Pride and the Stranger: Book 2 in the Pride Trilogy

by TJ Dallas

  “You’re booked in for another two nights?”

  “Ahh, yes, but unfortunately, duty calls.” I held up my phone and then gestured my head towards the corridor. “He’s not been called back to work, though, so he’s going to stay. Hopefully, he’ll sleep off that hangover.” I rolled my eyes, and she chuckled. Unlikely.

  “Well then, I hope you’ll be back soon,” she said, handing over a receipt. I bowed my head. She would have been another nice distraction, but it was time to go.

  “I’m not sure I’ll be down this way any time soon, but I’ll be thinking of you later.” I winked. I don’t think her face could have gone a brighter red as I turned towards the exit. Before long, her body would get the better of her, and she’d have to deal with the wetness gathering between her thighs.

  I licked my lips, savouring the thought as I slid behind the wheel of my car. A sudden sharp twinge radiated across my stomach, and I grimaced, holding the palm of my hand to my abdomen. I breathed out sharply. What fresh hell is this?

  It’s just the baby moving, Harry; it’ll settle down soon, Riley murmured.

  I didn’t reply. Fuck. I’d forgotten about that.

  I took a few deeper breaths, closing my eyes and leaning against the head rest. The feeling soon disappeared. I set the blocks in my mind again and revved up the engine.

  I made sure to drop the tattoo gun and the ink at Kit’s doorstep before I left, along with a single multicoloured rose as an apology.

  I sat in my car for a long time before I could bring myself to walk inside the Cardinal. I kept my head down as I walked to the lift. Riley wasn’t at the hotel reception desk, and the attendant barely acknowledged me. I managed to reach my flat before Althea found me, and I’d only just unlocked my front door.

  “Did you do it Harry?” she asked, her voice wavering. She stepped back down the stairs as I turned to face her.

  “Are you scared of me, Althea?”

  I knew my eyes were dark, and I felt my jaw tighten. I tried to rein in my temper. I hadn’t come to terms with my situation yet, and watching Althea avoid my gaze brought up unintentional feelings of anger and blame again. I knew it hadn’t been her intention, but I still couldn’t help thinking she’d been my last line of defence.

  “Did you do it?” she repeated. It was a tense moment, as neither of us moved.

  I hesitated. “Do you think I killed him?”

  She swallowed, the awkward silence lengthening. Eventually, she shook her head.

  I turned away and pushed open my front door. I heard her let out the breath she’d been holding, but her footsteps were loud as she followed me into my living room.

  “What did you do, Harry?”

  “Nothing,” I snapped. “Leave me alone, Althea.”

  She shrank back, and I hadn’t noticed myself moving towards her. I towered over her. Sometimes, even I forgot how tall I was in comparison to the other managers. I took a deep breath, stepping back. Getting angry wasn’t helping, and Althea was the last person on the earth I wanted to get angry with.

  She didn’t move, but I could almost hear her heart pounding behind her ribs. Averting her gaze, she asked again, “What did you do?”

  She flinched as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her towards me. I didn’t want her to be scared of me, but I couldn’t seem to calm down. I pulled her close to my body, cradling her head to my chest. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my throat constricting. “I’m incredibly overwhelmed at the moment, and I’m struggling to control myself. I didn’t kill him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I left him black and blue, but he’s alive, I promise.”

  “What if he goes to the police? We need you here. I need you here.”

  “He won’t go to the police.”

  “How do you know?” She frowned, pulling back to look at me.

  “Hypothetically, if he had the word ‘rapist’ tattooed on his forehead, do you think he’d go to the police and tell them he was beaten up by a girl?” My eyebrows raised. “Asking for a friend,” I added, and Althea snorted.

  My shoulders released, the corner of my mouth pulling up in a tired grin.

  “You did what? Tattooed ‘rapist’ on his forehead?” Althea’s eyes widened, and I chuckled. I pulled her tighter to my body, inhaling her scent.

  “Hypothetically, yes. Literally? Also, yes.” I shrugged. “Come on, give me a break. It would have been worse if Emilia hadn’t intervened when she did.”

  “Remind me to thank her. Prison orange wouldn’t suit you.”

  “That’s harsh. I could pull it off; have you seen me?” I kissed the top of her head, letting out a heavy sigh. We were silent for a few more minutes.

  “How are you feeling?” she finally asked quietly.

  “I’ve been better.”

  “Anything I can do?” The seductive tone in her voice was clear. She wanted to do what she did best in an attempt to cheer me up, but my stomach tightened.

  “Um, I ...”

  “Come on.” She took my hand, and I couldn’t bring myself to argue. My feet followed her, but my heart leapt into my throat. She led me back down the stairs, into the lift, and finally into one of her secluded chambers.

  24

  Harry

  “Come on, toots. You love watching yourself.”

  I looked around me at the mirrored walls. I watched as Althea pressed herself against my back, moving my hair to expose my neck. She trailed her tongue up my throat, sending a shiver down my spine. Her hands came up under my T-shirt to squeeze my breasts, and I stood motionless, just observing as her hands trailed down my torso. They came to rest on my abdomen, and I tensed, quickly looking away.

  “Althea,” I mumbled, trying to turn around to face her. “I’m not in the mood.”

  “That’s not like you,” she whispered, kissing the back of my shoulder. I caught sight of myself in the mirror again, and I forced down the lump in my throat. Her hands still rested on my stomach.

  “Althea …”

  “Shh, toots, it’s OK.”

  “No, maybe another time, it’s just—” I shuddered.

  “Relax, we’ll—”

  “No!” I pushed away from her, spinning around. The look of shock was unmistakable. “I said no,” I growled.

  I yanked the door open and left without looking back. My heart pounded in my chest, and I tried, yet again, to rein in the anger inside me.

  A man stood in the corridor as the door slammed, and his eyes widened in alarm at my outburst. Anxiety rose in my chest as I walked away, and I had to try hard not to run. I grit my teeth as a wave of panic washed over me. I prayed he wasn’t following me, but I refused to turn around and check.

  I made it outside the playroom door, light-headed and shaking. I forced my legs to stay upright as I made it to the lift, my knees buckling as I stood against the wall. The doors couldn’t close quickly enough.

  As soon as they did, I sank to my knees, breathing deeply and trying to get myself back in control. Was consent really that hard to understand?

  I’d never thought about it before, but I couldn’t believe the one person I trusted most in my life hadn’t heard my desperate plea. No one seemed to understand the effect that Brighton had had on me. None of them had been rendered incapable without their knowledge, and it showed. I squeezed my eyes tighter, feeling the lift slowly come to a stop.

  I quickly stood up again and then let out a sigh. I’d somehow managed to hit the button for the first floor instead of the seventh.

  The lift doors opened, and I froze as I caught the gaze of the man staring back at me. It was Ace (Chastity), Althea’s Virtue. Shit.

  He watched as I stepped out of the lift. In my current state, there was no way I was going to be in an enclosed space with any man, even him. He was asexual, the complete opposite from Althe
a, and he’d apparently been summoned. Had I caused that? Had my sudden anxiety caused him to know that Althea was getting out of hand, and he’d come to put her in her place?

  He acknowledged me with a nod, but I averted my gaze.

  Althea? I thought, intent on giving her a warning.

  Nothing. She’d blocked me from her mind, and my heart ached. I hadn’t meant to get angry with her, but I’d panicked. While watching myself in the mirror with her hands on my stomach, I’d remembered I was thirty-four weeks’ pregnant, and I didn’t feel sexy in the slightest. Whilst you could barely see my bump, I knew it was there, and Althea’s hands on me had made that fact much clearer. I swallowed hard, looking around the lobby. I jumped when I saw Riley watching me silently from the reception desk.

  Come here, she thought, and I dropped my head deflatedly. She opened the door to allow me behind the reception desk, and after looking around to make sure nobody was nearby, she took me in her arms.

  “I’m sorry,” I said aloud. “Althea’s about to get an earful from Ace, and it’s my fault.”

  “Don’t you dare apologise.” The fierceness in Riley’s voice took me by surprise. “You said no, and she didn’t hear you. As much as I love her, you should not have had to repeat yourself. Althea got caught up in the moment. It should never have got to the stage where Ace had to come, anyway. This is not your fault.”

  “But what if—” I started, but Riley shushed me.

  “No. None of us experienced what you went through, and Althea should have remembered that. She was consumed with her lust, and that’s been a trigger for you. I know we’re not human, but we’ve been on the earth for long enough that I think we’re more affected by their emotions now, more than ever before. You reacted as anyone else would have, when you thought sex was being forced on you against your will. Althea will apologise to you. I’ll make sure of it.”

  I felt the corners of my mouth pull up in a small smile. “That’s not necessary, but thank you.”

  I pulled her closer, and she snuggled her head against my chest. I suddenly felt like someone understood where I was coming from, and I kissed the top of her head.

  We remained still for a few moments, and I struggled to hide a yawn. I felt Riley smile through my T-shirt.

  “Noah’s taking over for me in a few minutes. Wait for me?”

  “Sure.”

  I sat quietly as Riley handed over to Noah. From what I heard, there were four new bookings due in within the next two hours, and one of them was a well-known complainant who’d stayed a few times before. Riley could never be bothered arguing with her, and she’d found the easiest way to deal with the situation was to give her a small discount on the room and a free bottle of cheap prosecco. I spotted the bottle waiting in a bucket of ice underneath the desk.

  Riley finally finished, and she took my hand. She led me to her flat in silence, and I yawned again as she locked the door behind us. She walked me to her bedroom, and I looked around with my eyebrows raised.

  Riley rolled her eyes. “I’ll tidy it later; I wasn’t expecting company.”

  There were clothes lying in heaps around the floor. Most of them were clean. I recognised the dry-cleaning tags on the labels, and the majority were neatly folded, but they just hadn’t made it into her wardrobe.

  I shrugged. “The bed looks comfy.”

  She laughed and started getting undressed. It was only 5 p.m., but I hadn’t slept yet, and Riley was always willing to take a nap. She stripped to her briefs, pulling an oversized T-shirt over her head, and then climbed into bed, holding the duvet open for me.

  I knew why Riley hadn’t looked to strip me herself, and I appreciated it. I pulled my T-shirt off and slipped out of my jeans. Crawling in next to her, she lay on her back, and I snuggled under her arm, resting my head on her shoulder. She played with my hair.

  “Has Althea blocked you?” I asked quietly.

  “No,” she replied, and another wave of guilt washed over me. “But she knows why Ace has appeared, and she’s kicking herself. I told you she’ll apologise, and I won’t even need to do anything.”

  “She doesn’t need to apologise.” I knew that none of this was her fault, and it was possible she felt even worse about what happened in Brighton than I did.

  “Yes, she does. Don’t make excuses for her, Harry. She knows what she’s done, and even though we both know she never meant to hurt you, she did. I guarantee, she’ll never do it again. Just like the rest of us, Lust is immoral. Today, she’s shown the negative effect it can have.”

  “But—”

  “Stop,” Riley said, chuckling. “She’s not as innocent as she makes out to be. She’ll get over it, once Ace gets out of her hair, and she’ll think twice next time.”

  I remained silent but couldn’t hide another yawn. I suddenly winced as the baby kicked.

  “Want me to send it to sleep?” Riley asked shyly.

  “No, it’s OK. I just need to pee. I’ll be back in a minute.” I’d never peed so much in my life before, and regaining full control of my bladder was something I was very much looking forward to.

  By the time I came back, Riley was snoring. I snuggled under her arm, and she pulled me tight to her torso. I was asleep within seconds.

  I woke up the next morning, rubbing my eyes and stretching. Riley stirred as she turned to face me, pulling me back under her arm. I smiled, studying her face.

  Her skin was smooth, her lips soft, and her demeanour gentle. In a split-second decision, I leaned forward, gently pressing my lips against hers, and she exhaled quietly. She kissed me back, her tongue inside my mouth, and I stroked the side of her face as I opened my eyes.

  Her eyes were closed, and I smiled through the kiss. She exhaled heavily as I kissed her harder, stroking down the side of her neck, my hand coming to rest on top of her breast. Her eyes finally opened.

  “You don’t have to,” she whispered.

  “I know, but I want to.” I cupped her breast, her nipple hardening under my palm. I felt the heartbeat underneath starting to quicken, and a shot of adrenaline fired through my chest when she let out a soft moan. It had been months since we’d been on holiday, and I wanted to hear her coming again.

  “Harry, are you sure about this?”

  “Yes, Riley. I’m pregnant, hormonal, and horny. Do you want to argue with me?”

  “Nope,” she replied, chuckling.

  I caressed her torso, my fingertips trailing over the baggy T-shirt engulfing her thin frame. She was never one to bother with fashion, taking comfort over trends any day of the week. I pulled away from her mouth and grinned.

  “I want to taste you,” I said, rolling onto my back.

  Riley remained motionless until I looked around with a frown.

  “You’re not supposed to lie on your back,” she mumbled.

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged, but I could see the colour rising on her cheeks. “You’re in your third trimester. It’s not good for the baby.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded, and I stifled a frustrated groan. “I can’t drink, smoke, or eat chicken. I can’t go longer than thirty seconds without taking a piss, and now I can’t even lie on my back? Why would anyone choose this?”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “You’re definitely not maternal, are you?”

  “Oh ... right.”

  I rolled onto my side with a sigh, bending an elbow to cradle my head as I looked at her. Her blue eyes sparkled, and I fiddled with the delicate chain around her neck, settling the clasp back in the right place.

  “Move down the bed,” she whispered.

  “Why?”

  “Must you always ask so many questions?” she muttered.

  I moved towards her and kissed her shoulder, shuffling down the bed. I kissed over her breasts and down her torso, and I smiled when she raised h
er leg.

  “There’s nothing to stop you lying on your side.”

  I grinned, slipping my thumbs into the waistband of her underwear and tugging them to her ankles. She kicked them off, and I wasted no time in resting my head on her thigh as she rested the other on the side of my head. I could almost taste her arousal already, the folds of her pussy glistening in anticipation. She combed her fingers through my hair as I kissed her labia, my tongue pressing to their centre.

  I pressed a fingertip against her entrance and groaned at her wetness. She pushed her hips forward, and I gently slicked a single finger inside her. Curling it towards me, I found her sweet spot, caressing it with the smooth pad of my fingertip. With my other hand, I parted her lips, pulled back the clitoral hood, and flicked my tongue over her exposed clit.

  Riley’s leg shuddered in delight, and she let out a moan. She hugged a pillow to her chest, her mouth falling open, her breath getting deeper as she watched me between her legs.

  She let out another groan, her arousal evident on my fingers. I tenderly pushed another finger inside, stretching her inner walls. She rocked her hips faster, and I kept a steady rhythm, waiting for the tell-tale sign of her impending orgasm.

  She closed her eyes and screamed as her thighs clenched around my head. Her scream was muffled, and I knew she was biting down on the pillow at her chest, trying to control her loud moans of delight.

  Her wetness coated my hand, sliding down my fingers to my wrist, and I kept caressing her G-spot as she rode the waves of her climax, flattening my tongue to lick the length of her pussy.

  She finally sighed, and her thighs released. I pulled out slowly, looking up as she smiled, gesturing me back up the bed with a nod. I resumed my position next to her, and she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer. I kissed her shoulder as the baby kicked against her stomach.

  “Well, that’s unnecessary,” she said, grinning. Her hand rested on the small of my back, pulling me towards her, and she hooked her leg over me. “How are you feeling about everything now?” She pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.