“Then be quiet, darling. Can you do that?”
I promise, Iswear, but that vow goes out the proverbial window when he pulls back, when he slams forward. The counter digs into my waist, but I can only relish the slight pain brought on by his thrusts. The bite of his nails on the jut of my hips. Each movement screams of his jealousy, his possessiveness, back with a vengeance.
I cry out when Holden’s hand slides along my damp skin to cup my breast, his fingers pinching my nipple relentlessly. My body rocks with every piston of his hips. I lift my head to see his face in the mirror, and oh, his face—so gorgeous and dark and wild. One arm comes up to stretch across my chest, his fingers curling around my shoulder, and I bite my lower lip until I taste blood when he gracelessly tugs me back onto his cock.
Time stops, the world disappears, nothing matters. Not Holden’s friends, not the fact I’m so far from home, not a fucking thing but the two of us. Right here. In this moment. Heat builds within my gut. Holden seems to know how close I am, for the fingers of his free hand slip between my thighs and press against my clit. I gasp, whimper, then explode. My cry echoes through the bathroom, so loud, too loud, and Holden flashes a smug smile before draping himself along my back. His hips still only a moment later, and I fight to catch my breath as he spills his release inside of me.
“Do you feel better?” I ask lightly once he’s cleaned himself and pulled up his jeans.
“Yeah. I, uh… Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Trust me, if I had a problem with it, I would have never said yes.” I catch his bottom lip between my teeth, tugging gently, then I grow serious. “You know you have no reason to worry, right? You’re the only one I want. No one else comes close. Tristan, Eddie, no one. Just you.”
“I know.”
After pressing a soft kiss to the tip of my nose, Holden leaves the bathroom. I laugh, a quiet sound so loud in the silence, and a shiver of delight runs down my spine with the ghost of Holden’s touch. A twinge ripples through my body from the way he fucked me without restraint. Exhaling slowly, I press my fingertips against the half-moons that mar the skin over my hipbone.
I hope they stay.
The week flies by in a blur of peace and freedom from responsibility. Days are peaceful, lazy, beautiful hours lying around the house or swimming in the pool or going to a hole-in-the-wall bar to hang out with his friends. Nights are spent between the sheets, exploring the taste and feel of each other, learning and committing to memory the sounds we make.
I wake on the final morning of my stay, pleading with the universe for more time. My heart sinks with the weight of a goodbye I haven’t yet said. I don’t want to leave, not right now. I want to continue being selfish and stay here in this bed with this man until the world turns to dust.
It’s too soon for that sort of desire, but… I want it.
A restless sort of buzzing flickers beneath my skin, and my veins turn molten as I watch Holden sleep. As my gaze rakes over his bare chest and the dusting of hair that disappears beneath the sheets. I brush his hair from his face; he doesn’t wake at the gentle touch, much like I’d expected. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I stare at him. It isn’t fair this is all I’m getting of him.
I want more.
My hand travels along his shoulder, his arm, his side, and he lets out a soft groan when my thumb presses into the divot of his hip. Holden exhales sharply through his nose, and his eyelashes flutter against his cheekbones before he opens his eyes to peer blearily at me. I merely smile in response and drag my fingertips along the length of his shaft. His sleepiness takes one, two, three seconds, then it vanishes abruptly. I squeal when he rolls onto his back and yanks me on top of him.
My heart races, pounds, beats out a rhythm that sings of desire and need and love that fills me as surely as he does.
Desperate Pleas
Ikeepmyheadducked as I make my way to the car waiting under the awning. Risking a look at Holden will only melt my resolve to leave, and I can’t afford that. I need to get back home. Unfortunately, I can’t stop myself from meeting his gaze once I’m shut away in the backseat. He waves as he leans against the doorframe, haloed by the light from the entryway behind him, and his expression is as morose as I feel. I blow him a kiss, and he tucks it in his pocket as the car pulls away.
I’ve just reached the airport when my phone vibrates. Once I check in and get through security, I sit on the floor with my back against the wall and open the message. It’s a selfie from Holden, captionedI miss you already. I laugh quietly and save the photo. My mind replays the last week—the most amazing week of my life that hasn’t revolved around Ashton. My heart twinges at missing my nephew, but it aches just as bad with the thought of leaving Holden behind.
Ashton will always be my number one priority; being one of his caretakers has been my role since he was born. But Holden has swiftly grown important to me, too. It’s been a little more than a handful of months since we met, not even three since we started dating. Somehow, though, he’s buried himself so far under my skin that I can scarcely breathe without feeling him in every molecule of my being.
By the time I land in Austin, the sun has begun dipping below the horizon. I find my SUV in the long-term parking garage, throw my suitcase into the back, and slide in behind the wheel. The drive away from the airport is full of the typical traffic I’ve known since I moved to the city, and I don’t relax until I’m off the highway and on residential streets.
There’s a progression of dilapidation to the homes I pass, from the slightest of grunge to ‘one slight breeze away from falling down’. I loathe the fact Katie lives in this sort of area with Ashton. Unfortunately, she refuses help, so even my dad with all his money can’t convince her to find a better place on his dime. I sigh as I come to a stop outside the ramshackle house with its crooked shutters. One window has been boarded up at some point in the last two weeks. The other window holds light, but no shadows move behind the curtains. Something leaden slips into my gut as I slide out of the driver’s seat.
Fireflies dance through the summer-hot area tinged so sweetly with fresh rain and wet soil. Crickets chirp in the overgrown grass. Sweat beads along my hairline and slides down my temples. I shove my hair from my face as I make my way to the porch. A ragged crackling scream pierces the air, and my breath catches in my throat. My hands shake violently, but I find the right key on the ring. Stuffing it into the lock, I twist with more force than necessary then rush over the threshold.
Shards of glass glimmer on the floor in the stark glow from the lamp. A gaping maw stares at me from the wall, a hole clearly made by a fist going through the drywall. Clothes and dishes litter the floor; I cover my mouth and nose at the stench smothering the house, the bite of alcohol and chemical sweetness. A strip of black rubber lies curled on the table. I swallow and swallow and swallow again to force the bile back down my throat.
Another shriek breaks through my disgust, and I move before I can think it through. Ashton stands in his playpen in the back room, naked except for the diaper that sags down his legs. Snot and tears cover his ruddy cheeks. He tugs his fingers from his mouth when he sees me in the doorway, and I rush to pull him into my arms. My eyes burn as I struggle to breathe, as I fight against the urge to find my stepsister and beat her to a pulp.
Once I’ve cleaned and dressed Ashton, I pick him up again and head down the short hall to Katie’s bedroom. It’s no surprise to find her passed out on her bed, face lax with sleep and drugs. I don’t bother leaving a note—I just grab the diaper bag and walk out of the house with Ashton held close to my chest. I stop only to shut and lock the door behind me. I don’t have it in me to risk Katie’s life even more.
“Hey, bud, you hungry?” I ask as I buckle him into his seat. “Wanna get some chicken nuggets?”
“Nug’?”
“Yeah, baby, we’re gonna get some.”
