Lethal Temptations (Tempted #5)

by Janine Infante Bosco

  He was relatively quiet as he sat beside me, eating the olives I picked out of my salad. He didn’t ignore me or pretend like he wasn’t feeling some kind of way about me. I’m not naïve enough to believe he had some sort of epiphany but I think he thought about the, what if and maybe, just maybe, he walked away from the cemetery carrying the same spark of hope I did.

  My phone blew up, reminding me I had made plans with Daniela and Noah to attend this frat party. I hated college parties, especially the type that included sorority girls.

  Fake.

  Whiney.

  Kappa Annoying.

  I texted Blackie about twenty minutes ago the address I was at but he didn’t answer me. I hope he didn’t change his mind. He brought me into the bathroom, whispered sexy things into my ear as he slid his hand into my pants.

  I glanced around the room at the guys doing keg stands and smiled.

  There was no comparison.

  Give me my guy over these any day.

  “Come on,” Daniela said, dragging me onto the makeshift dance floor. “Standing here in the corner won’t help us nail one of the frat brothers,” she insisted.

  “That’s fine with me,” I mumbled, making the best of the situation and joined her. I suppose she needed a wingman. I felt a hand on my waist and spun around to meet Noah’s handsome face.

  My best friend was the poster boy for college jock but he wasn’t a jerk like the rest of them. He was sweet, and I hoped pledging didn’t change that about him.

  “There’s my girl,” he exclaimed, hitting me with the scent of alcohol on his breath as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Thanks for coming.”

  “And miss your big night? Never,” I teased.

  “No, introduce me to your friend,” the guy standing next to him said.

  I lifted my head, smiled politely as I took him in. I had seen him around campus before. He might even be in one of my classes, maybe English, I don’t remember…. nor did I remember his name.

  “Lacey, Brandon. Brandon, Lacey,” Noah introduced, turning around to glare at his friend. “This one’s off limits, man.”

  “She yours?” Brandon questioned with a smile.

  “She’s mine,” a voice said from behind me.

  That voice.

  Those two words.

  It all gave me goosebumps.

  He came.

  I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulled her against me and glared at the little fuck, watching as he stared back at me, surrendering his hands in the air.

  “Didn’t know they were letting parents chaperone,” he laughed.

  Kid had a death wish.

  “Dude,” the guy next to him warned. I had seen him with Lacey a handful of times. “Don’t you know who he is? Man, read the fucking patch before you go saying something stupid.”

  Lacey twisted in my arms, lifting a hand to my face and forcing my eyes to hers.

  “Let’s just get out of here, okay?”

  I nodded, diverting my gaze back to the little shit who rolled his eyes as Noah whispered in his ear.

  She grabbed my hand and dragged me away.

  “You look like you’re going to snap his neck,” she commented, over the loud music. Ignoring her, I stepped around her and pulled her through the sea of dicks fist-pumping away, hoping to get a blow job.

  Wolf was right.

  Lacey didn’t belong here.

  She belonged with me, on the back of my bike, in my bed…anywhere but surrounded by a bunch of little pricks who didn’t know how to work their dicks.

  I didn’t stop moving until we were outside and standing in front of my bike. I unclipped the chin strap from my helmet, turned around and handed it to her.

  “Time for your first ride,” I said, urging her to take the helmet.

  She cocked her head to the side, her dark eyes smiled at mine as she raised an eyebrow.

  “You did that already,” she teased, taking the helmet as she chewed on her lower lip. Hesitating for a beat before reaching up on her tip toes and pressing her lips to mine.

  She pulled back, pulling the helmet over her head and moved to adjust the chin strap but I stopped her, pushing her hands out of the way and did it myself.

  “That was nothing, girl,” I promised.

  She had no idea what she was in for and that thought alone got me rock hard. The idea of watching her face as she learned how to give and receive pleasure was enough to make me lose my mind.

  I would have to muster up whatever self-control I could.

  I wasn’t fucked up, the methadone was keeping me straight. I’d remember every goddamn thing about her…the way she feels, the noises she makes, and the look in her eyes when she loses control.

  I pulled away from her, patted the seat on my bike with one hand and adjusted my cock with the other. Poor thing was going to suffer for a while. I straddled my bike, revved the engine and waited for her to climb on behind me. After a quick glance to make sure she had her legs positioned right and her feet firmly planted on the pegs I tightened her arms around my middle.

  “Where are we going?” She questioned against my ear.

  “To heaven,” I called over my shoulder, pulling away from the curb.

  Strange words coming from a man who’s been to hell more times than he could count.

  But that’s exactly where we were headed.

  A heaven where she was mine and I was hers.

  After she texted me the address where to pick her up, I excused myself from dinner, told the guys I needed to handle something and without leaving room for questions I took off. I debated for about ten seconds what I would do with Lacey once I had her…it wasn’t like I could bring her to the clubhouse and after Christine died I gave up my apartment and moved my shit into my room at the Dog Pound.

  I guess back then I didn’t bank on claiming daddy’s little girl.

  So, with no other option, the decision was made I’d take her back to Staten Island and pray to God, it was the right move.

  On the Verrazano Bridge she rested her head on my shoulder and I took one hand off the handlebars to touch her hand pressed against my shoulder.

  “You okay?” I shouted into the dark night, against the wind and the sound of traffic, unsure if she even heard me.

  She squeezed my hand, didn’t even attempt to holler an answer until we were at the toll booth, then she leaned into my ear.

  “I’m so much better than okay,” she said.

  I paid the toll and rode the expressway, getting off at the Todt Hill exit. As I veered off I questioned my plan and why I didn’t just take her to a hotel. But I knew why...she deserved better than that. She deserved the best I could give and taking her here, opening this part of myself, this was the best I could come up with.

  Five minutes later I turned onto a dead end and pulled into the driveway of the last house on the block before killing the engine. I dropped the kickstand and braced myself as I stared up at the house.

  “Blackie?”

  I turned my head, reaching down to take her hands in mine.

  “Hmm?”

  “Where are we?”

  I glanced back at the house, taking in the appearance of it and how the weeds and bushes grew so out of control, nearly covering up the windows on the first floor.

  “Home,” I said hoarsely, clearing my throat before snapping out of the trance I was succumbing to. “Come on,” I urged, giving her knee a squeeze.

  She climbed off the bike and remained at my side as I watched her take off the helmet and uncover her hair that was a mess, trying to tame the unruly strands.

  I looked at her and was granted the strength I never could find before. I dismounted my bike, took her hand and tucked her against my side as we continued the length of the walkway.

  “Careful,” I warned, tipping my chin toward the third step leading to the front door that was warped.

  I could feel her eyes on me as I reached into my leather jacket and pulled out the keys, spinning the ring
around my finger as I roughly threaded my fingers through my hair and cupped the back of my neck.

  “I know you said this was home, but home should be a place you want to go to not somewhere you dread,” she whispered.

  I looked at her.

  “I want to be here. I want to be here with you,” I assured her. “I never expected to want to come back here or ever bring someone here…until you.”

  My eyes lingered on her face.

  How could something so perfect be here with me?

  How could she be the one who breaths life back into me?

  I turned around, fitted the key into the lock and pushed open the stiff door. I watched her step inside and I felt a lump work its way into my throat. I bought this house at a time in my life when Lacey didn’t exist in my world…sure, she was part of my life but she wasn’t my everything.

  Not then.

  There were reasons I bought this house, and a woman I pictured greeting me at the door and it wasn’t Lacey but looking at her now, as she tried to turn on the lights, it became clear that life worked in mysterious ways. You can plan your whole fucking life but it just takes one thing to change the course you’re on…and sometimes you think it’s the end but the end of something is the beginning of something else.

  There was only one person who belonged here.

  One person that could make me want to come home.

  And that person was staring back at me with confusion written all over her pretty little face.

  “You weren’t even on my radar,” I admitted huskily as I closed the distance between us and brushed her hand away from the light switch. I took her hand and walked her towards the back of the house, to the large empty room with floor to ceiling windows. The moonlight shone through along with the lights of the bridge that was off in the distance.

  “Wow,” she whispered, letting go of my hand to walk towards the windows. “What a beautiful view.”

  “You ain’t kidding,” I said as I leaned against the wall and watched her stare at the scenery.

  Prettiest view a man like me ever got to see.

  When did I become a lucky bastard?

  She slowly turned around, the moonlight illuminating her face. I call her my angel and in that moment that’s exactly what she looked like.

  The angel sent to rescue me.

  Mine.

  There was that word again.

  “Blackie, tell me,” she started. “Is this your house? Why are we here?”

  “Yeah, it is,” I exhaled. “I thought a man’s worth was measured in his possessions. Greed. It was all I knew and I kept reaching higher, making moves left and right, climbing the ladder and increasing my bankroll. I had no conscience, none at all. I would do a score, get paid, and instantly look for a bigger score, one with a higher payout and equally high consequences. I lost myself to the greed, and I began to lose Christine too. She didn’t care about the money, the fancy things I’d come home with, all she wanted was the man she married in her life. I didn’t see it then.”

  I paused, remembering the times she’d plead with me to stay with her, to be the man she fell in love with. I would lavish her with gifts and she’d smile but every piece of jewelry sat in a drawer.

  “I thought I could fix things. I gave myself a year, twelve months of hustling hard and playing dirty. But Christine had a plan too and neither one of us thought to share it with the other,” I sighed. “I bought this house nine months later, nine months too late because she was already working with the cops to bring me down,” I confessed.

  “She didn’t go through with it though and never testified. She took her life and saved mine, robbing me of the chance to bring her here…to bring her home.”

  Lacey stepped toward me, wrapped her arms around my neck and held on for dear life.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured against my ear. “I’m so sorry.”

  I pulled back, brushing away the hair that fell over her eye and tucked it behind her ear.

  “Never wanted to come back here.”

  “So why now? Why are we here?

  “Because I found an ounce of hope in an angel,” I said as I ran the pad of my thumb along her bottom lip. “You, Lace…you’re my hope.”

  Ain’t that some shit.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “No more words, girl,” I rasped, cupping her face as I leaned my forehead against her. “Just you and me, telling a story with our bodies from this point forward,” I murmured against her mouth.

  A slight moan escaped her lips before mine came down on hers, working her lips, sucking them between mine and prying that sweet mouth of hers open. My tongue slid home, taking a sweep of her mouth, tasting the sweetness that she possessed. One taste and I swore I tasted the next fifty years of my life. I used to think I wouldn’t live passed thirty and here I am kissing Lace, wishing life went on forever.

  She eagerly grabbed my jacket, desperate for more but I continued to kiss her slowly, bruising her lips as I sucked and grazed them with my teeth.

  Baby girl needed to learn patience because she had a long night ahead of her, savoring her mouth was just the beginning, by the time my tongue got to her pussy she’d be so thoroughly worked up she wouldn’t know her name.

  I took another sweep of her mouth before pulling back and dropping my hands from her face, drawing in a deep breath as I stared back at her.

  Just how I pictured her.

  Lips swollen and parted, eyes dazed and confused.

  I backed away, slipping my arms out of my jacket before throwing it onto the floor. I licked my lips as I circled her, taking her in from every angle, deciding what my next move would be.

  “Take your clothes off,” I commanded, crossing my arms against my chest as I leaned against the windows and stared back at her. “Slowly,” I added.

  Her eyes remained locked with mine as her hands trembled pulling her tank from the waistband of her pants.

  “Are you nervous?” I questioned as she brought the shirt over her head, holding it awkwardly in her hand.

  “It’s different this time isn’t it?” She asked, her voice shaking with each word.

  “It is,” I confirmed.

  “You’re going to see all of me,” she whispered. “Remember every inch of me. There is nothing…no flaw I can hide,” she rambled, finally throwing the shirt nervously onto the bare floor before she lifted her eyes back to mine. “I’ve never undressed in front of a man before.”

  I pushed off the glass of the window, standing straight as I cocked my head to the side and let my eyes travel the length of her.

  “You don’t have to be nervous. It’s just you and me here, Lace,” I assured her, extending one arm to unbutton her pants. “Leather and Lace,” I added.

  “Just my Blackie,” she whispered.

  “Just your Blackie,” I confirmed, as her fingers gripped the waist band of her pants. She toed off her shoes before dragging the pants down her legs. I kneeled down, lifting one of her legs then the other and helped her remove her pants.

  Still kneeling, I gripped her hips and brought her close, bringing my mouth to her stomach, allowing my lips to worship every inch of skin exposed from the wire under her bra to the lace that covered the part I ached for most. Her fingers curled into my shoulders for a moment before she lifted my chin with her index finger, forcing my gaze higher as her hands snaked around her back and her fingers unclasped her bra.

  She brought one strap down her shoulder, then the other, crossing her arms briefly as she gathered the courage to bare herself to me.

  “Just your Blackie,” I reminded her.

  “My Leather,” she whispered, uncrossing her arms and letting the straps fall down, exposing the perfect tits I didn’t pay much attention to the last time.

  “My Lace,” I growled, taking in her perfectly pink erect nipples begging me to take them between my teeth.

  I rose to my feet, taking two steps to close the distance between us and bent my knees so my lips could trail dow
n the nape of her neck. I licked her collarbone, sucked the sweet flesh of her shoulder into my mouth as my fingers danced down her arms. I laced my fingers with hers and brought her hands behind her back before pressing my palm against the small of her back and forcing her to shove her tits against me.

  “Keep your hands behind you,” I instructed as my lips made their way to the swell of one of her breasts. I heard the sharp intake of breath she took, my mouth stilled but remained on her breast as I glanced up at her. “Behind you,” I repeated.

  Once I was sure she wouldn’t move I brought my hands back around and cupped her perky tits. I flicked my thumb over one nipple as my mouth closed over the other, sucking slightly before my teeth grazed the tip. I pinched the other one, rolling the bud between my fingers. I changed tactics allowing my mouth to suck on one as my fingers twisted the other.

  Pleasure and pain.

  You’re going to learn how the two become one, girl.

  The sounds that she made drove me wild and had all the blood rushing to my dick. A slow burn began to sizzle between us, her arousal igniting my own, forcing me to pull away from her and take a moment to nuzzle the valley between her breasts.

  I had to remind myself that this was a rewrite, a chance to teach her sex was more than just eight inches of penetration. It’s your mind surrendering and your body following suit.

  Lose your mind, girl.

  Lose yourself.

  Let go.

  She bent her knees, taking my face in her hands and tilted my head back before her lips descended upon mine. She kissed me, slowly, taking her time, discovering what she liked and what she wanted more of. Her teeth nipped my lips and then she paused, opening her eyes, looking at me for approval.

  “Don’t be afraid,” I rasped. “Do what you want with me, use my body to learn what works for you, take what you need, Lace,” I assured, wrapping my arms around her waist and dropping my hands to her ass. I grabbed her ass and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around me, locking them at the ankles as I walked her towards the kitchen and positioned her on top of the counter. I hooked my thumbs in the flimsy lace of her panties and dragged them down her legs. I closed my fist around the lace, tucking them into the back pocket of my jeans.