19. Chapter 19
Chapter 19
The Hound
I grunt in pain as I straighten my head, my neck stiff from falling asleep in the chair. The sun is already streaming through the window, and I know I need to get back to work. I haven’t even finished a full profile on Jaxton Banks. I wiggle the mouse, and then freeze at the sound of a sigh behind me.
Spinning in the chair, my gaze lands on a heap of a person... in my bed. Raven hair cascades across the pillow, and I find myself utterly confused and enthralled—until I consider the fact that Henry could walk in at any moment. I stand to my feet and creep across the room to the door and flip the lock.
My cock grows hard as I strip my shirt and pants off, my gaze unmoving at the woman beneath my covers. She wants to go slow, but she’s in my fucking bed. Cher is a puzzle I’m not sure I’ll ever solve, but I don’t even care. I slide into the bed from the opposite side, and as I pull the covers back, she rolls with her back to me, giving me a glimpse of her nearly bare ass.
I run my tongue along my bottom lip, and then reach out to her, slipping my arm underneath her waist. I pull her into me, her ass digging right into my throbbing cock. She lets out a light sigh again, and my lips find her shoulder. I kiss her lightly, though I want to fucking ravage her.
She wants slow. I’ll give her slow.
But at the same time, I need a release. I bury my cock in as much as I can, a groan catching in my throat as my itch is finally scratched enough to only make me want it more than ever. To make it worse, she rocks back against me, stroking me. I flip the covers back. I know I shouldn’t be pushing this. I saw the lack of confidence in her eyes—and something else I can’t pinpoint.
“But I need you,” I murmur into her neck, breathing in her scent. My cock needs to be inside her. Now.
Nope. Go slow. Go. Slow.
I let out a frustrated groan, as my fingers slide along her torso, not stopping until I reach the curvature of her hip. My heart thunders at the mental image of my handprint on her ass. She stirs against me, and the angle puts space between my cock and her. Disappointment thrums through my body, but it does give room for my hand.
Reaching down, I pull myself free from my boxer briefs and begin to stroke myself, my head still resting against Cher. I close my eyes, imagining the way I’d fuck her right now, pressing my dick into her warm, tight space. I’d give her passion and heat—and then make her beg me to let her come.
I swallow at the memory of her sweet pussy clenching around my fingers. My cock explodes in my hand, and I catch my cum, stifling the groan in my chest. One of these days, I’ll shove this cock in her. But I also know the moment that happens, I’ll have to answer to Henry. I already know that reckoning is coming anyway, and she’s worth all the hell I’ll pay.
Cher tips her head back against me, her eyes fluttering open and meeting mine. “What’re you doing?” Her voice is groggy with sleep...and full of suspicion.
I blink twice, ignoring the heat rushing to my cheeks. “Nothing.” I clear my throat, readjust myself, and wipe my hand behind us. Mental note: wash the sheets today. “What are you doing in my bed?”
She shrugs, rolling over to face me. “This is my apartment. I can sleep wherever I want, Jude.”
I raise a brow. “So why not go bother your brother then?”
Her nose wrinkles. “Gross.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” I roll onto my back and place my arms behind my head.
“Right,” she snickers from beside me. “Speaking of, I should probably leave...I don’t know what he’d do if—”
The sound of the doorknob jarring causes her to eyes to widen. I jump up from the bed, and head for it, thankful I locked it.
“Jude, why do you keep locking the fucking door?” Henry’s irritation is palpable, and I turn back to Cher, who’s already rushing for the closet. She motions at me to open the door, and I run my hand over my face.
This is fucking ridiculous.
“Sorry,” I mutter as I swing the door open. “What’s up?”
“You jerking off in here or something?” Henry chuckles as he steps inside.
Yeah, right over your sister’s ass.
“Just sleeping,” I say stupidly. “I need to finish the profile for Banks. I was working on that last night when I got back and didn’t want to risk anyone walking in on it.”
“Like my sister?” Henry snorts. “I don’t think she’s got any interest in what we do. She hates my career.”
“Yeah, I don’t know.” I rub the back of my neck, smelling a hint of her perfume on my skin. “Anyway, I’ll finish that up. What’re you gonna do today?”
“Wait on you, I guess,” Henry mumbles, dropping down on the edge of the bed. “We’ve been here for two weeks now. I’m ready to get this over with and start the actual vacation. I’m tired of trailing him. We should’ve taken care of him at the party.”
“Yeah...” I wake up the computer, and quickly exit out of the windows—which may or may not have been related to figuring out who the hell was flirting with Cher last night. I pull up the tag I put on Jaxton Banks, and then let out a sigh. “This city is so chaotic you can hit him any time.” I think.
“Yeah, last night would’ve been fucking great, considering some guy overdosed and died. It could’ve been linked together as a bad batch.”
Guess that’s why there were EMTs.
“So, find him at the next party and take care of it,” I reason, just as my phone buzzes. I glance down to see a notification that Cher’s tracker has been disabled.
That’s weird...
I glance over to the closet. I didn’t see her take her phone—and the only way to disable it is for it to be replaced. Is it a fluke or is someone else trailing her?
“He seems to like costume parties.”
“What?” I rip my eyes away from the screen.
Henry frowns. “Jaxton. He likes costume parties.”
I need more sleep. “Yeah, okay. So we hit him at the next one?”
“Next weekend—and then that Sunday, Lydia will be here.”
“Why not add more people to this fucking house,” I grunt, going back to the computer.
“Well, yeah, but I told Cher I would take her house hunting. She’s got a list of places she’s interested in.” Henry pulls the list up on his phone, and then hands it over to me. “Depending on how things go, you might have to take her. If I miss another shot at Banks, I’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.”
“The messy way,” I reason, glancing down at the desert paradises on the screen. “These are expensive.”
“And this isn’t?” Henry laughs. “Pretty sure I can swing these way easier than this apartment.”
I clench my jaw, bothered by the way Henry provides everything for Cher—and I don’t even know why I care. Other than the fact I want to be that guy for her. I don’t have the trust fund I was born into anymore, but I carved a path for myself in this shitty world.
I could buy her whatever she wanted.
And suddenly, Henry feels like... Competition.
“I should be able to go with her though,” Henry says, mistaking the reasons behind my irritation. “Not a big deal at all. I know you’ve been exploring Vegas, and,” he pauses, giving me a grin. “I think it’s about time. You spend way too much time alone and lost in the computer.”
“Yeah, probably.” I don’t bother to tell him there’s only one thing I want to explore in this city—and that’s his fucking sister.
***
Two hours later , Henry finally slips out of the room to head for the gym, taking Cash with him. I jump back from the chair, and rush for the closet. Cher is sitting in the floor, arms folded across her chest.
“Could you not have found a reason to get rid of him hours ago?” she snaps up at me, her eyes shooting daggers.
“Could you have thought twice about climbing into my bed? We’re right on top of your brother. I can’t control what he does—and he’s already suspicious about the way I’m acting.” I offer a hand to help her up, and she reluctantly takes it. “But yeah, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she mumbles as she stands to her feet. Her white T-shirt stops at the top of her black underwear, and my cock is once again reminded of what I’m missing out on. “I have to work tonight.”
“I’ll take you.”
She makes a face. “One, I don’t know how you’d take me , and two, my brother will get suspicious if you start going with me to work.”
I frown. “So does that mean you don’t want me to?”
Cher purses her lips together. “Jeez, you’re clingy.”
“Says the woman who snuck into my bed last night,” I level with her. “Where’s your phone?”
“What?”
“Go get your phone,” I tell her.
“Uh, okay...” She slips past me, and I let my eyes drop to her ass as she exits my room, entering her own as soon as the front door closes. Her body is the epitome of perfection, and the more I see her, the more I fucking need her. To make matters worse, we’re alone now, and while I’ve never lost my control, it would be so easy.
A few moments later, Cher is back in my room with her phone in her hand, and she’s thrown on a pair of shorts—much to my dismay. “Here,” she holds it out. “I don’t know what this is about.”
“It’s off,” I comment, more to myself than her.
“Yeah, I turned it off.”
“Why?” I demand, seeing something flash across her face. That might have been enough to trip up my app. I just need to make sure it’s enabled.
“Why are you acting like one big red flag right now?” she snaps at me, ripping it back from my hands and powering it on. “Jeez.”
“This city is dangerous, and I just want your location.”
“Wow, stalker.”
“Share it with me.”
Cher bristles at my demand. “Who the hell are you? I thought you were Mr. Nice Guy, not... whatever this is. ” She motions at me.
My jaw cracks. “You got mad last night because I implied this was just a sex thing, so I’m giving you what you want. More than sex. Share your location or pay the consequences.”
Her eyes light on fire, exactly like I thought they would. She takes a step toward me, standing on her tip toes and poking my chest. “And what would you do to me, Jude?”
I lean into her, gripping her chin. “I’ll put you on your knees and throw this ‘ going slow’ shit out the window—and your brother is more than welcome to listen to you beg for me to do it all again.”
She sucks in a breath, her expression turning to ice. “You won’t touch me unless I say so.”
“Who said I had to touch you to punish you, kitten?” I growl, dropping my hand from her face. “Now share your location.”
Her entire face darkens with a malice that’s exhilarating. “You have no idea who I am, hound. Maybe I should put you on your knees.”
Holy fuck. I have never been more turned on. I’ve always demanded power in a relationship—and I’ll have it with Cher, but damn, she’s so feisty. It’ll make the victory so much sweeter.
My phone then pings, letting me know she shared her location. I smile down at her, and then press my lips to her forehead. What a good girl.