by Nana Malone
Even as the words tripped out of her mouth, an enormous sense of relief washed through her. She felt like she'd been holding in those words for so damn long, afraid to tell the wrong person, terrified to tell him.
The smile on his face was a soft, slow burn, from the barest hint into a wide broad grin. He looked so young and sweet that she kissed him.
He held her in position, trying to shift down so he could angle her better, kiss her deeper, but she pulled back. "Not so fast. You’re already being awake deprived me of my morning wake up call. So I'm just going to have to give it to you now."
And just like that, the cocky smirk was back. "Oh yeah, what does this wake up call entail?"
"Why don't you lie back and you'll see.” She kissed his jaw and chin, relishing in the soft stubble abrading her skin. His fingers played in her hair as she kissed down to his chest. When she teased one of his nipples and at the same time wrapped her hand around his dick, his grip tightened. The sharp sting made her hot.
He was always so careful with her but it turned her on to know that he wanted her so much. She tugged and teased the nipple with first her tongue then her teeth and he held her head in place and groaned. "Shit. Cara. I—" He shuddered.
"I guess I learn fast."
"I've created a monster."
"In the best possible way." She kissed his chest and he loosened his grip some, but with every slide of her hand, his hips lifted up, meeting her strokes. His free hand clutched at the sheets and she smiled to herself. She planned to enjoy this unfettered access to his body thoroughly. When she kissed down to his hip, his hand dug into her hair again. "Cara. I'm on the edge. As much as I want your mouth on me. I won't last if you suck me off."
"Who said I wanted you to last?"
His gaze burned into hers, going from their stormy gray to gunmetal. "Cara."
"You like to be in charge, but I'm driving now."
She kissed lower and he all but begged. "Cara, fuck, please."
"Asking nicely is absolutely allowed." She trailed an open-mouthed kiss over his hipbones and he shivered. Slowing her hand, she ran a thumb over the soft, sensitive tip, rubbing the drop of pre-cum over his tight skin.
"Fuck, oh fuck, Cara, just..."
She didn’t listen. Just licked over him before taking the entire length of him into her mouth. His hands shifted back to her hair, tugging it in an attempt to pull her back. She waited until the tip of him hit the back of her throat, then oh so slowly pulled back inch by inch. Only to sink back onto him, taking him in, making him tremble.
She found a rhythm that worked and he helped her, gently guiding her. When she did something he liked, he swore and held her head still, or whispered, "Yeah, just like that.” They worked out a rhythm but then suddenly, he tugged her off.
"Hey, I was busy…"
He had her on her back in seconds, her legs splayed and his face buried in her lap, licking her from slit to clit. It didn't take much and she was close to the edge. He knew exactly what buttons to push and how to get her right to that edge. And then he was crawling up her body, his cock, nudging at her entrance. Rubbing the tip of himself against her.
"My God, you are so fucking tight and wet. I dream about your pussy clenching around me tight, milking me bare. I think about it all the time. Do you know how crazy that makes me? Do you have any idea how fucking nuts you’ve been driving me? It's all I'm going to think about, your mouth on my cock, sucking me deep first thing in the morning." He mumbled into her throat as the tip of his cock nudged her open.
Oh Geez, she was so close, she needed him inside. Needed him deep. Wanted his finger on her clit, helping her get there. He knew how to make her feel good, knew how to make her ready to scream. But then he was pulling away.
"Tate?" She nearly screamed. Okay, that was loud.
He chuckled. "Easy does it. I'm getting a condom. I had to restock because you cleaned me out."
She watched him intently as he tore open the foil and then she did something else she’d never done before. She put her hand out so that she could put it on.
He stared at her, lips parted. "You want to do it?"
She licked her lips. "Yeah, I do. I want to try."
"Hell.” He handed her the condom, but squeezed his eyes shut. "I have to try hard not to come."
She scooted closer to him, sitting up. She'd had enough sex-ed classes to get the basic gist, but she'd never had occasion before him. The only other person she'd been with had taken care of it.
She started as she’d always seen, pinched the tip and started to roll down. Tate growled and waved her hands off, before tugging the condom off and lobbing it into the trash can next to his bed. "You wanted to do it. Be confident. My cock won’t break. Do it again." He handed her another condom.
He was right. She could do this. She wanted to do this. She’d been the one who’d asked and being timid wasn’t going to get the job done. She tore open the condom as she’d seen him do, then made quick work of the latex.
Once she was done, she met his gaze with a challenging one of her own. "Better?"
He shuddered. "Fuck, yes."
In less than a second, he had her on her back and drove into her in one full penetration. His name was a yell on her lips and he whispered her name against her neck. His pace was unrelenting, he knew how close she was and seemed to be chasing his orgasm too. But not before he followed his own rules. Ladies first.
He tucked one of his big hands under her ass, bringing her clit into the right position for direct friction. She went off in seconds, breaking apart with minimal effort from him. He kissed her hard, licking into her mouth. She then pulled back, and he whispered, "That's one."
Cara giggled. "It's not a competition."
He slowed down his pace, the quickened frenzy to get her to an orgasm not as necessary now. "I set a high bar so I want to keep re-establishing that bar. Outdoing myself."
"Even if I can’t take it?"she whispered.
He laughed before reaching between them and sliding his thumb over her clit again. Her hips met him thrust for thrust and the tight coiling inside her body broke apart again.
"That's two."
Tate shifted their position, easing out of her with a whimper in her ear. "Flip over for me."
She might have just had two orgasms in rapid succession, but she knew what was coming next. Knew how deep he could go like this.
Tate slid his hands up the back of her thighs and she parted her legs wide, accommodating him. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are like this? I could lose myself in you forever."
When he slid home, they groaned. With intertwined fingers, they both slid them over her clit and she was coming again in minutes, with every single stroke hitting her G spot. On her fourth orgasm, when she thought she might break, he gripped her tight, and with punishing strokes followed her into oblivion.
Tate ignored his alarm for the second time. The last thing he wanted to do was leave this bed, especially not with Cara snuggled in close. He smoothed a hand over her caramel skin and he laughed when she mumbled something that sounded like, “You're insatiable."
Well, that was true, but still. It was only seven. Maybe they had time for—
A knock at the front door had him mumbling under his breath. He considered ignoring it until the person pounded even harder.
"Fuck."
Cara tried to sit up. "Who is that?"
"No idea, but I'm sending them away. I still have twenty minutes before I have to get up to get ready for work and I plan on spending them inside you."
She rolled her eyes and plopped back onto the sheets. The motion did fabulous things to her breasts. "Okay, I swear, I'll be right back."
"And when you come back, bring me some of those vitamins you've been taking. You should be wiped out. Dead. In fact, how are you so cheerful in the mornings?"
“You try waking up with you curled into you and you'll see. Impossible to not be in a good mood."
"Okay, go answer th
e door, then we'll see about my good mood."
He stepped into his boxer briefs and considered a T-shirt, but fuck whoever was at the door because they were disturbing him.
He jogged out into the living room and swung the door open. "What is the fucking emergency? Because I swear to God the world better be on fire."
His breath caught when he saw his twin on the doorstep with bleary, red-rimmed eyes. "Tate, let me in. I need to fucking crash."
He wanted in? With Cara asleep in the bedroom? Quick answer, hell to the no. "Why are you crashing here instead of your place?"
"There was a party. Fucking people are still there like goddamn squatters."
Donovan tried to brush past him, but Tate stood his ground. "Did you forget what happened yesterday? The part where you hit me?"
Donovan shook his head. "Nope. You deserved that. We have fucking twin code or whatever. Now let me in. And while we’re fucking at it, I'll need your help with the damn presentation too. I didn’t get to work on it yesterday. Fucking models and their entourages. I mean, I woke up to three women in bed, none of whom I'm sure I slept with or not. So I didn’t get to work."
And just like that Tate was done. "No. You’re not coming in. I’m not helping you. It's time to clean up your shit. If you want help to get cleaned up and focused, I can do that. But if you think I’m going to let you bring me down to your little island of shit too, you're wrong."
"Fuck you. I don’t know when you got so fucking righteous. You used to be fun until that bitch separated us. You still didn’t tell me brother. Was that piece of ass worth it?"
Tate nodded.
Donovan's eyes rounded. "You're serious?"
"Dead serious."
Donovan might be a drunk, be he wasn't stupid. He knew something was up. "Why won’t you let me in?"
"Because I wasn’t out of bed yet." They didn’t need another confrontation like yesterday. Especially not with Cara here. He didn’t want her to have to see this or witness his brother's particular brand of shit spewing vitriol.
"Bullshit, you're up at five every damn day. It's one of the many reasons why I fucking hate you. Who's in there?"
"No one. You're still not coming in though."
"The fuck I’m not."
Unfortunately, Cara picked that exact moment to come out looking for him. "Tate? Are you coming back to—" She froze when she saw them in the doorway. He was grateful she'd covered up with a sheet.
With a sigh, he turned his attention back to Donovan. "I didn't want you to see that."
His brother glared at him. The smell of stale whiskey breath wafted around them. "You’re still fucking her? Even after I told you I’d tell the old man."
"I could give a shit what you do. But you’re wrong about her. She’s not a stripper."
"I saw her with my own fucking eyes."
"So now the only reason a woman would be in a strip club is because she's a dancer? Club Prestige has both a women's and a men's section. You jumped to the conclusion that made you happy."
Donovan jabbed a finger at his brother. "I fucking ask you for one thing. That’s all. That's it, stay away from her. And you can’t fucking do it."
"No. I can't. I love her."
Donovan stumbled and Tate leaned to give him support. And then, true to his brother's form, he ducked around him and was in the apartment.
The fucker wasn't quiet about it either. "You fucking whore. You won’t fuck me but you fucked my brother? It was me you were looking for, wasn’t it?” He grabbed his crotch and Cara turned away, the disgust written clear on her face.
"Donovan, leave her alone and get out."
He was so busy trying to protect Cara that he didn’t see the hit coming. Donovan sucker punched him again in the same jaw and his head rang. Pain exploded behind his eyes, but he stayed standing and pulled his brother back as he launched for Cara. "Cara, get in the fucking bathroom and lock yourself in."
"Both of you just stop. I don't want this. I never wanted this. I’ll go."
"Stay. Donovan is leaving,” he pleaded. His brother aimed again but Tate had had just about enough. No more protecting his little brother. Donovan had laid his own bed.
When Donovan took a swing, Tate blocked the move with an arm above his head and a shift forward of his body weight. And then he countered with a straight punch to the nose.
The problem with letting out the anger and aggression was, that once it was out, he didn’t want to stop letting it out. He hit Donovan again, and his brother swayed. Again, and he listed to the side.
He could hear Cara shouting for him to stop but he couldn’t hear her above the waves of crashing anger. And then Donovan lunged at him one more time. But Tate's hand connected with his face, and his head snapped back, before he crumpled to the floor.
Tate stood over his brother and glared at him.
The whisper of his name on Cara's lips was the only thing strong enough to drag his attention off of Donovan's prone body. Her eyes were wide and her hands were clenched tight on the sheets. Her lips quivered. She was afraid. He'd made her afraid of him.
14
This was not what Cara wanted. This wasn't the plan. She'd never intended it to be this way. Deep down, she'd known how bad it could get. But she’d never seen Donovan like that. Or Tate for that matter. The fact that they'd been willing to hurt each other left a bad taste in her mouth.
Tate put his hands up as he approached slowly. "Cara, I'm sorry. Are you okay? You're safe with me. I'm not going to let him hurt you. I won't hurt you."
She frowned. He thought she was afraid of him after what he'd done to his brother. No. "I'm fine, Tate. I'm horrified, but I'm not scared."
"I'm sorry you had to see that. I didn’t know he was coming." She laid a hand on his arm and he visibly relaxed.
"I'm horrified because I caused this. This, all of this ... is my fault. I fell in love with you that day at the volunteer event. And then I met Donovan and I had no idea, but I knew it was off. Instead of calling things off, I tried to recapture that feeling and I was faking it hard. Then I realized you were his twin when I saw you at that party. I knew I wanted to be with you but you were with someone and instead of being a big girl and breaking up with him, I let things drag on."
"Cara, he's responsible for what's going on with him."
"You don’t think what we're doing pushed him there?"
As if to interject his own thoughts, Donovan moaned from the couch.
"We fell in love. It’s complicated, but it's not a crime. We'll figure it out. But I'm not willing to let you go. Not again."
"I can’t do this right now." She backed away from him. "This is your family, and I can’t be in the—"
"Cara, I want to be with you. And I think you want to be with me too. We'll figure it out. I can give you some space, but don’t run because you're scared of how you're feeling. And certainly don’t run because you feel responsible for Donovan. I've done the same thing for too many years to count and it has never made me happy. Nor has it helped him."
She wanted to hold him and tell him she was no quitter, like he'd told her yesterday. But yeah, okay she was freaked out. In the span of twenty-four hours, she'd lost her dream, gained another one, but at the cost of his twin brother. Was all that worth it to him? It was worth it to her, but he'd feel differently eventually. "I'll get my clothes."
He gave her some space as she showered and dressed hurriedly. She grabbed her things and held her head high, walking through the living room. She had to be strong because if she lingered, she'd want to be in his arms. Want him to hold her, tell her she was beautiful and make love to her. She'd want him and she might not be able to have him. "I'll call you later, Tate."
As Donovan tossed and turned on the couch, sleeping off some of the liquor, Tate sat in the leather armchair, keeping vigil. His brows were drawn down and his lips set, but then he whispered, "Please don’t go."
"I need to. So you can figure it out with Donovan first."
She turned quickly to let herself out so that he didn’t see the hot splash of tears on her cheeks.
Tate couldn't believe she was gone. She's not gone, she just needs space. It would be fine. They'd talk. He hated to admit it, but part of him knew she was right. He had shit to work out with Donovan and given the way everything happened, she wasn't the safest she could be with him.
When Donovan didn't wake up, Tate grabbed the fastest shower he could and got dressed. He'd just managed to get the coffee maker on when the phone rang. But it wasn't his usual ring tone. That was Donovan's.
He searched his brother's pockets and found his cell phone. It was their father. Shit. He wasn’t dealing with that shit yet. He'd talk to him in the office.
He also found a packet of white powder. Drugs. Idiot. And a flash drive. He'd never seen his brother carry one around. Normally he emailed everything. He palmed it, then tossed the drugs. Donovan's phone rang again and when he didn’t answer it, his own phone eventually began to ring as well.
Tate sighed when he saw it was his father. Something must have hit he fan if the old man was calling him too.
Tate looked at the flash drive and something crawled into his gut. Something shadowy and slithering and dark. Something he didn’t want to look at, but with his father blowing up both of their phones, he had to.
He grabbed his laptop, keeping an eye on the clock. He still had to get to work but he booted it up and pulled up the flash drive contents.
There were several files and names he didn’t recognize and then a few he did. Complete with account ledgers. And then something that made every ounce of faith he’d had in his brother evaporate. He took the drive out of his laptop and grabbed his keys. His phone rang again and he answered tersely. "For the love of fuck, Dad, I'm on my way."
It seemed his father wasn't really in the mood for any shit either because he was on a tirade. "Where is your brother?"
Even though he should have thrown him under the bus, and even though Donovan would have done it for him, he couldn’t do it. "I'm not his fucking keeper but I need to show you something."
