First Love: A Superbundle Boxed Set of Seven New Adult Romances (164 page)

Her head tilts to the side as she glances at me out of the corner of her eye. “A game?”

“You think of something you want me to do to you, and you can guide me with hot or cold toward exactly what you want.”

“What if it isn’t what I picked, but I don’t want you to stop?” She leans back against me in the tub, and the feel of her ass against me is making me hard again already.
 

“Then don’t answer until you want me to move to something else.” The thrill of triumph is sweet and sudden. If she’s asking that, she wants to play.

She tries to reach behind her, and her fingers graze my cock. “And how do I win?”
 

I shift so she can’t reach me. She had her turn, now it’s mine. “When I do what you want.”

Angel lifts herself up and scoots back until she’s practically sitting on my lap. “And how do you win?”

Stars are dancing behind my eyes, and I want so bad to scoop her up and carry her to my bed so I can bury myself deep in her. “Baby, if I make you feel good, that’s all the win I need.”

She wiggles on top of me even more, and I groan.
 

“Are you suggesting you want me to spank you?” I slip my hand beneath the water and give her a gentle squeeze.

“Cold,” she shrieks.
 

I immediately remove my hand. “See baby, with this game, you still have all of the control, and all of the pleasure.” My hands cup her breasts, tugging slightly, and then I roll her buds between my thumb and forefinger. She’s so responsive, and getting the chance to touch her is like being permitted entry into the lost city of Atlantis. An unexpected and priceless privilege.

“Win-win,” she pants.

“You like that?” I drag my teeth lightly along her outer earlobe as I whisper into her ear, following it up with the flick of my tongue.
 

She nods, but says, “Cold,” so I know she likes it but wants more, and I’m all too happy to deliver. I keep one hand on her breast as my other hand explores upward, trailing a feather-soft touch along the contours of her neck, then down her arm, brushing our fingertips together before continuing to stroke her dewy skin.

My hand is getting closer and closer to her folds, and I try to make my movement very deliberate, wanting to give her a chance to direct me.

“Oooh,” she mumbles, leaning her head back against my shoulder as her hips grind into me.

“Am I getting warm?” I sure hope so, because the way she’s wiggling is so incredibly hot.

“Very warm,” she says in a breathless voice that sends my fingers to brush against her inner thigh.

“Still warm?” I tease.

“Cooler.”

“Maybe I should go back the other direction then?” I let my touch creep toward her folds.

“Warm.” Angel moans and arcs forward.

“How warm?” My thumb circles on her front as I dip a finger inside her, moaning myself as her walls squeeze around me.

“Molten,” she cries out.

I rub faster as she makes little mewling noises and writhes against me. “Come for me, baby,” I whisper as she shudders against my hand. Yes, definitely win-win. I just hope I haven’t screwed things up and that she still feels that way in the light of the morning.

Thirty

Angel

My ears are ringing, and my head is so foggy I think I might have dropped it on the other side of the room. Being so disconnected might be unpleasant if I wasn’t acutely aware of the way my body is draped across Arion’s. Sheets are pooled around our waists, and there isn’t a thread of fabric anywhere between us.

His chest is rising in a slow, rhythmic way that tells me he’s still asleep.

What the hell happened last night?
 

A smile spreads across my face like a banner of triumph as I remember through a blur of images. It’s like my memory of last night is a giant whiteboard that’s only been erased partially clean of a story. I’ve got snippets and snatches, but I think I’m missing the punchline. I remember the tub, though. And Arion carrying me to bed afterward.

Did we… I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. If we did, I don’t remember it, and something tells me sex with Arion would be mind-blowing but not forgettable.

Dull light is seeping through Arion’s open bedroom door so I know it must be morning, but I have no real sense of time. I lift my head from Arion’s chest, trying to see his clock.
 

Holy crap! It’s almost noon. I’m not a morning person, but I generally don’t sleep
this
late.

My movements have woken Arion, and his eyes roll lazily open. “I must have died and gone to heaven, because I could swear I just woke up to find a beautiful, naked Angel in my bed.”

I feign annoyance. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Oh, I intend to.”

There’s no joking in his sultry tone, and my stomach twists. Before I can respond, a loud pounding comes from the apartment door.
 

“Mr. Chadwell? It’s the police, sir.”
Thump, thump, thump.

My heart clenches and drops into my feet.
They’ve found me.
I knew it would come to this. I knew I couldn’t hide forever; they were bound to figure out it was me, but I’m not ready to face my past.
 
They’re going to drag me back to Arizona, and Arion will learn the truth. He needs to hear it from me, first. I owe him that much.

“Arion—”

He’s already out of bed, pulling on jeans. “Hey, it’s okay.
 
You don’t have to talk to them if you don’t want to. Did you change your mind, or do you still not want to press charges?” he whispers.

Charges? What is he talking about? I’m confused, but the answer is simple. “No, I don’t want to talk to them, but I don’t think I have much choice. I—”

He silences me with a brief kiss. “Then stay in here and don’t make a peep. I’ll get rid of them.”
 

Before I can say a word, he’s out the door with it closed behind him. That kiss was all too brief, not nearly enough to be our last.
 

“Good morning, Mr. Chadwell,” an aged male voice wafts through the bedroom door.

“Morning, Officer. What can I do for you?” Arion has his all-business voice on now, and he doesn’t sound at all like a worried almost-boyfriend.

I tiptoe to the closet, trying to quietly find clothes, hating that he doesn’t know what’s coming. I don’t think Arion is going to be able to get them to go away, and when they come in here for me, I’d rather not be naked. But I don’t want to make too much noise and call attention to myself, either.
 

“Have you had any incidents lately we should know about?” The conversation in the living room can just barely be made out through the walls. It’s obvious the officer is leading up to something and wants to know what Arion will give away.

My backpack is on the floor of Arion’s closet, full of things I’d planned to take with me to the farm. I rummage through it quickly, because I don’t think they’ll let me take my suitcase, so I want to ensure everything I need is in the smaller bag. There’s a small notepad in the front zipper compartment with a pen. I’d brought it in case I needed to write down directions or something, and it gives me an idea.

It will never be enough, but it’s the least I can do. I hastily start scrawling Arion a note as tears plop onto the page.

While I was writing, I forgot to listen to the officer and Arion, but Arion’s voice raises and catches my attention.

“Look, I don’t know what else I can tell you. I wanted to call you last night, but the girl was adamant that she didn’t want to report Mr. Turner. She did admit to me that she was drugged, and she thanked me for helping her out of a tight spot. Once she was feeling better—which wasn’t long, so I’m assuming whatever he gave her was fast-acting but short duration—she called someone to come pick her up, and she left.”

Wait, someone was drugged at the bar last night? Why don’t I remember that… and then I do. Someone wasn’t drugged at the bar.
I
was drugged at the bar.
Arion is lying.
I try to remind myself he’s doing it for my benefit, to protect me, but paranoia creeps in, suffocating my logic. If he can lie so easily about this…

“With all due respect, sir, if you’d called us, we might have been able to convince her to press charges.”

Fat chance.
It’s slowly dawning on me that they aren’t here for me, only
about
me, but I still don’t want anything to do with them. I have too many secrets to risk contact with the police. Arion isn’t the only one capable of lying.

Arion’s voice thins with irritation. “And I hope there isn’t a next time, but if there is, I’ll remember that. Last night all I wanted to do was make sure she was safe and respect her wishes. Can you blame me?”

“No, no. You did a good thing. His face shows that pretty clearly.”
 

The officer sounds almost amused, and nausea wells in my stomach as the image of Arion snatching a guy away from me resurfaces from a forgotten part of my mind.
 

“I might have gotten a bit carried away.”

Now I remember Arion’s bloodied fists as we got into the tub. He did that. For me. What trouble have I gotten him into? He lies. He fights. Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick, but I can’t go out there and reveal myself. I take long, deep breaths and feel a little better, but not much.

Yes, he lied, but it was to protect me. Yes, he fought, but it was to protect me. I snatch onto my reasoning and wrap it around me like a security blanket, trying to ward against doubts and fear.

The officer chuckles. “He may still press charges like he originally wanted to, but as soon as we started questioning him about what started the fight, he dropped it and left the station. Just be aware, this may not be over. We wanted to get your side of things, and we’ll file it for our report. It would be helpful if you could have anyone else who might shed some light on this come down to the station or give us a call. Your doorman maybe?”

“I’ll see to it that Jordan gives you a call. He definitely saw that the girl was drugged. And my assistant manager was the one who carried her back inside. I’ll have him give you a ring as well.”

I don’t remember Arion’s doorman other than from the night I arrived. Will he back up Arion’s story? Will Arion ask him to lie for us? Guilt is a sharp knife plunging into my chest, but the pain is bandaged by overwhelming relief. I sink into the closet floor, drawing my knees to my chest.

“Much appreciated, Mr. Chadwell. Thank you for being so cooperative. We’ll get out of your hair, but here’s my card so you can call in case you think of anything else.”

“Will do.”

The apartment door
thuds
closed, and then the bedroom door opens. I keep my face buried in my knees with my hair cascading around me, my shoulders heaving with the force of trying to hold in my sobs as Arion’s feet stop before me, just barely visible beneath my arms.
 

“I don’t think they’ll be back.” Arion gently brushes my hair aside.

They will; I’m almost sure of it, but not for the reason he thinks. Surely someone will figure out not just what I’ve done, but where I’ve gone. I slowly lift my head, and then I let him carry me back to bed.
 

My scrawled note is still clutched in my hands, so I shove it under one of his pillows for now, not ready to give it to him. When I thought the cops were here for me, I wanted to explain, but now that they’re gone, I can’t bring the truth to my tongue.

Thirty One

Angel

I gaze up at Arion, still struggling to find the words to bare my secrets to him.

He was so good to me last night; he deserves better than he’s getting from me. I remember most of it now, including agreeing to put off going to the farm one more day. The sudden appearance of the cops this morning is a stark reminder that our time may have an expiration date beyond just my trip to work on his farm, and I want today to be perfect.

Rising to my knees, I give him the most seductive grin I can summon and shuffle toward him as he stands beside the bed. I wrap my hands around the back of his neck, pulling him against me.

Our lips meet, and I know there will be no going back. He and I have come too close too many times, and I think we both need this. I know I do. Somewhere in the midst of our passion, I’m hoping to find affirmation that I’m now his. Wholly and completely.
 

Our tongues battle in a constant dance of give and take, stoking the fire burning in my core hotter, harder, and hungrier. Desire laps at my insides as he moans into my mouth, encouraging me and rewarding me all at once.

Last night’s striptease was slow and deliberate, but today I’m nothing if not desperate. I frantically tug on the button of his jeans, only to be reminded that he didn’t put on any underwear before greeting the cops. He springs free as I shove his pants away from his hips. One of his hands darts out, clasping my wrist, and I freeze.

“Are you sure about this, Angel? Like, really sure?” There’s a visible war being fought on his face as he clings to shreds of self-control.

I nod, trying to tug myself out of his grasp. Pin-pricks of doubt begin at the back of my mind, and suddenly I’m not so sure.
 

His eyes deepen with dark shadows. “It scares you when I touch you, doesn’t it?”

“It isn’t that I don’t want you, or even that I don’t like your touch.” Using my free hand, I touch him lightly over his heart, feeling that his is racing as much as my own. I don’t want to be this girl, the one who can’t get lost with a hot guy she’s falling for because of her past, but I am. For every thrill I derive from Arion’s touch, there’s a matching sense of panic.

“I know you do baby, I can see it in how you respond.” He lets go of my wrist and trails a finger between my breasts as I sigh in illustration. The effects of his localized touch spreads, warming me everywhere, making me ache with need. I wish I hadn’t gotten dressed after all; I want to feel his skin against mine.

Arion backs away from the bed, and I cry out in annoyance.
 

“Come back.” My lower lip pouts out.