Chapter Six

Matthias Delgado

(One Year Ago)

I watch her move through the crowded woods. Teenagers having their last hoorah before entering what they assume is adulthood are all over the fucking place. We have been partying up in these woods since we could get our hands on alcohol, but I have never seen her before.

Long hair as black as night and an ass that looks delectable in her skinny jeans. She is wearing a white blouse that is cut low enough to show off her ample cleavage. I've had my gaze glued to her for the better part of fifteen minutes, trying to see if she's here with a guy or not.

"What are you looking at?" my best friend Ashe asks as he hands me the bottle of tequila we've been passing back and forth between us.

"Do you know who that is?" I ask him, tilting my head in her direction.

"No idea. She could be from one of the towns nearby. Does it really matter? You're with Amber."

Just hearing her name has me pissy all over again. I have an epic problem with authority, and being forced to do anything grates on my nerves. But Amber is something I have to do. When we start college we will officially be dating. It has all been planned out. Date for four years, get engaged, then married. And one day I will be king of the underworld, ruling both of our fathers' empires.

"I'm not with Amber yet."

"Well, then, you better go get her because the vultures are circling." Ashe gestures in her direction.

Paul, the high school team quarterback, has one of her arms in a grip that she clearly doesn't appreciate. I'm on my feet and barreling through everyone before I can even think about it. I plan on planting my fist squarely in his face but at the last moment, she whips her head around and catches my gaze.

The clearest baby-blue eyes stare at me, begging for my help. I don't want to scare her, so instead, I wrap my arm around her body and pull her into my side, placing a kiss on top of her head.

"Sorry I'm late, babe." I glare at Paul's hand, and he quickly releases her.

"Matthias." He nods in acknowledgment. "I didn't know she was your girl."

"Now you know. But it doesn't matter whether she is or not. No means no, Paul."

I'm livid beyond measure. I can feel her body shaking against my side. My hand tightens on her shoulder, and she burrows deeper into my hold.

"You can go now," I seethe in Paul's direction, but my gaze is firmly glued to the girl in my arms.

Leading her behind a tree, I remove my arm and step away, allowing her some space. "Are you okay?"

"Thanks to you." She smiles shyly.

"Are you here alone?" I fucking really hope she says yes. I might lose my mind if there's a man waiting for her somewhere and not looking after her. "Do you need help finding someone?"

"I was supposed to meet my friend, but she canceled last minute. I was already here so I figured why not?"

Her voice is soft and melodious. My cock is hard at the thought of hearing her say my name as I bury my cock as deep in her as I can go.

"There are worse things out here than Paul. You really shouldn't be alone." I take a step toward her, backing her against the base of the tree.

"Will I be safe with you?"

Her gaze takes in my face, noting everything. A smirk curls my lips as I tangle my fingers into her silky, dark tresses.

"Most definitely not."

And then I do what I have been thinking of doing since I first laid eyes on her. I kiss her.

****

Kaelie Carter

His lips are firm but gentle. The kiss invades every one of my senses. The loud music and voices around us fade. I feel him everywhere, his hand twisting my hair, angling my head so he can kiss me better, deeper. His other hand is on my hip, holding me flush against his body, his erection pushing into my stomach.

A sound I swear to God I have never made falls from my lips.

"Shit." He pulls away from me and for a reason I can't explain I want to pull him back. "Sorry."

He looks torn, the same way I feel. "You don't have to apologize."

"I had no right to kiss you."

"I didn't stop you."

He grins once more, and I swear my ovaries contract at the sight. This man is trouble with a big ass T.

"Come with me?"

He holds out his hand and I don't even hesitate to place mine in his. He pulls me along behind him to a massive dark-blue pickup truck. Opening the passenger-side door, he boosts me into the seat before closing the door. I watch him walk over to another man, they talk for a minute before doing the side hug guys do, and then he is in the truck beside me.

He stares at me for long moments before speaking. "I'm going to drive us to the lake. I want to spend some time with you. If you don't want to go or if you feel uncomfortable, all you have to do is say so."

"Okay."

"And you don't have to do anything you don't want to. This isn't about sex."

This is crazy. A man just accosted me and now I'm in a truck with a total stranger, ready to go anywhere with him. I just had my first kiss, and I don't even know his name, but I do know that I need to make the best of tonight. It's my eighteenth birthday, my first night of freedom away from my parents, and probably the only chance I will ever have to throw caution to the wind.

"You don't want to have sex with me?" I ask. I regret the question immediately.

"Fuck me," he groans resting his forehead on the steering wheel.

I wait long minutes, but he doesn't say anything, he only breathes harshly in the silent cab. I really misread this situation. I thought all guys his age were looking to get laid. Maybe he isn't attracted to me after all, even though with the way he was kissing me I was sure he was into me.

"Never mind," I say, embarrassment swimming through me.

Grabbing the handle, I start to open the door but he quickly stops me. I find myself lifted into the air with ease and settled on his lap, straddling his thighs. His erection presses against my sex through both our jeans.

"Of course I want to fuck you," he says in a low voice as his lips kiss along the column of my neck. "But I would at least like to know your name and where you're from."

"Kaelie," I moan. "My name is Kaelie."

"I'm not doing this here," he mumbles, his hand slowly undoing my blouse and allowing him access to my breasts.

"Then you need to start driving."

"In a minute."

His rough fingers pull down on one of the lace cups of my bra. The moment my breast spills free he takes my nipple into the wet heat of his mouth. My hips move of their own volition, seeking out friction. It's all too little and too much at the same time.

The orgasm hits me out of nowhere, sweeping through my body like wildfire and leaving my limbs feeling like jelly. My breathing is still ragged as the aftershocks leave my body.

"I need you to move over so I can drive. After seeing you come from nothing more than a little dry humping, I need to find us somewhere to be alone."

Gingerly, I move off his lap and watch him white-knuckle the steering wheel as he drives away from the party. His chest rises and falls as he stares straight ahead, hyper-focused on where he is going.

But the moment the truck comes to a complete standstill beside the lake, I'm back on his lap, my fingers tangled in his hair, and our lips fused together. His hands are everywhere, kneading and caressing parts of me I never thought I would find erogenous.

"You're going to be the death of me," he mumbles once he pulls away.