Chapter 11
There’s a shooting or something…
I don’t care. I’m just standing outside, maintaining a perimeter.
I notice Tate as she arrives at the scene with her cleaning supplies. She’s talking with Darren to the side, but I can tell she’s not into it, and I can tell by his demeanor he’s not too pleased with what she’s saying.
I wait until he’s out of view before I break off from the line; most of everyone has left anyway, and walk into the building after her. Sliding into the elevator of the apartment building with her before the doors shut.
“You guys seem happy.”
“Fuck off.” A laugh comes out before her voice lowers. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I pretend not to know what she’s talking about. “I did nothing.” Pausing, I let the weight of the moment die down. Looking straight ahead, at my reflection on the doors, I say quieter. “You should listen to what he told you and take him up on whatever he offered.”
“That wouldn’t be fair to him.”
The silence surrounds us as the world’s slowest elevator makes its way to the floor.
“So, when’s the wedding?”
“Next month.” She mumbles under her breath, and I can see the regret on her face.
All at once it makes sense to me. There’s only one reason she’s marrying him. “Darren threatened Z, didn’t he? That’s why you’re going through with this.”
“It’s not the only reason.”
“What else could it be, Tate? I mean, hell, your feelings are obvious.”
“Because I’m pregnant.” She whispers, looking at me. “And yes, he threatened Zane if I left.” One more pause. “Well, he threatened both of us.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, shaking my head as I look back at her. “How’d he take it?”
“It seems like you know him well enough to know that. I didn’t tell him that Darren threatened him.”
“Why not?”
“Cause I knew he’d go after him.”
It’s almost comical what she thinks he’ll do.
“Tate, telling him that Darren threatened you is gonna push him further than knowing he’s after him.”
“What?” she pauses, looking at me again. “How do you know that about him?”
“We were friends. His parents took me in and let me live there our senior year of high school.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“But while he’s trying to protect everyone, who’s protecting him?” She whispers as the lift comes to the floor and opens.
“All I’m saying.” I pause as she stops, turning around and looks at me. “Don’t take lightly whatever he offered. He means it.”
“I know he does.” She tells me as she looks up. “That’s the problem.”
* * *
The locker room reminds of when we were in high school; there are cliques, except this time I’m an outsider to all of them.
In front of the sink, Sherman walks up next to me. Glancing at him in the mirror, I roll my eyes. I would usually not speak to him, but I know what he did, even if Tate doesn’t know, I do.
“Congrats.” I sarcastically mumble.
He says nothing in response, just gives me a look.
“Hopefully, the baby gets her personality.”
“Why would she tell you about that?” he gives me a questioning look.
“Do you realize she has her job because of me?” shaking my head. “She was my neighbor when I was in the apartment.”
He’s silent as I just shake my head, walking towards the door.
I’m almost expecting him to say something to me… anything, but he doesn’t. He just watches me as I leave.
I’m not surprised when the door opens as soon as it closes completely.
“Leech, let me ask you a question.”
“What?” groaning as I turn around and look at him.
“The compound, got any secrets?”
I can’t help but laugh as I step into him. “You’re transparent, you know that, right?”
“What?”
“You might be able to get her to believe it was an accident, but I know…”
“Know what?”
“It wasn’t an accident.” Shaking my head.
He roars at my comment. “Well,” he shrugs as he glances around and back at me. “Who would raise another man’s baby?”
“I would.” I shrug.
“What?”
Stepping closer to him, smirking. “When you’re raised by people who don’t regard family as just blood, you think a little differently. You know that blood doesn’t make a family.” Shaking my head. “I wasn’t blood, but I was damn sure family.”
Pushing past me, he moves back down the hallway.
“Darren,” the words continue without turning around before I realize what I’m saying. “You better be careful because I know he thinks the same way.” Finally, glancing back to make sure he’s still there. “You make one small mistake —”
“He tries anything, I’ll make sure he never gets out.”
A laugh slips out. “You think he gives a shit about that? He grew up knowing he’d eventually spend time in jail. That doesn’t scare him.”
* * *
Walking into Drew’s apartment, I can’t help but run the entire conversation with Tate earlier in my head.
Drew’s propped up in bed, with the glow of the TV illuminating her.
“Ugh,” I grunt out before flopping onto the bed next to her.
“Bad day?”
“Weird fucking day.” I mumble back.
“How so?” she asks, turning all her attention toward me.
“Tate told me why she’s getting married.” Pauses for dramatics. “Cause she’s pregnant,” Drew gasps, “and her fiancé threatened her and Z if she leaves.”
“Does he know?”
“She said she didn’t tell him about the threat towards him, because she thought that would make him want to reiterate.”
“Does she not —”
Cutting her off, I shake my head. “I don’t think she realizes how long he’s been aware of the target on his back. He may not realize it’s been Darren, but it has.”
“This is gonna be bad,” Drew shakes her head.
“I know.”
“You still care about him, don’t you?” She asks me, stunning me for a moment.
“What?”
“You went to tell him about her. You’re concerned that he’s going to overreact...”
“We were inseparable for like 13 years.” I laugh, giving her a half-answer.
“Is that why you feel so guilty?” She laughs as she tosses her leg over my body, pushing up until she’s sitting with her bare legs in just her panties and an oversized shirt on top of me.
“Yeah.” Shrugging.
“I’m sorry.” She frowns as she braces her weight against my hips.
I can’t help but laugh out loud as I shake my head. “No, you’re not.”
“Of course I am.” She looks down at me with her best attempt at an innocent face.
Gripping the back of her neck and bringing her lips down to mine. Pressing them roughly together as her hips grind down against me.
“Now, the real question is, are you fucking me just as some sort of retaliation towards your brother?” my hands sliding up her thighs
“Would it change that I’m about to be on top of you naked?” Her lips graze my lips again.
“It would change things a bit.” Pulling back, looking at her, and tilting my head, suddenly needing to know the exact reasons I’m in her bed.
Searching my eyes for a moment, I watch the playfulness erase from her face before she shakes her head. “No.” Then, as quickly as it left, the mischievous look’s back across her face. “Although it is a good incentive.”
“Oh, yeah?” grabbing her thighs as I pull her up my torso.
“Yeah,” she giggles as she looks at me. “Tell me that hiding doesn’t make it hotter?”
I don’t answer her. I don’t need to; she already knows.
“Or how dancing this closely to danger doesn’t turn you on?”
She bites her lip.
“Face it, Elias, you were bored with your life before you fucked me?”
“Baby, I’m a cop. I see danger all the time.” I laugh out, nodding to her.
“That’s mild compared to how we grew up.” She reaches down, pulling at the hem of her shirt and up over her head.
“We never saw any danger.” I laugh out.
“You can sense it all over the compound, still can. Everyone there knows one wrong move and everything can come toppling down…”
Leaning in again, she catches my lips with hers, controlling our movements for a moment as I think over what she just said. Is that why I feel so jaded? Have I really been sitting in a stale, boring life, just waiting my time until something happens?
Pulling back, she looks at me. “Tell me I’m wrong?”
It brings a laugh out of me as I look at her again. Shaking my head. She can read me like a fucking book.
The TV’s glow glinting off the necklace that’s around her neck. “What’s this?”
“Oh!” she laughs. “Just keeping your sacrifice close to me.” Lifting the necklace away from her chest.
My laughter echoes around the room. “How did you manage to turn my tooth into a charm?”
“I dunno.” She shrugs, a small giggle slipping from her. “Apparently there’s a market for it too.”
“You’re so weird.” Laughing as I continue to look at it, realizing how my seeing this as somewhat sweet says something about me as well. “Come here.” Is the only thing I can think to say, tugging her to me. “I need to feel your lips.”
She smirks as she leans into me.
Stopping her, I shake my head. “Not those lips.” Raising an eyebrow, making her eyes widen. “Sit on my face.”
“Uh…” she trails off.
My hands coming down, finding their way to the top of her thighs as I inch her up my body. Wetting my lips as her pussy gets closer.
I can see the hesitation on her face, and for some reason it’s causing glee to roll up inside.
“Drew,” comes out in a demanding tone.
Instead of waiting for her hesitation to subside, I slip my hands under her thighs and lift her up.
“Shit,” she gasps as she comes off balance before sitting her directly over my face.
“So fucking beautiful.” I whisper, not so she can hear it, but honestly just because I can’t help myself. “Now sit.” I tell her as I lift my fingers up, quickly work them underneath her panties and pull them to the side.
Slipping my fingers inside her, she gasps, but I can still feel her hesitation.
“Sketch.” It comes out demanding.
“Ugh.” She lets out an awkward laugh.
I continue to watch my fingers as I move them out of her.
“You want me to actually sit?”
“I didn’t stutter.”
“But what if —”
“Drew, if I die, I die.” I can’t help but laugh out as I wrap my arm around her thighs, pulling her down until my tongue meets her.
“Oh, fuck.” She gasps out as her clit slips into my mouth. “But seriously, don’t — oh God.” She gasps out again, her hand coming up and bracing herself against the wall.
Looking up her body, her tits swell each time she gasps. Little does she know, there’s nowhere else I’d rather die.
Her hands come down and she caresses her breasts. The sight making my cock so goddamn hard. I’m sure there’s pre-cum already sliding down my shaft.
Her head tosses back. Pushing her tits out further. Her perfect nipples slipping between her fingers before she tweaks them, and I can feel her insides contract around my fingers.
Even with as hot as it is, I need more, and somehow I know she needs the same thing I do.
Breaking the suction around her clit, I bite down quick, once, hard enough to get her attention.
A whimper slips out, the line between pleasure and pain being toed as she looks down. She smirks as I tilt my head to the side. Giving her a silent demand.
Her hand stays working her nipple and I watch the other slide down her body until it’s tangling in my hair.
Our eyes don’t part as slip my fingers out, replacing them with my tongue, pressing as far as I can inside of her, feeling her walls squeezing around me.
A silent moan falls as her mouth opens, her eyes filling with lust, her hips bucking against my face.
Eyes on me.
It’s a silent demand, but I can see in her eyes she knows what I’m wanting.
Her head nods slowly.
Flicking my tongue inside her.
“Fuck, Eli…” she gasps.
Her internal walls tightening as I thrust my tongue back inside her. Feeling the tugging on my hair diminish before I see her fingers right next to my face, rubbing her clit.
Fuck.
My throbbing cock, reminding me to focus, to keep from exploding already.
“Oh, fuck.” She gasps, her hips still pressing against my face. “Eli… God…”
Watching her climb towards her release, I can see she has no idea what she’s saying, nor does she care.
Tasting her on my tongue as she releases around me makes my eyes roll back into my head simultaneously as hers do.
Her body doubles over, holding herself against the wall. Sliding my tongue up her slit, plucking her clit with my teeth once before releasing it.
Pushing her legs down to my torso until her face is lingering above me, I smirk at her.
“Okay,” she laughs, shaking her head. “I get it.”
“Get what?”
“Why people like that.”
“I don’t think you do.”
Gripping onto her back and rolling us until I’m leaning over her.
“How would I not?” she laughs.
“Because you don’t get to see the best view.”
“God, you’re cheesy.” She laughs loudly.
“Am I?” I chuckle to myself as I grab the condom out of the drawer. Ripping open the packet and rolling it overtop of me.
“Yeah.” She continues to smirk at me.
“Okay, how about this?” I ask, making her back arch off the bed as I press into her. “I was very close to coming undone, pun intended, just from watching you.”
She bites her bottom lip.
“Tasting you made it so much harder.”
Her eyes flame, as they trail down my face.
Sliding out of her before quickly filling her back up.
As I thrust inside her, her lips land on mine, pressing hard as her tongue slips into my mouth. I know she can taste herself.
As her mouth pulls away from me, she smirks, and she surprises me as her tongue presses against my chin, licking up towards my lips.
My eyes widen, knowing exactly what she’s doing, as she licks all her juices off my face. Pulling back, she smirks at me. Sending me over the edge as I slam back inside her. Thrusting so hard, her head slides up the bed, hitting the headboard hard.
I can’t stop as I piston into her.
“Goddamn.” I groan out. “You know you drive me absolutely fucking crazy.” I tell her. “Everything about you. God, it’s like you were fucking made for me.”
Her eyes widen as she looks at me.
I realize what I’ve said and feel the internal panic.
Gripping my neck, she pulls me back down to her, the urgency of her kisses matching the urgency in my thrusts. Needing to fill every inch of her. Needing to be as close to her as possible.
In this moment, wanting everything from her.
And knowing she wants everything from me.
Even if neither of us ever wants to admit it.
She bites my lip hard as the mixture of our groans echoes off the surrounding walls.
Slowing our pace, I pull back, looking down at her and gently lean in, pressing another kiss to her, and feeling the smile tugging on her mouth.
Fuck, I’m in trouble…