Throttled (10 page)

“You bet that sweet ass I’m marking it. I’m going to crawl so far up that pretty little pussy that I’ll ruin you for life.” He shucked his pants, kicking them to the side as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

What the man didn’t understand is that he already ruined me. I was destroyed, damaged goods and no one would ever compare to him. As hard and sexy as he was, the soft and loving side of City is what ultimately stole my heart. The man loved me so fiercely that no one could ever come close. The small looks he stole when he thought I wasn’t looking, the loving touches as I fell asleep, and the sweet nothings he whispered in my ear when he thought I was dreaming—those are the things I love most about him.

I yawned, pretending to be unimpressed by his words and sexy as hell naked body. “Well, you can try anyway. I’ll let you know if your words ring true.”

He grabbed the comforter, yanking it off my body before pulling me down the bed by my feet. I squealed; the quickness of his movements caught me off-guard. Pulling me off the bed in a standing position, he quickly dispelled me of my clothes.

“So far, a C for effort. You can do better.” I smiled, watching the corner of his lip twitch.

He placed his hands under my arms, firmly gripping my waist before throwing me on the bed. He pounced on me, not giving me a moment to catch my breath before smothering me with a perfect closed mouth kiss. My stomach fluttered like the first time he kissed me. The nerves and emotion of the last twelve hours poured out through our lips.

I dug my fingers into his dark locks, fisting the hair in between my fingers as I held his mouth to mine. I wish I had brushed my damn teeth. I wanted to taste him. He pulled away; breaking the connection we had and looked down at me. The heat of his chest seared my skin and the thump of his heart matched mine. He was just as nervous as me, both of us on edge from last night.

“This will be the last time I’ll make love to you before you become my wife.” He smiled; his teeth sparkled in the sunlight.

“What about tonight?” I asked, totally confused.

“Sugar, I can’t see the bride the night before the wedding. We’ve talked about this before. I’m going to stay at my parents.”

“I don’t like that idea. That’s two nights not sleeping in your arms.” I sighed, rubbing my thumb across his unshaven cheek. The roughness matched the man more perfectly than the silky skin I felt some days.

“Me either, but it’s only for one night. We can’t break tradition.”

“Make it good then, handsome. Make me still feel you when I walk down the aisle tomorrow.” I always felt him for hours afterward. The days when he was insatiable, I could feel him for days, often sore the next time he wanted to fool around. Knowing that this was the last time before we were married warmed me and turned me into a puddle of goo.

Growling, he brought his mouth down on mine. I moaned, the regret about brushing my teeth growing. His tongue darted out, sliding across my lips before traveling down my jaw to the sweet spot on my neck. Goose bumps and shivers racked my body as the warmth of his mouth and coolness from his breath as it skidded across my skin.

When he captured my nipple in his mouth, nibbling on it with his teeth, my entire body convulsed. The rough stubble of his face, the sharp pinch from his hold, and the silky smoothness of his tongue flicking the hardened tip had me seeing stars and moaning his name. I held him to me, fingers wound in his hair as he suck and flicked until I begged.

“Please, City. I want to feel you,” I pleaded.

Grunting as he held my nipple between his lips, he lifted his hips and fisted his cock. The cool metal rubbing against my clit made me twitch before he rubbed the tip through my wetness. Thrusting my hips forward, trying to force him to put his dick inside me, I could feel the deep low laugh in his chest.

“So ready, sugar. You’re always ready for my cock,” he whispered against my breast.

“Yes! Yes,” I chanted, growing impatient with his lack of thrust.

Swiping it through my wetness again, he placed the piercing against my clit and made tiny circles, capturing my clit with the motion. The combination of the hard metal and smooth tip drove me closer to the edge, but I didn’t want to come like this. I closed my eyes, sealing them tightly, trying to stave off the orgasm that was about to rip through me.

“No,” I whispered, “not like this.”

“You want to come on my cock? You want to feel me thrusting in and out of you as your pussy squeezes me like a vice?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

“Don’t make me beg,” I said, keeping my eyes closed, moving my hips, trying to escape his cock circling my clit.

Without warning, he rammed his cock inside me in one quick thrust. My eyes sprang open, feeling completely filled, a tiny spark of pain shot throughout my body. He pulled out slightly and stilled, staring down at me with a cocky grin on his face.

“Is that how you want it, sugar?”

“Don’t stop. I’m so close.” I pulled back and pushed myself forward, fucking him. I couldn’t take the lack of motion.

Slipping his arms under my back, he held my shoulders, as he began to rock into me. Each lash of his cock against my G-spot sent tiny shock waves through my system, making my toes curl. I grabbed his hips, relishing the feel of his muscles constricting as he moved inside of me. Our bodies worked in unison, driving me towards an orgasm I knew would leave me breathless and with blurred vision.

His hips started to rotate as he pulled out and rammed back into me straight. The movement intensified the pressure building inside of me. His breathing became ragged as he maintained the momentum, driving into me without mercy.

Colors dotted my vision, the light almost blinding, as everything in my body coiled and released at once. I felt like a sling shot pulled to the max and then let go, flying forward with no escape or ability to control the outcome.

I screamed, “City,” as my body became rigid and my breathing halted. My head flew off the pillow, my body grounded by his hold on my shoulders as my curled toes started to cramp.

My core convulsed around him, the hardness of his cock giving nothing as he continued in the pursuit of his orgasm. His moans turned to growls as he stiffened above me, emptying himself inside me. Gulping for air, he collapsed on top of me, his body twitching with aftershocks.

I closed my eyes, listening to our mingled breaths as I enjoyed the afterglow. The feel of his weight crushing me made me encapsulated, as my body grew limp underneath him.

His breathing slowed as his breath skidded across my ear; the low growls of pleasure bring a smile to my face. As he pulled out, everything he just worked to achieve slid down my body forming a pool on the bed. I still hadn’t gotten used to the feel of a man coming inside of me. I felt like I wet myself and couldn’t stop it.

“Let me grab a washcloth,” he said as he pushed off the bed.

I grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Let me. I’m dying to brush my teeth. I want a proper kiss.” I smiled at him, trying not to run my tongue across my dirty teeth.

He collapsed against the mattress, staring up at the ceiling as he rested his hand on his chest. “I’ll be waiting.” He grabbed my arm with his free hand, sliding his palm down my arm. “Make it quick,” he said with a crooked, happy smile.

I groaned as my feet touched the floor. The after effects of an evening of overindulgence and wicked high heels, hit me. I swayed, grabbing the mattress to steady myself.

“You okay, sugar?” City asked as he sat up and touched my hand.

“Fine, baby. Just not as young as I used to be. Can’t party all night and bounce right back.”

“I doubt you partied all night too much even in your college years.” He laughed, covered his mouth with his hand.

“I didn’t sit in my dorm room and study all the time,” I said sarcastically. It was all bullshit. I rarely partied. The number of times I had been drunk in college I could count on one hand, but sometimes I didn’t like to be reminded of just how much of a good girl I had been.

“Uh, huh,” he said, resting his head on his hand as he watched me walk away.

I flipped him off, a small chuckle escaping my lips. He knew me too well. Knew I could never escape my good girl qualities even though I liked to pretend I had a badass side. I knew I was a cream puff and I accepted it even though I did so begrudgingly.

My mascara was smeared down my cheeks, the result of my crying last night over City. I looked as bad as I felt. My hair was a tangled mess, makeup half on but not in the right places, and my eyes were swollen. Thank God the wedding wasn’t today. I’d have to live with horrible wedding pictures for the rest of my life.

Grabbing the tube of toothpaste out of my toiletry bag, I stood on my tiptoes and leaned into the mirror. Shit, I looked horrible. I quickly backed up not needing the up-close reminder of last night. After washing him from my body, I filled my toothbrush with paste. I needed to clear the funk out of my mouth. My mouth felt drier than the Mojave Desert on a blistering summer day. Just as I stuck the toothbrush in my mouth and started scrubbing, I heard my phone chirp.

“Suzy, your mother sent you a text,” City yelled from the bedroom.

Fucking great. I loved my mom but she added an extra bit of pressure and stress to an already nerve-racking situation. Weddings are supposed to be blissful but no one seems to tell you about all the turmoil and decisions that need to be made. My mother could be judgmental at times and I often felt like my decisions weren’t good enough.

I pulled the toothbrush out of my mouth, balancing the paste remnants on my tongue as I yelled, “What’s it say?”

I scrubbed my teeth, my motions more feverish at the thought of my parents being in town. She always watched City with a suspicious eye when she didn’t know I was looking. She was happy that he had money, although it wasn’t the reason I fell in love with the man. I would’ve been with him even if he were only a tattoo artists. It’s a good job and he’s talented. She couldn’t get beyond his looks. He had a roughness about him and the tattoos didn’t exactly win him any points in her mind. She’d bust a cork if she knew about the piercing that decorated his lower extremity or if she ever found out that I had my nipple pierced.

“She just wants to know if she should be at the rehearsal dinner early to help.”

I spit the toothpaste into the sink, cupping water in my hand and swishing. The last thing I wanted was my mother there for her type of help. Everything was ready and all we needed to do was show up, including her and my father.

I washed my face quickly, erasing the nightmarish mess from the smudged makeup before returning to the bedroom.

“She’s become such a pain the last few months,” I said as I crawled in bed.

“She’s still your mom and she loves you,” he said, grabbing my hand, planting soft kisses across the top.

“You grew up with a different type of mother, City. You’re mom has made me feel more like a daughter than my mother ever did. Don’t get me wrong, I love her, but she doesn’t know how to make me feel loved.” I closed my eyes when they watered as I thought about what it would’ve been like to grow up calling Mrs. Gallo Mom. I always felt like my parents had to fit me into their schedule and often there wasn’t a slot for me unless I had called in advanced.

“Let’s just get through the next thirty-six hours and everything will go back to normal. You have the Gallo family now and they’re not letting you go.”

I’d felt like a member of the family since that first Sunday dinner so long ago. They made me feel like I belonged and had always been there. My sister and I had never even really been close. I didn’t ask her to be a part of my wedding party. Izzy had become more of a sister to me than she ever had. We don’t get to choose our family, but we do choose those people who we let into our life and with who we spend time with going forward. For me, the people I wanted nearest were the Gallos. They were a loving and diehard loyal group. Above all else, they had each other’s backs and no one could tear them apart. They accepted each other for their flaws, embraced the bad with the good, and loved unconditionally.

“We should go soon. I have a ton to do before the rehearsal dinner tonight.” I snuggled into his side, enjoying the last moment of peace.

He pulled me tighter against his chest, rubbing the tender skin on my upper arm as he kissed my hair. “It’ll all work out. Somehow it will all fall into place.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” That statement was a total lie. I couldn’t give up my incessant need to be in control and plan every last detail.

“You can’t control everything in life, but I know you try like hell. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

“Tell me five other things you love, City.” I swiped my fingers across his chest, stopping on his nipple to tug on his piercing.

“Where do I start?” he said before rattling off a list that left me feeling more loved than I had ever felt before. The list wasn’t filled with vain things like my beauty that would fade over time, but the things that made me as a person. My success, education, kind heart, and silliness were just a couple things he listed without much thought.

“I love you, City,” I said, moving my body to plant a wet sloppy kiss on his lips.

Breaking our connection slightly he whispered, “I love you too, sugar.” He kissed me with as much fervor and passion as he did the first night we met.

We made love one more time before dragging ourselves from the hotel room and heading home to prep for the chaos that awaited us. Wedding weekend was in full swing and there was no turning back.