24. Roman

24

ROMAN

" Y ou owe me. A lot. Like a whole fucking lot," Tristan hissed as I helped him push his car down the gravel driveway to the open gates. We'd worked our magic with the Cerberus security system…or, more truthfully, we'd used our status and money to make it happen, and if the dozing security guard happened to glance at the entrance camera, he'd see the same feed playing on a loop. Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious, and that was why we were pushing our cars down the long driveway. The long, long driveway.

"I know I do. I wish things were different, mate, I really do, but how the fuck else am I supposed to spend time with my girl?"

"I still think the tower was a better plan." His car rolled to a stop next to mine, and he applied the brake, tipping his head back with a sigh.

"It's cold up there, and it gives me fucking vertigo. How am I supposed to impress Quinn there?"

"Aww, is bad boy Roman Cavendish scared of heights?" he taunted with a smirk.

I gave him my middle finger. "Fuck off. I'm not scared of heights, and you know it. You're the one with a death wish, hanging out in a crumbling tower with half the wall missing."

"That's an exaggeration."

"Whatever. We're going for a drive, whether you like it or not. And I know you love any excuse to show off your wheels, so don't pretend you don't."

"Yeah, yeah." He glanced back down the long driveway. "Where are they? Did you text them with the change of plans?"

"I—" I began and then cut myself off as two figures came into view, skulking down the side of the driveway, keeping to the soft grass. A grin spread across my face as Quinn's eyes met mine, her face slightly obscured by a hoodie—unfortunately, not my hoodie—but I could see the smile curving over her pretty mouth. The second she reached me, I kissed that smile right off her lips until she was breathless against me.

"Hi," I said. "Ready to take a ride?"

"Hey—" From the other side of my car, Tristan's words were abruptly cut off by Aria slapping her hand over his mouth.

"No, I do not want to do anything with you that involves riding, or shafts, or big sticks, or whatever line you were going to come out with."

He tutted at her. "You have a dirty mind, little scorpion. Don't worry, I wasn't about to proposition you. I know you couldn't handle me or my stick."

She rolled her eyes. "You're the one who can't handle me. I'm here for one reason and one reason only. The same reason you're here."

"Oh, so we are gonna fuck?" When the three of us glared at him, he held up his hands. "Bloody hell, none of you have a sense of humour. It was a joke. Believe me, my dick sees enough action with girls who actually want it. I don't need to go chasing after the one who doesn't." He paused and then added, "And I don't want to fuck her, anyway."

"Sure," Quinn muttered sarcastically under her breath, and I bit back a laugh.

"Come on, baby. Check out my wheels, and act impressed, even if you're not. Tris, see you at the viewpoint in an hour, yeah?" I tugged Quinn around to the passenger door of my F-Type and opened it for her. With a smile, she slid inside. After closing the door behind her, I saluted Tristan and Aria, unable to keep the smirk from my face, and my best mate mouthed, Fuck you, bastard , throwing up his middle finger.

When I was inside the car, I ripped off my hoodie, leaving me in my T-shirt. Placing one hand on the wheel, I turned to my girl. "What do you think?"

"Hmm." She trailed her fingertips across the dashboard. "Very nice. I don't know much about cars, but I like it. Really like it." Ducking her head, she added, "Especially because you're inside it."

"Mmm. Having us inside it makes it a hundred times hotter," I agreed as I started the engine. The smooth, rumbling purr of the car was like a shot of dopamine to my system, and I couldn't help wondering whether I'd have been less destructive if I'd had it earlier. Too late to worry about it now, though.

I navigated onto the road, and as we left Hatherley Hall in the rear-view mirror, my entire body relaxed. Fuck, yeah, this was what I needed. My girl, my car, and an empty road. Keeping one hand on the wheel, I slid the other onto Quinn's thigh. She exhaled sharply, and then her legs shifted, widening slightly. I stroked my palm higher up her thigh, fucking wishing she wasn't wearing leggings. Her thigh was so smooth and warm, and the higher my fingers travelled, the more my dick reacted, lengthening inside my sweatpants.

"Fuck," I muttered, stopping right at the top of her thigh, so close to the place I knew she wanted me to touch.

" Roman ."

"I know. I fucking know. I've got to—" I had to cut myself off, my hand lifting from her thigh to grip the wheel with both hands as the car drifted round a sharp bend. After what had happened to Knox's dad and Elena…yeah, they'd been run off the road, but even so, I had a new respect for these sharp corners, and I wasn't going to take any chances when I had the most precious cargo on board. When we hit the straight, open stretch of road, though…that was when I'd be able to showcase the true power of my car. There were no speed cameras and never any police at night in this part of the Cotswolds, and both Tristan and I were going to make the most of it.

I felt Quinn's gaze on the side of my face. "Ro?"

"Yeah?" I spun the wheel to the right, throwing us into another corner. This one was an easy curve, and the car leaned into it, sending us closer to the open stretch where we could really let go.

"Do you think Freya took your hoodie?"

Good question, and one I didn't have the answer for. Freya…she was bitchy at times, and yeah, she could be petty, but she was harmless for the most part. Status mattered to her, but I wasn't the only single person available. There was Tristan, for a start, and even if none of the three so-called gods were interested, there were plenty of other guys who were single and also part of the elite. Guys she'd been with before.

Would she have taken my hoodie? I thought back through the interactions I'd witnessed between her and Quinn, and I shrugged.

"Honestly? I have no fucking clue. It's not like she could wear it anywhere because people would know it was my hoodie, and it would get back to me."

"It makes no sense."

"Spiking my drink made no sense, either."

Quinn sucked in a breath, her hand flying to her mouth. "Fuck, Roman, I didn't even think of that. What if the two things are connected? What if you're being targeted?"

An icy tendril of unease snaked its way down my spine.

"I don't know what's happening, and I don't know what they hope to achieve, but if someone's after me, they need to stop being so fucking cowardly and come after me in person. Whatever it is, whoever it is, whatever their reason…they won't get the better of me. They'll regret ever crossing Roman Cavendish." I knew she could hear the dark promise in my voice.

"Good. I just…I don't want you to get hurt. And…and I can't help but feel a bit responsible. Both of those things are connected to me. What if…" Her voice dropped to a shaky whisper. "What if I'm making it worse for you? What if something bad happens because of me? I couldn't live with myself."

Fucking finally, we shot out of the bends onto the straight, wide A417 road. The Cotswolds stretched out before us, shadows in the darkness, thrown into relief by the faint glow of the shrouded moon. Two lanes of wide, smooth tarmac stretched out ahead as far as I could see, with no other traffic other than a lorry rumbling along in the slow lane in the opposite direction.

"We'll discuss this in a minute when I can concentrate properly, but I want you to know that none of this is your fault, okay? Nothing that happens is because of you. I don't want you to feel bad or guilty or any-fucking-thing except happy that you're mine."

"O-okay."

I could tell she was unconvinced, but I'd just keep reminding her of the facts until she believed them. In the meantime, I had the perfect way to make her forget.

I swung the car into the fast lane. "Hold on. I'm gonna show you what this car can do."

Then, I floored it. The engine roared, responding to me instantly, and we fucking flew .

Quinn gasped, and then she laughed out loud. "This is amazing!"

A wide grin stretched across my face. This was everything. The rush of adrenaline and the girl who appreciated it just as much as me. The headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating our way, the bass of the music thrumming in time with my pounding heart.

Quinn's hand slid onto my leg, and I groaned. My dick was so fucking hard, mostly because of her, and maybe a sliver of it was because of this pure fucking rush I was experiencing.

"I want you," she murmured, and I allowed a sideways glance to see her other hand down between her legs.

Fuuuuck.

"Almost there," I ground out. Gripping the steering wheel harder than I ever had, forcing every bit of my concentration towards my driving, I eased off on the accelerator, allowing the car to slow as we drifted towards the roundabout. When we reached it, I took the exit that led to our first destination. We ended up on a narrow road flanked by Cotswold stone walls, and I scanned them carefully until I saw my destination. When I turned off the road and came to a stop, Quinn stared around us. It was impossible to see much with the moon being obscured by clouds, and I knew she was probably wondering why the fuck we'd stopped in the middle of nowhere.

Talking was overrated, and I'd had enough.

I unsnapped my seat belt, then hers, and then leaned over to her, sliding my fingers into her hair as my other hand landed back on her thigh. I pulled her into a kiss, moving my hand up her thigh. Kissing down to her throat, I nipped at her soft skin, wishing I could leave a mark where everyone would see it. "You were touching yourself. Couldn't wait for me, could you?"

She moaned. "You would've done the same if you hadn't been driving. You looked… Ohhhh ." Another moan fell from her throat as I placed my hand where hers had been, right between her legs, so fucking hot and soft. "You looked so hot driving, holding the steering wheel like that. Your arms…"

I glanced up at her flushed cheeks and smirked. "My arms? You like my arms?"

"They were flexing. Ah, don't make me explain." Twisting her body, she buried her head in the crook of my neck. "You're so hot, Roman. Everything about you is just…"

"Yeah?" I began moving my fingers up and down, stroking over her fabric-covered pussy. "Funny, because I feel the same way about you. Touch me. See what you do to me."

She ran her hand up the muscle of my thigh and onto the massive bulge in my sweatpants. My cock jerked beneath her grip as she curved her fingers around my length.

Biting back a groan, I thrust up into her hand. "Fuck, yeah. Feel that? It's all for you." I applied more pressure between her legs, and she gasped.

"More."

"You want more? Hoodie off, seat back, hands on those gorgeous breasts," I instructed hoarsely. My dick was fucking throbbing, but the need to make sure she was satisfied took priority.

When her hoodie was off and she was reclined back in her seat, I practically drooled at the sight of her tits spilling out of her tiny sports crop top. I had to have a taste. Tugging her top down, I lowered my head, kissing and sucking and laving my tongue over her breasts until her nipples were hardened, sensitive points and she was moaning, reaching for my hand to get it back down between her legs.

"Keep touching yourself. I want to watch while I make you come on my fingers."

"Fuck," she whispered, her mouth falling open, a tremble in her hands as she palmed her tits. So fucking sexy.

I ran my fingers down her stomach to the top of her leggings and dipped them beneath the waistband. I dragged them over her hot, silky skin and down inside her underwear until I was sliding them through her wetness. I wasted no time—she was so on edge already—easing two fingers inside her while I pressed down on her clit with the heel of my hand.

"Roman. Roman ."

"Yeah. You're gonna come for me. Make a mess all over my fingers." I stroked inside her, stimulating her inside and out, while she took shallow, shuddering breaths, her eyes falling closed as she arched her body upwards.

She fucking shattered around me, tightening on my fingers, gasping out a moan as I finger fucked her through it until she was whimpering against me and stilling my hand.

I withdrew from her, and when she opened her eyes, I gave her a dirty grin and took my time licking the evidence of her arousal from my fingers while she tracked my movements through blown-out, glassy pupils.

"Your turn," she whispered, her hand going to my sweatpants, where the head of my dick was straining against the fabric, a fucking wet patch there showing just how ruined I was by her already. Her thumb rubbed against it.

My breath caught in my throat. "Don't fucking tease me. You've got me so fucking worked up. It's not gonna take much."

Biting down on her lip, unsuccessfully trying to hide just how pleased she was by my words, she curled her fingers around the band of my sweatpants. Together, we tugged them down. I hadn't bothered with underwear—there was no point when I knew, or hoped, exactly how this night was going to play out— and I groaned with relief as my dick was freed from its confines, rock hard and erect, foreskin rolled back, precum fucking everywhere from how turned on I was by her.

Because my girl liked to make me suffer, she danced her fingers down my length, cupping my balls and gently tugging them. My dick jerked, dripping precum, and I clenched my fists, taking deep, deliberate breaths. I was not going to come from fucking nothing. I had stamina, for fuck's sake.

Except Quinn curled her fingers around the base of my erection with a much firmer grip, playing with my balls with her other hand, and then she stroked up my cock. Once. When her hand was at the top, she twisted it over my sensitive, exposed head and at the same time pressed a finger against my perineum. I shot like a fucking rocket. No joke.

"Holy fuck," I breathed as she stroked me through it, my dick pulsing in her hand, my cum decorating the formerly pristine interior of my car. When I remembered how to breathe again, I yanked her into me, slamming my mouth down on hers. "You. Are. Fucking. Incredible," I ground out between kisses, and she kissed me back just as roughly, none of us caring about the mess, just needing this connection between us.

After we'd managed to disentangle our bodies and clean ourselves up, I glanced over at her kiss-swollen lips and blissed-out expression and smiled.

"I can tell you now, hand on heart, that I've never been that turned on from a hand job. If you ever tell anyone I came that fast, I'll… Fuck, just don't tell anyone. It's embarrassing."

Quinn laughed, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "It's not embarrassing. I liked it. Anyway, you made me come almost as quickly, and you were on the edge for a lot longer than I was."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said as I started up the engine. "Still, no one else needs to know about it."

"They never will. So. Are you going to tell me why we stopped here?"

The car swung back onto the main road, and I glanced both ways before directing it back the way we'd originally come. "It's nowhere special. Tristan's relatives own the land. They own a lot of it around here. We come here in the summer sometimes when we want to get away from everyone without any risk of someone showing up. There's a stream with a rope swing farther down and a big hollow oak tree. Tristan used to play here as a kid, and he said I could use it tonight. It's… I know it's not much, just a dark field, but I wanted to stop somewhere I knew we'd be properly alone. I don't want to risk fucking anything up for you, Quinn. I couldn't live with myself."

"I trust you." She placed her hand on my leg, squeezing lightly. "It might be nice to come back here in the daylight sometime."

"We can do that." I slowed for the roundabout again and then headed in the direction of the lookout point where we were meeting Tristan and Aria. The roads were still silent and empty for the most part, and it gave me the chance to relax and enjoy the feel of my powerful machine effortlessly eating up the miles. "Going back to the discussion we were having before we stopped, I don't want you to have to worry about anything, okay? Whatever happens, we'll deal with it. No one can fuck with us and expect to escape unscathed. It's all gonna work out. Even if it does mean you have to be seen with Tristan once or twice." My jaw clenched. I still hated the thought of anyone else touching her, even if it was for show.

"Okay. I'm sorry to keep bringing it up. I'll…I'll stay positive. Or try to."

"That's my girl." Shooting her a grin, I flipped on the indicator, turning into the entrance of the lookout point. "Keep an eye out for Tristan's car. He should be parked up here somewhere."

"Why did Tristan come, anyway?" she asked, scanning the tree line.

"You'd arranged to do something with Aria. Then we were joining you—I dunno if she told you that part. My car's only a two-seater, and I didn't want you to miss out on quality time with your friend, so Tristan got to play chauffeur."

"It's a bit risky for the head boy, isn't it?"

I laughed. "Believe me, if he really thought there was a risk, he would've done his best to talk me out of this. Deep down, he likes the sense of adventure. And getting to spend quality time with Aria." Smirking, I thought of just how pissed off he'd be after forty minutes stuck alone with her.

"Oh, I bet they both loved it." Quinn smirked as well, rubbing her hands together like a little evil villain, and yeah, that was one of the reasons right there that I lov—liked her.

Liked her.

Yeah.

Not the other thing.

It was too soon to be thinking about that, wasn't it?