"Well they can assume things, but you didn't have to confirm it."
"You embarrassed?" he asked, picking up his craft beer with a smirk.
"No, I'm not embarrassed, but our waitress obviously is."
"She'll get over it. It'll give her a story to tell all the other servers later. So," he said, letting the word hang.
Oh, the small talk part of the evening. Usually it was something I excelled with, but mostly because I shared numerous friends or relations with the men I went on dates with. It was always easy to commiserate about sharing prep schools or ridiculous social engagements we had been forced into at young ages. I had nothing like that to play off with Paine. "So..." I repeated.
"Tell me about your sister," he offered, sitting back, making his legs push forward under the table and his knees pressed into mine.
So then I told him about my sister.
Elana was always a good topic for me. While Roman was my best friend, my confidant, my partner in crime, Elana was the one who first sneaked me a cigarette and a bottle of scotch. Our mother dying early put her in the strange position to, at once, feel the need to mother me, but also corrupt me like all good big sisters do. She was the one to sit me down and have the period talk. She was the one to explain to me what a penis looked like, what it felt like, what losing my virginity would be like. She was the one to pick me and Rome up when we got knock-down drunk at a friend's house and sneak us up into my room before our dad could see us. She was the one to push Dad's buttons to draw his attention away from me when he was being too hard.
In a lot of ways, we were alike. Physically, we were both blond, tall, and thin. Whereas I got the ass, she got the boobs. Where I got my mom's blue eyes, she got Dad's gray. And we both were raised up under a strict parent who was always very concerned about things like appearances so we both learned to rebel at young ages. But where I had my quiet rebellions I always tried to keep my father from finding out about, Elana practically waved hers in his face. She didn't even try to tame her sex hair when she came home from one of her lover's houses when we were teens or sneak in the back door when she came in drunk. She spent money on ridiculous things she didn't need or want just to piss off our father. She crashed her first three cars he bought her.
When I was young, I had always seen her as kind of badass and strong. It took me a long time to see that all the rebellion was her way of getting attention. That was what she wanted. She didn't want love, she wanted people to notice her. Especially men. Every guy in her life was a sad testament of her need of validation from them because she never got it from our father.
Elana had 'daddy issues' written all over her.
And, worse yet, she didn't even realize it.
Regardless, she was my big sister. Where Roman was my sun growing up: bright, warm, uplifting, Elana was my moon. She was the one I cried to at night in our beds after I got reamed for not doing the extra credit in a class I was already getting an A in. She was the keeper of my secrets, a place I could bury my hopes and fears and know no one else would ever find out about them. She was a dark, deep kind of comfort.
Maybe that was why my nights had felt especially lonely since she disappeared.
"What about your sisters?" I asked when I realized we were both halfway through our meals and I hadn't shut up except to chew.
"Kenzi is a real ball-buster. She's a lot like my mom in that way, always up in your business, never shy to share her very emphatic opinions. Reese is a lot more shy, quiet. Mom managed to keep them both off the streets. Kenz went to design school and has her own small line in one of the boutique shops in Milltown. Reese got her masters in library science and, obviously, works in the local library."
I paused to take a sip of my drink and finally got the nerve to ask something that I had wanted to since I met him. "Can I ask how the heck you got a name like Paine?"
He laughed a little, pushing his plates toward the end of the table for the passing busboy to grab easily. "I was a big ass baby. Ten pounds, four ounces. Mom was a skinny thing, hips like a twelve-year old boy. She couldn't get me out. So they gave her a massive dose of Ketamine and took me out. She was out of it for almost a full day after. Couldn't even hold or feed me. So my dad, the shit he was, filled out all the paperwork. He was probably high at the time and thought it would be funny because of how much pain I put my mother through before they finally decided to do a c-section."
"She didn't want to change it once she was back to functioning?"
Paine shrugged. "It's hard to say what went down between her and my dad. I know shit went bad as I got older, but I think when I first came around, she was head-over for him. She probably decided to humor him and leave it. It worked out in the end. There might have been a little ribbing when I was too small to know a fist to the face shut up a bully, but come on... a gang member with a government name like Paine?"
I smiled, imagining it was definitely better to be a gang banger by the name of Paine than to be, say, Billy or Brian.
We talked over green tea ice cream, skimming over the topic of my father, concentrating a bit more on silly, nothing things like hobbies and cars, both of us being fans of a nice ride.
When the check was dropped, as customary, on Paine's side of the table, I nodded my head toward it. "I don't suppose you're going to let me..."
"Nope," he cut me off, reaching for a wallet, pulling out a credit card and putting it inside the book without so much as looking at the bill, and held it out just in time to hand it off to our passing waitress. It was all so smooth you'd swear it had to be practiced. But, I guess, Paine was always just effortlessly smooth like that.
"Can I persuade you to let me leave the tip?" I pressed, growing up with a father that insisted it was a power move to pay. Whoever went out of pocket had the upper hand. I had to admit that in my dating life, it proved all too true.
"This matter to you?"
"Yes."
"Then knock yourself out, babygirl," he said with a shrug. When the waitress came back, I snagged cash from my purse and slipped it inside the book after he signed (an obnoxious amount of money because, first, I had no idea what the bill was and, second, to make up for the fucking in the bathroom comment.) Paine stood and waited for me to shrug into my jacket. "I tell my sisters to make that move too."
"What move?" I asked as his hand landed at my lower back again.
"To insist on contributing," he said, pushing open the door. The January air hit me hard, knocking my breath out of my lungs for a second.
"Why?"
"Hard for a guy to think you owe him shit when you put money in too. Not a lot of men around these days," he went on as he opened the car door for me. "Got a lot of bitch ass guys who think that fifty bucks for dinner means they got a right to demand pussy as payment."
I smiled as he slammed my door and made his way around the car, deciding that I was only ever going to date men who grew up with single mothers and little sisters from that point on.
"All that being said, we both came outta pocket tonight. So when I get you back to your place and finally get the fuck inside you, I don't have to worry you feel like it's some bullshit obligation."
"Oh, gee. I dunno," I said, trying not to smile. "I don't know what kind of girl you think I am, but I don't put out on the first date."
I think I caught him off-guard because he let out a strange snort sound before he threw his head back and laughed. It was so open and, at once, boyish and masculine that it warmed up my insides way better than the heat cranking in the car.
"Well, baby," he said, recovering, leaning across to my seat and grabbing me at the back of my neck, "maybe you're a good girl, but I'm pretty sure I can make you bad for the night," he promised.
My lady bits thrilled at the idea and I pressed my thighs together to calm the chaos there. "Well when you put it that way..."
He smirked, turning back to the windshield. He got a one-hand feel at the twelve o'clock position of t
he steering wheel. He did this because his other hand was occupied snaking up my thigh to rest just under the hem of my skirt which had slid almost indecently high when I scooted into my seat.
It took every bit of control I had to keep myself from squirming the whole drive home.
Judging by his small smile as he watched the road, he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
Oh yeah. I was definitely open to having Paine turn me bad for the night. Or week. Or the rest of our time on Earth.
Twelve
Elsie
Never before had I been quite the combination of aroused and nervous as I was on the impossibly long drive back to my house. It wasn't like me to be shy about sex. And besides, he'd seen me mostly naked. And I'd seen him fully naked. Just not all at one time. That was always the most insecurity-inducing part. I had no doubts that the sex was going to be good. Maybe the nervousness was the fear that having sex would get me 'out of his system' and he would be ready to move on.
Because, fact of the matter was, I liked Paine.
True, I didn't know him that well. But I knew him well enough to know I enjoyed his company. I liked his strange mix of old school manners, modern respect for my ability to handle myself, street smarts, alpha manliness, and well... sexiness. Let's face it, that was a huge factor. The man was hot. And he had a mouth on him that was positively pantie-melting.
I liked him.
And I was pretty sure I wanted more than one night with him.
So yeah, by the time we pulled up to my drive and made it to the front door, I was a ball of nerves and definitely over-thinking everything.
This stopped, oh, say, five seconds after the front door closed. That was because as soon as my finger hit the last number on my alarm code, a strong arm was around my belly and I was being pulled back against his broad chest. His hard cock pressed against my ass and I felt myself wiggle against it slightly. His other hand went up to my neck for a second, brushing my hair to the other side before his lips landed there, kissing a slow trail up toward my ear. The hand then made no pretense at taking things slow because he was stroking his fingers up my thigh, moving inward, forcing them to part just enough for his palm to cup my sex, drawing a ragged moan for me.
My brain might have been a million places on the drive home, but my body had a one-tack mind.
I was already hot, wet, and ready.
Paine's low, appreciative growl in my ear sent a shiver through my body.
His hand moved up then slid down into my panties, his finger circling my clit once before moving a path downward and slipping inside me, thrusting slow and constant until my legs started to feel wobbly. Just when I was close, he pulled out, turned me, pressed me against the wall, and took my lips.
It wasn't the hard, hungry kiss he had given me before.
It was deep and thorough but slow, intimate, unhurried. I circled his neck with my arms and his hands slid down my back to cup my ass, lifting me up until I wrapped my legs around his waist. Then, like it was nothing, he wrapped his arms around me and carried me up the stairs.
While I was fit, I was tall and leggy; I wasn't the kind of woman who found herself carried around by a man. In fact, this was the first time it had happened since I was a teenager. I found that, like a lot of things Paine did, I really liked it.
My back hit the bed gently, but Paine's weight didn't follow me down. He pulled up, untangling from my arms and legs. He had placed me at the edge of the bed and he stood at the foot. His hands went to my knees, pressing them open, as he lowered himself down to his knees between my legs. He looked up at me for a minute, eyes hungry, before he dipped his head. His hand yanked my panties to the side, seemingly too impatient to bother taking them off, and his mouth was on me.
His lips closed around my clit, sucking in a pulse-like rhythm, his tongue moving out to lavish over me in unpredictable intervals. My legs moved up, one moving up beside his head, the other slipping over his shoulder. His hand landed on one of my knees, fingers digging in.
Every ounce of me was poised for the coming waves, my back arched up off the bed, hands grabbing the back of his head, fingers digging in as my hips thrust upward, begging for fulfillment.
He pulled hard against my hold, taking his finger out of me, reaching down, grabbing my panties and dragging them roughly down my legs. I suppressed the disappointment, reminding myself that the sooner I felt him inside me, the better, and pushed up on the bed, putting my feet on the floor. Paine reached behind his back, snagging his shirt the way I had fantasized that one time, and dragged it off, revealing his strong chest and abdomen, his perfect dark tattoos. My hands went to his belt, fumbling a little with clumsy fingers before I finally got the hook free and pulled it from its loops. My head tilted to look up at him as my fingers pushed his button through and pulled his zip down. His light green eyes were heavy lidded, sexier looking than ever before, needy, and I knew he found a similar look in mine. My hands grabbed his slacks and boxer briefs, pulling them down to his knees and letting them fall the rest of the way.
My gaze left his, but only because my focus went to his cock, hard, straining, heavy-looking. My hand moved to hold him at the base as my head moved outward and my lips opened around him, taking in just the head, lavishing my tongue over it. His hand went into the hair at the base of my neck, curling in, as his breath rushed out of him in a hiss.
"Fuck," he growled. "Elsie, baby... fuck. Okay," he said, his voice rough from arousal and still somehow amused. "Don't have the control for that right now," he told me, pulling me backward by my hair. I sucked hard as he slipped away from me and angled my head up with a smirk. "Christ, woman," he said with a smile of his own.
He reached downward, grabbing me at my ribs and pulling me up onto my feet. His hands sank into my ass before slowly drifting upward, tracing my spine until he found the zip for my dress and ever-so-slowly dragging it downward. He pulled the material at the shoulders and moved it down, exposing me inch my inch. My skin prickled at his touch, making a small shiver course through me. When the material got free of my hips, I shimmied until it fell to my feet, stepping out of it.
"Nope," Paine said as I moved to step out of my heels. "Heels stay on," he demanded as his hands traced back up my spine. "Garter and stockings too," he added, unclasping my bra and pulling it down my arms. My nipples were already straining and as soon as they were free, he pulled me tight against his chest, the contact sending a thrill down my belly and between my thighs. I would have let out a groan, but his lips stole mine, pressing in hard and hungry. His tongue moved right in, rough, demanding. His hand moved back up into my hair, grabbing, turning, and pulling slightly. The stinging in my scalp only intensified my need for more, for everything.
His teeth sank into my lower lip hard, hard enough to bruise if he didn't release it as quickly as he snagged it. "Paine, please," I groaned, too overwhelmed to not beg.
His head pulled back slightly. A slow, sexy smirk spread that screamed he was up to something. Before I could wonder what, he grabbed me at my waist and threw me backward on the bed. I landed with a slight bounce and before my body had even settled, he was over me, kissing a line from my navel upward.
Everything about him was unexpected. One moment he was soft and gentle, the next he was rough. I had no idea what was coming and the fluttering in my belly told me I liked that.
His fingers traced up the silky material of my stockings, stopping at the garters, snagging the bands, pulling backward, and snapping them against my skin. My body jolted and he smiled as he pressed upward and pushed back so he was standing again. "Legs up," he commanded as he looked down at me for a moment. I put my legs up, crossing my ankles. "Great fucking view," he commented before he leaned down, snagged his pants, grabbed his wallet, pulled out a condom, and made short work of protecting us.
The bed depressed as he climbed in, kneeling right behind my legs, pulling my ankles onto one of his shoulders where he turned to bite the outside of
one. A surprised yelp escaped me, followed by a gasp as he grabbed each ankle in separate hands, separating them, and pushing them toward my body. My knees pressed into my chest as I felt him thrust hard and deep.
"Fuck," I cried out, hands slapping down on top of the ones he had on my knees, holding them against my chest. It was part surprise, part pleasure, and just the tiniest twinge of pain. I was right when I said he would fill me like no one had before. I felt a pressure in my lower belly he was so deep, my walls stretching to accommodate him, holding him tight.
"You good?" he asked, voice deep and rough as he stilled inside me. I felt my head shake. "No?" he asked, stiffening a little.
"Not good. Great," I said wiggling my hips a little, moaning at the friction.
"Thank fucking Christ," he said with a smirk as he released my knees.
He kept them in place with his torso as he leaned slightly over me, his arms going under my back and grabbing my shoulders from behind, fingers digging into my clavicles.
And then all there was was wild, hard, fast fucking.
He slammed into me, using my shoulders to drag my body down as he thrust up, making me take him to the hilt, hitting me so deep there was a slight pinch that was the most erotic kind of pain I had ever experienced.
Paine had a dirty mouth when talking about what he wanted to do to me, but as he fucked me, all there was was the sound of my moans getting louder by the second, his ragged breathing, and the sounds of our bodies slamming together. I'd take that over any words he could give me. It was raw, primal, animalistic.
I clamped down tight around him, feeling myself get closer as he fucked me up the bed he was so rough. Until my head slammed up against the headboard and there was nowhere else to go.
"Paine... I..." I groaned, fingers digging into his arms hard enough to cut as his pace didn't so much as falter.
"Come babygirl. Come," he demanded again.
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