Chapter Thirty-Six Bryden （Mountain） #2
Excusing myself, I sway through the sea of people and head down the long hall that leads deeper into the estate.
It’s quiet save for the chancellor’s voice blaring through the halls.
But the farther I walk, the more muffled his speech becomes.
When I reach the end, I glance both ways, but it’s empty.
So I move over to the bathroom, and tap on the door. Putting my ear to it, I listen for Sam.
Nothing.
Hesitantly, I knock once more for safe measure and grip the knob to check it. It’s unlocked. When I open it, I find that it’s empty, no sign of Sam anywhere in sight. But I hear the faint sound of voices around the corner.
“Don’t touch me, asshole.”
Sam?
I rush forward, glancing over my shoulder to be sure I’m not being followed before focusing on her voice.
“You’re going to learn to keep my name out your mouth, bitch.”
That’s Jackson’s voice.
Red blurs my vision as I close the distance in three long strides. I turn the corner to find Sam stuck between a wall and Jackson.
“I’ve already broken one knee; don’t make me break the other,” she bites out.
“And you’re going to pay for that. Maybe I’ll finally do to you what I did to that bitch Gracie. Only you’ll have to be awake through it when I fuck you.” He reaches for her, and I snap.
I storm forward, my hand palming the back of his head as I shove him from in front of her. Relief flashes in Sam’s eyes. Positioning myself between the two of them, I take him by the throat and force him to look at me.
At the same time, he blurts out, “What the fuck?”
When he realizes it’s me, his face goes slack.
Without words or warnings, I drive my fist into his face.
He stumbles backward, falling to the floor and attempting to crawl-walk away with a bleeding nose.
But I’m on him immediately, throwing blow after blow to his body.
Then I yank him by the collar, drawing my hand back in an attempt to knock his head off his shoulders.
A small hand wraps around my bicep, stopping me.
“Bryden. Stop. Stop.” Sam’s voice breaks with emotion. “He’s not worth it.”
Jackson groans beneath me, holding his ribs with one hand and blocking me with the other. I tug him close, and glare at him.
“If you come near her again, I won’t stop. I’ll be sure to break a lot more than a knee.”
“Bryden. Let’s go.” Sam pulls me up and I allow her to.
Jackson moans on the floor as Sam drags me away, searching around before pulling me into a room at the end of the hall. Alex’s family library is covered wall to wall in books.
I step inside the darkness while she closes the door behind us. I hear the lock click. Staring at the large, uncovered windows, I try to gather myself. I hate that she’s seen me like that, but I don’t regret it.
Then she’s behind me, a gentle hand on my shoulder to ground me. I face her, and Sam’s eyes fall to my bruised hand.
“Your hand.” She takes it in hers to examine me.
I pull away. “It’s fine.”
She sets her clutch down on the nearest surface and snatches my hand back. “It’s not. It’s bruised. The game. You could have broken it.”
“I didn’t.”
“He isn’t worth you risking the game. You shouldn’t have let him make you lose control.”
It feels good that she recognizes how important my hand is, how important these games are to me. But I straighten my spine and bring myself to eye level with her so that she knows how serious I am.
“I’ll lose every ounce of control when it comes to you.”
Silence slams down on us and all we can do is stare at each other. She searches my face like she’s trying to determine if I mean it. And I’m reading her to make sure she understands exactly where I stand.
“I’ll hurt anyone who tries to harm you. Do you get that?”
Light from the floodlights outside the window beam on us. Her eyes dart between mine, her breath catching.
“I can’t worry about hockey if I’m worried about you,” I seethe, breathing in the smell of old books and Sam.
It happens all at once.
She erases what little distance is between us and kisses me. It’s nothing sweet about it, not like the first time. Then, I wanted to make it perfect, wanted to show her how she makes me feel. But now, all want to do is show her what she does to me.
I kiss back hard and rough, and her hands come to my face as I try to drink her in.
I want to bury myself beneath her skin, needing to be close to her, needing to feel her.
We’re wild and hungry, our bodies flailing around as we fight for dominance.
And when we crash against one of the bookshelves, books fall to the marble floor.
Neither of us stops, our focus only on each other.
Her breath is all over my lips, her hands lacing in my hair then over the slope of my shoulders. Sam pulls back, and I watch breathlessly as she takes my injured hand in hers. She brings it close to her mouth while staring deep into my soul.
“Thank you for always protecting me.” Then she goes and drive me wild. Her soft, wet lips move across every battered knuckle as she kisses each one.
If I wasn’t hard before, I’m rock hard now. I groan and scoop her into my arms. Her legs wrap around me as I carry her to the large library desk, pushing her purse out of the way when I lower her on to it.
Hovering over her, I cup her face, burying my tongue so deep we might as well become one.
Sam’s dress rises, and I settle between her thighs.
So close that I feel my erection pressing against her.
It’s impossible to ignore, hard even through two layers of fabric.
She scrapes her heel up the back of my leg, drawing me closer.
She’s almost eye level with my dick and it almost makes me cream my pants.
My body shakes, but whether it’s from adrenaline or restraint, I have no idea.
When she reaches between us and rubs me through my slacks, I jolt from the sensation. Then she shocks me by shoving me backward, hopping off the table, and guiding me to the chair. I allow her to control the moment.
She straddles me, grinding her heat into me. “I want you.”
Every muscle jumps in anticipation. “I want you, too.”
“But before we go any further, I have to be honest with you.” When I don’t respond, she continues. “I care about you and never want to do anything to hurt you.”
I nod.
“I like you. A lot. But I also care about—”
“I know you have feelings for Alex and Kane. It’s okay.”
“If this is too much for you, I’ll stop right now, and we can go back to friendly text messages and banter.”
I grip her tight. “I don’t want to be just your friend. I’m too far gone for that.”
She exhales, strokes my face, then crashes her mouth on mine again. Sam rolls her hips against my lap, shredding what little resistance I have left. I clutch her hips, kneading her butt and dragging her across my lap. The friction is all consuming.
Sam moans and feverishly reaches between us to fight with my zipper. Finally, she yanks it down and reaches inside. Her delicate fingers find my shaft and pull me out.
Greedily, I hike her dress up, letting my palms roam over her soft skin until I find the seam of her panties and drag the thin material to the side. Sam strokes me, her eyes glued to my expression. She rises on her toes and positions me right at her center.
The moment she sinks down on me, my eyes roll to the back of my head, and I bite back a curse. The first push is almost too much for her. I can tell by the way she shifts a little and digs her nails into my shoulders.
“Shit, you’re so big,” she protests.
I rub her cheeks, kneading them both to spread her a little wider. “It’ll fit.”
I press into her, her tight opening giving way just a bit.
“Just breathe through it.”
And she does, letting out an exhale with each inch that I feed her. Finally, I’m in to the hilt.
“There you go. You can take it. Ff… Mm,” I moan.
Then she starts to move, her hips stuttering at first but then we find a rhythm. I’m not gentle, and I piston into her. Her head falls back, and I watch the rise and fall of her breasts.
We find a brutal pace, and every time I bottom out inside her, I dig my fingers into her hips like an anchor. She leans into me, taking everything I have to give and more. The sound of her slapping against my lap is muffled but still loud enough to echo through the room.
But I don’t care.
Sam places her palm on my chest for balance as she bounces on me, her walls hugging me on the way down and milking me on the way up. Her movements get sloppier, more desperate as she uses me to find her release, and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Shit, Bryden, I’m so close.” She wraps an arm around me and moans in my ear.
“Me too.”
I splay my hands under her, holding her in place while I thrust into her, fast and hard. White dots flash in my eyes, and all the blood rushes to my balls.
“I’m coming. I’m coming. I’m coming.” Her cries fuel my fire.
Choking out a growl, I lift her off just in time for my cum to shoot out in thick, messy spurts all over her thighs.
“Fuuuck,” I roar, my back bucking.
Sam kisses me again, this one more tender. But then she cracks a smile.
“What?” I breathe out.
“You cursed.”
I laugh, though it’s hard to get it out with how out of breath I am. “I guess I’m done being perfectly intact.”