Devil's Despair Box Set: Books 1-3 (12 page)

Her hands don’t belong on anyone but me.

People fuck. It’s part of life. The human connection, whether it’s intimate and meaningful or not, is a necessary element for a person to feel accepted and grounded to something or someone bigger than themselves. What Cherry and I are about to do, thanks to her, pushes that shit to a whole new level.

I want inside her. I want to feel her clenching, moaning, and writhing in passion, begging me for more as she lies beneath me, taking everything I have to give. Her hair splayed out gently across my pillow, her desperate breaths mingled with mine as I take her mouth, and her legs spread wide as I thrust into her as far as I can get until we’re both shattered and sated. I’m not using her body to satisfy my own hunger or need, not this time. I’m using
my
body to make
her mine
.

“Ace, please. Slow down. My shoes!”

Turning back to look at her on the way to the truck, I realize she’s visibly stressed. I can help solve this shit for her. “Jesus Christ. Fuck the shoes, Cherry. Lose ‘em.”

Pulling my hand back, she stops me as I continue dragging her along. “No! These are new, they’re expensive and they’re
cute
.”

Cute or not, fuck the shoes.

Rushing to her and wrapping my hand around the side of her neck, I pull her to me in a quick gesture. As her body slams into mine, I bend my neck, take her mouth, and find it warm, wet, and completely compliant. This was not thought out on my part as it only increases my urgency to have her.

Not wanting to have a debate about her fucking shoes while my cock is throbbing and my breathing is ragged, I pick her up like a screaming bratty child and carry her the rest of the way to my ride. Her laugh, although addicting, isn’t helping, either.

I’m going to make her mine.

Finally, once I reach the truck with her in my arms, I set her down near the passenger side door and use the key fob to unlock it.

Sensing my state, Cherry decides this is a good time to tempt me further. “Ace.” Her voice is sultry and seductive – wanting.

Fuck.

“Shut up. Don’t fuckin’ talk, goddamn it. The sound of your voice alone is killin’ me.” She blinks in surprise, although I’m unsure why; surely the woman can see what a tormented state I’m in right now.

Opening the door for her to get in, she stalls and stands between the seats she should be taking and me, searching my face with those dark-blue eyes that are drowning in lust.

“Ace.” She glances down to see the strain in my jeans and her eyebrows lift; at the same time, her tongue licks her full and now savagely kissed bottom lip. “I thought we were friends.”

“We’re about to be friends that fuck. Get in.”

“Is this a good idea?”

“Yes.” I can’t think of one better.

“We can always go back in and have a drink…” she says, pointing to the door of the bar. I grab her arm mid-air and press her hand into the painful strain of my cock.

Bending down, I get near her face and explain my feelings on her idea. “Fuck the drink, Cherry. Let’s go home.” Nodding my head behind her, I raise my voice slightly to get my point across. “Get in.”

Looking down at her beautiful face, I mentally debate. It wouldn’t take much effort on my part to move her ass into the back of the truck cab and take her there. I’m struggling to maintain control right now anyway, but out here, in a dark and open parking lot isn’t where I want this to happen; she deserves better.

Her eyes search mine before she offers yet another delay. “What if we took a walk? Maybe that would help.”

Searching the dark sky, my voice raises with the frustration I feel. “For the love of all that is good on this Earth, Cherry. You need to
get
in the fucking truck
.”

Smiling at me, eyes dancing, she turns and give me a show of her ass as it sits under her tight skirt. She does what I tell her, getting up into the truck, but instead of seating herself where she knows she damn well should, she continues in, climbs between the front seats and has now adjusted herself in the back of the cab.

Neither of us says anything. I’m standing outside my ride with its door handle in my hand, my other hand bunched in a fist of absolute frustration. My head hangs down, looking at the ground as if I’m asking it to make this decision for me. I take in a breath and make the call.

Fuck it.

I hear the growl come from the back of my throat as I slam the front truck door in anger and open the back one before jumping in with a quick and furious movement. She’s sitting on the opposite side of the back cab’s bench, behind the driver’s seat, and she’s smiling at me with a look of innocence; she’s also doing a lousy job feigning ignorance.

“C’mere, Cherry.”

Slowly, she crawls across the leather, finding my body tense and rigid; she adjusts herself by spreading her thighs and sitting in my lap. Under her now-split skirt, I feel the warmth of her arousal through my jeans.

Running her hands through my hair and then down the sides of my face, she leans into me and puts her mouth to mine. She’s taking ownership, possessing, and by thrusting her tongue in and out, she’s exhausting me with slow, seductive movements. Her hips start to grind against me as my hands reach her waist, guiding her and setting the pace.

“Lift.” Shifting to her knees, she does what she’s told, using my shoulders for balance and pushing her chest in my face. The smell of her envelopes my senses and I’m forced to close my eyes and focus on what I’m doing. My hand makes its way under her skirt, finding her wet, so in one quick motion I rip the thong from her body, tossing it to the floor. “Take my cock, Cherry.”

“Ace, maybe we should…”

That voice. Christ, I’m barely holding back as it is, and she wants to taunt me with her voice. “Don’t talk. Get my jeans off.”

Her eyes widen and burn. She doesn’t hesitate; she’s as hungry for this as I am.

Unbuttoning and unzipping my jeans, I lift slightly, allowing her to slide them down my thighs. As she climbs back onto me, I see her face and in the parking lot’s overhead lights, I watch as she smiles shyly.

Once again sitting on my lap, she holds my shoulders while I slide my hands up her back. Finding her skin hot to the touch, I unclip her bra from behind. “Up.”

She raises her arms over her head and after taking off her shirt, I take away the bra and move my mouth to latch onto her breast, sucking it hard and enjoying it as it pebbles in excitement.

Using her knees to adjust, she seats herself on top of me and her warmth covers my cock in one slick and greedy motion. She moans at the connection as I fill her. Her head is tilted toward the truck’s sun roof, the moon casting a glow on her neck and shoulders.

“Go.” I give her the reins to take whatever she wants and thankfully this time, without hesitation, she does as I ask.

My body is heated as I sit back against the seat and watch her take my cock in and out of her small body with fevered motions. She’s tight, and I feel her insides clenching around me in her uncontrolled movement.

Sensing her impending release, I aim to slow her down with my words. Leaving one hand gripping her waist to stop her from moving, my other hand finds her face to cup her cheek. When it does, she leans into the security of its hold softly as she stops moving. “Do you have any idea how fuckin’ beautiful you are?”

She doesn’t answer. Her slight intake of breath is my only affirmation that she heard me. Once again, she slowly begins to pick up pace. When she finds the spot inside her, I feel her warmth clinch me in a tight vice and to avoid hurting her with my urgency and greed, I give her a warning. “Stay still. Let me do this.”

Once again doing as she’s told, she looks down at me from her seated position and allows my strength to move her body on top of mine up and down, forward and back. The warmth I feel inside her, the sound of her desperate breaths, and the sight of her on top of me causes my cock to harden and my hips to jerk before my powerful release. I’m consumed by her completely, allowing her to give me what I’ve wanted for weeks.

Moments later, the truck stops moving and fills with the sounds of desperate breaths coming from us both as we finish together. The windows are steamed, and we can barely make out the vague voices of the other patrons leaving the bar.

We sit in the truck’s back seat, with me still settled inside her, for a few minutes in silence. I’m calm, sated, and comfortable. The sheen of sweat covering her body is creating a chill on her skin so to avoid her being cold, I hand her the shirt she was wearing.

“Thank you,” she says as I help her put it on. Her voice sounds tired and is laced with a hint of worry as my finger catches the raised set of three scars that stain her hip. Greyson did this to her. He may be dead, but the damage he’s caused to her will never be forgotten.

Grabbing her chin and pulling her face toward me so I can study her mood, I greet her as if we hadn’t seen each other for a while. “Hey.”

Smiling briefly, she answers softly. “Hey.”

“You all right?”

Giving me an eye-roll, something I’m getting pretty fuckin’ used to, she answers, “Do you really have to ask that?”

Smiling back at her, I bring her body into my arms as our chests meet, and I hold her. “No. Unless I’ve been out of touch with sex so long and something about it’s changed, I think you’re good.”

She giggles against my chest, her small frame dwarfed in my large one. “Yeah, being friends seems to work well with us.”

I wrap my arm around her tightly. “Ready to go home?”

She nods and nestles her head into my neck. I kiss the crown of her head and drink in her intoxicating scent before she has time to answer. Eventually, after a few quiet moments, she does. “If you are, I am.”

Pushing her away from my body, I feel the loss of her and although I’m not appreciative of the feeling, I need to get her home. What we’ve done and where we’ve done it is far less than I want for her.

Moving her gently, I release myself from being inside her. The emotional sense of this leaves me feeling insecure and detached. I don’t want to lose this feeling I just got in being with her, so I want us to get out of the backseat so I can take her home and into our bed. “Let’s go home, then.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cherry

ONCE WE MAKE it back to the house and we’re standing inside the door, I remember it’s empty. “They’ll be home tomorrow afternoon,” Ace reminds me as he leans against the wall, removing his boots and hanging his keys on the hook near the entrance.

Turning around to face him, suddenly I’m feeling insecure and naked in a sense. I’ve never been afraid to be anything but me in front of Ace, but as of about an hour ago, we aren’t the same to each other. The dynamic of our relationship has changed. The lines of our friendship have been blurred.

Walking to me slowly, he reaches out and runs his finger over my forehead and down my temple. “What are you thinking about? Did I hurt you?”

“No.”
Not yet, but give it time.

“I’m gonna start the shower. You want to get in with me or you going to bed?”

I fake a joke, hiding what I’m really feeling inside. “Well, friends can clean each other off, I suppose.”

“Cherry, don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t make light about what happened back there. I care about you. You know this,” he says as he moves the hair from my neck and places it along my back.

“I do.”

“So, shower or bed?”

“I’m gonna lay down if that’s all right?”

Leaning in and kissing my forehead softly, letting his lips linger for a few brief seconds, he answers against my skin, his breath softly caressing me. “Of course it is. I’ll be in soon.”

Once I’ve changed into my well-worn night shirt, I get comfortable. I hear the shower finally turning off and I’m sitting up on Ace’s bed, using pillows for prop, holding the present I bought him last week while out shopping with Travis. It seems trivial now, after all that’s happened tonight, but I’m determined to give it to him regardless of his reaction.

Standing in the doorway watching me, I’m startled when my eyes meet his. He’s staring at me with a look I can’t place. Ace is a large man; he hasn’t always been, but it’s undeniable that he is now. He works out a lot. Judging by the size of Travis, I’m guessing they must work out together. The colors of his chest, the dragon and various array of skulls stir my insides, making me want to reach out and trace each one of them.

“What’s that?” he says, pointing at the box and walking to the bed wearing only a towel at the waist and one bunched over his shoulders, leaving it to hang around his neck. His hair is still damp and excess water is glistening off his skin.

“I… uhh… I got you something.”

His eyebrows lift in surprise as he studies the small box I’m holding. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I thought of you when I saw it and I wanted to get it, so just open it.”

Taking the box from me, he holds it in his hands as he sits at the edge of the bed, feet to the floor. I’m staring at him, nervously twisting my fingers to distract myself from what he’s not doing. He’s not opening it.

“I love it,” he says while examining the black box in his hands.

“You don’t know what it is yet, so you can’t love it already.”

He turns from the gift and, as he does, the muscles in his back bunch along with his abs, and he stares at me before voicing this thought out loud. “I don’t have to know what it is to know I love it because you thought of me when you saw it and brought it home.”

The way he says ‘home’ causes my eyes to sting in response. I need to move this along before the evenings events make me an emotional mess; no one likes a sad weepy afterglow, namely me. “Please, Ace. Can you open the damn thing already? You’re making me nervous with all this small talk.”

He mumbles, “Bossy” while taking off the top half of the box. I watch as he fumbles through the generic square cotton slip that sits on top of the pendant and chain.

While shopping, I had asked Travis what he thought of it. He smiled wide, smothering a laugh, and told me Ace would like it. I didn’t understand the joke and I still don’t. Ace is smiling just as wide and from what I can see, he’s stifling the same laugh.