19

19

STACEY

Igrip my phone, glance at the cameras again, knowing he’s watching me, and head for the grand staircase. I take two steps at a time to the west wing, looking behind me as I break into a run, and throw myself into the first spare room.

My chest heaving in both anticipation and from running in heels, I sit on the mattress, dropping my bloody wooden bat on the floor next to the bed. It feels like an eternity since I properly saw him. Yeah, he came for me at the party Chris forced me to go to, but I have no recollection of anything he said, only the feel of his arms around me while he held me on the bathroom floor.

My lips tingle, and I touch them under my mask, needing him to kiss me again.

I can’t stop smiling – I haven’t felt this… excited in so long. Although I’m being reckless, I blame the alcohol. I should be sitting him down and figuring out what we’re doing, telling him the truth, anything.

And I will.

There’s a walk-in wardrobe opposite the door, so I hide inside and wait.

A few minutes pass, and I check my phone.

But as I type a message to Kade to provoke him, the door opens, and I hold my breath.

Anticipation swirls in my stomach, and I fight the urge to throw myself out and into his arms.

It’s not Kade though. Lu bursts in, with Base following behind her. I move deeper into the wardrobe, peeking out at them from between some coats.

“Then why? What the fuck else do I need to do?”

“I already told you no. I’ve told you to stay away from me constantly, and you won’t stop! Why? Why won’t you give up?”

“Because I like you,” he admits, shrugging. “Is that not obvious?”

“You just want a quick fuck.”

He scoffs. “I can assure you, princess, it wouldn’t be a quick fuck.”

“I don’t want you. I don’t want to talk to you or to be near you.”

Base clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “If you meant that, then you’d actually block me and not message me back. If you really wanted me to stay away from you, you’d stop phoning me when you have a fucking bad day or having me fly all the way to fucking America to sleep in your bed. Do you know how much of a head fuck that is for me? I want you. I wanted you when we kissed during dares. I wanted you when we kissed months later. Cuddling in bed. FaceTiming while we both fell asleep. And I wanted you the night we spent with the other couple. Don’t you get that? It’s not a quick fuck. I want you.”

“We would never work,” she says, crossing her arms. “We can’t work.”

“Why?”

She stares at him, and I contemplate revealing myself. It feels wrong to be here without them knowing. I knew Base was obsessed with Lu, and they do act shifty sometimes, but she never once told me or Tylar she had him fly over and cuddle her in bed, that she cries to him on the phone, that they… I don’t even know what he meant by the other things.

“We have very different lives, Sebastian. I would never fit into yours.”

“How so?”

“Your grandfather wants you to take over the family business. He wants you to marry a Russian princess. I’m not even Russian! Do your friends know you have strong ties with the mafia? Do you really think my dad or brother would allow me to be with you?”

“Don’t use that against me. You know where I stand with it.”

“And you know where I stand with it. Therefore, we won’t work.”

“Tell me why,” he says, pulling off his mask and tossing it on the bed behind her. “Give me a good reason and I’ll stop. I mean it. I’ll delete your number; I’ll stop contacting you. You can find someone else to unload on when you’re feeling down.” He takes a step forward. “I’ll give up. I promise. Just give me a good reason.”

“It’s wrong,” Lu says, her voice shaking. “You’re my brother’s best friend.”

“Kade doesn’t give a shit. Give me a real reason.”

Lu drops her head.

“One good reason. That’s all I want. I’ll leave you alone.”

Luciella doesn’t respond. Base takes another step towards her, pulling off her mask and dropping it next to my… Oh God. I left my bat. This entire night has just plummeted. Instead of Kade hunting me, I’m stuck in a damn wardrobe, and there’s a chance I might witness my friend fucking Base.

If they start, I will burst out of here and cover my eyes while spewing apologies.

“Answer me, Ella.” Base cups her cheek. “One. Good. Reason.”

“Our first kiss was a dare, and the second time was a mistake. Everything else between us was platonic. You didn’t touch me during—” She stops, her nostrils flaring, then she pulls away from him, putting distance between them. “Don’t touch me.”

Base pinches the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what else to fucking do here. Do you just not give a fuck about me, is that it? I’m your shoulder to lean on, right?”

“Don’t.”

He shakes his head. “Do you want me to stop? Do you want me out of your life for good?”

Silence. Dammit, Luciella, you know you like him! I want to yell at her, but I stay frozen in place, watching this unravel. I’m shocked Kade hasn’t barged in yet.

Maybe he knows I’m trapped in here and that his sister and best friend are currently in the middle of an… argument? I don’t know what this is.

“Tell me right now to stop and I’ll walk out that door and forget the obvious chemistry between us. I’ll cease all contact. Just say the word and I’m gone.”

Lu hugs herself, and I really want to break out of here and cuddle her, to tell her that it’s okay. I feel horrible that I’m witnessing all of this without them knowing.

Base goes to her again and tucks a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. “Princess…”

“I can’t,” she says, closing her eyes. “I can’t.”

“Then say the words and I’m gone.” He strokes his thumb across her cheek gently. “You’ll never have to deal with me again.”

“I want…” She clears her throat, her jaw shaking as a tear slips down her cheek, and she closes her eyes and presses her cheek into his palm. “I want you to stop,” she replies quietly, opening her eyes up to him. “Please.”

He lets her go and takes a step back, nodding. “Right.”

“I’m sor—”

Base is gone before she can finish, the door slamming behind him.

Lu is silent, chewing on her painted red lips before blowing out a breath, wiping under her eyes and closing them. “God, you’re such an idiot, Luciella,” she mutters to herself, sniffing and grabbing her mask. “Such a goddamn idiot.”

Revealing myself will put her in a position I don’t want to put her in. She’ll feel the need to explain, but she’ll tell me when she’s ready. If there’s anything to tell.

She walks to the door, stops and takes a few breaths, plants a fake smile on her face before it drops again, then puts on her mask and vanishes.

My phone vibrates as I push out of the closet.

Kade: You can’t hide in there forever.

I grab my bat, sneak out of the room and slowly make my way through the wing. The main stairway has a couple at the bottom and a very drunk girl on the phone with someone. I go to the left wing, nervously checking each room – walking in on people fucking and shouting an apology before slamming the door.

The lights in the hallway cut off when I reach the furthest part of the manor. I spin around, unable to see a thing, my heart racing. “Hello?” I call out, getting nothing in return. “Bathroom” by Montell Fish starts playing in the distance, and as I hear a door slam behind me, I scream and run as fast as I can in my heels.

I manage to get to the stairs, but instead of going down, I climb them to the top floor, rushing down the left wing again, my bat still in hand.

There, the lights cut off as well, and I press my back to the wall, breathless and hating how tight my corset is as my heart rate accelerates to a dangerous level. Fear and excitement engulf me, yet between my legs is soaked, and my core pulses as a shadow appears from around the corner.

Deep, dragged-out inhalations, the bright ember of a cigarette burning bright as he comes towards me, blowing the smoke in a cloud above him. I gulp, wet my lips and bite the bottom one.

One step. Two. Another. Slowly, he closes the distance between us, and slowly, butterflies go from fluttering to causing absolute chaos deep within me. But I’m not ready to be found – I’m getting a hot thrill from the chase.

I press the tip of the bat to his chest, stopping him in his tracks, and I back away. “Not yet,” I say. “You’re not getting anywhere near me unless you put in some effort.”

He tilts his head, and God, it shouldn’t be hot, the silence from him, but it is.

The more I back away, the less I see of him in the dark corridor. Until the only things reminding me that he’s really there are the sound of his breaths and the bright ember burning.

We’ve never done this before. Sure, he chased me through the manor grounds once, but not with the intent to fuck me. Plus, I doubt I’m going to be getting it slow and gentle.

Once I know he’s going to give me a head start, I run again. I get to the second floor before I need to catch my breath.

My phone dings.

Kade: If you keep heading downstairs, people will see us. I think you really want them to witness you getting your ass fucked.

Me: You’d need to catch me first, dickhead.

I scream and drop my phone as strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and yank me off my feet, pushing me into a spare room and slamming me into the door to close it. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to show he can dominate me as my chest pushes against the hard surface. He snatches my wrist, squeezing until I drop my bat, and plasters himself to my back.

He grabs one of my ponytails and wraps it around his fist, holding me in place as he slips his gloved hand up the front of my corset, capturing my throat.

“You found me,” I whisper, my voice betraying me as it shakes. Instead of trying to get away, I arch my back, pushing my ass against the obvious hardness. “What now?”

He lets go of my hair and grabs my wrist, pinning it above my head, then does the same with the other. He uses one hand to hold them in place, the other sliding down my back, over the tulle of my tutu, and pulling my tight girl boxers down over my ass.

Tingles explode as he lowers his masked face to my shoulder, heavily breathing, letting out a low groan as he kneads my ass cheek, sliding the leather of his gloves between my legs, my clit throbbing as he glides over my wetness, pushing a finger inside an inch then dragging my arousal over my back hole.

I stiffen, even though I want him to keep going.

“Relax,” he warns, his voice muffled through the mask.

I let out a whimper as he eases the tip of his finger inside, the tightness making me both moan and tremble. My fingers curl into my palms as he pushes in and out at a slow pace, getting deeper and making my head fall back against his chest.

My body is on fire as he picks up the pace, my moans drowning the faint music filling the darkness of the bedroom. Will he replace his finger with his cock? We only ever tried anal once, and he stopped because I was far too nervous, yet now, I want him to yank me from the door, bend me over and drive his cock so hard into my ass, I’ll break my voice box from screaming.

Swirls of warmth wrap around my spine, and I push against his finger with each thrust. My inner thighs are soaked, and after a minute of him patiently waiting for me to relax, he pulls out then pushes two fingers inside. My toes are curling in my boots, and I can barely stay standing.

He pants as he releases my wrists and pushes my skull into the door as he goes harder, faster, deeper. I’m screaming. Begging for more. Crying out for Godand Kadeand everything as my ass grips his fingers, my pussy pulsing and clenching with each wave as my orgasm nearly knocks me out.

I wince as he pulls his fingers out, and I nearly collapse against the door, but he catches me, turning me around to face him.

He pulls his hood down, his dishevelled hair nearly as dark as his blackened heart – my vision still distorted from the euphoria running wild in my veins. Sliding his mask up, and then mine, his eyes darken with possessiveness. “Ty moy, Vesnushki.”

“What does th—”

Kade grabs my throat and kisses me into silence.

Our bodies touch, the vibrations unbearable. It’s mind-bending, having him so close to me. He swallows my gasps, tastes the alcohol on my tongue – devouring me.

He kicks my ankles apart, and a shiver scatters through me as he presses himself between my legs. Hard, thick and ready. The heat from his cock is right at my core, and I need all the barriers gone. A moan rumbles between us, and I’m not sure who it came from. I give him back as much as he’s giving me, and then he’s pulling us away from the door and my back hits the mattress.

Kade’s mouth is on mine again.

Pure lust and adrenaline inject into my veins as I lie beneath the devil, waiting for him to consume me until I’m no longer able to breathe, no longer capable of stringing words together. I wait for him to kiss my throat, nip the sensitive flesh with his teeth and fuck me into oblivion.

Kade Mitchell is a glitch in my system. He was never supposed to be in my life. I was never supposed to sneak behind my friend’s back to take all of his firsts as I handed him mine. We were never supposed to fall in love and travel the world together. We were supposed to fuck each other until we passed out though. No matter how secretive and messed-up our lives are, holding us both back from what we want, sleeping together without anyone knowing works.

It works pretty well. I can’t make myself orgasm the way he’s had me submitting and unravelling in the past – taking away every single thought from my mind as he bends my own reality through each thrust and pulse of pleasure. He learned my body language while I was above or beneath him, what angles drive me deeper into the spiral, how my moans and whimpers warrant a certain speed or how hard to pound me.

Anticipation coils in my spine as he straightens his arms and looks at me, taking me in, as he licks his lips and watches the way my chest rises and falls, almost to the muffled beat of the song in the distance.

Desire courses through me as he bites his fingertips and pulls off his glove with his teeth, then reaches for my corset. He stops at the first hook. If he’s planning on taking it off me, he’ll be as well starting now so we can at least have sex within the next few hours. This thing took three of us to fasten. There must be a million clips.

But his eyes lift to mine. The blue of them shines, but there is an ounce of pain in them too. And need. A hunger so fierce I think he might rip the corset off my body.

“Have you let anyone touch you?” His voice is deep – a threat.

I shake my head.

“Kiss you?”

I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, and his eyes drop to my mouth. “There was this one guy,” I say, breathless as he leans down to my throat again. “On the dance floor.”

“Yeah?” he says against my heated skin, peppering my pulse with soft kisses.

I gasp as he nips the skin below my ear. “Yeah. He was a terrible kisser though.”

“A terrible kisser,” he repeats.

I lift my hands and brush my fingers through his dark hair – soft and long enough to grasp a handful for leverage while riding him. “Kade?”

He presses his hands into the mattress, arms straight, looking down at me with furrowed brows, staring into my soul.

“I missed you,” I admit.

Kade stiffens above me. Then he stands. “Get up.”

“What?”

“This is my father’s room,” he says, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet. “I’m not fucking you in here.”

I wobble in my heels as I look around the room. The lights from the garden gazebo and pool house offer a glow against one wall that’s littered with pictures.

Tobias with the kids over the years. Him with Aria. They look to be in their twenties – smiling, hugging. I can see why she was so drawn to him. Kade looks like his father, especially when he was younger. Apart from the tattoos and style of clothing, I might as well be fucking a younger Tobias Mitchell.

I shall never repeat that thought.

Kade is staring at me again, then he’s pulling his mask back into place and his hood up. I try to get my mask from the floor, but he captures my hand. “No, I need to look at your face.” And then he’s leading me out of the room.

The hallway is dark, and I follow him to the stairway. His phone dings, and he quickly checks it before slipping it back into the pocket of his black combats.

“What if someone sees us together?” I ask as his fingers intertwine with my own. Luciella asked me to stay away, and I haven’t even lasted twenty-four hours.

Worst. Friend. Ever.

“They won’t know who I am.” He taps his mask and turns sideways, helping me down the steps in my heels – the same steps I easily ran up not long ago. I don’t say that, or tell him I can walk perfectly fine. I enjoy the gentlemanly version of Kade, even if my ass is still sore from him finger-pummelling it while pinning me in place.

“Swim” by Chase Atlantic is playing as we walk along the next corridor to the grand staircase – loads of people are chatting and kissing and arguing at the bottom of it.

The strobes flash from the party as we take each step, lasers zapping through the door from the ballroom. I should be there considering it’s half my party, but as Kade tightens his fingers around mine, I know I’d rather be here.

My eyes land on Tylar. Dez has her against the wall, slotted between two marble pillars, both their masks gone. Her legs are around his waist as he drags kisses along her throat. Not fucking – but very close to it. I gulp, looking up at Kade, his mask and hood in place, hiding him.

Then Ty opens her eyes and sees us, and we watch each other as Kade leads me towards his wing. We turn right, and I glance over my shoulder – she’s still following us with her hooded gaze as Dez kisses up her neck and along her jawline.

She smiles. And then she winks at me.