Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Landon

Listen to Give Me a Kiss

by Crash Adams

T hey’d left me.

I stared at the empty space where all of my friends had gathered—the people I chose as my family. Pain stabbed sharply in my gut, making me want to bend over and vomit. Elle believed I’d betrayed her. Gabby was filming us. Daisy was crying and looked so hurt, I only wanted to hug her and explain.

But no one had given me time. They’d shut us out, led under Max’s charge, and for the first time I realized I’d been kidding myself, believing a truthful discussion could save all of us from the fallout. Now, I knew the truth. By choosing Adam and not telling them ahead of time, I’d lost their trust.

“I don’t understand,” I murmured, swaying on my feet. “They wouldn’t listen to us.”

“Sweetheart, look at me.” I blinked and tried to focus on Adam’s face. His dark eyes gripped mine with an assurance I desperately needed. “You gotta give them time. Elle will apologize and understand. So will Daisy. And Gabby’s playing follow the leader now, she’ll also back you up.”

I chewed my lip and thought over his words. “Max is never going to let anyone forget.”

“No, he won’t. But it won’t matter. Your girls will support you—they just need a moment to sort it out. Landon?”

“Yeah?”

He tipped my chin up and studied my face. “Breathe.”

The breath suddenly whooshed from my lungs and I realized I’d been holding it in, ready to pass out. Adam’s strong arms held me tight, and inch by inch, I relaxed into him. We’d made our stand and it had blown up. But he was right. I couldn’t lose my shit and assume no one would ever talk to me again. Like any fight or explosion in our group, we needed to hold on to the drama for a while, but eventually we always came back together. Through cheating scandals, lies, and broken hearts, we seemed to seek each other out in the end no matter what happened. Usually, the dynamics were tweaked, and we found a new normal.

I needed to believe it would happen again.

“Let’s go home.”

I nodded at Adam’s words and we returned to his apartment. He poured me a shot of whisky and I drank it, feeling the warmth explode in my belly and loosen my muscles. I sat on the edge of his bed. “I never told Gabby about the kiss. Why would Elle get so upset? She was the only one who knew about us.”

“Gabby’s suspected for a long time. Maybe she was resentful we kept denying it and decided to push back. Maybe she wanted some drama in the evening. I think they’ll be ready to talk to you tomorrow when shit settles down. Come here.”

He tugged me onto his lap and cuddled me. I lay my head against his chest and breathed in his scent, my hands wrapped around his shoulders, cheek pressed into the soft cotton of his shirt. I wished I could stay in this position forever, bodies entangled, hearts beating together, a sense of homecoming beating through every cell. I knew as long as I had Adam, I’d be okay.

“I shouldn’t have expected it to be easy,” I sighed.

He kissed the top of my head. “Easy would bore us.”

I gave a half laugh. “Yeah, I guess. What about you? I’m afraid Max will poison Noah and Coop against you, especially since you’re going away.”

“Maybe. But I can’t apologize for taking what I’ve always wanted. What was always mine.”

Shivers exploded at his possessive vow. “I think they’ll find fault with that statement.”

“I don’t care. I can only apologize for how it went down. That we should’ve been upfront from the beginning. The rest? Fuck them. I got you and I’ll never be sorry for that.”

My breath caught and immediately, my nipples hardened. Guess I liked the primitive caveman approach because all my girly parts were suddenly aching and needy. As if he knew, his hand immediately slid up and cupped my breast, tweaking the hard tip with his thumb. I shuddered.

“Oh, you like that princess? You like when I treat you like my sweet little slut that I own, to do as I want?”

I tried to be bratty but the emotions of the night had left me raw and exposed. Instead, a moan escaped my throat. I waited for him to tease me about it, but he must’ve felt the same because he suddenly pressed me down on the bed and loomed over me, those seething dark eyes locking on mine and promising all the bad things I secretly wanted. I stayed silent, unconsciously begging him to wipe out all my anxiety and doubts and give myself to him.

He undressed me slow. His gaze devoured and burned as each inch of naked skin was revealed. By the time he was done, I was shaking, sensitized to the point of anguish, so when his rough hand finally touched me, I shook with need.

He bit my earlobe, then licked the delicate shell with his hot tongue. His voice was a low growl of sound. “The last time you were in my bed, I punished you for being a bad girl. But tonight, you deserve a reward. What do you want? I’ll give you anything. The moon, the stars? My dick and tongue and teeth? My body and soul?” His palms coasted over my curves, grinding against my swollen pussy, scraping his nails past my trembling inner thighs. “Ask.”

And I did—requesting the only thing I ever wanted from the moment our gazes met at the bar, and I walked past him to choose Max.

Parting my legs for full access, I slid my arms up over my head, spread out fully for him, giving him all of what he already owned.

“Everything.” A sob caught in my throat at the edgy, painful desire for him to imprint himself on my skin like a tattoo, a permanent brand and reminder of who I belonged to. “All of you. No holding back.”

He stilled. Studied my face as raw emotion flickered over his carved features. He half closed his eyes and blistered out a curse. When he opened them, I caught the storm of rage and hunger and possession blazing out, warning me what I asked had pushed him to the edge.

“Can you handle it, princess? Everything I dream of giving you?”

I gasped as he knocked my legs further apart and shoved his fingers inside me, pumping my channel with thick fingers, ramping me up so high and fast, the orgasm shattered over me and I cried out, barely able to choke out breaths. When I managed to re-focus, he was still waiting for his answer, deadly still.

“Yes.” My voice softened, lingered, seduced. “Please.”

His mouth crashed over mine and he devoured me whole.

Adam unleashed was a force that wrecked my entire being without finesse or apology. No, this was raw, unfiltered hunger that seemed endlessly ravenous. He took what he wanted throughout the night, not allowing me any rest or retreat, until I was a begging, writhing animal sobbing his name and clinging to him, my only shelter in the storm.

His teeth bit and his fingers bruised before bringing intense orgasms that convulsed through my body. He licked and sucked my clit until I was so sensitized, a brush of his finger would make me come again. I tasted blood on my lips. I tore at his hair and raked my nails down his back as he fucked me over and over, throwing me into different positions.

On my knees as he pulled my head back and bit my neck.

On top of him as he forced my hips to buck and twist over him until he came.

Sitting astride, face to face, while he trapped me with his grip and his dick split me apart.

It went on and on until I was weak and my throat was raw from screaming. Tears leaked from my eyes as the last of my walls forever collapsed and I knew I’d never recover from this night; the night Adam had taken everything from me and given back everything I ever wanted.

Finally, he let me collapse on the pillows and held me while I cried. He brought out a wet cloth and cleaned me, kissing away my tears and bruises. He brought me water and made me drink, then wrapped me in the covers and held me close, rocking me against his heart.

In the dark and the quiet, I whispered his name.

“What is it sweetheart?”

“Why did I get a reward?”

His voice held a smile but I was too tired to look at his face. “You did something no one has ever done for me.”

I frowned. “What’s that?”

Adam hesitated only a moment. “You chose me.” I held my breath, sensing he was about to say more. “I love you, Landon. I fucking fell in love with you the moment I saw you in that bar. It didn’t matter if you went to Max. We both know you always belonged to me. You were just making your way there.”

I tipped my chin up to study his beloved face. Joy unfurled like a blossom opening to the sun. A trembling smile broke over my lips. “About time you said it.”

He chuckled, holding me close, and we held each other as the sun came up. It was as if we were both in a protective bubble, safe from the world and our friends and the reality waiting to attack with the day.

But it was worse than I could have ever imagined.

Because when I finally opened my phone, I found the video from last night had gone viral and Adam and I were everywhere.