Never Ever: Damaged Hero, page 6
“What? No bourbon for you?”
“I don’t want anything to dull my senses.” His look is scorching.
Can I really do this with him? “Dance with me,” I say.
“Gladly,” he responds, setting the water bottles on the glass table and holding out his palm.
Placing my hand in his and the other on his shoulder, we sway to the music for a moment before he starts to move, taking me with him. He spins me, then I’m snug to his body, and I follow his lead.
“Where did you learn to dance?”
“It was required as part of my…education.”
He likes talking in code. “You’re very good.” He moves with such ease that it makes me feel as if I’m as good as he is, but I’m not by any means.
The music changes, and I find myself breathless against his chest. He leans in and runs his nose along my neck, inhaling my scent. “Ask me,” he rasps.
I don’t have to question what he means. “Kiss me,” I whisper, wanting him…needing him. The anticipation of his lips on mine has my knees buckling. I want to forget about everything and be consumed by this man, if even just for one night.
His gaze flicks to mine, and I can see every movement in his jawline. My breath catches, and I inhale his masculine scent. My heart races as he sifts his fingers through my bun, and my hair falls loosely around my shoulders. His beautiful lips part, placing them on mine and dipping his tongue inside, mingling it with mine. He deepens the kiss, and my body craves him as my mind screams, “Don’t do this. You’ll regret it in the morning.”
Panic sets in, and my heart ricochets. He stops kissing me and lays his forehead on mine as if he senses my hesitation. “We don’t have to do this.” His voice is gravelly.
His eyes are dark, yet comforting, and it settles me. “I want to,” I whisper.
He tangles his hand with mine and leads me to his bedroom. Ever opens his bedside drawer and tosses a condom on the bed. He kisses me again as his hand grasps the back of my neck and then down the delicate planes of my collarbone. “You are so damn beautiful,” Ever hisses against my lips. “I need you naked, now.”
Judging by the erection straining against his jeans, I believe him, and it empowers me. Finding the hem of my top, I pull it over my head, thankful that I have on matching panties and bra.
“Now your pants,” he orders, and I willingly follow his command, leaving me standing in white lacy lingerie.
He inhales an unsteady breath. “Damn,” he chokes out.
“You like?” I rasp.
“More than anything I’ve seen in my entire life.” He wastes no time releasing my breasts from the white lace, bending down and bringing my taut nipple into his warm mouth. I arch my back in pleasure. He teases my nipple to an almost painful point with his teeth.
My body is so sensitive to his that I feel I might burst into flames. I reach for the button on his jeans and tug at it. He nearly rips my panties off with one finger, dragging them down my thighs. As he moves me closer to his monstrous bed, he yanks his jeans and boxers off, and I stare at the size of his package.
A grin covers his face. “You like what you see?”
“Very much,” I say with a nod and heat filling my cheeks.
Closing the distance between us, his large hands grasp my ass, pressing his stiff, thick cock against my stomach. “I’m not sure I can take it slow with you.”
The undercurrent of his voice is so strong I throb for him to be inside me. “Don’t then,” I gulp.
He pushes my back to the soft mattress and climbs over me. His whiskers prick my sensitive skin as he skims his mouth south, spreading my legs with firm fingers until he has them where he wants them.
I suck in a deep breath when his tongue dips inside me, and he applies pressure to my clit with his thumb. It’s been so long since I’ve been touched that there’s no slow climb. I’m already feeling my climax. I bite my lip hard to stave it off. He continues to lap and suck my clit, and I ache.
“Don’t you dare come,” he warns, lifting his emerald eyes to mine. “Not until I tell you.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” I pant.
He climbs face to face with me. “Breathe, Noa.”
I inhale as he hovers over me, not moving. “Okay,” I finally rasp.
He gets to his knees and grabs the condom.
“Wait,” I say, rising to my elbows. “I want to touch you.”
He tosses the ripped foil packet on the bed.
I cup his balls with one hand and stroke him a few times with the other and adjust my position to place his tip in my mouth.
He breathes in sharply. His chest rises and falls quickly, but he doesn’t stop me. I suck him into my mouth as far as I can, and he tangles his fingers in my long strands of hair. “Yes,” he hisses. “That feels so damn good.”
I lick him from my lips and draw his cock into my mouth again. When he can’t take any more, he jerks free and snatches the condom, and rolls it down his length.
In this moment, nothing else exists for me. No past, no dead husband, just Ever. Unimaginable pleasure rocks me to the core when he slowly inches inside me, sizzling my skin. I can’t stop my body’s reaction to him, clamping down around him.
He leans down, clasping my hands above my head. “Breathe, baby, breathe.” His hips find a delicious rhythm, thrusting hard, and I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling every color of my pending orgasm. It’s bright orange with flames that just might burn me from the inside out.
He adjusts his hips and hits a magic spot. Then I feel his finger at my backside, applying pressure to my forbidden entrance. “Ever,” I squawk his name.
“Relax and trust me.”
I focus on the pleasure it brings rather than the slow, burning sensation on his entry. My body gives in to him. With his other hand, he snags my hip and pushes his cock deeper than I ever imagined it could go. My ass is on fire, and my channel is throbbing for release.
“I need to come,” I gasp.
“Not yet,” he grunts.
Time ticks by as I grip the sheets, feeling him so deep inside. It’s pleasure like I’ve never felt before. My mouth falls open with a cry when he pulls out and drives back inside of me. I can barely breathe, the sensation of him filling me. I seize around him no longer in control. A jagged scream erupts from my lips.
“Shit! Noa, shit!” Ever flinches inside me and arches his back, releasing a long, sensual moan. When his body relaxes, he drops over me, sucking my tender, blush-colored nipple into his mouth.
I stare at the ceiling, not with regret but the feeling of being on the brink of satisfaction.
“We’re not done. Far from it.” His words tickle my skin. He gets up, and I admire his muscular ass as he strides into the bathroom and then comes back out, grabbing another condom on his way back to bed. “This time, you’ll wait until I tell you to come.”
“Practice makes perfect.” I smirk.
After our second go-around, I’m completely spent and exhausted, falling asleep with my back to his chest with no doubts that I’m satiated.
I awaken covered in sweat from Ever’s body heat surrounding me. I lift my head off the pillow to look at the time on the clock I recalled seeing on his dresser. It’s three in the morning.
My mind starts racing at what I’ve done, and panic rushes over me. I ease out of his arms so as not to wake him and find my clothes on the floor, thanks to the dim light coming out of the bathroom. Glancing over my shoulder, Ever is naked, lying on his stomach with a hand tucked under his pillow. My gut lurches into my throat when I see scars on his back like someone had beaten him. Who hurt you? My fingers linger over him, wanting to touch him, to take his pain away. “Goodbye,” I whisper and tiptoe to the living room. “I need to get out of here.” I fumble for my phone, and the first number that comes up is Luca’s since Ever entered it earlier. I quickly dress and step out of the room, and call Luca, feeling awful when he answers in a groggy voice.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll call for a cab.”
“Noa,” he says.
“Yeah, I wasn’t thinking about the time.”
“Where are you?”
“Still at Ever’s.”
“I live in one of the rooms downstairs. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
“Are you sure? I can call a cab.”
“I was instructed to be at your beck and call, and you don’t want to get me fired, do you?”
“No. I’ll see you downstairs.”
I wait for the elevator, and I’m glad the lobby is empty other than the woman behind the counter. I look a mess, doing the walk of shame in this expensive hotel. She probably thinks me a call girl.
“Where am I taking you?” Luca asks when he sees me.
“To my sister’s place.”
He hands me his phone. “Plug in her address.” I type the address as we walk out of the building and into the parking garage. He opens the door for me to join him in the front seat.
Throwing it into reverse, he backs out of the space, and we spiral from the garage onto the empty street.
“Does Mr. Christianson know you are leaving?” He cuts his gaze toward me.
“No…and please don’t call him.”
“That’s not my place, ma’am.”
“Thank you. How long have you worked for him?”
“Since he turned eighteen.”
“So you know him very well.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sure you’ve taken many women home for him.”
“Yes, but not by their own choice.”
“Tell me something.”
“If I can, and it’s not something that betrays him.”
“Is he a good man?”
“Mr. Christianson hasn’t had an easy life. Tragic, really, but for the hell he’s endured, I’d say yes, he’s a good man.”
“He told me about his mother dying when he was ten. Who hurt him so badly?”
“That’s not for me to say, ma’am. If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. He never speaks of it.”
“He told you.”
He sighs. “He went out and got drunk after a particularly bad night. I found him and took him home. He opened up to me in his inebriation. I’m not sure if he even remembers telling me because we’ve never spoken of it since.”
“How sad to not have anyone to talk to. He said his mom raised him alone. Where is his father?”
He presses his lips together and doesn’t respond.
“Not for you to say,” I repeat his words from earlier.
I don’t bother him for the rest of the ride, but profusely thank him for taking me to my sister’s place.
Unlocking the door, I find Sofia on the couch. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve called.”
“Did you go home with the man you were having dinner with?”
“Yes.”
“Bruno says he warned you that he’s not someone you should be making friends with. He said he has some sort of dangerous energy that surrounds him.”
“I heard what he said, but I’m more than capable of making up my own mind. Besides, he doesn’t have to worry. I won’t be seeing him again.” If I were sticking around, he’d be dangerous to my heart, but I don’t admit that out loud.
“Did he hurt you?” She rushes over to me.
“No. He awakened a part of me I thought was dead, and I’m grateful, but we agreed ahead of time that it was only a passing thing because I have every intention of returning to Essex.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I’m going to bed. We’ll chat in the morning after I contact Kip.”
I collapse on my bed, smelling Ever’s lingering scent on my skin. Curling on my side, I smile and drift off to sleep.
7
Ever
Stretching and reaching for Noa, I find the spot next to me empty. “Noa,” I call her name and sit on the edge of the bed, only to be utterly disappointed that her clothes are no longer on the floor where I stripped them from her sweet body. Sleep usually evades me, but I dozed so soundly I didn’t hear or feel her leave my arms that I recall being firmly locked around her body once I knew she could take no more of me. Her body will have an aching reminder of where I’ve been, and I’ve never been more sexually satisfied in all my life.
Snatching my phone from its charger to call her, I realize I never got Noa’s number. “It’s just as well. We agreed to no strings.” I stand and walk naked into my shower. Never has a woman voluntarily left my bed in the middle of the night. “She’s different,” I whisper. I feel something for her that has thwarted me all these years, a longing for more. I’m not immune to her like all the others, and for the life of me, I don’t know why. There are so many more delicious things I want to do to her body before I can get Noa Sutton out of my system.
The cool water drips down my chest and stomach but does nothing to alleviate my erection. Firmly stroking my cock, I come easily, growling Noa’s name and wishing it was her hand stroking me rather than mine. Rage fills me that I want this woman so badly, and she left my bed.
Turning off the water, I snag a towel and quickly dry off. I wrap the towel low around my waist and return to my phone I tossed on the bed.
“Luca,” I say when he answers. “Did you take Noa home in the middle of the night?”
“Yes, sir. You told me if she needed anything, I was to provide it for her.”
“You should’ve called me,” I grumble.
“If I had, she wouldn’t trust me again, sir.”
I grind my teeth, knowing he’s right. “Where did you take her?”
“To her sister’s apartment.”
“Text me her address and Noa’s phone number,” I demand and hang up.
As I get dressed, there’s a pounding on my door. The doorman typically buzzes me when I have a guest arriving. That leads me to believe it’s one of my family members. Sure enough, I peek through the hole and see my father’s snarling face. My agitation with Noa subsides, and I’m grateful she pulled her disappearing act in the middle of the night. I don’t want her involved with my family in any way, shape, or form.
“What the hell do you want?” I swing open the door, and my father barrels past me.
“Your ass back at work,” he snaps, walking further into my penthouse.
“I told you, I quit.” I slam the door so hard the windows rattle.
“You are so damn stubborn, just like your mother!” He opens my fridge and takes out a bottle of water.
“While we are on the subject of my mother, you know, all those years ago, I never believed she drowned in the pool. She was an excellent swimmer.”
“Get to the point so you can get back to work,” he huffs, twisting off the white cap.
“Did you have her killed?”
“Why would I do that?” He laughs.
“You tell me. She left you, took your son, and kept me hidden.”
“She was lucky she got away with it for ten years,” he grunts.
I ball my hands at my sides. “You did kill her!”
“I didn’t admit to anything. Your mother, as beautiful as she was, was a foolish woman. I adored her and would’ve given her the world if she had asked for it.” He sets the bottle on the counter and lays the palms of his hands on the breakfast bar, glaring at me.
“If that were the case, why did she leave you?”
“Because she found out what the Leone name truly meant, and it frightened her just like it should you.”
“She saw something she shouldn’t have, didn’t she?”
“I warned her never to come to my office unannounced. She ran. I didn’t find out until after she left that she was pregnant with you. My housekeeper found her pregnancy test in the garbage.”
“She couldn’t have been too foolish if you couldn’t find her.”
“I never said she wasn’t intelligent, but her actions against her own husband were brainless, knowing what I was capable of doing. She left me a handwritten note threatening to go to the authorities if I tried to find her. No one threatens a Leone.” He stands tall, looping his thumbs in his belt.
Bile rises in my throat. He killed her or had her killed, but he’ll never admit it. “She was smart to leave you and give me her last name.”
“Enough of this shit! I need you down at the docks.”
I stride to the door and hold it open. “I no longer work for you.”
“You do, and you will, or you’ll pay the consequences.” He loses his temper, yelling as spit flies from his mouth. “I’ll find your weakness and break you.” He lodges a crooked finger in my chest.
“I don’t have any weaknesses. You beat them all out of me when I was a kid.” I gnash my teeth, wanting to choke the life out of him. “My life would’ve been better off as an orphan than being forced to live with you.”
“You are nothing without this family, and your mother did you a great disservice keeping you from me. If you’d have grown up in my home, you wouldn’t be disrespectful and soft.”
“More like my brother,” I scoff. “Yeah, he’s a real winner, alright.”
He balls his hand and raises his arm to strike me, but I clutch it in my hand before he can hit me. “You’ll never lay a hand on me again, old man,” I seethe.
“Someone needs to beat some sense into you,” he spats.
“Get out of here and don’t come back or send any of your goons!” I shove him out the door and slam it.
My head falls back, and I attempt calming breaths, but it doesn’t ease my anger one bit. I want him to pay for my mother’s death, and knowing my father, he writes down everything he’s ever ordered and keeps it locked away in his safe. I’m itching to get my hands on it.
I’m not naive enough to think he’ll just let me saunter away into the sunset without repercussions for deserting the Leone name. The last time I tried, when I turned twenty-one, he had one of his men beat me with a whip. I carry the scars to prove it, and I’m not talking about the scars on my back that were added to the ones my father had already branded me with for not changing my last name. I also knew there’d come a day I’d try again. I’m just sorry it’s taken me this long. My father’s sins will always be on my shoulders, but my own will dwell deep in my soul.
