With that, I rush out the door to find Royal leaning against a huge black truck. He lifts a brow and bites his bottom lip as his eyes roam over my heated body. “Follow me.”
Pulling his eyes away, he hops into his truck, watching me from his rearview mirror as I jump into my jeep and prepare to follow him home.
I have no idea what the hell just happened in there, but I think I liked it . . . Shit!
PARKING MY TRUCK IN FRONT of the lake, I turn off the engine and wait for Avalon to make her way down the winding dirt path.
I wasn’t planning on bringing company here tonight—or ever really—but after what happened at dinner, I couldn’t just leave her and pretend that what she did for me didn’t have some kind of an effect on me.
Going to my family’s house is never easy. That’s why I stay the fuck away, but after watching Riley being lowered into the ground earlier today, my heart ached to see something beautiful, so I went where I knew she would be.
My plan was to keep to myself, but when she opened that beautiful, sassy mouth of hers, I fucking reached under the table and allowed myself to show my appreciation.
Taking a deep breath, I jump out of my truck and lean against it, as Avalon parks her jeep and kills the engine.
Not bothering to look at me, she grips onto her steering wheel and leans over it with her eyes squeezed shut. She looks as if she’s struggling with something and I have a feeling I know what that is: me.
Hell . . . I struggle with my damn self.
A few minutes later, Avalon jumps out of her jeep and slams the door shut behind her, walking at me fast. “What the fuck was that, Royal?” She shoves my chest, completely out of breath. “Did you seriously just finger fuck me in front of your family to piss your brother off? Huh?”
I lift a brow and watch her plump breasts as her chest quickly rises and falls with each heavy breath she fights. With one hand, I reach out and grip her hip to keep her from backing away when I sense she’s going to run. “That’s not the only reason. Fuck, Avalon.”
She brushes her hair out of her face and takes a deep breath. “Seriously!” She yells. “Please do tell me.”
I look her dead in the eyes and speak the fucking truth. She may not like it, but . . .”I’ve been thinking about finger fucking you for days and hearing you stick up for me turned me the fuck on.”
Her nostrils flare, as she looks me up and down. I prepare myself for another shove, but instead she just removes my hand from her hip and takes a step back. She looks a bit surprised by my answer and her demeanor calms a bit.
Swallowing, I reach into the back of my truck and pull out a twelve-pack of beer, before walking over to the water and taking a seat on the huge rock.
I stare out at the murky water and tilt back a bottle of beer, knowing exactly how I’m going to feel as soon as the emotions of being here take over. It’s been exactly one year since I have been here. I had been coming here for eight years and up until two years ago; I always had the company of Olivia. Now I come here alone in hopes to get away and remember the good moments, but they always seem to hurt me more by the time I leave.
Taking me in with soft, understanding eyes, Avalon takes a seat beside me and reaches her hand out. “Can I have one of those?”
Looking straight ahead, I reach beside me and grab a bottle, twisting the top off and handing it to her.
We sit here in silence, both of us enjoying a few beers, before Avalon finally speaks, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Do you come here often?”
I shake my head. “Not anymore.”
“Oh . . .” She takes a sip of her beer and shivers from the coldness of the drink and the wind blowing over her bare shoulders.
I stand up, take off my jacket, and drape it over her for warmth. “You’re shivering.”
She watches me as I take my seat next to her again. “Thank you.”
Seeing her beside me, draped in my leather jacket, makes my cock hard, just thinking about her wearing that and nothing else. She looks so badass in it that it really makes me fucking curious about her and Colton.
“How long have you known Dickhead?” I question in between drinks.
She lets out a long sigh. “For a little over six months. Not too long.” She empties her beer and hands it to me. “He came into the salon one day and was really charming; not so much anymore.”
I can’t help but to laugh at someone even considering Colton as a charmer. “That fucker . . . charming? Nah. I may be far from Prince Fucking Charming, but I know how to take care of a woman a hell of a lot better than that selfish prick.”
She erupts in laughter and covers her face with both of her hands. “He’s such a dick, Royal.” Her words come out a little slurred now that she’s on her forth beer, but seeing her smile is a small relief to the pain I’ve been feeling all day. “I can’t believe that I even went for him in the first place. He was just so different than the other jerks I dated. I actually thought I hit the jackpot with Colton, but then I realized that he’s more of an expired lottery ticket that I never cashed in on.”
I’m not sure if she really knows what she’s saying at this point, but it’s kind of fucking cute to see her babbling on about my idiotic brother.
“So . . .” She stands up and spills her bottle down the side of her leg as she starts talking and swinging her bottle at the same time. “The more I think about being with him, the more suffocated and nauseated that I feel. That’s not how being with someone should feel. You should be dying inside to see that person and be willing to give your last breath just to touch them and hold them near. I can’t breathe when I’m around him, but it’s not because he takes my breath away. It’s because I’m dying inside to run away.”
Her face scrunches up as if she’s just figured it all out. “So then tell him to fuck off and go out and find that shit.”
She lets out a saddened laugh. “Yeah . . .” She quickly runs her hand over her face and flares her nostrils as if she’s fighting back tears. “Maybe someday. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
I stand up beside her and grab her almost empty bottle out of her hand. “Leaving my brother?”
She looks down at my hand and then up to meet my eyes. “Finding someone that falls in love with me for who I truly am, and me loving them back so much that it fucking hurts. The one man I thought I truly loved only wanted me for my fucking tits and ass. That jerk.”
She shakes her head as if waking up and realizing that she’s talked too much. “Never mind that. I’m just babbling now from the damn beer.”
I close my eyes for a second and feel the overwhelming sensation as her words hit me like a fucking freight train. I found that once, but it was fucking ripped from me.
Pulling Avalon to me by the front, bottom part of my jacket, I reach into the inner pocket and pull the single white Calla Lily out and walk over to the water.
My chest fucking aches so bad that I can’t even breathe as I close my eyes and listen to the water.
“What’s that for?” Avalon asks softly from beside me.
My heart stops. “For my fiancé Olivia. It’s her birthday.”
I can hear Avalon’s breathing pick up as she prepares to ask the question that I know is coming next. “Where is she?”
I drop the Lily into the water and turn around, looking her in the eyes. “Dead.”
I catch the sight of Avalon’s mouth dropping before I brush past her and hurry back over to my truck. I get ready to jump inside and drive off, but stop when I look back over to see her face buried in her hands.
I may not know much about Avalon, but I know for a fact that she’s buzzing and a bit overly emotional at the moment. I can’t fucking just leave her here. The thought makes me feel guilty, which is an odd feeling for me these days.
“Get in my truck.”
She looks up from her hands and covers her mouth as if fighting off what she truly wants to say or ask. “What about my jeep?”
> “I’ll bring you back to it. No one will mess with it here.”
She’s hesitant at first, but then slowly walks over the passenger side of my truck and hops inside as I open the door for her.
Once we’re back on the road, I can feel her eyes watching me. I glance over and witness the hurt and sympathy in them. It’s the first time that I’ve gotten that look since Olivia’s death. Everyone else looks at me with something different in their eyes: Fear. I’ve gotten used to it and have learned to live with it. It’s part of who I am now, and as soon as she finds out the truth of that night she’ll be looking at me in the same way they do.
Avalon doesn’t speak the whole car ride back to my house. Instead, she asks for a beer as soon as we walk inside.
Knowing that we both just want to get lost and forget, I walk to the kitchen and pull out a handful of beers, motioning for her to follow to me out back.
Getting a comfortable chair for her to sit down and relax, I grab for a beer, twist the top and take a seat next to her, just enjoying the night sky.
“I’m telling Colton that it’s over in the morning. I should have just done that in the first place,” she admits.
“Yeah . . .” I take a sip of my beer and close my eyes. “Good.”
“Colton was the good guy. The clean-cut one without a record that my uncle always said I should go for. Back when I lived with him and my aunt . . .” She pauses to finish the last bit of her beer and sets it down by her feet. “I was always getting in trouble and letting them down. Running the streets late at night, and not coming home for days. Dating guys in and out of juvie. My mom couldn’t handle it, so that’s why she made me move in with her brother: my uncle. Believe it or not, I even landed in the back of a police car a few times.” She lets out a sigh and stops talking.
It’s quiet for a while.
By the time I look over again, Avalon is fast asleep, curled up into my big jacket.
“Thanks for the chat.” I whisper to myself. “I guess I know why the fuck you gave that douche a shot now.”
Closing my eyes again, I allow myself to just enjoy the peace and quiet of the night, hoping that this odd fucking calming feeling of having her near drowns out the rest of the noise in my head for a while.
Maybe I’m just an idiot for having any hope . . .
I WAKE UP IN A panic, looking around a cold, dark room. It takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust enough to see that the room is unfamiliar.
Fear sets in until I look over to the right to see Royal sitting in a chair with his face buried in his hands. His long, messy hair is hanging over his inked hands, his shoulders slumped in defeat: a beautiful, but heartbreaking sight to take in. It makes my chest hurt at the realization of what he told me earlier at the lake, and I have a feeling that he’s still lost in his thoughts over his loss. Seeing him in pain almost physically hurts me.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly, while sitting up. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep and intrude. I should go. I’ll go find Jax and ask for a ride.”
Royal looks up from his hands and rubs his hand down his mouth. He clears his throat and reaches beside him for a bottle of whiskey. “Go back to sleep. You’re fine.”
Getting comfortable against the headboard, I watch him as he tilts the bottle back and takes a long swig. “I’m not really tired anymore. I can go upstairs and watch TV so you can have your bed back at least.”
I get ready to get out of his bed, but his command stops me, making my heart jump from the firmness of his voice. “Stay.”
Keeping his eyes on me, he slowly stands up and strips out of his shirt, tossing it aside. My heart begins racing with unwanted desire as my eyes gradually trail over his firm body, bit by bit, taking it all in; every inch of pure inked muscle. This man is undeniably beautiful, and I could spend hours just admiring the art of his body and tattoos and never grow tired.
My eyes follow his hands as they lower down his body to undo his jeans, before pushing them down his tattooed legs. Watching him take them off sends a surge of excitement through me and I find myself wanting to just reach out and touch this man. The feeling makes my chest ache with need.
I can’t pull my eyes away as he walks over to the opposite side of the bed and crawls in beside me. That’s when I notice the scars on his right thigh, just below his black boxer briefs.
My heart drops as I take in the three, long, jagged lines. Without thinking, I reach out and run my fingers across them. “How did you get these?”
Grabbing my wrist, he pulls it away and squeezes it. “A knife.”
My eyes widen at his confession, and I get this strong urge to just reach out and comfort him and let him know just how beautiful every inch of his body truly is; the scars included. I have to fight with everything in me not to ask him why or how. I want to know everything about this man and why he is the way he is: dark and demanding.
Feeling a small bit of confidence, I crawl in between his legs and grip his thighs, watching his reaction as I run my hand over his scars again. Feeling his legs flex under my touch has my stomach doing somersaults and my breathing uneven.
His eyes leisurely close and a deep growl escapes him as I move my hand higher up his thigh to the top of the first scar.
“Watch yourself, Avalon.” I squeeze his thighs, just wanting to feel him. Right now, I could care less about the consequences. This man gets my heart pumping unlike anything or anyone else. “Dammit, you’re fucking pushing it.”
For some odd reason, a part of me wants to know what he’ll do if I continue to push it. Taking a deep breath and holding it, I slowly move both of my hands up his strong thighs, stopping just below his thick erection. I allow my fingers to trace the outline.
“Fuck!” He yells.
Next thing I know, his hands are on me and I’m somehow below him on the mattress, with our faces only inches apart.
Gripping my thigh with one hand, he opens my legs wide and presses his body between them, squeezing my thigh so hard that it hurts.
I feel his lips next to my ear as he captures both of my wrists in one hand and holds them above my head with force. “If I fuck you . . . I will hurt you. Every fucking inch of this beautiful body will crave to be touched by me . . . devoured by me, and I can’t promise you more than one night, so stop.”
“Oh yeah,” I challenge, feeling my heart pumping with adrenaline. “What makes you so sure of that? Maybe all I want is one taste.” I tangle my hands into his hair and tug on it, pulling his neck to the side. “Maybe you’re just afraid that you’ll want it more than once, or maybe you don’t fuck as good as you look.”
I almost regret that last part and can’t believe that I actually had the balls to say it. I don’t apologize though. Instead, I search his eyes, demanding a response.
His eyes stay on mine for a heated moment, burning me from the inside out and making my whole body flush, before he bites my bottom lip and sucks it into his mouth. The feeling of his beard rubbing my lips surprisingly turns me on, mixed with the pain of his mouth and I find my body already lashing out, wanting more, so I bite him back when he tries pulling away.
Releasing my hands and grabbing my face with one hand, he yanks my jeans down my legs with force and tosses them aside. Lifting me up, he flips us, leaving me to straddle his lap, then tangles his hands into the back of my hair and thrusts his hips into me, hard. So hard that I bounce out of his lap and fall back down, my breath getting knocked out of me.
I let out a loud moan, just imagining the way it would feel to actually have him inside of me. He’s so thick and long that a part of me is almost afraid it will hurt. Pushing me down against him as roughly as he can, he thrusts his hips a few times, grinding his erection against my now aching pussy. His rhythm has me almost dying above him, and I can tell by the satisfied look in his eyes and his devilish grin that he knows he has me right where he wants me: hot and ready to lose myself to him.
His grip on my hair tightens as he yanks my head back and bites
my neck, thrusting against me again, his erection driving between my wet lips. That’s all it takes for me to lose it, my pussy clenching hard as my whole body shakes in his arms and I scream out his name.
He waits until my orgasm is done, before tossing me down beside him. “Now go to sleep. I’ve been drinking all fucking night so don’t test me.”
Swallowing hard and rubbing my hands over my face, I turn around and face the wall, surprised at how easily and hard he just made me come that I can still feel myself throbbing and aching for more. I’m not ready to go to sleep yet.
“What about you?” I ask softly.
Grabbing my shoulder, he turns me around. “What about me?”
I swallow and look down at his painfully hard erection. “Don’t you need release?”
Letting out a long breath, he pushes down on his cock. “If you touch me, I will end up fucking you. My head is too fucked up right now to keep any restraint. It’s best if we both just go to sleep.”
Reaching up to yank my shirt off, I swallow back my nerves and meet his eyes. “No one said that I have to touch you.”
Growling out, he sits up on his knees and grips my neck, rubbing his thumb over it. He lightly squeezes it, while reaching behind me with his other hand and undoing my bra, letting it fall down to reveal my bare breasts.
His eyes devour my tits as he runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “Fuck, Avalon. Are you still drunk? What the fuck are you doing to me right now?”
I arch my back to give him easier access to my body as he pulls his bottom lip into his mouth and admires my bare flesh. “Maybe just a little, but not enough to not know what I’m doing.”
My heart is pounding so fast right now that I wouldn’t be surprised if Royal could see it with each beat or even feel it from his closeness. I’ve never been this bold before, but he has a way of making me want to do things that I never have before.
Royal Savage Page 8
