by V. F. Mason
Everything in me screams to step back and run in a different direction, because if someone has the power to have such an effect on me in the first minute of meeting, what would he be capable of in the future?
But I don’t move. Instead, he introduces himself to me. “Kierian.” His voice is husky, disturbing me in the most teasing way.
I nod, while replying, “Ella.” But then blab, “What an unusual name.” My cheeks heat up when I realize what I said to a stranger, but he just chuckles next to my ear, and it sends shivers down my spine.
Control yourself, Ella!
“It’s an Irish name.”
“Meaning?”
A sinister smile graces his face. “The dark one.”
I’m slightly taken aback by his explanation, or implication for that matter, but then it registers as I touch the silky strands of his black hair. “Because of your hair, huh?”
Something flashes in his smile while his hold on me tightens. Usually, it would send alarms going off in my system big time, but this time, I can’t look away from him.
“Would you care to have a drink?” he asks without answering my question, shifting us a little to the side so people can pass by without bumping our shoulders.
As a result, I end up pressed between his muscled chest and the wall, because we can’t take our eyes from each other.
“I’m here with friends.” As much as I’d love to say yes to him, this night is not about hot guys, but friendship. So even though every nerve in my body protests the action, I step back, freeing myself from his arms, and wink. “Thanks though.” With that, I quickly dart back onto the dance floor where Chloe and Simone jump to the beat of the music.
“That trip was long,” Simone says, but then glances behind me and smirks. “Hot stuff!”
Chloe follows suit, and her eyes widen while she winks. “Got yourself a hunk for the night.”
“Who talks like that, Chloe?”
She punches her chest with a fist lightly. “Me.” But then she whispers, which is still loud as she tries to do it over the music, “If you want to leave with him, we don’t mind. You need to get laid, girl.” Simone nods eagerly, and I barely contain myself from rolling my eyes at their suggestion.
Why does everyone care about my sex life? It’s not like having sex on a daily basis is a must.
And besides, ten months is hardly long. I just haven’t met anyone interesting to share the night with.
“Let’s vote,” Simone offers, and then adds quickly, “Okay, voted. You stay with the hot stuff while we head home.”
My brows furrow. “Already?”
Regret washes over their faces. “The guys are feeling a bit restless with our boys. So it’s better we go.”
Loneliness hits me hard, reminding me that my friends have moved on with their lives and have families of their own.
It shouldn’t hurt, but it does.
Maybe because I won’t ever allow myself to have it, so what is left for me in this life, then?
“Sure.” They kiss me goodbye as I stand in the middle of the dance floor, contemplating my next action.
Placing my hand on my chest, I hate the emotion that threatens to raise old nightmares, so I spin around, and thankfully Kierian is leaning on the bar, his entire focus on me.
Fire is blazing from his eyes as I come closer, and my breath hitches at the intensity of his gaze.
We can have a drink, chat, and dance around the inevitable ending of this night.
But why would I waste this opportunity if he has the ability to erase this loneliness, if only for one night?
So with a determination I’ve never felt before, I stroll to him and bump into his chest as he catches me swiftly, circling his arm around me while I fist his shirt and lift my head for a kiss.
He immediately complies, covering my mouth with his, and gives me the best kiss of my life.
I don’t know what the future holds for us, but for sure, he is perfect for the night.
One Month Later
New York, New York
June 2018
Ella
A finger traces down my spine, tickling me as a soft giggle slips through me, and I bury my face deeper into the pillow, not wanting to wake up.
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” Kierian murmurs next to my ear, his body pressed flush to mine, but I shake my head and try to cover myself with a blanket.
“It’s too early.” He laughs behind me, the sounds vibrating on me as he sucks on the skin in the crook between my neck and shoulder, and I angle my head, so he’ll have better access.
“It’s almost noon.” His hand slides down my hip as he squeezes it, sending jolts through me, but I don’t budge.
With a growl, he flips me onto my back, covering me with his body, and tugs on my hair so I have no choice but to gasp, and that’s when he goes for my mouth.
The kiss is wet and deep, as he devours me as if he hasn’t had it for days instead of several hours, like he is reclaiming me all over again.
Although I could kiss him for hours, I push him back as my lungs demand air, but it doesn’t sway him from his intentions.
He licks around my collarbone, traveling down to my breasts and lavishing each of them with attention, enveloping them in his hot mouth and pulling with little bites. My hands slide down his back as I make a place for him between my thighs, but he stops and blows on my nipples softly, which brings more awareness to them, transforming them into hardened peaks that could set me off any minute.
He slips his tongue lower, biting my stomach and leaving hickeys on his way to my core, where I feel wetness coating my skin. I pulse with desire to feel him inside me.
Each time with him only makes me more addicted to his brand of torture, more desperate for his every touch and lovemaking.
Kierian is always so hungry for me, being able to go at it for hours and demand complete submission. In these moments, he is not a compatible boyfriend who understands me; he is a raging beast who wants to own his woman.
“Mine,” he growls right before placing my legs on his shoulders and grazing the walls of my pussy with the tip of his tongue, barely touching me, but it’s enough to send electricity through me and my moan fills the space.
He rubs his five o’clock shadow on the skin of my inner thigh, scraping it lightly, and sucking because he knows it’s my sensitive spot. “You are so beautiful.” His voice is filled with lust, as he grabs my ass cheeks and scoots me closer, his breath fanning my core and finally giving it his whole attention.
He ravages me with his tongue, licking me and biting on the flesh, scraping with his teeth against my sensitive skin.
A sob escapes me as I grab the pillow nearby and muffle my moans with it, not wanting the neighbors to hear me. They’ve already complained once, and Kierian hated it because they heard my moans.
I was just mortified.
He continues to lap at me, enveloping my clit between his lips and sucking on it, and an electric charge bolts through me. I keep repeating his name and gasping for breath, needing more, but at the same being afraid of what comes next.
He pushes his tongue deep, sweeping at my walls and tasting me as deep as he can.
He is hungry, domineering. I lock my legs around his neck, my pussy clenching, but it’s not enough.
Kierian needs to get on with the fucking program before I lose my mind!
My hips jerk, lifting to his seeking tongue, as I pull at his hair, shamelessly rubbing myself on his mouth, and he welcomes it.
His fingers push inside me as he holds me down, his arm thrown over my stomach—not that I’ll go anywhere.
It feels as if fire flickers over my skin, the release coming closer and closer, needing just a little friction that he denies me.
He rises as a whimper of protest leaves me, but he just murmurs, “I told you not to tease me. Now you get your punishment.”
My brows furrow, my body still hungry for his touch. I’ll go insane without him finishing what
he started. “If you don't want to help me—” I warn, and yelp as he flips me to my stomach and grips my hips, sitting me on my calves as he makes a wider space between my legs.
And then a loud whack echoes as he slaps my bruised flesh, making me hiss in pain, and pleasure too, as it sends awareness through my entire body, alerting every nerve. He ignites my skin with each touch.
I bite the pillow, enjoying the game as he slowly slides a hand up my back to my hair, fisting it and bringing me up while his other moves to my core, seeking entrance to the wet heat he created.
Kierian dips his head to give me a hot kiss, practically eating my mouth as we share each other’s taste. His fingers sink into me and we both groan, as I take my mouth away and rest my head on his shoulder, needing more.
He lets go of me again. I huff in frustration but return to my stomach as he trails kisses down my back, licking and sucking on the way, leaving his marks everywhere.
Whoever sees me naked will know I’m taken.
He bites on one ass cheek and then the other, but before it can sting, he dusts kisses on them, soothing the skin and driving me freaking crazy.
He even manages to give me a lick from behind, and my core clenches around his tongue, but it’s not enough anymore.
My ragged breath is a warning that I’m close, so close, but I don't want to come like this.
I need him.
“Kierian,” I cry out, and this time he complies, probably having enough teasing himself.
Smoothing his hands along my ass, he grips my hips as he thrusts deep, pushing me forward on the bed, and I fist the sheets for a source of steadiness.
For a second, he doesn't move as he adjusts himself inside me, and I gasp, wiggling a little, because I can’t take it anymore.
Kierian’s nails dig in my skin as he pulls back and then thrusts forward. The bed moves right along with him as he repeats the action again and again, causing my pussy to pulse around him. My breasts heave and my stomach sinks as fire spreads through me, awakening every nerve in me and sending me into a pool of sensations that makes the outside world disappear.
Yanking my head up, he gives me a harder push while he thumbs my clit, pressing it lightly, and it’s enough to end me.
The fire burns and burns within me, demanding an outlet, and finally everything explodes, and with a loud cry tearing from my lungs, I clamp around him. He groans above me, still moving back and forth while I breathe heavily, trying to snap back to reality.
He spills inside me with a loud roar. He settles me on my back gently, and we both gaze at the ceiling, our bodies coated in sweat as the morning sun slips through the window.
“I’ve changed my mind. I’m so awake.”
He laughs and slaps me on the ass, and I glare at him, rubbing it since the skin is still sensitive.
“I’m here for your pleasure, Ella.” It warms my heart that he doesn’t use stupid nicknames on me, since he knows I don’t like it. Nothing is better than your man saying your name; at least you don’t have to wonder how many other women he’s called by the same name.
Giving me a light peck on the lips, which seems so chaste after what just happened, he rises, grabs his sweatpants, and goes to the kitchen.
Sighing in pleasure, I stretch my arms wide as a smile permanently settles on my mouth.
I get up and quickly go to the bathroom to wash off all the sticky and sweaty mess, even if I love his smell on me.
Stepping inside the shower, I turn it on and groan as hot water touches every sore muscle.
We’ve had three very eventful, intensive days at work, where a child was kidnapped and all the BAU analytics had to come in and help. Hopefully the child has survived the fifty-hour mark. We managed to locate a prostitution ring that operated in a different state. They collected kids all over the country and sold them to the highest bidder.
A shudder runs through me just at the thought of what could have happened if the police didn’t manage to get to the ship on time.
Shampooing my hair, I think back on all the things that have happened in the last month and wonder how my life has managed to change so drastically in such a short time.
We’ve had many different cases to work, including a serial killer who murdered beautiful blonde women, and one man who liked to torture his victims then release them after cutting off their ear as his trophy. We assisted the police as much as we could and rarely made any mistakes in profiling, although our profiles weren’t always the major factor in catching the killers.
Police even solved the Blake case; turned out his so-called secretary killed his wife in jealous rage. It felt good to know that my first impression of the man was correct and he wasn’t a killer.
The team has finally accepted me, and we usually hang in the bar after work. Jacob held a barbecue at his house a week ago, where he and Andrea announced their engagement.
That came out of the blue, considering I had no clue they were even dating.
Kierian and I have given this thing between us a shot, so he practically lives here. He goes home only for clothes or when his family visits.
I haven’t met them, and I’m not ready for it either. We go on dates and normally have interesting conversations. I had no idea there could be such harmony between partners. He understands me and my passion for this job, and slowly, with each day, he convinces me more and more that this thing between us can work.
Chloe and Simone like him too. We’ve even had a night out where we went together with the guys to a bar and danced the night away.
This is all so surreal to me, and sometimes I wonder what the catch is… although it quickly passes.
The problem is, nothing in my life ever goes according to plan, and if good things happen, inevitably someone or something bad comes along to snatch it right out from under me.
After getting out of the shower, I quickly blow dry my hair and put on a white fluffy robe. A smile pulls on my lips from the smell of freshly made coffee and toast.
I pad to the kitchen, where Kierian flips the eggs in the skillet and then places them on plates while grabbing the toast on the way to the kitchen island. “You’re never going to accept the fact that I don’t eat breakfast, are you?” I ask, and jump on a barstool, moaning as the first taste of coffee hits my tongue.
“We both know you’re lying. You’re just too lazy to cook it,” he replies cockily, and I burst out laughing, because it’s so true. Since most of our mornings are spent together, he’s made me a fan of breakfast. Now I look forward to those special moments in the morning when it’s just us.
“So we have an entire two days for us!” The last case was brutal, so the team got two days off to get some sleep and regroup before going back to work. “You have any plans?”
He occupies the seat next to me, munching on toast. “I have to meet my family for dinner; there’s some news they want to share.” He doesn’t sound happy about it, but I don’t dig for details.
His family is a sore subject for him, and although it’s hard for me to understand, I don’t push him. I’d give anything to have my family back and enjoy time with them. Each one of us has our own story, so there it is.
“Cool.”
He tugs on my robe, giving me a soft kiss on the nose. “I can stay if you want.”
Shaking my head, I palm his face and rub his cheek. “I’m fine. We saved those kids, and that’s the most important thing.”
He nods, but then his eyes narrow and he sways to the side, and I curse inwardly.
Why did I leave it on the coffee table?
“You have to be kidding me,” he mutters, and then gives me a harsh stare. “This fucking book again?”
“There is nothing wrong with reading it. You did!”
“Yeah, because I had to. Not because I was obsessed with a serial killer!”
“I’m not obsessed with him, Kierian.” But he was my first case, and we failed. Plus, the killer sent me that book! Surely it meant something. Even if he killed the a
busive jerks, it didn’t make his crimes any less bad. “I just want to find the clue he spoke about.”
He gets up, his food half eaten. He grabs the counter and leans on it, and I wait for the fury to blow, because we’re going to have the same argument all over again that we’ve been having for weeks now.
“Let go of this case, Ella.” Crossing my arms, I shake my head and he growls.
Too freaking bad for him. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
I blink, surprised by his question.
Because there is something bothering me about this, like I’m missing an important piece of information.
I constantly feel like there is doom looming over me, and I don’t know when it will hit the target, aka me.
I can’t say all those things out loud though, so I settle for, “It’s important to me, because it’s my first case.” He exhales heavily, but then hugs me close, kissing me on the head.
“Then if it gives you peace, continue, but I don’t think it’s healthy.” And then he asks again, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here with you tonight?”
Why does he keep on insisting?
“No, I don’t.” He must read the conviction in my voice, because for the rest of the day, he doesn’t push; he jokes around and packs his stuff for the weekend with his fam.
Once Kierian leaves the house, I message Preston.
A second later, my phone dings with a new e-mail and I read the information there.
And all the blood drains from my face once I discover what he had to live through as a child. Not that it gives me a clue what name he operates under now, but it gives me a better understanding of what drives him.
A conversation from a week ago with Preston plays in my mind.
“Andrea, have you seen Preston?” I ask, and she points at his office. With a thankful nod, I rush inside to see him humming a song while he types information from some files. Clearing my throat, I wait for him to spin around in his chair. His brows lift in surprise as I rest my back against his table.
