She bit down on her bottom lip, sucking it between her teeth and then she leaned up and grabbed me by the shirt, peeling it over my head, my necklace clanged against my chest.
She grabbed it. “Why are you wearing a horse necklace?”
“Because I’d rather not tattoo it on my ass,” I said seriously. “We all have to have reminders of what went down, that night, the night at The Space.” I didn’t talk about it, not outside the family. None of us really did, it was on the faces of my uncles—on the face of my own father.
I liked to give him shit—but even I knew that could get my tongue cut out with a dull butter knife. Self-preservation and all that.
“You mean Dante?” She gulped. “The blood?”
“Blood.” I laughed at that, as her palm pressed against my heart, and then I grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. It was almost cute how little she knew; how little all of them knew. “I hope you don’t have a weak stomach.”
“What? Why?”
“Because—” I dropped her hand and hovered over her “—this isn’t a one-time thing, so if you’re out, I need to know you’re out. If you want this, want me, then you don’t get to close your eyes anymore, you get the ugly and the beautiful, they come hand in hand, princess. So—” I lowered myself over her, I gripped one of her thighs and spread it with my hand, then spoke against her mouth “—what will it be?”
Claire’s eyes flashed before she wrapped her arms around my neck—I didn’t realize I’d been holding in a breath until it escaped across her sensitive skin. A madness took over as our mouths met in a chaotic kiss that was almost painful. She pulled my hair as I kicked off my jeans, letting them join her clothes on the floor where they belonged.
And then, I was rolling her over me, letting those perfect thighs grip my body as she rolled her body against mine.
This.
This is what I’d been dreaming of for two solid months.
Every time I closed my eyes.
Every time I opened them in the morning.
Her.
On me.
Me.
On her.
In her.
Everywhere.
Only her.
“I wanted this.” Her kiss lingered, why did kissing feel so much better when the person shares their words on your tongue? “So bad.”
“Trust me, I know, you were screaming my name, chasing that ever-elusive orgasm the bed sheets and mattress really suck at giving you.” I teased, and then we were kissing again, hands tangled in hair, bodies sliding against one another, I reached between our bodies as she gasped out my name again. She was hot. Wet for me in a way that made my body shake.
Touching her, exploring her, feeling her body clench around me had to be like finding heaven in a life full of torment and hell.
“Enough,” I rolled her to her back, her throat worked as she reached for me, gripping me—hard. “Mmmm, keep doing that—” my hips moved “—I dare you.”
She pulled her hand away, and then I was teasing her entrance, almost upset that this was going to be over soon, that this moment I’d built up—these minutes would tick by when I wanted them to last forever. I was so damn hard; I couldn’t think straight. Being inside her just may kill me.
“Asher,” Her eyes glistened like she was about to cry. I slid into her to the hilt and covered her scream with my kiss. She was made for me, this girl, this beautiful girl with her pretty hair and innocent eyes. We moved in sync—chasing each other, clinging to one another for dear life.
I never knew I was capable of breaking.
Of letting go without keeping my guard up.
But she made me feel like I could.
And when she grinned up at me, teased me with her tongue and wrapped her ankles around me holding me tight, I knew I would do anything to feel this again—with her, only her. She was it for me.
A knock sounded on her door. I ignored it as her thighs clenched around me as her body sucked me dry, and she held on for dear life. I knew the exact moment she let go because I followed her off the cliff while claiming her at the same time.
Only to have the door jerk open. “Ah, prodigal son, good to see you’re still getting straight A’s in every sense of the word.”
And I was still inside her.
Her face was completely pale, hey at least her bare ass wasn’t in the air. It’s the small things, am I right?
“Something you need?”
“Meh.” He peered around me. “Nice to meet the girl he’s been talking about since enrolling…”
I was going to kill him.
I flinched, reaching for the ever-present gun that wasn’t actually present since I wasn’t wearing any clothes.
I shot him a glare and flipped him off behind my back.
“Family dinner,” he said with a gleam in his eyes. “Oh, and bring the girl…”
Hellllllllllllllll.
“We sure that’s a good idea…” I grumbled under my breath, thinking of all the ways it could go wrong, number one being her running away screaming.
“I’m sure that’s all that matters…” He flashed me an arrogant grin. “Seven, don’t be late, I’m cooking.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Ma’s letting you back in the kitchen?”
His answer was to point to his gun. “See ya… son.”
“Dad,” I said through clenched teeth.
He shut the door.
Claire pulled a pillow and put it over her face. “Just finish me off.”
“Suffocation.” I pulled the pillow away. “Not glamorous, lots of leg twitches and panic, trust me, clean shots are the way to go.”
“Who are you?” she said it more to herself than to me.
I just shrugged and got off of her. “Come on, you get to meet the Family.”
“Dad?” She just had to say again.
“Right?” I smiled. “He looks like a brother.”
“No, that’s not…” She went completely pale. “Wasn’t that…” She seemed hesitant to say the name out loud.
“Hmm?” I waited with amusement.
“Don’t you think maybe you should lead with that next time? Hi, I’m Asher Abandonato, my dad’s name is Chase Abandonato, make that scary as SHIT senator Abandonato, close to the president of the United States, and the only senator in US history to get away with murder and golf with the head of the FBI, yeah that would be good.”
I shrugged. “He’s just dad to me.”
“How’d he find you?” She wondered out loud.
“Ah, they have eyes, ears, everywhere, spoiler alert, we probably have a sex tape now.” I brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Welcome to the mafia.”
“What the—”
“—clothing,” I stood and started getting dressed. “We need to get ready; the uncles get super pissed when I ‘m late.”
“Uncles.” Her voice croaked.
“Sure thing.” I winked. “I mean, if you want to go naked, that’s fine, but I may kill my cousin if he sees you naked.”
“COUSIN?”
“Keep up.” I tossed her the t-shirt I’d just pulled from her body and then walked over to her closet. “I’d go for something you can run in just in case.”