Wretched (Never After Series)(51)

“For I have but the power to kill,” he rumbles, his arm tensing around me.

“Without the power to die,” I finish.

He slips the tip of the gun inside of me, the metal scratching against my opening, sending pricks of pain, and I’m coming, blinding lights shooting across my vision like fireworks.

His mouth is back on me quickly, holding me tightly as I shatter to pieces, my pussy spasming around the barrel of my weapon, sensation so intense my bones ache.

I black out entirely, and when I come to, I’m panting, collapsed against him with his lips pressing soft kisses to my head. I pry myself off, my body trembling as I look around.

There’s no one there.

That fucking liar.

He chuckles, and I meet his eyes, my cunt still throbbing from the aftershocks of the most intense orgasm of my life.

His hand cups my cheek and he tilts my head up to meet his eyes. “Spend the night with me.”

I try to talk. I really do. I pry my tongue from the roof of my mouth and search for more words to give. But they’ve all disappeared. And I’m tired of fighting, so I press my face into the palm of his hand and I nod, letting him be the calm to my chaos.





26





NICHOLAS





I fucked up.

And I keep fucking up. Over and over again, I think I’ll get my head on straight, and then she shows up and it all goes to shit. It was stupid to try and see Rose without the proper planning beforehand.

So I panicked.

If I lied again, who knows what would happen. And I’m not willing to gamble with my sister’s life that way. I shouldn’t have gone in the first place.

But if I told the truth…

I took a risk. Showed my hand so Eveline doesn’t search for the rest, and then I slammed her against the wall and fucked her with her gun as a means to distract her. But like usual, any time it involves Eveline Westerly, I get lost in the moment.

She’s fucking insane. But having her at my mercy does something to me, sparks a match to forgotten embers, creating a blazing inferno whenever she’s near. She makes me feel alive.

Now she’s in the bathroom of my hotel room, and I’m once again panicking, my heart beating out of my chest as I fumble with my burner phone and send a text to Seth.

Get Rose out. Now.

I wish I could say I trust Eveline, but I’m not stupid.

What the fuck am I doing?

The restroom door opens right as I shove the throwaway cell into the top drawer of the side table, sloppily hidden underneath the hotel Bible. Lying back in the bed, I pull the sheet up to my waist and place my hands behind my head, smiling at her.

“How was your shower?”

She sighs, rubbing her wet hair with a towel. “Fine.”

My eyes track down her damp body, and my cock twitches as I take her in. She always does it for me, but something about seeing her like this, bare and stripped down of all her extras, makes me feel like a caveman.

I clear my throat. “Hungry? I can order us some breakfast.”

She tilts her head, dropping both towels to the floor until she’s completely naked. My mouth dries.

“You’re being weird,” she says, slipping beneath the covers.

“Because I’m asking if you want something to eat?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know, this is weird, isn’t it? Us not arguing? I mean, I was definitely planning on causing you serious bodily harm when I came here. I’m still not one-hundred-percent sure I won’t.”

“Wow. Romantic.” I place my hand over my heart.

“Is that what you want me to be?” She tilts her head. “Romantic?”

Her question punches me in the stomach and the lighthearted energy in the room evaporates into a black abyss, leaving something heavier behind. It’s the kind of air that sits on your shoulders and presses down, making you feel weary from the weight.

“I don’t really buy into the whole ‘romance’ thing.” I reach out my hand, tucking her damp hair behind her ear. “But I like the way you make me feel.”

The corner of her mouth tilts. “Even when I’m trying to kill you?”

I laugh. “Especially then. Gives me a reason to fuck the brat out of you.”

Her tongue ring peeks out as she runs it over the top of her bottom lip. “So this is just… sex?”

My stomach heaves with nerves, and everything is urging me to tell her it can’t even be that. The truth is, if I keep fucking her, it isn’t going to be for the case, or to get an angle. It’s going to be because I can.

Because I want to.

Because I’m not sure if I can stand to be around her and not touch her.

I grab her small hand in mine, my fingertips tracing along the backs of hers. “You know it’s not.”

“Do I?” she utters.

Leaning in, I press a kiss to the side of her jaw, moving my palms to just beneath her ribs. I feel her smile as she fidgets.

My fingers trace up her sides and she laughs.

It’s just for a moment, but the sound is jolting, a thousand volts of electricity lighting me up inside.

“Do that again,” I demand.

She lifts a brow. “Do what?”

I don’t reply, digging my fingers into her torso instead, trying to force the noise from her mouth. She thrashes at my attack, yelping as her hands push against me, laughter pouring out of her as she fights against my hold. I dive down, peppering her neck with kisses, my entire fucking body floating from the way her giggles soar through the air and settle in the center of my chest.