Chapter Four

Chapter FourAs I walked through the Vault’s manned side entrance with my friends later that day, I gave Izzy’s arm a little squeeze. “I’m so pleased for you, Iz. This is great news. Not surprising, really, though. I figured Cole would nibble at your resolve until you eventually got with the program.”Izzy’s lips curled. “There was some nibbling. He didn’t push me to agree to move in with him, but he did give me gentle nudges rather than let me make a decision in my own time.”Cat gave her a pat on the head as we strode down the hall toward the elevator that would take us down to the basement. “Oh, sweetie, you were never really chewing on the decision at your own pace. He just let you think you were.”Izzy’s forehead creased. “What?”“It’s an alpha male thing,” said Cat. “They’ll ease their foot off the pedal just enough to let you think you’re in control of what speed things are moving at. But they’ll very subtly put pressure on that pedal as time goes on, all the while smoothly steering the wheel in whatever directions they please.”Briar gave a firm nod. “Having grown up around alpha males—and currently dating two—I can attest to that. My suggestion? Learn to roll with it, because they won’t change. But also, make them pay for it in fun ways.”“Whenever Cole gets too pushy, I arrange for us to spend another evening in the basement’s lap dancing room,” said Izzy. “Nothing seems to annoy him more. He positively hates having to follow the ‘look but don’t touch’ rule. He acts like I’m torturing him.” She rolled her eyes.Cat grinned. “Danton doesn’t like that room much either. It is a fun method to remind them that we have our ways of making them suffer.”Briar sighed. “I can’t lie, Iz, I’ll be bummed when you move out—I like having you as my neighbor. But I’ll also be super happy for you.”“I’ll miss having you so close, you do make the best neighbor.” Izzy scratched at the side of her neck. “A little voice in my head keeps whispering that I’m rushing things by moving in with Cole but, at this point, I honestly don’t care if that’s true or not. I want to live with him. And life … it’s unpredictable. There’s no guarantee that any of us will grow old, let alone spend our entire lives with the people we love. I’ll never get back this time I have with Cole, so I don’t want to spend it chewing on stuff.”Reading between the lines, I gave her a sympathetic smile. “It plays on your mind that he could be seriously hurt during a fight, huh?”“Yes,” Izzy confirmed, pushing the button on the wall panel to call the elevator. “Not that I’d ever tell him that. I don’t want to make him feel that I don’t fully support his goals.”“I think he’d understand, but I can see why you wouldn’t want to tell him,” said Cat.Izzy swept her gaze along each of us. “You’re all sure you don’t mind helping me box up all my stuff?”“Of course we don’t mind,” I told her. Hearing the side entrance door open, I briefly glanced behind me to see a cluster of people entering. “When’s moving day?”“Not for another few weeks,” she replied. “He has a fight coming up. I don’t want to distract him. And having lots of boxes lying around will drive him up the wall.” Izzy cast Briar a teasing smile. “He’s a neat freak like you.”Briar frowned. “There’s nothing freaky about being neat.”“Your level of neat is off the charts,” said Izzy. “Not even Cole is as bad as you.”Right then, the elevator doors slid open. We filed inside and moved to the rear so that the people behind us could also fit.I stilled as a familiar person stalked into the elevator. Kaiser. His gray gaze idly swept over the crowd, halting on me. No, homing in on me.My pulse jumped. Then it began to quicken, because he didn’t stay up front. He shrugged through the crowd, not once moving his gaze from mine.I held myself still as he waltzed right into my personal space like he belonged there. He didn’t touch me. But his stare was so direct, so intent, so focused that I felt touched. It was hard to explain.He didn’t speak. Neither did I. Nor did either of us look away, both unwilling to show weakness maybe.As the elevator began to smoothly descend, he leaned forward slightly. “You’re gonna pay up tonight.” It was a whispered rumble that made my gut clench.Dammit Judy. I inched up my chin. “What is it that you want?”If he asked me to do something like dance on the brand-new pole in the dome I would not be happy. I wouldn’t be ashamed to do it. I just wouldn’t like being coerced to do it for someone else’s amusement.He put his mouth to my ear. “I want you to take off your underwear and give it to me.”My heart slammed against my ribcage. I hadn’t heard him right. Surely. “You want me to what?”“Your underwear. You’re gonna give it to me.”My lips parted in shock. “You’re serious?”He met my gaze again. “Very.”Suspicious of his motives, I squinted. “And what exactly would you do with it?”“Not pass it around, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’d be for my eyes only.”Something about the way he looked at me, about the way he’d spoken … This felt like a dare. No, a test. A test to, what? See how well I followed instructions? See if I’d be daring enough to play the sort of games he liked? I had no clue.I did know that I wasn’t going to back down.I licked my lips. “All right.”His eyes flared with an emotion I couldn’t quite read. Doubt, maybe. He wasn’t convinced I’d go through with it.The elevator dinged,and everyone then poured out of it.I turned to my friends, who were eyeing me and Kaiser closely—all looking highly intrigued. “I’ll catch up with you in a sec.”“We’ll wait for you at the bar,” said Izzy.As the girls walked away, I headed to the nearby corner. The lounge was already dim, but it was even darker in this spot. Kaiser didn’t only follow me, he crowded me with his body alone. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to help conceal me from view or he simply enjoyed trying to rattle my nerves by eating up my space.Unable to quite believe this was happening, I held his eyes as I snaked my hands beneath my dress, caught the waistband of my thong, and then shoved it down. Planting a hand on his solid chest, I stepped one foot out of my underwear, leaving it hooked around one ankle. I lifted my leg enough to whip off the thong and then I discreetly passed it to him.He fisted it tight, his gaze glinting with both satisfaction and approval. “Now, go have a drink with your friends. In twenty minutes, I’m coming for you.”Surprise tightened my muscles. Uh, what?“You and I will then go somewhere private. We have unfinished business, don’t we?”For long moments, I stared at him, certain he had to be fucking with me. But the gray eyes that bore into mine looked so very serious. So very hungry.Anticipation began to slink through me, drowning out my surprise in very slow increments. “I suppose we do.”“Twenty minutes,” he repeated, angling his body to allow me to pass.My head held high, I casually made my way to the bar … as if I did this shit all the time. As if going commando after giving someone my underwear was absolutely no biggie.Jesus, had I really just done that?I had. I actually had. And now Kaiser Wolfe was in possession of my thong. Kaiser Wolfe.In no world could I ever have imagined that this scenario would occur. I’d have laughed in the face of anyone who might have suggested that it would happen.Reaching my friends, I slipped on the stool beside Cat and gratefully took the Cosmo she offered me. I really needed a drink. Or three.“Everything okay?” Briar asked me, leaning against the bar. “You look fine, but I know you well enough to sense that you’re pretty flustered right now.”I took a long, centering swig of my Cosmo. “To put it bluntly, I have a strong feeling that—as Izzy would phrase it—I’m going to get rodgered tonight. And by none other than Kaiser Wolfe.”Retying a lacy bow on the strap of Briar’s dress, Izzy smiled at me and said, “I don’t know why you seem so surprised. He looks at you like he wants to gobble you all up. The way he crowded you in the lift just now almost made me flush.”“It was kind of hot,” Briar conceded. “I still think he’s an ass for what he said to you six years ago, Inaya, but I can’t judge you for still wanting to take him for a spin—the man is fine.”“It must be crazy to have your teenage and infamous crush make a move on you,” said Cat with a shake of her head. “If it was me, a shrill inner voice would just keep excitedly screeching oh my God, oh my God, is this for real?”Briar snickered and slid her gaze back to me. “What I want to know is why you and him disappeared into that corner over there.”I cleared my throat. “Well. He, uh … he wanted me to give him my underwear.”Izzy’s mouth fell open, her eyes twinkling in delight. “You gave it to him, didn’t you?”“I owed him, and he demanded that in payment.” Would I still have given him what he wanted? Probably.Izzy’s brows flew together. “Wait, you owed him? How? Why?”“It was Judy’s fault.”“Judy?”I put down my glass. “That batshit woman hung outside his house acting like she was on the verge of fainting so he’d let her in and she could try her hand at matchmaking.”A laugh burst out of Cat. “She didn’t!”“Oh, she did,” I said, a bite to my voice. “I was mortified by the whole thing, but she was incredibly pleased with herself. I have no idea why. He hardly said a word to me, let alone flirted or anything, so her matchmaking efforts failed dramatically. Yet, she believes it’ll all work out well. She’s convinced that he’ll not only screw me several times, he’ll propose to me at some point.”Briar put a hand over her mouth to muffle her laugh. “God, I love Judy. She cracks me up.”Izzy nodded, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “Do you think he knew she was playing him?”“Obviously not, thank Christ, or he wouldn’t have proclaimed that I owed him for helping her.” I took another swig of my Cosmo. “I got to sort-of-meet his ex, Camila.”Cat’s brows lifted. “She was there?”“She turned up unannounced, and he wasn’t whatsoever happy about it,” I said. “He made her leave. I got the impression that she wants him back, so she was pissed when she saw me. She misread the situation. Not to be a bitch, but I’m honestly surprised he was in a relationship with her. She seems kind ofdramatic to me, and I never would have thought he’d have any time or patience for drama.”“Trace talked about her once,” Briar revealed. “He said that Camila’s allegedly very nice. Until she’s not getting what she wants. Then the spoilt princess in her comes crawling out.”I frowned. “Trace knows her?”“He knows of her through her uncle, who was complaining to him that her father is forever making her messes ‘go away,’” replied Briar.“What kind of messes?” asked Izzy, taking the question out of my mouth.“Her uncle didn’t go into specifics,” said Briar. “He told Trace that because she has her dad wrapped around her little finger she expects it to work that way with all men. When it doesn’t, she handles it badly.”I swiped my tongue over the front of my teeth. “I see.”“It’s rumored that she recently hooked up with one of Kaiser’s closest friends,” Briar added, “but I don’t know how true that is.”I hummed. “It would explain why he had so little interest in hearing her out.”“Ihave little interest in hearing about her,” Cat cut in. “What I want to know is exactly what got said between you, Kaiser, and Judy at his home. I’m hoping she didn’t blurt out anything uber embarrassing.”I gave my friends a breakdown of what had occurred, nowhere near as amused as they were. My grandmother still needed throttling. I’d barely finished the story when Briar quietly announced that Kaiser was on his way over.My back straightened. “Talk about something else. Fast. I don’t want him to know he was the topic of conversation.”Briar pursed her lips. “Well, in my opinion, you’re brave as hell for considering a clit piercing, Inaya—I don’t have that kind of courage in me.”I shot her a narrow-eyed ‘You bitch’ look that only made her smile.A hand splayed on my lower back as warm lips grazed my ear. “Time to go,” said Kaiser.I looked at him, biting my lip. The raw need in his eyes was the best kind of punch to my gut. It also assured me that, surreal as it might seem, he did want us to have some private time.Slipping off the stool, I told the girls to all have fun with their guys. Kaiser didn’t so much as spare my friends a glance, let alone say hi or anything. Rude. He just took possession of my wrist and led me across the lounge and then through the door at the other side of it.My heart pounded as we walked along the hallway. I was genuinely surprised that my legs weren’t unsteady, since my nerves were shot. Kaiser wasn’t simply any guy; he was someone I’d wanted for far too long. And now I’d finally have him. I couldn’t quite absorb that all this was truly happening.We stopped at a door that wasn’t too far from the dome. With a swipe of a card, Kaiser unlocked said door and ushered me inside. That quickly, it felt like I was standing on a busy street at night. Small lights twinkled on the ceiling like stars. Traffic sounds rang low throughout the space. And before me was a black, long-ass vehicle with tinted windows parked at the ‘curb.’Kaiser pressed his front against my side, placing his mouth near my ear once more. “We shared a limo once, remember?”“Yes.” It was after we’d finished a charity concert. A limo had taken all of the artists from the venue to the lot where the tour buses were parked, since the rain had been horrendous.“You were sat with another female singer—I can’t remember who. But I remember you were wearing a sleek, silver dress that looked like liquid mercury. And I remember thinking it was a good thing that we were surrounded by people or I would have fucked you right there.”Blinking, I almost jerked in surprise. He … seriously?“Yeah, I wanted you even then. But you were twenty-years-old—I wasn’t gonna go there. Plus, I pegged you for too much of a good girl. Last night, you proved I was wrong. You proved it again earlier. So we’re gonna get in that limo, and I’m gonna fuck you the way I wanted to that night.” He pulled at the rear door’s silver handle and opened it. “Get in.”Holy hell, this really was going to happen. But … I didn’t like his total expectation that it would happen. I didn’t like that he appeared to believe he was running the show. Oh, I didn’t mind him taking charge—I’d enjoy it. But he’d have to earn that level of submission from me.I slid onto the black leather seat, purposely flashing him my bare pussy as I did so, inwardly smirking when his nostrils flared. “Let’s be clear on something. I’m no groupie, Kaiser. You want control here, you’ll have to work for it.”A feral light flashed in his eyes. “Challenge accepted.”I shuffled along the wrap-around, butter-soft leather sofa, making room for him. I distantly noted the TV, chrome detailing, mini wet bar, and neon LED lights. My attention was on the man who quickly joined me, that feral glitter still in his gaze … and I realized I’d pushed a hot button for him.He wanted the challenge of battling for dominance. He was going to majorly get off on it. Maybe it was partly because women so easily caved to whatever demand he might have, I wasn’t sure. Whatever the case, things were about to get intense—I felt it. And the knowledge electrically charged every cell and nerve-ending in my body.“Come here,” he ordered.My blood heated as his deep, gritty voice played over my skin, laced with need and authority. Even as goosebumps rose on my flesh, I inched up my chin. “No.”Growling, Kaiser snatched my wrists and roughly hauled me against him. I crashed into his solid chest with a stunned gasp, and he instantly took advantage—he closed his mouth over mine and sank his tongue inside.The kiss was … God, it was brutal. Not foreplay, not an effort to seduce, not an invitation to play. No, it was both an assertion of dominance and a forceful demand for submission.Determined to give as good as I got, I kissed him just as hard. Our tongues lashed, our teeth clicked, our breathing went to hell. Soon, my lips were throbbing and my lungs burned for air.I tried pulling my wrists free of his grasp so that I could tackle the buttons of his shirt, but he pinned my wrists behind my back and held them there—with one hand. Effortlessly. The display of strength annoyed me as much as it incited me.He broke the kiss with a low growl. “You go to a man’s head like whiskey, do you know that?” It came out sounding like a complaint rather than a compliment.Panting, I struggled fruitlessly against his hold. “Let go.”“Why would I do that?” He clamped his free hand on my hip and lifted me to my knees. He then tugged down the front of my dress, baring my breasts, and sucked a nipple into his mouth.My breath caught. Oh, heavenly Jesus. He was no gentler with my nipple than he’d been with my mouth, sucking so hard on the taut bud that I suspected he’d leave a bruise.Slight vibrations ran through the limo, as if it was moving. Low music played. Traffic sounds could be heard. The air conditioning whirred. I only distantly noted it all, my focus snared by the lips, tongue, and teeth that were ravaging my nipple.He kissed his way to my other breast and paid my neglected nipple the same savage attention. It stung but also amped up the raw need that was running rampant through my system. Sheer sexual aggression poured off him in waves and shoved at my mindset, eating away at my tenacity, pushing me to submit.But I didn’t.Telling myself not to give in so easily, I twisted and squirmed, trying again to free my hands. Until he bit my breast hard enough to make me jolt.“Keep still.” Swiping his tongue over the bite, he hiked up my dress. “Right now, you’re mine to do with whatever I want.”Despite how the possessive edge to his voice went straight to my core, I couldn’t help but bristle at his arrogance. “Fuck that.” I fought harder, hissing angrily. His hold on my wrists tightened until it hurt, but I liked it.He cupped my pussy, bold as you please. “Let’s see how wet you are.” He jammed two fingers inside me so abruptly I stilled in shock. He growled, his pupils blown. “Fucking soaked. And so damn snug.”My aching inner muscles fluttered around his fingers and clenched them tight, as if desperate to keep them. He liked that. I saw it in his eyes. I saw something else as well—pure male smugness.Digging deep for strength,I yanked one wrist free and grabbed at his hair. “You’re one arrogant son of a bitch.”“I’ve heard that before.”I gasped as he began pumping his fingers inside me. The thrusts were too slow and too shallow for my liking.His gaze dropping to my neck. “Such a pretty throat.” Releasing my other wrist, he slid his hand between my breasts and up, up, up. He was going to collar me. I could see it coming.I gripped his wrist, brought it to my mouth, and bit into the heel of his palm.Stilling the fingers buried inside me, Kaiser yanked his wrist free of my grip with a hiss and caught my jaw wicked fast. For some reason, amusement lit his eyes. “I like you.”He liked me … because I bit him?He squeezed my jaw, the humor in his gaze rapidly replaced by pure demand. “Now, one of two things can happen. I either wreck your throat with my cock, or I fuck you hard like it’s what you were born for.”My pussy goddamn swooned.“I’m game for both those things, Inaya. They’ll each involve me coming hard. But only the second scenario involves you coming. So unless you’re good with only one of us getting to come tonight—and by one of us, I mean me—you need to settle.”I was about to tell the motherfucker exactly what I thought of that little threat. But then he began pumping his fingers inside me again, harder this time, curving them just right and rubbing the most fantastic spot … and my mind got kind of scrambled. I moaned, gripping his shoulders and bearing down on his fingers.A growl-edged hum rumbled in the back of his throat. “That’s it, ride them.”I was more than happy to do that. ‘Settle,’ though? Not quite.But … I wanted to get fucked. By him. Badly. And his threat hadn’t been empty. No, I’d heard the truth of it in his voice.Oh, he wouldn’t force me to suck his cock rather than fuck me, no, but he’d walk out of this room before he’d give me what I want unless I first gave him what he wanted: Control. Which left me the choice of either backing down or being left high and dry. And for the first time, the thought of yielding this way didn’t gall me.He flicked up a brow. “Well, what’s it gonna be?”Not ready to verbally submit, I instead let my body relax.His eyes warmed. “Good girl. Now keep riding my fingers. Yeah, like that.” He slid his hand from my jaw around to fist the hair at the back of my head tight enough to make my scalp sting.There was no hiding my body’s reaction from him. No hiding how my inner walls rippled at the bite of pain.His eyes narrowed in speculation. “You like it when it hurts a little, don’t you?”I didn’t answer. I worked the buttons of his black shirt as I kept impaling myself on his fingers. Then I was spreading the shirt open and, good God, he was perfect. All whip-cord muscles and inked skin.I fumbled with his fly, somehow managing to undo it. Success. I grabbed his cock through his black boxer shorts and squeezed hard. “I want this in me. Now.”Kaiser withdrew his fingers. “Too fucking bad.” He tipped me over, putting me flat on my back, the bastard. “I’m not ready yet.” Gripping my hips, he yanked them upward just as he leaned forward and clamped his mouth around my pussy.My head fell back. Oh, God. That mouth of his … I just wanted to keep it. Like a toy. Because it was goddamn fabulous at pretty much everything it did. Especially at eating pussy, it would seem. That tongue of his licked and swiped and circled and stabbed and feltso fucking good.I gripped the edges of the seat, my nails scrabbling at the leather. Each wet lash of pleasure fed the wicked tension building inside me, until it almost became unbearable. I was gonna come. Or cry. Possibly both.I raised my head to look at him. Christ, the sight made my breath hitch. Those lips I’d kissed a thousand times in poster-form were currently wrapped around my clit, suckling it with addictive rhythmic pulses and fuck, fuck, fuck I couldn’t take it. The pleasure building in my stomach exploded outward.I came hard with a hoarse scream, my back arching like a bow, barely feeling the sting as he bit into my inner thigh. Waves of sheer euphoria thundered through me again and again until, finally, my release subsided.I slumped back onto the sofa, my chest heaving, my mouth bone dry.He released my hips. “Don’t. Move.”I couldn’t have even if I’d wanted to. Instead, I enjoyed the show as he shrugged off his open shirt and then shoved his slacks and boxers down his thighs. His cock sprang out, meaty and thick and yeah I’d like some of that.“Keep the dress on.” He tore open a condom packet with his teeth and then quickly sheathed his dick. “Every time you look at or wear it, you’ll remember this.”As if I could ever forget it.Kaiser lowered his body over mine—a vision I knew would be seared into my brain; a memory I’d pull to the forefront of my mind whenever I was sending myself to O-town. He braced an arm beside my head and slipped a hand beneath my ass to tilt my hips. “Look at me.”Locking eyes with him, I planted my hands on his back and curled my legs around his waist. My lips parted on a sharp breath as I felt the pressure of his cock pushing inside me, its broad head giving my inner muscles a hell of a stretch. One solid inch sank into—He rammed deep. Mercilessly. Like he had a goddamn grievance with my cervix or something.I flinched, hissing, digging my nails into his back. He gave me no moment to adjust to his size, nope, he just pounded into me, his gaze never leaving mine. All that raw sexual aggression he exuded seemed to power every forceful thrust. And I found myself loving it.“That hurt?” he gritted out.I unlocked my back teeth. “Yes.”He groaned, the sadistic shit. “How much?”“Not too much.”“Good. I need to take you like this. Need you to feel nothing but me.” He tightened his grip on my ass. “All that exists for you right now is me, my mouth, my cock, my hands.”He wasn’t wrong. My entire world centered on him at that moment. On the dangerous storm of need in his eyes. On the pitiless slash of his talented mouth. On the unrestrained slams of his long, thick shaft. On the feel and sound of his balls slapping my ass. On every grunt and groan that poured out of his throat.God, we should have done this years ago—his hang-ups about my age be damned.Clinging to his back with one hand, I dragged my nails down the length of his spine. His responding growl vibrated in his chest and made my nipples tingle. The forward rolls of his hips became harder, heavier, frantic.He glanced down, watching his shaft relentlessly pound into me. “You look good on my cock.” He did something. Adjusted his angle slightly. And then his dick slid deeper, dragging against more hypersensitive nerve-endings, and it honestly stole my breath.My building orgasm gathered in the pit of my stomach, coiled like a snake to strike. I could feel my inner muscles spasming and tightening. I clawed harder at his back. “Kaiser.”He slipped his hand between us and found my clit—rubbed it, rolled it, pinched it. And my release abruptly struck, sending whips of scorching hot pleasure sizzling through me. I choked on a scream, clamping down on him.“Fuck, Inaya.” He slammed into me over and over and over, his grip on my ass so damn tight I knew there’d be bruises. Then he jacked his hips forward one last time, locking his cock deep inside me as he exploded.I pretty much collapsed, my limbs like freaking noodles. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, every ragged breath washing over my skin. We stayed there like that, panting and shaking.When my brain finally recuperated, all I could do was marvel at the fact that I had just been royally fucked by a man I’d crushed on for most of my life. A man I’d had so many fantasies about it was embarrassing. A man I’d pictured many times over the years when I got myself off.If he had any clue that my younger self had actually planned to marry him … well, I had no real idea what he’d do—roll his eyes? Run a mile? Laugh in my face?No, not the latter. Purely because I didn’t think he could laugh.Finally, he lifted his head. That gorgeous gray gaze of his found mine. Dived into it. Searched it.I didn’t know what he was looking for but, determined he wouldn’t sense that—much as I was loathed to admit it—I didn’t feel as ‘casual’ about all this as I should, I lightly patted his shoulder and asked, “Struggling to catch your breath, old timer?”He let out a sound that was something between a snort and a grunt and then planted his face in my neck again.I smiled.