Usually, men were surprised to hear such a filthy word coming out of my mouth, but Hendrix didn’t even falter. “Any form of explicit consent will do.”
I rolled my eyes. “Jesus, would you just fuck me already?”
“Is that what you’d like?” I could hear the smirk in his voice. The lightning that flashed a second later let me see it too. I wanted to sit on that smug face and ride it so he’d shut the fuck up already.
“Yes,” I gritted out.
“That’ll do.” He’d barely said the words before he was on me again, reaching behind my neck to pull on the bow that held my halter top in place.
The two pieces of shimmery fabric fell away, and he palmed my breasts. He didn’t take it slow or explore—just grabbed two firm handfuls of my flesh and kneaded, his thumbs teasing my nipples.
I threw my head back against the brick and moaned into the night as Hendrix started kissing and licking at the sensitive spot on my neck.
A drop of water hit my cheek, and my eyes opened in confusion just as another landed on my forehead. Another rumble of thunder reminded me a storm was rolling in, but then Hendrix took one of my nipples into his mouth, making me forget everything.
He teased me with his mouth before pulling away again.
“Do you have a condom?” His breath was hot on my cheek as his hips gyrated against mine.
“Huh?” It took a moment for his words to register. “Yes, in my . . . fuck. No. You chased biker dude off with them all.” I groaned.
“Shit.” Hendrix planted a hand on either side of my head and pressed his forehead to mine, sighing deeply.
I ran my hands down his front. He felt so good under my touch, his muscles coiled, his T-shirt getting damp from the softly falling rain. I liked to flirt with danger, but I wasn’t stupid. I never fucked anyone without a condom. But Hendrix wasn’t one of the degenerates I usually hooked up with. He was . . . I didn’t want to think about what he was to me in that moment. I just wanted to get off with him.
“It’s raining anyway . . .” He let one hand drop to his side, inching his body away.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and licked the rain off the side of his neck. “I’m on birth control and I’m clean. Are you?”
I felt him swallow under my lips. “Honestly, I don’t know. Haven’t been tested. And I’m not willing to take the chance. No offence, but I don’t know where that thing has been.”
White hot rage coursed through me almost as intensely as desire. I bit his neck, and he yelped, pushing me away by the hips.
“Offence taken, asshole.” I scowled at him.
It was too dark to really see, but I could’ve sworn he looked amused, and his hands were still on my hips.
“Did you just bite me?” He chuckled. “Under that perfect princess mask, you’re just a feral animal, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Whatever. I wanna get off, and if you’re not game, then get lost so I can get on with my night.” His rejection was starting to sting, and if I couldn’t have him, I wasn’t really in the mood to pick someone else up. I really hoped he wouldn’t walk away from me—because I couldn’t seem to make myself walk away from him.
He licked his lips, collecting some of the rain that was dripping down his face. Droplets fell from the tip of his nose, trailed down his neck. I wanted to lick every single one.
Just as I was about to cover my boobs back up and try to gather enough pride to walk away, he spoke.
“If the guys you’ve been with think the only way to get a woman off is with their cocks, I feel really bad for you—you must’ve been having some mediocre sex.”
Before I could throw a witty response back at him, his strong hands were shoving my hips around so I was facing the wall. He pushed forward, his front flush with my back, and I had to throw my hands up against the brick to keep my balance. A shot of adrenaline raced down my spine, amping up the lust. I had no idea what he was about to do to me, and I loved it. This was exactly what I needed, what I craved.
He kicked my feet a little farther apart, then gripped the back of my neck.
I practically melted at his touch, my very being diluted in the steady rain and his intoxicating presence.
He trailed his hand down the rain-slick skin of my back, and then both hands were at my hips, dipping lower, down my thighs. When he reached the hem of my skirt, the heat of his body disappeared as he stepped away slightly—as his hands moved under the fabric and up my legs. He traced his thumbs along the underside of my ass before dragging his palms over it to cop a good feel. His fingers went all the way to my lower back, then back down, and he laughed softly.
“No panties. You dirty whore.”
I bristled at his use of the derogatory term, the logical part of me offended. But my logical part wasn’t in charge—my dirty whore part was, and Dark Donna was only more turned on by his words.
His hand appeared at my neck again, and he pushed—his touch not rough but firm, demanding—until my cheek was against the wall. My nipples brushed the rough brick, and rain pelted my bare back. Every place his skin touched mine felt as if it were on fire. I was nothing but heady sensation—putty in his strong hands.
I arched my back, sticking my ass out even farther, and he flipped my skirt up to expose me to the dark alley.
Done wasting time, he reached between my legs and stroked me firmly, and my already heavy breathing kicked up another notch. His appreciative moan hummed at my back as his fingers glided through my wet folds effortlessly. He put one finger inside, making me gasp at the sudden intrusion, then twisted it as he removed it. Another finger joined the first, and he slid them in and out of me at a steady pace.
The hand at my neck disappeared, but my incoherent sound of protest morphed into one of ecstasy as Hendrix wrapped his arm around my front. His body crowded me once again, that cinnamon scent mingling with the fresh rain. With one hand still fucking me with his fingers from behind, the other went to my clit and started stroking in rhythm.
Another clap of thunder shook the ground, and the rain beat down even harder, plastering my hair to my face as I grunted. With every punishing thrust of Hendrix’s fingers, his other hand rubbed me up and down, and my tits scraped against the brick.
It didn’t take long before my orgasm was washing over me as intensely as the rain. I squeezed my eyes shut, seeing stars, as I clawed at the wall, desperately seeking something to hold on to as every muscle in my body tensed up in ecstasy.
“That’s it. I want your cream all over my hand.” Hendrix’s voice was strained and gravelly in my ear, his words only intensifying my orgasm as I writhed under his touch.
He removed his fingers and stroked me gently as I came down, my knees shaking, my breathing ragged. His hands clasped either side of my head, his forehead rested against my temple, and his warm breath caressed my cheek as the rain washed away the slick evidence of my pleasure from his hand.
After a few moments, he placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, my neck, my shoulder—his soft, warm lips such a contrast to the sharp, cold rain. He cupped my breasts, making me gasp, then surprised me by lifting the two front bits of my halter top over my chest and backing away to tie them.
I frowned. Didn’t he want me to return the favor, get him off? But I didn’t really have time to think about that.
My knees buckled, but before I ended up on my ass in a dirty alleyway, Hendrix’s strong arms wrapped around me and held me against his chest. His steel-hard erection dug into my ass, but he didn’t rub up against me. He just whispered against my wet skin, “I got you.”
What the fuck is happening? Usually, the guy would make sure he got off, regardless of whether I did, and within about two minutes, he’d tuck himself back into his pants and disappear. I was fine with it—preferred it, actually. But I found myself leaning back against Hendrix, allowing myself to relax farther into his arms.
When he bent down and scooped me up, the voice in my head demanding that he “put me down this instant, you Ne
anderthal” hardly even sounded convincing. I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing him in, as he grabbed my purse off the top of the dumpster and dropped it in my lap.
“Where’d you park?” he asked as he set off toward the front of the building. The words reverberated through his chest, just loud enough for me to hear over the rain.
I lifted a lazy hand and pointed to the back corner of the lot. It was nice to have someone take care of me for a change. I’d worry about the terrifying implications later.
Chapter Eight
Hendrix
Even soaked from head to toe, she was light in my arms. I’d gone hard at the gym that afternoon, but I felt as if I could carry her all the way back to Devilbend if I had to.
My shoes squelched in the gravel as I trudged through the easing rain past rows of parked cars. Donna readjusted herself in my grip and turned her nose into the crook of my neck. She took a long inhale, then licked me.
My steps faltered.
My cock was straining against my jeans, demanding I bend her over the hood of one of these cars and do as she asked in the first place—fuck her raw. But I’d promised myself I was done doing risky, stupid shit, and having unprotected sex with a chick I barely knew was the definition of risky. Donna was probably on the pill and clean—she was wound way too tightly not to be on top of every little detail of her life. But her very presence here indicated a streak of recklessness too. I couldn’t take the chance.
I chuckled and decided to ignore her hot little tongue on my throat and the steel rod in my pants. “What are you doing?”
“I just wanted to see if you taste as good as you smell,” she murmured and scratched the back of my head, sending tingles down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold rain.
“What do I smell like?”
She sighed. “Like expensive cologne and cinnamon and . . . sex.” She punctuated the sentence by licking my neck again.
I hid my groan beneath a clearing of my throat and looked around, desperate for something, anything, to distract me from this torture.
“Fuck.” I stopped and turned. I’d walked right past my car.
Donna finally lifted her head from my shoulder, and just like that, she had my full, undivided attention again.
We stared at each other—only inches between us—and I forgot I even had a car, let alone where I’d parked it. Wait. Wasn’t I supposed to be taking her to her car anyway?
“Hendrix,” she whispered, leaning forward.
I mirrored her movement, pressing my forehead to hers. “Yeah?”
“What . . .” Her gaze bored into mine with increasing intensity. The orgasm high was wearing off, and her mind was kicking back into overdrive, trying to make sense of it all. I held her just a little closer, fully aware of what was about to happen but hoping to prolong the moment anyway.
“Shit.” She squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to wash a nightmare from her mind’s eye. Then she licked those delicious lips and leaned away, no longer looking at me.
She pushed against my chest and wriggled her legs. Resisting the urge to hold on tighter was a Herculean effort, but I managed it.
“Put me down,” she growled, but I was already bending down, already releasing my hold, already missing her warmth . . .
I’d known it was coming, but it still made me want to throw something when she looked at me with a sneer.
“Ah, there it is.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets and smirked. No choice now but to go back to our bickering default. I wasn’t about to show her how badly I wanted to pull her back into my arms when she was looking at me like that. “The instant regret. Aren’t you glad I only fucked you with my fingers now?”
“There isn’t a single thing about this night I’m glad about.” Ouch . . .
As the rain petered out to a pathetic drizzle, she turned and started to walk away.
I watched her hips sway, her spine straight and shoulders back. She’d just spent time in the seediest establishment for miles, had let me fingerfuck her in the dirty alley next to a dumpster, had a face covered in smeared makeup, yet she was still walking away with confidence. As if she owned this place.
I took one step back and wavered. My car was a few spots away; she was nearly safely to hers. I should just leave, end this torture.
But I couldn’t tear my gaze off her. And not because I was still hard and her ass looked amazing in that skirt. Despite how much of a bitch she was being to me, I couldn’t help worrying about Donna Mead.
I was seeing in her some of the same shit I’d seen in myself a year ago. It had taken something truly catastrophic to make me realize it, but with hindsight, I could see there had been signs. I’d been doing all kinds of reckless shit, just as Donna was now. I didn’t want her to end up where I was.
If someone had asked me that morning who I thought Donna was, I would’ve told them she was a spoiled rich brat with delusions of grandeur. She had everything handed to her and always got what she wanted. She was perfect in every way she could control—her looks, her grades, her reputation—and would never let anything jeopardize that.
Never in a million years would I have expected her to have a bad-girl streak. I had no idea what Donna was running from, but after what went down between us, I was no longer confused about why she’d come to a place like this. She was escaping. She was using the thrill of danger as a distraction and the high of meaningless hookups to numb whatever pain was deep in her chest.
The way she’d come at me in the alley—that first kiss had been almost violent in its intensity. It was the first time I’d felt truly alive in a long time. Too bad it was delivered by someone spiraling toward death.
I may have used slightly different means when I was spiraling a year ago, but she was chasing the same thing I’d been chasing—oblivion. It was a fucking miracle she didn’t have an addiction yet. Maybe she did. What did I know?
I sighed and looked up to the stormy sky. The rain had stopped completely, and I wiped the moisture from my face before glancing in her direction again, wanting to make sure she made it to her car before I left.
To my surprise, she was walking back toward me with a determined look on her face, those killer boots crunching in the gravel.
“I thought you were leaving.” I crossed my arms. I wasn’t sure I could handle more of this in one night.
“I never leave loose ends. No matter how badly I want to take a shower.”
“Loose ends?” I scoffed, ignoring her dig. “What’re you gonna shoot me in the head and stuff my body in the trunk of your Beamer? You lack the upper body strength.”
“What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here? Oh, wait!” I gave her a wicked smirk. If I couldn’t fuck her, I’d taunt her. “I already know. Come here a lot? How many degenerates have you fucked?”
Her nostrils flared. I was getting to her, but she managed to keep her voice even. “Hendrix, I don’t have time for this bullshit. What are you doing here?”
“None of your business.” I dropped any levity from my tone. If she wanted to get serious, I was ready to get serious. “I’ve made it perfectly clear you don’t own me. I don’t have to tell you jack shit.”
“Fine. Whatever. I don’t actually care. You don’t have to tell me anything, just . . . don’t tell anyone else either.”
There it was—she’d hung around to make sure I wouldn’t tarnish her perfect reputation.
She dropped her gaze, showing the first sign of vulnerability since she’d wriggled out of my arms, and pushed her sopping wet hair back with both hands. Taking a deep breath, she fixed me with an indecipherable look. “Listen, you have your reasons for coming here, whatever they are, and I have mine. All I’m saying is, let’s just pretend we never saw each other here and be done with it. OK?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Yeah, but I don’t actually give a shit if anyone finds out I was here.”
Her shoulders drooped in defeat, but she kept her gaze on mine
. Brave little princess. “Please understand the gravity of what I’m about to say—because I think I’ve only said this to about six people my entire life. Hendrix, please, don’t tell anyone you saw me here.”
I nearly cracked—nearly told her I’d do whatever she wanted before pulling her into a hug. But I was certain the affection wouldn’t be welcomed, so I just squeezed my hands into fists and sighed. “I’ve got no one to tell. You made sure of that, remember? No one would believe me anyway.”
She laughed, the sound low and devoid of humor. “You don’t understand what it’s like. Reputation is everything in my world. Even the breath of a rumor . . .”
“I understand better than you know.” Spoiled rich brats in California couldn’t be that different from spoiled rich brats in New York.
She eyed me up and down, the question clear in her gaze. Who are you? What’s your story?
But I wasn’t in a sharing mood.
She licked her lips. “So, what do you want then? What’s it gonna cost me?”
“I don’t need your money. My daddy has a platinum card too.” She wasn’t stupid. She’d seen my car; I went to the same exorbitantly expensive, pretentious school. But for some reason, I wanted to point out that we had some things in common, that I understood her better than she thought.
Now it was her remaining silent, watching me with a raised brow, waiting for me to fill in the blank.
There was only one thing I wanted from her—well, two, but there was about as much chance of me getting her to lift that skirt as getting Americans to use the metric system, so I went with the practical option.
“You already know what I want.” I shrugged. “Call off your attack dogs. I don’t need any friends here, but I’m not interested in making any enemies. And trust me, if I start swinging back, it’s going to get ugly. So do us all a favor and get this shit under control.”
“Done.” Her answer was instant. Part of me bristled, wondering if I should’ve asked for more, but that was the old me talking. More would only get me into trouble. I got what I wanted. Nothing else mattered.
Like You Hurt: A Standalone Enemies to Lovers Romance (Devilbend Dynasty Book 2) Page 7
