Her grip didn’t loosen, but her hand stilled. She stared up at me, a flicker of emotion in her eyes that I couldn’t quite discern. Before I could process what was happening, she pushed up on her toes and pressed her lips to mine. It only took a moment before I reacted. Tugging her closer, I took control of the kiss. I’d dreamed of this so many damn times, what she’d taste like, feel like. Nothing compared to the reality of having Nikki in my arms.
I backed her to the tiled wall, crowding her with my body. There was a slight hitch in her breath, and then she seemed to melt against me. Nik lifted her leg and wrapped it around my thigh, opening herself to me. She deserved romance, a slow seduction. She wasn’t some club whore and I shouldn’t take her against the damn shower wall like one. Then she rubbed herself against me and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back.
“Nik, we should wait.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or me. As she rubbed against me again, all I could do was groan and fight the urge to bury myself deep.
“I don’t need flowery words or a date first, Ashes. I want you.”
“Archer. Call me Archer,” I said, something inside me tightening at the thought of hearing my name after so long, especially on her lips.
“Archer?” she asked.
“Archer McCray.” I smiled a little. “It’s the name on my birth certificate. No one’s used it in a long-ass time.”
Nik reached up and cupped my cheek. “I know what it means that you shared that with me. Archer, I…”
I kissed her again, silencing whatever she was going to say. Gripping her just below her ass cheeks, I lifted, then lowered her right onto my cock. A groan was pulled from me as her tight, hot pussy sucked me in, taking every damn inch as if she were fucking made just for me. Not many women had been able to handle me over the years, but my sweet little Nikki only whimpered and wiggled, needing more.
“That’s it, baby,” I murmured. My cock flexed inside her before I raised and lowered her again. “Fuck, Nikki! You feel so damn good.”
“You feel amazing, Archer.” Her nails bit into my shoulders. “It’s never…”
I kissed her, not wanting to hear about the men in her past. All that mattered was right now, for this moment, she was mine. Holding her tight, I thrust into her. Part of me wanted to hold back, but the soft sounds she made, the way she clung to me, made it difficult. When her pussy clenched down on me, what little control I had, snapped. I drove into her, hard, fast strokes. I’d always wanted to make love to Nikki, but this was different… this was… claiming. I wanted her to know she was mine and only mine.
I shifted the angle as I slammed into her again and again. Nikki gasped then cried out my name, her cream coating me. I pressed my forehead to hers, our gazes locked, as I came, filling her up. My heart raced and as the haze of passion began to dissipate, everything in me went still. Shit. Fuck. Dammit!
“Nik, I… I didn’t use anything.”
She giggled a little. “I don’t think I can get any more knocked up than I already am.”
I looked down at the swell of her stomach, my heart pounding. “But…” I swallowed hard. I’d never been bare inside a woman before. She’d felt incredible, but I didn’t think it was just because I hadn’t used a condom. “I’m clean. I haven’t even been with anyone in a while. Got tested after the last time.”
She sobered, and reached up to run her fingers along my jaw. “I’m clean too. I wasn’t even thinking about that. I trust you, Archer. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe for a moment. She might trust me to keep her safe, but I hadn’t even been thinking. I’d just wanted her, needed her, so I’d taken her. What if I hadn’t been tested yet? What if I’d given her something? I could have hurt not only her but Oliver. A woman had never made me lose control like that before. It scared the shit out of me.
She kissed me, her lips soft as they brushed mine.
“Why, Nikki?” I asked as I pulled away, but she locked her leg around my thigh and wouldn’t let me slide free from her body. “Why did you get in the shower with me?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yeah. It kind of does. If you think it’s a requirement for giving you a place to stay… it’s not.”
Hurt flashed in her eyes before she looked away. “I just wanted you, okay? Isn’t that enough?”
I reached for her chin, turning her face back toward mine. The emotion in her eyes nearly gutted me. Whatever was going through her mind, it was obvious my question had wounded her deeply, and that was the last thing I’d wanted. I’d do anything for Nikki. Walk through fire, take a bullet… I’d give my life for her.
“Just seems a little too good to be true, Nikki. You’ve never glanced my way with any sort of interest. I’ve wanted you for so damn long, but I don’t think you came in here for the right reasons. I just want to understand. If this is a one-time thing, then tell me now because I don’t think I can let you go. Now that I’ve had you, tasted you, it will kill me to watch you walk away.”
Nikki pressed her face into the crook of my neck and wrapped her arms around me tight. “I don’t want to leave.”
“Then you won’t.”
“Damn right she won’t!” a voice boomed. Nikki gasped and I made sure her body was hidden from view before I turned my head to glare through the glass.
“What the fuck, Scratch? You just barge into bathrooms now?”
“Congratulations, Ashes. You now have an ol’ lady, and no, I’m not fucking asking. No vote needed. You just screwed Renegade’s baby sister. You either claim her, or I’ll let him gut you. Everyone in this fucking club knows she’s off-limits.”
Except Bane. He didn’t give a shit. Probably better to keep that thought to myself.
“I won’t force her to be with me,” I said. “She’s been through enough, Scratch. Don’t do this to her.”
“I didn’t,” he said. “You did. Get the fuck dressed and get to Church.”
With that, he turned and walked out. I was almost scared to look at Nikki, worried what I’d see in her eyes. The last thing I expected was the soft smile curving her lips.
“Archer… you’re a dumbass.”
I blinked and stared. “What?”
“Dumb. Ass. I came in here to seduce you because I’ve wanted you for a while too. Now shut up, kiss me, then go take care of business. The sooner you go, the faster you can come home.”
“You’re not mad?”
She shook her head.
I kissed her like she’d demanded, washed quickly, then dressed and went to Church. All the while, I couldn’t get the thought of her sweet smile off my mind, or the way she’d responded to my touch. I only hoped shit didn’t hit the fan when Renegade found out Nikki was mine now. No fucking way he’d meant it when he said I’d have to claim her if she stayed here.
* * *
“Ashes has something he’d like to tell everyone, don’t you?” Scratch asked after everyone had taken a seat.
Well, fuck. Just throw me in the fire. Thanks, VP. I wondered about my chances of leaving this room without a busted lip or some bruises.