by Liv Bennett
Tara and Clint were right to come check up on me. I can’t pull my head out of my ass long enough to see the reality of my life. How am I supposed to decipher what really happened with Ruby?
Ch 22
The Cougar
“Hey!” Austin calls out from the across the street. I sigh loudly with relief at the sight of him, despite the worked-up way he left me earlier. He hurries up to me, lifting the side of his jacket for me. “You’re gonna catch a cold.”
I gladly snuggle up to him, feeling his heat, his arm wrapping around my shoulder. In that moment, I wonder why I was even mad at him. Is this how the Stockholm syndrome feels? He may pose a great danger to me, but I need him. Not just for shelter, but he’s also my only source of affection.
Despite his kindness, he doesn’t lean toward me for a kiss. I tip my head back with a smile, hoping to thaw his coldness. His expression remains dull, indifferent, his eyes distant, his hands careful not to touch me.
We rush to his car without saying a word. He heats up the seats of his car during the ride, not speaking, not even looking my way.
The feeling of guilt for lashing out at him settles deep in my chest. He’s done nothing wrong, has been the perfect gentleman to me, while all I do is push him away. The longer we drive, the harder it feels to reach out to him. As if with each mile, a new mountain is forming between us.
When he pulls up in his driveway, he grabs a shopping bag from the backseat. “I got you a few new clothes to wear.” His words clipped, he hands me the bag and hurries toward the entrance, without giving me a chance to thank him. I follow him to his house and wait hesitantly at the doorway.
He signals me in and raises his hand toward one of the bedrooms. “You’re very welcome to stay in the guest bedroom. It has a bathroom attached.”
My heart sinks at his cold tone, the lack of care in his averted eyes. It’s not the fear of sleeping outside that has my hand up to his, reaching for it despite the possibility of his rejection. It’s my regret for hurting him, for pushing his limits while he’s done nothing but help me.
“I’m sorry.” I grab his hand so hard, he’ll have to shove me away to free himself from my hold. “I’m very sorry, Austin. I don’t know what got into me. I can’t think straight when it’s about you. I’m jealous. Very jealous, but I had no right to hurt you.”
His eyebrows pull together finally, and a range of emotions cross his face. I sigh with relief. I’d rather have his anger than his apathy. “I said all that is in the past. I was going through a rough time when it happened. I’m not the same man anymore.”
I nod, my lips trembling, finally letting his words sink in, accepting the true meaning behind them. I move toward him, needing his closeness, his warmth, his care. It’s harder than pushing a car uphill, that first step toward him to claim his affection when my entire life has been nothing but rejection and neglect.
Despite my hesitancy and fears, I rest my head against his chest. When his arms come around me, tears rush down my cheeks. I wrap my arms around his waist to pull him closer to me, fearful he will change his mind any minute.
“What am I going to do with you?” he whispers and kisses the top of my head. His arm comes around my waist, and he leads me to the guest room and turns on the lights. “Feel free to eat anything you find in the kitchen. I’m going to bed. I’m beat.”
I nod, trying to hide my disappointment and push up to my toes to reach his mouth. He grins when he brushes his lips to mine, his kiss a tad restrained.
“Good night.” His bedroom is next door to mine, and I follow him with my eyes. Without moving from my spot, I listen to the water running in his shower, to him stepping out and drying himself off, the bed creaking when he climbs into it, and the click of the light switch when he turns off the lights. His door remains slightly open, as if in silent invitation to me.
Thinking about the lonely night ahead of me, I cringe. It’s a crime to sleep in a bed alone when a gorgeous man with a heart of a gold is right next door.
Swallowing down the lump of fear in my throat and pushing away my embarrassment, I step out of the guest room and knock on Austin’s door.
“Yes?”
I push the door halfway open, my hand on the handle. “Can I sleep with you? I don’t want to sleep alone.”
He pushes up on his elbows and shakes his head. “I haven’t jerked off all day. I can’t have you in my bed without…” He wiggles his eyebrows. “You know.”
A moan escapes me, and my hands quickly reach for the scarf around my neck. Tossing it to the floor, I hurry to his bed.
“This is the point of no return. Are you absolutely sure about this?” Sitting up on his bed, he grips the hem of my dress but doesn’t make another move until I say “Yes.”
Then, he quickly pulls the dress up over my head. His hands are possessive on my hips and haul me onto his bed, positioning me underneath his naked torso.
“You waited twenty-five years, and you’re going to give it away in five minutes?” he asks, resting his elbow beside my head, running his eyes slowly up and down my body.
The dim light seeping through the door from the hall reflects on the hard planes of his chest all the way down to his six-pack. He’s a sight to behold. My hands itch to feel the skin stretching over the rough muscles of his biceps, follow the wide shoulders from one end to the other. “I hope it’ll last more than five minutes.”
He chuckles. “I can’t promise that. Not for the first round, at least. I’ve been horny for you all day.” Something flickers in his eyes and the blue pupils darken. “I don’t want you to have regrets about it.” His words come out restrained, his voice deep, husky, tingling me from within.
“I won’t.”
What is all this interrogation about? If I didn’t feel his erection wedged between us, I’d wonder if he is having second thoughts about me. He’s still staring at me, challenging me, perhaps trying to scare me off.
“Why do you keep asking?” I ask. “If you don’t want to, just—”
His mouth comes down on mine before I can finish my sentence, his fingers running through my hair. He pushes my thighs apart with his knee, nestling between my legs. His erection is on my pelvis, long and heavy, skin on skin, no barrier between us.
His lips leave mine as he lifts his head, giving my body another once-over, his eyes in disbelief, watching me like a starved animal staring at a delicious gazelle. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’ve wanted you since the first day I saw you. I wanted to bend you down on your Legacy and take your ass out on the highway.”
Even if I hadn’t been turned on by his sight, his masculine smell, his exploring hands; his words would have brought me to where he wanted me—drenched and moaning for him.
Despite my wetness and the growing heat between my legs, my limbs are sluggish and disoriented like those of a toddler. I want to reach for his shoulders, his back, run my nails down the length of him. I want to wrap my legs around him, pull him closer and closer until he can’t breathe.
But all I can manage to do is to respond, moan in response to his kiss, shudder at his hand kneading my breasts, quiver at his cock tapping on my mound. My body lacks coordination. I lack experience.
His hand slips further down my waist, and his lips follow a trail along my jaw to my neck. His tongue laps at the sensitive skin on the side, his lips sucking it with an undeniable purpose of leaving bruises.
His hand moves again, this time to his cock, holding it to slide it between my legs. He lifts up, hovering over me, his eyes locked with mine. “God, you’re so wet. I’ll slip right into you.”
He breathes heavily above me, as he pushes its tip against my opening, meeting resistance right away. “Maybe not. Relax. I’ll try to be gentle.”
I’ve watched dozens of porn movies, read anything and everything I could find about the first time, but nothing could prepare me for the explosive pleasure of a cock easing into me, inch by painful inch. One second it feels like his cock is going to
tear me in two, the next, my eyes roll back in their sockets from the bliss.
“Damn, you’re burning up inside. Open up for me, baby. Give me that pussy. Let me fuck you.” Once he’s halfway in, he starts rubbing my belly, loosening the clenching muscles. I feel myself slowly relaxing into his touch and his passionate kisses. Suddenly, his cock thrusts past the barrier.
I scream in delicious agony, my eyes snapping shut, when he sinks his cock to the hilt, impaling me. He stops, giving me a moment to breathe. His eyes lock with mine, unwavering, searching my face for some sign of feedback. “All good?”
“Yeah, yeah!”
His cock throbs and I can feel every pulse, every impatient twitch. The corner of his mouth twists up in an amused grin. His head shakes. “You look so beautiful, it might be my cock talking, but I think I love you.”
His confession stuns me because Ruby was the only one who’d ever said those three special words to me. It’s bewildering to hear them from him even though he’s very likely just lost in the moment.
My hands finally move, albeit of their own accord and reach for his neck to pull him down on me. His lips are back on mine in seconds, ravenous yet tender. He starts to pull his hips backward slowly, and when the tip of his cock slides past a sweet spot close to my opening, an uncontrollable moan escapes my throat.
His lips still lingering on mine, he chuckles into my mouth. “Uh-huh!”
From that point on, he works solely on that spot, swiveling his hips to hit it from different angles, grinding the tip of his cock against it slowly at first, dragging out my moans, then with a rhythmic speed. The spot that once was tingly becomes a wildfire.
Restless, I roll my head left and right, my eyes shut tightly, my feet gliding up and down on the bed. The need is growing, unbearable, pushing past my limits. I’m clueless about what’s coming and fearful it’ll end abruptly. I’ll lose my mind if it does.
“Oh, yes, baby!” he groans, primal urge dripping from his voice. I can’t even open my eyes to look up at him. I’m lost, consumed. His cock is thrusting into me faster, each stroke rubbing gasoline into my burning spot.
I feel his hand on my neck, and he slides his thumb between my lips, deep into my mouth, smearing it with my saliva. Before I realize his intentions, he slips his hand between our bodies.
His thumb, wet with my saliva, glides over my mound until it finds my clit. He starts with a gentle swirl then takes it to the next level, pulling and pinching it mercilessly. A rough rub is all it takes to set off the explosion. A jolt shoots through my nerve endings, all the way from my clit into the depths of my pussy. The walls inside me clamp down hard around his cock.
“Fuck!” he yells and pumps deep into me, all the way to the hilt. Long yet restrained strokes one after another, and his cock starts jerking with sudden spasms, hot liquid flushing inside me.
He collapses beside me, rolling me toward him to keep his cock inside me. When I open my eyes and see his triumphant grin through his heavy breathing, a tinge of sadness comes over me. My past dug a big hole in my heart. I’m weaker than the majority of people. I won’t need a major hit to be completely shattered beyond repair. And now, this. I’m losing every bit of myself to him. My lips begin trembling.
He frowns with a look of worry on his face and covers my cheek with his hand. “Are you disappointed? Did I hurt you?”
“No, no!” I feign a smile and bite down on my lip to stop its trembling. “It was great.”
My answer deepens his frown. “Then, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I’m just happy it lasted more than five minutes.” I bury my face in the crook of his neck to hide the tears moistening my eyes.
My joke doesn’t elicit a chuckle from him. He turns toward me, throwing his arm and leg over my body, hugging me to him without any more questions asked. Tears in my eyes, I fall asleep in his embrace.
His whisper wakes me hours later. “I want you.”
My back is turned to his chest, and his cock is getting hard, pressed against my buttocks. He guides his cock down, dipping the tip of his cock between my legs, just an inch of him sliding in and out of my entrance until he hears my moan.
I reach down and run my fingers hesitantly along the length of his erection, feeling its velvety skin stretched over the steel hardness as I guide it fully inside of me.
The first full thrust is painful against the sore walls of my pussy, but we find our rhythm quickly, and soon he’s on top of me, fucking me hard, while I bury my face into the pillow and let him start another fire inside me.
I’m sticky when his alarm clock wakes us the next morning, but that doesn’t deter him from a third round. He pulls me over him this time, making me straddle him, letting me take control while pumping into me from below with long, rough strokes.
He asks me to stroke my breasts, run my hands down my stomach and touch my clit. I do as he says, with a deep flush on my cheeks, watching his ravenous eyes drinking me in.
Later in the shower, he flips me around and presses my hands against the wall for support. His hands cup my buttocks, while he works on my pussy, licking and sucking my pussy long and hard until I explode into his mouth.
He laughs, amused when he sees me walking out of the bathroom on wobbly knees. “Better get used to it, babe. This is the usual treatment in the Knight residence.”
My jealousy flares in hot bubbles inside me, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Nope!” He warns me with his finger up in the air. “Don’t go there. Don’t ruin this beautiful morning.”
I keep my mouth shut and find a dress in the shopping bag he brought in last night. I smile at the sight of the bra set with the correct sizing. Once ready, I head for the kitchen to fix us breakfast.
His kitchen is bigger than any apartment I’ve ever lived in and modern with sleek black custom cabinetry and an island to match. The countertops are brushed stainless steel, the floor tiles are granite, and there is a breakfast table on one side. It’s a dream kitchen for a professional cook, but the content of his fridge leaves a lot to be desired. A bottle of milk, Prego tomato sauce, maple syrup, mustard and mayonnaise, and lots of beer are all he has.
Grabbing the bottle of milk, I start my search for bowls and cereal. He walks into the kitchen, wearing a plain blue t-shirt and navy-blue jeans. His tousled hair is damp, eyes twinkly. “What’re you doing?”
“Fixing us breakfast. You don’t even have eggs. What do you eat for breakfast?”
“Leave it. Let’s go to The Buff.” He grabs his phone and keys from the bowl in the center of the kitchen island and slips them into the pocket of his jeans.
“What’s the Buff?”
“Only the best brunch place in Colorado.” He walks toward me and catches me around my waist to lift me up for a kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck while we kiss.
“Let’s not eat out. It’ll be expensive,” I say, my lips lingering on his.
“I’ll pay.” Slowly, he sets my feet down on the floor.
“Even worse. I don’t want you to spend money on me. It’s bad enough I’m staying at your place.”
“Are you kidding me? I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time last night. Besides, why should I even work if I’m not going to spend the money on beautiful virgins?”
“Oh, my God!” I punch him in the chest, while he bends down for another kiss.
The sound of someone clearing their throat makes me leap back in fear. Across from us, standing with hands on her hips, tapping the toe of her high-heels is none other than the cougar with the fake tits from the gym.
Ch 23
A Corvette Affair
The cougar is breathing through her nostrils, her artificially plump lips pursed. Her pencil-skirt suit is bright white like of the color of a bridal gown, and she shifts her weight from one foot to another. “What’s going on here?”
Perplexed at the intrusion, I stare at her, hoping—No! Praying—she’s not one of the women he fucked.
His mother frowns, or at least, I think she does; it’s hard to tell without any wrinkles visible between her eyebrows. “Answer my question, honey? What are you doing here when you needed to be present at the closing?”
Austin slaps his forehead. “Damn! Was it today? I completely forgot about it.”
“So I see.” She runs her eyes up and down my body, showcasing her distaste of me with a hiss.
Probably unaware of his mother’s instant dislike of me, Austin tugs me gently toward her. “This is Ashley. You probably know her from the gym. Ashley, this is my mother, Sheryl.”
Expecting a handshake, I step forward and hold my hand out to her. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Knight.”
It’s not so nice to meet me, apparently. She flinches back at the sight of my hand as if I’m carrying a dead rat in my palm. Her eyebrows arch, and she blinks her eyes before landing them back on Austin. “Wrap up whatever you’re doing here. You’re coming with me.”
Austin grabs my hand that his mother refused to shake, lacing his fingers through mine. “I can’t today. Set it up again for tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m not your secretary, and this is not a meeting you can postpone for some girl. The clients came all the way from Saudi Arabia,” Sheryl snarls and bares her teeth.
Austin takes a long breath beside me, his jaw set, and his hold tightening around my hand. “I’m sorry I forgot about the meeting, but that doesn’t give you the right to disrespect my guest. The clients are here to stay for a week. It won’t matter to them if we change the meeting to tomorrow afternoon. Take them to the Broncos game or to a strip club. They won’t mind. Ashley and I are leaving now.” When he turns to me, his glance is soft and apologetic. “Shall we?”
