7.
I pull the dress’s spaghetti straps over my shoulders, making sure my gun’s holster is secured tightly around my left thigh, then sigh at my reflection in the massive dressing-table mirror.
The iridescent fabric glimmers against my frame when the evening light hits it, and loath as I am to admit, I will say that I look…
good. Especially with my sultry, minimalistic makeup, and the elegant way in which my short hair frames my face.
If Mave were here right now, he’d be standing right behind me – ready to compliment me just so he could put a smile on my face.
He had a way with words; with doing things in a manner that made me feel seen and safe.
I blink when my eyes burn, then swallow when my throat tightens.
A brief glint of fluorescent light on metal reflects against the mirror, bringing my attention to the earrings I’m wearing.
They are shaped as knives, and dangle in an upside-down sort of way from platinum hoops.
The earrings are custom-made, created by one of my subscribers who runs an established jewelry store in Los Angeles.
Even though I’ve had them for weeks now, I’ve only just worn them today.
I think they look absolutely stunning – both elegant and wicked at the same time. True statement-makers.
I flick back the front pieces of my hair, then recheck the earrings’ hoops.
I’m about to grab my lipstick, but stop when I hear the water turning off in the shower.
A moment passes, and as I glance up, I see Dorran walking out of the bathroom, dripping water all over our bedroom floor as he tousles his wet curls.
My gaze, on its own accord, travels over his broad, muscled body, and stops at the thick patch of dark hair between the defined V of his hips.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were absolutely shameless for ogling me like this.”
I look at him through the mirror, then roll my eyes when he grins at me. “You flatter yourself too much, Ledger.”
“I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.” He starts walking over to me, and my body instantly reacts to his increasing nearness. My skin breaks into goosebumps, and warmth fills my chest as I watch him stalk over to me.
“My God, Little Swan; you’re beautiful,” he says while giving me a thorough once over.
As he gets closer, he brackets my waist between his hands and sets a long kiss on the crown of my head.
“And those earrings – I fucking love ‘em.” He runs the tip of his nose against the shell of my ear, then presses a teasing kiss just beneath it.
“I think it’s fitting, given our reason for attending the gala tonight,” I say.
“Mm-hmm.” He sets another kiss on the skin behind my ear, then tries to pull me to him, but I suck in a breath and turn around, pushing him away just a little.
“Don’t,” I warn, and when he gives me a confused look, I gesture at his hair. “You’re wet; you’ll ruin my makeup.”
He scowls. “Don’t care.” He starts leaning in, but I place a hand on his chest, stopping him.
“Dor, no.”
“Cigs, don’t fuck with me. You’ve been edging me on all day; I fucking need you now.”
I click my tongue. “I spent twenty minutes on my eyelashes. Twenty-fucking-minutes. I can’t afford to mess them up, you asshole. Besides, you’ve been edging me on just as much, looking all sweaty and irresistible – while fixing cars , no less.”
“But I thought you said I looked gross at the time,” he challenges.
“Did I? Gosh, I can’t remember if I did.”
He studies me for a bit, then tilts his head sideways. “Your lashes…they don’t look any different to me,” he says.
My nostrils flare. “Take that back.”
He smirks. “Nope.”
I shove him further away from me. “Fuck you,” I spit out.
He laughs. “I just don’t see what the big deal is,” he states casually.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m going to shoot you in the head one of these days.”
“With the kinda aim you have? I don’t think so, babe.”
I fist my hands by my sides so that I don’t end up punching him in the face for that comment. “Go buy a cactus, then shove it up your goddamn ass, you dickhead.”
His lips twitch. “I’m sorta on the clock here. Can we do that later, please?”
I glare at him. “Try acting sassy with me one more time and I’ll knee your balls all the way up to your throat.”
“So full of threats today,” he muses. “It suits you.”
“I wish I could say the same for you and your laughable attempt at being smug,” I say, then give him a tight-lipped smile.
He mock-frowns. “I can’t believe you’re the woman I’ve risked my head for on multiple occasions in my life. Just look at how you treat me. I’m truly flabbergasted by your behavior.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “How long did it take for you to learn how to pronounce that word?”
Utter amusement flashes across his sharp features as he blinks at me. “I’ll have you know that I’m very thorough with my vocabulary.”
“You use big words when you think you’re being complacent,” I remark. “It’s called being an arrogant prick, not thorough.”
He winks at me. “Makes sense for you to know what it’s called, doesn’t it?”
I smile at him, which disorients him a bit. “I’m two seconds away from smashing your head open with a shoe. Wanna try to make sense of that, Dorran?”
He grins again – this time in a way that makes a chill run up my spine. “And I’m merely a second away from turning you around, bending you over the dresser, and fucking you so hard, you’ll be raw and aching for days.”
My breath hiccups against my throat, and my core tightens as wetness pools between my legs at his words. But still, I scoff his way. “Bold of you to assume I’d let you,” I say.
He erases the short distance between us and brings his lips a feather’s breadth shy from mine. “Bold of you to assume I’d give up.”
Now it’s my turn to grin. “Oh, but I’d be positively anguished if you did.”
He chuckles, then presses a hard kiss on my lips. A droplet or two of cold water falls on my forehead, but I ignore it and open my mouth for him. The smell of his aftershave – a blend of pine and wood – hits my senses, drawing me closer to him.
His kisses are bruising, rough. Demanding. He sucks on my tongue, bites my lower lip, and then tugs at it, making me moan. I can barely breathe because of how close we are, and still, I match his fervor as I kiss him back.
Dorran runs his hands down my thighs and lifts my dress, and even though I’m lost in the taste of him, I manage to stop him from going any further. Again.
“I swear if you give me another stupid fucking reason right now, Cigs, I’ll lo–”
“Just shut up.”
He glowers down at me. “Say that again, and I’ll cut you open.”
“Charming.” I run my manicured nails over his collarbone, and watch as his abs contract in response.
“Cigs, I–”
“Drop your towel,” I command.
He makes as if to speak, but then stops himself and grabs the hooked edge of the towel. Keeping his eyes on me, he pulls at the edge, which results in the towel to slip down his waist and fall at his feet with a muted thud.
“Done,” he says a little hoarsely, and I notice a spark of curiosity in his midnight blues – as if he’s excited to see where this is going to go.
I bring a hand forward and wrap my fingers around the base of his cock, and he in turn releases a shallow breath that brushes against the side of my face.
I move my hand upward, stroking him as I go, and press open-mouthed kisses on the space behind his ear, on his neck, and on his shoulder blade.
Bringing my lips to the base of his throat, I suck on the damp skin there, then drag them over his prominent Adam’s apple, grinning when I feel him getting harder against my palm.
Running the pad of my thumb over the veins on the underside of his thick length, I then tug at the curved barbell that is pierced around his swollen crown.
Dorran hisses, then moans when I start stroking him faster. It’s a lush sound – deep and maddening – and makes me press my thighs together in order to stop the dull ache I feel between them.
I watch as his pupils begin to dilate, and a flush creeps up on the smooth skin of his chest. I touch my lips to his, and he arches against me, making me smile.
“Tell me how bad you want me, Dor,” I say to him as I continue to stroke him.
“Fuck you,” he whispers, then clenches his jaw while breathing harder. “Go faster.”
I chuckle, but don’t increase my pace. What I instead do is bring my hand up and squeeze his crown, resulting in his precum to coat my fingers.
Dorran bows his head as he grunts, then thrusts his hips against my hand while placing open-mouthed kisses on the side of my neck. “Fucking work me faster, Cigs,” he urges. “I’m losing my goddamn mind here.”
“But we’ve only just started,” I muse, then pull my hand away from his cock.
He moves back and glares at me, looking a bit dazed. “What are you–”
“Go sit on the bed,” I tell him.
“You–”
“On the fucking bed, Ledger. Now.”
He scoffs. “Fine,” he spits out, then turns around and starts walking away from me, only to stop when I call out his name.
“I don’t think I asked you to put your back to me, did I?”
Listen, I love a good ass, I do. And Dorran’s ass? Yeah, that’s 100% a thing to marvel. But…his abs… My God, his abs. Now those are something I’ll find any excuse to see more and more of. At least I have my priorities set straight. Give a girl some credit.
He half faces me, and his lips curl into a scowl, which only makes me laugh.
“You’re getting on my nerves today, aren’t you?”
“Nah… Just showing you who’s boss, that’s all,” I say easily.
“Of course,” he retorts, and then continues heading for the bed – with his back to me, mind you. Once he reaches it, he turns, sits down on its front edge, and spreads his legs wide before raising a brow at me.
Smug bastard.