Antidote (Beasts of Prey Book 1)

by LC Lehesaho

  I stare at her, clenching the hoodie in my fist, and trying to cope with the pressure inside me. "Baby, promise me you'll be careful."

  Cobra spins her head in my direction, surprised. "What? Of course, I will."

  My throat feels like I'm choking. I don't know how to make her understand that I can't live without her. If something happens to her… I can't. I just can't fucking live without her.

  I let my gaze wander, not actually looking at anything, just trying to keep myself together.

  "Hey, what's wrong?" Cobra's hand comes to my cheek, her touch electrifying my body. I don't say anything—I can't. She caresses my cheek, a worried look in her eyes. "Talk to me, Tiger. I'm right here."

  I swallow the pressure down, or I try, not succeeding. "I'm worried you'll get hurt."

  She sighs. "Don't. It'll only get you hurt." Her hands come to my collar and start to open the buttons. "I promise I'll take care of myself if you do the same."

  Every time her fingers touch my skin as she goes lower on the buttons, it feels like she ignites a lighter inside me. If I weren't so fucking worried, it would feel like heaven. I turn to her and watch her eyes on my body as she slides the shirt open, her hands pushing it from my shoulders. I don't move even an inch, letting her touch me the way she wants.

  Cobra is the only one who is always allowed to touch me. She doesn't need permission, not like everyone else does.

  "Baby…" I whisper, voice choked. I don't know what I'm going to say.

  "It's okay." She slides my shirt off, fingers trailing on my skin as she goes. "I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to die."

  I don't know how she manages to say all the right words, but that's all I want to hear. All I need to hear. My skin has goose bumps as her fingers slide slowly back up my arms, tracing the lines of my tattoos, and the fascinated expression on her beautiful face is everything.

  It means fucking everything to me.

  My heartbeat is pounding in my ears as I watch her, wishing that we'd never have to leave here. I know we are going to solve this with Leo, but... I'm worried about her. I don't want her to get hurt ever again, not physically or mentally.

  Cobra flattens her palm against my chest, tilting her head to the side as her fingers brush the scars on my skin. The worst ones are on my back, but because I've grown so much from the time I got them, they don't cover my entire body. The lines are thinner than they used to be, lighter, but they're still there. Almost all over me.

  In the first couple of years, I was afraid that she'd ask me about them. Every time she looked at me a little bit too long, I was sure that she'd question me about it.

  She never did—until three days ago.

  And with the look on her face she’s asking again.

  "Don't go there, baby. Please." I look into her eyes, hoping that she'll let this go. I don't want to go back there, never again, not even in my mind.

  Cobra leans into me, brushing my lips softly with hers. "We're right here, love."

  The cold slithers up my spine as my chest tightens, and the suffocating feeling returns to my throat. Her hand on my chest feels like a giant's feet, making it hard to breathe.

  I lean away from Cobra, trying to ignore her hand on me and pull on the hoodie, which makes her remove her hand.

  Exactly what I wanted her to do.

  There is something like… pity in her eyes when she returns to her seat and starts to adjust her gun at her lower back.

  That look is exactly what I never want to see in her eyes. And if she knew all the things I've been through, and all the things I've done… pity wouldn't be the only feeling she'd feel.

  I'd rather die than tell her.

  "Jesus, you're not going to shoot the goddamn dog, Tiger!"

  I give Cobra a blank look. "Well, if you have a better fucking idea of how we can get to the house, then be my guest and tell me, please."

  She waves her hands in the air with a frustrated growl before she starts to throw things out of the glove compartment. I fold my arms across my chest, waiting to see some fucking master plan.

  "Ha!" Cobra pulls out a granola bar and shoves it in my face. "This!"

  "What the fuck you gonna do with it?" I frown at her. It better not be—

  She jumps out of the car instead of answering and walks around to the front, crouching down. My heart is crawling its way out of my throat, and my stomach drops to my knees. Fuck! The lunatic looking rottweiler is coming at her with the speed of a NASCAR race car, and Cobra just stays there, waiting. Opening a fucking granola bar.

  I point my gun at the windshield, hoping to Satan that I don't hit her when I shoot the damn thing.

  Just when I'm absolutely sure that the dog is going to attack her and my finger makes a slight move on the trigger, it stops. It fucking stops. I stare at the sight with my mouth open because the crazy-ass dog is actually eating pieces of the granola bar from her hand.

  What the fucking hell?

  Cobra pulls her leather belt out of her jeans, wrapping it around the dog's neck, and stands up carefully. She feeds it while leading it to the shed next to the garage. After locking it inside, she turns to look at me and makes a deep bow, like she’s receiving applause from her audience.

  "You're one fucking crazy bitch, did you know that, baby?" I ask, jumping out of the car.

  "We're all mad here, love." She grins at me before leaving to check out the surroundings, and my heart swells in my chest.

  I fucking love her like this.

  She's out in the open with me.

  I get it now, why she had fun with him—the Aussie. Being with her at the club without the worries that someone could see us was liberating. Yeah, I fuck chicks on a regular basis, as Bear would say, but I don't touch them more than necessary to fuck them, and they surely don't touch me—I don't want people's filthy hands on me. I've barely learned to let Puma and Leo come close without killing them.

  But with Cobra?

  I love that I was able to hold her, dance with her, and be like a... couple.

  Which she finally agreed to be with me.

  But I would never fucking ever do it with anyone else other than her. Even the thought is repulsive.

  "There's no one here, yet." Cobra comes back from her tour around the house, while I was making sure that no one could walk in on us. "Let's go wait by the road. Should I let the dog out—"

  "No." I stop her idiotic thought. "It doesn't fucking matter if Navarro realizes it's not free. He's still in his driveway at that point, and it's enough."

  "Okay, okay. Chill." She lifts her hands up while walking to the passenger's side. "It was just a suggestion."

  I don't answer anything because I don't feel a particular need to talk about dogs. I fucking hate those abominations, and that's it.

  After we parked the car on the other side of the road, to the little road leading to the woods, so we can still see the entry but no one can see us, Cobra lifts her Chucks to the dashboard and leans back in her seat. There are a couple of lines on her forehead when she takes off her cap and tosses it to the back seat.

  "What's nagging you?" I ask, leaning my back on the door, and making a note to myself that I need to congratulate Wolf on an excellent car choice. The seats are big enough for me to lift my other leg partly to the seat while sitting sideways, and that’s saying a lot. I'm way over six feet tall, practically lived in our gym the past five years, so I take up some space. Not a fan of cars, but this one? Ten out of ten.

  Cobra drops her head back, looking at the ceiling. "This case. Not knowing who the fuck it is that’s doing this shit. What's up with the skulls?"

  I take out a cigarette from the pack and bounce the lighter in my hand. Wolf texted us earlier that they found another skull, left at Purgatory after the fire. This time it was a bear skull.

  "I don't know, but it's personal, that's for sure. Who would otherwise make an effort?"

  She wipes her face with both hands and sighs. "Yeah, it's not like we're the
most liked people in the city."

  Her phone starts to ring on the console, so I wave the cigarette in the air, seeing my chance. "I'll go for a smoke."

  "Yeah, okay." She nods before answering the phone.

  I jump out of the car and walk in front of it, leaning my ass on the hood. The cherry of the cig glows in the dark night as I take a long drag. The only sound is the sizzle the cig makes as it burns and the city's indistinct sounds. There are houses down by the road, but they're empty; most of them just built or still in the process. Navarro's house is the only one in use.

  Cobra is right. This situation is nerve-wracking.

  Not knowing who the fuck is messing with us makes everyone a little on edge.

  Even Leo, who usually doesn't show any external signs of stress, has been acting abnormally. While Cobra wasn't home and I couldn't sleep, I went to the gym at five a.m. Leo was there, beating the shit out of the punching bag. Even he had taped his knuckles, the tape was destroyed, and he was bleeding all over the place. He looked like he'd been in a shower, but it was all sweat.

  "Rough night," he said when I gave him a look, and then he continued with his exercise. Which was more like stress relief or anger management, who knows.

  I just nodded, jumped on the treadmill, and ran for so long that I tasted blood in my mouth.

  The sound of a door opening makes me look over my shoulder. Cobra jumps out of the car, and taking support from the front tire, she climbs to the hood and slides herself behind me, straddling me. Her hands slip under my arms to my stomach, and she presses her chin to my shoulder.

  "Hey," she whispers, nuzzling my neck.

  My heart flutters in my chest, like it always does when she touches me.

  "Hey, baby." I place my hand on her thigh, massaging it. "Who was it?"

  I feel her lips now on my neck, placing small kisses to my hairline. "Falcon." Her hands move under my hoodie and it takes two-point-five seconds for my dick to be hard. "She just wanted to check in on the situation."

  "Have they found out anything yet?" I ask, inhaling the smoke to my lungs and lean my head back when her lips move to the side of my neck again. I rest against her shoulder, looking up to the night sky.

  "No, but Bear and Wolf are questioning someone, and Falcon is searching the info from that phone," she murmurs to my skin. Her one hand massages my pec, and the other one trails over my abs, slowly going lower and lower. It takes every ounce of my self-control to stay still and not rush.

  I want her so fucking bad.

  Cobra sucks my skin gently, making the heat course through my body. "You know, I've been thinking, kitty," she says, teasing me, and her fingers play at the edge of my jeans' waistband. "Maybe we don't need to take this so slowly. What do you think?"

  I haven't forgotten her tease earlier. Nah.

  "I think we should—" Both of her hands are now on my jeans, unbuckling my belt. "Maybe wait till the wedding night."

  She laughs against my neck while her hands are working on my fly. "You gonna marry me, huh?"

  I toss the cig to the ground, placing both of my hands on her thighs, squeezing them. "Fuck, yes. I'll get you a ring with such a big diamond that guys on the other side of the Pacific Ocean can see it and know you're mine."

  My dick is throbbing from the anticipation when she stretches my boxers' waistband down, releasing it for her. When she folds her fingers around it, I close my eyes and bite my lip. A low growl rises from my throat when she starts to stroke the whole length.

  "Sounds like a plan," Cobra whispers, licking her way from my neck to my jaw. "So, should I stop then?" She teases me, sliding her hand up and down.

  My chest heaves as the shots of pleasure shoot through me. The goddamn tease is trying to make me beg.

  But with her?

  I'd fucking beg if she wants me to.

  "No, don't stop, baby." I rub her thighs, eyes still closed as I lean on her shoulder.

  "Excellent answer, love. I wanna make you feel good."

  At that, she releases me and pushes me away from the car—from her. I spin around to face her, dazed. Before I can ask what the fuck, she slides down from the hood in front of the car—straight to her knees.

  She licks her lips, eyes sparkling when she looks up to me. "Come here. I wanna taste you."

  No need to ask me twice—I step closer, my heartbeat skyrocketing at her words—at the way she’s looking at me. Fucking finally.

  Her gaze drops to my dick, which is inches from her face, but when she takes hold of the base and licks the length of me, her eyes come up to meet mine. My blood boils in my veins, flowing in my system like molten lava when I watch her pink tongue swirling around the head like it's a fucking lollipop.

  I plant my hand on the car's hood, and the other one to the back of her head, clenching her blonde locks with my fist.

  "Open your mouth, baby," I tell her, but she just fucking grins at me, not doing what I said. Instead, she goes to the base again, repeating her move and leaving a trail of drool on me. It looks so fucking hot. Still, I want to see those lips around me, right fucking now.

  Just when I open my mouth to warn her about what's going to happen if she doesn't do what I fucking tell her to, she takes the head of my dick into her mouth and sucks hard.

  The absolute ecstasy makes me want to throw my head back, but I don't want to miss a second of the view she's giving me.

  This is exactly the position I've wanted to see her in for so long. I tighten my hold of her hair, pushing deeper into her mouth.

  "Relax for me, baby." This time she obeys and loosens her jaw, letting me push my dick deep into her throat. I feel her gag around me, and fuck, that feels amazing. Her eyes water as she tries not to choke, but there's an excited sparkle in them, which tells me that she fucking enjoys every second. I loosen my hold a bit from her hair and massage her scalp instead as I pump deep into her throat.

  "You're such a good girl," I praise her, while her hands move to squeeze my waist tightly to keep her balance. "Taking my big dick into your throat without complaining. Well done, baby."

  I've been waiting for this so long that now when it finally happens, I'm on the edge of release way too fast. Pulling my dick from her mouth, I haul her up.

  "Let's get you out of those jeans, baby girl, so I can fuck you right this time."

  41

  "I love you so, so much, Cobra."

  Tiger brushes the escaped strand from my face while hovering on top of me on the Explorer's back seat. I caress the tight muscles on his back and can't help but be captivated by his beauty. I've wanted to scream at him to fuck me already for minutes, but instead I've restrained myself from hurrying him. Tiger has been kissing me so tenderly, I didn't even know he could be so gentle.

  Especially when the position he’s in must be pretty uncomfortable for someone his size. Even I can't lay straight on the back seat, so I don't know how he has the strength to keep his stance. He's strong, but it's the strength of his nerves that's more stunning.

  "I love you too," I tell him breathlessly, lifting my ass a little to hint at what I want. He just keeps thrusting his hips slowly, sliding his hard dick against my dripping wet slit. A low hum comes out of my parted lips as I writhe beneath him like I’m possessed. I'm so needy that I want to cry a little.

  I want him to fill me up.

  Instead of doing so, Tiger slides his hand under my hoodie and pulls my bra cup under my breast. My eyes flutter closed, and my back arches to bring it closer to his touch when he finally starts to play with it. Tiger is everywhere simultaneously—making me whimper—but not inside me.

  "Please," I gasp, sinking my nails into his back and bucking my hips against him because I can't fucking wait anymore. "Stop teasing me, Tiger."

  I feel his breathing against my lips, but I can't open my eyes while riding the wave of pleasure he gives me.

  "I'm not teasing you, baby," he says softly and brushes my lips with his. "I just don't want this to end, 'cause you'
re so mesmerizing. You should see yourself." He grinds his hips against me with a little bit more pressure, and a long gasp escapes from my lips from the sensation.

  "You're a goddess, Cobra."

  In a hoodie, with a still slightly swollen nose, panting in the back seat of an SUV—sure I am.

  "Open your eyes, baby girl," he whispers to my lips, and I do as he says.

  Tiger's handsome face is inches away from mine, illuminated only by the moon, which glows through the windshield. There's a genuine smile playing on his lips, dimples flashing at me, and dark eyes looking almost black with the lack of light.

  He is the most exquisite thing I've ever seen.

  "I promise I'll never hurt you again," Tiger breathes, and at that, he pushes inside me, inch by inch. Giving me time to adjust because for fuck's sake, he is big. Our angry hate fuck didn't give me time to realize it before because my body was already a train wreck before it happened, but...

  The long moan I let out unites with his low groan as he stretches me to the limits. It feels heavenly. His other hand keeps kneading my breast, rolling my nipple, like he’s making sure I stay on edge all the time.

  Tiger moves slowly back and forth, so slow that I didn't even know it was possible to get that much pleasure with so little effort.

  I can't stop humming and purring against his lips, my fingers digging into his broad back, as an overwhelming sensation of bliss builds up inside me.

  He pushes himself up a little bit and his hand leaves my chest, picking my leg up he places it over his shoulder. My world is about to explode, the heat is igniting inside me so rapidly that I'm ready to combust.

  Tiger smiles wider as I moan out his name, getting closer to my release.

  "Is it good, baby?" he asks, voice hoarse.

  I hum my answer, digging my nails into his bicep, while my brows furrow as I try to keep myself conscious and not to pant myself into oblivion.

  "I'm not hurting you?" Tiger tilts his head, now looking a bit worried.

  "God, no," I moan, cupping his cheek with my other hand. Takes everything in me to focus enough to form actual words. "You're perfect."