Dead or Alive

by Trevion Burns

  “Take these off,” she cooed, her fingers going to his button and zipper when he continued watching her in awe. She sat up, legs splayed, and pushed them off of his hips, only getting them down below his ass before she was taking the head of his throbbing member in her mouth, suckling hungrily.

  “Fu--” He hadn’t been expecting that, and he screamed out when he realized the amazing feeling of her full lips suckling him, milking him dry in what would easily be seconds. He pulled out of her mouth with a plop. “Not like that,” he begged, taking in her surprised face.

  Violet smiled, pushing her body to the headboard of the bed, watching him undress completely.

  Tossing his shirt and pants to the side, Remy climbed onto the bed, his cock bobbing between him as he moved to her, pressing his weight between her legs.

  “Wait.” She sat up, cradling her knees on either side of him, before reaching into the drawer of her nightstand, pressing the aluminum blindly between her fingers.

  Remy watched her produce a condom, and had it open and sheathed on in seconds. “I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on you, V…” His lips moved against hers as he whispered those words, reaching between their bodies and taking his hardness into his hands. “I knew it from the moment I saw you…”

  Knew what? She wanted to ask, but the feeling of him entering her, spreading her, stole her words, and her back was arching off the bed in time with her spread legs, frantic for more of him. He sank in slowly, and they both cried out at once when he filled her to the hilt, starting a slow thrust.

  “God, yes.” He pressed his forehead to hers, finding a rhythm in her warm sheath and hitting it in time with her soft pants. “You feel so good.” He wasn’t going to last. It had been too long. He’d wanted her far too much, and it had been way too long. His face darkened with frustration as he fought for a control that didn’t exist.

  “You too.” She gasped. Her eyes fell shut, and tears tumbled out of them as she came a second time, the pleasure taking over every inch of her body, including her words. When she opened them, her head pounded softly against the headboard under the weight of his thrusts, she cupped his face, seeing the steadfast fight for restraint that wasn’t at all necessary. “You’ve made me cum so much, baby, I want you to cum, please cum.”

  Remy’s entire being broke at her words, gasping against her lips as he picked up his pace. “You want it, V?”

  “I want it on me, Remy, I want it all over me.”

  “You want it, baby?”

  “Please…”

  Feeling her body tighten around him as she came, Remy clenched his teeth, fighting. But it was a battle already lost. His hips picked up speed, pleasure knocking at every corner of his body, the promise of the beautiful peak he was right on the edge of making it almost impossible for him to pull his dick out.

  By the grace of god he did, just in time. After one last, deep thrust, he pulled out, tossing the condom and catching the pounding head of his dick in his hand, pumping wildly. She replaced his hand with hers, spreading her juices all over him as she stroked him hurriedly. The moment her slim, warm fingers clutched him, tugged him, he exploded, crying out as he busted instantly all over her heaving stomach. His juices decorated her brown skin without relent, one shot after another, his entire body flinching and writhing with his orgasm.

  “Oh god, V, yes…” His hips buckled helplessly into the tight sleeve her fingers made, until he didn’t have another drop to give.

  “Mmm…” She smiled gently up at him, catching him when he collapsed onto her chest, his essence still between them. She locked her arms around him and, this time, it was he who passed out right away, his panting lips pressed against her heaving chest as he gave in to the slumber.

  And she was right on his heels.

  ***

  Three blissful days followed, and Violet found herself unable to get any work done. There was no time for anything outside of Remy’s insatiable appetite for her. Making love to him had quickly proven the best and worst mistake she’d ever made, as not a moment seemed to go by where he wasn’t looking for more. And he’d taken more, in fact, he’d taken her on nearly every surface in that house. Sometimes it was slow, sweet. He’d savor her like he was parched and she was his last drop to drink. He’d kiss her tenderly as he loved her, tonguing her slowly in tune with his thrusts.

  Then there were other times. Times when he couldn’t be bothered to take her to bed, or even remove all of their clothes. Times when he’d seemed so urgent in his desire that, sometimes, she feared his arduous thrusts might split her right in two.

  Tonight had been one of those nights. Where Remy took her with such turbulent vigor that it left her breathless, experiencing the kind of peaks she’d believed were possibly only in fiction. They’d been lying in each others arms under the starry sky, whispering their deepest secrets, hopes and dreams when he’d rolled over and pushed her dress up around her waist. He’d pushed his sweats down just low enough to free his dick and propel himself inside, deep inside, loving her with a passion that elicited screams that left her throat sore, her body breathless, and her heart shredded.

  They still lay there, in the grass, far passed coming down from their high, but still unable to muster the heart to stand, to pull away. So they lay there, bodies curled together.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Her head shot up from where it had been nestled in his chest as it slowly rose and fell. She’d been so bewitched by the pattern of his breathing and beating heart, that it had almost lulled her to sleep. When her eyes met his, the love she felt for him tore at her. She yearned to tell him what she was feeling, but his continued failure to tell her he felt the same way threw a twinge of pain into her adoring eyes, and stole the words before she could say them, again.

  “Nothin’ much,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed as he tightened his arm from where it was wrapped around her, running the beds of his fingers slowly up and down her arm.

  Remy smiled lazily at the sound of her southern drawl. “You know that drawl always seems to sneak through when we make love.” He took a lock of her hair under his fingers, watching intently as he twirled it. “Why do you work so hard to hide it away?”

  Violet pressed her chin to his chest, tracing the deep lines his pecs made. “I don’t hide it away. It’s just not as strong as it used to be.”

  “The hell it isn’t.” His smile grew. “It’s there. And it’s strongest right when you’re about to cum. That’s when it really comes out full force.”

  “It does not.”

  He lit up. “It does.”

  The blush that hit her cheeks was so strong she could feel it like flames lapping at her cheeks.

  “And it’s sexy as hell, V.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love…”

  Violet held her breath, and tried to stop her body’s reaction to that word, and what it had grown to mean to her when she imagined it tumbling from his lips.

  Remy caught the dangerous word just as it knocked at the door of his stupid mouth, stopping it before he gave life to a power he wouldn’t have the strength to defeat. “I love being inside you, V.”

  Violet tried to disguise the poignant hurt she felt in her heart. “I love having you inside me.” She didn’t miss the way his breathing had picked up. His heart rate grew stronger, but more uneven. Her head rose and fell, visibly, from where it was cradled on his chest as his breathing increased. “Would you have let me go that day on the roof?” her eyes rose slowly to his. If he wouldn’t tell her he loved her, at least he could tell her the truth on this.

  His eyes went back and forth between hers, unable to decide which one was more enthralling, more beautiful. Releasing the piece of hair he’d been playing between his fingers, he dipped them into her thick strands completely and prodded her, waiting for her to sit up and press her lips to his. He craned his neck to meet her, pushing her lips apart with his tongue, and moaning deeply when it met hers in the middle.<
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  He pulled back slowly, with repentance, and only far enough to brush the tip of his nose against hers just as his eyes fluttered open and caught her. Held her. Claimed her with one gaze the same way she’d claimed him from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.

  “Yes, V. I would’ve let you go,” he whispered, and his fingers dug into her hair the moment he said the words, getting as much of it under his fingers as he could, clasping it with all his might. “Even though I needed you desperately. I didn’t think I would ever need you more in my entire life than I needed you then. I was wrong. The way I need you now…”

  Violet waited for him to finish, watching her fingers as her nails softly trailed the hard dips and curves on his chest.

  “Violet I need you now... More than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.”

  Violet’s eyes shot back up to his, and filled with tears. She saw the moisture in his own eyes just before her vision went too blurry to see. She blinked the foggy tears away. “I’m yours.”

  “Please don’t ever leave.”

  He breathed deep, and she could feel the shudder of his chest as he did. “When are you going to get it? If I haven’t left you by now…” Her words slowed to a stop, knowing he didn’t need her to finish.

  “You asked me the other day, why I became a pilot. I told you I didn’t know, but I did. I’ve always known.”

  “You did?”

  “I was searching for something, anything, that felt like home. For anything that felt like you.” His body felt red hot, and what he felt for Violet in that moment was something he was sure he’d never feel again. It was profound, outer worldly. Even as the pain seemed to eclipse everything inside of him, one look in her eyes sent a bright light booming through. Her power to lighten even the darkest corners of his soul, of his life, was poignant and terrifying. The likelihood of losing her was still distressingly real, but it had never petrified him more than it did right then. “I was looking for you, V.” His breathing picked up. “Even if I can’t keep you, maybe it’s enough. Maybe it’s enough that I found you at all.”

  “Why are you talking like this?”

  “You deserve more than this.” The tears that had been staining his eyes finally tumbled on, down his face, running a quick path to the valley between his pecs. She caught the first drop in a kiss, then the second, and every one that followed thereafter. “You deserve a family, a peaceful life, a white picket fence. You deserve so much more than what I can give you.”

  Violet jammed her eyes shut as she kissed the tears on his chest, even as her own fell from her cheeks and swirled into the mix. The saltiness lingered on her tongue as she looked up and met his eyes, her voice trembling as she spoke. “I don’t want any of that, if I can’t have it with you. I don’t want it with anyone but you.”

  Remy tugged her closer, holding her tearstained face to his chest as he stared up at the starry sky. He could die right here, and it wouldn’t have felt like a loss. It wouldn’t have felt like it was all for nothing. Quite the opposite. Finding the truth was quickly proving to be just one tiny piece of the complicated puzzle that had propelled him to flee--with Violet next to him.

  Liberation was no longer enough.

  Having Violet in his arms had become the real fight.

  The only fight.

  It was a battle he’d fight to the death.

  10

  Later that night, Violet blushed when she awoke in her bed with her forehead nestled against Remy’s. The last thing she could remember was falling asleep in his arms under the stars. This was the second time he’d found the strength to carry her up the stairs to bed. He wasn’t fully healed, and she was sure it must have been a painful task. Still, she wondered, with relief, if his leg was well enough to carry her sleeping body up the stairs, surely it was well enough for them to leave that house and finish what they’d started. Finish proving him innocent.

  It was what they’d been waiting for, but now the prospect of leaving that house sent her into a mini-panic. The way he’d been talking to her that night, like they’d already lost, had scared her. She didn’t want to think about things going south for them. She didn’t want to think about losing him. But Remy was right.

  They hadn’t won, yet.

  What he didn’t seem to understand was that losing was not an option. It couldn’t be. She didn’t know how she’d survive it.

  Between their bodies, their hands had joined together in their sleep. At the sight of this, she clutched his a little tighter, and he stirred, but didn’t wake up. With her free hand, she ran the back of her finger slowly down the bridge of his strong nose, over his plush pink lips. She yearned for him to open his eyes and give her the gift of those angry baby blues of his. She almost woke him up in her need for it, but managed to fight it back. How could anyone with a heart look at a face like this and believe it was capable of anything as terrible as murder?

  She found herself getting upset at the mere thought. She was now more sure than ever that this man wasn’t capable of hurting even a fly. He was too good. He was so good, in fact, that he’d made many attempts to flee from her, the one person in the world who was willing to help him, just because he couldn’t stand the thought of her going down for his crime.

  Her fingers cupped his sleeping chin, and she thought about the first time he’d carried her up those stairs the night before, and made love to her. How he’d shake her gently awake in the dead of night, many nights, begging for satiation, for release from his never-ending hunger for more. How they’d finish together, shower together, and have each other again. If his sheer stamina was any indication, he would be ready to leave this house and get back to the investigation very soon.

  The though scared her to death. Once Remy’s leg was well, he would have no problem getting rid of her if he wanted to.

  Did he?

  He’d told her, many times, that he was never looking for anything serious with the women in his life. He’d even said that women who dated him had a knack for seeing something in him that wasn’t really there. When Violet looked at him now, she saw a man she loved and who loved her back. Even if he’d never said it.

  Had she filled her own head with dreams that didn’t exist? Remy had been in tears that night, there was nothing fake about that, but he still hadn’t said the words. Perhaps the tears weren’t indicative of his love for her, but for the fear he felt inside.

  He was a man with much to be afraid of. So much so that it would be enough to drive anyone to tears.

  Her hand fell from his chin. Was she doomed to be just another name on the list of women whose heart Remy had ripped clear out? He hadn’t, after all, said that he loved her back. Violet jammed her eyes shut, attempting to calm her thoughts and regain some sense of control over how distressed they made her, but she couldn’t.

  Why hadn’t he? With every second that passed, every second she laid there even looking at him, it was bothering her more and more. She hated the idea of being something casual to him, but feared she’d set herself up for just that.

  With a heavy sigh, she climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. Taking in her sleepy reflection in the mirror, she immediately scoffed at how happy she looked. Even with the weight of the world on her shoulders, with doubt plaguing her mind, she looked deliriously happy.

  What an idiot. Only she could fall in love with a man who wasn’t looking for love. She was nothing if not a masochist.

  She moved to the toilet, and with a little more force than what was necessary, yanked the heavy lid up. The burner phone that she’d swiped off of the young boy was, thankfully, still intact where she’d taped it to the top.

  Snatching it down, she immediately dialed Miles’ number, turning her back to the door as she spoke.

  “Hey, Miles. Did you find anything?”

  Miles sighed.

  “As much as I love the sound of you sighing heavily to show your complete disapproval of my life and my choices, I don’t have any time, Miles. I’
m completely out of minutes.”

  “I have phone numbers and addresses for all of the crew members, including Meredith. I also managed to get my hands on the footage from that night. It shows Remy going into Meredith’s hotel room.”

  Violet’s heart immediately fell. “That’s not possible.”

  Another deep sigh. “It’s him, Violet. I’m sorry. He’s still wearing his uniform and everything.”

  “It has to be a pilot from another airline who looks exactly like him. The profession isn’t exactly short on blonde haired, blue eyed, Caucasian men, is it? Whose to say it isn’t the other pilot who was working the trip?”

  “Because I looked into the other pilot. Not only is he brunette, unlike the blonde man in the footage, but there are photos of him and the other crew members at a restaurant near the hotel, date stamped during the same time that Remy was videoed going into Meredith’s room. Violet, I’m sorry, but he’s guilty.”

  “Guilty.” She nodded. “Okay, he’s guilty.”

  Sensing irony, Miles gave her a taste of her own medicine. “Yep. He is. He’s also guilty of kidnapping, grand theft and breaking and entering. But I’m sure you’re already well aware of those last three.” Miles’ voice rang with impatience. “Come home.”

  “I guess my gut is completely wrong on this one…” She paused for effect. “That’s what you’re saying right? You. The one person who’s always told me to trust my gut… the one person that’s always told me my gut is never wrong. You’ve always told me that, Miles.” Tears came to her eyes.

  “Violet, the state that you’re in right now? It’s called denial. Will you please come home? There’s a lot of money being spent trying to find you. People are making themselves sick, Violet, trying to find you.”

  Violet’s breathing hitched. “Is someone there with you?”