Grit (King's Harlots #1)

  My mind ran wild with thoughts of what it could be. I had seen enough movies to know that if a package came from an unknown source, it was probably something I wouldn’t want.

  Blood pounded in my ears. It was so loud I was surprised no one could hear it. Palms sweaty. Stomach twisted into knots. I knew I shouldn’t look in the box, but I had to. No matter what it was, I knew I needed to see it before I drove myself crazy with what it could actually be.

  “Take a breath, princess,” Angel said gently, pulling me in front of him. “I’m here.”

  Those words didn’t register until my gaze landed on the contents of the box. “Oh…” I gasped, clapping a hand over my mouth. My heart raced against the walls of my ribcage, my stomach twisting and turning. My body numb. A bloody finger stared up at me, the nail painted black. The edge of the finger was jagged, the bone sticking out like it had been chewed off the hand by a savage animal.

  “Breathe, baby,” Angel whispered in my ear, placing his hands on my shoulders.

  I didn’t know who the package came from. I didn’t know what they were trying to tell me. Are they trying to scare me? Warn me? Make me stay away? Demand that I stop looking for these girls? Will I get more packages like this one until all that is left of the victim is nothing but dust in the wind? All of those questions, all of those thoughts, bounced around in my mind. They nagged and dug at the recesses of my soul. I was lost. I had no idea where to go, but I knew I needed to get away. From everyone. From the box. From me.

  Spinning on my heels, I tore out of there and ran outside. The fresh night air cut at my skin, biting and gnawing until all I felt was the wind.

  Voices sounded from behind me, but I couldn’t make them out. They were strong but unsure. Pity hid behind their words.

  Oh, poor Jay. She’s losing her ever-loving mind.

  I wasn’t but I couldn’t concentrate with them around. I couldn’t focus. I was driven to the point where I would search for Violet on my own. It wasn’t smart. It was downright stupid of me to even consider it, but with the lack of help I had been getting from all sides, it was my last resort.

  The image of the finger forced its way into my mind. My gaze glanced down at my hands splayed on the cement beneath me. When had I knelt? Tears burned my eyes, the vision of my fingers becoming blurry.

  Oh, dear God. My finger. Although it had no nail polish on it, it was the twin to the one ripped from its owner.

  “Violet!”

  MY BODY shook as bone crushing sobs racking through my soul. It had been the first hint of her existence in over five years. Everyone told me she had died but I could feel her breath within my being. If I could just reach her. If I could hear her voice, it would give me the strength I needed to move on. We were twins. If one died, the other would feel it. I knew that. We may have had different personalities but we were one. I accepted her for who she was. I understood her.

  Heavy arms wrapped around me, holding me close against a hard body. The gentleness of the touch forced the cries to leave me in agonizing bouts of air. My throat dried up, going raw like I had swallowed shards of broken glass.

  “Let it out, Jay,” Angel coaxed, hugging me to him.

  “I can’t-I can’t do this,” I choked between sobs.

  “Yes, you can,” he soothed, rocking me back and forth.

  “No,” I shook my head, gripping him tighter. If I could have, I would have burrowed under his skin, hiding in his soul where I would be safe. From harm. From pain. I had trained myself for so many years not to let things bother me. To be cold and heartless. To show no emotion for fear of getting hurt. But the emotions I struggled to hold back that time were different. They were real. They were excruciating, and I couldn’t control them.

  “Listen to me.” Angel cupped my cheeks, staring intently into my eyes. His thumbs brushed away the tears, his lips curling into a small smile. “You are the strongest person I know. Even stronger than the men I go to hell and back with. Yes, the finger probably belongs to your sister and that fucking sucks. I will kill the bastards who are doing this if you don’t get to them first.”

  That part made me smile. He knew me well.

  “But I refuse to watch you break because of this. That’s what they want. It’s what they crave. They want to see you crumble. They want to see you give up because that means they won. But, Jay,” he kissed my mouth, “no matter what happens, I will be the one to make you break, and it will be because you want it to happen. I’m not Tyler. I’m not a biker. But I am a fucking man, and I am only strong with you by my side.”

  “I…” My mouth opened and closed. I had no idea what to say to that but I took his words to heart. He was right. He was always fucking right. He was the King to my Queen. My smile grew, knowing Violet would love that. I made a mental note to tell her everything when I found her. And I would find her. No matter what happened. Even if it ended badly, I would still tell her. Some way. Somehow.

  “Take me home,” I blurted.

  “You are home,” Angel frowned.

  I shook my head and rose to my feet. Wiping the tears from under my eyes, I took a breath. “No. I’m not.” I spun on my heel, walking down the parking lot toward the main street of our town. My home. A piece of me no one knew about. Not even my sisters. Guilt settled in the pit of my stomach.

  I couldn’t tell them about it. Not yet. Although I had a home somewhere else for years, I couldn’t muster up the courage to tell people about it. Until that moment. Something inside of me told me to bring Angel to that place. My safe haven. It was as if I was getting a nudge from Violet. She had never been to my apartment but she knew about it. Before she disappeared, I had mentioned it to her. I explained I wanted it close by but I didn’t want anyone to know. She had liked the idea and understood all the same.

  “Jay, where are we going?” Angel asked, walking beside me. He didn’t reach for my hand, but every so often, he would brush a strand of hair off my cheek and push it behind my ear. I would smile up at him, appreciating the small touch.

  A block later, we stopped in front of my tattoo shop. The lights were off, the open sign no longer flashing with invitation. I sighed, needing to get my head back in the game. It would be what Violet would have wanted. She would also kick my ass for allowing all of my unreasonable feelings to surface over her. But they made sense. She would feel the same if the roles were reversed. I prayed over and over that we could switch places. I would sacrifice myself to make sure she was safe.

  “Jay,” Angel pressed, grabbing hold of my hand. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”

  His thumb rubbed over my knuckles, his tanned skin dark in comparison to mine. My heart fluttered, a breath leaving me on a whoosh. “Every time you touch me, I can feel it in my soul.” I glanced up at him through my lashes, my cheeks heating at the confession.

  His eyes twinkled in the dim moonlight. He took a step closer, reaching out to brush another strand of red hair behind my ear. “No matter what I do, my body reacts to you before I even see you. My skin becomes flushed. My heart picks up speed.” His voice lowered. “My dick lengthens, twitching like a beacon as it waits for you.”

  I licked my lips but stepped out of his grasp. I needed to keep some distance between us, even if it were only a foot. Control was something I longed for, but with Angel, it was something I needed to give him. “I bought this place a month after Violet disappeared. She knew I had always wanted to own a tattoo shop, and she helped me but I was scared. Her being taken from me gave me that extra push because I knew if I didn’t buy it, I never would.”

  Angel cleared his throat. “How come you never mentioned this place before?”

  Meaning how come I never brought him there. “I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. No one knows about this place.”

  “And now?”

  “Now what?” I asked, heading down the alley beside the shop.

  “Do you trust me?”

  I stopped in my tracks, glancing up at him. “If I didn’t, we w
ouldn’t be here.” And I wouldn’t still be sleeping with him.

  “Say it,” he demanded. Closing the distance between us, he cupped my nape. “Tell me you trust me.”

  “I trust you.” It felt good to say that. To tell the man touching me that I trusted him when I had never trusted anyone I had been with. Not even Tyler when we were happy together.

  Angel’s shoulders relaxed. He had nothing to worry about. Although whatever it was between us scared me, I trusted him with everything I had to give. With everything I was. Genevieve Gold. Not Jay. Not the person who put on an act to appear strong. Not the bitch. Genevieve came out when Angel and I made love. I wasn’t sure if he noticed the different sides to me. If he did, he never mentioned them.

  A shiver rippled down my spine.

  “Come on,” Angel said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Show me your home, baby.”

  I led the way toward the door at the end of the alley and punched the security code into the keypad.

  Angel whistled. “That’s some high-tech security system.”

  “Yeah. I thought it would be best after everything that has happened.” I pushed open the door.

  “Makes sense…” His voice trailed off when he saw the second door. “Did your father set this up for you?”

  “No.” I barked a laugh. “I know it doesn’t make sense that I’ve kept this place private with me being a tattoo artist and all but I needed this for myself. Just for a little bit. Everyone will know about this place eventually, so I figured I’d get everything set up beforehand. I don’t need the lectures.”

  “Understood.” Angel grabbed my key from my hand and unlocked the second door for me. “After you, princess.”

  It had been awhile since I had been at my place, which was sad. Every time I stepped over the threshold I felt guilty. But being there with Angel made all of those feelings go away and be replaced with new ones.

  It was my home. No one else had slept in my bed besides me. No one had eaten at the dining room table. No one else had watered my plants. The plants I had named after my favorite movie characters. Plants that were wilting because I couldn’t get away from the MC to water them. A lump burned the back of my throat. I was sad because those things were dying. What the hell was wrong with me?

  “Tell me what it’s like to be here by yourself, Jay. What do you do?” Angel asked, shutting the door behind him. The deep rumble of his voice slid over my skin, hinting, promising pleasure.

  He was distracting me in the best way possible. Was it wrong to use sex as an out? Was it so bad that after the shitty day I had, I just wanted to lose myself in the man standing a few feet away from me? To taste his skin. To feel his muscles ripple beneath my fingers as my nails dug into his back. My body wet. Hot. Ripe. Just for him. My core swollen and sore from the rough pounding of his thick cock. I wanted him to use me. To throw me up against the wall. To demand that I please him before he allows me the greatest pleasure I craved.

  “What are you thinking about?” His voice, dark and rough, hinting at an ecstasy so great it would bring me to my knees.

  “You,” I said, backing up until I reached the arm of my couch.

  “No,” he shook his head. “I want to know exactly what you’re thinking about. Give me your words.”

  I swallowed hard. I had always been one to say what I wanted when it came to sex, but with Angel, it was difficult. Every time I was with him I felt like a virgin learning the ropes. Learning what he wanted and liked. What made him hard? What made him salivate? “I want to devour every inch of you,” I whispered.

  “Say that again.” He took off his leather jacket, throwing it over the back of a chair. “Louder this time.”

  Desire soared through me at the bossy tone. “I want to devour you. Every inch,” I repeated. “I want to lick the waves of your muscles. I want to feel the ripples of pleasure I bring you.”

  His eyes darkened, roaming down my body that was still fully clothed. “Undress.” His eyes popped back to mine. “Now.”

  With fumbling fingers, I took off my leather cut, followed by my tank top. When I reached for the button on my pants, rough hands stopped me.

  “Too fucking slow.” Angel pushed me onto my back. “You need distracting.” He pulled my ass to the arm of the couch. “You need me, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” I panted. “Please.”

  Angel grunted, ripping open my pants and pulled them down my legs to my ankles. “Only I can make you feel good, isn’t that right, Jay?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “Only you.”

  He leaned over me, kissing my belly. “You’re mine.”

  “Please, Angel.” I shook, aching for him in a way I had never felt before. My nerves were frazzled from the day I’d had. I just wanted to forget. I didn’t want to remember that my sister was missing or that those women needed to be found. I wanted to forget that my club thought I was losing my mind. I was being selfish. Just for a moment.

  With rough hands, Angel ripped my panties in half, his gaze darkening even more. “Your pussy is glistening. Fuck, Jay, I haven’t even touched you yet.”

  “I can’t…” I threw my head back, arching beneath him. “It hurts. Please. I need you.”

  “And you have me. Every time you need a good fucking, I am here, baby. Know that.” Some would think he meant it as a joke, but I knew he was serious. I had times where I needed to get out of my head and feeling his body move against mine cleared my mind.

  Angel pulled my ankles—still bound with my pants—over his head, crouching between my knees. His fingers massaged my thighs, spreading me wider for him. He knelt at the spot I wanted him most and he blew on the area that was about to explode.

  As soon as he touched me, I would break. As soon as he kissed me, I would crash. And as soon as he loved me, I would shatter.

  His hot breath slid across my mound, and I moaned, arching my back. “Please,” I begged, spreading my legs wider, inviting him in. Hinting for him to take from me what I knew he wanted. What he craved.

  “Your pussy is swollen, baby.” Angel made a point of grazing a finger from my clit to the opening.

  “Fuck,” I cried out, frustration settling in. A hot sheen of sweat coated my skin, my chest heaving with each ragged breath. Just one touch. A little kiss from his full mouth would send me over the edge.

  Before I could process what was happening, his hot mouth crashed to my core, covering me completely.

  I gasped, my eyes widening at the rough but delicious impact.

  He growled, thrusting his tongue inside of my body in one smooth stroke. His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me as I trembled against him.

  The pleasure was so great, no sounds left my lips. All I could do was stare. It was as if he were a beautiful artist owning his canvas. Like a stroke of a brush, he rubbed his tongue against me. Inside of me. All over me.

  My fingers dug into the couch cushion, my hips rocking upward to meet the thrusts of his tongue. “Oh…” Dots danced in my vision. A hot tingle spread from my toes to my head. “Harder,” I pleaded. I wanted him to devour my soul. I wanted him to take away all of my pain with a stroke of his tongue.

  “Shit, Jay.” He released me with a smack, licking the juices off his lips.

  “Don’t stop,” I begged, reaching out for him.

  “I’m not, but I want you to come on my cock.” He pulled my pants off my ankles and removed his clothing.

  I followed suit by taking off my bra, my body vibrating and shaking with need for him. I slid up the couch, reaching out to him. “Angel.”

  “Show me what you want, baby,” he said, kneeling between my legs.

  Lifting my hips, I rubbed my slick center over his hard tip. “Fuck me. God, please. Fuck me hard.”

  He brushed a hand over my head before wrapping it around my throat. “Show me.”

  Wiggling my hips, I lined up our bodies and dug my heels into the flesh of his ass. “Now.”

  In one smooth thrust, he filled
me.

  I broke, his name leaving my lips on a hard cry. The release rocked me to the core, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more. “Harder.”

  A wicked grin spread on his face. He pulled me further beneath him, resting most of his weight on my body. I was pinned between him and the couch. His hips sped up, pumping hard and deep. Fast and powerful.

  Another tingle. Another gasp. A second scream.

  “That’s it, baby. Dig those heels into my ass. Take me deep,” he demanded, his voice taking on a rough edge.

  God, this man and what he does to me.

  “Eyes on me,” he said, his voice firm.

  My gaze met his, my fingers dug deeper into the muscles of his shoulders.

  “Do you feel that?” he asked, pushing into me as far as my body would allow. “Do you feel the ridges of my cock inside your pussy? Do you feel how your cunt squeezes me, begging for another release?”

  “Yes!” I nodded vigorously. “Oh God, yes!”

  “Good.” He released me, pulling out of my aching body and sat back on the couch. “Come here and kneel between my legs. I want your mouth.”

  My body vibrated at his demand, my tongue tingling with the need for his taste. I did as I was told and before I could get any more commands from him, I took him in my mouth. Swallowing the acidic taste of my body, I licked and sucked. Nibbled and swallowed. No inch of him went untouched. His moans and grunts, the use of my name, all slid into my ears. They controlled my actions. They hinted for me to go faster. Slower. Rough then soft. Hard yet gentle.

  When Angel had had enough, he pushed me onto the ground and found his way back inside my body without so much as a warning.

  I cried out, hugging myself around him and took him all in. Arching beneath him, I lifted my legs. Angel grabbed my ankles, pushing my legs above my head.

  “Oh my…” My body opened to him, giving him better access from the flexed position.

  He grinned, crashing his lips to mine.

  I couldn’t move. I was stuck beneath him. Around him. All I could feel was him. All I could taste was his essence on my tongue, our pleasure mixing together as he kissed me like he fucked me. The thrusts of his tongue matched the movements of his cock. In. Out. Hard. Rough. Deep. There wasn’t a soft bone in his body as he took what he wanted from me on the floor of my apartment. It was rough. Bordering on violent as he powered into me with so much strength, I was surprised I didn’t get pushed into the floor. But it was needed. I could feel my attraction to him grow. The reason hit me and I gasped into his mouth.