by Alexa Riley
I groan and pull myself from the bed, knowing he’s right. I need to get back to studying because I’m so close to the end. He gives my butt a smack and I jump. I try and give him a look of death but he only winks at me before going to the kitchen, whistling the whole time. The smell of coffee and food has me moving, but first I need to clean up.
I could get used to this. Don’t. I stop that train of thought as I look in the mirror. I push my hair out of my face and remind myself that this apartment is different than the island. I’ve enjoyed my life in London, but it isn't home. I never meant for London to be where I put down roots, but when Collins told me to come back to the island I agreed. Now I don’t know how long I can stay even though I know she’ll say forever. That’s her home and there’s nothing there for me besides her.
“Sweet thing!” Vaughn calls for me, breaking my spiraling thoughts.
“One day at a time,” I tell myself. I need to get through these last few tests and then I can worry about what comes next.
When I walk into the kitchen I come up short when I see Vaughn standing at the stove in only boxer briefs. I’m still in his shirt and only changed my panties when I went to the bathroom. I should have put on some pants. I can’t believe I humped him this morning. I’m like a cat in heat because I already want more right now just watching him make me breakfast.
“Coffee.” Vaughn nods to the cup on the counter.
I walk over and pick it up, feeling shy. What do I say now? I don’t want this to be weird since he’s going to be staying here. Will we do more of what we did this morning? Should I be okay with that? Things could get messy. I could mess everything up for my sister and cause problems. Oh God, what if—
My coffee cup is plucked out of my hand, and I’m pulled up and set on the countertop. Vaughn pushes himself between my thighs and looks me straight in the eyes.
“Get out of your head about this.” Vaughn taps my chin and I tilt my head back to look at him. God, he’s so handsome. Even with the small bruise on his jaw from when he and his brothers had an all-out fight last week.
“But—”
He cuts me off as his mouth descends onto mine. His fingers tangle in my hair so he can tilt my head back to deepen the kiss. I wrap myself around him and kiss him back even though I know I shouldn't. He tastes so good and feels so right. His closeness is soothing and I relax into his body, wanting it and him so badly. I whine in protest when he pulls away and he picks me up. He puts me back on my feet and hands me my coffee before leaving me in a daze as he goes back to the stove.
“Drink your coffee and concentrate on your exams.” I glance toward my living room, which I notice is now spotless. My books and work are all nicely stacked in a pile on the coffee table. I glance back to Vaughn and he winks.
For now I’m going to do like he told me to. I’ll get through my classes and then think about what’s next. If that involves enjoying a little bit of Vaughn while I do it, then what the hell. I can keep my heart out of it. This is for fun and he’s giving me things I need. Vaughn might be all smiles and teasing but he’s a caretaker.
When was the last time someone took care of me? Maybe never. I’m going to let him do this and I’m going to enjoy every second of it.
Chapter Seven
Vaughn
“Fuck,” I grunt, surging forward against her heat.
For the past three days we’ve been doing this every chance we get. We especially do it before we go to bed and we always wake up the same way. Either with Berkley on top of me or me on top of her as I hump and hump until we both cum.
It’s never gone beyond this, although I did suck on her tits last night. I see them now bouncing below me, the pink buds begging for a taste. It was dark last night and I wasn’t thinking when I did it, but she didn’t stop me and she’s so close, I don’t think she will now.
Leaning down, I tongue one and she rocks her hips up. I feel the wet cotton of her panties drift across the tip of my cock that’s somehow escaped my boxer briefs. Every day we sneak a little closer to the edge and every day I wonder how far she will let this go.
If it were up to me I’d be balls deep making babies inside of her, but she’s got to focus. I don’t know that this necessarily helps, but it doesn’t seem to hurt.
“Shit.” She says it like a hiss and I love her dirty mouth.
I pop her nipple out of my mouth and then blow on it to watch it tighten against the chill. She’s so fucking wet my cock just slides over her pussy. I look down and see her panties have wedged between her lips and it’s tight over her clit. I grab the top of her panties and pull up so the cotton between is even tighter against it. Somehow my boxer briefs move lower and now I can feel her lips on my shaft.
What I want to do more than anything is yank the sopping wet material to the side and sink into her in one long stroke. I know it would be exactly what we both want but there’s something about this buildup that’s both maddening and so damn good.
“Please, Vaughn, just do it.”
“Stop it,” I say through gritted teeth. She’s been pushing me to do more, but I’ve held back this long so I can wait a little longer.
“It’s not enough anymore,” she pants as she pinches her own nipple.
“Goddamn it, I said stop it.”
“Maybe just the tip?” She bites her lip and I have to grab the pillow to keep from doing what she asks.
“No.” My bare cock drags across her pussy lips, with that fucking strip of her panties keeping me from her entrance.
“You can pull out.” She could make a priest forget his vows.
“I won’t.” I grab her wrist and pull it away from her tits and then pin it above her. “If I have one inch of that sweet cunt around my cock I’m cumming in you.”
“I want to know what it feels like.” She says it so softly I almost don’t hear it. But my cock does.
Cum leaks out of it and spreads across her lips. As if she can read my mind, she looks down to watch it and we both can’t take our eyes off of it. The sight of my cum spread over her pussy is too much and I have to look away.
She sneaks her hand down between us and I hiss when she wraps her finger around my exposed length. Without me telling my body what to do, I thrust into her palm like I would her pussy. My breath catches in my throat and I almost choke.
It’s too good, yet I know it would be so much better if I could only slip inside.
My phone blares from somewhere on the floor but we ignore it. I’m so close to the edge all I need is her to drag her thumb across the tip one more time and I’m done for.
The phone goes silent but immediately goes off again and my jaw tightens.
“Don’t answer that,” she begs when I go to move off the bed.
One look at her with my shirt bunched up and nearly every inch of her on display has me doing exactly what she tells me to. I practically fall on top of her and press my lips to hers as I go back to humping against her.
My phone goes off one more time and I know in my gut this can’t wait.
“Go get ready. We’ll pick up where we left off after your exam tonight.”
She growls like an angry kitten as I get off the bed and search for my pants. “I’m not happy about it either, sweet thing.”
As I find my phone she stomps off to the bathroom and I grit my teeth. This better be good. I stuff my angry dick back in my boxer briefs and try to rub the ache away. I scroll through my phone with the other hand and see that I’ve got about a dozen missed texts from X and all the phone calls were from him too. When I hear the shower running I walk out of the bedroom and quietly close the door behind me as I call him back.
“Did you finally finish or am I interrupting?” His cocky response irritates me.
“What the fuck do you want?” I’m pissed because not only was I about to dump a load of baby batter between her spread legs, but he’s taking away the cuddle time after too. I’m not too proud to admit that might be my favorite part of the whole thing
. Well, after cumming.
“Sounds like I called at a bad time.”
“I’m guessing this isn’t an emergency if you’re taking the time to act like an asshole?” I grind my teeth together and contemplate hanging up and sneaking into the shower.
“I’m just trying to soften the blow. How much longer does Berkley have before she can leave?”
“She’s got an exam today in about two hours and one more tomorrow morning. Why?”
The hair on the back of my neck is standing up as I walk over the window and look down. I see the security guards parked across the street and nothing seems out of the ordinary.
“Guzik was spotted outside the school yesterday. We just got the intel twenty minutes ago.”
“How did our team not see him?” I can feel my jaw tic as I run through our day yesterday.
“You weren’t there so they didn't have anyone stationed at that location.”
“It’s a loophole we didn’t think about. Why would we have someone there all the time?”
“Exactly. I don’t know how important it is that she stays there, but I think we should consider moving her.”
“Fuck.” I check my watch for no real reason other than to remind myself she doesn’t have much time. I know exactly what her schedule is and apparently so does Peter Guzik.
“I don’t want you to scare her if you don’t have to, but if you try to make her leave do you think she’ll come with you?” I can tell X is pacing and I know he must be worried. I would be too if this was happening to him on the other side of the world.
“I don’t know. She’s said all along she just wants to get this done so we can go. She’s already packed up what few belongings she has and is planning to ship them to Collins tomorrow.”
“I think it’s best we not panic. Your security is tight and we’ve got eyes everywhere now. The FBI wants him alive so they’re not making a move until they absolutely have to.”
“What does Kade say about that?”
X lets out a humorless laugh. “What do you think?”
“I’ll pass the message on to the crew. If there’s a threat, I’ll make sure they put an end to it. The feds can fuck off.”
“Agreed,” X says on an exhale. “Watch your ass, and get home soon.”
“Will do,” I say before I hang up.
I can hear the shower turn off and I’m brought back to reality. The thought of losing her is enough to bring me to my knees, and I catch myself in time to fall onto the sofa before I hit the floor. What would I do if something happened to her?
I clench my phone in my hand and decide that I won’t keep this from her. If she wants to stay I’ll be by her side and make sure she’s safe. But I don’t want her to throw away everything she’s worked for based on something that I won’t allow to touch her.
She deserves to know about this. And maybe it’s time for her to know how I feel.
Chapter Eight
Berkley
I wipe my hand across the fogged mirror so I can see myself. That shower would have been a whole lot better if Vaughn would’ve joined me. My eyes flick to my small shower, not sure if we could both fit in there together. I let out a small laugh thinking he probably has a hard enough time doing it on his own. I hadn't thought about how small the shower really was until I imagined him trying to use it. He’s been in there a few times so he must make it work.
I shake my head, looking back in the mirror. That man makes everything work. “Two more days.” Then I’m done. “Not today,” I remind myself.
We only focus on one day at a time. I’m not going to let my mind play games with what Vaughn and I are. I told him I was going to stay out of my head about that and enjoy the moments I have with him.
I blow dry my hair and wonder if I can get Vaughn to finish what we started before his phone started going off. The reminder of the call has me moving faster to get ready. He wouldn't have answered it unless it was important. Crap. I drop my brush and dart into the living area. Vaughn has his elbows on his knees with his head down. It snaps up at me rushing into the room.
“Is Collins okay?” I blurt out.
“Yeah, sweet thing. Collins is fine.”
I let out a sigh of relief as he stands up and comes over to me. He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear and it’s so sweet and intimate, it’s like he’s done it a million times.
“Can you do me a solid?” His voice is level and not as playful as he usually is.
“Anything,” I say instantly.
He gives me one of those smirks that I used to want to smack, but right now it’s making me feel better because something is wrong. It’s not Collins, but I can feel it’s something.
“Put on some clothes.”
I look down to see I’m completely naked. “Oops.” It’s silly to be shy because of all the things we’ve done together. The man has already seen me naked.
I worry my lip between my teeth, wondering what might be wrong. Why does Vaughn look so solemn? It’s unlike him and it makes my stomach knot. I slip on some loose wide-leg pants and tie the belt before grabbing a shirt and bra. I dig around in a box I packed to find my slip-on shoes and then go into the living room.
Vaughn has moved to the kitchen and my coffee is there waiting where he always puts it. I won’t have this in two days and the thought makes me pause. I’m not supposed to go there, but it’s the truth. I’ve already packed up most of my stuff but it’s not as though I had a ton to box up. Half of it needs to go since I don’t have the option to renew my lease even if I wanted to. It’s not really an option with some unknown bad guy out there. The plan is for me to go back to the island, at least for now.
“Is this about whoever is trying to hurt the Warsaw family?” I pick up my coffee and then I stop right before it gets to my mouth. Before now I’d only really thought about Kade being a Warsaw. I know these people will try and hurt anyone around Kade to get to him, but the Warsaw family thing really hits me. I’m not one of them. Kade, X, Vaughn and now my sister are Warsaws. I know she’s still my family, but I’m a Tramble and alone in this.
Vaughn removes the pan from the stove and turns to look at me. My face must show some kind of reaction because he moves to me and takes the coffee from my hand.
“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” He mistakes my expression for fear, which it totally should be since some scary man is trying to kill us. But the reality is that I can't wrap my mind around it. It sounds like something out of a movie and can’t possibly be a real threat.
“I know.” I place my hands on his chest. “I’m not worried about that.” Not with him here because I know he’ll keep me safe.
“We have to be more careful.” There he goes with that solemn face again.
“We don’t have to have sex,” I tease, knowing that’s not what he’s talking about but Vaughn being solemn kind of freaks me out.
He’s always so calm and cool but right now he’s on edge. Him being on edge is going to make me on edge too. I think his presence has made me think the threat wasn’t so bad but I should know better. Calm is often how he plays things down.
“Pass your exams and maybe I’ll give it up,” he jokes, and I smile because I know he can’t help himself. Maybe he’s seeing me start to get worked up with him and that’s not good either.
“You’re holding sex against me?” I laugh, and I don’t know why I enjoy this game of him not giving in and me trying to get him to. There’s this thrill to it and I like playing with him.
“Fuck, I love that sound,” he says before his lips drop down on mine and he kisses me. I moan into his mouth and slide my hands up his chest, winding my arms around his neck. I pull him close and he shifts a little as he moves us. When he pulls his mouth back we’re on the sofa with me straddling him and I have no idea how we got there. “We need to talk.”
“Ahh.” That’s never good. “Maybe later?”
I laugh again, because who wants to talk when we could go back to what we were doing
? He grips my hip and brings me back down onto him.
“Careful.” I repeat the word he said before we started kissing because we have a tendency to get sidetracked.
“Yes, the call was about people trying to hurt our family.”
I lift my hand, putting it over his mouth. “Is everyone safe right now?” He nods. “Then I don’t want to know.”
He takes my hand away and narrows his eyes like I’m crazy. “You don’t want to know what is going on?”
“Nope.” I hop up from his lap and I think I only get free because he’s shocked at my response. I always want to know everything that’s going on. “Has anything really changed?” I grab my bag and make sure I have everything I need. I’ll have to drop off a few of these books the professor loaned to me because I couldn't afford to buy them.
“I’d like to move us,” he says, and I look over at him.
“To where, a hotel?” I close my bag as he nods. He’s watching my every move. Vaughn plays it cool but the man never misses a thing. “I bet it’s a fancy hotel.”
“They have better security,” he confirms.
“With room service and giant bathtubs,” I add. “I’m not going to argue with you on staying in a fancy hotel for the night,” I laugh.
“Why do you need room service? I cook for you.” He points toward the kitchen, looking offended, and I laugh harder.
“I’m sure your cooking is better than room service, but it’s still cool to get to order it.” I’m not used to his luxurious lifestyle and I’m more than happy to indulge.
“Come here,” he demands, and my body complies without even checking with me first.
A week ago I would have laughed at him for trying to order me around. Now, my body is so attuned to his commands. I’m pretty sure it will do anything he wants because all Vaughn does is give me pleasure. He feeds me and rubs my shoulders while I study, and then he makes me buzz with the best orgasms of my life. So yeah, when he tells me to come I always do.
