by Kells, India
If possible, his blue eyes grew even darker, and she could feel his erection pushing between her thighs. “Knox is older than Locke and me. Wiser maybe. But we were still kids from the streets, poor, without a purpose. It makes for a dangerous combination. Not only were we starved for food, but for money and power. We kind of bonded over that, discovered that the only ones we could trust were the three of us. And believe me, trust was a luxury in the criminal underworld. What we did would certainly change how you thought of us, forever.”
His hands continued to caress the skin under her clothing, inflaming her senses, but Josie wouldn’t be sidetracked. Not yet. “But you got out. So did Knox and your friend Locke.”
“Yeah. Locke had been working on a plan, executing it step by step to get out, one that caused minimal ripples. It was a bit more complicated with Knox, because he was in a lot deeper. And then we were faced with another problem—he didn’t want to get out.”
That didn’t make sense. “Why? He changed his mind?”
“No. But he stumbled upon something he couldn’t ignore. He found out about a sex slave ring, where young women were brought in like cattle and sold at auctions. He told us he couldn’t leave without dismantling it. I was already out, although I was still cage fighting. Locke still had enough pull to help him out.”
Josie was baffled. “Why didn’t you just give what you had to the police?”
Gage sighed, his hand almost tickling her belly. “That would have been a coward’s way out. And risky because there was a strong possibility that some of the cops were in on it. Knox went in even deeper. He wouldn’t agree to the coward’s way out, but had no problem betraying the syndicate and being seen as a traitor, making it possible for us to dismantle the whole thing.”
“Traitor? How can he see himself that way?”
“Baby, you have to see our world and actions through our eyes. The underworld was all we knew. We pledged allegiance to it. It saved us, brought us freedom, wealth, purpose. Maybe not the same as you decent folks, but it meant something. And Knox was always the most honorable of the three of us. It’s a stain that haunts him. From what I know, Knox has only ever broken his word twice. Both times it messed with his head.” As he said the words, Gage paused, a frown on his face but as Josie went to ask what was going on, he grabbed her head, bringing her down, before taking her mouth in a thorough kiss.
She sensed Gage wasn’t telling her everything. However, when his hands went back to her ass, and tore at her panties, Josie knew their conversation was over. It was her last thought before her body took over her brain.
Bracing herself for Gage to take her hard, she was surprised when she felt his touch soften. Lifting her up, he pushed at his sweatpants, but again, there was no rushing him. He could have slammed his cock deep inside her, but instead, he nestled his erection between her folds, and only undulated his hips. The friction was deliciously slow and teasing. His length dragged against her clit and she moaned, Gage swallowing the sound in his kiss.
His hands didn’t grab or take, instead they glided and caressed, fueling her arousal. In that instant, Knox’s image during their last encounter came to mind. Annoyed with the intrusion, Josie pushed the image away, and instead focused on the male that wanted her right here and now.
She needed to remember the agreement between the three of them—it was an arrangement, and not a relationship. And that made her heart sting a little, but she pushed that thought away as well when insistent fingers parted her nether lips and started to work on her clit.
Gage nipped at her collarbone before kissing his way up. His tone was wolfish when he spoke. “I love that you get so wet on my hand, baby. I can smell your arousal and it makes me want you more.”
Josie wasn’t used to being talked to like that. It made her want to shy away, but at the same time, it was exhilarating to feel so wild and it was so easy to forget how prudish she really was. What would happen if she let loose a little? On that thought, she decided to jump in with both feet.
“I want you to suck my tits, Gage. Please.” She knew she’d turned as red as a tomato as she said the words, but Gage didn’t laugh. Instead, he flicked a glance to her face as she removed her top, pure hunger on display before his mouth closed on her nipple and he started licking her areola, making her core contract before he lavished the other breast with the same intensity. Watching him as he worked was a huge turn on, not that she needed to be turned on any more at that moment.
His fingers were relentless on her sex, yet she still wanted more. She’d survived asking something from him, now Josie wanted to see if she could take something from him. Take him.
Pushing herself up higher on her knees, she set his hand aside before taking his dick, now coated with her juices, in her hand and impaled herself on him in a deep, seamless stroke.
Gage cursed under his breath, and gently bit her nipple in retaliation. “You’re dangerous, baby. I’m having a heart attack here.”
The way he stretched her was causing ripples of pleasure mixed with small electric shocks. But she’d started this and would be damned if she stopped now. “I doubt it. I can feel your pulse strong inside me.”
His hand slapped her ass. “You’re getting confident, baby girl. Be careful, you’re playing with fire and might get burnt.”
She saw the contained danger in his blue eyes, the dark swirls of his violent past deep in his gaze. It was something she’d seen before in another man, one that kept appearing in her feverish mind.
“Burn me, Gage. Make me forget about everything else but pleasure and you deep inside me. Please.” The tone of her voice pleaded even more than her words, and to support her request, her hips swayed with more force, causing his length to rub that sensitive spot deep inside her. With a strangled moan, she put her hands on his shoulders and thrust her breasts close to his mouth.
Gage wasn’t as careful this time, his mouth sucking and biting, almost bordering on pain, and Josie reveled in it. She needed that extra edge, both men made her discover that new side of herself. Each time he thrust inside her, she felt him take every possible space, even grazing the entrance to her cervix, the closer Josie got to that mind-blowing finale. But then she realized that Gage wasn’t going to let her have control any longer.
During an upward stroke, he hooked his hand behind her thighs, stopping her from moving. Disengaging himself, he released her and flipped them, so she was lying on the couch, legs in the air and spread. Out of breath and a bit dizzy, she didn’t have time to get her bearings before his thick cock pushed inside her pussy. Gage, with a knee on the cushions, placed one of her legs on the back, the other against his shoulder. In this position, he felt even bigger and longer, reaching newfound territory that made her pant like a bitch in heat. Where was the Josie she knew, the one who made love to her husband, half-clothed and with the lights off?
Lying like that on her back, with Gage hovering over her, every inch of her body was on display. That made her panic a little, and she tried to cover herself, but as if to prove his point, he widened her legs even more, making her feel so very vulnerable. “Hang on to the armrest behind your head. And don’t you dare let go.”
His deep voice made her tremble in anticipation. Even though she wasn’t bound, she felt trapped, a willing captive, as she obeyed him.
Warm, rugged palms slid over the tender flesh of her inner thighs and made their way between her legs, but instead of zeroing on the most sensitive organ of her body, his fingers traced around his cock, or more precisely the stretched skin around him.
“I love how you take me, Josie. All the wetness that seeps out, making you all slick and slippery. I’m always hard because of you. Because I see how sexy and fuckable you are.”
Then he moved, marking his words with his trusts. Soon, lust crested once more, the friction turning her skin into endless streaks of goosebumps.
Gage was obviously aiming for that goal and sooner rather than later. His dick was pumping into her, his body cov
ered with sweat, and hard as steel over her. How she wished she could touch his wealth of muscles and quivering flesh, but it wasn’t to be, not this time. Gage was quickly pushing himself harder, obviously on the verge of his own release. Josie pushed her hips against his, trying to tumble over the edge, but Gage wasn’t about to let her do that alone and started manipulating her clit.
Her orgasm took her by surprise with its suddenness and force. She cried out at the top of her lungs, her body bowing, pleasure coursing through every muscle and every nerve. In a daze, Josie felt him push her legs back toward her chest a little bit more as he leaned into her. He turned wild then, pistoning into her, driving her out of her mind, the position creating all the friction she needed to twist into another torturous orgasm.
Gage plunged into her a few more times before hissing her name, his hands flexing on her thighs as his cock pulsed against her still quivering sheath. The way he barely moved inside her, triggered a few small spurts of pleasure, allowing her to surf that marvelous pleasure a few minutes more as her lover slowly relaxed into her embrace.
For a long, soothing moment, neither of them said a word, the silence soft and cocooning around them. Josie’s mind was empty for an instant until her nose caught Gage’s scent—a mix of shampoo, musk, and denim—and she thought about Knox. Again.
Picturing Knox while another man was inside her felt awkward and uncomfortable. Working hard to ignore it, her brain vividly remembered Knox’s scent as he took her a few days ago. The scent of grease, leather, and heat made her heart flutter, and she fought a losing battle with her common sense. Before she could ponder it more, a phone started ringing.
Gage apologized and gave her a quick peck on the lips before sliding out of her and scrambling to find his phone.
Josie started to sit up, quickly closing her legs as she felt cum slide down them. She had to go to the bathroom to take care of it but needed to know if the phone call was about Knox.
Beautifully naked, and not shy about his body, Gage was standing by the window in deep conversation with the person on the other end. The fact he wasn’t looking at her was a dead giveaway he was talking about Knox.
Josie put on her t-shirt, with the intention of moving closer so she didn’t miss anything but he ended the call before she could stand.
“That was Locke. He has a potential location for Knox. He’s closer than I thought. I’m going to go there now and bring him back.”
Her heart jumped at the knowledge Knox had been found alive. Deep inside she’d feared the worst. “I’m coming with you.”
Gage, who was heading to his room, stopped and turned to her. “There’s no way in hell you’re coming with me! Where he is isn’t safe.”
Josie wasn’t about to be left on the sidelines. “You said he’s closer than you thought. That’s what you said. There’s only one city close by and if you leave without me, I’ll find a way there and scour every place until I find him. And I’ll do it alone. Your choice.”
They stared at each other silently having a showdown, but Josie was telling the truth. She’d be scared to death, but she knew it would be worse waiting for news alone and worrying about them.
The moment Gage grimaced Josie knew she’d won.
“Get dressed quickly. I’m leaving in five minutes, with or without you.”
Chapter 13
Knox sat at his table as sweat poured out of his skin and diluted some of the blood trickling down his face and hands.
He turned his back to the center of the room where two young guns jumped at each other’s throats without technique or true killer instinct. It was one of the reasons he avoided them. He didn’t want to pull his punches and waited for adversaries that offered him exactly that.
Ignoring the roaring crowd, he leaned against the table and reached for his cold beer, swallowing it down. Since he’d been in this hellhole, alcohol had appeared in front of him at the perfect pace—often enough for him to maintain his buzz, but not enough to make him vulnerable or prevent him from fighting. He was sure it was because he offered a good show.
His body sang with fatigue and pain and he didn’t care. A shadow approached from his left side, and he tensed until he recognized the bookie.
“Man, you’re on fire tonight! You won that last fight in two punches.”
Knox took another swig. “Give me worthy opponents if you want it to last. I’m not here to please the crowd.”
“Not complaining, mate. After the last couple of nights, you’ve made a name for yourself, coming from nowhere and taking down most of the guys here. The first one you turned into meat. It’s the best investment I’ve ever made on a new guy.”
Knox let him ramble. He wasn’t there for the money. “Keep them coming, that’s all I ask.”
The crowd cheered again as fists hit flesh, groans mixed with curses. The scents, sights, and sounds were familiar, whatever the place.
Danger filled the room like a flammable gas, ready to explode with a simple spark. He desperately wanted that to happen. A full brawl, with the thundering sound of firearms reverberating on the walls, glittering blades being unsheathed, bodies dropping hard on the filthy floor.
But the crowd wasn’t drunk enough, the doormen feared too much, or he was simply down his luck.
People moved, meaning the fight was over and the crowd headed to the bar for a refuel.
Knox barely tensed when two feminine arms came around him from behind followed by ample breasts pressing against his neck.
“Hey, Knockout. You shouldn’t be alone like this.”
The woman made sure to trail her tits over him as she moved to sit on his lap. Dressed in a tight leather dress with enough cleavage to reveal all her assets in a breath, she ran her hands all over him.
Before he could even look at her face, her mouth descended on his. She tasted like lipstick and bourbon, her talented tongue teasing him with a promise of what was to come. Since he’d arrived, women had circled around him like vultures, but he was too focused on getting rid of a few layers of aggression to notice. As his thirst for blood receded, Knox decided it was time to fuck himself back into reason.
His hand moved into her hair, angling the woman’s mouth to his liking. He detailed her lithe body with his other hand and hissed when his inventory didn’t fill his palm like Josie did.
Groaning at the thought of her, Knox cupped the woman’s breast as she moaned, pushing it further into his hand. She didn’t wait to straddle him and by the heat against his denim-covered cock, it was obvious she was panty-less.
As she ground herself against his bulge, Knox felt disconnected, his body could fuck, go through the motions, but something else pulled him back, made him cold inside.
Angry with himself, Knox wanted to push himself, to bury his cock inside the anonymous woman, destroy the images of Josie once and for all that were burned inside every cell of his body and haunted his mind.
“Come with me. Let me lick every inch of you until you forget your pains. Let me pleasure you.”
In his past life, her voice would have been a siren’s call he would never have denied. Why wouldn’t his body respond? It should have been so simple, because it was superficial and fake.
The woman started to dry hump him, and instead of becoming aroused, all he felt was annoyed and he pushed her off him. She spat at him and slapped his face, but he hardly felt it on top of the already painful throbbing in his head.
People around them laughed, but he ignored them, finishing his beer.
Not waiting for his body to cool, he stood and rolled his shoulders. When he turned, Knox realized the crowd had grown and were gathered around the center as two new fighters went at it. The place was restless, just as he liked, and he was ready for another fight.
The bookie nodded to him from the side, telling him he’d found another opponent and he was next.
Pacing along the wall, loosening his muscles, Knox worked at blanking his mind again, as he’d done so many times since he’d fled
Landston. But again, like before, Josie invaded his thoughts.
Among the sights of the bar, despite the flow of alcohol, he could still taste her, feel her skin under his hand. And then he remembered how he’d left her on that couch, battered and bruised, after fucking her like the animal he was. When he’d first met her, he’d promised to protect her, to avoid touching her, and he’d broken his word. Something he’d done only twice before and had hoped never to do again. However, once he’d become a traitor, there was no going back. Maybe it was his lot from now on. But he couldn’t risk Josie. There was something in her, a goodness and strength he prayed never dimmed, especially not because of him.
Knox advanced, parting the heaving bodies, until he stood under the ring of light. Still naked from the waist up, he waited for his opponent to make himself known.
When he saw his shadow approach, Knox realized he now faced a worthy opponent, one that could pummel the guilt and desire out of him for good.
The man had at least ten years on him, with a gleaming bald and was covered with gang tattoos. It was a small blessing he didn’t recognize him from his past life, and that blessing was possibly the only one he would have tonight from the murderous gleam in his eyes and the size of his hands.
No beginning, no end, no rules. That was the law in these underground fights. A fight to the death, or surrender—if the victor was merciful.
The giant came at him with full force under the clamor of the gathered crowd. Only experience and endless fights under his belt allowed Knox to quickly react and evade the bulldozer.
Turning around, enraged at having missed his mark, the giant charged again, and this time there was no time to evade his fist. Knox caught the brunt of his weight, as well as a well-placed punch to his side.
His breath leaving him from the force of the blow, Knox almost put a knee on the ground, but instead pivoted and elbowed him in the nose.
The giant roared as blood started to spray. His hands went to his face to staunch the flow, and Knox started to hit him with all his might. It was like hitting a brick wall, the pain going through to his shoulders.
