by Jesse Joren
The ragged sound of his breathing sent a thrill of triumph through me.
He steadied me upright again, and I felt his hands moving behind my back. I didn't need to see to know what he was doing.
"I'm ready for you." He put his hands around my waist again. "You may be on top, but I have the control. Show me how much you think you can take back."
With his hands helping, I eased back down to straddle his waist against. The hard length of his cock was made smoother by the condom, his heat barely contained inside it.
"Ride me, Eva," he said. "I'm going to do my best to buck you off. See if you can hold on with no hands."
He pushed up inside of me, filling me. This morning had been a thing of fierce hunger, of being denied for too long. This was a slow waltz of the senses, every inch savored.
"How does that feel?" he asked when he could go no further into me.
"Full," I said, using the muscles of my ass to squeeze myself against him.
Hex laughed, and there was a dark note in it.
"You don't know anything about being full yet," he said.
He began to thrust underneath me as I gripped with my thighs, trying to match his rhythm. His hands pressed down on my hips, helping me balance and holding me still to accept him.
All of my hair was in my face, my breasts bouncing in rhythm to his thrusts. My bound hands were no help as I tried to stay on. His rhythm kept changing, but the pitch of my excitement only went higher.
"I can't," I gasped as he drove into me.
His hands gripped my thighs, spreading them as wide as they would go. The position made me more stable, but it also exposed my clit and allowed his thrusts to go even deeper.
"How's that, Ms. Control?" he asked wickedly, picking up the pace even more.
I started to speak, but the new wave of sensation was too much. A hard, fast climax roared to life inside me, make me bite my lip to hold back a scream.
Wave after wave of pleasure burst through me like fireworks. I think I said his name, but I'm not sure. Half-words and pants poured out of me as I came hard, impaled on him and completely out of control.
"Eva, look at me."
I opened my eyes and looked down into his face. His eyes blazed with silver fire, hotter than where our bodies were welded together.
"This is yours," he said. "All yours."
His hands held my waist hard enough to hurt as he drove up into me with a sudden snarl. The sensation of molten heat came right through the condom's barrier, almost as if it wasn't there.
His reaction brought a second answering response from my body as well. The bedroom was thick and electric with passion as we both rode the waves of our orgasms. Like me, he hardly made a sound as the sensations tossed us between them.
As the moments passed, I came back to myself, with Hex still deep inside me. His hands went behind me, and in a few seconds my hands were free.
He grinned up at me, looking more beautiful than I'd ever seen him.
"How did you do that?" I asked.
"It's all in the knots," he said.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
"You really are Southern," I said as I sipped yet another glass of the cold tea Hex had brought me.
We were cozily wrapped together under the blankets, looking out at the night sky. It was too bright to see any stars, but the moon was making a pretty fair show off to the west.
Hex smiled and took another drink of the vodka he'd made for himself. Strange, I'd never seen him drink that before.
"Why? Did I let out a Rebel yell when I came?" he teased.
"No, this tea. It's so sweet it's almost syrup. In other words, perfect."
He gave me a sidelong glance. "It's working then. That's more like Long Island iced tea."
True, my head was spinning. Champagne, wine, now this. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" I said, and there was a tiny slur in my words.
Hex smiled and finished his drink. "Don't you have any questions for me tonight? Or did those all get drained out of you?"
I tried to think about that, but it was hard to think on top of all the booze. Not to mention being so close to him in a bed rumpled from wild sex.
"Okay," I said, "Question. You have a place in Atlanta, but this sure ain't it. Where is it?"
"Eva Bright, did I just hear you say ain't?"
I took another long drink of the cold, delicious tea. "I ain't telling," I said.
Hex laughed.
"I do. A house not far from here, but Stephen D'Amitri's name isn't on it, by the way."
His body was warm next to mine. He had been everything I could ever have wanted tonight.
"You're exhausted," he said. "You better ask before you fall asleep."
There were so many things I wanted to know. What was his real name. What would we be to each other now that we were back in the real world. What did he really feel for me.
My mouth couldn't seem to get any of these out into the open. Instead, I yawned.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I would tell him that I loved him. Not tonight when everything was so fuzzy.
Hex was watching me with an intensity that I didn't understand.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.
"Because you're so damn beautiful," he said. "Didn't you see all those looks you've been getting?"
"I thought we were going to forget about our friend Jeff."
"I'm not talking about your redneck admirers," Hex said. "I meant down in the lobby, at Trinity, even that pretty boy Phillip St. Claire. Didn't you notice any of that?"
"No," I said with perfect truth.
I was watching Stella and all those other barracudas in heels eyeing you up.
"You still don't understand who you really are, the appeal you have," he said. "That can be a very dangerous thing."
It was getting very hard to pay attention to what he was saying. My eyes felt glassy and huge as I yawned again.
"Here," he said, taking my glass from me and setting it next to his empty glass. "You're exhausted. I'm not leaving you tonight."
With great gentleness he settled me beside him, my head on his chest and my arm thrown across him. It felt incredibly right.
"Tomorrow we're going to talk about this penthouse," I murmured. "And those…all those clothes. And that freaking fake degree."
His quiet laugh rumbled under my cheek.
"That should be an interesting conversation," he said.
Later I wasn't sure if I dreamed his next words, or if he really said them against my ear.
"I love you, Eva. If you remember nothing else about tonight, remember that."
A thrill went through me right as I feel asleep. And the tiny, triumphant thought that against all odds, our strange fairy tale was going to work out after all.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Soft light was streaming in through the westward-facing windows when I woke up. The brightness was strange after the shady months at Walden, but very welcome.
I glanced at the bedside clock. A little after eight.
The memories of the night before came rushing back to me. My body felt sore in new ways in spite of Walden. When I stirred, the musky, lingering whisper of last night clung to the soft sheets.
As quietly as possibly I turned to look at Hex, so still behind me. Then I realized why I didn't sense him, didn't feel him moving. The bed was empty on his side.
I was naked under the sheets. It was like that first morning in Walden, but this time I was safe in Atlanta. Hex might be showering, or making breakfast, or on the phone.
Something more subtle told me that none of those were true. His scent wasn't in the air. A whisper of unease went through me.
Stop with the drama. He's probably out getting breakfast.
I got out of bed and went to the closet. Even with a night to sleep on it, the closet still stunned me. A shopping spree come to life.
It also pissed me off. This was too much. Hex and I were going to have to have a talk about this. Well,
maybe after I had coffee and some Advil. My head was splitting after all the alcohol the night before.
Hex had ushered me out pretty fast to see Dani last night. I hadn't even seen the bathroom, and a hot bath seemed like the best way to give it my seal of approval.
It was a fantasy. The tub was deep and the hot water endless. Stacks of fluffy towels. A whole row of bottled oils was on the countertop. I picked up a small red bottle and tipped the oil into the water.
Sticky-sweet jasmine floated up on the hot steam. I sighed and submerged myself. I didn't know I went back to sleep until I woke up in tepid water.
Unease had taken root in me while I dozed. Hex should be back by now.
I dried off and decided to give the closet a try. I picked a pair of jeans and a thin white pullover sweater.
It was a 9/10. The sight of a single digit on that tag made me smile in spite of my aching head.
I went to the kitchen to see about some coffee. There was a fully stocked Keurig, and the fridge was stuffed with fruit, cheese, eggs, bacon, the works. Bagels and rolls on the counter.
Despite all the food at Trinity the night before, I was famished. Amazing sex did that, I thought as I set myself up with an almond vanilla coffee.
While it was brewing, something caught my eye. My laptop from Walden was open on the breakfast bar. Something was flashing on the screen.
READ ME
Not again.
Flashing messages had never meant anything good. Usually a huge challenge with some sort of discomfort or pain attached.
Before I could open it, there was a knock at the door. A flood of relief swept over me. Not every message had to be something wrong. Hex was back. He'd probably forgotten his key.
A muffled but very familiar female voice spoke outside.
"Eva? Open the damn door."
There was another knock, this one harder. I raced to the door and threw it open.
Natalie was standing there, looking both happy and pissed off at the same time. She was wearing sweats and no makeup, her dark hair piled into a bun on top of her head. She still looked beautiful.
I threw myself into her arms with a shriek of happiness. She caught me in a fierce hug.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded happily. "How did you find me?"
"What are you talking about? I got your email to meet you here. But what's the deal with the cat?"
"What email? I didn't send an – "
A familiar, slightly annoyed meow sounded from somewhere around our feet. I looked down and saw a pet carrier.
Roxy peered out, looking at both of us with disapproval. How had Hex had time to go and get her and bring her back to Atlanta so fast?
I ushered Natalie inside and closed the door. She let out a low whistle.
"How much were these people paying you again? By the way, here's your paper." She tossed it onto the table by the door.
"What did the email say?" I asked, controlling the tremble in my voice. The dread was really cranking up inside of me now.
She looked at me as if I'd lost my mind.
"What do you mean? You know what's in it. You wrote it."
"Humor me."
"Just to meet you at this address and bring the cat on my porch. She was outside when I opened the door."
Natalie stopped and looked me over. "My god, you look great," she said.
"I lost some weight," I said. My thoughts were a wild jumble inside of me.
"It's more than that. You've got the glow of a gal in l-o-v-e. Did you and Kermit do the deed?"
I bit my lip and glanced toward the kitchen.
"I had to practically give a blood sample to that fucking security guard downstairs," she went on. "I know I'm not put together, but what do they expect so early on a Sunday?"
"Saturday," I said absent-mindedly.
"Sunday," she said, giving me a look. "Read all about it in the papers, sister."
I glanced at the paper on the table. She was right. Sunday edition of Atlanta Journal. I felt my whole face change.
Maybe Roxy is here because Hex had plenty of time to work, huh?
Cold, very sweet tea. Poured with a lavish hand laced with lots and lots of booze, on top of all that champagne and wine. I remembered Hex watching me drink with that strange look in his eyes.
"Eva, what's going on?" Natalie demanded. "Why didn't you just call me? And seriously, what's the deal with this cat?"
No answers to any of that right now. Something told me that flashing screen was going to have answers, and not good ones.
I turned and went to the kitchen with Natalie in tow, lugging Roxy with her. The laptop was still flashing. My fingers were cold and fumbling, but I finally hit ENTER.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
You're beautiful and strong. Ready to grab life in both hands.
You won't lack suitors. Choose the one who truly makes you happy.
Atlanta is full of opportunities, and you deserve freedom. Especially from me.
I do love you, Eva. More than you can understand.
The words seared themselves into my brain. I read them again and again, the reality sinking into me a layer at a time.
It had been a dream after all. A long, dark, twisted fantasy that I hoped would somehow have a happy ending. Now it was over.
These few words held the real truth. No matter what he said, it had been a game to him. The penthouse, the clothes, the sweet words, the steamy passion. Now I saw them as they were.
Lies. Ways to ease his guilt. If he loved me, truly loved me, he would never leave like this. Not after last night.
How I wished for the caustic little voice inside to speak up. To say something bracing that would stem the pain building in me, threatening to drown me.
There was only a hollow silence inside of me. Natalie's voice came to me as if from a great distance.
"Eva?" she asked. "What is it? Sit down."
She ushered me onto one of the bar stools right as my knees gave way. I felt her hand on my back, soothing me. I sat like a stone as the sound of Atlanta traffic filtered up from below.
I had lost a lot of things in my long, strange ride with Hex. Weight. Fears. Sadness. He'd given me back my life and then some. A fresh start in all ways.
Now he wanted me to give my heart to someone else. How could I do that when I'd already lost it to him?
Pain broke like a wave inside of me, making me want to scream. For the first time in months, my thoughts flashed to lines of blood on my ankles. Fresh and red, releasing the pain out of me a drop at a time.
Atlanta is full of opportunities.
Yes, it was. And there were sharp and shiny edges everywhere.
But I didn't have to go there, did I? Hex had called me strong. Ready to grab life.
Tomorrow.
Yes, tomorrow. I would start kicking some ass and taking some names tomorrow. But right now there was only the terrible pain of being cheated out of something beautiful.
Hex.
Roxy jumped up on the counter with an anxious meow, her rough little tongue licking my face.
"Eva?" Natalie said again.
I buried my face in Roxy's soft fur and wept for what might have been.
EPILOGUE
From the night I stole her, I knew I had to let Eva go.
Day after day I waited, hoping she wasn't what she seemed. That she'd do or say or be something to make me love her less.
It didn't work out like that. Not even close.
Eva thinks she loves me too. She never told me, but those big, beautiful eyes can't hide anything. They're a window straight to her heart.
At Walden, I was all she knew. Her life was interrupted. Would she want me the same way if she had other options?
The idea of Eva with someone else makes me want to…behave badly. Ironic how the very fact that I want her forever means that I have to back away.
Now she's back in the real wor
ld, and she won't lack choices. She never did. She always had plenty of guys who wanted her, but she was too blind to see it.
Now comes the hardest part. Waiting and watching while others try to steal her from me.
I've never backed down from a challenge in my life.
But I have been known to throw the odds in my favor.
Coming Fall of 2015
MASTERFUL, Part 3
The Series Finale
For months Eva Bright was trapped in a strange, sensual captivity to the mysterious Hex. Against all odds they fell in love, but too many secrets were always between them.
Now Eva is on her own in the real world with no boundaries, attracting unexpected and sometimes unwelcome attention. Though he tries to let her go, the love Hex feels for Eva has a way of drawing him to her like a moth to the flame.
But sometimes the sins of the past don't rest easy.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for reading Masterful, Part 2. I was overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I received for Masterful! (You can read Masterful at http://tinyurl.com/o2z59cr)
The original plan called for this book to be finished in June 2015…but then life happened. Thank you for your patience!
Now please don't be angry with me about the cliffhanger. This story simply wouldn't tell itself any other way, unless I wrote one REALLY huge book. But I promise that Masterful 3 will be on the virtual shelves in the fall of 2015, and it will finish the story of Hex and Eva.
After a short pause, I'll be writing again. If you have comments or feedback, please drop me an email at [email protected]. I read every email I receive and respond personally. Or, sign up for the Jesse Joren mailing list.
Again, thank you for all of the support, and I wish you all a beautiful summer!
Love and deep appreciation,
Jesse
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