Death & Dust (New York Crime Kings Book 7)

by Skyla Madi

  “Jai, put it inside me,” I plead, pushing against his hips. “Please.”

  He doesn’t wait for confirmation. Pulling back, he lines himself up and then plunges into me. For the one hundredth time tonight, my breath catches painfully in my throat and my back sharply arches as he sinks himself as far as he can into my heat.

  And holy fuck, he’s deep. He makes a rough, raspy sound, and squeezes me until my breath comes out shaky.

  I forgot what it felt like having someone inside me—someone I also happen to love irrevocably. I knew I missed the feeling, but had I remembered what it truly felt like…I’d have gone mad.

  I mourned the loss of the physical connection with Jai slightly more than I mourned the loss of our emotional connection. During my time with him, my emotions were all over the place, changing as often as our situation did, but the sex was my constant. It was always incredible, and it never failed to pick me up and make me feel good, confident, and strong.

  I’ve had other sexual partners and I know firsthand how rare it is to find someone who can make sex an engaging two person activity, rather than use you as a masturbatory aid without taking your pleasure into account. Jai has taken my pleasure into account every time we’ve been together.

  Having him inside me brings a familiar feeling of fullness, and I writhe with desire as he stretches me. He doesn’t thrust with as much vigor as he did on the outside and I know it’s because he’s fighting the urge to spill inside me.

  Jai inhales and plants a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. “You feel…”

  His cock twitches in place of a complete sentence.

  Though he holds me tightly, I do my best to move my hips, desperate to feel him against my sensitive parts.

  “Do it,” I tell him. “I need you.”

  He kisses me—hard—groaning as our tongues slide together. Then, he slams his hips against mine, sending hot jolts of pleasure bursting through my body. He doesn’t hesitate between thrusts, his body frantically colliding with mine, but I can tell by his tight kiss that holding on for my sake is torture. I dig my nails into his hips, dragging them lower onto his backside as I crunch my body to grab more of him in my hands. I do it, partly to hold him inside me as deep as I can, and also to anchor myself. He’s relentless, determined. He’s all the things I thought he was when I saw him fighting in that God-awful cage during round one.

  Jai dominates my body with the force and strength of a hurricane. He cannot be stopped. I don’t want him to stop.

  Something builds inside me.

  Something spectacular.

  Moaning, I wrap my arms around him and squeeze tight, unable to stop my hips as they grind uncontrollably. I’m going to…Jai breaks the kiss.

  “Wait,” he rasps against my cheek. “Slow down.”

  “I can’t.” I turn my head, my parted lips against the corner of his mouth. “I don’t want to. Jai…”

  “Fuck.”

  He tries to pull away from me, but I tighten my grip around his neck and around his hips, forcing myself on him. “I’m going to come.”

  “If you come, you’ll make me come,” he grinds out, sucking air between his teeth.

  Jai makes a strangled noise in his throat as he tries to pull away from me and sit back.

  But I’m so close.

  I move with him, not allowing him to slip out of my body, and we shift into a seated position. I shudder as his length reaches new depths and he clamps his hands on my hips, forcing them to stop.

  “I don’t want this to end so soon.”

  “You can have me again,” I say, holding him close. “Just please give this to me.”

  I don’t move against him. Instead, I trail the tip of my tongue against his lower lip. His mouth parts and I slip my tongue inside. Eventually, when I kiss him long enough, he glides his hands from my hips to my ass and squeezes.

  I splay my hands over his large, hard chest and slowly push forward, lowering him onto his back. When he’s underneath me, his hands pinching and pushing my backside, he’s powerless to stop me from taking what I want from him.

  I rock against him. How quickly the electric current in my veins turns to fire, my whole body burning with pleasure, and a tremble starts in my calves, then my thighs.

  “Jai…” His name is but a whisper on my lips as I tilt my head back and move more violently against him.

  He curses, squeezing my flesh in his impossibly tight grip. I think, somewhere in my haze, I hear him beg me to slow down, to take it easy on him, but it’s far too late for that.

  I moan—loudly—as my climax hits me with a surge so powerful, there’s no way I can stop the current. It rips through me, powered by all the days and nights I’ve gone without him.

  It overcomes me in merciless pulses, until I can no longer keep my thighs apart. At the same time, Jai swears loudly, followed by a string of deep, raspy moans. When my pulses ease off, I feel his orgasm deep inside me. Shuddering, Jai squeezes my ass in both his hands, then wraps one arm around my waist, forcing my torso against his, and kisses me gently on the lips.

  I close my eyes, committing the feel of them to memory, and vowing never to let it fade.

  Jai rolls me onto my back, but never withdraws from me. I like it. It’s the closest we can be after spending the furthest time apart.

  We kiss slowly until my eyelids grow heavy. When I begin to doze off, he rocks into me a few times, and I feel it.

  His growing hardness.

  Jai dances his fingers up my stomach to my breast as he lifts himself fully on top of me. My lips twitch at the corners. He’s not serious? It’s been less than an hour since we finished.

  Using his thighs to spread me wide, Jai’s breath becomes shallow and ragged. Pleasure blooms inside me with every minute thrust until he’s slamming into me with force and I’m covered in a damp sweat.

  Though he kisses my mouth like he means it, there’s absolutely nothing loving about the way he takes me. It’s primal.

  Vicious.

  Each thrust makes a hard slapping noise, and he grunts. One hand snakes underneath my head and I hiss as he grips my hair in his fist. With the other, he traces his fingers along my jaw before settling his hand against my throat. He applies a little pressure, but it’s nothing threatening.

  “Open your legs wider for me, baby,” he says and I do as I’m told.

  He’s so deep his pelvis digs into me, applying pressure to my over-sensitive clit.

  “You missed me.”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “You hate me for leaving you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry.” He crushes his mouth to mine and kisses me desperately, his tongue stealing the air from my lungs. “I’m here now.”

  His words carry a warmth I haven’t felt since he left me. How can I stay mad at him knowing how fragile our time together is? I don’t want to waste another second not loving this man with everything I have.

  “I still love you,” I utter on exhale and he removes his hand from my throat.

  He tilts his head to the side and his handsome face softens, but he doesn’t stop thrusting into me, making my cervix ache with both pleasure and pain. I want this again. I want to spend the entire day tomorrow in bed with him. Where I belong.

  Jai presses his forehead to mine, reducing his movements to a slower, deeper pace. I quiver, hooking my legs around his hips. Smiling, he dips his thumb into my mouth and drags it over my lower lip, pulling it down.

  “I still fucking love you,” he tells me. “I’ll always love you, Kitten.”

  Ten

  Emily

  Barrel Room

  I hum a happy tune as I walk through the barrel room, trying to locate the seven barrels of our most popular wine, Paslene Chiaretto, that I had put aside as a donation for a charity event in Florence. Joel was delighted I managed to land the event, even more so when I got them to agree to only serve our wine to guests. It wasn’t my job to make these kinds of deals, but I saw the opp
ortunity and I took it. Thankfully, it’s paying off.

  I tip my head from side to side, along with the tune I hum, as I make my way around the barrel room. There’s a pep in my step and a smile on my face that I can’t get rid of. Even Sophia, my assistant, was wary of my upbeat tone this morning, especially since I turned down my usual coffee from Leo and had her make me one with the pod machine in the staffroom instead. It was grossly sweet, and horribly lukewarm, but I drank it anyway and thanked her for it when I was done. The coffee did nothing for me, but it doesn’t matter because fatigue cannot touch me today.

  I’d only slept three hours by the time my alarm went off. Jai and I showered three times throughout the night and changed the bedsheets twice. Eventually, right before the sun came up, he fell into a deep sleep, crushing me under the weight of his arm and his leg. I tried to sleep, but I’d slept alone for so long, I couldn’t get comfortable. At some point, I managed to wriggle free and I slept on the very edge of my bed, only to be pulled back against him right before my alarm went off. He left for breakfast with Joel, Monique, and Jessica while I got ready for work. I almost refused to let him out of my sight, even contemplated handcuffing him to my bed frame or taking him to work with me, but that wouldn’t be the best way to begin our fresh start.

  Our.

  Fresh.

  Start.

  Throughout the night, Jai and I spoke about a lot of things. The words adjustment period kept coming out of my mouth. Suggesting an adjustment period between us seemed mature, but he refuted it. I knew in my heart I didn’t really want one and it didn’t take long for him to convince me it’s pointless. It boiled down to three major points: I love him and he loves me, we’ve already wasted too much time without each other, and we’d engaged in sex before the day even ended. The adjustment period was especially pointless, considering I asked him to stay with me in my house and not with Joel and Monique. No lines have been drawn regarding our relationship, we’ve just thrown ourselves together and are hoping for the best. Whatever happened in the past will be forgotten and we can move forward without hindrance. Since Jai was dead, the only way to go from here is up.

  Scratching my nose, I pass by two more aisles of wine and, finally, locate the barrels I’m looking for. Why the storeman chose to store them at the very back of the barrel room is beyond me.

  “I might have to report you to HR,” a familiar voice booms, making me jump, clenching my black clipboard to my chest. I spin on my heel, coming face to face with a man I promise to never grow tired of seeing. “The dress you’re wearing is awfully distracting, like the one yesterday, and we both know how it ended up.”

  Jai looks good—refreshed—wearing a nice pair of black, loose fitting jeans with crisp, white sneakers and a matching white shirt. His hair is clean and lawless, sprawling out in various directions, much like it did after I finished running my fingers through it in the early hours of this morning.

  I try not to smile at him, but his amused, lively face forces one out of me. God, I’ve missed him.

  “You didn’t have to tear it in half, destroying the buttons on the back and ripping through the tulle.”

  He closes the distance between us with a casual stroll, clenching a matching clipboard at his side. “Well, your birthday dress was hiding your birthday suit. I had no choice.”

  I shake my head, looking up as he towers over me, our bodies grazing. “Are you checking up on me?”

  “No.” He laughs, exposing his straight, white teeth, and the sound lifts my spirits even higher than they already are. “This is purely coincidental.”

  I lift myself onto the tips of my toes since my nude kitten heels do nothing to even our height. I want to kiss him. I didn’t think I’d get to see him until dinner time. “Is it, now?”

  “Mm.”

  I brush my lips against his. “What are you doing here?”

  He holds up his clipboard. “Joel sent me to here to find seven barrels of…” Turning his head, he glances at his board. “Whatever the hell Paslene Chiaretto is.”

  I laugh under my breath, lowering myself from the tips of my toes. Fucking Joel. He sent me down to find the barrels too. He set us up. “This isn’t coincidental at all. It’s pre-meditated.”

  I turn away from Jai and pull a pen from the pocket hidden in the waves of my cream dress. I circle the name of the wine, write the number in the box, and sign off next to it. Then, I circle the Reauscina Classique—our newest blend—and write a two in its box. It won’t hurt to have a sample available, especially if the event goers love the Paslene Chiaretto. I sign my name again—my fake name, Annalise Smith—and the paperwork is ready for the storeman and the delivery guy.

  I feel Jai at my back as soon as I dot the “i” in Smith, his warmth engulfing me along with the crisp, musky scent of his cologne.

  “Maybe Joel doesn’t know we made up,” I think aloud.

  And why the barrel room, of all places? It’s stuffy down here. Warm too.

  Jai brushes hair off my neck and places a kind, but suggestive, kiss at my nape.

  “Surprising. You were loud enough.”

  I scoff as he takes my clipboard and pen from my hands.

  “You pulled my hair,” I point out, “and slapped my—”

  My breath hitches, my words catching in my throat, as he bunches my hair in his powerful fist and eases my head back, forcing my neck to crane on an uncomfortable angle. “You asked me to.”

  I smirk. “Semantics.”

  Jai plants another gentle kiss on me, this time against my forehead as he smooths his free hand against my hip and pulls my backside against his crotch, forcing my back to arch. “It’s kind of sexy, this place.”

  My breathing turns shallow, the surface of my skin exploding with goosebumps at the thought of him bending me over a barrel of wine.

  “There are cameras,” I whisper, trying to think of a blind spot.

  Surely there’s something down here away from view. Maybe the storeman would know…ew, no. That conversation would be awkward and extremely inappropriate. Even with that in mind, I can’t bring myself to fight against Jai’s grip. It’s where I belong. It’s where I feel most at home.

  “Miss Smith?” Maria’s voice echoes around the barrel room and I still, slowly emerging from a stupor I didn’t know I was in.

  Did I mishear? She calls me again.

  Nope. I didn’t.

  “Who’s that?” Jai asks, releasing me from his grip.

  I straighten my body, exhaling in relief when the pressure is off my spine. “Maria.”

  “Who’s Maria?” he asks, his voice quiet.

  “She cleans the office.” I smooth out my dress and grab my clipboard.

  What the hell is she doing here? She doesn’t start until late evening—and why would Joel send her to the barrel room, knowing Jai and I are down here? I square my shoulders. That asshole. He sent her here to catch Jai and me so she can tell Ross I’ve found someone else. That sneaky little—

  “Miss Smi—” Maria’s words are cut off as she steps out of the aisle and into view.

  She beams at me, her plum-colored lips pulling wide, only to fade when her sights settle on Jai. Butterflies group in my stomach. He’s not going to let me lie to her about our relationship, that I know for a fact.

  “Maria, hi.” I step forward, trying to move away from the arresting aura Jai emits. “How can I help?”

  “I came to speak to you about dinner plans,” she says, stepping forward. She looks so different in her bright green floor-length dress than she does in her uniform. She’s warm, bursting with friendliness. “Mr. Beau said I could find you down here. I hope I’m not interrupting…”

  Joel’s fake name is Beau Walker—which he hates—and Maria refers to him as Mr. Beau—which he hates even more.

  “Uh, no. No. You’re not interrupting anything. We were just checking stock.” I step toward her, hating the heat that gathers under my collar. “Do you want to talk in my office?”

>   She waves me off. “It’s nothing important. My Rossy very much enjoyed dinner with you. We’re having a big family meal tomorrow night. He suggested I invite you along.”

  “Oh…that’s very thoughtful of him, but—”

  Jai blows air out of his cheeks, half scoffing, half snorting. I tilt my head at Maria with a tight smile. This is exactly why I wanted to continue this conversation in my office. He’s going to make a scene. I just know he is.

  “Did you say Sunday?” he asks, and I whip my head to glare at him over my shoulder. He looks at me and I mouth for him to stop. He doesn’t listen, of course. “She’s busy Sunday.”

  “Busy?”

  “Don’t, Maria,” I sigh, scratching at my forehead. “He’ll—”

  “We’ve scheduled an intense lovemaking session for the evening. She won’t be free until the early hours of Monday morning,” he says, smoothing his hand over my lower back.

  I exhale, dropping my shoulders with a nervous laugh. “Say something extremely inappropriate.”

  Heat pools in my cheeks and burns at my ears as Maria’s eyes grow wide and she gawks at me.

  “I wasn’t…I wasn’t aware…” She clears her throat and lingers for a few long seconds.

  She judders on the spot, undecided if she wants to add to the conversation or leave. Thankfully, she turns and walks off, her feet unable to take her away fast enough.

  When she’s gone, I turn to Jai. He grins at me, his ocean irises gleaming with amusement. I swat at him with my clipboard and he blocks my hits with his big forearms.

  “Why would you do that?” I demand. “She’s a sweetheart.”

  “Her son is a complete douchebag. Unbeknownst to her, he’s probably a rapist too.” He snatches my clipboard and tucks it under his arm. “Monique told me.”

  “You’re right. I suppose her son is a gross human-being.” I exhale, walking away from Jai and back toward the entrance. “God, she’s a great cook though. I’d marry into the family just for the food.”

  He whacks me against the butt with my clipboard and I jolt forward, turning to walk backward. “Oh, my God. It was a joke!”