Between Embers (Lost Kings MC #5.5): A Companion to White Heat: Three Short Stories (12 page)

He groans and halts his movements. “Fuck. You’re tight as hell. Miss me?”

“Yes,” I whisper because I’m tired of playing hard to get with him. Uncomfortable being so open, I bury my face in his neck. He takes mercy on me and works his hips, each thrust slow, hard and deliberate.

“Give me your mouth, Lilly.”

Shaking my head, I nip at the muscles of his shoulder. “Careful. I might bite back.”

I can’t help it, though. His massive frame is such a turn-on. I’ve never been with another man who’s such a solid wall of muscle. Who knows how to use all those muscles to please me in every way.

“Lilly,” he warns.

I roll my hips up to meet him and he groans. “Fuck. So fucking good,” he mutters. His pace slows to a lazy grind and one of his hands grips my chin, turning my face, kissing my lips.

He forces his tongue into my mouth at the same time he drives into my pussy hard and relentless. The dual assault leaves me panting. I raise my legs, wrapping them around his waist.

“Good girl,” he praises, slipping a hand under my ass, angling me up even more.

If he wasn’t balls deep inside me, I’d smack him for that
good girl
comment. But all I care about are his primal grunts and punishing thrusts.

Every muscle in my body tightens around him, and Z slows, not wanting me to come so quick. But it’s too late. I gasp and arch my back and get carried away by a sweeping orgasm.

M
AYBE IT’S
the wedding that has her so hot. She claimed not to be the marrying kind, but she’s wilder than she’s ever been before.

And Lilly is pretty fucking wild.

When she opens her eyes, I slide out of her and urge her onto her hands and knees, thrusting back inside before she’s fully ready for me.

“Fuck!” she yells out, and I grunt in agreement. My arm bands tight around her waist pulling her against me at the same time as I plow into her. It’s hotter. Heat’s just pouring off her. Slicker.

So fucking amazing.

Every little flutter, every muscle tightening around my dick rockets through me. Why aren’t we doing this all the time? Why am I waiting for her to figure her shit out instead of telling her how it’s going to be? We’re fucking amazing together. And if she’d let us, we could be more than fantastic fucking sex.

“Lilly,” I groan her name through my release. My entire body stills, tightens, pouring everything I have into her.

I pull in a few shaky breaths before sliding out of her and staggering off the bed. She collapses into a cute little puddle, all plush ass in the air, perfectly thick thighs, unblemished skin and sex-mussed hair.

Something wet hits my foot, and I glance down.

My dick’s poking out of the condom, cum leaking everywhere.

“Fuck,” I mutter. “Lilly?”

“
Mmm
?” She rolls over and I swear my dick’s already getting hard again from just the sight of her fantastic tits.

I point down. “Condom broke. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.”

Anger? Horror? Shock? I’m not sure. Maybe a mix of those three emotions flicker over her face. “I’m clean, babe.” Oh, I hate like fucking hell admitting this next part. “You’re the only one I’ve—”

She has the nerve to roll her eyes. “I’m supposed to believe that?”

“Believe whatever you want.” I stalk into the bathroom and just barely stop myself from slamming the door. I take a few seconds to clean up and calm the fuck down. No one twists me up the way she does.
No one.

When I emerge, a little more rational, she’s sitting in the bed with her knees drawn up, the sheet covering her right to her chin.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly. “You’re the only…don’t worry. I haven’t been with anyone else in a long time. We’re good.”

Any lingering anger disappears, and I pounce on the bed, ripping the sheet away from her and replacing it with my body. “Really?” I ask, drawing the word out until I get her to laugh.

“Yeah, really. Don’t be so smug.” She reaches out and cups my cheek, her soft fingers brushing against my skin. “I think you’ve ruined me for any other man.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” I move in closer for a kiss and she makes this little noise that sounds like either agreement—

Or denial.

I
COULD GET USED
to waking up with Lilly next to me.

Even after the broken condom fiasco.

She makes me think about all sorts of things I never considered before meeting her.

But Lilly’s a tricky one. I try to talk to her about us moving from fuck buddies to serious couple, she shuts me down.

Every fucking time.

It’s annoying. And if she wasn’t the hottest fuck I’ve ever had as well as the smartest chick I’ve ever spent time with, I would have lost her number long time ago.

Soft scratching at my bedroom door pulls me out of bed. The pups wriggle and dance their way into the room. After being displaced last night, it was a miracle they hadn’t howled or scratched at my door all night. “Uncle Sparky take care of you?” I whisper as I bend down to scratch behind their ears. “I owe you two extra cookies.”

I throw a quick glance at Lilly—still sound asleep and slip on a pair of sweats before running the dogs downstairs and outside.

A few guys are still up. Stash and Ravage are busy smoking dope in the living room. Dex is there too but seems to be halfway sober. Swan’s sort of passed out in his lap. I lift my chin at her. “She okay?”

“Yeah,” he answers slowly.

“You should have seen the show she put on in the champagne room last night,” Ravage says, wiggling his eyebrows or emphasis and earning a scowl from Dex.

Great. Always has to be some complication around here.

“Where’s Willow? She go home?” I ask.

Stash raises his eyebrows and points to the basement door. “With Sparky.”

“Really?” Man, I can’t wait to rib Willow this week at the club.

Stash shrugs, but there’s a lingering smirk that makes me want to press him for details.

“Oh my God, why are you guys up at this hour?” Trinity asks from the hallway. I turn and find her dressed to work out, an inexplicable smile stretched across her face.

“What are you doing up so early? Shouldn’t you be exhausted from your maid of honor duties? Or from your man?” Ravage asks.

“Watch it,” Wrath growls coming up behind her and yanking her against him. He leans down, whispering something in her ear that makes her laugh softly and smack his chest. Without saying anything else, she turns and heads back down the hall.

“Why so grumpy?” I ask.

Wrath grins. “Oh, I ain’t grumpy at all.”

Intrigued, Ravage and Stash sit up. “What’s up, bro?” Ravage asks.

“Nothing. Later.”

With those cryptic words, Wrath turns and walks down the hall.

“Something’s up with those two,” Ravage says.

“Wow. You could be like a detective or something,” Stash snarks at him before lighting another joint and inhaling deep.

“Fuck off.”

“This has been fun, but I’ve got a hot, naked chick in my bed.”

“Need some help with that?” Stash asks, just to be a dick.

“No, ya fuck,” I growl at him.

The two fuckwits have a good laugh. Dex just rolls his eyes. The pups jump up on the couch and settle into the cushions behind Swan.

“Watch them?” I ask.

“Yeah. No problem,” Ravage answers.

I take the stairs two at a time and let out a breath when I find Lilly still sound asleep.

Fuck I like having her here.

I slip into bed next to her and watch as she slowly wakes.

“Morning.”

She gives me an uncertain look before stretching.

“How long have you been up?” she asks in her sexy-morning-husky voice.

“Few minutes. Had to run the dogs out.”

She picks her head up and looks around. “Where are they?”

“Downstairs.”

“Sorry. You didn’t have to kick them out because of me. I like dogs.”

In a sweet gesture that I don’t think she gives much thought to, she leans in and kisses my forehead before tossing the covers back. I admire her naked ass all the way to the bathroom and wait for her to come back.

She returns wearing one of my T-shirts.

“I can’t vouch for how clean that is if you picked it up off the bathroom floor,” I warn her.

Her nose wrinkles and she pulls at the shirt to smell it. “It smells good. Like you.”

She jumps on the bed and crawls back under the covers, snuggling up to me.

This is nice.

Real nice. I could totally get used to this.

Maybe it’s time to stop fucking around and be straight with her. No more jokes or half-ass attempts. Real shit.

And when she says no, I’ll fuck her until she says yes.

I
HATE
how much I liked waking up in Z’s arms. I like my independence. Sleeping in my own bed. Not having to worry about impressing someone twenty-four-seven.

But I really like Z. I’m comfortable around him. Something I never expected.

He’s so warm and hard against me, I wriggle, trying to get closer. Not because I’m cold, but because I like how he feels. How
this
feels.

Tipping my head back, I catch him staring at me with an intensity I’ve never seen. Not sexual.

Something’s on Z’s mind. On the outside he seems calm, but I see his pulse at his neck fluttering. I reach over and place my hand over his heart. It’s racing.

“What’s on your mind, Z? You look like you’re about to have a stroke.”

He doesn’t even crack a smile at my idiotic teasing.

“Last night. Remember how we both admitted we’ve only been seeing each other?”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s what we said.” He keeps staring at me until I fidget. “We said we hadn’t
fucked
anyone else besides each other.”

“Same thing,” he growls, clearly frustrated with me.

But it’s a lie. I’ve dated a bunch of guys in between seeing Z. I just haven’t wanted to sleep with a single one. None of them. Try as I might to find someone else, my lady bits were on strike when it came to anyone other than this intense, sexy beast of a man.

“How about we officially only see each other.” He doesn’t really phrase it as a question. His voice never wavers and his eyes never leave my face, but he’s so strained. So serious. And I have the feeling it’s killing him not to declare I’m his like a caveman.

“You want me to be your girlfriend, Z?” I ask, just so I know we’re both on the same page.

“I’m a little old for girlfriends, Lilly.” He closes his eyes and when he opens them he’s staring somewhere over my shoulder. “But we can start there if that’s easier for you.”

Wow. I don’t know what else to think. My mind keeps repeating
wowwowowow
. “How does that look? You work in a strip club. You live here. Have girls around just to service you when you’re feeling randy. You’re on the road a lot. How…?”

The hardening of his expression makes me lose track of my own words.

“You never said anything about Crystal Ball before,” he finally says.

“You never wanted to be a couple before.”

“Bullshit,” he mutters.

“I didn’t say
no
. I’m asking questions.”

“Fine. You want me to quit my job?”