Last Words (Morelli Family, #7)

by Sam Mariano

  I get up to grab some whiskey, then I head back to bed and drink until the wrapped present starts to look like two presents.

  Two o’clock.

  Three o’clock.

  Four o’clock.

  Carly said afternoon. I wasted the whole afternoon… well, getting wasted.

  It’s time to leave for work now. I did not unwrap the present. I did not go to Carly’s house.

  Walking to work half-drunk seems like an acceptable life decision, so I do that. Between the low temperature and metabolizing the alcohol on the long, cold walk, I do feel more capable of working by the time I clock in, but I still probably deserve to be written up, at the very least. I won’t be. Dodging consequences seems to be my superpower. Whatever power doles out circumstances knew I’d be a pain in the ass in life, so He threw Mia in the way of me getting murdered, and good looks to keep me from going hungry.

  My boss can tell I’m already a little drunk when I get behind the bar, but she doesn’t say anything. I don’t really have to try at this job. For one thing, it’s easy. But more importantly, the drunk girls love to throw themselves at me. Firing me would just mean I go work at the other bar, and the drunk girls go there instead. Consequently, I can get away with pretty much anything. This isn’t even the first time I’ve shown up smelling of whiskey and feeling like shit.

  It’s a long-ass night, though. A slow-ass night. Lots of downtime to think about Carly and how sad I probably made her by not showing up to her stupid Christmas photo shoot.

  She invited me to be a part of her family tradition, and I was too consumed with trying to figure out exactly how many dicks had been inside her over the last few years to show up.

  I’m the biggest dick in the equation, clearly.

  I check my phone for the 900th time, but she hasn’t messaged me. Hasn’t called. I don’t know if she’s giving me a breather or giving up.

  The problem is, I don’t really want either. I miss her, even if she lied to me. Even if she’s blown every motherfucker but me.

  That’s mean. I shouldn’t think things like that. She was in a desperate situation and she used what she had to better her circumstances. To take care of her kid sister. That’s a hell of a sacrifice to make for someone. She accepted the burden of shame so someone she loved could have a good life. I can’t be a dick about that.

  She could’ve told me, though.

  Of course, reacting like this probably doesn’t make her think she should have told me sooner, it probably just makes her think she shouldn’t have told me at all. She could’ve lied some more. Could’ve told me she was living on some inheritance from her dead grandparents. Not like I ever would have known the truth if she didn’t decide to tell me.

  It’s late as hell when I get home. I’m fucking freezing, so I take a hot shower to warm up. Carly comes back to my mind, asking if I’m part penguin, telling me what a shitty burglar I must be if I can’t afford heat in my apartment, asking me for help and telling she’s turning into a Carly-sicle.

  I miss her, and I just saw her a few hours ago.

  I miss everything else though. I miss her flirting with me and teasing me. I miss her looking at me and not expecting me to judge her. I miss her looking at me and not judging me.

  I miss talking about her break-in fantasies and her easily controlling my temper with her skilled teasing. I don’t care why it’s skilled. I don’t care if she’s good at playing men. Maybe I need someone who’s good at playing men. Mia only seemed to play them by accident, and that kind of power unharnessed can wipe out fucking civilizations. Sure wiped out mine.

  But Carly is in control of her power. She knows she has it, spent time honing it, and now she uses it to make us both happy. Mia’s reckless, uncontrolled power over men brings only destruction; Carly knows what she’s doing, so she uses it to grow nice things. To force a surly, closed-off asshole out of his dark fortress of solitude and into the light with her.

  If Carly can get past what she had to do and emerge like a new, shiny person, surely I can get over a little heartbreak and betrayal.

  Civilizations fold. It happens. You can curl up and die with it, or you can start over. You can build a new one.

  The grudge I’ve been holding, the bitterness I’ve clung to, it all feels heavy.

  This new thought makes me feel light. Like Carly.

  The weight of a collapsed world on my shoulders is something I’ve chosen. Carly had reason to carry the same weight, but she let it go. She chose a better, happier way.

  I admire the hell out of that.

  I admire the hell out of her.

  It’s time to let go of the dark solitude and step into the light with Carly.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Vince

  I slide the lock pick back into my pouch and ease it into the pocket of my jacket as I ease the door shut behind me. All the lights in Carly’s apartment are off, both girls tucked away in bed. I’m slightly concerned about the thin walls, but maybe that can add to the stakes of the game.

  I kick off my boots and leave them by the door.

  I peel the jacket off and leave it on her couch.

  Her bedroom door creaks slightly when I ease it open, and again when I ease it shut. I twist the knob and wait until I hear the faint click as the latch catches in the groove that will keep the door from drifting open.

  My gaze moves to the bed. Carly lies facedown, her long blonde hair pulled up in her favorite “adorably fucked up” bun. She’s fast asleep. The blankets are pulled up to her waist, hiding some of her curves from my view. The thin material of her lilac top clings to her in all the right places, I know from memory, but right now I can only see the curve of her back since she’s sleeping on her tummy.

  I brought the present I still haven’t unwrapped, so I set it down on her dresser, the same way she set it down on mine.

  I move soundlessly to stand beside the bed and look down at her. I don’t plan to wake her up just yet, but I need to touch her. As I run a light finger along the smooth perfection of her cheek, I second guess this plan for a moment. How do I know this part was real? Maybe she was just feeling me out, trying to see what I’m into. Maybe she doesn’t really have kinky break-in fantasies.

  I can’t think that, though. Opening that door opens the door to everything being a lie, and I need that door to be locked up so securely that even I can’t get in.

  There’s no half-assing this one, so I ditch the doubts along with my shirt on the floor by Carly’s bed. I draw my prop out of the waistband of my pants and look at it. It’s been a long time since I’ve held a gun, to be honest. I can’t say I missed it. This one isn’t loaded, just for show, but it still feels weird to be armed again.

  Where my finger was just a moment ago, I replace it with the barrel of my gun. I drag the cold metal along Carly’s jawline until her eyes open. They go wide instantly—nothing cold should be touching her face while she sleeps—and she turns her head to look up at me.

  I can’t quite tell if the fear on her face is genuine, or she’s just a really good actress, but I can’t exactly break character to ask. It probably doesn’t even matter. Girls who are into shit like this like a man who can scare them; I spent enough time with one to pick up that much.

  I move quickly now; you have to in this scenario. I keep my voice low, aware of Laurel sleeping in the next room. Carly gasps and thrashes, trying to turn over as I climb on top of her, keeping her face down on the bed.

  “Please,” she manages, before I cover her mouth with my hand.

  “Shut up,” I tell her roughly, leaning down and breathing in the scent of her. Fuck, she smells good. Her body continues to move beneath me as she tries to throw me off her hips. It doesn’t work. Never works. I know how to effectively pin a person down, for fuck’s sake. Still, her little ass wiggles, stoking the slow burn of my arousal. I’m surprised by the earnestness of her struggle. As hard as she’s fighting, you’d think she’s fighting for her life.

  I keep
my hand on her mouth, looping an arm around her neck and yanking her back against my hard body. I can feel her swallow convulsively. “Stop fucking fighting me,” I tell her. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to move my hand, and you’re going to keep your pretty little mouth shut. You open it before I tell you to, I fill it with my cock. Got it?”

  She attempts to nod her understanding and I ease up my grip on her neck.

  I move my hand away from her mouth slowly and she exhales a little breath of relief.

  I push against her backside, letting her get a good feel for how hard I am. How hard she makes me all the fucking time with her teasing. There’s never any relief, but there will be tonight. I should tell her that, so I shove my fingers into her hair and fist it, jerking her head back and leaning into her ear. “You feel how hard I am for you?” She releases a shaky breath and nods. “You’re gonna take every inch of that cock tonight. Down your throat, in your pussy—wherever I want it. You’re my little slut tonight.”

  She takes me by surprise, ramming her elbow into my diaphragm and trying to take advantage of my grunt of surprise to get away.

  I don’t fucking think so. I grab her and roll her over on her back, repositioning myself on her hips and pinning her arms to the bed. “That wasn’t very fucking nice, now, was it?”

  She glares up at me, fire in her blue eyes. For a second, I worry she means it, but she still doesn’t speak. She could easily open her mouth and tell me to knock it off if she didn’t like what was happening here.

  She rolls her hips forward, still glaring. My cock responds. I close my eyes for a split second, then drag her arms over her head so I can restrain her with one hand. Now that I have a hand free, I let it slide up under her shirt to caress her breast. Her nipples are hard, straining against the fabric. I flick one roughly with my thumb and she gasps, her body quivering as she arches slightly, pushing her breasts against my hand.

  I give it a hard squeeze, then release it to push my hand down inside her soft cotton sleep shorts. My hips are lifted and she takes the opportunity to squirm again, butting her pussy against me like that’s going to make me want to fuck it less. Her squirming is pointless. My finger slips easily between her slick folds.

  Am I wet for you, Vince?

  Yes, Carly. Yes, you fucking are.

  I grin wickedly, circling her clit. She gasps and arches back against the bed, moaning as I toy with her.

  I want the taste I didn’t get last night.

  I release her wrists and withdraw my fingers, shifting my weight off her hips. She draws her legs together as I move off her, but I grab her thighs and wrench them back apart. I drag the shorts down and toss them behind me. She’s not wearing any panties underneath, so her bare pussy is spread open for me.

  I pause, looking at her. This isn’t right. She’s only half-naked. I want her stripped, her magnificent breasts bare and bouncing as she writhes while I eat her pussy.

  I drag her shirt off next, fucking up her bun even more. Fuck the bun. I reach into her hair and pull out the elastic band, tossing that, too. Now her hair spills around her shoulders and covers the cool, white pillow beneath her head.

  Much better.

  Of course, now that so much of her body is bare, I’m distracted. Fuck, she is gorgeous. Her breasts are incredible. There’s too much tasting that needs to happen here. I need to fucking feast on her.

  I grab her jaw roughly, turning it to face me, then I give her a savage kiss. I know a kiss doesn’t really fit with this game, but fuck it, I need to kiss her. I keep it brief, then I move lower, taking the breast I didn’t toy with into my mouth. She breathes hard as I suck on her nipple, flicking the hard little bud with my tongue.

  Her leg comes around my hip, pulling me closer. She needs me to fuck her, but she can’t ask.

  My dick strains against my pants, wanting the same thing.

  I need to fuck her, but dammit, I’m eating this pussy before I fuck it. I quit fucking around and plant my face between her legs, latching onto her perfect little pussy. And it is fucking perfect. She cries out as my tongue darts inside her, feels around for the most sensitive spots. She moans and her body arches, moving her pussy away from me, but I follow. I plant a hand on her thigh to hold her still while I lick her. It serves as an anchor, but her body still twists and writhes. I love how responsive she is. It’s so fucking hot.

  “Vince,” she whispers. I glance up at her, seeing her body move, her hands reach above her and grab the pillow. She thrusts her head back, eyes closed, as my tongue flicks her clit. “Please. Please.”

  Fuck, she’s sexy. I focus my attention on her clit, listening for every moan, every desperate gasp she gives me until she can’t take anymore. She cries out, turning her face and trying to smother the sound with the pillow as she comes.

  Her body relaxes against the bed as I let up and pull back. She breathes a sigh of pleasure.

  I unbutton and unzip my pants. My cock is aroused to the point of severe discomfort, so as soon as I kick the pants off, her break is over. I reach forward and grab her by the hair. She’s momentarily startled, but she follows as I use her hair to drag her ass forward until she’s staring at my hard cock.

  “What do good little sluts do when they see a hard cock, Carly?”

  She gives me a faintly dirty look, but then she sinks forward, wrapping those perfect little lips around my cock and sucking on it like a lollipop.

  “Fuck yes, just like that, baby.”

  She moans around my cock, the vibrations shooting jolts of intense pleasure to the base of my dick. Carly grips the base of my dick with one of her hands and tugs while she uses her mouth to work the sensitive tip, licking, probing, sucking like a fucking pro. Then her fingers fall and she pushes more of my cock into her mouth. She moves slowly at first, but by the time she’s done, she has swallowed my fucking cock. Every single inch of me is in her mouth, down her throat. Fuck. Now she moves her head back and forth, caressing my cock with the tight walls of her throat.

  This is fucking paradise.

  It’s hard not to come, though, and I still want her pussy, so as much as I enjoy the attention she lavishes on my cock, I finally have to put a hand on her shoulder and stop her.

  She looks up at me, perched on her hands and knees, her lips wet and swollen from worshipping my cock. Arousal surges through me even harder. I push her back on the bed, gripping the base of my well-sucked cock and plunging inside her. Another little cry slips out of her as I do. She feels like heaven. She’s hot and wet, her body fitted snugly around my cock as I move inside of her. I draw my hips back and thrust forward harder. Another low cry slips out of her, igniting my blood until it’s a roaring fire, raging through my veins.

  It’s mean, meaner than anything I’ve said to her, but the devil inside me compels my next utterance. “Mm, now that I’m inside your pussy, sweetheart, I can see why it costs so much.”

  Her pleasure is briefly interrupted as she gapes in surprise. Then her blue eyes narrow and before I realize why she’s drawing her hand back, she slaps me right across the face.

  I grin at her. I’m surprised she slapped me, but I deserved it.

  “Dick,” she mutters. The sight of her breasts bouncing as I fuck her takes the sting out of it, though.

  I pull almost all the way out of her, then thrust forward and impale her again. She still glares at me, but the friction of my thrusts dilutes the meanness with pleasure. I grab her wrists and pin her to the bed, just in case she thinks to slap me again. Now that I’m lying on top of her to hold her down, she tilts her hips up, drawing her legs back, allowing me to get even deeper inside her.

  “Aw, fuck.”

  “Yeah, us dirty sluts know all the tricks,” she states.

  “That’s why you make the big bucks,” I toss back.

  “Fuck you.”

  I draw my hips back and bury myself inside her, hard and deep. “Anytime.”

  The more she glares up at me, the harder I drive
my cock inside her. As the tension inside me builds, I focus more on the friction, the rhythm. Needy sounds slip out of Carly and she pushes against my hands. I let them go to see what she’ll do, but she’s not wrathful right now; her hands settle on my sides so she can hold onto me as she meets my every thrust, carrying us both closer to euphoria.

  She gets there first, thank fuck. Her pussy tightens and convulses around my cock, making every thrust feel a million times better. I let go and thrust inside her hard one last time, burying myself deep and letting her pussy milk every last drop from my dick.

  I collapse in a heap on top of her, out of breath, out of strength. I fucked every last bit of into her. Now I just need to lie here for a minute, thoroughly sated.

  Carly wraps her arms around me more snugly, holding me close. I can feel her heart hammering in her chest as she recovers, too.

  “Well, wasn’t expecting that,” she murmurs, after a minute.

  I smile faintly. “No?”

  “Nope. Thought you hated me. Not entirely sure you don’t,” she adds, scowling up at me. “Lots of whore talk in there.”

  I rub a hand across my cheek. “Yeah, you got me pretty good.”

  “You’re lucky I only slapped you. I thought about closing my fist.”

  I smirk at her. “Don’t try to fight me. I promise you, you will lose.”

  She smirks right back. “As long as I get an angry fuck out of it, I can live with that.”

  I bury my face in her neck, chuckling. “I like you.”

  “I like you, too,” she informs me.

  I use what strength I’ve collected to pull back and look down at her. “Still?”

  Carly nods her head, holding my gaze and raking her fingers through my hair. “You’re still my Superman.”

  My body is already settled and satisfied, but her words have the same affect on my heart. I wasn’t completely sure that between the two of us, her past and my present, my demons and her ghosts, we hadn’t fucked everything up.