Aligned: Volume 2 (6 page)

“Maybe we should head back to the sidewalk,” I say.
 

Instead, Landon squats down in front of me. “Climb on,” he commands me. I oblige him and climb on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He holds onto both of my legs as if it’s normal when, in reality, he is holding a piece of hard metal in one hand as it jabs into his side every time he takes a step. He doesn’t seem to care. I take a deep breath, breathing in a fresh, clean scent that’s all man. He isn’t doing anything sexual right now, but the ache grows stronger just feeling my body pressed against his.
 

I look at the beach and out over the dark ocean, trying to distract myself from the growing ache.
 

“Look!” I point toward a cliff jutting over the ocean as a man jumps off before plunging into the ocean. The crowd gathered on the beach cheers as he does.
 

Landon moves us closer to the cliff so we have a better view. “Amazing,” I sigh resting my head against his shoulder. But Landon doesn’t stop at the base of the cliff; he keeps climbing higher until we reach the top. Overlooking the ocean and lights on the beach, it is an incredible view.
 

“Beautiful,” I say.
 

Landon turns his head toward me, trying his best to look at me still dangling on his back.

“You up for jumping?”
 

“What? No way!”
 

“Oh, come on. It will be fun.”
 

“I don’t think so. It’s not safe.”
 

“Life’s not safe, but you have to jump anyway.” I try to think back to our earlier conversation about giving up control and enjoying the chaos, but I don’t know if I can do that. I’ve already given up so much control of my life. I like order, predictability. He places me on the ground, tucking my fallen strands of hair behind my ears and sending chills throughout my body making me shiver. I watch as he pulls his t-shirt off, followed by his shoes and jeans until he is just standing in his boxers. The moonlight shines on his muscles, making him look invincible at this moment, but he’s not invincible — nobody is.
 

He leans into my ear. “Trust me. You need this. The adrenaline you will feel, the freedom, will awaken more senses than my hands on your body ever could.” He pulls away giving me space to decide what to do. I hesitate for only a second before I begin pulling my shirt off followed by my shoes and jeans until I’m standing exposed in my black underwear and bra, giving up complete control. I stare at my prosthetic leg, deciding it will be best to take it off. So I do, piling everything on a rock on top of the cliff. Landon will have to come back and get our things after we jump.
 

I feel Landon’s eyes on me, but I don’t look at him. I’m afraid I’ll lose my nerve if I do. He takes my hand and helps me to the edge of the cliff where everyone has been jumping. I feel my heart beating faster and faster until I’m afraid it’s going to leap out of my chest. My breath quickens to the point that a panic attack is only seconds away, and Landon seems to realize this. He doesn’t count to three or give me any warning of when to jump. He just says, “Go.” So I jump, hand in hand with him.
 

I feel a scream escape my lips, but it’s not a scream of fear. It’s a scream of excitement, adrenaline, and a little fear. But mostly letting go. As I fall, I feel my whole body awaken. I feel the wind flowing through my hair, I taste the salt water before we even land, I hear the crowd cheering, I hear the silence of the ocean, and I feel Landon’s rough, firm hand holding mine. I feel every nerve in my body come alive as we fall. I feel everything. We hit the water, and it comes too fast and too slow at the same time. Almost as if time had stopped as we were falling.
 

I hold my breath when my head goes under the cool water, and Landon’s hand falls from my grip. I feel the darkness tingle at my skin trying to break through the walls, pushing its way into my subconscious. Instead of Landon’s hand, Ethan’s springs to my mind. Ethan’s hand was much smoother. Landon’s hand is rough full of calluses and experiences while Ethan’s was smooth, pampered, taken care of.
 

I try to kick my way to the surface to break the memory. I’m afraid I won’t be able to reach the surface just like in my nightmares, but when I move my left leg and kick with my right, my body propels itself toward the surface easily. I keep kicking until I feel the warm night air on my face. I open my eyes to find Landon watching me with a look of yearning on his face.
 

He pulls me to him, hugging me. It feels incredibly intimate to be holding each other in the water with only our underwear as a barrier. He moves us toward shore until our bodies are barely in the water anymore.
 

“Wait here.” He releases me and runs back up the cliff to get our things. I stay at the edge of the water waiting, feeling alive for the first time in months.
 

***

Landon comes back quickly with our things. I put my prosthetic leg back on as Landon hands me his t-shirt. I slip that over my body to cover enough to feel decent again. He pulls on his jeans over his wet boxers.
 

“Come on,” he says holding his hand out to mine. I take his and we walk up the beach, neither of us bothering to put on the rest of our clothes. He pulls me into the nearest building.
 

“Where are we going?” I ask, confused that we aren’t headed back to our condo building.
 

“To warm up,” he says, but that still doesn’t answer my question. He pulls me into the lobby of the building and up to the desk of a hotel.
 

The man behind the desk eyes us suspiciously but doesn’t question our drenched barely clothed bodies. “How may I help you?”
 

“We need a room. The best you have available.”
 

“Name sir?”
 

“Drew Davis,” Landon says. I look at him wide-eyed, confused as to why he gave this man his brother’s name. I try to get Landon’s attention to tell him I can really wait until we make it the few blocks back to our condo, but Landon doesn’t pay any attention. Except for the slow stroking of his fingers on my neck again, which lights every nerve in my body on fire. I can’t wait.
 

The man hands Landon a key, and we walk quickly toward the elevator, as fast as I can on my prosthetic leg. Dammit, I need to learn to run on it for times like this. Landon presses the button, and to my relief, the doors open immediately. He presses the top floor button, but I don’t notice which floor exactly because I attack him by pressing my lips hard against his, needing to taste him, needing his body intertwined with mine.
 

He hungrily kisses me back pressing my body hard against the elevator walls. It brings a slight pain and thrill to my body as he does, but the movement just makes me grow wetter with want for him. I claw my hand against his chest leaving marks. In retaliation, he grabs my hands pinning them above my head to just the point where it hurts to be up so high. I growl loving the sweet mixture of pain and pleasure.
 

Landon kisses me hard biting my lip and causing a trickle of blood before sucking my wound clean. I move my hips against him, trying to feel our bodies pressed together, needing his body to feel my ache growing stronger. When the doors to the elevator open, I expect more of the same — more rough, primal need to carry us from the elevator to our room. Instead, the sound of the doors opening seemed to have reminded Landon of something because he immediately releases my body holding my hand much too softly as he takes me to our room.
 

He unlocks the door and immediately releases my hand as he enters the room. He walks past the living room into a door I assume is the bedroom, but he doesn’t ask me to follow, so I don’t. I catch my breath before exploring the living room that is larger than my whole condo is. Gold and white fill the hotel room, and it screams of elegance and money. I take a seat on the cream couch trying to figure out what set Landon off. Why did he change so quickly?
 

I look up to see Landon standing in the door. “Come, beautiful, let's warm you up.” I stand smiling brightly expecting him to warm me up with urgent, brutal sex. Instead, I follow him past the large bedroom with an oversized king bed to the elegant white bathroom accented with gold trim.
 

I look over at the large tub filling with water and bubbles. I sigh. I don’t think I can handle any more foreplay.
 

“I want you, though,” I say to Landon.
 

“Not yet, baby. I can’t control myself in that way, and that’s not what you need. I’m not going to cause you any more pain.”
 

I sigh. Maybe he’s right. I need more control and more relaxation to keep my demons at bay, but that’s not what I want. I want bossy, controlling, brutal Landon, not sweet, caring Landon.
 

 
“You have to stay with me. If it gets too much, you tell me to stop,” he says, not breaking eye contact with me.
 

I nod my head, but apparently, that’s not good enough. “I need to hear you say you’ll tell me to stop.”

I swallow hard, “I’ll … I’ll tell you to stop.”
 

“Good. Now, undress,” he says.
 

I take the t-shirt off that has stuck itself to my wet body. I quickly undo my bra exposing my hard nipples hiding beneath the black lace. “Holy fuck,” he lets out as his eyes worship every curve on my body.
 
I pause as I run my thumbs under my underwear and slowly slide it down my legs. I’ve never been fully naked in front of him before. I thought it would feel uncomfortable, awkward. Instead, I feel … “Beautiful,” he says as he lets out the breath that he was holding while watching my body.
 

He begins to unbutton his jeans. He pulls off his jeans and boxer briefs in one motion, his cock springing free. He watches me; my eyes widen as I take in the sight of him, and he grins. “Like what you see?”
 

I blush slightly. A few tattoos cover his torso and ribs. His stomach stronger and chest even broader than I imagined making my pussy drip with want. I want to feel his large cock inside me. He walks toward me until our bodies are just inches apart. He lets his lips brush against mine just enough to feel the electricity flow between us before pulling away.
 

“You’re driving me crazy,” I say.
 

He just smiles and extends his hand. I take it and sit on the edge of the tub taking my prosthetic leg off before I sink into the warm water. I close my eyes as my muscles melt. He locks his eyes with mine as I scoot up, allowing him to climb in behind me. He climbs in carefully, not letting us touch.
 

The warm water mixed with the jets is relaxing, and we both sit quietly in the tub barely touching. I feel relaxed leaning back against his chest causing him to take a sharp intake of air.
 

“I’m okay,” I promise as I realize the tension he is holding in his chest.
 

“I know, but I’m not sure I am. I’m trying to go slow, but you make that hard,” he says.
 

“Speaking of hard.” I begin gyrating my hips and pushing my ass against his hard cock. He rewards me with a groan in my ear as he nibbles softly. He continues with heated breath, kissing my neck and ear as he had done before, but he keeps his hands firmly on the side of the tub, not touching me no matter how desperate I am.
 

“Touch me,” I groan, but his hands don’t move. It seems to be taking all of his willpower to continue to grip the tub and not attack me like a lion attacks its prey.
 

“Not yet,” he breathes as he moves his kisses to my shoulder. I can’t wait any longer; I grab his hand and pull it toward me. I take his finger and slowly move my mouth over it swirling my tongue from the base to the tip. “Fuck,” he breathes, growing harder as his control loosens.
 

I move his hand down my body until he is massaging my breast. His finger ever so slightly rubs my hard nipple causing my breathing to become erratic. He stops every time until my breathing steadies again, building me up until I’m ready for more and then stopping just short of bringing me there.
 

He slowly moves to my other nipple rubbing gently at first. I hold my breath willing him to rub harder, faster, to taste them. “Fuck,” I moan when he pinches my nipple hard between his fingers.
 

 
His hand drifts down my smooth belly causing my toes to curl. He keeps one hand firmly on my breast as the other trails between my thighs. My breath quickens faster and faster in anticipation, but as my breathing quickens, he stops.
 

“Are you still with me?” he whispers.
 

I take several deep calming breaths, focusing on his touch, trying to prove I’m still fine.
 
“Yes,” I groan. When my breathing is calm again, he shifts my hips pulling one leg half out of the tub turning my body gently. “Jesus,” I groan as the jet hits my clit. He mouths my nipple again flicking his tongue back and forth in slow, cruel motions. His other hand moves back to my slit. He slowly slides one finger inside me and moves it slowly in and out of my entrance. My body melts into his, feeling all of the slow sensations moving over my body.
 

“Stay with me,” he whispers.
 

The heat of the water mixed with Landon’s hands makes me warmer and warmer until I’m burning from the heat. The blood rushes fast throughout my body, making it hard to breathe in the warm heat. That’s when the darkness finds a way to sneak back in.
 

The warm water burns my skin as he thrusts inside me. The shower raining hard pellets on my head. I can’t stop it from happening. I don’t even try. I just let him do what he wants with me without fighting back. I have no fight left. He rips into me again, but I don’t even scream. The pain does nothing to me anymore …