by K. I. Lynn
Warmth taps near my clit and I reach between us to hold him, but as I grab onto him, I immediately notice it’s not skin to skin. He really is good if I didn’t even notice he put on a condom.
His eyes meet mine, and I guide him closer until he’s sliding against the wet mess he created. He never looks away as he rocks his hips, then drifts down and pushes in.
My eyes widen, refusing to look away from him, but the feeling of him stretching me is pleasure overload. Lips parted, I struggle for air as every nerve ending erupts in a mini-explosion.
“So good,” he says with a moan, his hips pulling back before pushing in again, working himself deeper.
It’s an erotic gratification I’ve never experienced before. He flexes his hips and I feel it, pressed against the deepest part of me.
“Ready?”
I stare up at him. Ready? For what?
My question is answered when he rears back, then slams into me. The sound that comes from me is high pitched and unidentifiable. His dark eyes hypnotize me, his hands a distraction, as his cock ravages me.
I’m still sensitive from my orgasm, but it wouldn’t matter. It only takes a few good, hard strokes of him inside me to ramp me up toward a second wave.
“Niko,” I say in a breathless whisper.
His hips pick up speed, tearing apart any last thought from me.
Nothing but carnal pleasure as I come again, clamping down on him.
I’m cock drunk. Completely and totally consumed by Niko.
All sense of anything other than his cock is gone.
“Fuck, baby, that’s it,” he growls. His sounds increase, and then, he slams into me.
I can feel him twitching inside me, deep in a place I’m not sure any man has been before. He’s breathing hard, hot against my skin before he pulls back, hand on his dick, probably taking the condom off, before he falls down onto the bed next to me.
“Wow,” is all I can say. My body has no strength at the moment.
Fantasy? No, my fantasies were a bland comparison, but I have new fantasies with actual memories to accompany them.
He chuckles, and I turn into his side and his rapidly expanding chest.
“Definitely wow.”
We’re both silent for a minute as we come down from our high. Strength starts to return as air pumps in and out of my lungs at a slower pace.
“You’re going to make sure I can’t walk tomorrow, aren’t you?”
He looks over at me and smiles. “Challenging me again?”
I giggle and draw my lower lip between my teeth. “Maybe.”
His head falls back down to the bed. “Five minutes.”
I scrunch my brow. “Five wha—” I cut myself short and glance down.
My mouth drops open as I stare down in amazement. He’s still hard. Maybe not fully, but as I stare, it twitches. I look up to Niko who is smirking at me.
“See something you want, baby?”
I straddle his hips and lean over to his nightstand and the box of condoms. A smile fills my face as I look down at him and I hold one up. “I challenge you to a round two.”
“Fine, but round three’s challenge is mine.”
“Think you can take me?”
He grins at me. “I already did.”
A JOLT WAKES ME, my eyes popping open in the dark. It’s a small moment of confusion as I process the room and the weight of the arm draped around me. The bedside clock reads almost three a.m.; its red glow lights up the face of Niko as I glance behind me.
That’s when I remember why we’re both passed out. I can feel it in my abdomen, the memory of Niko inside me. The strength needed to pull myself from the warmth of his arms is intense, but I manage. I spot a phone charger in the glow and pray that it’s a match for my iPhone.
Each movement when prying my body from his is calculated so that I don’t wake him. I don’t want him asking questions. I got what I wanted from him, and I plan to leave the way I’ve heard that he usually does.
He doesn’t move, his breath even. Why does he have to look so good even asleep?
A question for another time.
The bed that once had a place on the left side of Niko’s large room is now almost blocking his bedroom door. We just fucked so hard that we moved his bed across his bedroom.
Holy shit.
Niko wrecked me. There is no way that any man will come close to what we just did tonight. I’m not sure how I feel about that considering I don’t plan on seeing him again after this. The thought makes me sad, but I’m too tired to dwell on the feelings.
My legs are weak, making my steps unsteady. There are clothes all over the floor around the bed, a few condom wrappers mixed in, and I pick up my clothes as I make my way through. I’m almost tempted to stay until morning and wake him up just to see what sex looks like with Niko Callahan in the light of day, but I can’t risk that. I let out a small sigh and turn away from him.
As I slide between the thin gap between the bed and the wall on my way toward the door, I notice the massive blackness on his back and wish the light was better so I could see the tattoo. Then again, I didn’t get a good look at any of the ink covering his skin. Preoccupied with other parts of his body and all.
Quietly, I move about his apartment in search of my bag.
There’s a nightlight on in the kitchen, highlighting my purse along with another phone cord.
Perfect.
I pull my phone out of the outer pocket and plug it in. Hopefully, it will give me just enough charge to call for an Uber and see if Cam sent me anything.
I slip my thong on and look back into the bedroom—no change.
My phone has just enough juice to turn on, and I nearly jump out of my skin as the startup music begins to play. Phone clutched in my chest, I frantically try to cover the speaker while pressing the volume button down.
Another glance finds Niko has rolled onto his back, but he’s still sleeping soundly. I blow out a breath, my frayed nerves calming as my heart slams in my chest. Another glance at his sleeping form and the sheet that barely covers the lower part of his body has slipped, showcasing the V that leads down his happy trail. I should say my happy path. The tent he’s currently sporting under the sheet has my hands itching to touch him, and my mouth salivates.
Holy shit.
I remember the last few hours. How my tongue owned every part of Niko’s body, and I’d love to do everything again. I’m getting lost in the memories, the feelings, and the desire to pull the sheet down and straddle him again.
I can’t. I need to leave, I remind myself.
Dragging my eyes away from the sex god in front of me, I look down at my phone. There are half a dozen texts from Cam along with a few voicemails, but he’s not the only one. Thoughts of Niko completely disappear as I read a few and then scold myself for even going there. Cam’s text message is all I care about. Screw Tate and his weak excuses. I’ve ignored his text messages this long. I’ve no plans on changing that now.
The last message from my brother says to go to the station. It’s well past midnight—will he still be there? I’ve no idea what time they work till at a fire station, but I guess I’ll find out when I get there. I also notice the messages before that.
Cameron: I’m heading to work, but Niko is going to wait for you with the keys. Let me know when you land.
Then another.
Cameron: I just looked up your flight. Says your plane is delayed due to weather. I’m going to let Niko off the hook so he can go home. Just in case you don’t see this and head to the pub, call me and let me know you’re safe. If you can’t get me, I’m probably out on the job. Have Niko call the station. He can reach me faster.
God, he’s like a mother hen sometimes. There are about ten messages from Cam.
Cameron: Niko went home. God, I hope you turn your phone on soon. Call me as soon as you land! You know I’ll be worried until you do.
The night probably would have turned out a lot differently had I seen a
ll those messages before getting to the pub. I let out a breath. There’s no use thinking about that now. It’s too late anyway.
Time is moving fast, and I need to get out of here. The Uber app is on the first page, and I quickly pull it up and input the address back to the bar and my rental car.
Seven minutes to get dressed and get out.
I keep my boots off; the heels make too much noise. I should probably let Niko know I left. Or acknowledge that I enjoyed my time with him. Is that what usual one-night stands do?
No . . . that’s stupid, Everly.
I have no clue if there is some one-night stand etiquette, seeing as this is my first one, but I feel weird leaving without letting Niko know that I enjoyed our time together. I don’t want to seem rude. That thought almost makes me laugh.
Only I would think it was rude not to say thanks for fucking the shit out of me. A flash of yellow in my purse catches my eye, and I know there’s a pen near it, giving me an idea. A small scribble and I leave it with Niko before carefully making my way out his door and down the stairs.
Thirty minutes later, I’m in my rental pulling up to the firehouse. The engine is in the garage, multiple men folding up hoses and putting equipment away. They must have returned recently from a call.
The slam of my car door draws attention from the open door, and the familiar silhouette of my big brother turns toward me. His blue eyes find me, his mouth slipping up into a smile as he drops whatever chore he is working on to jog over to me.
I’m barely in the door when his hands are under my arms, and he’s lifting me into the air. “Everly! Jesus, kid, I was worried the fucking plane crashed or some shit!”
I squeeze him hard. I love my brother, and I’ve missed him and my family. Sure, I’ve seen them every few holidays, but it’s never the same. A wave of peace and the thought that I’ve made the right choice by coming home overwhelms me, and I almost want to cry.
“Hey,” Cam says, pulling back to search my face. “You okay? I knew you’d be fine. You know how I feel about airplanes.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m just tired. It was a long flight. Nothing that a shower and a few hours of sleep won’t cure.”
“You sure? We haven’t had a chance to talk about you coming home.”
“Yes, I’m positive. I’m just happy to be home. You know?”
He eyes me for a second, searching my face for any sign that something more is wrong. Cam has always been able to read me. We were always close growing up. Even though he is five years older than me, we have a deep sibling connection. He just always knew when I needed him and was there to fix things and still tried to make things easier on me.
“Well, if you need to talk, you know I’m here to listen. You only have to say the word, Ev.”
I smile because I do know this. “I know, and I love you for it.” I pull him back in for a hug. “God, I’ve missed you, big brother.”
“Missed you, too, kiddo. Let’s go grab the keys so you can go get some sleep and then get yourself settled in, yeah?”
“Yeah. Sounds good to me.” We start walking toward the garage door of the firehouse. A few of the guys are still putting some things away while double-checking their equipment. “Eyes to yourselves, fellas. My kid sister is totally off limits to you fuckers.”
I shake my head and giggle at Cam’s words. He’s ridiculous. I’m not sixteen years old anymore, but he still seems to think that his friends can’t check me out. It was like that when he was home from college on break. I wasn’t interested in his friends back then.
Well, not all of them anyway. Just one, and I was always disappointed when Cam would come home for break alone. Niko usually stayed in the dorm during breaks. I’d heard Cam telling my parents once that after Niko’s dad died and his mom moved back to Greece, coming home made him sad, so he chose to stay at school.
God. My brother will flip if he finds out what I did with Niko only a few hours ago.
“So what happened?” Cam says, breaking me from my thoughts of Niko.
I wave my hand in the air and shake my head, adding an exasperated sigh. “Plane delay and a bunch of other stuff. Ran into an old friend before my phone died. It’s been one hell of a day.”
An omission isn’t lying, right?
“I bet. Is your friend cute? Unless it was that witch of a best friend Alyson you insist on keeping around. Then I don’t want to know. And how did you know to come here?”
“No . . . not Aly, but not your type. I was able to charge my phone some when I got to the rental. Took a few minutes, but finally got just enough juice to get your messages.” I didn’t lie. Niko is probably not his type. I smile to myself, and Cam blows out a breath.
“Good thing I didn’t have Niko wait.”
“Oh yeah. Niko was waiting for me, right? He wasn’t mad, was he? I would hate to have ruined his night,” I say, knowing that his night was in no way ruined while waiting for me. He just doesn’t know exactly who it was that made his night. Good thing I’ll be too busy working crazy hours once the new job starts on Monday. My chances of running into Niko are slim, and even if I do eventually run into him, well . . . I’ll worry about that part later.
“Earth to Everly,” I hear Cam say, bringing me from my thoughts and deception.
“Sorry, I’m just tired. What did you say?”
“I don’t think anything ever ruins Niko’s nights.”
I’m sure that’s true, but if he finds out that his latest flavor was me, he’ll likely be more than a little pissed off.
“When is your stuff getting here?”
I need to stop with the Niko thoughts. It’s over. No use crying over spilled milk.
“The moving company is packing up my apartment and then will head out, so I need to find a place soon. My car should be here by the end of the week. The rest shortly after.”
“Your car? Seriously, Ev?” Cam shakes his head. “You could’ve just bought a new, more practical one here.”
“It’s a BMW Z4 convertible. No way in hell I’m leaving my baby.”
“A convertible won’t do you much good here.”
“It’s a hard top.”
“Whatever. Hard top won’t help you once that snow hits us, little sister, and it’s rear-wheel drive so you’ll get stuck for sure.” Cam shakes his head at me before digging into a bag he obviously brings with him to the firehouse during a shift. He rummages through it for a second and then pulls out his keys, twisting a set off. “Mom and Dad left two days ago and won’t be back for a few weeks.”
“So specific.”
Cam shrugs. “You know how they get when they’re in Martha’s Vineyard.”
Our parents are third-generation owners of a good-sized estate, a place we spent every summer at when we were younger. We never fit in very well, not acting like spoiled rich brats like all our neighbors. I mean, the Kennedys have a place there for crying out loud. Not to mention all the other wealthy families. Money pours in there during the warmer months.
“When do you start your new job?” Cam asks.
“Monday,” I say as I slip the keys onto my key ring.
“I’m booked solid this week, but let’s get dinner on Friday or Saturday, fill me in on everything.”
I step forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders. “It’s a date.”
His arms tighten around me. “Missed you, kiddo.”
“Missed you, too.”
“All right, get to bed.” He pats my shoulder, then pushes on my back.
I give him a wave goodbye and head back out to my car. The firehouse is only a few minutes away from my parents’, especially at this hour with the lack of other vehicles on the road. The driveway is dark, but a sudden flash of light as I punch in the security code for the gate surprises me. The exterior is suddenly blinding, the motion detection lights activating all around the property.
As I drive up and park outside of the garage, I see a camera at one of the lights and wave, knowing my dad will see it. Maybe
not now, but he’ll get the alert on his phone and see it when he wakes.
After unpacking the car, I flip through the keys Cameron gave me. When I moved across the country, there was no reason for me to have a set, especially since I didn’t make it home very often. Mom and Dad always flew out to visit me. In fact, I am sure the set Niko was supposed to give me was the set I used to carry.
The house is still, the flicker of light bringing life to a lifeless, dark room. I flip more switches, lighting the house up as memories come flooding in. It’s my home, my one real home. I grew up here, and while some of the decors have updated, it still holds the warmth and familiarity that sends a wave of calm through me.
“I’m home,” I call out into the quiet.
There’s no response, and sadness washes over me. No Mom to pop out and welcome me, no pitter-patter of Bruno and Sasha’s nails on the hardwoods as they bound over for a lick attack.
My suitcase is heavy as I lug it up the stairs, a point that is proven by the “Heavy” tag the airline attached. There’s still another one, and I wonder if it’s needed tonight or if I can get it in the morning, because my legs are still on the weak side due to the night’s activities. The laptop bag is a must, but I’ll get it when I grab a snack.
Entering my room is almost like opening the fourth dimension. It has the same warmth of familiarity and security of the rest of the house, but laced in my eighteen-year-old self’s sense of style. Is geek chic a thing?
Bookshelves covered in books, some shelves two deep. My sleigh bed is encased in a pink floral comforter that I think has been there since I was eight. Pictures from high school are on my dresser, and, embarrassingly enough, Niko’s senior photo taped to the mirror.
I just did a fuck and run on him.
Holy shit!
My mind reels with the reality of my actions, a smile curling up and practically breaking my face in two. I want to scream it from the rooftops, let everyone know that I, Everly Hayes, was fucked senseless by Niko Callahan.
My eyes widen.
Alyson.
The night’s namesake needs to be informed. I run back downstairs and grab my laptop bag. The phone charger is buried, knotted in with the other cords. I pick out the tangled mess and run up for my purse.
