Her mouth quirked at the corner. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one unsure about what’s going on between us. But no, I can’t do this either. We argue, I have an emotional break down, we fuck.” She shrugs a shoulder. “I’d rather just take the arguing and emotional parts out of it.”
“You’re not—wait, what?” My whole body jolts as if an electrical current rippled through it. I blink. Stare. Blink again. Yeah, no. I still can’t comprehend what I just heard. “Say that again.”
She nods, her face the picture of calm and composure—except for the tell of her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. My cock jerks, as if those teeth are grazing it. I briefly close my eyes.Thatis not helping.
“I said maybe we should remove the arguing and emotion and just leave the sex.” She stands, hands spread out. Her eyes are both sincere and hot on my face, and dammit, she can’t look at me. Shecan’t. But it’s not going to be me who glances away. Looking at her islife. “I don’t know if I could trust you with my heart again. Especially since I can’t trust that you won’t do the same thing to me since I don’t know why you left in the first place.” She inhales a breath, draws her shoulders back. Her gaze drops to my mouth and my lips are branded by that visual caress. “What I do know,” she whispers, returning her regard to me, “is that when I’m with you, I’m awake. Ibreathe. I haven’t felt this alive in ten long years. And I don’t want to give it up yet.”
I thrust my fingers through my hair, tugging on the strands. Lust sears me and, holy shit, it’s a shock that I’m still standing and haven’t crumpled to ash on the floor. Under that lust, though, skulks a voice that sneers,That’s all you’re good for—a fuck.
I hadn’t been good enough to keep my father from drinking.
I hadn’t been good enough for Lennon all those years ago. Her father threatened me and my family just to keep me away from her so I wouldn’t drag her down with me.
I hadn’t been good enough for all the hangers-on who only wanted to be around me, use me, fuck me because of who I was, what I had and what I could do for them.
And now…
Still, knowing that’s all Lennon wants from me…
“Scraps,” I murmur.
“What?” she asks.
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “When does this…arrangement start? Or end, for that matter? Or have you thought that far?”
“King.” She takes a step toward me, but I reach behind me and grab a fistful of my hoodie and haul it over my head, dropping it to the floor. Her eyes widen, and satisfaction twists in my gut. While she stares her fill, I go around her to the studio door, locking it. “King,” she whispers.
“Dates, Lennon,” I remind her, tugging on my belt while toeing off one boot and then the other.
“I-I don’t know. I guess when one or both of us wants to step away, it’s over. No strings, no problems. And it starts…now?” My chest and hands hold all of her attention, and a fierce pleasure rolls through me. I have that, at least.
“Good.” I stalk toward her, my belt falling to the floor next to my boots. “Because you’re right about a couple of things. I’m not a good bet and I can’t give you what you deserve. But I can make this pussy,” I cup her over her jeans, and she cries out, her head tipping back on her shoulders, fingers flying to my shoulders and digging in, “weep for me. Might even make it sing, too.” I lean forward, gripping the nape of her neck and holding her in place as I grind the heel of my palm against her clit. “When I put my hand down these dick tease pants, am I going to find you wet, baby? Are you going to soak my hand?”
She groans, vehemently nods.
“Thinking I should find out for myself,” I growl.
Placing an open mouthed kiss along her jaw, I yank at the button on her jeans and the zipper. She turns her head toward me, lips parted, seeking a kiss, and I give it to her. Thrusting my tongue deep, I take what she freely offers me, sliding my hand from the back of her neck into her hair and tangling my fingers in the curls. Pulling her head back even farther so it rests on my shoulder, I fuck her mouth and without hesitation, dive my hand underneath her jeans and panties to do the same to her pussy.
I swallow her cry, disentangling my hand from her hair to yank her jeans farther down her hips, granting me more room to move. When she goes to spread her thighs, I nip her bottom lip and then her chin.
“No, baby. Keep still.” My eyes damn near roll in the back of my head at the muscular suck of her dripping pussy on my fingers. “You’re so tight I can almost believe I wasn’t wedged in here a week ago,” I mutter against her lips.
She whimpers, her nails biting my skin, hopefully leaving marks. Tomorrow I want to look at my shoulders and be reminded she was there. Same with her body. I thrust two fingers inside her. Pull free until only the tips tickle the entrance. Then plunge back in. Over and over, I pound my way in, corkscrewing my wrist until she’s on the toes of her boots, trying to get away. Trying to get closer? The steady flow of grunts, pleas and sobs spilling from her abolishes the getting away theory.
She quivers around me, that telltale sign warning me she’s about to blow. Not yet. I’ve been waiting ten years formore. And I’m not going another day without it.
I withdraw from her pussy, deliberately curling my fingertips and dragging them over her slick, silken flesh.
“King,” she protests, lowering a hand to grab my wrist, to keep me where she wants me, but I gently shake her off. “Please.”
“Stop it.” I kiss her, licking into her mouth. “You don’t ever have to beg me.”
Kneeling, I remove her sexy-as-fuck knee-high boots and quickly strip her jeans and panties from her, too. Standing, I palm her hips and guide her backwards, maneuvering her until she’s sitting on the back of the couch. Gideon’s right. I’m going to need to get someone in here to clean after I’m through. But only because I don’t want anyone else to touch or even catch the scent of her arousal. That’s all mine.
Once more, I kneel on the floor and flatten my hands on the insides of her thighs, spreading her wide.
“Oh fuck, baby.” I press my forehead to her leg, rolling it back and forth, pulling the violet and musk scent of her into my nose, my lungs. “I never forgot this. Never.” I plant a kiss on one knee then the other, kneading her thighs. “But memory can’t compare to this. How did I”