frees my cock. I watch her take in every swollen inch, but she barely shows her thoughts on her face.
“Why?” Forcing the word out, my brows pinch together as her hand curls around the base. Hissing through my teeth, she purposely uses her thumb to touch my balls. “You hate me.”
“You hate me. So, why are you like this?” Meeting my question with one of her own, I click my tongue. Touche.
Running a hand down my face, I shake my head and decide to just fuck it. The woman is curious about me? Fine. Might as well get something out of it, too.
“You can touch me.” Giving her a crooked smile, I stare at her fingers as she barely does anything. “Must be boring just staring.”
Her mouth parts, but she doesn’t speak. As her brows furrow and unfurrow, she actually does it. Her fingers squeeze firmer around my cock. I don’t even have to mention a handjob; she does whatever the hell she wants.
Just like she always does. Always reckless, and now more dangerous with curiosity involved.
She’s messy with it, squeezing too tight, jerking too fast. Like she’s never given one, she does what she thinks she’s supposed to. It’s almost funny discovering something she’s bad at.
At this rate, I’m going to come whether I want to or not.
“Jesus, Raven.” Tilting my head back, my fingers curl around her blankets. “I pity any man you’ve been with. You like torturing them, huh?”
She pauses long enough to catch my attention. To my surprise, her cheeks turn rosy. She’s… blushing.
My cock pulses beneath her fingertips.
“Tell me what to do.” Frowning, she meets my gaze with a heat I usually am met with when she’s ready to kill me.
Am I really about to walk this woman through how to give a decent handjob? With the determination burning behind her stare, and her unmoving body, I think that’s exactly what’s about to go down.
This is crazy.
“Loosen your grip for starters and slow the hell down. It’s not a race.” Choking back a laugh, I pinch my eyes shut and remind myself this is really happening. “It doesn’t feel great when it’s dry. Do you have lube or—”
My words catch when a heat washes over my cock. Looking down at her, I stare at her glossy lips as a few drops of saliva still cling to them after spitting on her hand.
“Fuck.” Muttering my surprise, I clear my throat. “Sure, that works.”
She doesn’t wait to take my advice. Doing as I say, she starts to stroke slowly. From base to tip, her thumb runs against my slit each time a pearl of precum builds.
This woman took my insult to heart, and now, I’m suffering for it. Instead of making me feel pain, she’s making me feel good.
Just like that, I realize I’m at this woman’s mercy. If she realizes the power that comes with pleasure, I’m fucking screwed.
She doesn’t stop. She reads the tension in my body, the strangled groan, and she leans into it, her strokes becoming relentless, perfect.
I’m a lover of dirty talk, but I don’t think I can muster the words, and Raven’s paying too close attention to what’s going on. Like she’s never touched a cock, it feels like she’s treating this like some kind of experiment.
She finally finds it. A rhythm. Her palm softens, her grip perfects, a smooth glide that has my head falling back as I realize I’m enjoying this more than I should.
A pleasure like this is lethal. So good, a man can get addicted to it.
What if I ask her to put her mouth on me? Always using her tongue to insult me, what if she found another way to make use of it? Just a little kiss would be enough.
I make things so much worse for myself by imagining it. So much worse.
“Faster now.” Panting the order, my cock swells in approval as she tightens her grip. I can’t scold her, not when it feels so good.
She does, not because I tell her to, but because she’s getting wound up too. The way she leans in, her eyes watching, her lips parted. Hell, even her pupils are dilated.
She’s giving all the signs that she wants this, wants me, but instead of giving herself to me, she keeps all of her arousal to herself.
Talk about being greedy. I just… I want some, too.
Without thinking, I reach for her. Pushing her black strands back, I cup the back of her neck.
I want to kiss her.
She must see my hunger, and without warning, I watch her eyes widen. Deep down, I can see something I’m sure no one still breathing has.
Vulnerability.
Taking the risk of her biting my tongue off, I pull her to my mouth and make an attempt to kiss her. Her stroking falters, and she jerks back.
It’s not anger that’s filling her expression, but something else entirely. Hunger.
“You suck at kissing, too?” The words come out of me roughly. I sound like I’ve run a mile.
“I don’t like you doing whatever you want.” Her pink cheeks turn a shade deeper. I’ve embarrassed her, haven’t I?
“What if I ask nicely?” The question catches me off guard. When have I ever had to ask anyone for anything when it comes to pleasure? Raven isn’t any woman, though, is she? She’s someone who likes being on top. Likes having control.
She doesn’t like me because I always test that line she draws.
Leaning in, my thumb swipes at her cheek. It’s warm to the touch, either from her blush or the hit she stubbornly took. My mouth curls at her hesitation. “Will you kiss me, Raven? Let me discover what you taste like? I bet you’re secretly sweet, aren’t you?”
She answers me by squeezing my cock hard. Fucking hell. It hurts, but I can’t focus on the ache when she’s lifting up on her knees so she can press her lips to mine.
The kiss is a disaster. Our teeth clatter, her tongue darts and retreats with frantic, aimless energy. Christ. Whoever kissed her before should be shot for criminal negligence.
I break the kiss, just enough to see the confused defiance in her eyes. I’m going to have to teach her everything, aren’t I?
A slow, wicked smile spreads across my face. This is something I can definitely do.
Tangling my fingers in the silken dark hair, I tug at her. Her head tilts back, exposing the elegant line of her throat, and a delicious, sharp hiss escapes her lips. The sound goes straight to my gut.
“Keep stroking, beautiful,” I murmur, my voice a rough command against her parted mouth.
Now that she’s allowed me in, I swoop. But I don’t take over completely. Not this time. Instead, I slot our mouths together with careful precision, a perfect fit. I move my tongue against hers, a slow demonstration for her to learn by.
My tongue explores the seam of her lips, then the soft, hot interior of her mouth with a languid certainty that makes her tremble.
I’m mapping her, learning the little hitches in her breath, the way her own tongue grows bolder, trying to mimic my movements. The lesson is a two-way street, and I’m an eager student of every shudder I pull from her.
When her rhythm below begins to falter, I catch her full bottom lip between my teeth, applying just enough pressure to sting before soothing it with a slow, open-mouthed sweep of my tongue.
A raw groan rips from my chest, mingling with her broken moan. The sound vibrates between us, and her fist on me resumes its pace, tighter, more assured, guided by the cadence of my kiss.
Losing count of how long our tongues tangle and how many breaths we share, I have to pull away when I feel my body beginning to stiffen, my limit growing near. Trying to fight the rush building, I remind myself that something that feels so good isn’t meant to last forever.
“Just like that…” Panting, I have to stop myself from thrusting into her grip.
My toes curl tight as I feel my orgasm approaching closer and closer. Pulling away, I can’t stop the next moan that leaves my lips. As a familiar zing shoots up my spine, I’m quick to palm my head before my release gets on anything important.
Every pulse, every hot drip running down my length and her fingers, has me lightheaded.
Have all of my orgasms been this intense?
Seconds pass before I finally calm down enough to move.
Staring at my hand, her chest rises and falls. Barely blinking, I can only imagine the thoughts in her head. An hour ago, I wouldn’t put it past her if she was considering cutting my cock off. But now…
I swallow hard.
“Do you want to fuck?”
Her eyes flick up, and for a sure second, she doesn’t give me an answer. As soon as that passes, her mouth curls into a scowl. Leaving my question unanswered, she stands. While I’m wondering if her knees are the same color as her cheeks, she abandons me entirely.
I can’t lie. I’m disappointed. Right now, pressing her into this mattress is all I can think about.
Digging around in her stuff, I’m soon hit with a pack of makeup remover wipes. She wipes her fingers off with a few in her grip, jerking her chin at me to do the same.
Unwilling to address what just happened between us, she drops onto the other mattress and stares at the wipes.
“You can’t tell anyone.” The words leave her in a rush.
“That I had you on your knees?” Giving her a cocky grin, it falls when she lifts her eyes.
“You saw my scars.” Her fingers tighten around the wipes. “I don’t even let Penelope see them.”
Ugh. Nothing better than talking about trauma after a mind blowing orgasm. Sighing, I wipe my fingers clean. “You saw mine too.”
Her nose scrunches. “You fuck every woman who comes across your path.”
True. “Secrets are best kept in the dark. If the lights aren’t off, then I keep my shirt on. Easy as that. Just like how you wear pants despite the weather being hot as hell.”
Oh, that delicious pink keeps coming back to her cheeks. I like that. She’s surprised that I’m observant of her, is that it?
“If people see them, they won’t think you’re weak.” I feel weird reassuring her, but I can’t help but feel the need to say the words. “After today, you’ve proven that you’re pretty badass.”
She frowns at my compliment. “They don’t just make me look weak. They make me ugly.”
Caught off guard by her honesty, I’m even more surprised by such a stupid thought.
“What in the hell are you talking about? You’re gorgeous.
” Realizing just how easy it is to be honest, I toss away the package and wipes, ignoring her confused look as I settle on her bed.
“Take it from the guy who saw you basically naked. You’re like… a solid eight.”
More like an eleven, but I don’t want her to let the compliment go to her head.
She’s silent, and I’m quickly learning that I don’t like it when she has nothing to say.
Staring at the ceiling, I fight the urge to coax her back over here. “Your secret is safe with me as long as you keep mine locked up too.”
Just thinking about it makes my back itch. If the silence gets any thicker, then I’m going to start hearing the same mocking tone of my old man’s voice as clear as it had when it used to haunt me.
Hearing her sigh softly, possibly a sigh of relief, I feel the same when she shuts off the light, engulfing us in darkness. We’re on the same page now, I think. As same as one can be with whatever in the hell just went down.
Not having a clue what to think about Raven and what has gone on today, I clutch her pillow and press it to my face, hoping I can make myself pass out so I can get some relief by not thinking about it anymore. Instead, I’m breathing in, inhaling her scent.
One inhale turns to two, and before I know it, my cock is swelling.
Fuck.
This babysitting gig needs to be done before I start realizing that this woman is doing things to me that I won’t be able to reverse.