by C. R. Jane
One long finger moved beneath the elastic finally, and a high-pitched keen escaped my lips as he ran his finger along my soaking wet seam.
My entire body shivered at the sensation, my breath coming out in gasps. More, more, more, I chanted, not realizing I was saying it out loud until I felt his dark chuckle against my skin.
“I’ll give you more, baby. Fuck. All I’ve been able to think about is this sweet pussy.”
His words should have confused me, but I was beyond all rational thought as he pushed the tip of his finger inside of me, his grip against my neck holding me in place. When I didn’t object, he added another finger and used them both to push into my swollen sex, curling them, rubbing unerringly over my sensitive bundle of nerves with each thrust. He let out a quiet groan as he continued to lick and kiss farther down my neck and then my chest.
His fingers pushed deeper into me, hitting another sensitive spot that sent electricity shooting through me. My body tensed, a strangled moan escaping me as my muscles clenched viciously. All of my muscles. My stomach compressed, and I let out a violent scream that he caught with his lips. I clamped my thighs together, holding him inside of me. “Ah,” I gasped into his mouth, unable to form words from the unexplainable pleasure he was giving me.
And then I came.
So violent and explosive, I forgot to breathe. It felt like miniature explosions all over my body, working their way through me. Through it all, he kissed me, all-consuming kisses that made me temporarily forget my name and where I was. I gasped in air, trying to compose myself. Trying to gain control again. My orgasm slowly faded, and my thighs fell open, letting go of his hand still buried inside of me.
“Fuck,” he moaned as he slid his fingers from me and sucked them clean. I watched in a daze at how he seemed to savor the taste, like it was frosting off his favorite cake.
Everything came roaring back just then—where we were, what we’d just done. I pulled my underwear back in place and yanked my skirt down, my face heating and reddening as I looked anywhere but at him.
He let go of my throat then, almost reluctantly, and his fingers trailed down my chest, eliciting a thousand more shivers with his touch. I couldn’t speak, and shame coated my throat, leaving me voiceless.
“You’re wild, baby,” he whispered in a rough, lust-ridden voice. “I never would’ve thought you had it in you.”
His words unfroze me then, and I darted to the side, breaking all contact, even as my body begged for more.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” I told him in a low, ashamed whisper.
“Rune?” he asked, anger beginning to leak into his voice at my reaction.
I darted down the hall, only faltering slightly when he roared and I heard the sound of his fist hitting the wall, pieces of the drywall and plaster falling to the ground.
I didn’t look back.
I threw myself back into work, knowing at the end of the day I wouldn’t be able to recall who had come in or what I had served.
“You’re wild, baby,” was on repeat in my head for the rest of the day…and into the night, the rugged cadence of his words sending my hands into my panties as I laid restlessly in bed.
And when I fell over that cliff, pleasure surging up my spine, all I could think when I finished was that I deserved everything bad that had ever happened to me.
8
Rune
“I said I wanted cheese fries, and these are not it.” The woman in the booth at the diner pushed her plate of food across the table back at me. “If you have trouble taking orders, maybe I ought to talk to your boss.” She reclined in her seat, her smug face infuriating me. Her two friends, also in the booth, were giggling, obviously delighting in the fact they were making my life hell.
I clenched my teeth and smiled because as they say, the customer is always right. But really, whoever made up that crap had obviously never worked in the service industry.
“Ma’am, this is your third meal you’ll be sending back. This is what you ordered,” I explained, glancing over to her second round of free beer on the table, untouched. “Is there something wrong with the food?”
I really didn’t want to face Rae again, who was already fuming with the first two returned dishes he had to remake.
And I knew I hadn’t gotten those orders wrong.
She narrowed her eyes, looking ready to spit fire in my direction. “Do you get off on going after men that belong to someone else?” she suddenly asked.
And there it was, the truth of why these ladies were acting like this. A scorching embarrassment rose up over my neck and across my cheeks. Had these girls seen Wilder join me in the hallway the other day…or the stockroom?
They obviously were friends with Arcadia, because who else would care who I had been with? My pulse spiked at the thought, filling me with trepidation.
Just then, the bell to the front door dinged, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Daxon walk in. My whole body buzzed because just like Wilder, Daxon affected me in ways I didn’t understand. I often found myself tripping and forgetting how to speak in his presence. I might as well be back in high school.
The brunette at the table watched him, then looked at me, her upper lip curling into a snarl. “See even now, you can’t help yourself. I can see the desperation on your face when you look at him.”
Okay. Maybe she wasn’t talking about Wilder after all…thank the moon goddess. I didn’t want to think there’d been an audience for what I’d allowed to happen a few days ago.
I just wanted to forget it, period.
But each time I had to go take stock…or walk down that hallway, which still displayed the hole Wilder had put in it, all I could picture was Wilder’s lips on mine. The incredible feel of his body. The pleasure he’d given me.
My body had betrayed me. I was the problem. I only knew how to be attracted to the bad guys.
“Hello, are you daydreaming about giving him a blowjob?” the brunette barked loud enough for everyone in the diner to hear.
I resisted the urge to look around and see if Daxon heard. Based on her anger, I could only imagine she had been one of his flings when he’d split up with Arcadia…which explained the bitterness. I would have been bitter too.
But why on Earth was she trying to take it out on me right now?
“So, just to confirm, you want different cheese fries. But your untouched burger is fine?” I hissed, ignoring her comment.
She made a grunting noise at me, and I’d had enough. I grabbed her plate and marched across the room, noting Daxon had taken a seat at the last booth near the bar area.
Eve took the plate from me when I reached the counter. “Here, let me take care of this. I’m so sick of those bitches. I’m going to shove a fucking fork right up her nose, then scramble her tiny brain.”
I laughed, loving how creative she was in her torture.
“Go and serve Daxon. You should have seen the way he stared at you as he walked in.”
“Really? No, he wasn’t.” My cheeks burned.
She gave my arm a light squeeze. “Go and make the bitches squirm in their seat.”
When she shoved past the kitchen door, I immediately heard Rae’s raised voice. I licked my lips and grabbed a menu, scuttling away quickly so Rae couldn’t yell at me. I rounded the counter, making my way over to Daxon.
Why in the world was I sweating so much? The last time I saw him, I’d just woken up from having evidently collapsed during my run. I shook my head a bit, the memory of that wolf attack…that had apparently never happened…so vivid in my brain.
I wasn’t sure what was going on with me lately, but as the day passed, my resolve only grew that I hadn’t imagined everything. I had been attacked.
Daxon sat with his back to me, and I stepped up to the table, gaining his attention. He greeted me with a warm smile, and my heart fluttered. I’d seen his ferocity when he fought Wilder in the inn, yet in my presence, he was the complete opposite, appearing anything but hostile.
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“What would you like to order?” My voice came out almost as a squeak, and I cleared my throat, wishing I could just act normal around him.
His golden, hazel eyes gleamed against the sunlight pouring in from the window, his skin a beautifully tanned shade, and I could easily picture him as one of those powerful lumberjacks coming in after a day’s work. He sure had the body for it.
“The diner’s quiet. Take a seat with me,” he suggested, his voice husky. He leaned back, arms stretched out across the back of the booth on either side of him, and I noticed he couldn’t go long without taking his gaze off me.
I hesitated at first, pretty sure I knew where this invite was headed. But what was the harm in entertaining his offer to join him for a chat? The only customers left were an older couple chatting over a cold bowl of wedges for the past hour and the bitch clan. If I could avoid them, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
“Sure, I can spare a few minutes.”
DAXON
Fuck.
I wanted Rune more than I’d wanted anyone in my whole fucking life. And it had nothing and everything to do with that prick, Wilder staring at her like he’d already claimed her the other night at The Lair Inn.
And the little dove in front of me had no clue he was even watching her.
Now, she shuffled into the booth seat across from me, trying to put on a brave face, even as nerves danced behind her eyes. She kept fiddling with the menu she still hadn’t given me. She was…refreshing…intriguing? I couldn’t keep my mind off of her, and I should have known from the moment I met her at Dentworks I wouldn’t be able to stay away.
Something about her made me feel alive, and it had been too long since someone had been able to wake me this way. She’d been on my mind daily, and not even sleep steered her away, as she filled my dreams.
“I know what you want to talk to me about,” she said.
“Yeah, and what’s that?” I couldn’t resist taunting her, my lips quirking into a grin.
She seemed a bit dazed when I smiled, and it only made my lips widen more, wanting to elicit any kind of reaction from her.
I had told myself to keep my distance and let her be. That shit went out the window the moment I stepped in the diner, spotting her delicate curved body and long blonde hair I wanted to wrap around my hands and use to hold her against me.
She watched me with her unnerving blue gaze, and it twisted my insides up even more.
I had the urge to scoot closer. It was painful to remain so far from her. She didn’t seem the kind to be pushed though, so I held myself back, reminding myself that I needed to wait until she was ready.
“I know you want to invite me out for dinner again,” she answered, rather proud of herself. I stiffened in my pants, that cute little temptress smile of hers sure to fill my thoughts for a while.
“You seem pretty sure of yourself. What if you’re wrong?”
She leaned back, hugging the menu to her chest. Was there such a thing as being envious of a piece of cardboard?
“I’m certain of it,” she announced, trying to sound confident. I smirked again. She might not realize it now, but she wanted exactly what I did.
I played along with her game. Everything from the way she looked at me, the tone of her voice, and how easily she’d accepted my invitation to sit down in the middle of her shift telling me she enjoyed herself.
“Are you going to enlighten me, sweetheart?”
She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, gently gnawing on it, and I caught her hitched breaths.
“Yes,” she finally said.
“Yes?” I replied, arching a brow.
“Fine, if you insist, I’ll go to dinner with you.”
The moment the delicious words left her sweet mouth, a shattering shriek broke through our perfect moment. I twisted my head around to see Eve dumping a plate of food onto a brunette’s lap. I groaned internally, recognizing her, on purpose not remembering her name as I’d shut it out long ago. She’d been a weakness that I allowed into my life when I was at my lowest point, a time when I accepted any woman to forget my shitty life. It had been a while ago, but her face still filled me with regret.
“Oh shit,” Rune murmured, scrambling to get out of the booth. “Here’s the menu.” She practically threw it into my hands, her face blanching at the sight as she rushed toward the chaos.
Before she got too far, I grabbed her wrist, drawing her attention to me. “I’ll be at the inn at eight tonight to pick you up.”
Gorgeous excitement flared over her expression, and she nodded before darting over to the commotion.
In truth, my intention had been to ask her how she was doing since the other day…but going out on a date with her was way better.
RUNE
“Do you like Creole food?” Daxon asked me as he pushed open the door to a restaurant that had been tucked away in a small alleyway. I would never have thought to come down this way, but once I was inside, the food smelled heavenly. Strong aromas of roasted meat and fragrant spices burst over my senses, while bluegrass music played overhead.
“I like all food,” I told him with a wink. “It smells incredible in here.” I scanned the large room that had been deceivingly small from the outside. The walls were adorned with corrugated metal, each one painted with colorful murals of men out in small fishing boats, another of the landscape, and the wall above the open kitchen had a huge red lobster. Industrial, bowl shaped lights hung across the room, lighting up the long wooden tables and benches. And suddenly, my nerves melted away that we’d be going to a stuffy restaurant with everything perfectly in place.
“Hope this is suitable?” Daxon stepped inside and paused alongside me, looking at me for a response. He looked so flipping hot tonight.
“Are you kidding? This looks so amazing. I’ve never been to a place like this.”
Daxon’s smile was contagious. His happiness somehow made me giddy. I didn’t know what to make of that.
Before long, we were seated at the end of a long table. Behind us, several groups of people entered the restaurant. I glanced down at the menu on our table, at the array of dishes, until my attention landed on the words raw steak. I kept reading the line over a few times, certain I was reading it wrong. That had to be a misprint, as no one would order a completely raw steak.
“You look beautiful,” Daxon said to me, distracting me from my confusion, and I lifted my gaze to meet his. I stood no chance of holding back the smile spreading my lips as excited shivers danced down my arms. I’d purposefully gone out shopping for something to wear, and the moment I found the sky-blue strapless summer dress and silver sandals, I knew I’d found my outfit. Not too dressy, but not casual either, seeing as I had no clue where we were going. Looking around, I was pleased to see that I fit in perfectly with everyone else.
“Thanks. And you shaved,” I pointed out, coaxing a small laugh out of him as I tried to turn attention away from me. I felt uncomfortable in all honesty, because I didn’t remember the last time anyone had told me I was beautiful.
Daxon rubbed his jawline, the shadow of growth gone, then pushed the messy loose strands of golden hair out of his eyes. His eyes still got me… They were like the rising sun, and when he peered back at me, the jitters in my stomach returned. The ones that told me he was too good for me but I couldn’t help but want him just the same.
“I try to make an effort sometimes,” he murmured. “Seeing as this is your first time here, how do you feel about me surprising you with ordering a few dishes for us to share?”
I nodded instantly because half the dishes listed on the menu were unrecognizable to me. He got up and sauntered over to the kitchen area. My gaze drank all of him in, from the blue jeans that curved around his firm ass to his broad shoulders in the white button-up shirt. It wasn’t tight, but hugged him enough that you could easily make out his firm muscles underneath. From the moment he’d picked me up from the inn, I’d been sneaking peeks at him, unable to calm my heart or breathin
g.
Just calm down. It’s just a distraction, remember.
Right, a distraction.
Since finishing my shift at the diner today, I’d felt like I was walking on clouds. I told myself multiple times to have no expectations…that I should even expect disappointment.
But no matter what I’d said, those words evaporated the moment I laid eyes on Daxon, dressed up and waiting for me.
At the other end of our long table, an older couple shared a large plate spilling over with seafood. They ate and chatted while admiring each other. Too adorable. A rush of sadness hit me. I’d once thought that would be me.
Daxon returned, carrying a hurricane glass with a mango-colored drink. He set it in front of me, and I inhaled the fruity smell.
“Piña colada with a twist.”
I took a sip, instantly taken by the fruity sweetness. “It’s really good.”
He sat across from me and took a sip from his bottle of beer.
“So, do you come here often?” I asked lamely.
The corner of his mouth curled upward. “The food here is incredible, and we don’t have a large selection in town. Figured Italian and Chinese you could have anywhere, and you wouldn’t want diner food, so Creole it was. Plus, I wanted to see your reaction when you tasted some of these dishes. I fell in love with it the first time I came here.”
I blushed slightly, loving the fact he had put thought into why he’d brought me here. “I’ll try anything at least once.”
“Just a warning…my appetite is ferocious and I ordered a lot.” He set his beer down and leaned forward against the table. “I hope you can keep up.”
I burst out laughing. “Have you seen the size of me compared to you? But I’ll give it a try.”
When he laughed, I was lost to the sound, admiring the way the creases around his mouth deepened, how his eyes almost closed. I needed to pinch myself to make sure I was really on a date with this man.
