Chains by Kristine Allen

I’d never admit it to a living soul, but I was fucking terrified. It was getting dark, and it would be my third night sleeping out on the street. Glancing around, it seemed like there was movement in every shadow. Sounds seemed amplified. My senses were on overload, and paranoia was tight on my heels.

Not close to being tired, I decided to walk downtown for a bit. More people, less shadows.

After adjusting my backpack, I pulled my beanie down over my eyebrows, then darted across the street and down a few blocks. Weaving in and out of the growing throngs, I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans.

As the sun set, the temperatures began to drop. My hoodie wouldn’t ward off the late fall chill well by the time full night hit. I’d pull out my jacket later.

Pretending to belong, I leaned my shoulder against the brick of an old building. Hands shaking, I dug in the side pocket of my bag and pulled out a smashed pack of cigarettes. Extracting one, I lit it and took a satisfying drag before blowing the smoke into the air. Then I shoved the pack back in and zipped the pocket shut.

A few people gave me dirty looks, because smoking wasn’t really cool anymore, but most ignored me. Kind of the story of my life.

“You got another one of those?”

I glanced over and into the hazel eyes of a girl who didn’t look old enough to be out by herself, let alone asking to bum a cigarette. Taking another drag, I stared at her but didn’t reply.

“Well, fuck you very much too,” she grouched. Then she simply stared at me. “You’re new.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, unable to resist after her cryptic remark.

“You think I don’t know everyone who hangs out down here? Besides, no one our age is down here at this time, carrying a bag that looks stuffed with all your worldly possessions, and looking lost—unless they are. Welcome to Never Never Land, Lost Boy.” She smirked, and the way she seemed to look through my entire existence was unnerving.

“Yeah, I’m just passing through.” I tried to sound cool, hoping to blow her off.

She snorted. “Okay. I’ll play along. Where you headed, tall, dark, and handsome?”

I shrugged. “California.”

In truth, I had no idea where I was going. I’d been cut loose from foster care when I aged out of the system a week ago. I’d spent too much of the money I had on a bus ticket to Des Moines and a hotel room for the first four nights. Realizing how dumb that was, I’d packed up my bag and hit the street.

She laughed, and my hackles rose a little at her attitude. “California, huh? How you gonna get there? Fly in your private jet? I got news for you—dreams are for the foolish. The only way you’re gonna survive out here is if you toughen up and learn the only one who’s gonna look out for you is you. If you make a few close friends, you’ll have someone to watch your back. But don’t trust too easily. That’ll get you burned too.”

As I studied her, I sucked deep on the cigarette. Then as I blew the smoke out, I held it out in a… a peace offering of sorts?

She gave me a half-grin and reached for it. When our fingers touched, I was slammed with visions that had me gasping for breath and stumbling backward.

“You okay?” She appeared concerned, but she took a drag, then held her hand out to give it back.

“You keep it,” I choked out, trying to make the visions of her being repeatedly raped by an older man get out of my head. “I think I just quit.”

Her melodic laughter rang out. “Thanks. I’ll see you around, Lost Boy.”

It took a minute to fully get my breath back as I watched her walk off smoking the rest of my cigarette. Despite the cool temperatures, she had on a short denim skirt, a pair of combat boots, and a lightweight denim jacket. Her curly dark hair was blowing around her face as she smiled up at a small group of what I guessed were college-aged guys.

They chatted for a bit, one of them slipped a hand in her jacket, and she stepped back. Then I saw her shake her head and say something. He smirked, reached in his pocket, and handed her some money. It shouldn’t have surprised me when she sauntered off around the corner of the building with him as his friends yelled out taunts, but it did.

It didn’t take long before he came strutting back out tucking his shirt in. His friends laughed with him, and they all walked off and into one of the small bars. She still hadn’t come out.

Right when I was getting ready to go check on her, she came around the corner wiping under her eyes. She looked up and saw me still standing there. A huge smile that was fake as fuck spread across her face as she approached me.

“You eaten yet?”

Like an idiot, I stood there and blinked at her.

“Earth to Lost Boy,” she said as she waved a hand in front of my face. “You in there? Are you some kind of special kid, or what? I asked you a question.”

“Um, no,” I finally replied, realizing I was starving as my stomach rumbled.

“Well, come on. I know this little twenty-four-hour diner a couple blocks away that serves a cheap but good breakfast all day. My treat.”

Without answering, I shuffled along beside her, careful not to brush against her hand that was swinging along between us. She chattered the entire way there until my head was about to explode.

We sat in the corner, and I shoved my bag in the booth next to me. “You’re gonna wanna get a locker at the bus depot for that. You keep carrying it around, someone’s gonna take your shit. Carry the minimum with you at all times. Two waters and two of the breakfast specials.” She ordered for both of us, and I twisted the straw paper in my fingers as I waited for the food to arrive. I could tell she was staring at me, but I didn’t look up.

“What’s your name?” I finally asked her, chancing a quick glance up at her.

“Monique. What’s yours?”

“Nico.”

“So what’s your story, Nico? Get kicked out? Runaway? Sprouted up out of the flowerbeds in city park?” She chuckled, and I couldn’t believe that she could be so sunny after what I’d seen both in my head and on the street ten minutes ago.

“Aged out of the foster system,” I mumbled.

“Mmm, tough break. Didn’t you have a job?” she asked before taking a drink of her water.

“Yeah, I did, but I got fired a few weeks ago.” No clue why I’d told her the truth, but I did. I looked away. It was a shit job at a fast-food restaurant, and I didn’t regret beating the shit out of my coworker. When we were clocking in, I had bumped into him and accidentally touched his arm. He was using date-rape drugs on girls and had planned to use it on one of our other coworkers who was only sixteen.

Thankfully, no one pressed charges against me, but part of that could’ve been the boot I’d buried in his nuts. Well, along with the warning that the next time I’d crush them under my boot heel. It was part of the reason I left our small town and headed toward a bigger city.

“Bummer. You got papers?”

“Huh?”

“Papers.” She said it like she was talking to a toddler. “Birth certificate, social security card, driver’s license? That shit. Papers.”

“Oh. Yeah, they gave me everything when I left.”

“Guard it with your life. That will be like gold. You can get another job. You mind fast food? Gas stations? They’re usually hiring, especially if you’ll work the shitty shifts.” She glanced at the waitress as she put two plates on the table and gave her a smile of thanks.

The waitress gave a tired smile back, and after making sure we didn’t need anything else, she left.

“So why don’t you get one of those jobs? You know, instead of….” I trailed off, uncertain of what to say and feeling stupid for pointing out that I had an idea of what she’d done in that alley.

Pursing her lips, she seemed intent on smearing jelly on her toast.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

She shrugged but still didn’t make eye contact. Then she took a bite and said, “No papers,” with her mouth full.

Though I’d been starving, my stomach churned at the thought of her selling herself to survive. She was pretty in an understated way. Her creamy latte-colored skin was smooth and makeup free, but she didn’t really need it. Thick dark lashes fanned over her hazel eyes as she looked down. Perfectly shaped lips were full but marred by a tiny sliver of a scar through the top one. Not enough to detract from her beauty, but enough to give her character.

A strange need to protect her surged through me, and I shook my head at the feeling. We ate our food in silence after that.

“You got anywhere to sleep tonight?” she finally asked me.

“I haven’t slept much in the last couple of nights,” I muttered. I’d crashed the first night in the bushes behind the hotel I’d stayed at. The next night, I’d snuck in the pool area of the hotel and slept on one of the lounge chairs, but a security guard chased me off at about two in the morning.

She twisted her lips off to the side, appearing to think. “I don’t know why, but I like you, Lost Boy.” She’d gone back to calling me that over my name. I wanted to correct her, but I didn’t want to piss her off since she actually was being nice to me. And she’d offered to buy my food—though I wasn’t about to let her pay for it. Especially not the way she’d earned it. It didn’t feel right having her do that to feed me.

“Mmm,” I grunted.

“Well, I can show you a few places that are safe to sleep, but you gotta ditch that bag somewhere safe. You hear?”

My eyes darted up at her from my plate that was almost wiped clean. “Okay,” I said cautiously.

When the waitress came back with our ticket, Monique tried to pay, but I wouldn’t let her. She glared at me. Then she muttered, “I’m not fucking you.”

“What?” I asked with wide-eyed shock. “I never asked you to!”

She continued to glare. “Well, okay. Good. Then thanks for dinner.”

After we left, she showed me the places she knew of that I could sleep and used one hand to push her hair out of her face. “You be careful tonight. I’ll be seeing you around, but I got, uh, work to do.”

I blinked at her before I cleared my throat. “Um, okay. Thanks again.”

Appearing to consider me further, she shook off her thoughts and gave me a wave as she walked off. “Later, Lost Boy.”

“Sure,” I said as I watched her disappear into the crowd on the sidewalk.

We weren’t far from the river, and I prayed she wouldn’t hook up with the wrong guy and end up floating in it. She was playing a dangerous game, but I wasn’t one to talk. If I didn’t figure something out, who knew where I might end up.

Suddenly exhausted, I made my way back to the alley she’d pointed out behind several of the bars. There were a bunch of motorcycles parked behind one, and I stopped to drool for a minute. I’d always wanted one but knew I’d probably never be in a position to own one.

“Don’t fucking touch them,” a voice said from the shadows, and I belatedly noticed the cherry of his cigarette.

Holding up my hands in surrender, I stepped back. “Easy, man, I wasn’t planning on touching them. Just admiring them; that’s all.”

The guy stepped from the shadows, and his eyes raked me from head to toe. He actually didn’t look much older than me in the dim light of the alley. I noticed the leather vest he wore had a small patch I couldn’t make out, but otherwise was blank. The back door of the bar opened, and another guy stuck his head out. “Hey, prospect! Here.” He tossed him a bottle of water that the guy caught with a “Thank you.”

The dude in the door glanced my way but addressed the man he called prospect. “Everything okay?”

The guy outside turned to look at him, and that’s when I saw the patch on the back that said PROSPECT.

“Yeah, it’s all good.”

“Good,” the guy in the door replied. “You need anything, holler.”

“Roger that,” he said.

While they were talking, I slipped off and went behind the dumpster of the place next door. There was some cardboard stacked against the dented metal, and I quietly spread some of it in the small space between the building and the metal bin.

Once I was satisfied with how it was situated, I shoved my bag under the dumpster where it wasn’t visible and laid my head on my folded arm. The faint sounds of music and laughter that carried out of the bars were my lullaby for the night.

Little to no sleep for over forty-eight hours had me quickly dropping off.

I had no idea how long I’d slept before I was startled awake by someone trying to take my pants off. “What the fuck?” I muttered, trying to get my bearings.

A shadowed figure was over me, pulling at my pants, and the smell coming from it was horrendous. In my sleep-addled mind, he was a demon straight from hell coming for me. The truth was possibly worse.

“You’re real pretty, ain’t you?” The demon creature cooed with fetid breath as I fought for all I was worth. The problem was, though I was tall for my age, I wasn’t a very big guy. He had a good fifty pounds or more on me.

Finally getting my hand around his neck, I pushed him back. When I made contact with his grimy skin, it was like being hit by lightning, and I gasped. Visions of the things he’d done horrified me and had me reaching blindly for something I could use as a weapon.

My fingertips were damn near raw by the time they curled around something cold and hard under the dumpster. The rasping sound of metal on asphalt startled the guy enough that he paused. It gave me a slight advantage, and I kneed him twice in quick succession. He reared back in surprised pain, allowing me to kick him off and scramble to my feet.

When he came at me again, I swung the chain in my hand wildly.

“You little fucker!” the guy grunted out when it made contact. “I’m going to kill you for that, then I’m gonna fuck your pretty ass as you bleed out on the ground!”

Panic and terror like I’d never experienced swept through me, and I began to blindly swing the heavy chain over and over. The roaring in my ears didn’t register as being from my own lips until a light was shining in my eyes. In straight up fight mode, I spun and savagely swung the chain again.

“Easy boy! Fuck! We ain’t gonna hurt you! Chill out, it’s okay,” the voice said. Eyes darting around wildly, I realized I was surrounded by a bunch of bikers. My heart was beating so fast, I thought it might either explode or burst from my chest.

“He’s dead,” one of the other guys said from where he was crouching over the crumpled heap of the man I’d initially believed to be a demon and then known to be worse.

“He—” I gasped. “He was gonna—” Backed against the wall, I wanted to cry. I was going to go to jail for murder, and I was only eighteen years old. Fuck.

The man who had spoken to me first glanced from me to the piece of shit on the ground. Then he looked to the men with him. One of them stepped forward and said something in his ear that I couldn’t hear.

“We ain’t gonna call the cops. Okay?” he said to me.

I swallowed hard, and my eyes searched around for an avenue of escape. Panic burned through me when I didn’t see one.

“Kid, we’re gonna clean this up. We know what he was gonna do. We won’t let anything happen to you, but you gotta trust us, okay?”

Shaking uncontrollably, I dropped the chain that I realized was covered in blood and things I didn’t want to think about. Then I started to hyperventilate when I saw the blood splattered on my clothes and the wall. My vision started to get spotty, and I dropped to my knees before I blacked out.

The day the Royal Bastards found me in that alley may have been one of the worst days of my life, but it was also probably the best.

The then president, Rowdy, had been true to his word. They had cleaned up what had become a crime scene, and no one ever knew about what I’d done. The crazy thing was, they never expected anything for it. At the time I hadn’t understood why.

They even given me a job cleaning up their tattoo studio and their strip club. I would go in every morning before they opened and clean for a few hours at each place. I only made minimum wage, but it was enough to get a tiny efficiency apartment for me and Monique.

As soon as I’d saved enough for the deposit, I moved us in. We weren’t in a relationship, but she’d been the first person in ages to treat me like a human being instead of a check for fostering me. She’d kinda become the sister I never had.

They were even letting me make payments on an older-than-dirt bike so I had transportation I could afford.

“Boy, I need to talk to you,” Rowdy said, and I looked over my shoulder as I dumped the trash can in the dumpster.

“Okay?” I asked, suddenly wary.

He motioned inside, and I followed him, the heavy metal door slamming once we were in.

“Hey, baby,” Cookie said as she passed us on her way to the dressing room. I guessed she was working the lunch shift. Barely older than I was, she was one of the dancers. She also gave me a blowjob for helping her moving her shit to a bigger apartment. After that, she and I hooked up occasionally, but we were on the same page and that’s all it was.

She also didn’t give me shit for wearing gloves or not touching her when we fucked. I let her think it was a kink. That was easier than explaining the truth.

Rowdy went in the office and pointed to the chair. He closed the door and took the seat behind the desk. He liked to make people wait, and this time wasn’t an exception. He steepled his fingers and studied me.

Patiently, I waited.

Finally he got to what he’d called me in for. “What do you think of being a member of the Royal Bastards?”

He couldn’t have shocked me more if he’d said Mother Theresa had given birth to him and the Pope was his father. “Excuse me?”

“You deaf?”

“No, sir,” I said with a rapid shake of my head. “I just thought I heard you wrong. You asking if I’m interested in becoming a member of your club was, well, unexpected.”

“That didn’t answer my question, boy.”

“Yes. The answer is yes.”

“Good. There’s something you need to do before you can prospect though,” he said cryptically, and my guts churned. It could be anything, and I hoped they didn’t want me to kill someone again. I had no idea if they had some kind of gang-like initiation or something. They were tight-lipped about their club.

And I really didn’t want to go to jail at eighteen.

“What would that be?” I said, cursing the slight tremor in my voice.

“You need to learn specific skills.” He leaned back in his chair and locked his hands behind his head.

“Like?”

“You’re gonna join the army and become a Ranger or Spec Ops. Then come talk to me.”

“Cat  And  Mouse”—The  Red  Jumpsuit  Apparatus

Six years later…

“Welcome home!” I’d heard that a million times since the party started. Sure, I’d seen everyone when I came back on leave, but I was finally home for good. I’d done what Rowdy had asked, and I’d become one of the best snipers on my team. Yeah, I made it into special operations, and I’d been a killing machine. That part of the military didn’t bother me; it was some of the shit I saw that I had no control over that haunted me at night.

During my first deployment, Monique had dropped off a note at the clubhouse and disappeared. Rowdy had told me when I called home. I’d tried to find her, but without a last name or social, she might as well have been a ghost. I’d often wondered what happened to her.

The party was heating up, the drinks were flowing, bass was thumping, the bonfire was lighting up the night sky, and the women were hot. It should’ve been exactly what I needed to lose myself before I took on the title of “prospect” tomorrow and a year of shit-work began. The thing was, I needed a minute to myself. I grabbed a bucket off one of the tables and filled it with ice and several beers.

Quietly, I snagged a chair in the shadows. After I popped the top, I lifted a cold bottle to my lips and surveyed the party. That’s when I saw the two chicks on the edge of the crowd, not far from where I sat. It was obvious they were out of their element, but they were gorgeous. They also didn’t notice me, so it gave me time to study them.

One was blonde, short, but curvy—the other was the one I couldn’t keep my eyes off. Mink-colored hair rippled over her shoulders. Eyes that flashed gold in the firelight scanned the crowd. My eyes traveled over the banging body I could already see myself bending over the nearest stable object.

“You need a beer?” I asked from my shadowy hiding place. Both girls squealed a little, and I chuckled.

“Fucking hell, you scared the shit out of us!” the blonde said as she pressed her splayed hand over her chest. The brunette studied me without saying a word. When she stepped closer, her eyes caught the light of the bonfire and reminded me of a tiger’s eye stone. They were stunning. They also eerily seemed to be able to see right through me.

“Yeah, I’ll take one,” she boldly said as she approached me with cat-like grace. Her lips were full and ruby red, and her tits, not too big, not too small, stretched the black fabric of her sliced-up shirt.

A crooked grin lifted the corner of my mouth as I reached into my bucket and popped the top off with one of my rings. “Here you go,” I said as I handed her the dripping bottle, careful not to make contact with her slender fingers.

Her pink tongue wet her bottom lip as she took the cold bottle from me. That sultry gaze of hers locked on mine as she took a drink.

“Why are you hiding over here in the dark?” she asked.

I shrugged. “Needed a minute. Why were you two hiding on the edge instead of joining the party? Isn’t that why you’re here?”

They cast uneasy glances at each other before they schooled their features. “Just checking things out,” the brunette smoothly replied.

“You want one?” I held my beer up to the other girl just as Ghost popped up behind them.

“Boo!” he said with a laugh and placed an arm around the blonde. He tried to do it with both, but the brunette dropped her head and stepped closer to me, hiding behind her hair. Her body language screamed she wasn’t comfortable with Ghost’s bold manner. Immediately, I wanted to rescue her, but had to remind myself it wasn’t my place.

“Thanks, but I don’t drink beer,” the blonde said to me with a wrinkle to her nose.

“Then how about we leave this broody asshole here in the dark and I take you two pretty ladies to the bar for something you do like?” Ghost said with his usual charm.

“I’m good with my beer,” the brunette said in a soft tone.

“You okay here, J—” the blonde started.

“Yep!” the brunette immediately piped in before her friend could finish her question. Ghost cocked his head as he looked at her with a narrowed gaze, but the blonde slid a hand up his chest, and he looked down at her with a grin.

“Cool, cool. Be good, Nico.” Done with our brief interaction, he steered the blonde through the crowd.

“Sorry about him. So what’s your name?” I asked her as she sat on the bench of the picnic table under the tree.

“He’s okay. Call me Jay,” she said as she boldly held my gaze. Funny, but she hadn’t seemed okay when Ghost was there.

“Has he bothered you before?” If he had made the golden-eyed beauty uncomfortable in any way, I’d throttle him. That would end my prospect time before it started, but something told me, for her, I’d be okay with that.

She shook her head rapidly and raised the bottle. Her slender hands shook slightly, but I was sure she thought I didn’t notice. The thing was, I noticed everything. Hell, my life had depended on it for years.

“First time here,” she said after she lowered the beer but dropped her gaze. The pulse in her slender throat was pounding. Interesting.

“What do you think so far?” I asked her as I watched every little nuance of her movements.

“It’s all right. Not exactly what I thought it was going to be like,” she said as she scanned the crowd. It was pretty wild, and I wasn’t sure if she and her friend had known what they were in for when they came. There were all levels of debauchery going on that she quickly looked away from. A flush tinted her bronze skin.

“You in the military?” she asked as she glanced at my high-and-tight haircut.

I ran a hand over the short length causing a rasping sound. “No.” It wasn’t a lie. That part of my life was over.

“Oh,” she said before she took another drink of liquid courage.

We made small talk, and I was quickly mesmerized by the cadence of her voice and her rich, throaty laugh. Each time she spoke, my cock jumped in my jeans until it was damn near painful. Something about her screamed to me on a primitive level.

“So Jay, you wanna go somewhere quieter?” I asked, knowing exactly what I wanted to do with her. Patiently, I waited and casually finished the last beer. I’d had three to her two. She might be feeling mellow, but there was no way she was drunk. That’s something I wouldn’t do no matter how horny I was—take advantage of a woman.

Again she wet her lips, and I had to adjust my dick. Her honey-colored gaze watched me, and I didn’t make excuses. We both knew what I was asking. She glanced out into the crowd, locating her friend as she danced and made out with Ghost. Her gaze nervously scanned the party-goers, then she returned those beautiful eyes to me.

“She’s safe. He’s a bit forward, but he’s a good guy.” For the most part anyway, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Ghost would never hurt a chick.

She set her empty bottle on the table next to the others and stood. “Lead the way, Nico.”

My grin widened, and I stood. Carefully avoiding touching her bare skin that peeked between her shirt and her denim skirt, I placed my hand at the small of her back. We went around the building and in the back door. The music played inside, but not as loud. Down the hall we could hear the party that had moved inside, but in the back hall where the rooms were, it was muted.

Slipping my key into the lock, I opened the room I’d been given to use for the night. Normally prospects wouldn’t get their own room, but for tonight this one was mine. Rowdy told me to have fun and to enjoy it while I could, because I’d be sleeping in the bunkhouse when I put on that prospect cut.

“It’s pretty sparse in here,” she said as she walked the small room, trailing her fingers along the dresser, then sat on the end of the bed. Her hands were next to her hips as she leaned slightly forward, causing cleavage to show through the cuts in the front of the T-shirt.

I shrugged, not wanting to discuss the room.

For a second she looked nervous, but that bold gleam quickly returned. “Come here,” she whispered in that sexy, husky tone. My balls tightened at the sound, and I had to tell them to calm the fuck down. I set my empty bottle on the dresser and stepped between her legs.

Without another word, she worked my belt loose and unfastened my jeans. She shoved them down, and my cock sprang out, happy as you please. “How many girls have you fucked in here, Nico?” she asked before she gripped my shaft in her hand and slowly worked the length.

All I could do was shake my head.

Anyone would’ve thought I was a kid getting his first hand job. I sucked in a breath and fought to keep from shooting my load in her face. “Goddamn,” I groaned as she leaned forward and licked the end of my cock, swiping the clear bead off the tip. Immediately, my heart began to hammer against my ribs, and I thought for sure she could hear it thumping like the telltale heart as it pumped all the blood in my brain to my engorged cock.

Jay was fucking beautiful, but when she wrapped her lips around the head of my cock and worked it farther into her mouth, she was stunning.

“Fuuuck,” I moaned. I had to lace my hands at the back of my neck so I wouldn’t grab her head and shove my cock down her throat. Touching her might ruin everything, but fuck, my hands tingled to feel her—ached to run through the silky strands of her mocha-colored hair and cradle her face.

Inside a voice screamed at me. Just once. Take off those sexy-as-fuck clothes, fuck her mouth, then run my hands and tongue over every inch of her golden skin until I was hard again. Didn’t matter that I knew that was impossible. This primal roar filled my ears as each beat of my heart chanted she’s mine, she’s mine, she’s mine.

That mouth was pure magic. Like nothing I’d ever experienced in my life. Mind-blowing and evidently load-blowing, because I had to grip her hair and pull her off so I didn’t shoot down her throat before I drove into her pussy. It had been so long since I’d actually fucked a woman, I was dying to feel her tight sheath squeeze my cock.

“Why did you stop me?” she panted as she gripped my thighs. I was careful not to touch anything but her hair, and even that I was getting ripples off, but nothing solid.

That was manageable.

“On the bed. On your knees,” I demanded. For a split second, I regretted treating her like a patch chaser—though I didn’t have one yet. Why? Because possessiveness spread through my blood like thick poison. A tiny whisper in the back of my mind told me she was meant for me and me alone.

That she really was mine.

Except I knew better. I’d never have a woman of my own. It was impossible.

Still, the perfect fucking woman, she did as I said and turned to her hands and knees with her ass facing me.

“Don’t question me, and don’t touch me unless I tell you to,” I said. Eyes hooded, she looked over her shoulder and nodded.

Pure adrenaline zipping through my veins, I gripped her skirt in my hands and wadded it up to her waist. Her thong barely covered her swollen pussy, and I could see it was drenched. It was my undoing. Knowing I might be fucking up, I needed a taste. Reverently, I knelt behind her. My fingers tightly gripped her skirt, and I pulled her hips back so I could lick her through the satin.

“Fuck,” I muttered to myself at the first burst of her unique flavor over my tongue. If only I could bury my face in there as I gripped her bare hips in my hands, I’d be in heaven. Yet, in truth, I knew it would possibly be hell.

Still, she tasted divine. Like a sweet and tangy elixir of the gods, handed to me on a satin-covered platter. Being unable to fully devour her as my fingers dug in with a bruising grip like I wanted pissed me off. It had me wanting to howl in frustration and gnash my teeth at the unfairness of my life.

Using one thick, chunky ring, I teased over her clit. She whimpered and pushed back toward me. Her scent filled the room and damn near made me high as I inhaled deeply. Slowly, I trailed the cold metal along the skin I ached to stroke. Finally, I hooked the point of the ring in the side of her panties, and with a flick of my wrist, I snapped the delicate fabric.

She gasped, and I did the other side. The tiny scrap fell forgotten to the floor, baring her glistening folds to my hungry gaze. Tempted beyond control, I slipped the tip of my tongue into the center and quickly lapped the creamy wetness. Hazy images began to form when my hands brushed her satiny skin, and I pulled away with a frustrated growl.

I tried again, careful to grip the fabric of her skirt, hoping the images wouldn’t solidify if I slipped. When they stayed a fuzzy blur, I fucked her with my tongue, much as I planned to do with my cock. She whimpered and moaned with each swipe. Not able to get enough of her, I pressed on her back so her chest was flat to the bed. That tipped her pelvis enough that I had access to her swollen little clit. I licked from her dripping wet center, then down around that bundle of sensitivity before I sucked on it as she panted into the comforter.

Her entire body began to quiver as I sensed her orgasm approaching. Relentless, I held that pink pearl with my teeth and lashed at it with the tip of my tongue. One last deep pull on it, and she exploded. Not wasting a drop, I licked every bit of it as she pulsed around my tongue. Her pussy was addictive, and I didn’t want to ever stop, but my cock was demanding its due.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’ll never forget me,” I growled out and bit her ass cheek playfully. Then, I stood and pulled a condom from my pocket. Deftly, I made quick work of the wrapper and rolled it down my straining shaft. Then I clutched the denim of her skirt in my hands, wishing it was the smooth, bare globes of her ass.

My hips worked to line my desperately bobbing cock up with that soaking wet core. When I was there, I pushed in slowly, inch by inch, and a moan escaped as she instinctively clutched at me. “Damn baby, your pussy is tight but needy,” I said in a husky tone.

“I want you to fuck me, Nico,” she pleaded, and I lost my goddamn mind. With a groan, I drove my cock home. The momentary resistance and her sharp cry registered as my momentum drove me to the hilt.

“Jay?” I asked in confusion through panicked gasps. I’d never in my life fucked a virgin, but I knew one when I felt it. Instinct had me jerking free of her at the same time my inner beast snarled at the loss of her heat. Blood was thinly smeared on the surface of the condom, and that beast within gave a possessive shout.

“Did I hurt you?” I gasped, worried because I hadn’t been easy.

“I’m fine. Please, Nico. Don’t stop. Please,” she begged, and I heard the tears in her voice.

Gripping her hair, I pulled her up to her knees to make her look at me. “You should’ve told me!” I cried, still reeling.

“I was afraid you’d say no if you knew,” she whimpered, and my anger gave way to regret as I released my hold on her silken tresses.

“Jay, I don’t want to hurt you. You’re a virgin. I like it rough, but not at a woman’s expense.”

“Not anymore. And I want that. I want you,” she said in a soft whisper.

“Why? You don’t even know me,” I asked, incredulous even as my cock wept at being withheld from her hot, wet core.

“When I saw you tonight, I knew it was going to be you,” she admitted as she dropped her head and hid in the thick waves of her hair.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered, running a shaking hand over my mouth. I was torn. The unnaturally aware part of my soul ached for her, as if she was created to be my other half. But I didn’t know how a relationship could work. My rational side yelled abort, abort, abort!

Too bad I didn’t listen to that side. I knew I should, but the primitive beast in my soul drove me. With gently pressure to her back, I pushed her back to her hands and knees. Clenching my jaw, I hissed through my teeth and pushed back inside. Pausing to allow her to adjust, I asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she gasped out. When she did, her sheath gripped me tight.

It was so good, my eyes rolled back and my heart stuttered. My stomach rippled with the flutter of a million mad butterflies, and a tremor shot through my body.

Hands back on that denim, I gave in to the beast and her pleading. “This is mine,” I growled as I thrust deep. She whimpered, and her walls gripped me like a vise. “Say it!” I demanded with another stroke.

“Yours, fuck yes, Nico, it’s yours,” she cried as her fingers twisted the linens and she dropped her chest back to the bed. I hadn’t even seen her completely naked, yet I knew she was mine. Somehow, I’d find a way.

“Yessss,” I ground out through each animalistic thrust into her perfect body. I wished for my leather gloves so I could strum her clit, but they were in my jacket in the closet, and I wasn’t stopping. I needn’t have worried.

The second I grunted out “I’m coming,” she screamed my name and her tight cunt milked every drop of the cum that shot into the wretched but necessary condom. One last shudder and a deep plunge into her sheath had me shaking. I dropped my head to her back.

“Are you still okay?” I panted out.

“Mmm-hmm,” she languidly hummed into the navy-blue comforter.

Gently, I withdrew as I held the condom at the base. She whimpered. The diluted blood was still smeared, and I wanted to pound on my chest like a caveman. Mine. I quickly slid it off and tossed it in the trash. When I returned from the bathroom, she was sitting up.

We needed to talk. Without thinking, I reached out to help her up so she could clean off in the bathroom. The second our fingers touched, I was slammed with visions of a young Angel on his knees as his father held his hair so another man could violate him. Jay hid where Angel had shoved her before his father brought the man in but watched with tears in her eyes.

With a shout, I released her hand and stumbled back. Though the bond had been severed, I tasted her horror and her fear.

“Nico?” she asked with worry filling her tiger’s eyes.

“Who is Angel to you?” I demanded, my voice hoarse as if I’d been screaming for hours.

“What?”

“Who. Is. Angel. To. You?” I shouted.

“He’s my brother,” she admitted as she bit her bottom lip and stared at me with worry. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

“Oh my fucking God. I’m a dead man. You—I—I saw. Oh shit,” I stammered as I shook my head over and over.

She stood and reached for me beseechingly.

“No!” I shouted. “Don’t touch me!”

I watched as worry morphed to hurt on her beautiful face, and I hated myself.

“Holy shit. I saw what happened to Angel as a boy. Fuck, Jay, I can’t touch you. You are so off-limits, it’s not even funny. And now I know… oh shit… Angel….” My stomach churned as bile hovered in my throat at what I’d seen.

“What do you know, Nico?” she whispered as her eyes widened and her face went ashen.

“Too much,” I admitted.

“Oh my God. You can never tell him,” she begged before she quickly straightened her clothes. “Promise me you won’t breathe a word of it.”

I nodded. No one needed to know what I’d seen.

She winced as she moved toward the door. I wanted to reach for her. I wanted to ask her if she was okay. I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to hold on to her and never let go.

But my reality was, I let her walk away.