Vicious Little Darling (Love So Cruel #3)

9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

JAXTON

F uck me. She’s doing exactly as I asked—and her unexpected submission is so empowering it’s intoxicating. She sways against me, the back of her head resting against my chest. It’s like she’s dancing with the devil, and she doesn’t even care.

I’m so fucking hard right now.

I keep my hands over her hip bones, inhaling the scent of her perfume and sweat. As I nudge her head to the side, I have a strong desire to slip the mask off and kiss my way down her neck. My grip tightens as her chest heaves and wants to be mask-free to wreak havoc on my mind. I never show my face, and I also never kiss the women I fuck and kill.

Fuck me. Fuck her. But fuck, I want this dress off her.

The soft curve of her ass—even through her dress—is a perfect fit for my cock. It pulls me in, so, I grind into her harder. Ember sucks in a sharp breath. It’s a light, airy noise that escapes from between her lips. She actually wants me.

It’s abnormal for the women I stalk and murder to moan like this. Of course, I’m off the beaten path of my normal protocol. I’d never normally approach one like this, not even with my mask on. I soak in the moment, my grip still ironclad on her hips.

“Can you tell me who you are now? And why you’re messing with me?” Ember’s voice says, just loud enough for me to hear over the music. She tries to spin around to face me again, but I stop her—and I choose not to answer. I’m not trying to build a rapport with her. That’s not what I do under the mask.

“There’s a lot of girls in here who would probably let you screw them,” Ember continues into my silence. “You’re wasting your horny time on me.”

I chuckle. “I don’t see any other fuckable women in this club.”

“You must be blind then,” she snorts, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Call it one-track minded,” I growl into her, slipping my hand across her hips to her lower abdomen. She goes still as my other hand trails upward, sensing that I’m about to push her boundaries.

“You’re ballsy,” she pants, her head still resting against me, “To watch me in the window like that at work.”

Fuck, the hand necklace I want to give her. My heart races at the image of dropping her, unconscious, to the floor, and letting all the ensuing chaos begin in such a public place. There would be camera footage to show the public, but there’d be no identifying factors for me. The temptation pulls at me, drowning me as I snake my hand past the bottom of Ember’s dress, my fingertips against her bare thigh.

Her breathing slows as I slip my fingers beneath the hem, and I wait for her hand to stop me, but she doesn’t. She lets me. I’m more turned on than ever, my heart is chugging in my chest and my cock seeping under my jeans. I have only one burning question as I press my hands between her legs.

“Why are you not trying to stop me? You turn every other man away.” My voice is a little distorted by the mask, but even still, it rasps with sadistic lust. My touch trails inward, pressing against her inner thigh as my other hand pauses for a split second over her breasts but doesn’t stop until it’s resting just beneath her neck.

“Ember, why?” I repeat when she says nothing in reply.

Instead, she rolls her hips, causing my hand to land right between her legs. I can’t stop the groan from rattling my chest as her soaked underwear caresses my skin. My fingers twitch, eager to push inside her, and I relish the little whimper she makes.

She wants this.

Then, before I can go any further, I catch sight of someone familiar in the crowd. I take in the sight of that brawny friend of hers. He’s scanning the crowd for Ember. Disappointment surges through me, and while I’d happily take the brute, it would be bad to hand the police someone on whom to pin their investigation. I’m the elusive, torturous shadow, and I must remain only in Ember’s individual world.

“Shit,” I breathe out, dropping my hands from her.

“What?” Ember spins around, her brows creased with confusion as I start to back away. “What’re you doing?”

“We’ll finish this later,” I tell her, puzzled by the disappointment in her expression. It’s as if she’s actually hurt by my rejection. I almost laugh at the sight of her, all hot and bothered, but I don’t have time for humor. I track backward through the crowd, and Ember takes a step or two toward me. However, the bustling, grimy crowd works in my favor, and it cuts her off.

I find a dark corner the neon lights can’t reach, and settle in, immediately spotting my little flame. She’s something else, and I can tell by the shift in her demeanor that she’s still thinking about me.

Don’t worry, Ember. I’ll be back to finish you.

I slip the mask off, so as not to draw attention to myself, and remove my hoodie as well. I position them at the back of my body and now, to the rest of the world, I’m just hanging out, watching the crowd. I know that on the exterior I’m not creepy. I don’t draw untoward attention towards myself.

My eyes stay on Ember as she walks across the dancefloor to the bar. She downs the drink that is handed to her. I sigh, frowning as one turns to four. She doesn’t even realize that her buddy is still searching the place for her. I spot him in the VIP area, now speaking with the bookstore guy, his Barbie date, and the guy that was supposed to be the one fucking Ember tonight. None of them, except the bookstore guy, seem concerned.

If anything, Barbie and Ember’s date look relieved when the brawny guy, Josh, leaves with bookstore Rich to go to the floor, presumably to search for Ember. It’s striking, the number of men she has around her, although it’s also difficult to be sure about their levels of interest in her. For her date tonight, it was a straight zero. The moment he saw her walk out of those shitty apartments, his mind was made up.

I purse my lips as my gaze lands back on Ember. She’s searching the crowd now, looking longingly at the dancing bodies. I smile at that, imagining she’s looking for me. I mean, she could still be thinking about the way my cock felt against her ass.

I could put it in your ass, Em. We’d just have to take our time to squeeze me in. The thought excites me strangely, though I’m not sure why. I’ve never bothered with long encounters before, but for some reason…

I want every single inch of Ember covered in me.

Swallowing my lust for the moment, I keep a close eye on her, watching those desperate haunting irises continue to search the faces on the floor. I know that if she saw me, she might recognize me, but I doubt it.

Finally, Josh spots Ember, and she sees him. I watch her reaction closely, waiting for her eyes to light up or for the recognition to bring her relief, but… she looks disappointed. It’s just a brief flicker across her face, but it’s perfect—and it confirms that I’ve gotten under her skin.

Why don’t I hate that though? I normally love toying with my victims, but not like this. I’m supposed to scare her, to slip into her nightmares and bring her nothing but fear and terror. Instead, I’m charmed by her seduction. Is she toying with me? Does she think that if she gives me her pussy, I’ll suddenly change my mind?

That leaves me pondering, but only for a few seconds, because now Josh, in his tight-fitting, black henley and light-wash jeans, is slipping his arm around her shoulders protectively, while her date scoffs something in their direction.

I hate the gestures of both of them. I hate the primal protective glare on Josh’s face. He’s overstepping boundaries into my territory, but also… I can’t make a move in front of them all, not wearing what I’m wearing. Not right now. Josh escorts Ember toward the exit, and Rich slips off with the blonde Barbie. That leaves Dylan alone.

My heart jumps into my throat. It’s as if the universe is dangling a carrot right in front of a donkey. I’m going to fucking bite.

Dylan heads for the bathroom, and I follow, flipping my hood up and avoiding the cameras. I catch the door as soon as he enters.

“Easy there, bud,” Dylan smirks arrogantly, eyeing me over his shoulder.

I don’t give him a chance to even make it to the stall. I shove him forward as hard as I can, before slamming his face into the wall. Blood spurts from his nose on impact, and splashes across the light gray tiles. I burst into laughter as he grunts in surprise.

“What the fuck!” he erupts as he spins around, but my fist is faster, as it makes contact with his jaw and splits the bone. One thing about being raised by a piece of shit mom, I became a hell of a fighter from a young age. I had to hold my own.

Clearly, Dylan, here, did not.

“Dude stop,” he groans, limply tossing a punch in my direction.

I continue to cackle, my low voice echoing. “You’re pathetic.”

“And you’re a motherf—”

“Nah, I don’t fuck mothers,” I sneer, grabbing the back of his head and smashing it into the corner of a sink. “But I’ll bet you are.” With that, I knock him unconscious, and then let his body drop violently to the floor.

He’s still alive. His breathing is shallow and ragged and, as much as I intended to kill him, I know better. It’s never good to kill spontaneously. It always ends in a police investigation that I have to escape. It’s too complicated and I don’t want Ember on that radar either.

Speaking of Ember, I still fully intend to pay my little flame a visit tonight. I glance down at the blood on my knuckles and consider washing it off in the sink, but then think better of it. Maybe I’ll wash my hands in the arousal straight from her pussy.

The thought has me panting like a fucking dog as I slide out of the bathroom and head for the exit. I’ll have to be quick. My phone buzzes in my pocket, I ignore it. I already know who it is, and I really don’t have time to worry about him.

He can wait.

I need to finish what I started tonight.