Breathless (Meadowlarks) (10 page)

Dane laugh
ed. “That's Aldo, my personal assistant.”

“What!” I pale
d. “How was he working at my parent’s party?”

“He wasn't. He was there for you.” Dane smile
d. “And here you are. Remind me to give him a raise, will you?”

“You're crazy. What are you doing here?” I ask
ed, my voice clipped.

“I told you when I visited you in that joke of a town you live in. I want you, and here you are. Simple.”

“And I told you to leave us alone.”

“I don't take orders very well, you should know that by now Riley.”

My phone vibrated.

“Go ahead, answer it,” Dane command
ed.

My fingers
shook but I managed to answer the call. “H-hello?”

“Riley! Where are you, baby?” Alex
said.

“Check your phone, Alex. You called me earlier, remember that?”
I looked over at Dane, he was still staring intently at me. His green eyes twinkled savagely in the low-lit interior of the limo.

“Baby, I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't call,” Alex
said.

“Oh
, no? Well, maybe your dick dialed my number while Celeste had her skanky fingers all over you,” I hissed, and glared at Dane.

Dane unbutton
ed his shirt all the way and loosened his tie, letting it hang on either side of his chest. He unzipped his pants and pulled his mind-altering manhood from his boxers, he slowly stroked himself while not looking away from me once.

Oh, hell.

“I don't know what you heard, but if anything you should have heard me telling her no!” Alex roared into the phone, his voice loud and breathy. “I didn't do anything, I swear to you, baby.”

“I heard what I heard. Then I saw her licking her finger,” I snap
ped. “I'll call you later, Alex. I need to breathe for a fucking minute.”

“Just tell me you're safe, Riley. Please.”

“I am just fine,” I said, and hung up the phone.

“Trouble in Paradise?” Dane ask
ed, dryly.

“Shit, Dane. I can't do this. Pull over and let me out,” I sa
id, panting and reaching for the handle of the door.

“Get your sweet ass over here, and tell me no to my face,” Dane bit out.

“No.”

“It
wasn't
a suggestion, Riley.”

I pull
ed myself together in every way I knew how, and silently prayed for Alex's forgiveness before crawling over to Dane's seat and kneeling in front of him. Dane's eyes flared with a wicked gleam, and I knew just how much he liked to be dominate, so I played this as best as could.

“I said...” I close
d my eyes. “No.”

He let
go of his erection, it smacked back against his naked stomach and I swore I could see it pulsating from his strokes. His hands reached for my shoulders as he pulled me up, lifting me onto his lap. I winced and looked away, disgusted in myself and my body for making me so weak to his powerful allure.

“I need this. I need you. You've tortured me for too long,” Dane breathe
d into my neck.

“
I've
tortured
you
?”

“Always wearing those fucking dresses to The Club, dancing the way you do, and even when you would wear a suit to sell a fucking house, Riley. You kill me,” he growl
ed, then sunk his teeth into my shoulder and sucked my skin. His tongue lapped my flesh and my heart thumped so hard I thought it was going to burst.

“
Stalker.”

“I have a keen interest in the real estate market,” he whisper
ed. “Especially when you're selling it.”

“You left me, Dane! You left my son!” I cr
ied out, angry and seething, but so very hot.

He ignore
d my statement and continued. “Then you go and play house with that redhead's brother. What the hell was that about anyway? He's nothing like me.”

“That's exactly why I love him, he's nothing like you,” I hiss
ed, as my fingers gripped the back of the leather seat.

Dane lift
ed my dress with one quick motion, he ripped the side of my panties and pulled them away from me. He lifted them up in the dim light, examining them. “Oh, damn. You know how much I love this things.” His fingers rubbed the fabric, circling around the eyelet pattern on what was left of the panties, as he stuffed them into the pocket of his jacket.

“You're
drenched.” Dane's eyes closed tightly when he reached down between my legs and touched me.

I
couldn’t look at him, so I turned my face away, but he reached up with his other hand and forced my face down to his. Keeping a grip on my chin, Dane pulled his fingers out of me and touched his lips with them. They glistened and he closed his eyes again, slowly shoving them into his mouth, he licked and sucked his fingers like they were lollipops.

I died.
Right there.

Completely un
able to come to terms with what was happening, I pushed every single thing I cared about out of my head and whispered goodbye to myself.

Dane lift
ed me and turned to sit me on the seat so he was then kneeling in front of me, his body in between my legs. I quivered when his hands traveled up my legs and unbuckled the belt around my waist, letting it fall away. He lifted up my dress up and over my head, then he leaned up and gripped my hair in his hands, the black curls woven tightly in his fingers.

“I am going to lick every inch of you,” Dane breathe
d, his lips sucking and biting my chest and over each breast. One hand left my hair and reached down between my legs again, touching and tantalizing me. “Careful, baby. You're so wet you might just slide off the leather.”

“Oh, God!” I hiss
ed between gritted teeth. “Just do it already!”

“That's my girl,” he
said. “Dig those claws into me, baby.”

I grip
ped his shoulders as he pulled me down the seat so I was right on my back, my behind cupped in his arms as he held the bottom half of my body in the air.

I buck
ed and heaved when his tongue built the torture by flicking across my belly, from hip to hip. My fingers tingled as they traveled all over the short hairs on his shaved head, I pulled his face down into my body and cried out when he starts to devour me entirely.

Dane growl
ed and forcefully pushed his face harder into me, he was so intensely consuming me I didn’t think I couldn’t take another second of it. I screamed out and begged him to stop.

He
didn’t.

He kept
going and going and I wasn’t sure if my heart could take it. I covered my face with my hands and started to cry. I was an awful, awful person.

Alex, baby.

I am so sorry.

“What did you just say?” Dane lift
ed his head and glared at me.

I look
ed at him, my eyes tired and empty. “I didn't say anything.”

“Yes, you did. You said '
Alex,
I am
sorry
,’”

“Oh, God. Dane,” I whimper
ed. “Please take me back home.”

One thing I d
id know about Dane Sullivan was that he wanted to be solely the centre of the world of the woman he was with. He refused to share, he loathed the idea of a three-some or anything like that. He didn’t even partake in role play, never wanting to be someone else or have someone call him by another name.

“You're making a mistake, Riley,” he hisse
d. “You sure you're ready to pay the price?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” He smirked and pressed a button on a panel under a window. “Maxwell, back to 870 Milestone Avenue.”

I quickly
found my dress and pulled it over my body, trying to cover my shame, but it didn’t help. I smoothed my hair, as I was sure it looked like I had just been on a roller coaster ride.

Dane calmly pull
ed his pants up and zipped the zipper, he fastened three or four buttons on his shirt and pulled back on his suit jacket. I sat across from him again, feeling like a complete idiot, reeling through my emotions and how exactly I was going to explain myself to Alex.

T
ime crawled on its raw and bloodied hands and knees, and we did not speak again until the driver finally pulled up to the end of my driveway. I couldn’t look at Dane when I reached for the handle to get out of the car, but he grabbed my hand and held it tightly.

“Thank you, baby.” H
e grinned, patting the pocket of his jacket where my torn panties were stowed safely. “See you soon.”

“Please, leave me alone.”

Dane didn’t say anything else, he just sat back in his seat and smiled like he had won some little victory.

I step
ped out into the cool air, finally able to breathe again, and I slammed the limo door behind me. I had no idea know what I should have done then; there were still so many people here it seemed, the music was still playing. It was like time froze, or I hadn’t been gone that long at all. I looked down at my watch—I had been gone for over an hour for sure, I hoped my mother hadn't sent out a search party for me.

The pavement hurt
my bare feet so I walked up the lush green lawn, the sprinklers must have just been on because the grass was wet and I almost slipped and fell.

“Riley!”

I looked to see Alex sitting on the front porch, he stood when he saw it was really me, and I almost turned and ran in the opposite direction. He smiled when I get closer, and as I stepped into the light beaming from the porch lights I covered my face, briskly walking up the path toward him.

“Alex, please. Don't look at me,” I whisper
ed through my fingers, and brushed past his outstretched arms. I scurried upstairs with Alex fast on my heels.

“Riley, baby. What's going on?”

I kept going, taking two steps at a time, praying I reached my bedroom so I could shut Alex and the rest of the world out and let myself fall to the floor where I belonged.

When I
got inside my room, Alex forced himself in before I could close the door. I slowly backed away from him, my face streaked from tears. When he walked toward me, he reached up and gently grazed his thumb across my trembling lower lip.

“Baby, talk to me.”

I shook my head, and walked into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door this time. But I didn’t turn on the light either, I didn’t want him to look at me. I tossed my shoes on the floor and opened the shower door, when I stepped in still fully clothed, I turned on the water and stood under the spray.

I
couldn’t even register that the temperature of the water was, I was a complete mess, so I couldn't care less if the shower was scalding me. I deserved it.

Alex open
ed the shower door and stepped in, he was still wearing all his clothes too. “Riley, please,” he said quietly. “What's happening right now?”

He look
ed so sad and completely distraught, my heart flipped and I burst into tears, falling into his arms. The built up dam let go and the tears of regret flowed from my eyes, I sobbed and fell to pieces in Alex's arms.

“
I saw Dane.”

“Dane?” He narrow
ed his eyes. “He was here?”

“Yes,” I whimper
ed, feeling so very small. “I let him touch me, Alex.”

Alex's chest tighten
ed. “Define
touch
, Riley.”

I reach
ed around my back to take Alex's hands into mine, slowly pushing them down my sides, I lifted my dress and let his hands go. My eyes screamed my apologies when his hands touched my naked skin, finding no panties.

His mouth tighten
ed, mimicking his body, and he looked away from me, but didn’t remove his hands. “Did you sleep with him?”

“No! Baby, no,” I cr
ied out.

“Then what did you do, Riley?”

“I—I,” I stammered. “I was so angry when I saw Celeste, and then I saw you, Alex. I heard your phone call.”

“I told you, I didn't do anything with her. She almost jumped me when I was walking around the side of the house, I basically had to fucking fight her off of me. I love you, Riley. You!”

“Shit,” I whispered.

“Tell me right now,” he growl
ed, tipping my chin up with his hand so my face was less than an inch from his. I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t even speak the words because I was so disgusted that it even happened.

Alex let
go of my chin and aggressively shoved his hand between my shaking legs. “Did he touch you here?”

I nod
ded.

“And what about
here
,” he asked, placing a finger over my throbbing flesh.