Vicious Little Darling (Love So Cruel #3)

22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

EMBER

M y head spins a hundred miles an hour as Xander fists my hair, and as if I have no control at all, I give in to his grip. He’s so big, it fucking hurts, but the way he fucks reminds me of Skull-face, and for some reason, it feels so right for Xander to be the one to wash him from my veins.

“You like that, don’t you?” Xander rasps from behind me.

“ Yes, ” I whimper, his cock moving in and out of me is the only thing I can feel at the moment. I let myself get way too drunk. I probably won’t remember this in the morning, and for that I’m sad.

“My little flame,” I hear from behind me. Or maybe I don’t hear it. Maybe it’s in my head. My pussy clenches with a second orgasm because of it, though. I’m so fucked up.

“Harder,” I demand.

His palm connects with my ass cheek, and the sting is revitalizing. It’s everything I fucking need as he thrusts into me over and over. I scream his name as he finally comes full force, his groan rattling my entire body. At the feeling of him pulsing inside of me, I collapse forward.

Then everything goes black.

***

My eyes flutter open. My head is pounding. I let out a sharp sigh as I rub my face and then turn my head. I instantly grow still as I see Xander sleeping peacefully beside me in the bed. I take in his razor-sharp jaw and the way his arm is resting over his head.

What the fuck did I do last night?

Blips of last night follow, most of it consisting of me being full of Xander’s dick. I let out a light groan as I shift my legs, feeling soreness between them. My alarm goes off again, and I realize I have a shift at the bookstore this morning.

Shit.

I flip back the covers, embarrassment rolling through me at my stark-naked body. I stumble across the room to the dresser, and pull out fresh clothes before heading for the shower.

“Where are you going?” Xander’s voice stops me as I reach the bathroom door. “Don’t fucking run off.”

A smile tugs at my lips as I turn to meet his hazy gaze. “I’m not running off . I just have to go to work. I’ll be back, I promise.”

He nods, his eyes raking over my body. “Maybe you should call in again.”

“No, I can’t keep doing that,” I say quickly, my pussy so sore, I can barely fathom the idea of taking him again. I can’t remember the details, but I’m certain he fucked me harder than I’ve ever been before. In fact, he put Skull-face to shame.

“Suit yourself,” Xander chuckles, as I slip off into the bathroom and start the shower. I try to replay as much as I can from last night, but I allowed myself to get way too drunk, and that’s disappointing.

I finish getting ready for work, while Xander watches my every move, an endearing expression on his face. Something about him leaves me feeling giddy, and before I dart off to work, I return to the bedside.

“I was wondering if you were going to take off without saying goodbye,” he groans as he tugs me onto him, leaving me to straddle him. I feel his length through my jeans and underwear, reminding me of how sore I am. I lean over and kiss his lips lightly.

He deepens it immediately, hunger washing over me. “You’re so fucking sweet, Ember,” he murmurs as I finally break apart from him.

“You can show me again when I get back tonight,” I kiss him once more, and then push off of him, one hand on either side of his abdomen. He groans, his face contorting as I press my weight into him, and I still.

“Are you okay?”

He nods quickly. “Yeah. I just hit the gym hard before you moved in here, and it’s catching up with me after last night.” He chuckles, and I laugh, grabbing my purse and slinging it over my shoulder. “Hurry the fuck back,” he calls after me. “I’m gonna miss you.”

My cheeks flush as I glance back at him. “I think I might miss you, too.”

With that, I head out of the apartment, a cheesy grin on my face. Despite feeling sore, I feel good— probably the best I’ve ever felt. And there’s no freaking stalker in the mix anymore.

Well, hopefully. Maybe, the masked guy has just given up. I have no intention of telling Xander about what I did with that the guy. It doesn’t matter. It’s the past. I punch the down button on the elevator and, as I do so, my phone buzzes in my hand.

Josh.

I answer it, blowing out a sigh. “Hey.”

“Hey.” His voice is flat. “Care to fucking tell me why you’re not at your apartment. Rose said you moved out? She also told me you were assaulted? What the hell, Em? What are you hiding from me? I’ve already called Rich and let him know. You’re meeting me to talk about this… now. ”

I squeeze my eyes shut, dread rolling through me. “Okay. Okay. I can explain. Where do you want to meet?”

“The bar will do. I’m here already. I’ll see you when you get here, and he better not be with you.” Josh hangs up then, and the phone beeps twice in my ear. I drop it to my side, feeling defeated. So much for a good fucking day.

I wave down a cab and give the address of the bar. I almost send a text to Xander to let him know all the shit has hit the fan, but I don’t want to worry him—and he seems to be the type to come running to my aid. After all, he was right there at my apartment, worried about me.

It’s a nice change, and the way he does it isn’t as suffocating as Josh. Or maybe it’s that I want him to do it? I don’t know, and I don’t think about it anymore for the rest of the ride, choosing to zone out and focus on the thud of my headache in my temple.

Ugh.

As soon as the cab pulls up outside of the bar, I get a sick feeling in my stomach that I haven’t felt since Skull-face, the serial killer, was lurking. I glance around. But there’s no one who seems out of place, and so I step into the bar, and then lock the door behind me.

“Spill it,” Josh grumbles from where he’s leaning against the counter. “Don’t leave out one fucking detail.”

I rub my forehead, my headache increasing with the added stress. “Um… I had this guy stalking me, I guess. He broke into my apartment and tried to, um, you know.”

“And so then, what? You take off and run to Xander? How is it fucking him, by the way?”

“What?” I can’t hide the shock.

“Don’t play stupid, Em. I saw how you walked in here.”

My cheeks flush with heat. “It’s none of your damned business who I sleep with, Josh. You’ve never given me a hard time before.”

“ He’s an employee of mine, and a coworker of yours. That complicates things, Em. You can’t just go sleeping around the bar staff. Before I know it, you’ll be fucking Major, too, and I know he won’t tell you no.”

My jaw drops. “I would not. I really like Xander…”

“Why?” Josh demands, taking a step toward me. “Because he’s covered in tattoos and has a lot of money? You know I did some background checks on him, right? He’s a fucking cartel mogul’s nephew. Roman Marks. Xander isn’t even his real fucking name.”

I swallow my nerves, trying not to let him get to me. “Does any of that matter?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you want a man who’s honest with you? His name is Jaxton Alexander Marks. He’s never had a fucking job until now. Can you believe that? He just randomly decided to come work at my bar. Bet he’s setting up some kind of drug ring right under my nose.”

I furrow my brow. “He doesn’t do drugs…”

“That you know of,” Josh snorts, and then turns back to me. “You don’t know what’s good for you, Em. You never see what’s right in front of your goddamn face. You get yourself into these ridiculous situations. For all you know, that stalker could’ve been him. ”

I feel myself growing defensive. “It doesn’t matter. I fucked the stalker, too,” I shout at him, realizing my mistake as soon as it leaves my lips.

“What’s wrong with you?” He bellows back at me, throwing his hands in the air. “You’re fucking nuts.”

“I’m leaving,” I snap, shaking my head. I spin on my heels and head for the door, but before I can reach the handle, a firm grip lands on my wrist, jerking me back. I slam into Josh’s chest, and he spins me, pinning me up against the counter.

“ Ow, ” I cry out. “Let me go.”

“Why? You liked it when some fucking creep did it to you, didn’t you? Maybe you’d like it if I did it, too.”

“Josh, stop,” I choke out as he grinds against me, his hard on nearly making me vomit. “ Please. You’re my friend.”

“You’re so fucking selfish thinking I only ever wanted to just be friends.” He pins my arms behind my back, the healing part of my palm tearing open again. His hot breath causes me to cringe, and that only seems to make him angrier.

He presses his mouth to my neck, the same place Xander was just last night. Tears well up in my eyes as I try to wriggle my way out.

“Let me go,” I beg him, sobbing. “I don’t want this.”

“But you wanted some strange fuck to do it. I’m sure it started like this. I bet he forced it in you, didn’t he? I bet you liked it. You’ll learn to like it, baby.”

I cringe at the pet name, just as Little Flame pops into my mind. Didn’t Xander call me that last night? No. He didn’t. It’s just in my head, and just like that, I have to force myself not to disassociate in the moment.

I have to fight my way out.

“Let me go,” I shout at Josh as he tries to snake his hand down my pants. I throw my knee to keep him off me, and it lands.

In just the right place.

I bolt, just as I did the night Skull-face came for me. I flip the lock on the bar door, but as I rip it open, Josh grabs my sleeve.

“ Fuck off! ” I scream at the top of my lungs, tearing myself away from him with such force that my shirt rips. I take off down the street at a sprint and dive into a coffee shop, to take refuge as Josh calls after me.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial 9-1-1, but then stop. That’s not who I want to handle this.

Xander pulls up alongside the curb outside of the coffee shop, and I don’t give him the chance to get out before I dart out of the shop and jump into the passenger seat.

“Holy fuck,” he leans over, grabbing my forearm with the ripped sleeve. “What the fuck did he do to you, Ember?”

“I don’t know… I don’t know what I did wrong… He probably thinks I’m a whore.” The words come out, followed by a stream of tears down my cheeks. “I don’t mean to be. He freaked out because I slept with my stalker, and I know that’s so gross. I know, but…” My voice trails off as my head falls to my hands, and I break into a full-blown sob.

Xander stiffens in the seat beside me, and I prepare for him to have some sort of negative reaction. However, the words that come out of his mouth leave me damned near speechless.

“I think it’s hot.”

“What?” I choke out through the tears.

He nods. “Yeah, it’s fucking hot. You fucked the stalker. That’s brave. You chose the psycho over the guys that are at your feet begging for your attention. I like it. It makes you stand out.”

I shake my head and then laugh, batting away my tears. “Oh my God. Why are you so perfect?”

“I’m not.” He reaches for my chin, tipping it up to meet his mouth.

“But I might be perfect for you.”