The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

There was something in the way he said sharing that made her want to ask him exactly what he meant.

She didn’t.

“I’ve never been kissed,” she said.

“Not at all.”

“No.”

“I’d be your first kiss?”

“Yes.”

“That’s quite a responsibility,” he said.

“Stop mocking me.” She went to hit him, but he caught her hand.

“I’m not mocking you.”

“I bet you’ve kissed a lot of girls.”

“Are you jealous?”

“No.”

“You sound jealous.”

“I don’t even know you, Draven. I can’t be jealous of someone I don’t know.” She pulled her hand away, but he wouldn’t let her move.

“I’m going to kiss you. I’m not going to mock you, but don’t even try to hit me again.”

One of his hands went to her hip, and she felt frozen into place with nowhere else to go. Draven was the one in control right now, not her.

His gaze went to her lips, and she couldn’t help but lick them. Her mouth was so dry, her heart racing. She couldn’t think. It was crazy.

He cupped her cheek with the other hand, sliding back to grip her neck.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

You can do this.

Don’t panic.

Don’t screw this up.

“Don’t think about it, Harper. Let it happen.”

“Good girls don’t have sex until they’re ready, Harper.”

“Everyone prefers a good girl.”

“Bad girls are hated.”

“Don’t be a bad girl.”

Blood.

Watery, cold blood.

Lifeless eyes.

Her mother dead.

Her mother had been a good girl, and she ended up killing herself in the bathtub.

Heart racing, she gripped Draven’s arm as his lips crashed against hers. The first touch sent a thrill down her spine.

Ignoring the warnings in her mind, she focused on the pleasure of his lips. He pressed her back against the kitchen counter as his grip on her hip tightened.

His body slid against hers, every hard inch making her very aware of how much he liked being close to her. There was no mistaking the length of his cock as he rested against her stomach.

She moaned as his tongue slid across her lips, and opening her mouth, she caved to the pleasure of his kiss.

He held her neck, tilting her head back and showing her what he wanted. Plundering her mouth, he slid the hand at her hip, up until it grazed beneath her tit. So close. So intimate and yet not pushing her boundaries.

She wanted more.

His thumb slid up across her nipple, and she cried out. The instant pull of pleasure went straight between her thighs from that single touch.

She’d never known how good it was to be a little bad. Good girls didn’t kiss boys that didn’t belong to them. Draven wasn’t hers, and yet she didn’t want him to stop.

All too soon, he pulled away. He held her arms, keeping her steady, which she was thankful for, as she didn’t think she’d be able to stand on her own.

She’d nearly lost it all because of a kiss. She should be mortified, and yet, she was … thrilled.

Licking her lips, she was sure she could taste him, the lasting impression of his lips.

Her first kiss.

Draven Barries.

One quarter of Stonewall’s bad boys.

He cupped her cheek, and his thumb ran across her lips. “I think I’ve just found something I enjoy doing.”

“It was just a kiss,” she said.

He chuckled, leaning in close, and she wondered if he’d kiss her again.

He didn’t.

“You can think that, but I know the truth. I totally rocked your first kiss, bad girl.” He took the water from her and tipped it back.

She watched him drink, fascinated by him.

Get a grip, Harper.

It was one kiss.

That was all.

Nothing special.

Nothing life-changing.

She only hoped she didn’t lose herself in this process.

****

Draven stood in the warehouse with Axel and their fathers along with several soldiers.

For a Sunday morning, this was not how he wanted to spend his day, but the needs of the Barries and Cook children meant they had to be there.

Two men were hung upside down, and a woman was bound to a chair. Blood covered the floor.

He wished this was the worst thing he’d ever seen in his life, but it wasn’t. The auctions, where some of the merchandise got tested, were among some of his worst-ever memories. Still, it was all work, and if he showed any sign of weakness, his father would make his life a living hell.

He had no reason to allow that to happen.

Standing in the warehouse while they exacted vengeance for stealing dope and trying to run, was not going to get him a punishment he didn’t deserve.

Axel was on his cell phone.

One look at his screensaver, and Draven snorted. There was a picture of the five of them together, taken during their lunch break last week.

Harper looked petrified while the rest of them looked smug.

“She made a decision yet?” Axel asked.

Seeing as he and Harper shared a connection, the guys had left it up to him to deal with her, to bring her into the fold, or to threaten her to silence. While he did that, they were working on her trust with them.