Deeper [The Underground 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) (13 page)

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, baby.” Her hand trailed over his shoulder and down his arm. He turned and smiled up at her, but that smile faltered when he saw that it wasn’t Stella but Alyssia. He didn’t ask why she was here because being at these fights was what she did. That was how he met her all those months ago. It had only taken a crook of his finger and her panties had dropped. Her being here, around him, was not good.

“I missed you. Why haven’t you called?” She moved her body, barely covered in spandex, on top of him so she was sitting on his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her big tits pressed against his chest. He knew every inch of her body well, and at one time it had driven him fucking crazy, but now all it did was make his dick shrivel up in his pants.

He turned his head just as she went to kiss him. “Get off, Alyssia.” He went to push her away but in the next instant her thighs were straddling his in a death grip. That had been one of the things he liked about Alyssia. Her body was hard and tight and she had one killer grip that could get him off in minutes. What she was doing now left a bad taste in his mouth. She smelled like booze and smoke. It was nothing like the sweet smell that surrounded Stella.

“Come on, Tate. I know you miss my tight little cunt.” Her breath wafted over his face and he was starting to get pissed. He wasn’t one to have to repeat himself, but Alyssia thought she was different from everyone else. She was wrong.

Her lips were on his and her tongue was pushing past his lips in the next second. She tasted like cheap cigarettes. He gripped her upper arms and she must have taken that as a sign he wanted more because she moaned and started rubbing her crotch all over him. He ripped her away, her breathing hard because she was turned on, his because he was furious. Alyssia looked over his shoulder.

“Who the fuck are you and what are you looking at?” He knew exactly who was behind him when Alyssia opened her mouth. He was afraid this was going to happen. He pushed Alyssia off and turned around. Stella stood in front of him, her green eyes seeming so big on her too-pale face. She held a paper towel and her hand was clenched so tight around it that her tiny knuckles were white.

“Stella.” What the hell was he supposed to say? It wasn’t like they were a couple. He had never said what they were doing was exclusive. For fuck’s sake, he could go screw Alyssia in the back if he wanted do, but he couldn’t help the pang that centered in his chest at the thought, or the blind rage when he thought of Stella with another guy.

Her smile was forced, that much was clear, and did he see hurt covering her features? That couldn’t be right, though. She hated him, and rightly so. He was forcing her to be with him, to spend these two weeks with him, to sleep with him. Had he ever thought about her feelings? No, and that just made him the biggest bastard in the world.

“Are you feeling okay?” She nodded and he could see the slender column of her throat work as she swallowed.

“You haven’t fucked me because you’re with
her
?” The way Alyssia said “her” sounded like an insult.

The embarrassment was clear on Stella’s face and her cheeks became pink. Damn, he didn’t want her hurting. He wanted to go over there and wrap his arms around her, comfort her. It was so unlike him to feel these emotions, but they were strong and wouldn’t ease. Before he could act on them and make the situation even worse Stella smiled sadly and turned to leave.

“Stella, wait.” She was shaking her head and walking quickly through the throng of bodies. She disappeared only moments later and he knew he had to go after her. He had to explain that although he was a dick, she was the last person he wanted to hurt. That realization was like a punch to his gut and stole his breath. It had been years since he cared for anything besides his business. Years since he immersed himself in work to forget about a broken past. He had done well to keep it buried, but he was finding that being around Stella was slowly breaking down his resolve to remain distant, to have his emotions buried. It suited him to be the man that others were afraid of.

“Come on, baby. Just forget about her. I know I can make your night a whole lot better.”

He shrugged off Alyssia’s hand on his arm. He turned and stared at her and she took a step back. Good, she needed to be wary of him. “If you’ve fucked anything up with Stella—” He stopped what he might have said because he wasn’t thinking clearly. His mind was going off in different directions and all he could think about was Stella. It had only been a few days but he was desperate for her and that scared the shit out of him. What the hell was he supposed to do when their time ran out? He turned and went after her.

* * * *

When Stella had finished puking and rinsing out her mouth, she knew she should have gone with her instincts and stayed home. But what made the night even worse was the fact that as soon as she made it back to the table she had the pleasure of witnessing some svelte blonde, with surprise, big-ass boobs, straddling Tate and making out with him. His hands had been on her arms, as if he wanted her closer, couldn’t get enough of her. Had she actually thought she felt anything for that man? She was at least pleased, to an extent, that he appeared embarrassed about being caught. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he would have laughed the whole thing off, because really there was nothing going on between them aside from incredible sex. Ugh, did she have to think about sex with him at a time like this?

The cool air slammed into her when she finally made it outside. Yeah, she had run away but when she saw him with another woman there had been a deep ache in her chest. She rubbed her hand over her chest, feeling tears prick her eyes at how ridiculous she was being. Her feelings were misplaced and completely unacceptable. She had nowhere to go, and even if she did it wasn’t like she could escape Tate. She still had twelve days left with him. A line wrapped around the side of the building as people waited patiently to enter the club. She made her way past them, not knowing where to go but deciding it was best to put a little bit of distance between her and Tate so she could think. She would have to face him and explain why she was acting like some kind of jealous girlfriend.

“Ugh, what the hell is wrong with you?” She rounded the corner and leaned against the brick wall of the side of the building. She could hear the music from the club and the excited chatter of the patrons just feet from her. She was alone in the little alley with just the streetlamps lighting her path. Wrapping her arms around her waist she stared up at the sky. The moon was full and seemed so bright and large above her. She closed one eye and lifted her hand, placing her thumb and forefinger at the top and bottom of the moon. She squished it between her fingers, causing it to disappear for a moment. “If only my life was so easy that I could just pinch it away whenever I pleased.”

“Why did you run?” She dropped her hand as surprise filled her. Pushing away from the wall she turned and looked at Tate. His hands were in his pants pockets and the light was illuminated behind him, casting the front of him in deep shadows.

Why had he come after her? She expected him to stay with his little girlfriend, letting her grind her crotch on his lap. She was nothing to him, so the fact that he actually came after her made that tightness in her chest ease, but only marginally. She wrung her hands together and looked down, not knowing how to respond. She certainly couldn’t tell him that she had been green with jealousy, that seeing that girl all over him had made her feel ill. He stepped forward until there was only a foot between them. His body heat seeped into her and she felt the chill start to leave her.

“Stella, answer me.”

What had he asked?
She licked her suddenly dry lips and noticed he watched the act.

“Why did you run?” His voice had dropped an octave and the normally rough timbre now seemed like a low growl.

Her heart was beating so fast.
Can he hear it? Does he know the effect he causes in me?
It seemed ludicrous that she would feel anything for someone like him, something more than lust. She knew he certainly didn’t see anything in her besides someone that was temporarily warming his bed. Before she could censor herself she was telling him the God’s honest truth.

“Seeing you with her—” She looked down at her hands again. His finger on her chin brought her head up and she was looking into his eyes. His gaze searched her face and she felt herself feeling stupid over the whole situation. No doubt at any moment he would laugh her off, tell her that her sole purpose was to spread her legs, that in twelve short days she would be dismissed and he wouldn’t give her a second thought. That, of course, was not what happened. A gasp left her when his mouth latched onto hers.

His kiss was hard, demanding, and when his hands landed on each side of her face, tilting her head, controlling her so that she was helpless against him, she felt herself melt even further. Was it even possible to fall in love with someone in only a few days? Although she didn’t think she was in love with him, her emotions were strong, too strong for her to feel comfortable about. Tate Wessen was every kind of bad for her, but at this moment, at this exact time, all she could think about was how his mouth on hers was doing wicked things to her body.

The cold, rough surface of the brick wall met her back as he pressed his chest against hers, sandwiching her between him and the building. His hands slid down her hips and around so he was cupping her ass. He gripped the edge of her dress and slowly dragged it up until it was bunched around her waist. He dropped down to his haunches so that his warm breath blew across her bare folds. His swallow was audible and the groan that followed was deep and filled with an arousal that matched her own frantic one.

“Spread your legs, Stella.” She did as he asked and then felt him grip the back of her knee and bring it over his shoulder. His mouth was suddenly on her cleft, his tongue parting her folds as he ate her out. Knowing that there was a horde of people just around the corner was surprisingly erotic and turned her on even more. His hand on her ass started to squeeze the flesh at the same time his tongue dipped into her opening. He fucked her with his tongue and it took everything inside of her to hold herself up. The rough scrape of the brick on her back added a hint of pain to the unbelievable ecstasy he was bringing her. The hand that had been gripping the back of her knee snaked between her thighs and as soon as his thumb touched her clit she came. A low, keening cry left her and she speared her hands in his hair and shamelessly ground her pussy into his face. His deep chuckle sent vibrations through her center and little shockwaves of pleasure slamming straight to her clit.

The grip she had on his hair was hard and she knew it had to hurt him, but his groans spoke differently. He gave her pussy one last long lick and stood. He kept his hands on her ass and pulled her forward, letting her feel the hard length of his erection press into her belly. He pressed his lips against hers, ran his tongue along the seam before plunging into her mouth. She tasted herself and a hint of the alcohol on his tongue. It was a potent mixture that had her moaning in his mouth and wrapping her arms around his neck, but before her hands could connect he was taking a step back.

“Stella?” He whispered her name and she closed her eyes, loving and hating what his voice did to her body. He still hadn’t said anything about her admission that seeing him with that woman had bothered her. Was this some kind of stalling tactic, some kind of diversion so he didn’t have to hear her proclaim her feelings like a sappy and pathetic groupie?

“Yes?” Her response was breathy and even she could hear the need in it. God, she really was pathetic. Her eyes were still closed but at the sound of his zipper going down she snapped them open. There was no expression on his face, just deep need.

“I want you on your knees, hands behind your back.” His command was rough and held no room for argument.

Stella swallowed, feeling her pulse increase and her pussy become wet again. It was like she hadn’t just had an intense orgasm. Her pussy clenched for something substantial, for something that only Tate could give her. She looked to her left because she could still hear people just around the corner. If more came they would linger out past the alleyway and be able to see what they were doing.

“Don’t think, just do as I say.” God, she should loathe him for the way he was talking to her but she couldn’t. The way he was exerting his dominance, like he just expected her to submit, was offending, but even if they hadn’t made their arrangement, even if her father’s house wasn’t in jeopardy if she didn’t comply, she knew that she would have bowed her head and submitted anything to him.

She dropped to her knees and felt the gravelly ground dig into the tender flesh of her knees. The thick jut of his cock was right in her face and she looked up at him.

“Hands, Stella.”

She brought her hands behind her back and clasped her fingers together. Her whole body started to shake but it had nothing to do with the wind blowing around them. The way he looked down at her, how he ran his fingers along the edge of her face, tracing her cheekbones, her chin. It was like he could see right into her, like he knew what she was feeling, thinking.
Stupid thoughts for a naïve girl.
Hell, they had been around each other for such a short time, but it had been the most intense few days of her life. It wasn’t just about the sex but about Tate the man himself. He was wrong for her, so very wrong, but even though she saw herself falling in deeper and deeper she couldn’t stop herself.