Until the World Falls Down

Chapter 2

2

T he emphasis on love set off that unnerving feeling in me again, but before I could say anything, the stranger took my hand in his. I attempted to reach for my forgotten drink, abruptly deciding I wanted the liquid courage, but he stopped me, shaking his head.

“How much have you had tonight?” he asked, pulling me away from my drink.

“Barely anything,” I responded.

“Good. I want you sober for this. And I believe you will, too.”

His words caused a new blush to spread across my cheeks as he led me away from the dance floor and toward the exit. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I wasn’t the type to go home with a stranger. To have a one-night stand with someone I had just met. Even with Julian, I hadn’t slept with him until after we’d been dating for a few weeks.

The thought made me pause, my feet coming to a halt. The stranger stopped, his gaze shifting back to me, releasing my hand. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“No! I just, um,” I started, grabbing his hand again, anxiety seeming to creep up my throat as I struggled through my words. “I want to be safe. I get tested when I get my yearly checkups, and I’m on birth control. Are you…?”

For a moment he tilted his head to the side, as if confused, then realization dawned. “Yes,” he responded. “There is nothing to worry about there. You have my word.”

“Okay,” I said, deciding to believe him, if he believed me. “Let’s go.”

Fresh, cold air filled my lungs as I took a few deep breaths—trying to both calm myself and cycle out the stale air from the club. The stranger led me toward an alleyway beside the club, his steps quick and purposeful. My ears rang as they tried to adjust to the quiet night, and I tried to calm my racing heart.

As we stepped into the alleyway, the stranger pressed me up against the frigid brick, his lips finding mine, kissing me hungrily. I shivered as the cold seeped through the fabric of my dress, but his hands helped stave off the chill as he caressed my back.

He shifted, and I tumbled backward, the hard brick behind me disappearing.

The stranger held me tight as I lost my balance, pulling me to his chest as I tried to find my footing. The only light came from the moon outside, and it did little to illuminate where we stood. I tried looking around, only finding inky blackness. I could barely make out the stranger’s face as he urged me further into the darkness. The opening we came through—a door?—closed behind him, leaving us in pitch blackness. He dragged me further into the dark, seemingly unbothered by the lack of visibility.

I suddenly became nauseous. It felt like the dark room was bearing down on me, making it difficult to breathe and causing my limbs to feel heavy. Anxiety clawed up my throat as the sensation grew, but when I blinked, it all went away, leaving me with only a lingering feeling of alarm .

My heart pounded, and I reached for the stranger’s arm, trying to ground myself, wanting him to stop moving for one moment. Before I could open my mouth, though, a silver glow filtered through a crack that then widened into a doorway in front of us. We stepped through, and my gaze went straight up and up, the soaring ceiling above us filling me with awe. A skylight revealed the source of the soft light cascading down onto us, broken up by a glass chandelier hanging below it.

My eyes followed a beam of moonlight down to the sight of a luxurious four-poster bed sitting in the center of the room. It was draped in cascading see-through curtains that took on an otherworldly sheen. I tried to look around, noting other various pieces of furniture scattered around, but the blanket of darkness kept me from seeing anything in too much detail. Two plush armchairs stood near a floor-to-ceiling window, the shades of it drawn, hiding the view outside. A wardrobe towered next to them, and on the opposite side, a bookcase took up the entire wall, each shelf filled with books, the night obscuring all their titles.

I furrowed my eyebrows, disconcerted. Had there always been a house like this next to the club? I’d thought there were only businesses nearby. I didn’t remember seeing a door in the alleyway before, either.

“You are not afraid of the dark, are you?” the stranger asked, turning to face me.

My pulse quickened as our bodies brushed against each other, pulling my attention away from the decor and my thoughts. “No.”

His hands ran down my sides, gaze meeting mine in the low light. “And do you still want this?”

His question made my confusion dissolve, replaced by a nervous want. I’d been worried my feelings would change after leaving the club, but no. They hadn’t.

I still wanted him .

This.

“Yes,” I said.

“My favorite word,” he breathed before leaning in, capturing my lips in a kiss.

It differed from our earlier ones. This was a slow, passionate caress. The lust from earlier returned in full force as he backed me up toward the bed in the center of the room. His hands moved to my back, finding the zipper of my dress and toying with it as if waiting for permission. I broke apart from him to nod, and he grabbed my waist, forcibly turning me around so my back was to him.

Goosebumps broke out across my skin as he swept my hair away from my neck so he could unzip me. I had to resist trying to catch my dress as it fell to the floor, leaving me only in the black lace bra and underwear I’d thrown on before leaving my house. He hummed in approval, kissing the back of my neck, then the space between my shoulders.

He turned me back toward him before pushing on my collarbone with his palms, forcing me into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. My breathing hitched as he knelt down in front of me, taking my foot in his hand and sliding off my heel. He massaged my bare foot for a moment, surprising me. His thumb dug into my arch with the perfect pressure before moving up to the pad of my foot, making me sigh. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had rubbed my feet. I’d forgotten how intimate it could be. He repeated the same actions to my other foot before standing again, gazing down at me with a look I could only describe as hunger.

“You are beautiful,” he said, beginning to unbutton his own shirt.

I watched with rapt attention as his shirt fell open, revealing the muscles underneath. A gasp caught in my throat as my gaze trailed across his bare skin, catching sight of a brutal scar marring his otherwise flawless skin. It covered the entirety of his left pectoral, and the pale, jagged edges stretched out in all directions—toward his collarbone, his sternum, his stomach. It didn’t resemble the uniform scars left by surgeries performed by medical professionals. Instead, it looked like someone had savagely torn his chest apart with their hands.

He paused, tilting my chin up with a finger so my gaze met his again. “I would prefer your eyes on me. Do not concern yourself about the scar. I do not.”

Although curiosity rose in me, I pushed it back, nodding instead.

He let me go, now sliding his arms out of the sleeves of his shirt, tossing the fabric aside. My eyes followed his hands down to the shiny metal of his belt again, and he smirked, pausing for a moment. “Take it off for me,” he said.

I didn’t want to admit how much the command turned me on. My fingers were shaking again as I brought my hands up to his belt, undoing the metal buckle, then sliding the leather away, letting it fall to the ground with a soft thump. I didn’t stop there, swallowing as I unbuttoned his slacks, pulling the zipper down slowly, my fingertips brushing against him in the process.

Hot. Hard. Ready.

We’d barely even kissed this time.

He seemed to sense my thoughts as he slid his slacks over his hips, letting them drop to the floor and revealing his boxers and noticeable bulge. “You look surprised again. It is quite flattering.”

I hoped the dark could hide the redness of my face.

He suddenly paused, and a crease appeared between his eyes. “You are not a virgin, are you?”

“No,” I answered, reaching a hand out to press my palm against his abdomen, then moving down to curl my fingers into the waistband of his boxers. “I just…”

His hand covered mine, then adjusted it lower, pressing it against his clothed erection. “This is because of you. Because I want you.”

I swallowed, looking up at him. He used our conjoined hands to push down his boxers, revealing his straining arousal. The air was thick with tension as he brought my fingers to the hot, silky length of him. I automatically curled my fingers around him, feeling him throb in response. He released a soft breath that turned into a contented hum as I stroked him. He was thicker and longer than Julian, and my heart beat faster at the thought of him being inside me. My thumb traced the veins along his shaft, then circled his head, smearing the wetness there.

Out of habit, I slid off the bed to my knees, ready to take him in my mouth. He tensed in anticipation for a moment before releasing my hand to stop me. “No, Eleanora. Come up.”

Confused, I let him help me back to my feet. He scooped me up and all but threw me back onto the bed. I bounced as I landed on my back, pushing myself up on my elbows. He climbed on after me, settling on the mattress between my legs. “You don’t want me to?” I asked, my heart sinking as self-consciousness ate at me. “Is something wrong? Am I?—”

“Hush,” he said, moving his body over mine to kiss me. “Nothing like that. I simply do not want this to be over so soon.”

My cheeks warmed. “Oh. Then.” I rolled out from underneath him, pushing myself up to my hands and knees.

“What are you doing?” he asked, resting a hand on my ass, absentmindedly stroking it.

“I’m ready,” I told him.

His hand stopped moving. “What?”

I glanced over my shoulder back at him, taking in the way his lips set into a frown. “I thought you wanted to…” I started.

“I do,” he responded swiftly, “but why do you want to skip the best part?”

“What?” My embarrassment grew the longer I stayed in this position, so I faced him again, sitting back on my calves. “I thought you didn’t want me to go down on you?”

He considered me for a moment before tutting softly. “I see. You have had a selfish lover.”

I watched his face for a moment, confused again. Julian had told me I was the selfish one.

“Enver,” the stranger said, his voice dropping to a seductive murmur.

“What?”

“My name. So you know what to cry out.”

I gasped as he pushed me, making me lie flat on my back. His hands skimmed my waist before he gripped my thighs, pulling my legs up and placing them on either side of his hips. I instinctively tightened around him, and he hummed in response, moving up my body, letting his erection drag against me.

He hovered over me, staring down at me, curly wisps of his black hair falling across his forehead. My mouth went dry as I looked back up at him. The moonlight haloed him, making him seem celestial. His dark grey eyes glimmered with promise.

“Enver,” I said, testing his name and reaching out to touch the curve of his jaw.

“That sounds nice,” he said softly, “but I believe I can make it sound even sweeter.”

He took my hand in his, kissing it, before pushing it back to the bed. When his hands slid between the mattress and my back, I lifted myself, giving him access to unhook my bra. He made easy work of it, and I once again thought of Julian. It would sometimes take him minutes to unhook my bra, and he would complain the entire time and ruin the mood. What little he ever set of it.

Annoyed I was thinking of Julian again, I surged up, slotting my lips against Enver’s as he pulled my bra off me. He abandoned it immediately, opting to tangle his hand in my hair, tongue gliding along my bottom lip before pushing into my mouth. A moment later, he broke off to trail kisses down my neck to my collarbone, letting his teeth catch on the skin there.

I moaned in encouragement as he bit a little harder, making me shudder. He placed a soft kiss on the spot after, and then continued his descent, lips leaving a trail of heat in their wake as he moved between my breasts. My breath hitched in my throat as he brought his hand up to cup my right breast, and I let my head fall back as his mouth moved to my left breast, tongue teasing my nipple before sucking it into his mouth. I stilled, not usually very sensitive there, but the pressure he exerted on me as he bit down had my back arching, a pleasure bordering on pain shooting through me, but in a way that made me want more.

As if reading my thoughts, his other hand moved up to pinch my other nipple, applying the same pressure. I gasped, and a rush of pleasure shot straight to my core. When he swapped sides, I whimpered a little at the loss of contact, surprising myself, but any embarrassment dissipated when he reapplied the pressure, making me suck in a long breath.

I could feel him smile against me before he pulled away to kiss down my stomach, one hand still on my breast, continuing to tease me. My abdominal muscles tensed the lower he went, my hands fisting at my sides as his lips found the edge of my underwear.

I nearly jumped as he pressed a kiss against my mound, the thin fabric doing little to dampen the heat of his breath.

His hand left my breast as he sat back on his heels, gazing down at me, fingers teasing at the waistband of my underwear now. “Would you like me to continue?”

I nodded.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

A satisfied look crossed his face as he hooked his thumbs in the lace and pulled my underwear off, purposefully dragging the tips of his fingers down my thighs and calves.

I automatically tried to press my knees together and hide myself, but my attempt was short-lived as his hands returned to my legs, spreading me open before him again. My breathing sped up in anticipation as he adjusted himself so that he lay between my parted thighs now, his mouth inches away from my center.

A wave of self-consciousness rocked into me, and I let my head drop back, closing my eyes, trying to relax. Enver must have sensed this because he leaned forward, leaving gentle, calming kisses on the sensitive skin of my inner thighs.

I took a deep breath, and it came out as a gasp as his lips pressed a light kiss straight to my clit. It only lasted a split second, but then he pressed another in the same spot, barely touching me, yet causing my entire body to quiver. When he did it a third time, he let his tongue brush against me, and I moaned.

My fingers clenched into the sheets as he kissed lower, keeping the same delicate pressure, each sensation pulling a soft noise from me. I bit my lip to hold them back. I’d never been vocal with Julian, so why?—

I sucked in a harsh breath as he licked a long stripe up me, and then repeated the process again, and again, before finally closing his lips around my clit and sucking. My head fell back, and I closed my eyes as he once again found the perfect amount of pressure to make me tremble. His hands dug deeper into my thighs as he leaned forward, my calves coming to rest on his shoulders, giving himself better access. His tongue circled my clit before sweeping down to my entrance.

My hands shot to his head as he dipped his tongue inside me, my fingers grasping his hair, another breathless moan leaving my lips. He murmured his approval as my body writhed under his ministrations before plunging his tongue in again. I clenched around him, wanting something deeper, bigger.

After a few more strokes, he pulled back, adjusting us once more, his hands leaving my thighs, letting them rest on the bed again. I took the time to catch my breath, but it was short-lived as his finger circled my clit once before sliding lower to sink into me. I would have been embarrassed about how wet I was if I wasn’t so desperate to feel more of him inside me.

“Another,” I breathed.

“So eager,” he responded, pulling his finger out and rubbing along my entrance with two. But he only pushed one back in.

I brought my hand down toward him, wanting more, but he quickly intercepted it, once again withdrawing his finger. He straightened out, taking my other hand, bringing both above my head so they stretched out above me.

“Keep them there,” he ordered before releasing them.

I started to nod and then stopped. “Yes,” I said instead.

His eyes darkened, and he bent down to kiss me. I could taste myself on his lips as he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, sinking his teeth into it. He didn’t let go as he pulled back, causing my lip to pull tight. I groaned when it became too much, and he finally let it slip from between his teeth.

I fell back to the bed as he moved back between my legs, lips and tongue immediately going back to work, no longer teasing, but with purpose. Pleasure made me feel like I was floating, and it took everything I had to keep my hands above my head instead of carding them through his dark hair again. His fingers brushed against my entrance, and I cried out as he suddenly thrust two fingers into me, giving me what I’d asked for. His long fingers reached deep inside me, and combined with his attention on my clit, I could feel an orgasm approaching quickly.

I tried to fight it off, not wanting this to end too soon, trying to focus on anything but the feeling of his fingers thrusting into me. He hit a spot that made my toes curl—a spot I didn’t even know I had inside me. I began to lift my hands, wanting to slow him down, but I found them immobile. As if stuck to the bed by an unseen force. I glanced above me, only seeing shadows so thick they could have been physical.

Enver crooked his fingers inside me, and I forgot about the force on my wrists, my hips bucking as he repeated the action. A warm, tingling sensation spread through my body, and my breaths turned ragged as my muscles tensed.

“Wait,” I gasped. “I’m close, I?—”

He hit that spot inside me again, and my vision blurred as my orgasm hit me with such force I forgot to breathe. He didn’t stop, working me through it, prolonging it until I was a sopping, trembling mess under him. And even then, he didn’t remove his fingers from me, only slowed them so I could feel every drag against my inner walls.

I opened my eyes, finding Enver watching me, having straightened out again. I flushed under his heated gaze, letting out a small moan as his thumb swept over my sensitive clit. “This could become my new favorite sight.”

“W-what?” I asked, trying to focus on his words, but finding it hard as he idly stroked me.

“The sight of you coming undone like that.”

I moaned in response, my fingers twitching from where they still rested above my head.

“I believe I would like to see it again.”

He was between my legs again before I had the chance to respond, his lips replacing his thumb, his fingers resuming their previous pace. He slid his free hand under my lower back, effortlessly lifting me to give himself more room to work with. Everything felt ten times more sensitive now. My head tossed back and forth as I fought with clashing sensations—the pulsating pleasure of his touch and the sweet soreness of overstimulation.

Another orgasm approached swiftly, leaving me disoriented. I barely ever came once with Julian, let alone twice. I could feel the telltale signs starting again, and I fell silent, concentrating on the feeling, my eyes squeezed shut.

“No,” Enver said, commanding and sharp. “Eyes open. Look at me this time.”

I obeyed, opening my eyes again, and the sight of him between my thighs sent me over the edge. My entire body shuddered, and I clenched around his fingers. “Enver,” I managed to get out, my throat tight, his name only a small, choked sound.

Overstimulation turned to discomfort quickly this time, but he removed his fingers before I could voice it.

“Lovely,” he commented, bringing his hand to my cheek, his fingers still wet with my arousal. “But not nearly enough.”

I tried to move my hands again. This time I had full control, and I dismissed my earlier confusion of them being stuck as being too overwhelmed and making things up. As I sat up, I caught sight of Enver’s erection, still hard and leaking, and my core clenched in desire.

Enver caught me staring, and that knowing smirk graced his features. “Do you need a moment?”

“No,” I answered, heat searing through me in anticipation, turning over, and pushing myself onto all fours again on shaking limbs.

“Ah,” he said, his voice deep. “This again? Is this how you like it?”

I started shaking my head, then caught myself. “No. I mean, it’s fine. This is just how we usually—” I cut myself off, revealing too much, bringing up Julian again .

“A shame,” Enver responded softly. “Then he does not know how beautiful you look when you come apart. ”

Something started nagging at the back of my head. Julian never looked me in the eye when we fucked. I hadn’t really thought about it until now. Why didn’t he?

Enver’s fingers traced along my spine, and then his hands slipped around my hips, guiding me up, so I knelt on the bed. He moved in closer behind me, his chest pressing against my back. “I do not want you like this. I want to watch your face as you come apart because of me.”

I stilled as the realization hit me. Why Julian always put me in this position. Why he always wanted to take me with my face away from him.

“I want to see you, Eleanora,” Enver murmured, his hot breath caressing my ear, his hands splayed across my stomach possessively as he held me close to him.

It all made sense. And I knew who he was imagining every time.

A memory slammed into me. Julian whispering a name I’d convinced myself he hadn’t said as he released inside me, holding my head so I wouldn’t turn back and look at him.

I trembled. It was never me. He never cared for me. He’d only used me. And I let him. I let him because I wanted him to love me. But he didn’t. He never would.

Just like everyone else.

No one would ever love ?—

Enver’s lips grazed against the nape of my neck, nipping at my skin, pulling me from my thoughts. “Not yet,” he whispered. “I want you here, with me, completely.”

I didn’t protest as he turned me around, pushing me onto my back once more and crawling over me again. My legs parted, and he lowered himself until he was completely on top of me, forcing the air out of my lungs as I bore his weight, his erection gliding against me. His weight was comforting in a way, forcing me to focus on my breathing rather than any negative thoughts .

I wrapped my arms around his back as he kissed my neck, then a sensitive spot below my ear. “Do you want to continue?” he asked.

“Yes. Can you kiss me again?”

“Needy, are we?” he teased, but desire burned in his eyes.

I couldn’t voice my answer before his lips crashed into mine. I closed my eyes, throwing myself into the kiss, forgetting everything else. His tongue stroked mine, easily riling me up again. I melted into the mattress, letting him take the lead, warmth spreading from my chest to my toes.

He brought up his knee to shift even closer to me, my leg hooking around his, creating more space for him to grind against me. I moaned softly as he reached a hand between us to dip two fingers into me. A low groan left his lips as he felt how wet I’d become again, and he rubbed my clit for a moment, making me shake. He pulled his hand back, using it instead to line himself up with my entrance. He rubbed himself against me teasingly, the pressure causing me to squirm. I’d never been fucked by someone with his… proportions.

“What is it?” he asked, pausing.

“Nothing.”

“Tell me,” he said. “Would you like to stop?”

I immediately shook my head. “No! I want this. You’re just… bigger than what I’m used to.” My words ended in a mumble, and I couldn’t meet his eyes.

Enver smirked, rolling his hips slowly, not pressing in yet. “You flatter me, but you can take me. I will make sure of it.”