by Elodie Colt
Squeezing his hand, I pull him closer. “Hey, are we good? Are you… are you still mad at me for what I said to you over the phone yesterday?”
He levels a stare at me as if he forgot I was here, and it doesn’t sound convincing when he quips, “No.”
I sigh. “Listen, I’m sorry I hung up just like that, okay? It was just… the four weeks you were gone, it felt as if you were avoiding me. You rarely texted, and we didn’t talk for more than a minute when you called.” I pause, waiting for him to tell me that I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, but he remains quiet, watching me with an expression I can’t decipher. “I know you’re busy on your trips, and I didn’t want to be so pushy. I love you, and I just—”
The next words lodge in my throat when he dives down out of nowhere, lips crashing against mine with a force that makes my back hit the iron fence of Daniel’s mansion.
For a second, I fear that his bodyguards might raise the alarm and charge us with raised weapons, but the thought vanishes the second Jesse’s tongue invades my mouth, and it feels like the first time he kissed me five years ago.
I can’t remember him ever losing his inhibitions like this. Holding hands or maybe a sweet kiss in public, yes, but pouncing on me out of the blue and plundering my mouth until I start to swoon is a first.
I grab the collar of his jacket, eliminating every inch between us. His fervent kiss calls to a primal part in me that sets my heart fluttering and stirs an insatiable hunger I can’t seem to tame.
Too soon, he breaks away, gazing down at me with droopy eyes.
“Say that again…” he mumbles, nearly begging, and it takes my brain a moment to pick up his words. There’s only fog and warmth and bright colors swirling in my head.
“W-what did I say?”
“Say it again,” is his only command.
Bewildered, I rack my brain about what I said to him before he swept me off my feet, and I can’t shake off the feeling that he’s backing me into a corner. “Um… I love you?”
A lip-biting smile leaks onto his face. “Now, without the question mark at the end.”
“I love you.”
The breath escapes him in one, slow blow as he trails one finger over my lower lip. “No one has ever said those words to me…” he mutters to himself, sounding awed.
“I remember saying those words to you now and then,” I tease.
He clears his throat, and I find his sudden uneasiness cute. “I mean… I forgot how these words sound coming from your perfect lips.”
His wistful tone astonishes me, and I tilt my head, scrutinizing him. “Where does that come from, anyway? Did anything happen? You seem… out of sorts.”
He blinks as if he just realized something before he steps back with a huff, allowing me space—a space I don’t want. Eyes drawn to the ground, he shakes his head. “No. All good.”
I send him a guarded look. I can feel a wedge drilling its way between us, so I step closer, pulling him to me once again. There’s a haze of sorrow clouding his eyes, and I don’t know what put it there. Eager to ease whatever troubles him, I place both hands on his cheeks.
“I. Love. You,” I say with fierce confidence, knowing he wants to hear the words, even if I don’t understand his need for confirmation. “And I’ll show you just how much… if you let me.” I hold out my hand, and he takes it, following me in silence.
Emilio opens the heavy gates when he sees us approaching, greeting us both with a curt nod. He doesn’t seem to give two hoots that I brought company, but I can hear him mumbling something into his earpiece when we pass, probably informing his boss that I returned without Skyla.
“Holy shit,” Jesse mutters when he sneaks a look around Daniel’s place.
I follow his gaze. “You sound surprised. Didn’t Daniel show you around when you arrived?”
He flashes me a furtive glance as if unsure as to what to say. “Um… I haven’t been here, yet. I booked a hotel room nearby.”
I frown. “Why did you book a room? You know we’re all staying at Daniel’s. Didn’t you call him? He would have sent one of his guys to pick you up from the airport.”
“Yeah, um… someone stole my phone at the airport, and I had to get a new one.” He retrieves a shiny new iPhone from his pocket. “All my contacts are gone.”
“Oh, okay. Who told you we were at that club, then?”
He looks panicked for a moment before he explains, “I… texted Matthew when I landed. They took my phone shortly after.” I send him an irritated look. Why is he acting so weird? And why does it sound as if he’s not telling the truth? “Come on. Let’s go inside. It’s getting cold.” He tugs at my arm where goosebumps already cover my skin.
Most of the wedding guests have already called it a night, but Aaron is still behind the DJ’s desk playing a ballad for the couples. Sam, Kendra, and Leo fool around on the dance floor making crazy choreographies, while Matthew and Daniel enjoy the show from the sidelines. Kendra gawks when she spots me with Jesse in tow, sending me an exaggerated wink along with a lewd gesture before we sneak inside.
“This place is insane,” Jesse utters when we cross a colonnade with life-size marble statues forming a line along the wall.
“It sure is. Not my style, though.”
“No?” With a hand on my hip, he whirls me around, so we’re face to face once again. “What’s your style, then?”
“I don’t know. Cottage style, maybe.” Jesse grumbles a hmmm and steals a quick kiss while I fumble with the doorknob behind my back. “Something charming and cozy with a stone siding and small windows.” He chuckles under his breath and goes for another peck on my lips just as the door clicks open. “Somewhere secluded where there are no neighbors or streets. Maybe at the edge of a cliff or…”
He freezes out of nowhere, his fingers digging into my hips as he pushes me over the threshold and into my room. What’s going on now?
I pat down the wall to find the light switch, but he snatches my hand.
“Leave it off,” he purrs as he comes up from behind me.
“I thought you prefer the lights on.”
“I want to see your milky skin glowing in the moonlight,” is his sultry answer, and I gaze down at where he grazes a finger down my arm, the pale glow of the moon gleaming on my skin. After removing my hair clip, he yanks my head back, so it rests on his shoulder, my neck completely exposed. “It makes me want to bite you like a vampire.” I utter a husky chuckle, but it turns into a weak moan the second he clamps his teeth into my flesh, sucking until my knees buckle.
I wait with bated breath as he moves the zipper down at my back, his fingers skimming over my skin when they reach the curve of my butt. With skillful movements, he slides the straps from my shoulders, letting the silk drift to the floor to expose my black underwear.
I’m glad I decided to wear the lacy pair for the occasion. This night with Jesse is different. Special. Unique. Memorable.
“Ruby…” he mumbles in nothing short of yearning, the echo of my name ghosting along my skin. “You’re quite a gem, aren’t you?”
“You tell me… you’re the expert.”
“Am I? Hmmm, let’s see…” A finger wafts over my lips. “Color… pink.” The same finger moves down my throat. “Surface… flawless.” Cupping my breasts, he weighs them in his hands. “Carat… let’s count with five carats per gram, so we’re talking a little over two grand.” His hand skates around my navel, and a finger traces a straight line down to my female parts. “Cut… a perfectly symmetrical trillion.”
Jesus Christ. Who would have thought that Jesse jabbering about geology would ever be a turn-on?
He spins me around so that my front is flush with his, and both hands cup my cheeks while he gives me the most intense look.
“If my calculations are correct, you’re worth way more than just a few million dollars.” There’s a loaded pause before he whispers, “Invaluable.”
“Well, I guess this gem needs some polishing to sh
ine again,” I purr, yanking his jacket down his shoulders.
“I don’t know,” he mumbles while I dispose of his shirt. “I’ve got a piece worth a king’s ransom in my possession. Quite risky. The way I see it, I’ve got two options. One, locking it up so no one can ever find it.” I yelp when he tackles me, nailing me down on the bed and pinning my hands above my head. “Or two, demolishing it.” The last words are spoken just as he rips my panties in two, and I gasp in surprise.
“You’re right. You should demolish it…” I stop there, waiting for his hand to find that spot throbbing with need. “… before someone takes it from you.”
As if wanting to drive home a point, he pushes a finger inside me, plundering my mouth like a man possessed.
Unbuckling his jeans, I yank all his remaining clothes down to his ankles. His full-fledged erection slaps against my belly, smearing it with a trail of precum. I flex my hips, urging him on, but he ignores my frantic gestures and breathy pleas, slowing his pace. The way he works me over, devouring me with passion but holding me with reverence, spikes my need to extreme levels.
Pushing at his shoulders, I roll him onto his back, straddling his hips and chafing against his steel-hard length. He curses under his breath when I move his tip to my hot core, letting it glide all the way inside.
“Ruby…” His hand comes up to curl around the nape of my neck, pulling me down until he can whisper over my lips, “You feel so fucking good.”
Taking my time, I roam my hands over his torso and catalog each ripple. The moon throws streaks of light onto his body, and it’s only now I notice that he gained more muscles over the last few weeks. Jesse always sported a nice body, but his abs are definitely more pronounced, and thick veins pop out when he flexes his arms.
“If you continue to look at me like that, I’m going to explode before you even start to move,” he grits out, his cock convulsing.
I start to rotate my hips in response. “I love you,” I say over his lips, waiting for him to speak the same words to me, but he only utters a choked sound before he pulls me down to dominate me with a kiss that leaves me breathless. There’s so much desperation and carnality in the way he flicks his tongue inside my mouth, it feels as if he’s clawing his way into my soul.
Pushing myself up, I gaze down on him, my hips grinding against him in slow, agonizing circles. The longer I match his blazing stare, the more heat courses through my veins. Prickles turn into pulsations, and I know I’m seconds from free-falling into a pit of devastating pleasure.
“Wanna switch?” The question comes out all breathy and tortured.
“Sw- fuck… switch what?” he grunts while I continue to swivel my hips.
“Switch positions.”
Jesse shoots me a look as if I’ve lost my mind. “Why?”
“Because you can’t come when I’m on top,” is my slightly irritated answer.
“Oh, I’m sure I can,” he gruffs out with a scoff, then grabs my ass hard, and it doesn’t take more than three voracious penetrations before he pushes me over the edge.
A raucous noise forces its way up my throat, and my body shakes as an earth-shattering orgasm starts to dissect me piece by piece. The sensations are dazzling, and for a moment, all I see is an ocean of stars.
Jesse holds me while I become a spineless mess, his praises and curses not more than background noise. After what feels like a small forever, the immense high simmers down, and I collapse on top of him.
We listen to each other’s frantic heartbeats until he rolls me to the side and cradles me to his chest.
“Sleep, my priceless gem,” he croons into my ear before I fall asleep.
Winded, I take off my helmet and shrug out of my jacket, eager to get rid of my sweat-soaked clothes and wash away the streaks of dirt and oil. Traipsing over to the basin, I turn on the faucet and splash cold water onto my face when suddenly, the entire room starts to shake. I grab the basin as the lights flicker, and that’s when I see it…
A glowing orb of fire shooting up right from the drain.
Panicked, I dash out of my room. “Blowout!” I scream. “Get off the rig! Everyone off the rig!”
The guys loitering in the hallway shoot me puzzled looks as I wave my hands about, and to my horror, I realize that no sound makes it over my lips. I want to run to Wes and save him from his imminent death, but my feet are rooted to the ground.
There’s nothing I can do as everything blows up in my face.
“Blowout!”
“Hey, hey, calm down,” a warm voice croons when I jerk up in bed. Whipping my head around, I blink at a dark-haired beauty looking at me in concern, and it takes me a moment to remember who she is. Her hand comes up to rest on my shoulder. “It was just a nightmare.”
Pressing my eyes shut, I let my head fall onto her chest, soaking up her body heat and drawing comfort from her touch. Her arms circle me, one hand brushing through my hair. We stay like that until my heart calms down, and I lift my head to look at her.
“That was a bad one. Do you want to talk about it?”
Shaken, I stare into her moss-green eyes until reality slowly drags me back. This beauty walked up to me in her belief that I’m the guy she loves, and I didn’t do shit about it, letting her drag me into her bedroom to ravish her body. A body that belongs to someone else.
Holding my breath, I wait for her to call my bluff, to notice the differences that have to be there somewhere now that I can’t hide my face in the daylight. But the only thing swirling in her pretty eyes is… true love.
“Baby, come on. Talk to—”
No, I don’t want to talk. All I want right now is to live this dream. To take everything Ruby has to give until the time comes for her to find out the truth.
The truth that she put all her trust and love into the wrong guy.
So, I yank her to me and claim her lips, swallowing her gasp as I press her so tight against me, she can barely breathe. Soon, one thing leads to another, and I tug at her knees, placing them on either side of my hips. My cock pulses when it touches her pussy lips, and it’s all I can do not to impale her on the spot. Instead, I suck my thumb into my mouth and start playing with her little nub, using the moment to analyze her body in detail.
Last night, I saw her in a gown, her features enhanced by touches of makeup, her hair all straight and shiny, and her skin glowing in the moonlight. Now, her strands are in knots, the remains of eyeliner are smudged, and her skin is covered in love bites. Beautiful beyond belief.
“You make me lose my mind,” I utter in nothing short of desperation.
“Good. You don’t need your mind for this.” Easing down on me, her eyes roll back into her head with each inch.
She starts to rock back and forth, and I curl my other arm around her, holding her close so that I can bury my face in her tits. Each time I suck a nipple into my mouth, the sweetest sounds escape her, and I nib and tug until they are so hard, they could poke my eyes out.
Each swivel of her hips makes her walls contract around me, and she hisses when my movements become frantic. Sucking my thumb into my mouth a second time, I skim it over her puckered hole, and her eyes pop open when I start to explore that forbidden place.
“Wait, I… I don’t know if that’s—”
“I won’t hurt you,” I cut in.
Many women have their inhibitions about anal either because they fear it’s painful, or because they are ashamed, feeling too exposed and vulnerable. What most men don’t understand is that an ass is not a pussy. Just because you can fuck it, doesn’t mean you can just thrust in and give your girl an orgasm.
The fact that Ruby is shy about it confirms that her man has no clue how to handle his treasure, and for some reason, the knowledge fills me with pride. Our time ticks. We might have minutes left, maybe hours until she’ll uncover the truth. And until then, I’ll destroy her for every other man out there, stealing her body along with her soul.
I glide my thumb up and down, waiting for her to
relax and give in to the sensations. I know she’s close when her teeth clamp down on her lower lip, and that’s when I push in half of my finger.
Her eyes grow wide when a monumental crash of pleasure hits her from all sides until the heat at her core bursts, making me detonate with her. She jerks against me, ecstatic ripples making her thrash from the sweet agony. A raucous moan wrenches from her lips, one that quickly turns into a keening wail. My orgasm is so intense, it paralyzes me for a good five seconds, and I bite into her breast to muffle my moan.
“Jesus…” Ruby mumbles when she sinks down on me, and I plop onto my back with her on top.
I chuckle, relishing in the bliss of this beautiful morning. All I see is bright colors and fluffy unicorns. “How dare you praise another man’s name when I’m still inside you,” I tease.
She lifts her head to look at me, a pretty blush turning her cheeks crimson. Not used to dirty talk, huh? What a shame. “I promise to praise your name from now on, Jesse.”
And just like that, all the unicorns evaporate, and the only color I see is… blood red.
~~~
“Are you okay? You look pale,” Ruby remarks, brushing a hand over my forehead.
“Yeah,” I mumble in a jaded tone. Gently, I roll her off me, turning my back to her to hide the torrent of emotions drowning me. “Just a little hangover from yesterday.”
“Hey.” Ruby tugs at my arm, willing me to look at her.
There’s a long moment of silence as she regards me with an unreadable expression, and I try to keep my cool despite the fury brewing in my belly.
“I know something happened in Venezuela. Wait, let me finish,” she adds when I open my mouth to cut in. “I can tell something’s eating you. But… it has never been like this between us. It feels as if you’re a different man than you were when you left, and that’s okay. More than okay, actually.” Her lips hint at a smile. “Just… if you ever need to let it out, come talk to me. I’m here for you.” She leans in to give me a peck on the cheek. “Oh, and save your new number in my phone, will you?” Hopping off the bed, she tosses me her phone before she vanishes in the bathroom to take a shower, leaving me gutted.
