LINCOLN GATES
My gaze ran across Dahlia’s sleepy face, her eyes closed and sexy frame laid out, wrapped in the soft bedding of the jet’s bedroom suite. I knew she was exhausted, so I didn’t wake her…but I wanted to, desperately. I needed to see her face, to make sure she was okay, to know that she hadn’t been hurt…and then punish her little ass for doing something so ridiculously reckless.
She’d jumped in front of a gun.
Holy fuck. This woman was going to kill us all.
Adrenaline spiked in my system as I considered the very real possibility that Dahlia could have died. In less than a week, Dahlia’s life had been in true jeopardy twice, and needless to say, that wasn’t fucking okay at all. My brother was still pale and trying to not flip a shit when I left to come back here, and his reaction was on the milder end of the spectrum. Stratton was absolutely silent and seemed to be in his own world. Yates was furious and trying to figure out this security issue, because it was very clear now that this was an internal issue. King, of all people, was having to talk Dermot down because he was fucking livid and ready to commit murder.
We needed to do better. We were failing at taking care of her.
“Lincoln?” I looked down to find Dahlia staring up at me with caution in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
My voice was rough with disbelief. “Am I okay?”
She nodded hesitantly, and in a fast movement, I tugged her leg so that she fell flat on her back. I caged her to the bed, her breathing and pulse both picking up.That shouldn’t have made me hard.I knew I couldn’t have Dahlia right now, especially after earlier. She may have been sleeping for a few hours, but I knew that Stratton had only had her a few hours ago, and from what I could hear, it hadn’t been soft or gentle. That wasn’t including my own brother taking her earlier in the day.
I locked her hips to the bed as I gripped her jaw a bit harder than I probably should have, examining her face as her pupils expanded out and her legs fell open to wrap around my hips as my hard length pulsed against her center. Goddamnit. I was glad there were six of us, because I wasn’t positive just one of us would be able to keep up with Dahlia.
“No, I am not okay,” I growled. “I am far from okay. You almost fucking died. Again. I am so far from okay, it’s unreal. You—Dahlia.” A groan left my throat at the way she leaned up and tugged on my bottom lip teasingly. A chuckle escaped, the sound filled with the sexual frustration I felt, as I pulled back enough that she let out a sound of discontent.
“What are you doing?” I growled softly.
“Trying to distract you from being mad at me,” she admitted, looking at me from under her lashes. I felt a dark surge run through me, one that had to do with punishing Dahlia, and I knew that I was balancing on a very thin edge of control. One that would take very little to topple.
“That’s highly unlikely since you almost died,” I warned her, pulling back further. I looked down at the oversized shirt she was wearing with these tiny lace boy short panties underneath, the material tight against her pussy and showcasing how wet she was right now.
“I would do it again,” she whispered under a harsh breath. “I would do it again for any of you.”
My breath caught as I looked up at her to see the reality of her words. I felt a surge of love at the same time I felt frustration, knowing that she didn’t understand the monster she was pulling from me. The monster that wanted to punish her, that wanted to turn her skin pink.
She was already hurt. She was too hurt for anything— “Dahlia, no.”
I tried to pull back all the way as she scowled at me, her fingers threading through my hair and tugging me down for a kiss. My cock pressed right against her panty-covered center and she jolted, a moan leaving her throat in surprise.
“Please, Linc? Just a little? I need you—”
A growl broke from my throat. “All you need right now is a damn punishment for being so reckless.” Dahlia knew exactly the game she was playing, and there were only so many times I could warn her without giving into it.
Her eyes heated. “Then punish me.”
The darkness inside of me escaped its barrier with a roar of heat as I sat up and dragged Dahlia across my lap, a surprised sound coming from her lips that was muffled by the bed, her perfect ass up in the air as I ran my large hands over her lacy panties, the flimsy material so easily torn…
“You really want that, Dahlia?” I growled softly. “I shouldn’t, considering how hurt you are—”
“Stop,” she snapped, looking back at me with an unrelenting gaze. “I’m not breakable, Lincoln.”
Her tone had me snapping into action, and my hand came across her ass as she let out a small scream at the sting of pain, which quickly turned into a moan. I smoothed my hand against her skin in a comforting touch, her whimper of need almost frustrated at the soft touch, her skin breaking out into shivers.
When I brought my hand back again and hit her pert ass, an unfiltered moan of my name left her lips. I made sure to soothe the hurt I caused before doing it once again, the intoxicating effort to turn her skin pink damn near mesmerizing. So much so that I didn’t realize how needy she was until she let out a small cry of frustration, her eyes meeting mine, her entire face flushed.
“Lincoln, please?” she grit, her teeth nearly chattering with need. My fingers smoothed over her panties. I so desperately wanted to fuck her, but I knew I wouldn’t be gentle. I couldn’t be gentle.
“I can’t control myself right now,” I hissed out. I needed to let her get up, but instead I found myself lifting her and placing her so that she was laying flat on her stomach in the middle of her bed, my body wedged between her open legs as she rocked her ass back so that I could imagine very easily just sliding right into her tight fuck hole.
“I don’t want your control,” she whimpered as I let out a snarl and unbuckled my pants, gripping my painfully hard length that dripped with precum. I didn’t bother taking off her panties, just wedging them down right over her ass, as I ran my tip against her wet slit, causing her to let out a high-pitched, needy sound.
“What do you want?” I growled, leaning forward and running my hands over her hips before pressing slightly into her. When Dahlia went to answer, I nipped her neck, turning her words into a moan. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter what you want. You’re going to take your punishment and everything I fucking give you.”