Joker (Hell's Ankhor #8) - Aiden Bates Page 0,71

hard into my ass.

I didn’t grip his cock at all; I just pressed, pushing my palm against him, trapping his cock between my hand and the hard plane of his own abs. I kept fucking him, slow and steady, grinding my hand against his cock at the same pace.

Joker’s breaths grew more erratic, his body tense, his toes curling. He tightened around me, and it felt incredible, but the sensation was like an afterthought as I was so focused on his pleasure.

“Gorgeous,” I murmured. “Come for me, baby.”

Joker gasped and made a sound close to a whine. His abs tensed and his body clenched even tighter around my cock, dragging a groan from my chest. Then I buried my cock as deep as I could, and Joker’s cock throbbed against my palm as he moaned and came across his own chest.

With a sigh, Joker melted back against the bed, but his hands didn’t leave my ass. He tilted his hips up again, and then caught my lips in a lazy smile. “Your turn,” he murmured. “Wanna see you come, too.”

I shivered as heat danced down my spine. Suddenly my own need to come was nearly overwhelming, and I hiked his hips up a little more and thrust into him harder, faster, until sweat was beading off my temples.

“Yeah,” Joker sighed out. “Like that. Come on, Brennan.”

He felt so good around me, still hot and tight even after coming, and he kept murmuring low encouragements in my ear, and it wasn’t long before the pleasure crested inside me, and I came hard and shuddering. So hard I was nearly dizzy with it.

Then with a sigh, I collapsed on top of him, forcing a huffed, happy exhale from Joker’s chest. He raked his fingers through my hair and kissed my temple.

We lay like that for a long moment, until I gathered the energy to move just enough to clean us both up. I did only as much as absolutely necessary, and then hurried back into the bed so I could pull Joker into my arms.

“Thank you,” he murmured, already half-asleep.

I tugged him even closer, slotting my chest against his back, and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. My chest ached, holding him like this. Seeing him like this—so open, gorgeous, and vulnerable—had only solidified what I already knew was happening. I had fallen for him.

Fallen undeniably in love.

23

Joker

The next morning, I woke up to the early morning sunlight filling the room with gold, and my nose pressed into the familiar dip of Brennan’s sternum. We were tangled together, facing each other on our sides, with his arm draped possessively over my waist and our legs tangled together under the blanket. I shifted a little, and he hummed in his sleep and pulled me a little closer.

The day had passed. Another year without Parker.

The pain was still there, heavy and tangible in my chest, but it was easier to bear with Brennan’s arms around me. It didn’t hurt like a weight dragging me down into a deep lake. This… this was a pain I could handle. A pain I could learn to fold into my life and grow with, instead of a pain I had to suffer through alone.

And that was because I had Brennan to lean on. Having him in my life had made me realize how closed off I’d been. And how much I’d suffered for it. My brothers-in-arms were right when they said Brennan was good for me, and how good we were for each other. In his arms like this, it was as if some missing part of myself had finally slotted into place.

I wasn’t just falling for him. I’d fallen.

I’d never felt this way before, but I couldn’t deny it. I couldn’t ignore how safe I felt, how understood, even through the weight of the grief and the pain.

He’d taken such good care of me last night, taking me apart with his mouth and his hands. He’d pulled me out of my misery and back into my body, and afterward, I’d finally been able to sleep, better than I’d been able to all week.

I started to worm my way out from under his arm—I wanted coffee, and maybe I’d root around his fridge and see what I could scrounge up for breakfast. But as soon as I started to move, Brennan heaved a big sigh and held me tighter.

“Where ya goin’?” he murmured in a low, sleep-roughened voice without opening his eyes.

“Nowhere,” I said. “Just