Chapter 4 Roman
FOUR
ROMAN
Flashes of red streak through my vision, and every muscle in my body grips my bones. From the moment I stepped outside and saw he had Addison up against the wall, I wanted to hand this guy his ass, tear him limb from limb, and now he’s given me the perfect excuse to do just that.
But before I so much as cock my fist back, Addison pushes off the brick wall and strikes first, grabbing the dude’s nuts and giving them a twist hard enough to make me inwardly cringe. He makes a strangled sound as the air rushes out of his lungs.
“How’d I know that I’d end up wanting to twist your balls off, Tim?
” She cants her head and gives him a devilish smile with that lush mouth of hers as his face turns a bright shade of purple.
“Just because my friend here is cock-blocking you, that’s no reason to start name-calling like a five-year-old whose toy was stolen. Right?”
She squeezes harder and he gasps, violently nodding like a dashboard bobblehead in an off-road vehicle. Seemingly satisfied, she releases her prey, and within seconds he’s back in the club, probably headed straight to the bar for a stiff drink and a towel of ice for his crotch.
Addison takes a calming breath and rakes a hand through her hair, pulling it back and over to the side, away from her face.
The lighting out here sucks, but I can still see the flush in her cheeks and across her upper chest. Though she tried to play it off, she’d gotten good and pissed, and now she’s doing her level best to compose herself.
I’m not sure what turns me on more, watching her manhandle a douche who disrespected her, or seeing how her body reacts when she gets all worked up, knowing it would flush like that if I had her in my bed.
If I wasn’t hard before, I definitely am now. For fuck’s sake, I need to get my shit under control, and one way of doing that is to focus on my anger. “That was reckless.”
“No, that was justified. No one slut-shames me and gets away with it. Maybe next time he’ll think twice before using the ‘S’ word.”
“I’m talking about bringing him out here to begin with. You should know better than to take that kind of risk.”
“Take it easy, cowboy. I can take care of myself. I’ve taken several self-defense courses, so if he tried anything I didn’t like, I would’ve laid him out flat.”
Hearing that makes the knot in my gut loosen the slightest bit, but I don’t let on. I simply stare her down like she’s a witness on the stand, and wait for her to crack. Sighing heavily, she rolls her eyes. “Fine, you’re right, he was a terrible choice. But you can help me make up for that.”
Her lips curve into a coy smile before she dips her chin and gazes up at me through long, dark lashes.
Lashes I want to watch flutter down as I bring her to orgasm with my mou—fuck.
With every passing second, more of my blood rushes below my belt, and it’s getting increasingly harder—no pun intended—to not let my mind wander.
Which is why I don’t notice when she places her palms on my chest, not until I feel a jolt of electricity race beneath the surface of my skin.
It’s all I can do not to take her in hand and give her exactly what we both want, to jump her where we fucking stand, but I force myself not to react, and remain an impenetrable statue of disinterest.
“Mmm, so big and hard,” she says, her voice dripping with suggestive undertones I’d have to be dead not to hear. “Can’t wait to see if that’s the case everywhere.”
She starts to move her hands lower over my abdomen, the friction shooting straight to my dick, until my brain finally wakes up and I catch her wrists to hold them away from me. “What are you doing?”
“That’s the second time you’ve asked me that. Guess you’re one of those all-brawn-no-brain kind of guys, huh?” The corner of her mouth quirks up. “Good thing I’m not after your brain.”
I let out a derisive snort. I had my suspicions, but she just proved them by showing me the final card in her hand. Game over, babe. “I’ve got brains enough to know what you’re doing. You never had any intention of messing around with that guy.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Gave yourself away when you told him you knew you’d be castrating him at some point. And since you made it a point to parade him in front of me, I can’t help but think you did it to draw me out. Your manipulation game is strong. I’m impressed.”
“Ooh, you’re good,” she says. “Then again, so am I, because here you are.”
I narrow my eyes, giving her the steely gaze that’s been known to intimidate some of the toughest lawyers in Chicago. “I came out here to take you back inside. I like Jane. I don’t think she’d be very happy if she knew I saw you take some asshole into the alley and let it go.”
Addison doesn’t back down. She doesn’t even blink. “Or maybe you came out here because you want me just as much as I want you.”
Christ, I need her to drop the idea of us fucking, because if she keeps this up, eventually I’ll cave.
I can’t risk shitting in my own backyard and causing problems with my friends.
Unfortunately, being Mr. Nice Guy won’t deter a woman like Addison Paige.
She’ll only try harder, thinking she can wear me down over time. Asshole it is, then.
Releasing her wrists, I steel myself with the reassurance that a temporary bruised ego is better than a permanently damaged friendship, and twist my lips into a sneer. “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart.”
If I thought Addison would be insulted so easily, I was way off.
“Oh, baby boy,” she says, patronizing me like a pro, “I don’t need to flatter myself. Your cock is doing a great job of that all by itself.”
To prove her point, she molds a hand to the erection snaking down my thigh and strokes it.
I release a hissed breath through my teeth, and my control slips.
In the span of a heartbeat, I press her back to the wall and pin her hands high above her head.
“Just because my dick can’t tell the difference between who’s fuckable and who’s not doesn’t mean I can’t. ”
She lifts her chin higher in order to meet my eyes and glares at me. “Are you calling me unfuckable?”
“In general, you’re highly fuckable. But we’re in the same circle of friends now, so yeah. For me, that makes you unfuckable.”
“And why is that, exactly?”
“I have my reasons.”
“You mean reasons like thinking I’ll get too attached after having experienced sex with the great and powerful Ruthless, which will make things awkward when you have to avoid me at all future friend functions?
” My scowl makes her smile and tack on the explanation: “Jane talks too much when she drinks.”
Well, shit. This isn’t going at all how I thought it would. My “reasons” had seemed logical, even noble, at the time. But the way Addison said it, I’m starting to second-guess my hard-and-fast rule of no fucking my friends’ friends. When it comes to her, anyway.
My grip loosens on her wrists, allowing her to pull free. I nod my head once and answer tightly. “Something like that.”
She presses a hand to my chest until I take a step back. Raking her gaze over my body, she gives me a thoroughly unimpressed look and tosses out, “Now who’s flattering themselves?” before heading for the door.
Shots fired. I can’t help the wide grin that spreads over my face at her retaliatory insult.
Fuck me, this woman is driving me insane.
The wildcat actually taunted me then strutted away like there’d be no repercussions.
My instinct to give chase, to dominate my prey until it submits beneath me, is overwhelming.
And Addison is about to learn what happens when you rouse the sleeping beast.
The spiked heels of her boots click no more than four times when I grab her by the waist and spin her around until she’s right back where we started.
Only this time, she’s facing the wall and I’m using the hard planes of my body to hold her in place.
Our hands are braced on the brick, her face turned so I have a perfect view of the dirty look she’s giving me. Damn, her insolence is sexy.
“Are you telling me you can make this a one-off, Addison? That you have no issues with me fucking you and then pretending like it never happened? Because that’s what I’ll do, you know.
There won’t be any repeats. No seconds or thirds or once-more-for-old-time’s-sake. You sure you’re good with that?”
Are you sure you’ll be good with that?
I mentally tell my subconscious to fuck off.
Of course I’ll be good with that. I’ve done it hundreds of times before.
The fact that I want Addison more than I can remember ever wanting another woman doesn’t mean anything other than I’m horny, and she’s a challenge.
Simple animal attraction in its basest form. Case closed.
Addison rolls her eyes on a dramatic sigh. “Are you done with the American Inquisition yet? I’m getting bored.”
I’m pretty sure surprise briefly flashes across my face, but I cover it quickly with a cocky smirk.
Little minx. “Are you now?” I clench a hand in her hair then pull back hard enough that her mask of boredom slips with a gasp.
Chuckling at her ear, I use my free hand to reach under her skirt.
I’m barely able to hold back my groan of appreciation when I feel how damp her panties are at the juncture of her legs.
It takes a mere second to pull the tiny scrap of material to the side, then without preamble or warning, I plunge a finger deep into her pussy.
Her body seizes, her slick channel gripping my finger, and a soft sound comes from somewhere in her throat, but it’s nothing like the cry of abandon I thought I’d hear.
I met this woman only a few hours ago, and yet she’s surprised me at least twice that much, doing or saying the opposite of what I expect.
It isn’t doing anything to soften my cock, that’s for damn sure.
Testing her control, I withdraw my finger and dip it back in, then do it again and again. The tension she’s wearing like armor begins to drop away, but still she doesn’t let herself go.
It’s aggravating.
It’s fucking impressive.
On the next thrust, I add a second finger and glance over her clit with the pad of my thumb, finally coaxing her to melt against me with a tiny whimper. That’s it…good girl. It isn’t much in the way of submission, but with her it feels like a battle won.
“You’re practically dripping on my hand, Addison. I’d say you’re far from bored.”
“I have a medical condition,” she says breathily. “I’m like that all the time.”
I chuckle—I can’t help it. I find her stubborn contrariness amusing as hell—but I’m careful to leave the humor out of my tone, keeping my predatory edge. My pace quickens and so does her breathing. Her hands fist against the wall as she approaches climax.
“Just admit your pussy is weeping for my cock.”
“Sure,” she says, pushing her round ass back against my straining dick. “Just as soon as you admit your cock is dying to get inside my pussy.”
Son of a bitch. As much as I want to make her come, proving the command I have over her body, I can’t reward her bratty behavior. That’s okay, though. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s playing the long game.
“So stubborn,” I say in admonishment. Pulling out of her, I finger-paint a path down the side of her neck with her own arousal, then lap it up with my tongue—fuck, she tastes good—nice and slow, ending with a nip to her earlobe.
Her sharp inhale makes my dick twitch before she spins around to face me.
“If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black,” she says with a flip of her hair.
She’s trying her damnedest to appear unaffected, but the fluttering of her pulse below her jaw and the breathiness in her voice are dead giveaways she’s anything but.
“But I’ve already copped to drawing you out here, so that’s an admission in itself.
You’re the one not being honest about wanting me. ”
“I’m not denying that. I’d like nothing more than to help you work out that tension, and I’m arrogant enough to know I’d do it better than any of the pussies who call themselves men inside that club. We can scratch the itch and move on. Just say the word.”
The sound of giggling interrupts us as it echoes from the side of the building, followed by a couple who hastily rounds the corner.
As the guy plasters his back to the wall, the girl wastes no time in dropping to her knees.
The man looks down at her as she attacks his belt, and even mostly hidden in the shadows, the hunger on his face is plain.
My groin tightens even more, their presence touching the edges of my biggest turn-on.
Addison’s whisper brings my focus back to her and the offer on the table. “I’m saying ‘the word.’ Let’s leave them to it and get to scratching. Your place or mine, stud?”
I glance once more at the couple, and an idea forms in my depraved mind. The corner of my mouth tips up on one side as I swing my gaze back to Addison. “Alley.”