Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Iris

I text Allegra back immediately, sensing her urgency.

Be there soon, babe. We'll make it a good day, promise. Bringing reinforcements.

I add the wine and heart emojis, hoping to lift her spirits.

Poor girl sounds miserable.

Slipping on my favorite leather jacket and grabbing my keys, I head out to stock up on supplies.

I make it to the liquor store in no time, but carefully drove on the roads.

They’re really starting to get slick and I’m not exactly the best snow driver.

I browse the aisles, debating between reds and whites.

Maybe some rosé?

Eh, let's be real, we're not picky.

I grab a few mid-priced bottles that look drinkable and toss in some chips, salsa, and a pack of Allegra's favorite chocolates for good measure.

As I'm unloading my basket at checkout, a low whistle pierces the air behind me.

The hair on my neck prickles.

I know that sound.

"Well, well. If it isn't Iris Marie Ashton," a smug voice drawls.

Slowly, I turn to face Lyon, all cocky stance and shit-eating grin.

He looks me up and down appreciatively, like I'm a prime cut of meat. Asshole.

"Fancy running into you here," he says, slinking closer.

His fingertips graze my arm and I jerk away reflexively.

"Don't touch me," I hiss through gritted teeth.

Lyon holds his hands up in mock surrender, but his eyes glint with cruel amusement. "Touchy, touchy. What's the special occasion?" He nods toward my stash of alcohol and snacks. "Drowning your sorrows? Or wait, no, let me guess... Got a hot date with the boss man himself?"

I glare at him, hands curling into fists at my sides. "Not that it's any of your damn business, but I'm hanging out with a friend. You remember what those are, right Lyon? Or wait, I forgot. You don’t have any."

He barks out a harsh laugh. "Oh, I bet you are. Careful, sweetheart. I know exactly what kind of 'friend' Viper keeps around. And here I thought I was lending you to him out of the goodness of my heart."

Rage boils in my veins.

The fucking audacity of this prick.

I want to scream that I'm not his girl, that I don’t belong to him, but how many times do I have to say it?

I square my shoulders and look him dead in the eye. "You don't own me, Lyon. You never did. So stay the hell out of my business and let me live my life. We're done here."

Snatching my bags, I turn on my heel and march out, even as my heart pounds wildly against my ribcage.

I made a promise to Allegra and I intend to keep it.

No one, not even my sleazeball ex, is going to ruin our day.

I just pray I can get my treacherous emotions in check before facing Viper again.

Otherwise, this little girls' day might end up being anything but friendly.

With a deep breath, I crank up the radio and peel out of the parking lot, heading towards the billowing storm on the horizon that is Viper and Allegra’s home.

Flurries of snow fall down on my sleek red Miata as I carefully drive down the snow lined streets toward Viper and Allegra’s.

My Miata isn’t exactly the best in the snow, but so far, so good.

Allegra's desperate text from earlier still echoes in my mind:

I need you, I can't stand being in this fucking house right now

My stomach twists with concern for my best friend.

What the hell is going on over there?

I pull up to the sprawling log home, all rustic charm while oozing money.

Before I can even knock, the door swings open.

And there he is—Viper.

Those piercing blue eyes lock onto mine, making my breath catch.

Damn him and his brooding, dangerous aura.

He doesn't say a word, just turns and stalks away, leaving me standing there flustered.

God, what's his fucking problem?

"Iris! Thank God you're here," Allegra cries out, bounding down the sweeping staircase to envelop me in a fierce hug.

Her wild red curls tickle my cheek.

"Hey, I came as soon as I could. What's up?" I ask, searching her face.

Stress lines cover her usually vibrant features.

She glances around furtively before whispering, "I can't take it anymore, Iris. This house, my dad, everything. It's suffocating me. I came here for a good holiday break and look what’s happening."

I rub soothing circles on her back. "I'm here for you, babe. Why don't we go up to your room and you can vent to me about it?"

Allegra nods gratefully and links her arm through mine as we ascend the stairs.

I can feel Viper's intense gaze burning into my back with each step.

The tension radiating off him is palpable.

We settle cross-legged on Allegra's plush king bed, surrounded by her eclectic decor—band posters, crystal collections, stacks of poetry books.

She sighs heavily. "I love my dad, I do. But ever since he got out of prison, he's been so overbearing and controlling," she confesses, fidgeting with an amethyst pendant. "I'm 18. I’m not a child anymore. I need freedom."

"I totally get it," I reassure her. "He missed out on seeing you grow up, so he probably doesn't know how to deal. Have you tried talking to him about giving you some space?"

Allegra scoffs. "You've met my father. Talking isn't really his strong suit. It's his way or no way."

An idea sparks. "Why don't we have a chill girls' day here then? Face masks, trash TV, junk food—take your mind off things for a bit. I already brought some wine and some snacks, but it’s just chocolate and chips."

Her blue eyes light up. "Ooh yes! Dad can just deal. I'll go grab more snacks from the kitchen. Be right back!" She bounds out of the room.

And now I'm alone with my thoughts...and memories of Viper pressed against me, his skilled tattooed hands roaming my body.

I shake my head.

The last thing I need is to go there right now.

I need a distraction before my imagination runs too wild.

Rummaging through my purse, I pull out a sketchbook and start doodling tattoo concepts—flowers sprouting from pistols, a mermaid with a skeletal tail.

Drawing always calms my racing mind.

"An artist at work," a deep, gravelly voice startles me.

Viper leans against the doorframe, muscular arms crossed over his chest.

His black t-shirt stretches taut over his biceps.

My cheeks flush at being caught. "I need something to keep me occupied." I snap the sketchbook shut.

He pushes off the doorframe and stalks closer, his presence dominating the room. "Yes, well, it’s good to be bettering your craft. Have you given any thought to when you’ll open Ashton Studios?"

How can he even ask me that right now?

I grumble, “Not sure—especially since I’m so busy with other duties.”

"Allegra needs a friend right now," Viper states, an edge to his tone. "Don't go putting any crazy ideas in her head."

I bristle at the insinuation. "Crazy ideas? Like encouraging her to have a life outside of this gilded cage?"

His jaw clenches. "Watch it. You don't know shit about our family."

Oh, I'm just getting started.

I stand up, squaring my shoulders. "I know Allegra is miserable. And I know she deserves happiness and freedom. She’s not a puppy you can keep on a leash, Viper."

Viper takes an imposing step closer, his face inches from mine.

I can feel the heat rolling off his body. "She tell you that? Maybe you should mind your own damn business, Iris."

My nails dig into my palms.

The audacity of this man! "She's my best friend. Her business is my business, Viper. Someone needs to be in her corner."

"And you think that's you?" he growls.

I tilt my chin up defiantly. "Damn right it is."

The air crackles between us, the tension pulls taut.

Will he lash out in anger or pull me into a bruising kiss?

I almost want him to.

Almost.

Right at that charged moment, Allegra bursts back into the room, arms overflowing with chips and candy. "I come bearing snacks! Uh, what did I miss?"

She looks between us warily.

Viper drags a hand down his face and lets out a harsh exhale. "Nothing. You two... do whatever." He storms out without a backward glance.

Allegra quirks an eyebrow at me. "Whoa, what was that?"

I force a bright smile. "Just your dad being his usual charming self. Now, I vote we start this girls' day with a trashy reality show binge. Thoughts?"

As we laugh and lose ourselves in petty onscreen drama, my mind keeps wandering to Viper despite my best efforts.

His words, his eyes, his closeness.

Everything about him sets me on edge in the most thrilling, frustrating way.

Get it together, Iris.

But I can't shake the feeling that something is shifting between us.

Like we're hurtling toward... what exactly?

Oblivion?

Ecstasy?

Both?

I guess only time will tell.

For now, I'll focus on being the friend Allegra needs, the sweet, fierce soul currently giggling and throwing gummy bears at the TV.

Even if that means facing off with her formidable, dangerously alluring father.

Four glasses of wine later, Allegra and I sprawl across the plush living room rug, limbs loose and languid.

The movie plays on forgotten as we trade increasingly wild ideas between peals of laughter.

"You know what I really want?" Allegra muses, tracing idle patterns on the carpet. "A tattoo. Something badass and sexy, right here."

She taps her hip.

I sit up straighter, my eyes lighting with inspiration. "Oh my god, yes! I can totally design something for you. Hold on, let me grab a pen."

Rummaging through my purse, I pull out a Sharpie and grab my sketchbook again. "Okay, what are you thinking? Flowers, stars, a quote maybe?"

As I start sketching out possibilities, a shadow falls across the paper.

I glance up to find Viper looming over us, his jaw set in a hard line.

"She's not getting a tattoo. Allegra isn’t like us, Iris. She’s classy. She’s not an ex-con or a whore," he says flatly.

I cock an eyebrow, meeting his steely gaze head-on. "Isn't that her choice? Allegra's an adult, Viper. If she wants a tattoo, she can get one."

I don’t even say anything about the whore, or ex-con remark…but when he calls me a whore, it gets me all hot and bothered.

I’m his whore.

His slut.

His little plaything.

The air crackles with tension as we stare each other down. I've never dared to challenge him so directly before, and I can see the muscle ticking in his clenched jaw.

"Not as long as she's living under my roof," he grits out. "End of discussion."

Allegra leaps to her feet, swaying slightly.

"Fine!" she snaps, glaring daggers at her father. "I'm out of here."

Before either of us can react, she's storming toward the door, snatching her purse on the way.

The slam echoes like a gunshot in the charged silence left behind.

I stare after her, my lips parted in shock. "Allegra, wait?—"

But it's too late.

She's already gone, tires screeching against the pavement as she peels out of the driveway.

My phone chimes with an incoming text a moment later.

Going over to Jaxon's. Sorry to dip out on you.

I exhale slowly, dragging a hand through my hair.

Part of me wants to race after her, make sure she's okay.

But the other part, the part that's acutely aware of Viper's heated presence behind me, knows I'm not going anywhere.

Not when the air practically vibrates with unresolved tension, a livewire just waiting for a spark.

I turn to face him, pulse thrumming in my ears.

Our eyes lock, and I feel that spark ignite into an inferno.

"Where did she go?" Viper demands, his voice a low rumble that sends shivers down my spine.

I swallow hard, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. "She texted to say sorry for bailing."

The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, but I force it out anyway. "Didn't say where."

His eyes narrow, and for a moment I'm certain he sees right through me.

That he knows exactly where his wayward daughter ran off to.

But he doesn't press the issue, just takes a step closer, crowding into my space.

"I don't like it when you undermine me," he says softly, dangerously. "When you disrespect me in my own home."

My breath hitches, trapped in my lungs.

He's so close now I can feel the heat radiating off his body, smell the intoxicating scent of his cologne.

It makes my head spin, sets my nerve endings alight with a different kind of anticipation.

"Yeah, well, I don't like being this fucking horny all the time," I shoot back recklessly. In for a penny, in for a pound. "Knowing you're right there, but not being able to do a damn thing about it."

Viper goes preternaturally still, a jungle cat poised to strike.

His dark eyes glitter with banked hunger, with the promise of retribution.

Pleasure and pain inextricably entwined.

My heart pounds wildly against my ribcage, desire and trepidation warring for dominance.

I know I'm playing with fire, goading this dangerous man.

But god help me, I want to be consumed by his flames.

I want him to burn away every last shred of my self-control, until nothing remains but desperation.

Until I'm writhing against his sheets, begging for the sweet relief only he can provide.

The very air seems to shimmer between us, heavy with expectation.

With a baited breath, I wait for Viper to make his move, to cross that final line into uncharted territory.

And then he does.

In one fluid motion, Viper hauls me up against his hard body, crushing his lips to mine in a brutal, claiming kiss.

I moan into his mouth, my knees nearly buckling at the onslaught of sensation.

His tongue demands entrance and I grant it eagerly, the slick slide against my own sending licks of heat straight to my core.

Large hands grip my hips possessively, pressing me into the thick ridge of his erection.

"This what you want, baby girl?" he growls against my throat, nipping sharply at the tender skin. "Want me to fuck this tight little pussy 'til you scream? Wring every last drop of pleasure from this sexy body?"

"God, yes," I gasp, rocking shamelessly against him, chasing the delicious friction. "Please, Viper...need you so bad..."

With a muttered curse, he spins me around and bends me over the arm of the couch. Cool air washes over my heated skin as he rucks up my skirt, exposing my thong-clad ass.

Viper's palm cracks across one cheek, the burst of pain only stoking my arousal higher.

I cry out, arching wantonly into his touch, silently begging for more.

He answers with another stinging swat, then soothes the sting with a deliberately slow caress. "So fucking perfect," he rasps, hooking his fingers in my skimpy panties and tearing them away. "Gonna ruin you for anyone else, Iris. Mark this sweet cunt as mine."

The filthy promise in his words sets me aflame, has me dripping with need.

I spread my thighs shamelessly in invitation, baring my most intimate places to his penetrating stare.

"Yours," I agree mindlessly, too far gone to care about the consequences. "All yours, Viper. Just fucking take me already!"

He notches the broad head of his cock against my entrance, teasing me with the barest hint of pressure.

I whimper in protest, trying to push back onto his thick length, but he holds me firmly in place.

"Beg me for it," Viper commands, his voice rough with barely leashed control. "Wanna hear how much you need my dick splitting you open. Beg me like the whore you are."

"Please," I sob brokenly, dignity long since abandoned. "Please fuck me, Viper. I'm aching for you, so empty...Fill me up, make me forget my own name. Fuck me 'til the only thing I can remember is how good you feel inside me!"

With a harsh groan, he thrusts forward, impaling me on his rigid shaft in one powerful stroke.

I scream at the sudden intrusion, eyes rolling back at the exquisite mix of pleasure-pain.

Viper sets a relentless pace, pounding into me with deep, jabbing thrusts that seem to reach my very soul.

The obscene slap of skin against skin fills the room, mingling with our ragged pants and moans.

"Take it," he snarls savagely, punctuating each word with a brutal snap of his hips. "Fuckin' take my cock like you were made for it. This greedy little hole was meant to be stuffed full of me."

I can only whimper in mindless agreement, lost to the hot drag of his thickness against my fluttering walls.

Every nerve ending sparks with ecstasy, my clit throbbing in time to his thrusts.

Viper reaches around to circle the swollen nub, calluses rasping deliciously against my hypersensitive flesh.

I’m about to break, hovering right on the knife's edge of my orgasm.

"Gonna come on my cock, baby? Soak it with your sweet cream so I can lick you clean after?" His filthy words are my undoing, sending me flying into oblivion with a ragged scream.

I convulse around him, my pussy clenching rhythmically as wave after wave of mind-numbing bliss crashes over me.

Distantly, I feel Viper stiffen behind me, his own release pulsing hot and wet against my spasming walls.

Boneless, I slump against the couch, aware of nothing beyond the thrum of satisfaction suffusing my spent body.

Viper gathers me close, pressing tender kisses along the back of my neck.

"Jesus, Iris," he murmurs, sounding as wrecked as I feel. "You're gonna be the death of me, I swear..."

But if this is how I go, wrapped up in Viper's strong arms, still joined so intimately?

Well, there are certainly worse ways to meet my maker.

I've always thought I was built for a life on the fringes, the eternal outsider.

Yet here I am, in the arms of a convicted felon who's just as scarred as me... and I've never felt more at home.

"I want your cock in my ass," I purr, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him. "You're so big and thick... I want you to fuck me there, Daddy."

Viper growls low in his throat, his grip on my hips tightening. "That's it, baby, tell me what you want."

I moan, the sound muffled by the couch cushion. "I loved it when you spanked my ass, when you made me beg for more. And then when you..." I trail off, my cheeks flushing with arousal.

A triumphant grin tugs at his full lips as he pulls out of me, gently laying me down on the couch while he cleans us both up with the discarded shirt.

He chuckles, and I can picture that cocky smirk on his face. "I like that." He straddles my hips, fingers tracing the bruises he left on my ass cheeks. "Tell me, princess, do you want more?"

With a mischievous smile, I bite my lip and arch my back. "Fuck my ass until I’m screaming for you to stop."

Viper grins, the predatory gleam in his eyes sending a ripple of anticipation down my spine. "You're a naughty thing, Iris," he purrs, his voice roughened by desire. "But I'll give you exactly what you want."

He pulls away, leaving me wanting and yearning for his touch once more.

He disappears into the other room but is back before long.

In one hand he holds a bottle of lube, and the sight of it has my heart pounding in my chest.

"Lube up your fingers," he commands, tossing the bottle onto the couch next to me. "And get that pretty little ass ready for me."

I do as he asks without hesitation, uncapping the bottle and coating my fingers with the slippery liquid.

I watch him through heavy-lidded eyes as I reach behind myself and begin to stretch my own entrance.

Viper's breath hitches audibly at the sight, his gaze intent and dark with lust.

In a blur of movement, Viper is suddenly hovering over me, his body pressed against mine as he takes the bottle from my hand and pours more lube onto his fingers.

He replaces mine with his own, sliding them into me with practiced ease.

I moan at the feeling of being filled once again, my body responding eagerly to his touch.

"You like that, don't you?" he growls, curling his fingers inside of me and hitting all the right spots. "You love having your ass stretched open for me."

"Yes," I gasp, my hips bucking against him in search of more friction. "Please…. Daddy…."

Viper grins wickedly, removing his fingers and positioning himself at my entrance.

He presses forward slowly, giving me time to adjust to his size before burying himself completely inside of me.

I cry out at the sensation, a mix of pleasure and pain shooting through me as he fills me up completely.

He stays still for a moment, letting me get used to him before pulling out almost all the way and thrusting back in with force.

We quickly find a rhythm together, each thrust driving us both closer to our release.

Viper's hands roam over my body possessively as he pounds into me relentlessly, his grunts and groans mixing with my own cries of pleasure.

"Harder," I beg, wrapping my legs around him to pull him deeper inside of me. "Fuck me harder!"

Viper's hips snap forward with intensity, our bodies slapping together loudly as we move together in perfect synchrony.

I can feel the familiar coil building within me once again as Viper's hands find their way to my throbbing clit.

He rubs it in tight circles while continuing to pound into me from behind.

My orgasm hits suddenly and fiercely, sending shockwaves through every inch of my body.

I clench around Viper's cock, my cries muffled against the pillow as I ride out the waves of my orgasm.

Viper grunts in response, his pace becoming more erratic as he chases his own release.

He buries himself deep inside me, the tattoos on his muscular arms a blur as he reaches his climax with a guttural growl.

His grip on my hips tightens, certainly leaving marks that'll serve as remindres of our raw lust.

Releasing me, Viper collapses beside me on the couch, his chest heaving and sweat glistening on his tattooed skin.

I look over to face him, and he grabs me in one movement, rolling us onto the couch.

I shriek, "Viper!" terrified I'm going to fall.

He wraps an arm around me, pulling me closer against him, and his smile is the hottest thing I've ever seen. "You're adorable when you're scared, Iris."

His other hand finds mine intertwinned with his, the contrast between our tattooed skins fascinating under the dim evening light seeping through the window.

This might sound bad, but I can't wait for Allegra to go back to school.

When she knows about us, things will be so much easier, and I don't want to hide anymore.

Why would I want to hide the way I feel about Viper?

Especially when he makes me feel so good.