Condemned (13 page)

Our gazes crashed together, and my pulse pounded in my temples, ticking away the seconds.

“Trust me, I won’t kill you, but I can do this all day. Thirty more seconds, and your lungs will ignite. Blink twice if you’re ready to tell me what you’re hiding.”

I didn’t flutter an eyelash. Thing was, I did trust him. He wouldn’t kill me. He wouldn’t. My body was fast forgetting that though as I struggled for air, as my lungs burned for it.

He pulled out, and I sucked in a gasping breath before he pushed in again, deep down. “How long do you wanna play this game?”

I told myself not to panic and resorted to using the only weapon I had—my mouth. I added suction and swirled my tongue, flicked and darted until his hips thrust in abandon. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t care because I was about to send him over the edge, I could already tell.

“
Fuck
,” he said with a growl as he came. He let go of my nose, and I almost choked as he spilled down my throat. He yanked out, and some of his cum spurted onto my lips and chin. “You play dirty.”

“Not nearly as dirty as you!” I said, still gasping for air.

His lips quirked up in a lopsided grin. “You have no idea.” He curled my fingers around the bars of the headboard before sliding down my body. “Spread your legs.”

“No!”

“Spread your
fucking
legs.”

Something about his tone made me tremble. I opened my thighs without another word of protest, and he slid his hands underneath my ass, thumbs skimming the entrance of my sex. His mouth parted, hot breath igniting me, and I arch into his erotic kiss with a moan, fingers squeezing the shit out of the bars as his tongue burrowed into me.

My legs fell to the sides, quaking uncontrollably. I gritted my teeth as my center coiled, seconds away from coming undone when he switched to light, closed-mouthed kisses that torturously teased. I held my breath, refusing to cry out in frustration. I needed to come, so bad, and I was seconds away from begging him for it, from grabbing at his skin as if it were my lifeline.

I wanted him all over me, inside me, and wrapping me in his raw and brutal strength.

“Please, Rafe—”

He closed his lips over my clit, and I bowed over the mattress with a wail. He flicked his tongue, just light enough to drive me insane. “Rafe, please…for the love of God, I need more.” The headboard shook under the force of my grip.

“So do I,” he said, words vibrating along my pussy. “I need the truth.” He worked his way to my core, tongue lapping up moisture, before returning to my downfall—that little spot that was an instant away from sending me hurtling into ecstasy-like chaos. Pushing a finger into me, his tongue pressed on my clit hard.

“Oh God…oh my fucking
God
…

He pulled away, and an anguished cry tore from my throat. He propped his head on a hand and looked at me between shamelessly spread legs, my knees bent on either side of him and feet flat on the mattress.

“How bad do you want it?”

“Stupid question.”

“Wrong answer.” He kissed my hip, then dragged his lips up my stomach before sucking a nipple into his mouth. He slid a palm between my legs and stoked the blaze raging inside me. I thrust my pelvis into his touch, arched my spine, and was about to shatter when he stopped again. My breath expelled in a rush. I hated and loved him all at once, and my body was on the same page.

He brought his hands to my neck and clamped down, and I knew without a doubt he was going to choke me again. I prepared my useless fists to pound against his steel body.

“Fight me, sweetheart.”

I stiffened at his demand and refused to move. Part of me wanted to rebel, wanted to gain the upper hand even as he threatened to stifle me.

With a growl, he increased the pressure until I opened my mouth under his crushing weight.

“You’re gonna put up a fight, whether you want to or not.”

Bastard
.

The compression on my neck became unbearable, and the need to break free kicked in. I beat on his chest, shoved against his arms, and made it to my knees, a move he must have allowed because he was too strong for me. My face screamed for relief as I used all the force I had, but I still couldn’t get his hands off my throat. We fell to the floor, and I landed hard on my back. He pinned me down, forced my legs apart, and settled his erection at my entrance.

“You want my cock?”

I gasped, more concerned with breathing than with fucking. “Rafe…stop…” I clawed at his fingers, desperate to get free. His gaze never left mine, and I realized this was how he got off. He craved my helplessness, perhaps because my actions had rendered him helpless for so long.

Or maybe because Rafe “The Choker” Mason got his kicks in holding the lives of others in his hands.

“You’re hurting me.” Tears leaked out and burned tracks down my cheeks.

He pushed into me violently. “Fuck,” he groaned. “Your refusal to tell me the truth is hurting you.” His hands pressed harder on my throat.

My body reacted instinctively, and I kicked and squirmed, my useless fingers gouging his. “Please,” I squeaked, but the fucked up part was how I was getting wetter with each thrust, despite him choking me. The edges of the room grew dark, and I felt weightless as I drifted into nothingness.

His erratic breathing washed over me as my lids fluttered open. I gripped my throat, wheezing air into burning lungs. He was still pumping, and I was on the verge of coming, even after losing consciousness, when Jax dropped the ladder and popped his head through the opening.

“Dude. Someone just showed up.”

Too many thoughts battled in my head. The possibilities were endless and in each one, someone discovered Alex. A cop. Nikki. Even Zach. I didn’t like unexpected developments. Since her declared death had hit the news, I’d grown lax.

My mistake.

I pulled out of her and wound an arm around her neck, smothering her mouth with my hand. “Who is it? Did you let them in?”

Jax shook his head. “It’s a woman. I have no idea who she is or what she wants.”

“Grab the duct tape from my dresser,” I told him. “Top drawer.”

He moved quickly and pulled out the tape, and all the while, Alex struggled, her protests coming out as muffled whines. As Jax pulled a strip from the roll, I picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. He and I worked together to get the tape over her mouth. I wound my belt around her wrists and anchored her hands to the headboard.

“Sit tight. We’re not done yet.” I got to my feet and threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and Jax led the way down the steps.

“A woman’s here?”

“A hot blonde,” he said. “I didn’t let her in, and boy was she pissed.”

Fuck.

Had to be Nikki. Once we touched ground, Jax folded the stepladder to the loft. I cast a glance toward the front door, dread twisting my gut for what waited on the other side.

“I tried telling her you were sleeping, but she wouldn't leave.”

“I’m not surprised. If it’s who I think it is, she doesn’t have an agreeable bone in her body.” I strode to the door, Jax on my heels, and pulled it open. She stood tapping a foot, arms crossed with a scowl on her face. “Who’s the watchdog?” She jabbed a finger in Jax’s direction.

“I think the real question,” he said, lip curling, “is who the hell are you?”

“Who the hell am I?” She clenched her hands.

Double fuck.

“That’s what I said, ’cause from where I’m standing, you’re nothing but a stranger on my doorstep. A gorgeous stranger, but still.”

She let out a growl of indignation, and I spoke before things escalated. “He’s my roommate. What are you doing here, Nik?” And how could I get rid of her before the whole damn situation crumbled to the ground? I glanced over my shoulder and let out a small breath, as if I expected to find Alex standing behind me.

“I’m overwhelmed by the warm welcome.” Nikki stepped forward, a sign she wanted to come inside. “I’ve been calling, or had you not noticed?”

“I noticed.” Another glance behind me, another expelled breath. Thankfully, nothing but silence came from upstairs. “Can we meet somewhere in town later? Now isn’t a good time.”

She shook her head. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. You might want to avoid town for a while. Lyle’s got it out for you, been saying all kinds of crazy things. People are starting to talk. He thinks you had something to do with that girl’s death.”

Jax stood straighter, his back rigid. I knew what he was thinking, but I wasn’t about to let some small town gossip bring us down. I willed my face into a mask, though my pulse throbbed at my temples. “What girl?”

Her eyes widened. “You haven’t heard?”

I arched a brow. “Heard what?”

“The girl who sent you to jail, her car was found in the river a few days ago. They said it was an accident, but Lyle thinks you had something to do with it.” She raised her brows, and her forehead creased under honey blond wisps of bangs. “The timing’s kind of convenient though. They found her car just twenty miles from here.” She swept a hand between us. “And now you’re here.”

“You think I had something to do with it?” I dragged a hand through my unruly hair.

“No, I’m just saying I can see why some people might talk.”

Jax folded his arms. “My head is spinnin’ here, guys.” He gave Nikki a slow once-over. “Who’s Lyle, and who the hell are you?”

The first woman to catch his attention, and it would have to be the mother of my kid.

“Jax, this is Nikki.”

“Well that tells me a lot.”

I sighed. “We went to high school together. She's engaged to...” Fuck, he wasn’t going to like this. “Lyle, the sheriff.”

“
Perfect
.” He gave me a pointed look, and I hoped Nikki didn’t notice.

She took another step forward. “Can I come in, please? You took off so fast the other night—”

“Let’s go for a walk,” I interrupted as I wedged my feet into my sneakers by the door. I glanced at Jax, and he gave an imperceptible nod. We were good at communicating without words. A dip of the head, a flick of the wrist, a furtive glance. We’d learned to talk in code long ago. He’d keep an eye on the prisoner while I chased off the threat.

I closed the door behind me and followed Nikki down the steps of the front porch. We walked in silence for a while, the hum of the highway and the roar of a freight train blending into one in the distance. “That yours?” I asked, gesturing toward the small fishing boat docked next to my larger form of transportation. It was a stupid question, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“My dad’s.”

“How is he?”

“Not good. He’s been drinking again, ever since Mom left.”

Muttering the word “sorry” wouldn’t cut it, so I said nothing. As we neared the dock, a few more feet down the sloped path, she slowed.

“I didn’t come by because of Lyle.”

“I figured as much.”

“I mean, you always could handle yourself when it came to him.”

I raised a brow, waiting for her to get to the point.

She twirled the engagement ring around her finger, a large princess cut diamond that looked as if it weighed down her hand. I wondered how a man on a sheriff’s salary could afford such a ring. The whine of the train’s engine grew louder, closer. She cleared her throat. “Thing is, Lyle doesn’t know you’re Will’s father.”

Her words stopped me cold. “Who does he think
is
his father then? Was there someone else?” The thought hurt more than it should.

She shook her head. “A few one-night stands when you were away at competitions or busy training, but no one around the time of conception. It was just you.”

“But he doesn’t know that?”

“Well, he didn’t. I think he suspects now, since we met up for dinner. Small town and all that. You remember how it is. Nothing goes on in this place without everyone knowing about it.”

I almost snorted. I guess living on an island gave me certain advantages, like being able to kidnap a woman and hold her prisoner. No one knew about that. Talk was one thing, but knowing was something else entirely.

“So what are you saying?” I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t know what you want from me. You didn't even tell me about him until a few days ago.” I folded my arms to ward off the chill wafting from the river.

“Because you were locked up!” Wind whipped her blond hair into her face, and she angrily swiped it from her eyes. “The last time I saw you, I didn’t recognize you, Rafe. I’d never seen you so pissed, so…so…”

“So what? Just say it.” I stepped toward her, invading her space.

“So broken.”

I took a deep breath. “Let’s not do this shit. What do you want from me? You want me to step aside so you can have your perfect little family with Lyle?” I rolled my eyes. Lyle and picturesque family dynamics didn’t mix. Who the fuck was Nikki kidding? I might have been dead to the world for the last eight years, or
broken
, like she said, but people didn’t change. Not like that. If they did change, it was usually for the worse.

She lowered her head. “I don’t know why I’m here, don’t know what I’m doing anymore. Lyle is just getting nasty when it comes to your name. You need to watch your back, Rafe. He has a lot of power in this town. You already went down once for something you didn’t do.”