by Avril Ashton
He burst out laughing. “Why couldn’t you be a gay man?”
“Hey.” She punched his shoulder. “There’s a gay man inside me.”
He raised an eyebrow and both giggled as her phone rang. She picked it up off the table.
“What’s up?”
“How do you know the man in the picture Wes sent me?” Cruz asked.
“Uh. He’s the one hunting Ghost.” Cruz inhaled sharply and she rushed on. “But I don’t now his real name or the agency he works for. Do you?”
“Jesus, Ever. When you do your shit, you do it big.”
“What?” She scrambled off Wes’s lap. “Who is he?”
“He’s the man who questioned your husband five years ago, sending him running back to Ireland.”
“What are you talking about?” Shocked by his words, she let the ‘husband’ thing slide.
“His name’s Simon Dakin.”
She repeated the name and Wes’s fingers flew over the keyboard.
“Angus put a hit out on him when Dakin hauled him in for questioning about five years ago,” Cruz said.
“Christ. Christ.” What kind of shit was this?
“Yep. Dakin questioned Angus about some illegal guns he sold an undercover. He probably hoped to leverage that in order to have Angus give up what he knew about Ghost. Angus called his bluff.”
“And high-tailed it back to the security of his homeland.”
“Yes. Angus wanted me to kill him, but I put him off by telling him it was too soon. Surprisingly, he didn’t press too hard. Maybe he agreed with me.”
Or maybe he’d been distracted by the American tourist he’d bedded and wedded, all within a week. God, she’d been so stupid.
“So, Simon Dakin let Angus get away without knowing who he really was. And after all this time he’s still hunting Ghost?”
“This was a big case back then, still is. They want Ghost, Ever. Bad.”
“Yeah, well. Too bad. Thanks for the info.” She hung up on Cruz and turned to Wes where he sat clicking away at the keyboard. “Find anything yet?’
“Yep.” Wes turned the computer monitor so she could see.
There he was on the screen. Simon Dakin. FB-freaking-I.
“I really fucked up this time, Wes.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
She grunted. Yeah. “All right. I’m going to take a bath, brainstorm on some things, and maybe try to get some shut eye.” She leaned in and pecked him on the lips. “I’d recommend you do the same, but I know you won’t budge ‘til you’re good and ready.”
He grinned and stuck out his tongue. Ever started up the stairs then looked over her shoulder. “Hey, did you have fun tonight with that Italian? Got what you needed?”
“I got what I needed.” He winked.
She giggled all the way to the shower. Despite all the dark clouds hovering, she could always count on Wes. The only man who’d never broken her heart or fucked her over in some way. She had to keep him safe from Angus. No matter the cost.
Her cell phone rang as she stepped out the shower, water dripping from her body and onto the floor mat. She fumbled with the phone before bringing it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hello, wife.”
Chills froze the water on her skin. The phone in her hand trembled, yet she kept her voice steady, betraying no trace of fear when she asked, “What the fuck do you want?”
He chuckled in her ear. “Now is that the way to treat your dear husband?’ His thick Irish brogue, once so endearing to her, grated on her every nerve.
She closed her eyes and prayed for calm, prayed for strength. “I’m not your wife, Angus. I never was. Now kindly tell me what the hell you want.”
“You’ve been a bad girl, Ever Mine. And this is your final warning. Feds are sniffing around you, get rid of them or your fag suffers the consequences.”
Tears stung her eyes at the pet name he’d given her when they’d first started dating. A lifetime of lies, pain, and betrayal ago.
“You can’t push me around like that girl you first met, Angus. You don’t scare me, not anymore. If you touch Wes, I’ll find you and slit your throat with a rusty fucking knife. Got me?”
He waited a beat then spoke softly. “Maybe you’re right, Ever Mine. Maybe it’s not the fag I want, he’s the techie anyway. I’ll need him alive for a bit. But what about you? Like you said, you’re not my wife, so why are you still around?”
Click.
Ever slid to the floor and curled on her side, teeth chattering. This animal was the man she’d promised to love, honor, and obey. He was the same person she’d loved with all her naïve heart. The one and the same who’d killed her baby.
The phone rang again, startling her into a gasp. She swallowed, trying to ease her shaking. “Yes?”
“Ever?”
Her heart lurched. “Dakota?” Fuck, how many more surprises can my heart take tonight? “How’d you get my number?”
“I have my ways, woman.” Humor laced his voice. “I want you, Ever. In my bed. In my arms. Come to me.”
“I can’t.” Her throat clogged, and she pressed her suddenly hot forehead to the cool wall. “I can’t, Dakota. Please, leave me alone.”
“Don’t. Don’t say no.” His voice deepened. “There’s something there, between us, Ever. Let’s explore it, see where it leads.”
“Nowhere. It leads nowhere.” Except straight to more pain and anguish.
“Why?”
“What the fuck is this, twenty questions?” She pulled herself to her feet and walked into her bedroom. “Feds are sniffing around you, get rid of them…” Angus’s words, his threats, echoed in her head. “Shit!”
“What’s wrong?”
Fucking man. She grabbed some clothes from a drawer and hurried out the room. “I’ll be there in an hour.” She hung up and called for Wes. If she had any hope of stopping Dakota, or whatever the hell he was calling himself, she needed some extra back-up.
Chapter Eight
To work off the nervous energy running through his body, Dak ran on his treadmill for a few minutes while waiting for Ever to arrive. He still couldn’t believe she said yes. She’d sounded different. Subdued, defeated. Nothing like the fiery woman he’d come to know.
Ever Marcille. The woman who heated his blood and doubled his heart beat. Tonight he’d find out much more. Later though. After he’d fucked her every which way. Punishment for leaving him wanting for so long.
Jayce wanted his head back in the game, and it would be, once he’d had Ever.
Five minutes after he stepped in the shower, Jayce announced her arrival. Dak took his time, let her wait for once. He finally decided to have mercy on her and entered the bedroom to find her standing at his window looking out into the night. She wore a tight t-shirt and short denim skirt that barely covering her ass. He recognized the thigh highs from her last visit.
A bottle of Moscato sat on his bedside table. Dak grinned and tightened the towel on his hips.
“I love the view from here,” she spoke without turning around.
He pressed himself to her back and nuzzled her neck. “So do I.” She shivered in his arms, her scent of peaches and cream filling his nose. “I’ve missed this,” he murmured. “Holding you, touching you.”
She turned around and lifted her chin, staring into his eyes. “So do it, but later.” She yanked away his towel and flung it aside. His cock bobbed between them, hard and ready. “Right now I want you, Dakota.”
In answer, he grabbed her hair and kissed her, pushing his tongue between her parted lips. She opened wider for him, tongue parrying with his, lips and teeth grinding against each other. Dak pushed his hips into her, rubbing his cock on her stomach. He maneuvered them forward until she was backed into the window. Using one hand, he reached down, groping, seeking her ass under the skirt.
She wrapped her legs around him, hands on his shoulders, and rocked on the tip of his cock. Dak grunted, fingers trailing the crack of her
naked ass.
Ever moaned and shuddered. No time for ass play though, not yet anyways. Later he’d fuck her there. He slid two fingers into her slick pussy from behind.
“Ung, yes,” she hissed into his mouth. “More, Dakota. Give me more.”
“Your wish.” He pressed three in and she bucked, head thrown back. Soft muscles caressed his fingers, contracting wildly. “More, Ever?”
“Fuck.” Her nails bit into his shoulders, the heels of her boots dug into his ass. “More.”
“Then we need the bed.” He backed to the bed and fell in, Ever on top with her eyes closed, riding his fingers. He rolled them, pressing her into the mattress, and removed his fingers from her. She murmured her disapproval and clutched his arm.
“Easy, easy.” He chuckled at her eagerness. “I’ve got you.” He leaned over her, pulled open the top drawer of his night table, and lifted out the bottle of lube. She kept her shadowed gaze on him as he poured a generous amount over her shaved pussy and rubbed it in. Eyes at half-mast, she widened her legs and lifted her hips.
He slid first one then two fingers into her, thrusting slow and shallow. When her movements sped up, he added the third and fourth.
“Dakota.” Her body arched. She gripped the sheets, pulling them with her.
“Look at me,” he commanded, need roughening his voice. Her dark, green gaze snapped to him. “I’m coming inside you with my fist, Ever. You’re going to feel me, do you understand?”
Her eyes widened, but she nodded.
“Keep your eyes on me.” He poured the lube all over her and his hand then set it aside. Curling his thumb into his palm, he pushed forward slowly.
She cried out, body clamping down around him. Sweat popped out on Dak’s forehead. “Look into my eyes, Ever.”
She did, heavy-lidded gaze tinged with pain and pleasure.
“Trust me,” he whispered as he slid his wrist forward. “Trust me.” He didn’t deserve it, but fuck he wanted it all the same.
Nostrils flared, pupils dilated, she nodded. Her acceptance humbled him, a reminder of his deception.
He graced her with a wobbly smile and pressed forward until he’d entered her to the narrow of his wrist. Incredible heat surrounded him. “I’m inside you, Ever. Can you feel me touching you?” He wriggled his wrist a little, dragging along her spongy walls. “Feel me touching you heart?”
“Oh, God. So-so…” Ever’s head thrashed on the pillows.
“No, don’t move.” He smoothed his free hand down her thigh and licked her stomach. “Tell me how you feel.”
“Full,” she gasped. Sweat beaded on her forehead and upper lip. “Stuffed.” He rotated his wrist and she arched, thighs trembling. “Ah gad. Dakota, do it. Move.”
He did, slowly. Using his knuckles to scrape her walls again and again. Her entire body shook and her boot heels sank into his back. He winced at the pain, but kept rotating his wrist, left to right and around. Moisture gushed from her cunt, soaking him.
He increased the force of his thrust a bit while dropping open-mouthed kisses on her hard clit. He flicked his tongue over it.
“Fuck, Dakota. So good,” Ever babbled. “So good.”
“Yes.” He pressed his free thumb on her clit. “I’m reaching for your heart, Ever. I want it.” Voice husky, he murmured, “Give it to me.”
“God.” Her jerks increased. “You have it, damn you. Shit. Make me come, make me come.”
He pressed his knuckles against the soft bump and she yelled out, her head thrashing back and forth, body arching off the bed. Her contractions squeezed him, drenching him in even more of her sticky juices. Dak worked her clit all through the orgasm, licking, rubbing, suckling.
When she stilled, he eased his hand out by slow degrees and licked off her juices. She stared at him, lips parted, chest heaving. Her eyes glistened.
“I’ll never get enough, Ever.” He sat back on his haunches. “You make me want things I haven’t in a long time. When I see you, when I touch you, I forget everything, my responsibilities, my job. I lose myself in your taste. You’re my favorite flavor.”
Her bottom lips trembled. “You say the sexiest shit.”
Dak crawled up to her and cupped her jaw. He stared into her emerald green eyes, trying to convey his feelings. “I’m not feeding you bull, Ever. I’m telling you how I feel, what I want.”
“Dakota.” She looked away.
“No. Damn it, look at me.” He turned her to face him. “Don’t hide from me. I’ll never hurt you, Ever. I want you to know that. I want to know you.”
Her brow creased, confusion in her eyes. “Why?’
“Why what?”
“Why me? There are thousands of women out there Ian Dakota can have. You’ve surely had at least half that, and you want me?” She poked her chest. “Why?”
Dak shrugged. “I don’t know why you and not someone else. I’m not questioning it. I’ve never felt for anyone else what I feel for you.”
“Which is what?”
“Love.”
Chapter Nine
Tears burned Ever’s eyelid as she stared up at the man who’d stolen her heart. “Love. I’ve been burned by love, Dakota.” She fumbled at his name. “I want no part of it.”
“You don’t feel the same?” Disbelief dripped from his words. He bent forward, teeth scraping the side of her neck. Ever shivered. “I see what you try so hard to disguise. Deny.”
“I like you,” she murmured. “I like the way you make me feel, the way you fuck me. That’s all.” She palmed the cock poking her thigh. “That’s all it can ever be.”
Thrusting into her grasp, cock twitching, Dak grunted. “Yeah. Really?”
She glanced up at the set determination in his dark gaze and narrowed her eyes at his tone. “Wha—”
He pulled away from her touch. “Get on your fucking hands and knees.”
What the fuck? She stared at him, mouth open.
“Now!” He barked, yanking at her ankles. “If it means nothing, prove it. Tell me after I’m done with you.”
Ever crawled to her knees, a frown on her face. “Have you lost your mind, Dakota?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “You can’t fucking order me—”
A stinging slap landed on her right butt cheek. She cried out.
“Quiet, Ever. Or there’ll be more.”
Heat pooled in her center, the pain rapidly turning to pleasure. What the hell was he playing at? Over her shoulder she watched him pull on a condom with jerky movements, then squirt lube onto his fingers. Her pussy clenched. Despite the rough treatment, or maybe because of it, she’d never been more turned on. Her body vibrated, her cunt pulsed. Waiting, needing.
She wouldn’t let him know that, though. She bit her lip, stifling a moan.
“Arch your back, ass in the air.”
Moving her knees further apart, she did as commanded. Soft lips kissed the base of her spine as a finger trailed down her ass crack and feathered over her hole.
She inhaled a shaky breath. “Dakota.”
The fingers pushed into her ass slowly, making her body burn. She gripped the sheets, limbs trembling.
“I’m going to fuck you here, Ever.” Another slippery finger crowded her tight back entrance.
“No.” She cried the words as more cream spilled from her pussy, betraying her need to him, scenting the air with her fiery arousal. “God, Dakota. No.”
“Yes.” A separate finger dipped into her pussy then spread her cream over her clit. Her body clenched. “Yes, Ever. Because though you deny it, you want me as much as I want you.” More lube, this time applied directly on her ass, and another finger stretched her.
She bucked, chest heaving, lungs burning. “I don’t want you. I don’t—”
“Liar.” He snarled the word as the mattress dipped and he removed his fingers. One hand dug into her hip as he pulled her backward. “Tell me the same thing after this.” The blunt, wet head of his cock pushed into her.
“No!” S
he struggled against him, fighting him and her body’s reaction. Hunger burned in her contracting core. He pushed in by infinitesimal degrees, dragging his thick cock against her tight passage. Ever clawed at his hands gripping her waist. “Fuck you, Dakota.”
“Yes.” He eased all the way in until his hard stomach touched her ass. “I’m fucking you, Ever. I’m inside where no one else has ever been.”
Moisture clouded her eye, blinding her. He put an arm around her neck and brought her up against his body. Ever went willingly, rising on her knees. His breath burned across her skin as he kissed and scraped her neck with his teeth.
Her hips jerked and he moaned. “Ever.” His arm trembled.
Frozen in place inside her body, his cock throbbed in time to their synchronized heartbeats. She rolled her hips, testing out the feel of him. He inhaled, the arm around her neck tightened.
“Feel me, Ever,” he rasped. “I’m inside you so deep. We fit, so perfectly. Don’t deny it. Don’t deny us.”
Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. How had she ended up here? In love with the man bent on destroying her life? He didn’t know, but he will eventually, and all this would’ve been a memory.
She reached behind her, placing a palm on his hard thigh. “Dakota, please. Please, just…move.” She whimpered. “Move.”
He brought his hand to the front and rubbed her clit.
“Argh.” Her pussy and ass clenched and he hissed.
“I’m not moving, Ever. Not until you acknowledge this thing between us. Tell me you feel it.” He rotated his hips slowly. “Tell me you want it,” he begged.
“I feel it.” She sobbed. “I want it so bad.” But she couldn’t have it.
“Then take it.” He reared back and thrust in, hard.
She shuddered.
Deep.
“Take me.” He pounded into her with deep growls. Ever’s tears ran freely as her hand replaced his, massaging her clit. He held on to her waist with both hands as he fucked her ass.
“Ever. God. Ever, baby.” He bit her ear then sucked on the lobe. “You’re so tight, so hot. You’re burning me up.”
“Yes. God, yes.” She slid two fingers into her pussy, fucking herself as he fucked her. “Ung. So good, Dakota.”
