His Price (12 page)

Rolling my eyes, I tapped my thumb against my thigh. “I need to get through, excuse me.” Stepping forward, I tried to force him to move. But he stood still, unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm for his comment.

Sliding his forefinger and thumb over his jaw line, he ran his eyes up and down my body. “How much?”

Tossing him a crooked glare, I asked, “What?”

“You heard me. How much? I could use a piece of ass like you, my dick is lonely. I'm sure you could perk him up a bit.” Grabbing his crotch, I watched him imagine fucking me in his head.

“Fuck off, Asshole. I'm not a hooker.” Holding the strap to my purse, I felt like I was two seconds away from hitting the guy with it.

“You're not a hooker? Come on, look at you. You're definitely a hooker.” Shifting on his feet, the man bit his bottom lip, tugging it into his mouth.

Raising my voice, I said, “I'm not a fucking hooker, now move.”

Suddenly, I felt hands curl over my shoulders, moving me to the side. Hegan was standing beside me, shoulders pulled back tight. His hands were clenched by his sides, a look of sheer destruction smothered his face. “What did you just say to her?”

The man held his hand out, still leaning so smugly in doorway. “Your bitch here is being difficult. I was just looking for a little fun later tonight, and—”

Hegan didn't let another word from the old asshole come out. In one swift jerk of his arm, Hegan had him by the back of the neck. “You don't talk to her that way.” He muscled out through his teeth. I watched his fingers dig into the guy's neck, dipping in so far his nails disappeared into his flesh.

“Look, Hegan, I don't understand. She's dressed like a fucking prostitute, I just thought...”

“No, you didn't think. That's the problem. Now get the fuck out, before I really hurt you. Do you understand me, Alex?”

Alex shook his head, and Hegan shoved him in the direction of the front doors. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he led me back to the table, never taking his eyes off the guy who had just insulted me.

And I had a rush of excitement hit me full force, my heart fluttering inside my chest. Electricity coursed through my nerves, my stomach turned like a wild fire loose in dry tinder. He had just stood up for me, protected me from some fucking pervert.

Watching his face, his eyes, his lips; I wanted to kiss him, thank him for what he did. Hegan didn't have to stand up for me, but he did.

Sitting back down, Stella was glaring, eyes gaping open at her son. “Hegan, was all that necessary?” The scolding tone of a mother flew from behind her lips, hushed behind embarrassment. She didn't approve of what he'd just done, and the fact it was in front of everyone here.

Coiling her fingers around her wrists, she looked around the room. The quiet voices started to raise as they all whispered among each other, glancing in our direction.

“You know what? I think we're done here.” Shoving back from the table, he threw his napkin down. “Come on.” Standing briskly, he whipped around and stormed off.

Smiling through thin lips, I said, “It was nice to meet you both.” A sorrowful feeling began to work its way over my mind, I started to feel bad for Hegan.

His father gave him no slack, you could see in his dad's eyes, Hegan had failed him. Or at least he hadn't held up to his expectations. To sit through that short lunch with his parents, to see the small glimpse into the life he's had, a wave of mournful emotion pressed on me.

He had just put himself between me and some freak trying to get me to fuck him. And to his parents, that was only another embarrassment on their list.

Hegan had probably lived his entire existence being compared to others, or looked down on if he didn't succeed just like his father wanted.

What did his dad mean? 'You know what's coming.'
What was Brandon holding over his head, dangling it like a toy for his cat? He wanted something from Hegan, something he expected.

Was he the reason Hegan needed a baby? Was that possible?

I had a moment of comparison, a flash of our lives mirroring each other.

Hegan had said he needed a baby or he would lose everything.

My family wasn't directly holding anything over my head, but I had to help them. It was only right I did whatever it took to get my mother the treatment she needed. It didn't matter what or how.

Our lives had intersected in such a way that we both seemed to be in the same boat, riding the same storm.

Two people, and two worlds that have collided into one fucked up story.

Hegan

T
hat man made me sick. My father couldn't help himself, he felt the need to break me down any chance he got. That was my everyday, see how many different ways my father could jab his disappointments at my failures.

I was happy she stuck with what she felt, not letting him shadow her thoughts or warp her point of view. She didn't care if he disagreed with her or thought the complete opposite. She stood by what she believed. And it was fucking hot.

Noella...

Noella, that was her name. It was pretty, suiting her even.

I wanted to say her name out loud. Repeating it over and over in my head, the letters twisted like the fiery curls of her hair; twining fiercely and burning into my brain.

Tilting my head, my eyes veered over my shoulder. She was sitting so quiet, so still. Her hands were clasped tightly, softly resting on her lap. A thin strand of hair waved gently across her face, being pushed around from the heat expelled by the vents.

I couldn't stop staring at her. There was something about her; the way she sat, the way she held herself.

It hooked me.

Turning up the driveway, I slid the shifter into park. My chest was pounding, sending the blood coursing through every vein. Sitting here next to her wasn't good enough, I needed her.
Now.

“What are you doing?” A slender finger shoved the loose hair back, brows raising up high. “Why did you stop here?”

“Noella, so that's your name. I like it.” Running my hand over my hair, I asked, “How come you told them your real name?”

“Did I say it was my real name?” She arched her lip, the pink glaze shimmering from the sun.

“You answered my dad pretty fast, so I assumed it was.” Shrugging my shoulders, I leaned in on the center console. The one barrier between us created more distance than I wanted.

“It is. I told you I didn't want to be called Copper. That's just for work.” Her eyes shifted to the dashboard, hand fiddling with the vent.

“This wasn't work?” Cracking a grin, I eyed her tits as they were forced up with each breath she took.

Bringing her face back to mine, her lips parted. “That was your life. Not mine. It would've been wrong for me to try and be someone else there.”

I couldn't stop myself, all I wanted to do since leaving that restaurant was fuck her. Fuck her and call her name, her real name. Let the words fill me to the brim and explode off my tongue.

On impulse I cupped her cheek, running my thumb over the delicate trim of her chin. Noella's lashes fluttered, spanning her eyes like small canopies. “Hegan, I can't do this. It's wrong, we can't bring a child into the world for our own gains.” She turned her head away, pulling out from my hand.

Sighing heavily, my eyes rolled in place. “I can't lose everything. He's going to take it all,
everything.”

“So, do you have any idea what I'm going to lose? You're worried about money, I'm looking at losing my mom. There's a big difference.” Noella's chest began to heave, her mouth inhaling quickly to slow her lungs down.

The gentle tap of her lips together, the smack of moistened flesh as the air pulled in, shot through my ears. Waves of need surged down to my cock, the blood draining from every inch of my body to feed the enlarging mass.

“If we do this, we both get what we want. Why is that so bad?” I was offering her a fresh a start, a world of endless possibilities. Couldn't she see that?

Or was she just refusing to?

“Because we're talking about a baby! A fucking living, breathing, baby. That's not selling off a piece of jewelry or a damn car. It's a huge responsibility.”

“If we do this— which we are. I told you already, there's no option out. But, I have more money coming to me than you could possibly ever dream of. I'll make sure you never have to worry about anything—”

“That's all you think about! Money! Get this through your small fucking brain, Hegan, I don't care about the money!” Her words hit me with such force I jolted in my seat.

“Noella, I... I...” I was speechless.

Maybe she was right. I was expecting all my problems to disappear if I did this one thing. But would they?

They had to, a baby was what my dad required or I was done; finished, living on the street with nothing.

I can't do that, I won't do that.

“I wish I could just say that, say I didn't care. But I do. I can't have it all ripped out from beneath me, Noella. I need this baby.”

“I'm not doing it.” Pursing her lips, she shook her head side to side.

And even with her saying no, I still wanted to fuck her; still wanted every piece of her wrapped around my cock, around my muscles. I wanted to hear her say my name again, whisper it into my ear as I pounded her pussy.

“You couldn't resist me in the kitchen, don't you think there's a reason for that? I saw it in your face that night at the club, and this morning.”

“You didn't see shit. What you saw was lust, that's it. That doesn't mean I'm going to throw myself down and let you knock me up. You're fucking insane, you know that?” Her nose wrinkled slightly as her cheek lifted to her eye.

The gentle wrinkles forming across her skin sent my stomach into knots. She was fucking sexy, in every way possible. Even when she was giving me a face of disgust, my cock stiffened in my pants, hardening with her confidence and strength.

She was trying to pull herself from me, tear the feelings she was toiling with down and away. But she could only do that for so long, she gave in once; and now she's had a taste of what I could offer.

A really great fuck.

I'm not giving up on Noella. I need her.

“I've been told that before. You're not the first. But you are the first to tell me I'm crazy
after
we've had sex.” A smile crept up my face, and I laughed lightly.

Waiting for her to lash out, I was taken by surprise. She laughed with me, her sweet chuckle hitting my ears, tempering my cock. “Then maybe I'm the crazy one,” she said between giggles.

Noella was like no woman I had ever met before. She could find humor in a situation where she was angry, she could grow a spine when she was challenged. Noella was the woman who should have my child, no one else.

That's what I was holding onto, wrenching my fingers around and keeping for me. She was mine, in every way.

I didn't care what she said, or thought, or wanted. She was mine.

“You're not crazy. You're the sweetest piece of ass I've ever had.”

“Is that all you think about? Sex?” Twisting her body in the seat, she glared at me under hooded lids.

“No, the sex came after I saw what type of girl you are.”

“What type of girl I am?” Veering her eyes, her head fell forward.

“Yeah. You're not weak, you're not a bitch, even when you try to be. You have brains, and can think on your toes. It was that stuff I saw first. The sex, well that came later.” Scratching my scalp, I said, “Now don't get me wrong, the sex is what I needed. But the mother of my kid wasn't going to be some dumb bitch, who could barely operate an ice tray and wonders if the stuff in history books are real.”

I watched her face spread a bright cherry, looking down at her knees, she said, “You saw all that in me? How?”

“It's painted all over you, Noella. Let me ask you this, why do you work at Tigress?” Holding up my hand, I paused her answer. “I know you owe Gloria money, but why there? Why not get a job some place else?”

“I just wanted to pay her off as quick as possible. I'd been working part time for a coffee shop, and that wasn't going to do shit to put a dent in what I owe her.” Letting her head fall towards her chest, her voice softened. “And Gloria played up the club. I didn't think I had a choice really. Especially if I wanted to get back to my life.” Twirling her fingers around each other, she braided the long digits.

“I knew the instant I saw you that you weren't cut out for that world.” Gripping her chin tightly, I raised her eyes to mine.

“How? How could you know?” The deep crystal of her gaze shifted between mine. Darting her eyes back and forth, she dug for an answer.

“You had an air of intelligence. I could smell it, like the panties you were wearing that night.” My teeth bit my lower lip, tugging it in.

Bringing my fingers to her neck, I caressed the bare flesh. Gliding them up and down, she quivered beneath my touch. Goosebumps rolled up across her skin, shooting out like tiny mountains against the snow.

She can't resist me. She's just as drawn to me as I am to her. Otherwise, she would have high tailed it out of here. It's not like I have her locked up and cuffed.

“Heg—” Silencing the sound about to break through, I pushed my lips against hers. Our tongues danced together, twisting and wrapping around each other.

I had to have her, again and again. She was all I had thought about since I first laid eyes on her. Her body, her pussy; it was all intoxicating, filling my dreams every night.

Floating my tongue across the ridges of her mouth, my fingers squeezed her shoulder blades. Pressing her chest against mine, I wanted to tear her from the seat. The giant plastic console dug into my ribs, making the rest of her hard to get to.

Noella dragged her tongue over my lips, biting them softly. Her skin felt damp, the heat of my touch warming her body. Her hips rocked back and forth, knees opening wider as her hands trailed up her thighs.

Placing my hand on the seam of her dress, I jerked it up. “No panties?” I said, my eyes opening wide.

Nodding her head no, she pulled my hand down to her pussy. “What can I say? I hate panties.” Her head fell back onto the seat, rolling to look up at me.