The House of the Wicked (The snake and the raven #1)

24. August

August

Who the fuck is eve?

T he scent of vanilla and citrus mingles together, delicate yet tart. Half asleep; that smell envelopes me. Like a soft swaddle, it blankets my senses, soothing and delicious. With somnolent clouds fogging my brain, I try to draw that enticing scent deeper into my lungs. Desperate to lose myself in it until a less comatose part of my brain registers the soft curves currently cradling my hard-on.

I would’ve banded my arm around the waist of the tempting creature pressed against me, but I can’t. Can’t, because as the mind fog clears, I realize my arm’s already dangling over her waist, and I’ve already sandwiched my hand between two thick, warm thighs. Shifting my hand subtly, I smile sleepily as my palm pushes against the supple, warm flesh of her pussy. A low whimper breaks through the silence of the room as—what has to be—the world’s most perfect ass nestles further against my cock.

Cupping her more firmly, I peel one eye open. My little raven’s tucked herself against my body so soundly, there’s almost no space between us . Dropping my head low, I bury my face in the silky strands of her hair. That’s where the incredible smell comes from I realize, I inhale deeply. The breathy moan that slips from her lips makes my cock twitch.

She grinds her hips into my hand, riding my palm as I rub against her. Memories of that night in the gallery, of the way I used her hand to fuck her, shoot to the front of my mind. As she pushes her hips into my hand, I remember the desperation I felt that night. How I hungered to touch her, to fuck her. With my fingers. Inching lower down the bed, I press my face into the soft skin along the slope of her neck.

“Tell me to stop,” I whisper, my voice rough like the scratch of sandpaper moving against concrete.

“Don’t stop,” she murmurs, ever disobedient, as she grinds against me again.

“You don’t want this,” I promise. She continues rocking into my hand.

“What don’t I want?” The question leaves her in a breathless gasp as I pull my hand away and slowly drag it over her hips and stomach. Slipping between the soft, warm skin of her stomach and the waistband of her sweatpants, my hand moves down until I’m cupping her once again. This time, the only barrier between us is the silky fabric of her underwear. And fuck, she’s soaked.

“This.” I rub two fingers along the fabric covering her cunt, stopping at her clit.

“Tell me,” she pants. “If you’re so sure, tell me exactly what I don’t want.”

My hand stills, my face buried in her neck, I try to slow my wildly racing heart. There’ll be consequences. If we continue down this path, there’ll be consequences. And yet…

Movi ng my fingers away from her clit, sliding them lower, my hand shifts hesitantly, pulling the fabric of her drenched underwear to the side as she widens her legs. Gradually, I trail one thick finger through the wetness gathering at her core.

“You don’t want me, Nora. Not as I am, not like this.” Forcing my eyes closed as my cock strains against her ass.

Fuck it, I can’t think about the consequences anymore. Spearing two fingers inside her pussy, she cries out; arching off the bed and spreading her legs even wider. God, she’s so fucking tight. My fingers still. I need to give her a moment to adjust to the rough way I’ve entered her. When I draw back gently, she again pushes her ass against my cock. I groan before plunging back inside her. Losing myself as my fingers tunnel in and out of her pussy with deliberate slowness.

“I absolutely want you,” she moans, pushing her hips against my hand.

“You don’t, little raven.” I suck her earlobe between my teeth, continuing to fuck her hard with my hand. “You want easy, and kind, and gentle. You want a man who’ll come and protect you.” My thumb drags slow circles against her clit as my fingers pump into her.

“Oh God,” she whimpers.

“I’m no God, Nora.” Grinding my cock into her ass—fuck, her sweatpants are killing me—my hips jerk against her, moving with a mind of their own, driven by the release my cock desperately needs. I almost moan when the soft press of her small hand closes around the hard length of my dick. “I’m violent.” I pull back before slamming my fingers inside her. “And rough.” My hips ride her hand, the movement forcing her to stroke my cock. “And I definitely won’t be the man who swoops in to save you or protect you,” I promise. She mo ves wildly as she matching each and every thrust of my fingers, my thumb drawing rapid circles around her clit. She’s close. I can feel her release trembling along the walls of her pussy as she clamps around my fingers. “Because it would be so fucking intoxicating to watch you protect yourself.” She moans my name, crying out as her orgasm takes hold.

My fingers slide through the slick heat pooling at her core as I stroke into her gently, waiting while she rides out the last of her orgasm.

When her breathing settles, I roll onto my back, reaching for the key to the handcuffs resting on the nightstand. After freeing her wrist, I shift quickly, moving her body until she’s facing me. My hand darts forward, wrapping around her throat seconds before my lips crash into hers.

My tongue sweeps into her mouth, the kiss savage and possessive. Each glide of my tongue is a promise; a promise that I’ll ruin her, that I’ll shatter her. A promise that when I’m done, I’ll pick up all those shattered pieces and keep them as mine. Sliding my leg between her thighs, my knee pushes against the still sensitive flesh between her legs. She moans into my mouth.

But shit, somewhere between fucking her with my fingers and listening to the hoarse way she whispers my name, I’ve neglected one minor detail. Nora’s already ruining me, shattering me. And unlike me, she won’t hold on to the shattered pieces of me when she’s done.

My phone vibrates loudly on the nightstand, breaking the spell of lust holding us captive. Hesitating for a moment before pulling my lips away from hers and answering without looking at the caller I.D.

“W hat?” I’m breathless, my voice shaking with need. Nora’s riding my knee and pressing soft kisses against my sternum.

“Hey man, I’m here.” Yves’ amused voice instantly drives the reality of our situation home.

“Fuck, what’s the time?” I shift away from Nora, immediately missing the soft curves of her body. Standing, I glance around the room, trying to locate my pants.

“It’s nine-thirty. The time you told me to be here.”

“Shit, sorry. I’ll be out in fifteen,” I say, hanging up before he reads anymore into my confusion.

“Who was that?” Nora asks; I turn to face her. Her cheeks are flushed, her swollen lips parted slightly, and goddamn, her nipples are pushed against the soft fabric of her t-shirt; rock hard and begging to be pulled between my teeth. I need an ice-cold shower.

“Yves,” I say, tearing my eyes away from her. Leaning down, I shove the bits of clothing and shit I left out last night into my overnight bag. “Get up. We need to head out in ten minutes.”

“Who the fuck is Eve?” she asks, the haze of sleep clinging to her words clears. In its place is something like… jealousy? The smirk lifting the corners of my mouth uncontrollable. It’s wrong, but I don’t correct her assumption.

“Security,” I say without explaining further.

He’s new to her, but I’ve known him for years. Selecting him as part of her detail to the safe house is one of many calculated moves I’ve made in the weeks since starting this job.

“Is she new?” Nora finally climbed out of the bed and is padding her way over to me.

“Yeah, she started just before the raid,” I lie. “She’s outside, waiting for us. So get dressed, we’re running late.” I turn to face her, clenching my fists at my sides as I stare down at her.

What just happened between us can’t happen again. And if it does, it can only be after. Not now. She deserves the freedom of choice, at least when it comes to who she allows between her thighs. Perfect as they are.

“Yeah, okay.” She watches me nervously. She’s asked me before if I regretted the moment in the gallery. Based on the way she’s currently shrinking into herself and the subtle drag of her bottom lip between her teeth, I know she’s thinking about it again. Christ, this is why I need to stay away. I should let her believe I regret it all. But that look in her eyes flays me down to the basest version of myself.

So instead of walking away, I reach for her. Winding my arms around her waist, I pull her against my chest. When she looks up at me, I drop my head and kiss her with more tenderness than I should feel.

“You’re perfect, Nora. Every moment I get to touch you is a perfect moment to me. And even though I should regret it, I can’t. And even though it shouldn’t happen again, I know I’ll do everything in my power to ensure it does.” Then, pushing away from her, I walk out of the room in search of Yves.

H e’s crouched next to the rear wheel of the car. “Based on your silence, I’m assuming the drive was uneventful?” I ask.

“Yeah.” He stands, dusting his hands on the front of his faded blue jeans, and smiles at me. “I mean, aside from Adam burning a hole in my ear about how lonely he is.” Yves laughs.

“D on’t laugh too hard. Ricky will probably give him the go ahead to drive up sooner rather than later,” I warn.

“Perfect opportunity to pop a little hole between his eyes, brother.” He grins and I roll my eyes at the statement. As much as it’d please me to end Adam’s miserable existence, it wouldn’t go over well. “Where’s our little princess with the perfect ass?” He looks over my shoulder at the empty parking lot.

“Say that again and you’ll be the one sporting a nice little hole between your eyes.” I smirk at him, punctuating the casual expression with an icy stare. I need this to be crystal fucking clear. Nora’s not to be fucked with. Unless I’m the one doing the fucking.

He stands up, puffing himself out to his full height, which is roughly an inch shorter than me. “Auggie,” he gasps. “Are you—? I mean, this is wild, but are you getting attached to our sweet princess?”

“I’m not getting attached to anything other than the thought of dumping your cold corpse in a ravine,” I say, shouldering past him as I make my way to the trunk.

“Jokes aside,” he says. I sigh as I wait for him to continue. “Your dad—”

“Shut the fuck up.” I silence him as Nora pushes her way out of the guesthouse doors, walking over to us.

Her hair hangs in glossy waves around her shoulders. Black leggings wrap around her legs and a white t-shirt falls loosely over her torso, hiding the curves I just had my hands all over. Grinning as she gets closer, the words on her t-shirt are now visible: ‘I’m no man’s peace’. Damn straight. But my grin dies a quick death when my eyes land on her chest—she’s skipped out on wearing a bra. Fuck my whole life. Three hours in a car, one of which we’ll spend driving down a dirt road, with those tits bouncing in the seat next to me.

Like mine, Yves’ eyes are glued to her hard nipples. The slap I drop on the back of his head is possibly harder than it needs to be. I’m in no mood to suffer alone today.

“Should we get something to eat before we hit the road?” Nora asks as she comes to a stop in front of us. “Hi, we definitely haven’t met. I’m Nora.” She pushes her hand toward Yves, and he eagerly grabs it before placing a slimy kiss on the top of her palm. I stifle my laugh when she rubs the top of her palm along her pants with a disgusted look on her face.

“Charmed. I’m Yves.” He winks at her, dropping her hand and shooting her eyes to mine.

“You have a girl’s name,” she says, looking at me again before walking to the passenger door.

“It’s French,” Yves mutters as I smile.

“Yeah, French for dick,” I say, before turning to Nora. “Not this car. We’re taking that one.” Pointing at our new ride, my cock’s in agony as my eyes follow her perfect round ass as she sways across the parking lot over to the new ride.

Yves elbows me in the guts. “You’re in so much trouble, Auggie.”