eyes puffy from the breakdown at his mom’s house. His fingers stroke my cheek, and he stares at me… I don’t know how to explain it. There is so much emotion behind it.
“Thank you,” he says. The gravel in his throat makes his voice deeper. “I’m a little lost right now. My mom has been my anchor. I’m not as independent as everyone makes me out to be. My mom is the sounding board, the fucking grit, the wisdom. I don’t know what I’ll do without her.”
“I’ll help you figure it out,” I whisper, leaning into his touch and soaking it in. I’ve never had a touch like this before. So caring, so soft, so timid. It’s like he never wants to stop touching me, and I never want him to. Is this what we’ve been ignoring? Why? He makes me feel … new.
A new person.
A new woman.
Stronger. Smarter.
And less afraid.
“I want to figure this out with you.” He moves his hand from my face and lays it across my stomach. “I need you to be honest. I need a battle I can win, and I know I can win this for you.”
I lay my hand over his and swallow. “I wish I could tell you more. I only see flashes.”
“I want to help you with this too.” He rubs his thumb across the bandage on my wrist.
“One fight at a time,” I admit. “I’ll tell you what I know about that night. I have… had, I guess…” I correct myself, thinking about that night. “I had a friend, his name was Brody. I went to his apartment for a party. I took a drink from him, and I had no reason not to trust him. He was always nice. We studied together. I took the drink, and everything after that… I can’t tell if it’s a dream or if it happened. I remember him over me, but I can’t remember feeling anything. I remember a bad feeling, right here.” I point to my stomach. “I woke up the next day and I was home; that’s all, Eric. I swear. I didn’t want to have sex with anyone. Not unless—” I stop myself from admitting that the only person I ever thought of having sex with was Eric.
I noticed when I met him that he made my fear go away, and I wanted to submerge myself in it, bathe in it, and become addicted to it.
“Anyway, that’s it.” The truth and how bad it sounds makes my fingers itch for a razor. Anxiety pumps in my chest, and the need to relax, to forget, to feel a pinch of pain is nearly intolerable.
Eric turns my head and presses his lips against mine, claiming my mouth in a heated frenzy that melts my brain and tunes in to another channel. I’m no longer thinking of Brody and the need for a razor; I’m thinking of Eric, and once again, he’s making me feel like a new woman.
I don’t want to be the old me.
I want to be afraid of not living enough.
Eric gives me that urgency to live a better life, but I’ve never had a better life until the Ruthless Kings decided to give me one when they saved me.
His tongue tangles with mine, and I bite his bottom lip and suck it into my mouth. He growls and slides his hands under my arms and lifts me over the middle console.
“Keep your arms turned up and lay them on my shoulders. I don’t want to hurt you.” He moves my legs over his lap. His hands grab onto the thickness of my hips and then smacks my ass as he explores the lower half of my body.
I gulp, swallowing my nerves as his larger than life palms devour me, squeezing my globes harder than anyone ever has. Gasping, I watch as his eyes close and his tongue flicks out to wet his lips. His cock is hard between my legs, and a hot sheen of sweat breaks over my skin when I feel how wide he is. “Jo, your ass. Jesus Christ,” he mumbles. “You have no idea how much I want you.” He grips my hips and rolls them forward, rubbing the V between my legs over his cock.
The crown brushes over my swollen clit and I moan, remembering how good it feels to be wanted. He grunts and tilts his head to the right, smashing his lips against mine. I can’t get enough of his mouth. It’s