I grab her chin and unleash her grip on my cock. I pull her up, and she jumps on me in an instant, wrapping her bare thighs around my hips. I lavish her jaw and neck with kisses as I walk us over to her bedroom. I drop Scar on the bed, a sweet giggle escaping her when her body bounces off the mattress. I turn her over, so that her heart-shaped ass faces me, and slap her on one cheek, loving how my five digits tinge her creamy skin pink. I kiss the nape of her neck and lower myself down. I want to rip this fucking sweatshirt off of her, but I know that will create a problem that Scar isn’t ready to talk about yet. It would also be a total cockblock if I even tried to broach the subject now.
“On your knees,” I repeat, my voice pure gravel as I pull a condom out of my pocket.
My obedient girl does exactly as she’s ordered. On hands and knees, she looks over her shoulder, anticipating my assault while I sheath my cock. My hands then latch onto her waist, my skin humming with the same anticipation. In one sure stroke, I thrust myself into her, making both of us hiss out in elation.
She’s so fucking tight. It drives me fucking insane how tight she is. Her pussy was made for me. It sucks me in, traps me inside her slick walls, and gives me hope that one day I might merit such a gift. I grunt in relief when I pull at her hair to find nothing but pure silk, rather than the synthetic wig she used earlier tonight.
I ruthlessly pump into her, filling her to the hilt as I unleash all the night’s doubts and insecurities by taking it out on her body. I give her my jealousy. I give her my frustration. I give her my rage. And she laps it all up like it’s the best gift I could offer her. I fuck her so hard that I almost go blind, and when I hear her cry out my name, cumming again, I let go, too. The white light burns through me, letting me know that nothing I will ever do in my lifetime will compare to this right here.
Loving Scarlett in the only way I know how.
Our bodies continue to shake, the aftershock of such an orgasm being new to both of us. Scar has always been sheltered, so I highly doubt that any lover she might have had before me could inflict such an earth-shattering climax. But me? I’ve fucked my way through most of Asheville, and yet, not one woman has ever been able to destroy me like this.
We both fall on the bed, gasping for air, our heartbeats reluctant to simmer down any time soon. She stays silent as I get up to go to the bathroom. I throw the condom away and grab a small towel, dousing it with warm water. When I return to the bedroom, Scarlett’s stare is still fixed to her ceiling. On my knees, I part her legs for me and gently use the wet towel to clean her. Once I’m done, I throw it to the floor and lie beside her once more.
“What are we doing, East?” she asks wistfully after a long, pregnant pause.
She turns over to her side at the same time as I do. I run my thumb again over her bottom lip, remembering how soft and pliant her lips were on mine earlier this afternoon when I went to her uncle’s church.
“Does it matter?”
She closes her eyes.
“No,” she whispers, but I feel the lie touch my skin, crawling its way inside me.
This thing between Scarlett and me happened way before The Society ever played its part in our lives. Maybe when they put her in my path, they were doing me a favor, as well as ensuring my doom. Scarlett has always been my weakness. One I kept at a distance, for good reason. I’ve known that if I let myself be with Scar, I’d lose myself in her, too. I’d lie to myself and say that I deserve her when I know for a fact that I never will.
She knows it, too.
She might be lying inches away from me, but the walls between us are already being built back up. I can feel her pulling away. When she finally turns her back to me, an unyielding fist latches around my heart, tightening its excruciating hold.
I should go.
I should leave before I do us any more harm.
But I can’t seem to move.
“I don’t know what we’re doing,” I say, hating every second of this huge boulder separating us.
“I don’t know either.” Is her faint reply.
“Do you want me to go?”
“Yes,” she mumbles, but I don’t move away.
Instead, I wrap my arms around her, choking out a relieved sigh when she melts back into my body.
“Then I’ll go,” I tell her.
She responds with a clipped nod but then places her hands over mine.
I’m not going anywhere tonight.
I’m not leaving.
Not tonight.
Maybe not ever, and that scares me more than anything else in my life.
Because in such a short period of time, Scarlett has confirmed all my years’ worth of suspicions. She is part of me, and if I continue on this route, I won’t be able to let her go, even when I know I should.
The Society said that, for me to gain absolution for my sins against them, I had to corrupt the most virtuous of souls.
They said my redemption would start with Scarlett.
The thing is—it will end with her, too.
Chapter 16
Easton
“Still wearing that deep-rooted scowl, I see,” Kennedy reprimands as I walk into The Grind.
I feel—rather than see—her eyes roll at me as I slide in next to her at our usual booth.
“Stop busting my balls, Ken. Or at least have the decency to let a man drink his coffee before having to listen to you complain about him. It’s too goddamn early for it anyway.”
“It’s eleven, East! Practically lunchtime,” she chastises, flipping her long, blonde hair away from her shoulder so I can get a good look at her less-than-amused glower. “And besides, what are you even doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in History class at this hour? I swear Finn said something about you two having a quiz today.”
“Keeping tabs on me, babe? Aren’t you sweet.”
I go to pinch both of her cheeks, but she slaps my hands away.
“You know Price will have a field day if you flunk another class.”
“I couldn’t give two shits about Dick’s opinion on the matter.”
I slump in my seat, not interested in talking about my stepfather in the least. One headache at a time, I always say. And lately, I’ve had more of those fuckers than I can deal with. I spent the entire night wide awake thinking of Scarlett. Sleepless hours trying to figure out how I can get her to open up to me, and hopefully share what ties her to The Society without having to come right out and ask. I sure as fuck don’t need to add my stepfather’s disappointment to the mix.
“You’re right. He is giving Colt a run for his money in the brooding department,” Linc chimes in with a teasing grin.
“Judas.”
“Ah, don’t be like that, East. You know if you’re having girl problems, you can always come to me.” Kennedy wiggles her blonde brows excitedly.
“You won’t hear a peep out of me, babe. So quit your fishing expedition.”
“Hmph! You’re no fun!” She crosses her arms over her chest with a pout.