Willing Captive

He doesn’t give me an inch. His mouth doesn’t open and I find myself begging for a taste of him. I whisper against his lips, “Please. Open. Please. I need it.”

At hearing the sincerity of my plea, his lips part a little.

Not wasting any time, I sigh as I lightly brush the tip of my tongue against his.

Warmth cloaks my entire body.

My hands slide down his cheeks, to his jaw, and up through his hair. Tingles shoot from my toes all the way to the hairs on my head.

It’s everything I hoped for and more.

Not able to stop myself, I moan into his mouth, wanton and needy, “Yes.”

His arms coil around my waist, he pulls me closer so we’re belly to rock-hard abs. His mouth opens wider as he tilts his head, finally giving in. He presses his mouth into mine hard, almost punishingly, and I feel myself getting damp between the legs.

Kiss me forever, you brute.

You know how when a guy and girl really like each other in a book, they talk about a spark between them?

With Nox, there is no spark.

No.

He bypassed the spark.

When Nox touches me, there’s nothing less than the whistling, shrieking explosions of fireworks.

Big ones.

The ones they save till the end of the show.

The ones people hang around to get a glimpse of.

Seriously.

That good.

My hands clutch at his head, dragging my nails through his short hair, and I pull myself even closer to him. The move places his hard-on right where I need it and I moan again while he groans through our kiss.

I’m desperate for this to happen. Tonight is the night.

Rubbing my back, he slides his hands lower, places them on my hips and starts a motion, rocking me back and forth as our lips remain connected. Rubbing against each other, deeper and harder, my breathing turns heavy, and the flush rises up my neck and onto my cheeks. Pulling back from me, he watches me closely.

My eyes flutter.

His eyes darken.

The feeling of prickles in my belly and lower back warn me that something’s happening, but before I register what’s happening, it hits me, hard and powerful.

Digging my fingernails into his scalp, I gasp.

Well, this is new!

My heart races and my breathing hitches as my core contracts over and over again. I buck against him moaning long and low. Still rigid from the endless pleasure surging through me, he captures my mouth and kisses me hungrily.

Mouth on mine, Nox whispers, “Fucked up, baby.”

Fucked up?

My heart sinks. This is not going how I planned this going.

I open my mouth, but he speaks again before I get the chance. “I know what you need, baby.”

Closing my eyes, he lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me fiercely. Again and again.

And it’s better than good.

It’s fucking astounding.

***

Nox

Never had something so beautiful so close before. As soon as I walked into the bedroom, I saw the changes I was dreading.

Lily.

She finally saw the connection. She finally felt the chemistry. And, clearly braver than I am, she finally decided to risk humiliation to find out if what we have is something worth pursuing.

She’s killin’ me slowly, and she doesn’t even know it.

With every kiss. With every glance of her gorgeous green eyes. With every flip of her kick-ass hair. With every half smile. She’s killin’ me.

But watching her face as she came apart in my arms?

Fuck me.

I’d die a thousand deaths to see it again.

But that’s beside the point.

She’s in my care. And I’m going to take care of her.

I’m not falling for her. No. I’m not falling.

It’s too late to use present tense.

I fell fuckin’ hard.

Just hope she doesn’t figure that out.

Right now, though?

I know what she needs.

Chapter Fourteen

Firsts

Lily

“Oh God!” I almost shriek.

Nox’s arm tightens over my squirming belly and he lifts his head. “You ‘kay?”

Lifting my head, panting, I fight the urge to smack him and nod vigorously, “Don’t stop!” Then I push his head back down.

I feel his breath on me as he chuckles soundlessly. His tongue darts out, slowly lapping at my sensitive folds and I die.

I die.

Over and over and over again.

Okay, so let’s rewind here for a minute.

Earlier tonight, I laid it out for Nox.

Honest to God. Courage ignited like a spark low in my belly, and I knew tonight was the night.

It was a speak now or forever hold your peace moment.

You could call it a do or die moment.

Or even a stop being chickenshit moment.

Whatever you want to call it, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Something akin to desperation took hold of me and I struggled with it. I fought it hard but it won out.

There’s desperation and then there’s desperation. Holding back was no longer an option.

I want Nox. I need Nox. And I’ll tell you how I know this.

Number one, he takes care of me, even though I can be a total shithead. Number two, he’s been nothing but good to me since our first motel adventure. He even smiles at me now. And it’s a nice smile. Number three, he trains me like he would anyone else. Never treating me like a girl. Only as an equal. Number four, he took pity on a scared girl and allowed her comfort when she needed it. A huge pro on the list.

Number five, every night before we sleep, he spoons me.

That’s right. Nox spoons.

And while he spoons me, he takes my hand, links our fingers together and holds them to my chest. Then, yes then, he buries his face into my hair and he sighs.

And that sigh…

Ugh.

That sigh.

It makes my heart flip around in my chest. It makes my nose tingle. It makes me feel beautiful. I’ve never had that before. Okay, so I’ve never had anyone before. But I’m thinking if a man like Nox, gruff and withdrawn,

can make a woman feel beautiful with nothing but a breath…

…I’m thinking that’s special. It feels special. And special, for me, is rare.

I don’t want to miss a second I have with him. And I had to let him know that. So after he let me kiss him, I know he felt what I felt. I know this because he made me come. See, he gave me one of my firsts. And it was amazing. But I secretly want him to have them all. I want that because he’s special.

Panting hard, my core tightens. Gripping the sheets tightly, I try in vain to elevate my hips but he holds me down firmly while torturing me in the best possible way. “Easy girl. Let it happen.”

Flushed and demanding, I struggle to be free, but he calms me with a whisper, “Got you, baby. Come for me.”

Frustration tears through me, “I can’t! It’s so close, but I- I- I can’t!”

His mouth closes over my ultra-sensitive bud and he sucks. White spots blur my vision. A sob tears out of me as my body trembles and shudders with release. I buck and jerk restlessly, feeling completely out of control. But it’s okay.

Nox has me.

My body quakes one last time before it becomes limp.

That was completely exhausting.

And totally what I needed.

Panting, I allow myself to take in the stillness of the room. I blink slowly, suddenly drowsy, when I feel Nox kiss the inside of my thigh and start to rise.

His head ascends and our eyes meet. He sees too much with those eyes.

It’s suddenly too much.

I’m overwhelmed.

I swallow hard. Blinking rapidly, I whisper through quivering lips, “Never had special before.”

Nox watches me carefully, not revealing what he’s thinking.

Never revealing what he’s thinking.

A second before I fall apart, his hand wraps around my ankle and he pulls me down the length of the bed. Catching me in his strong arms, he sits on the floor at the foot of the bed, pulling me into his lap. He cradles me and now it really becomes too much.

Shoving my face into his neck, gut-wrenching sobs break free from somewhere deep in my heart. “You don’t even know what you’ve done to me. And that really sucks because you’re so fucking great, and you don’t even know that.” Shuddering breaths, then, “And it hurts to feel this much now because it shows me what a goddamn, shitty life I’ve been living.” I pause, then whisper, “You’re really amazing, Nox.”