Throne of Truth

  It was endless. It was new. It was our future.

  “Kiss me.”

  He froze as if to argue. But then his mouth smashed against mine. His teeth caught my bottom lip, his tongue plunging as if to bypass any more conversation and make me drink his vows.

  I crab-walked backward on my elbows until I had enough mattress to lie down. Penn followed, stalking over me on his hands and knees, his mouth never ceasing in its dominance of mine.

  His fingers traced my bra, then my naked belly, before teasing the topline of my panties.

  His palm crept between my legs, grabbing me firm. “I’m going to fuck you for days, Elle. We’re not leaving this bed until we’re boneless and on death’s door from orgasms.”

  I moaned as he ripped my panties down my legs then unhooked the garter belts to unroll my pantyhose.

  I arched my back for him to undo my bra, and when I lay naked, same as him, his fingers found me again.

  This time, there was no lace, no boundary.

  Grinding his erection onto my hip, he sank a finger unapologetically deep.

  My mouth popped wide. My body bucked in his control.

  “Let go, Elle. Forget about rules and society. Ignore what civilization says we should be and how we should act.” A second finger joined the first, filling me, stretching me as his cock throbbed hot and hard against my hip. “Let go and let me see you. Cry for me. Scream for me.” His voice slipped into volcanic ash. “Beg for me.”

  My body rose to meet his thumb as he pressed my clit. “Penn...”

  “Penn what?” he growled in my ear, his fingers fucking me, punishing me with pleasure.

  My body surged to meet then bowed away. He pressed harder on the tiny bundle of nerves, making my eyes water, and a climax twist into a ravaging storm.

  “I’m—I’m—”

  I was so close to coming already. The sparkling transformation of my womb and spine warned me that it would happen.

  I couldn’t stop it.

  Because that was what Penn did to me. The magic he held over me—the same magic he’d had from the start.

  “You’re?” He nipped my throat, his fingers driving faster. “Finish your sentence. Tell me.” His thumb gave me no escape. I gave up trying to move away from pleasure and threw myself head first into it.

  “I’m coming.” I thought it would come out as a whisper.

  It came out as a scream as I did exactly what he’d told me to do and let loose.

  My body took control with the speed and power of a runaway train. The orgasm grabbed me, squeezed me, obliterated me.

  Clenches and waves, I milked Penn’s fingers until I moaned unintelligently.

  He kissed me deep, soft, languid as I came down from the most piercing high.

  “I knew you could come fast.” His lips caressed my cheek, moving to my jaw. “That first night when you said yes—in the alley before I gave you back to David to take you home. Remember?”

  I blinked, dragging myself back to human rather than liquid bliss. “When you made me come against the wall?”

  A smug glint filled his gaze. “Yes.”

  I shared a piece of me, giving him access to who I was. “I worried you’d take me that night. That I’d lose my virginity against a brick wall.”

  “Did you prefer losing it in this very bed?”

  “I did.” I smiled.

  “You came that night too with my cock inside you.” His eyes rolled as if reliving heaven. “Fuck, you were so receptive. Have you always been that way? That sensitive?”

  I nodded. “It comes in handy when I’m on my own and need a quickie.”

  “You’ll never be on your own again.”

  I arched up, seeking his lips. “You too.”

  I wasn’t prepared for the way his arms latched around me with a vicious hold. He hugged me as if thanking me for becoming his. Telling me with actions that loneliness had been his cross to bear for so long, and now he no longer had to carry it.

  His lips sought mine again.

  And our conversation ended.

  Just like that.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Penn

  I’D WANTED TO make this last.

  I wanted to memorize every inch of Elle so she wasn’t just a girl in my past who I’d mistakenly despised or a woman in my present I was fucking.

  She was my future.

  She was my home, and I wanted to know every freckle and birthmark, every ticklish spot and turn-on zone.

  But that was before she sucked me off then came in two seconds flat as if she couldn’t stand having my hands on her and not reward me with every drop of her pleasure.

  Slow would have to come later. Along with fun and toys and games and all the other exciting stuff we had to look forward to.

  This was a hello after months of painful separation.

  I wanted her heart thundering against mine, body to body, soul to motherfucking soul.

  Without a word, I wedged my hips between her spread legs. My cock throbbed to come. My back locked as Elle grabbed the base of me, guiding me to her entrance.

  Her eyes blazed blue as she rubbed my crown through her wetness, torturing both of us, coating me in her orgasm, begging me to do whatever I damn well wanted.

  And I wanted.

  So fucking much.

  She was passionate, free, a lover and friend and partner. She was no longer a stranger or a spoiled brat I’d hated.

  She’s mine.

  My lips locked together as I pressed the first inch inside her.

  A low, feminine moan echoed in her chest. Her legs opened wider, showing me everything, making me drunk and embarrassingly close to losing control.

  Our gazes never unlocked; I looked at her with utmost awe. She bit her bottom lip, reading me better than I could read myself. Knowing I’d reached my limit on gentle and needed to be a beast.

  She clenched around me, giving me permission to let go.

  Slamming forward, I slid straight inside her. She spread wide and wet. A cry tumbled from her mouth and into mine as I kissed her fast and messy.

  My arms went around her shoulders and nape, cuddling her close even while my hips attacked her.

  The bed rocked, our breathing tore, her legs looped over my back, her ankles digging into my spine.

  “Jesus,” I bit out.

  “Yes...God, yes...” Her fingers landed in my hair, twisting almost cruelly, adding fine-edged pain.

  Christ, she shouldn’t have done that.

  I lost it.

  Utterly fucking lost it.

  My body was hard as stone, my stomach slapping against hers, my balls drawn up in preparation of shooting everything I had into this woman.

  Her pussy clung to me every time I withdrew to slam inside her again. Her back arched until her breasts stuck to my chest, and I held her so close, gluing us together, slick with sweat and need.

  The friction was too much. Every wet ridge of her, every hard inch of me. I pushed up, she pushed down; I thrust in, she welcomed. She rocked harder, her hips moving in delicious circles, rubbing her clit on the base of my cock.

  I loved that she chased her own pleasure. That she wasn’t afraid of letting go. Of learning me, revealing her, sharing what worked for us both.

  “Christ, you feel good,” I panted. “You feel so fucking good.”

  “You’re mine, Penn. You always have been.” Her lips found mine. We knotted ourselves into each other until I didn’t know where my body ended and hers began.

  The burn in my quads, spine, and cock smoldered until smoke and fire erupted. The irrefutable need to release came with agony laced with greed.

  “Shit, I’m gonna come.” I rode her harder, driving faster, turning sex into mania.

  And Elle matched me.

  The bed shifted, moving away from the wall with every thrust.

  We had an agenda. An end goal. I arched my back, slamming into her soaked pussy, my muscles rigid with detonation.

  She gasp
ed, her fingernails scratching my spine. I loved the pinpricks of pain. The way her breath spurted in my ears, the seamless way my cock plunged into her body.

  I fucked her with everything I had.

  And when my release found me, it didn’t fucking stop.

  My thighs, ass, heart, every inch contracted with an all-consuming spurt. I sank deep, growling as euphoria shot from me and into this girl who’d given me my life back.

  Elle let go too, her body quaking under mine, her pussy fisting me from root to tip as I filled her.

  I chased the climax for as long as I could; shattering into tremors as the waves slowly grew weaker. I ceased holding my weight off Elle, slamming on top of her in a full-body embrace.

  Her body was so hot. Radiating like an inferno.

  Her pussy still rippled around me, sending delayed ricochets of bliss down my cock and into my legs.

  “Damn, that felt good.”

  She giggled, kissing my cheek. “I agree.”

  She went to move away, but I grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head. “Ah ah, you’re not leaving.”

  “I’m not?” Her cute button nose wrinkled.

  “Nope.”

  “Why?” Her gaze flickered to the bathroom. “A shower together would be nice...oh, we could take a bath. Spend hours relaxing.”

  Images of sliding my hands over Elle’s nakedness definitely sounded like a great plan. But I couldn’t admit I wasn’t ready to let her go yet. I wasn’t ready to withdraw and no longer feel her wet heat.

  This wasn't about coming.

  This was about connection, and hell, I needed it.

  Her hips rolled in perfect circles, pressing her clit against me. “If you’re going to restrain me, I might have to come again.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Could you?”

  “Not sure. Never gone for three before.” Her smirk was the devil herself. “But I’m open to trying.”

  I nuzzled her hair, pumping slowly into her, already feeling myself grow hard again. “In that case, let’s see what you’re capable of. And then I’m washing you for hours, feeding you, and then we’re taking a walk around Central Park.”

  “We are?”

  “We are.”

  “But why Central Park? That’s where you were stolen from me the first time.”

  “Because from now on, you’re going to explore every inch of this city with me. I’m going to show you were I slept; I’ll reveal my bolt holes, my food stashes, my emergency funds buried in people’s gardens. This city has not been kind to me, Elle, and the itch to leave is building. Last time Larry freed me, I moved to LA to get away. It helped.”

  I kissed her nose as stress etched her eyes. “But—you can’t leave. My work...it’s here.” Tears sparkled.

  “I’m not leaving. That’s why I need you to replace bad memories with good. With you, I can learn to love this city again, but only with you by my side.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’ll go to every street corner, every park, every bench. I’ll go wherever you want me to, Penn. You’ll never be alone again.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Elle

  WE DID ALL those things.

  After a second round when Penn flipped me onto my hands and knees, and a quickie turned into kinky playtime, we soaked in his bath before catching a taxi to Central Park and walking the same path we’d sprinted from the security guards.

  We followed the chain link fence of the baseball field where we’d shared our first kiss and watched an evening game where men trampled the home diamond where Penn shared his chocolate bar.

  We kissed in the same bushes where we were arrested and bought cinnamon-sugared churros from a street van as we strolled a few blocks of New York.

  Penn didn’t say much. His eyes turned more active, his entire body on high alert. The ruthless businessman I’d given my virginity to faded into the wild creature I’d met in the alley.

  He sniffed the air as if he could smell a threat. He narrowed his gaze at a group of men coming toward us. He moved as a predator and prey all at once.

  I took his hand.

  He froze then relaxed. His eyes met mine. His lips turned from scowl to smile. And we made our way back to his apartment in harmony.

  When we got back, I expected to climb into bed and either repeat what we’d done before or sleep. It’d been a long day and an even longer five months, but Penn ordered takeout from a local Thai place, and we snuggled on his couch while watching TV.

  We laughed and snickered at jokes on the screen.

  We licked our fingers free from curry puffs and slurped Pad Thai.

  We shared normalcy and made it magic.

  Like any normal couple.

  Like a boy and girl in love.

  It was the best day of my life.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Penn

  DEAR PENN,

  I love many things in this world.

  I love my company, my cat, my father, my financial security.

  But I have to say, I love you more.

  Watching you sleep this morning—you were soft for the first time. Your forehead wasn’t creased; your eyes weren’t narrowed in suspicion waiting for the next catastrophe. You trusted me to keep you safe while you dreamed.

  My heart is so full because of that.

  And I hope you can forgive me for not waking you.

  Belle Elle needs me, and I have to go to work. However, I’ve left you a present. Call me when you’re awake—sleep all afternoon if you want. You deserve it. Then come find me at the office and perhaps take me over my desk.

  I’d like to put that particular fantasy into reality.

  I love you.

  See you soon,

  Elle xx

  I flopped onto my back, a ridiculous grin on my face.

  The gift she’d mentioned was her lingerie. She’d left it neatly folded on the covers, proof that she’d gone to work naked beneath her clothes, thinking of me as I thought about her.

  I grew hard picturing her bare and waiting for me.

  I shouldn’t get so caught up over a note on my pillow and her underwear on my bed, but I did.

  It gave me peace of mind that this wasn’t a dream.

  This was real.

  The second I woke, I’d had a panic attack thinking I was back in lock-up and the soreness in my body and slight dehydration from so much sex was all make-believe.

  Then I’d stretched, and the crinkle of paper brought my mind instantly back to Elle.

  She knew more than I’d wanted to show her. She knew how my temper and sharp need to protect worked against me and filled me with fear. She understood that the world I was from was full of danger and enemies, while happiness and friends padded hers.

  It would take a while for me to relax and not search for disasters, but with her in my life, I had no doubt I could find the one thing I’d never been able to afford—no matter how much I stole or earned on the stock market.

  Love.

  Unable to fall back to sleep with her on my mind and lust in my heart, I showered, dressed, and headed into the kitchen to enjoy some caffeine before heading uptown to Belle Elle.

  While the coffee brewed, I collected my laptop from the locked drawer in the sideboard, and for the first time in five months, opened the internet.

  Not having regular visitors or phone calls in jail was hard. Not having access to daily news, stock prices, and portfolio updates was torture.

  Logging into my charity, I noticed the offsite staff I’d hired had been busy with a local food bank, lunch day, and a temporary tent city where the council had let us do a trial for homeless people.

  I had no doubt Larry would’ve kept it running. I had so much to repay him for.

  Perhaps, before I headed to Elle’s, I’d take him to lunch and show him in a woefully understated way how much I valued his friendship and support.

  Opening the local news, I grabbed a cup of freshly brewed coffee and prepared to spend t
he next fifteen minutes perusing the disarray the world had once again fallen into.

  Only...my coffee cup slammed onto the table, spilling brown steaming liquid everywhere. My heart stopped. My fingers scrabbled at the screen to jerk the technology closer.

  After the happiness of last night...this couldn’t be happening.

  NOELLE CHARLSTON SHACKED UP WITH A HOMELESS CRIMINAL?

  In terms of New York royalty, none come as close as the Charlston family—the owners and creators of the Belle Elle department stores. Not only have their clothes, toys, and household appliances graced our homes for decades, the Charlstons have regularly been noted for their impeccable social standing and unblemished record at avoiding scandal.

  When Noelle’s mother died, the country rallied in support and records showed florists in the New York area all had at least three deliveries a day to the Charlston family in condolences.

  However, recent events have made the public doubt the Charlstons are as pure as they led us to believe.

  Protesters were photographed yesterday outside their flagship store, boycotting their clothing line. Speaking to one protestor, they said they wouldn’t dress in apparel provided by a company involved with criminals.

  It brings up questions as to their own moral code and what they have been involved in over the years while painting the perfect family to the New York people.

  Penn Everett is the man hiding in Belle Elle’s shadow. Recently released from prison on an incorrect accusation, it’s been said that his previous arrests are in discussion by local lawyer Larry Barns, pointing fingers at our very own chief of police, Arnold Twig.

  Chief Twig states Penn is one of the most violent offenders out there, and it’s a disaster to see the justice system fail the American people.

  In a personal interview earlier today, Chief Twig also said he feared for his son, Sean, now that Everett was free. According to him, Everett has always been jealous of Sean Twig and there’s history to show Everett places the blame for his crimes onto the innocent young man.

  Neither Joseph Charlston or Noelle were prepared to make a statement.