Silence enveloped the house, the darkness of Trey’s closet swallowing Brittany and sheltering her from Karl and the shame and horror of his words. After everything else she’d suffered at his hands, all the other demeaning indignities, he’d made her endure a final one and brought her to an orgasm.
She shivered, her blood like ice in her veins. How long had she been hidden in Trey’s closet? Minutes? Hours? Her head was pounding, her thoughts running amok. She wished she could go. Leave. Die. It might’ve been better if Karl had killed her. Instead he’d left her to suffer in fear and in silence. He’d nearly stolen her sanity then; now he wanted to steal her peace.
If she had her cell phone, she’d call Trey and Bryson to make sure they were well. Time had been suspended in her dark hideaway. Earlier, maybe minutes ago or possibly hours ago, she’d heard Trey in the room before the sound of his movements faded away. She needed to go to her room and get her phone but she just couldn’t force herself to move. If Bryson told Karl that Trey took her to the precinct with him, then she’d bet Bryson also gave Karl a detailed account of the hours she’d be alone.
Now she was alone. It had to be well past the time when both Trey and Bryson usually left, and her stomach was growling. She hadn’t eaten a thing today, other than the Chinese food Lieutenant Thomas ordered for them in the early morning hours.
A door opening and closing caught her attention and she drew in a sharp breath then covered her mouth. Her phone. She needed her phone to call 911. It was still somewhere in her purse, where it had been since she’d arrived at Bryson’s apartment.
Bryson might’ve called Karl and told him to check on her. Who knew what Bryson had in mind? He didn’t want her with Trey so it wouldn’t matter Trey claimed to be her boyfriend.
A beam of light reflected through the cracks in the closet door. Holding her breath, she pulled the comforter over her head. The door opened and she went motionless, fearing the pounding of her heart would give her away.
“Brittany?”
The voice sounded like Trey’s but Karl had all kinds of tricks.
Without warning, the cover was yanked from her and she covered her head, waiting for a blow.
“Look at me.”
That smooth voice with that slight drawl curled through her but Brittany still feared she was dreaming Trey was there, not Karl.
Hands grasped her arms, pulling her forward, and she sagged in surrender. What was the use in fighting? She’d tried before and he’d only hurt her worse.
“Look at me.”
She opened her eyes, expecting to see Karl’s hateful, leering features. Instead she saw Trey. “What are you doing here?”
He lifted her up and laid her on his bed. “I live here.”
“I know you live here but shouldn’t you be on duty?”
He sat next to her and she winced at the slight swelling of his eye.
“I’ve taken a few days off. I have some personal matters I need to take care of.”
“Are you leaving?” she asked, curious to know what his personal matters were.
A burgundy-colored dress shirt and black trousers outlined his powerful build. Dark eyes studied her, deep and unfathomable. He wore no tie and had left two buttons undone, allowing her a better view of his strong neck and the pulse point at the base of his throat.
“You’re going on a date,” she realized, her heart sinking.
He ignored her observation. “Why were you in my closet? Was it the fight between Bryson and me? Or is it because of something else you haven’t told me?”
She stared straight ahead as if the plain, flimsy closet door was a work of art. “I didn’t like the fight.”
He didn’t answer her and the silence stretched, the tension so taut she almost screamed. She had to know what Trey was thinking, if he believed her. Or if he’d guessed Karl raped her. Stiffening her shoulders, she looked at him, startled to find him searching her face, her body, her bare feet.
Reaching out, he caressed her scalp. “You had such beautiful hair, Brit.”
“Yes,” she agreed, swallowing to keep from sobbing. “And now it’s all gone.” The thought hurt. She smiled, pretending nothing mattered when so much did. And every moment of every day, her ordeal and the aftermath was beginning to matter that much more. “I’ve made a mess of my hair.”
“That you have. We’re definitely going to find a stylist for you tomorrow.”
“I-I thought… I thought I hated my hair. I thought if my hair was gone, it would somehow take away…everything.”
“Everything that came rushing back when I touched you while we were making love?”
She nodded and swallowed. “Yes,” she whispered. She bowed her head in shame because she’d been enjoying his taste until then. The awful truth was that sucking him and listening to his groans had heightened her desire. She forced her tears back and continued her explanation. “You were holding me against you. Using my hair to control me.”
He tipped up her chin and rubbed his thumb across her lips. “I wasn’t trying to control you. What I did to you when your mouth was on me was a natural reflex I have whenever a woman gives me a blowjob.”
She scowled at him. “I see,” she sniffed.
Soft laughter rumbled from him, pure devilment glittering in his eyes. He slid closer to her and leaned forward to kiss her lips. She opened to him, yielding to the insistent pressure of his tongue, feeling safe and protected in his arms. He tasted like mint and smelled of the spicy cologne he kept on his bureau.
“I want to give you an example.”
“An example?” she breathed, galvanized by the huskiness of his voice.
His hand brushed her ankle as he slid the hem of her long skirt above her waist. She wished she had sexier underwear but as Trey pulled off her white cotton panties, he seemed not to notice them.
Instead his eyes feasted on her femininity and she focused on the heat in his gaze not the embarrassment rising up inside her. His fingers skimmed her legs before he moved between them, his shoulders spreading her thighs. She knew what he intended and she squirmed against him. He pressed his nose against her mound, breathed in and licked her feminine seam. Brittany gasped, electricity shooting through her.
Trey spread her legs wider, opening her and tonguing her wet folds and the entrance to her body. He raised his head and stared at her. “When you push my head closer to you and hold me there”—he licked her again—“tell me if you’re trying to control me or if you’re just seeking more pleasure.”
The flat of his tongue laved her in a fast, furious motion and she cried out, arching her back, pleasure shooting from the center of her body and into her womb. His fingers held her tender flesh open to his probing mouth and she moaned again, her hips beginning to undulate. She fisted her hands at her sides but after a few moments, she couldn’t help but plant them on Trey’s head and push his face against her body. Lifting her hips, she ground against his mouth, holding his head in place until tiny little explosions went off in her body, his tongue brushing her clit over and over again.
She floated on a cloud as sensation traveled through her. Trey planted featherlight kisses on her inner thigh as she spiraled gently back to earth. Pulling his lips away, Trey wiped his mouth with the top sheet and laid next to her, gathering her in his arms.
“Understand now, Brit?” He caressed her back, running his fingers along her exposed thigh.
She trembled, her body sensitive to his touch.
“If you would’ve talked to me, I would’ve educated you before you cut off all your beautiful hair,” he added.
Her heart raced, her body boneless and weightless. She couldn’t even find it in her to cover herself or close her legs after the mind-bending pleasure he’d just given her. “It isn’t as simple as this,” she protested weakly, wanting him to move over her and slide into her.
“Isn’t it? Were you trying to control me just now?”
“Well in a way, yes. I just wanted to be closer to your mouth.”
“But you weren’t trying to hurt me. Just as I wasn’t intending to hurt you. You felt how much I enjoyed tasting you and you wanted me to get you off. I thought you were enjoying having your mouth on me and I was seeking release. But you had the power. You had it then and you had it now.”
“Not all men stop.”
“I’m not all men. I would give my life to protect you.”
He kissed her again and she tasted herself on his lips, then he started to rise.
“Where are you going?” She wanted more from him.
“I went in your room looking for you so we could go somewhere to eat. I couldn’t find you anywhere in the house so I figured out where you were, since I knew you hadn’t left.”
“You’re not…you don’t need release?”
He pulled her skirt down and faced her, allowing her to see his huge erection pressing against his trousers.
“Damn straight I do. But I’m a big boy. I can wait. I don’t think you’ve eaten anything today and you must be starving.”
“I am,” she admitted. “But I’m as hungry for you as I am for food.”
“Brittany,” Trey groaned. “Stop it or it’ll be hours before you eat.”
“Having you inside me would make up for that.” She marveled at what a different person she was with Trey, as if she really did have a split personality.
“I’m going to ignore that for now. Go find some shoes so we can get out of here.”