Tales of the Forbidden (12 page)

“Is Devon somehow in the doghouse?” Blaine smiled as if he were pleased by that thought. “He should be. He needs to get his ass in a bind for a change.” Devon’s friend stuffed his hands into his pockets and pushed off from the tree. “Give him lots of hell.

I’ve heard he’s had it too damn easy since I’ve been gone.”

Kera said nothing more as he turned his back and walked away. Mostly because there wasn’t a damn thing she could say.

He stumped her, and that was definitely a first for her.

101

“You sure are quiet,” Devon said in the car. He’d noticed right off how she worked at distancing herself from him. No response came from her. Her head was turned, her gaze focused on the town slipping into nothing on their way back to the house. His only guess was that those women had said something to her, but what, he could only fear.

“So what did they say to you?” he tried again, bracing himself for the damage.

Again, she said nothing.

Devon kept quiet as the miles went by, his anger rising at how little she trusted him. He knew those women upset her, and he damned himself over and over for not getting her away soon enough. He knew how they were, each one as bitter as a lime, and he had hoped like hell Dane would keep them away. Not one of them understood or believed they had been a fling and nothing more.

When they drove into the driveway, yards from home, he tried again. “What did they say to you?”

No response.

“You have to talk to me sometime.”

Still she said nothing.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “Say something.”

When the car stopped, she looked at him. “Fine. You’re a fucking asshole.”

Devon groaned and shook his head as she got out of the car and stormed toward the front door. Devon stepped out of the car slowly.

“Kera…”

She stopped at the front door, took off one shoe, and threw it at him. Devon ducked as it barely missed his head.

“I’m not a damn whore you can show off at will,” she 102

screamed. “You had no fucking right to do that to me.”

“No,” he told her in a menacingly calm voice. “As I recall, you are now my wife.” He took two steps toward her. “And I can do whatever it is I want, which includes taking you to balls and such.”

The other shoe flew toward his head. “All I am to you is a piece of ass. And to think I was starting to trust you, to fucking
like
you of all things!”

Kera dashed into the house and slammed the door in his face. When he opened it, a vase smashed against the wall next to him.

“God, I hate you! I wish to hell I never met you,” she yelled.

“Never bumped into you!”

“So we are back to your tantrums, I see.” He took off his dinner jacket and placed it on the sofa. “Must I remind you what will happen again?”

“Oh yes, how could I forget? You like to tie people up just so you can get your fucking way!” She glared at him as he unbuttoned his shirt, slipped it down his shoulders and arms then placed it on the sofa. “You are nothing more than a fucking bully.”

“And as I recall, you got off pretty well that night,” he reminded her. Enough was enough. The temper tantrum was starting to get irritating.

She picked up a brass figure and threw it at him as well.

“You sick son of a bitch!”

Devon shrugged, trying his damnedest to look and act calm when inside he was boiling, both at those women at the party for what they obviously said and Kera for not talking to him. He watched her reach around her back to unzip the gown she was wearing. She slipped out of it and stood in only her strapless bra and bikini panties.

“Take your shit!” she said as she pitched the gown at him. “I don’t want anything more from you.”

“Oh, you are going to get more of me, Kera,” he hissed.

“You’re going to get so much more.” Back to taming the shrew.

Oh, well.

* * * *

Devon stalked towards her. Kera saw the intent in his eyes 103

and fled. She ran toward the stairs and up to the bedroom. She ran from her heart and from the pain. With tears streaming down her face, she slammed the bedroom door and tramped to the bathroom. Tears streamed from her eyes along with the frustrations of the past few days. The only thing that kept going over and over in her mind was why. Why did it all have to hurt so damn much?

In a daze, Kera started a shower. As she stared, the water hit the tile floor, she yanked the pins from her hair, then the jewelry he had bought her. She placed them on the counter before she removed her undergarments. Everything that she had on her body she piled on the floor. By the time she stepped into the steaming water, her hurt was gone, replaced with numbness.

Anger at him for what he had done to her. Anger at her father for selling her to the highest bidder. Anger at all those women for telling her all the dirty details of their love lives with Devon.

However, most of all, she was angry with herself for letting her heart care about him.

Over the running water, Kera heard him enter the bedroom.

She closed her eyes and waited for him to open the door to the shower. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for the fight that would end here and now.

* * * *

When Devon opened the shower stall door, Kera was on him. She hit him with everything she had and even managed to get in a few kicks to his shins. Devon grunted when her foot made contact, but focused most of his energy on trying to catch her hands. After taking two good hits to his knees, one punch to the gut, and a few slaps to the face, Devon managed to pin her wrists up against the wall, pressing his body into her. “Finished yet?” he asked breathing hard.

“If I had a fucking knife, I would slice your damn dick off just so you couldn’t hurt any more women,” she spit back.

“And just who the hell have I hurt?” Struggling to hold her, Devon was confused.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to count the ones you didn’t fuck?”

“It might be, but it would also be easier if I knew what the hell you’re so pissed about,” he grunted as he fought with her.

“I’m pissed because you’re a dick!” She tried to jerk her arms 104

free but he only tightened his grip.” And I’m pissed at the way you keep trying to manhandle me!” a tear slipped from her eye.

“And I’m pissed because, because…”

Devon hissed when her knee made light contact with his nuts. He let go of her, watching as she moved around him and out of the shower. Kera took her robe from the back of the door and glared at him as she slipped it on.

“You just had to do that again.” He groaned, trying to stand, and pressing his forehead to the wet tile.

“You’re a complete asshole! God, how I hate your guts!”

taking a step back away from him. “Parading me around in front of all those fucking women like a bloody prize. What the hell is your problem? Isn’t your ego big enough? You certainly do not need me around to stroke it, you egotistical bastard!”

“I think I liked it better when you weren’t saying anything.” He moaned in pain.

Kera walked into the bedroom and Devon could hear the sounds of her dressing. “I’ve had enough of you and your shit.

I’m out of here!”

Devon stood on shaky legs and stumbled into the bedroom.

“You’re not going any fucking place. We’re not done here.”

Walking to the door she spat out, “Watch me,” in such a manner Devon was sure her words contained venom. The bedroom door slammed shut.

Having recuperated from her knee job and pulled on some shorts, Devon ran out of the room and took the stairs two at a time. Running up to her, he grabbed her by the wrist just as her hand gripped the knob of the front door.

“We’re not done yet,” he hissed.

“I am done with you!” She tried to yank her wrist from his grasp but Devon only tightened his hold. “Let go!”

“I told you at the pool, I’ll never let you go. You’re mine. You belong to me, and that is that! No more wanting your freedom bullshit!” Taking hold of both her arms, he pushed her against the wall, none too gently. “You leaving me is
not
going to happen, no way, no how! Hell will have to fucking freeze over before you walk out of my life!” She was his and the sooner she learned that the better. He didn’t care what she chose to do with her life as long as she stayed with him.

105

“Is this what you told each and everyone one of them? Did you make them feel like they were special too?”

“Oh,” he murmured, realization dawning as he pressed his body to hers, “This has nothing to do with what they said to you, after all.” Devon held back a smile. “This has to do with the fact I slept with them.” The smirk quickly turned into a full smile.

“You’re jealous.” Thank goodness for that. She feels something for me.

“And you are fucking crazy!” she spat back.

Devon took hold of her face firmly. “Oh, you have that right.

A man has to be fucking crazy to want to keep a tantrum throwing thing such as you.” He looked at Kera closely. “You push and push and keep fucking pushing. And I take it all! Now, it’s time for me to push back.”

“Ah!” she screamed, “You son of a bitch!”

When he tried to kiss her, she slapped him across the face.

He stood back and let her hit him again and again, not trying to block the blows this time. She obviously needed to work all this out and he was willing to be her punching bag.

Only when her crying started to take her breath away did she stop hitting him. Devon folded her in his arms, hoping to soothe her and let her grieve now that the anger had been released.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as she cried. Devon knew she cried for how she and he came to be, cried for the freedom she would never have. He also knew she cried for the cold nights, for the countless times she must’ve gone to bed still hungry. She cried for the affection she never had. All this Devon had found out. Everything from her past he knew, even the difficult times in the cold of winter, as well as the lack of food.

He picked her up, and she wrapped herself around him so perfectly he knew there was no chance in hell they would make it back up to their room. So he headed over to the sofa and sat there instead. Kera raised her head from his shoulder. Tears ran over her face, but something in her look had changed. She had found her serenity.

Kera suddenly kissed Devon. She took his face into her hands and held him in place so she could explore at will. For the first time, Kera took the lead.

106

Roaming her hands over the contours of his chest, she traced each and every muscle. Devon groaned into her mouth when her nails scraped lightly over his nipples. He had to fight to keep still, bunching her shorts in his fists as he kissed her with as much need as she kissed him.

She broke the kiss, and using her hands she pushed his head back. Devon couldn’t recall ever getting this much pleasure from just being kissed before. Her lips and tongue moved on his neck, mimicking the actions he had made on her countless times over the last two days. It was a sweet torture he wanted to hold on to forever, and each inch she moved down was another new sensation for him.

“Ahh, you’re killing me,” he moaned when her tongue flicked a nipple. “I’m dying so fucking slowly. Don’t stop.”

Kera scooted between his legs down to the floor. Her warm hands closed around his hard cock the moment she tugged it from the shorts. “I’m just getting started,” she told him softly.

This woman pushed him to the edge so damn fast.’ She didn’t waste time teasing him but instead went to town. She sucked as much of his cock into her heated mouth as she could.

She sucked forcefully and long on him, dragging out as much of his pleasure as she could. She swiped her tongue over the head and flicked back and forth on the base as her head went down.

When the head of his cock grazed the back of her throat, Kera moaned. He felt those vibrations, moaned, and she kept it up.

Each time the head touched her throat, she moaned.

Up and down, she sucked him savagely and fast. What her mouth couldn’t close on, her hand did. She stroked and sucked the base of his cock, then vigorously on the head. With her other hand, Kera cupped his sack. She fondled it gently, and then she did something he never would’ve expected in his whole life. She scraped one nail over the entrance to his ass. That was all it took for Devon to beg.

“Stop!” Devon yelled at the top of his lungs. “Stop, or I’m going to…” But it was too late.

Kera lightly scraped her teeth on the underside of his cock.

She also pushed a finger deep into his ass, which caused Devon to come powerfully and fast. He was very surprised that she took all he had, greedily swallowing each and every drop, yet still 107

sucking on him for more.

His eyelids were half closed, and he was so relaxed he didn’t think he could move, but he did watch her as she stood.

“Hurt me again and there will never be a next time between us.”

Devon smiled weakly. “I could never hurt you. But if you leave me, I will die inside.”

“But being in a loveless relationship hurts me,” she told him with a deadly calm voice.

Devon stood and moved in front of her. Kera took a step back. “You’re not in a loveless relationship,” he whispered.

Kera took another step back. “Maybe we should finish this when both of our tempers have cooled off,” she said with her hands in front of her in a defensive posture.

“We finish this now.” Devon backed her up to the dining room table. He touched her cheek gently. “Right here, right now, we finish this.” He took a deep breath. “No more fighting. No more hating. Take off your clothes.”

Kera watched him closely as she pulled her shirt over her head, then pushed her shorts down her legs.

“Get up on the table.”