Chapter 4

Sulien

I gripped the steering wheel so hard that my arms trembled, but at least I hadn’t set the fucking car on fire. That was a plus, right? Though, if I did set the damned thing ablaze, I wouldn’t have to bring Callie to my place.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to hang out with Callie—I did. I really did. But my apartment was located in the middle of the sketchiest part of town. Not only that, it was also a place I shared with Jace and Kane—the same guys I’d been fucking since we all moved in together.

None of us were officially dating; it was just a convenient arrangement. Having sex and cuddling with the boys helped keep the loneliness at bay without involving anyone else in our fucked-up lives. We never talked about feelings or anything like that; none of us were interested in accidentally becoming anything more than fuck buddies.

But... it felt like bringing Callie home was going to cross some invisible line. Sure, my goal for tonight was to fuck her, but I didn’t want to leave it at that. At least, I didn’t think I did.

Ugh, thank God Callie could only read minds for a few minutes a day. If she could hear all of my thoughts, she’d probably wonder what the fuck was wrong with me. I took a deep breath, glancing at Callie out of the corner of my eye. The passing streetlights bathed her soft features in an almost heavenly glow, and I tensed at the sight.

Jack Voltaris was a bona fide idiot, but as much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was right. Callie was too good for me. He’d hammered home that fact by reminding me exactly how the world saw me.

No matter what I did, I would always be the villain. Fuck, even Jace and Kane thought my heroing dreams were stupid. Something about Callie felt too pure to drag into my fucked up world, but my mind, body, and soul were all begging for me to pull her down to my level.

My brakes squeaked as we pulled into the dilapidated parking lot behind my apartment complex. The large, crumbling building stared back at us, and each cracked window felt like an insult. How the hell was I supposed to even look like I deserved Callie’s time if this was where I lived?

I killed the engine, and the car came to a shuttering stop before I risked a glance in Callie’s direction. Part of me expected to see her grimace, or perhaps she’d even verbally judge me. But she sat still as a statue, blue eyes focused on the building in front of us.

“This is it… I promise it’s nicer inside.” Or at least it should be, assuming Kane didn’t fuck it up after I cleaned earlier.

Callie’s lips thinned, and I couldn’t quite place the emotion in her expression.

“It has a lot of character,” she mumbled, almost as if she was speaking to herself.

That was a nice way to put it.

“Just don’t get out of the car yet.” I begged before stepping out.

I slammed my door shut before locking the door and jogging around to the other side. My powers may have been difficult to control, but at least I could live in the most dangerous part of the city without worrying about my safety. The same couldn’t be said for Callie. Her powers weren’t exactly reliable, and on top of that, she came from the most famous hero family in the country. The freaks around here would have a field day if they somehow managed to kidnap her.

When I got around to Callie’s door, I unlocked it and swung it open for her. Her brows knit together in confusion as I offered her a hand.

“It’s just not a good neighborhood—that’s all.”

“How bad can it be between here and the front door?” She pointed toward the building’s entrance, which was maybe two hundred feet away.

I forced a tight smile as I helped her to her feet.

“You’d be surprised.” I tried to sound calm despite my bubbling anxiety.

She studied me for a moment, then gingerly accepted my hand. I pulled her to her feet before shutting the door.

As usual, the misty air was heavy with the scent of damp concrete and stale cigarettes. Callie’s nose wrinkled slightly as we made our way to the front door with quick steps. Maybe it was just my imagination running wild, but I swore I saw a shadow shift behind us. In the name of being safe rather than sorry, I tossed an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close.

She stiffened for a beat, and I wondered if I had overstepped, but then she melted into my side. Holding her close helped ease the tension in my shoulders, but it didn’t get rid of the looming sense of dread. As we approached the door to the complex, I scanned the parking lot once more.

No people watching us. No strange shadows in the distance. We were safe, she was safe, this was fine. Still, that didn’t prevent me from stuffing her into the corner in front of me to keep her out of harm’s way while I flipped through my keys. They jingled as my hands shook—Jesus fucking Christ, how long did it take to leaf through four keys?

When I finally located the key to the complex door, I shoved it into the lock. The creaking of the door echoed through the barely-lit hallway as I held the door open for Callie.

“Ladies first.”

Callie hesitated, shooting me a look that said she knew exactly what I was doing.

I’m not a bad guy for wanting to protect you, I thought, hoping she was in my mind to hear it.

Her expression softened, and she let out a slight huff before stepping inside.

I followed at her heels, letting the door slam shut behind us. The flickering fluorescent lights saved us from the darkness outside, and that’s when I realized my looming dread wasn’t tethered to the outside. Instead, it stuck around, festering at the idea of bringing Callie into my apartment. Not just because of Jace and Kane, but because I knew it’d be well below her usual living standards.

My heart pounded a little louder with each step we took toward my apartment. When we reached the door, I hesitated. My hand remained poised in front of the handle, and I wondered if I’d be better off telling Callie I forgot my house key. If I did that, maybe we could just go hang out at her place.

… A house filled with heroes, parents, and Jack . Nope, my apartment was somehow the lesser of two evils.

With that in mind, I finally unlocked the door, bracing myself for her reaction. I was a little impressed by how clean the apartment had remained during my time away. Sure, it smelled like weed and mildew, but that was nothing new. Plus, the vanilla-scented candle on the table did a good job of masking the odors.

A relieved sigh escaped my lips as I bent down to take off my shoes. Callie followed my lead. The apartment was blissfully quiet, but I should have known this was the calm before the storm.

The second I straightened my back, rapid footsteps came clomping down the hall. Before I could even react to the noise, Jace rounded the corner, naked as the day he was born. His cock stood at attention, casting a perpendicular shadow on the wall.

“Lord Sulien is home—is that a girl?”

Jace stopped mid-stride, his brown eyes pinned on Callie. Her body became stiff as a board, and she exhaled a shaky breath as she examined the man in front of her. Jace’s long hair swayed as he shifted from one leg to the other, his cock twitching as he stared at my girl.

“Where the fuck are your clothes?” I snapped as coherent thoughts returned to me.

“ Where the fuck are your clothes ?” Jace mocked, waving his hands in the air. “You’re late, I’m horny, where do you think my fucking clothes are?”

His attention slowly turned to Callie as he extended a finger in her direction. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but Sulien’s getting fucked. You can either take your pants off or leave.”

Callie’s eyes bugged out of her head as a flush crept up her neck. She took a slight step back, hiding herself behind me. Heat spread from my chest to my face as a feeling of mortification fully sunk in. This was a complete and utter nightmare, one that got worse every time Jace opened his mouth.

“Shut. Up.” I growled, shooting him a glare.

Jace smirked, seemingly enjoying the chaos he’d created.

“What happened to wanting me to wait for you by the door? What were the exact words you used?” Jace pursed his lips off to the side and placed his hands on his hips. “Oh yeah! ‘ I want you to stay on your knees, begging for my return like the dog you are .’”

“Jace!”

Jace’s smirk deepened, and I could see the gears turning in his head; no doubt he was searching for another way to twist the emotional knife he’d lodged in my back.

“Oh, come on, Sulien.” Jace taunted before marching closer. “Normally, you love it when I’m a little mouthy.” He jutted his lower lip out into a mock pout. “Don’t tell me the little prep-school princess you brought home doesn’t know what a freak her favorite up-and-coming hero is.”

Callie clung to me a little tighter, and while I savored the feeling of her nails digging into my bicep, I hated how uncomfortable this must have been for her. Fuck—she probably thought I was some sort of sexual deviant. She wouldn’t have been wrong, but that was not the impression I wanted to give her.

“Jace, I swear to God—” I began, keeping my voice low and dangerous. But my tone didn’t faze my asshole roommate.

“What?” he interrupted. “Before you take your clothes off, she deserves to know you’re a hero in the streets but a freak in the sheets.”

My gaze narrowed, and Jace defiantly held my gaze. After an almost-lethal staring contest, Jace raised his hands and took a few steps back .

“Fine, I’ll just go fuck Kane while you play with your pretty new toy… but you’re gonna have to make this up to me.”

He was just acting up because I couldn’t say anything with Callie right there. But one thing was for sure. The second Callie left, I was going to tie Jace up, stick a gag in his smart mouth, and lock him in my bedroom closet.

I remained in my defensive position between Callie and the rest of the house until Jace vanished into the distance.

I breathed a little easier the second Callie and I were actually alone.

“He’s gone. You’re safe— “I turned to face her. “And I’m really sorry.”

Callie blinked up at me as she tried to process what just happened.

“...Is that normal?”

I ran a hand through my hair as I barked out a nervous laugh. If there had been a zero percent chance that Callie could read my mind, I would have told her it was all a fucked up prank, but I couldn’t risk her catching me in a lie.

“It—yeah, it is. But it’s not, like, weird. We just—”

“Have sex because it’s convenient?”

I nodded, trying to come up with the right string of words to explain why this was fine.

“And… it’s not, like, romantic or anything… right?”

I thought I detected a bit of an edge in the otherwise soft tone of Callie's voice, but that may have just been my guilty conscience casting a negative light on the situation.

“No, nothing like that. No romance, no strings. If we go into my room right now and have sex, they won’t care,” I assured her, before realizing what I’d just said. “N-not that I expect sex! ”

Expecting a girl to put out just because you brought her home was villain behavior. Fucking her was the goal, of course, but I’d live if she didn’t want to.

Her eyes widened before a smile curled at the edge of her lips.

“Villain behavior, huh?”

My stomach flipped.

“Please, get out of my head.” I tried to sound like I was joking, but the unease in my voice betrayed me.

Her smile softened slightly as she stepped closer, resting her hand on my arm. Her eyes searched mine—for what, I didn’t know, but I’d like to think she found it.

“It’s not that easy for me to just ‘get out of your head.’” The way she whispered drew me in closer, and I took a risk by putting my free hand on her lower back. She eagerly melted into me before continuing. “For what it’s worth, I’m not judging you. I have a similar arrangement with a few of the fledgling heroes at my parents’ center.”

Surely, her words were meant to be reassuring. But as I imagined Callie doing things like this with other heroes, ones who had their lives together, ones who could take her out to dinner without the risk of becoming homeless... a pang of jealousy shot through me. I knew it wasn’t rational for me to feel like that. Callie and I barely knew each other; we’d been talking for three days. But I couldn’t help it.

“Oh yeah?” I kept my tone light as I pulled her just a little closer. “Anyone special?”

Callie’s brow furrowed as she studied me. “Sulien, are you jealous?”

I tried to laugh her off, but the sound came out hollow.

“Jealous?” I snorted, trying to sound more confident than I sounded. “...Would it be wrong if I was? ”

Under the weight of Callie’s boundless gaze, I felt exposed. Something in the depths of her sapphire eyes made me feel like she was mentally undressing me, rifling through every fear and insecurity I kept hidden from the world.

Finally, she shook her head no.

“The way you feel isn’t wrong at all. It just means you care.” Her voice was soft and steady. “And it means that I have a hero who protects me from all the scary things, like parking lots and rogue roommates with their penises out.”

I laughed as the tension in the air dissipated, but the newfound attraction between us lingered, and I drew her in closer still.

“I guess you do.” I smirked, hoping she couldn’t feel my cock pressing against my jeans. “But… are you sure you’re okay with this? With being here? With what’s about to happen?”

But, most of all, was she really okay with me being her hero ?

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as she studied my face, growing even louder as she leaned in. She rose onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down just enough for our lips to meet. The ghost of a kiss grazed my lips, so soft that I almost wondered if my mind had fabricated it.

“If I weren’t okay with it, I wouldn’t be here.”

A subtle rosy bloom crept up her neck, and I tightened my grip on her waist, pulling her body flush with mine. The feeling of her soft curves sent a rush of heat through me, igniting a fire that I’d been trying to keep under control since the moment she stepped into my car. Our height difference, though very helpful when locating her in the lunchroom, really wasn’t ideal right now. So, in a moment of rushed judgment, I plucked her up off the floor.

Her laugh floated through the air as her legs wrapped around my waist. She held onto me for dear life as I walked us to my bedroom. There was no way in hell I was risking one of the boys walking in on this.

I nudged my door open with my foot before gently tossing her onto the bed. Her blonde hair spilled onto my dark comforter like a halo, and I watched her chest heave as I began removing my shirt. After tossing the white fabric aside, I climbed into the bed, crawling toward Callie on my hands and knees until our bodies were just inches apart. She silently reached out, softly trailing the contours of my muscles. I wasn’t as strong or bulky as all the other guys in my class, but that didn’t seem to bother her.

The way she touched me sent tingles across my body, and I was suddenly unable to deny the magnetic attraction that had been forming between us.

My lips crashed against hers as my hands roamed her body with soft caresses. She turned her attention from tracing my muscles to fumbling with the button of my jeans. I chuckled against her lips before helping take my pants off, leaving me in just my boxers.

I pulled away just enough to look at her, trying to gauge her reaction to seeing me this way. Her cheeks were flushed as she pressed a hand to her chest. By the way she looked at me, I knew she wanted this as badly as I did.

The notion of that spurred me forward, and I slipped a hand up the hem of her shirt before guiding it off her. The thin purple fabric joined the ever-growing pile of clothes on the floor, leaving Callie in nothing but a lacy bra and a pair of jeans. I placed my palm on her stomach, slowly moving it up to cup her breast before leaning in to kiss the soft flesh.

Her soft gasp was music to my ears as she arched toward me. My fingers trailed the edge of her bra. I waited for a beat, just in case she wanted to swat me away, but when she didn’t, I forced myself under the fabric. My fingers found her nipple, and I took to softly rolling it between my thumb and index finger.

Callie’s eyes fluttered shut, and the way she left herself completely at my mercy made me want her more.

She knew I was a freak. Jace had let that secret out of the bag, but she didn't know the extent, and while I wanted to make her scream for me or somehow brand my name into her tight ass, I didn’t want to risk scaring her. So, unfortunately, tonight would rest at boringly vanilla, but I could live with that, and hopefully, I’d have a chance to explore my kinks with Callie later.

With one hand still full of her breast, I used the other to undo the clasp of her bra. Part of me hoped I’d fumble a little just to make myself look inexperienced. But I undid it with so much ease that I felt a little bit like a slut.

Once that was done, I gently slipped the silky straps off her shoulders with both hands, but I didn’t remove the garment, not yet.

“Callie, this is your last chance to back down,” I warned. “If you have any doubts about fucking me, you need to tell me to stop.”

Her eyes opened, but a haze of lust had painted her face.

“I want you.” Her whisper hit me like a lit match to a box of tinder.

The heat her words sent ignited something within me, and all my restraint burned away into a pile of soot and ash.

“Good girl.” I half growled.

I fully slipped her bra off, casting it to the floor as I took in the way her body looked, wanting to burn it into my memory. The moonlight softly cascaded over her, highlighting the curve of her collarbone.

Slowly, I lowered myself to her chest before pulling her nipple to my lips. My tongue swirled around the bud, causing a moan to ripple through Callie. My cock pulsed at the sound, and I worked a hand down to the waistband of her jeans.

I popped the button open before slipping her zipper down.

I peeled the light-wash denim off her legs. Her body shifted under mine as she kicked them off. I fell back, sitting on my feet so that I could catch a glimpse of her in nothing but her panties.

I bit my lip so hard I was surprised I didn’t draw blood as my chest heaved. Every single part of me wanted tonight to last as long as possible, but the dim orange glow coming from my hands told me I didn’t have that luxury.

It was either come as soon as possible or light my bed on fire. And honestly? Mattresses were expensive.

With a low growl, I leaned in and captured her lips with mine. One of my hands slipped down her side so that I could remove her panties, and the other fumbled in my nightstand, desperately looking for a condom.

I’d thought I’d find the condom before I had Callie completely naked. Unfortunately, I was wrong. My fingers danced along random objects–paper clips, pens, and what felt like an old receipt–but no condoms to be found.

“Shit,” I mumbled, pulling away from the angel in front of me.

“What’s wrong?” She asked with heaving breaths.

Even in the glow radiating from my hands, there were no condoms. That’s when I remembered they were currently in Kane’s room.

Fuck.

I buried my face with my hands before scrubbing it with irritation. “I don’t have any condoms.”

Her lips parted, and for a moment, she looked as if she was weighing her options, and I considered asking if she’d be okay with sucking my dick if I ate her out after.

“That’s fine.” She said before laying back on the bed.

My gaze bounced around her face. “Fine as in it’s okay that we stop? Or it’s fine as in–”

I pointed to her pussy, unable to verbally mention coming inside of her.

She nodded twice. “That one.”

My lips pressed into a thin line as I weighed the pros and cons of unprotected sex. I didn’t have any STDs—I was careful about that, and I knew Callie was probably clean too. But that wasn’t my biggest concern.

I had a heroing career to focus on, and Callie had her own plans. If I got her pregnant, not only would it fuck our futures up, but we barely knew each other, which was a terrible start to having a child.

That being said… How many people get pregnant from a one-night stand?

Probably next to none. Also, if she’s sleeping around with other heroes, she’s probably on birth control. And that meant this was safe. I used that line of thought to spur myself forward.

With her panties out of the way, I placed the tip of my cock on her cunt. She was so unbelievably wet that her arousal could be seen in the moonlight. I gripped the metal bars of my headboard as I slipped into her. She was tight and warm, and I’d almost forgotten just how good pussy could feel .

My knees weakened at the thought, and my chest heaved. Normally, I had pretty good stamina when it came to sex, but the feeling of her wrapped around my shaft was almost overwhelming.

I grit my teeth as I languidly thrust in and out of her. Each time I pushed back in, it felt like her body beckoned me closer, like she was taking me deeper each time. Her back arched as she let out a low moan, and I buried my face in her neck.

My canines sunk into the space between her neck and shoulder, and she let out a sharp gasp.

I gripped the headboard tighter, using it as leverage to thrust harder, faster. Callie’s nails dug into my back as she wrapped her legs around me, pulling me even closer. The heat between us was unbearable. It was like a spring coiling around my body: every muscle, every nerve, every thought.

“Sulien.” She panted as she twined her fingers into my hair.

My name rolled off her tongue like a prayer, and every ounce of restraint I had vanished. I plunged into her one last time, completely losing myself in the nirvana that was Callie.

Her body jerked as she eased into an orgasm, and the tension in my body snapped. A wave of pleasure crashed over me, leaving me to white knuckle my headboard, the metal beneath my fingers growing dangerously malleable as I lost control of the fire flaring just below my surface. For a second, I was afraid I’d melt it, but I was able to reign myself in.

My body shuddered as a few more pulses of ecstasy rushed from me, leaving me to pant. Once I finished, I rolled off of Callie, planting myself beside her in bed. My forehead pressed to hers as we both struggled to catch our breaths.

Someday, there would probably be consequences for this, but right now? The future didn't matter. Instead, I allowed myself to stop worrying about what tomorrow might bring. Instead, I lived in the moment between us.