Willing Captive (19 page)

This is not a sexy
moment.

It’s a beautiful
moment.

All cried out, I
lose myself in the feel of his hands as one slips between my legs
to cleanse the sensitive flesh there. Slowly but carefully, he
works his hands, expertly caressing the globes of my ass and back
up to the small mounds that are my breasts.

We rinse, step out
and I stand on the mat as Nox dries me off.

Wearing only a
towel, he wraps an arm around my shoulder leading me back to bed. I
lie by my lonesome, but watch as he turns his back to me and
removes his wet boxers. He towels himself off before stepping into
a dry pair of shorts.

Walking with a
purpose, he climbs into bed, laying his head down on the feather
pillow. I try to turn, as per our usual spooning routine, but he
stops me with a strong hand on my towel covered hip. His firm hand
softens, he gently opens the towel revealing my nakedness but I
don’t flush.

It’s too late for
flushing. My body knows those hands. They’re imprinted all over me.
Gripping my hips, he pulls me forward until my nipples brush his
firm chest.

Lifting my face, I
whisper, “Say something. You’re freakin’ me out.”

His lips twitch and
his eyes crinkle at the corners. Lowering his face to mine, he
kisses me softly and I sigh, kissing him back just as softly.
Against my lips, he mutters, “Goodnight, Lily.”

Then he lifts his
chin, tucks my head under, and sighs that special sigh.

Feeling around, I
find his hand, link our fingers and follow him into a restful
sleep. I silently pray that tonight is not a dream.

Because if it is, I
don’t want to wake up.

***

Warmth on my neck
wakes me. Insistent lips kiss me wetly from under my ear to the
base of my throat. A mewing sound escapes me as I stretch my arms
over my head, trying to break my sleep.

A growling response
comes from Nox, and subconsciously I wrap my arms around his head,
his lips at my throat. Not having opened my eyes yet, I lift my
neck providing him better access. His mouth travels down my chest
and into the valley between my breasts. Wet warmth covers my nipple
and rips a gasp from me. My core contracts as he suckles me.

Holy shit!

Unable to stop
myself, I reach down, scraping my fingernails on his stomach, down
lower until I come into contact with something incredibly hard,
long, and warm. He growls into my breast, never removing his mouth.
Open palmed, I rub him over his boxers.

But it’s just not enough. I need to
feel
him.

Placing my palm on his abs, I trail down his stomach and into
his boxers. As soon as my fingers brush the head of his hard
length, he releases my nipple with a pop. Squeezing his eyes shut,
he mutters, “Fuck me. Fuck
me
.
Goddamn.”

Wrapping my hand
firmly around it, I’m shocked at the feel of him. I didn’t expect
him to be so big or warm, or hard, yet smooth at the same time.

It
feels
good
.

Not quite sure what
to do, I beg quietly, “Please. Show me how to do this.”

Clearly not needing
me to ask again, he reaches down, wraps his hand tighter around
mine on his erection, and shows me how he likes to be stroked. Up
and down, nice and slow.

I
watch his face. Looking almost pained, he makes a choked sound. I
stroke him harder and faster. Breathing heavily, he murmurs,
“Fuck.
Je
sus. Lily.
Baby.”

“
Kiss me.”

His hand shoots out,
fingers tangling in my hair as he plants brutal, deep, bruising
kisses onto my mouth. Kissing him back, I whimper when he catches
my bottom lip between his teeth. Both my hands on him, I continue
to stroke him and I feel his length harden even more. His stomach
clenches. He groans, biting down on my bottom lip harder. I mew and
his groan turns into a growl.

Growling, he
releases my bottom lip but holds me by the back of the head
tightly, as if I would escape him.

Yeah. ‘Cause that’ll
happen.

Not!

Our mouths open, we
breathe into each other, making desperate pleas through growls and
moans. Nox reaches down quickly, holding my hand still under his.
His blue eyes widen; he stops breathing a moment before his hips
jerk uncontrollably. He thrusts fitfully into my tight grip and he
groans through his release. My hands suddenly coated in something
wet, sticky, and warm. I can’t take my eyes off him.

Oh wow.

Oh
wow
.

That was…wow.

“
Whoa,” I whisper.

He closes his eyes
and I feel him deflate in my hands. It’s a weird feeling! Still
breathing heavily, he opens his eyes and looks at me. A small smile
tugs at my lips and I’m suddenly giddy.

Bunching my nose, I
squish my face and say through a stupid smile, “Good morning.”

He
blinks, still looking either half asleep or exhausted from his
release, peeking through one eye. He catches my smile and chuckles,
“Fucking
great
morning, princess.”

Oh, I like that.

“
So you’re talking to me again?”

Brows furrowing, he
says, “Come again?”

Unsure of myself, I
say quietly, “It’s just that last night you didn’t say a word to
me. But I know I was in a scary bad mood, so I just thought I’d
tell you that it won’t happen again, and I’m sorry for ruining a
really great night.”

The air is sucked
out of the room. Nox’s body goes rigid against mine. Looking up
into his face, my eyes widen.

Shit.

He’s pissed. Jaw
tight, the vein in his temple throbs as he glares at me through
narrowed and icy-cold eyes.

He’s not pissed. He’s
livid
.

Why do I have to
open my big mouth? It was such a good morning!

Gah!

I open my mouth to
correct whatever it is I said, but he puts up a hand as
warning.

My
mouth snaps shut and he starts, “First things first, my silence
last night had nothing to do with you, but also had
everything
to do with you. You were
not good last night, Lily, and I’m not the kind of guy that’s
filled with sweet words.” Shaking his head, he adds, “That’s not
me.”

I’m trying to
understand where this is going so I simply nod.

He nods, too. “But I
get you. And I know that nothing I said last night would’ve helped.
So I shut my trap, knowing that whatever I could’ve said would’ve
only made things worse. That wasn’t something we needed. So, rather
than using words, I showed you how I could take care of you. So now
you know. We can go from there.” His face softens as he says, “You
didn’t ruin anything, baby. Got to taste you in every way, take
care of you, and hold you all night. That’s not bad.”

Shaking his head
slowly, he utters, “That’s fucking phenomenal.”

My head dips to hide
my smile, but he catches my chin between his fingers, pulling my
face back up to his.

The smile he wears
isn’t one I’ve seen before. It’s soft and sweet. And it’s aimed at
me.

I love that.

Face turning
serious, he says, “You get me?”

Yeah. I totally
do.

Not trusting myself
to speak, I nod and mouth, “Yeah.”

His eyes crinkle.
“Then kiss me, baby.”

He doesn’t need to
ask again.

Lifting my face, I
press my lips to his and kiss him sweetly. I feel him smile against
my lips and it’s so beautiful that my stomach dips.

Finally pulling
back, Nox inhales slowly, he utters on an exhale, “Don’t really
wanna get out of bed but we need to eat.” A cruel smile appears on
his face. “You know what today is, princess?”

Shit. Shit. Dammit.
Shit
.

I do know.

Cringing, I whine
and he chuckles. We both speak at the same time.

“
Leg day.”

***

Showering
quick as I can, I slip into the kitchen
while Nox is showering and eat some plain oatmeal (blech!) and
drink half a glass of orange juice. When he finally comes down
dressed in his work-out pants sans tank or tee, I watch Nox as he
eats his apple.

We stand at opposite
ends of the kitchen smiling at each other like a couple of
dorks.

Finishing his apple
with a smile and a shake of his head, he holds the core and walks
pastme to throw it in the trash. When his chest brushes my back, my
nipples harden.

That’s the effect he
has on me.

A man like Nox is
wild.

You can’t tame him.
You don’t want to even try. His ferocity is gorgeous. There’s
beauty in every single scowl and glare he shoots my way. Things
won’t ever be the same for me. And I’m grateful.

I
never realized how much I hate my life.
Not until he showed me
beautiful.

Pressing close to my
back, he wraps his muscled arm around my middle and I sink back
into him. Tilting my head, he places a slow-wet kiss under my ear
and I close my eyes. A throat clearing makes me jerk.

My eyes snap open
and I cringe.

That’s because Boo
and Rock stand there, mouths gaping.

My heart races. I
don’t want Nox to get into trouble.

Feeling protective,
I blurt out, “It’s all my fault! I seduced him! And I was good at
it, too!” Twisting my neck, looking up into Nox’s face, I add
seriously, “Wasn’t I, babe?’

Nox smiles down at
me so hard, it looks like he’s holding back laughter. He leans down
and presses a chaste kiss to my mouth.

I mentally gasp.

Don’t do that! I’m
trying to save your ass, you nitwit!

Boo chuckles
roughly, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Has- has the world
gone mad?”

“
I
don’t know, babe.” Rock’s eyes crinkle at us. “But all I will say
to you both is to be careful, alright?”Nodding vigorously, my
fearful expression turns sour when Rock adds, “And if it’s not on,
it’s not
on
. You get
me, lovely Lily?”

Bunching my nose at
his condom reference, I grip a banana and throw it at him, hard.
Catching the banana with little effort, he peels it, takes a bite
and walks away laughing under his breath.

Boo smiles softly
but her face falls a little when she says softly, “I’m happy for
you both. I really am.”

There’s a
but
in there
somewhere. I can feel it in my bones. Walking over to us, she
stands on the opposite side of the counter and adds, “But you need
to think carefully about this.” Nox’s arm tightens around my waist
and I swear I hear him growl. Boo ignores the display of dominance
and utters, “Have you thought about what happens aft-”

Nox warns heatedly,
“Boo.”

Lowering her eyes,
she purses her lips. Lifting her head, looking right at me, she
smiles. “I’m happy for you, Deedee. Just-” My throat clogs when her
eyes mist. “Just be happy, okay?”

Without waiting for
a reply, she turns on her heel to follow Rock.

Nox squeezes me and
I place my hand over his, squeezing back. Twisting again, I ask,
“Why did you do that?”

I don’t have to
elaborate. He knows what I’m talking about.

His eyes warm for just a second before ice cloaks them once
more. Looking down at the counter, he explains softly, “There are
girls out there you want to fuck, and there are girls out there
that you want to love.” He looks me in the eye. “Not ashamed of
you, Lily.”

He stops speaking
for a moment, allowing that to sink in.

Leaning his chin on
top of my head, he utters, “You’re not for the background.” Burying
his nose into my hair, he mutters, “You deserve center stage.”

A violent tremor
washes over me, my entire body breaking into goosebumps. My heart
squeezes, and I try hard at pushing back the tears from hearing
something like that come out of Nox.

“
I
thought you didn’t do sweet.” My voice sounds thick even to
me.

With a smack to my
butt, he steps back, takes my hand in his and smirks, “Besides, I’m
the boss. What are they gonna do? Fire me?”

My brows lift and I
tilt my head while pursing my lips.

He has a point.

A goofy smile
spreads across my lips, and I allow him to lead me to death by
workout.

Chapter
Fifteen
Special
ferret and friends

Nox

“
How much time we got?”

None. We don’t have
any time left. But I’ll be damned if I lose Lily now. I just
fucking got her.

Turning to Rock, I
lie, “Some. Any news?”

“
Actually, yeah.” He looks me right in the eye. “You’re not
gonna like it.”

A stabbing pain
shoots through my chest. It’s someone they know. My poker face in
place, I ask, “What is it?”

“
Gotta understand, dude. There was no reason to look before,
but Mitch got an anonymous tip and…” He trails off.

My stomach flips.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I nod for him to tell me.

Rock shakes his head
and mutters, “This is hard, man.”

Rage builds in the
center of me. I’m ready to knock skulls. Forcing a chuckle, I roll
my eyes, “Fuck, Rock, tell me already!”

“
Jamie Harrison.”

…
The fuck he just say?

I’m sure I heard wrong. But Rock repeats himself,
“Jamie
fucking
Harrison. For real, bro.”

Whoa. Definitely
didn’t see that coming.

Ciaran Flynn is
going to need some serious help after all this is over. We’re
talking trust issues for life.