by Sam Mariano
“I know. It’s pretty sexy.”
His eyes twinkle as he releases my hair and secures his arm back around my waist, pulling me more snugly against him in the process. “Is this a booty call, or is there another reason for this visit?”
“It’s slightly outside my poor-student budget to make booty calls that necessitate a plane ticket.”
His beautiful lips curve up with amusement. “Don’t worry; I’ll reimburse you.”
The doorbell rings.
“Damn, you get a lot of company,” I state, feeling the absence of his arms as soon as he drops them and moves toward the door.
“Not usually,” he remarks, dryly.
The door swings open and a devastatingly handsome man with dark, slicked-back hair storms across the threshold, his chiseled face drawn with displeasure like a dark angel on a mission of retribution. He halts, clearly surprised, when he sees me standing here.
“Who the fuck is this?”
I flush, then inexplicably hold out my hand like he’ll want to shake it. “Laurel Price.”
He frowns at my hand, then my face, then dismisses me and turns back to Rafe. “Why did I just see someone who looked an awful lot like Cassandra Carmichael driving away from your house?”
“Because someone scheduled an episode of This is Your Life today and didn’t bother to tell me.” Gesturing back at me, Rafe adds, “Sin, this is Laurel. Laurel, this rude asshole here is Sin.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” I say, dryly.
Rafe cracks a smile. “Sin and I are heading out to grab some dinner. You eat yet?”
“No, I got off the plane and came straight here.”
He nods once in approval. “Good. You’ll come out with us.”
I notice he doesn’t ask, but that doesn’t surprise me. In our few days together, I picked up on the fact that the Vegas boss is a little… well, bossy. It’s super hot in the bedroom. I don’t hate it outside the bedroom, either, strangely enough. Especially when he’s offering me food.
Jabbing a finger in my direction, the one called Sin asks, “We’re bringing her? To dinner? Why?”
Wow, he is rude.
Cutting him a look that wordlessly directs his friend to lay off, Rafe says simply, “Because I said so.”
Rafe tells us he has to grab his phone out of the other room and leaves me alone in the foyer with the newcomer for an uncomfortable moment. Sin shoots me a disgruntled look, much like the blonde woman did. Maybe he’s in love with Rafe, too. I can’t say I’d blame him. Rafe seems to attract admirers—and since I fell into his bed the same day I met him, I’d be a pretty big hypocrite to hold it against anyone else.
Since Sin clearly isn’t going to initiate the conversation, I take it upon myself to do so. “So, are you a friend of Rafe’s, or a family member?”
Sin’s dark eyes land on me and cause my stomach to sink. They’re just brown eyes, but I swear I can see murderous intent when I look into them, and all I did was ask a friendly question. Damn, this is an intimidating man.
“Just making conversation,” I explain. “To be polite. Not a secret cop or anything.”
His eyebrows shoot up and he stares at me like he can’t begin to guess why I would say something like that.
I grimace. “Which, I realize, is a suspicious thing to say, but I’m definitely not. I’m 19. I’m still in college. I’m from Chicago. I met Rafe… in Chicago. Over Easter. At his cousin’s house.”
Still, he stares wordlessly.
I shift my weight. “Well, his cousin Mateo. His other cousin Vince is married to my sister. So… lots of cousins. That’s why I was wondering if you were another Morelli cousin, or…?”
Nothing.
I swallow. “I’ll just stand here quietly and wait for Rafe.”
“There you go,” he says, since I finally picked the right option.
Thankfully, Rafe comes back in. There’s an air of command in the way he sweeps across the room, so coolly confident of his own control. He’s not even trying and I already feel my insides beginning to melt.
“Your little girlfriend here has a big mouth,” Sin states, upon Rafe’s entrance.
Rafe smirks and comes to my side, sliding his hand down to the small of my back and tugging me against his hard body. “I have no complaints about Laurel’s mouth.”
God, that voice.
Wanna play with me, kitten?
I throb between the legs as memories flash through my mind from Easter, me kneeling on the floor in front of him, the incredible cock he possesses right in front of my face, but I wasn’t allowed to have it yet. I looked up at him, so strong, so self-possessed, so beautiful. His big hand brushed my jaw tenderly as that sexy voice commanded evenly for me to beg him.
My heart thuds dully in my chest and I lick my lips, trying to stay focused. His hand presses me closer and my heart sinks into my stomach, still beating like a drum.
I hear Sin’s voice but I can’t make out words. Rafe is smiling down at me, still pleasantly. He dips his head to kiss me. At the mere brush of his perfect lips, the part of my brain that’s still working goes into standby mode.
His lips are so tender while his grip in my hair adds just a touch of roughness. I can scarcely breathe, but I open my mouth for him and his tongue sweeps in. My whole body dissolves in a pit of raging flames. I’ve lain awake so many nights thinking about his touch, his kiss, how it felt to have him inside me. It may have been the biggest mistake of my life, but it was the best one, too.
My blood begins to cool, cold fear moving down my spine as I remember why I’m here. This isn’t a booty call. I’m not here for kisses or dinners; I’m here to tell him…
Fuck. I’m here to tell him I’m pregnant.
Now this Sin guy is here. He already doesn’t like me, so I’m not going to bring it up in front of him.
I’m ushered out to a sleek black sedan with tinted windows and a front grill that seems somehow angry. Clearly this car belongs to Sin; it’s as welcoming as its owner. I can’t help flicking a glance at the back of the car, my thoughts turning to the trunk. I bet it would be hard to shove a body into a trunk.
Rafe opens the back door for me and I slide in. I don’t know why, but I expect him to sit up front with Sin, who is apparently driving. The front is a place I associate with the people in charge, and the back is for passengers. Only, Rafe slides in right next to me and pulls the door shut.
Now that we’re both inside, his arm snakes behind me, curving around my shoulders, and he tugs me into his chest. I’m immediately flooded with how safe I felt there, nestled against his chest back in Chicago.
“So, how’s school going?” he asks.
“Well,” I tell him. “I made the dean’s list.”
He offers up a smile that makes me feel almost prouder than the accomplishment itself. “Look at you, preparing to set the world on fire.”
Even though I’m flattered, I find myself saying, “It’s not a big deal. It’s easy to make the dean’s list. Just show up to class and stay awake.”
“I doubt it’s that easy. If it is for you, I doubt it’s that easy for everyone,” he says, simply.
I begin to lose focus on his words, though, as his fingertips move ever so lightly over the swatch of exposed skin around my collar bone. I wore a gray off-the-shoulder shirt today, so there’s a good bit of skin available for him to touch without undressing me.
I recall him doing this when I was nervous in the bedroom that first night in Chicago. For all that I decided to go all-in and follow him to his bedroom for my first one-night-stand, once I got there, my nerves crawled back out. No longer drunk on the sight of him holding a baby or the general crush of Morelli Kool-Aid I must have been chugging while I was at Mateo’s giant house, going to bed with the sexiest man ever seemed mildly terrifying. Rafe settled my nerves effortlessly with his little finger-tracing trick.
Now he does it again and my inhibitions slip away, my tether to sensation strengthening and overtakin
g my knowledge that I’m in a car and we’re not alone. It’s not that I don’t know that, it just seems so much less important than where his hand might go next.
His index finger dips inside my shirt, sliding toward my breast. My breath quickens, but it’s gone just as fast. I bring my eyes to his face and see a faint smile tugging at the corners of his luscious lips. He’s teasing me, the bastard. I open my mouth to say something, but seeing an opening, he takes it. Rafe’s lips claim mine, his hand sliding up to cup my neck so he can draw me closer. Everything outside of him feels fuzzy and unimportant, no longer part of my reality.
I should be buckled in, but I’m not. I should keep my ass in my seat, but I don’t. All it takes is a firm palm pushing against my hip and my fuzzy mind recognizes his wordless command to straddle him. Without breaking away from his lips, I climb on his lap, facing him. Still with the one hand on my neck, he settles the other on my waist. Blood rushes through my veins, racing toward my vagina. Everything throbs and I grind against him, pleased by the tightening of his hands on my body and the way he pulls me against him to feel how hard he is.
Pleasure courses through me. It’s like an aphrodisiac in and of itself, being wanted by him. I have the hardest time not ripping his clothes off, but I settle for undoing the top button of his dress shirt and sliding my hand inside. As soon as my hand connects with his firm, muscled chest, I feel like I’m on fire. Then he draws my bottom lip between his and sucks on it, sending shooting stars of pleasure through my not-at-all-prepared body.
Another sound pierces the fog of lust, but I struggle to care. I think I would ignore it altogether and let Rafe fuck me right here in the backseat, before we even get off his road, but Rafe breaks the kiss and glances up front.
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
What’s fine? My chest heaves as I struggle to catch my breath. Rafe does not look nearly as out of sorts as I feel. There’s warmth in his eyes, but otherwise you can’t tell he just kissed me out of my senses.
I feel stripped bare and vulnerable before him already. He has to excrete some sort of magical pheromone, I swear to God. Now that I’m not being actively kissed, my brain begins to work again. I remain here in his lap, but now I snuggle up against him, leaning my head on his shoulder and burrowing into the sanctuary of his broad, muscular chest. It’s absurd to feel so safe with someone so dangerous, but I can’t help it. Whatever he is, whatever he does, Rafe has never been anything but good to me.
His hand lazily rubs my back. “Which hotel are you staying at, kitten?”
Pleasure blossoms low in my tummy, hearing him call me by that name again. “I haven’t booked one yet. Like I said, I came straight to your house from the airport.”
“No luggage. Just staying overnight?”
I nod my head against his shoulder. “Yeah. It was sort of an impulsive decision. I have a toothbrush and change of panties in my purse. I am otherwise unprepared.”
Chuckling, he kisses the top of my head and says, “We’ll pick up whatever you need while we’re out.”
“Thank you.”
“Mm hmm. Thank you for coming to visit me.” His hand leaves my waist and slides between my legs. My breath hitches as he rubs me through the fabric of my jeans. “I’ll make it worth the trip.”
I need the friction. I should be embarrassed since we aren’t alone in this car—I’ve certainly never done anything in front of anyone before—but as he slips the button through the hole and drags down my zipper, I can’t find it in me to stop him. I probably should, but as his big, strong hand slides inside and he cups my pussy, I can’t for the life of me remember why.
Instead of behaving like a decent human being, I keep my face braced against his shoulder and rock my hips forward, pushing myself into his hand. The hand that was cupping my neck gathers my hair and pulls it away from my neck. My skin prickles with awareness, and a moment later he’s moving his lips along that column of sensitive skin. Unexpectedly, he clutches a fistful of hair and yanks my head off his shoulder, pulling me in for a much more brutal kiss. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, and I meet it with equal measures of dread and expectation, knowing he’s going to rob me of what little control I have, but craving it, too.
“You two wanna simmer down back there?”
As casually as if we were only holding hands, Rafe tosses back, “What’s wrong, Sin, has it been a while?”
Whatever Sin’s response is, it’s nonverbal. Rafe grins, but nevertheless releases his grip on my hair and pulls me back into the shelter of his chest. His hand is still in my pants, and he gives my pussy a little caress, promising without words to come back to it later.
“After dinner we’ll get rid of the prude up front so we can have some fun, how’s that sound?” Rafe asks.
“Sounds perfect,” I murmur, before brushing my lips against his neck.
6
Rafe
Sin parks the car in a spot by the door and I pluck a couple of twenties out of my wallet.
“Thank you,” Laurel says, flashing me a smile. “Do you need anything while I’m in there?”
“Nope, I’m good,” I assure her.
Instead of climbing out her own side, she exits through my door so she has to climb over my lap to get out. I shift, narrowing my eyes at the little brat as she purposely drags her ass across my crotch. She flashes me a little smirk that tells me how proud she is of herself, so I swat her on the ass.
Her cheeks pinken and she bites back an even bigger smile, ducking her head back inside the car like she forgot something. Her eyes aren’t on me though; she’s looking up at the driver’s seat. “What about you, Sin? Need me to grab you anything?”
Sin ignores her completely.
After a few seconds, Laurel shrugs and gives up, heading for the sidewalk. I pull the door shut and watch out the windshield. Her long chocolate waves bounce behind her as she heads inside the pharmacy to grab whatever odds and ends she needs, since she didn’t take time to pack.
“Is there a reason you’re being such a huge dick tonight?” I ask Sin, now that Laurel isn’t in the car.
Absently running a thumb over his busted knuckles, he murmurs, “Oh, come on, don’t tell me your little girlfriend doesn’t like huge dicks.”
“She’s being nothing but nice to you and you’re treating her like the plague,” I state.
“Who cares?” he offers back, looking at me in the rearview mirror. “You know I don’t like to get caught up in your stampede of skanks. This one’s in town for one night; I can’t think of a single reason to exert energy on her.”
Shaking my head, I draw out my phone and offer, “The reason is because it wouldn’t fucking hurt you to be nice to her, that’s all. She’s a good kid; I don’t like you making her uncomfortable for no fucking reason.”
“Do you find it remotely alarming that this girl who claims to be on a student’s budget is flying clear across the country to spend one night fucking you? I know you think a lot of yourself, but no one is that horny.”
“She might be,” I offer back. “Laurel isn’t a skank, as you so nobly put it. She’s a 19-year-old science nerd that Mateo threw in my path because he was playing mind games with her sister. She’s not in our league. Be nice to her. She’s here for one night, for fuck’s sake. It won’t kill you to socialize a little bit.”
“It might,” he disagrees. “Why do I have to be nice to her if she’s just some pawn in a game you’re playing with Mateo?”
“We’re not playing a game anymore. The game’s over. Has been for a couple months. Last I heard, Laurel was living with Vince and Carly for the summer.”
That grabs his attention. “You think he sent her to see how you’re doing?”
I shake my head, opening my email and dragging a finger down the screen to refresh. “Nah, I don’t think so. I think Laurel has a little crush.”
“Then instead of fucking her, you should probably let her down easy, give her money for a plane ticket home, and send her on her wa
y.”
“What fun would that be?” I ask, rhetorically.
“It wouldn’t be fun, it would be decent,” he states.
“It’s just as decent to give her a few orgasms first so she doesn’t feel like she’s wasted the trip. This girl has almost no experience. I’m the first man she’s ever been with.”
His eyes widen at me in the rearview mirror. “You fucked a virgin? Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
“Not a virgin, she just fucked around with boys before. Selfish little assholes who couldn’t even be bothered to get her off. Of course she came back to me for more of the good stuff. Why not?”
“And I’m the dick,” Sin mutters.
“It’s fine,” I assure him. “Don’t worry so much. Not about Laurel. She’s a good kid.”
“She’s gonna get attached,” he tells me. “You have to be careful with girls like that. If she’s really not used to how casual you are, she’s gonna get hurt when you don’t fall in love with her.”
Two minutes ago he can’t be bothered to talk to her, now he wants to lecture me about hurting her. I shake my head, closing out the app and sliding my phone back into my pocket. “I can handle Laurel. Don’t you worry about it.”
“When she calls crying from some frat party back east, drunkenly professing her love for you, I’m gonna laugh my ass off.”
I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen Sin legitimately laugh at something in the six years I’ve known him, so I call bullshit on that. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Laurel did have a little crush on me, but I don’t say that to him, naturally.
I do have to tread carefully around her age and inexperience, but in another regard, I enjoy playing with her. Laurel has emitted some definite sub-vibes in the time I’ve spent alone with her; she doesn’t think she is one, but I think she just hasn’t discovered that side of herself yet. Being the generous soul that I am, I wouldn’t say no to exploring Laurel’s sexuality with her, helping her find her way. It’s a minor inconvenience that she lives on the other side of the country. Since it is summer and she has no job, she can fly here as often as I want her to. By the end of summer, she can go back to school with a different kind of education under her belt.
