Beneath This Mask (Beneath, #1)(25)

He brought our joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “I didn’t, but then I found something I wanted even more.”

“Oh.” It was the best I could do. I didn’t know how to respond to that. It was sort of huge. He wanted me enough to bare his soul to a perfect stranger in hopes of sorting out his issues? It was good to know I wasn’t the only one who was feeling something. Even if that feeling was dangerous to my very existence.

He nodded down at my arm. “Can I see the new tat?”

I untangled my hand from his and peeled away the gauze to uncover a black and gray Lady Justice, blindfolded, holding out her sword and balanced scales.

Simon studied it and then met my anxious gaze. “Why that?”

I gently skimmed the outline of the ink with a fingertip. It was a physical manifestation of the idea that had been percolating within me for days, and his confession about the shrink made me even more determined to go after it. He was facing his demons. It was time I did something to face mine.

One of his long, blunt-tipped fingers followed mine, tracing the lines, and I could tell he was waiting for my answer. I could only give him a vague one, as usual. “Truth. Justice. Balancing what’s owed. All good things to remember.”

His next question caught me off guard. “Where are you from? Because I know you’re not from here.”

I pulled away and headed toward the fridge. Not going there. “You want a beer?”

“Not so fast. You’re going to have to tell me eventually, Ms. Stone.” He cornered me against my sliver of counter space and cupped my jaw. “But I’ll wait until you’re ready. Right now, I’ll settle for a taste of you.” He pressed against me, and my nipples hardened. I met him halfway, twining my arms around his neck and pulling his head down. I was throwing myself wholeheartedly into this change of subject.


“You’re so damn tall.” I pushed up on my tiptoes again, trying to reach his lips. But Simon crouched, wrapped one arm around my back and one under my ass, and swept me up into his arms. I couldn’t hold in my girly squeak of surprise. He crossed my miniscule living room and sat on the love seat. I resituated myself so I was straddling him. The position rubbed the center seam of my jeans directly over the growing bulge in his pants. The pressure against my clit had me rocking slightly against him. He didn’t know it, but my hood piercing ratcheted up the ‘holy shit that feels amazing’ feeling several notches. My head dipped backward, and he took advantage, his full lips kissing along the line of my jaw and down to my neck. His fingers dug into my hips and all I could think was that I wanted him naked, inside me. I reached for the hem of my tank, pulling away so I could get it over my head.

“Goddamn, you’re beautiful,” he breathed.

I reached around my back to unhook my bra, but he stopped me with his words. “Let me.” He deftly unhooked it, and I drew it forward, off my arms. His hands were cupping my breasts as soon as they were unbound.

“I stand corrected. You’re f*cking gorgeous.” His eyes were riveted on my gold hoops. “Are they … can I?” I smiled, glad that he was as turned on by them as I was.

“It’s okay. They’re a couple months old. You can … play. You’re the first person besides Delilah who’s seen them.”

“I’m f*cking honored.” He bent his head and circled one ring with his tongue before tugging on it gently with his teeth.

Bursts of pleasure streaked through me, straight from my nipples to my clit. I groaned and rocked against his erection.

He lifted his head momentarily. “Could you come from just this?”

“I don’t know … maybe?” My words were breathy and didn’t sound like they’d come from my mouth.

He chuckled, and the low rumbling sound made me rock harder against him. I felt shameless, but it was too damn good to stop. I was so freaking glad I’d taken the leap on the piercings. Best. Idea. Ever.

“Then let’s see what we can do.”

Simon cupped my breasts, lifting them to his mouth again. Between his fingers and his mouth, I was bucking against him and coming apart in under a minute. I dropped my head forward, muffling my unintelligible sounds against his shirt.

I shuddered, letting the waves wash over me. Holy hell. I didn’t know that was possible.

When the shivers finally subsided, I realized that in my quest to stay quiet, I might have accidentally used my teeth against his shoulder.

“Omigod. I’m so sorry.”

I started to pull away, intent on climbing off him, but Simon’s hands cupped my ass and held me in place.

“That might be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Jesus, Charlie.”

He pulled me back down against his cock, and the spirals of pleasure started to twine around me once more. If he didn’t stop, I was going to come again.

“It’s … the … piercing,” I breathed.

His eyes dropped to my nipples, so I elaborated, “My hood. It’s pierced too.” I couldn’t slow my rocking hips. “So when … you … do that…” I dropped my head back and let the second orgasm roll over me.





Holy. Fuck.

Watching Charlie rock against me to get herself off was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen. So damn sexy that I thought my dick might bust right through the zipper of my jeans. I had to try to think of something else. Anything else. Anything but the fact that she had another piercing that I was dying to see. When she slumped against me for the second time, I stood, wrapped her legs around me, and headed to her bedroom. Just because I wasn’t planning to stay tonight didn’t mean that I couldn’t make her come a few more times before I tucked her into bed and went home and jacked off to the memory of how f*cking amazing she was.