Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

My entire body clenched. The words might have been spoken in a soft murmur, but the punch of authority there couldn’t be missed. Nor could it fail to make every nerve-ending I possessed wake up in anticipation.

A static tension built. Stretched out. Turned thick and hot.

But we had a problem. “Dax, I don’t know if this is the right time. I mean, after what just happened …” His thoughts would surely be on another woman, a woman who—

He snapped his hand tight around my throat and hauled me closer, causing his hardening cock to aggressively dig into my belly. His eyes blazed with warning as he said, “Do not let your mind go there. No one else ever comes into this bedroom. Only you and me.”

I nodded as much as his hold would allow. “Only us.”

The menace slowly receded from his expression. As the hand collaring my throat slid up to gently burrow into my hair, he stroked the side of my nose with his own. “That’s my good girl.”

It was insane how he could so quickly bounce from sensually gentle to roughly forceful … and back again. All that restrained violence would for certaincome back. Any moment, he could switch once more. Knowing that, waiting for it, caused an intoxicating excitement to sing in my veins.

A crackling sexual energy danced in the air. It made my skin prickle, my nipples pebble, and my pulse go haywire.

His tongue traced the outline of my lips. “All day I’ve been thinking about having your mouth on me,” he said, his pitch lowering, his words coming slower, his tone deepening. “I want to see you gagging on my cock, Addison. I want to bury it so deep I’m all the way down your throat. I want to watch you swallow every bit of come I give you. So”—he went nose to nose with me—“get on your fucking knees.”

It wasn’t voiced as a command, but the slivers of dominance embedded in his words slithered into my mind and pulled at me to obey, please, sign control over—sign myself over—to him.

My mindset shifted. Calmed. Settled. Became centered on him.

If he hadn’t been my first, if this wasn’t my initial introduction to sex, it probably would have felt strange to have feelings of both safety and arousal descend over me at the same time. But it felt natural and familiar to me. Put me at ease in a way I couldn’t explain. Almost as if my body had become wired for this. Wired to expect it, even.

I knelt in front of him.

The light of satisfaction in his eyes, Dax rewardingly skated the pads of his fingers over my scalp. “Now put your hands on my thighs. Good.” He lowered his zipper and fished his dick out of his boxers. Full, meaty, and long, it was a sight that made my thighs clench.

He tapped my cheek. “Open.”

The moment I did, he lodged the thick head between my lips. He didn’t sink inside, though. Instead, he palmed the sides of my face, his thumbs firm on my jaw.

“I’m going to use your mouth now,” he said in a remarkably conversational tone. “You keep your hands where they are. You don’t do anything other than suck.”

So he was in one of those moods, I realized with an inner smile. There were times he’d want me to lavish the same kind of attention on his cock that he often did on my pussy. Other times, he wanted full control.

No warning, he shoved his dick into my mouth. His eyes going hooded, he let out a sigh of pure male contentment. As if he truly had been waiting for this all day.

Then, well, he went for it. Plundered like a goddamn savage. All the while, his eyes remained locked on the sight of his cock disappearing into my mouth again and again.

I kept my lips tight around him. Lips that soon began to heat and throb from the insane friction. Every thrust was just so fast, so forceful, so positively feral.

“This is what you get for having a mouth that’s made for fucking.” The merciless statement was so softly spoken it came out sounding almost sympathetic.

His thumbs dug into my jaw as his hips harshly snapped forward, cramming my throat with his dick.

As always when he did that, panic clawed at my lungs. I pricked his thighs hard with my nails, my instincts screaming at me to pull back.

Dax stilled. “Breathe, baby, you’re fine. Through your nose, that’s it.” He withdrew and then thrust back down my throat. “Just a little deeper, you can do it.” He reared back once more and then buried every inch of his dick so deep I instinctively swallowed around him. He bit out a harsh expletive and then went about fucking my throat.

My lungs burned. My eyes welled up. My throat felt seared. And soon enough, he broke, forcing me to swallow every blast of his release.

Breathing hard, he withdrew his cock. Looking down at me through sex-drunk eyes, he breezed his thumb over my swollen lips. “Perfect,” he rasped, his tone close to reverent. “Up.”

My own breathing ragged, I stood. “My knees are not a fan of this hardwood floor.”

“They’ll get used to it.”

I felt my brows hike up in affront. “They’ll—”

His mouth took mine, kissing me with raw carnality and open possession. It was drugging. Wicked. Heart-poundingly dominant.

I fell into it, a willing addict, wanting more. So much need beat at me. I was wet, aching, and felt a little drunk from both the dizzying anticipation and the rush of chemicals in my system.

He kept on devouring my mouth as we pulled off each other’s clothes. He kissed me with so much intent and entitlement it felt like … not a claim, but a reminder of his claim.

Dax drew back. “Lie down. Spread your legs.” The words were low. Soft. Effortlessly assertive.

I did as asked, my toes curling when his eyes zeroed in on my pussy. The flame of possession in his gaze was a heady thing.

He knelt on the bed and grabbed my left ankle. “So fucking mine.” Starting from my instep, he kissed and suckled his way up the entire length of my inner leg before moving up to nuzzle my pussy. “You always smell like cupcakes here. Makes me want to eat you even more.”

I was about to explain that it was my vanilla-frosting-scented body wash, but then I gasped as warm, heavy hands pushed my thighs wider apart with an easy strength that tightened my nipples to painful proportions.

He skimmed his knuckles between my very slick folds. “Do you remember the first time I ate you out?” he asked, letting his lips graze my pussy.

“Uh, sort of. You kind of dazed me with your tongue sorcery that night.”

His low chuckle fluttered over my damp flesh. “Do you remember what I told you right before you came?”

Closing my eyes, I searched my memories. “You said it’d be fun to go down on me while I wasn’t allowed to move or make noise.” Only we’d never gotten around to trying it, thank God, because I’d never manage—

My eyelids flipped open as realization penetrated my sex-fogged brain. “No, wait—”

“Be a good little toy, stay completely still, and do not make a sound.” He gripped my ass and angled my hips toward his mouth, as if about to serve himself. “Your only job is to come as hard as you can.” He clamped his mouth around my pussy.

Using his tongue, lips, and teeth, he began a slow but expertly sensual assault and, oh man, I didn’t think this not-moving-or-speaking thing was gonnapan out.

I’d try, I really would. And I did. I remained as immobile as possible, biting back every moan and whimper, but I didn’t have much faith that I’d last.

I liked to challenge myself, liked to please him, even liked being treated as a toy. But I wasn’t certain I had thelevel of self-control required to not outwardly react to what he was doing to me.

Every lash, swipe, and stab of his velvet tongue was pure heaven. Each nip, nibble, and graze of his teeth was an extra spice. Warm breaths, low growls, and rumbly moans ghosted over my flesh, adding to the exquisite sensations.

He wasn’t rushing. Didn’t seem to be working toward the goal of making me come. No, he was pretty much meandering around my pussy. Like he had all the time in the world to play and explore. Like I really was just a thing and, as such, he had no need to care what I wanted or felt.

He licked up and down. From side to side. In circles—clockwise, anticlockwise.

Sometimes he used the tip of his tongue, other times the flat of it. Sometimes he kept the pressure soft, other times not. There was no regular pattern to follow. No way to predict what would come next.

Having no outlet for the building pleasure, being forced to bottle it all up, was not only absolutely maddening, it made me feel like I’d combust any second.

He abruptly went still, letting my clit rest on the tip of his tongue. He didn’t move. Just stayed right there like that. Because he was a teasing bastard and knew I’d be aching to buck and squirm.

Squeezing my eyes tightly shut, I clenched my jaw hard as I strived to keep my muscles locked in place.

Intolerable seconds of nothing went by, and then … “Such a perfect little toy.” He swirled the tip of his tongue around the tight throbbing bundle of nerves. “Now it’s time for your reward.”

He eased his lips around my clit and began to suckle like a master. Thank God. I felt each rhythmic pulse deep in my core, feeding the tension building there. He pressed a spot above my mound with two fingers, putting delicious pressure on my G-spot, and holy-fucking-shit it was now game over.

I came hard—fuck being quiet and still, I arched and cried out and clawed at the sheets beneath me.

“My turn.” Rock hard again, he curled over me, his eyes dark and glittering with unrestrained hunger. He hooked my legs over his shoulders, planted a hand either side of my head, and slammed his cock so deep I choked on my own breath.

“Fuck,” I burst out as the burn of being stuffed full streaked up my inner walls. Without conscious direction from me, my hands flew up to grip his taut shoulders. I dug my fingers into the hard muscle there. “You’re merciless with that thing.”

“You like a little pain. Let’s not pretend you don’t.” He very slowly reared back. “Keep your eyes on me, Addison. Don’t close them. I want you to watch me fuck you.”

All his leashed aggression abruptly poured out of him in a frenzy of brutal thrusts. Jesus Christ. Unable to move, I merely held on for the wild, exhilarating ride. Every forward snap of his hips drove his cock deep and made his balls slap my ass.

It was so hard to keep my eyes open—they kept trying to drift shut from the overload of pleasure. But I somehow kept my gaze locked on the man above me, whose own eyes would either fix on my face or stare down at where our bodies were joined.

Soon, my inner muscles began to heat and flutter from my approaching orgasm.

“Don’t,” he bit out. “Not yet.”

Fuck that, I needed to come. And I knew how to yank him under with me. I dragged my nails down his solid chest and squeezed my pussy tight around his cock.

He hissed out a curse and lost it—ramming hard, making the headboard pound against the wall. Mere moments later, my release swept up my body like a hot flush and burst over and through me, tearing a throaty scream out of me.

Dax broke, slamming his hips forward and locking his dick deep inside me. Shuddering, he ground his hips with every harsh blast of his come.

Feeling like I’d run a goddamn marathon, I sagged into the mattress beneath me—trembling, panting, utterly drained. Dax dropped my legs and collapsed over me, burying his face in my hair.

When I could finally speak, I weakly stroked his back as I said, “I should be honest with you. I know you don’t like to talk about ‘feelings,’ but it’s important you know my pussy is totally in love with your dick. It fought its feelings hard, it did, but it lost the battle.”

His lips lazily curved against my hair as his body began to shake with a silent laugh.

“I must warn you that if your cock freaks out and bails, my pussy will not react well—it doesn’t believe in divorce,” I added. “Just saying.”

His hand sweeping up my thigh and side, he spoke into my ear, “There’ll be no divorce. You gave me you. I’m not giving you back.”

“Even though my no-no parts has feelings for yours?”

“Even though.”

“Oh. Okay. Glad that’s settled.”

∞∞∞

Iwoke the next morning to the feel of something twitching against my hip. Fingers, I realized, when I forced my heavy eyelids open. Dax’s fingers. Fast asleep, he’d positioned his arm at an angle. As it happened, I’d done the same—mine was crossed over his.

Like me, he didn’t hog the bed or move around much during sleep. Nor was he in any way a snuggle bug. As such, I never woke to find that either of us had wriggled toward each other during the night. Occasionally, we might have flung out our arms in a way that caused them to incidentally overlap this way, but that was pretty much it.

Pulling my arm into my body, I rolled onto my other side and rubbed a hand down my face. I then grabbed my phone and checked the time. 7:05am. My body clock never let me sleep too long, even on Sundays.

Needing a pee, I slid out of bed, gave Dax’s solid chest a quick ogle—well, it was right there—and retreated into the en suite bathroom. Once I’d done my business, I padded back into the bedroom, unsurprised to find Dax awake and scrolling through his phone. He was a light sleeper, so I unfortunately often woke him if I left the bed first.

His mismatched eyes flicked to me, slightly glazed from sleep. “Morning.”

“Back atcha.” I rubbed at the base of my spine. “I must have been sleeping in a weird position, because my back is aching.”

“You were curled up like a fetus at one point—I only know because you woke me up muttering in your sleep.”

I frowned. “Saying what?” I did occasionally talk in my sleep, but I allegedly usually made little sense.

He shrugged. “Something about crabs and lanterns—the words were muffled.”

Crabs and lanterns? Hell if I knew what that was about. I couldn’t remember any of my dreams from last night.

“You got plans for today?” he asked.

I blinked at the unexpected question. I doubted he particularly cared, but he was making an effort to show more interest. He was trying. “I told my parents I’d stop by and see them. Mostly so that I can assure them I’m still not seeping in misery and regret.”

He reached back and slipped his hand beneath his pillow, elevating his head slightly. “Is it that they don’t expect our marriage to last, or that they don’t want it to?”

“The first, I think. They just worry about me. It’s what parents do.” I let my lips curve. “You can come with me if you want to spend your afternoon having my dad grunt, scowl, and glare at you.”

His shoulders rose and fell. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

Surprise made me pause when I went to peel the bandage off my tattoo. “You’re serious?” I hadn’t been.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you’ve never accepted an invite from me before. And I personally wouldn’t want to deal with my dad if I were you.”

“I don’t blame him for the way he’s acting. My own father still has plenty of reservations. He doesn’t voice them anymore, but it’s obvious that they’re there.”

Yeah, I’d sensed that on the occasions he visited. He wasn’t rude to me, though. The same couldn’t be said for my dad when it came to Dax. “Well, you’re more than welcome to come if you’re really prepared to put yourself through it.”

Switching my attention to my wrist, I peeled off the bandage, unable to help smiling at the sight of the dragonfly. The skin around it was a little raw, but that was normal. “What do you think?” I asked Dax, angling my arm so he could get a good look at the tattoo.

He hummed. “Caelan does good work.”

“I told him he’s my favorite brother-in-law.”

“You said the same to Drey when he gave you free tickets to his upcoming game.”

I sniffed. “I don’t recall that.”

Dax only gave me a dubious look. “What time are we leaving to go see your parents?”

“About one pm. I’ll be in my office until then.” I had a book to read that had only recently been released.

“Office,” he said, all mockery. “Right.”

Okay, so it was more of a mini library slash reading den than anything else. “Not sure I like or understand your tone.”

“Oh, you understand it. If you don’t like it, that’s your issue.”

“Rude.”

“Fact.” He braced himself on his elbows, a heat beginning to gather in his eyes. “Now get over here. Neither of us are leaving this room until I’ve fucked you raw.”

I blinked, my belly fluttering. “Sounds good to me.”

It was my mom who answered the front door when we arrived at my parents’ home in the early afternoon. Saying big hellos, she pulled me into a hug. Her brows lifted when she realized I had company. “Hi, Dax,” she greeted, genuine welcome in her voice. “I didn’t expect to see you. Come in.”

We both strolled into the grand foyer and then, at her invite, followed her into the large sitting room. There, Dane was seated on one of the sofas, his cell phone in hand, idly stroking the white Persian cat on his lap like one of those evil movie villains.

The smile he offered me quickly dimmed at the sight of Dax.

Still, I gave him a bright grin. “Hey, Dad.”

He set down both his phone and Artemis—earning himself a put-out chirp from the fluffy beast—and then stood as I crossed to him. He gave me a light squeeze before settling his gaze on the man who sidled up to me. “Dax,” he grunted.

My husband inclined his head. “Dane.”

I turned to my mom. “So much love in the room.”

Her mouth curled into a smirk that earned her a dirty look from my dad. She took orders for drinks and then headed to the kitchen.

I would have gone with her if I could have trusted that these two men wouldn’t end up arguing in my absence. Instead, I sat beside Dax on the sofa across from the identical one that Dane had claimed.

Dax draped an arm over the back of the couch, sitting close enough to me that our thighs just about touched. He and Dane indulged in a brief mini stare-out, which swiftly ended at the loud sigh I let out.

My dad’s mouth took on a sardonic twist as he stared at me. “How’s married life treating you?”

“Like I’m special.”

His jaw ever so slightly tightened. “You don’t usually bring him.”

“He missed you.”

Dane gave me one of his trademark droll looks.

“And I know how much you like surprises, so I thought I’d ask him to come along,” I added.

“Oh, you’ve been full of surprises these past couple of months,” my dad uttered.

I rolled my eyes. “Did we not talk about how marriages that aren’t built on the elusive thing called ‘love’ can actually work out in the long run?”

A sigh slipped out of him, and he sliced his gaze to Dax. “Who would you have married if she’d said no?”

That was a very good question, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. “That’s his business.”

“Can’t he speak for himself?” It was a taunt.

“No, I’ve broken his mind and he now only talks if I allow it.”

Dane sighed. “Are you capable of being serious for five minutes?”

“Yes, it just holds no interest for me at the moment.”

Right then, Vienna reentered the room with a tray of cups. Drinks were quickly passed around, and she then took a seat beside Dane.

We spoke of mundane matters, my parents eyeing me and Dax like hawks the entire time; monitoring our body language—no doubt noting that, though we only engaged in incidental touching, we were completely at ease with each other.

Dax’s hands were far from neglectful in the bedroom, but he still rarely touched me outside of a sexual context. Maybe it would be different if we were an actual couple; maybe then there’d be hugs, kisses, and some social touching—I didn’t know. I’d never seen him with any of the women he’d dated, so I couldn’t even guess.

Breaking out of my thoughts, I returned my focus to the conversation. Though Dane ceased making rude remarks and tossing out nosy questions, he didn’t let up with the glaring and scowling.

In response, Dax did what he always did. He ignored it. That was the thing—he could use silence like a weapon. Could ignore you so spectacularly it would anger you more than any insult he might give.

Though the whole thing didn’t appear to be bothering Dax all that much, I nonetheless eventually burst out, “Dad, would you please stop being an ass to him?”

Dax looked at me. “It’s fine. If we have a daughter, I’m going to loathe whoever she marries.”

I felt my brows meet. “Why?”

“Because they won’t be good enough for her,” Dax replied. “No one will. They’ll be part of her life on my sufferance, and I’ll never let them forget it.”

Dane grunted. “That’s how it should be.”

“Agreed,” said Dax.

I looked from one male to the other, my lips parted. Well, at least they agreed on something.

A short while later, while Dax was driving us back to the villa, I looked at him. “You really don’t care that my dad’s being difficult, do you?”

Slanting the steering wheel to take a turnoff, he replied, “No. I told you, I’ll be the same with our daughter’s choice of partner, if we have one. What you’re not seeing is that Dane would act this way no matter what our reasons for marrying. That we’re honoring a pact just gives him more of an excuse to be remote and standoffish.”

Huh. He had a good point there.

“I suspect my dad will be the same with whoever’s Raven’s choice. God knows I won’t be any more pleasant to him. Neither will Caelan or Drey.”

“As a silent reminder for the guy to watch his step?”

“That, and we’ll feel she can do better than him—no matter who he is.”

I wondered if Dax would still feel that way if her choice turned out to be a close friend of his. I hadn’t been able to make her talk more about Rafael. She just kept reiterating that nothing had happened between them. That I believed. But her claim that nothing would ever happen? Not so much. There was something between her and Rafael. An unexplored potential.

I hadn’t mentioned my suspicions to Dax, though. Not merely because I couldn’t back them up, but because it would only cause friction between him and his friend. And I’d rather he wasn’t at odds with a full-on criminal.

“By the way”—I scratched the side of my cheek, feeling a little awkward—“thanks for coming with me today.”

He gave me a brief sideways glance. “It mattered to you the times I didn’t do it?”

I felt my nose wrinkle. “I wasn’t upset or anything. I didn’t even wish that you would come, since my dad isn’t exactly welcoming toward you. It’s just … I want us to be a team. A unit. Support each other.”

“And you occasionally need support when you’re with your family?”

“It’s just that they usually quiz me about how our marriage is going—it’s annoying at times. They don’t need to do it when you’re there, because they can monitor us and form conclusions that way. It means I can escape the round of twenty questions and simply enjoy the visit.”

He let out a deep, thoughtful hum. Long moments of silence crept by. “I’ll go with you from now on whenever you’d like me to.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know. But I will.”

“Okay. Thanks. I appreciate it. I also won’t hold it against you if you change your mind at any point.”

He slowed the car to a stop as we reached a red light. “I won’t. Dane will get used to having me around. Until then …”

“You’ll ignore him, and I’ll toy with his patience,” I supplied.

“Something like that.”

“See, we’re already making a good team. There’s hope for us yet.”