by Kym Grosso
“Please,” she begged, concern in her voice.
“Hold on. Let me finish.” He held up his hand. “For now, I won’t. But I’m not going to lie. If I need to call them I will. I have a friend in the department…I reserve the right to call him if anything else happens. Killing an animal? Someone who does that kind of thing? There’s something seriously wrong with them.”
“Lars.” She took a deep breath, her eyes flashing to his. “When this is over…you need to know, I won’t be able to stay in San Diego.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Why are you helping me? I didn’t even thank you for what you did for me at the beach…at your house…” She flattened her palms on the floor, preparing to stand.
Lars struggled to answer the question, aware he should probably call Dean and leave the situation in his hands. Whatever she’d gotten herself into wasn’t his business. While Lars had initially told himself he’d needed resolution to the shooting, holding her in his arms at the charity event and later touching her in the pool had sealed his fate. He couldn’t stop thinking about her slick skin against his. With the spark of desire ignited, he considered that he wouldn’t be satisfied until he was buried deep inside her.
“Why?” she pressed.
“It doesn’t matter why,” Lars lied. He’d told Braelynn that he needed the truth from her before they had sex. But the more time he spent with her the less he thought he’d get it. He considered that if he just fucked her, he’d get over his obsession, and could let it all go.
Braelynn went silent at his response, and Lars suspected she knew he was having second thoughts about helping her. She reached for the blanket and he blocked her hand.
“Go pack your things. I’ll take care of this.”
“But I should…”
“Leave him. You should pack.” More irritated with himself than anything else, Lars ignored the desire to comfort her. The small connection between them broke as she turned cold in response to his demeanor.
Braelynn shook her head as silence filled the room. She stared down into her hands, stained with fur and blood. “I need to take a shower.”
Lars watched as she ascended the steps, aware she hadn’t agreed to do what he’d suggested. She was stubborn, involved in something way more dangerous than she was capable of handling. He resisted going to her, taking her in his arms and telling her it was going to be all right. He’d told her that he wasn’t going to call the police but the more he considered what had just occurred, the more the idea appealed to him.
Lars called up the steps to Braelynn. Nearly twenty minutes had passed, and she hadn’t said a word. He’d already pulled his car into her driveway, placing the remains of her pet inside the trunk. Lars retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and scrolled through his phone numbers, his finger hovering over Dean’s. If he called him, he’d take over the situation, keep Braelynn safe, but he’d also arrest her. He clicked it off, deciding that although they’d only been together for less than twenty-four hours, losing her wasn’t an option.
Lars double checked the locks on her doors before venturing up the steps. As he ascended, he noted several lone nails on the tan-colored walls, where he assumed pictures had once hung. As he passed a guest room, he noted the vacant space, dust scattered across the dark cherry hardwood floor. It was as if she’d never fully moved into the house.
As he glanced down the darkened hallway, he detected movement in the distance. The scent of lilacs filled his senses, and he didn’t try to keep quiet as his knuckles tapped on the smooth white wood of the door. Its salt-air rusted hinge creaked as it opened, and he caught sight of Braelynn staring at herself in front of a floor length mirror. Her wide reddened eyes caught his in the reflection.
“Whatcha doing, sweetheart?” he asked, coming up behind her.
“I love California,” she replied.
“I do too. You don’t have to go,” he told her, his voice soft. He glanced to the emptied dresser drawers and back to her. She brought her hand to her face, wincing as she touched it. “Let me get you some ice.”
“No. This is a reminder of what I deserve,” she sighed, running her fingers through her wet hair. “This is my fault. I’m a mess. My life is a mess. I’m leaving.”
“Stay. I’ll keep you safe,” Lars answered. “I’ll hire a security team to protect you twenty-four seven. We’ll get whatever you need. I have friends.”
“I’ll never be safe.”
“You need to let go, Brae. Let me in. I can’t help you if you don’t.”
“Today at the pool,” Braelynn turned to Lars, her towel wrapped tightly around her chest, “I didn’t want you to stop. I just wanted to feel. I know it’s all going to end, but I don’t want it to. Did you ever feel that way? Like at the end of a vacation. You know it’s coming but you can’t stop it.”
“There’s certain things in life you can’t stop.”
“I want to trust you. I want to think that maybe there’s a one percent chance something is going to fucking change. That I can fix this.”
“You don’t need to fix it alone.”
“I can’t ask you to get involved in this. Even if I did, I’m not allowed to tell you.” Braelynn scanned the room and shrugged. “When I first came here, I was so happy. I loved watching the ocean from my balcony. Everything I’d worked so hard for? It’s all packed away now. My clothes. My things. My life.”
“You need to let me in. Forget whatever shit someone told you. Because whoever they are…let me tell you, they aren’t helping.” Lars took a step forward, closing the distance, his palm brushed her cheek. His heart melted, looking into her eyes. Someone had hurt her, and it wasn’t just Giordano.
“Oh God,” she breathed, her eyes slowly blinking. “Please don’t…”
“Brae.” Lars’ chest tightened as she leaned into his touch. Her smooth skin on his palm spiked his lust for the mysterious brunette. Don’t be a fucking asshole, he told himself. This isn’t right. She was vulnerable, not willing to share her secrets. But if they had sex, he might be able to get her out of his system. He’d call Dean and he’d help her. Lars might never see her again, but she’d be safe and he could move on with his own life.
“Let me in.” Just a taste…make her feel good. It was all he could manage. She drove him mad. He needed her capitulation.
“I want this…” she began, but didn’t say the words he needed to hear. “But today at the pool…I don’t want to play games.”
“Lessons, my sweet fox. Perhaps we begin there.” Her heavy eyelids fluttered up to his as he trailed his fingers over her collarbone. They flittered down her chest, edging the fabric. She went to reach for his wrist and he quickly corrected her. “Don’t touch. If you can’t trust me. If you can’t let me in, I’m going to show you how to do it.”
“But Lars, I already told you…”
“I heard you. Now I’m telling you. We’re at a crossroads.” Braelynn dropped her hands to her sides, allowing him to glide his fingers over the swell of her breast. A beginning. “Sometimes we have to learn lessons to build trust. It appears that is the direction you and I are going. Because I’m going to tell you this.” He flicked his finger over the tucked flap, enjoying the gasp that escaped from her lips as the material fell away to the floor. “You and I are going to learn how to trust each other. I’m not letting you go off on your own. I told you that I wouldn’t call the police. So as long as you’re with me…” His energy surged at the sight of her gorgeous form. She released a breathy sigh and closed her eyes as he brushed the back of his hand over her taut tip.
“Look at me,” he demanded. Her eyes snapped to his, and he delighted in the fire dancing in her expression. “You want to control what you tell me? This big secret you’ve got going? I’ll give you that for now but here,” he looked to the bed, and back to her, “when you’re with me, this is mine.”
“Lars,” she sighed as he caressed her breast.
He rounde
d behind her, warning her not to move. “Stay where you are, little one.” His cock hardened to concrete, and he rocked his erection into her ass. “You want this?”
“You said no games.” Braelynn tilted her head to the side as his lips grazed her neck. She startled as he dug his fingertips into a fleshy globe, his other hand caressing her breast.
“This is a lesson, not a game,” Lars growled. The taste of the skin on her neck tempted him further. Jesus, he could lose control with her. He knew she was leaving, but couldn’t resist the temptation. At least they could have tonight. He’d push her as far as she was willing to go.
“Ah…” Braelynn cried as he teased his fingers through her slick folds.
“That’s right, baby. You’re wet. But you know what I want to see.”
“I don’t…” her words faded as he drove another digit inside her.
“I want you spread wide open for me.” Lars withdrew his hand and she groaned in protest. As she attempted to turn around, he slid his hand over her stomach, holding her firmly against him.
“Lars, what are you doing?” Her hips tilted backwards seeking friction. “I want…”
“Oh I know you want it, sweetheart. But sometimes,” he ran his fingers along her bottom lip, teasing them open. His cock thickened as she sucked them into her mouth, “you have to work for it.”
Fucking hell, this woman would drive him mad. As he spun her around, his fingers withdrew with a pop, and he tossed her on the bed. She went to lie back but he crooked his finger. In silent understanding, she inched forward and sat on the edge. Opening to him, she parted her knees and trailed her fingertips slowly down her stomach.
He sucked a breath at the spectacular sight of her hand hovering above her pelvis. Although he sensed her desire to go further, her hesitation told him she sought permission. How far would she go? he wondered. Taking her to Altura, he’d be free to experiment, to push her further publicly.
“Show me. Touch yourself.” Braelynn’s head fell back as her fingers grazed through her labia. Lars dropped to his knees, drinking in the sight of her doing as he asked. “That’s it. You’re so beautiful, sweetheart.”
She relaxed into a rhythm, and he crouched to the floor, settling between her knees. Lars unzipped his jeans, freeing his steel-hard dick, stroking it as he watched her. A wild beautiful creature lurked beneath the scared woman he’d met; one who appeared desperate to escape her bindings. As he knelt before her, he promised to discover her secrets, hoping she’d learn to trust him.
Chapter Eleven
Every cell in Braelynn’s body awakened as she let go of her inhibitions. For so long, she’d denied herself a connection to another human being. The lies and secrets had overcome her life. But with Lars, for the first time in a very long time, someone cared about her, giving her hope to go on one more day.
When he’d come to her upstairs, she’d stood lost, staring at the shell of the person she used to be. She wore the bruises as reminders of her failure. She assumed that no one could love someone who’d made so many mistakes. Lars promised her a refuge she didn’t deserve, but he was becoming impossible to resist.
Starving for affection, she’d collapsed into the delicious temptation he offered. Lars had denied her in the pool earlier but something had changed. She didn’t know or care why. This man, he breathed life into her soul.
Abandoning the anchors of her guilt, she obeyed him, and sighed as she touched her pussy. The brush of his shoulders to her inner thighs brought her focus to the blue eyes that pinned her in place. Braelynn glanced down to his thick cock, and drove her finger deep inside her heat, wishing it was him. She didn’t know if he was testing her like he’d done earlier, but it didn’t matter. His words encouraged her to let go, to embrace what she’d been afraid to do with anyone.
“My turn,” she heard him growl.
Her palm slid upward and he caught her wrist. As he sucked her fingers into his mouth, her core tightened, her thighs gripping his shoulders.
“Lars, please don’t tease me,” she cried. The devious flicker in his eyes told her she’d never be the same after the night was through.
“Do you like to watch?” he asked, releasing her hand. His head dipped to her stomach but he never took his eyes off of hers. She sucked a breath as he kissed her hip. “Or do you like to be watched?”
Braelynn knew her answer. To admit it would leave her more exposed that she’d ever been. There’d been no one in her life she’d ever been able to be herself with, no one who’d understand her forbidden desires. Be a good girl, her parents had told her. Don’t be a slut, her friends had warned. The only serious boyfriend she’d ever had never approved of her fantasies, shut down her thoughts as perverted.
“Pay attention, my sweet little fox.” A slap to her mound snapped her out of her reverie. She gave a ragged breath, the sting drenching her with desire. As he slid a firm finger inside her, she clenched around him, tilting her hips upward. “Hmm…you know what I think?”
“I don’t know…yes,” was all she could manage in response.
“I think you like being watched.” He smiled as his lips brushed over her aching slit.
“Please,” she begged, arching her back. The warmth of his breath on her drove her mad.
“Maybe you do like to watch but, oh yes,” he said, with a kiss to her inner thigh. “I think I’d love to fuck you in front of an audience. Is that what you’d like, Doctor? Would you like to scream while I fuck you? Have people watch you come?”
Braelynn closed her eyes, her nipples hardening in response to his dark suggestion. No man had ever spoken to her the way he did, and while she knew she’d have to leave, the seduction of his offer was too great to resist.
“Oh, no, no. Eyes on me, baby. Today, you watch. Tonight, you will be watched,” he promised.
Braelynn’s gaze went to his, unable to imagine what he planned. She spread her legs further, offering herself as a feast. Captivated, her eyes widened as he dragged his tongue deep through her pussy.
“Ah,” she cried as he lapped over her clitoris. His hungry eyes stayed on hers, and she swore he could see into her soul.
“You do like watching, don’t you?” he spoke into her lips.
“Yes,” she admitted, her voice soft.
He gave a small laugh, lashing her clit with his tongue. As he sucked her swollen nub into his mouth, she raked her fingers into his hair. His fingers clutched tight to her ass, and she craved his imprint on her skin.
“Oh God, yes. Lars, that feels so…” Braelynn struggled to keep upright, bracing all her weight on her palms. Her breast ached, full with need. The intensity in his eyes never wavered as he relentlessly licked her.
He drove two fingers into her tight heat, and she arched her back, screaming his name. “Lars! Fuck, yes.” Braelynn shook at the intrusion, her body writhing in pleasure. As if struck by lightning, her body sizzled as she convulsed around him. Gasping for breath, she fell backwards onto the bed, her body quivering.
“Hmm…did I tell you that we were finished?” she heard him ask, his tone firm.
Her eyes blinked open, catching his fiery stare. He tore his shirt off over his head, revealing his muscular chest, and kicked off his jeans. Her eyes darted to his stiffened cock and back up to his face. She squeaked as he grabbed her legs, swiftly flipping her over onto her stomach.
“What are you doing? Ow,” she cried as he administered a firm slap to her bottom. His fingers brushed over her cheeks, tugging her upward.
“I told you to watch. You don’t listen well,” he reprimanded.
“It felt so good. I couldn’t…” Braelynn sighed as his fingers slid under her belly and over her breasts. Her ripe tips ached for his touch and she moaned as he took them between his fingers, gently tugging. “Yes.”
“I will take care of you. But you must trust me, you understand?”
“But we just met,” she answered breathlessly.
“True but sometimes the strength of a relat
ionship isn’t measured in time.” Lars lifted her upward. “Hands and knees, sweetheart.”
“But I want…”
“This isn’t about what you want, Brae. This is about what you need. You want to close your eyes? Keep them closed now. You can’t see me but you’re going to feel every last bit of me,” he promised.
“Lars,” she breathed as the tip of his cock probed her entrance. Braelynn pressed backwards, attempting to force his hand. A slap to her other cheek rewarded her efforts and she cried out in pleasure, the pain only causing her to ache even more.
“Braelynn…something about you,” he grunted, “ah fuck, don’t move.”
She moaned as he released her, the loss of his touch unbearable. The sound of the crinkling foil reminded her how reckless she’d been. She would have fucked him without regard to protection and not given a shit. No, she wanted him deep inside her, and with death and danger looming over her, nothing mattered but Lars.
“Good girl,” he praised, his warm hands returning to her skin.
Her head lolled forward as she presented her ass to him. She shivered as his hand ran over her cheek, teasing the cleft.
“Please, I need you. I need this,” Braelynn begged in anticipation.
“Rewards for trust,” Lars grunted as he plunged inside her tight channel.
“Ah, yes, yes…oh wait.” A delightful twinge rocked through her. She took a deep breath, releasing it as her core adjusted to his size.
“Jesus, you’re so tight,” he told her, withdrawing and sliding deep inside again without waiting.
Braelynn relaxed into him as he began a slow rhythm in and out of her. While she desperately wanted to look into his beautiful eyes, her body seized with pleasure, his fingers grazing through her folds. As they circled her swollen nub, she cried out, her orgasm building.
“You feel so damn good,” he praised her.
“Fuck. Ah. Me.” She responded to each strong thrust, his flesh pounding against hers. His relentless touch to her clit became more than she could bear. She lost control. A scream tore from her lips as her release slammed into her. With tendrils of ecstasy threading through her body, her quivering pussy milked his cock.
