Craving

by Sofia Grey

  “I was eleven when I saw a picture of my father’s house and realized how wealthy he was. It was so unfair. We were struggling and eating beans on toast every night while he… well you’ve seen how he lives.” She picked at her fingernails, her focus on her hands. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “The last time I saw Mum, I was arguing with her, telling her I wanted to meet my father and if she refused to take me, I’d go by myself. I told her she could go to hell, and that’s when we had the accident.”

  She wiped at her eyes. “Ironic, huh. I wanted to see my father, and that’s where I was taken, afterwards. He was appalled to have this scruffy council-house daughter, and I had to work hard to fit in. Elocution lessons, extra classes, until I was ready for the school he chose.”

  Kitten’s eyes met mine. “I’m a fake, Dante. My life is an elaborately constructed lie. I don’t belong in my father’s world, but I can’t go back to my old life. The only time I felt like I belonged was with you. And then you picked Nanette.” She swallowed hard. “I should have trusted you. I’m sorry.”

  The ache in my chest intensified. “Gabe’s spirit called you the Little Lost Girl, and now I understand why.” It came out as a whisper. I couldn’t stand the pain in her eyes. I moved to her side, held open my arms and we clung to each other.

  “Angel,” she whispered. “I’m lost without you.”

  16.8 Josh

  Katherine’s godparents were polite and friendly, and when I asked if they could recommend a local hotel, they insisted that we use their holiday apartment. It was getting late, and I fretted over Suki’s pale face and the bruise-like shadows under her eyes.

  I took our overnight bags into the holiday apartment accompanied by Sam, thankfully without his shotgun. “Ellie and I are very fond of Katherine,” he told me gruffly. “I won’t allow Dante to hurt her. That poor lass has enough to cope with already.”

  “She means the world to him.” I wanted to reassure Sam, even though if Dante was right, he wouldn’t be here for much longer. I couldn’t get my head around this. Dante was still closeted in Katherine’s room, so Suki and I went to bed. Ellie assured me that she had somewhere else for him to sleep.

  As soon as we were alone, Suki wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my chest. “I’ve been such a bitch, I’m so sorry. And then when you were trapped under the club and I was scared I’d lost you.” Her body trembled, and I tightened my arms around her. “I love you so much, Josh. Life is too short to stress about things we can’t change, and I can’t wait for us to be a family.” Warm breath filtered across the base of my throat. “You are going to be an amazing father.”

  Even though there was only the tiniest possibility of the baby being mine, I didn’t care. Suki was right. We would be a family, and I couldn’t wait.

  16.9 Katherine

  “So what happens now?” My voice was probably muffled against Dante’s T-shirt, but he must have understood me. His arms tightened, squeezing me tight.

  “I don’t know.” He sounded surprised. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I just needed to see you and say…”

  “Goodbye,” I whispered into the gap.

  He rested his chin on top of my head. “I wish things were different.”

  We stood there a long time, his heart beating a steady thump beneath my ear, his leather-spice scent filling my nostrils. I couldn’t bear to let him go. My heart had already been smashed into a thousand pieces, there was nothing left to hurt.

  “Where are you sleeping tonight, Angel?”

  “I have no idea.” He made a frustrated noise. “Shit. I left Josh and Suki waiting for me. They’re good people, Kitten. I need to go and find them.”

  Unwilling to separate from him for even a minute, I slipped my arm around his waist and tucked my fingers into the pocket of his jeans. “Let’s go talk to them.”

  The house was silent and deserted. We found a note pinned to the inside of the front door.

  Your friends are staying in the apartment. I’ve left a sleeping bag on the sofa for you. Ellie.

  I made my voice light and playful. “What’s it to be then? Sleeping bag on the sofa, or sharing with me?”

  “God, Kitten.” He groaned. “It’s not fair to you.”

  I turned to face him, to stare into his beautiful silver eyes. “Don’t I have a say in this? I might never see you again.”

  “I could spend a lifetime in bed with you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.” His rough whisper made my chest ache. He dropped his head and brushed his lips over mine. Soft and tender. I ignited. I didn’t want gentle this time, I wanted hard and fast.

  Dizzy with lust, I nipped his lower lip before licking it. “I need you, Angel. I need you so bad.” His kiss devoured me, his hands sliding up my back, slipping beneath my top and finding bare skin. I clung to him, pressing every inch of my body to his. The hard bulge in his jeans left me with no doubt he felt the same.

  I fumbled with his shirt and struggled to unfasten the buttons. Our lips remained locked together, Dante deepened the kiss and drove me crazy. I gave up with his shirt and tackled his jeans instead. His stomach shrank back from my fingers, and I popped open the button, before sliding my hand inside. I found his dick and stroked it with my fingertips, drawing a moan from him.

  “Your room,” he gasped. As soon as the door closed behind him, Dante helped to pull off my top. His jeans were open, cock pushing against his boxers, and he was my perfect wet dream.

  His hands closed around my breasts, thumbs brushing the nipples through the bra. “Tease,” I murmured as I sought his mouth, desperate for his kiss. I raked my fingers through his hair, so soft and silky. I loved the feel of it.

  He tugged down the cups of my bra, exposing my breasts and pushing them higher.

  “They look even bigger like that,” I grumbled.

  “Gorgeous,” he whispered. He licked his lips, bent his head, and ran a hot tongue over one aching nipple. The sensation sparked through me like a jolt of electricity. “I could feast on your fantastic tits all night.” He licked a wide stripe from one hard bud to the other and then closed his mouth around one nipple, scraping the edge of his teeth over it. I had to shove my fist into my mouth to keep quiet. Ellie and Sam slept further along the corridor.

  I squirmed, my panties soaking wet. Hungry for Dante. His leather jacket lay draped across his shoulders and in a flash of remorse, I remembered that Nanette had stabbed him. “Your shoulder, Angel. Is it okay?”

  Silver eyes glinted up at me, a hint of mischief in his gaze. “Bit stiff.” He palmed his erection through his boxers and grinned at me.

  “You have a terrible sense of humor, babe. Let me see the damage.” He sighed, and turned round. His poor jacket had a great rip in it, dried blood smeared along the raw edges. Beneath his clothes I could see a raised area that looked like a dressing. I felt sick. How selfish was I to forget about this? Silently, I slid his jacket down and draped it over the chair. As carefully as I could manage, I pulled off his shirt, then tugged up his T-shirt and helped to haul it over his head.

  The size of the dressing made me gasp. “How many stitches?” I whispered.

  “Eight. It’s no big deal.”

  I disagreed. I dropped butterfly kisses all around the plaster strips and then moved down his spine, pressing my lips to each vertebrae in turn. To think I’d hated tattoos. His were beautiful. His skin was warm and smooth, the muscles clearly defined. They flexed and rippled as I moved around his body.

  I was not prepared to see another gauze pad on his chest.

  16.10 Dante

  Kitten’s eyes grew wide and fearful. “What… did she…?”

  “No, it’s not what you’re thinking.” She must have thought it was another knife wound. I raised a hand to cover it, unsure what to say. Heat flooded my cheeks.

  “What is it then?”

  I hated the scared note in her voice. “A new tattoo. I got it after I left you in Rhosneigr.”

  Her brows pulled togethe
r into a puzzled frown. “Oh. Can I see it?”

  My cheeks burned some more. I nodded and slowly pulled the tape from one edge. There wasn’t anything I could say. It would speak for itself. I folded back the protective gauze so that she could see it. A sleeping kitten curled up.

  She stared for the longest time. “It’s right over your heart.”

  “Yeah.” I met her gaze. “So you’d always be with me.”

  Her eyes opened even wider and gleamed with unshed tears. “It’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me.” She hesitated, and then gave me a tentative smile. “I love you, Dante. I don’t want you to… go… and not know that.”

  My chest ached as though I’d been punched. Jesus. I’d be crying like a little girl soon. I cupped both hands around her cheeks and stared into her eyes. “You know I love you.” It came out rough and growly, but she smiled.

  “Come here.” Our lips met. Soft and gentle ramped up to hot and needy in an instant. I angled her head to best plunder her mouth, our tongues dueling. She moaned and I pulled her closer, rubbing along her body. Her hard and swollen nipples brushed against my chest. “Angel, I can’t wait.”

  She wriggled out of her clingy pants to reveal a pair of barely-there knickers, and my already hard cock throbbed at the sight of her skimpy, very sexy, underwear.

  I touched the tiny, lacy triangle between her legs. Sopping wet.

  She groaned and closed a hand over mine. “I hope to God you have a condom.”

  “Jacket. Inside pocket.”

  Kitten dug through my leather while I kicked off my boots and shucked out of my jeans and boxers. I stood, one hand wrapped around my cock and enjoyed the sight of her bent over the chair. I cozied up behind her. “Stay right there. You look so fuckin’ hot like that, Kitten.”

  Her breasts fit my hands perfectly, and I squeezed them, keeping up the attention on her nipples with my thumbs.

  She giggled softly, the noise turning into a throaty moan when I ground against her arse. I heard the sound of foil ripping, but I wanted to wait a little longer. I nuzzled the back of her neck, nipped at her earlobe and swirled my tongue in the hollow beneath her ear. She smelled of vanilla and something spicy. Edible. Her body was a feast for my consumption.

  She pushed back against my cock, grinding herself onto me, and I nearly lost it. My balls were aching and tight, my cock weeping. I had to be inside her. I fumbled with the condom, my fingers unable to follow the signals from my brain.

  I nudged at her thigh with my knee, and she opened her legs wider, bending as she did so. Slipping my fingers inside the tiny scrap of lace, she hummed her approval. “Now, Dante, please.” So wet. So ready for me. Pushing the strip of fabric to one side, I guided my throbbing cock to her entrance, angled her and slipped the head inside. Any intention I had for slowing down, vanished. She made a fractured noise, and I plunged in, balls deep, in one smooth thrust.

  Kitten whimpered and trembled, the vibration running through me as her pussy clamped around my cock. I sucked in a quick breath. Fought for control. She moaned again. “Angel. So good, baby.” I stared at her bum, soft, golden, and luscious, and caressed it with one hand. I closed the other around her hip. Any second now and I would be pounding into her, need overtaking any other impulse.

  “You ready, baby?” It was a struggle to speak. My cock had never felt so good before. It never wanted to leave her.

  “Fuck me, Dante. Give it to me, baby.”

  Dirty talk from Kitten took fucking to a whole new level. I flexed my hips and withdrew slowly, then slammed back in. Her cry was muffled, but sweet.

  I did it again, ramming into her, feeling her insides clench around me as I dug my fingers into her skin. “Harder,” she gasped.

  I couldn’t, without exploding. I tangled my hand in her hair, pulling her head back. “Yesss.”

  Holy shit. I pumped in and out, deeper still, shifting her position to drive in again and again. My knees were trembling, balls hurting, and cock crying out for release. Kitten’s moans spurred me on, and I suddenly realized why she was so quiet. She had my shirt crumpled up beside her mouth.

  I felt her coming before she made a sound. Her channel gripped my cock like an invisible fist, squeezing me and rippling down my length to thrum my balls. She jerked and convulsed, and I knew I was going to follow her.

  I closed my mouth over the base of her neck and bit gently to muffle my shout as I went nuclear. Her orgasm kicked off, pulsing and milking me dry.

  16.11 Katherine

  Dante panted against my neck, hot breath flashing over my skin. “Baby,” he murmured into my ear, “that was fuckin’ amazing.” I felt his lips dropping a trail of kisses down my throat, and then he rested his chin on my shoulder.

  “You were pretty good yourself, Angel.”

  My knees were threatening to give way, and when Dante eased back, I took two steps and collapsed onto the bed. I watched as he wrapped the used condom in a tissue and dropped it into the bin. I refused to accept that come tomorrow, he’d be gone. He’d sold his soul to a demon, but there had to be a loophole.

  He climbed into bed to lie beside me, our bodies touching from our shoulders down to our toes and I inhaled his scent, rubbing my nose across his chest. I thought again of his newest tattoo and felt a surge of pride. He was mine—he’d marked himself for me. I would get a tattoo as well, I decided. An angel, of course.

  I snuggled into him while my breathing slowed and my racing heart returned to something like normal. Although whenever Dante was around, my pulse quickened by itself. “We have two condoms left, Angel.” My fingers traced the line of his dragon tattoo, dancing over the colors. “It’d be a shame to waste them.”

  He nudged me to lie on my back and then knelt between my spread thighs. “Who said anything about wasting them?” Soft, warm lips kissed a trail up my stomach, through the valley between my breasts and over my collarbone. He hadn’t shaved for a while and his stubble rasped across my flesh, exciting me even more. “Kitten,” he paused and looked up at me, love shining in his eyes. “I want to do something with you that I’ve never done before.”

  My mind flashed over the possibilities: sex without a condom? Backdoor shagging? I couldn’t think of anything more exotic. “What are you thinking?” It came out as a squeak and he smiled, a little shy I thought.

  He didn’t answer straight away. Instead, he circled both my wrists with his hands and lifted them, moving them to the pillow next to my head. “If I, uh, tied your hands together?”

  A jolt of pure lust shot through me at the image. I swallowed, my mouth suddenly parched. “Yeah,” I breathed.

  The smile spread over his face like the rising sun. “You. Are. Incredible.” Each word punctuated with a kiss. Reaching down beside the bed, he fished around and came up with my abandoned bra. His eyes gleamed at me. “Perfect.” My heart hammered faster, and I squirmed on the bed, a fresh surge of moisture between my legs. A little frown appeared as he concentrated, looping the lycra straps around one wrist and then the other. He gave them a little tug. It held firm.

  “Annnd…” He flashed a triumphant grin and looped the binding around the ornate metal frame of the headboard, fastening it in place with the clasps. Another tug.

  I gave a short pull too. There was just a hint of movement.

  “Oh, baby.” He sat upright and surveyed his handiwork.

  I gave an experimental wriggle and his eyes widened at the sight of my breasts wobbling.

  “Do that again.” His voice was hoarse.

  I shimmied some more and watched as he palmed his erection. “Fu-uck.”

  “Yes please,” I whispered.

  He took a breath, and then another, and finally settled back between my thighs after nudging them wide. I felt a tremor of anxiety. I lay exposed and vulnerable. My mind jumped back to the bouncers tying me up in the night club, but that had been so different it was not even worth thinking about. I gazed at Dante and knew that I trusted him.

&
nbsp; His warm, slightly rough hands swept up the inside of my legs, drifting over my hips and back down, keeping away from my pussy.

  I squirmed some more. I wanted him to touch me and not tease me.

  He moved back further, and I realized what he planned to do. Lifting one of my legs, he draped it over his good shoulder and then dropped to support himself on one arm. I felt hot breath inside my thigh. My insides clenched. Oh God, he wasn’t going to, he wasn’t going to… He did.

  His tongue licked the length of my slit, and I almost came, right there.

  Swallowing hard, I tugged at the binding, but my hands would not come free. “Angel,” I moaned, “please.” I don’t know what I begged for, and he ignored my plea.

  In his own sweet time, he lavished his tongue over my pussy lips, teasing, tasting, and driving me insane with need.

  I thought I would die when he pushed the tip of his tongue inside me. I writhed on the bed, completely in thrall to Dante. Shivers racked my body, my legs trembled, and my head thrashed from side to side.

  With a restraint I didn’t think possible, he sucked on my clit and took me to the edge of orgasm before leaving me there, perched on the brink while he teased and tantalized elsewhere.

  “Please, baby.” I lifted my hips shamelessly, urging him deeper, faster.

  He chuckled softly, and when I thought I would dissolve into a ball of jelly, he thrust a long finger inside me and sucked hard on my clit.