Shutter: The Complete Series (23 page)

“Watch it with those boney things.” I roll my eyes at him and before I can refocus he pulls me into his body and tickles up my side. I squirm and try to jump away, but he won’t let me loose.

“Not fair!” I shriek, but my protest does nothing to stop his assault.

“I always play fair, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he deadpans while continuing to corral me with tickling fingers.

“Okay, okay,” I say breathlessly between giggles. “I give up, you win. Just no more, no more.”

He exhales a hearty laugh and pulls me against his chest. We’re both breathing heavy from our efforts. Our chests heave in unison and the shared act quickly sends heat pooling between my legs. He hands find their way to the waistband of my jeans and knead my flesh, an indication he’s having the same thoughts I am.

I push against him, walking in unison until his back is against the brick wall. The desire in his eyes burns me to the core, and this time I’m not going to let anything stand in the way of what we both long for. Pulling back, I unloop my camera bag from my shoulder and set it on a piece of wood on top of the pile. Reaching under my knee length skirt, I loop my finger under the edge of my panties and pull them down. I twirl them around on my finger and watch as Niko’s eyes darken with anticipation.

“Your panties seem to have fallen off,” he says, his voice thick with desire.

“I don’t know what happened.” I shrug my shoulders and flick the panties into the dumpster. “Oh no, I seem to have lost them completely. What ever will I do?”

“I think I can help you,” he says and grabs me by my arm, spinning me around so my back is to the brick wall with his body pressed against mine.

“I do hope you can,” I breathe as he attaches his mouth to my neck.

“Don’t you worry, miss, I’ll take care of you.”

I smile at his playfulness then shiver when I hear him unzipping his jeans.

Not a single soul has passed us since we’ve been walking the streets, so I don’t worry about getting caught, and for some reason the fact I’m about to be ravaged next to a dumpster doesn’t unnerve me in the least.

I feel his erection press against me but he doesn’t move, he completely stills.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I say without hesitation or want for discussion. In this moment, I’ve never wanted anything more.

“You need to be sure. I’ve lost you once. After I have you a second time, I won’t let go so easily…not for anything. So if you have any doubts you better speak them now.”

I move my hands from supporting my body against the wall and settle them on either side of his face, making sure his eyes are trained directly on mine. “I have no doubts. I did, but they were doubts about myself, not you. I forgave you the moment you told me the truth, I just couldn’t admit that to myself. If I forgave you then I’d have to forgive myself as well, and that was something I wasn’t ready to do. I didn’t know if I could forget everything I’d done to you, didn’t know if I deserved absolution from you.”

He pulls my hands from his face but doesn’t break eye contact. “Babe, to me you did nothing wrong. I knew that sort of thing came with this path in life, what you did didn’t hurt me. I’ve never had anything to forgive you for.”

I nod to show I understand as wetness springs to my eyes and a lone tear rolls down my face. He leans forward and kisses my cheek, stopping the tear’s path. I turn my head and find his lips. As our tongues touch, he puts his hands under my ass and lifts me up, looping my legs around his waist.

“This is mine now, Brook, and no matter what, you can never take it away again. No part of you, ever again.”

I feel the head of his cock pressing against my wetness and my hips move forward at the touch.

“I won’t,” I croak softly.

He shifts his hips back and when he moves them forward, he easily glides inside me. The sensation shoots through my entire body, it’s only been weeks since I felt him, but my body has been yearning for him every second of the day. My back arches off the wall and a moan pours from my lips.

“Fuck, so wet. God, I forgot how fucking perfect you are.”

He moves his hips back at an agonizing pace, and I feel him stretching me slowly. He thrusts back in quickly then pulls back so gently my hips push forward unable to bear the pleasure yet demanding more.

“Oh God, please,” I moan, needing him harder and faster.

“Please what?” he asks, his mouth pressed against my ear then he snakes his tongue out to trace the edge.

“Harder…please.” My voice drips with neediness.

He gives me exactly what I crave, his hips move harder and faster, rapidly pushing me toward my climax. With every plunge I feel the muscles in his back growing tighter as he searches for his own release.

My breath grows ragged, and my moans come in a steady stream.

“Oh fuck,” he growls in my ear then shifts his hips back, “Rub your clit, babe, you’re too fucking tight.”

I reach between us and easily find my swollen clit; one touch and I feel the walls of my sex tighten around his cock harder and he growls, letting me know he feels it, too.

His mouth collides with mine and the pressure of his kiss intensifies the heat inside me. My whole body grows tighter than a bow as waves of pleasure shoot through me, leaving my head dizzy and my mouth muttering his name. Just as my climax reaches its apex, Niko buries himself deep inside me and groans into my neck, covering it with satisfied kisses.

He lowers me to the ground as we both fight to even our unsteady breathing.

“Well, I’d say this has been a good day at the office,” he says as he slaps my bare ass.

“I would have to agree,” I say after I jump out of reach of any more spankings.

“I hope no one notices you seem to have lost your panties along the way.” He winks at me as he beams with manly pride.

“If anyone happens to look under my skirt long enough to notice, I think we’ve got bigger problems.”

He pulls me in and kisses me long and hard, his tongue moving slowly over mine, drawing out the passion as long as possible.

“You have no fucking idea how scared I was to see you today,” he admits to the top of my head as he practically strangles me in a death grip. “I tried to give you time and space, but I couldn’t…every day without you seemed like eternity. There’s so much I don’t know about you, yet deep inside, I have no doubt I know everything I need to know.”

I squeeze my arms around his middle, trying to calm any residual fears he might have. “I’m here now, and we have all the time in the world. Won’t be long ‘til you’ll be bored with me.”

“Never,” he declares and kisses the top of my head.

***

“What about your parents? You never told me about yours,” I ask as we approach the black building with too many windows. The moment the words leave my lips, his face darkens and I regret asking. He stops walking, and his eyes move over my head and go completely unfocused.

“My mom, she died in a car accident when I was young. I don’t really remember her. And my dad, well, he’s just my dad. Works too much and drinks just as much. I see him every once in a while.”

“I’m so sorry, Niko.” I thread my fingers through his and pull his hand to my lips. “I didn’t know.”

“I actually think it’s better I don’t remember her, dulls the pain a little.” He smiles, but it doesn’t touch his eyes.

“But don’t you wonder?” I ask, and then want to kick myself for dragging this conversation on.

“Yeah, a little, but not knowing how good I could have had it isn’t near as bad as having the single thing that makes you happy then having it ripped away.” This time he pulls our joined hands to his mouth and kisses my hand.

Epilogue

One year later…

“Brook, are you ready yet? We’re gonna be late!” he calls down the hall as I sit with my hair still in curlers and apply mascara.

I don’t answer him, hoping he’ll go back downstairs and keep waiting for me on the couch. Then I hear his footsteps angrily pounding on the marble floor, and I know that’s not going to happen a second time.

“You’re not even close to being ready!” Through his reflection in the mirror I can see the vein that appears on his forehead when he’s annoyed with me. It appears and his face turns a lovely shade of cranberry red. I love that vein; it means he still loves me enough to easily get annoyed with me. And I like annoying him; it means his feelings are still strong. If I stopped being able to annoy him then I’d be afraid; that would mean the spark of our love had faded.

“I’m a lot closer to being ready than you think I am. I promise,” I lie, and swiftly take the curler out of my hair.

He leans against the doorframe and folds his arms across his chest.

“Is that so? You think I haven’t watched you get ready enough times to know the difference?”

I shake out the curls in my hair and run my fingers through it several times while he watches, growing more irritated with each passing second.  I glide my fiery red lipstick across my lips, smack them together, and then stand to face him.

“I guess you don’t know me as well as you thought.” I trail one finger across his jaw then down his neck, tapping it once on the steel blue tie I bought him for his birthday.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” I can feel his eyes blaze over my skin from head to toe and then back again. I knew he’d like my new lingerie, I just wasn’t planning on him seeing it until later tonight.

I turn my body slowly from side to side, making sure he gets a good look. “What this? Oh, I just needed a little something to wear under my dress tonight.”

I plant both palms at the sides of my breasts and slide them down at an achingly slow pace. Looping one finger under the side of my thong, I pull it out and let it go. He jumps slightly at the loud pop as the fabric settles back next to my skin.

The lingerie is just a few shades darker than the lipstick and high heels I’m also wearing. My new black dress will barely cover all the tantalizing red underneath, which was kind of my plan. Tonight is the one-year anniversary of us – of when we became official. I thought it deserved to be recognized.

“Don’t you like it?” I ask smugly.

“Do I like it? Hmmm,” he rubs is fingers over his newly grown goatee and turns his eyes upward like he’s thinking really hard. “No, I don’t like it. I fucking love it.”

He takes a step toward me with his arms stretched out, but I take two steps back making sure I’m completely out of his reach.

“Uh huh, we’re gonna be late remember?” I remind him of his words.

“Late? Oh that doesn’t matter; we’ll get there eventually. I’ll only take up a few minutes of your time.”

He reaches for me again, but I swat his hands away. “I think I’d rather wait until we have enough time to enjoy my new lingerie. Don’t you?”

“Nope, come here, and I’ll show you how much I appreciate your purchase.”

“Stephen? Remember we promised him.”

“What?” Niko asks, annoyance filling his in tone.

“Stephen is expecting us Niko; we said we’d help make tonight perfect for him. We kinda ruined his Grand Opening last year, the least we can do is make sure the one year celebration goes perfectly.” I raise my eyebrows. “I think we owe him that.”

“Okay, fine, but if you weren’t expecting me to try to ravage you, then you shouldn’t have worn that.” Niko gestures his hands toward my body trying to prove his point.

I take the single step toward him and lean into his body as I run the tip of my nose up the side of his cheek. “I wasn’t actually planning to show you until after we got back home, but you ruined that plan for me.”

His hands latch on to my ass and squeeze. “Oh fuck, I cannot wait to peel this off of you.”

I push him back, “Go get the car; all I have to do is slip on my dress.”

He shakes his head, “Nope, I want to watch.”

His eyes twinkle in the light, and the side of his mouth turns up amusingly. My heart seizes at the sight.

“I still wake up every day thinking this is all a dream. Knowing there’s no way you can be real.”

He lifts my hand and presses my palm against his cheek.

“I’m real, and you’re mine. No dreams, no fakes, you are mine.”

I take my black dress off the hanger and slide it on my body. Spinning around, I motion for him to zip the dress for me, but he doesn’t move an inch.

“This? This is what you’re wearing? I’m not sure it covers any more than the red shit underneath.”

I laugh, “Nope, it doesn’t.”

“And you’re wearing this because?”

“For you,” I say.

After several seconds of silence, I finally feel his hands pull the zipper up.

“Just let me grab my clutch, and I’m all set.”

He turns to leave the room, and I hear him mumbling something about not playing fair as he disappears out the bedroom door.

We arrive at Surf thirty minutes later, and just like last year, butterflies dance in my stomach, but for different reasons.

***

One year ago, Niko and I started our happily ever after. Life had been crazy since the moment we officially met. Obviously with me starting out as his stalker, things were bound to be unconventional. Once we finally decided to give each other a fair chance at love, it was smooth sailing after that.

Of course, I had to break the news to Stephen, and unfortunately, it fell on the night of Surf’s Grand Opening bash. The thought of waiting until a different day to tell him crossed my mind, but I knew I couldn’t wait. Even though I was picking Niko, I still cared for and loved Stephen.

I called Stephen, and when he didn’t answer I left him a message saying we needed to talk before the night began, but with being so busy he never got my message. It wasn’t until Niko and I arrived at Surf arm and arm that he finally knew something was up. One of the security guards approached me as we made our way to the VIP area and said Stephen wanted to see me…alone. Niko wouldn’t let me go, and after several minutes of arguing with the security guard and making quite a scene, we were escorted to Stephen’s office, which was empty. He told me later he decided he couldn’t face me, especially with Niko by my side.