Laces and Lace (Assassins #6) (16 page)

“That’s really good,” he admitted and she smiled shyly, her fingers stilling at his jaw.

“What about you? Is there someone?”

Gathering her in tighter, he slowly shook his head, his nose grazing against hers with each move. “There has never been anyone else but you, Lacey. You’re it.”

You’re it.

The words rang inside her chest as she got lost in his eyes. This couldn’t be real. Not after all this time. How? She’d done everything to never see him again and vowed that if she ever did, she’d kick him in the groin and never look back, but that’s not what she did. One look into his sinful caramel eyes, and she was as good as done. She’d turned into a cat in heat, attacking him in the backseat of the cab and then brought him home. It was insane.

But, good God, it was amazing.

She had never done something so reckless. She usually thought things out, made sure she had a plan, but with Karson, there was never a plan. She didn’t think; she just did. She knew it was his fault for that because that’s how he lived life. He never thought things out, he just did them, and that had her on edge. What if he did this because he knew he could? Because he knew she’d give it up. How could she say no? He was Karson King, the man who starred in every single one of her fantasies. The man she watched hockey for. The one she wished she’d never lost.

The love of her life.

Looking away from his intense gaze, she took in his square jaw, the coarse hair that covered it, and let go of the breath she was holding. He was beautifully in shape, way more than he was when they were in college. Each muscle so defined and hard and yummy. His arms were covered in tattoos of manly things, skulls and tribal art, but when her gaze fell to his chest, she paused. She hadn’t noticed the script when they were ripping each other’s clothes off, but now, she saw that it spelled out the words to “Yesterday” by the Beatles. Tracing the words, her eyes blurred with tears as she read each word, remembering the moment she sang that song in college.

It had been the championship with the Catappellas of the year. It was also the day she knew Karson was leaving to go back home before going into the draft. She wasn’t going to sing it, but the day before, it just happened, and they put it in for the final concert. She remembered the way she felt so empty, so different than she did now. With his warm, beautiful body pressed against hers, she couldn’t feel empty if she tried.

“I got it when I got back home before the draft. I was there, you know. I saw you sing it.”

Shocked, she looked from his chest to his gorgeous face. “You were?”

“Yeah, I was in the back. I remember that day like it was yesterday. You wore a red dress that was beyond hot. It wasn’t your normal red dress either; it was a different one, sexier with sheer shit across the back. You had braided your bangs into your hair and tucked it behind your ear, a little red bow in the braid. You looked beautiful, breathtaking, and when you sang this song, it was hard to watch, but I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you.”

Love you. Not loved.

Tears stung her eyes as she leaned her forehead against his chin. She wanted to ask why he left, but she didn’t want to spoil their moment yet. There would be a time for answers, but right now was not that time. She was given a second chance to enjoy his body, and she would do just that. This was their closure, and when he walked out that door, she would have the answers and her fill of him before letting him go. As much as she would like to believe that he meant his words and would possibly want to be with her, she couldn’t get her hopes up.

Plus, what would she do? Pick up everything and leave? She was going to do it before, but now she had a business, a life in Chicago.

A lonely life.

Closing her eyes tightly, tears leaked out the sides as she pressed her lips to his chest, kissing the tattoo softly. She dusted her lips up his chest to his throat and his jaw, and he growled under her touch before she met her lips to his. Climbing on top of him, she knew she was far from done with him. She needed more, and when she felt him hard beneath her, she knew he felt the same way.

Moving down his body, she sat on his knees as she took him in her hand. Locking her gaze with his, she lowered her mouth to his jutting cock and swirled her tongue along the head of him. Taking him in and out of her mouth, she played with his balls as his groan filled the room in the sexiest way possible. Gooseflesh broke out on her skin as she took him to the back of her throat, sucking him and swirling her tongue around him like he was the most delicious sucker in the world. When his fingers tangled in her hair, she moved her mouth up and over him, running her tongue down the velvet smoothness of him, licking his balls, his thighs, everything, just needing to taste every single inch of him.

Kissing up his tight abs, his even tighter chest, Lacey ran her tongue up his chin before taking his mouth with hers, kissing him the way she had dreamed of doing for a very long time. She was dripping with arousal and moved along his cock with ease before reaching between them and bringing him inside her. Her eyes closed tightly as she pushed down until he was completely inside her. Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed herself up, causing him to go deeper, and the feeling was oh so beautiful. Breathtaking, really. The feeling of utter completeness. That’s what Karson did to her; he made her feel complete and all his.

Every single fiber in her body was his.

Had been since she’d watched his retreating back and heard the slam of the door to her dorm room. Slowly moving her hips in a teasing but satisfying way, her eyes met his and everything was just too much to handle. Soon she was coming, her body jerking and seizing up as his fingers bit into her hips. Her eyes shut tightly as she slowly rode out her orgasm, her body constricting around him as his groans mixed with her cries.

Such an amazing sound
, she thought as she moved up and down the length of him.

All of a sudden, though, Karson flipped them over, his body pressing down on hers as he framed her face with his large, rough hands. Each callus on his hands touched her face and it was perfect. The contrast of rough and soft was so nice, and soon she found herself rubbing her face into his hands, wanting never to forget this amazing moment as he started to move into her again. His eyes never left hers as he slowly moved within her, each grunt hot against her jaw as he filled her and then came completely out of her before pressing even harder into her again. Her fingers wrapped around his large biceps, holding on for dear life as another orgasm started to build. It had been so long since she had felt this good, ready to come for a fourth time, and she couldn’t stop the cries of pleasure if she tried. He was the only one who could awaken her body like this. The only one to drive her completely insane and make her love every single second of it.

Taking his mouth with her own, she closed her eyes as she squeezed his bicep, her tongue moving playfully with his as he continued to fuck her slowly. When her body went rigid underneath his, squeezing him so hard, he groaned loudly against her lips before pushing himself up and taking her by the backs of the knees. Holding her legs up, he pounded into her wildly, his face contorted in strong lines as he came inside her, his body jerking as his thrusts slowed and his grip on her backs of her knees loosened. Falling on top of her, he wrapped his arms beneath her head, holding her so close they shared the same breath as she got lost in his eyes.

When his lips came near hers, she turned her face so that she could kiss him, but instead of kissing her, he said, “I don’t know how I’ll ever be the same after all that.”

She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze as she took in the same breath he let out. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

He cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her cheekbone. “And I don’t know how I am going to open that door and walk out without you attached to me.”

Don’t leave me then.

The words were right there, but instead, she nodded as she tore her gaze from his. “I don’t know how I am going to let you.”

Silence fell between them as his fingers played along her jaw and cheekbone. “I wish I would have never left.”

“Me too,” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes as she looked up to meet his gaze. The words lodged in her throat. So she cleared her throat, taking in a deep breath, and then somehow, she asked, “Why did you leave me, Karson?”

He looked down at her lips, his fingers stilling at her face as he took in a deep breath. She could see his brow furrow, feel his heart pounding, and she hated how perplexed he looked, but she had to know. Her heart felt as if it was coming out of her chest in anticipation of his answer. She never could figure out what she did to lose him, but she knew his excuse of doing it for her was still bullshit. Who leaves someone they love because they assume it’s better for the other person? Shouldn’t she have had some say in that? She knew what she wanted, and that was Karson.

That’s all she’d ever need.

Kissing her temple, he whispered, “This is too deep for right now. Let’s go to sleep and we can talk about it tomorrow.”

“But we will talk?” she asked, meeting his gaze, and he nodded.

“Of course, baby, and I’ll answer anything you want to know.”

That pleased her, so she wrapped her arms tightly around his broad chest, nuzzling her nose along his as her eyes drifted shut. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until sleep took her under in the black mass. Being wrapped in his strong, warm arms provided her with the best sleep of her life, but it was short-lived because when she woke up to the sun shining on her face, Karson was gone.

S
he couldn’t believe it.

He was gone.

Really gone.

After everything they did the night before, he just left.

What the hell?

Just to be sure though, she searched her apartment a second time, but there was no trace of him. Not even a left-behind sock in the haste of running. It was as if he had never even been there. As if it was all a dream, but she knew it wasn’t. She still felt him on her. She was aching between her thighs, her hips hurt from where he had manhandled her, and her heart was pounding in her chest from being near him the whole night. Or maybe it was from where she was running through the apartment looking for him like a chicken with its head cut off as she cried and tried to breathe.

She just couldn’t believe it.

Falling onto the bed, she closed her eyes as the tears leaked out. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out as she cried into a pillow. How could he just leave her like that? No goodbye, no see you later, no thank you, nothing! It was mind-blowing and heartbreaking all in one. Did she do something wrong? Did she expect too much? They never promised anything… No wait, he did; he promised they would talk. Maybe that’s why he left?

Maybe he was too much of a fucking coward to talk to her and tell her why the hell he left her almost ten years back. How dare he! He came in, ripped open her chest, took her heart out, loved on it, and then smashed it in his large hands. She hadn’t felt so unbelievably perfect in years, so loved, so treasured, but just like he had ruined her all those years ago, he did a repeat performance. How stupid could she be?

This was her fault. She was supposed to go in for closure and not get attached, but she did exactly what she wasn’t supposed to do. She got so fucking attached and expected him to be there. She was pathetic. Bringing her face out of the pillow so she could take in another deep breath, she sat up and let the sob escape her lips.