Chapter Eight
It was late when Nikon finally stepped into the apartment. The scent of Chinese food lingered in the air. His stomach rumbled at the smell, but the rest of his body was too tired to even try to eat. Likely he would be starving in the morning, but he needed rest, and so the situation would just have to be what it was.
They’d taken a circuitous route back to ensure they weren’t followed, which made the whole thing take even longer. By the time they’d arrived back at the apartment building, no one was behind them, so Nikon liked to believe it was effort well spent.
As the hybrid made his way through the darkness, his night vision helping, Nikon shed his clothing until he was left in nothing but his underwear. He stopped at the end of the bed and watched as the lump under the covers lifted up and down. Leah was already deep asleep.
A part of him was disappointed she hadn’t stayed up to talk with him. He supposed it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have been able to even keep his eyes open long enough to chat.
Not only that, Nikon wasn’t so sure it even was a good idea to talk to her right now. She had enough stress without worrying about being targeted because she was a Vestal.
The hybrid eased himself under the covers and settled there, his body instantly sinking into the warmth of the bed. He needed rest. He could think over everything else in the morning.
Beside him, Leah breathed quietly. Nikon tried to settle in and let himself drift off to sleep.
Despite his exhaustion and his eyes being closed, his head wouldn’t clear. Worry sapped at him. It was more effective than caffeine at keeping him awake.
They were after her. Her name had been on that piece of paper. Whatever that meant, he wasn’t sure, but Tycho made it clear it wouldn’t be pleasant, and that meant Nikon couldn’t allow it.
There was no way he was ever going to let any harm come to her. Leah deserved more than that. She deserved a life free from all this bullshit, especially since he suspected that she’d been targeted because she was already around the hybrids.
Nikon made his muscles relax as he lay there. It didn’t matter what that paper said. For that night at least, she was safe there in bed with him.
He listened to the sounds of the apartment, trying to let his mind drift away from his concerns. It was strange living outside of the Lodge. It had taken quite a bit of time for him to get use to the fact that there were noises at all times of night in normal cities.
To his sensitive ears, it just became white noise after some time. The downside of this was that it was harder to tell what noise might mean trouble and what was just some random car or yelling person.
Nikon didn’t worry. He knew his instincts would kick in if needed. Even without his senses, the man had been trained to quickly react to threats.
That was the great irony. All the training the Horatius Group had put his people through had become their biggest advantage in the hybrids’ fight for their freedom.
Leah sighed loudly and rolled over against him. Her warm body molded to his, and he smiled down at her. He loved this feeling.
This was the best part of his day, the time with her next to him fast asleep. He felt at peace with her there in his arms, a peace he’d perhaps never known, even when his brother was still alive.
Nikon lifted his arms to make room for Leah in the crook of his arm. Leah snuggled closer.
He froze as her warm, bare breasts pressed firmly against his side. A low growl escaped his throat.
Was she naked?
Her eyes blinked open slowly, and she smiled at him, a sort of slow and lazy smile.
“You’re back,” Leah murmured. The low, husky way she spoke the words, likely from having just woken up, made his cock jump and strain against his underwear.
Leah wrapped her arm around him and pulled herself up a little closer to his face. “You know,” she said slowly. “Your eyes are very pretty when they glow like that.”
Nikon gritted his teeth as she crawled closer to get a better look. Her breasts rubbed against his chest as she did so.
“You’re naked,” he managed to get out.
Another smile spread across Leah’s face. “I know.”
This had gone well past what he should be allowing. Just because his body responded to her didn’t mean he had to act on it.
Leah closed the distance between their mouths and pressed her lips to his.
Wine and mint. The two things he tasted as she coaxed his lips.
He should push her away. That’s what he told himself. But he didn’t.
Despite what his head was telling him, Nikon found it hard to push her away. Instinct and pure naked lust were driving him now as he kissed her back.
Leah wove her hands into his hair. Her lips moved clumsily against his mouth in a shy sort of way despite the aggressive way she’d started.
A low groan filled his chest as Leah slid her leg over the side of his body and planted her heat against his now rigid cock. Only a thin layer of fabric separated them. Things were now getting way out of hand.
Nikon pulled his mouth away from her as he stared up at her now pink lips. “What are you doing?”
Leah placed her hands on his chest as she shifted over him. He could see her bare pussy pressed against him. His cock pulsed hard against her.
She smiled down at him and moved. Then she leaned down to his mouth again. Her breasts pressed against his hard chest.
“I want to be more than just friends,” Leah whispered. “And I have for a while.”
Nikon’s heart hammered in his chest. After a month together, he’d tried so hard not to make it anything more than platonic. But now she was there in his arms. Naked. And he couldn’t say that he didn’t want her. His body certainly did.
Leah leaned in and kissed him again. This time Nikon reached up to slant her head to the side as he traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue. She opened to him, and they twined their tongues together, tasting each other.
Every so often she would rock her body over his throbbing cock, sending jolts of electricity through his body. He wondered if he could come just from that alone.
One of his hands made its way down from her shoulders, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake until he came to her breasts. She was larger there than he had imagined, not something he was about to complain about.
Leah moved more over him as his hands explored her breasts. He took the pebbled peaks between his fingers as they kissed to tease and squeeze.
Nikon could already feel her wetness as it soaked through his underwear. Every part of him wanted more of her.
He let out a low growl. Not just wanted, needed. He needed to be inside her.
Leah pulled away from his mouth slightly and looked down at him, her hips still moving over him.
“Touch me,” she moaned. “Make me feel good.”
Nikon growled as he flipped her onto her back. His animal nature took over, and his hand found her center wet and open to him. He moved between her legs, letting his fingers probe her wet pussy. One finger slid in slightly as he shifted.
Leah shivered as he moved in and out of her. Her slick juices coated him as he pushed in and out.
When her small hand reached out for the band of his underwear, he jumped at the contact then moved closer. He needed her to touch him.
Leah reached inside his underwear as he continued to move inside her, his fingers invading her. His thrusts grew a little more intense than they had been before.
She wrapped her hand around his hard, hot cock and began pumping him in time with his thrusting. A loud grunt escaped his mouth.
Leah’s mouth fell open, and small pants came out.
“Nikon,” she moaned.
His thrusting increased in speed, and he added another finger to scissor inside of her as she continued to move her hand over him.
Nikon shivered as one of her fingers slid over the cum at the tip of his cock. Leah used the lubrication to stroke him faster, and pressure built in his balls.
They moved hard against one another, their increased speeds in sync. Each grew close to reaching their peak.
Leah’s free hand balled up the sheet over the bed as she continued to stroke him with her first hand.
She cried out, and her insides twitched around his fingers, squeezing them in the best way.
“Yes, Nikon. Oh, yes.”
The hybrid grunted loudly as his own orgasm ripped through him, and he coated her hands with his sticky seed.
Leah kept moving over him, her hand now wet from him as she did. He jumped when her other hand came up to tug on his underwear.
“I want you inside me,” she whispered.
Nikon let out a growl. He needed to be inside her. She wanted him to be inside her. The next step was inevitable.
What the fuck was he doing?
No. It couldn’t or shouldn’t be.
The horror of what they had done came crashing down on Nikon. He scrambled to get off the bed. He stared at her from the end of the bed, his heart thundering.
“What’s the ma—” Leah began.
“This can’t happen,” Nikon said quickly. “This should have never happened, and it can’t ever happen again.”
Leah opened her mouth to respond but stopped when he snatched his pants from the floor.
“You take the bed,” he said firmly. “I’ll take the couch.”
Not waiting for her reply, Nikon walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him as he did.
It wasn’t until he was lying on the couch that he could hear her quiet sniffling from her crying. This was one time he wished he didn’t have superhuman hearing.
Nikon rolled over. Not only had he used his brother’s woman, but now he had made her cry. He really was the worst person in the world.