CHAPTER SIX
——
ERIKA
ON ALL FOURS, I look over my shoulder as the bed dips from Dominic’s weight. Between his hands, he squeezes a bottle of lubricant he retrieved from Amberlee’s room. My body is humming with electricity, still riding my high, sensitive to every touch. Dominic spreads my ass cheeks, circling my puckered hole.
“I’m already getting worked up thinking about fucking your ass.”
His finger fills my entrance, and I grip the sheets beneath me.
“How’s that feel?” he asks, slowly sliding in and out, the sensation driving me wild.
“So good.”
“Fuck,” a low groan rolls out from his chest. “I knew you’d like this. You want my cock in your ass, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Another finger stretches me, and I wince before his pace picks up, pleasuring my ass. A third finger and the pleasure mixes with pain. Hand on my shoulder, he massages his thumb into my muscles, relaxing me as he stretches me, readying me to take him.
“The way you came for me out there…” his voice is low, a tenor riveted with sexuality, “It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Withdrawing his fingers, I hear the slick sound of the lubricant as he strokes along his erection. Pulling my ass cheeks apart, he presses his head to my hole.
“Relax your body. I want you to enjoy this.”
The pressure builds as his head pushes in. I try hard to stay relaxed, but he’s so big, the pressure is overwhelming.
“Dom, it hurts,” I grimace, fisting the sheets.
Rubbing his hand over my back, he massages, kneading his strong hand into my muscles as his other hand wraps around my hip, sliding between my legs. Heat builds at my core. Every touch, every stroke, the feel of his hands on my body eases the strain on my backside. With each caress along my back, he eases further in. Pulling out some, there’s a release of pressure and with the next thrust, it switches to pleasure.
“Oh, God, Dom. That feels so good.”
“I knew you could take all of me,” his voice is husky, low, followed by a satisfied groan.
“Your ass feels even better than your pussy.”
My ass is tugged, slapping against his pelvis, as he thrusts deep and hard, filling me completely. Having him take me like this is an overpowering sensation. I feel vulnerable, desired, closer to him than before. The rush of pleasure that washes over my body with each thrust of his cock forces uncontrollable moans from my lips.
His own moans echo through my room as he continues to pound into me, slamming me onto him.
“You’re trembling. You gonna cum for me?”
“Yes,” I cry out.
Like a force of nature, I’m consumed by pleasure. A euphoric sensation so strong, it blurs my vision, obliterating my senses. My arms give out, and I drop, my head touching the bed as I writhe and moan through each pulse of utter bliss tearing through me.
An explicit groan escapes from his chest as he pulls my ass tight against him, thickening and releasing into me. Beneath me, an arm gathers me, putting me upright, holding my back to his chest as I pant through each breath. Hand around my throat, the other slides between my legs, gathering at my slick wetness, twirling around my clit, teetering me on the edge of another orgasm.
“Knowing no other man has had you, that you’re all mine, it does things to me. Turns me on in a way I’ve never felt. You’re better than a ride or a drug. You’re pure freedom, Sparrow.”
***
Laying in Dominic’s arms, I close my eyes as his hand caresses along my side, raising goosebumps on my skin. Looking into his eyes, I feel myself getting lost in the depths of his stunning green irises and the mysterious man behind them.
“I want to know everything about you.”
Touching my face, he caresses my hair and cheek. “Not everything. There are things I don’t want you to know. Things I don’t want you to see. My life is dark and dangerous. I don’t want you part of that. With all the shit I deal with, you’re my only escape from it. The only good thing that isn’t tainted.”
His dilated pupils tell me he’s still enjoying his high. My fingertip follows a trail of ink, and he stops caressing me, indulging in my touch.
“Tell me what you will.”
“I had to grow up fast, just like you. Home life was rough. I saw shit at too young of an age. My father and uncle were Serpents, so it’s no surprise I was drawn into this kind of life. The first time I killed a man was when I was seventeen. My brother was older than me, but he was weak, lacked self-control, a lot like your sister. He’d gotten addicted to heroin, was making bad decisions to get a fix. A deal went wrong, he’d stolen some shit he was supposed to sell. I was with him, along with a couple other Serpents when a gun was pulled on him. His head wasn’t right and he got himself shot. I tried to get to him, to put him on my bike. I remember seeing the blood pooling on the ground. I was scared he was going to die. Reaching for him, I felt a shooting pain in my side.” He adjusts the way he’s lying to reveal a one-inch scar blended in his tattoos. “I was stabbed. My choice was kill the owner of the knife or lay in a pool of blood next to my brother. You know what happened next.”
Dominic doesn’t flinch as I thumb over the uneven skin. “What happened to your brother?”
“He didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry.”
Turning toward me, he grazes a finger over my jaw. “You have nothing to be sorry for. My brother did it to himself. He was weak. I know that sounds cold, but as a Serpent, you can’t be weak.”
Taking hold of his massive bicep, I scoot closer to him. His arm folds around me.
“I think Ditch is weak. I see him snorting cocaine too often and he’s easily angered by stupid things. I recently heard Alee yelling at him about not being able to get an erection.”
Dominic leans back, raising my chin to him. “Erika, don’t ever say that to him or anyone else. Promise me, now.”
“I won’t,” I assure him.
“He’d lose his mind if you emasculated him in front of anyone. He’d hurt you and I’d have to kill him.”
“Would you…kill him?”
With a languid motion, his finger trails up my inner thigh, across my opening.
“If he tried to take what was mine, I would.”
My lips part, my breath escaping as he toys with my clit.
“Would you be telling me these things if you weren’t high right now?”
Laughing quietly, his gaze raises to my face. “No, I’m not one to share things about myself, but I’m high as a kite and wanting to confess all my sins to you.”
“How long were you watching me before the night we kissed?”
“Part your legs for me,” he instructs, his eyes glistening with a renewed hunger.
Lying more on my back, I open them for him to explore.
“How long?”
Fingers sliding into my opening, my breath catches, and a proud smile spreads his lips.
“About three weeks. You caught my attention from the first moment I saw you, but when you avoided the parties, drinking, drugs, fucking any of my brothers that’s when my curiosity grew. The night you stood your ground with Tex, I saw the fighter in you. I wanted you then like I do now.”
Adding another finger, he works my hole making me drenched with need.
“How do you want me?”
“Wet, baby, always wet and ready for me.”
Rolling on top of me, he takes my arms, pinning them down above my head. Bending my knees toward my chest, I give him better access. With one powerful thrust, he fills me, pulls back and thrusts deeper, harder.
With my arms pinned, he has total control, and I love it. This is exactly how I imagined him dominating me, taking me with such raw passion.
“You like it when I take control of you, don’t you?” he asks, thrusting hard, his head hitting my cervix.
Arching my back, my body and mind plunge into an erotic euphoria.
“Tell me how much you love my cock in you.”
Another hard thrust, the rapture pushes me over the edge. My release shakes my body. I quiver beneath him, and he pulls out, stroking his cock as warm cum jets across my stomach.
Firmly caressing my thighs, his eyes are glossy as he looks me over.
“I like seeing my cum all over you.”
“Marking your territory?” I tease.
“Damn straight. You’re mine. Every part of you, whenever I want, however I want.”
His eyes are challenging, testing me.
Sitting up, I pull his face to me. “I wouldn’t have agreed to the initiation if I didn’t already feel that way.”
When his lips cover mine, the kiss is heated, passionate, a seal of approval.
Grabbing a towel from my laundry basket, he cleans me off. With the towel tossed back in the basket, I crawl into his open arms. Pulling the blanket over us, I lay on his chest, his strong arm holding me affectionately. Thumb grazing across my skin, I drift into a relaxed sleep.
***
Warm light touches my face, and I blink twice, my head throbbing behind my temples. Reaching over, expecting the bed cold and empty, my hand finds Dominic’s warm chest, and I’m surprised as much as I am elated.
Stirring awake, he turns to his side, pulling me flush against him.
“I’m glad you didn’t leave.”
“After the show we put on last night, there was no way in hell I was leaving you alone.”
Pinching my eyes closed, I try to deal with the ache in my head and stomach. “I feel miserable. My head is killing me.”
“I know.” Dominic rubs at the base of my neck. “Coming off that shit is rough. We’ll get out of here and get breakfast.”
“I’ll get us some water.”
Finding fresh clothes, I amble toward the kitchen, avoiding the usual mess on the way. I’m surprised to see a couple Serpents still here, passed out on the furniture. I creep to the bathroom, trying not to wake them. Nearing the door, I hear a woman’s plea, begging for someone to stop. Her words are raspy as if her breath is being choked out of her. Turning the knob, a crack of light seeps through before I see the terrifying scene.
Drake has his belt wrapped around the blond woman’s throat I saw last night. He’s pulling tight, her throat red and raw as he pounds into her from behind. His eyes meet mine in the mirror and his expression morphs, becoming menacing, slamming into her harder, never taking his dangerous glare from the mirror. Closing the door, I run back to Dominic.
Shutting the door behind me, I rush to the bed, falling on top of his chest in a panic.
“Drake is hurting a woman in my bathroom. I think he’s raping her. You need to do something.”
With an arm lazily draped over his head, he strokes my side and shuts his eyes. “Drake has fetishes. He likes to hurt women when he fucks them.”
He blows me off, and I rise from the bed, anger building in me.
“This is my house, Dom. I’m not putting up with shit like that.”
Storming to the door, Dominic moves out of my bed like lightning, pushing my door shut before I can walk through it.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t your house anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Christian owns it. He’s the landlord now.”
“How the hell did this happen?”
“It’s one of the things we do as Serpents. We own a lot of properties and they serve different purposes.”
“What purpose does my house serve?”
“It’s one of the things I want you kept away from, so don’t ask details.”
“Amberlee said I wasn’t part of the deal. What deal, Dom?”
Dominic pulls me closer, stroking my face in an attempt to cool my anger. I shove his hand away and his eyes darken.
Anger surges through me, clenching my jaw. “What deal?”
Pressing me against the bed frame, he moves in closer, his posture dominating. “Don’t ever shove me away like that when I’m trying to comfort you.”
“I…want…them…out,” I seethe. “If you won’t help me, fine. I’ll do it on my own.”
Slipping out through the gap between him and the bed, I yank my door open and storm toward the living room. Boulder-like arms wrap around my waist, easily lifting me off the floor. I’m quickly brought back into my room, the door slamming behind us. Squirming in his arms, I try to break free.
Against my ear, his voice is low, controlled. “Don’t fight me, Sparrow. I never want to hurt you, but I can easily overpower you and accidentally hurt you, so stop, now.”
My body goes limp in his arms. He releases me, turning me to face him. Dark, jade green eyes study my expression.
“Why are you so angry?”
“I hate living here. I hate Ditch and Drake. I hate having no control over my own life. I’m trapped here and I don’t even know what the hell is going on.”
Hands on my hips, he pulls me to him. This time I don’t fight him, he’s taken it out of me. When my body complies, his expression softens.
“Do you trust me?”
Placing my hands on his naked torso, I rub along his hardened abs. “Completely.”
“Then know that whatever is going on, it’s safer you don’t know. The more knowledge you have, the more danger you’re in.”
“I’m not blind to my surroundings. I know the Serpents deal drugs.”
With a stroke of his hand, he runs his fingers through my hair, moving it off my face.
“You’ve seen the Serpents using drugs. You haven’t seen any drug deals, have you?”
Pausing, I think over his words. He’s right. I haven’t seen drug deals. It’s always been an assumption.
“No, I haven’t.”
His fingers brush over my jaw, then cup my chin, raising my mouth to his.
“Let’s get out of here. I wanna spend the day with you.”
“You’re walking me to the bathroom first. I need to get cleaned up and don’t want to run into Drake again.”
Moving to the bed, he gathers the rest of his clothes.
“We’ll take a shower at my house after I pick you up a few things.”
“A few things?”
“Whatever products you need and we’ll get you a morning-after pill.”
“Fuck.” Last night comes rushing back to me. “We didn’t use protection and you didn’t pull out.”
Sliding his dark, worn-in jeans over his briefs, he buttons them. “We were completely lost in the moment.”
My body tingles from the memories. Last night was incredible and I didn’t even notice a single person around us.
Watching me, Dominic’s lip slips from between his teeth. “You’re getting hot thinking about it, aren’t you?”
My mouth curves into a flirtatious grin. “I am.” Stepping to him, I place my hands on his chest, rubbing down to his abs. “I can’t help it. You do it to me.”
Tongue pushed against mine, he possessively claims my mouth.
“You do the same to me.”
Wrapping my arms around his back, I massage his muscles.
“Last night was about claiming me in front of everyone, wasn’t it?”
With his hand on the side of my face, he nods. “Everyone knows now. You’re my woman. It’ll give you added protection. No Serpent will touch you.”
That statement relieves tension and worry I had buried deep.
“You looked beautiful riding me like you did. No doubt every one of my brothers wanted you.”
“They can’t have me. I’m all yours.”
“Don’t forget it.” Scooping me up, I wrap my legs around his waist as he nuzzles his face into my neck, licking and sucking me, making me laugh when his scruff tickles me.
“I want to hear that laugh more often.”
I lean back in his arms, admiring his masculine features and strong jawline.
“I don’t even remember the last time I laughed out of pure happiness. It feels good.”
Setting me down by my closet, he pecks my cheek.
“Pack what you need. I’m heading to take a piss.”
Dominic leaves and I grab a duffle, filling it with anything I might need for today and a potential stay over. My door opens and it’s not Dominic like I expected. Amberlee strolls in. Her hair pulled back in a tiny ponytail.
“You hate me?”
I glance at her and frown, then continue packing. “Of course, I don’t hate you. I know why you spiked my drink with ecstasy, and honestly, I appreciate it.”
Relief washes over her sharp features. “I overheard Ditch talking with another Serpent about forcing Dom to claim you and for you to put out. I had to go through it too, but no one prepared me. I didn’t want you to go through that embarrassment. You’re lucky to have Dom. He really cares about you.” There’s a sadness in her tone and it tugs at my heart.
“You could have the same. Dump his ass.”
“It’s not that easy. Imagine if you wanted to break it off with Dom. How do you think he’d handle it?”
If he’s anywhere as hooked as I am, he’d flip. I know it.
“So, when you’re with a Serpent, there’s no walking away?”
Amberlee’s eyes moisten as she shakes her head. “Not unless he wants to end it. If I tried, I’d be humiliating him in front of his brothers. He’d hurt me for it.”
“I can talk to Dom. Maybe he can talk to Ditch. It’ll save face for Ditch if he’s the one ending it. No one has to know it was really you who wanted to end it.”
Amberlee laughs to herself. “Sometimes I think maybe you’re not naive, you’re just full of hope.”
“You’re my sister, and I love you. I’ll do what I can to help you. You’ve done so much for me over the years. I’ll talk to Dom and see what he says.”
Her eyes are somber as she nods her head. There’s no hope in her eyes. She thinks my conversation with Dom is a waste of time.
“You did great last night. You looked sexy riding Dom. After you both came in here, the party turned into a fuck-fest. Everyone was hot after watching that.”
“I was completely consumed. I wasn’t aware of anyone around us.”
“I noticed,” Amberlee smirks. “How’d you like rolling on E?”
“I liked it too much. It’s probably something I shouldn’t do again, especially if I’m going to feel like this the next day.”
“It’s worth feeling shitty the next day. That high is incredible. It’s my favorite.”
“Where do you get the ecstasy from?”
“Dom’s probably waiting for you out there. You should get going.”
She’s clearly evading the subject. I suppose I should accept that the ones who care about me prefer me left in the dark.
“We should do something together. Like dinner and a movie,” I suggest. “It’d be nice to have some time with my sister.”
Her smile is genuine when it widens over her pretty face. “How about tomorrow?”
“That’s perfect.”
With my arm through my duffle bag, Amberlee and I enter the living room. My bag drops to the floor and my hand goes to my mouth as I suck in a breath.
“Fuck. Get her in the room, Alee,” Dom orders.
Dom is crouched down, helping the blonde woman I saw earlier sip water. She’s hardly lucid and around her neck are bold, swollen marks from the belt. Dried blood is below her nostrils.
Amberlee takes hold of my arm, and I shove her off, rushing to the woman.
“What’d he do to her?”
“She was passed out when I found her in the bathroom,” Dom tells me.
“She needs to go to the hospital.”
Amberlee is standing behind the couch, within my line of sight. She’s shaking her head no. “Stay out of it, Erika.”
“She needs help,” I plead with them.
“I’ll take her home. I’ll make sure she’s ok,” Amberlee assures me.
Looking around my empty living room, I realize everyone has left. “He just left her there? Passed out like that?”
The woman reaches to her neck and hisses in a breath. More color is coming into her cheeks. “I want to go home,” she rasps.
Amberlee rubs her shoulders. “Dom, will you help me get her to my car?”
One arm under her legs, the other around her back, he scoops up the woman and carries her out of our house. Tears moisten my eyes as the shock continues to overwhelm me.
When Dominic comes back inside, I’m trembling, holding the wall where I left my bag. “I want to leave. I want to leave now.”
He tucks me under his arm. “C’mon.”