End of Day (Jack & Jill #1) (45 page)

On the way home she stopped for alcohol, but not her favorite bottle of wine. Beer. She needed beer. The six pack of Heineken called to her. It seemed like the right choice, a tribute to the man she loved but could never truly have. The first bottle tasted like piss and so did the second. By the third, her taste buds were as buzzed as the rest of her, and it went down like a smooth analgesic.

She stared at the ceiling fan from corpse position on her living room floor. The couch must have moved on her when she tried to lie on it. Just as well, the cool floor felt like heaven beneath her warm tingly skin.

“Why did you leave?”

“Jones?” She laughed. It was more fun than crying. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

The door slammed shut.

“Yep. I heard that.” The ceiling fan had her in a trance. “Why did I leave? Hmm … I’m pretty sure I left because I love you.” Another laugh. “Isn’t that just fan-fucking-tabulous? You’re the boy I dreamed about when I used the back of my hand to practice kissing as a young girl.” She smiled at the fan. The fan smiled back. “Bet you didn’t know that girls did that? Well we did—the back of our hand, a pillow, the wall, each other.”

Luke stepped over her, straddling her waist with his feet, arms crossed over his chest while he looked down on her like a god. “You kissed other girls?”

She pressed her lips together and grinned. “I love that you’re still a guy, Jones. Did you hear me say I kissed the wall?”

“How many girls did you kiss?”

“I’m not sure. How many did you kiss?”

“I’ve only kissed one that matters.”

She was several bottles of Heineken short of that comment not affecting her heart. “They say if you truly love someone to set them free. I’m setting you free, Jones. This is a huge step for me. If I didn’t love you, I’d keep you around, use you, abuse you, then cast you aside.”

“Well, I’m here and I can’t leave.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re drinking beer which in your words is an SOS. You need me. Where’s my bag?”

Jessica squinted. “What?”

“The bag I left here. Where is it?”

“Entry closet.”

He bent down and grabbed her, hoisting her over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” She laughed.

He opened the entry closet and grabbed the bag.

“Jones, answer me!”

“Quiet!” He smacked her ass, continuing to her bedroom.

“Dammit, Jones! You did not just spank me.”

“I did and if you don’t shut up I’m going to do it again.” He tossed her on her bed. “No more questions. Take off your clothes.”

She shook her head. “I told you, I can’t do this. And this is not the answer to an SOS.”

He unzipped the bag and riffled through its contents. “Then I’ll cut them off you.”

“What? I’m not talking about—”

“Lie back.” He tossed handcuffs and rope onto the bed. “Choose one.”

She stared at them and then lifted her gaze to him. “Why do you think I’ll submit to you?”

He grabbed her ankles and jerked her body so it was centered on the bed. “Because you trust me.”

She gripped the sheet beneath her. “But I don’t trust myself.”

“That’s the point. You don’t have to.”

“Rope?” He grabbed one ankle.

She tensed. They had a brief stare down.

“This is happening …
We
are happening,” he said it like a warning and a promise.

She relaxed her leg, submitting to the
this
part. The
we
part was still very much in question. He tied her legs to the bedpost, leaving enough slack to allow her to bend her knees a little. After she was secured in four points to the bed, Jessica tugged at her restraints. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“The kiss. Were you talking about me. Is my kiss the only one that matters?”

He worked the buttons to his shirt while bending over and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “Yes,” he whispered.

“What does that say about your ex-fiancée we’ve never talked about?”

Luke continued unbuttoning his shirt, his brows pulled close in thought. “If it mattered enough she wouldn’t be my
ex-fiancée
, she’d be my wife.”

“But you loved her?”

“Of course.” He draped his shirt over the chair next to her night table.

“But you love me more?”

His gaze brought a flood of chills to the surface of her skin, like a stadium crowd doing the wave. “Unequivocally.”

Her next breath caught in her chest. “You can’t mean that.”

There was such a sadness in his eyes. “I loved her which is why the word suddenly feels monumentally inadequate for you. I gave her my love, but you … you took it. You took everything. I never had a choice. You tore into my life … into my heart, wrecking all sense of the man I was before you. Being with you is the best part of my day … every day. You think you’re broken, but you’re not. And if you were … it wouldn’t matter. I love every. Single. Piece of you.”

“Luke—” she pleaded.

“Shh … let me love you. Let me show you that in this crazy world
we
make sense.” He grabbed the scissors from his bag.

Jessica pulled on the restraints. “No! I’ll take off my clothes.”

He shook his head. “I think it’s better this way.”

“I-I don’t think putting a blade anywhere near my skin is a good idea. And this is an expensive dress.”

“I’ll replace everything.” He kissed the skin just above her knee next to the hem of her dress. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t give you.” He kissed a little higher. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“Luke …” she moaned as his tongue brushed along her skin.

“Now, do you trust me?”

She met his piercing gaze then looked at the scissors he had ready to slash her dress. He was it. Luke was absolutely,
unequivocally
, her everything. Swallowing hard, she nodded.

He sliced up the middle and she closed her eyes. It was terrifying, exhilarating, and so fucking seductive all at the same time. With the last cut, her dress was nothing more than scraps of material beneath her. Three snips later her bra disappeared, and two after that her panties followed suit. He’d cut everything
but
her.

“Open your beautiful eyes.”

She blinked them open. The scissors were gone.

“You’re—”

Her chest vibrated with a nervous laugh. “Don’t be cliché, Jones. Whatever you’re going to say, make it count because I’m so far out of my comfort zone I could rip off my own limbs just to escape.” She was nervous, scared, aroused, and in love … in so much love.

“You’re—”

“And don’t make it sweet or sentimental, not with me tied to my own bed.”

He smirked. “You’re—”

“I swear to God, Jones … if you make me cry and rob me of my last bit of dignity with some you’re-so-beautiful-you’re-the-mother-of-my-children bullshit I will break your cock. Do you understand?”

He ran his finger along the instep of one of her feet. She jerked. Then he did it to the other, eliciting the same response. Leaning over the foot of the bed, he rested on his elbows, his face inches away from her sex. She tipped her chin down to see him, all four restraints pulled taut in anticipation.

Luke grinned. It was filled with mischief. He kissed the inside of her thigh. “You’re …” he kissed the other side “…going to get thoroughly fucked.” Slyest. Smile. Ever.

“J-Jones!” she cried, her body arching from the bed as his mouth covered her.

Luke hummed against her sensitive flesh. The need to make him bleed was building with fury. He was in complete control. The vulnerability threatened what little sanity she still had.

“Too much … I-I can’t.” Her heart pummeled against her chest, driven by fear. She fought the pleasure that peaked in waves, growing in intensity.

“Kiss me, please …”

His hand replaced his mouth—two fingers slid into her as his palm pressed against her clitoris.

“Kiss me!” she demanded between labored breaths.

“I am,” he murmured over her skin as his mouth drifted along her body, paying a beautifully, torturous homage to every inch of it.

“This … this is a bad idea.” Her voice broke under the duress of pleasure poisoned with a crippling anxiety.

He flicked his tongue over her nipple.

“Oh God … stop … my mouth … I need your mouth on mine.”

He squeezed her breast—sucking, biting, and moaning.

“Now!”

He laughed. The bastard laughed. “My God, I love you. I know this is killing you, but I’d rather you feel tortured with need than with guilt.”

She writhed beneath him as his fingers brought her closer to losing all control.

“Kiss me.”

“Not on the mouth,” he whispered in her ear.

“I won’t bite you.”

“You will.” He dragged his tongue down her neck.

“Fuck … no … stop. I can’t come.”

He’d stripped her of nearly all physical control. She’d completely shatter if he took the rest.

“Please …” A lone tear slid down the side of her face.

“You can and you will. You’ll give me
everything”
He slid his fingers out and sucked her clitoris.

“No!” The posts to her bed creaked in protest as she jerked against his warm, wet mouth—losing
everything.
The pleasure was so. Damn. Painful. Hot tears spilled over and bled down her cheeks.

He sat up, kneeling between her knees. She blinked out more tears as he slid down his pants and briefs. Grabbing his erection he pumped it a few times giving her a look so dark and chilling she shivered.

“I’m going to take you the way you took me—by surprise, relentlessly …
completely.
”

Beyond the steely eyes, the hard lines of muscled flesh, and the promise of more pain and pleasure that he pumped just inches from her sex, she saw so much love and adoration it sent a flood of more tears rushing down her face. Closing her eyes, she nodded.

“Ung!” She groaned as he lifted her hips and pushed into her with one quick thrust.

“Fuck,” Luke moaned, pausing a few seconds.

Her breaths came quick and shallow as she waited and waited … and waited.

“Jessica?”

She opened her eyes, first looking at the sexy-as-fuck sight of him completely impaled in her. Then she met his gaze.

“I need you to acknowledge that
this
is happening … that
we
are happening. I need you to feel me, see me …
trust
me.”

She drew in a shaky breath. “Okay,” she whispered.

He pulled back and pushed right back in over and over until the slow rhythm built into something more. Faster. Harder. Desperate.

With each passing second, one muscle at a time, she relaxed—surrendered—until she no longer recognized where her body ended and his began. He slowed his movements and untied her ankles. Then he leaned forward and released her hands. She hesitated.

“Now … trust yourself,” he whispered, pulling her body up to his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her.
He
trusted her. Their two bodies moved as one, both finding control in absolute surrender.

She felt a tinge of panic again as another orgasm approached the brink. “I-I’m close. What if—”

“I’ve got you—I’ll always have you.” He kissed her with complete abandon as their walls of resistance came crashing down with sweet relief—sweet surrender.

Knight

L
ilith hadn’t had
much sun, but her cheeks were flushed a nice rosy red. Jillian poured her another glass of tea and handed it to her.

“Oh … thank you.” She smiled and blinked for what seemed like the first time in over an hour.

“You’re blushing.”

Lilith fanned herself with her hand. “Why, yes I am. It might have something to do with your very steamy story.”

Jillian smiled. “What Luke and I had was … not of this world.” The memories were painful, but they owned so much of her heart, without them she’d feel like an empty shell.

“So he cured you of your
ways
?”

“Hmm, so it seemed at the time. He taught me how to trust myself, but later I found out that trust was contingent on him. Without him, I’ve sort of … lost it.” Jillian frowned.

“Maybe Sarge needs to tie you up.” Lilith winked.

Jillian twisted her lips to the side. “No. I don’t trust myself around AJ for good reasons. However, I have been trying to channel Luke when I’m with AJ.”

Lilith’s eyes widened.

Jillian smirked. “That sounds bad. I know. Luke’s voice in my head calms me. I can’t completely let my guard down with AJ, but I’ve been trying to control myself … my reaction. Basically having an appropriate reaction to him, which is hard because AJ and his PTSD are unpredictable.”

“Oh, has it been getting worse?”

“No. Well, I can’t say for sure. It feels like his migraines have been more frequent and sometimes his mood is all over the place, but that’s the only AJ I’ve ever known so I’m not really the best judge.”

Lilith nodded in thought. “He’s lucky to have you.”

Jillian smiled. “It goes both ways.”

*

Jillian arrived home
to her dear brother working at an obsessive pace trying to figure out who sent her that text. It pissed him off that Knox dismissed its possible threat. A lot of things about Knox pissed him off.