Rules

by Doe, Anna B.

  Turning on the small lamp on my nightstand, I take a step back just to look at her. That mass of dark hair spread on my pillow. Big green eyes staring at me with a mix of weariness and trust. Pink lips slightly parted, begging to be kissed.

  She’s a goddess, and she doesn’t even know what power she has over me.

  “Yes,” she whispers, just as my knee connects with the mattress, my body looming over hers. “I trust you, Max. Take it all away.”

  My throat clogs from all the pent-up emotions I’m scared to even think about, much less name, but I don’t get a chance because her hands reach for me, wrapping around my neck and pulling me down. She nibbles on my lip, sucking it in her mouth, her little tongue darting over the flesh before she lets it pop out.

  Moaning in protest, I lean down, taking her mouth. Lips devouring, teeth clashing, tongues tangling, I don't give a damn. I’ll take everything she has to give me and beg for more.

  My hands get lost in those silky, dark strands as I conquer every inch of her mouth like a starving man. Her body arches off the mattress, grinding against mine until I can’t take it any longer. My hands slide down her body, fingers gripping her hips and pushing them back down as we break our kiss, both of us panting.

  Brook’s eyes are closed, her cheeks red, and I can’t help but brush my hand over her heated flesh.

  “Open your eyes,” I whisper, pressing my lips to her face. The corner of her mouth. Chin. Nose. Cheek.

  Finally, her eyelids flutter open, heated emeralds looking at me through thick lashes.

  “I want you to look at me,” I say, still kissing her. The underside of her chin. Down her neck, the hollow of her shoulder, her collarbone. “I want you to keep those pretty eyes of yours open.” My hands grip the edge of her shirt, slowly pulling it up and revealing all that creamy naked skin. Fuck, she’s not wearing a bra. I force myself to swallow down, pushing the words out: “I want you to see me and know who is making you feel all of this.”

  I let my fingers slide up the sides of her body, barely brushing her tits, but she feels it. Oh, does she feel it. Her whole body shudders at the light touch, little pink nipples pricking up.

  When she doesn’t give me an answer, I stop my hands from exploring more, nudging her for a response. “Understood?”

  Hooded eyes look at me as she nods her agreement, the eagerness and trust shining on her face making a smile spread over my lips.

  My palms graze over her soft stomach, cupping her tits, thumbs rubbing over those erected peaks and making them stand out even more.

  A soft moan rips from her throat, her head falling back. Unable to resist, I bend down, pulling one of those peaks into my mouth, and suck hard.

  “Ma-ax,” she breathes, her body arching up, pushing her chest into my face. Her hands grip the sheets by her sides, crumpling it between her fingers.

  “That’s right,” I pant, switching to her other breast to give it the same attention. Her flushed skin and squirming body make the blood rush through my veins. My whole body burns for her, aching for her touch while at the same time wanting to give her this. Give her the pleasure she deserves, pleasure that was taken from her.

  Gentle fingers skim over my skin, making my whole body shudder. Letting the poor, swollen nipple pop out of my mouth, I wipe it with the back of my hand, my gaze meeting her hooded eyes.

  “Off…” I feel her soft tug at the fabric of my shirt. “You have on way too many clothes.”

  I don’t have to be told twice. Leaning on my heels, I reach back to tug the shirt over my head quickly and then scramble to my feet to get rid of the sweats. Her eyes trail my every movement, pink tongue darting out to wet those pouty lips.

  “Now you’re the one who has too many clothes on.” I lift my brows in a challenge as I look at the light and shadow dancing over her skin.

  Lifting her butt off the bed, she pulls the tights off her legs, and the only thing separating her from me is a very small pair of black panties. Groaning loudly at the sight of her, I readjust my hard length before I get back on the bed.

  My body crashes into hers, pressing her into the mattress and leaving us both breathless. I claim her mouth without missing a beat, my tongue diving between her lips and pulling out all those hushed, little noises I love. I plunge deeper and deeper, and with every stroke of my tongue against hers, my hips rub along her center, her heat enveloping my dick.

  “You’re so perfect,” I breathe, breaking our kiss.

  Her hands scrape over my scalp. “More,” Brook begs. “Give me more.”

  “Oh, I’m just starting.”

  Pulling her hands out of my hair, I kiss each palm. Interlocking our fingers, I lift her hands above her head. Giving Brook a short glance to reassure myself she’s still okay, I pull back just enough so I can see her body. With her hands lifted like that, her chest is pushed up in the air. Unlocking our fingers, I trace my hand down and then bend my head to follow the same path with my lips.

  Brook whimpers softly at the first touch of my hot breath against her skin, the faint sound pulling a grin to my face. I lick and nibble at her neck, my mouth slowly moving lower, tracing every inch of her skin. My tongue swipes around the pert nipple, teeth slowly grazing against the soft flesh of her stomach until I reach the edge of her panties. Her whole body is trembling by then, and my dick has grown so hard there is no containing it anymore.

  I pull back just a little, my breath touching the skin of her lower stomach until she starts squirming in my hands, trying to pull me in.

  “Max, please…” I can feel her legs tense between mine, trying to move to make more room for me.

  “Please, what?” I tease. Licking at her belly button, every now and then my tongue darts down, barely peeking under the edge of her panties before moving away. I can smell her musky arousal mixing with the honey scent of her skin.

  Her head thrashes from side to side. “Stop teasing me.”

  “When you tell me what you want.”

  My hand glides over her stomach and between her legs, slowly petting her pussy over the thin, cotton barrier. I bite into my lip, but even that doesn’t stop the groan that rips from my lungs. “So wet,” I murmur in approval as my fingers slide harder against her. “So hot. God, I can almost taste you on my tongue.”

  “Then do it.”

  * * *

  BROOK

  Those silver eyes snap up, glossy and heated. I can see surprise written on his face, and I can’t stop the blush spreading over my cheeks and down my neck. But even self-conscious, my body demands more. More of Max’s kisses, more of his hands on me, more of him filling the void that’s inside of me. My core clenches, legs trembling with need.

  “I want all of you, Max,” I whisper, licking at my dry lips.

  Everything you want to give me and more.

  His eyes grow hooded with desire, that wicked smile returning to his lips.

  “My pleasure.”

  Before I can even blink, Max moves away. My body misses him almost instantly, but not for long. His fingers dig into the band of my panties, pulling them down and throwing them somewhere behind him. My legs fall apart, and then he’s back, settling between them. His hands run from my ankles up to my knees, pulling my legs farther apart. He bends down, his lips pressing against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, nibbling at the soft skin.

  “Higher,” I demand, my hands reaching for his hair and pulling him to my aching center. I can feel my walls tighten at just the thought of him kissing me.

  “Here?” His words are a murmur against my skin.

  “M-more,” I pant as he licks up, up, up; my body shivering with every inch closer he gets to where I want him, and then he’s there, his lips pressed against my mound.

  “M-Max…” I hiss. I don’t know whether to pull him closer or push him away. He’s right where I need him, yet not close enough, not nearly.

  His hands tighten, fingers digging into my skin, as he pulls me closer. He eats my pussy with the same
reverence he kissed me, his mouth enveloping me completely, sucking at my flesh as his tongue slides between my folds. I can’t help but shudder when his tongue circles over my clit, sucking it into his mouth and making my core clench, looking for something, anything…

  “Max, I’m…”

  And then he gives it to me. His tongue slides down, playing at my trembling entrance before he pushes it inside me. My fingers pull at his hair as the tension builds to the point of no return.

  I call his name. My head falls back as wave after wave of pleasure crashes over me. But even then he doesn’t let go. He holds on to me, helping me come down. Only when my breathing gets back to normal does he pull away.

  I’m too spent to do anything but lie back and watch him, that shit-eating twinkle in his eyes while a smug, half-smile plays on his lips. “I was right.”

  “About?” I ask sleepily. I watch him lick my arousal from his lips as he slowly crawls over me.

  “You do taste amazing,” he says, and then his lips land on mine.

  Moaning loudly, my hands slide over his naked torso, fingers linking behind his neck. His tongue dives inside my mouth, slowly exploring, and I can taste myself on him. It should feel weird, but it doesn’t. Instead, I pull him closer, deepening our kiss.

  His hard cock presses against my thigh, its hot length reminding me that although I did get a glimpse of pleasure, I’m aching for more.

  Disentangling my fingers, I let my hand slide down. My fingers wrap around his hard length and pull him out of the confines of his underwear. I can feel him twitch at my touch, a loud groan interrupting the silence as my fingers tighten around his hot cock, slowly stroking him.

  Breaking our kiss, I push him on his back and help him out of his black boxer briefs. I lick my lips, eyeing his dick. My hand wraps around him again, pulling him off his abs, and just as I’m about to lean down, Max’s hand grips my shoulder.

  Stunned, I look at him. “W-what is wrong?”

  He looks almost pained, but he doesn’t let go. “Today’s about you,” he grits, his hands digging under my arms and pulling me up.

  “But…” I try to protest, but as my naked skin brushes against his, the only thing I can do is moan loudly. He hushes me with a kiss, but there is only so much he can do to keep me quiet.

  I’m draped over him, and it feels perfect, like my body was made for his. I rock against him as our kiss grows deeper, his dick settling more into my core. I’m sliding over him, almost desperately trying to find release. He’s coated in my juices, making it so easy to glide over his length. His tip nudges my entrance, making my head fall back and breaking our kiss.

  “This is crazy,” Max protests as his hands grip my hips, but he doesn’t make a move to stop.

  Up and down, this time his tip slides inside me. Just an inch, stretching my entrance. We both gasp, pulling back.

  “It feels so good.”

  This time when our lower halves meet and he enters me, I don’t back away.

  “Fuuuck…” Max pants loudly. His forehead touches mine and he slides inside of me, filling me inch by delicious inch. I pepper small kisses all over his face as I try to accommodate his intrusive size.

  “Brook, we have to stop.” Max presses his forehead into my shoulder, his loud breaths touching my skin. His voice sounds almost haunted, not that I can blame him. He feels so good inside of me. Hot and hard, filling me to the hilt.

  “Just a little bit longer.”

  My lips find his, our mouths clashing almost desperately. We lie still, unable to move, but I can feel my walls clenching around him, pulling him deeper. He must feel it too because the next thing I know I’m on my back, Max’s body hovering over me. His teeth dig into his lower lip hard as he tries to regain a bit of control, something I obviously don’t possess anymore, and then he slowly slides out of me.

  “C-condom,” he rasps, pulling away. “We need a condom.”

  Max pulls the drawer on the nightstand open, almost breaking it in the process, and his shaky fingers grab the foil wrap. I watch him tug it open with his teeth. He tosses the wrapper to the side, sheathing himself quickly before coming back over me.

  He kisses me hard, his silver eyes boring into mine. With flushed cheeks and mussed hair, he almost looks boyish, but there is nothing boyish in the heated look he gives me. His fingers caress my cheeks tenderly.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  I return his gesture, pulling him closer for a soft kiss. “I want this. I want you.” It can only be you. But I don’t voice those words out loud.

  Max settles between my thighs once more. “Don’t you dare close your eyes,” he warns on a whisper as his cock nudges my entrance.

  “I won’t,” I promise.

  My hands dig into his hair, our lips locking together as he slowly enters me until he’s filling me completely.

  “So tight…” he murmurs between kisses, and then he starts moving. Slow at first, but gradually his thrusts grow stronger, our breathing harder. I can feel his heart galloping against mine.

  My heels dig into the mattress as I meet him thrust for thrust, my walls gripping at him, not wanting to let go.

  “I-I can’t…” My head falls back, eyes rolling in my sockets, but he doesn’t let me look away. One hand cups my cheek, forcing me to look at his with a desire-clouded gaze. The other slides down between our sweaty bodies, looking for the place we connect. My whole body trembles at his touch.

  “Let go,” Max grits against my lips. He gives me one hard thrust, his fingers pinching my sensitive clit, and then I do just as he says.

  My whole body convulses almost painfully, my inner walls holding him in a rigid grasp as the world shatters around me, and the only thing I can see as it all falls apart is Max.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  BROOK

  “You sure you don’t want me to take you up?” Max turns to look at me.

  I shake my head, looking at the almost falling building in front of me. Every time I visit my friends and then come back, it seems like it’s in worse condition than before I left.

  I look at him—messy hair, clear, determined eyes and stubborn jaw—and can’t help but wonder. What are we really? I know he said he wanted more, but a part of me didn’t believe him still. The part of me that wanted him, but knew he wants Lia instead.

  It almost feels like destiny. The first time I ever broke my rules is when I decided to let Lia in. For years, she’s been the only person who knew me. Or at least the parts of me I was comfortable sharing with her. And now there was Max. The more I get to know him, the more I realize how similar he is to my best friend. They both have pure hearts, they are both loyal and protective to a fault. And I know that if Lia hadn’t loved Derek since she was just a little girl, she would have fallen for Max, like he did for her, because people like them belonged together.

  And if that’s not painful enough, they’ve both brought more people into my life. People I should push away, I try to push away, but somehow they’re slowly getting under my skin.

  When I broke my rules, it was supposed to be just her, just Lia, but like a domino effect, she brought more and more people.

  “No, I’m fine,” I reassure him, but make no move to get out of the car. “You went out of your way to bring me home. That’s more than enough.”

  “Anytime.” Max smiles, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to push away the sudden ache.

  “Or you’ll stalk me home again?” I try to joke, but it falls flat.

  Max looks at me, his silver eyes growing smoky with intensity. It feels like all the air is pulled out of the space and suddenly it’s hard to breathe.

  “I’ll stalk you to the end of the world if it means keeping you safe, Brook.” His voice is low, dangerously so, and even though he doesn’t say it out loud, it somehow feels like a promise.

  A shiver runs through my body, and I can feel goosebumps cover my skin. Not knowing what to say to that, I settle for a quick nod before I open t
he door and hastily slip out.

  “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Later.”

  Max barely manages to finish before I close the door and run toward my building. My heart is beating wildly in my chest, his words still ringing in my head as I take the steps two at the time.

  Why the hell did I do that? Fucking weird, Brook. He’s just a friend, a friend who’s helped you a lot in the last twenty-four hours, and you just dashed out of his car like your ass was on fire. A friend you had sex with because you’re a weak, weak woman.

  Still frustrated with myself, I slow down only to stop completely when I get to my front door, which is left wide open.

  “What the fuck did you do, Josephine?” My blood turns to ice, and I can’t help but look over my shoulder.

  Why didn’t I let Max walk me up?

  The question comes out of the blue, but I push it back. He’s long gone now, and besides, he’s helped me plenty. I can’t pull him into this too.

  Stepping inside, I look around waiting for the other shoe to drop, but there is nothing. Only utter stillness that freaks me out more than if there were people in here fighting.

  Did she invite Mr. Hill in here again to blackmail him? Did she do something that pissed him off and he decided enough was enough?

  With my heart stuck in my throat and pounding loudly, I look around, careful not to make noise and draw attention to myself.

  The hallway and living room are trashed, and just when I decide to go back and check Josephine’s room, I can hear a loud moan behind me. Turning abruptly, I look around, but when I don’t see anything, my eyes fall to the ground. And there she is, lying between thrown pillows and garbage, covered in her own puke and blood with a shiner on one eye.

  I inhale sharply, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. Josephine must have heard me because I can see her body stir.

  “B-Brook?”

  “I-it’s me,” I say, going around the couch and falling to the ground next to her. I swallow the wince when I see her more clearly. I’ve seen Josephine in a lot of fucked-up states, but this takes the cake. My hand itches to touch her, but I hold back.