by India Kells
“You would have been able to smother that annoying feeling and keep on living your life.” A tough conclusion to say out loud, but something she could understand from a clinical viewpoint.
Locke inched forward a little. “It wasn’t that simple. Seeing you with Gage drove me mad.” And he came closer, his body heat enveloping her, the scent of his skin going to her head. “I couldn’t admit it to myself, I couldn’t allow you close. I started to resent Gage when he kissed you, when he made you laugh or smile. I wanted that for myself. I wanted you. But how could the man I am, with what I’ve done, ever dream of having a woman like you.”
Tessa couldn’t look at his stormy-sea eyes anymore as he kept talking. “I needed more, but I feared that if you saw the real me, the dark me, you would run the other way. So, I attacked you first.”
Her eyes cast down, she saw how close their hands were from each other. So close, yet so far. “I stayed on that roof. I thought I was at peace until I finally came back inside, and you weren’t there.”
His fingers trembled a little as if trying to initiate contact. “That’s when I realized that I was just numb. The more I fought it, the deeper I went. Another color of Hell. Until Gage grew tired of seeing me like that and asked me what happened to make you disappear. And I told him.”
The shock of his revelation made her look up, astonished. “You told him? That you called me a whore?”
The way he cringed at her words alleviated some of the pressure in her chest. And then it clicked in her head. “Gage beat you up.”
Locke hesitated. “That was part of it. He did what any good friend would do and tried to get you out of my head, and when he couldn’t, he started to ask why you’d disappeared so suddenly. He was his usual annoying self until I told him to shut his big mouth. You can imagine what happened next. It seems that I needed a good beating to realize how I much I hurt you. I needed the pain to see how much I care about you, Tessa.”
His fingers brushed against the back of her hand, the light caress almost bringing her to her knees. “You don’t know me well enough to care, Locke.”
This time he caught her hand and her heart leaped. “Don’t tell me what I feel, Doctor. That would piss me off right now.”
But she couldn’t see annoyance on his face, only the light amusement that she knew. “And how do you feel? I wouldn’t want to guess anything.”
His other hand came to her face, cupping her cheek. “May I kiss you, Tessa?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
After everything they had done together, his gentlemanly manners made her smile. “I would love that.”
The way he touched her mouth was so tentative, she let him lead on that. Her arms went around his waist and she pulled him to her. Too soon, he leaned back, circling her waist with his arms.
Emboldened, Tessa skimmed his scratchy cheeks, and tentatively moved closer, initiating another kiss. This time, Locke closed his arms tightly around her, lifting her off her feet. When they touched the ground again, the chaste kiss turned into a searing touch. As soon as she felt his tongue slowly trace the seam of her lips, she knew that this new Locke would be even deadlier than the previous one. Opening her mouth to him, she welcomed his groan that confirmed the intensity between them was intact. To be honest, there was a shift, and she could feel it in the way his hands caressed her body, how Locke rubbed himself against her.
Her thighs pressed together in anticipation, the familiar heat pooling between her legs. His mouth was becoming even more demanding and she wondered how fast she could remove her clothes before he took her on the kitchen counter.
Before she could suggest moving, Locke picked her up again. Startled, she blinked as he started walking. “Uh, where are you going?”
He didn’t answer but pushed through the door to her room, before putting her on the bed.
“I thought the first time we had sex, your bed would be better than the kitchen counter.”
That made her laugh. “I never knew you were a romantic, Locke.”
He tossed his jacket aside and threw his boots in the corner, pulling at his t-shirt. “I’m definitively not. I want to fuck you until you scream, until you forget the name of every man you’ve ever been with.”
“What about Gage?”
Locke snarled before leaping at her, plastering her to the bed. “You want to include Gage in this?” It was obvious he was offering but he wasn’t happy about it.
“I want to explore what we have together. Just you and me. I’m not against being kinky, but not right now. Is that okay with you?”
Her answer made him relax again. “Yeah. I want you to myself too. And I think it will take time before Gage talks to me again.”
She hated for the two men to be at odds. “I can call him, maybe he will talk to me…” Her sentence was cut short by an angry kiss. He was making it clear that even talking about another man was out of the question.
His tongue fought hers until her head spun and she gasped for air. Locke barely relinquished her mouth before following the curve of her neck. “I missed the taste of you, Doctor.”
“And I missed your mouth, Mister Locke.” The growl that tickled her skin showed that he approved.
Locke started to unbutton her shirt. “I thought you would be wearing scrubs as you’ve been at work.”
“Do you have a scrubs fetish?”
“Only to see you naked. Do you especially love these, or can I tear them off you?”
Pushing herself up, she started to discard her clothing when she was interrupted by Locke pulling her to her feet and pinning her against the wall, his mouth on hers again. She’d desperately wanted his kiss for so long, there was no way she would complain. And breathing was overrated with him.
Locke was tugging at her remaining underwear and she helped the best she could with sounds of tearing along the way. Finally naked, overheating with lust and anticipation, Tessa hung onto him with a hint of anguish. When she parted her legs and he placed his jean-clad thigh between them, she finally found relief.
As her hands left his naked torso, they went to his fly.
“In a hurry, Doctor?” She pinched his side and he twisted. “Hey! Why did you pinch me?”
“Use my name.”
He arched an eyebrow at her request, but he understood. “Okay. Tessa.”
His lips went to her neck. “And what’s your first name? And don’t tell me it’s Locke.”
“You really want to talk about that right now?” She could hear a smile in his voice.
“If I can talk, it means you’re doing something wrong.”
Locke didn’t hesitate and picked up her naked body before flinging her on the bed. His laughter turned him into a predator as he approached the bed, removing his pants.
“I love when you laugh.”
He tossed his pants aside and his arousal drew her eyes like a magnet. “That’s my line, lady.” And again, the mix of dark humor and lustful heat was a combination she found incredibly fascinating and arousing. Remaining still, he stood at the edge of her bed, a feral smile on his face and his hard cock in his hand. The slow movement of his hand over its length made her restless and needy. She wasn’t against begging, but teasing was much more interesting.
Parting her legs, she ignored all her shyness and cupped her sex, and wasn’t surprised to feel her fingers getting wetter by the minute. When he crawled on the bed and caught her thighs to pull her to him, Tessa knew the time for playing was over.
Her butt on the edge of the bed, his beautiful cock poised at her entrance, she licked her lips as she locked gazes with him. Only then did he slowly push inside her, inch by inch. The way she felt stretched was divine and she wanted more, now. However, no matter how she tilted her pelvis or moaned, he didn’t divert from his course of action.
“Instead of fighting me, put your hands on your beautiful breasts for me.”
Her hands slid over her stomach but stopped short of their destination. Locke gave her a dark look. �
�I think I liked you better when you obeyed everything I said.”
“I like obeying too, but you haven’t answered my question. What’s your first name?”
He went to answer when she squeezed his cock hard and he clenched his jaw. The sensation was a little too pleasurable, and she did it again just as he opened his mouth. The menacing growl he emitted was counteracted by him plunging deep inside her. Her body reacted, and she grabbed her breasts, arching to meet him.
Tessa watched him through half-closed lids, her hands tugging at her nipples, her breath caught in her lungs, at the sensations he was giving her. Seeing him standing between her legs, muscles bunching and a slight sweat covering his golden skin, her mouth watered, wanting to taste him, but she was his willing prisoner right now.
The pulsing of his cock inside her heat was pushing her inexorably toward orgasm, but not fast enough. Impatient to reach that delicious precipice, she went to touch her clit, but he pushed her hand away, replacing it with his rough, demanding digits.
He must have sensed she was about to fall over the edge, because in an instant her core was clenching at nothing, her body screaming at this sudden denial of what she’d fantasized so much about.
The loss of contact was only for a second as he caught her arm and pulled her up, taking her mouth once more. His hands were brutal, almost bruising, but she didn’t care, needing him as he truly was.
Locke licked at her sweating skin, his teeth ravishing her breasts, with the same vicious lust, until he sat on the bed. Tessa’s legs faltered. She was about to straddle his thighs when he turned her around, so she sat with her back to him. Her head fell back as he positioned her legs over his knees and opened her up. His fingers tracing her ribs were making her squirm. Ticklish, he was set on tormenting her until she was about to rebel, and only then did he apply more pressure.
“Look in front of you.”
His low command cleared some of the fog in her brain and she saw the full mirror outside her wardrobe door. They were both sitting straight in front of it and she could see every single inch of herself in the indecent position. Her self-preservation kicked in, and she fought to close her legs and hide herself. Locke was having none of that and he effortlessly held her in place, spread in front of her eyes.
“I can’t. I can’t look like that…” Her voice was still panicky, but unless she convinced him, there was no way out.
He didn’t answer at first, and instead rocked his cock trapped under her, slowly nestling between her slick folds. It took but a second before lust surged back.
One muscled arm banded around her waist, he placed his free hand around her neck. He didn’t squeeze hard, but enough to confirm that he was in control. His voice was a rough whisper that only fueled her desire. “You wanted to see me, to have the real me take you. That’s what I’m offering you now. Only the raw, painful, real truth. Is that what you really want?”
Her breath was coming so fast now, it almost made her dizzy, so she simply nodded. She was too far gone to not accept his challenge and see who he was for herself.
“Put me inside you.”
Locke lessened his hold so she could bend far enough to grab his pulsing member with her trembling fingers. She wasn’t afraid, just desperate; to be filled, to be consumed by lust for this haunted man.
Tilting herself, she used her thighs to push herself up and position his head at her entrance. Only then, did she let her body fall, taking him all. In this position, he reached way deeper than before.
Loosening his hold, Locke didn’t move and instead started caressing her, looking at their reflection. Now, Tessa was fascinated by what she saw, her eyes riveted to where he entered her. Rough hands followed the curve of her hips to her knees and when they came back, they went to her inner thighs until his fingers were tracing her outer lips.
“Do you see how beautiful and fucking hot you are? I’m so hard inside you, I almost feel pain. Put your hands behind my head, Tessa.”
Again, obedience wasn’t easy, but once more, her hormones took a front seat, obliterating all social conventions. She searched for his eyes, still too afraid to look at herself like that. Like other women, she had body issues, but Locke seemed to push that limit for her too. And he wasn’t done.
Using his fingers, he spread her open, and as he did, probably to stop any opposition, he started to push inside her. “Look at how red you are and glistening wet.” His fingers approached her clit. So close to the mirror, she saw her body jerk in anticipation, her hips starting to move with him.
“You wanted to know the darkest part of me? I’m not a man who beds a woman. I’m a beast. One that only wants to fuck you. Hard. Long. Bruising strokes.” And as he spoke, his movements grew in intensity. While one hand started teasing her clit, the other went to her hip, directing the pace.
“You are twisting me up inside. You don’t know what you unleashed, how dangerous I can be. I’m a possessive man. I’ve never been before, but with you… I want to mark you, put my scent on you like a dog, mark your skin so no other man will dare approach you. You think I willingly gave you to Gage?”
With his throaty voice and his finger flickering her clit, Tessa crumbled, screaming her release, and would have doubled over if not for Locke’s grip on her trembling body. The man didn’t allow her to come down and instead, increased the power of his thrusts. Gone was the controlled male; she was in the middle of a bestial storm, her world filled with the sounds of slapping wet skin, Locke’s growls in her head and her own voice pleading for something she didn’t know. The head of his cock kissed the entrance of her cervix each time he pummeled her. Holding her tight once more against his hard body, Tessa held on, as for the first time in her life, she was truly possessed.
Surprisingly, pleasure started to coil again in her belly, making her squeeze even harder against him. He snarled and bit her neck. The pain startled her, but the mounting pleasure was stronger. Again, he put his hand around her head, bring her back against his wall of muscles.
“Tell me you trust me, Tessa. Tell me you want me. All of me. Only me.”
As her orgasm edged, Tessa gathered what wits were left and answered in a breathless voice.
“You. I trust you, Locke. I only want you. You.”
If possible, he increased the pistoning motion until she cried out.
Her orgasm seemed to push his too. His pounding became erratic, his breathing faster until it seized in his lungs. She never thought it possible but watching him surrender to the throes of ecstasy made her completely and utterly lose it. Riding that wave, all she could feel were the tremors of her own body caught in pleasure and Locke holding her tight with his shaft pulsing deep inside her.
Surfing that feeling of being suspended in time and place, Tessa felt Locke bringing her backward on the bed, gathering her still shivering body in his arms as his cock slid out of her. Against his heated skin, with the scent of sex enveloping them, she couldn’t feel more comfortable. It seemed to be an eternity, before his voice broke the silence.
“Thomas.”
Tessa blinked her eyes open, not sure she understood. She turned around to look at him, and he shifted once more to lay on his back, so she was almost completely sprawled over his magnificent body. No complaints on her part.
“What did you say?”
He opened his eyes and sea-green submerged her world. “You were right. If we’re still capable of speech, I must be doing something wrong. I’ll have to try harder, although I don’t know if we could survive more.” And after a beat, his expression softened. “I was telling you my first name. Isn’t that what you wanted to know too?”
Thomas. Another small victory tonight. As a doctor, Tessa never believed in miracles, although she had hoped for one in certain cases. His new openness with her may qualify as one though.
His large hands started to roam over her skin again, stirring her senses even though her body was still recovering from the extreme pleasure. As he fisted a hand in her hair, pul
ling hard so her neck was bared to his mouth, Tessa knew that the true Locke was still lurking; taciturn, a control freak and demanding, and she had no intention of trying to change him at all. There was no way to know what would come of it, of them, but her lust for him matched his hunger and she was determined to take every advantage of her debt collector that she could.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Six months later
Tiredness pulled at Tessa when she finally opened the door to the apartment. But it was a good type of fatigue. Since she’d started working side by side with Nigel, the amount of work and energy required had been staggering. So many people depended on the little community clinic for services, days flew by at the speed of light. However, she didn’t regret her decision. She only wished she could have the equipment and money of the hospital sometimes, but that was another battle. Instead, they used their experience and resourcefulness to cater to the population that really needed them.
Thumping the snow off her boots, Tessa realized it wasn’t that late, but with the shortened hours of sunshine, it was easy to be thrown off.
Lights were dim inside, but the smell of something cooking in the oven and a very angry voice yelling behind the closed door, told her that Locke was home and busy.
Officially, they didn’t live together although most of her clothes were now in Locke’s apartment, or more correctly, Locke had slowly brought more and more of her things to his place, often without asking. In retaliation, she kept her apartment which pissed him off.
For the first few months after she’d left the hospital to join the clinic, it made more sense to stay at his place as it was closer to her new job. Locke had started to make not so subtle innuendos about her moving in with him, but she pretended she didn’t understand what he was saying.
The main reason wasn’t her lack of feelings for him, but the fact that they’d had to deal with a lot since Luther’s arrest. Locke had been busy, working with the authorities, revealing the problem with many cops within the department and the corruption that poisoned it. Locke hadn’t been requested as a witness, and for that, Tessa was grateful as she feared that the more they dug into his past, the more he would be at risk of prosecution himself.
