27. Arianne

Iflush the toilet in Halo's room, and as I do my best to wash my hands without wetting my dressings, I study myself in the mirror above the sink. What I see there surprises me. Instead of shame, I see pride. My eyes seem bright.

And even though he isn't here, I feel Halo's presence behind me.

It's reassuring.

Perhaps I should spare a thought for Patrick. I have no idea if Niro and Cat will do as Niro said, or if that was some weird coded phrase that means they are actually going to kill and bury him. But somehow, I can't muster an ounce of sympathy.

There is no goodwill, there is no remorse, and not even a hint of fear that the police will find out and come looking for me.

Because I believe Halo will protect me.

And perhaps, given I fought back a little today, I'll be able to protect myself.

Perhaps it's confidence I can see brimming in my eyes.

I slip my phone out of my pocket and text Halo. Would you think I'm weird if I told you I felt…hungry for you right now?

It takes a few seconds of dots bouncing at the bottom of my screen.

On my way. Get naked.

It feels naughty. And illicit. I shimmy my shorts down my legs and almost trip trying to pull them and my sneakers off at the same time. I yank the straps of the swimsuit off my shoulders and pull that off too.

A cool blast from the air-conditioning stiffens my nipples, and I pinch my cheeks a little. I've forgotten what it feels like to be a seductress. For too many years, I've lain down on my back, waiting for the earth to shake, and instead been told I'm doing it wrong.

I hurry to the bed and climb upon it. As the cool sheets hit my butt, I'm struck with momentary panic. How on earth do I do this?

For a second, I debate diving beneath the sheets, pulling them up to my chin, and waiting for him to join me. But I also want him to be poleaxed when he walks in the room. I want to surprise him. I climb onto all fours, but then I wonder if it makes my boobs look droopy. And maybe my pussy facing an open door isn't such a hot idea.

Rolling onto my side, I try something more like Kate Winslet in Titanic. "Paint me like one of your French girls, Halo," I mutter to myself.

My back feels too obvious.

Sitting up against the pillows, too studious.

I hear the rattle of a key in the lock and panic. So, I sit up straight and cross my legs like a kid in school, but I make sure the hair in each elastic covers my nipples and my hands cover my pussy.

A seductress who hints at the good bits better be his catnip.

But I needn't have worried. One look in Halo's eyes tells me I could have lain any which way, and I still would have been enough for him.

"Fuck, you look good enough to eat," he says, hanging his cut on the hook by the door as he closes it.

He tugs his T-shirt over his head and drops it to the floor. His boots get kicked off. Then he places his phone and wallet on his dresser. His belt makes a whipping sound as he tugs it from his jeans.

"Wait, where's Lola?"

"Rae's got her. Hands behind your back, kitten," he says, placing a demin-clad knee onto the bed.

I've never been tied up before, but I trust Halo and do as he says. Somehow, he finagles his belt so my hands are tied securely. Then he takes both pigtails in his hands and winds my hair slowly around his palms until his hands are close to my scalp. The tug tingles, and my pussy clenches.

"Hey, Jax," I say.

"Hey, kitten. I might be really fucking proud of you for keeping that crown of yours straight, but I'm still going to fuck you senseless. You okay with that?"

"It's exactly what I need."

Jax looks at me like he can't believe his good fortune. Then his lips collide with mine and there is nothing good about it.

It's dirty, and wet, and messy. Teeth collide. My lip might even bleed, but for once, the tang doesn't scare me. His hands remain wrapped in my hair as I gasp for air.

"This gets too rough, you say ‘glass,' yeah?"

"I will. But I trust you."

"You know how to make a man feel ten feet tall, sweetheart."

"And ten years younger apparently?" I say, trying to bite back a grin.

"Brat." Halo releases my hair. "Knees," he instructs, forcefully helping me change positions so I'm kneeling in front of him. He shuffles me to the edge of the bed, where he unzips his jeans and frees his thick cock. "In this bed, brats get their mouth filled. Open." He holds my chin firmly, and I open my mouth wide.

His chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. "Show me you can be a good girl too. Suck my cock, Ari."

He doesn't give me time to even think about how to approach him. Instead, he holds his cock in line with my mouth and thrusts into it, almost to the back of my throat. The groan that erupts from within him causes my clit to throb like it has a pulse of its own. It's so…hungry.

My eyes water, but I close my lips around him and suck as he withdraws before swallowing him back down.

"You know how to deep throat?" he asks, stroking either side of my throat with his hands in a move far more tender than his thrusts.

I nod, and this time, when he slides inside, I gag and swallow around him. Halo wraps my pigtails around his fists and holds my head firmly where he wants me.

"Breathe…Ari." His words come out on a grunt. His thrusts become shallower, rarely leaving the back of my throat. I feel the ridge of his head.

I look up, and my eyes meet his. They're darkened with arousal. I feel my own arousal between my thighs as the ache intensifies. I've never felt like this before. Where I have all the power. Halo may be the one moving, but it's because he needs what I am giving him right now.

To know I have the ability to turn a man like Halo into this stripped-down version of civility is…heady. I tighten my lips around him, doing my best to move my tongue against the underside of his cock.

"Fuck." Halo grunts, then pulls all the way out of my mouth. Pre-cum and saliva hang between us like the fine thread of a spider's web. "Contrary to the effects of your pretty mouth, I'm not an easy trigger. Instead, I'm hungry. Turn around."

I shunt around on my knees so I'm facing the headboard. Halo grips the belt between my hands with one of his. With the other, he places a palm between my shoulder blades and pushes my head to the bed. It's like a trust fall, but instead of falling backwards, I'm falling face first. But I know Halo won't let me get hurt.

Once my cheek hits the bed, Halo lets go.

I hear the rustle of fabric and try to wriggle so I can see.

"Stop moving," Halo says. "You hurt yourself and I'm going to be mad."

His gruffly spoken words make me smile. I feel like this would be true in all things. He needs me to be safe, even if it's from myself.

Thoughts scatter when I feel his hands on my ass before they smooth the skin of my thighs to my knees. There, he shoves, hard, and my legs open for him. But I barely have time to register the movement before his mouth is on me. His tongue ravenously dives between my lips.

I can barely make sense of the sensations as he switches between flicking my clit, lapping at my opening, and…

I gasp in anticipation as his tongue moves over my other opening in a gesture that arouses me as much as it terrifies me. "Gonna fuck you here eventually," Halo says. And while his mouth returns to my pussy, his thumb presses into my ass.

Patrick tried so often to make it work, but it always felt so damn uncomfortable. But now the sting feels good, which is a surprise. So is the gentle rubbing of Halo's thumb.

"I might let you," I say, and get a playful slap on my ass for my troubles.

"You remembering your safe word, Ari?" Halo asks.

"I am. But I don't need it."

"Even if I do that again?" His thumb pushes deeper into my ass. As he does so, his finger penetrates my pussy, and I clench around him.

I feel none of the pain I did with Patrick. Instead, every nerve ending comes alive. I feel things I had no idea it was possible to feel.

"God, you might be right," I gasp.

Jax stops everything for a moment. "About what?" He moves so I can see him.

"It feels better when you trust the person you're with."

Jax closes his eyes for a second and takes a deep breath. I see his chest expand before he leans over me and kisses me softly. "Ten. Fucking. Feet. Tall."

I know what he means. There's a give and take, a push and pull, between us. But I feel like Jax is pulling his punches because he wants to be respectful of my past. "Can I ask you for a favor?" I ask.

"Now?" he asks.

I nod.

"Go ahead."

"Can you stop holding back on me?"

He pulls me up by my shoulders so I'm kneeling facing away from him. I can feel the hardness of his cock pressed against my butt. "You think I'm holding back on you, kitten?"

I nod, my confidence growing. "I know you are. I can feel it. I can take who you are, Halo."

His hands dip between us, and Halo makes light work of undoing his belt and throwing it across the floor. He gently massages my wrists. "You want me?" he says against my ear. "You've got me."