Ruthless Angel (Gods of Ravencrest University #5)

CHAPTER TWO

DAIRE

Watching Clover melt down filled me with anger and helplessness. There was fuck all I could do to help her. Shouting her name, slapping her cheek, none of it worked. She sat on the floor hyperventilating, crushing her hands into fists so tight her fingernails drew blood in her palms.

Finally, Cash grabbed her and dragged her to the bathroom where he splashed cold water on her face. That seemed to snap her out of it.

She clutched the side of the sink, water dripping from her face. Gradually her breaths came more naturally. Her entire body quaked.

“One breath at a time,” Cash said softly. “It will be okay, Sunshine. We’ll figure something out. Let’s get you upstairs to bed. You need to rest.”

She let him guide her along up the stairs. I followed, feeling like a failure. I didn’t know how to help her. Right now my best friend was getting his ass beat. The pressure to solve this problem was giving me a headache.

“In my room,” I said when we all reached the top of the stairs. “I want Clover with me tonight.”

I hated the way she cast a wary glance over her shoulder at me. Not that I blamed her. I’d given her more than enough reasons to be suspicious of my intent.

After Clover entered my bedroom, I closed the door, staying in the hallway with Cash. “How the fuck do we handle this?”

He sighed, rubbing a hand through his mohawk. “I have no goddamn idea, man. It’s getting late. Let’s sleep on it and try to make a plan in the morning. Brady won’t kill Blaze. Not yet anyway.”

“We need to kill that motherfucker,” I muttered. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were absolutely screwed.

“We will,” Cash affirmed, refusing to believe otherwise. “He’s not going to win this. Go get some sleep. I’ll make sure everything is locked up and double check the security system.”

He headed back downstairs, leaving me standing in the hallway. The need to do something to fix this shook me. Briefly I considered what Clover had said about the Gods. No doubt they had the manpower we lacked. Still, my ego wouldn’t allow it.

I entered my bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me. Clover sat on the edge of the bed. She stared out the window at the house next door, although I didn’t think she was really seeing it.

Digging a t-shirt out of my dresser, I tossed it onto the bed beside her. “You can sleep in this if you want something more comfortable.”

Clover jumped like she’d just realized I was there. “Oh, thanks.”

She held the t-shirt against her chest, peering up at me with glossy blue eyes. “Are they going to kill Blaze?”

Sitting on the bed next to her, I searched for the right words. Offering comfort wasn’t really my forte. I kind of sucked at it.

“I won’t let them do that,” I said, brushing a lock of hair back from her pretty face. “We’ll figure something out. I promise.”

Clover didn’t believe me. I saw it in her eyes.

She nodded and stood up. “I need to wash my face and stuff.”

While she was busy in the bathroom, I made a half-assed attempt at tidying up my room. I tossed dirty laundry in the basket and straightened up the sheets on the bed. Every few minutes I found myself checking my phone. When there was nothing new about Blaze, I checked the cameras at the entry points.

This was going to be a hell of a long night.

The cameras revealed nothing. Not content with that, I left the room and went through the house checking the windows. Everything was locked. I knew it would be.

After taking my turn in the bathroom, I did my best to settle down. Clover was jumpy enough. I didn’t want my scattered thoughts to make things worse.

She got into the bed, glancing uncertainly at me as she arranged a pillow beneath her head. I got the feeling she expected me to do something to her. I had to admit, I considered it.

I stripped down to my boxers and climbed in next to her. She rolled away from me, giving me her back. I’d tied Raina down on this bed. Clover knew that. No doubt she expected me to do something fucked up.

Well, yeah. When the time was right. I still owed her for selling us out to the Gods. Although this didn’t quite feel like the right time for punishment.

Once we were plunged into darkness with only a sliver of light coming through the window, I laid there staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes I grabbed my phone, checking the cameras again. Nothing.

The need to do something made it impossible to sleep. How could I sleep when Blaze was being tormented? I didn’t give a shit about many people. He was one of the rare few that meant something to me. I had to help him.

Brady wanted Clover as a trade. Would I be able to hand her over to get my friend back? Probably. Maybe. Hell if I knew. Blaze would never allow it anyway.

The stiffness plaguing Clover eased as she drifted off. I didn’t blame her for being tired after what we’d done to her in the basement. Her breathing evened out as her body relaxed. She didn’t relax much around us.

I was amazed that she felt safe enough to sleep next to me. Part of me may have even liked it.

I waited for sleep to come. It left me hanging. So many times I picked up my phone. I couldn’t shake the sense of urgency that drove me to take action. Knowing there was nothing I could do in that moment drove me fucking crazy.

After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, I glanced over at Clover’s outline in the dark. The temptation to touch her was great. I rolled in close, pressing myself against her back. The curve of her gorgeous ass proved to be a great place to settle my cock. I slung an arm across her waist as I breathed in her clean, feminine scent.

God she smelled good. Like something I wanted to devour. She felt pretty good too. Holding her against me sent me back in time. I remembered holding someone else this way. Someone who’d betrayed me.

I knew better than to let a soft, warm body manipulate me into thinking we could have anything more between us.

Brushing the hair off the back of Clover’s neck, I pressed my lips to her skin. She shifted slightly but didn’t wake up. Darting my tongue out, I savored the taste of her. So badly I wanted to sink my teeth into her flesh. Having her unconscious and vulnerable was too good to ruin that way. Somehow, I resisted.

Slowly I ran a hand along her body. Reaching the hem of the t-shirt she wore, I slid my hand underneath. She twitched a little as I cupped her breast. When I circled her nipple with my finger, she gave a soft sigh.

It took everything in me not to pinch her nipple or give it a tug. I enjoyed a forceful touch. However, I wasn’t ready for her to wake up yet.

I teased both nipples into hard points before running my hand down between her legs. Since Blaze had ruined her underwear, she wore none. I easily found her clit, stroking it until she let out a small whimper. Dipping down lower, I found wetness gathering along her slit.

I pushed a finger inside her, gently pumping in and out. My cock was rock hard, pressing firmly against her ass. Shoving my boxers down, I rubbed my erection against her ass cheek. Pulling my finger out, I pressed the head of my cock to her entrance and thrust inside her.

A groan rumbled in my throat. It felt so damn good to sink inside her. I pushed deep, all the way to my balls. Savoring the sensation, I remained still for a moment. Being buried inside Clover briefly took me away from reality. I sure as hell needed the escape.

Pulling out so only the head of my pierced cock remained inside her heavenly pussy, I thrust deep again. This time Clover gradually surfaced from the depths of her slumber. I felt the change in her as she tensed around my shaft.

“Daire?” Her voice was thick with sleep.

“The one and only,” I murmured into her hair. Holding tight to her, I continued to fuck her, driving deep each time.

“What the hell? Can’t a girl get any sleep around here?” She tried to sound annoyed but it didn’t work due to the moan that followed.

“Hey, I let you sleep for a few hours. Can you blame me for not being able to resist having your beautiful ass in bed next to me? A man can only take so much.” Now that she was awake, I did pinch her nipple between my fingers. Her sexy gasp almost made me come.

Clover surprised me by throwing some sass. “Can you at least touch my clit while you fuck me in my sleep? Or am I still being punished?”

I chuckled, enjoying this side of her. She’d been too scared to show it until now. “It’s been a rough night. I suppose I can be nice.”

I reached for her clit, rubbing it with two fingers in slow circles. She moaned and pressed her ass back toward me, seeking more of my cock. My pace increased as the need to fill her with my cum grew.

“Nice?” she asked between thrusts. “Nothing about you is nice, Daire. You’re the nastiest guy I know.”

I pounded into her with an especially hard thrust before saying, “You sure know how to sweet talk a guy.”

“I try.” Her words ended on a small cry.

As I worked her clit, her moans grew louder. Music to my fucking ears. Having her at my mercy, moaning just for me and my cock, it did something to me. It made me a little crazy.

My balls tightened as they readied to release inside her. Unable to resist, I bit down on the back of her neck. The pained noise she made was too much. I couldn’t hold back.

As Clover’s pussy spasmed around me, I filled her with my cum. Grabbing her chin, I pulled her head to the side and leaned forward to devour her lips. Every time I had this woman, I only wanted more of her.

When she tried to squirm away, I held tight to her, keeping her close. “Where do you think you’re going, Angel?”

“To clean myself up a bit. Is that not okay?” She shot me a pointed look that I could feel in the dark.

“I want you right here beside me with my cum leaking out of your pussy.” I dragged her closer, tugging at the t-shirt she wore. “Take this off. I want to feel all of you.”

Clover let out an annoyed sigh as she took off the shirt. There was tension in her now that she was awake and naked. I frowned, not liking the way she held herself, like she was preparing to run.

“Relax,” I admonished. “I just want to feel you.”

She gave up resisting and sank in against me. After a few quiet minutes she asked, “Have you even slept?”

“No. I tried. It’s not happening.” The urge to check my phone again hit. This time I ignored the urge.

Clover’s hand was warm on my chest when she turned in my arms to face me. “Are you okay? I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”

“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just a little tightly wound.”

“It’s okay to not be okay,” Clover said. “You don’t always have to be the tough guy, Daire. It’s normal to have emotions. Vital even.”

My laugh lacked humor. “Is that so? What do you want from me, Angel? Some tears? A meltdown? Someone has to keep their shit together.”

When she touched my face, something cold and hard inside me softened. “Do you ever let yourself feel anything that isn’t related to anger or violence? You’re still human. It would be nice if you acted like it once in a while.”

I laid there in silence. Clover wasn’t the first person to point out my lack of humanity. She likely wouldn’t be the last.

“You can talk to me, Daire,” she continued. “I’m a good listener. I know that you’re worried. I’m worried too.”

“Yeah, I’m fucking worried,” I heard myself say. “I’m also mad as hell, and I need to stay that way.”

I’d struggled to let myself feel vulnerable in any way since childhood. Being told to man up and that big boys don’t cry by my mother had formed me into a hardass at a young age. I was the oldest boy being raised by a single mother. She’d been trying her best. Unfortunately, only her emotions were allowed to be put on display. The rest of us had been shamed for it.

The first time I’d tried to open up in my adult life was with my ex-girlfriend. The bitch who’d betrayed me by sleeping with her ex. I’d learned to keep those soft, weak feelings buried deep inside where they belonged.

I saw Clover’s outline in the dark as she nodded. “I understand. It’s hard. I’m here if you ever want to open up. Maybe you should try to get some sleep now.”

She surprised me by pushing me over onto my back and settling herself in against my chest. Her arm went around me as she got comfortable.

My hand hovered above her for several seconds before I stroked it lightly over her hair. Having her snuggled up on my chest messed with my head. Part of me wanted to open my mouth and tell her every thought and feeling that plagued me. But I knew better than that.

I knew better than to let her get that close. I would never give a woman that kind of power over me again.