by Brooke Page
Her breathing calmed, licking her lips, she opened her eyes to meet mine. I was still gazing at her, running my hand through her hair. Her face was flushed, yet a satisfied smirk was plastered to her mouth.
“Hi.” She grinned.
I met her grin, giving her a chaste kiss. My hand moved from her hair, pressing against her beating heart. Her pulse matched mine, drumming in perfect unison. She was softening me into an actual human, not the destructive demon I was born and created to be.
Chapter Eighteen
Lauren
He did it to me again.
The new, incredible feelings were helping to ease my troubled mind. Maybe they were a distraction from making decisions in life, but I didn’t care. The desire that bloomed inside of me for Vance was the finest diversion I could be troubled with.
But I wasn’t troubled, I wasn’t fighting the urge to be drawn to him. Like a moth to a flame, I graciously complied, not asking questions or guarding my heart. He was worth the risk.
His eyes were passing over my face. They weren’t curious or probing, only gentleness was exuding from them. My hand reached for his jaw, stroking the day-old stubble. What was I supposed to say after he opened my eyes to such a mind-blowing experience? Instead of talking, I pulled him to me, wanting to kiss him, show him my gratitude. He was soft with his lips, not expecting me to greet him with my tongue. The slowest in and out of his tongue between my lips, stroking against mine, was divine. The taste of my arousal didn’t even faze me. After the first few licks into his mouth, I only tasted Vance.
A calloused hand ran down my chest and between my breasts, grazing over to one, tickling my nipple with his fingertips as he kept kissing me. Was he ready for more? Of course, he was! I wanted to further explore his lower half, and finally felt the impending courage from my new wanton state of mind.
Dragging my nail down his sternum and to his abdomen, I reached into his boxers, grasping his length with confidence. He hissed between his teeth, his hold around my breast becoming firmer. I craved the rough texture of his touch on my soft skin. I was becoming energized again, the passion building like it had the very first time he laid his hands on me. Keeping my grip steady I moved at a faster pace, eager to feel the blood thumping through his cock and into my hand. He was solid as steel yet smooth like velvet, and my core ached to be filled with him.
Releasing him from my grasp, I went for his shorts, tugging on them. I wanted his clothing crumbled to the floor in a pile with mine. It didn’t take long for him to understand, removing his shorts and pulling his boxers completely off.
He was on his knees now, staring down at me as I laid on my side. I caressed his muscular thigh, grabbing his cock again. It was a brand new toy, something that once terrified me was now fascinating. Seeing it in the light for the first time made my heart quicken. I’d never seen a man so up close, never wanted one to come near me. All of the negative experiences I witnessed between my mother and the drug dealers vanished. It was only Vance and I, naked in his bed, ready to dive into more uncharted territory.
Vance smirked at me as I stroked him from root to tip. “Roll on your back, sweetheart,” he whispered.
I did as he asked, keeping a firm grasp with my palm as he nestled his knees between my hips. His elbows were on either side of my head now, his strong thighs hovering over my entrance. I had the control to touch the tip of his cock and run it between my legs. I quivered at the thought, my legs twitching in anticipation.
“You’re perfect,” he murmured against my lips, enclosing my bottom lip between his. I inhaled a deep breath, my eyes fluttering closed against his cheeks. I sighed, then took a deep breath, moving his hips down to press against mine. I moved my hand, resting it on his lower back and let his cock settle between my folds. His hips were pressing ever so gently, wanting friction, but waiting for me to give him the final okay.
“I don’t have a condom,” he murmured against my ear, his hips still moving slowly. “And I assume you’re not on the pill.”
My lips trembled. “I am.” It was the one thing my mother kept stashed in our house, forced me to take daily since I turned thirteen. I guess that’s how old she was when a man had first had his way with her.
He pulled his head back, searching my face. “You still okay if we don’t use anything else?”
I swallowed, nodding my head. “Yes. I trust you.” I wanted to be as physically close to him as possible.
Both my hands found his lower back, waiting for him to make the final push inside of me. His hips swiveled, finding my entrance. He was right there, only needing to nudge himself inside. I held my breath, my palms digging into his skin. Yes. My conscience chanted, eager as ever to lose my virginity.
With the gentleness I desired, he eased himself inside a few inches, taking my breath away. Noticing my need to get used to his size, he slowly backed out, then entered at the same steady speed, milking me a few more inches each time.
I bit down on my bottom lip, loving the slow burn that mingled into delicious pleasure.
“You okay?” Vance rasped against my cheek. The tension in his shoulders and arms proved he was holding in his restraint, wanting to go slow and make sure I was comfortable.
I was beyond comfortable. I was on fire, and wanting all of him.
My hand found the back of his neck, twirling my fingers between the short dark locks on the nape of his neck. “Yes. It feels… perfect.”
A deep rumble emerged from his throat at the sound of my voice, and his hips drove deeper, completely filling me. I gasped, wrapping my legs around his waist for leverage as he moved more steadily. Dipping his head into the crook of my neck, he continued his rhythm, nipping at my sensitive skin between thrusts.
The burn completely disappeared, and the only coherent thought that ran through my brain was Vance. How his touch healed me from the start, numbing all the confusion and pain from my past. How a simple smile made me melt, reminding me that happiness was still an option, that sadness wasn’t a permanent fixture. How he made me feel something worth fighting for.
“Vance…” I whispered against his ear. “You’re perfect.”
Goose bumps ran down his spine along with my nails. His body pistoned faster, slamming into me, his mouth covering mine. He rotated his hips, holding his cock deep inside of my core. His movement was steady and unhurried, causing the ache low in my belly to creep back to the surface. Straightening his arms and coming up onto his palms, he looked where we were connected, watching our hips mesh together as he gyrated against me.
My hands held onto his biceps, my legs falling from around his hips. Driving my feet into the mattress, I matched his motion, wanting to cure the once tingle, now throb, begging for release.
Both our breathing increased, hot and heavy as I pushed up and down into his movements, watching his thick cock move in and out of my tight core. My center clenched, not wanting him to move, and Vance grunted, keeping his hips steady while I arched my back, moving up into him.
Sweat beaded his forehead, his eyes squinting closed as he focused to let me control the movement from underneath him. Both my hands grabbed his hips, moving him down on top of me, not wanting any more space between us. Our chests were tightly pressed together. I palmed his ass cheek, urging him to move. I was so close, grinding my mound into his pelvis while his cock thrust deeper inside of me.
He claimed my mouth with his. The steadiness of his thrusts became more impatient, moving faster, matching his hot breath against my lips. The speed was throwing me, building me up to shake my core, exploding my entire body into bliss.
Short, quick breaths released from my mouth as I chased the impending feeling, the desire poking my orgasm to the surface. With one last perfect stroke, my walls tightened in pleasure, squeezing his cock while I came, his name falling from my lips in a fast rush.
He groaned, pumping into me, then filling me with his seed. My virginity was starved for him, milking his cock for all he had to give me. I never wante
d him to leave, never wanted this high to go away.
His body slumped on top of mine, the heavy weight a welcomed presence instead of a hindrance. He felt perfect pressed against me and still filling me. We were molded together, and the bond we’d just created was one I’d do anything to keep.
Vance nuzzled my neck, inhaling as though he were scenting me. His nose ran along my jaw and back to the shell of my ear while his arms wrapped underneath me, rolling me to my side and intertwining our legs together. We were a perfect cocoon, wrapped around each other and still connected.
With the setting sun touching my back, I felt at peace, drifting to sleep in Vance’s strong arms. He made me feel safe and protected, a feeling I craved for an endless number of times.
Chapter Nineteen
Vance
She looked absolutely beautiful. Her naked body curled against mine. My cock was half hard, resting against her thigh. My arms were locked around her waist, enjoying the softness of her tanned skin. I couldn’t contain my lips from grazing her shoulders, neck, jaw… any part of her body they could reach, they tasted, branding her as mine.
She was so tight when I broke through her virginity that I thought I would come from the first thrust, but I held my own, controlling the urge to ram into her. She wanted me, it was obvious how her inexperienced body reacted. Her ankles locking around my hips and her pelvis meeting mine proved she was more than ready.
Yet, it was so much more than I thought it would be. If anything, I thought the connection would fizzle some once I’d claim her. No, my heart was pounding, pushing feelings I’d never felt before throughout my entire body.
The sunset was beautiful seeping through the window. Reds and oranges mixing together against the ocean waves. They grew in size, and any other night I’d be grabbing my kite and heading to the beach, but leaving Lauren wasn’t happening. She was cozy in my arms, and there wasn’t any other place I wanted to be. Not even on my board, soaring through the sky, the wind controlling my destiny.
That meant something.
This girl was getting higher up on my priority list, right there with the ocean. The need to keep her safe and far away from Marcus constantly blinked at me like an alarm, reminding me of the urgency and danger that came along with keeping her involved.
Her breathing became steady, a sign she’d fallen asleep. I wasn’t surprised. It was her first time. Of course, she was exhausted.
As gently as I could, I wiggled my way from her hold and out of the bed. Covering her with a sheet, I walked to the bathroom. Maybe while she slept, I could figure out a plan to get Abby to the Cage as safely as possible.
After using the bathroom and throwing on my shorts, I gave Lauren a quick kiss to the forehead. She didn’t stir, and it made me smile. Maybe I had a big ego, but I loved exhausting a woman from orgasms.
Pulling out my laptop, I made my way to the couch to begin brainstorming. Before sitting down, the front window caught my eye. Storm clouds were rolling in, lightning touching down in the distance. It was amazing how the ocean was calm and beautiful with a sunset, while the other side of the house was angry and raging. Watching the puffy clouds of the oncoming storm soon vanished from another sight off in the distance.
My chest tightened as my throat dried. I rubbed my eyes, willing for the vision to blur back into dark skies and random flashes of lightning. Instead, I only saw headlights, glowing brighter the closer they came to my solace.
Setting my laptop on the couch, I slid on my sandals, holding one hand on the doorknob to the front porch. The black SUV was close enough for me to see the sand blow from the shiny rimmed tires running through it as he approached.
Clenching my fist, I turned the knob, stepping onto the porch where the wind began to blow the tall grasses and sand. The rain hadn’t started yet, but I was sure a full-blown downpour would start the moment Marcus stepped out of the SUV.
I was out of time, and needed to think quickly on my feet. Did he know I had Lauren? Was he planning on taking her from me before I could replace her with another girl?
Fuck him. He wouldn’t touch her. I’d beat his ass if he tried to step foot in my small house that offered me the most amount of happiness I’d had in my life. Especially since the woman of my dreams was sleeping soundly in my bed.
My heart raced faster as he pulled into the cracked concrete driveway. Crossing my arms and widening my stance, I watched his driver step out first, then a bodyguard from the passenger's seat. Then, to my surprise, another bodyguard hopped out the back seat. My face remained neutral, although my insides began to quake. He never had more than one bodyguard with him.
Sweat beaded on my neck as I swallowed the lump in my throat. A million scenarios were running through my head. Everything from my twisting his neck with my own two hands, to his bodyguard beating the shit out of me while Marcus carried my naked, sleeping Lauren to his SUV.
I resisted pacing. I wanted to look strong and confident, not nervous and ill-prepared.
As I inhaled a deep breath, a loud boom of thunder shook the ground, and Marcus’s shiny black shoes stepped from the SUV. His face was expressionless when it came into view. His eyes were covered by black sunglasses, completely unnecessary from the setting sun and the impending storm.
I swallowed one last time, clenching my jaw as he approached with his bodyguards behind him.
His straight face turned into a smug smile as he stood on the bottom step of the porch looking up at me. Removing his glasses, he tucked them inside his coat pocket. Our matching eyes stared each other down, mentally predicting what each other were thinking. Both his bodyguards climbed up the steps, bypassing the middle because their strides were so long. I didn’t flinch when they passed by me, one ready to grab each arm if I didn’t cooperate.
Marcus took the few steps to the top of the deck. We were now face to face. My shirtless, tense body against his finely pressed black suit.
His smug grin vanished, and his jaw tightened. The crinkles on the sides of his eyes deepened as he studied me. Cocking his head to the side, he finally opened his mouth.
“Where’s my Dove?”
Continue The Riptide Series with:
RESIST: Book Two
For more information on how to stop Human Trafficking:
POLARIS: National Human Trafficking Hotline
“Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery-a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 20.9 million people around the world. And no matter where you live, chances are it’s happening nearby. From the girl forced into prostitution at a truck stop, to the man discovered in a restaurant kitchen, stripped of his passport and held against his will. All trafficking victims share one essential experience: the loss of freedom.”
- Polaris:National Human Trafficking Hotline
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I never would have finished this book if it weren’t for my husband. All of the nights he allowed for me to escape to the coffee shop and write until they closed were what made this book possible. I’ll love you forever, baby.
To my supportive parents and children for cheering me on and keeping me focused.
To my bestie Amanda, who’d listen to my crazy ideas, helping to guide me in the direction I knew I wanted, but needed clarification.
Thanks to my amazing editor Erin Noelle, for putting up with my repetitive words and scattered thoughts, keeping my plot in line and organized.
And of course, my family at Vaskobooks, for putting all of the pieces together to release The Riptide Series. I will be forever grateful for your faith in me as an author.
Connect with Brooke:
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Books By Brooke Page
Conklin’s Trilogy:
Drawn to You (#1)
Molded For You (#2)
Bound With You (#3)
Fore
ver With You (#3.5)
Obsession Trilogy:
Obsession (#1)
Hide (#2)
Seek (#3)
Steamy Hot Shots:
Wicked Wedding
Craving The Cowboy
Dangerous Lies
Bad Boss
A Very Bad Boss Christmas
